Moto News Wrap for August 23, 2016 by Darren Smart
Proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax
This Week’s News Overview
- MA Comment on the Moss Twins Positive Drug Test
- James Stewart Out!
- Team Honda HRC Extends Contract With Cole Seely
- British Motocross of Nations Team Announced
- German Motocross of Nations Team Announced
- Lawrence Takes on World Champion
- Natzke Wins ADAC Junior Cup
- Everts Races Belgian National
This Weeks Racing Overview
- AMA Motocross Championships – Round 11 – Budds Creek
- Australian Motocross Championships – Round 9 – Echo Valley
- Belgian Motocross Championships – Orp le Grand
- ADAC Masters (German Motocross Championships) – Gaildorf, Germany
- British Motocross Championships – Round 7 – Preston Docks
- Vegas to Reno 1000km Desert Race
MA Comment on the Moss Twins Positive Drug Test
Motorcycling Australia (MA) has finally released their first statement in regards to the positive test results by Jake and Matt Moss at the Murray Bridge round of the MX Nationals in May.
MA confirmed that both Jake and Matt tested positive for Ostarine, a SARM (Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator) that mimics the effects of anabolic steroids, and is prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
MA confirmed that Jake and Matt have been provisionally suspended from any activity in their sport until the matter is resolved, per Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) guidelines.
The brothers released statements last week confirming that they were challenging the test results. Full Statement from M.A. can be read here.
James Stewart Out!
Gee, how many times have I started with those three words? James Stewart will miss the rest of the 2016 season after reinjuring his shoulder in practice prior to Unadilla. Stewart was hoping to race the final two rounds of the series, but the combination of his fitness level and the nagging shoulder injury, which was incurred at the Hangtown National in May, leaves him unable to attempt competing.
Yoshimura Suzuki will close out the season with Matt Bisceglia continuing to fill-in for the squad. “The team decided it was best for Stewart to not attempt competing in the last two rounds,” said Mike Webb, Yoshimura Suzuki team manager. “It’s been a disappointing year for James and the team. It just seemed like every time he started to comeback, he’d hit another roadblock. We want to see James get back to full health.”
Team Honda HRC Extends Contract With Cole Seely
American Honda announced this week that it has extended its contract with Team Honda HRC rider Cole Seely for an additional two years. Seely has spent much of his professional career with the Honda brand, and this agreement continues that relationship through 2018. Next season, Cole will campaign the brand-new 2017 Honda CRF450R.
“I’m really excited about re-signing with American Honda,” Seely said. “Riding for such a great team has been a dream come true, so it’s an honor to be able to continue that relationship. I have an awesome crew around me and we get along great. With the success we had during my rookie and sophomore years, I feel confident we can pull off many more wins and hopefully get a title. I appreciate everything the team has done to keep me comfortable and am looking forward to more success together.”
British Motocross of Nations Team Announced
Team Great Britain team manager Neil Prince announced over the weekend that Tommy Searle (MXGP), Max Anstie (MX2) and Shaun Simpson (Open) will represent the team at the Motocross of Nations being held in Italy on September 25.
Simpson and Searle are currently eleventh and twelfth in the FIM World Motocross Championship MXGP Class while Anstie is fourth in MX2 and you would expect that this team is more than capable of a podium result.
German Motocross of Nations Team Announced
Max Nagl (MXGP), Henry Jacobi (MX2), Dennis Ullrich (Open) will represent Germany in Maggiora, Italy, on September 25 but the real talk is to why Ken Roczen was left out of the team.
Roczen was absent from the team in 2015 due to a back injury and in 2014 he was in the process of switching from Red Bull KTM to Soaring Eagle/Jimmy John’s/RCH Suzuki and elected not to race. With his pending move to Honda HRC for the 2017 season, the 2016 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross 450 National Champion will once again sit out the event for the Germans.
Lawrence Takes on World Champion
Young Aussie Jet Lawrence was in action in the 85cc class at the ADAC in Gaildorf last weekend where 70 world class riders turned up to do battle. Jett qualified second fastest and battled tooth and nail over two motos with 85cc World Motocross Champion Rene Hofer to finish second overall, well ahead of the third placed rider.
Natzke Wins ADAC Junior Cup
Kiwi Joshia Natzke is keeping himself in shape for the Motocross of Nations and last weekend raced in one of the support classes in the ADAC at Gaildorf and took out the overall ahead of Bas Vaessen and Stefan Ekerold.
Everts Races Belgian National
Liam Everts rode his first national event in Belgium last weekend at the awesome Orp-Le-Grand circuit and the son of ten-time World Motocross Champion Stefan managed two solid motos to finish 12th outright in the 65cc class.
Smarty’s Race Reports
AMA Motocross Championships – Round 11 – Budds Creek
Ken Roczen and Cooper Webb are now the 2016 450cc and 250cc AMA Motocross Champions respectively after round 11 of the series hit the legendary Budds Creek National. Roczen did what was expected with a dominant 1-1 performance while Webb had to pick himself up from poor starts and crashes to earn the point’s gap needed to win the title with one round remaining.
450 Class
Ken Roczen turned up to the post-race press conference with no shirt on and sucking on a beer. “Any championship is great, but we had some struggles in 2015, and we turned it all around to the positive, I didn’t quit on them and they didn’t quit on me. I’ve got to give it up to those guys, because we are having so much fun together. We have a saying in Germany that the first one is easy and the second one is the hardest one. There’s nothing more I can ask for than what we’ve accomplished this year. We communicated so well this year and it was so much fun.”
After 11 rounds Roczen has eight overall wins with 1-1 performances, eighteen moto wins and has led 294 laps. “There were a lot of band-wagoners out there, I’m sure after last year they were saying I should have never switched, I would be pretty much done, I should just retire, I don’t really care what the couch potatoes say, but I’m sure there are a lot of people who are probably jumping ship.”
Justin Barcia must have mixed feelings about his 2016 season but Budds Creek saw the JGR Yamaha rider earn a solid third in each moto to take second overall. “I made dirt bike progress today,” said Barcia. “After practice I said I need an engine change, a sprocket change, a fork change and a shock change. I was sick of beating around the bush, I wanted to go for it. So we went into the motos blind but I feel like we went in the right direction.”
Marvin Musquin caught and passed Barcia in moto one at Budds Creek, but Barcia rode to the limit to hold him off in the second moto. Barcia said the second moto push—Musquin trying to catch him, and him trying to hold him off—was one of the gnarliest battles he’s had in a long time. Barcia put in a hard lap late in the race to stall Musquin’s charge. The duo showed good respect toward each other for the effort.
Musquin racked up another podium today with third behind 2-4 moto scores. The 450 rookie has made huge strides in his first season, and has quietly moved into third in points, forty-nine up on Barcia. “I was happy with the first moto to get around Barcia and get second but the second moto didn’t end up the way I wanted it to,” Musquin said. “I thought the second moto was going to be the same as the first so I was trying to be patient, follow Barcia’s lines and make it happen at the end but I wasn’t able to. He was able to push at the end. I’m a little disappointed but to end up third overall was good.”
A tough day for Eli Tomac, who crashed with Ronnie Stewart in the first moto (Tomac actually helped get Stewart’s bike off him before continuing) and could only work back to sixth. Tomac was much better in the second moto, but his start didn’t offer him a chance to challenge Roczen for the lead. Tomac rounded the first lap in sixth and once he worked into second (lap 4) Roczen was already long gone. He finished fourth overall on the day.
Budds Creek – 450 Overall
1. Ken Roczen 1 – 1
2. Justin Barcia 3 – 3
3. Marvin Musquin 2 – 4
4. Eli Tomac 6 – 2
5. Phil Nicoletti 4 – 6
6. Dean Wilson 5 – 5
7. Fredrik Noren 8 – 7
8. Andrew Short 7 – 9
9. Benny Bloss 11 – 10
10. Anthony Rodriguez 10 – 11
11. Matt Bisceglia 9 – 12
14. Hayden Mellross 16 – 13
450 Standings – 2016
1. Ken Roczen – 534
2. Eli Tomac – 458
3. Marvin Musquin – 365
4. Justin Barcia – 316.
5. Christophe Pourcel – 217
6. Benny Bloss – 204.
7. Phil Nicoletti – 201.
8. Andrew Short – 189.
9. Justin Brayton – 173.
10. Broc Tickle – 171.
31. Hayden Mellross – 21.
250 Class
In the 250 class Webb entered the day with an 81-point lead but two crashes in the opening moto saw the Yamaha rider work his way to sixth by moto end then in the second moto Webb started in twenty-eighth before working through the field and finished a strong third which was more than enough to win the title.
In the post-race interview Webb talked about the fact that he started the championship with an injury. “There was a big discussion coming in,” says Webb. “I’ve said it 100 times but, I was sitting there on the couch and I said, ‘I’m gonna win. I’m not just going to sit on this couch and drink beer all summer.’ I think a lot of people definitely thought I was crazy for thinking that. There were maybe only four people that agreed with me, that was Swaney (trainer, Gareth Swanepoel), my parents and Bobby Reagan (Star Racing Team Owner). I told myself last year after sitting there in Indiana and watching Jeremy Martin win I just decided I was not going to let that happen again. I just wasn’t going to be denied. I knew it was going to be tough and I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to do it. I just kept saying, ‘I want to do it, I want to do it no matter what.”
The championship is the third straight 250MX title for the Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha team (Jeremy Martin won in 2014 and 2015), who have come a long way under team owner Bobby Reagan.
Webb’s championship aside, Budds Creek was Zach Osborne’s big day with the Husqvarna rider bouncing back from a series of mechanical DNFs to go 4-1 to get the nod over Alex Martin who went 1-4 over the two motos.
“I was telling my parents as I was coming here, I feel like I need to win at Budds Creek before I can win anywhere else,” said Osborne. “To do it here ten years later (after his first attempt), it’s just crazy.”
“It’s been kind of a dream season for me,” said Martin. “Really a huge difference in the reaction when I got back to the truck after the first moto this year compared to last year!”
It was another solid day for rookie Austin Forkner who battled hard to recover to fifth in the opening moto then led the second moto for several laps before succumbing to Osborne. 5-2 was enough for third overall ahead of Adam Cianciarulo (2 – 5), Webb (6 – 3), Aaron Plessinger (8 – 6), Justin Hill (10 – 7), Mitchell Oldenburg (11 – 10), Joey Savatgy (3 – 34) and Chris Alldredge (12 – 11).
Aussie Luke Clout ended the day in 21st with 36 – 18 moto finishes while Jackson Richardson is just off the pace to end up with 26 – 22 moto results.
Budds Creek – 250 Overall
1. Zach Osborne 4 – 1
2. Alex Martin 1 – 4
3. Austin Forkner 5 – 2
4. Adam Cianciarulo 2 – 5
5. Cooper Webb 6 – 3
6. Aaron Plessinger 8 – 6
7. Justin Hill 10 – 7
8. Mitchell Oldenburg 11 – 10
9. Joey Savatgy 3 – 34
10. Chris Alldredge 12 – 11
21. Luke Clout Luke Clout 36 – 18
26. Jackson Richardson 26 – 22
250 Standings
1. Cooper Webb – 457.
2. Alex Martin – 384.
3. Joey Savatgy – 361.
4. Austin Forkner – 331.
5. Jeremy Martin – 321.
6. Aaron Plessinger – 313.
7. Zach Osborne – 296.
8. Adam Cianciarulo – 235.
9. Mitchell Oldenburg – 215.
10. Arnaud Tonus – 213.
28. Jackson Richardson – 24.
31. Luke Clout – 15.
Australian Motocross Championships – Round 9 – Echo Valley
Dean Ferris and Nathan Crawford have won the MX1 and MX2 overalls respectively at round nine of the MX Nationals held in Toowoomba last Sunday but as far as the championships go nothing is cemented yet and it will all go down to the wire at Coolum this weekend.
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MX1
With Kawasaki bringing American Kyle Peters into the mix there was an opportunity for the championship leading trio of Kirk Gibbs, Dean Ferris and Todd Waters to increase their points margin if they could put the Yank between each other but that didn’t come to fruition in the case of Gibbs and Ferris with Peters winning the opening moto from Ferris, Gibbs and Waters while the second moto saw Ferris earn the win from Gibbs, Peters and Waters.
So, as the whole MX Nationals circus makes its way down the mountain to Coolum for the final round Gibbs continues to carry the red plate with a slim six point lead over Ferris while despite being 24 points in arrears Waters is still in with a chance if he kills Coolum and his rivals falter.
“It’s been a good day, 2-1 for the overall gives me solid points. I messed up qualifying a bit which I don’t often do, but I made up some points and I’m in striking distance of this championship,” Ferris said. “It’s good that Kyle Peters is here, because obviously it puts some of those points between myself and Kirk Gibbs. We know he’s here, so I’ve just got to be the best that I can be. I’ve won a lot more motos than the other guys, so hopefully that points towards me being able to win the championship. Either way, I’m going to put down two solid motos at Coolum and hopefully that’s enough.”
“Everything worked really good all day,” Peters reflected. “It started off great with qualifying and the Super Pole win, then I was able to holeshot the first moto and ride my own race. The second moto was a little tough as I didn’t get as good a start, but I had a lot of fun battling with the two front-runners. My goal was to come out and win races, so I’m happy to have done that in my first event with the National Pump Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team. Now our focus turns to Coolum this weekend and I feel like it will be another strong round for us – the bike, team and everything has been great since arriving in Australia.”
“I felt like I rode pretty good all day, just having that lay down in that first moto just put a big dampener on things,” said Gibbs. “Dean made three points on us today, and without that crash it could have been a two or three point swing my way there instead. I definitely knew I had to make that pass on Kyle on the last lap, and it just worked out perfectly, I made that right-hander and then the left at the top of the track really well and just drove down the hill really hard and threw it up the inside. So we take the points lead into Coolum and we’ll put 120% in, and hopefully it’s good enough, and if not, it’s been an amazing championship, and I’ll still look forward to heading over to the Des Nations.”
Todd Waters rode to two distant fourth places at Toowoomba. “It was a hard day for me, but unfortunately that’s how racing goes sometimes. Toowoomba is normally rutty and quite technical, but the track didn’t form up like that, and both Dean Ferris and Kirk Gibbs ride hard pack tracks very well,” Waters shared. “In the past I’ve had a lot of success here, but it was hard to make advantages on other riders today, and our starts just weren’t there this weekend. Even though today wasn’t the result we were looking for; we are by no means counting ourselves out of this championship. I like Coolum, I ride well in the sand, so I just need to do what I know I can do and see where we end up next weekend.”
Thor MX1 Round 9 Overall
1) Dean Ferris – 67 points
2) Kyle Peters – 65 points
3) Kirk Gibbs – 62 points
4) Todd Waters – 56 points
5) Dylan Long – 51 points
6) Kade Mosig – 49 points
7) Jay Wilson – 48 points
8) Jacob Wright – 48 points
9) Kurt Gow – 44 points
10) Brendan Duck – 39 points
Thor MX1 Championship Standings after 9 of 10 Rounds
1) Kirk Gibbs – 602 points
2) Dean Ferris – 596 points
3) Todd Waters – 578 points
4) Kade Mosig – 486 points
5) Dylan Long – 411 points
6) Jacob Wright – 388 points
7) Matt Moss – 381 points
8) Jay Wilson – 368 points
9) Michael Menchi– 338 points
10) Daniel Banks – 335 points
MX2
Husqvarna Australia’s Nathan Crawford has reclaimed the red plate and will head in to the final round of the series at Coolum with a slim points lead after claiming the overall at Toowoomba last Sunday while his championship combatants in Caleb Ward and Jed Beaton finished second and third overall on the day.
Crawford won the opening moto in fine fashion ahead of Wilson Todd, Jayden Rykers, Ward and Beaton but in the second moto all riders were playing second fiddle to Todd who was racing away from the field and his first overall for the season on his Serco Yamaha before a mechanical failure with two laps to go put pay to a stellar day.
Ward went on to take the moto win ahead of Crawford, Beaton, Kyle Webster and Kale Makeham. “I’m feeling so good after today. I’m loving being up here in Queensland racing in front of all my friends and family, and it was a really solid day for me,” Crawford shared. “I qualified fastest and won the first moto then got second in the second moto, so it was a pretty perfect weekend. If someone had of told me at the first round that this is where I’d be at Toowoomba I wouldn’t have believed you – I’d only been on the bike a couple of weeks after injury so that makes this feel even better.”
Crawford now carries an 11-point lead in the championship with one round at Coolum remaining. “Coming in to the final round now, I love Coolum, it’s one of my favourite tracks so I’m just really excited, and looking forward to next weekend.”
“Bit of a woulda, coulda, shoulda kind of a day,” said Ward. “In the first I worked my way from the seventh or eighth, through to second and just had a random crash coming into a corner. I hit a little edge or something and the bars just tucked. I got up as quick as I could, but I rode a little bit tight after that and only managed to get back to fourth. But I felt like I should have won that moto, it was a 30 and I had plenty of time left. In the second moto I had better start and managed to get into the top three not far in. Wilson and Nathan had a good pace going, but I found a bit of a flow and put it on a charge. I caught Nathan and managed to put on a bit of a pass, and we came around the corner and Wilson had had bike trouble so that gave me the win. You never want to win that way, but I’ve had bad luck before. I lost a few points to Nathan, but we’ll just move on to Coolum and keep trying our hardest. It’s never over until it’s over, so hopefully I can just keep going and get another couple of moto wins.”
Motul MX2 Overall
1) Nathan Crawford – 67 points
2) Caleb Ward – 63 points
3) Jed Beaton – 56 points
4) Kale Makeham – 50 points
5) Dylan Wills – 48 points
6) Keiron Hall – 46 points
7) Hamish Harwood – 45 points
8) Tomas Ravenhorst – 43 points
9) Joel Wightman – 42 points
10) Aaron Tanti – 38 points
Motul MX2 Championship Standings after 9 of 10 Rounds
1) Nathan Crawford – 574 points
2) Jed Beaton – 563 points
3) Caleb Ward – 555 points
4) Jayden Rykers – 479 points
5) Wilson Todd – 444 points
6) Dylan Wills – 429 points
7) Hamish Harwood – 398 points
8) Joel Wightman – 383 points
9) Kyle Webster – 324 points
10) Wade Hunter – 324 points
Motorcycling royalty headed to Motul MX Nationals decider at Coolum
Three-time World Superbike Champion Troy Bayliss and three-time World Speedway Champion Jason Crump are just two of the Alpinestars VIP guests who will be watching on at the Coolum MX Nationals grand finale on Sunday.
Troy Bayliss
“I’ll definitely be at Coolum watching the final round play out on Sunday. At this point I’m picking Dean Ferris for the win. A few of my mates are fans of his, so I’ll be cheering for him this weekend. For me though this weekend is about good racing. As long as it comes down to one awesome last race I’ll be happy to be there, seeing the winner take all.”
For Crump, this weekend at Coolum is going to be extra interesting, as the following day the Speedway star will be taking part in an MX of Nations Australian Team fundraising coaching clinic at the Coolum venue, and could possibly be taking tips from this year’s MX1 champion.
Jason Crump
“I’m really looking forward to heading to Coolum for the final round. This year is going to be a bit of a different experience for me, because after I’ve watched the racing, i’ll be gearing up myself on the Monday. I might have done well at Speedway, but on a motocross bike I’m pretty ordinary. I have the utmost respect for motocross riders, so I’ll be looking forward to getting as many tips off them as possible at the MXON clinic the day after the final round has wrapped up. To have the opportunity to ride on the track that the pros have raced on will be incredible – I think its really going to make me appreciate just what they do even more so. KTM have provided me with a bike for the clinic, so on Sunday I’ll be supporting their boy Kirk Gibbs.”
Grand Finale at Coolum guaranteed to be a nail biter
After a weekend of thrills and spills at Round 9 of the Motul MX Nationals at Toowoomba, this year’s grand finale of the biggest motocross championship in the country at Coolum is set to be one serious nail biter.
With championships in all classes still wide open, riders vying for titles will be hanging it all out at the deep sandy Coolum Beach circuit this coming weekend, with spectators tipped to be in for one of the most action packed rounds of racing that the country has seen in years.
After claiming third on the Thor MX1 class podium at Tooowoomba on Sunday, and being recently selected to represent Australia at the MX of Nations in Italy, one rider who will have plenty to ride for at Coolum is KTM Motocross Racing Team’s Kirk Gibbs. Gibbs, who is the defending MX Nationals champion, currently holds a six-point lead in the premier class with one round remaining, and will be aiming for a second consecutive title at Coolum.
“We are taking the points lead into Coolum and we’ll put 120% in, and hopefully it’s good enough,” Gibbs said. “If it’s not, it’s been an amazing championship, and I’ll still look forward to heading over to the Des Nations.”
However, Gibbs is not the only rider with his eye on a 2016 MX1 Championship. CDR Yamaha’s Dean Ferris raced to 2,1 results at Toowoomba on Sunday, and made up three crucial points in the championship, making Coolum the ultimate decider.
I’m in striking distance of this championship,” Ferris said. “I’ve won a lot more motos than the other guys, so hopefully that points towards me being able to win the title. Either way, I’m going to put down two solid races at Coolum and hopefully that’s enough. The last round is going to be good, and hopefully we can get a big crowd along to watch the final round of the championship.”
Motul MX Nationals Series Promoter Kevin Williams also shared that in his 20 years of running events, that this year’s series has produced some of the best racing he’s ever seen, and that the final round at Coolum is shaping up to be the biggest showdown in MX Nationals history.
“If there’s one way we like finishing off the year, it’s with a real nail biter at Coolum, and thanks to the tight racing that played out at Round 9, that’s exactly what fans can expect this weekend,” Williams shared. “Coolum is always one of our favorite rounds of the series, and what’s not to love! Motorsport, sun, beaches, and champions being crowned – that sounds like the perfect weekend to me. We have received fantastic support throughout the years from Sunshine Coast Tourism and the Sunshine Coast Council, so we are very excited to once again be heading to Coolum to host the Grand Finale of this year’s championship.”
The tenth and final round of the 2016 Motul MX Nationals is set to be held at Coolum Pines MX Track, this coming weekend August 27-28.
With action from support categories including the YMI Australian Women’s Championship, Yamaha 85cc Cup, Yamaha Rising Star Rookies, UTV Buggies, KTM 65cc Invitational as well as all major championship classes racing, this weekend is an event not to be missed.
KTM Australian Amateur Cup
Well, that’s a wrap! The exciting KTM Australia Amateur Cup has been won convincingly by Brad Polsoni over Joel Newton and Justin Hill after a day of racing at Toowoomba that saw Reece Hoffman swap moto wins with Polsoni while Jesse Bishop and Callum Wastell kept close company with the leading duo.
“I’m so pumped to wrap up the championship in Toowoomba. I almost went undefeated for the entire series, but I had to jump on the 125 for the second moto, so I did the best that I could,” Polsoni said. “I’ve had a great series and the entire MX Nationals team have done an awesome job. The tracks have been good, and every round has been a lot of fun, so hats off to everyone involved with making the KTM Amateur Cup happen.
“Next year I think I might move up to MX2 or MX1, so this has been an awesome platform for me to dip my toe in the water, get some good experience, and race on the same tracks that the pros do. It’s faultless and I’m really proud to have been a part of it.”
KTM Australian Amateur Cup Round 9 results
1) Reece Hoffman – 67
2) Brad Polsoni – 67
3) Jesse Bishop – 58
4) Callum Wastell – 58
5) Jonathan Wheeler – 51
6) Joel Newton – 50
7) Daniel Figueroa – 47
8) Justin Hill – 46
9) Lachy Steen – 46
10) Nicholas Davis – 40
KTM Australian Amateur Cup Championship standings
1) Brad Polsoni – 207
2) Joel Newton – 151
3) Justin Hill – 129
4) Kerrod Morrissy – 126
5) Daniel Figueroa – 108
6) Lachy Steen – 101
7) Connor Cook – 100
8) Nicholas Davis – 89
9) Daniel Webber – 79
10) Nicholas Russell – 68
Pirelli MXD Class
Mitchell Evans once again proved the class act in the MXD class with two convincing moto wins which hands the Yamaha rider a 15 point lead going into the final round at Coolum this weekend.
Evans’ teammate Jordan Hill secured second position on the podium followed by former championship leader Connor Tierney in third.
“To go 1-1 at Toowoomba is awesome for me. I’ve never really went very well here so I’m stoked,” Evans said. “The goal coming in to Round 9 was to try and win both motos and give myself a bit of a points buffer for the final round, and we definitely achieved that at Toowoomba today.”
“I’ve been a bit unwell the past week, so I’m pretty happy with what I achieved even though I’m sick. I rode the best I could, got some good starts, and managed to make some quick passes, so it was a solid day for me. To stretch out my lead, and to go into Coolum in a healthy position in the championship takes the pressure off a little, but the plan is to go 1-1 there and finish off the season on a perfect note.”
“I wanted to dominate today so I’m a little disappointed about that but it’s good to be back up on the podium,” Hill said. “I felt great this morning and in race one when the track was tacky but I struggled bit this afternoon when the traction wasn’t as good. This is the track I popped my shoulder and it was when it was hard pack and slippery and I think I was just a bit conservative in race two. My shoulder still isn’t great but getting better all the time so my plan is to keep trying to get it stronger and finish the season on a good note at Coolum before getting organized for supercross.”
Pirelli MXD round nine results
1) Mitchell Evans – 70 points
2) Jordan Hill – 60 points
3) Connor Tierney – 58 points
4) Cooper Pozniak – 55 points
5) Zak Small – 52 points
6) Billy Harth – 47 points
7) Hugh McKay – 46 points
8) Kaleb Barham – 44 points
9) Luke Abela – 44 points
10) Justin Hart – 43 points
Pirelli MXD Championship Standings
1) Mitchell Evans – 486 points
2) Connor Tierney – 471 points
3) Cooper Pozniak – 449 points
4) Wade Kirkland – 446 points
5) Kaleb Barham – 394 points
6) Jordan Hill – 382 points
7) Zak Small – 376 points
8) Hugh McKay – 314 points
9) Lochie Latimer – 303 points
10) Levi McManus – 273 points
MXON Fund Raising Clinic spots still available
Don’t forget to secure your place in the 2016 Motocross of Nations (MXON) Fund Raising Clinic at Coolum this Monday the 29th of August and ride alongside some of the top Australian talent as well as schooled by Motorcycling royalty following the final round of the MX Nationals.
This year’s 2016 MXON riders Dean Ferris, Kirk Gibbs and Jed Beaton will be at the track providing valuable tips and tricks to riding, as well as getting out there themselves to ride alongside you in a bid to raise much needed funds for the Australian Team.
Not only will participants of the MOXN Fund Raiser Clinic get the chance to chat and ride with these Australian Stars but will also have the opportunity to be coached by three-times world champion Jason Crump.
And if that wasn’t a big enough bang for the buck participants will get a signed t-shirt from the team, have the opportunity to join in on an open forum with the riders, have a guided tour of the Motorex KTM racing track and hear how they go about setting up their bikes to go racing. And last but not least get an inside look at RACESAFE and how they keep our National Riders safe.
With limited spots available at just $165.00, now is your chance to register for this one off event. Participants wishing to reserve their spot can email [email protected]
Belgian Motocross Championships – Orp le Grand
Clement Desalle is regaining some of the form he lost to injury early in the season and has gone 1-1-1 to win the latest round of the Belgian MX1 championship. Second overall was Gautier Paulin with 2-2-3 and third Kevin Strijbos with 3-3-2 results while for GP winner Ken De Dycker came back to racing with a solid 7th outright.
MX1 Overall
1. Clement Desalle 25-25-25
2. Gautier Paulin 22-22-20
3. Kevin Strijbos 20-20-22
4. Damon Graulus 18-18-18
5. Steve Ramon 16-16-16
6. Andy Truyts 15-13-13
7. Ken De Dycker 12-12-15
8. Michael Ivanov 10-11-12
9. Kenny Vandueren 6-14-15
10. Thomas Covington 11-15-4
British Motocross Championships – Round 7 – Preston Docks
Shaun Simpson and Adam Sterry has won the MX1 and MX2 classes respectively at the seventh round of the British Motocross Championship held at Preston Docks last weekend.
Simpson went 1-1 to earn maximum points on the day while arch-rival Tommy Searle was second with 3-1 and Jake Nicholls third with 2-4 so with just one round remaining in the championship Searle leads Simpson by just 14 points.
Sterry also earned the full (and much needed) 50 points with solid 1-1 results while championship leader Steven Clarke scored 2-3 scores to now holds a slim seven points lead in the series over Sterry. Third overall was Martin Barr with 7-2 results while Bryan Mackenzie lost serious ground in the championship with disappointing 10-18 results and now sits 14 points back from Clarke with one round remaining.
MX1 Overall
1. Shaun Simpson 25-25
2. Tommy Searle 20-22
3. Jake Nicholls 22-18
4. Tanel Leok 18-16
5. Graeme Irwin 14-15
6. Steven Lenoir 16-12
7. Jeffrey Dewulf 5-20
8. Alex Snow 11-13
9. Stuart Edmonds 12-11
10. Ashley Wilde 10-8
MX1 Series Standings
1. Tommy Searle 231pts
2. Shaun Simpson 217pts
3. Jake Nicholls 202pts
4. Graeme Irwin 183pts
5. Kristian Whatley 177pts
6. Brad Anderson 163pts
7. Tanel Leok 132pts
8. Gert Krestinov 124pts
9. Steven Lenoir 101pts
10. Jake Shipton 86pts
MX2 Overall
1. Adam Sterry 25-25
2. Steven Clarke 22-20
3. Martin Barr 14-22
4. Jordan Booker 18-15
5. Mel Pocock 20-13
6. Jake Millward 15-16
7. Bryan MacKenzie 10-18
8. Rob Davidson 12-11
9. Michael Eccles 13-10
10. James Cottrell 6-14
MX2 Series Standings
1. Steven Clarke 221pts
2. Adam Sterry 214pts
3. Bryan Mackenzie 207pts
4. Martin Barr 194pts
5. Liam Knight 157pts
6. Brad Todd 142pts
7. Jake Millward 132pts
8. Jordan Booker 109pts
9. Lewis Tombs 97pts
10. Todd Kellett 95pts
ADAC Masters (German Motocross Championships) – Gaildorf, Germany
Max Nagle predictably dominated the latest round of the German Motocross Championship held at the famous Gaildorf circuit last weekend. Nagl won both motos convincingly over Dennis Ullrich and Thomas Kjer Olsen so look for the German to be in red-hot form when the MXGP of the Netherlands hits Assen this weekend.
With two rounds remaining Ullrich has a four point lead over Kullas and Kjer Olsen.
MX1 Moto 1
1. Max Nagl
2. Dennis Ullrich
3. Thomas Kjer Olsen
4. Arminas Jasikonis
5. Harri Kullas
6. Filip Neugebauer
7. Luke Neurauter
8. Christian Brockel
9. Henry Jacobi
10. Mike Stender
MX1 Moto 2
1. Max Nagl
2. Dennis Ullrich
3. Thomas Kjer Olsen
4. Harri Kullas
5. Luke Neurauter
6. Filip Neugebauer
7. Henry Jacobi
8. Petr Smitka
9. Jaromir Romancik
10. Vaclav Kovar
Vegas to Reno 1000km Desert Race
Team HRC’s Joan Barreda has won the 20th edition of America’s legendary ‘Vegas to Reno’ desert race ahead of the American duo of David Pearson and Jacob Argubright.
The race featured no less than 342 participants but when the riders crossed the finish line in Reno Barreda had a seven minute gap back to Pearson who in turn had an eight minute lead over Argubright. “I’m really happy with the race. It has been an experience where we have learnt a lot,” Barreda explained. “We had a good time today with a really long special stage but without as much dust on the tracks as there was yesterday. I pushed really hard and am satisfied with the result. It was a really long special. Thanks to everyone who has helped us to gain this victory, for the support from the team and also from the fans who have supported us throughout.”
Results Vegas to Reno 2016
1. Joan Barreda – Spain
2. David Pearson – USA – 07’38.149
3. Jacob Argubright – USA – 15’34.075
4. Skyler Howes – USA – 39’07.577
5. Braxton Gallian – USA – 1:24’00.159
6. Michael Metge – France – 1:26’52.765
7. Taylor Stevens – USA – 1:29’09.357
8. Troy Vanscourt – USA – 1:32’05.578
9. Mike Aguilera – USA – 1:35’04.264
10. Ryan Hauser – USA – 1:37’16.731