Moto News Weekly wrap with Smarty
October 4, 2016 by Darren Smart
Proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax
This Week’s News Overview
- – RIP Mitch Hoad
- – Price leads Morocco Rally
- – Jason Doyle Forced Out of Torun GP
- – Max Fricke Under 21 Speedway World Champion
- – FIM Speedway World Cup News
- – 2017 Motocross of Nations Location Changes
- – Faggotter Joins World Rally Scene with Yamalube Yamaha
- – Husqvarna Changes Line-Up for SMX Cup
- – The Inaugural YZ125Cup Riders Set for SMX Cup
- – Ryan Sipes OUT of ISDE
- – American Flat Track (AFT) Replaces AMA Pro Flat Track
- – Who Earned Pro-Circuit’s 250th Win?
- – Monster Energy Kawasaki Announces 2017 MX2 Line-Up
- – Billy Van Eerde Scores Hat Track
- – VMX State of Origin – Hastings Valley
This Weeks Racing Overview
- – FIM Speedway Grand Prix of Poland – Torun
- – GNCC – Round 11 – Powerline Park – St. Clairsville
- – KTM Australian Junior Motocross Championships – Riverland Junior Motorcycle Club – Renmark, SA
- – AMA EnduroCross – Round 5 – Denver, CO
- – Overall victory for Joan Barreda and Team HRC in China
RIP Mitch Hoad
I sit here shaking my head as the news comes through that 31 year old former professional motocross and supercross rider Mitch Hoad has passed away. My condolences go out to all the Hoad family and friends.
Mitch was always a well-liked member of our fraternity and an incredible talent on a motorcycle. Hoad was runner up to Jake Moss in the 2007 MX Nationals Pro Lites Championship and runner up to Dan Reardon in the 2005 Australian Supercross Pro Lites Championship.
Trev made a pictorial tribute to Mitch Hoad here…
Toby Price leads Morocco Rally
Toby Price – “It’s going to be difficult and we’re going to make sure we look after the bike and the tyres, and on day three we can charge a bit harder. We’ll just take it nice and easy and make sure we finish in one piece and start day three feeling healthy and with a good bike.”
Full Morocco Rally Stage Report Here…
Max Fricke Under 21 Speedway World Champion
20-year-old Mansfield (VIC) resident Max Fricke admitted it was a “dream come true” to cap off a sensational 2016 with FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship gold in Gdansk on Sunday.
Fricke went into the meeting as joint series leader on 30 points with Robert Lambert and topped the heat scorechart on 12.
He then finished second in his semi-final behind eventual meeting winner Viktor Kulakov of Russia, meaning nearest rival, Poland’s Krystian Pieszczek had to qualify from semi two to keep his title hopes alive.
The Gdansk-born star was second behind fast French racer Dimitri Berge, but smashed the Sheffield star into the home-straight fence with a rush of blood going into lap two.
Pieszczek was excluded, handing the title to Fricke. The Zielona Gora rider had to make do with silver, while Great Britain star Robert Lambert won a run-off for bronze with Aussie Under-21 champion Jack Holder after they tied on 37.
But the night belonged to Fricke. Having won titles with Rospiggarna in Sweden and Danish club Region Varde, as well as reaching the British Elite League Grand Final with Belle Vue, the Victorian star was glad to add junior speedway’s biggest prize to his CV.
Max Fricke
“It has been hard work all season. I had a bit of a tough first round at King’s Lynn – a big crash and a few other things. To come back from it is awesome. After such a tense meeting all the way through, it’s such a relief to come out on top and be world champion.I can’t thank everyone enough – all the boys, my mechanics, Johnsy, Lemo – everyone who has helped me over the year. It has been awesome. Everywhere in the leagues, I have had a really good year. To be world champion is a dream come true for everyone who rides speedway, so this is surreal.”
2016 FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship Final Championship Points
- Max Fricke 46
- Krystian Pieszczek 40
- Robert Lambert 37+3
- Jack Holder 37+2,
- Dimitri Berge 35
- Patrick Hansen 35
- Erik Riss 28
- Viktor Kulakov 27
- Pawel Przedpelski 26
- Josh Bates 23
2016 FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship Gdansk Scores
- Viktor Kulakov 15
- Max Fricke 16
- Erik Riss 12
- Patrick Hansen 15
- Jack Holder 12
- Krystian Pieszczek 11
- Dimitri Berge 10
- Pawel Przedpelski 9
- Eduard Krcmar 7
- Robert Lambert 7
Jason Doyle Forced Out of Torun GP
With the World Speedway Championship lead secured the week before, Jason Doyle came to the penultimate round full of confidence but during his very first heat the Aussie was involved in a crash with Pm Chris Harris and was forced to immediately withdraw from the event and head to hospital where it was confirmed that the 31 year old suffered shoulder, elbow and lung injuries.
FIM Speedway World Cup News
The Monster Energy FIM Speedway World Cup Race Off and Final returns to Leszno for the first time in eight years on July 7/8, 2017 at the legendary Alfred Smoczyk Stadium.
BSI Speedway managing director Torben Olsen can’t wait to bring two of world speedway’s biggest events back to the Alfred Smoczyk Stadium. “Leszno is a true speedway city with a great history of staging FIM Speedway Grand Prix and FIM Speedway World Cup events and it’s a real pleasure to return next summer and I’m sure we’re in for two days of fantastic racing on one of the world’s top race tracks. Poland will be determined to win their second straight gold medal on home soil. No host nation has won the gold medal since we started seeding the staging country into the Final. Maybe the Poles will be the first?”
2017 Motocross of Nations Location Changes
Youthstream announced that the 2017 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations venue has been switched from Glen Helen in California to Matterley Basin in Winchester, Great Britain.
Bud Felkamp, the President of Glen Helen Raceway voiced concern to Youthstream during the recent MXGP in Italy over the economic viability of hosting the event when low crowd numbers at the AMA Nationals and the MXGP rounds at the Californian venue were the norm, not the exception. Perhaps it was the 80,000 plus crowd on hand at Maggiora that made him re-think the situation?
Steve Dixon is the promoter at Matterley Basin and had this to say: “I didn’t know until after the MXoN last weekend. I had a meeting with Giuseppe about 2018, if it was going to be 2018 or 2019, and he said what do you think about 2017, and I said fantastic. We can make it happen and the town of Winchester and the police have already been asking about the MXoN. They said they are looking forward to it and the GP’s have improved every year. We also had the big festival at Matterley and they had 60,000 campers there. The whole facility of Matterley has changed over the years.”
Seewer to Stay with Suzuki till MXGP 2019
Team Suzuki World MX2 has already confirmed Jeremy Seewer to stay for the 2017 MX2 season, but now General Manager Stefan Everts and the Swiss have signed a deal for the 2018 and 2019 MXGP seasons.
Seewer, who turns 23 next year, will have to move up to the MXGP class due to the age limit in MX2, but both Suzuki and Seewer are excited for the future. “For me it actually was a pleasure to know and work with Stefan for my first year now. And I knew, I would decide about my future after working together with him. It all worked out great this season, we want to go in the same direction, I feel good in the team so it was clear for me that I wanted to stay with them and that my future was with Suzuki,” said Seewer.
Faggotter Joins Yamalube Yamaha
Yamaha Racing has confirmed the signing of a two-time Australian Safari winner and a three-time Condo 750 Rally winner Rodney Forgetter to the Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team.
Assuming his role as a water carrier, the Australian has his sights set on providing the maximum amount of support to his team mates while also battling to bring his own WR450F Rally to the top of the final standings.
“I’m very excited for this great opportunity Yamaha has offered me, to be part of their official rally team.” Faggotter said. “The people who form the team are all highly experienced and I think we have all the right tools to be up front. I spent a couple of weeks testing with the team in July and the atmosphere was amazing from the get go. We decided to give the Morocco Rally a go so that I can find my place within the team and get more seat time ahead of the Dakar. From my part I’ll do my best to support Hélder Rodrigues and Adrien Van Beveren.”
Faggotter started his debut for the team at the 1885km long OiLibya Morocco Rally alongside fellow Aussie Toby Price and after the Leg 1 this morning Price is in the lead while Faggotter is back in 27th thanks to a 5 minute penalty. There will be a full report of the rally next week.
Husqvarna Changes Line-Up for SMX Cup
Following the events at the Motocross of Nations in Maggiora, Italy, where Jason Anderson and Max Nagl were injured, Husqvarna today confirmed a change to their rider line-up for the upcoming SMX Rider’s Cup being held in inside Germany’s VELTINS-Arena, on October 8.
Christophe Charlier and Thomas Covington will now compete alongside Husqvarna’s team captain Zach Osborne. Osborne and Charlier will compete aboard FC 450 machinery with Covington racing on a FC 250.
The Inaugural YZ125Cup Riders Set for SMX Cup
The year-long fight for the YZ125Cup in national championships across Europe has come to a close and the 30 riders chosen for the SuperFinale at the inaugural SMX Cup at Veltins Arena on October the 8th will start packing their bags for their big trip to Germany.
The hopeful riders will line up for a full evening of races to find out which six motocross stars of the future will qualify for a shot at a 2017 professional contract and a new 2017 YZ125 GYTR. An additional two riders will be chosen by off-road experts from among the YZ125Cup riders to attend a Masterclass with former MXGP World Champion David Philippaerts.
See full rider list below – (*) = to be confirmed:
- – Belgium – Matthew Lefevere
- – Finland – Adam Holm, Santeri Keränen, Joonas Näppi (Wildcard)
- – France – Anthony Calistri, Calvin Fonvielle, Alexis Colignon*
- – Germany – Ben Gosepath, Theo Braun
- – Greece – Skordas Stylianos, Dimitrios Touratzidis*
- – Italy – Nicolo Folli, Lorenzo Rossi, Francesco Bassi
- – Netherlands – Max Schwarte, Jeroen Bussink
- – Norway – Råg Rindal, Eriksen Eskil
- – Portugal – Bruno Charrua
- – Spain – Gervasio Cañas, Hugo Arriazu, Ivan Lacuesta
- – Sweden – Tim Edberg, Arvid Luning, Rasmus Holm, Hugo Johannson
- – Switzerland – Jan Müller, Janik Vogel, Flavio Wolf
- – Great Britain – Tom Grimshaw
Ryan Sipes OUT of ISDE
Last year’s ISDE overall winner and member of the 2016 US World Trophy Team Ryan Sipes suffered an unfortunate accident before the GNCC in St. Clairsville, Ohio last weekend which left the Husqvarna rider with a broken arm.
The Kentucky rider confirmed that he would not be able to compete at next week’s ISDE in Spain. “I was just warming up the bike like we normally do before a GNCC and I came around a pickup and there was a rider coming right at me,” said Sipes. “I laid the bike down to try and avoid him but he ran over my arm, there was nothing else I could do.”
American Flat Track (AFT) Replaces AMA Pro Flat Track
AMA Pro Racing has proudly announced the official rebranding of the all-new American Flat Track (AFT) series – formerly known as AMA Pro Flat Track. The rebranding of the series coincides with the dawn of a new era which includes a restructured class system and event formatting.
“We are extremely excited about the rebranding of the series,” said Michael Lock, CEO of AMA Pro Racing. “The rejuvenation of the sport will bring a new level of excitement to racers and fans. Everyone will be able to easily understand what’s happening on the track and will be able to enjoy all of the action from the moment they arrive to when they head home. It’s a very exciting time for the sport of professional Flat Track racing.”
The restructured class system consists of the AFT Twins class, the premier class where the best Flat Track riders in the world battle for top honours on fire-breathing Twins, and the AFT Singles class, which will host dirt track racing’s stars of tomorrow.
The reclassification of the new series is categorized in an easily comprehensible format:
(1) The AFT Twins class will consist of twin-cylinder motorcycles (650 – 999cc), which contain the latest in motorsport technology and will be piloted by the fastest athletes on the dirt.
(2) In the AFT Singles class, the up-and-coming riders will command the tracks on 450cc single-cylinder motorcycles as they compete for their chance to make it to the prestigious AFT Twins ranks.
(3) There are also changes to event format which promise an action-packed program of racing. The traditional format will move to a tournament style format, where the fastest 48 riders from timed qualifying advance to the heats. From there, the race program will consist of four six-lap Heats with nine of the 12 riders transferring to one of the two Semis. What was traditionally a last chance effort to make the Main, the new Semi format is a knockout round where 18 riders duke it out for the nine spots that transfer them to the 18-rider Main. The Main events themselves see little changes, with the premiere AFT Twins class keeping its traditional 25-lap Main and the support AFT Singles class sees a slight increase from 12 to 15 laps.
(4) Adding to the excitement in 2017, the American Flat Track series will also be the battleground for one of the oldest rivalries in motorcycle racing – Harley-Davidson and Indian Motorcycle. The American Flat Track series in its entirety will continue its growth by introducing new global manufacturers to the sport and will see elevated support from current and new partners. For more information about American Flat Track and to keep up-to-date with the latest news in professional Flat Track racing, please visit www.amaproracing.com/flat-track.
Who Earned Pro-Circuit’s 250th Win?
So many racers have captured race and championship wins while wearing the Pro Circuit Kawasaki team colours and just recently the team racked up their 250th win – but who done it? Well, the first win came on January 12, 1991, with Brian Swink at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida. This was followed by more success with Jeremy McGrath, Ryan Hughes, Mickael Pichon, Ricky Carmichael, Ryan Villopoto and many more racing and winning for the iconic team and after competing as a professional race team for 25 years, racking up wins and championships, Pro Circuit was able to add another notch on the belt on August 27th, 2016, when Rookie Austin Forkner earned the team’s 250th event win at Ironman.
Monster Energy Kawasaki Announced 2017 MX2 Line-Up
22 year old Petar Petrov will enter his third and final season with the Monster Energy Kawasaki MX2 team in 2017 so with an eye for the future the team has signed Britain’s Adam Sterry (20 years old) and French teenager Stephen Rubini (17 years old) to compete alongside the experienced Bulgarian next year.
Adam Sterry: “It’s special to join a factory team such as Kawasaki, and it will be my first time on green bikes. Every weekend I saw the results from the team, and when I got their offer I had no questions about the team and knew that it would be good. It’s a dream team, and that’s been a dream since I was a kid! To get this opportunity is really special; finally my hard work is paying off and I can’t wait to ride the Kawasaki.”
Stephen Rubini: “I’m so happy to move to MX2 GP next year, and to reach this agreement with Monster Energy Kawasaki. I had a good season in the European 125, and I couldn’t miss the opportunity to move straight to the world championship even if the level is much higher than in the European series. I’ve been working with Michael Maschio for several months; he will be alongside us next season and I will have all the tools to get good results.”
Petar Petrov: “A few days ago I started doing some exercises and cycling, of course slowly at first as I follow the advices of my doctor. I will visit him in two weeks, and of course my goal is to be back riding and testing as soon as possible. But we all know that it normally takes three months to recover from a shoulder injury, so I will be really happy if I can start riding at the beginning of November.”
Billy Van Eerde Scores Hat Track
Husqvarna Factory Support rider Billy Van Eerde claimed a spectacular hat-trick at the NSW Junior Dirt Track championships held in Gosford recently. Despite suffering from a series of poor starts the youngster used the power and drive from his FC250 and TC125 Husqvarna’s to blitz through a class field of riders to win every championship he entered.
Billy Van Eerde – “It’s definitely been my best meeting all year. My bikes felt the best they have yet, getting drive where I needed to – I loved them. I had to come from behind in all my races, so I feel pretty good about that. I was getting pretty bad starts all weekend – some weekends I get good starts and others not.”
- 200-250cc 4st 13-U16yrs Result: 1. Billy Van Eerde. 2. Max Whale. 3. Jack Hyde.
- 100-150cc 2st 13-U16yr Result: 1. Billy Van Eerde. 2. Cyshan Weale. 3. Bailey Spencer.
- 100-150 2st & 200-250 4st 13-U16yr: Billy Van Eerde. 2. Jack Hyde. 3. Max Whale.
VMX State of Origin – Hastings Valley
120 riders turned up to the Hastings MX Facility to contest the VMX State of Origin between Queensland and NSW riders and aside from the fact that there are no results as to which State took home the trophy there were some outstanding performances from Craig Anderson who won the Pre85, Open and 35+ Vet class and Tom Paterson who won the Pre75, Pre82 and Pre95 classes. Jacob Dank managed to win two classes while Andrew Williams put his CR500 to good use to win the 45+ Vet class. Full results (except for State of Origin) are on MyLaps.
Smarty’s Race Reports
GNCC – Round 11 – Powerline Park – St. Clairsville
The penultimate round of the 2016 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series was held at Powerline Park in St. Clairsville last weekend and it was Kailub Russell who not only earned another round win but notched up enough points to clinch the championship with a round to spare.
XC1 Pro
Josh Strang grabbed the holeshot ahead of Jordan Ashburn and Ricky Russell as the lead the riders stormed their way into the woods but it wasn’t long before Kailub Russell recovered from a mid-pack start to make the pass for the early lead right after the rock garden.
Strang continued to push and keep Kailub Russell in his sights as he battled through his lingering ankle injury, but he soon felt pressure from Thad Duvall who was able to catch up and make the pass for second by the time the three-hour race reached its halfway point.
Duvall quickly set his eyes on catching Kailub Russell who was a mere ten seconds ahead of him and by the time the two-lap card was out Duvall had cut down the gap to four seconds and had a visual on Kailub Russell as they headed through the pits.
Russell, Duvall and Strang set a hot pace at the front of the field until Duvall fell and Strang was forced out of the race with a damaged radiator leaving Russell to cruise to yet another win. “I didn’t get off to the greatest of the starts, but I made some moves and got into the lead early on,” said Russell. “I pulled a gap and tried to settle into a pace since it was so slick, but it wasn’t fast enough. Thad and Josh was able to catch up and we rode together until Thad went down. I was so focused on the task at hand that I didn’t realize he went down until I got the pit board a few miles after that. It feels good to get the win and the National Championship.”
“I felt good the whole race. I was on the edge of winning, but I wanted to leave it all on the track,” said Duvall. “On the last lap I reached the hill climb around the five-mile marker and we took a new line and I just couldn’t make it over the log at the top. Once I fell I was stuck and by the time I got out I realized there wasn’t anyone real close by so I just maintained my pace to hold onto second.”
“I rode a little tight the first few laps and then was able to loosen up,” said Ricky Russell who inherited third place from Strang. “I can’t complain with another third place finish. We’ve been making some changes and they definitely are working. I’m completely confident in my setup and can come out here and do what I know I’m capable of doing.”
Unfortunately, Ryan Sipes was missing from the first row today. During his warm-up Sipes encountered a freak accident with another rider, which ultimately took him out of the race where his status could be further evaluated.
XC2 Pro
Craig Delong once again found himself leading the XC2 Pro Lites division off the start but is teammate, Layne Michael, was able to make quick work and take over to lead just a few miles into the race. With a clear track Michael continued leading every lap until the chequered flag was out.
“I got up to the lead about two or three miles into the race,” said Michael. “I just got in my groove and tried to push it the first few laps without making any mistakes. It was a big deal to catch up with the XC1 guys and ride with them. I ended up tagging a rock on the last lap and bent my brake rotor enough that I rode the last few miles without brakes. It’s just nice to be able to ride like I know how to.”
Trevor Bollinger worked his way from behind to finish on the podium just behind Michael. Bollinger’s second place finish earned him enough points to clinch his first ever XC2 Pro Lites title.
“I knew today was going to be tough since the track was so hard-packed and slick,” said Bollinger. “Of course I wanted to win, but hats off to Layne because he rode an excellent race. I came here for the championship and that’s what I got. I just can’t express what this means to us.”
Delong stayed in contention with a third place finish as he rubbed wheels with Nick Davis through the last few turns of the 10-mile racecourse. Benjamin Kelley rounded out the top five riders in the XC2 Pro Lites division.
The season finale for the 2016 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series is set to take place in three weeks, October 29 and 30 at Ironman Raceway in Crawfordsville, Indiana.
XC1 Pro Event Results
1. Kailub Russell (KTM)
2. Thad Duvall (HSQ)
3. Ricky Russell (SUZ)
4. Jordan Ashburn (KTM)
5. Grant Baylor (YAM)
6. Steward Baylor Jr. (KTM)
7. Chris Bach (HON)
8. Cory Buttrick (KTM)
9. Russell Bobbitt (KTM)
10. Andrew Delong (HSQ)
*Overall National Championship Standings
1. Kailub Russell (316)
2. Josh Strang (236)
3. Trevor Bollinger (166)
4. Jordan Ashburn (161)
5. Thad Duvall (155)
6. Steward Baylor Jr. (148)
7. Ricky Russell (141)
8. Craig Delong (137)
9. Grant Baylor (132)
10. Layne Michael (122)
XC2 Pro Lites Event Results
1. Layne Michael (HSQ)
2. Trevor Bollinger (HON)
3. Craig Delong (HSQ)
4. Nick Davis (BET)
5. Benjamin Kelley (KTM)
XC2 Pro Lites Series Standings
1. Trevor Bollinger (301)
2. Craig Delong (254)
3. Layne Michael (235)
4. Benjamin Kelley (138)
5. Joshua Toth (171)
FIM Speedway Grand Prix of Poland – Torun
Danish champion Niels-Kristian Iversen has won the FST Grupa Brokerska Torun FIM Speedway Grand Prix of Poland in spectacular fashion by overhauling triple world champion Greg Hancock on the third lap of the final while Poland’s Bartosz Zmarzlik finished third and Matej Zagar of Slovenia claimed fourth place.
Disaster struck World Championship leader Jason Doyle in the third heat when the Aussie was slammed into the fence thanks to a tangle with Chris Harris going into turn three. The crash forced Doyle out of the meeting with shoulder, elbow and lung injuries and take make matters worse Hancock capitalised by gaining an 11-point lead in the World Championship heading to the final round in Melbourne.
Iversen earned a 15-point haul that puts him ninth in the standings on 79 points – just three short of Freddie Lindgren, who occupies the eighth and final automatic qualification place for 2017 on 82. “I think that relieves the pressure on me a bit. I’m the best Danish rider in the leagues and I have made the most finals this year,” Iversen said. “It hasn’t been brilliant – especially at the beginning and especially at Grand Prix level. But I have showed over the last month and a half that I’m sort of back where I want to be. If things work out and I can get results like this, it just gives me a really good feeling.”
“Now I’m here and I’m top of the podium. It’s my best Grand Prix this year points-wise. It’s a little bit emotional. The pieces of the puzzle have fallen into place and it has saved a lot of my pride. It’s just awesome.”
Second-placed Hancock is now just 11 points away from guaranteeing his fourth FIM Speedway World Championship in Melbourne. But he was gutted to overhaul Doyle in such tragic circumstances, when the Newcastle-born star crashed hard after being collected by the falling Chris Harris. “It’s bad luck. I can feel for Jason because I have been there. He’s a tough guy and I hope his injuries are not so serious that he can’t come back in Melbourne. He deserves a fair shot. Seeing his accident hit me inside. I know he didn’t go in there very well.”
Hancock was content with his sixth final outing of 2016, despite Iversen snatching victory away. “We had it going well there and things slipped a bit in the last two laps. Niels was a man on a mission. He was determined. I’m bummed that I lost the win, but I was in another final and I got good points.”
Third-placed Zmarzlik is now fourth in the World Championship and just two points behind Tai Woffinden, who currently occupies the bronze-medal spot. A rostrum finish in his SGP debut season would be some feat for the World Under-21 champion. “A medal is not a must (in Melbourne), I just wanted to take some good points into the next round and maybe put myself in a position to go for one there. I don’t think third position in Torun is so bad and I am very happy. I had a very big problem in the first two heats. I was not happy because I only had two points. After that, I had very good speed.”
Chris Holder gave away a perfect opportunity to be in the finals after blowing a second place start in his semi-final to finish third BUT the former World Champion scored 11 points on the night and is just six points back from third place Tai Woffinden in the championship so a win in Melbourne could see Holder earn the bronze medal for season 2016.
FST Grupa Brokerska Torun FIM Speedway Grand Prix of Poland
- Niels-Kristian Iversen 15
- Greg Hancock 16
- Bartosz Zmarzlik 13
- Matej Zagar 15
- Chris Holder 11
- Michael Jepsen Jensen 10
- Piotr Pawlicki 10
- Fredrik Lindgren 9
- Pawel Przedpelski 8
- Tai Woffinden 8
- Andreas Jonsson 7
- Maciej Janowski 5
- Antonio Lindback 5
- Chris Harris 3
- Peter Kildemand 2
- Kacper Woryna 1
- Oskar Bober 0
- Jason Doyle 0.
2017 FIM Speedway Grand Prix Championship Standings
- Greg Hancock 134
- Jason Doyle 123
- Tai Woffinden 115
- Bartosz Zmarzlik 113
- Chris Holder 109
- Piotr Pawlicki 91
- Maciej Janowski 85
- Fredrik Lindgren 82
- Niels-Kristian Iversen 79
- Matej Zagar 79,
- Antonio Lindback 79
- Peter Kildemand 64
- Nicki Pedersen 62
- Andreas Jonsson 46
- Chris Harris 36
- Michael Jepsen Jensen 21
- Patryk Dudek 8
- Martin Smolinski 8
- Pawel Przedpelski 8,
- Danny King 7
KTM Australian Junior Motocross Championships – Renmark, SA
The 2016 KAJMX was hosted by the Riverland Junior Motorcycle Club in Remark, South Australia and in a week of ever changing weather conditions and high winds the track changed from dust to mud and back again it is a testament to the club officials and the competitors alike that the racing went ahead with sensational racing across all classes.
Unfortunately there were problems with MyLaps throughout the event and at the time of writing not all of the results have been posted so all we can go to print with at this point are the six classes below and here are what Cody Dyce and Taj Marshal had to say about winning their respective championships.
“It’s been a long week here and I’m glad to get a championship in my final year of racing juniors,” said a relived Dyce. “There are 10 riders that are good enough to win this class this year so it was tough and I really had to focus on doing my job in the finals. I got great starts on my 125 and I just got to the front as fast as I could and put in my best laps. It was an awesome feeing to come across the finish line in the last 125 race and know that I won after missing last years’ championship due to injury.”
“I’m so happy to be able to get back to back Aussie titles both for myself and the team,” said Marshall. “We had a really solid lead up to the event and the whole week ran like clock work. We had a system in place from last year at Bunbury and we basically just tried to replicate that. Tim Vare from Eight11 looks after the bike and my team manager/mentor Lee Hogan is basically with me the whole week. We walk the track together, go to the line together and do what needs to be done. I couldn’t have done it without my dad, all of our awesome team sponsors and my mum’s support at home.”
There were also some problems at the trophy presentation so Rosco Holden of the Holden on Tight foundation donated prizemoney for the top three riders in each class and the gesture was much appreciated by all and sundry.
Rosco, who was also a recipient of the Lorraine MacDonald Services to Motocross Award in 2015, awarded the first-place getter $100, the second-place getter $50, and the third-place getter $25 for each of the respective classes. “Unfortunately, the club had a hiccup with their trophies, and I felt that it was important that the junior riders received something for their efforts rather than go up to the stage and receive nothing,” Rosco said.
KTM National Brand Manager Tam Paul
“The club had a lot of challenges from the weather; there were cyclonic winds and some of the track was under water at one point. The whole week was very difficult in that respect. We had one complete day rained out which is no small obstacle to people running the program. A considerable amount of track work took place over the course of the event. Weather aside, there was some great racing, and a really challenging track – it’s quite a challenging surface with the South Australian red dirt like they have at Hattah. After our rebuilding year last year it was a good one for our team with three championships and five other podiums. Mason was our standout rider, claiming two championships, closely followed by Rhys Budd who finished second in both of those classes, and then Regan Duffy gave us our KTM clean sweep twice! Noah Smerdon won his third consecutive Australian 65cc championship, and then Caleb got second on the 125. We’re very happy we were well represented across all classes. I’d also like to thank our key partners, Motorex, TLD and Dunlop tyres.”
- 128-150cc/200-250cc 13-U15 Years Championship
1) Mason Semmens – 168 points
2) Rhys Budd – 163 points
3) Regan Duffy – 142 points
4) John Bova – 138 points
5) Korey McMahon – 125 points
- 250cc 15 Years Championship
1st Taj Marshall – 99
2nd Riley Dukes – 90
3rd Cody Dyce – 82
4th Trent Collins – 77
5th Jake Williams – 70
- 125ccc 15 Years Championship
1st Cody Dyce – 102
2nd Caleb Gothues – 95
3rd Morgan Fogerty – 90
4th Liam Walsh – 73
5th Michael Driscoll – 73
- 85cc/150cc 12-U16 Years Female Championship
1) Tahlia O’Hare – 167 points
2) Tanesha Harnett – 158 points
3) Ebony Harris – 150 points
4) Madison Healey – 148 points
5) Kara Cats – 128 points
- 85cc/150cc 14-U16 Years Championship
1) Bailey Malkiewicz – 163 points
2) John Bova – 159 points
3) Tyler Darby – 154 points
4) Michael Murphy – 138 points
5) Ryan Morgan – 128 points
- 65cc 11 Years Championship
1) Zachary Watson – 161 points
2) Deegan Mancinelli – 146 points
3) Myles Gilmore – 144 points
4) Liam Atkinson – 140 points
5) Angus Riordan – 140 points
AMA EnduroCross – Round 5 – Denver, CO
Denver’s Western Events Center hosted round 5 of the AMA EnduroCross and it was Colton Haaker who took a hard-fought victory over series rival Cody Webb with a second-to-last-lap pass on a long, technical and demanding course.
Webb led nearly every lap up to the point of the deciding pass and the duo was so fast they lapped third-place finisher Max Gerston. The podium was Gerston’s first of the year.
“This one was hard,” Haaker said. “I kept messing up the matrix and Cody was nailing it. Soon, I got over making mistakes in the beginning and started racing smoother and kept on it through lappers. Then, Webb had a mistake after the firewood and I got in there. I just needed to get in front on the last lap and I’m glad I made it happen.”
“It was a great race here in Denver,” Webb said. “Honestly, it was a rough day for me after going down really hard in the heat race and had to ice both my wrists, my shoulder and tailbone and take some advil to get out here. I got an ok start in the main and knew I was nailing the matrix so when Brown and Haaker had trouble in there I made it to the front. It was really crucial to jump out of the firewood tonight and I just couldn’t quite commit while I was in the lead. I knew right away Haaker jumped it and had a line on me for the lead. I was riding at the top of my game and know I could have had it tonight. After the two-week break I know I’ll be ready to be back.”
“I am super stoked,” Gerston said. “I got off to a rough start but I was able to find some cool lines through the firewood pit and get by some guys. At that point I was in fifth and had to battle through fourth and then had to battle my teammate Kyle Redmond to get into third. We had some fun block passes and I’m just stoked to be up here at the end of the night even though I was lapped by the top two guys. I honestly don’t know how I could go any faster than I was and I was still lapped.”
Haaker’s point lead over Cody Webb grew to 12 in the championship, with 128 and 116 respectively while Brown still sits in third with 93 points.
The series will resume Saturday, October 22 in Everett, Washington.
Pro Overall
- Colton Haaker
- Cody Webb
- Max Gerston
- Ty Tremaine
- Kyle Redmond
- Mike Brown
Pro Series Standings
- Colton Haaker 128pts Hus
- Cody Webb 116pts KTM
- Mike Brown 93pts Hus
- Ty Tremaine 75pts KTM
- Max Gerston 73pts Beta
Overall victory for Joan Barreda and Team HRC in China
Spanish rider Joan Barreda has been proclaimed the new champion of the China Grand Rally after commanding the entire nine-day rally held in Inner Mongolia and the Gobi Desert.
Joan Barreda raised the victor’s trophy today after having triumphed in every single stage of the China Grand Rally. The final win came on a tiny special stage of barely more than one and a half kilometres in Zuo Qi.
The final evaluation sheet for Barreda and the Honda CRF450 Rally shows a total of 3,974 kilometres completed, including some 1600 kilometres of special stage. The result was a full hand of stage wins. Add to this the wins in the Baja Aragón in July and the Las Vegas to Reno Race in September and Team HRC’s Spanish rider has completed a near flawless pre-Dakar training regime.
The Team HRC success story is further boosted with a third place podium place for Michael Metge who has proved himself to be very quick over the nine days of racing. A rear-brake problem and some fuel issues stopped him from finishing even higher on the final leader board.
Joan Barreda
“I’m very pleased to have been able to finish this race. We finished off with a ‘show’ which they had prepared to round off the rally. It was like racing on a motocross track. We were able to do a great job and I’m proud and satisfied with the way the team has done things during these ten days of racing. We are on the right path. Thanks to everyone that has supported us over this period.”
Michael Metge
“Today we had a very short special stage which was more of a ‘show’ than a real rally stage. We started out alongside Joan and had a good time out there in the sand and the motocross jumps. The bike went really well during the whole of the rally. I’m very happy with the kilometres that we have been able to put in during the race. I would like to thank the team for the support over these days and congratulate them for the great job that they have done.”
Taichi Honda – Team HRC Rally Project Leader
“It has been a very hard rally with nine very intense day which have been a great experience for us. There was really good communication between the riders and the team. The test went really well for both the riders and the machines. We have taken very good conclusions away from this in preparation for the Dakar. The project is going ahead in a very positive manner. Finally, I would like to thank all the members of the team, the riders as well as the mechanics for all their work over the last couple of weeks.”
