Weekly Moto News Wrap for April 21, 2015 by Darren Smart
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Australasian News
Josh Green and Toby Price shared the wins at rounds three and four of the Australian Off-Road Championships held at Hedley last weekend. See full report and results below.
Maffra hosted round two of the Shell Advance Gippsland Motocross Series and Jack Simpson got the win ahead of Geran Stapleton in the MX2 class while Matt Van Slooten took out the MX1 class ahead of Brad Matheson.
Up in Queensland the second round of the Sunshine State Motocross Championship was held in Leyburn and it was Nathan Crawford who took out the MX2 class ahead of Bailey Coxon and Joel Evans while in the MX1 class it was Dan Reardon who took the top spot ahead of Evans and Jesse O’farrell.
American News
Chad Reed was sitting in second place during the early running of the main event at the St Clara round of the AMA Supercross Championships, but with the erratic Justin Barcia out front, Chad was pushing to get by when he cased a triple and crashed back to 21st place, but true to form Chad bounced back to finish a credible eighth place.
Jackson Richardson dodged carnage in the first corner of the 250SX main event then put his down over the next 15 laps to finish a sensational 6th place. See full report and results below.
Holy S*&T!! In the lead up to the St Clara round of the AMA Supercross Championships, Monster Energy Kawasaki terminated its agreement with Davi Millsaps effective immediately leaving a huge trail of rumours and innuendos regarding the situation.
Here is what Davi had to say (or not) of the situation. “Although my results have not been what I had hoped for up to this point, I have continued to give my best effort and have fulfilled all of my contractual obligations. I am aware that there is much speculation regarding my termination. While I am not at liberty to discuss details, I can say without equivocation that I have not violated any AMA or FIM rule or regulation. At this point I am evaluating my options, both professional and legal. I apologize to my fans, sponsors and fellow competitors for the confusion this has caused. I want to especially thank Monster Energy for continuing to stand behind me. I look forward to resolving this and getting back to racing. See you soon.”
This news is boring in comparison but we won’t be seeing Ken Roczen until the opening round of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross at Hangtown. The former AMA Supercross Series point’s leader and reigning 450 Motocross Champion announced last week that he’s going to skip the rest of the Monster Energy Supercross series.
Euro News
Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Nathan Watson has undergone surgery to repair a fractured bone in his left wrist sustained during the first free practise session at the ADAC MX Masters Series in Furstlich Drehna, Germany a couple of weeks ago. Watson will miss several GPs thanks to the injury.
Todd Waters didn’t get the results he was after at round 4 of the World Motocross Championships held in Italy last weekend. The Queenslander was outside the top 20 coming out of the first corner in the opening moto and on a fast track that was difficult to pass on he charged up to finish in 15th place.
Todd started the second moto in sixth place battling with the likes of Febvre, Paulin and Bobryshev but a couple of mistake late in the moto saw him drop back to 11th by moto end. “It was a hard track to grasp. The conditions were very unforgiving and difficult to judge. In race two I got a great start – something we’ve worked hard to improve on – and it really helped. Even though I slipped back to 11th it was good to race in sixth for a few laps. I’d like to give a big thanks to my team, Antti and my mechanics Ryan and Antonio for all the hard work they’ve been putting in.”
Like Waters, Dean Ferris struggled in Italy. Ferris was just inside the top 30 coming out of the first corner in moto one yet scrambled his way into 18th by moto end and in the second moto he got an even worse start (dead last) and worked his way up to 17th place. : “A crash just after the start in both races really destroyed my chances of a better weekend. The track wasn’t my favorite surface – it was really hard to judge but I was riding well on it. We’ve been testing hard since Argentina and it has showed in my riding. Despite not getting the results I want, I managed to pass a lot of riders in both races to get back to 18th and 17th each time.”
Ryan Villopoto spectacularly flipped his factory KX450 while battling side-by-side with Clement Desalle and was unable to complete the race. At the time of writing RV has no broken bones but is going in for an MRI scan this week – he did appear to be holding his arm after the crash. See full report and results below.
Race Reports and Results from last Weekend
- – AMA Supercross Championships – Round 15 – Santa Clara, CA
- – Amsoil Arenacross Series – Round 13 – Tacoma, WA
- – WORCS – Round 5 – Hurricane, UT
- – Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship – Rounds 3 & 4 – April 18-19, Hedley, VIC
- – World Motocross Championships – Round 4 – Arco di Trento, Italy
- – Kenda AMA National Enduro Series – Round 4 – Westpoint, TN
- – World Enduro Championships – Round 1 – Chile
- – World Speedway Championships – Round 1 – Warsaw, Poland
AMA Supercross Championships – Round 15
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450SX Report: Yamaha’s Justin Barcia, who is in his second race back from injury took the holeshot in the 450SX Class with Chad Reed following in second. While battling for the lead on Lap 2, Reed crashed and dropped to last place.
Dungey, who clinched his second 450SX Class Championship last weekend in Houston, moved into second place and Autotrader.com/Toyota/Yamaha’s Weston Peick moved into third place on Lap 1. Dungey passed Barcia for the lead on Lap 3 and started to pull away. The following Lap, Peick moved into second place, and on Lap 6, GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac moved into third place.
Tomac made one final move for second place on Lap 10 to pick up his ninth podium finish of the season. Peick held on for third place, which was the first best finish of his career.
Coming into tonight’s race, Dungey was tied with Jeff Ward for eight place on the all-time 450SX Class win list, and he is now in sole possession of that position.
“Today was rough; it took a few practices to finally get the bike dialed in,” said Dungey. “The Heat Race win gave me a good spot on the gate for the Main Event, which was a big help in getting the start I did.”
Tomac recovered from a poor start and had this to say to RacerX. “I was almost dead last going down the straightaway, and then made a good little dive through a hole there in the first corner. I actually made the best of it for what it was because it could have been really bad. I was actually pretty pumped on where I came out.”
“It’s been a rough season for me, many ups and downs,” said Peick. “To be able to put the bike on the podium for the team is awesome. I am stoked.”
450SX Class Results, Santa Clara
- Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM
- Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda
- Weston Peick, Menifee, Calif., Yamaha
- Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna
- Cole Seely, Laguna Beach, Calif., Honda
- Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Suzuki
- Justin Brayton, Murrieta, Calif., KTM
- Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Kawasaki
- Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, KTM
- Nick Wey, Dewitt, Mich., Kawasaki
450SX Class Season Standings
- Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM, 343
- Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda, 258
- Cole Seely, Laguna Beach, Calif., Honda, 239
- Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Kawasaki, 212
- Trey Canard, Edmond, Okla., Honda, 204
- Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Suzuki, 190
- Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna, 188
- Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki, 168
- Ken Roczen, Clermont, Fla., Suzuki, 164
- Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, KTM, 156
250SX Report
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Kawasaki’s Josh Hansen started the Western Regional 250SX Class Main Event with the SupercrossLive.com Holeshot Award, and behind him a massive pile-up in turn one collected several riders, including Red Bull KTM’s Justin Hill and Webb. Webb’s teammates Jeremy Martin and Aaron Plessinger followed in second and third respectively.
On Lap 1, Plessinger passed Martin for second place, and on Lap 3, he passed Hansen for the lead. By Lap 4, Webb had moved into fourth place after starting in ninth. While leading, Plessinger crashed on Lap 6 and dropped to fourth place, giving the lead back to Hansen. On the same lap, and Webb moved into second place.
On Lap 8, following an intense battle between Hansen and Webb, Webb took over the lead and rode to his sixth win of the season and fourth consecutive. Hansen was forced to withdraw from the race due to mechanical issues.
Plessinger was holding down the number three position when he once again crashed on Lap 9. Plessinger’s crash allowed Hill to move into second place, where he would finish, marking Hill’s second podium of the season. Martin finished third, marking his fifth podium finish of the season.
“It was definitely a wild and hectic main event. I just tried to get up as fast as I could and charge,” said Webb. It was basically a race to get your bike up the fastest and it worked out. I had fun racing with Hansen.”
Western Regional 250SX Class Results, Santa Clara
- Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., Yamaha
- Justin Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., KTM
- Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha
- Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Honda
- Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., KTM
- Jackson Richardson, Wildomar, Calif., Honda
- Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha
- Matt Bisceglia, Weatherford, Texas, Honda
- Tommy Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda
- Scott Champion, Wildomar, Calif., Yamaha
Western Regional 250SX Class Season Standings
- Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., Yamaha, 186
- Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., KTM, 124
- Zach Osborne, Chesterfield, S.C., Husqvarna, 117
- Justin Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., KTM, 116
- Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha, 113
- Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha, 111
- Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Honda, 107
- Jessy Nelson, Paso Robles, Calif., KTM, 106
- Tyler Bowers, Corona, Calif., Kawasaki, 105
- Josh Hansen, Elbert, Colo., Kawasaki, 91
Amsoil Arenacross Series – Round 13 – Moto News
The fourth round of the playoff-inspired Race to the Championship featured a dominant outing by Kawasaki’s Jacob Hayes, who claimed his fourth overall win of the 2015 season and his first of the Race to the Championship with a 1-1 sweep of the Arenacross Class Main Events.
Hayes made his presence felt early by grabbing the holeshot in the first Arenacross Class Main Event, with his Team Babbitt’s teammates Chris Blose and Matt Goerke in tow. While Hayes opened a slight gap over his fellow Kawasaki riders, Goerke slipped past Blose into second on Lap 1. From there, the top three settled into a rhythm out front.
Kyle Regal, the Race to the Championship points leader, had to overcome an eighth-place start and fought to work his way forward, moving into sixth on Lap 6. Just a couple laps later Blose went off the track and crashed while navigating the track’s wall obstacle, dropping to ninth. Hayes went on to take the win ahead of Goerke and KTM’s Gared Steinke. Babbitt’s Online Suzuki’s Cory Green finished fourth, while Regal fought his way into fifth. Blose’s misfortune left him with a 10th-place finish.
Hayes’ victory provided him with the privilege of selecting the inversion for the second Main Event. With the help of the Tacoma Dome crowd, Hayes selected the case with eight, meaning half the field would be inverted.
Despite the eighth gate pick, Hayes was still able to put himself out front in the second Main Event, once again taking the holeshot ahead of Mages and ThermoTec/FMC Racing Yamaha’s Bobby Kiniry. Goerke was able to slot into fourth, with Regal fifth. It didn’t take long for Hayes to once again seize control of the race, leaving the battle to ensue behind him.
Goerke was the rider on the move in the early laps, passing Kiniry for third on Lap 3 and pressuring Mages for second for a handful of laps before taking the spot on Lap 8. That same lap Kiniry pulled off the track with an apparent issue and was unable to continue.
That allowed Regal to move into fourth and his Husqvarna teammate Gavin Faith into fifth. Regal took advantage of the opportunity to break into podium contention by passing Mages for third on Lap 11. On the ensuing lap, Mages lost a couple more positions and dropped out of the top five. Hayes took the checkered flag just over three seconds ahead of Goerke, with Regal third, KTM’s Travis Sewell in fourth, and Faith fifth.
Hayes was the clear winner when the overall standings were tallied, while Goerke’s pair of runner-up finishes gave Team Babbitt’s a 1-2 sweep. Regal’s podium result in the second Main Event moved him into third overall (5-3), earning the tiebreaker for the position over Sewell (6-4), who earned an additional championship bonus point for winning theHead 2 Head Challenge earlier in the evening. Green rounded out the top five (4-6).
Regal, who entered the night with a six point lead, extended his advantage in the Race to the Championship to eight points over Hayes, who moved from fourth to second. Goerke moved from fifth to third (-11) while Blose, who finished ninth overall, fell from second to fourth (-15). Faith sits in a tie with Blose in fifth (-15).
Lites Class Report: In the Western Regional Arenacross Lites Class, KTM’s Steven Mages posted a sweep of both races in the Pacific Northwest, racing to his fourth Main Event win of the season.
The Western Regional Arenacross Lites Class Main Event saw KTM’s Dave Ginolfi take the early lead over Mages and Art of Smiles/Kropp Construction KTM’s Josh Struebig. While a battle for the lead was starting to take shape, Mark Worth moved into third on Lap 3.
Ginolfi and Mages then began to battle for the lead, with Mages gaining the upper hand on Lap 5. Once out front, Mages maintained control of the position while Worth eventually made his way around Ginolfi for second on Lap 10. Mages crossed the line ahead of Worth, while Ginolfi rounded out the podium in third.
Arenacross Class Results – Overall (Main Event Finishes)
- Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Kawasaki (1-1)
- Matt Goerke, Temecula, Calif., Kawasaki (2-2)
- Kyle Regal, Grand Prairie, Texas, Husqvarna (5-3)
- Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM (6-4)
- Cory Green, Nowata, Okla., Suzuki (4-6)
- Gavin Faith, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Husqvarna (7-5)
- Gared Steinke, Temecula, Calif., KTM (3-9)
- Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, KTM (8-7)
- Chris Blose, Phoenix, Ariz., Kawasaki (10-8)
- Dave Ginolfi, Boston, N.J., KTM (11-10)
Race to the Championship Standings (Race 4 of 6)
- Kyle Regal, Grand Prairie, Texas, Husqvarna – 117 Pts
- Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Kawasaki – 109 Pts
- Matt Goerke, Temecula, Calif., Kawasaki – 106 Pts
- Chris Blose, Phoenix, Ariz., Kawasaki – 102 Pts
- Gavin Faith, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Husqvarna – 102 Pts
- Cory Green, Nowata, Okla., Suzuki – 97 Pts
- Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM – 92 Pts
- Gared Steinke, Temecula, Calif., KTM – 86 Pts
- Bobby Kiniry, Holland Patent, N.Y., Yamaha – 83 Pts
- Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, KTM – 72 Pts
Western Regional Arenacross Lites Class Results
- Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, KTM
- Mark Worth, Queen Creek, Ariz., Kawasaki
- Dave Ginolfi, Boston, N.J., KTM
- Daniel Blair, Lodi, Calif., KTM
- Gregory Crater, Renton, Wash., Honda
- Collin Jurin, Monroe, Wash., Kawasaki
- RJ Wageman, Newhall, Calif., Yamaha
- Mason Wharton, Brush Prairie, Wash., Kawasaki
- Jake Locks, Dixon, Calif., KTM
- Mitch Keezer, Arlington, Wash., Yamaha
Western Regional Arenacross Lites Class Points (After Race 8 of 10)
- Daniel Blair, Lodi, Calif., KTM – 112 Pts
- Jake Locks, Dixon, Calif., KTM – 56 Pts
- Cody VanBuskirk, Harvard, Ill., KTM – 51 Pts
- Brandon Glenn, Mesquite, Texas, KTM – 48 Pts
- Jason McConnell, Canonsburg, Pa., KTM – 38 Pts
- Clay Elliott, Buford, Ga., KTM – 34 Pts
- Josh Struebig, Crown Point, Ind., KTM – 34 Pts
- Mason Wharton, Brush Prairie, Wash., Kawasaki – 33 Pts
- Jonah Locks, Dixon, Calif., KTM – 27 Pts
- RJ Wageman, Newhall, Calif., Yamaha – 22 Pts
WORCS – Round 5 – Hurricane, UT – Moto News
The reigning WORCS Pro Champion, Gary Sutherlin, made a dramatic return to racing by claiming the win at round five of the 2015 Rocky Mountain MC World Off-Road Championship Series. Robby Bell’s winning streak ended at four with his second-place finish, while KTM’s Eric Yorba earned his first spot on the Pro podium for 2015.
After running one of the shortest tracks of the season at the Crazy Horse GP, racers took on the longest course layout of the season at around twelve miles over some of the most scenic terrain in the country with red rock buttes and sand dunes lining the course. But after a full weekend of racing, the mostly sand track developed some deeps whoops and there were plenty of rock sections to challenge the racers, which made it one of the most brutal two-hour races of the season.
The dead engine start for the race was right along the Sand Hollow beach, and John Burr Cycle’s Steve Gibson grabbed the holeshot, but was quickly passed by KTM’s Eric Yorba before the end of the first lap. “My bike fired up right away, some rider on a Kawasaki came in clipped my rear wheel, which slowed me down a little bit otherwise I should have got the holeshot,” said Yorba. “But before we hit the pavement, I was able to get around Gibson to take over the lead.”
By the second lap, Yorba came under fire from Sutherlin and Bell who both got off to slow starts. But the duo spent the rest of the race battling for the lead and the Sand Hollow win as they charged past Yorba into the front two spots.
With clean air in front of them, the battle was on between Sutherlin and Bell. They swapped the lead back and forth throughout the race, and in the final lap they both cranked it up in a mad dash to the finish line with Sutherlin recording the fast lap of the race.
“I kept enough in the tank for the last lap, and sure enough we went out and had a great battle going on,” Sutherlin said. “We were screaming and fist-pumping at each other, and then he ended up wrecking, which was too bad. It would have been fun to hold that battle all the way into the finish line for everybody.”
With Bell swapping out in the sand, Sutherlin secured his first win of the season after missing the past two rounds recovering from a broken wrist. “I’m just happy to be back and be on top of the box,” Sutherlin said. “It was tough to watch him go win a couple when I was hurt. Last year, I won four straight in the beginning of the year and this year he won four straight, so he knocked my streak off, and this year I knocked his off, so it’s all good. I look forward to racing the rest of the year with these guys and just having fun and trying to pull off some more wins.”
Bell had a tough day right from the start; he went down when he collided with Ryan Reina, which dropped him to the back of the pack. He quickly recovered and charged into the lead by the second lap.
“By the second lap I had gotten up to first, but I had to pit twice because I have a smaller gas tank, so I once again dropped back into second place, but I caught back up to Gary,” Bell explained. “On the last lap we were side by side, and it was a pretty awesome and fun battle with Gary. We probably passed each other three times in the last lap, but our battle ended in this fourth or fifth gear high-speed section when I clipped a buried rock in the sand, and it just sent me sailing. Luckily I didn’t hurt myself. All in all It was a good day, but I felt like I had the speed for the win, but I let this one slip away.”
Bell’s second-place finish may have ended his win streak, but he still has tight grip on the points lead. He extended his lead to thirty points over his closest competitor, Justin Jones, who finished seventh.
After a rough start to the year, Eric Yorba was finally able to claim a spot on the WORCS Pro podium with a third-place finish after making a last-lap pass on Justin Seeds. “I held the early lead, but I probably pushed a little too much,” said Yorba. “By the halfway point, I just tried to back it down a little bit, but in the last lap before the dunes, I could see Seeds ahead. So I gave it all that I had to make the pass for third, and hopefully this finish turns my year around.”
Precision Concept’s Justin Seeds just missed the final spot on the podium by less than one second in a dramatic battle to the finish. KTM’s Travis Coy also barely edged out Ivan Ramirez for a top-five finish as they raced wheel-to-wheel to the finish line. Coy gave it everything he had to hold off Ramirez, and collapsed shortly after reaching the checkered flag.
In the Pro 2 Class, Dalton Shirey claimed his second straight win to extend his points lead in the class over second-place finisher, Justin Wallis. Wallis would have won, but was penalized several minutes for speeding in the pits on two laps, which dropped him back to second place. Travis Damon rounded out the top three on the podium.
In the Pro 2 Lites class, Jeremy Newton claimed his first ever class win, and he did it on his birthday weekend, which made it even sweeter. Logan Chambers went down several times during the race, but he still managed to claim the second spot on the podium followed by Mitch Anderson.
Round six of the 2015 Rocky Mountain MC World Off-Road Championship Series presented by Maxxis and Dirt Bike returns to Utah on May 23-24th to Cedar City for the Iron Mine race, which is the last event before the two-month summer break.
Sand Hollow WORCS Pro Results:
1. Gary Sutherlin (KTM)
2. Robby Bell (Kaw)
3. Eric Yorba (KTM)
4. Justin Seeds (Kaw)
5. Travis Coy (KTM)
6. Ivan Ramirez (KTM)
7. Justin Jones (Hon)
8. Ryan Reina (Kaw)
9. Jesse Lundin (Yam)
10. Dylan Schmoke (KTM)
Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship – Rounds 3 & 4 – April 18-19, Hedley, VIC – Moto News
Josh Green and Toby Price shared round wins at rounds three and four of the Australian Off-Road Championships held at Hedley last weekend. Price crashed several times on Saturday to finish back in fourth place but won all five sprints on Sunday to earn maximum points.
Toby Price kept his points lead despite a tough opening day. “Yesterday was tough. Starting the cross country off at the first turn on my face wasn’t the best idea, but unfortunately that happens. You have to take the good days with the bad days.”
“Trying to come through the pack I got filled in with heaps of dust and I crashed another three times out on the track which was not the best and definitely burnt a lot of energy for today (Sunday).”
“My sprint format work is pretty good at the moment, but I’m definitely still catching up a bit after Dakar, and every now and then I can feel the body shutting down a little bit, but I know my speed is there. We’re only at Round 4, so there is a long way to go. As long as we stay smooth and consistent and try not to drop further back from a fourth place, we should be somewhere near the front by the end of the season.”
Josh Green scored solid points over the two day. “It was pretty close to the perfect weekend. Toby just got me at the end, but it was quite difficult on the 250 in the deep sand, but the bike was good and I rode well so it was successful and I was able to move up a few places in the championship.
“It’s always tough getting the intensity back up and doing a sprint, but the track was real flogged out from yesterday so that was probably the hardest thing – trying to go fast on a track that was pretty badly chopped up. The first round (in Kilkivan) was really fast so the 250 was on the back foot, but then this round it was a bit more suited to the 250. Hopefully the next round is the same and I can keep building from there.”
Tye Simmonds had this to say oif his weekend. “I was pretty gutted and disappointed yesterday. I got a terrible start and got through third pretty quick, and I was there for about a lap and a half before I threw the anchor out and struggled for a little while. With about four laps to go we started picking the pace up and got to fifth; I got on the back of Toby and unfortunately with half a lap to go the bike pulled up and I ended with a DNF.”
“It was good to get out today and get some decent points and just turn around yesterday. To finish third outright today being the second round and everything, I’m pretty stoked with that. The sprints were good today and I gelled pretty well with the track. The bike was set up really well so it’s a credit to the team for that; I’m just a little bummed because we would have been sitting pretty well in the championship had we finished yesterday, but that’s racing.”
Round 3 – Top Ten
- Josh Green
- Daniel Sanders
- Beau Ralston
- Toby Price
- Lachlan Stanford
- Glenn Kearney
- Broc Grabham
- Stefan Granqvist
- Tom Kite
- Ivan Long
Round 4 – Top Ten
- Toby Price
- Josh Green
- Tye Simmonds
- Daniel Sanders
- Stefan Granqvist
- Glenn Kearney
- Riley Graham
- Peter Boyle
- Lachlan Stanford
- Scott Keegan
World Motocross Championships – Round 4 – Arco di Trento, Italy – Moto News
MX1 Race Report: Things are REALLY hotting up in the MXGP class and it has nothing to do with Ryan Villopoto. Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Nagl is proving to be all business this year. Just when we thought MXGP couldn’t get more exciting, we are fast learning that if Max holeshots, he is untouchable.
After taking a solid second place in race one, the German took his fourth FOX Holeshot of the season and ran away for yet another meritorious race victory which handed him his third MXGP overall and has moved him up to second place in the championship, just one point shy of the series leader Clement Desalle.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli seemed extra fired up this weekend, which he confirmed with his hair-raising victory in race one. Obviously a victory for the Italian on home turf just caused all sorts of pandemonium in the paddock, which added to the already electric atmosphere. A second place in race two landed TC222 on the second step of the podium in Trentino.
Meanwhile Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MXGP’s Clement Desalle is keeping the momentum flowing. The Belgian still embraces that beautiful effortless style where it seems obvious he is riding with the bigger picture in mind. Although with Ryan Villopoto in his sights during the final race, we saw another side to the number twenty-five where he was relentless on his mission to the front of the field. After narrowly escaping the carnage of Villopoto’s crash, which happened along side him, he later fell on his own but managed to remount for fourth in that race. In combination with his third from race one The MX Panda rounded off the podium for his fourth consecutive podium finish of the year.
Max Nagl: “It’s been a great weekend but honestly this win is the result of yet another big team effort. During Saturday we made a lot of progress with the setup and I felt much more comfortable on the track. My start was good for race one and I was second behind Antonio for the whole race. We were having a great battle – I did feel faster in places – but I didn’t want to take the risk necessary to make the pass stick. I was happy with second. When I got the holeshot in race two I decided it was my time to go. I gave it 100 per cent for the first 10 minutes and pulled a gap to win. I love riding at the minute and the team are working so hard for me – I can’t thank them enough. It was also special to have my son here watch me race for the first time. Today was perfect.”
Tony Cairoli: “The first race was very good but I would like to win the first GP for the Italians here. I tried to keep Max behind me but it was a very close race between four of us. I tried to get a good start in the second race but Max was quicker and he just pulled away in the first laps. I saw a lot of crashes during the race, the track was very sketchy and it was easy to crash so I didn’t really like it. It’s not one of my better tracks but I was better this year than last.’’
Clement Desalle: “I had a big crash in qualification and was happy not to be injured so after that – and all of today – it is good to be on the podium. I had quite good start in the first moto and we were riding wheel-to-wheel for a long time. I couldn’t really find any cool things to do or to make any passes happen. The second moto was not so bad at the start again but somehow my boot came completely open on the first lap and I had a big stone come inside. I was third and then made a mistake by myself and lost a position. It is not a bad result considering what happened yesterday and it was good to take points and be up there. The track was not so good and having more classes on it did not help. You had to take many risks to pass and the track needed to be fixed a bit more last night. Anyway we will get in the sand now and try to enjoy it next weekend.”
Yamaha Factory Racing Yamalube’s Romain Febvre continues to creep closer to the podium and has definitely confirmed his position as the fastest young prospect in the MXGP class.
Team HRC’s duo of Gautier Paulin and yesterday’s top qualifier Evgeny Bobryshev were wedged off the start in both races. With the track being so gnarly and the depth of talent in the MXGP class being stronger than ever, making up ground was always going to be difficult which meant the pair finished fifth and sixth overall respectively.
Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Ryan Villopoto had the opportunity to steal the thunder from the MXGP regulars. In race one he came close as he was a solid player in an epic four-way battle for the win, yet in race two he was lucky to walk away from one of the most bizarre and gnarliest crashes of the season.
Meanwhile the other two Italian fan favorites, TM Factory Racing Team’s Davide Guarneri finished eighth while DP19 Racing Yamaha’s David Philippaerts finished ninth.
MXGP Race 1: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 34:01.846; 2. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), +0:00.900; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:01.597; 4. Ryan Villopoto (USA, Kawasaki), +0:04.118; 5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Honda), +0:11.219; 6. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:16.093; 7. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:27.399; 8. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:43.842; 9. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:46.520; 10. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Suzuki), +0:47.263
MXGP Race 2: 1. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), 34:09.426; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:09.091; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:09.612; 4. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:25.068; 5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Honda), +0:26.912; 6. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:28.030; 7. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:50.778; 8. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), +0:53.748; 9. Davide Guarneri (ITA, TM), +0:57.020; 10. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +0:57.366.
MXGP Overall: 1. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 47 points; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 47 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, SUZ), 38 p.; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 34 p.; 5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HON), 32 p.; 6. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 28 p.; 7. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 26 p.; 8. Davide Guarneri (ITA, TM), 22 p.; 9. David Philippaerts (ITA, YAM), 21 p.; 10. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 20 p.
MXGP Championship: 1. Clement Desalle (BEL, SUZ), 171 points; 2. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 170 p.; 3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 170 p.; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 129 p.; 5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HON), 128 p.; 6. Ryan Villopoto (USA, KAW), 124 p.; 7. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 100 p.; 8. Todd Waters (AUS, HUS), 78 p.; 9. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 75 p.; 10. Davide Guarneri (ITA, TM), 70 p. 19. Dean Ferris (AUS, HUS), 28p.
MX2 Race Report: It was an emotionally charged victory for Honda Gariboldi’s Tim Gajser who in race two passed the defending champion Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Jordi Tixier and resisted a brief challenge from The Bullet Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings for his first MX2 race win of the season and his first ever MX2 Grand Prix overall.
Meanwhile The Bullet was more than impressive in race one as he did what he typically does and annihilated everyone. But, race two sang a different song for the championship leader as he got off to a terrible start and was forced to do the slice and dice through the pack. After chopping down the ten-second lead of Gajser, with half a lap to go, he lost traction and had a mini high side, which killed all chances of both the race and overall victories.
Rounding off the podium, Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Jordi Tixier had to settle for two thirds as he was out-classed by Gajser and Herlings. Meanwhile teammate Dylan Ferrandis made life difficult for himself with two poor starts, from which he bounced back for two top five finishes.
Tim Gajser is no stranger to winning, he was the 2007 65cc European Champion, 2009 85cc European Champion and 2012 125cc European and World Champion: “I can’t believe it, I want to thank all my sponsors, the team, my family and fans. I could feel Jeffrey was coming in that second moto and I just keep looking forward. I was so happy to cross the finish line for the win, but now I work hard for more success. I know I have the speed.”
Jeffrey Herlings: “The start was not good in the second race but overall we had a good Sunday. We won the qualifying on Saturday and the fist moto pretty easy. I had a really bad start in the second moto but I worked my way up to the front then I had a stupid crash that was my fault. I picked up some points so I look forward to next weekend. I am not sure I would have caught Gajser. For sure I could have been close but obviously he did a great job. Hopefully I can take the win in Valkenswaard in front of my home crowd. I’ve already won there five times in a row. So that’s what we are hoping for.”
Jordi Tixier: “It’s great to be back on the podium after some difficult events. My family, my team and some other people helped me to recover after Thailand, but now I’m back and this weekend I proved with a podium result that I still have a strong motivation. For sure it could have been even better with two holeshots but this podium is a first step. We did some good testing with the team to improve our set-up; everyone worked hard and we got the reward with this podium. Third was my position this weekend; the grip is always strange here and I didn’t want to make any mistake.”
Fifth overall went to Monster Energy DRT Kawasaki’s Max Anstie who put in a solid performance in race one to take fourth, followed by a seventh in race two which was made more impressive by the fact he came back from a crash early on in the race.
MX2 Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 34:14.247; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:15.868; 3. Jordi Tixier (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:20.967; 4. Max Anstie (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:21.346; 5. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:29.219; 6. Valentin Guillod (SUI, Yamaha), +0:31.955; 7. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:45.882; 8. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, Husqvarna), +0:48.126; 9. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:55.332; 10. Julien Lieber (BEL, Yamaha), +0:59.371.
MX2 Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 34:27.396; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:16.199; 3. Jordi Tixier (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:35.041; 4. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:44.825; 5. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +0:45.962; 6. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:53.212; 7. Max Anstie (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:58.979; 8. Valentin Guillod (SUI, Yamaha), +1:03.117; 9. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), +1:09.210; 10. Brent Van doninck (BEL, Yamaha), +1:12.304.
MX2 Overall Top Ten: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 47 points; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 47 p.; 3. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KAW), 40 p.; 4. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, KAW), 34 p.; 5. Max Anstie (GBR, KAW), 32 p.; 6. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 29 p.; 7. Valentin Guillod (SUI, YAM), 28 p.; 8. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 25 p.; 9. Brent Van doninck (BEL, YAM), 21 p.; 10. Julien Lieber (BEL, YAM), 21 p.
MX2 Championship Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 172 points; 2. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, KAW), 159 p.; 3. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 133 p.; 4. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 126 p.; 5. Julien Lieber (BEL, YAM), 101 p.; 6. Valentin Guillod (SUI, YAM), 101 p.; 7. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 99 p.; 8. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, HUS), 95 p.; 9. Thomas Covington (USA, KAW), 86 p.; 10. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KAW), 75 p
Kenda AMA National Enduro Series – Round 4 – Westpoint, TN – Moto News
The fact that Russell Bobbitt never gave up earned him his first overall win of the season in the Kenda AMA National Enduro Series this weekend at the Rad Dad National Enduro in Westpoint, Tennessee. Bobbitt went into the final test trailing his FMF/KTM teammate Kailub Russell by 44 seconds, but turned in a brilliant ride on the slippery, eight-mile stretch of single-track to edge Russell by a just 4 seconds to take the overall win.
Hard overnight rains left most of the course wet and slick, which played havoc with the trail, and after a tricky first test it was Russell with the early lead, beating out N-Fab/AmPro Yamaha’s Grant Baylor by 16 seconds. Bobbitt was third, just one-second back.
Russell also won the second test by 18 seconds over Bobbitt to extend his lead on his teammate. However, Bobbitt started to pick up his pace by test three, winning three of the four next tests, including his exceptional ride in the six and final test.
“I just kept pushing and never gave up,” said Bobbitt. “You can’t ever think you’re out of it or you will be.”
A disappointed Russell missed his first National Enduro win by just four seconds but he can take heart in the fact that he still owns the points lead by nine points over Bobbitt.
Third went to Steward Baylor, on the Moto-Tech KTM, who lost a lot of time when he took a scary crash in test five. However, his win in test four was enough to keep the South Carolina rider in the hunt.
Steward’s brother, Grant Baylor, was fourth on the N-Fab/Am Pro Yamaha, while Grant’s Aussie teammate Daniel Milner was fifth.
Sixth and seventh went to Beta USA teammates Cory Buttrick and Jesse Groemm, receptively. Buttrick ran as high as fourth, but a bit of a struggle in the final test cost the Ohioan to drop to sixth. Meanwhile, Groemm was making his return to racing after suffering a concussion before the season.
Eight was Steward Baylor’s Moto-Tech KTM teammate Trevor Bolinger, with Husqvarna’s Craig DeLong and AirGroup Racing Husqvarna’s Ryder Lafferty.
The Kenda AMA National Enduro Series returns to action on May 17th in Park Hills, Missouri for the Lead Belt Enduro, round five of the series. For more information on the Kenda AMA National Enduro Series, go to www.nationalenduro.com.
Results: 1. Russell Bobbitt (KTM). 2. Kailub Russell (KTM). 3. Steward Baylor (KTM). 4. Grant Baylor (Yam). 5. Daniel Milner (Yam). 6. Cory Buttrick (Bet). 7. Jesse Groemm (Bet). 8. Trevor Bollinger (KTM). 9. Craig DeLong (Hus). 10. Ryder Lafferty (Hus).
World Enduro Championships – Round 1 – Chile – Moto News
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Explosive start to the opening day of competition in the 2015 FIM Maxxis Enduro World Championship sees Antoine Meo lead everyone home… The first day of action in the 2015 EWC series delivered tight, close racing across most classes in Talca, Chile.
Rising to the front, favourites Christophe NAMBOTIN (KTM) and Antoine MEO (KTM) secured victory in Enduro 1 and Enduro 2 respectively. Mathias BELLINO (Husqvarna) made a welcome return to action with a confident win in the Enduro 3 category while Jamie MCCANNEY (Husqvarna) claimed first blood in Enduro Junior.
Enduro 1: As the defending champion, Christophe NAMBOTIN (F) proved that he will be the rider to beat in 2015 by claiming a massive 62-second margin of victory. Despite suffering a 10-second penalty when his engine failed to start in the morning, Nambotin kept his composure. Working his way to the front at the end of lap one, he pulled clear to win the Enduro 1 class.
“It was a tough day, but I got the win so I am happy, explained NAMBOTIN. “With the 10-second penalty, and the fact that Marc Bourgeois was very fast on the first lap, I had to keep pushing all day. It was very easy to make mistakes, especially on the extreme test, but it’s great to start the new season with a win.”
Back in the EWC following an injury hit 2014 season, Frenchman Marc BOURGEOIS (F-Yamaha) was in top form. Leading early on, he remained strong all day to claim second. Class rookie Husqvarna’s Daniel MCCANNEY (GB) stepped up to E1 in style and worked his way from fifth to record his debut class podium result in third. Keeping the pressure on MCCANNEY until the very end, Eero REMES (FIN-TM) placed eight seconds behind the British rider in fourth with Cristobal GUERRERO (S-Yamaha) battling back from 10th to take fifth.
Enduro 2: The Enduro 2 class delivered plenty of excitement on the opening day of the season with Antoine MEO (F-KTM) fighting through to victory. After topping Friday’s Super Test, MEO slipped back to third midway during the day as Husqvarna’s Pela RENET controlled the race lead. But a big crash on the final enduro test from RENET turned the standings on their head. Capitalising on RENET’s error, MEO picked up his pace to take the lead and with it win the day.
“The competition is always close in the Enduro 2 class and today it was exactly like that. I pushed hard during the final lap and things worked out great. The terrain was very slippery but the day ended in a very good way for me,” said MEO.
With RENET dropping back to second, the fight for the final step of the podium was played out between Alex SALVINI (I-Honda) and Johnny AUBERT (F-Beta). Fastest on the final test of the day, SALVINI edged out AUBERT for third. Behind the leading quartet it was Victor GUERRERO (S-KTM) who completed the top five.
Enduro 3: Making a very serious statement on his return to competition following a season ending knee injury last year, Husqvarna’s Mathias BELLINO (F) powered to victory in the Enduro 3 class. Clearly well adapted to his new two-stroke, the Frenchman grabbed the race lead immediately and never looked back. “It’s fantastic to start the year with a win, especially after my injury last year,” commented Mathias. “I felt good and just kept pushing throughout the day. The extreme test was difficult for me, but with no big mistakes everything went well.”
With BELLINO out front, Matti SEISTOLA (FIN-Sherco) made a late race charge to snatch the runner-up result from Matt PHILLIPS (AUS-KTM). Third during the first half of the day, Seistola passed PHILLIPS on the penultimate test to secure second. For PHILLIPS it wasn’t the winning start to his title defence that he hoped for. Although topping the Super Test, the KTM rider was unable to hold off both BELLINO and SEISTOLA and following numerous crashes had to settle for third. Ensuring a strong start to his 2015 EWC campaign, Gas Gas’ Antoine BASSET (F) placed fourth with Aigar LEOK (EST-TM) finishing just over 13 seconds behind in fifth.
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Day 2: Day two of the FIM Maxxis Enduro World Championship GP of Chile marked a debut Enduro 3 class win for Sherco’s Matti Seistola while Antoine Meo finished as the outright fastest Heavy overnight rain ensured a complete contrast in conditions for competitors at the GP of Chile in Talca. Forced to abandon the extreme test and shorten the enduro test for the first two laps, Chile dished out a tough day for all.
Enduro 1: Thoughts of a Christophe NAMBOTIN (F-KTM) double win in the Enduro 1 class where quickly squashed when Eero REMES (FIN-TM) dominated the class from start to finish. Taking control of the lead immediately, Remes kept his wheels clean to record a comfortable win.
“Day one was terrible for me,” explained Remes. “I just rode badly. So for day two I wanted to do better. I could see that the conditions weren’t so bad on the first test so I pushed hard. It worked and Nambotin made a mistake. I kept pushing hard all day and was riding well. It was a great day for me.”
For Nambotin, his day got off to a bad start when he lost over 31 seconds on the first cross test. Under pressure to recover, the KTM rider battled his way back to second but was unable to gain any advantage on Remes. Proving he’s going to be a serious factor in this year’s E1 championship, 2014 Enduro Junior champion Daniel MCCANNEY (GB-Husqvarna) claimed his second podium result of the weekend with third. Despite a strong run during the morning, Marc BOURGEOIS (F-Yamaha) was knocked off the podium and placed fourth. Chasing the leaders hard throughout the day, Cristobal GUERRERO (S-Yamaha) finished four seconds behind Bourgeois in fifth.
Enduro 2: On a mission in the Enduro 2 class, Antoine MEO (F-KTM) was simply unstoppable in the slippery conditions. Building a massive 18-second lead at the end of the opening cross test, Meo continued to extend his advantage throughout the day and secure an almost 80-second margin of victory.
“I was surprised to be as fast as I was on the first test,” commented Meo. “Normally Renet is faster than me when it’s wet and slippery. But I got a big advantage immediately and felt better and better on each test after that. It was a great day.”
Unable to offer a challenge to Meo, the rest of the E2 class fought for the remainder of the podium positions. Feeling the effects of his crash on day one, Pela RENET (F-Husqvarna) worked his way from fifth to salvage second. Placing 14 seconds behind the Husqvarna rider, Alex SALVINI (I-Honda) completed the podium. Fighting right until the very end, Beta’s Johnny AUBERT (F) just missed out on his chance of a top three result and ended his day in fourth. Jaume BETRIU (S-Husqvarna) held off a last lap charge from Sherco’s Loic LARRIEU (F) to complete the top five.
Enduro 3: Securing his debut win in the Enduro 3 class, Sherco’s Matti SEISTOLA (FIN) topped the podium on day two. Fast and consistent for the entire day, Seistola finally ended his three-year dry stretch in the EWC.
“It’s been a great day today. I felt good on day one and knew that I would be able to fight for the win so I pushed hard. I just felt really good with my bike. Once I started well and felt confident I just kept doing the same thing. I started to get a little nervous towards the end of the day, but finally to win is a great way to end the first GP.”
Delivering a much-improved performance over day one, TM’s Aigar LEOK (EST) found the wet conditions much more to his liking and placed as runner-up to Seistola. E3 newcomer Jonathan BARRAGAN (S-Gas Gas) claimed a career first EWC podium with third. After a disastrous start to his morning, day one winner Mathias BELLINO (F-Husqvarna) climbed his way back up to fourth while Jeremy TARROUX (F-Sherco) was fifth. Defending champion Matt PHILLIPS (AUS-KTM) had a tough day at the office and placed eighth.
World Speedway Championships – Round 1 – Warsaw, Poland – Moto News
THE opening round of the Speedway Grand Prix series held in Warsaw, Poland was abandoned after just 12 heats on Saturday night, with the track deemed too unsafe to finish.
53,000 disappointed Poles never saw the meeting run smoothly with the starting gates failing to rise evenly in the second race.
After four failed attempts the starting tapes were dumped, in its place, an unconventional start where riders were held by a green light.
The temporary track rutted badly causing many riders to fall, following many grading attempts the meeting was cancelled.
Troy Batchelor- returning from a concussion sustained in a British league match a fortnight ago- had a tough night ending two of his races in the fence.
On his third ride, former World Champion Chris Holder fell awkwardly on his wrist and never troubled the scorers.
There was one shining light however; current Australian champion and SGP newcomer Jason Doyle produced his first race win in the big time. After finishing third and being excluded in his earlier races, the Novocastrian cruised away to record the win.
Slovenian Matej Zagar was the beneficiary of the night’s early conclusion, ending on a meeting high 8-points. Britain’s Chris Harris finished on 7, joining him was local favourite Jaroslaw Hampel and Dane Niels-Kristian Iversen.
The SGP series will now makes it’s way to Tampere, Finland for round two on the 16th of May.
Here is the statement from Paul Bellamy, managing director, BSI Speedway: I would like to apologise to all fans in the Stadion Narodowy, Warsaw, on behalf of BSI Speedway. We are terribly disappointed with how events unfolded on Saturday.
We respect the FIM Jury decision to call the result after heat 12 due to the track conditions.
A lot of the information reported in the media is inaccurate. We will require a full investigation on what happened from all concerned and will communicate the results once completed.
SGP standings: Matej Zagar 8, Chris Harris-7, Jaroslaw Hampel-7, Niels-Kristian Iversen, Michael Jepsen Jensen 5, Greg Hancock 5, Tai Woffinden 5, Andreas Jonsson 4, Jason Doyle 4, Tomas H.Jonasson 4, Tomasz Gollob 4, Krzystof Kasprzak 3, Bartosz Zmarzlik 3, Maciej Janowski 3, Nicki Pedersen 3, Chris Holder 0, Troy Batchelor 0
