Moto News Wrap for April 28, 2015 by Darren Smart
Proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax
Australasian News
Ok, I hate to admit it but this could be bigger than Ron Rechien coming to Australia to race the annual Conondale Classis. James Stewart will take on Chad Reed in Australia at the Sydney round of the Australian Supercross Championships on November 28. Here is what Chad said in a recent interview: “To race James in my own country will be fun. It’s going to be a real small arena, and anything can happen there. I think it’s great for Australian racing and supercross in general down there just to have myself back there for a race and James Stewart doing a race down there. It’ll be awesome.”
“I’m pumped to be heading down under to race against the world’s best riders and put on a night to remember for the Aussie fans,” said Stewart. “To have an event which combines high impact, bar to bar supercross racing with the amazing spectacle of Freestyle Motocross it’s going to be one action-packed show!”
Stewart was supposed to race at the Brisbane round of the Australian Supercross Championships a few years ago and didn’t show. Davi Milsaps and Michael Byrne did show and got smoked by our locals.
Dan Reardon and Kade Mosig are both really cool guys. They also race for CDR Yamaha and right now are the two fastest riders in the MX1 class at this year’s MX Nationals. So you would expect team owner Craig Dack to be a very happy man but guess what, not so! Reardon was winning the opening moto at Broadford until Mosig caught him and in the ensuing passing move the two riders got tangled up thus taking both out of the major places for the moto. All going great then BAM, it all turned to POO.
Things are hotting up inside the big blue rig while there were a heap of rider issued with time penalties for cutting the course in the 2nd MX2 moto with title contender Jay Wilson hit with the harshest of penalties, a full 30 seconds. There seems to be a problem with the track markings at the MX Nationals as Luke Clout was also punished for a similar issue in earlier rounds. Pro riders of the calibre of Wilson and Clout do not cut the course to cheat.
Young Husqvarna rider Nathan Crawford looked to have his weekend off to a cracker start by pulling the holeshot in the opening MX2 moto but Broadford has a history of biting people on the bum at the most inopportune times and Crawford spectacularly hi-sided out of the lead and eventually the weekend – see the full report and results from an action packed Broadford below.
American News
Chad Reed posted this on FB after round 15 of the AMA Supercross Championships: ‘I tried riding 1st practice but was to sore – My shoulder I had surgery on last year is the problem. re hurt it in last weekends crashes..( Will get MRI Monday ) – Deciding not to race is never an easy decision but feel it was best option for my health and the fast approaching MX nationals. Thanks for all the support today!’
Taylor Potter qualified 26th fastest but didn’t make it to the main event thanks to poor starts throughout the day.
Christophe Pourcel is reportedly in talks to race the 450 AMA Nationals for the Rockstar Husqvarna. The former World Motocross Champion was seen testing the Husqvarna at Pala Raceway last week.
The firing of Davi Millsaps from the Monster Energy Kawasaki team is rumoured to be as a result of a ‘substance’ found in Millsaps’ locker in the back of the team truck. People in the know insist it wasn’t anything illegal by WADA-code standards but definitely something that you have to have a prescription for and Milsaps couldn’t produce the prescription when asked.
Milsaps wants to race the AMA Motocross Championships so he is looking for a ride but Honda has too many riders, KTM is in no need for a rider, Suzuki has Roczen and Tickle, JGR has Barcia and Peick, Two-Two need support from Kawasaki so that isn’t going to happen. Milsaps may have to buy a bike to go racing.
Kawasaki is having a dead-set crack at signing Eli Tomac on a long term agreement for 2016 and beyond but in the mean-time are looking at getting Ryan Villopoto back to take up the spot left by Milsaps for the 2015 AMA Motocross Championships. See more news on this below.
KTM Motorsports has announced it has extended its contract with Red Bull KTM Factory rider and the newly crowned 2015 East 250 Supercross Champion, Marvin Musquin, through the 2017 race season.
Musquin will be racing in the 450 Supercross and 450 Motocross Championships starting in 2016. “I’m really excited to spend the next two years with KTM,” stated Musquin. “It feels like home under the Red Bull KTM tent as we’ve spent almost 7 years together already. I know how much effort they have put into R&D to give us the best KTM race bikes and I believe in them just as they believe in me. I’m looking forward to even more success with my team.”
Talented Yank Jimmy Decotis has signed to race for Motorcycle/FXR Yamaha team to contest the 2015 Canadian Nationals in the MX2 class.
Josh Strang could only manage fourth place at round 6 of the GNCC held at Springfield last weekend while Daniel Milner suffered another DNF. The race report mentions a mechanical DNF but this is what he wrote on his FB page: ‘Another race I’d like to forget!!! As my health hasn’t been 100%, today I had a big problem with my diabetes witch made me DNF, sorry to everyone behind me and supporting me but hope to be back to 100% soon’.
Cairns rider Jackson Richardson spent last Sunday at Glen Helen going toe-to-toe with Mike Alessi over two 30 minute motos. Richardson was on his privateer CRF250R while Alessi was on his RMZ450. Onya Jatz.
Euro News
This is BIG!! Ryan Villopoto sustained four cracks in his tailbone (coccyx) from his crash in the second moto of the GP in Italy and missed last weekend’s GP at Valkenswaard. According to sources in America, there are talks at the highest level at Kawasaki regarding the viability of getting RV back to America in time to race the opening round of the AMA Motocross Championships at Hangtown on May 16.
Jeremy van Horebeek also missed Valkenswaard. The Belgian rider has broken two bones in his foot after a crash at the second moto of the GP of Italy. He will also miss the Grand Prix of Spain on May 10.
Dean Ferris and Todd Waters made it through one of the toughest GPs on the calendar at Valkenswaard last weekend in 12th and 13th overall respectively. Ferris finished the opening moto in 15th place, just one behind Waters and the Aussie’s swapped the order in the second moto in 13th and 14th. Waters DNF’d his qualifying race leaving him with a poor gate pick for both motos and is now 9th in the championships on 92 points while Ferris is 17th outright on 42 points.
Todd Waters: “The weekend started out a bit rough when I took a heavy hit in qualifying. I was riding well, closing in on a top ten spot until I crashed off the side of the track and hit a fence. That hurt quite a bit especially my shoulder but I soldiered on. With a bad gate pick for race day it was going to be tough but coming back for 14th in each race was a decent recovery effort.”
Dean Ferris: “This weekend was another step forward. On a track was that was proper tough I managed to put in some of my best riding of the series, particularly in race two. I crashed in the second corner and was last to remount but once I got going I found my rhythm and caught up to the pack quite quickly. I managed to pass over half the field by mid distance and then picked off another few riders towards the end of the race to finish 13th.”
On his favoured sand circuit Antonio Cairoli had a shocker to finish back in 11th outright in the MX1 class while Dylan Ferrandis was penalized ten positions at the MXGP of Europe after extending his right leg into Pauls Jonass’ left arm during the second MX2 moto. Ferrandis said afterward he was “just scared to crash and we were close together.” See the full report and results from a far from normal day of GP action below.
Repsol Honda’s Toni Bou got his title defence started in the best possible way at the opening two days of the 2015 Trial World Championship held at the Motegi circuit last weekend. Bou won both days with team-mate Takahisa Fujinami taking the runner-up slot.
HRC Honda riders Joan Barreda and Paulo Goncalves have gone 1-2 in the final stage of the Qatar Sealine Rally but the rally win went to KTM’s Marc Coma.
Race Reports and Results from last Weekend
- – AMA Supercross Championships – Round 16 – East Rutherford, NJ
- – Amsoil Arenacross Series – Round 14 – Fresno, California
- – 2015 GNCC CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP – Round 5 – Springville, IN
- – World Motocross Championships – Round 5 – Valkenswaard, Holland
- – Australian MX Nationals – Round 4 – Broadford
AMA Supercross Championships – Round 16 – East Rutherford, NJ
Andrew Short kicked off the 20-lap 450SX Class Main Event by racing to the SupercrossLive.com Holeshot Award ahead of Cole Seely and Weston Peick. Behind them, both Eli Tomac and Ryan Dungey, the 2015 Monster Energy Supercross Champion, had to battle their way forward from starts outside the top-five.
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Just as he did just a couple weeks ago in Houston when he won his first career 450SX Class Main Event, Seely set a torrid pace out front to open a healthy lead over the field. Tomac made quick work in fighting his way to the front and was able to take control of second from Peick on Lap 2. Just a few moments later Dungey followed into third.
At the halfway point of the race Tomac started to close in on Seely and moved to within just over a second of the lead, but a mistake by Seely brought the two riders within a few inches of one another. Just after they crossed the finish line to start Lap 13, Tomac moved alongside Seely and made the pass through the whoops. Once out front, Tomac pulled away to take a comfortable win.
“The track really broke down out there. I just tried to be as consistent as I could and keep it on two wheels, and I started to close in on Cole [Seely],” explained Tomac. “He made a couple mistakes that allowed me to get on his rear fender and I just pulled the trigger in the whoops. One I got out front I was able to just get through lappers and bring it home.”
Dungey made a strong push as well in the closing laps and was able to also pass Seely to earn a runner-up finish and extend his podium streak to 15 races. Seely held on for third. “The start wasn’t the greatest, and I had a couple close calls out there,” said Dungey. “The track got really nasty and with about five laps to go [after passing Seely] I just settled in. We’re moving forward [to the next race] happy. We got one more to go; we’ll give it all we got and hope for the best.”
Tomac and Seely, who sit behind Dungey in second and third in the 450SX Class point standings, further asserted their positions heading into the last race of the season.
250SX Race Report
Justin Bogle, the defending Eastern Regional 250SX Class Champion, needed a win in order to even have a chance at repeating in 2015 and he got the start he needed in the Main Event by grabbing the holeshot but Marvin Musquin was right behind in second.
Musquin applied some early pressure on Bogle, but the Honda rider was able to fend it off and pull away. Behind the leaders Joey Savatgy, who slotted into third, started to come under fire from Jeremy Martin, who started seventh, establishing an exciting battle for the last spot on the podium.
On Lap 7, Martin briefly passed Savatgy going into a turn, but Savatgy got back under him and pushed him off the track. As this happened Musquin made another run on Bogle and closed in again, ultimately making the pass for the lead on Lap 10. Three laps later Martin and Savatgy resumed their battle for third, but this time Martin crashed while trying to turn under Savatgy.
Musquin pulled away over the final five laps of the 15-lap Main Event to take the win and the title. Bogle was second, while Savatgy earned his third straight podium finish.
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“The championship feels great and winning the Main Event makes it even better,” said Musquin. “Every time you race you want to do good, and today I made it happen. I’m ready to move on and chase some more dreams. It has been great to race alongside Ryan [Dungey] this season with all his success [in the 450SX Class] and it’s helped me get better as well. We have a great team at KTM and I’m excited to keep it going.”
“It hurts to lose [the race] like that and hurts to lose this championship,” said Bogle. “I’ll just keep working. I’ll move to the 450SX Class next year, so I have a lot ahead of me.”
Bogle finished runner-up in the final championship standings, while Martin’s fourth-place finish helped him secure third.
The 17th and final race of Monster Energy Supercross commences next Saturday, May 2, from Las Vegas’ Sam Boyd Stadium.
450SX Class Results: East Rutherford
- Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda
- Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM
- Cole Seely, Laguna Beach, Calif., Honda
- Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Suzuki
- Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, KTM
- Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki
- Josh Grant, Wildomar, Calif., Kawasaki
- Kyle Chisholm, Valrico, Fla., Kawasaki
- Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna
- Weston Peick, Menifee, Calif., Yamaha
450SX Class Season Standings
- Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM, 365
- Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda, 283
- Cole Seely, Laguna Beach, Calif., Honda, 259
- Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Kawasaki, 212
- Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Suzuki, 208
- Trey Canard, Edmond, Okla., Honda, 204
- Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna, 200
- Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki, 183
- Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, KTM, 180
- Ken Roczen, Clermont, Fla., Suzuki, 156
Eastern Regional 250SX Class Results: East Rutherford
- Marvin Musquin, Corona, Calif., KTM
- Justin Bogle, Cushing, Okla., Honda
- Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Ga., Kawasaki
- Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha
- RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Honda
- Kyle Peters, Greensboro, N.C., Honda
- Anthony Rodriquez, Cairo, Ga., Yamaha
- Michael Oldenburg, Alvord, Texas, Yamaha
- Kyle Cunningham, Aledo, Texas, Honda
- Luke Renzland, Hewitt, N.J., Yamaha
Eastern Regional 250SX Class Season Final Standings
- Marvin Musquin, Corona, Calif., KTM, 194
- Justin Bogle, Cushing, Okla., Honda, 171
- Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha, 143
- Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Ga., Kawasaki, 133
- RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Honda, 100
- Anthony Rodriguez, Cairo, Ga., Yamaha, 98
- Kyle Peters, Greensboro, N.C., Honda, 91
- Jimmy Decotis, Peabody, Mass., Honda, 87
- Kyle Cunningham, Aledo, Texas, Kawasaki, 72
- Martin Davalos, Cairo, Ga., Husqvarna, 63
Western Regional 250SX Class Season Final 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
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Amsoil Arenacross Series – Round 14 – Fresno, California
Arenacross Class Race Report: The fifth round of the Race to the Championship featured a competitive evening of competition that saw Jacob Hayes take his second consecutive overall win on the heels of a pair of consistent Arenacross Class Main Events.
Kawasaki’s Matt Goerke appeared to be the rider to beat in the opening Arenacross Class Main Event of the evening, grabbing the holeshot ahead of Bobby Kiniry. Goerke established himself as the leader, but Hayes was able to keep him within striking distance. Behind them, the battle for third picked up between Kiniry and Gavin Faith.
On Lap 4 Faith was able to make the pass and move into podium position, and not long after Kiniry came under fire from both Chris Blose and Gared Steinke. Blose moved into fourth on Lap 6, with Steinke following suit the following lap.
Kyle Regal, the Race to the Championship points leader, started fifth in the Main Event and was solidly in contention with the lead group throughout the first half of the 15-lap race. Regal passed Kiniry to begin his attack on teammate Faith for third. On Lap 6, Regal made a mistake while closing in on his Faith and went over the berm after the whoops, dropping to 15th.
Out front, Goerke maintained about a second advantage over Hayes, which carried through to the finish. After fending of the initial pressure from his teammate Regal, Faith brought home a third-place finish. Blose was fourth, with Ryan Breece third. Regal finished 11th.
Goerke’s victory meant he had the opportunity to select the inversion for the second Main Event. With the help of the Fresno crowd, Goerke selected the case with zero, meaning no riders would be inverted.
As the second Main Event got underway, Regal and Kiniry headed into the first turn side-by-side before Kiniry lost traction and slid out. Regal was able to come away unscathed, but the incident with Kiniry also collected Goerke, Blose and several more riders. Faith and Hayes also avoided the incident and battled for second, with Hayes making an aggressive move for the position that took Faith off the track. Breece worked his way into third after a solid fourth-place start.
While Regal sat comfortably out front, Hayes and Breece engaged in a thrilling battle for second, going side-by-side for most of the race. Behind this battle, Goerke overcame his involvement in the first lap incident to slot into eighth, one spot ahead of Blose. Regal took a much-needed win, with Hayes holding off Breece for second. Cory Green was fourth, while Ginolfi was fifth.
Hayes’ 2-2 finishes were enough to put him on top of the overall podium on what ended up being a big night in the points. Goerke’s resiliency in the second Main Event landed him second (1-7), while Breece enjoyed a career night in third (5-3). Green, who earned an additional championship bonus point for winning the RMATV/MC Head 2 Head Challenge earlier in the evening, was fourth (6-4) followed by Regal in fifth (11-1).
Regal entered the night with his largest points lead of the Race to the Championship with eight, but Hayes’ strong, consistent effort combined with Regal’s misfortune in the first Main Event erased the deficit. The two winningest riders of the 2015 season now sit deadlocked for the top spot in the Race to the Championship with one race remaining. Goerke is third, seven points back, with Blose and Faith tied for fourth (-16).
Western Regional Arenacross Lites Class Report: The Metro PCS Blazing Fast Western Regional Arenacross Lites Class Main Event saw Dave Ginolfi take the early lead, from which he never looked back, leaving the battle for the remaining spots on the podium to his fellow competitors.
Newly crowned Western Regional Champion Daniel Blair had an impressive climb through the field, battling his way from sixth to methodically move into second by the time the checkered flag flew. Scott Zont and Steven Mages went back and forth throughout the Main Event, with Zont eventually securing the third and final spot on the podium.
The 15th and final round of the 2015 AMSOIL Arenacross, and the deciding round of the Race to the Championship, begins Friday, May 1, with the sport’s anticipated debut in Las Vegas.
Arenacross Class Results – Overall (Main Event Finishes)
Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Kawasaki (2-2)
Matt Goerke, Temecula, Calif., Kawasaki (1-7)
Ryan Breece, Athol, Idaho, Yamaha (5-3)
Cory Green, Nowata, Okla., Suzuki (6-4)
Kyle Regal, Grand Prairie, Texas, Husqvarna (11-1)
Chris Blose, Phoenix, Ariz., Kawasaki (4-8)
Gavin Faith, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Husqvarna (3-10)
Dave Ginolfi, Boston, N.J., KTM (9-5)
Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM (7-11)
Bobby Kiniry, Holland Patent, N.Y., Yamaha (8-13)
Race to the Championship Standings (Race 5 of 6)
Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Kawasaki – 140 Pts
Kyle Regal, Grand Prairie, Texas, Husqvarna – 140 Pts
Matt Goerke, Temecula, Calif., Kawasaki – 133 Pts
Chris Blose, Phoenix, Ariz., Kawasaki – 124 Pts
Gavin Faith, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Husqvarna – 124 Pts
Cory Green, Nowata, Okla., Suzuki – 123 Pts
Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM – 109 Pts
Bobby Kiniry, Holland Patent, N.Y., Yamaha – 97 Pts
Gared Steinke, Temecula, Calif., KTM – 89 Pts
Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, KTM – 78 Pts
Western Regional Arenacross Lites Class Results
Dave Ginolfi, Boston, N.J., KTM
Daniel Blair, Lodi, Calif., KTM
Scott Zont, Algonquin, Ill., KTM
Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, KTM
Clay Elliott, Buford, Ga., KTM
Jason McConnell, Canonsburg, Pa., KTM
RJ Wageman, Newhall, Calif., Yamaha
Jake Locks, Dixon, Calif., KTM
Tanner Sisson, Lemoore, Calif., KTM
Josh Struebig, Crown Point, Ind., KTM
Western Regional Arenacross Lites Class Points (After Race 9 of 10)
Daniel Blair, Lodi, Calif., KTM – 127 Pts
Jake Locks, Dixon, Calif., KTM – 65 Pts
Cody VanBuskirk, Harvard, Ill., KTM – 51 Pts
Jason McConnell, Canonsburg, Pa., KTM – 49 Pts
Brandon Glenn, Mesquite, Texas, KTM – 48 Pts
Clay Elliott, Buford, Ga., KTM – 46 Pts
Josh Struebig, Crown Point, Ind., KTM – 41 Pts
Mason Wharton, Brush Prairie, Wash., Kawasaki – 34 Pts
RJ Wageman, Newhall, Calif., Yamaha – 32 Pts
Jonah Locks, Dixon, Calif., KTM – 29 Pts
2015 GNCC CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP – Round 5 – Springville, IN
Kailub Russell extended his win-streak to five-in-a-row on Sunday at round five of the 2015 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country presented by Maxxis, an AMA National Championship, in Springville, Indiana. Russell now sits third on the All-Time Bike Wins list in GNCC Racing after his 27th career win today, surpassing Ed Lojak, who claimed 26 wins through his storied career.
Jordan Ashburn took the $250 All Balls Racing Holeshot Award with Grant Baylor and Josh Strang tailing behind. Thad DuVall quickly made his way into the lead from his mid-pack start on lap one.
Meanwhile, Russell had to work his way through the pack to take over the lead after crashing in the second turn. Russell managed to take over the lead on lap four, but would continue to battle wheel-to-wheel with Grant Baylor throughout the entire three hour race.
Ashburn, along with Ryan Sipes, Chris Bach and Andrew DeLong all challenged the lead pack through the early portions of the race before falling behind, leaving them in a four-way battle amongst themselves.
Strang would be challenged by the rough and rutted terrain to come away with a fourth place finish ahead of Ashburn who would round out the top five. After a long day of swapping positions, Sipes would come away with sixth place ahead of Bach and DeLong who finished seventh and eighth, respectively.
Josh Strang posted this on his FB page: ‘A tricky course yesterday. A few mistakes and riding a little cautious cost me. Looking forward to a new track in a few weeks!’
It was a tough day for Takeshi Koikeda, who experienced a mechanical issue early in the race. Koikeda was able to return to the race and complete eight out of nine laps. Steward Baylor experienced clutch issues that ended his day after completing two laps. Daniel Milner would also experience a mechanical issue on lap four, which ultimately ended his day.
XC2 Pro-Lites Class Race Report: Ryder Lafferty would come away with the holeshot in the XC2 Pro-Lites Class with Ricky Russell heading into the woods in second place followed by Craig DeLong and Nick Davis.
Trevor Bollinger quickly worked his way into the lead on lap one with Jason Thomas close in tow. Thomas was able to make his way through the pack after a bad start, and take the lead on lap four.
Davis made his way into second place on the first lap, where he battled with Bollinger and DeLong as the top three were wheel-to-wheel until Davis did not emerged from the woods. Ultimately Davis would be towed back into his pit as a result of not only running out of gas, but also suffering some mechanical issues.
Jason Thomas maintains the XC2 Pro Lites points lead after five rounds followed by XC2 class rookie, Craig DeLong, Layne Michael, Trevor Bollinger and Ricky Russell.
XC1 Event Results: 1. Kailub Russell (KTM). 2. Grant Baylor (YAM). 3. Thad DuVall (HSQ). 4. Josh Strang (HSQ). 5. Jordan Ashburn (YAM). 6. Ryan Sipes (HSQ). 7. Chris Bach (HON). 8. Andrew DeLong (HSQ). 9. Chris Douglas (KTM). 10. Adam Bonneur (KTM)
Overall National Championship Standings: 1. Kailub Russell (150). 2. Josh Strang (118). 3. Grant Baylor (90). 4. Thad DuVall (81). 5. Chris Bach (69). 6. Jordan Ashburn (60). 7. Ryan Sipes (51). 8. Jason Thomas (50). 9. Craig DeLong (47). 10. Trevor Bollinger (42).
XC2 Event Results: 1. Jason Thomas (KTM). 2. Craig DeLong (HSQ). 3. Ricky Russell (YAM). 4. Trevor Bollinger (KTM). 5. Tegan Temple (KTM). 6. Austin Lee (YAM). 7. Cory Buttrick (BET). 8. Jesse Groemm (BET). 9. Ryder Lafferty (HSQ). 10. Philippe Chaine (KTM)
XC2 Series Standings: 1. Jason Thomas (119). 2. Craig Delong (95). 3. Layne Michael (91). 4. Trevor Bollinger (83). 5. Ricky Russell (76). 6. Cory Buttrick (69). 7. Nick Davis (57). 8. Austin Lee (51). 9. Scott Grills (50). 10. Callan May (46).
World Motocross Championships – Round 5 – Valkenswaard, Holland
MXGP Race Report: Although we are only five rounds in, it seems like we have been waiting forever to see that same amazing mix of smoothness, style and aggression Gautier Paulin displayed in the latter stages of 2014. Finally, a lot of the bets his die-hard fans place on him weekend after weekend would have been won with the Team HRC star finally coming out of his shell to dominate every race. As always, the Frenchman’s style was awe-inspiring as he floated around a visibly brutal circuit here in Valkenswaard for his first grand prix victory of the year.
Gautier Paulin: “It is very special and standing on the podium with all the fans singing the national anthem is something you cannot buy. It’s something that just a win can bring. I’m really happy to feel that again today as it is something really really cool and this is what we do all the work for. I want to thank all the crew because they all believe in what we can do, and since Arco we can things are really starting to come together so I have so much pleasure from this win. It’s been a great race, especially when you dominate the weekend – qualifying win, first moto win, second moto win – it’s just been a perfect weekend.”
Wrapping up second overall Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Nagl is proving to be the ultimate force to be reckoned with, as he snatches back the championship lead for the second time this year. The German, who openly admitted he didn’t expect to be on the podium this weekend, put in two incredibly solid and consistent performances for second overall and his fourth podium finish of the year.
Max Nagl: “This season just keeps getting better and better. It’s my fourth podium result in five races and I leave this weekend with the lead in the championship standings. If I’m honest Saturday was not a good day for me. I didn’t feel good in my riding but my team worked incredibly hard to find the best setup for this track and on race day my confidence was back. I can’t thank them enough for that. In race one I just rode smart and made sure I didn’t crash to take second. My start wasn’t so good in race two but I was able to work my way forward to finish second. Another podium result and now the red plate in the championship makes it yet another great weekend of racing.”
Belgium seems to have a habit of producing consistently consistent riders. Last season it was Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Van Horebeek, who sadly couldn’t race this weekend due to a broken foot, while this season it is Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MXGP’s Clement Desalle. Desalle rode smart, once again, to uncork his fifth consecutive bottle of bubbles.
Clement Desalle: “Being on the podium today is OK. I was disappointed about my crash yesterday. I knew it would be a difficult weekend so I am proud of this podium and it feels like quite a while since I had one in the sand. It gives me some confidence and shows that my condition is good. It is really important to be on the podium every week and it keeps you high in the standings. The year is still young and now we are coming up to some really good tracks and I hope we will have some good racing.”
Rounding out a spectacular weekend for Team HRC, Evgeny Bobryshev finally lost that black cloud of bad-luck that follows him and was rewarded with fourth overall. As a rider that has had a string of injuries, it is fantastic to see him start to bounce back and return to that same Bobby we once knew. There is no doubt that the Russian is hungry to be back on the box and if things keep moving in this direction, it shouldn’t be long before we see him there.
Known as a strong sand rider, there’s no surprise Hitachi Construction Machinery Revo KTM’s Shaun Simpson rounded out the top five this weekend. One of the most awesome factors in seeing the friendly Scotsman wrap up a top five result is the fact he is not a factory rider. As a privateer it’s not the easiest of tasks to go up against the factory bikes, but he has done it once when he won the MXGP of Europe as a privateer back in 2013, so it’s good to see someone prove that it is do-able.
As for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli, this weekend turned out to be one of the worst weekends he has had in a while. The defending MXGP champion came into this weekend one point shy of the championship points lead and if statistics were anything to go by, with the champ having won the last five grand prix’ held at this circuit, it was almost certain the Italian would stand on the podium. Just going to show how unpredictable MXGP can be, the Italian had a massive crash in race one, of which he was lucky to come away scot-free, and could only pull off a seventh in race two which left him all the way back in eleventh overall. He is now thirty points down on the series leader Max Nagl, in third.
Antonio Cairoli: “I came off on one jump in the first moto and I hit my head a bit, and my wrist, but luckily nothing bad. In the second moto I started well, but after a few laps I got a strange feeling in my hand and for most of the 25 minutes I could only ride with one hand. It was very risky in some places and very difficult. I don’t think it’s anything serious but we are going to check and we have a couple of weeks to rest.”
Dutch MXGP rookie Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe’s Glenn Coldenhoff also rode rather impressively to take home his second top ten finish of the year in ninth.
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MXGP Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Honda), 34:52.131; 2. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), +0:17.744; 3. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:35.535; 4. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:40.515; 5. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +0:41.742; 6. Tyla Rattray (RSA, Kawasaki), +0:56.455; 7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Suzuki), +1:00.201; 8. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +1:04.855; 9. Filip Bengtsson (SWE, Honda), +1:08.710; 10. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +1:12.812
MXGP Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Honda), 34:24.814; 2. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), +0:04.761; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:10.118; 4. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:11.589; 5. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:12.309; 6. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +0:28.128; 7. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:39.579; 8. Tyla Rattray (RSA, Kawasaki), +0:41.763; 9. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:43.720; 10. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Suzuki), +0:44.567
MXGP Overall Top Ten: 1. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HON), 50 points; 2. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 44 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, SUZ), 38 p.; 4. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 38 p.; 5. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 31 p.; 6. Tyla Rattray (RSA, KAW), 28 p.; 7. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 27 p.; 8. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 25 p.; 9. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, SUZ), 25 p.; 10. Tommy Searle (GBR, KTM), 19 p.
MXGP Championship Top Ten: 1. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 214 points; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, SUZ), 209 p.; 3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 184 p.; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HON), 178 p.; 5. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 156 p.; 6. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 138 p.; 7. Ryan Villopoto (USA, KAW), 124 p.; 8. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 98 p.; 9. Todd Waters (AUS, HUS), 92 p.; 10. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, SUZ), 86 p
MX2 Race Report
It will come as no surprise, but Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings remains unbeaten here in Valkenswaard, sweeping the MX2 for his first grand prix win since MXGP of Thailand. Although Herlings is expected to win in the sand as he has a once in a life time talent which you have to see to believe, he did make life a little difficult for himself in race two when he got off to a shocker of a start and later crashed while trying to dice his way through the field.
As a youngster he was labeled as ‘cocky’, but as he matures he is proving to be quite humble admitting, “it’s not as easy as you think to win here. I know everyone expects it, but these guys are riding fast too, so I have to give it up for them”.
Meanwhile Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jordi Tixier is starting to pick up some momentum after somewhat of a rough start to the season. Landing on the podium for the second time this season, in second overall, couldn’t be better for the young Frenchman who is trying to regain points after missing MXGP of Patagonia Argentina.
Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Aleksandr Tonkov laid in his best result of the season with a third overall, which is also his first podium performance of the year. The Russian, who has caused a lot of hype recently because he is manning the all new 2016 Husqvarna FC250, is doing a great job of representing the new bike with his two impressive Fox Holeshots vouching for its speed, and his podium finish vouching for its overall handling and performance.
Aleksandr Tonkov: “I’m so happy to have taken my first podium result of the season and the first for the new FC 250 factory racing Husqvarna. It’s been an incredible weekend and one where I felt very comfortable on the track. Starts were very important and I was able to take the holeshot in both races plus the qualification race. I felt strong during race two and held my own lines on a tough track. I’m so happy with this result. My team, my trainer and everyone that supports me work very hard. It’s great to reward them with this result.”
The Dutch fans are always amazing to their home riders, and the vibe in MX2 was just doubled with the local ladHSF Logistics Motorsport Team’s Brian Bogers wrapping up fourth overall while Standing Construct Yamaha Yamalube’s Valentin Guillod did the best he could to salvage fifth.
MX2 Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 34:13.523; 2. Max Anstie (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:42.823; 3. Jordi Tixier (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:58.264; 4. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:10.794; 5. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, Husqvarna), +1:20.871; 6. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), +1:32.176; 7. Julien Lieber (BEL, Yamaha), +1:41.239; 8. Petar Petrov (BUL, KTM), +1:43.961; 9. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +1:45.777; 10. Brent Van doninck (BEL, Yamaha), +1:46.836
MX2 Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 34:12.664; 2. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, Husqvarna), +0:27.575; 3. Jordi Tixier (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:35.672; 4. Valentin Guillod (SUI, Yamaha), +0:37.737; 5. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), +0:40.770; 6. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:54.345; 7. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:58.733; 8. Jens Getteman (BEL, Honda), +1:06.768; 9. Brent Van doninck (BEL, Yamaha), +1:15.696; 10. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +1:20.715
MX2 Overall Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 50 points; 2. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KAW), 40 p.; 3. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, HUS), 38 p.; 4. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), 31 p.; 5. Valentin Guillod (SUI, YAM), 28 p.; 6. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 26 p.; 7. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, KAW), 26 p.; 8. Brent Van doninck (BEL, YAM), 23 p.; 9. Jens Getteman (BEL, HON), 22 p.; 10. Max Anstie (GBR, KAW), 22 p.
MX2 Championship Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 222 points; 2. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, KAW), 185 p.; 3. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 148 p.; 4. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 137 p.; 5. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, HUS), 133 p.; 6. Valentin Guillod (SUI, YAM), 129 p.; 7. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 125 p.; 8. Julien Lieber (BEL, YAM), 121 p.; 9. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KAW), 115 p.; 10. Thomas Covington (USA, KAW), 102 p.;
Australian MX Nationals – Round 4 – Broadford
KTM Motocross Racing Team’s Luke Styke has secured his first ever Monster Energy MX1 overall win at round three of the MX Nationals held at Broadford last Sunday.
After two rounds of standing on the third step of the podium, KTM mounted Styke proved that consistency pays off by taking a moto win and a third place to claim the round overall ahead of Adam Monea and championship leader Kirk Gibbs.
In a controversy packed moto one, CDR Yamaha dished out edge of your seat style racing, when teammates Daniel Reardon and Kade Mosig came together while in first and second, which saw Reardon DNF with a broken water pump and Mosig finished back in 12th after spending time in the pits getting his YZ straightened out.
The hardships however didn’t stop there – red plate holder Kirk Gibbs also suffered a disappointing moto one after crashing early in the race, which saw him cross the line outside of the top five in seventh position.
In moto two, the holeshot went to Penrite Honda’s Cody Cooper, however with redemption on his mind CDR Yamaha’s Daniel Reardon made the passes required to take the race lead ahead of Gibbs.
Despite Reardon holding the lead for the majority of the moto, Gibbs put in a late charge to reclaim the race lead and finish ahead of Reardon who finished second, and Styke who took third.
Kirk Gibbs – “Second in the super Pole was good for points, and in the first moto was going all right, but early on I came together with John Phillips and went down so I had to regroup and get going again. I was charging, got up to third and was catching those front two boys, but was just pushing too hard and had another big crash, so it was just sort of damage control from there – trying to ride the best I could with my bike all bent up. It was a decent crash that second one so I’m going to be sore for a couple of days – a stupid mistake that could have been pretty costly. In the second moto I got a great start and I got into the lead pretty quick. Then Reardon had a couple of better lines and was riding well, but I knew if I stayed with him I could pressure towards the end. I made a little mistake and he got away from me, but I just put my head down and charged and chipped away at his lead, got back on and just waited for my move. When I put it on him I just tried to sprint away at the end and I pulled out about a five or six second lead. I’m really happy to bounce back with a win, but I’m going to have to keep my bike off the deck in future, that’s not the way to win a championship, so I’ve got to be a little bit smarter with that.”
Luke Styke – “It was good to get the monkey off the back in the first moto. It was great. I struggled a bit in qualifying, and made a change at the front end. In moto one I started off a little bit tight, and then kind of at the 10 minute mark I fell into a bit of a groove, put my head down and bum up and rode my own race, and just chipped away and got the win. In the second moto I was just concentrating on a good top-three start. That’s all I wanted and we came out second. I made a silly mistake and got passed, but I didn’t let it worry me, I just did my own thing and put in my own laps. There were two guys behind me giving me some heat, but overall we went pretty good – I was pretty happy with my first win.
I’m looking forward to the sand rounds next. I know my bike works really well in the sand, and I ride good in the sand so I’m looking forward to them.”
Monster Energy MX1 Results: 1. Luke Styke 65. 2. Adam Monea 60. 3. Kirk Gibbs 59. 4. Cody Cooper 53. 5. Dylan Long 49. 6. John Phillips 49. 7. Kale Makeham 48. 8. Jesse Dobson 45. 9. Cheyne Boyd 43. 10. Lawson Bopping 42
MX2 Race Report
After qualifying in number one position, Luke Clout kicked off his round three campaign in spectacular fashion, taking the first moto win for the day ahead of JCR Yamaha’s Jay Wilson in second, and fellow Serco pilot Jed Beaton who took third.
Despite the holeshot being claimed by Penrite Honda Wilson MX athlete Geran Stapleton, Clout once again took a commanding race lead to finish in number one position, followed by teammate Beaton and Kawasaki mounted Takeshi Katsuya who crossed the line in second and third respectively.
With Clout claiming both race wins, the thrills and spills came from the action happening behind him. Jay Wilson copping two in race penalties which saw him relegated to 15th in moto two, while Luke Arbon (SD3 Husqvarna) and Wade Hunter were also victims of penalties in race two, which saw their overall results take hits today.
At the conclusion of the round however, it was once again Serco Yamaha’s Clout on the top step, sharing the podium with teammate Jed Beaton who claimed second overall, followed by Takeshi Katsuya (Kawasaki) who claimed third for the round.
“Broadford was prepared very well today, and that’s the reason why we saw such good racing,” he said. “Today was definitely a good day for me taking two wins. It’s the first ever double race win for me so I’m stoked.
“We have worked on my starts and it’s showing. Two top five starts and into the lead in the first few laps is what I need to be doing.
“I have a 20 point lead in the championship now so I’m just going to take this three week break to work hard and come out swinging at Murray Bridge.”
Motul MX2 Results: 1. Luke Clout 70. 2. Jed Beaton 62. 3. Takeshi Katsuya 58. 4. Geran Stapleton 53. 5. Wade Hunter 50. 6. Jay Wilson 48. 7. Dylan Leary 44. 8. Riley Graham 44. 9. Hamish Harwood 44. 10. Joel Wightman 42.
MXD Race Report
GYTR Yamaha rider Wilson Todd has claimed his second overall round win and continues to hold on to the MXD red plate, after a successful outing at Broadford yesterday.
On one of the toughest tracks on the 2015 MX Nationals calendar Todd took the day in his stride, doing exactly what needed to be done in order to maintain his Pirelli MXD championship lead.
In moto one, the holeshot was taken by Raceline Pirelli Suzuki’s newest addition Jesse Madden, with Todd following closely behind. However, two laps was all that was required for Todd to claim the race lead, eventually crossing the line first ahead of Madden, and Yamaha mounted Jonte Reynders.
GYTR’s Mitch Evans who made his return to racing today after injury, made an early exit from the competition, crashing out of race one and failing to return to the track.
In moto two, Madden’s Suzuki machine was once again first into turn one, this time ahead of KTM’s Wade Carter and Kaleb Barham (KTM).
By the time the chequered flag flew on race two, Carter secured the second moto race win ahead of Jayden Rykers (KTM) and Todd who claimed third.
Thankfully third was all Todd required from the final moto in order to secure the round overall – the GYTR Yamaha rider finishing on the top step of the podium, ahead of Carter and Madden respectively.
Pirell MXD round three overall winner – Wilson Todd– GYTR Yamaha (1st, 3rd – 65 Points) – “The aim of today was to stay consistent and just build on the points championship every round,” he said. “Race wins are important but taking overalls is what I’m here for and I’m just continuing to work on the championship.
“We have a three week break now so I’m just going to put in some more laps, plenty of training and see what we can do at Murray Bridge.”
Pirelli MXD Results: 1. Wilson Todd 65. 2. Wayde Carter 61. 3. Jesse Madden 58. 4. Jayden Rykers 56. 5. Kaleb Barham 56. 6. Lachlan Davis 47. 7. Connor Tierney 46. 8. Jonte Reynders 46. 9. Bailey Coxon 44. 10. Toby Stevens 41.
Points Standings after Round 3
MX1: 1. Kirk Gibbs 204. 2. Luke Styke 185. 3. Kade Mosig 169. 4. Adam Monea 159. 5. Lawson Bopping 158. 6. Cody Cooper 151. 7. Dylan Long 144. 8. Jesse Dobson 140. 9. Kale Makeham 135. 10. Daniel Reardon 124.
MX2: 1. Luke Clout 200. 2. Jed Beaton 180. 3. Jay Wilson 175. 4. Takeshi Katsuya 171. 5. Wade Hunter 145. 6. Dylan Wills 129. 7. Hamish Harwood 126. 8. Dylan Leary 119. 9. Luke Arbon 115. 10. Riley Graham 113.
MXD: 1. Wilson Todd 158. 2. Jesse Madden 132. 3. Toby Stevens 123. 4. Connor Tierney 122. 5. Kaleb Barham 122. 6. Wayde Carter 122. 7. Bailey Coxon 118. 8. Jonte Reynders 111. 9. Jayden Rykers 111. 10. Ryan Shadbolt 97.
