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Moto News Weekly Wrap
October 6, 2020

Jaimon Lidsey FIM Speedway Under-21 World Champion
2020 Torun SGP Round Seven

Almost four years to the day after he won the Under 21 Speedway World Championship, Mansfield’s Max Fricke admits he has realised “a childhood dream” after roaring to his first-ever FIM Speedway Grand Prix victory at FST Grupa Brokerska Torun SGP round seven on Friday.

Another Aussie also achieved a childhood dream overnight with Jaimon Lidsey being crowned FIM Speedway Under-21 World Champion.

Lidsey, 21-years-old from Red Cliffs, has had a sensational European season and was calculated in his heat races during the Under 21 World Championship event last night scoring 3,3,3,2,3,3,3 on his run to the final.

While expectations were high for other riders to take the title, the young Victorian with plenty of Aussie grit held the best for last dominating the Final from the drop of the gate to now join a long list of Australian World Speedway Champions.

In Poland Fricke topped the FIM Speedway GP podium ahead of title-chasing trio Maciej Janowski, Tai Woffinden and series leader Bartosz Zmarzlik.  With the victory Fricke, 24, became the seventh Australian who can boast winning the elite SGP joining Jason Crump, Leigh Adams, Jason Doyle, Chris Holder, Ryan Sullivan and Darcy Ward.

Zmarzlik overcame a crash in heat five to reach the semi-finals. He now just needs to reach the final of the title-deciding round eight on Saturday night to become Poland’s first double world champion after registering 14 points, giving him an eight-point cushion over nearest rival Woffinden in second spot.

But the night belonged to Fricke, who raced to 10 points in his heats, before delivering one of the rides on the season to pass Janowski and Fredrik Lindgren in semi-final one. He then made a world-class start in the final to leave three of the sport’s finest trailing and crown the greatest victory of his career so far.

The Wroclaw racer says he realised a boyhood dream as he enjoyed the Australian national anthem atop the Torun podium.

Max Fricke

“It’s unbelievable. I think it will take a while for it to sink in. I have been to Torun before and watched GPs. To win a GP has been a childhood dream for almost as long as I can remember – since I started racing. To actually be here and get a Grand Prix win is great. I have had a tough start to this year, so to have a win is unbelievable. I was doing everything I could to stay in front. I could hear Magic behind me. I just picked up a little too much right at the end. But I managed to bring it across the line. It was great to be on the podium with Tai and Magic. They are both great friends and we obviously ride together in Wroclaw. It was a really cool podium and great to be up there with some good friends.”

Fricke nearly threw victory away when he lifted dramatically on the run to the line. He was delighted to lead a Wroclaw one-two-three on the rostrum.

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Fricke wasn’t the only Aussie star to claim a huge international victory tonight. His former Belle Vue team mate Jaimon Lidsey was crowned FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship winner at Czech track Pardubice.

Runner-up Janowski was delighted to be back on the SGP rostrum for the third time this season. Third-placed Woffinden raced to his third podium finish on the bounce.

FIM Speedway Grand Prix Torun – Round 7 Results

2020 Torun SGP Round Eight

Polish hero Bartosz Zmarzlik was elated to join the FIM Speedway Grand Prix series’ elite club of back-to-back world champions after winning the FST Grupa Brokerska Torun SGP round eight on Saturday.

Zmarzlik was crowned Poland’s first-ever double world champion when he finished second in semi-final one – reaching the final he needed to put the sport’s biggest prize beyond Great Britain icon Tai Woffinden and Swedish star Fredrik Lindgren.

Woffinden won a run-off with Lindgren for the silver medal after the pair tied on 117-points, but the season belongs to Zmarzlik, who topped the standings on 133, winning four of this year’s eight rounds along the way.

He crowned an epic season with victory in Torun, seeing off fellow countryman Maciej Janowski, Artem Laguta and Lindgren in the final. Zmarzlik is only the third rider to retain the world title in the SGP era, following in the footsteps of SGP greats.

Bartosz Zmarzlik

“Now I have followed some big heroes in speedway in winning back-to-back titles – Tony Rickardsson and Nicki Pedersen. It’s a great feeling and I don’t know what to say now. I don’t believe it at this moment. Wow! For me it is an unbelievable night. For the second year, I am number one in the world, and that’s really nice. It was a really hard day for me mentally. After yesterday and the crash in my second race, I wasn’t feeling so good in my body. But what an amazing race I had in the semi-final! I am happy I am a two-time world champion. Last season I could not have dreamed of this result. But again I am number one and for me it is unbelievable. Wow! What a night for me and the Polish fans! It’s unbelievable. I won the final again and that’s so nice. I don’t know what to say now. I can’t believe it at this moment, but maybe soon I will take in what I have done today.”

World Championship runner-up Woffinden admitted 2020 has not been his year, but he was heartened to reach the SGP rostrum for the sixth time in eight seasons since he rejoined the series in 2013.

Tai Woffinden

“I am not on form. I have not been on form all year. It’s super frustrating. But on the flip side, when Tai Woffinden is out of form, I am still in the top three in the world. You have seen that over the years. When I am on form, I am world champion. I want to say a massive thanks to everyone at home for watching and supporting me. The fire is burning for next year – massively. You learn more by losing. When you win, you win. You don’t know how you did it. Many world champions can say the same thing. I have learned a lot – physically, mentally, nutritionally and with stuff on my bikes.”

Lindgren would have sealed the silver medal with a top-three finish on the night, but he suffered a mechanical failure at the start line in the final, forcing him into a run-off with Woffinden, which the Brit won.

The Orebro-born ace revealed a curburettor issue halted him at the cruellest of moments. But he takes heart from matching the bronze medal he achieved in 2018 and was pleased to mount a strong title challenge throughout 2020.

2020 Speedway of Nations heads to Lublin

While SGP 2020 has concluded, world championship racing returns in less than two weeks when the Monster Energy FIM Speedway of Nations Final takes place in Lublin on October 16 and 17. Hosts Poland face world champions Russia, Australia, Denmark, Sweden, Great Britain and the Czech Republic in the ultimate test of team riding.

The Final was switched from Manchester’s National Speedway Stadium due to increased Covid-19 control measures across the UK, with the venue now staging the 2021 Monster Energy FIM Speedway of Nations Final.

This year’s title-decider is set to take place at one of the sport’s fastest-growing clubs. Motor Lublin staged Polish Second Division action as recently as 2017, before back-to-back promotions saw them join the PGE Ekstraliga for the first time in 2019.

FIM Speedway Grand Prix Torun – Round 8 Results

FIM Speedway Grand Prix Championship Standings

2020 Speedway GP Wild Cards Announced

FIM Speedway Grand Prix quartet Artem Laguta, Emil Sayfutdinov, Martin Vaculik and Max Fricke all return for SGP 2021, while Denmark’s Anders Thomsen joins the sport’s elite after next season’s permanent wild cards were revealed.

Thomsen takes his place in the full World Championship field for the first time after enjoying a stellar 2020 campaign, which culminated in him winning his first Danish Championship at Vojens last Wednesday.

Russia’s double Monster Energy FIM Speedway of Nations winner Laguta has also enjoyed a season to remember after topping the podium at the SGP opener in Wroclaw, before finishing third in last night’s FST Grupa Brokerska Torun SGP round eight to claim seventh spot in the final standings.

His international team mate Sayfutdinov finished eighth in this year’s championship, as well as topping the PGE Ekstraliga averages in Poland on 2.557 points per race – just ahead of Laguta in second, who recorded 2.479.

Slovakian star Vaculik secures a return after claiming ninth spot overall, reaching six out of eight semi-finals as well as enjoying a strong season for Zielona Gora.

Double Australian champion Fricke returns for his second full SGP season on the back of a sensational victory in Friday’s FST Grupa Brokerska Torun SGP round seven – the first win of his World Championship career in only his second final. He finished 10th in this season’s standings.

The wild-card selections are joined by this year’s top six – Poland’s first double world champion Bartosz Zmarzlik, Great Britain’s triple world champion Tai Woffinden, Swedish star Fredrik Lindgren, Polish ace Maciej Janowski, Danish racer Leon Madsen and Australia’s 2017 world champion Jason Doyle.

Great Britain shooting star Robert Lambert also earned automatic qualification after winning this year’s Speedway European Championship.

The line-up is completed by the top three from this year’s GP Challenge in Gorican – five-time SGP winner Matej Zagar, Swedish debutant Oliver Berntzon and former world No.2 Krzysztof Kasprzak. The list of SGP 2021 substitute riders will be revealed soon.

2021 FIM Speedway Grand Prix Line-Up
(in FIM ranking order – rider numbers to be confirmed):

1. Bartosz Zmarzlik (Poland)
2. Tai Woffinden (Great Britain)
3. Fredrik Lindgren (Sweden)
4. Maciej Janowski (Poland)
5. Leon Madsen (Denmark)
6. Jason Doyle (Australia)
7. Artem Laguta (Russia)
8. Emil Sayfutdinov (Russia)
9. Martin Vaculik (Slovakia)
10. Max Fricke (Australia)
11. Matej Zagar (Slovenia)
12. Anders Thomsen (Denmark)
13. Oliver Berntzon (Sweden)
14. Krzysztof Kasprzak (Poland)
15. Robert Lambert (Great Britain)

Jaimon Lidsey nabs 2021 SGP reserve spot

Aleksandr Loktaev could become the first Ukrainian to appear in the FIM Speedway Grand Prix series as he heads the list of SGP 2021 substitute stars.

The Lodz rider, currently seventh in the Polish First Division average charts on 2.111 points per race, stormed agonisingly close to SGP qualification at the GP Challenge in Gorican, Croatia on August 22.

Australian shooting star Jaimon Lidsey is next in line as the second substitute rider. He was crowned FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship winner in Pardubice on Friday night.

Polish young gun Dominik Kubera finished second in that meeting and is named as third substitute, while Latvia’s Olegs Mihailovs took third place and is named as fourth SGP reserve.

Great Britain racer Dan Bewley is named as SGP fifth substitute, with World Longtrack champion Lukas Fienhage of Germany sixth reserve and the Czech Republic’s Jan Kvech rounding off the list at No.7.

2020 SGP Substitutes

• S1. Aleksandr Loktaev (Ukraine)
• S2. Jaimon Lidsey (Australia)
• S3. Dominik Kubera (Poland)
• S4. Olegs Mihailovs (Latvia)
• S5. Dan Bewley (Great Britain)
• S6. Lukas Fienhage (Germany)
• S7. Jan Kvech (Czech Republic)

Toby Price & Daniel Sanders all set for 2020 Andalucia Rally

The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team of Toby Price, Sam Sunderland and Matthias Walkner are ready to take on the 2020 Andalucia Rally. In their first competitive rally since the Dakar back in January, the team will be joined in Spain by KTM Factory Racing’s newest signing Daniel Sanders, who will be making his debut rally appearance.

Held in the south of Spain from October 6 to 10, the Andalucia Rally will challenge riders over five demanding days of racing. A short Super Special Stage will decide the start order for the first full day of rallying, with the four main legs made up of looped stages based around the bivouac town of Villamartin. With the event covering a total of over 1,300 kilometers, competitors will face 1,030 km of timed specials, the longest of which being on stage three – a demanding 300-kilometre route covering the dry, rocky tracks to the east of Sevilla.

Following his podium result at the 2020 Dakar Rally, Toby Price returned home to Australia where he kept himself busy riding and working on bikes whenever possible. Now with racing starting up again with the Andalucia Rally, Price is keen to make the best use of the time on his KTM 450 RALLY and prepare for the 2021 Dakar Rally.

Toby Price

“It’s certainly been a tough time for everyone since January – the whole world has been turned upside down, but we’re doing the best we can considering. I’m really thankful that the organizers have managed to arrange this rally in Spain, and we get to go racing again. After all, it’s what we love to do! It’s been good to get back out on the bike with the team and now we just need to do our best in Andalucia and learn what we can before the big one next January.”

Making his first rally appearance for the KTM Factory Racing team, enduro star and outright ISDE winner Daniel Sanders is confident, yet fully aware of the challenge ahead of him. Undoubtedly fast offroad, as seen in his Australian desert racing successes, the 26-year-old will use the event to gain invaluable experience with the navigation required for top-level rally competition. Sanders travelled to Europe in September to spend time with KTM Rally Team Manager Jordi Viladoms and get up to speed with both his KTM 450 RALLY and essential road book techniques – he now has a chance to put that newly-found knowledge into practice.

Daniel Sanders

“I’m only a few weeks into my rally career and it’s a really different experience. It’s exciting though, I’m learning every day and I’ve been working on my road book skills a lot. Learning the bike is new for me as well, and I have to thank my team manager Jordi Viladoms for helping me fast-track my skills. It’s a new discipline and I’m taking it step-by-step and learning as safely as possible. We have a few days to go before the Andalucia Rally and I’m excited for it. Prior to that it’ll be some more roadbook work, and then race time! Hopefully it will go well, and I’ll qualify for the 2021 Dakar.”

2019 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Champion Sam Sunderland was forced to abandon his 2020 Dakar Rally campaign following a crash on stage five. After a short period of rehabilitation at his home in France, Sunderland quickly returned to full fitness and restarted his training. Now, with a couple of recent weeks testing under his belt, the 2017 Dakar winner is fully motivated to get back to competition.

Following his excellent fifth-place performance at the 2020 Dakar Rally, Matthias Walkner returned to Austria for the Covid-19 lockdown period. Maintaining a solid fitness regime, the 34-year-old was also able to get some invaluable riding time in the woods near his home. Now fully fit and eager to get racing again, the former motocross star is hoping for a strong race in Andalucia.

The Monster Energy Honda Team is back in action is also back in action, with current Dakar champion Ricky Brabec lining up alongside the current holder of the most Dakar stage wins, Joan Barreda. Both have reinforced their relationship with Honda this year and will join Kevin Benavides and Nacho Cornejo, the team that displayed such strength in the previous season.

Ricky Brabec

“It feels really good to be back and hanging out with the team and also to be with the rest of the rally racers. I’ve actually done a couple of races this year since the Dakar but it is really nice to be back riding a road book that will be Dakar spec against Dakar competitors to see where we line up. I don’t think anyone knows how it is going to be here but we’re just excited to be back together.”

The full Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Official Team is also set for the Andalucia Rally 2020, with two new riders – American Andrew Short and Botswana’s Ross Branch, joining Adrien Van Beveren, Franco Caimi and Jamie McCanney.

The Andalucia Rally commences with the Super Special Stage on Tuesday October 6, followed by four days of racing with the stages covering a total of 1,354 kilometers, 1,030 of which are timed specials.

2020 Atlanta Short Track

Images by Scott Hunter

AFT SuperTwins

Jared Mees stood triumphant at the conclusion of the Atlanta Short Track in Woodstock, Georgia. The AFT SuperTwins Main Event got off to an appropriately hot start with Jeffrey Carver Jr. somehow storming into the lead from the second row. Carver’s turn at the front lasted just over a lap before he relinquished the position to Sammy Halbert.

After a few hectic laps, Halbert was joined at the front by Mees, and the two promptly teased a repeat of their epic 2017 shootout at the venue. At one point, Halbert’s line pushed Mees up into the hay bales as they traded haymakers for first and set the stage for more fireworks to come.

However, before the two could reserve the spotlight for themselves exclusively, reigning champion Briar Bauman inched his way up to join the party in third.

With seven minutes remaining, Mees sailed past Halbert to grab the lead, only to see Bauman dive under them both in the very next corner. Bauman then threatened to clear off for a fifth consecutive race as Mees and Halbert continued their melee for second.

With five minutes to go, Mees finally shook free of Halbert and chased his championship rival back down at the front. The two then engaged in a bar-to-bar war for the win, crossing lines and pulling off slidejobs with abandon.

The race came down to the final corner; Mees held on to the high line while Bauman attempted to square him up at the line. Mees won out by 0.308 seconds to snap Bauman’s four-race win streak.

Even after losing touch with the leaders, Halbert remained in fight mode, attempting to defend third from up-and-comers Brandon Price and Bronson Bauman.

In the end, the younger Bauman handed the Indian Wrecking Crew its first podium sweep of the season, finishing in third by 0.193 seconds over Halbert. Price rounded out the top five another second back.

2020 Atlanta Short Track – AFT Singles

The rolling Dallas Daniels racked up his fourth consecutive AFT Singles victory following an extremely entertaining duel with polesitter Morgen Mischler. Mischler ripped into the lead at the green light with only Daniels able to match his pace. Early in their showdown, Mischler took to his preferred high line, while Daniels went low, and the two practically rode side-by-side for several laps.

Their battle escalated from there, with several more laps of high-low maneuvers that saw them trade the lead back and forth repeatedly.

The third and final stage of their showdown saw Daniels at last grasp control. Mischler sought out a variety of lines in hopes of tracking Daniels back down but came up 0.482 short at the checkered flag.

Second-ranked Henry Wiles ran alone in third deep into the Main. However, he saw even more (increasingly crucial) points slip away when eventual third-place finisher Brandon Kitchen overhauled him with a minute remaining, and fourth-place finisher Trent Lowedid the same on the race’s final lap. Aussie Max Whale was just outside the top five in sixth.

2020 Atlanta Short Track – AFT Production Twins

At long last, defending AFT Production Twins champion Cory Texter brought the win streak of runaway title leader James Rispoli to a halt at five. Texter, who hadn’t won a race since the season’s opening weekend and had subsequently finished as runner-up to Rispoli on four occasions, was justifiably starving to return to the top of the box. It showed. Brilliant from the start, Texter accelerated into the lead from pole and pulled several bike lengths on the opening lap.

Once a second free out front, he switched his focus to simply maintaining that advantage. On rails and incredibly precise, Texter appeared comfortable weathering a late-race charge from Rispoli when a monkey wrench was thrown into his plans of cruising to a relatively easy victory.

Despite the potential setback of a late-race red flag, Texter simply powered off the line (again) and stretched out a one-second-plus advantage (again) to claim the checkered flag.

Rispoli, meanwhile, continued his march to the 2020 crown with his tenth top-two finish in eleven starts. Ryan Varnes and Ben Lowe finished third and fourth after running locked in that order for the entire affair. Danny Eslick rounded out the top five.

2020 Atlanta Short Track II – Super Twins

Jared Mees doubled up at Dixie Speedway with a second barn-burning American Flat Track victory in Saturday night’s Atlanta Short Track. While Mees was forced to overcome his great rival, defending Grand National Champion Briar Bauman, to win on Friday night in Woodstock, Georgia, Saturday’s challenge came from a more unexpected source: young rising star Brandon Price.

Despite their contrasting résumé, that test proved no less stiff; the up-and-comer gave the masterful Mees all he could handle.

Price actually led the bulk of the race, deftly corralling a racey Mees behind him despite the multi-time series king’s repeated attempts to fight his way through. At one point, Mees’ overtaking maneuver sent him up into the wall, jamming the factory Indian rider’s footpeg into his own brake.

At that moment, it seemed like Price might power away to an easy win, but Mees regrouped, adjusted and mounted another assault. Their vast difference in experience didn’t factor in until after the countdown clocks hit zero, at which point Mees executed a tough-but-fair pass to lead the final two laps and win by 0.339 seconds.

Jared Mees

“Early on, I thought I could just settle in and get by, but I don’t know…(Price) was probably getting a little tense at the end because I was throwing everything I could at him. I threw him some bait in Turn 1 where I was acting like I was coming real high and just sliced across the middle and threw in a little block pass. It was a great race. I can’t say enough for my team. We’re going to just keep plugging one race at a time. We’re not out of this yet. We’re going to fight back as best we can and what the points are at the end is what they are.”

Meanwhile, title leader Bauman slashed his way forward from an early seventh to finish a lonely third some two-and-a-half seconds back. Sammy Halbert finished in fourth another second in arrears, with an injured Brandon Robinson registering a gritty ride to round out the top five.

Mees’ Atlanta double provided his title hopes a major boost; he now trails Bauman by just 12 points (256-244) with four races remaining to decide the 2020 AFT SuperTwins presented by Vance & Hines Championship.

2020 AFT SuperTwins Standings

2020 Atlanta Short Track II – AFT Singles

AFT Singles title favorite Dallas Daniels out-dueled Morgen Mischler in an Atlanta Short Track rematch that may have been even more spectacular than their Friday epic.

Mischler and Daniels shook free from the pack in the early stages of the race and then set about resuming last night’s dogfight. In contrast to the previous round, however, Mischler maintained a slight advantage for almost the entire race, with Daniels trying out his lines and (apparently) biding his time just behind.

He finally struck with only a half lap remaining. The two actually made contact on the back straight with Daniels then forcing his way underneath as they dove into Turn 3 for the final time. Mischler attempted to square the corner back up and take advantage of a small slip on Daniels’ part, but came up just 0.090 seconds short at the flag.

Dallas Daniels

“I wasn’t holding back, I wasn’t trying to not show him what I was doing. That was literally all I had. It was kind of making me nervous; I was pretty much tapped out and I needed a mistake from him, which is what happened. Coming off of (Turn) 2, he spun up a little bit and we got together. I took that thing off into 3 harder than I did all day, just hoping it would stick and it did. It’s awesome.”

Aussie Max Whale won out in a similar shootout with super sophomore Brandon Kitchen to earn the final spot on the podium. Class legend Shayna Texter bounced back from a disappointing outing on Friday to complete the top five.

As a result of Daniels’ seventh win of the season, the 17-year-old prodigy now leads the championship by 70 points (233-163) over Wiles and Whale, while Rush has dropped to fourth with 151 points. Should Daniels up his current win streak to six next Friday night, he’ll be crowned the 2020 AFT Singles champion three races early.

Max Whale

“Stocked to be back on the podium again. Had a solid weekend at Atlanta double header. Friday ran P6 and Saturday P3. Had some great battles and pumped to. Come out equal second in the Championship. Once again I can’t thank my weekend worriers enough. I would be lost with out them @mattguenther61 , Keith Singleton and @bjbcrewdad. And a shout out to all my awesome sponsors.”

2020 AFT Singles Standings

2020 Atlanta Short Track II – AFT Production Twins

Saturday’s AFT Production Twins Main saw 2020 championship leader James Rispoli outlast defending class champion Cory Texter in a race-long straight fight.

The two quickly separated from the field and raced side-by-side for virtually the entire six-minute plus two lap affair. Rispoli ran the high line while Texter controlled the low line, and rarely did either rider demonstrate a clear advantage in their battle.

Rispoli turned it on late, sliding just out in front as the clock showed 0:00, and that’s where he’d remain to the checkered flag.

The victory placed Rispoli right back up on top of the box just one day after Texter brought his five-race win streak to a conclusion.

James Rispoli

“Cory has been riding out of his shoes this weekend – just so well. I don’t know how you can’t love that racing, me and Cory just going back and forth the entire race. He committed to the low and I committed to the high every lap. He’d just give me a skosh of space. At the end of the day, we got just a little bit of breathing room and I hit the low line and brought it home.”

Once Ryan Varnes dropped from third due to a mechanical, Chad Cose assumed the position and spent the remainder of the race with his head down in pursuit of the Rispoli-Texter duel.

Clawing his way back from approximately two seconds back, Cose arrived right on their rear wheels just in time to see the two cross the stripe a few tenths ahead of him.

Danny Eslick won out in a multi-rider scrap for fourth, taking the checkered flag just ahead of Michael Inderbitzin and Ben Lowe.

Rispoli now leads by 48 points (269-221). That means if he gains just two more points on Texter next weekend, he’ll accomplish his stated goal of locking up the class championship ahead of the DAYTONA finale.

2020 AFT Production Twins Standings

2020 AFT Next Stop: Charlotte Half-Mile I & II

All three Progressive American Flat Track classes approach a critical juncture in their evolving championship battles as the series arrives at the Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway for this weekend’s Progressive Charlotte Half-Mile I & II on October 9-10.

The atmosphere for the season’s penultimate doubleheader is destined to be electric as Progressive AFT shares the spotlight with the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series, which will continue its playoff run at the venue in Charlotte, North Carolina, the following day.

Even if third-ranked Sammy Halbert retains a mathematical shot at the 2020 AFT SuperTwins crown, the season has proven to be a heavyweight title fight featuring reigning champ Briar Bauman and the record-breaking Jared Mees.

A mid-season string of wins put Bauman in the driver’s seat to retain the #1 plate, but Mees’ clutch double this past weekend in Atlanta has provided the former class king a clear path to reclaiming the throne. 12 points now separate the two at the top of the order, which means Mees would need to sweep the final four races to guarantee himself this year’s Grand National Championship.

Of course, if any riders in a field full of potential spoilers were able to get between Mees and Bauman, that could provide considerably more wiggle room. Among those most likely to do so are the aforementioned Halbert, who’s been fast all year long, Bryan Smith, who’s won two of the last three races in Charlotte, and Brandon Price, who narrowly missed out on claiming his maiden premier-class victory on a similar clay surface in the season’s most recent Main Event.

Meanwhile on the undercard, the dominant Dallas Daniels and James Rispoli are poised to lock up their respective AFT Singles and AFT Production Twins championships as early as this weekend.

Daniels has been unstoppable in a class that typically features a wide variety of winners and unpredictable outcomes. While the results from race to race have shuffled around behind him, the 17-year-old superstar has proven his superiority with seven wins in 12 races, including the last five in succession.

As a result, he’s assembled a massive 70-point margin over his nearest challengers, Henry Wiles and Max Whale. A win on Friday night would increase that margin to at least 75 points with three races remaining, clinching him the ‘20 AFT Singles championship.

Rispoli’s position is not quite that commanding, but he’s still well positioned to end the AFT Productions Twins championship ahead of the season finale. With a 48-point lead on defending class champion Cory Texter, Rispoli simply needs to outscore his rival by two points in Charlotte to bring their title fight to an early conclusion.

Considering that Rispoli has ripped off seven wins, four runner-ups, and one fifth-place in the season’s 12 races, it’s not too difficult to imagine that scenario playing out.

As always, spectator safety has been placed at a premium and Progressive AFT has worked closely with local health and government officials toward those ends. For more on the specific precautions being undertaken, please consult the Progressive AFT Events Health & Safety FAQ. Just 980 tickets have been made available for each night and are selling quickly as fans are eager to witness the final rounds of this knockout Progressive AFT Championship season.

2020 MXGP
Round 11 – MXGP of Europe – Mantova

The MXGP of Europe concludes the 11th round of the FIM Motocross World Championship, marking the second of the three Italian triple-headers this season, as three rounds have been held at Mantova across a 10-day period.

The MXGP of Europe saw Team HRC’s Tim Gajser make his return to the top step of the podium, as he took the overall win in MXGP for the first time this season.

Gajsers 1-2 result was enough to finish the round six-points ahead of Tony Cairoli, who went 5-1, with Glenn Coldenhoff third for the GP with a 2-5 result. Aussie Mitch Evans had a strong weekend, with a fourth place finish in the first race, with eighth in race 2, leaving him fifth overall.

The MXGP standings see Gajser in the lead from Cairoli, 399 to 388, with Jeremy Seewer third overall on 369-points. Mitchell Evans sits just outside the top 10, in eleventh, 14-points off Desalle.

Mitch Evans

“Today was a good day and a bit of a disappointing day too. In the first moto I got a good start, made a few passes and was in third for most of the race. I ended up fourth but it was still a good moto and I enjoyed running with the top guys. In moto two I didn’t get the best jump which made things difficult because it was still hard to pass, but I got back to eighth for fifth overall. This was the same as in Matterley Basin at the first GP of the year, so I’m pleased with that. I did really want that podium today but it didn’t quite happen but there are still seven more rounds to get it done and that’s what I’m focusing on when we head to Spain.”

2020 MXGP of Europe Results

MXGP Standings

MX2

Meanwhile in MX2, Jago Geerts also made a comeback to the top, as a second and a race win was enough to put him first on the podium, marking his fourth overall victory of the season.

Tom Vialle narrowly missed the round overall, also finishing the round on 47-points, which each rider taking a win and a second place each. Thomas Kjer Olsen was third overall, with Australian Jed Beaton sixth overall after two consistent fifth place finishes.

Vialle retains a sizeable lead in the MX2 standings, with Jago Geerts 46-points in arrears, while Beaton is third overall, with a seven-point lead over Maxime Renaux, while Olsen is a more distant fifth.

Jed Beaton

“Today wasn’t quite what I was looking for. I know I had the speed but just wasn’t able to get among the top guys. It certainly wasn’t the worst day but wasn’t the best either. I’m now back in third in the standings so I just need to work on starts, get up front early and try to get some more wins to finish the season off strong.”

2020 MXGP of Europe MX2 Results

MX2 Standings

EMX250

In the opening EMX250 race, it was Marcel Conijn who led the way, with Guadagnini second and Tom Guyon of Team VRT Nordpesca Holland in third.

Guadagnini wasted no time to get around Conijn, as he passed him on the second lap of the race. It then didn’t take long for Guadagnini to get ahead and lead the race by 5.642 seconds. Meanwhile Hakon Fredriksen of Yamaha SM Action MC Migliori J1 Racing was looking to pass Guyon for fourth in the race.

Championship leader Thibault Benistant of the Hutten Metaal Yamaha Racing squad had a tough start to the race as he was forced to make his way back up from the back of the pack. He managed to get up to 14th and still had plenty of time to keep climbing up the field.

On lap 5 of the race, Pierre Goupillon of BUD Racing Kawasaki caught and passed Emil Weckman, the rider of Honda Racing Assomotor for 6th in the race.

Meanwhile Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Kay De Wolf crashed out twice in the first half of the race, eventually dropping down to 15th.

On lap 6, after several attempts, Fredriksen was finally able to pass Guyon and get up into 4th. While Talviku was battling with Conijn for 2nd place.

With 5 minutes and 2 laps to go the top 10 was comfortably led by Guadagnini, who was followed by Conijn, Talviku, Fredriksen, Guyon, Goupillon, Weckman, Tomass Sileika, Lorenzo Corti and Tim Edberg.

Talviku then moved into P2 past Conijn, though not long after crashed which allowed Conijn and Fredriksen back through. Fredriksen than crashed himself, though only losing one position to Talviku.

In the end it was Mattia Guadagnini who won the race by an impressive 17.882 margin, with Marcel Conijn and Hakon Fredriksen behind in P2 and P3.

In EMX250 race two, it was Talviku and BUD Racing Kawasaki’s Lorenzo Locurcio who led the way, meanwhile Guadagnini and Benistant were down in 4th and 5th.

Talviku was then getting caught by Locurcio, while Gianluca Facchetti of Hutten Metaal Yamaha Racing was sitting in 3rd place.

Guadagnini then made a mistake, which allowed Benistant through. Benistant was then the fastest rider on track as he went after his teammate to move into the top 3. Locurcio and Facchetti then crashed out of 2nd and 3rd, as Guadagnini forced his way past the championship leader, Benistant, to move into 2nd.

Keen to get another win, Guadagnini then went on to set the fastest lap of the race – a 1:59.301, which was immediately bettered by Benistant as he clocked a 1:58.597 as he put the hammer down to catch the Italian and go for the lead.

Guadagnini then became the new race leader, pushing Talviku to 2nd, with Benistant pushing the Estonian another position as he went through as well.

As the race progressed Guadagnini continued to lead the way with Benistant 2nd. Though the rider in P3, Talviku, started to come under pressure from Locurcio, with the BUD Racing Kawasaki rider eventually passing him for 3rd.

In the end it was Mattia Guadagnini who won the race, with Thibault Benistant in P2 and Locurcio in P3. On the podium it was Guadagnini who occupied the top step of the podium for the second time in a row, with Talviku 2nd overall and Fredriksen 3rd.

With three rounds left, Thibault Benistant leads the championship with 286 points, with Guadagnini 28 points down in second and De Wolf third.

EMX250 Results

EMX250 Standings

EMX125

The first race of the EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing class, saw Raul Sanchez of Team Yamaha Ausio, who grabbed the holeshot. Meanwhile series leader, Andrea Bonacorsi of Fantic Racing was caught out in the first corner and have to fight through from the very back of the field.

Early on in the race, Pietro Razzini passed Karlis Alberts Reisulis for second, with Valerio Lata from Marchetti Racing Team KTM and ASA United Husqvarna Team’s Bobby Bruce, closely behind in fourth and fifth.

Razzini then got caught out by Reisulis, who fought back to move back into second, while also going after the race leader, Sanchez, straight away.

Bonacorsi then charged through from the back of the field as he got into the top 20. With 15 minutes plus 2 laps on the clock, Bonacorsi was up in 15th, though still with a long way to go.

There was drama at the front of the field, which Sanchez and Reisulis down, which allowed Bruce into the lead, as he was followed by Lata, Meico Vettik, Razzini and Cas Valk of TBS Conversions Racing Team.

Bruce then extended his lead to 4.576 seconds, as Vettik passed Lata for second. At the same time, Reisulis set the fastest lap of the race and was down in 7th.

It looked like Vettik stepped it up a gear, as the gap between him and the race leader, Bruce, came down to 2.7 seconds. Vettik then continued to charge after Bruce for the race win as less than a second separated the two.

Bruce then managed to pull the gap back to 1.777 seconds. Though that didn’t stop Vettik, who with 2 laps to go moved into the lead. Bruce then crashed out of P2, to eventually finish the race in 6th.

Meico Vettik was the race 1 winner, with Valerio Lata second and Max Palsson of WZ Racing having a strong ride to finish third.

In the second EMX125 race it was Valk with the holeshot, while Bonacorsi had another unlucky start to the race and was down in 35th.

Valk then led Lata, Palsson and Andrea Roncoli, though Lata was able to find a way through into the lead, and Palsson followed the Marchetti Racing KTM rider too, pushing Valk down to 3rd within a few corners.

Valk then lost another spot to Palsson and was down in P4. At the same time, Bonacorsi was making his way through the field to move into 25th, as Bruce fell out of 10th.

With 10 minutes plus 2 laps on the clock, Lata continued to lead, though Roncoli was the rider in 2nd place, 5.621 seconds down. Meanwhile Vettik was pushing to pass David Braceras of RFME GasGas MX Junior Team for 6th in the race.

Valk then rode into the pits with a bike issue, which forced the Dutch rider out of race two.

Further down the field Bonacorsi got himself back into points in 19th and he picked up a few more positions towards the end of the race to eventually finish in 10th.

With just a few laps to go, Palsson and Roncoli were locked in a battle for 2nd, with Roncoli going through into P2 towards the end.

Valerio Lata went on to take his first race win of the season, with Roncoli crossing the line 2nd and Palsson 3rd.

In terms of the overall, Lata took to the top step of the podium, with Vettik finishing 2nd and Palsson occupying the 3rd step of the podium. As it stands, Bonacrosi leads the championship by 33 points, with Razzini second and Vettik third. There are still four rounds of the championship left to go.

EMX125 Results

EMX125 Standings

2020 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship
Round Eight – Thunder Valley National
Lakewood, CO, October 3rd, 2020

Images Jeff Kardas

As expected, the eighth and penultimate round of the 2020 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship was brimming with intensity as the title fights in both the 450 Class and 250 Class move one step closer to completion. Perfect conditions and the high altitude of Thunder Valley Motocross Park made for an action-packed afternoon of racing at the WPS/FLY Racing Thunder Valley National.

While his quest for a fourth consecutive 450 Class title has been filled with challenges, reigning three-time champion Eli Tomac always brings his best whenever he has the chance to race in front of the home Colorado crowd. The Monster Energy Kawasaki rider entered the day on the verge of being mathematically eliminated from title contention, but he kept his hopes alive with a motivated performance that saw Tomac break a tie for the overall win with team-mate Adam Cianciarulo by capturing a second-moto victory that put him atop the results sheet.

In the 250 Class it was a long overdue triumph for Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Justin Cooper, who outlasted both championship contenders, teammate Dylan Ferrandis and GEICO Honda’s Jeremy Martin, to prevail with his first win of the season and the second win of his career.  Aussie siblings Hunter and Jett Lawrence finished fifth and sixth respectively.

Thunder Valley Video Highlights

The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship will close out the 2020 season with its ninth and final round next weekend from Southern California’s Fox Raceway in Pala, just outside of San Diego.

450MX Moto 1

As the gate dropped on the first 450 Class moto of the afternoon it was Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo who emerged with his fifth MotoSport.com Holeshot with Team Honda HRC’s Chase Sexton right behind him as Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Zach Osborne slotted into third. With a clear track Cianciarulo was able to quickly build a multi-second advantage that he then managed through the middle portion of the moto. Meanwhile, Sexton shed himself of Osborne to assert his hold of second.

As the second half of the moto wore on, Sexton was able to gain some ground on Cianciarulo and got to within less than two seconds of the lead. However, Cianciarulo responded and was able to restabilize the lead. With less than five minutes remaining Cianciarulo narrowly avoided a crash when he briefly lost control of his Kawasaki, which allowed Sexton to close within just a second-and-a-half. Once again Cianciarulo dug deep in response and was able to rebuild his lead to its largest margin. Behind the see-saw battle up front Tomac, who started sixth, was able to track down Osborne and make the pass for third.

Cianciarulo went wire-to-wire for his fourth moto win of the season, crossing the finish line 2.6 seconds ahead of Sexton with a hard-charging Tomac in third. Osborne followed in fourth, with Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Justin Barcia completing the top five.

450MX Moto 1 Results

450MX Moto 2

The 450 Class field made uphill charge once more to begin the final moto of the day and as the riders exited the first turn it was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Marvin Musquin who secured the MotoSport.com Holeshot over Cianciarulo, who quickly applied pressure and jumped into the lead, followed by Osborne into second.

Musquin continued to lose ground as Twisted Tea/H.E.P. Suzuki’s Max Anstie took over third and left Musquin to deal with Tomac in a battle for fourth. Tomac pounced and stormed past both Musquin and Anstie to go from fifth to third.

After a busy opening lap Cianciarulo was able to sprint away to a second-and-a-half advantage over Osborne, while Tomac gave chase from third. The top three ran within a couple seconds of one another and after several laps of trading momentum Tomac began to apply pressure on Osborne, successfully taking control of second a little more than 10 minutes into the moto. From there Tomac kept looking ahead and started to make the move on his teammate for the lead. With the home crowd cheering him on, Tomac made the pass happen and took control of the moto.

Once out front Tomac dropped the hammer and quickly gapped the rest of the field. Together, the Kawasaki tandem then pulled away from Osborne. The pace of the top three was so impressive that the leaders enjoyed more than a 10-second advantage over fourth halfway through the moto. With a handful of time left on the clock it appeared as though Tomac had the win in hand, but his place slowed as he appeared to deal with something on his motorcycle, which allowed Cianciarulo to close back in. Tomac’s slowing was brief and he regrouped to rebuild his advantage.

With Tomac back up to speed, managing a lead of about five seconds, Cianciarulo was forced to deal with some pressure from a late charge by Osborne from third. The championship rivals were within a few bike lengths of one another when Cianciarulo nearly crashed after his bike took off awkwardly on a jump. He kept his Kawasaki on two wheels, but it allowed Osborne to assume second. Just a few laps later Cianciarulo put in one final charge to catch and pass Osborne. Cianciarulo came to the inside on one of the track’s downhill sections but couldn’t get the bike slowed enough, causing slight contact between the two that sent Cianciarulo off the track momentarily. Out front Tomac finished strong to take his second moto win of the season by 8.9 seconds over Osborne, with Cianciarulo in third.

450MX Moto 2 Results

450MX Overall

Tomac (3-1) and Cianciarulo (1-3) finished with identical moto scores, leaving them tied atop the overall classification. However, by virtue of his win in the final moto Tomac earned the tiebreaker to give him his second victory of the season and the 25th win of his career. It also signified the first 1-2 sweep for the Monster Energy Kawasaki duo. Osborne rounded out the overall podium in third (4-2).

“Such a cool day here in Colorado. So glad we were able to get back here this season,” expressed Tomac. “I finally had a race where I felt like myself. In the first moto I was out of touch (from the leaders) early on, but in the second moto I was much closer to the front. I had a bit of a clutch hang up, but it fixed itself. We really needed this. I’ve kind of been searching lately, so it feels good to have a day like this and get back on top.”

Osborne lost five points to Cianciarulo in the championship and will now enter the final round with a 24-point lead in the standings, looking to secure his first premier class title.

“In the first moto I got slammed by another rider in the second turn and my foot got jammed really bad. The more I went the more I could feel it,” explained Osborne. “I got it massaged before the second moto and then adrenaline carried me from there. I had a mid-race lull there in the second moto, but was able to finish strong and get a good result. I wasn’t in my comfort zone today so I did a little bit of point racing. We’ll look forward to next week.”

450MX Overall Results

450MX Championship Standings

250MX Moto 1

The opening moto of the 250 Class began with Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Mitchell Harrison prevailing with the MotoSport.com Holeshot, but he quickly gave way to the Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing teammates of Shane McElrath and Dylan Ferrandis. As the lead duo quickly built a gap over the field, the race soon turned into a breakaway for the Star Yamaha squad as Cooper moved into third.

With Cooper closing in, Ferrandis picked up the pace and put the pressure on McElrath for the lead, successfully making the pass about 10 minutes into the moto. Once out front the Frenchman was able to sprint away to a multi-second advantage. As Ferrandis continued to build on his lead the battle for second intensified between McElrath and Cooper just past the halfway point of the moto. Cooper soon made his way around his teammate and looked to chip away at the deficit to Ferrandis.

Out front Ferrandis was able to maintain a comfortable margin over Cooper the rest of the way to secure his eighth moto win of the season and his fifth consecutive checkered flag by 5.3 seconds over Cooper, with McElrath securing a 1-2-3 sweep for Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing. GEICO Honda’s Jeremy Martin followed in fourth, while his team-mate Hunter Lawrence rounded out the top five ahead of younger sibling Jett.

250MX Moto 1 Results

250MX Moto 2

As the field roared out the gate to start Moto 2 it was Cooper who came away with the MotoSport.com Holeshot, followed by his teammates Jarrett Frye and McElrath, with McElrath getting by Frye for second. Ferrandis started outside the top 10 while his primary championship rival, Martin, got by Frye for third. Martin didn’t stop there. He kept his push to the front going and made the pass on McElrath for second before attacking Cooper for the lead. As the battle for first took shape Ferrandis had worked his way to just outside the top five.

Cooper responded to the pressure and maintained his hold of the lead. Behind them Ferrandis encountered some misfortune when two riders ahead of him came together and forced the Yamaha off track and onto the ground. The point leader got back on his bike and reentered quickly, but had to make up a few lost positions from 10th place. Back up front, Martin closed back in on Cooper just past the halfway point of the moto. The lead duo again engaged in a spirited fight, where Cooper fended off virtually every one of Martin’s moves and successfully rebuilt his advantage after several laps of tight racing.

As time ran out on the moto the focus shifted to the battle for third, which turned into a three-rider fight between McElrath, Hunter Lawrence and Ferrandis, who successfully battled back from his early incident. Hunter Lawrence was aggressive in trying to keep Ferrandis at bay and it carried him by McElrath for third. Ferrandis followed through into fourth and then made an impressive pass on Hunter Lawrence to take control of third. Out front Cooper pulled out to a margin of more than five seconds and carried on to his first moto win of the season, followed by Martin in second and Ferrandis in third after a resilient ride.

Jett Lawrence finished the second moto in sixth place which gave him sixth for the round while older brother Hunter was fifth for the round.

250MX Moto 2 Results

250MX Overall

The second moto win was enough to put Cooper atop the overall classification (2-1) for his second career victory, where he became the fourth different 250 Class winner this season. Ferrandis’ spirited effort in Moto 2 allowed him to secure the runner-up spot (1-3), while Martin ended up third (4-2).

“A lot of pressure was on my shoulders, but I’m glad it’s off,” exclaimed Cooper. “There were only two rounds left (entering today) so it’s a good time to do it. Now I can go into next weekend feeling a lot more confident and look to finish out the season strong. I really enjoy this place. I get good vibes here. It just feels good to pull off a win.”

The come-from-behind effort by Ferrandis paid dividends in the 250 Class standings where he gained five points on Martin to carry a 18-point lead into the final round.

“I was in a bad position (in the second moto). I wanted to get as many points as possible, so I rode as hard as I could,” said Ferrandis. “I got a bad start and then I got caught up in an incident. There was nothing I could do. I just put my head down and gave it my all. We still were able to get on the podium so that’s good for the championship.”

250MX Overall Results