Josh Hill to ride electric bike at Red Bull Straight Rhythm
Team Australia Ready for the 91st edition of the ISDE
Alex Martin to TLD KTM
Canard to KTM
Bloss, Millsaps and Baggett Sign with Rocky Mountain ATV/MC-KTM-WPS
Short Stays With Honda
Australian Yamaha ATV MX Nationals – Wonthaggi
Gajser OUT of MEC
JGR to Suzuki?
Conan Forrester WA 85cc Motocross Champion
Cole Seely Set to Race Japanese National
This Week’s Racing Overview:
Monster Energy SMX Cup – Veltins Arena – Schalke Germany
FIM Freestyle MX World Championships Round 7
Weston Beach Race
Lars Enöckl masters the mountain at Sea to Sky
Melbourne Speedway GP News
Australian Speedway Champion Sam Masters will replace the injured Jason Doyle at the 2016 QBE Insurance FIM Australian Speedway Grand Prix on October the 22nd while Brady Kurtz will line up as the Wild Card rider with newly crowned Speedway Under-21 World Champion Max Fricke as first reserve and Jack Holder as second reserve. Despite the injury to Doyle, this event is going to be bigger and better than last year.
Sam Masters
Price and Faggotter Shine in Morocco
The Morocco Rally was the final round of the 2016 FIM Cross Country Rallies World Championship and after five stages which covered a total distance of 1885 km the Aussie duo of Toby Price and Rodney Faggotter finished 1st and 10th respectively.
Toby Price, who finished third in the world championship after an injury problem in the early rounds, was consistent throughout the five-stage desert race and is in good shape heading into the 2017 Dakar Rally.
Toby Price, Morocco Rally 2016
Toby Price
“We always try to push for the wins in the stages and I had a big fight with Sam Sutherland all week, so it was tough. Today he got lost around the 140 km mark and lost some time there, but everything is good. Sam put up a good flight and he showed he’s ready for the Dakar. Also a big congrats to Pablo (Quintanilla) for the championship. Now it’s time to move on and get ready for the big one in January.”
In his debut with the Yamaha Racing Team, Faggotter finished in a more than credible tenth overall.
Rod Faggotter, Morocco Rally, 2016
Rodney Faggotter
“It’s been a long day for me but I’m happy I earned a place inside the top 10, I wasn’t feeling that well since yesterday. I must have caught a kind of virus that made me feel sick. I had trouble sleeping at night and got seriously dehydrated today. I struggled to reach the finish line today but finally I made it, I’m really happy with the result, it’s just been my first rally as part of the team and I’ve learned so much. The plan is to return home to Australia now and keep working hard for the upcoming Dakar. This rally has been a great taster of what’s to come and I can’t wait to get at it again on January.”
Husqvarna’s Pablo Quintanilla finish third overall in the rally to secure the FIM Cross Country Rallies World Championship.
Pablo Quintanilla
“I’m really happy about the season and for the team. We put in a lot of effort and hard work during the year. I just want to thank the team for the amazing job they did at every race. For me this is a dream come true. It is something I have been dreaming about for many years, and with so much passion. Now I am the new world champion.”
Pablo Quintanilla is World Rally Champion 2016
Final Results OiLibya Morocco 2016
Price Toby AUS KTM Factory Racing Team KTM 13:06’35
Sunderland Sam GBR Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team KTM +7’44
Quintanilla Pablo CHI Husqvarna Factory Rally Team Husqvarna +17’02
Rodrigues Helder POR Yamaha Motor Europe Yamaha +19’05
de Soultrait Xavier FRA Yamaha Racing Yamaha +33’04
Van Beveren Adrien FRA Yamaha Motor Europe Yamaha +33’59
Walkner Matthias AUT KTM Factory Racing Team KTM +34’01
Pedrero Joan SPA Sherco TVS Rally Factory Sherco +37’40
Renet Pierre-Alexandre FRA Husqvarna Factory Rally Team Husqvarna +49’06
10. Faggotter Rodney AUS Yamaha Racing Yamaha +1:13’17
Dunlop Geomax MX3S
Alldredge Replaces Long for ASX
The Crankt Protein Honda Racing Team have confirmed that American Supercross and Motocross star Chris Alldredge will join the team for the remainder of the 2016 Australian Supercross season in the SX1 class, replacing injured Honda 450 rider Dylan Long.
Honda have confirmed that Long will now remain sidelined for the entire Supercross season with American rider Alldredge being drafted as the team’s replacement. The flying Yank will make his first appearance alongside Jay Wilson at round two of the Australian Supercross Championship which takes place at Toowoomba this Friday, October 14th.
Chris Alldredge
Chris Alldredge
“I’m really excited to have the opportunity to head over to Australia and join the Crankt Protein Honda Racing Team. It’s all happened so fast, and I’ll be flying out first thing tomorrow to be with the team. I’ve heard great things about the Australian Supercross series, and obviously there are quite a few guys from the U.S. currently racing the championship, so I’m pumped to be lining up with them and all the Australians next weekend.
Chris Alldredge
“At this stage, the plan is to get over and do some testing with the team and then we’ll be straight in to racing at round two. I’m looking forward to this new challenge, and I feel very fortunate to have been offered a seat with the Crankt Protein Honda Racing Team for the rest of the season.”
Josh Hill to ride Electric bike at Red Bull Straight Rhythm
This year’s Straight Rhythm race will feature a unique entry with former Yamaha factory star Josh Hill entering the event on an Alta Motors Redshift MX in the Lites Class, becoming the first rider ever to race an electric motorcycle in a national-level motocross event.
Josh Hill, Canadian MX Champs
Alta’s Redshift MX boasts a ground-breaking electric drivetrain that delivers over 500 lb-ft of instant torque and 40 horsepower at the rear wheel and if the results from early testing continues to improve you can bet that Hill will be more than competitive throughout the event.
Team Australia Ready for the 91st edition of the ISDE
The ninety-first edition of the FIM International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) is set to take place in Navarra, Spain from the 11th to 16th October and Team Australia is ready to fire.
Twenty-two World Trophy teams, twenty Junior Trophy teams and seven Women’s Trophy teams will contest the event and Australia is looking to continue their winning ways and defend the World Trophy, Junior World Trophy and Women’s Trophy classes they won at the event in Slovakia last year.
The Australian ISDE 2016 team.
Fielding what is arguably one of their strongest World Trophy squads of recent years, Daniel Milner and Daniel Sanders will compete alongside Josh Strang and Lachlan Stanford for Australia while their biggest challenge will come from Team USA led by the in-form Kailub Russell and Team Spain led by five-time FIM World Enduro Champion Ivan Cervantes.
In the Junior World Trophy category Australia start as defending champions with their three-rider team of Tom McCormack, Jack Simpson and Nic Tomlinson but they will have their work cut out for them with USA, Sweden, Great Britain, Finland and Italy all ready to challenge for the podium.
Without question it is Australia’s Women’s World Trophy team who start as favourites for class victory as Jessica Gardiner, Tayla Jones and Jemma Wilson aim for yet more ISDE success and a fourth consecutive win.
Alex Martin to TLD KTM
Another well-known team switch has been confirmed over social media. Alex Martin posted on his Instagram account that he has left Star Racing and joined the Troy Lee Design / Lucas Oil / Red Bull / KTM team for the upcoming 2017 season.
Alex Martin
Alex posted, “Really excited to announce I’ll be with the TLD Red Bull Factory KTM team for the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Can’t wait to see what we can do on the new bike next year!
Canard to KTM
KTM Motorsports have signed Trey Canard to race a KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION alongside new teammates Ryan Dungey and Marvin Musquin in the AMA 450 Supercross Championship and AMA 450 Pro Motocross Championship.
Trey Canard
Trey Canard
“I’m extremely excited to join the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team. It’s a fresh start for me and I’m hopeful that I can make the most of this great opportunity. I’m excited to work with all the crew at KTM as they have proven to be a championship-winning team. I’m grateful for this opportunity and I will do my very best to make the most of it.”
Roger De Coster, Team Manager
“We are excited to add Trey to our rider line-up for the upcoming SX and MX seasons. Trey is a great guy and I think his dedication to wanting to be the best he can be, coupled with his personality, is a good fit for our team. Trey has always shown a lot of talent and speed in the 450 class. Our goal is to help him fine-tune his skills and give him the additional guidance to win on the KTM.”
Bloss, Millsaps and Baggett Sign with Rocky Mountain ATV/MC-KTM-WPS
Butler Brothers MX and Rocky Mountain ATV/MC have agreed to a multi-year deal which will see Rocky Mountain ATV/MC serve as the title sponsor of the new Rocky Mountain ATV/MC-KTM-WPS team with Davi Millsaps, Blake Baggett, and Benny Bloss signed for the 2017 season.
Blose, Milsaps and Baggett in their new Rocky Mountain ATV/MC-KTM-WPS team gear
Forrest Butler (BBMX) will continue to serve as owner of the team. The team was previously known as BTOSports.com-WPS-KTM.
Forrest Butler, Team Owner
“We have always been blessed to have great sponsors, many of which have been long-time, loyal sponsors here at BBMX. Rocky Mountain is the next chapter for us, and we are both pleased and very proud to announce our new race team, the Rocky Mountain ATV/MC-KTM-WPS Team. We have a great rider line up this year with Davi Millsaps and Blake Baggett in the 450 class and rookie sensation Benny Bloss in the 250 class. Along with our long time sponsors such as FLY, Bubba Burger and FMF, the team at Rocky Mountain ATV/MC shares our drive to win and we feel that 2017 is going to be our year.”
The new team will debut at the Monster Energy Cup on October 15.
Dunlop Geomax MX3S
Short now a Honda ambassador
Andrew Short has a new role with American Honda Motor as brand ambassador and test rider which will see the recently retired AMA Champion be involved in activities promoting Honda’s motorcycle and ATV/side-by-side line-ups and will be on hand at select large amateur events to provide advice and guidance to attending Honda riders.
Andrew Short – AMA MX 2016 Ironman – Image by Hoppenworld
Short will also serve as an official test rider for Team Honda HRC to further develop the factory 2017 CRF450R that will be campaigned by Cole Seely and Ken Roczen. Additionally, Short has been named the new National Spokesperson for Ride for Kids, for which American Honda has been the presenting sponsor since 1991. Ride for Kids is a national series of motorcycle events that benefit the Paediatric Brain Tumour Foundation.
Andrew Short
“Having ridden for Honda for seven years, I’m extremely excited to be continuing my relationship with the company in a different capacity. My new role is going to be ever-changing throughout the year. I’m really looking forward to helping out the race team and their approach to winning on the new CRF450R. It will be a lot of fun to test the race machines and see the development process during their pursuit of a championship with Cole and Ken.”
Andrew Short
“I will also be helping with new product launches, production machine testing and providing support at some amateur races. I’m also looking forward to attending big events like Daytona. To be honest, I’m most looking forward to riding the Africa Twin and the all-new CRF450RX because I’m really passionate about off-road and adventure riding. I hope to ride more now than I did when I was racing!” Short concluded.
Australian Yamaha ATV MX Nationals – Wonthaggi
Wonthaggi hosted the Australian Yamaha ATV MX Nationals last weekend and it was Chris Bosnakis who took out the Senior Open class ahead of Luke Gaisford and the Van Vliet brothers Jake and Mitchell.
Australian Yamaha ATV MX Nationals – Wonthaggi Results
Chris Bosnakis.
Luke Gaisford.
Jake Van Vliet.
Mitchell Van Vliet.
Cameron Keegan.
Scott Keegan.
Cooper Van Vliet.
Cody Lincoln.
Liam Glover.
Daniel Soltoggio
Gajser out of MEC
Tim Gajser will miss the up-coming Monster Energy Cup in Las Vegas thanks to two crashes during the SMX Cup which was held in Germany last weekend.
Tim Gajser, 2016 SMX Cup
“I feel so bad that I can’t go to the Monster Energy Cup this year because it’s no secret that I want to race against the best in the world in America and I was really looking forward to it. I showed at the start of SMX that I am fast also in this mix of motocross and supercross and I think it would have been a great battle this weekend in Las Vegas, but there is too much risk with the injury in my shoulder. It was so painful at SMX, and even though we raced in the final race I wasn’t fighting – I was letting people pass when they caught me because I didn’t want to have any contact in my shoulder or push harder and make it worse. I was holding on, and this is no way to go to race something as important as Monster Energy Cup.”
JGR to Suzuki?
Joe Gibson Racing’s long standing relationship with Yamaha may come to a close in the coming weeks with a strong rumour floating around that the team may switch to Suzuki with the strongest evidence being Yamaha announcing that Justin Barcia being unavailable to be part of the Yamaha team at last weekend’s SMX Riders’ Cup in Germany, “due to a conflict with team contracts.”
MXGP 2016 Americas – Charlotte – Justin Barcia
While Barcia is contracted to the JGR team for 2017 the second rider is yet to be sign but don’t even get excited about James Stewart scoring a ride with JGR, JS7 has burned that bridge!!!
Conan Forrester crowned West Australian 85cc Motocross Champion
Conan Forrester has been crowned West Australian 85cc Motocross Champion despite spent much time also competing in the US during the year including in the Mammoth Motocross event.
Conan Forrester
“At the start of the year, we didn’t get off to a good beginning, we had some bike problems — where we struggled to find a good bike set-up that I was happy with. My physical fitness wasn’t what I wanted it to be — but throughout the year we changed up my training program and I was getting better results. I also competed in a California race which qualified me for the Mammoth Motocross event in America — which is one of the bigger races over there. So once I had qualified for that, we flew back to America two months later so I could race in it.”
Conan arrived back in Perth after competing at the Mammoth Motocross event in America on a Friday to be back racing the State championship race on Sunday, winning the championship.
Cole Seely Set to Race Japanese National
Team Honda HRC’s Cole Seely is slated to compete in the final round of the All Japan MX National Championship series, to be held at Sportsland Sugo in Mlyagi, Japan, on October 22-23.
Cole Seely
Seely will race in the IA1 class (450cc), in which his competition will include series regular Akira Narita, a factory HRC rider and 11-time Japanese National Champion, as well as MXGP veteran Kei Yamamoto.
While in Japan, Seely and the team will visit Honda Racing Corporation, Honda Motorcycle R&D in Asaka, the Honda Proving Ground in Tochigi and the Honda Collection Hall at Motegi Circuit.
Cole Seely
Cole Seely
“I’m really excited for the opportunity to race in Japan, I’ve never been anywhere overseas, so I’m just as excited to see another part of the world as I am to race and have my team there with me. It will also be a great chance to meet everyone at Honda and HRC; being a part of the Honda family has been a dream come true, so I’m looking forward to showing them my appreciation. Helping develop the new 2017 CRF450R has been going really well. It’s crazy how good it is already in the early stages, and it will just continue to get better — I can’t wait to race it! I’m looking forward to working with the crew in Japan, and I want to thank everyone at the Kumamoto factory for working so hard to get this bike out despite dealing with the damage from the April earthquake.”
Dunlop Geomax MX3S
Smarty’s Race Reports
Monster Energy SMX Cup – Veltins Arena – Schalke Germany
Ryan Dungey has won the SMX Rider’s Cup while contributing to KTM dominating the Manufacturer’s Cup in an action packed night of racing on a custom made indoor motocross track inside Veltins Arena just outside Schalke in Germany.
After two 15-minute practice sessions, riders were sent out in the order they finished in the second practice for the qualifying session and Suzuki were first up with their fastest rider, Jake Weimer who laid down a relatively good lap time of 51.573 but former MX2 World Champion Jordi Tixier who was representing Kawasaki managed to beat Weimer’s time with a 50.833 before Yamaha’s Romain Febvre topped both Tixier and Weimer with a 50.766.
Tim Gajser, 2016 SMX Cup
To cut a long story short Honda’s Tim Gajser went ballistic for his one lap to card the fastest time with a 49.390 while KTM’s Jeffrey Herlings fell just short with a 49.418 which was just ahead of Husqvarna rider Zach Osborne who put in the tidiest and smoothest lap of all for third with a 49.721.
Superpole Results:
Honda – Tim Gasjer – 49.390
KTM – Jeffrey Herlings – 49.418
Husqvarna – Zach Osborne – 49.721
Yamaha – Romain Febvre. 50.766
Kawasaki – Jordi Tixier – 50.833
Suzuki – Jake Weimer – 51.573
SMX Riders’ Cup Race One
When the gate dropped it was Gajser who led the way into turn one with Dungey, Herlings, Febvre and Osbourne in close company and to everyone’s surprise Febvre got by Herlings and started making ground on Dungey who was struggling to keep pace with the rear fender of Gajser’s Honda.
Febvre and Herlings came together in a tight and sandy right hand turn which dropped Febvre to fourth behind Gajser, Dungey and Osbourne while Herlings also lost a spot to Osborne and Tommy Searle.
A little flustered, Herlings didn’t waste any time in hammering the throttle around the outside of Searle, who thought he’d throw a solid move back for old-time’s sake. That battle didn’t last very long though as Herlings made it clear he didn’t line up to play games when he got the job done and gapped it.
Gajser put in a classic ‘holeshot and win’ performance ahead of the two supercross stars Dungey and Osborne while Febvre and Herlings rounded out the top five.
2016 Monster Energy SMX Cup, Germany, Race 1
T. Gajser.
R. Dungey.
Z. Osborne.
R. Febvre.
J. Herlings.
M. Musquin.
G. Paulin.
J. Tixier.
T. Searle.
C. Charlier.
2016 SMX Cup, Germany
SMX Riders’ Cup Race Two
Race two was the craziest race of the night. It started with Gajser pulling his second holeshot ahead of Herlings who bobbled and went down and almost collected his KTM teammate Ryan Dungey.
Gajser looked cool, calm and collective out front, on the gas early and braking late, until he left his braking a little too late and locked up the rear wheel into an edge which pitched him over the bars. Febvre took over the lead from Marvin Musquin and Dungey.
Once Gajser was back in action Osborne showed the Honda rider a wheel or two in the battle for fourth before Gajser crashed again and was out of the race. Osborne seemed to tire and Team Kawasaki’s Jordi Tixier passed him with ease to finish fourth behind Febvre, Musquin and Dungey while Jeffrey Herlings sliced his way through the pack from dead last for fifth.
Dunlop Geomax MX3S
2016 Monster Energy SMX Cup, Germany, Race 2
R. Febvre.
M. Musquin.
R. Dungey.
J. Tixier.
J. Herlings.
Z. Osborne.
E. Bobryshev.
T. Searle.
G. Paulin.
C. Charlier.
2016 Monster Energy SMX Cup, Germany
SMX Riders’ Cup Race Three
Razor sharp bumps and limited traction made from a very technically challenging final race of the evening. Ryan Dungey got off to a ripper of a start and with clear track ahead it seemed like the supercross champ was set for 16 laps.
Gajser, who would have been feeling second hand after body slamming the ground a couple of times during the night seemed content in second ahead of two Frenchmen, Marvin Musquin and Jordi Tixier, but eventually faded back to fifth.
Herlings was on the move after starting just inside the top ten and eventually found himself in second, taking chunks out of Dungey’s lead. With six laps to go, Dungey swapped out in the sand section, and Herlings took full advantage. Simultaneously, the third of KTM’s hotshots, Musquin, squared up on Gajser and passed the Honda ace for third.
While the Monster Energy SMX Cup is a team event as well, it became a battle of pride between Herlings and Dungey. Dungey tried to up his game, but a mistake riddled lap after seeing the two lap board saw the American back off and let Herlings have it. Dungey came home in second ahead of Musquin, Tixier and Gajser.
2016 Monster Energy SMX Cup, Germany, Race 3
J. Herlings.
R. Dungey.
M. Musquin.
J. Tixier.
T. Gasjer.
G. Paulin.
R. Febvre.
E. Bobryshev.
J. Weimer.
C. Charlier.
2016 Monster Energy SMX Cup – Manufacturer’s Cup, KTM first on 18 points, Honda second on 43 points, with Kawasaki third on 61 points.
2016 Monster Energy SMX Cup – Manufacturer’s Cup
KTM were the clear-cut winners of the first ever Monster Energy SMX Manufacturers’ trophy with all three of their riders finishing on the box in the ‘Riders’ classification too.
Ryan Dungey, who is so often referred to as ‘The Diesel’, remained true to that name with three consistent results, 2 – 3 – 2 for the win ahead of ‘The Bullet’, Jeffrey Herlings, who binned it in the first two races, but bounced back with a win in the third moto to tie on points with Marvin Musquin. Herlings went 5 – 5 – 1 for second overall, while Musquin went 6 – 2 – 3 for third.
Final Standings 2016 Monster Energy SMX Manufacturers Cup Classification
KTM, 18 pts
Honda 43 pts
Kawasaki, 61 pts
Husqvarna, 71 pts
Yamaha, 77 pts
Dunlop Geomax MX3SKTM’s Dungey, Herlings and Musquin took the top three spots in the Riders’ Cup
2016 Monster Energy SMX Riders’ Cup
Ryan Dungey, who returned to racing after a four-month injury break said it was great to come back to competition with a win.
Ryan Dungey, 2016 SMX Cup
Ryan Dungey
“It was kind of nice because the pressure to do it individually was not there but you also wanted to win for the manufacturer. It was great to be alongside Marvin and Herlings and Prado and good to see the KTM team from Europe here. I’m glad that we could get the Manufacturer’s Cup and go 1-2-3 in the individual. A lot of people looked at the track and said I would have an advantage because it was a supercross track, but it wasn’t. It got a lot rougher than you would want for supercross. We got the bike working well and the boys did a great job. They rode well and were consistent and if there was a mistake, they charged back. I thought we worked well as a team.”
Jeffrey Herlings
“KTM had a lot of options and I was surprised that they picked me but I think I showed what I am capable of. I’m very happy to have been second in the individual and its great to win as a team. It was a good experience to ride with Dungey and to pass him in the last moto, well that was pretty cool!”
Marvin Musquin, 2016 SMX Cup
Marvin Musquin
“When Roger (De Coster – Team Manager for this event) called me a month or two ago and asked me to be part of the KTM team I thought wow! I was a bit surprised because we have a lot of good riders at KTM. I was very excited because first I wanted to fight really hard for KTM and to give the best, and also do well myself. For us to be first, second and third on the podium and for me to be third with equal points with Jeffrey was great. It was a good experience and a difficult track because it was like racing outdoors. It’s always fun to do a team race like this.”
Tim Gajser, 2016 SMX Cup
Tim Gajser
“I definitely showed I had pace to run out front today, and to take the first race win and on the new bike was great. To take the pole and the holeshot was amazing, and the new 2017 CRF feels so good to ride and is so fast. I did my best for the team and to finish second with Team Honda is a good result. But I had the pace to win overall today, so I’m disappointed with the crashes.
Gajser between Herlings and Musquin, 2016 SMX Cup
“The first one wasn’t so bad and I was able to get going again in fourth, but the second one when I went down was so painful. I landed on the same shoulder I injured in practice before the Nations, and I could barely lift the bike back up at first and to be honest I was struggling a lot with it. But I’m still pleased that we could finish second thanks also to Gautier and Bobby. It was really nice to race indoors in Europe and a really good experience because this is the first time we do this.”
Romain Febvre, 2016 SMX Cup
Romain Febvre
“The event was good and the track was really good also. We worked on our starts a lot this week so the race starts were strong for us. I was able to always start at the front, which was the key for the races. The track is really small so if you start last it’s very difficult to come back. The first race I was following the leaders looking for a place to pass but made a mistake, and Herlings also. We touched each other and crashed. It could have been better but with a crash it wasn’t too bad.
Romain Febvre, 2016 SMX Cup
“The second race was perfect, I had a good start and was second, then Tim Gasjer had a crash and I took the lead. Second place was elastic, he kept coming back but then I was moving forward so I kept the position. The last race, someone came too fast on the inside and crashed, pushing everyone out and I was stuck behind the bike. I went last but came back to finish seventh which was a bit disappointing. The stadium event is good for the pubic and it was great to be part of a full Yamaha team.”
Zach Osborne, 2016 SMX Cup
Zach Osborne
“I enjoyed racing this event a lot. I did my best and got away with a third and a fifth in the first two motos. Unfortunately, someone hit me right off the start in moto three and I found myself on the floor without actually knowing what had happened. It’s a bit of a bummer as at that point we were fighting for second overall as a team. It is what it is. We had a strong team I believe and we showed that on the track. Christophe was super consistent and if it wasn’t for my crash we could have easily walked away with the runner-up spot. For me this was a pretty special event as I got to see lots of familiar faces again. I had a blast and I’m looking forward to racing again in Europe when the opportunity comes.”
Suzuki’s Jeremy Seewer won the MX2 class on the night.
Jeremy Seewer, MX2 class winner, 2016 SMX Cup
Jeremy Seewer
“It was something new for all of us, a special track, riding in an arena and it was the first time for me. But it was alright. We had to change some things on my bike for the set-up because we’ve never done this type of race before. I had a bad start in the first moto and a crash, which was not my fault. Second moto, I had a really good start, fighting up front but with 250 it was really tough. In the third moto I had to start from the outside but managed it pretty well, had one sketchy moment and finished pretty well. We won the overall in MX2 and I’m happy about this. It was a fun event, something else.”
KTM’s Herlings, Dungey, Musquin and Roger De Coster – Team Manager, 2016 SMX Cup
Final Standings 2016 Monster Energy SMX Riders’ Cup
Dungey, 7 pts
Herlings, 11 pts
Musquin, 11 pts
Febvre, 12 pts
Tixier, 16 pts
Dunlop Geomax MX3S
YZ125 Cup Super Finale
Calvin Fonvieille has edged out Tim Edberg and Jeroen Bussink in the inaugural YZ125 Cup SuperFinale held at the Veltins Arena in Schalke Germany last weekend.
All YZ125 mounted youngsters were aiming for a top six finish in the SuperFinale in order to secure a spot for the three-day MasterClass with the MXGP World Champion David Philippaerts so when the gates dropped all 24 riders fought for the holeshot but it was the Dutchman Jeroen Bussink that led the way early with Fonvieille right on his tail with Edberg climbing up the ranking while the first two riders got caught up in a scrap for the lead.
Once they got around Bussink the win came down to a battle between Fonvieille and Edberg who battled tooth and nail all the way to the final lap and Edberg was determined to make a move at the last corner resulting in a brief touch between the riders, but it was Fonvieille who took the victory.
Following the race results, the riders who classified for the Masterclass are Calvin Fonvieille, Tim Edberg, Jeroen Bussink, Arvid Lüning, Nicolo Folli and Rasmus Holm. Hugo Johansson and Gervasio Canas will be joining today’s top-six riders as wildcards during the upcoming event with Philippaerts.
YZ125 Super Finale top ten, Veltins Arena, Schalke Germany
Calvin Fonvieille (FRA, Yamaha), 11:35.672;
Tim Edberg (SWE, Yamaha), +0:00.688;
Jeroen Bussink (NED, Yamaha), +0:12.646;
Arvid Lüning (SWE, Yamaha), +0:13.265;
Nicolo Folli (ITA, Yamaha), +0:34.964;
Rasmus Holm (SWE, Yamaha), +0:38.410;
Gervasio Canas (ESP, Yamaha), +0:42.295;
Francesco Bassi (ITA, Yamaha), +0:49.138;
Anthony Calistri (FRA, Yamaha), +0:51.569;
Hugo Johansson (SWE, Yamaha), +0:56.129.
FIM Freestyle MX World Championships Round 7
In the Lanxess Arena, the 7th round of the FIM Freestyle MX World Championships took place in front of 11,000 fans who didn’t want to miss a thing.
Before the German round began, there were already big omissions from the rider list. Firstly the 18 year old German rider, Luc Ackermann, who broke his leg in preparation for Cologne, then Remi Bizouard broke his hand in training.
2016 Night of the Jumps, Cologne,
In the morning’s training session at the Lanxess Arena, Maikel Melero floated a backflip and lost control of his bike at a height of 15 metres, landing without the bike. With only a few bruises, the little Spaniard was very lucky to avoid much more substantial injuries.
With three favourites eliminated from the event, the World Championship points were open to all remaining riders. However they had to get through the Qualification round. This proved to be extremely difficult for veterans of Night of the Jumps, David Rinaldo and Rob Adelberg.
First, Adelberg had a dead sailor in his run (a jump without scoring a trick) and then Rinaldo made mistakes with two tricks. The Aussie was able to save sixth position in qualifying while Rinaldo had to settle for seventh and miss the final round.
The hopes of the local German crowd laid with Hannes Ackermann, who was unable to make the dream comeback he had hoped for. After a long injury, Ackermann opted for a safe run and finished in eighth position.
Marc Pinyol rounded out the qualification in final position. With the tricks we know Pinyol has, it would have been a crazy final, however from the first jump of competition, he crashed the Nac Egg Roll. Although he continued his run, he wasn’t able to land the Inside Roll in the Double up and couldn’t progress.
Besides Adelberg and the two Czech riders, Libor Podmol and Petr Pilat, the two Italian riders made it to the final. Leonardo Fini and Davide Rossi. Brice Izzo also showed consistency to make it to the final.
The LifeProof Best Whip was between Massimo Bianconcini and Marc Pinyol. The Spaniard put everything on the line with a big Turn Down, but ultimately in the final round, Massimo held a big turndown and the judges agreed the Italian would win.
2016 Night of the Jumps, Cologne, Massimo Bianconcini
In the Maxxis Highest Air competition there were two medallists from X Games with Bianconcini and Podmol. The Italian jumped over 10.00 metres after being pushed by the Czech rider. Podmol was unable to counter after pushing the bar from 6.50 metres and Bianconcini took the win and exacted revenge for Podmols victory at X Games.
In the final, the 11,000 spectators were whipped into a frenzy with incredible performances. Leo Fini just missed out on his first podium position despite bringing a clean California Roll. His countryman Davide Rossi didn’t have the Body Varials or Quarter pipe tricks and so was also unable to move up the rankings. Finally finishing in sixth place with Brice Izzo relegated to fifth place after a solid final round.
2016 Night of the Jumps, Cologne, Rob Adelberg
Rob Adelberg had a lot to prove after his performance in the qualification. He laid down a super clean run and went straight to the top of the Hot Seat.
The Audience favourite, Petr Pilat showed different variations in his run and perhaps if he landed the Flair, he might have overtaken Adelberg. But he chose the safe option and didn’t attack the Quarter Pipe. He was nevertheless happy with his overall third position result.
2016 Night of the Jumps, Cologne, Libor Podmol
Now only Podmol could catch the Aussie. With a Surfer to Tsunami Flip and the California Roll in his run, he was going to be hard to beat. But when Podmol tried the Egg Roll Heelclicker and crashed, the victory was almost gone.
But the Czech fought back adding one extra trick to his run and finishing with the Volt Body Varial as the Double Up. His energy boosted his overall impression with the judges and Podmol was crowned the winner in Cologne.
Despite the injuries before and during the event, Maikel Melero (120 points) and Remi Bizouard (100 points) remain at the top of the overall World Championship leaderboard. Podmol was able to improve with his victory to sixth place overall.
For the riders, there are only a few days to relax before the next Night of the Jumps World Championship round in Riga, Latvia (15th October, 2016, Arena Riga).
2016 Night of the Jumps, Cologne, Podium, Libor Podmol (first), Rob Adelberg (second), Petr Pilat (third)
2016 Night of the Jumps, Cologne, Final Result
Libor Podmol Yamaha 385
Rob Adelberg Yamaha 366
Petr Pilat KTM 348
Leonardo Fini KTM 335
Brice Izzo Yamaha 334
Davide Rossi Kawasaki 321
Qualification
Libor Podmol Yamaha 341
Leonardo Fini KTM 314
Petr Pilat KTM 310
Brice Izzo Yamaha 308
Davide Rossi Kawasaki 276
Rob Adelberg Yamaha 270
David Rinaldo Yamaha 248
Hannes Ackermann KTM 241
Marc Pinyol Kawasaki 214
2016 Night of the Jumps, Cologne, Massimo Bianconcini, Best Whip
LifeProof Best Whip Contest Results
Massimo Bianconcini KTM
Marc Pinyol Kawasaki
Maxxis Highest-Air
Massimo Bianconcini KTM 10m
Libor Podmol Yamaha 9.5m
Davide Rossi Kawasaki 7.5m
FIM Freestyle MX World Championship
Ranking after Round 7
Maikel Melero Yamaha 120
Remi Bizouard Kawasaki 100
Rob Adelberg Yamaha 104
David Rinaldo Yamaha 96
Petr Pilat KTM 83
Libor PodmolYamaha 56
Luc Ackermann Husqvarna 55
Jose Miralles KTM 49
Brice Izzo Yamaha 47
Pat Bowden Yamaha 45
Hannes Ackermann KTM 38
Marc Pinyol Yamaha 24
Weston Super Mare Beach Race
Thousands of fans have witnessed KTM GP star Shaun Simpson fulfilling a long term dream by winning the Weston Super Mare Beach Race, 32 Years after his father had won the first ever race on the same beach in 1983.
2016 HydroGarden Weston Beach Race – Image by RHL Activities/Nuno
The three-hour race takes place on the Weston beachfront at the end of the traditional British racing season and attracts riders from many different disciplines but it was Simpson on his KTM 450 SX-F who led from the beginning of the race and put in blisteringly fast and consistent laps to take the win over Ben Watson and Matt Burrows.
2016 HydroGarden Weston Beach Race – Image by RHL Activities/Nuno
MotoGP rider Scott Redding on his rookie beach race looked happy to finish the HydroGarden Weston Beach Race, with a respectable 94th position.
Shaun Simpson, Loket, 2016
Shaun Simpson
“It was great. You dream of perfect Weston’s; the fuel stops went perfectly and I would like to thank my family who all did an excellent job throughout the three hours. I never even fell off once, never stalled it – absolutely textbook race. I took the lead from the beginning and just held it really, I felt really comfortable and really strong and the bike was amazing. I made it to the first corner in first and then I knew I would be good in the dunes, I think I had a 5-6 second gap on the first lap – I’m ecstatic. I want to say thanks to my team Hitachi Construction KTM UK, thanks for letting me be here and the support I had from the fans for the entire three hours of the race – top step of the box you can’t beat that.”
2016 HydroGarden Weston Beach Race – Image by RHL Activities/Nuno
Jonny Walker
“Riding at Weston Beach Race has been such an enjoyable experience – I’m definitely going to be back at Weston. I wasn’t too sure what to expect but the whole weekend has been so much fun. The start was such a buzz. I got a really good start, around the top three, and felt really good during the first lap. When I came round for the second lap I came over a dune and smashed into a pile-up on the back of a dune. I was in the air when I saw the crashed riders ahead of me. It was a big one – I hurt my leg and tweaked my bike a little. It took a while to get going after that, then I had to pit, so we refueled and tried to get the bike sorted. I then had to play catch- up from around 20th place. That one mistake cost me a lot. I feel like a podium was well within my reach, I certainly could have been closer to the front. I’ve learned so much so I’ll be much better prepared for when I do the event again. A huge thanks to KTM UK and my support crew, they did an awesome job. It’s been a great experience.”
Overall Results Weston Beach Race:
Shaun Simpson
Ben Watson
Matt Burrows
Nathan Watson
Matt Moffat
Dan Thornhill
James Dodd
Ashley Greedy
Frazer Norrie
Todd Kellett
Joe Jones
Luke Mellows
Lee Edmondson
Liam Knight
Ty Kellett
Lars Enöckl masters the mountain at Sea to Sky
Austrian Lars Enöckl claimed a thrilling victory at Red Bull Sea to Sky 2016. The KTM rider was first to scale the Turkish Olympos Mountain with Andreas Lettenbichler and Scott Bouverie joining him on the podium in second and third respectively.
2016 Sea to Sky – Austrian Enöckl knows how to climb mountains – Image by Nuri Yilmazer/Red Bull
Lars Enöckl
“It feels amazing to get my first Hard Enduro win. It was such a good day and such a cool race. I’ve felt fast at most of the races this year but until now it just didn’t come together. But today was the day. Today was my day. I tried to ride my own race and everything went well. One of the toughest sections was the early river canyon. It was very hard this year as there was no real line to follow. I was also the first rider into the Dark Canyon so it felt like I was opening the track too. Near the end there was a really gnarly uphill, the Alcatraz section. It was a real killer. It felt like it was never ending. There was no grip and so many loose rocks. I was bloody tired by that point too. Luckily I knew I had a few minutes in hand on Lettenbichler to make it over the final mountain mile first. Finally a massive thanks to everyone who supports me and believe in me. This win is as much from them as myself.”
With tension mounting before the start of the winner-takes-all Mountain Race, it was Andreas Lettenbichler who blasted off the line first when the starter’s flag waved at 9am sharp on the Kemer shoreline.
Race favourite Wade Young was quickly on his tail as Enöckl tried to regroup from a slow getaway. But then disaster struck Young when he crashed heavily within two kilometres of the start and was ruled out of contention.
Billy Bolt was another to fall by the wayside when a broken chain ground him to a halt in the notorious river canyon section.
2016 Sea to Sky – Lars Enockl passing a local restaurant – Image by Lukasz Nazdraczew/Red Bull
With the race getting a major shakeup, Enöckl, Lettenbichler, Bouverie and Manuel Lettenbichler all grouped together as they vied for the race lead. With no one able to clearly break away, the lead changed hands continuously until Enöckl made his final attack.
Pulling away, he got clear of his rivals before the final mountain mile and crossed the finish line almost three minutes ahead to secure his debut Red Bull Hard Enduro win.
Making a last-minute decision to come out of retirement and race the Sea to Sky, Andreas Lettenbichler proved he’s still as competitive as ever, narrowly beating Bouverie by 14 seconds for the runner-up spot.
Andreas “Letti” Lettenbichler
“It was an amazing race. I got the holeshot and tried to push hard but the riding was slow and technical. During the middle of the race I got so tired, my body was aching and I had to slow down and settle myself. After a while I saw the guys behind beginning to catch me again so I had to put every ounce of energy into holding my position of second behind Lars. For me this was a one off holiday race, I hadn’t raced all year and came out of retirement for it simply because I love racing here. So to be on the podium is fantastic.”
Claiming his debut Hard Enduro podium, South African Bouverie was the surprise package of the Mountain Race. Challenging for top honours throughout, Bouverie rode his way into the top three with third.
2016 Sea to Sky – Scott Bouverie performs during Mountain Race – Image by Lukasz Nazdraczew/Red Bull
Scott Bouverie
“In the beginning of the race we had a good pace going and I think most of us led at least once. It was anyone’s race to win really. Towards the end Lars broke away and I had a very tough battle with Andreas. He just got me at the end but third is a huge result for me. It’s my first time on the podium at a Red Bull Hard Enduro, I’m a happy man!”
Hampered by stomach cramps Beach Race winner Manuel Lettenbichler was unsure if he’d be able to start the Mountain Race. But gritting his teeth in true Hard Enduro fashion, he battled early on for the race lead before eventually crossing the mountain in fourth. Dwayne Kleyhans completed the top five.
2016 Sea to Sky – Manuel Lettenbichler – Image by Lukasz Nazdraczew/Red Bull
Manuel Lettenbichler
“Today was a very hard day for me. I had some bad stomach cramps yesterday evening and also this morning and felt really sick. But I wanted to race and give it my best because anything can happen in Hard Enduro. I struggled most of the race. It’s tough to finish fourth after such a good Beach and Forest Race. But fourth was the best I could do today.”
The 2016 Red Bull Hard Enduro season concludes with the Roof of Africa in December.
Riding and reviewing motorcycles for some time now, Kris writes for MCNews from time to time while also being an awesome all-rounder helping to keep the site content flowing.
