Moto News Weekly Wrap for September 13, 2016 by Darren Smart
Proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax
This Week’s News Overview
- Aussies Performing Well on the International Stage
- Wright to Star at Supercross
- Mellross Signs with DPH Yamaha for SX
- Honda ‘Mega Team’ for Australian Supercross
- Kurtz Gets Wildcard for Melbourne SGP
- Kawasaki SMX Team Announced
- Jordan Ashburn Signs With Beta USA
- BPRMX Signs Rick Johnson
- Echo Valley Wins MX Nationals ‘Round of the Year’
This Weeks Racing Overview
- World Motocross Championships – Round 18 – Glen Helen, California
- AORC – Rounds 11 and 12 – Penshurst, Victoria
- GNCC – Round 10 – Unadilla
- Enduro GP and World Enduro Championships – GP of France – Cahors
- Speedway Grand Prix – Round 7 – Teterow, Germany
- EnduroCross Championship – Round 3 – Salt Lake City, U
- Soaring Eagle’s Edge of Summer MX – Mt. Pleasant, MI
Aussies Performing Well on the International Stage
Last weekend was a cracker for Australian riders contesting international events all over the world with the most notable being Tasmanian Matthew Phillips who wrapped up not only the World Enduro 2 Championship class at the GP of France but he also won the inaugural EnduroGP class putting his name in the history books forever. When you read the full report below you may be interested that Sherco, TM and Beta won the three main World Enduro Championships with KTM’s only title coming in the Woman’s class.
And how about Jason Doyle? The 30 year old from Newcastle has just won his third Speedway GP of the year at the GP of Germany and now sits just a handful of points behind championship leader and a pure legend of the sport in Greg Hancock with three rounds remaining.
Josh Strang and Mackenzie Tricker were at the famous Unadilla MX facility for the 10th round of the GNCC series where Strang continued his stellar season with a solid second overall behind arch rival and championship leader Kailub Russell while Tricker managed a credible third in the woman’s class. Strang sits just 20 points out of the lead in the series with three rounds remaining.
Finally we have young Caleb Ward who flew over to California to contest the final round of the World Motocross Championship at Glen Helen and after a more than credible 15th in the first moto where he passed KTM’s newest factory star Jorge Prado on the final lap, Ward was looking for more of the same in the second moto before another rider crashed into the back of his KTM and got his leg stuck in Caleb’ back wheel causing the Aussie to DNF the race. Still, a great effort and a fantastic learning experience for the young Far North Queenslander.
Wright to Star at Supercross
Jimboomba Yamaha dealership Star Yamaha have partnered with Jacob Wright for the opening two rounds of the 2016 Australian Supercross Championship that kicks off this Saturday right across the road from the dealership.
“Scott Bannan approached us about helping out Jacob and we are happy that we were able to put something together to help out a local Queensland rider.” Star Yamaha owner Michael Edwards said. “We have thrown out support behind Jacob for the opening two rounds to start with and will see how things are progressing from there. We also sponsor the opening round and will once again have a trade stall at the Jimboomba race. The events last year at the venue were very good and it is great to have a promoter that took the time to listen to us and take on board some of our ideas after those first events.”
Mellross Signs with DPH Yamaha for SX
Hayden Mellross has signed a deal with the DPH Yamaha team to contest the 450 class in the Australian Supercross Championship which kicks off this Saturday in Jimboomba.
Honda ‘Mega Team’ for Australian Supercross
American stars Justin Brayton and Jimmy Decotis will spear-head a star-studded Honda line-up for the Australian Supercross Championship which kicks off at Jimboomba this Saturday.
Team Honda Genuine Parts will have Yarrive Konsky as team manager with Brayton and Adam Enticknap signed for the 450cc duties while defending 250cc champion Decotis will be looking for his second Australian title and with the Penrite Honda team signing former 250cc champion Gavin Faith and former junior champion Josh Cachia you will see plenty of red at the front of the 250 class pack.
Motologic Honda riders Dylan Long and Jay Wilson will also be on hand in the 450 class while Kye Webster and Joel Whiteman will continue to run their Honda CRF250Rs for the Mark Luksich managed CRF Honda Racing team.
Glyn Griffiths, Brand and Racing Manager of Honda Australia is excited about Honda’s chances at the Australian Supercross Championship. “We have the official factory team run by Motologic with Dylan Long and Jay Wilson, our Satellite lites program with Kyle Webster and Joel Whiteman and our Honda Genuine Oils, Parts and Accessories backed program under the management of Yarrive Konsky with Justin Brayton, Jimmy Decotis and Adam Enticknap as well as the Penrite Honda program with Gavin Faith and Josh Cachia. This is a strong line up. The SX Championship was well received last year we were encouraged to step up our commitment”.
Kurtz Gets Wildcard for Melbourne SGP
Australian champion Brady Kurtz is set to realise the “biggest dream I’ve had since I was a kid” after being named QBE Insurance Australian FIM Speedway Grand Prix wild card. The 19-year-old dons the famous No.16 race jacket at Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium on October 22 as he continues to make rapid progress in the sport since making his professional debut in 2014.
Kurtz is excited to test himself against the SGP elite for the first time in the Southern Hemisphere’s biggest indoor motorsport event. “It’s every kid’s dream to ride in a GP and it’s pretty cool that it’s going to happen.” Kurtz said. “I wasn’t home in time to go to last year’s Australian SGP, but I saw it was a good show. I’m pumped to be a part of it this time.”
Kawasaki SMX Team Announced
Tommy Searle, Clement Desalle and Jordi Tixier will represent Kawasaki at the SMX Riders’ and Manufacturers’ Cup which will take place on Saturday the 8th of October inside the VELTINS-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany.
Jordan Ashburn Signs With Beta USA
Veteran GNCC racer and now former AmPro/Yamaha rider Jordan Ashburn has signed a two-year deal with Beta USA to compete in the GNCC XC1 class aboard a Factory Beta 390 RR. This means that Ashburn will now work alongside team’s new coach, five-time GNCC Champion Rodney Smith. “I’m very excited to the signing of Jordan Ashburn,” Smith said. “He has signed on with us at Beta to compete in the GNCC series and I feel the combination of his excitement and my knowledge after winning five GNCC titles, I hope he can bring the entire team title in the future!”
“I am really excited to be a part of Beta USA for 2017-2018,” Ashburn said. “I feel like together we can both achieve our goals of winning races and possible championships. Beta combined with Rodney Smith as a rider coach has a lot to offer to the program. I’m looking forward to a great next couple years on red.”
BPRMX Signs Rick Johnson
Seven-time AMA Supercross and Motocross champion Rick Johnson will join the BPRMX team in 2017 and according to the team, Johnson will be doing a number of different things including consulting, working with riders and helping the team expand. BPRMX, which is based out of the Pacific Northwest and also has a race shop in Temecula, CA, is entering their third year as a team in 2017. The team has yet to announce their riders for the 2017 season.
“Motocross and supercross are the first loves of my life. I’m so excited to be a part of BPR. They have all the right tools to take a young rider to the top. I can’t wait for 2017,” said Johnson.
Echo Valley Wins MX Nationals ‘Round of the Year’
The Toowoomba MX Club hosted the ninth round of the Motul MX Nationals at their iconic Echo Valley circuit on Sunday August the 21st and thanks to a huge effort by the club members they have been named the 2016 Motul MX Nationals Round of the Year.
MX Nationals promoter Kevin Williams explains. “Every year once the championship has wrapped up, we look at our ten host venues, then at the improvements to the track, the way the event is run, the club’s involvement, and a number of other factors to determine the Round of the Year. This year Toowoomba was nothing short of a stand out. After their event in 2015, the club made significant upgrades to the venue, they worked closely with our team to find out what they could do to improve things, and when we arrived for round nine, we were greeted with a world class venue.”
President of the Toowoomba MX Club Ryan Smith expressed his gratitude towards the dedicated volunteers and explained the importance of the MX Nationals to the club. “To get the venue ready for this year it took hours, days, and weeks of work from many of the machinery guys. They worked all year to try things out, and by the time the MX Nationals came around, they picked the best of everything. We had the right weather, the right amount of water and the right amount of luck,” Smith shared. “We are very lucky in that we have a lot of people in the club who want to make a difference at the right level, and they all contributed equally which you can see from the end result.”
Smarty’s Race Reports
World Motocross Championships – Round 18 – Glen Helen, California
The final round of the World Motocross Championship was hosted by the famous Glen Helen circuit in the heat of California and Eli Tomac recovered from two bad starts to destroy the MX1 field in both races for yet another perfect score and his second consecutive grand prix victory while Jeffrey Herlings had a fairy-tale ending to his MX2 career with two emphatic wins for his first ever grand prix win on US soil and his 61st GP overall.
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MX1
Tomac was seventh at the start of the opening moto before storming home to win by 15 seconds and his second moto start was even worse but the Kawasaki star repeated the dose to win the second moto by 16 seconds.
Eli Tomac – 1st Overall: “I just ate too much dirt this week after bad starts. I didn’t feel so good yesterday, but we made some good changes on the suspension; every weekend we have to keep an open mind but we found some really good settings for the balance today. I had to make a few passes for the win in the first race, but I had to come a lot further in race two. Glen Helen is a tough track, but it had good options inside or outside on the finish straight and through the rollers. I didn’t crash on the first lap of race two, but it got a little hairy up the long hill with some guys out of shape; I got clipped on the step-up and that cost me some places. Everyone in MXGP is very fast and they race clean and respect each other; I want to come back and race some more.”
Antonio Cairoli – 2nd Overall: “Glen Helen is a track that I like and this year the organizers have done a great job. Last week in Charlotte I was very sick and I had to take medicine and antibiotics, that I have only suspended Wednesday and I knew that with the heat it would be a tough race. I knew to have 20/25 minutes to give everything, after which I had to think above all to defend myself, and so it went; in the end I did not have the speed to withstand Eli Tomac but I’m satisfied with my races and with the podium. This was one of the toughest seasons of my career, with different problems to be addressed and I hope it is a good starting point for 2017, to be ready to fight again for the title. The second place finish rewards us for the great job done, never giving up even in the most difficult moments, I want to thank the team and all those who contributed to this great result. Now I wanna see the Italian fans in Maggiora, in two weeks, for the Motocross of Nations, where we will need all their support to aim for the podium.”
Tim Gajser – 3rd overall: “I’m happy overall with this weekend, and very happy with the way this season has gone. To finish 16 times on the podium from 18 races this year has been amazing, and the team has done such a great job to give me such a great bike all year. Yesterday was a tough day so it’s great to have come out stronger today. I pushed too much early on in race one, but in the second race we had a better tactic and had a battle with Toni all race. It’s been a long season, but I’m so happy to have taken the title and also to end the year in this way back on the podium. I want to say a huge thank you to everyone around me this season – all the fans that have travelled all around the world in support of me, Honda and HRC for all their support and such a great bike, the Gariboldi team for all their really hard work all season, and all my sponsors like Fox, Monster and Just1, and of course my family and my father. This season has been a joint effort between us all, and I’m so grateful for everything. It’ll be nice to have a very short break now after three GPs in a row, but I’m looking forward to the Nations already now!”
Max Nagl – 4th overall: “I’m happy with the way the season ended in Glen Helen. I wanted to end the year on a high and finish inside the top three in the MXGP championship and I’m happy to say both goals were accomplished. In the first moto I got off to a great start leading the race for the first corners before settling for third. My start in moto two was even better and I managed to get my ninth holeshot for the season. I kept the lead until the second lap and then slowly dropped to fourth and that’s where I finished. We were tied in points for third overall with Gajser but he beat me due to his better finish in moto two. We’ve worked really hard with the team this season and this third place in the championship is the best reward for all of us. It’s been a very long season with a lot of travelling. I’m now going to take some time off and soon I will start my preparations for next year. The plan is to keep working as hard as always and hopefully in 2017 we’ll have an even bigger chance for the MXGP title.”
Gautier Paulin – 5th Overall: “Today was a little bit up and down because I was tenth in the first moto but then fifth in the second, which was much better. In moto one I knew that my position today was fifth. I tried to push to pass Max in race two but I couldn’t make it, so in the end fifth was exactly where we finished, in the second race and overall. Romain has been on it this weekend and he finished behind me in the second race so we know that the speed was there. I struggled a bit on the bike yesterday and in the first moto when the track was flat, but in the second race it was rougher so I could be more technical so we could do a better job. It’s great for Honda to have taken the Manufacturers’ title too, so I want to congratulate the team and all the HRC staff for all their work this season, and also thank them for all their support and all the work of the team this season.”
Evgeny Bobryshev – 7th Overall: “Yesterday really set the tone of this weekend as starting from the outside made my races tough today, even though I could still make some passes in the first corner as I hoped. It was difficult to come back through the field though. The first moto was a little tricky and at the finish I was only three points ahead of Jeremy van Horebeek in fifth overall in the championship, and I really wanted to keep that position. Then the second race was much better and we could make our way up to eighth. I’m really proud to have ridden the new 2017 CRF450RW for the last two races of this season, and I know it has so much performance that we’ve been finding out how to maximise these last two races ahead of next season. The team have worked so hard all season and I really want to thank them all for their support, and it’s a good reward that Honda won the Manufacturers’ title this year. Along with Tim’s championship, it’s been a fantastic year to be riding a Honda.”
MXGP Race 1 Top Ten
- Eli Tomac (USA, Kawasaki), 36:36.218
- Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:15.622
- Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), +0:28.537
- Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:34.082
- Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:36.509
- Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:38.664
- Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:43.174
- Dean Wilson (GBR, KTM), +0:46.822
- Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:50.421
- Gautier Paulin (FRA, Honda), +0:54.314.
MXGP Race 2 Top Ten
- Eli Tomac (USA, Kawasaki), 34:58.974
- Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:16.031
- Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:19.041
- Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), +0:25.660
- Gautier Paulin (FRA, Honda), +0:27.302
- Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:33.516
- Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Kawasaki), +1:01.351
- Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +1:04.094
- Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +1:04.386
- Jordi Tixier (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:07.854
MXGP Overall Top Ten
- Eli Tomac (USA, KAW), 50 points
- Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 44 p.
- Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 38 p.
- Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 38 p.
- Gautier Paulin (FRA, HON), 27 p.
- Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 24 p.
- Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 23 p.
- Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 23 p.
- Arnaud Tonus (SUI, KAW), 22 p.
- Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 21 p.
MXGP World Championship 2016 Final Points Standings
- Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 731 points
- Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 647 p.
- Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 603 p.
- Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 564 p.
- Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 545 p.
- Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 536 p.
- Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 406 p.
- Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 372 p.
- Valentin Guillod (SUI, YAM), 352 p.
- Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 343 p.
- Strijbos 331
- Searle 302
- Paulin 270
- Tizier 236
- Butron 201
- Charlier 198
- Leok 193
- Townley 128
- Potisek 119
- Lupino 119
MXGP Manufacturers
- Honda, 767 points
- Yamaha, 697 p.
- KTM, 696 p.
- Husqvarna, 618 p.
- Kawasaki, 553 p.
- Suzuki, 377 p.
MX2
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings is a big dude and with the long up-hills of Glen Helen most people thought that ‘The Bullet’ may struggle but with the red number one proudly showing on his number plates Herlings made the most of his final ride in the MX2 class to dominate both motos by the best part of 20 seconds to win his first GP on American soil. “To finish with a win is amazing, it was my final ride in the lites class and now I will move up to the 450, it’s been a hell of a ride, so many ups and downs, but I’m very grateful for what I have achieved and I hope to have the same success in the MXGP class.”
“To finish off the season with a win is pretty amazing,” continues Herlings. “Now I start to ride the KTM 450 SX-F and we’ll work from there. I think we had a very successful career so far and now it’s time to step up to the big boys. There’s not going to be much change. You stay with the same team and keep working with the same people. I think I had the strongest Americans here, except Cooper Webb. Jeremy Martin and Austin Forkner are the number two and three in my eyes. I beat those guys three times – on Saturday in the qualifying and twice in today’s motos. I also beat Cooper fair and square in the first moto in Charlotte then he beat me in the second race. I think I showed some great speed and good form, even though I was off the bike for 5-6 weeks and have only been back 3-4 weeks. I think I can say we had it under control. It’s tough to close a chapter in your life where you have had so much success, so many race wins, emotions and injuries. But, hey, it’s done and hopefully now that I’m half way through the career I will step it up to the big boys and get some championships going there.”
GEICO Honda’s newest recruit Jeremy Martin was the talk of the town heading in to Glen Helen because first of all the two-time AMA Motocross Champion had changed from Yamaha to Honda and secondly Jeremy had only one week on the CRF250R before attempting his first ever GP but the plucky Yank went 2 – 2 for second overall.
Yamalube Star Racing Yamaha’s Mitchell Harrison finished seventh overall at the GP at Charlotte one week ago but he nailed a well-earned pair of fifths at Glen Helen for third overall. “I wasn’t expecting to be on the podium, I was just hoping to get a top five this weekend and progress, I got a top ten last weekend. Third overall is incredible for me, so I am excited about it.”
Max Anstie came into Glen Helen a little under the weather but managed to dig deep for fourth overall: “It’s been a good GP, considering I’ve been ill the last couple of days. It all started during the previous round in Charlotte. Actually, I thought I was all right, as I felt a lot better before the weekend. But ten minutes into each moto and the effects started coming in. Despite aching and feeling sick I did my best in both motos, pushing as hard as my body allowed me to do. I’m also happy with my holeshot in moto one, which helped me secure the holeshot award for this season. My speed was good during the first few laps, but then I felt tired and dropped back to eighth. I got another great start in moto two, even leading the race for a couple of corners. Despite feeling sick again I battled to fourth for fourth overall. Overall, I’m happy with the way this season ended and I’m looking forward to stepping up to the MXGP class with Husqvarna in 2017.”
Thomas Covington – 8th Overall: “I felt good all weekend and my speed was pretty good as well. In the first moto I started in about eighth position. I struggled to find a good race pace in the beginning. Towards the end I found my rhythm and was able to pass a few guys in the last ten minutes to finish the moto fourth. In the second race I got a pretty good start, but struggled to find a good feeling in the track. In the second lap I went off the track and lost a couple of spots. I came back and was trying to make it to the podium but I had another crash on top of the hill that ruined my moto. Overall, we had a good first season with the team and I’m looking forward to working hard during the off-season in order to come back stronger next year.”
Austin Forkner – 10th overall: “Qualifying day went good; I had some battle with Herlings in the qualifying race and second gave me a good gate pick. First moto I was third and did my own race, a pretty solid ride. Second moto I was fourth or fifth but I went down at the bottom of a hill while I was with Herlings; I was last, came back in the pack and I was putting some very fast laps to come back to tenth, but then on a table top at the back of the track I had a big crash; luckily I wasn’t badly hurt though my back was sore but the bike was damaged and I had to retire. I would have like to finish the second race today, and maybe got another podium as my team told me that if I finished eighth in race two I would have got it. Racing these two GPs was definitively a good experience.”
Caleb Ward – 19th Overall: “First MXGP done and dusted, went 15-DNF, with a bit of bad luck but learned so much! Had a rough time spraining my ankle badly on Tuesday when I got here but toughed it out a bit and had a decent day. Could have been a top 10 in the first moto if I didn’t have a little dirt sample. In the second moto had a guy throw his leg in my back wheel and swing arm and had to wait ages for medical guys to get it out And then had a bike problem once I got going which made me DNF.. Huge thanks to the TLD Moto team for all the help and everyone else for the opportunity! I really appreciate it and had an amazing time and am already so motivated to improve myself!”
MX2 Race 1 Top Ten
- Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 34:43.854
- Jeremy Martin (USA, Honda), +0:10.160
- Austin Forkner (USA, Kawasaki), +0:16.613
- Thomas Covington (USA, Husqvarna), +0:28.544
- Mitchell Harrison (USA, Yamaha), +0:31.308
- Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +0:36.274
- Chris Alldredge (USA, Kawasaki), +0:48.628
- Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:55.383
- Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), +0:55.761
- Darian Sanayei (USA, Kawasaki), +0:58.166
MX2 Race 2 Top Ten
- Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 35:33.376
- Jeremy Martin (USA, Honda), +0:07.571
- Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:11.139
- Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:31.811
- Mitchell Harrison (USA, Yamaha), +0:34.253
- Brent Van doninck (BEL, Yamaha), +0:55.261
- Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), +1:00.631
- Justin Hoeft (USA, KTM), +1:02.893
- Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +1:08.677
- Samuele Bernardini (ITA, TM), +1:13.292.
MX2 Overall Top Ten
- Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 50 points
- Jeremy Martin (USA, HON), 44 p.
- Mitchell Harrison (USA, YAM), 32 p.
- Max Anstie (GBR, HUS), 31 p.
- Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 30 p.
- Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 27 p.
- Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), 26 p.
- Thomas Covington (USA, HUS), 25 p.
- Chris Alldredge (USA, KAW), 24 p.
- Austin Forkner (USA, KAW), 23 p.
MX2 Championship 2016 – Final Points Standings
- Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 739 points
- Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 625 p.
- Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 512 p.
- Max Anstie (GBR, HUS), 504 p.
- Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 403 p.
- Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), 398 p.
- Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, KAW), 378 p.
- Samuele Bernardini (ITA, TM), 377 p.
- Petar Petrov (BUL, KAW), 351 p.
- Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, YAM), 320 p.
- Covington 286
- Vlaanderen 224
- Ostlund 222
- Bryyakov 219
- Van Doninck 204
- Cervellin 165
- Larranaga 134
- Justs 130
- Mewse 126
- Zargoza 126
MX2 Manufacturers
- KTM, 835 points
- Kawasaki, 641 p.
- Suzuki, 636 p.
- Yamaha, 631 p.
- Husqvarna, 621 p.
- TM, 377 p.
- Honda, 341 p.
AORC – Rounds 11 and 12 – Penshurst, Victoria
KTM Enduro Racing Team’s Daniel Sanders has won the 2016 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship after dominating the final two rounds of the series held in Penshurst, Victoria last weekend.
Sanders has been the class act throughout the series and he rightfully claimed the outright Championship title ahead of arch rivals Tye Simmonds and Chris Hollis while wrapping up the E3 class over Lachlan Stanford and Lyndon Snodgrass.
And just to keep it in the family KTM Enduro Racing Team’s Tye Simmonds won the E2 class ahead of the experienced pairing of Chris Hollis and Broc Grabham while KTM mounted Jack Simpson won the E1 class over Glenn Kearney and Riley Graham.
Australia’s best off-road riders now have two months to prepare for the 2016 Yamaha Australian Four Day Enduro, which will take place from November 14-19 in Mansfield, Victoria.
AORC Outright Final Points (provisional)
- KTM Enduro Racing Team’s Daniel Sanders – 282
- KTM Enduro Racing Teams Tye Simmonds – 226
- CDR Yamaha’s Chris Hollis – 190
- Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team’s Lachlan Stanford – 177
- Active8 Yamaha Yamalubes Beau Ralston – 176
- Jack Simpson – 175
- Broc Grabham – 147
- Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team’s Glenn Kearney – 140
- Riley Graham – 113
- CDR Yamaha’s Tom McCormack – 112
Championship E3 overall points standings
- KTM Enduro Racing Team’s Daniel Sanders – 292
- Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team’s Lachlan Stanford – 248
- Lyndon Snodgrass – 228
- Active8 Yamaha Yamalubes Beau Ralston – 226
- Tom Mason – 102
- Brayden Zillman – 56
- Lachlan Harrison – 45
- Mitch Bowen – 34
- Jeremy Sims – 34
- Hayden Conroy – 30
Championship E2 Overall points standings
- KTM Enduro Racing Teams Tye Simmonds – 276
- CDR Yamaha’s Chris Hollis – 246
- Broc Grabham – 221
- CDR Yamaha’s Tom McCormack – 194
- Active8 Yamaha Yamalube’s Josh Greene – 133
- Motul Pirelli Sherco Factory Racing Team’s Justin Carafa – 113
- Chris Davey – 102
- Peter Boyle – 79
- Kane Hall – 78
- Mitcham Harper – 77
Championship E1 overall points standings
- Jack Simpson – 278
- Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team’s Glenn Kearney – 249
- Riley Graham – 225
- Scott Keegan – 209
- Baylee Davies – 171
- Brad Hardaker – 136
- Stefan Granquist – 109
- Sean Holmes – 109
- Peter Boyle – 78
- Tom Kite – 73
Transmoto 19 and Under overall points standings
- Motul Pirelli Sherco Factory Racing Team’s Wil Ruprecht – 253
- Nic Tomlinson – 222
- Fraser Higlett – 222
- Ben Kearns – 192
- Andrew Wilksch – 160
- Dalton Johnson – 140
- Jai Wedlock – 136
- Jesse Lawton – 126
- Stuart Holt – 125
- Jake McGlashan – 114
Championship Women’s overall points standings
- Jemma Wilson – 292
- Jessica Gardiner – 251
- Emelie Karlsson – 234
- Sophie Coldicutt – 214
- Kate Norman – 150
- Irene Vasilas – 145
- Tegan Hall – 91
- Karina Bailey – 60
- Brittany Rubie – 60
- Tamara Gray – 34
Championship Master’s overall points standings
- Peter Schaper – 220
- Derek Grundy – 191
- Andrew Cais – 178
- Michael Widdison – 132
- Mal Dalton – 114
- Jason Salopayers – 97
- Danny Gunning – 92
- Rod Kearns – 91
- Clint Broomhall – 85
- Robert Bailey – 84
Championship Veterans overall points standings
- Bjorn Osbourne – 189
- Anthony Greene – 165
- Kurt Broomhall – 128
- Craig Wease – 119
- Trevor Duncan – 108
- Damien Smith – 100
- Glenn Stiles – 92
- Con Privitera – 78
- Scott Szabo – 70
- Scott Campbell – 70
Championship J2 class
Proving just how fast an 85cc machine can go this year Ashden Gramlick has rode impeccably to clinch down on the Championship J2 title, and today that’s exactly what the young man did with 279 points to his name.
Mathew Pye, despite a hard charging year he was unable to deter Gramlick’s consistency however Pye finished second in the championship 58 points down. Sam Noonan who also showed great strength throughout the season finished third in the J2 class championship on 213 points.
Championship J2 overall points standings
- Ashden Gramlick – 279
- Mathew Pye – 221
- Sam Noonan – 213
- Brad Murray – 135
- Kadin Ballard – 94
- Jasper Franklin – 73
- Max Price – 68
- Jaylan Lessio – 66
- Kaelin Littlejohn – 59
- Jamie White – 57
Championship J3 class
There have been names thrown around left, right and centre in the J3 class, with a different face winning every week and it has shown in the results. This weekend was crucial for these competitors but it was Corey Hammond who got the better of the conditions and rode to steel the J3 Championship win from second placed Mitchell Brierley by only two points on 244.
Jye Bennett who was often winning the rounds unfortunately just couldn’t put it all together this weekend against the tight and technical Penshurst terrain. Bennett finished the year off strong in third place in the championship for his class.
Championship J3 overall points standings
- Corey Hammond- 244
- Mitchell Brierley – 242
- Jye Bennett – 219
- Tully O’Neil – 145
- Joshua Brierley – 131
- Connor Gee – 108
- Tate Plummer – 108
- Nathan Howe – 80
- Nick Graham – 64
- Holly Cuneo – 63
Championship J4 class
These up and coming riders have already shown their depth of talent to fans and spectators and this weekend they treated them once again to a great spectacle of racing. Zak Mitten finishing on the podium for both days had what it took to claim championship victory, while Will Price wrapped up the season in second.
Brother to Zak, Tom Mitten wasn’t far behind the pair in championship point narrowly missing out on second place by five points, finishing the season on a total of 225 Championship points.
The future of our sport has shown exactly what they can do with a little terrain, a throttle and some determination wrapping up the final two rounds of the 2016 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship in the ideal location of Penshurst in Victoria.
Championship J4 overall points standings
- Zak Mitten – 261
- Will Price – 230
- Tom Mitten – 225
- Zane Temperley – 188
- Luke Allan – 94
- Harrison Tetley – 88
- Hudson Summerfield – 84
- Liam Mason – 83
- Ryley Oakes – 83
- Jake Gogol – 64
GNCC – Round 10 – Unadilla
Kailub Russell has claimed his seventh overall win of the season at the 12th Annual Parts Unlimited Unadilla GNCC at the famous Unadilla MX facility which marked the tenth round of the 42nd Annual AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series and in doing so Russell has extended his championship lead over Aussie Josh Strang to 20 points with three rounds remaining.
XC1
Strang made quick work off the start to earn the holeshot and with Russell buried mid-pack, Strang looked to use his good start to his advantage but Russell made quick work through the pack and once they checked through timing and scoring for the first time the three-time defending champion already had a 43 second gap on Strang who maintained the second place position.
As the three-hour race wore on Russell kept extending his lead while Strang and Thad Duvall battled it out wheel-to-wheel. Duvall secured second when Strang took a quick pit stop to take off his hydration pack. Strang didn’t lose much time and kept Duvall in tow.
With a nearly two-minute gap on the duo of Duvall and Strang, Russell was able to rebound from a crash he experienced on the last lap and still see the chequered flag first. “I did what I wanted to do the first half of the race and then just maintained from there,” said Russell. “I was having fun, until the last lap where I ended up going over the bars on the railroad ties and clipped another rider and it jerked my hands off the bars.”
With it being an eight lap race, Duvall and his team members decided to make a pit stop on the last lap allowing Strang, who decided not to pit, by for second. Strang continued to fend off Duvall where a mere three hundredths of a second separated the duo when the crossed the finish line.
“I got off to a good start and got out front early,” said Duvall. “I felt like I rode great and had an epic battle with Josh all day. We decided to pit on the last lap because we didn’t want a repeat of Georgia when I ran out of gas. I may have been a little tired the last lap when I was trying to pass Josh back, but I gave it my all. You can never be unhappy when you know you left it all out on the track.”
“Second isn’t too bad it’s just not what we are after,” said Strang. “We are after points. The track was good, the fans were great, and the weather ended up being perfect so overall it was a good day.”
Steward Baylor Jr. placed just off the podium in fourth, one of his best races this season. Baylor began the day outside the top-10, but worked his way through the pack even as he began to experience brake issues on the last two laps.
Ryan Sipes rode a consistent race for fifth overall with Grant Baylor overcoming all obstacles to finish sixth overall after starting in thirteenth on the first lap.
XC2
Once the XC2 Pro Lites class got underway it was Layne Michael who found himself with the holeshot until Ben Kelly took the lead position but by the end of the opening lap Josh Toth shoved his way to the front. Toth continued to charge hard when he began to feel pressure from Michael on the last lap, but ended up holding it all together to cross the line victorious.
This win marked Toth’s first XC2 Pro Lites win. Michael would see the chequered flag just nine seconds after Toth while Nick Davis held the last podium position. Kelly and Craig Delong rounded out the top five.
“It’s awesome to pull my first win at what I consider my home race,” said Toth. “All my friends and family came out and it was great to have them cheering me on around the track. I pumped up in the beginning, but I was able to loosen up and move through the pack. Once I made it in the lead I just kept my head down and stayed focused, and I’m just excited to be standing here.”
WXC
Becca Sheets took home the WXC class win over Kacy Martinez while Aussie Mackenzie Tricker claimed third place in the WXC division.
The 2016 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series travels to Masontown, West Virginia in two weeks for the Rocky Mountain ATV/MC Mountaineer Run GNCC on September 24 and 25.
XC1 Pro Overall
- Kailub Russell
- Josh Strang
- Thad Duvall
- Steward Baylor
- Ryan Sipes
- Grant Baylor
- Ricky Russell
- Jordan Ashburn
- Scott Grills
- Tyler Medaglia
- Cory Buttrick
- Jonathan Girroir
- Saiki Tatsuya
- Bob Santheson
- Chris Bach
Overall National Championship Standings
- Kailub Russell – 256pts
- Josh Strang – 236pts
- Trevor Bollinger – 139pts
- Jordan Ashburn – 131pts
- Craig Delong – 118pts
- Grant Baylor – 117pts
- Steward Baylor Jr. – 116pts
- Chris Bach – 105pts
- Thad Duvall – 105pts
- Ricky Russell – 99pts
XC2 Pro Lites Overall
- Joshua Toth
- Layne Michael
- Nick Davis
- Benjamin Kelley
- Craig Delong
- Trevor Bollinger
- Michael Witkowski
- Vance Francis
- Jason Klammer
- Samuel Evans
XC2 Pro Lites Series Standings
- Trevor Bollinger – 246pts
- Craig Delong – 218pts
- Layne Michael – 180pts
- Jesse Groemm – 158pts
- Benjamin Kelley – 148pts
- Joshua Toth – 135pts
- Vance Francis – 108pts
- Samuel Evans – 107pts
- Trevor Barrett – 100pts
- Tegan Temple – 95pts
WXC Overall
- Becca Sheets
- Kacy Martinez
- Mackenzie Tricker
- Brooke Cosner
- Shelby Rolen
WXC Series Standings
- Becca Sheets – 173pts
- Brooke Cosner – 162pts
- Kacy Martinez – 158pts
- Allie Spurgeon – 124pts
- Kendall LaFollette – 123pts
Enduro GP and World Enduro Championships – GP of France – Cahors
The 2016 EnduroGP championship drew to a close in spectacular style last weekend in Cahors where Tasmanian Matt Phillips (Sherco) put the finishing touches to his incredible season and secured both the EnduroGP Championship and Enduro 2 World Championship at the AMV GP of France.
After two days of racing in blisteringly hot temperatures and extremely dry and dusty conditions, Phillips rode conservatively to wrap up both championships while Finn Eero Remes (TM) kept his cool to claim a second consecutive Enduro 1 World Championship, Steve Holcombe (Beta) won the Enduro 3 World Championship and Laia Sanz (KTM) claimed the Woman’s title.
At the end on an impressive season aboard the Sherco SEF-R 300 thumper, the 23-year-old Phillips managed to collect three EnduroGP class victories, making it to the class’ podium no less than eight times. “I can’t thank the team enough, the Sherco has been amazing and with so many fast riders on top of their game we had to work hard at each and every round, I have to thank all of my supporters, it has been a sensational year. Looking forward to a couple of easy nights of sleeping and getting back home soon to see family and friends!”
“Winning the title was my goal today,” said Remes. “I wasn’t too worried about winning the class. I had a good day and it’s great to win the E1 title again. It’s been a great season for TM so to be able to give them another title is fantastic.”
“Winning the E3 title was what this GP was all about for me, so it was hard to push as hard as I could today knowing that I’d achieved what I set out to do yesterday,” explained Holcombe. “I didn’t have anything for the guys in the overall results but it’s great to end the year with a win in E3.”
“I’m really happy I won this championship,” enthused Sanz. “It’s been a difficult year for me and I had to dig deep to come out on top. Competition in our class keeps getting stronger. After the opening round in Finland I knew I had to work hard if I wanted to keep my chances for the title alive. I managed to stay strong mentally and kept fighting for the win every time out. This weekend I had a great battle with Maria Franke. She got the best of me on day one, but I pushed a lot and managed to secure the win today.”
Speedway Grand Prix – Round 7 – Teterow, Germany
Australian hard-charger Jason Doyle has stormed to a sensational win claiming 17 championship points at the Speedway Grand Prix of Germany held in Teterow last Saturday night.
The Newcastle-born racer won the historic 200th SGP event – his third SGP round win of the season and his second in a row. Doyle did it the hard way after passing Polish rider Bartosz Zmarzlik to triumph in the final over Zmarzlik and World Championship leader Greg Hancock. Doyle has cut Hancock’s advantage from seven points to five after the German round.
“I think many years ago, I didn’t have what I have worked for now. I don’t want to throw it away.” Doyle said. “I had many years with injuries and people putting me down, saying I wasn’t good enough and ‘go back to Australia’.”
“I wanted to give myself some plans and some goals to make it in speedway. I didn’t want to go back home and say I didn’t give it 100 percent. When I retire, I want to say I did it 100 percent. I’ve spent a lot of money. People just think you rock up with two or three bikes and that’s it. But there is a lot of behind-the-scenes work with engines and with the boys.”
Doyle was quick to pay a glowing tribute to his mechanics, father and son duo Dave and Sam Haynes, Johno Birks and Mark Seabright. “What a great team I have backing me. Every time I win a race or come in after the race, they’re giving me praise. In the times I need a little bit of help, they give the right feedback. I am really happy with how everything is working. My mechanics haven’t been home for many weeks, so I think they need to take the praise for all the hard work they’ve been doing.”
“My engine tuner Flemming Graversen is a great guy too. We give him some stick during the year, but everything has been working with him. It’s not just the engine tuner; we still have to put the bike together. I have great blokes behind me. My mechanics work their backsides off. They don’t get the sleep when they need it; they work tirelessly. When I won the final, they were hanging over the fence to celebrate with me and that means a lot.”
Doyle’s breathtaking charge around the Teterow boards to hunt down Zmarzlik in the final underlined his desire to be the best in the world, even if he has to do it the hard way. “I didn’t make the best of starts, but I had some speed going around turns one and two on the second lap. I don’t really remember; it was just head down, backside up and try to do something special! I knew when Bartosz got in front it was going to be very difficult to hunt him down. I knew I had to do it in the first two laps; he’s very quick on these big tracks. But it worked out.”
Runner-up Bartosz Zmarzlik was delighted with his first second-place finish in an SGP round as he surged up to fourth spot in the standings. “In 2014, I won in Gorzow. In Gorzow 2012 and Cardiff this year, I was third. So this is my first time in second position and it was my first time on this track. It’s my first season in the GP, so I don’t think my result was too bad. Everything was good, but I didn’t win any heats today. I had six second places and a third. Doyley is too fast now. I won the start in the final and looked right on the second lap and he flew by.”
Third-placed Hancock insists he’s ready to play the long game as the race for the world title looks set to go to the wire. “It’s going to be a long, old haul, but that’s what we’re here for. This field is amazing and anything can happen in the game. We’re in it for the long run. You get a lead and it gets a bit tighter, but it doesn’t matter who is behind me. We’re all going for the same thing. I want to win the championship and to do that, I’ve got to get a lot of points. I have three tough GP events left and I am in it to win it. I want it bad.”
Next up for Doyle and his rivals is the Stockholm SGP on September 24, followed by the FST Grupa Brokerska Torun SGP of Poland on October 1, before the season finale – the QBE Insurance Australian SGP at Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium on October 22.
FIM Speedway Grand Prix World Championship Standings
- Greg Hancock 109
- Jason Doyle 104
- Tai Woffinden 96
- Bartosz Zmarzlik 88
- Chris Holder 85
- Maciej Janowski 72
- Piotr Pawlicki 71
- Antonio Lindback 70
- Nicki Pedersen 62
- Fredrik Lindgren 59
- Niels-Kristian Iversen 57
- Peter Kildemand 56
- Matej Zagar 49
- Andreas Jonsson 39
- Chris Harris 33
FIM Speedway Grand Prix Teterow Germany Scores
- Jason Doyle 17
- Bartosz Zmarzlik 13
- Greg Hancock 15
- Niels-Kristian Iversen 11
- Piotr Pawlicki 11
- Tai Woffinden 10
- Martin Smolinski 8
- Chris Holder 8
- Michael Jepsen Jensen 7
- Nicki Pedersen 7
EnduroCross Championship – Round 3 – Salt Lake City, UT
Cody Webb took his first win of the 2016 AMA EnduroCross Championship at round three inside the Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City. The FMF KTM rider took the lead from Husqvarna’s Colton Haaker on the second lap and held a fairly comfortable gap throughout the fifteen lap main. Haaker, the winner of the two previous rounds held on for second while Mike Brown passed Geoff Aaron late in the race to take the final podium spot.
Haaker took the holeshot award to start the main event and looked likely to run off with his third win in a row. But Webb stuck close and took advantage of a small mistake to take the lead on lap two. The two top dogs of EnduroCross had a back and forth battle as Haaker closed a few times only to make a mistake and even hit the deck in a slick corner once to allow Webb to gain the gap needed to take the win.
“The main event start I think I used my engineering, analytical skills and got a good start from the inside,” Webb said. “Colton and I yo-yoed back and forth the whole race and I was able to get my first win of the season.”
“The race was tough and with no water hole they decided to water the track quite a bit and it was super slick,” Haaker said. “I had a crash around lap ten which was super costly but on to the next one in Phoenix in two weeks.”
GasGas backed Aaron kept the two leaders in sight for several laps and looked likely to take the final podium spot until Brown closed in on him late in the race. The two riders battled for a few laps before Brown took the spot for good on lap 12. Aaron held on for forth.
“I was sick during the off season so I did not get to ride until the week before Atlanta so I am gaining endurance and looking forward to a week off to keep improving,” said Brown.
For Aaron, it was amazing he even qualified for the main event. “I had a bad heat race and then derailed my chain in the LCQ and got it back on and was able to work my up to take the last qualifying spot and last pick for the main. So it was great to come out with a good start and ride with the leaders for the early part of the race,” Aaron said.
Ty Tremaine had another good ride for fifth ahead of Kyle Redmond, Trystan Hart, Max Gerston, Eric Rhoten and Kevin Rookstool rounding out the top ten on his Suzuki.
Taddy Blazusiak was involved in a strange crash that took him out of the main on the first obstacle due to his handlebars jabbing him in the groin and getting lodged into his riding pants. He was not seriously injured but was forced out of the race.
Haaker now holds a one point lead over Webb in the championship with 74 points. Brown currently holds third Tremain and Gerston round out the top five.
EX Pro Feature Results
- Cody Webb
- Colton Haaker
- Mike Brown
- Geoff Aaron
- Ty Tremaine
- Kyle Redmond
- Trystan Hart
- Max Gerston
- Eric Rhoten
- Kevin Rookstool
- Noah Kepple
- Cooper Abbott
- Taddy Blazusiak
EX Pro Feature Championship Standings
- Colton Haaker (74)
- Cody Webb (73)
- Mike Brown (59)
- Ty Tremaine (48)
- Max Gerston (44)
- Geoff Aaron (41)
- Taddy Blazusiak (38)
Soaring Eagle’s Edge of Summer MX – Mt. Pleasant, MI
Phil Nicoletti has taken out the main event at the 3rd annual Soaring Eagle’s Edge of Summer MX at Mt. Pleasant, Michigan while Jake Weimer managed to hold on to second place ahead of the fast finishing duo of Kyle Cunningham and Darryn Durham.
“It came down to the start,” admitted Nicoletti as he picked up his $10,000.00 winners cheque. “As soon as the two-lap board came out I knew I had it.”
Pro Overall
- Phil Nicoletti
- Jake Weimer
- Kyle Cunningham
- Darryn Durham
- Kyle Chisholm
- Jimmy Albertson
- Daniel Herrlein
- Gared Steinke
- Nick Wey
- Josh Osby
30+ Overall
- Ivan Tedesco 3-1
- Ricky Carmichael 2-2
- Todd Dehoop 4-3
- John Grewe 5-4
- Dan Petrie 6-5
- Nicholas Vaughn 7-6
- Donald Leddy 9-
- Jeff Curry 8-8
- Eric Gould 10-
- Justin McLosky 12-10
250 Amateur All-Star Overall
- Joey Crown
- Tanner Ward
- TJ Albright
- Tanner Stack
- Austin Watling
Supermini Overall
- Carter Biese
- Jace Kessler
- Christopher Blackmer
- Cole Harkins
- Gatlin Combs
