Moto News Wrap for April 25, 2017 by Darren Smart

Moto News Wrap for April 25, 2017 by Darren Smart

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Latest News

• Phillips on top of EnduroGP
• Gardiner fifth at FIM EWC GP
• Sanders struggles at Spanish EnduroGP
• Kearns has first EnduroGP outing for Sherco
• Milner dominates AORC
• Gollob injured in motocross accident
• Martin out for remainder of SX
• Seeley misses Salt Lake City SX – Ken Roczen update
• Sunderland wins Qatar Rally
• Dunlop continues MX Nationals domination At Appin
• Melero wins Night of Jumps in Munich

This Week’s Race Reports

• AMA Supercross – Round 15 – Salt Lake City, Utah 
• AMSOIL Arenacross Championship – Round 12 – Denver, CO 
• FIM World Motocross Championships – Round 6 – Valkenswaard
• GNCC – Round 5 – Camp Coker Bullet, Society Hill, SC 
• Australian Motocross Championship – Round 2 – Appin, NSW

Phillips on top of EnduroGP

After two days of treacherous conditions at the Spanish GP it was Aussie Matthew Phillips who came out with the pair of wins in the premier EnduroGP class and in doing so takes the championship lead after four rounds of the series.

You can read our full Spanish EnduroGP Report here: Matt Phillips takes victory at the EnduroGP of Spain

There was next to nothing separating the eventual top three of Phillips, Christophe Nambotin and Steve Holcombe with all three enjoying the close competition but it was naturally Phillips who had the biggest smile.

Matthew Phillips

“It’s been an awesome weekend for me and the Sherco guys. I can’t remember the last time it was that close between three guys for the win. It was tough, we were all giving it everything and I enjoyed the close competition. I lost about 11 seconds during the first two special tests, so I had some work to do after that. I just kept pushing and pushing and got back level with Nambo’ and Steve and finally things came good. I can’t ask for more than two wins.”

Steve Holcombe

“When you’re fighting for the class win it’s hard to be anything but pleased with the way things have gone. And I’m really pleased with my results here in Spain. I’m a little frustrated that I was so, so close to getting my first win of the championship on day two, but it was awesome to be fighting with Matt and Christophe. For me that’s what it’s all about – close racing against guys that are giving it absolutely everything to win. I wasn’t really sure what my speed would be like in such dry and dusty conditions, but everything worked out great. My bike didn’t miss a beat throughout the weekend and apart from a few small mistakes I felt like my riding was where it needed to be too. We’re only two rounds into the series now, but I feel like we’re in a great place. All things considered it’s been a really positive weekend.”

Overall EnduroGP Standings after Round 4

1. Matthew PHILLIPS – 88          
2. Steve HOLCOMBE – 80          
3. Antti HELLSTEN – 74   
4. Loïc LARRIEU – 61      
5. Christophe NAMBOTIN – 55   
6. Giacomo REDONDI – 53         
7. Nathan WATSON – 51
8. Christophe CHARLIER – 50     
9. Marko TARKKALA – 38
10. Cristobal GUERRERO RUIZ – 36         

Gardiner fifth at FIM EWC GP

Aussie Jess Gardiner endured a tough weekend at the opening round of the Women’s FIM Enduro GP World Championship in Puerto Lumbreras at the GP AMV Seguros of Spain on the weekend.

Racing for the Outsiders Yamaha Racing Team, Gardiner finishing second in the Super test before earning a sixth and fourth place respectfully on a track which was covered in bull dust and challenging rocks to navigate her way over. The first day of racing on Saturday proved to be quite difficult for Gardiner.

Heading into the second day of competition, all Gardiner wanted to do was to improve on her finishing order the day before and simply get back to where she really should be.

Jess Gardiner

“I crashed nearly two times in a lot of the special tests and two times on every lap in the Enduro test [on day one]. It was just a really hard race as the trail was probably one of the hardest that existed in the world championships that the women do. Today was a much better day. I managed to stay up on two wheels for the whole day, improve my times and finished a lot better than what I did on Saturday. So overall I can leave here in a much better frame of mind and head into round two of the Enduro GP with a bit more confidence. It was still a very challenging day I admit. I don’t think I have pushed and pulled a motorcycle around like I did in a long time. However, as I said, I’m very happy with today’s outcome which is the main thing.”

Gardiner has confirmed that she will contest the remaining three rounds of the Women’s FIM Enduro GP World Championship with the Outsiders Yamaha Racing Team Enduro and will head into round two of the series in fifth place in the championship with 33-points to her name, one point shy from fourth place. The second round will take place at Parádfürdó in Hungary on 23-25 June.

Sanders struggles at Spanish EnduroGP

Daniel Sanders has finished  a disappointing 11^th and 9^th in the E2 class at rounds three and four of the FIM EnduroGP Championships held in Spain last weekend.

Daniel Sanders

“Tough two days of racing for me at the Spanish Enduro GP but I’m confident we will bounce back strong for the remainder of the season. Thanks to my team KTM Factory Racing and all the sponsors for backing me 100 per cent.”

Kearns has first EnduroGP outing for Sherco

Ben Kearns from NSW had his first Enduro GP outing for Team Sherco in the tough conditions in Spain and the young Aussie fought hard to record 13^th and 12^th place results in the Enduro Junior division.

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Milner dominates AORC

KTM’s Enduro Racing Team has continued its recent dominance in racing, with Daniel Milner powered his KTM450 EXC-F to back-to-back victories in the opening two rounds of the Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship held at Rawson in south-eastern Victoria last weekend.

Milner was unstoppable across the weekend, and even pulling in to change a complete rear brake after fouling it with bunting couldn’t keep him from victory in the opener.

Daniel Milner

“I couldn’t be any happier. The first day I got a good start and got to the front, and started checking out, but drifted wide in a corner and got bunting in the back brake and ended up boiling it. I came in and the boys changed me over in super quick time and I ended up getting a win. There’s no way I thought that Harry and Mick would get it done as quick as they did, but they were unreal. Today was hard going, and we did what we needed to do, so I was definitely happy with my performance and the team’s over the whole weekend. The KTM 450 EXC-F was unreal.”

Teenager Lyndon Snodgrass and his KTM 300 EXC followed Milner in for a career-best second outright in Saturday’s Cross Country, in the process winning the E3 category but the 18-year-old couldn’t quite replicate another E3 class victory on Sunday finishing runner up to Lachy Stanford in the category, and 6th outright.

Lyndon Snodgrass

“A pretty good way to kick off the year; it was a pretty awesome track, conditions were good and it got really rough. Coming into the cross-country I knew I could be right up there and I was happy with how we took off. I charged into second and had the lead for a couple of laps there while Milner had some problems, and then hovered in second for the rest of the race. I’m stoked with that. Sunday the KTM 300 EXC was really good in the tight stuff – I just made a few too many mistakes for the day and they ended up costing me, but all in all – really happy with the start to the season. It was pretty awesome working with the team and a fun way to start the year.”

Gollob injured in motocross accident

Polish speedway legend Tomasz Gollob is in a serious condition after crashing heavily on a motocross bike. Gollob has spinal injuries and underwent emergency surgery. News at this stage is still sketchy but the prognosis doesn’t sound good for Tomasz.

Martin out for remainder of SX

GEICO Honda’s Jeremy Martin has elected to sit out the last two rounds of the 250SX West Region—Salt Lake City and Las Vegas—due to a herniated disc in his back. Martin sustained the injury during a testing session for the 2017 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, where, according to Martin, he “had to jump through the bars.” The injury also forced him to miss the Seattle Supercross.

Jeremy Martin

“I am a racer and want to race no matter what but sometimes the best decision isn’t easy and goes against the racer inside me.  I really want this third title and will be ready for major battles this summer. I’m very disappointed with missing three sx rounds already and how my sx season has gone this year so all the more reason to put everything into the outdoors since I’m out of the sx championship.”

After a disappointing supercross season—in which he’ll miss five of nine rounds and had a season-high finish of sixth—Martin will now turn his focus to the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, where he is a two-time champion. During his four years with Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha, Martin captured 23 moto wins and two championships outdoors in the 250 Class. This upcoming season will mark his first with GECIO Honda.

Seely misses Salt Lake City SX – Ken Roczen update

Honda HRC’s Cole Seely missed a second consecutive race as he continues to recover from a leg injury. Seely announced on his Instagram page today that he will miss Round 15 of Monster Energy Supercross this weekend in Salt Lake City.

Seely missed Seattle after aggravating a torn adductor muscle in his groin. The following week, Seely underwent an MRI where it was determined that he sustained a sprain and partial tear of his adductor muscle. Per his Instagram, Seely starting cycling this week, but did not elude to when he may return.

Cole Seely

“I’ve always been one to take the recommended time off for an injury, one, so my body is in working order after motocross, and two to set a good example. Unfortunately I’m not racing this weekend but I will be in SLC with my team! I’ve started cycling with @jeffward3x this week and it’s feeling a lot better just not race ready yet. See you guys in Utah.”

With Seely sidelined and Ken Roczen still out for the season with arm injuries, GEICO Honda rider Christian Craig filled in aboard a factory CRF450R as the squad’s sole rider for round 15 of the AMA Supercross series in Salt Lake City, Utah.

During his first-ever 450SX race, Craig put together a respectable come-from-behind performance to secure 11th. When the gate dropped, Craig was slow off the line and was shuffled toward the back of the pack. After completing the first lap in 18th, the Californian went into recovery mode, moving forward to take the checkered flag just outside the top 10.

This past week, Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen returned to Vail, Colorado’s Steadman Clinic for the 11th and final surgery on his left arm, which was injured in a crash at Anaheim 2 on January 21. Over the course of several hours, Dr. Randall Viola inserted cadaver cartilage into Roczen’s elbow, a procedure that is expected to ultimately give the arm full range of motion.

During the operation, Viola also spent time cleaning out scar tissue from the affected area. It’s estimated that Roczen’s arm should be able to bear weight within six to eight weeks. With the long surgery process finally behind him, Roczen will soon be traveling to his native Germany on vacation, and he will continue to do physical therapy during that trip.

Ken Roczen

“I’m really happy to have this last surgery out of the way. They got the cadaver piece earlier than expected, which is awesome because that was the last piece of the puzzle. Now I can really focus on recovery without having to worry about any other surgery. Other than that, things are going well. I’m excited to be going to Germany for the first time in a few years to vacation with family and take my fiancé for her first time. I’ll still be doing physical therapy while there and then will be hitting it hard when we’re back.”

Sunderland wins Qatar Rally

Brit Sam Sunderland backed up his wins at the 2017 Dakar Rally and the first round of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship in Abu Dhabi with a win at the second round of the series in Qatar last week.

After winning two of the four stages Sunderland completed the Qatar Cross-Country Rally in a total of 15:50:18 hours, to finish almost eight minutes ahead of Paolo Goncalves while Matthias Walkner came in five and a half minutes later.

Sam Sunderland

“Obviously starting first on the last day I expected to lose some time, and for the guys to catch me. But I had a bit of a cushion in the overall and I could take it pretty easy. But the overall win showed I had a good rhythm, and I felt good. The bike was awesome all week and the team was great, so I really appreciate all the support. It’s a great feeling to get the win here and its good for the world championships. We now have a little break in the calendar, and then it will be back to the fight.”

Factory rider Toby Price of Australia was not with the team in Qatar. He is still recuperating after a serious leg fracture in the fourth stage of the 2017 Dakar Rally in January.

The third round of the five-round series that make up the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship is the Atacama Rally in Chile (August 12-19, 2017).

Final Standings

1. Sunderland, 15:50:18 h
2. Goncalves, +7:42 min
3. Walkner, +13:11
4. Quintanilla, +15:02
5. Benavides, +17:48

Championship Points after 2 of 5 Races

1. Sunderland – 62 points
2. Goncalves – 39
3. Quintanilla – 39
4. Walkner – 38
5. Renet – 28

Dunlop continues MX Nationals domination at Appin

Dunlop racers have continued to dominate the top steps of all three championship classes after an eventful day of racing at the second round of the 2017 MX Nationals at Appin, NSW, on Sunday, 23 April.

Defending MX1 champion Dean Ferris (CDR Yamaha) again was the man to beat, claiming Super Pole and the class overall by finishing runner-up to KTM Motocross Racing Team’s Kirk Gibbs in the opening race, then a clinical win in wet conditions in the second outing.

Gibbs finished the day in second overall, thanks to a brilliant come from behind charge after an early crash in the second race. SD3 Husqvarna’s Brett Metcalfe finished fourth and Kade Mosig (DPH Motorsports Yamaha) in fifth. Ferris currently controls the championship, leading by 23 points ahead of Gibbs and a further two on Mosig.

In the MX2 class Serco Yamaha’s new recruit and current MXD champion Mitch Evans took a perfect double-race victory and the round overall. He was followed by series leader and DPH Motorsports Yamaha pilot Wilson Todd, who finished the day in second overall with a 3-2 result. Serco Yamaha’s Jackson Richardson recorded a solid fourth overall around the deeply-rutted track.

Meanwhile, in the MXD class, Cody Dyce (Yamalube Yamaha Racing) overcame a seventh-place result in the opening race to master the late-day ruts and claim his first Under 19s class career win. His team-mate, Cooper Pozniak, finished the day in fifth overall and clung onto the MXD championship points lead.

Dunlop national motorcycle manager Sebastian Mincone was ecstatic at the continued string of top results from the Dunlop-shod riders and teams.

Sebastian Mincone

“My congratulations to the Dunlop-equipped teams in what was a challenging day at Appin. Dean has been great in the opening rounds regardless of the conditions, while Mitch rode well to break through in MX2, as did Cody in MXD.”

Melero Wins Night of Jumps in Munich

In front of 10,000 screaming fan, the reigning three time world champion, Maikel Melero delivered a lightning fast run including the Egg Roll, Nac Flair, California Roll, Seat Grab Flip, Tsunami Flip and Lazyboy Flip to secure another victory in front of Libor Podmol and Aussie Pat Bowden. 

Bowden did go on to win the Best Whip competition while Kai Haase won the Highest Air on a count back over the spectacular Massimo Bianconcini.

The next international event for Night of the Jumps will take place on 3rd of June, 2017 in the Barclaycard Arena, Hamburg.

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Results Night of the Jumps – Final

1. Maikel Melero – 396 Points
2. Libor Podmol – 376 Points
3. Pat Bowden (Aus) – 355 Points
4. Leonardo Fini – 320 Points
5. Ryan Brown (Aus) – 299 Points
6. Luc Ackermann – 297 Points

Results LifeProof Best Whip Contest

1. Pat Bowden
2. Filip Podmol

Maxxis Highest-Air

1. Kai Haase – 9.50 Meter
2. Massimo Bianconcini – 9.50 Meter

Smarty’s Race Reports:

AMA Supercross – Round 15 – Salt Lake City, Utah

A crowd of 43,207 fans were on hand to watch an incredible come-from-behind effort by Eli Tomac to capture his ninth 450SX Class win of the season and assume sole possession of the championship lead while Shane McElrath took his third main event win of the season but it was Justin Hill who celebrated clinching the Western Regional Championship.

450SX Class Main Event

The 450SX Class Main Event began with Justin Bogle taking the holeshot ahead of Jason Anderson and Ryan Dungey while Tomac entered the first corner with only two riders behind him after flinching on the gate.

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Dungey quickly took over control of second, and soon moved into the lead past Bogle just after completion of the opening lap and with Tomac completing the opening lap in 10^th place it looked like another Dungey victory was on the card – or was it?

With a clear track ahead of him Dungey was able to open a comfortable lead over the field in the early stages of the Main Event, which he would continue to extend. Anderson proceeded to settle into second, while Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Josh Grant slotted into third.

All eyes were on Tomac and his march through the field. The Kawasaki rider was able to pass at least one rider per lap until he got just outside the top five. On Lap 9 Tomac broke into the top five, passing two riders to move from sixth to fourth.

On the next lap he moved past his teammate Grant for fourth and then set his sights on closing the deficit he faced to Anderson for second. It took Tomac three laps to catch and pass Anderson, taking over second on Lap 12, to the delight of the crowd.

When he moved into second Tomac faced a three-second deficit to Dungey, and due to short lap times the 20-minute-plus-one-lap Main Event the lap count was the highest of the season. That added time on the track gave Tomac plenty of time to close in on Dungey, continuing the post the fastest laps of any rider to get within a few bike lengths of the lead.

The showdown between the championship’s co-leaders brought the crowd to its feet. On Lap 17 Tomac used extra momentum to dive inside Dungey in a corner, drawing slight contact between the two.

Tomac lost traction coming out of the corner, stalling his momentum, which allowed Dungey to move back out front. On the following lap Tomac’s quicker line through the whoops positioned him to make another inside pass on Dungey, which stuck. Once in the lead Tomac never looked back, leaving Dungey in his wake.

Just a week after Antonio Cairoli stunned the moto world with a 25^th to 2^nd ride at his home MXGP in Italy, Tomac’s 18^th to 1^st ride will also go done as one of the best efforts for the 2017 season.

Eli Tomac

“I was stuck in a tough position [off the start] and I had to make it happen. It was all I could do. We were feeling awesome all day and really had a few good spots on the track where I was able to make a lot of passes. The start wasn’t ideal at all. I had a flinch on the gate, so that was something else for us [to deal with], [but] I felt great the whole time. This was pretty cool to come back and do that.”

After leading the first 18 laps Dungey was forced to settle for second. Anderson finished in a solid third.

Ryan Dungey

“It’s good to get points, but we’ve got to win. Eli [Tomac] was riding good tonight. He caught us, passed us, and that’s what it was. There were a lot of positives tonight, but man, I was hoping to get out front and just take it all the way, but it doesn’t happen like that all the time. It’s a bummer, but we put ourselves out there and came up a little short. I’m really happy with a lot of things, but instead of second place I wish we were one step higher.”

Tomac now sits alone atop the championship standings for the first time in his career. It’s the first time since the third round of the season that Dungey doesn’t have sole possession or a share of the points lead. Tomac’s lead over Dungey sits at three points with two rounds remaining.

450SX Class Results

1. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki
2. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM
3. Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.M., Husqvarna
4. Marvin Musquin, Corona, Calif., KTM
5. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Kawasaki
6. Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Yamaha
7. Davi Millsaps, Cairo, Ga., KTM
8. Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., KTM
9. Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., Yamaha
10. Dean Wilson, Clermont, Fla., Husqvarna

450SX Class Championship Standings

1. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki – 319
2. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM – 316
3. Marvin Musquin, Corona, Calif., KTM – 270
4. Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.M., Husqvarna – 228
5. Cole Seely, Sherman Oaks, Calif., Honda – 211
6. Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., KTM – 190
7. Davi Millsaps, Cairo, Ga., KTM – 190
8. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki – 167
9. Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Yamaha – 158
10. Dean Wilson, Clermont, Fla., Husqvarna – 158

Western Regional 250SX Class Main Event

In the Western Regional 250SX Class Main Event it was Austin Forkner claiming the holeshot over Aaron Plessinger and McElrath. Plessinger took advantage of his best start of the season to move into the lead, bringing McElrath along with him into second. Forkner settled in to third. Hill started behind this group in sixth, but made early passes to take over fourth.

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Plessinger set a torrid pace to establish a multiple-second lead over the field and appeared to be in full control of the race but a mistake in the whoops sent Plessinger to the ground and out of the race on lap seven.

That allowed McElrath to take control of the lead, with Forkner moving into second and Hill into third. Forkner was poised to challenge McElrath for the lead but he too encountered misfortune in the whoops, altering his line while navigating around a lapped rider and losing control. Forkner crashed out of second, allowing Hill to assume the spot and moving Mitchell Oldenburg into third.

With Hill needing a podium behind McElrath to wrap up the title Oldenburg put on a charge and caught Hill for second on lap 13 and then on the final lap Martin Davalos closed in from fourth to pass Hill but on the final corner Hill blitzed the berm to pass Davalos for third by half a wheel which in turn was enough to clinch the title.

McElrath went on to take his third win of the season by 3.9 seconds over his teammate to give the Troy Lee Designs team a 1-2 finish.

Shane McElrath

“This win was about staying up. It’s unfortunate for Aaron [Plessinger], but tonight was one of those tracks where you couldn’t ride too hard because it was so technical and precise. I’m pumped for Justin [Hill], but for us to finish 1-2 is amazing.”

The championship is Hill’s first career professional title, clinching one round early. It’s also the 20th title for Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki, the most successful team in the history of the sport.

Justin Hill

“This championship means everything [to me]. We’ve worked so hard. This is my fifth time around and I’ve had bumps along the way, which makes this win way more sweet. It’s been a dream of mine since I was a kid. This is awesome.”

Dan Reardon rode hard all night and was as far up as fifth in the main event at one stage but a few minor mistakes dropped the Queenslander to 7^th by race end, one position in front of fellow Aussie Hayden Mellross who started the main event well outside the top ten.

The 2017 Monster Energy Supercross season will continue next Saturday, April 29, for the 16th and penultimate round of the championship from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Western Regional 250SX Class Results

1. Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., KTM
2. Mitchell Oldenburg, Alvord, Texas, KTM
3. Justin Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., Kawasaki
4. Martin Davalos, Clermont, Fla., Husqvarna
5. Jimmy Decotis, Peabody, Mass., Honda
6. Austin Forkner, Richards, Mo., Kawasaki
7. Dan Reardon, Menifee, Calif., Yamaha
8. Hayden Mellross, Australia, Yamaha
9. Kyle Chisholm, Valrico, Fla., Honda
10. Tyler Bowers, Corona, Calif., Yamaha

Western Regional 250SX Class Championship Standings

1. Justin Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., Kawasaki – 180
2. Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., KTM – 154
3. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha – 143
4. Martin Davalos, Clermont, Fla., Husqvarna – 142
5. Jimmy Decotis, Peabody, Mass., Honda – 122
6. Austin Forkner, Richards, Mo., Kawasaki – 105
7. Dan Reardon, Menifee, Calif., Yamaha – 96
8. Kyle Chisholm, Valrico, Fla., Honda – 85
9. Cole Martinez, Rimrock, Ariz., Yamaha – 73
10. Mitchell Oldenburg, Alvord, Texas, KTM – 60
    …14. Hayden Mellross, Australia, Yamaha – 53

AMSOIL Arenacross Championship – Round 12 – Denver, CO

After its second break of the 2017 season AMSOIL Arenacross’ Race to the Ricky Carmichael Cup returned to the track on Saturday night for the penultimate round inside the Denver Coliseum and it was Chris Blose who took the overall victory in the 250AX Class while in the Western Regional AX Lites Class, Ryan Breece raced to his third win of the season, which vaulted him into a tie atop the championship standings.

Blose’s path to victory hinged largely on the RMATV/MC Head 2 Head Challenge that took place prior to the 250AX Class Main Events. The Yamaha rider emerged victorious over Gared Steinke, giving Blose an additional bonus point in the Race to the Ricky Carmichael Cup.

The first 250AX Class Main Event saw Blose keep the momentum going, earning the holeshot over Gavin Faith and Daniel Herrlein. With the championship’s lead duo of Blose and Faith out front, Jace Owen had his work cut out for him starting ninth.

Blose was on another level in the first Main Event and quickly opened a comfortable margin over Faith within the first couple laps. He would continue to extend that lead as the race wore on, allowing Faith to assert himself in second.

With the top two riders comfortably out front the attention moved on the battle for third as Ben Lamay patiently worked on Herrlein for the majority of the Main Event. On Lap 11 Lamay pulled the trigger and was able to get by Herrlein to take over third. As this all unfolded Owen was working hard to fight his way through the field, breaking into the top five and mounting a late challenge on Herrlein.

Blose cruised to the win 8.1 seconds ahead of Faith, while Lamay followed in third. Owen successfully passed Herrlein to finish fourth, capping off an impressively resilient effort.

When the field stormed out of the gate for the second Main Event it was Lamay who put his Honda out front early, with Blose right behind. Herrlein started third, followed by Owen and Faith. Looking for his second straight Main Event sweep Blose passed Lamay for the lead on Lap 1, but the Honda rider continued to fight.

Owen was able to move into podium position by passing Herrlein on Lap 4, and on the following lap Faith encountered misfortune, dropping from fifth to eighth. The drama picked up again on the ensuing lap when Blose went off track while leading, handing the lead back over to Lamay and falling to fifth.

Blose’s misfortune provided an opportunity for Owen to make a run for the lead on his teammate and soon enough a battle for the lead was brewing. Lamay was able to fend off his teammate for the majority of the Main Event, but Owen found a way around on the final lap to take the win by less than a second.

Team Babbitt’s/Monster Energy/AMSOIL Kawasaki’s Travis Sewell finished third. Behind them both Blose and Faith did well to recover from their troubles, with Blose finishing fourth and Faith fifth.

The resiliency that Blose showed in recovery of his off-track excursion, combined with his Head 2 Head Challenge win, was ultimately enough to give him his second straight overall victory (1-4). Lamay finished second overall (3-2), while Owen’s win in the second Main Event landed him third (4-1). Points leader Faith was fourth (2-5), with Sewell fifth (9-3).

Despite missing out on a podium result Faith maintains control of the Race to the Ricky Carmichael Cup standings heading into the final round. He now sits just five points ahead of Blose, while Owen sits eight points out of the lead in third. They will be the only riders eligible to win the Ricky Carmichael Cup, setting the stage for an exciting final night of action in Las Vegas.

250AX Class Overall Results (Main Event Results)

1. Chris Blose, Phoenix, Yamaha (1-4)
2. Ben Lamay, Forney, Texas, Honda (3-2)
3. Jace Owen, Matoon, Ill., Honda (4-1)
4. Gavin Faith, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Kawasaki (2-5)
5. Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., Kawasaki (9-3)
6. Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, KTM (5-8)
7. Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, Kawasaki (6-7)
8. Jacob Williamson, Swartz Creek, Mich., Kawasaki (11-6)
9. Cody VanBuskirk, Harvard, Ill., KTM (7-9)
10. Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Kawasaki (8-10)

RMATV/MC Head 2 Head Challenge Results (Bonus Points)

1. Chris Blose, Phoenix, Yamaha (2 points)
2. Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Kawasaki (1 point)
3. Gavin Faith, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Kawasaki (1 point)
4. Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., Kawasaki (1 point)
5. Jacob Williamson, Swartz Creek, Mich., Kawasaki (1 point)
6. Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, KTM (1 point)
7. Jared Lesher, Ball Ground, Ga., KTM (1 point)
8. Ben Lamay, Forney, Texas, Honda (1 point)

Race to the Championship Standings

1. Gavin Faith, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Kawasaki – 163 (8 Main Event Wins)
2. Chris Blose, Phoenix, Yamaha – 158 (4 Main Event Wins)
3. Jace Owen, Matoon, Ill., Honda – 155 (16 Main Event Wins)
4. Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, KTM – 123 (1 Main Event Win)
5. Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Kawasaki – 113
6. Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., Kawasaki – 99 (1 Main Event Win)
7. Cody VanBuskirk, Harvard, Ill., KTM – 92
8. Ben Lamay, Forney, Texas, Honda – 78 (1 Main Event Win)
9. Matt Goerke, Lake Helen, Florida, Yamaha – 40 (1 Main Event Win)
10. Josh Osby, Valparaiso, Ind., Kawasaki – 37

Western Regional AX Lites Class

The Western Regional AX Lites Class Main Event got underway with Hunter Sayles grabbing the holeshot over Breece and his teammate Jacob Williamson. However, Sayles got held up briefly entering the whoops and the loss of momentum allowed both Breece and Sayles to get by and dropped Sayles to third. Once in the lead, Breece laid down fast laps with the clear track ahead of him and opened up a multi-second lead over the field.

Williamson did well to keep his teammate honest, but Breece’s consistency allowed him to maintain a comfortable margin. Breece went unchallenged throughout the entirety of the 15-lap Main Event and took the win by 1.9 seconds over Williamson, giving the GPF Kawasaki squad a 1-2 finish. Sayles fended off a heavy challenge from Jeramy Taylor to round out the podium in third.

The win paid big dividends for Breece in the Western Regional standings, moving him into a tie with Sayles atop the championship with just one round remaining. Jared Lesher, who finished 13th, sits third, 15 points behind the leaders.

The final round of the Race to the Ricky Carmichael Cup will take place on Friday, May 5, from Las Vegas’ Orleans Arena as part of championship weekend alongside Monster Energy Supercross, which will take place on May 6 at Sam Boyd Stadium, and the AMSOIL Amateur National Arenacross Championship from Orleans Arena on May 7.

Western Regional AX Lites Class Results

1. Ryan Breece, Athol, Idaho, Kawasaki
2. Jacob Williamson, Swartz Creek, Mich., Kawasaki
3. Hunter Sayles, Merrill, Wis., KTM
4. Jeramy Taylor, Canton, Ohio, KTM
5. Mitchell Gifford, Colorado Springs, Colo., Kawasaki
6. Jake Hogan, Acton, Calif., Yamaha
7. Deegan Vonlossberg, Palmdale, Calif., Yamaha
8. Chance Blackburn, Newman Lake, Wash., KTM
9. Jake McKinney, Hamersville, Ohio, Kawasaki
10. Zac Magnum, Declo, Idaho, Suzuki

Western Regional AX Lites Class Championship Standings

1. Ryan Breece, Athol, Idaho, Kawasaki – 114
2. Hunter Sayles, Merrill, Wis., KTM – 114
3. Jared Lesher, Ball Ground, Ga., KTM – 99
4. Hunter Hilton, Youngsville, La., Husqvarna – 54
5. Jeramy Taylor, Canton, Ohio, KTM – 49

FIM World Motocross Championships – Round 6 – Valkenswaard, Netherlands

In front a loud and parochial crowd Gautier Paulin and Pauls Jonass have won the MX1 and MX2 classes respectively at the sixth round of the FIM World Motocross Championship which was held at the famously tretcherous Valkenswaard circuit in the Netherlands last weekend.

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MX1 Race Report

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider Gautier Paulin has won the Grand Prix of Netherlands with a 1-2 performance. The Frenchman looked strong and despite some intense racing from Jeffrey Herlings and a moto win to Antonio Cairoli the Husky rider was a well-deserved winner. Jeffrey Herlings scored 3-3 was second with Jeremy Van Horebeek 2-5 for third place.

Gautier Paulin

“It was a long time ago, and it feels really great. It was an emotional win, because it’s been so long and now back on the podium and the first step. It’s been for more than a year. Not just for the win, but also for the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna team, I feel so good with this team and they are pushing so hard behind me and its good having people like this behind you. The track changed a lot from yesterday and today and its totally different from two years ago, when I won here it was totally different. It was still really good, and awesome today. Being part of Husqvarna is a big thing, they push so hard from the first GP at Qatar. They are so close to me and we are making changes and it isn’t just about being under the tent or at the races, I feel their power and this gives me strength and its great racing like this. I felt racing with Jeffrey, and the Dutch fans were really cheering for him, so hard and I felt like the track was getting smaller and from today there will be some good memories.”

Jeffrey Herlings

“We wanted to be one place more to the left, but we got second, so from where we came from, we had a bad start to the season. We came to Qatar with a broken hand, and we were riding, but we couldn’t ride, with so much pain. In the second round as well, then I couldn’t ride for five weeks almost. We went from GP to GP and I felt terrible, I even felt embarrassed. Now I have been back on the bike for a couple of weeks, and I am pain free, so that is positive. Now we can work on getting better and better. These guys are super-fast and during the winter, I didn’t expect them to be so fast. MXGP is like all-out war, from the start of the race until the end. That is something we are not used to, but I think we will get there. We are back on the speed, now we need to get the starts sorted.

Gautier is on the same bike as is Tony and they pull one after the other holeshots. I just have to get it all together and once we have that I think we are on a good way. For sure the championship is over, but maybe we can get top five. I have been winning here seven years in a row and even though I have had a bad season, they expected me to be on the podium and that is what I did. I wanted to be in Gautier’s spot, but I felt close today to the win and that is good, but for the Dutch fans I felt for them. We got second, and that is like a win for me at the moment. I think I came from outside the top ten in the first moto and 15th in the second moto, and all these guys are fast. I don’t want to be disrespectful to the MX2 guys, but when I was racing with those guys I would pass them and be gone and these MXGP guys fight back. It’s been a good day and I just want to work from here.”

Jeremy Van Horebeek

“It’s been a good weekend.  I was really sick after Mexico with a virus in my stomach and throwing up a lot and I lost four kilos. Last week it was getting good and this week I thought it was over, but I had big cramps in the second moto, but overall it was really good. The first moto I felt good for 15 minutes and I thought let’s go for the win, but health problems stopped that. We were consistent and I am glad to be on the podium. When you are consistent like this it pays at the end of the season. I like Latvia and me and Gautier had a good battle at the MXoN in 2014 and let’s keep that going. The fans enjoy our racing and it’s a tough class, we have to fight for every position.”

A crash in the opening moto saw Antonio Cairoli relegated to the back of the pack and the KTM rider managed to claw his way back to ninth but in the second moto the Italian master was back to his best with an emphatic win.

Antonio Cairoli

“It was a race where I should have gone 1-1 so I’m disappointed. I like the sand and the bad start should not have happened; when you are in the pack you cannot control the rest of the people so I got stuck between some crashes. I then used all my tear-offs and later had some sand and irritation in my right eye that made my vision blurry and I had to slow. I was really disappointed with that moto. My eye was still bothering me a bit in the second moto and I wasn’t 100% but I tried for the good start and it worked. To take twenty-five points for the championship was good but it wasn’t my goal for the weekend.”

Championship leader Tim Gajser went 6-4 on a tough day at the races and now holds a 14 point lead in the series over Cairoli.

Tim Gasjer

“Today was ok. I made some big mistakes in the first race when I was second and I couldn’t come back to find my rhythm and I finished sixth which I was a little bit disappointed with. The second race was better, even though I didn’t have the best start. I came from seventh back to fourth which was good so I will take some important points away from this race and refocus for Latvia. If I am honest I didn’t like that track at all so I am glad this is done and I am really looking forward to racing in Latvia and having a one week break at home.”

Evgeny Bobryshev

“I had a really good start in both races today and have been riding in second place for both of them but unfortunately I wasn’t able to hold it in either. In the first race I finished fourth as I made some mistakes in the last few laps. I did manage to catch up again and all the group finished really close together. The second race was more frustrating for me. I was running in second place at a good pace with a gap behind me of three seconds. Then, with five laps to go I went sideways a few times on the bike and five guys passed me on one lap. I couldn’t fight to get back the places which was tough. I was really motivated to be running for a podium today but it just didn’t end well for me. Finishing like this isn’t the way for me, I am really grateful to all the work HRC has done for me this weekend. I have to forget about this for the next race and learn from my mistakes.”

MXGP – Overall Classification

1. Paulin, Gautier – 47
2. Herlings, Jeffrey – 40
3. Van Horebeek, Jeremy – 38
4. Cairoli, Antonio – 37
5. Gajser, Tim – 33
6. Bobryshev, Evgeny – 31
7. Jasikonis, Arminas – 30
8. Febvre, Romain – 25
9. Coldenhoff, Glenn – 24
10. Nagl, Maximilian – 21
11. Desalle, Clement – 21
12. Tonus, Arnaud – 19

MXGP Points After Round 6

1. Gajser – 234
2. Cairoli – 220
3. Paulin – 192
4. Van Horebeek – 182
5. Bobryshev – 176
6. Desalle – 172
7. Febvre – 131
8. Herlings – 124
9. Tonus – 120
10. Nagl – 116

MX2 Race Report

While riders were crashing and spewing off the demanding track all around him, Red Bull KTM Factory rider Pauls Jonass has won the Grand Prix of Netherlands with a 1-1 victory at the Eurocircuit in Valkenswaard and in doing so has a 19 point lead over Jeremy Seewer heading to his home GP in Latvia in two weekend’s time.

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Pauls Jonass

“I felt good all weekend and we made improvements from yesterday to today and actually all the time with the bike. I enjoyed the track even if it was rough and pretty sketchy in places because it was hard underneath with some square-edge bumps but it was nice to ride. I cruised in the first moto. I like riding here and to go home with the 1-1 means I am looking forward even more to my home GP next.”

Jeremy Seewer

“I think we made the best out of the day, after yesterday’s performance, we turned it around with two good starts, that would have been right up there had I had a good gate pick. Both motos I came from like 15th and immediately passed so many riders so that was a good point from today. First moto my setup wasn’t quite on point so I had to settle for fourth, rather than push on for third but it was still good to get some confidence back after yesterday. Then in the second moto we made some good changes on the bike which made my RM-Z250 really good for this track. I was even better on the start and passed the other riders even quicker and got up to second. I even managed to cut Pauls Jonass’ lead at the front which was a nice feeling. Overall I think it was a positive day, despite losing some points in the championship. To be able to come back from Saturday’s result, and only lose a few points is acceptable. The next round is Latvia and I really like that track so I’m looking forward to doing even better there.”

Belgian speedster Brent Van doninck also scored his first podium of the year.

Brent Van doninck

“I had a bad start, so it took a lot of energy. In the second race I had a better start, inside the top ten, so I could ride freer. I managed to get up to third and at one point I was closer to Jeremy Seewer but then he must have found another gear. I am really happy to be on the podium, my first of the year, and it’s good for the championship too.”

Thomas Kjer-Olsen continues to impress in his rookie season.

Thomas Kjer-Olsen

“We’re in a very good place right now. I’m enjoying racing my bike and my speed is really competitive. If we manage to minimise mistakes, we will be able to consistently be on the podium. In moto one I got a good start but as I was battling for the top five I was involved in a crash with a few other riders. I picked myself up and kept pushing hard to get ninth. My start wasn’t as good in moto two, but without making any mistakes I crossed the line in fourth for fourth overall at the GP. We’re fourth now in the standings and I believe we can go even higher.”

Thomas Covington went 3-DNF on his Husqvarna.

Thomas Covington

“My riding was good throughout the weekend despite the rough sandy track. Following a strong sixth place in qualifying race I got off to a good start in moto one and managed to make some good passes for third at the finish line. Towards the end of the moto I felt a bit of pain in my back but I tried not to let that affect my performance and my lap times. To finish third felt good and I was looking forward to moto two. Unfortunately, my start was bad in the last moto and as I was pushing to make passes I crashed and bent my bars. The championship still has a long way to go. We proved the speed is there so it’s up to me now to reduce mistakes and be more consistent.”

Last weekend’s GP winner Jorge Prado only scored four points at Valkenswaard.

Jorge Prado

“This weekend I didn’t have any luck. I think I had the speed and condition to make a good result but it just didn’t happen. I don’t know how I crashed in the first moto but it was a big one. I tried to lift the bike up and lost control. It was a hard hit. I tried my best after that and the result was not too bad after such a big crash. I went to the second moto knowing I didn’t have anything to lose and had the holeshot but just lost the rear of the bike. I was lucky to land just to the side of the fence. So I was fortunate in some ways but not in others. It has been a bittersweet week, and I need to learn from it.”

As for the Aussie riders it was Hunter Lawrence who was the start performer with 10-5 finishes for sixth overall while Caleb Ward returned from injury to score 23-34 finishes and Jay Wilson struggled in the deep sand for 24-26 finishes.

Hunter Lawrence

“It was a good day. First moto I got a decent start, around 10-15 but then I made a mistake as I was going over a bump, letting off the gas and allowing the bike to stall. It took me a little time to start the bike again by which time I’d dropped down outside the top 20. I then put on a charge which got me up to 10th position, so I was pretty happy with how I was riding and made me look forward to race two. Then in the second moto I got another good start on board my RM-Z250, which was running great all day.

I moved up from around 10th and just put my head down, rode my own race, got my lines sorted and was really trying to play with the track and link some sections together. I ended up passing some good riders to finish fifth and I was really happy with how I was riding and how the Suzuki World MX2 team progressed throughout the weekend. From Saturday to Sunday it was a nice improvement and I hope to keep this level up for the upcoming GPs. This sixth overall was my best ever finish, combined with my best moto result so I have a lot of positives to takeaway and I’m excited to head to Latvia for the next round.”

MX2 – GP Classification

1. Jonass, Pauls – 50
2. Seewer, Jeremy – 40
3. Van doninck, Brent – 36
4. Olsen, Thomas Kjer – 30
5. Vlaanderen, Calvin – 29
6. Lawrence, Hunter – 27
7. Paturel, Benoit – 26
8. Petrov, Petar – 22
9. Lieber, Julien – 22
10. Covington, Thomas – 20
    …23. Prado Garcia, Jorge – 4
    …29. Wilson, Jay – 0
    …37. Ward, Caleb – 0

MX2 – World Championship Classification

1. Jonass – 242
2. Seewer – 223
3. Lieber – 197
4. Olsen – 188
5. Paturel – 173
6. Van doninck – 159
7. Covington – 133
8. Brylyakov – 123
9. Prado Garcia – 121
10. Cervellin – 109
    …15. Lawrence – 88

EMX250 Race Report

One week after his third place podium finish in Trentino Miro Sihvonen dominated the EMX250 class at Valkenswaard with 1-1 finishes ahead of Dutch rider Nick Kouwenberg who rode to impressive 3-3 finishes for second overall in front of his home crowd.

Morgan Lesiardo’s 4-10 finishes surprisingly secured him the final spot on the podium while Nichlas Bjerregaard and Ken Bengtson were an example of how consistency pays off. The two didn’t necessarily have any remarkable race performances but their ability to place in the top ten twice in one weekend is proving to be a feat of its own. Bengtson’s 6-9 finishes put him 4th overall and Bjerregaard’s 10-7 achieved the 5th overall.

Last week’s winner Simone Furlotti is now third in the points after finishing 11th overall going 18-6 here at Valkenswaard.

Aussie Jed Beaton scored 15^th in the opening moto, one position ahead of the much touted Zach Pichon then backed that up with a solid 11^th in moto two for 13^th outright so Beaton now sits 15^th in the championship, only eight points away from the top ten place getters.

Kiwi Josiah Natzke hasn’t had a lot of luck over the opening two rounds but the KTM pilot managed five points at Valkenswaard and now sits 33^rd in the championship.

EMX 250 Overall Results

1. Miro Sihvonen – 1-1
2. Nick Kouwenberg – 3-3          
3. Morgan Lesiardo – 4-10        
4. Ken Bengtson – 6-9                
5. Nichlas Bjerregaard – 10-7   
6. Mel Pocock     – 7-12  
7. Jago Geerts     – DNF – 2
8. Ruben Fernandez – 2-25        
9. Marshal Weltin – 13- 8
10. Michael Eccles – 37-4

EMX 250 Championship Standings

1. Miro Sihvonen – 90
2. Morgan Lesiardo – 70
3. Simone Furlotti – 63
4. Nick Kouwenberg – 63
5. Karlis Sabulis – 54
6. Ken Bengtson – 43
7. Ruben Fernandez – 40
8. Nichlas Bjerregaard – 34
9. Alberto Forato – 32
10. Mel Pocock – 31

EMX125 Race Report

At the first round of the European Championship EMX125 presented by FMF Racing, Ice One Racing Husqvarna’s Mikkel Haarup had two impressive races over the two days, with a pair of decent starts he moved into the lead quickly during both races. He won race 1 on Saturday by over 13 seconds and on Sunday doubled his gap to win by 26 seconds.

Behind Haarup in race 1 it was Tim Edberg who battled with BUD Racing Monster Energy’s Brian Strubhart Moreau in which Edberg came out ahead.

Sunday was not as fortunate for Edberg though as he would instead battle for 6th with Alessandro Manucci all the way to the finish. Manucci finished 7th over but ended up holding off Edberg and denying him of the final spot on the podium which would instead go to Jesyk Racing Team’s Sergi Notario.

Moreau however improved his 3rd place finish from Saturday to a hard fought 2nd today. Moreau was in a race of his own for second the first half of Race 2 but was later pressured by Creymert Racing’s Kevin Horgmo, the battle for second was fierce but Horgmo couldn’t find a way past and eventually he finished 3rd, combined with his 10th on Saturday Horgmo rounded out the top 5 with 5th overall.

Last year Gianluca Facchetti finished 4th in the championship, he now leaves this weekend with a 6 overall result after 6th Saturday and 5th today. Facchetti was 5th on the first lap of race 2 before being passed by Horgmo, he later found his way back into the top 5 when he got fellow Italian Manucci on lap 6.

2016 EMX85cc Champion Rene Hofer finished 9th in Race 1 and looked like he was going to improve on the result in race 2 as he had a strong ride and battled for 7th. Hofer made an error and went down where he struggled to get going again, he eventually picked himself up in 12th before fighting his back to a 10th place finish, good enough for 9th overall.

EMX125 Top Ten

1. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, HUS), 50
2. Brian Strubhart Moreau (FRA, KAW), 42
3. Sergi Notario (ESP, KTM), 36
4. Tim Edberg (SWE, YAM), 36
5. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KTM), 31
6. Gianluca Facchetti (ITA, HUS), 31
7. Alessandro Manucci (ITA, HUS), 31
8. Paolo Lugana (ITA, TM), 26
9. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 23
10. Viking Lindstrom (SWE, KTM), 22

GNCC – Round 5 – Camp Coker Bullet, Society Hill, SC

The 2017 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series continued with the second annual CST Tires Camp Coker Bullet GNCC last weekend and it was Kailub Russell who took out the overall win while there were three Aussies who were prominent in two classes throughout the event.

XC1 Open Pro: Aussie Josh Strang jumped out to the early lead grabbing his third holeshot of the year while Ricky Russell and Thad Duvall where right on his tail.

By the time the field had hit the Camp Coker motocross track Duvall had made his way to the lead with R Russell, K Russell and Strang in hot pursuit but by the conclusion of the second lap K Russell sat in second while Duvall maintained control of the lead.

Duvall and K Russell maintained a consistent 20 second gap between themselves on the second lap, while R Russell found himself in a heated battle with Jordan Ashburn. Before long, Steward Baylor also found himself in the mix with R Russell and Ashburn just ahead of Strang.

R Russell succumbed to the pressure of Ashburn in the final second of the moto track. With a semi-clear path, Ashburn began to separate himself from Baylor who now rode in fourth.

Once the two-lap board was out, Duvall and K Russell were rubbing plastic as they approached the pro pits. K Russell made the pass for the lead, but pulled in his pit for a splash of gas, while Duvall neglected to stop where he took back over the lead.

With only four miles remaining in the race, K Russell stole the lead away from Duvall but the duel for the lead was far from over until Duvall ran out of petrol on the motocross track and it was a KTM crew member who was quick to help Duvall and he was back on-track before Baylor could catch up.

Duvall rode the next mile until approaching his team members who gave him another quick fill up to get him through the rest of the course. After following Duvall the whole race, K Russell crossed the finish line in a champion fashion, taking his fourth-straight overall win. Duvall and Baylor rounded out the overall podium.

As a result of a rule violation, the overall results from today are provisional and pending approval of additional evidence. R Russell had his best finish of the season where he finished just off the podium in fourth. After getting the holeshot, Strang rounded out the top-five overall.

Kaileb Russel

“It was a good day, I just wasn’t flowing at the beginning, those guys gapped me in the first lap and a half and once I got to second I knew I was going to have my work cut out for me, but I just put my head down and kept charging. I went to work all day, chipped away at it and never gave up. Thad was riding well so it’s going to be an interesting rest of the season for sure. These guys are keeping me on my toes and making me strive a little harder so it’s time to raise the bar again and it’s time to get better.”

XC2 250: The XC2 250 Pro division saw some of the closest racing action all day but in the end it would be Josh Toth taking his fifth win of the season ahead of Jesse Groemm and Craig Delong who worked his way from outside the top ten to round out the overall podium in third.

XC3 125: The XC3 125 Pro-Am class podium had a shake-up with Jason Thomas taking the top spot ahead of championship leader Jack Edmondson who had to settle for second while Mark Heresco Jr. followed in third.

WXC: Tayla Jones remains undefeated with five wins in the WXC class after South Carolina while Becca Sheets and fellow Aussie Mackenzie Tricker rounded out the overall podium.

The 2017 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series resumes May 6 and 7 with the inaugural X-Factor GNCC in Peru, Indiana.

XC1 Open Pro Event Results

1. Kailub Russell (KTM)
2. Thad Duvall (HSQ)
3. Steward Baylor (KTM)
4. Ricky Russell (YAM)
5. Josh Strang (HSQ)
6. Jordan Ashburn (BET)
7. Grant Baylor (HSQ)
8. Russell Bobbitt (KTM)
9. Ryan Sipes (HSQ)
10. Trevor Bollinger (HON)

Overall National Championship Standings

1. Kailub Russell (145)
2. Steward Baylor (114)
3. Thad Duvall (100)
4. Ricky Russell (75)
5. Josh Toth (74)
6. Trevor Bollinger (57)
7. Jordan Ashburn (56)
8. Russell Bobbitt (54)
9. Grant Baylor (53)
10. Josh Strang (46)

XC2 250 Pro Event Results

1. Josh Toth (YAM)
2. Jesse Groemm (KTM)
3. Craig Delong (HSQ)
4. Layne Michael (HSQ)
5. Mike Witkowski (KTM)
6. Ben Kelley (KTM)
7. Zack Hayes (KTM)
8. Dylan Macritchie (KTM)
9. Trevor Barrett (YAM)
10. Brendan Riordan (YAM)

XC2 250 Pro Series Standings

1. Josh Toth (140)
2. Craig Delong (101)
3. Mike Witkowski (92)
4. Jesse Groemm (92)
5. Layne Michael (92)
6. Austin Lee (68)
7. Zack Hayes (67)
8. Ben Kelley (63)
9. Trevor Barrett (48)
10. Sam Evans (41)

XC3 Pro Results

1. Jason Thomas 
2. Jack Edmondson         
3. Mark Heresco Jr.       
4. Devan Welch  
5. Hunter Neuwirth

XC3 Championship Standings

1. Jack Edmondson – 145
2. Jason Thomas – 126
3. Mark Heresco Jr. – 91
4. Hunter Neuwirth – 86

WXC Pro Results

1. Tayla Jones     
2. Becca Sheets  
3. Mackenzie Tricker     
4. Brooke Cosner
5. Rachel Gutish

WXC Championship Standings

1. Tayla Jones – 100
2. Becca Sheets – 83
3. Mackenzie Tricker – 80
4. Rachel Gutish – 66
5. Shelby Rolen – 57                   

Australian Motocross Championship – Round 2 – Appin, NSW

The second round of the 2017 Motul MX Nationals took place at Appin in New South Wales last weekend and on a track that featured rut that could snag the bottom of radiators it was Dean Ferris who backed up his opening round win to take the MX1 class victory while Mitchell Evans and Cody Dyce took out the MX2 and MXD classes respectively.

MX1 Race Report

After struggling in the opening moto to finish a distant second to Kirk Gibbs, Dean Ferris bounced back in a rain drenched second moto to score an emphatic win and more importantly extend his championship points lead to 23 points over Gibbs after just two of ten rounds in the championship.

Dean Ferris

“Kirk (Gibbs) was riding really well, so I got a bit lucky with a few riders making mistakes but we got solid points in that moto. In the second moto I got the holeshot and that was important with it starting to rain but I just got through the race and didn’t do anything crazy. I actually felt more comfortable in the second race in all the slippery stuff. It was a really solid day, and we got the GoPro Superpole win again which was nice. We have a good flow going with the team, so we’re really happy.”

Kirk Gibbs (1-6) powered his KTM 450 SX-F to a resounding victory in the first race, but his hopes of converting that into his first round win went down when he was caught in a three rider start-line pileup.

Kirk Gibbs

“I didn’t feel like I rode very well at the first round, so to come here and ride well was great. I’m happy with my speed, but that second race was just tough. Anything that could go wrong did. I did a lot of damage control, and then gave it away at the end. I know it’s only round two but to give someone of Dean’s calibre that sort of a points lead this early makes it tough. I have a lot of confidence in myself and I knew what to work on after last round so to get a race win is awesome. I’ll never give up in a race and obviously that shows, but it is frustrating when you’ve earned a good position and then you lose it in the last two laps.”

Brett Metcalfe (3-5) crashed several times throughout the two motos but heads to the next round at Conondale, Queensland with some momentum and confidence.

Brett Metcalfe

“I struggled a little bit in practice with some settings, but we made huge headway with chassis/suspension relation before that first moto and we got out there and were running good track speed. I worked my way up into third and unfortunately crashed and dropped a few spots, but I was able to charge back through by the end and pick up a podium. In the second we ran the same setup and didn’t have as good a start but actually salvaged it pretty good, worked through a few spots and got up to third. I had an issue with water getting into the lens of the goggles, and after I finally threw them about half way, I instantly crashed. It was just a mistake on my behalf. I lost a lot of spots, and after that I was just trying to dodge roost and not take an eye out. It was disappointing – I felt like there was another third there that I let slip away, but anyhow, we’re making gains, but we’ve still got a little bit to go. I’m happy to come away with a couple of top-fives, but, it isn’t what I want at all. We’re pushing to try and win some motos here.”

Luke Styke (8-3) battled unsuccessfully in race one and eventually finished a disappointing eighth but the KTM pilot bounced back to an impressive podium in the second.

Luke Styke

“In practice and qualifying I struggled a little bit with my set up and I wasn’t feeling it in the conditions. For moto one we made some minor changes which made it a little more confidence but for moto two we made more drastic changes to help with the tricky track conditions. It rained while we were on the sight lap and continued to rain through the moto which made it really technical, but with the changes we made and my Dunlop tyres I was able to get my first podium of the year. I’m not satisfied overall with the result but it’s steps in the right direction and I feel as a team we are moving forward.”

Kyle Peters (7-10) secured the holeshot in moto one for the MX1 class, however dropped back to seventh position after damaging his radiator in a deep rut which forced the Yank import to nurse his Suzuki RMZ 450 to the finish line. In race two Peters was caught in the same crash as Gibbs then re-joined the race at the rear of the pack before salvaging a credible tenth.

Kyle Peters

“It was a bit of a weekend to put behind us to be honest. In moto one I busted my radiator in a rut and it was spraying me with coolant the whole race so I had to really nurse the bike to the finish line. In moto two, I got caught up in the start which put me back a bit and there just wasn’t a lot I could do from there – we did the best we could in that moto but if we had of known it was going to rain we would have set the bike up a bit differently. Despite the luck we had in my races there were still a lot of positives to take out of the weekend – we made it through to Superpole, and in the first moto I led again so it’s good to know that our speed is there. We’ll just put this round behind us and focus on working hard for the next round at Conondale.”

After starting the series with a less than ideal preparation, the Kawasaki pairing of Nathan Crawford and Aleksandr Tonkov are gaining fitness and confidence to end the day in 7^th and 8^th overall so look for the green machines to make their way forward in the coming rounds.

MX1 Moto 1 Top 10

1. Kirk Gibbs – KTM
2. Dean Ferris – Yamaha  
3. Brett Metcalfe – Husqvarna
4. Nathan Crawford – Kawasaki
5. Kade Mosig – Yamaha
6. Todd Waters – Honda
7. Kyle Peters – Suzuki
8. Luke Styke – KTM
9. Luke Clout – Honda
10. Aleksandr Tonkov – Kawasaki

MX1 Moto 2 Top 10

1. Dean Ferris – Yamaha  
2. Todd Waters – Honda
3. Luke Styke – KTM
4. Kade Mosig – Yamaha
5. Brett Metcalfe – Husqvarna
6. Kirk Gibbs – KTM  
7. Aleksandr Tonkov – Kawasaki
8. Nathan Crawford – Kawasaki
9. Luke Clout – Honda  
10. Kyle Peters – Suzuki

MX1 Round 2 Results

1. Dean Ferris – 67 points
2. Kirk Gibbs – 60 points
3. Todd Waters – 57 points
4. Brett Metcalfe – 56 points
5. Kade Mosig – 54 points
6. Luke Styke – 53 points
7. Nathan Crawford – 51 points
8. Aleksandr Tonkov – 45 points
9. Kyle Peters – 45 points
10. Luke Clout – 44 points

MX1 Championship Standings after 2 of 10 Rounds

1. Dean Ferris – 143 points
2. Kirk Gibbs – 120 points
3. Kade Mosig – 118 points
4. Todd Waters – 108 points
5. Luke Styke – 107 points
6. Nathan Crawford – 97 points
7. Luke Clout – 95 points
8. Kyle Peters – 93 points
9. Aleksandr Tonkov – 85 points
10. Brett Metcalfe – 83 points

MX2 Race Report

Appin threw up conditions as tough as it can get but Mitchell Evens (1-1) made it look like a walk in the park on his Yamaha YZ250F and he now sits just three point back from championship leader Wilson Todd who scored 3-2 finishes on the day.

Mitch Evans

“It was pretty much a perfect day for me here at Appin, I couldn’t really be happier with how I rode and how my starts were today. The track was really technical today, you had to look ahead to pick your lines and there wasn’t many out there because the track was so rough. You had to go slower to go faster – almost like a trail ride. It was physically demanding but I really couldn’t be happier with the result we got.”

Jackson Richardson (4-3) ran up front in the early part of both motos but failed to keep the pace throughout.

Jackson Richardson

“The weekend was just ok. It’s good that I’m consistent and racking up good points each race but I feel I can be better and I will keep working with the team and on my riding to make improvements. The track today wasn’t easy and I probably tried to override it a bit at times and that style of riding doesn’t reward you here. My starts were great so hopefully I can keep them rolling, make a few changes before round three and start getting on the box a lot more often.”

Kyle Webster (6-11) qualified seventh fastest before battling hard for sixth in the opening moto but a crash in moto two saw the Honda rider finish ninth overall on the day and sits sixth in the series points.

Kyle Webster

“Overall though it was a rough day, some small mistakes and bad starts really cost me, and then when I went down in the first turn of the second moto, it got really tough. I was dead last but managed to fight my way back to 11th by the finish. I definitely have the speed to run with the front guys, I just need it to all come together to get the results I know I am really capable of.”

MX2 Moto 1 Top 15

1. Mitchell Evans – Yamaha
2. Egan Mastin – KTM
3. Wilson Todd – Yamaha  
4. Jackson Richardson – Yamaha
5. Hamish Harwood – KTM
6. Kyle Webster – Honda
7. Richie Evans – Yamaha
8. Ricky Latimer – Yamaha
9. Dylan Wills – Husqvarna
10. Joel Evans – Yamaha
11. Bailey Coxon – Yamaha
12. Jayden Rykers – KTM
13. Aaron Tanti – Yamaha
14. Jesse McNally – Yamaha
15. Calib Best – Yamaha

MX2 Moto 2 Top 16

1. Mitchell Evans – Yamaha
2. Wilson Todd – Yamaha
3. Jackson Richardson – Yamaha
4. Egan Mastin – KTM
5. Aaron Tanti – Yamaha 
6. Dylan Wills – Husqvarna
7. Hamish Harwood – KTM
8. Jayden Rykers – KTM
9. Ricky Latimer – Yamaha
10. Richie Evans – Yamaha
11. Kyle Webster – Honda
12. Tomas Ravenhorst – Yamaha
13. Jesse McNally – Yamaha
14. Joel Evans – Yamaha
15. Jarrod Kelly – KTM
16. Bailey Coxon – Yamaha

MX2 Round 2 Results

1. Mitchell Evans – 70 points
2. Wilson Todd – 62 points
3. Egan Mastin – 60 points
4. Jackson Richardson – 58 points
5. Hamish Harwood – 50 points
6. Dylan Wills – 47 points
7. Ricky Latimer – 45 points
8. Richie Evans – 45 points
9. Kyle Webster – 45 points
10. Aaron Tanti – 44 points

MX2 Championship Standings after 2 of 10 Rounds

1. Wilson Todd – 129 points
2. Mitchell Evans – 126 points
3. Egan Mastin – 117 points
4. Jackson Richardson – 114 points
5. Hamish Harwood – 102 points
6. Kyle Webster – 98 points
7. Jayden Rykers – 97 points
8. Dylan Wills – 92 points
9. Richie Evans – 91 points
10. Aaron Tanti – 88 points

MXD Race Report

Among a myriad of up and down performances it was Cody Dyce who took out the overall in the MXD class with 7-1 results from Jy Roberts (4-3), Callum Norton (2-6), Isaac Ferguson (9-2) while round one winner and still championship leader Cooper Pozniak ended the day 5-5 results.

Cody Dyce

“I managed to get the overall today by only one point! In the first race I got a seventh and in that last race I just did what I could to get the win. Thee were ruts out there that were as deep as my radiator so today was pretty crazy. We got it done though so it feels good to get the win.”

MXD Moto 1 Top Ten

1. Riley Dukes – Husqvarna
2. Callum Norton – KTM
3. Justin Hart – Husqvarna
4. Jy Roberts – Husqvarna
5. Cooper Pozniak – Yamaha
6. Kaleb Barham – Husqvarna
7. Cody Dyce – Yamaha
8. Brodie Ellis – Yamaha
9. Isaac Ferguson – KTM
10. Jye Dickson – KTM

MXD Moto 2 Top Ten

1. Cody Dyce – Yamaha
2. Isaac Ferguson – KTM
3. Jy Roberts – Husqvarna
4. Morgan Fogarty – KTM
5. Cooper Pozniak – Yamaha
6. Callum Norton – KTM
7. Hugh McKay – Yamaha
8. Benjamin Broad – Kawasaki
9. Alex Watt – Husqvarna
10. Jai Constantinou – Honda

MXD Round 2 Results

1. Cody Dyce – 59 points
2. Jy Roberts – 58 points
3. Callum Norton – 57 points
4. Isaac Ferguson – 54 points
5. Cooper Pozniak – 52 points
6. Morgan Fogarty – 45 points
7. Kaleb Barham – 45 points
8. Benjamin Broad – 43 points
9. Brodie Ellis – 39 points
10. Hugh McKay – 36 points

MXD Championship Standings

1. Cooper Pozniak – 122 points
2. Jy Roberts – 120 points
3. Cody Dyce – 119 points
4. Kaleb Barham – 100 points
5. Morgan Fogarty – 97 points
6. Benjamin Broad – 96 points
7. Isaac Ferguson – 94 points
8. Hugh McKay – 79 points
9. Riley Dukes – 78 points
10. Justin Hart – 40 points

Yamaha 250cc Junior Cup Race Report

KTM’s Mason Semmens scored two holeshots to lead every lap of two opening motos of the Yamaha 250cc Junior Cup class which kicked off at Appin last weekend.

After qualifying in first position with a 1:51.152 lap time, Semmens was the man to beat when racing got underway and the KTM rider proved to his competition that he was at Appin for business.

In race one, Semmens took the Raceline holeshot and led for the entire 15 minutes, crossing the finish line a comfortable 20.561 seconds ahead of Regan Duffy, Bailey Malkiewicz, Rhys Budd and Korey McMahon while Jack Kukas, Connor McNamara, Mason Rowe, Mat Fabry and Cody Cheers rounded out the top ten.

In race two it was a familiar sight with Semmens once again putting his number 18 KTM machine up the front – leading from the gate drop to the chequered flag and this time it was Budd who finished in second ahead of Malkiewicz, Kukas, Hayden Matterson, Duffy, Fabry, McNamara, John Bova and Hyam.

Semmens was obviously rewarded with the top step of the podium while Budd’s 4-2 results handed him second overall, followed by Husqvarna mounted Malkiewicz who took the third step on the Yamaha Junior 250cc Cup podium.

Mason Semmens

“It was a good day for us, the track was really tough and technical so I’m happy to have finished 1-1. It’s awesome, it’s definitely good to get a win. I won qualifying so that gave me a lot of confidence going into the first race. I got off to the holeshot, put down some good laps and led every lap. Then in the second I got the holeshot again, crashed I don’t know how many times, about four or something ridiculous, but tried to put my head down, get a good lap in and ended up better than the previous race so it was a great day for me and the team. I couldn’t be happier.”

Yamaha 250cc Junior Cup Points after Round 1

1. Mason Semmens – 70 points
2. Rhys Budd – 60 points
3. Bailey Malkiewicz – 60 points
4. Regan Duffy – 57 points
5. Jack Kukas – 53 points
6. Connor McNamara – 47 points
7. Mat Fabry – 46 points
8. Hayden Matterson – 44 points
9. Dante Hyam – 41 points
10. Mason Rowe – 41 points