Moto News Wrap for November 29, 2016 by Darren Smart
Proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax
This Week’s News Overview
- Price and Sunderland extend contract with KTM
- Waters joins Clout at Crankt Protein Honda
- Peters joins Wilson at Wilson Coolair Motul Suzuki
- Long joins Ferris at CDR Yamaha
- Airoh naming rights sponsor of 2017 SSMX
- South Australian MX Championship expands in 2017
- Byrne and Baggett team up
- Mike Brown announces retirement
- Five Aussies at BAJA and the Mini Os
- Townley wins New Zealand Supercross Championships
- Coppins wins 2016 Burt Munro memorial Beach Race
- FMF Winter Indoor Series kicks Off
- Germany’s ADAC Supercross Continues
- Redondi signs with Honda RedMoto
- Mike Brown arrives in SuperEnduro
Price and Sunderland extend contract with KTM
KTM Motorsports has confirmed that Toby Price and Sam Sunderland to remain with the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team until the end of the 2019 season.
Toby Price, winner of the 2016 Dakar Rally, shared his thoughts:
Toby Price
“It’s going to be the best thing for me so I can just concentrate on what I need to do and that’s riding motorcycles and racing as fast as we can. I’m very privileged and pumped to get this. Pit Beirer has been amazing to deal with and so has Alex Doringer, so it’s exciting times, a great team and a good crew of people. Now I’m just looking forward to what the future holds, to putting our heads down and doing the work. It’s going to be a great time and I’m just hoping we can deliver on the results and do the job we’ve been contracted to do. I can’t wait, and I’m looking forward to what the years ahead bring.”
Not surprisingly, Sunderland is also pleased to be staying with the team.
Sam Sunderland
“I’m really happy to have extended with KTM. The bike and the team have been great to me in the past years. The team supported me through a recent injury and helped me to come back and fight for the top positions. I’m really excited about the years to come and we will keep moving forward in the same direction, and with the same goal in our sights.”
Waters joins Clout at Crankt Protein Honda
Crankt Protein Honda Racing has signed Todd Waters and Luke Clout to contest the 2017 Australian Motocross and Supercross championships aboard the new Honda 2017 CFR450R.
Todd Waters
“Joining Crankt Protein Honda for the 2017 motocross and supercross season is really exciting. We have a great team of people that are hungry for success and ready to help me achieve my goals for 2017. The new model Honda CFR450R looks fantastic and I am stoked to be one of the riders representing this all new bike. Bring on 2017.”
Luke Clout is keen to make amends for a less than stellar 2016.
Luke Clout
“I can’t wait to get out and test the Honda CRF450R and I am really looking forward to competing for Crankt Protein Honda Racing. My season in 2016 was cut short when I broke my femur so I am really motivated to get out there and give it everything in 2017. I feel strong and the bike looks great so we’ll see what unfolds.”
One of the most experienced team managers is Jay Foreman and he will join the team in 2017.
Jay Foreman
“I’m very excited to work with Crankt Protein Honda Racing. It will be terrific to work with such a professional team and having worked with both Todd and Luke in the past I feel confident we will have a strong season in 2017.”
Peters joins Wilson at Wilson Coolair Motul Suzuki
American Kyle Peters will take the place of Todd Waters as the teammate of Luke Wilson for the 2017 race season with Wilson Coolair Motul Factory Suzuki.
Team Manager Neale Wilson shared his excitement in welcoming Peters back to Australia for the 2017 race season.
Neale Wilson
“We are very pleased to be able to finally announce that Kyle will be joining us in 2017. As a team, we’ve had a long standing relationship with Kyle and he’s actually raced with us back when we were a privateer team – so when we saw his speed during the final two rounds of motocross and also in Supercross, it was an easy decision to offer him a position at Wilson Coolair Motul Factory Suzuki for 2017.”
Kyle Peters
“When I first arrived in Australia it was meant to be for three weeks and I was just going to do a couple of races, but once I got there and I saw just how competitive both Motocross and Supercross were, I made sure people knew that I wanted to be back there racing full time in 2017. To have the chance to race for Wilson Coolair Motul Factory Suzuki in 2017 is a dream come true. They proved this year they have everything you need to win, and I’m confident that together we can achieve more great things for the brand.”
Luke Wilson
“I’m pumped to have the opportunity to race for Factory Suzuki again next year. This year I set out some goals for myself, some of which I achieved, but I believe I have a lot more in me and I’m very excited to be able to continue chasing those goals in to 2017.”
Long joins Ferris at CDR Yamaha
Former Prankt Protein Honda rider Dylan Long has signed with the CDR Yamaha team for the 2017 Australian motocross and supercross season alongside Dean Ferris.
Craig Dack
“When I went in search of a rider for the 2017, my criteria was for the rider to be talented, self-motivated and energetic that will bring that youthful enthusiasm to the team. But most of all, someone who we think we can help mould into a successful racer and Dylan Long fits that list perfectly. I have watched him ride for a few years now and during that time there has been fastest laps, races won and round podiums so we know he has the skills. For us it’s a matter of providing him with the right equipment, channelling his energy in the right direction and turning a talented, free spirited rider into a focused and professional athlete that can be a champion of the future.”
“We didn’t want to go down the path of recycling older riders as we felt an injection of youth and someone who just loves riding and racing a dirt bike would rub off on the team and Dylan was the obvious choice. He has raced Yamaha’s before, knows the YZ450F well and we welcome him back to the brand. It will be challenge but it’s one that CDR Yamaha and Dylan are both excited to take on and we look forward to working with a young, talented rider that wants to claw his way to the top.”
Dylan Long
“To be asked by Craig to join the CDR Yamaha team and represent them in racing is a huge honour and something every Australia racer aspires to. I have watched how professional the team is and how good the people are in it and I can’t wait to get started with them. I love the YZ450F and think it’s an awesome bike and I know that it will only get better as the team develops it to suit me. The first race seems so far away but I’m motivated and ready to go and proud to wear the CDR Yamaha colours in 2017.”
Airoh naming rights sponsor of 2017 SSMX
Motorcycling Queensland and the Queensland Motocross Subcommittee have announced Airoh Helmets as the new naming rights sponsor for the 2017 Sunshine State Motocross Series (SSMX).
Airoh has a history of helping World Champions rise to their potential, with 72 World Titles under their belt, and various partnerships with major events around the world. The Australian distributor for Airoh Helmets is Moto National Accessories. Moto National Media Manager Chris Lynis says he’s looking forward to their involvement in the series once again.
Chris Lynis
“We are extremely excited to be a part of the biggest Motocross series in Queensland and look forward to working with the team to host the Airoh Helmets Motocross Series Sunshine State in 2017 and beyond.”
With Airoh on board, Series Coordinator Jason Watson says he’s working hard to continue the growth of the Series with the help of Race Secretary Rachelle Houterman.
2017 Airoh Helmets Motocross Series Sunshine State calendar
- Round 1: 25/26 February, Coolum
- Round 2: 18/19 March, Hervey Bay
- Round 3: 8/9 April, Chinchilla
- Round 4: 29/30 April, Roma
- Round 5: 13/14 May, Tivoli
- Round 6: 3/4 June, Toowoomba
South Australian MX Championship expands in 2017
Motorcycling South Australia in conjunction with the SA MX Sports Managers Committee have announced that the 2017 South Australian MX Championship will expand to five rounds, commencing in the west of the state before venturing through Adelaide and its surrounding regions, subsequently wrapping up in the south-east and Riverland.
SA MX Sports Managers’ Daniel Banks is looking forward to the expanded season.
Daniel Banks
“I’m really excited to announce an expanded five round calendar for the South Australian MX Championship in 2017. We have had great enthusiasm and support from our host clubs and I can’t wait to announce some further exciting aspects for the new season in coming months. We have continued to work to ensure there will be a high level of competition once again for riders and teams and I believe what we will provide should see a continued growth and increase in excitement surrounding the series in 2017.”
2017 South Australian MX Championship Calendar
- Round 1 – Port Lincoln, SA – 8th & 9th April
- Round 2 – Murray Bridge (Monarto), SA – 13th & 14th May
- Round 3 – Gillman, SA – 17th & 18th June
- Round 4 – Keith, SA – 22nd & 23rd July
- Round 5 – Renmark, SA – 2nd & 3rd September
Byrne and Baggett team up
Former Australian Motocross, Thumper Nats and Supercross Champion and long-time AMA motocross and supercross factory rider Michael Byrne has been hired by KTM’s newest recruit Blake Baggett to tune him up for the up-coming AMA Supercross series.
Byrne retired several years ago but has been helping his good mate Chad Reed out for many years as well as working with the likes of Mile Alessi along the way.
Baggett has had a couple of mediocre seasons in the over-funded and mismanaged (and now defunct) Yoshimura Suzuki team alongside the ‘World’s Fastest Soil Tester’ in James Stewart.
A fresh start on KTM with ‘The Burner’ in his corner could be a recipe for success for Baggett.
Mike Brown announces retirement
After nearly 30 years as a professional dirt bike racer, 45 year old Mike Brown has announced his retirement from the sport at the final round of the EnduroCross last weekend.
The highly respected American won races in AMA Motocross and Supercross, X-Games, EnduroCross, WORCS and World Motocross Championships and even won the Australian EnduroX series in 2015.
Five Aussies at BAJA and the Mini Os
There were five Aussies doing battle on the international stage recently with the most notable being Daymon Stokie who along with his Ox Motorsports Honda’s teammates won the 49th Baja 1000 off-road desert race held in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico.
Australian enduro rider Daymon Stokie has claimed an extrodinary team victory at the 49th Baja 1000 off-road desert race held in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico.
Covering over 1287 kms of challenging terrain and racing from 16-20 November; the Baja 1000 marks the final round of the SCORE international four-race series which includes; the SCORE Desert Challenge, the SCORE San Felipe and the Baja 500.
Stokie rode to victory with the OX Motorsports/American Honda team, led by American rider and four-time Baja 1000 champion Colton Udall.
The Ox Motorsports team effort includes an ‘A’ and ‘B’ team; with six riders in total, three for each team. The A team bike carries the front plates 1x which refers to the defending champion of the ‘Pro Moto Unlimited Class’ in the SCORE International World Desert Championship.
The Baja 1000 is the teams’ premier and final event for the season. The B team bike has the 3x front plate which represents the third placed team from last year’s series.
Having ridden in Udall’s team at Baja in 2015, Stokie headed up the B team and placed 4th. Stokie returned this year with the goal to take home the win.
Initially set to ride in the ‘B’ team again this year aboard the 3x machine; Udall had a pre-race crash resulting in a broken collarbone a few nights before the big race.
This saw Stokie move up to defend the championship aboard the Honda CRF450X 1x machine and take on the difficult task of filling in for Udall who was slated to ride the night section of the grueling race.]
With little night riding experience [and the added pressure of defending the #1 plate] Stokie soldiered on completing his 5-hour long, 250 mile (402km) section of Baja, Mexico’s harsh and vehicle destroying terrain.
Udall’s championship winning Ox Motorsports team rode the Honda to a time of 18:16:43 and an average speed of 46.75 mph which saw them take the overall win. In the Pro Moto Unlimited Class, they were 1st of all motorcycle classes and won the series overall.
After meeting in 2015 while competing at the Tatts Finke Desert Race; Udall saw Stokie as a worthy addition to his team Ox Motorsports/Honda Squad and made the call to have him venture to the United States to compete.
Stokie is a member of the Desert Edge Motorcycle Team (DERT) here in Australia and has seen his fair share of top-ten finishes at Finke. A step up for Stokie from the Finke circuit; he has become the first ever Australian to ride in a team to victory in the Baja 1000 dessert race. Celebrating the win and his 26th birthday all in the same night, the Baja 1000 has been an extremely sucessful campaign for Stokie and the team.
Despite breaking his collarbone just days before the start of the race, Ox Motorsports Honda’s lead rider Colton Udall managed to get patched up just enough to officially start the race before handling the bike over to his teammates Justin Jones, David Kamo, Mark Samuels and Stokie who went on to win the race by six minutes.
Colton Udall
“I crashed on Tuesday night, had surgery on Wednesday afternoon and I was back down here on Thursday. About three and a half hours after I crashed we were already thinking about what our strategy was going to be for the race. We moved Daymon Stokie up from the 3x bike to the 1x bike and fortunately David Kamo was down here and came out of retirement. He is a three-time SCORE Baja 1000 Champion and we earned those championships together. He raced about 90 miles and it took some of the work away from Mark and we got it done. We moved some things around and our team is solid.”
Meanwhile over at the annual Winter Olympics which is affectionately known as the ‘Mini Os’ held at Gainesville, Florida we saw Cooper Pozniak, Mackenzie Tricker, Brad West and his younger brother Jason take on the best of the American young guns with all four exceeded expectations.
Tricker scored third overall in the Woman’s class behind Hannah Hodges and Kaitlyn Morrow while Pozniak contested ten motos over five 250cc and 450cc classes and managed top ten finishes in all but two.
Brad West was in contention in both of his 85cc classes for top ten overall finishes if it wasn’t for bad luck in each of his second motos.
Jason West took on a massive field of 65cc riders and had the pace to run inside the top 15 but small crashes and mistakes took their toll on the young Queenslander’s results. All up though, a top effort from our Aussie riders!
Here are the winners for all classes at the Thor Winter Olympics.
Supercross Champions
- Justin Cooper – 450 Pro Sport
- Sean Cantrell – 450 A
- Carter Halpain – 450B
- Carter Halpain – 450B Limited
- Antonio Calavano – 450C
- Brandon Yates – 450C Limited
- Sean Cantrell – 250 Pro Sport
- Challen Tennant – 250 A
- Carter Halpain – 250B
- Austin Winslow – 250B Limited
- Antonio Calavano – 250C
- Hunter Schlosser – 250C Limited
- Hardy Munoz – 125 (12-16) B/C
- Carson Mumford – Supermini 1 (12-15)
- Carson Mumford – Supermini 2 (13-16)
- Carson Mumford – Mini Sr. (12-15)
- Nathaniael Thrasher – Mini Sr. (12-15) Limited
- Jalek Swoll – Schoolboy 1 (12-16) B/C
- Jo Shimoda – Schoolboy 2 (13-16) B/C
- Jett Reynolds – 85 (12-13)
- Nathanial Thrasher – 85 (12-13) Limited
- Matt Leblanc – 85 (9-11)
- Matt Leblanc – 85 (9-11) Limited
- Dakota Aldredge – 65 (10-11)
- Kyle Smith – 65 (10-11) Limited
- Haiden Deegan – 65 (7-11)
- Haiden Deegan – 65 (7-9)
- Haiden Deegan – 65 (7-9) Limited
- Seth Dennis – 51 (4-6) Limited
- Kade Johnson – 51 (4-8) Limited
- Luke Fauser – 51 (7-8) Limited
- Matt Burkeen – College (16-24)
- Gregory Pamart – Junior 25 Plus
- Barry Carsten – Vet 35+
- John Grewe – Senior 45+
- Hannah Hodges – Women (14+)
- Katie Benson – Girls (12-16)
- Mikayla Nielsen – Girls (9-11)
Motocross Champions
- Justin Cooper – 450 Pro Sport
- Sean Cantrell – 450 A
- Carter Halpain – 450B
- Kobe Heffner – 450B Limited
- Cole Tompkins – 450C
- Hunter Schlosser – 450C Limited
- Garrett Marchbanks – 250B
- Justin Cooper – 250 Pro Sport
- Sean Cantrell – 250 A
- Austin Winslow – 250B Limited
- Antonio Calavano – 250C
- Shane Donlon – 250C Limited
- Austin Black – 125 (12-16) B/C
- Dilan Schwartz – Supermini 1 (12-15)
- Seth Hammaker – Supermini 2 (13-16)
- Nathaneal Thrasher – 85 (12-13)
- Nathanial Thrasher – 85 (12-13) Limited
- Matt Leblanc – 85 (9-11)
- Matt Leblanc – 85 (9-11) Limited
- Carson Mumford – Mini Sr. (12-15)
- Nathaniael Thrasher – Mini Sr. (12-15) Limited
- Jalek Swoll – Schoolboy 1 (12-16) B/C
- Garrett Marchbanks – Schoolboy 2 (13-16) B/C
- Kyle Smith – 65 (10-11)
- Kyle Smith – 65 (10-11) Limited
- Haiden Deegan – 65 (7-9)
- Haiden Deegan – 65 (7-9) Limited
- Seth Dennis – 51 (4-6) Limited
- Bradyn Johnson – 51 (4-8) Limited
- Drew Adams – 51 (7-8) Limited
- Juan Pablo Luzzardi – College (16-24)
- Ricky Renner – Junior 25 Plus
- Barry Carsten – Vet 35+
- John Grewe – Senior 45+
- Jordan Jarvis – Women (14+)
- Mikayla Nielsen – Girls (9-11)
- Jordan Jarvis – Girls (12-16)
- Adler Caudle – 65 (7-11)
Townley wins New Zealand Supercross Championships
Riding an RMZ450 supplied by the local dealership, Ben Townley has dominated the New Zealand Supercross Championships held at Winton, near Invercargill last weekend.
The supercross event was part of the Burt Munro Challenge weekend and Townley took three wins from three races to take the overall ahead of Cody Cooper and Josh Coppins.
Townley has also taken up a role as Suzuki brand ambassador in NZ.
Ben Townley
“It was a great event. The weather was against the organisers all night, but we got racing started late in the afternoon and the crowd certainly seemed to enjoy it. Winton Motorcycles were amazing. I only arrived on Wednesday. They were so helpful. I’ve only been on a bike five or six times over the past few weeks, so my fitness is not at its best. I’m only going to be riding a few selected events this summer.”
Senior open results
- Ben Townley (Tauranga, Suzuki) – 60 points;
- Cody Cooper (Mount Maunganui, Honda) – 47;
- Josh Coppins (Motueka, Yamaha) – 45;
- Rhys Carter (Mount Maunganui, Kawasaki) – 43.
Coppins wins Burt Munro memorial Beach Race
Despite riding the final half of the race with no back brake Josh Coppins has won the 50 lap Burt Munro memorial Beach Race on a modified YZF450 ahead of Otautau’s Johnny Racz and Paeroa’s multi-talented Mark Whyte.
Coppins also won the inaugural event in 2015.
Josh Coppins
“It was a little smoother for me this time around because I’d had the experience already from last year. It’s all about getting the bike set up correctly. To race for 50 laps at full throttle, apart from two turns, is very hard on the bike. Fuel capacity is an issue and I was carrying 15 litres at the start of the beach race, which is double what we normally carry.”
FMF Winter Indoor Series kicks off
The opening two rounds of the FMF Winter Indoor Series was held at the WNC AG Center in Fletcher, NC last weekend.
The (very) recently retired Mike Brown managed to not only finish in the top five in all of the four main events but the 45 year old Husqvarna rider also won the 250cc main event on Saturday.
The next rounds of the FMF Indoor MX Winter series will be December 9-10 at the Smoky Mountain Expo Arena in White Pine/Morristown, TN.
450 Pro (Friday)
- Kyle Bitterman
- Mike Brown
- Tyler McSwain
- Isaac Teasdale
- Marshall Weltin
450 Pro (Saturday)
- Kyle Bitterman
- Isaac Teasdale
- Robbie Horton
- Keith Tucker
- Mike Brown
250 Pro (Friday)
- Kyle Bitterman
- Tyler McSwain
- Marshall Weltin
- Mike Brown
- Robbie Horton
250 Pro (Saturday)
- Mike Brown
- Marshall Weltin
- Tyler McSwain
- Isaac Teasdale
- Keith Tucker
Germany’s ADAC Supercross continues
American Kyle Cunningham has come away with two second place finishes and the championship lead after the third and fourth rounds of the ADAC Supercross series continued at Chemnitz, Germany last weekend.
Former Australian Supercross Champion Gavin Faith won the opening night but issues during the early part of Saturday night’s main event saw Faith finish a distant 12th.
This effectively handed Cunningham the championship lead but the talking point of Saturday night was American Jace Owen losing control of his KTM at the end of a whoop section resulting in his bike spectacularly taking out a trackside TV camera.
Night 1 SX1 Overall
- Gavin Faith
- Kyle Cunningham
- Charles Lefrancois
- Jace Owen
- Jesse Wentland
Night 2 SX1 Overall
- Nick Schmidt
- Kyle Cunningham
- Chris Blose
- Steven Clarke
- Dominique Thury
Redondi signs with Honda RedMoto
2016 Junior World Champion and rider of a near-perfect season (15 wins out of 16), Giacomo Redondi found himself without a deal at the end of the season, until Honda RedMoto offered him a new contract just before the final round in Cahors.
The rider from Bergamo confessed, just after winning the title in Fabriano, Italy in early July that he did not know what he would do in 2017.
But the wait is finally over, and “Red” has renewed his contract with Honda and the RedMoto team run by Carlo Curci. The 2016 Junior World Champion will go straight to the EnduroGP class on the new CRF450.
Giacomo Redondi
“I put my signature down on the Monday just before I flew to Cahors. I feel good, especially on the back of my best season in the World Championship. It was a natural decision for me to stay in the Honda RedMoto team. With my manager Carlo Curci, we decided to go directly to EnduroGP. I’m really happy with the 450 this season and so I have no reason to change!”
Davide Guarneri will also remain with Honda RedMoto. After a difficult start to 2016, the former MXGP rider made good progress in the second half of the season and managed to reach the Top 15 in EnduroGP. Final confirmation of the Junior rider Davide Soreca has also been made, renewing for another year.
Mike Brown arrives in SuperEnduro
So far this pre-season, the only American participant announced for the SuperEnduro was reigning World Champion Colton Haaker (USA – Husqvarna).
SuperEnduro has now revealed another rider from the USA joining in 2017, the very well-known and successful Mike Brown (Husqvarna), who just announced his participation in all four GPs!
“It’s an idea that’s been running around in my head for a while. After watching all my compatriots participating in previous years, I thought this year, it’s up to me! In addition, I think that the European tracks could suit my style of riding.”
The experienced 44-year-old Brown is well known in off-road racing circles. He tasted success in MX with two third places in the World 125cc class (1999, 2000), and became MX Champion in the USA in 2001.
For his first season in SuperEnduro, “Brownie” will receive bikes and support from legendary Team Manager Franco Mayr and his Jolly Enduro Team (JET). He will line up on the starting grid with a Husqvarna 350 four-stroke and will team up with young Italian hopeful Matteo Bresolin, also on a Husqvarna FE 350.
