Moto News Wrap for December 13, 2016 by Darren Smart
Proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax
This Week’s News Overview
- Record Breaking January 2017 Awaits Dirt Bike Fans
- GP Winner to MX Nationals?
- Australian Speedway Championship Up For Grabs
- Tear-Off Ban by MA
- Mosig and Todd to DPH Motorsport
- Dyce and Pozniak Head Yamalube Yamaha Race Team
- Jake Moss Suspended
- Reed to Fox Racing
- Denmark Allow 2-Strokes into MX2
- British 2-Stroke ‘All-Powers’ MX Championship
- Savaste On the Mend
- Kiwi Confirmed in Four Rider Factory TM EMX Team
This Week’s Racing Overview
- 2016/17 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship – Round 1 – Krakow, Poland
- North Brisbane Cup – Nudgee, Brisbane
- Victory Sports Indoor Series – Round 3 & 4 – White Pine, Tennessee
Record Breaking January 2017 Awaits Dirt Bike Fans
OK, December is ‘down-time’ for us race fans but January 2017 has record breaking action across all disciplines of off-road motorsports ranging from Speedway to Desert Racing and everything in between and Smarty’s Moto News Wrap will be all over the latest news and report from each and every event – check this out!
- January 2 -14: 2017 Dakar Rallye – Paraguay, Bolivia, Argentine
- January 4: Rd 1 – Australian Speedway Senior Solo Championship – Gillman Speedway
- January 7: Rd 1 – AMA Supercross – Angel Stadium | Anaheim, California
- January 7-8: Rd 1 – AMSOIL Arenacross Championship – Cincinnati, OH
- January 7: Rd 1 – UK Arenacross Tour – Manchester Arena, Manchester
- January 7: Rd 2 – FIM SuperEnduro World Championship – Germany (Riesa)
- January 7: Rd 2 – Australian Speedway Senior Solo Championship – Olympic Park Speedway
- January 11: Rd 3 – January Australian Speedway Senior Solo Championship – Undera Speedway
- January 13-14: Rd 2 – AMSOIL Arenacross Championship – Grand Rapids, MI
- January 14: Rd 2 – AMA Supercross – Petco Park | San Diego, California
- January 14 Rd 2 – UK Arenacross Tour – The SSE Hydro Arena, Glasgow
- January 14: Rd 4 – Australian Speedway Senior Solo Championship – Loxford Park Speedway
- January 20-21: Rd 3 – AMSOIL Arenacross Championship – Baltimore, MD
- January 21: Rd 3 – AMA Supercross – Angel Stadium | Anaheim, California
- January 21: Rd 3 – UK Arenacross Tour – The Genting Arena, Birmingham
- January 21, 22: Redsand’s International Motocross, Spain
- January 21: Troy Bayliss Classic – Taree, NSW
- January 28-29: Rd 4 – AMSOIL Arenacross Championship – Nashville, TN.
- January 28: Rd 4 – AMA Supercross – University of Phoenix Stadium | Glendale, Arizona
- January 27: Rd 4 – UK Arenacross Tour – The SSE Arena, Belfast
- January 28: Rd 5 – UK Arenacross Tour – The SSE Arena, Belfast
- January 29: Rd 1 – Italian MX Championships, Riola Sardo, Italy
GP Winner to MX Nationals?
Former MX2 GP winner Aleksandr Tonkov could well be set to sign with Kawasaki Racing Team NPE to race the Motul MX Nationals Series in 2017.
Tonkov has been denied access to Europe because of passport problems which is forcing him to seek alternative options for the 2017 season and the Russian would also be an ideal candidate vying for a national motocross title against former Grand Prix regulars Dean Ferris and Todd Waters.
The 23 year old Tonkov was supposed to make his debut in the MXGP class with the Wilvo Yamaha team next year but the team also already signed with Shaun Simpson and Arnaud Tonus.
2017 Australian Speedway Championship Up For Grabs
The Australian Speedway Senior Solo Championship is about to kick in to gear once again and 2017 looks to be one of the strongest fields that the Championship has seen in years!
Next year could quite possibly re-write the history books with a pool of riders who could claim the title at any round and make or break someone’s hope of becoming the next Australian Speedway Senior Solo Champion.
Names like recently crowned Under 21 World Speedway Champion Max Fricke, FIM SGP competitor Sam Masters, FIM SGP Wild Card Brady Kurtz, FIM SGP reserve Jack Holder, and the top talent from across Australia will make up the Championship. 2x FIM 250cc Speedway World Champion Matt “Happy” Gilmore has made the reserve list as he bumps up to the Senior Solo Championship.
2017 Australian Speedway Senior Solo Championship Calendar:
- Round 1: 4th January – Gillman Speedway
- Round 2: 7th January – Olympic Park Speedway
- Round 3: 11th January – Undera Speedway
- Round 4: 14th January – Loxford Park Speedway
The Australian Speedway Senior Solo Championship competitor list is as follows: Brady Kurtz – Samuel Masters – Max Fricke – Rohan Tungate – Todd Kurtz – Jordan Stewart – Troy Batchelor – Nick Morris – Justin Sedgmen – Jack Holder – Mason Campton – David Watt – Ty Proctor – Jaimon Lidsey – Cooper Riordan – Joshua Pickering.
- James Davies – Reserve 1
- Matthew Gilmore – Reserve 2
- Dakota Ballantyne – Reserve 3
- Alan McDonald – Reserve 4
Tear-Off Ban by MA
Motorcycling Australia have announced that as of the 1st of January, 2017, goggle and/or Visor tear-offs will be banned from competition as outlined in Appendix A, rule 7.2 of the 2017 MoMS.
Kevin Williams – MX Nationals promoter
“We need to be proactive about the environment and tear-off’s are becoming an issue globally. We’ve all known for a couple of years now that days were numbered for tear-off’s. Aside from tear-off’s being banned in Enduro and Cross-Country competition for the past few years, there are some venues in Australia where you simply cannot run tear-off’s, which has been the case for years. All the major (goggle) companies have a roll-off system and generally offer systems that can be easily retro fitted to existing goggles in addition to providing ripcord and electric versions. So, no one can say that they can’t get a roll off system easily in Australia. Coupled with that, the price comparison between tear-off’s and roll-off’s means that usually, roll-off films are far cheaper than tear-off’s. The average competition rider runs a stack of twenty tear-off’s per race. Now multiply that by one hundred and twenty riders over several races a day. That can be up to 5000 plastic tear-offs (on a very muddy day) at one MX Nationals meet!”
Mosig and Todd to DPH Motorsport
Kade Mosig and Wilson Todd will spearhead the DPH Motorsport race team in the MX1 and MX2 classes respectively throughout the 2017 Australian MX Nationals and Australian Supercross Championships
Todd rode for Serco Yamaha this season while Mosig was part of the Monster Energy Kawasaki team so 2017 will see both riders taking advantage of DPH Motorsports’ comprehensive race program that has seen success in the past with Hayden Mellross and Lawson Bopping.
Dyce and Pozniak Head Yamalube Yamaha Race Team
The 2017 Yamalube Yamaha Racing line-up for 2017 will include long time Yamaha Junior Racer, Cody Dyce and top 2016 privateer Cooper Pozniak to contest the MXD (U19) at the MX Nationals before stepping up to the SX2 division for the Australian Supercross Championship later in the year.
With both 2016 riders moving out of the MXD category for the new season, the team went in search of young, talented riders with Dyce and Pozniak fitting the bill perfectly.
Cody Dyce
“I’m really excited and motivated for the coming season. I have finished with junior racing and I’m happy with what I have been able to achieve but now things get serious and all my past results mean nothing. Yamaha have been amazing to deal with and represent over the past five years and to join the Yamalube Yamaha team for my first year in senior racing is awesome. I have worked with the guys before and they have assisted me in juniors so it’s a good step to take and one that I’m really comfortable with.”
Cooper Pozniak
“It’s the goal of every rider to be on a factory supported team so to get the opportunity to ride for this team is pretty awesome. I see how the team works and present themselves and it’s a real honour to represent them in 2017. I haven’t spent much time on the YZ250F but its resent history in winning championships is impressive. It has dominated the MX2 and MXD classes for the past two seasons and I’m loving the bike already after just a couple of quick rides.”
Jake Moss Banned
It has been the best part of a week since we heard the news that Jake Moss has been banned for four years by Motorcycling Australia (MA) as a result of a positive drug test administered on May 22 in Murray Bridge, South Australia.
This is disappointing on so many levels it is hard to comprehend. Jake and his brother Matt have racked up a heap of championship wins while being a controversial part of our scene for two decades with more than their fair share of on-track and off-track incidents, they were good for our sport.
They had long and successful careers as racers and I was expecting them to have successful coaching careers alongside their dad Greg at the Moss Institute Training Facility near Nerriga in NSW and for Jake that won’t be an option for at least four years while Matt’s future is still up in the air.
There have been no updates in regards to Matt Moss, who has also been provisionally suspended from competition due to a potential anti-doping rule violation.
Reed to Fox Racing
Following six years with Shift, Chad Reed will join the likes of Ryan Dungey, Stefan Everts, Austin Faulkner, Ken Roczen, Joey Savatgy and Adam Cianciarulo to wear Fox Racing gear for next season.
Chad Reed
“Does it get any better than this? It instantly reminds me of when I was young – dreaming to be a FOX rider and wear the best gear. My idols wore it and I was determined to be part of it. Now to see my kids wearing it and having my whole family supporting me. It’s actually hard to putt the words together to describe the feeling. Dream big kids!!! I’m proud to be a FOX guy!”
Denmark Allow 2-Strokes into MX2
From 2017 the Danish Motorsport Federation has decided to follow Australia’s lead and let 250cc 4-stroke and 250cc 2-stroke compete on equal terms in the MX2 class. A change that will be effected in all classes from rookie to elite.
British 2-Stroke ‘All-Powers’ MX Championship
The ACU have announced that the 2017 Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship will have a Two Stroke support class at four rounds which is open to all adult riders on any capacity 2 stroke machine from 125 upwards and will carry the full British Championship tag.
ACU Events, the Series Promoter have specifically targeted four high profile venues for the races which will follow the MXY2 procedure of 18 minutes plus 1 lap moto’s after a full length qualifying session at each round.
A spokesman for ACU Events commented “The idea of including a 2 Stroke class was muted back in the middle of the 2016 season but as the Series Promoter we had to make sure that it will work. Having had support pledged from various individuals in the motocross industry we are now at a point to go ahead and I am sure there will be some very close racing with some high profile names taking part”.
British 2-Stroke MX Championship Dates and Venues:
- Round 1: 12 March – Culham
- Round 2: 9 April – Lyng
- Round 3: 18 June – Desert Martin, Ireland
- Round 4: 30 July – Preston Docks
Savaste On the Mend
Kim Savaste was involved in a serious vertebrae injury at the Motocross Des Nations as he was representing the event for team Finland. It has been thought that he would miss most of this season but the good news is that Kim’s injury has been healing up well and he has already started to train back in the gym and cycling.
Savaste now expects to be back on the bike in March which is much sooner than first expected! Its brilliant news for BUD Kawasaki and Kim as it will be his rookie year in the EMX250 championship. Instead of missing the entire season it now looks like he will only miss a few rounds!
Kiwi Confirmed in Four Rider Factory TM EMX Team
TM have confirmed that Kiwi speedster Whyat Chase will contest the EMX250 Championship in 2017 along with three other riders contesting the 125cc, 250cc and 300cc EMX Championships. The rider line-up looks like this:
- European 125: Kritzian Tompa – Romania
- European 250: J P Riondet – France
- European 250: Wyatt Chase – New Zealand
- European 300: Mathias Plessers – Belgium
All riders will participate in all races of the European Championship and the German ADAC series.
Smarty’s Race Reports
2016/17 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship – Round 1 – Krakow, Poland
In his final ride as a professional racer, home town hero Taddy Blazusiak has beaten defending champ Colton Haaker to win the opening round of the 2016/17 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship held in Krakow, Poland last weekend.
The battle in the final was between five of the world’s best SuperEnduro riders including the soon to be retired Mike Brown, Haaker, Alfredo Gomez, Jonny Walker and of course Blazusiak but with 13000 Polish fans following his every move Taddy rode to the occasion to win his final race ahead of Haaker while Gomez managed to hold off Walker and Brown to nail down third place.
Taddy Blazusiak
“No words can describe how happy I am, it’s crazy how things have panned out for me these past few months. I worked really hard to get back after my injury in EnduroCross and then decided to skip the last round to get my thumb good again. It paid off and I was able to push 100% in Poland. It’s such an amazing feeling racing in front of my home fans so I gave it all I had on the track. I was hitting my lines and it’s amazing to get two race victories and the overall. I worked a lot during the past few months to be competitive but the way it all happened in Poland is just insane. To win the first two motos and cruise to second in the last one was just incredible. I couldn’t really ask for more. It was one hell of a ride and I couldn’t have asked for a better way to end my career.”
Colton Haaker
“It was a solid night for me. My riding was good and I felt I was the fastest guy throughout the night. I believe I showed the overall victory was well within my reach. In the first race I trailed Taddy for three laps before deciding to make my move for the lead. It just happened that I made my pass under yellow flags, so I ended up getting a 10-second penalty to finish second. In the second final the reverse start kind of got me. I came from way back to finish third. Then in the last race Taddy got me in the start so I followed him for a couple of laps before making my move for the lead. After that I kept checking out and despite a small fall I managed to get the win. The track in Poland was one of the hardest we’ve ever raced. For me it’s super important that I started the series on the right foot and I’m looking forward to the next round in Germany.”
Alfredo Gomez
“I’m just so happy to get a spot on the overall podium. I believe the key was being super consistent throughout the night. I may not be the fastest guy out there but consistency is so important in SuperEnduro. Two weeks ago I had no intentions of racing the series. I came to Poland with no expectations, straight after my trip to South America for the Roof of Africa. Racing without pressure worked well for me this time and I had loads of fun in Poland.”
Jonny Walker
“It’s great to be back racing in the series again, but things just didn’t quite go how I hoped they would. After such a good championship last year, to end up getting hurt and not being able to fight for the title was tough. So it’s just great to be back racing. But, to be honest, I struggled with the track tonight and couldn’t find a good rhythm. I made a few costly mistakes while passing backmarkers. I know I should’ve been third but it is what it is. There were positives, like my speed, so I’m taking the good things out of my night of racing in Poland. We have a bit less than a month to the next round in Germany, so the plan is to continue working hard for that. As much as I wanted to be winning, it’s cool that Taddy got to top the podium at his very last race. We’ve been teammates for five years and I’ve learned so much from him. Taddy is a legend of our sport so it’s a fitting end to his career that he’s going out on top.”
The 2016/17 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship resumes on January 7th in Riesa, Germany.
Results/Standings SuperEnduro Krakow 2017 after 1 of 4 rounds
- Taddy Blazusiak (POL), KTM, 58 points (1-1-2)
- Colton Haaker (USA), Husqvarna, 54 (2-3-1)
- Alfredo Gomez (ESP), KTM, 45 (4-2-3)
- Jonny Walker (GBR), KTM, 44 (3-4-4)
- Mike Brown (USA), Husqvarna, 31 (6-5-5)
Championship Standings:
- Tadeusz Blazusiak – 58 Points
- Colton Haaker – 54 Points
- Alfredo Gomez – 45 Points
- Jonathan Walker – 44 Points
- Mike Brown – 31 Points
North Brisbane Cup – Nudgee, Brisbane
Townsville teenager Kayden Downing has locked in his name in Dirt Track folklore with an unexpected yet sensational win at the annual North Brisbane Cup coming home ahead of Jarred Brook, Lachlan Stanford and a gaggle of the most talented dirt trackers in Australia.
Downing pulled the holeshot in the 20 lap main event and shot off into the distance while Brook and Stanford whittled their way into the podium positions after less than par starts.
Earlier in the day Downing also won the 4-Lap 450 Pro-Class final while in the other support classes our International Supermoto star Andrew McLeish won the Supermoto Class, Jarred Brook the 250cc Pro-Class, Max Whale the Junior 200cc to 250cc 4/ 13 – U16 years class, John Lytras the 85cc Standard Wheel 9 – U13 years class, Briony Hendrickson the Woman’s Class, Billy Van Eerde the Junior Lites, Bailey Spencer the Junior 100cc 2/ to 150cc 2/ – Junior 100-150 cc, Ross Rizzo the ATV Class, Hunter Penhallurick the 85cc 2/ & 150cc 4/ – SW / BW Challenge and Brayden Bradford the 65cc 7 – U10 years class.
Lachlan Stanford
“It was great fun, real tight racing. I finally got a heat win, which was awesome! I was getting so annoyed because I knew I had the speed to win, I just couldn’t get off my start. In the 20-lapper I had an average start and was working through when Kirkness fell and I hit his back wheel and went over the bars. I hit hard and the race got red flagged. I had bent bars and levers and lots of gravel rash so I was heading to the pits, when I thought I might just go to the gate and see how I felt. I got there and I fired up so I decided I would just ride. I had another average start and was sitting in fourth or fifth behind Jake, and then I got to third, which was pretty cool. It’s a bit of an adrenaline rush, leaning on each other and stuff. It’s good fun. The riders are good, I got to know Andy McLeish the Husky Supermotard rider, and he is a really cool guy. Husky had a heap of riders there so it was cool to hang out with Kaleb and the two speedway guys as well.”
Kayden Downing
“Unreal. It hasn’t even really sunk in yet, what I’ve done. Jarred is definitely the most respected one in the flat track discipline, so to beat a guy like that is unreal. In the two finals of the classes I scored the holeshot both times and sort of walked away, and then in the 20 lap main event, I got out to the holeshot and was having a really good race and pulled a little bit of a lead on Jarred, but then he reeled me back in, but with two or three laps to go, something happened, maybe he dropped it or something like that, and I finished eight seconds in front of him. I loved the event and how it was run; the track was awesome, the day/night format, overall it was a really great night.”
Jarrod Brook
“It was a good day for me. The track was pretty tough and challenging, but everyone rode the same one. My weekend started out really good, I was undefeated going into the second round, and I knew I had the pace, and where I could make passes. In the Cup qualifier I had the quickest lap time by nearly a second, so that qualified me first but then in the 20-lap main, I was in second to Kayden, and he sort of pulled away to half the straight lead. I was making a few too many mistakes so I changed my lines a little bit and started catching back up, but I just couldn’t quite get it done, so I finished up second. It’s always good fun doing the North Brisbane Cup with the jump thrown in, it’s something that we’re not used to and it changes the track layout a bit. It’s good to have the other guys there from the different sports, they can show us what they can do and we can show them a few tips, so it’s good.”
North Brisbane Cup – 20 Lap Final – Top 10:
- Kayden DOWNING
- Jarred BROOK
- Lachlan STANFORD
- Jake Allen
- Kye THOMSON
- Billy HARTH
- Kaleb BARHAM
- Robbie MENZIES
- Jamie ALEXANDER
- Tom HARTH
Victory Sports Indoor Series – Round 3 & 4 – White Pine, Tennessee
The Victory Sports Indoor Series continued last weekend in Tennessee and it was a mixed bag of results across the four main event finals but in the 450 class it was Tyler McSwain who managed to win both nights of racing to close within two points of championship leader Kyle Bitterman while Robbie Horton and Bitterman swapped main event wins in the 250 class with Bitterman now holding a slim four point lead over McSwain.
450 Pro – Round 3 Final:
- Tyler McSwain
- Kyle Bitterman
- Robbie Horton
- Isaac Teasdale
- 5Cody Gragg
- Kyle Dillin
- Taco Short
- Austin Root
- William Wilson
- Marshall Weltin
450 Pro – Round 4 Final:
- Tyler McSwain
- Marshall Weltin
- Robbie Horton
- Isaac Teasdale
- Cody Gragg
- Steven Mages
- Tyler Chavis
- Kyle Bitterman
- Kyle Dillon
- Jesse Kuzbyt
450 Pro Championship Standings
- Kyle Bitterman – 85 Points
- Tyler McSwain – 83 Points
- Isaac Teasdale – 76 Points
- Robbie Horton – 73 Points
- Marshall Weltin – 63 Points
- Cody Gragg – 61 Points
- Kyle Dillin – 46 Points
- Mike Brown – 38 Points
- Taco Short – 34 Points
- Keith Tucker – 33 Points
250 Pro – Round 3 Final:
- Robbie Horton
- Kyle Bitterman
- Tyler McSwain
- Cody Gragg
- Austin Root
- Isaac Teasdale
- Kyle Dillin
- Taco Short
- William Wilson
- Marshall Weltin
250 Pro – Round 4 Final:
- Kyle Bitterman
- Robbie Horton
- Tyler McSwain
- Isaac Teasdale
- Cody Gragg
- Marshall Weltin
- Kyle Dillin
- Tyler Chavis
- Steven Mages
- Taco Short
250 Pro Championship Standings
- Kyle Bitterman – 86 Points
- Tyler McSwain – 82 Points
- Robbie Horton – 78 Points
- Marshall Weltin – 68 Points
- Isaac Teasdale – 66 Points
- Kyle Dillin – 50 Points
- Cody Gragg – 46 Points
- Taco Short – 44 Points
- Mike Brown – 43 Points
- Keith Tucker – 30 Points
