Ulrich Dominates ADAC German MX Masters at Bielstein – Lawrence Struggles
Monster Energy Supercross Announces 2018 Schedule
Musquin Riding with Knee Injury
Irwin and Barr Continue to Dominate UK Motocross
Tamworth to Host 2017 Australian Senior Dirt Track Championship Track
Red Bull Straight Rhythm is BACK!
Raga Wins in Andorra
Luciano Benavides joins KTM Rally Factory Racing
WAMX Hits Waneroo
Craig Cook to compete British SGP
This Week’s Race Reports
Rd 4 – AMA Motocross Nationals, Mount Morris, Pennsylvania
Rd 3 – Canadian Motocross Nationals – Calgary, Alberta
ErzbergRodeo – Austria
Rd4 – Crow Canyon Full Gas Sprint Enduro – Uhrichsville, Ohio
Ferris On Fire at High Point
Riding a YZF450 with CDR Yamaha parts, Dean Ferris has rocked the moto world at round four of the AMA Motocross Championship at High Point last weekend by straight up beating Eli Tomac for third place in timed practice before storming to the lead at the opening moto by passing Christian Craig and Josh Grant before succumbing to the speed and experience of the very much in-form Blake Baggett to earn second place in the opening moto.
Moto two started in the worse possible way with Ferris caught up in a pile up that saw the Aussie starting in dead last only to rip through the pack to end the race in 14th position for seventh overall on the day.
Ferris has made it clear that he is a after a ride in the States in 2018 so his performance at High Point will go a long way to securing that ride.
Dean Ferris
“I got a good start, passed Josh (Grant) and a few other guys, so I’m really happy with it. I just want to thank my mechanics, Brad (McAlpine) and Aidan (Meltzer) for coming over, CDR Yamaha, Rock River Yamaha for putting me up this weekend and all my family back home.”
Dean Ferris – Image by Jeff Kardas
Yamaha and Daymon Stokie Celebrate Finke Win
As we all know by now, Daymon Stokie has won a dramatic 2017 Finke Desert race in four hours and 11 minutes garnering Yamaha’s first win since 1986 when Stephen Gall claimed victory on the mighty YZ490. Here is a cool YouTube clip celebrating the victory:
Yamaha mounted rider Riley Graham is ready to hit the track for his home race at Rounds 7 & 8 (June 24-25) of the Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) in Renmark, South Australia (SA). After an eye-catching performance back at Miva, Queensland (QLD), the SA local will be looking to solidify his current third position in the E2 class standings.
Riley Graham
“I’m really looking forward to racing in front of my home crowd at Renmark. The sandy and dusty terrain should suit my style perfectly. I also have plenty of family coming to the track for the weekend, including my parents, older brother and my fiancé of course! I haven’t raced at Renmark for several years and I’ve only competed on the Motocross track there. It will be great to race on the enduro tracks for the first time! Renmark won’t be as technical as the previous tracks we’ve raced at with Miva (QLD) and Rawson (VIC), with more open and fast and flowing sections to be expected. Obviously with my size, I’m a much better fit on a WR450F and hopefully the change in class will reap improved results. I did enjoy my time in E1 and learnt a lot, however I think I can really shine on the larger bike. You can ride the machine in a higher gear and not rev it as much. I also prefer the smoothness that the engine provides.”
Riley Graham
2017 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship
Round 7 & 8: Renmark, SA 24 – 25 June 2017
Round 9 & 10: Kyogle, NSW 22 – 23 July 2017
Round 11 & 12: Omeo, VIC 5 – 6 August 2017
Dunlop Geomax MX3S
Ulrich Dominates ADAC German MX Masters at Bielstein – Lawrence Struggles
Defending champion Dennis Ulrich has won both motos and extended his championship lead after dominating the fourth round of the ADAC German MX Masters Championship which was held at Bielstein last weekend.
Hunter Lawrence was the second fastest rider on the track in the opening moto but a small fall saw the Aussie finish in seventh place. Moto two saw the Aussie suffer another mishap to finish in 31st despite once again posting one of the fastest lap times.
Hunter Lawrence
Ulrich now leads the championship on 178 points with Jens Getteman in second on 135 points and Lawrence in third n 102 points.
Feld Entertainment announced this week the 17-race schedule for the 2018 Monster Energy AMA Supercross season beginning January 6 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif. And there are three new venues in the 2018 series.
AMA SX
The 2018 schedule provides greater access with eight races in the Mountain or West Coast time zones and nine in the Central or East Coast. Destinations include a return to Foxborough after a one-year hiatus and a visit back to Houston, last event in 2015.
The brand-new Super Bowl-sized Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta will be one of the premier races as the series swings through the Southeast and also stops in Tampa for the first time since 1999. This change will be a highlight as Florida is now home to many of the top Supercross athletes including Chad Reed, Marvin Musquin, Jason Anderson, Zach Osborne and Malcolm Stewart.
Chad Reed is based in Florida
Going into its fifth year, all of the racing will continue to be broadcast on the FOX family of networks. Monster Energy Supercross concluded 2017 with a record-breaking TV season in which Supercross had its largest audience of all time with ratings up 13 percent year-over-year.
Nicole Feld – Executive Vice President Feld Entertainment
“Monster Energy Supercross draws nearly 50,000 fans on average per race and more than 800,000 fans experienced the spectacle in person last season. Our goal is continued growth of the sport and with this schedule we believe we can surpass the 1 million mark in live attendance in 2018. Hosting races in more of the country’s larger capacity stadiums around the U.S. will allow us to expand the reach of the sport.”
2018 Monster Energy Supercross Schedule
Rd1. January 6 Anaheim, CA Angel Stadium
Rd2. January 13 Houston, TX NRG Stadium
Rd3. January 20 Anaheim, CA Angel Stadium
Rd4. January 27 Glendale, AZ U. of Phoenix Stadium
Rd5. February 3 Oakland, CA Oakland Alameda Coliseum
Rd6. February 10 San Diego, CA Petco Park
Rd7. February 17 Arlington, TX AT&T Stadium
Rd8. February 24 Tampa, FL Raymond James Stadium
Rd9. March 3 Atlanta, GA Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Rd10. March 10 Daytona, FL Daytona Intl. Speedway
Rd11. March 17 St. Louis, MO Dome at America’s Center
Rd12. March 24 Indianapolis, IN Lucas Oil Stadium
Rd13. April 7 Seattle, WA Centurylink Field
Rd14. April 14 Minneapolis, MN U.S. Bank Stadium
Rd15. April 21 Foxborough, MA Gillette Stadium
Rd16. April 28 Salt Lake City, UT Rice-Eccles Stadium
Rd17. May 5 Las Vegas, NV Sam Boyd Stadium
Musquin Riding with Knee Injury
Marvin Musquin rode the High Point Motocross National last weekend with an injured knee and issued the following statement via a Red Bull KTM press release following the race.
Marvin Musquin
“This week was all about salvaging points in the championship. I hurt my left knee so knew it was going to be tough coming into High Point especially since we were coming in with the red plate. I had to ride both races with my feet on the pegs basically unable to put my left leg out which obviously restricted what I was able to do on the track, it was tough. But I gave it everything I had and we leave here second in points so it could have been a lot worse. I guess the next few weeks will be about salvaging points and I will just keep trying to do my best.”
Marvin Musquin – Image by Simon CudbyDunlop Geomax MX3S
Irwin and Barr Continue to Dominate UK Motocross
Buildbase Honda team-mates Graeme Irwin and Martin Barr topped the MX1 and MX2 podiums respectively at round five of the Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship at Desertmartin last Sunday.
Martin Barr leading the field at the Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship at Desertmartin
After topping qualifying by over two-and-a-half seconds, Irwin holeshot the opening MX1 moto and led all the way to the flag for a four-second victory. Race two was a repeat performance and if anything he looked even smoother as he won by seven seconds and extended his series lead to 39 points with three rounds to go.
Graeme Irwin
“It’s hard to put into words how I’m feeling right now. It’s been an amazing day. Qualification was great and then to win both races in front of my home crowd – it doesn’t get any better than that. With Martin on top in MX2 it’s been a great day for the team so a big thanks to everyone who makes what we do possible.”
Two-time champion Brad Anderson came home second with a 4-2 card from Gert Krestinov who was third both times out.
Barr went into Desertmartin in third in the championship chase but has now moved up a position after racing to first and second-placed finishes – although he was forced to dig deep after crashing in moto two.
Martin Barr
“It’s been a really good day for me and the team. It’s great to finally get that overall win at home – I don’t know how many times I’ve finished second overall here and now I’ve got that monkey off my back.”
Championship leader Ben Watson ran 3-1 for second overall, three points ahead of Micky Eccles who carded a career-best 2-3.
MX1 Championship Standings (after round 5)
Graeme Irwin – 216
Gert Krestinov – 177
Steven Lenoir – 162
Brad Anderson – 157
Elliott Banks-Browne – 131
MX2 Championship Standings (after round 5)
Ben Watson – 227
Martin Barr – 186
Harri Kullas – 170
Todd Kellett – 146
Mel Pocock – 142
Tamworth to Host 2017 Australian Senior Dirt Track Championship Track
Tamworth’s Oakburn Park Raceway will play host to the 2017 Australian Senior Track Championship over two nights (December 8th and 9th) and according to the Tamworth Motorcycle Club’s President Paul Slade with event will be a cracker.
2016 Australian Senior Dirt Track Championships
Paul Slade
“Classes range from 1100cc Speedway and Dirt Track Sidecars to Under 19, 450cc, quads, long track sliders and full methanol speedway solos to name a few and Oakburn is a huge complex that can hold thousands of spectators with a wide-range of facilities. The track itself is designed for maximum sideways sliding action and is made up of watered decomposed granite (as opposed to being an ‘oiled track’). It’s a fairly large track at 450m long and 22m wide in the corners. We get twelve bikes in races as well as up to six sidecars and if history is anything to go by, we can expect a couple of thousand people in the crowd on both nights. People have come from all over to attend this event, even people who normally wouldn’t be interested in motorcycling events!”
With a total prize pool of $12,000 -$15,000 across all classes up for grabs, this very popular championship is sure to attract a plethora of talent.
Red Bull Straight Rhythm is BACK!
The popular Red Bull Straight Rhythm is set to return to Fairplex in Pomona on October 21, once again bringing back the 1⁄2 mile, straight Supercross track and all the exciting, head-to-head racing it entails. In its fourth year, the event will continue the new format started last year where practice, qualifying and racing will all take place on the same day, with the finals taking place at night under the lights.
The Red Bull Straight Rythm is back!
Red Bull Straight Rhythm debuted in 2014 at the Auto Club Raceway at Fairplex in Pomona, and saw James Stewart win in the Open Class, with Marvin Musquin taking home the top spot in the Lites Class. In 2015, James Stewart defended his title, once again landing on the top of the podium in the Open Class, with his brother Malcolm taking first place in the Lites Class.
Last year, Marvin Musquin returned to the event and dominated the Open Class, with Shane McElrath taking the win in the Lites Class. Many of the world’s top Supercross and motocross riders are expected to return to the competition in 2017.
Dunlop Geomax MX3S
Raga Wins in Andorra
Round three of the TrialGP World Championship was held last weekend in Andorra and it was Adam Raga who claimed a rare victory while Jaime Busto finally grabbed a podium place ahead of Toni Bou who took a very rare third spot but still holds the championship lead going into round four in France this weekend.
TrialGP Round 3 – Andorra – Podium
Results Trial GP of Andorra
RAGA Adam
BUSTO Jaime
BOU Toni
CASALES Jorge
FUJINAMI Takahisa
Luciano Benavides joins KTM Rally Factory Racing
KTM Rally Factory Racing have welcomed Luciano Benavides, with the young Argentinian to make his first competitive outing aboard KTM’s 450 Rally machine during the Desafio Ruta 40 this August, focusing on improving his rally racing skills under the watchful eye of the KTM Rally Factory Racing team.
Luciano Benavides
“I’m really excited to be joining the KTM Rally Factory Racing team. For me, being part of the team that has been dominating the international rally scene for many years is like a dream come true. I’ve raced enduro for several years, winning two national titles in Argentina, and at the end of 2016 I decided to make the switch to rally. Finishing fourth overall at the 2016 Dakar Rally, my elder brother Kevin has been a role model for me. I am 21 now and I strongly believe this is the perfect moment to focus on building my career in rally racing. Becoming a member of such a professional team gives me great motivation to work hard. Our first event will be the Desafio Ruta 40 in Argentina and then we’ll head to Morocco for the OiLibya Rally, in October. My main goal is to get fully prepared for my first Dakar Rally in 2018. I’m extremely grateful to KTM for giving me the opportunity to learn and improve.”
Luciano Benavides – KTM Rally Factory Racing
Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Racing Team
Toby Price (AUS) – KTM 450 RALLY
Sam Sunderland (GBR) – KTM 450 RALLY
Matthias Walkner (AUT) – KTM 450 RALLY
Antoine Meo (FRA) – KTM 450
RALLY KTM Rally Factory Racing Team
Laia Sanz (ESP) – KTM 450 RALLY
Luciano Benavides (ARG) – KTM 450 RALLY
WAMX Hits Waneroo
Round three of the West Australian Motocross Championships was held at the iconic Waneroo circuit last weekend and it was Jayden Rykers who took out the MX1 class overall ahead of Evergreen Dean Porter and young Charlie Creech. Rykers dished out similar punishment in the MX2 class this time well ahead of David Birch and Daniel Pajewski.
The 2 Stroke Cup was dominated by Dean Porter but race 3 was thrilling with Michael Mahon leading the entire race only to have his win taken away by Dean on the finish line. A clean sweep by Dean Porter from Michael Mahon and Julian Cutajar in 3rd place.
Chris Bosnakis – Image by Gordon Pettigrew/Truespirit Photos
Chris Bosnakis was unstoppable in the Quad Championship winning all three motos with Blake Croonen in second and James Ognenis taking 3rd place on the day. Mechanical issues again plagued Michael Murphy on the day and Shaun Woodhead flipped his bike in the opening moto. Chris Bosnakis is now leading the Championship 52 points clear of Blake Croonen and Shaun Woodhead 8 points behind Blake.
Jayden Rykers made a surprise return in the Motul Oils MX2 Championship winning all three motos. Josh Adams’ first moto was a surprise with a DNF but came back strong finishing second in the remaining two motos. The day ended with Jayden taking first place from David Birch and Daniel Pajewski in third place. David Birch now has a 34 point lead in the Championship from Josh Adams and Dylan Sexton 32 points behind.
WAMX Waneroo holeshot – Image by Gordon Pettigrew/Truespirit Photos
The MX2 Repecharge was won by Adam Barnett; Jack Barham in 2nd place and Brandon Campbell taking out 3rd place.
A small field of 14 Veterans took to the start gates for Round 2 of their Veterans Championship with Kenny Smith and Rex Brown battling it out all day long. In the end Kenny came out on top with Rex in 2nd place and Brett Graham taking 3rd place. In the Championship standings, Rex Brown is winning with Paul Smithson 8 points behind in 2nd and Brett Graham in 3rd, 14 points behind Paul.
Shannons Insurance MX1 Championship was dominated by Jayden Rykers, who put in an awesome effort to dual class and take wins in both classes. Current Champ Dean Porter took it up to Jayden in every race and finished 2nd on the day with local boy Charlie Creech taking out 3rd place. Dean Porter now has a 56 point lead in the Championship from Michael Mahon in 2nd place and Chris Ruttico now in 3rd place another 6 points behind.
Jayden Ryker – Image by Gordon Pettigrew/Truespirit Photos
The MX1 Repecharge was a small field of five riders and Danny Mayes won on the day from Ben Jones 2nd and Damien O’Brien in 3rd place.
The Series now heads to Beverley for Round 4 on July 9 and our classes will include Shannons MX1 Championship; Motul Oils MX2 Championship, Quad Championship and Veterans Championship. The Beverley round also marks the first round of the Clubman Mini Series – so if you are a Clubman rider, don’t miss out on your entry. See you all there!
Craig Cook to compete British SGP
New British champion Craig Cook is determined to realise his dream of becoming world champion after booking his return to Cardiff as Adrian Flux British FIM Speedway Grand Prix wild card on July 22.
Craig Cook
The Cumbrian topped the British Championship Final podium ahead of Belle Vue team mate Steven Worrall, Rory Schlein and Ben Barker in Manchester to earn his fourth appearance at the Principality Stadium.
Cook heads to the Welsh capital in the form of his life, having also won the SGP qualification semi-final in Terenzano, Italy on Saturday to secure his place at the GP Challenge in Togliatti, Russia on August 19, where the top three riders earn World Championship places for 2018.
The 30-year-old only launched his career in 2009 at the relatively late age of 21, but has made rapid progress since switching motocross for speedway. And he believes the time has come for him to make his mark against the best riders in the sport as he steps up his quest to become world champion.
Craig Cook
“I believe in my ability. Although I haven’t shown it consistently in previous years, I think this is my time. I’m getting older. I just need to push on and keep doing what I am doing. If I keep believing and pushing on, there is no reason why I can’t get to the top. Age is just a number. If you believe in yourself, anything is possible. I have everything on my side; I have a great team behind me, sponsorship, support from family and fans and a fantastic engine tuner in Peter Johns. I have the full package behind me, so hopefully I can go on, achieve and become world champion. You can achieve anything in life and that’s not just in speedway. If you believe in yourself, you can achieve anything. It depends how much you want to go out there and get it. It’ll be awesome. There is no better atmosphere than there is in Cardiff. I have been to football matches, but nothing compares. I can’t wait to see everybody there on July 22 and hopefully we can have a blockbuster crowd and I can win for GB. I’m just having a good time, lapping it all up and doing my thing. This doesn’t feel like a job to me; I’m just doing my hobby. Fortunately enough it’s my job and it pays as well. It’s an awesome time and I am really loving life right now. It’s not even a confidence thing with me. I don’t feel like I need confidence. I don’t get psyched out or anything like that. I just turn up, do my thing and ride my bike, and that’s what it’s all about. The winning doesn’t seem to be coming easy, but riding the bike is. When you’re enjoying it, it is easy. Hopefully it stays like this for a while and I keep banging in the big points.”
Dunlop Geomax MX3S
Smarty’s Race Reports
Rd 4 – AMA Motocross Nationals, Mount Morris, Pennsylvania
The fourth round of the 2017 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship hosted the 41st annual Red Bull High Point National and it was Blake Baggett who kept the momentum rolling as he captured a second straight 450 Class victory while in the 250 Class Jeremy Martin emerged with his first win of the season.
AMA Pro MX Nationals at High Point
450 Class Race Report
The opening moto saw Josh Grant emerge with the holeshot ahead of Christian Craig, Australian import Dean Ferris aboard his CDR Yamaha and Eli Tomac who quickly found himself passing for third and just as quickly on the ground as he once again lost the front end of his factory Kawasaki.
At the completion of the opening lap it was Grant, Craig, Ferris, Justin Bogle and Baggett rounding out the top five while point’s leader Marvin Musquin was buried back in 13th position.
Blake Baggett – Image by Jeff Kardas
While Grant looking comfortable at the front of the field, Ferris went to work on Craig and took control of the runner-up position just as Baggett swept by Bogle for fourth then Craig for third place but up front Ferris shocked the crowd as he began to chase down Grant before pulling alongside the Factory Kawasaki rider through the deep forming ruts and take over the race lead with an aggressive pass on lap four.
As thousands of Australian’s were cheering from their lounge rooms, Baggett had his sights set on the race lead and instantly began applying the pressure to Grant and once into second, Baggett dropped the hammer and started to lower his lap times as he started reducing the gap to Ferris.
On lap five Ferris lost traction exiting a corner allowing Baggett to use his momentum and make the pass for the lead. Once into the lead, the KTM rider quickly used his creative lines and blistering pace to open a comfortable gap that he continued to build on with each passing lap.
Dean Ferris – Image by Jeff Kardas
As the checkered flag waved, Baggett claimed his second moto win of the season while Ferris rode an incredible moto to take the runner-up position in his first ever Pro Motocross moto, while early race leader Grant held on for his fourth moto podium of the season. Tomac recovered from his first lap mishap to finish 12th, while Musquin, who we now know is riding with a knee injury, battled through to finish 16th.
Broc Tickle launched off of the starting gate to take the holeshot in the second moto ahead of Jason Anderson, Tomac, Baggett and Dean Wilson while Ferris found himself caught up in a second corner pile-up that saw the Aussie in dead last and the best part of half a lap behind the leaders.
Broc Tickle
In the opening stages of the race, Baggett made a mistake that cost him several positions, while both Anderson and Tomac moved their way around Tickle and into first and second at the completion of the opening lap.
Anderson and Tomac set a torrid pace that allowed them to open a small gap over the field but it was Anderson who made a mistake by missing his line in a turn allowing Tomac to overtake the top position and once into the lead, Tomac turned some of the quickest laps of the race to break away from the pack of riders behind him.
Jason Anderson – Image by Simon Cudby
First moto winner Baggett started to find his flow and began picking riders off one-by-one, and broke into the top five on lap four, third on lap five before moving by Anderson for second on lap six but Tomac went unchallenged throughout the remainder of the race to secure his third moto win of the season. He crossed the line 20.1 seconds ahead of Baggett, Anderson and Tickle.
The 1-2 effort for Baggett was enough to clinch his second consecutive victory, which also made him the first double winner of the season in the 450 Class. Anderson finished second (5-3) and Tickle completed the overall podium in third (4-4), his first top-three result of the season.
Blake Baggett
“The new layout was really good, it was a little muddy this morning, but the track shaped up great for racing. I got off to decent starts today and I was able to kind of run away with the first moto win and cruise it in for second in Moto 2. I was going to make a charge for Eli [Tomac], but I was coming up on lappers quick and it’s hard to judge where they are going to go. It wasn’t worth hanging it out and taking the chance of crashing and handing the championship over, so I tried to be smart with my decisions out there.”
Blake Baggett – Image by Simon Cudby
Baggett’s victory moved him from third place in the 450 Class standings and into the championship lead for the first time in his career. He holds an eight-point advantage over Musquin, who finished 11th overall after a stronger second moto (16-6). Tomac sits third, 11 points out of the lead and just three points out of second. Baggett will carry the red number plate as the points leader for the first time next weekend, marking the first time a bike with the No. 4 will sit atop the standings since Ricky Carmichael back in 2007.
450 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish)
Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., KTM (1-2)
Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna (5-3)
Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki (4-4)
Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki (12-1)
Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., Yamaha (6-5)
Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Kawasaki (3-11)
Dean Ferris, Kyogle, Australia, Yamaha (2-14)
Dean Wilson, Glasgow, Scotland, Husqvarna (9-7)
Justin Bogle, Cushing, Okla., Suzuki (7-9)
Cole Seely, Newbury Park, Calif., Honda (10-8)
Jason Anderson – Image by Simon Cudby
450 Class Championship Standings
Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., KTM – 155
Marvin Musquin, La Reole, France, KTM – 147
Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki – 144
Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna – 129
Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki – 115
Justin Bogle, Cushing, Okla., Suzuki – 112
Dean Wilson, Glasgow, Scotland, Husqvarna – 110
Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Kawasaki – 106
Cole Seely, Newbury Park, Calif., Honda – 105
Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., Yamaha – 88
Dean Ferris, Australia, Yamaha – 29
250 Race Report
The first 250 Class moto saw Jeremy Martin grab the holeshot with Zach Osborne and Aaron Plessinger in tow and after a bit of push and shove Plessinger got around Osborne so at the completion of the opening lap Jeremy Martin held a small gap over Plessinger, Osborne, RJ Hampshire and Joey Savatgy.
Jeremy Martin leads the 250 field – Image by Jeff Kardas
By mid-moto Osbourne moved into second then fought his way to the rear wheel of Martin then on lap nine Osborne launched past Martin through the rollers to gain control of the race lead. Osborne immediately distanced himself from Martin, who soon began to fall under attack from a hard-charging Plessinger.
Osborne took his third moto win of the season 7.8 seconds ahead of Martin, with Plessinger rounding out the podium. Alex Martin, who entered the race runner-up in points, fell victim to a first turn pileup and rode brilliantly from the back of the field to finish seventh.
Aaron Plessinger – Image by Jeff Kardas
Alex Martin scored the holeshot in moto two over his brother Jeremy, Plessinger, Hampshire, and Dylan Ferrandis while first moto winner Osborne circulated the opening lap in ninth. Jeremy Martin traded places with Plessinger over the first couple of laps with Martin taking control of second before Austin Forkner, who also made his way by for third.
Alex Martin looked comfortable out front but Jeremy Martin slowly started chipping away at his brother’s lead and was using every inch of the track in search of the quickest lines to eventually make the move to overtake Alex and became the new race leader on lap eight.
Alex Martin – Image by Simon Cudby
Osborne made a push that allowed him to move past Ferrandis for third on lap ten before passing Alex Martin for second place on lap thirteen followed by Plessinger one lap later with a late race charge to bump Alex Martin off of the podium.
Martin held onto an 8.4 second lead and crossed the finish line for his second moto win of the season. Osborne’s come-from-behind ride, in which he was forced to remove his goggles and inadvertently his visor after being hit by a rock, was good enough for second, while Plessinger’s strong comeback rounded out the podium in third.
Jeremy Martin (2-1) and Osborne (1-2) finished the afternoon with identical moto scores, but Martin’s clutch performance in the second moto was enough to give him the tiebreaker for the win. Plessinger (3-3) netted two consistent moto finishes to finish third overall.
Alex Martin sits third in the standings overall – Image by Simon Cudby
The win was Martin’s first of the season and ended a seven-race gap between victories.
Jeremy Martin
“It’s been one heck of a rough season for me with supercross and the beginning of outdoors. I’m just trying to enjoy the win, these are hard to come by these days with how well these guys are riding and I hope that the team and I can enjoy it tonight. I could see my brother Alex [Martin] in the second moto and knew that it was time to make a move, we’re on the same flight and I’m going home with the bragging rights this week.”
Osborne maintained his hold of the red plate and now enjoys an 18-point lead over Jeremy Martin in the championship points. Alex Martin’s fifth place overall finish on the day puts him third in the standings, just eight points behind his brother Jeremy in second.
Zach Osborne
“A rock hit me on my goggles on the last lap and caused sweat to go in my face, which made it difficult to see, I knew that I needed to pass quick because I couldn’t see and my goggles needed to come off. When I got my goggles off my visor was flapping in my face and I saw Alex [Martin] on the outside of me and blocked him. If he would have gotten around me it could have been bad.”
Zach Osborne leads – Image by Jeff Kardas
The 2017 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship will return to action next Saturday, June 24, for the fifth round of the season at Muddy Creek Raceway in Blountville, Tennessee.
250 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish)
Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Honda (2-1)
Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna (1-2)
Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha (3-3)
Dylan Ferrandis, Avignon, France, Yamaha (4-4)
Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., KTM (7-5)
Austin Forkner, Richards, Mo., Kawasaki (6-6)
Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Ga., Kawasaki (8-7)
RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Honda, (9-8)
Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki (5-13)
Mitchell Harrison, Brighton, Mich., Yamaha (10-9)
250 Class Championship Standings
Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna – 166
Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Honda – 148
Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., KTM – 140
Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Ga., Kawasaki – 120
Austin Forkner, Richards, Mo., Kawasaki – 119
Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha – 118
Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki – 109
Dylan Ferrandis, Avignon, France, Yamaha – 100
Colt Nichols, Muskogee, Okla., Yamaha – 98
Mitchell Harrison, Brighton, Mich., Yamaha – 89
Rd 3 – Canadian Motocross Nationals – Calgary, Alberta
Matt Goerke and Shawn Maffenbeier have won the MX1 and MX2 classes respectively at the third round of the Canadian Motocross championship held in Calgary last weekend.
Georke’s 2-1 moto finishes not only scored the Yamaha rider the overall position but also moved him into the MX1 championship lead after former leader in Christophe Pourcel fell in the second moto and was only able to come back to 8th position so at the end of the third round Goerke holds a seven point lead over Pourcel.
In the MX2 class we saw Maffenbeier score his first victory over championship leader Cole Thompson for the first time this season with 1-1 finishes ahead of Thompson’s 2-2 results with the championship gap now just 19 between the two combatants.
MX1 Moto Results
Matt Goerke 2-1
Dillan Epstein 1-4
Colton Facciott1 4-2
Tyler Medaglia 6-3
Christophe Pourcel 3-8
Mike Alessi 5-5
Kyle Chisholm 7-6
Tim Tremblay 8-7
Cade Clason 9-10
Scott Champion 11-9
MX1 Championship Standings
Matt Goerke – 162
Christophe Pourcel – 155
Dillan Epstein – 150
Colton Facciotti – 146
Tyler Medaglia – 134
Mike Alessi – 122
Kyle Chisolm – 114
Cade Clason – 98
Scott Champion – 88
Tim Tremblay – 87
MX2 Moto Results
Shawn Maffenbeier 1-1
Cole Thompson 2-2
Josh Osby 3-5
Jacob Hayes 6-3
Ryan Surratt 5-4
Tallon La Fountaine 8-6
Jared Petruska 11-7
Kein Denzler 9-10
Hayden Halstead 13-8
Christoper Fortier 12-9
MX2 Championship Standings
Cole Thompson – 164
Shawn Maffenbeier – 145
Josh Osby – 139
Jacob Hayes – 134
Ryan Surratt – 127
Jesse Pettis – 125
Tallon La Fountaine – 106
Hayden Halstead – 96
Dylan Wright – 95
Casey Keast – 93
Dunlop Geomax MX3S
ErzbergRodeo – Austria
Carrying impressive form into the 23rd running of the ErzbergRodeo, Alfredo Gomez secured the biggest win of his career by reaching the finish of the Red Bull Hare Scramble ahead of Graham Jarvis and Cody Webb, completing the gruelling 25 check point course aboard his KTM 300 EXC in a time of two hours and 17 minutes.
Alfredo Gomez
“It’s an amazing feeling to have won the Hare Scramble, I knew it would be difficult, like Erzberg always is, so I worked really hard to be ready for this race. That hard work with my team has really paid off. The race went really well for me, apart from a small crash about 300 meters from the start. That lost me some time, but I managed to catch up quite quickly and I knew I could do it. I felt good, got through most of the difficult sections well. It was such a great feeling to get to the top of the last major climb. This is the biggest win of my career, it feels incredible.”
Alfredo Gomez – Image by Philip Platzer
Determined to go all out and improve on his 2016 Red Bull Hare Scramble result of second, Cody Webb’s speed at the start of the race consequentially saw the American struggle with arm pump mid-way through the Hare Scramble. Forced to ride on with severe arm pump during the Karl’s Dinner section, Cody nevertheless kept pushing hard to earn a place on the podium in third and less than two minutes behind runner-up Graham Jarvis.
Cody Webb
“Second last year, third this year, I’m pleased with that. Alfredo and Graham were really strong, congrats to them. I got a great start but I possibly pushed a little too hard. I felt good racing with Jonny and Wade Young but I suffered with my arms, especially when I got to Karl’s Dinner – they locked solid. I kept pushing and thankfully they freed off. Back-to-back podiums here at Erzberg is awesome.”
Cody Webb – Image by Philip Platzer
While it was Gomez who topped the event and Webb who rounded out the podium it was former three-time winner Jonny Walker who led during much of the first hour of racing. Muscling his way around the first turn and into an early lead, Walker set the pace during the early, high-paced series of check points. The first rider to start the infamous Karl’s Dinner section, Jonny eventually placed fifth 10 minutes behind Gomez.
Jonny Walker
“I got a great start and was going really well early on, I opted for a specific tyre choice, but unfortunately it didn’t work out as I hoped it would. I really suffered with it to be honest, especially during the later sections of the race. I felt like I was riding well and that I had the speed to win, and felt good leading for much of the first hour. But I was having to carry my bike over too much stuff because of my tyre choice, rather than being able to ride up and over it. I started to find things difficult when we got to the woods, I just didn’t have the traction I hoped for. I rode as hard as I could through Karl’s Dinner but I again struggled on some of the climbs towards the end. It’s disappointing because I know I’m riding well and my bike was awesome, but this result doesn’t show it.”
Jonny Walker – Image by Philip Platzer
Of the 500 starters, only 25 riders completed the course within the four hour cut off.
2017 Red Bull Hare Scramble Podium – Image by Philip Platzer
Results – ErzbergRodeo Red Bull Hare Scramble 2017
Alfredo Gomez (KTM) 2:17:06
Graham Jarvis (Husqvarna) +00:03:22
Cody Webb (KTM) +00:05:04
Wade Young (Sherco) +00:09:31
Jonny Walker (KTM) +00:10:41
Paul Bolton (KTM) +00:15:53
Billy Bolt (Husqvarna) +00:18:24
Manni Lettenbichler (KTM) +00:24:47
Mario Roman (Sherco) +00:30:20
Travis Teasdale (KTM) +00:34:06
Rd4 – Kenda Full Gas Sprint Enduro – Uhrichsville, Ohio
Jordan Ashburn used consistency and speed to grab his first major victory as a pro at round four of the Kenda Full Gas Sprint Enduro held in Uhrichsville, Ohio last weekend. Ashburn has been close before, but in Ohio the Tennessee native put it all together.
Jordan Ashburn
“It feels great to finally get that first win, I was just consistent all weekend and my times on Sunday were pretty much the same as my times on Saturday.”
Jordan Ashburn
Ashburn showed his diversity on Saturday by winning a Cross test and an Enduro test – the first and last tests of the day. Meanwhile, Stewart Baylor and former motocross and supercross star Broc Hepler shared the love by each winning two tests of their own, with Hepler winning two Cross tests and Baylor winning a pair of Enduro tests.
Though Ashburn completed Saturday’s event with the fasted accumulated time, Baylor was in the hunt and might have finished with the fastest time had he not taken a hard tumble in the final test.
Stewart Baylor
“I was coming out of the woods and there was a turn with a jump in it and I just lost my grip and went down, I made it just fine the first two times through so I thought it wouldn’t be a problem on the third one, but that wound up costing me a lot of time. I had the speed all weekend, but I just had too many crashes and that cost me,” said Baylor. “It’s definitely frustrating to lose by less than a second.”
In addition to his win in the Enduro test on Sunday, Baylor took two seconds and two thirds in the remaining tests, however, it was not quite enough to give him the overall win.
Hepler had a prior commitment to ride a local race on Sunday but wanted to give the Ohio Full Gas round a try on Saturday to see how he stacked up against the series regulars.
Broc Hepler
“I wanted to see how I compared to those guys and I’ve been riding a 450 Husky so I wanted to see how it did on the grass track. They had a really lush grass track similar to ISDE and I felt really good in those. I was actually pleased with my times in the Enduro test, I was just three-and-a-half seconds off Ashburn at the end of the day, so I was pleased with that.”
Cory Buttrick was a bit off the pace on Saturday and came away with the fourth-fastest overall time, while Georgia’s Evan Smith rounded out the top five on a KTM
On Sunday, Buttrick caught fire and won four of the five tests (the final test of the day was cancelled due to lightening in the area), giving him the top time for the day. The only test Buttrick didn’t win was the final Enduro test, which was won by Baylor. At the end of the day, Buttrick finished five seconds ahead of Baylor for the day, and moved from fourth to third in the final overall standings.
Cory Buttrick
“I just dug too big of a hole on Saturday, I don’t know what I was doing yesterday, but what ever it was I figured it out today and everything was just clicking.”
With his win, Ashburn maintains a solid third in the standings, while Baylor moves ahead of Sipes for the lead in the series standings with his runner-up finish. After four rounds, Baylor has 198 points, followed by Sipes with 175. Ashburn is third at 166, while Buttrick (159) and Jesper Borjesson (117) round out the top five.
Jordan Ashburn
“It was a good battle all weekend between me, Steward and Buttrick. The Enduro test was slick because of the roots in it and the Cross test was a bit dusty and I think I did best in the Cross test but I won one of each. I just had good rides in those tests.”
In the Women’s Pro division, the Aussie duo of Tayla Jones and Mackenzie Tricker for the top slot after Jones dominated Saturday’s event, winning all six tests but on Sunday, Tricker won the first two Cross tests, but Jones was able to win the remaining tests.
Tayla Jones
“It was a good weekend, I was getting top 12s overall, I had one crash on Sunday that cost me about 10 seconds but other than that it was all good.”
Jones has won three of the four rounds to date and sits comfortably atop the class standings.
The 2017 Kenda Full Gas Sprint Enduro Series resumes on July 8-9 for the Hillbilly Sprint Enduro, round five of the series in Rural Retreat, Virginia. For more information on the Kenda Full Gas Sprint Enduro Series check out www.sprintenduro.com.
Riding and reviewing motorcycles for some time now, Kris writes for MCNews from time to time while also being an awesome all-rounder helping to keep the site content flowing.
