Smarty’s Moto News Wrap for April 10, 2018
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Latest News
- 2018 MX Nationals Kick Off This Weekend
- Sydney Indoor Motox Park Confirms Arizon to Build Dome
- Childs Cleans Up at Barleigh Ranch
- Lawrence and Sanayei Injured
- Bou and Gelabert Earn Spain’s 12th X-Trial of Nations Win - King Koltakov
Race Reports
- 2018 Yamaha A4DE – Cessnock
- AMA Supercross Championships – Round – Seattle
- FIM World Motocross Championships – Round 4 – Trentino
- AMA Arenacross Championship – Round 2 – Race to the Cup – Wichita, Kansas
- GNCC – Round 4 – Steele City – Morganton, North Carolina
- American Flat Track Championships – Round 2 – Atlanta
2018 Pirelli MX Nationals Kick Off This Weekend
It’s been a long wait but the 2018 Pirelli MX Nationals kicks off this weekend in Newry, NSW and with all of the major player fighting fit and ready for action we are assured of a cracker start to the 10 round series.
The big question is whether anyone can stop Dean Ferris from dominating the MX1 class again and if recent form is any indication the answer is no BUT Brett Metcalfe, Kirk Gibbs, Luke Clout and a gaggle of MX1 hard chargers won’t have a bar of another Ferris win so look for some serious bar-banging at Newry.
The MX2 class is wide open but the return of Nathan Crawford to the class after one year in MX1 is definitely a talking point and the fact that he is on a Serco Yamaha offers the likeable Queenslander the best chance at the title while last year’s runner up Wilson Todd remains on the Serco team he is frothing at the mouth to get the championship he came so close to winning last year.
Throw in defending champion Egan Mastin on factory KTM machinery, Jackson Richardson back on Honda along with Kyle Webster and if Hamish Harwood and Jay Wilson can take their form from the New Zealand National Motocross Championship to Australia they will also be in the hunt.
2018 Pirelli MX Nationals Dates and Venues
Round 1. Newry VIC Sunday, April 15th
Round 2. Appin NSW Sunday, April 29th
Round 3. Wonthaggi VIC Saturday, May 19th
Round 4. Wonthaggi VIC Sunday, May 20th
Round 5. Murray Bridge SA Sunday, May 27th
Round 6. Conondale QLD Sunday, July 1st
Round 7. Maitland NSW Saturday, July 14th
Round 8. Maitland NSW Sunday, July 15th
Round 9. Gladstone QLD Sunday, August 5th
Round 10. Coolum QLD Saturday 11th & Sunday 12th August
Sydney Indoor MotoX Park Confirms Arizon to Build Dome
Sydney Indoor MotoX Park will team up with Arizon Building Systems to manufacture the first Air-Supported Structure in Sydney, Australia.
Matt Bartolo (owner/operator) and Paul Willingham (business manager) represented the Sydney Indoor MotoX park team last week and took the project a step closer by travelling to St Louis, Missouri USA, to inspect the Arizon manufacturing facility. Arizon has started to build the unique structure, soon to feature in the Western Sydney landscape at Eastern Creek.
The partnership with Arizon Building Systems will provide SIMX the opportunity to open an indoor motorsports facility within a state-of-the-art, year-round, air-supported building. Work on the design, fabrication and installation of the dome structure has progressed throughout the last year.
Following an explorative visit to an existing 15-year-old dome, Matt Bartoloof the Sydney Indoor MotoX park team affirmed, “we are confident that we have partnered with the right company” to take the current project to “a new level of possibilities”
The 11,500 square metre dome will house two distinct tracks as well as zones for special events with stadium seating and will connect to a front of house structure which will include a coffee shop, merchandise store, and viewing areas into the dome.
Sydney Indoor MotoX Park is gearing up for their dome grand opening in later in 2018.
Mackenzie Childs Cleans Up at Barleigh Ranch
Local Hunter area rider Mackenzie Childs was the stand-out performer at the 29th staging of the annual Hunter Valley Motorsports Trackmasters meeting staged on the weekend, April 7 and 8, at the Barleigh Ranch Raceway.
Coming just a fortnight after cleaning up at the Casey Stoner Cup meeting at Kurri Kurri, Childs won both the Pro Open and Pro 450 classes as well as the Shoot-Out at Barleigh Ranch.
Throughout the heats of both classes Childs had shared honours with reigning Australian champion Kayden Downing who travelled down from Townsville for the meeting but in the deciders Downing fell in the Pro Open final while chasing Childs on the opening lap, and then in the Pro 450 final Downing made a poor start and although he got up to second place he could not overcome a perfect ride by Childs.
Other locals Connor Ryan and Boyd Hollis were placed third in those respective finals, while another long distance traveller Harry Maxwell from Proserpine won an exciting Pro 250 competition staged over five rounds.
Former Australian champion Graeme Smith still looked sharp in winning the Over 35s class and his daughter Sally Smith made it a family double with a hard-fought win in the Pro Womens Open class while Andy Bridge and passenger Robert Weston came out on top in the Dirt Track Sidecars while Jake Farnsworth took out the Pre 90s Classic class.
Junior racing was also of the highest quality with Kurri rider Harrison Ryan, Kye Andrews of Taree and Melbourne duo Max Berry and Zane Kinna sharing the wins for the oldest junior age classes.
Among the younger age brackets Tom Drane from Forbes was the only rider to score two class wins, while other class winners were Jordy Loftus from the Gold Coast, Cameron Dunker of Kurri, Jayden Holder of Kempsey and Beau Bailey from Forbes.
Lawrence and Sanayei Injured
World MX2 front runners Hunter Lawrence and Darian Sahayei have both suffered injuries during the GP of Trentino last weekend with the Aussie suffering a broken hand in Saturday’s qualifying race while Sanayei reportedly has a leg injury.
Bou and Gelabert Earn Spain’s 12th X-Trial of Nations Win
In an intense Final stage, the reigning Champions represented by Toni Bou and Miquel Gelabert came from behind to extend Spain’s unbeaten run in the X-Trial of Nations, recording a twelfth crown in front of 4,500 spectators who packed the Palais Nikaia in Nice.
Favourites Spain had been the early leaders with a three-point advantage after an opening round that had seen them drop just a single mark. But in Round Two the French pairing put in a sensational performance that saw them drop just five, and Spain slipped two marks behind them.
In a demanding Final, the Spanish pair were able to return to their best, while the French team´s hopes of a shock victory were ended by four successive fiascos.
“It’s good to finish this season with a victory, especially as France made it difficult,” Bou said. “In the second lap we made some mistakes, but in the Final we were able to open a gap. I would like to congratulate Miquel on his first title, because he rode very well under pressure.”
Young Spaniard Miquel Gelabert added, “This win rounds off a successful season, and completing it alongside my childhood idol Toni Bou means a lot for me. We had to give it everything to beat France, and that´s what we did in the Final. So now I hope to continue and improve my level next season.”
Frenchman Benoit Bincaz was humble in defeat, saying. “I am happy even if in the Final we couldn´t keep up our level from the second lap, and we have been beaten by the Spanish team. Both Alex and I rode well. The Final was very demanding, so I have to congratulate Toni and Miquel for their victory.”
Completing the podium in third position were Great Britain, whose duo of James Dabill and Jack Price were unable to repeat their 2017 silver medal exploits, falling back having sat just a single mark from France at the end of lap one.
King Koltakov
Russia’s Dmitry Koltakov has retained his World Championship title with one round to spare after another impressive performance in Heerenveen last Saturday where his win was confirmed as early as Heat 13 when he beat his nearest rival Daniil Ivanov making it impossible for him to be caught in the overall classification.
Koltakov has been consistently dominant throughout the LUKOIL FIM Ice Speedway Gladiators World Championship this year and has richly deserved his victory.
