Moto News Wrap for July 12, 2016 by Darren Smart
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This Weeks Racing Overview
- Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship – Round 7 – Southwick
- FIM Speedway World Championships – Round Five – Cardiff
This Week’s News Overview
- MX Nationals at Conondale this Weekend
- Aussie ISDE Teams Announced
- WAMX – Round 3 – Coastal Park
- Two Wheels and Three Wheels Hits Post Classic Motocross at Harrisville
- Conondale Classic Bigger and Better Than Ever
- Hills Qualifies for Loretta
- Husqvarna Sign Jeff Emig
- 2017 MXGP Calendar Announced
- Herlings Injured!!!!
- Dutch Masters of Motocross – Halle
- Little Known Racer to Replace Townley
- World Trials Up-Date
Australasian News
MX Nationals at Conondale this Weekend
Conondale’s iconic natural terrain circuit on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast hinterland will host round seven of the Motul MX Nationals this weekend and with plenty of moisture around in recent months the track is going to be green, lush and ready to roost!
Queenslanders Nathan Crawford and Caleb Ward are leading the talent riddled MX2 class and will try and use the parochial local fans to increase their points lead over the rest of the field while Kirk Gibbs and Dean Ferris will try and hold off the hard charging Queenslander Todd Waters in the MX1 championship.
The support class at Conondale will be one for the older heads with the former greats of the sport banging bars once again in the YMI 30 to 39 years Veterans class and the YMF Over 40 Class with Craig Anderson and Cameron Taylor looking to wrap up each class respectively.
IF you are even remotely interested in motocross it is a sensational event so head to Landsborough North of Brisbane then drive through Melany and follow the signs to Conondale – it is one of the best championship rounds on the calendar.
Aussie ISDE Teams Announced
Motorcycling Australia (MA) have announced the Australian Male contingent to defend their titles at this year’s International Six Day Enduro Championship (ISDE) to be held in Spain from the 11th to the 16th of October this year.
This year’s Senior Team will be comprised of Josh Strang, Daniel Milner, Lachlan Stanford and Daniel Sanders while the Junior Trophy Team consists of AORC new comers Jack Simpson and Nic Tomlinson as well as Queenslander Tom McCormack.
Matt Phillips is having eye surgery in the EnduroGP off-season and thus elected not to be considered for ISDE selection.
WAMX – Round 3 – Coastal Park
Coastal Park hosted round three of the Make Smoking History WAMX Senior State Championship last weekend and it was Dean Porter’s perfect race card (1-1-1) that had him on the top of the MX1 podium for the first time this season with championship leader Rob Lovett securing second (2-2-2) and Mitch Taylor third for the day but Lovett retained the series lead by only two points from Dean Porter.
Jake Fewster secured the round win in the MX2 class (1-1-1) with a perfect scorecard while defending champion Dylan Heard answered his critics bouncing back to secure a strong second overall (2-3-2) with 2011 champion David Birch third for the day but despite all of this the series leader Josh Adams finished in fourth overall and sits a more than comfortable 57 points clear at the top of the leader’s board.
Two Wheels and Three Wheels Hits Post Classic Motocross at Harrisville
There are full fields of championship classes in action at the 2016 Post Classic Motocross Championship being held by the Brisbane Motorcycle Club at the much favoured Harrisville facility on the 23rd and 24th of July.
Sidecarcross action will feature Pre 85 and Pre 90 classes with one of the key teams in Tony Garry and Barry Olsen looking to make a name for themselves in both classes on Tony’s fire breathing 650cc Wasp while there are 82 competitors having a crack at the 125cc, 250cc and Open Evolution classes and as you would expect the Pre85 and Pre90 classes are riddled with championship contenders.
Signs to Harrisville are along the Cunningham Highway between Aratula and Ipswich from both directions and there will be a trophy presentation at the Harrisville Hall starting at 5.30 with drinks and meals available.
Conondale Classic Bigger and Better Than Ever
Over the weekend of August 6th and 7th there will be hundreds of racers of all ages contesting the Maxima Racing Oils Conondale Classic on machinery from Pre 1995 and older belting around one of the best tracks in Australia.
The Conondale Classic is famous for competitors being able to hang out with some of the most famous racers in our sport like the King brothers, Stephen Gall, Craig Anderson, Darryl Hurley, Glen Bell, James Deakin, David and Gary Armstrong, Andrew Bailey, Geoff Ballard, Kurt Percy, Kim Ashkenazi and Glen Poole (to name a few) while having the ability to race your arse off all day before sitting around a warm camp fire at night with world class facilities like hot showers, toilets and hot food, wood-fired pizzas, coffee, tea, milk shakes, smoothies and ice-cream on offer throughout the weekend.
The ol’ Smarty has been training and testing on his Pre 95 rigs so there could be carnage over the weekend as well so if you are game the Supp Regs are listed on www.qvmx.com.au and for more Information please contact John Tate at [email protected].
Hills Qualifies for Loretta
Aussie Mason Hills has successfully qualified for the AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch early August. Hills had to overcome some bad luck but managed to qualify in the 65cc division against the best in the world and is heading to Loretta’s with high hopes.
American News
Husqvarna and USMCA Sign Jeff Emig
Jeff Emig has signed a deal to be the brand ambassador for Husqvarna motorcycles in America as well as bringing attention to the newly formed US Motorcycle Coaching Association.
“Husqvarna has such a rich heritage in motorcycling, and I am proud to be a part of the brand moving forward and now with the formation of the US Motorcycle Coaching Association (USMCA), it gives me a great opportunity to contribute to the future of the sport that I love so much. Not to mention, what blast it was to jump on the all new TC 250 2-stroke! My passion for motorcycles aligns perfectly with Husqvarna, so I’m looking forward to working together with Husqvarna and creating a better future for the new riders to come.”
“We are thrilled to have Jeff partner with Husqvarna Motorcycles as Brand Ambassador,” says current advisor and acting president of the USMCA, Mark Blackwell. “His enthusiasm for this iconic, pioneering brand is tremendous. I am especially excited about his enthusiasm for the USMCA initiative and believe his support will be very helpful as the word of this effort spreads and gains support and momentum.”
Euro News
2017 FIM Motocross World Championship Calendar
The provisional calendar for the 2017 FIM Motocross World Championship is announced complete with some awesome new venues such as Pangkal Pinang, Indonesia and Baldasserona, San Marino. Uddevalla will also make a welcomed return after being missed this year, while the MXGP of France will return to Ernée, the venue that has a grip on the hearts of thousands of fans after hosting one of the best ever editions of the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations, 2015.
Herlings Injured!!!!
For the third year in a row Jeffrey Herlings has crashed and injured himself as he is on the verge of winning a World Championship. Herlings has crashed heavily at the Dutch Masters of Motocross held at Halle last weekend and is in hospital with a broken collarbone and to date there is no news as to when the KTM pilot can return to action.
Dutch Masters of Motocross – Halle
Evgeny Bobryshev has won the Dutch Master of Motocross held at the Halle circuit in Holland with 3-1 results to win the MX1 overall ahead of Max Nagl and Glenn Coldenhoff but in the MX2 class it was Pauls Jonass who won the overall ahead of Max Anstie and Davey Pootjes while Jeffrey Herlings won the opening moto but then crashed in the second moto and was taken to hospital with a broken collarbone.
Little Known Racer to Replace Townley
Little known eighteen-year-old Arminas Jasikonis will fill-in for injured Ben Townley at Team Suzuki World MXGP for the next couple of rounds of the MXGP World Championship after the Lithuanian caught the eye of Stefan Everts whilst competing in the ADAC MX Masters recently.
The 193cm tall Jasikonis is pumped about his unexpected move to the factory Suzuki team. “Yesterday was my first real training and I still can’t believe it. It feels like a dream, working with the best people in such a professional team. It is great to be there. And the feeling on the Suzuki is good, I did not need such a long time to get used to the RM-Z450 and the bike handling is very good. It was all really impressive for a first ride.”
The Lithuanian is clear about his goal: “I just want to collect as many points as possible and a top-13 place would be really good.”
Everts will be working with Jasikonis over the next two weeks before joining team-mate Kevin Strijbos for round 13 of the MXGP World Championship in the Czech Republic on July 24th. “I’m happy to be able to give a young rider the chance to join a team at MXGP level. I’m looking forward to experience what Arminas can do,” he said.
World Trials – Round 6 – Belgium
Despite a poor opening lap, Toni Bou fought back to take his eighth win of the six round season as he added the Belgium Grand Prix to his list of triumphs in the 2016 FIM Trial World Championship. Fourth after the initial lap, Bou put himself back in the lead thanks to a better second lap showing to finally beat Adam Raga by ten marks after three laps of twelve sections that took place in searing heat. Albert Cabestany made an overdue return to the podium as he rounded out an all-Spanish top three.
Smarty’s Race Reports and Official Results from last Weekend
Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship – Round 7 – Southwick
Round eight of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship coincided with the highly anticipated return to ‘The Wick 338’ for the first time since 2013 with the Red Bull Southwick National and Eli Tomac became the third different overall 450 class winner this season while Cooper Webb extended his winning streak with his third straight overall victory.
450 Race Report
Finally! Eli Tomac had to pass the series leader Ken Roczen in both motos with a fearless and far from flawless performance around what is without doubt one of the toughest track on the calendar so with feet off the pegs and more tank slappers than you can poke a stick at the Kawasaki pilot racked up 1-1 results.
“The track here at Southwick is unique with the sand and I am excited to have it back on the schedule,” said Tomac, who led the championship last season until a crash at the third round left him with season-ending injuries. “I came into the day with a positive mindset, which I think was important. It’s great to get a win, but we want to keep the momentum rolling into the remaining rounds.”
Ouch! Ken Roczen would have come into Southwick thinking that all he needed to do was put in the effort and he would win again BUT Tomac was a step above the German who managed two second place finishes. “We just weren’t clicking today. I felt like my bike wasn’t good enough for these conditions [in the sand] and on top of that Eli [Tomac] and the Kawasaki team absolutely crushed it today,” said Roczen. “I tried to put up a fight in the second moto; try to get a win or at least hang with him [Tomac], and that’s what I did so I’m happy with how we rebounded from the first [moto]. 2-2 is still a good result, so I’m not too bummed. I’m going to keep my head up and keep charging next week.”
Finally: Justin Barcia has been hunting for his old MOJO and it sort of returned at Southwick with the Yamaha rider posting the fastest time in qualifying but a crash in the first corner of the opening moto saw ‘Bam-Bam’ rip through the pack to go from last to third then in the second moto from outside the top ten to third.
“It was challenging,” said Barcia. “Fighting through that pack was tough. The track isn’t like it used to be where there’s two lines everywhere, it’s a little bit more one-lined, so it was pretty hard to pass. Unfortunately, I had to use a lot of energy and the second moto left me a little dry.”
Ouch: Justin Bogle rode like a dead-set legend in the opening moto holding the lead and multiple passing moves by Roczen to end up in third place behind Tomac and Roczen but during the opening lap of the second moto Christophe Pourcel and Bogle were battling for the lead before the two came together leaving Bogle on the deck. Unfortunately that was it for Bogle for what could have been a possible podium finish but this isn’t the last we have seen of Justin Bogle at the pointy end of the field.
The Rest: The action behind the top three is too hard to report on but Marvin Musquin (3-7), Weston Peick (7-4), Christophe Pourcel (5-5), Benny Bloss (8-6), Broc Tickle (10-8), Justin Brayton (9-9) and Andrew Short (11-11) rounded out the top ten.
AMA Pro Motocross – Southwick – 450 Results
- Eli Tomac (1-1)
- Ken Roczen (2-2)
- Justin Barcia (6-3)
- Marvin Musquin (3-7)
- Weston Peick (7-4)
- Christophe Pourcel (5-5)
- Benny Bloss (8-6)
- Broc Tickle (10-8)
- Justin Brayton (9-9)
- Andrew Short (11-11)
AMA Pro Motocross – Southwick – 450 Championship Points Standings
- Ken Roczen, 337
- Eli Tomac, 290
- Marvin Musquin, 201
- Justin Barcia, 181
- Broc Tickle, 171
- Christophe Pourcel, 168
- Cole Seely, 151
- Justin Bogle, 136
- Ryan Dungey, 131
- Justin Brayton, 120
250 Race Report
Expected: Cooper Webb is an animal! The Yamaha pilot endured a wrist injury during the early rounds to keep himself in the points and has been on fire in the ensuing rounds but if there is any track that was going to test any weaknesses it is the deep sand of Southwick so to come from nowhere in the opening moto to finish in second then pulled an unlikely holeshot to finish a mile ahead in moto two etched Webb’s name in moto folk law and extended his points lead to 37.
“I felt great all day and it’s awesome to win three in a row,” said Webb. “I knew I had my work cut out for me in the first moto by getting such a bad start, but I managed to salvage second behind Jeremy [Martin]. In the second moto I pulled the holeshot, which is important to get clear track in the sand.”
So-So: Defending champion Jeremy Martin (1-4) won the opening moto after battling with early leader Shane McElrath and teammate Aaron Plessinger and was in a solid position in the second moto before a crash put pay to a possible overall win. “I felt good today,” said Martin in the post-race press conference. “The body is getting better and the bike is getting better too.”
Sensational: Class rookie Austin Forkner (5-2) scored his first Pro podium and looked like he belonged at the pointy end of the field – once Webb and the Martin brothers head to the 450 class this kid is the next champion – no doubt about it. “I got pretty decent starts all day,” said Forkner in the post-race press conference. “I think both were inside the top ten. I got up and made passes quick. I got stuck behind McElrath [in the first moto] for a while and Tonus got by me and then I lost my groove a little bit. In the second moto I got a better start and knew I need to make things happen quick.”
The Rest: Alex Martin lead the next group of hard chargers for fourth overall with 7-3 moto results while Aaron Plessinger (4-5), Arnaud Tonus (3-8), Zach Osborne (8-7), Luke Renzland (12-9), Joey Savatgy (10-11) and Martin Davalos (16-6) rounded out the top ten.
Jackson Richardson and Luke Clout rode their arses off and once again put themselves within the top 20 in America on the gnarliest track in the series.
AMA Pro Motocross – Southwick – 250 Results
- Cooper Webb (2-1)
- Jeremy Martin (1-4)
- Austin Forkner (5-2)
- Alex Martin (7-3)
- Aaron Plessinger (4-5)
- Arnaud Tonus (3-8)
- Zach Osborne (8-7)
- Luke Renzland (12-9)
- Joey Savatgy (10-11)
- Martin Davalos (16-6)
AMA Pro Motocross – Southwick – 250 Championship Points Standings
- Cooper Webb, 290
- Joey Savatgy, 253
- Jeremy Martin, 252
- Alex Martin, 232
- Zach Osborne, 217
- Austin Forkner, 202
- Aaron Plessinger, 186
- Arnaud Tonus, 138
- Shane McElrath, 132
- RJ Hampshire, 132
FIM Speedway World Championships – Round Five – Cardiff
Swedish star Antonio Lindback admits even the deafening Cardiff roar couldn’t break his focus as he stormed to Adrian Flux British FIM Speedway Grand Prix glory at the Principality Stadium.
The Rio Rocket ended his near four-year wait for an SGP win after winning a titanic tussle with Great Britain hero Tai Woffinden in the final, with Poland’s Bartosz Zmarzlik third and American icon Greg Hancock fourth.
Lindback was unbeaten in his opening three rides and powered into the semi-finals on 12 points. After a convincing win in his semi-final, he finished off the job in style, with Woffy in hot pursuit. He is now fourth in the World Championship on 53 points; just one short of Jason Doyle in third and 13 behind series leader Greg Hancock.
Even the thunderous noise from the Principality Stadium masses couldn’t break Lindback’s focus, but he was delighted to soak up the atmosphere at his victory presentation. “This is one of those places where you can hear the crowd over the bike when they’re screaming. It’s a little bit special. But when you’re out there, you’re so focused. It was not something I really thought about. But to come to Cardiff and have a win is unbelievable. I have always wanted to win here, so it’s ideal. I was third here before in 2012, so today I’ve stepped up a bit.”
Lindback was quick to pay tribute to runner-up Woffinden after a good, clean fight for top spot. “For me, it’s great if I can beat Tai. He’s so fast and I just love to race with him. I love racing him on the track and I like him outside the track. It was good fun. I don’t feel you need to run into people. Me and Tai raced hard but we didn’t hit each other. It was still nice for the crowd to look at. I like racing with him. You feel safe, but you can also race hard.”
Woffinden admits picking the wrong engine early in the meeting hampered his chances. But he was elated with second spot and a thunderous ovation from the Cardiff crowd. “I changed bikes and when I jumped on it, it was pulling, so thanks to Johnsy (engine tuner Peter Johns) for building me such a fast motor.
“I wish I’d raced it earlier. It’s the one I have been riding in Poland and scoring massive points on, so maybe I need to start riding it in the GP. I always tend to go for a different one. But it was a good night and the fans here were amazing, as they always are. It blows my mind when I come here. I can’t explain how it feels to be a British rider and ride in front of that many people shouting for me. It’s crazy.”
Third-placed Zmarzlik was elated with what was his first FIM Speedway Grand Prix podium finish away from Gorzow – where he topped the rostrum in 2014. “I’m very happy. It was a good day for me. Some days are good; some aren’t as good. The event was amazing like Warsaw. I loved it. I want to say thank you to my sponsors, family and team and I’ll see you soon.”
The FIM Speedway Grand Prix series now takes a break for the Monster Energy FIM Speedway World Cup. The action launches with Event 1 at Vojens on July 23, before moving to Vastervik on July 26 and concluding with the Race Off and Final in Manchester on July 29 and 30.
ADRIAN FLUX BRITISH SGP: 1 Antonio Lindback 18, 2 Tai Woffinden 15, 3 Bartosz Zmarzlik 13, 4 Greg Hancock 10, 5 Piotr Pawlicki 14, 6 Jason Doyle 12, 7 Maciej Janowski 11, 8 Andreas Jonsson 9, 9 Matej Zagar 8, 10 Danny King 7, 11 Chris Holder 6, 12 Nicki Pedersen 5, 13 Peter Kildemand 4, 14 Niels-Kristian Iversen 3, 15 Fredrik Lindgren 2, 16 Chris Harris 1, 17 Steven Worrall DNR, 18 Robert Lambert DNR.
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: 1 Greg Hancock 66, 2 Tai Woffinden 63, 3 Jason Doyle 54, 4 Antonio Lindback 53, 5 Maciej Janowski 52, 6 Bartosz Zmarzlik 51, 7 Chris Holder 50, 8 Matej Zagar 39, 9 Peter Kildemand 38, 10 Nicki Pedersen 37, 11 Andreas Jonsson 37, 12 Piotr Pawlicki 37, 13 Fredrik Lindgren 34, 14 Niels-Kristian Iversen 33, 15 Chris Harris 21, 16 Patryk Dudek 8, 17 Danny King 7, 18 Anders Thomsen 5, 19 Vaclav Milik 3, 20 Denis Stojs 1, 21 Nick Skorja 1.
