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Moto News Weekly Wrap
August 24, 2021

What’s New:

• Todd Waters wins King of Capricorn 2021
• 2021 International Six Days of Enduro returns to Italy
• Leszno defeat Lublin 48-42 at the Alfred Smoczyk Stadium
• Max Fricke on the podium at SpeedwayGP Challenge
• John Darroch tops WA State MX Round 4
• AORC Rounds 9 & 10 in South Australia cancelled
• Under-16s Speedway Championships cancelled due to Covid
• 2021 Australian ATV National Championships cancelled
• FOX Racing teams up with Australian Supercross Championship
• Adrien Metge wins 2021 Rally dos Sertões
• Australia in Speedway of Nations Semi-Final line-up
• Toni Bou finishes Andorra TrialGP 1-3
• JD Beach wins 2021 Peoria TT – Whale second in Singles
• 2021 Pro Motocross Championship – Round 9 – Budds Creek Report
• Jett Lawrence a point off the 250 win at Budds Creek
• 2021 Racing Calendars
  • 2021 Provisional MXGP
  • 2021 Yamaha AORC presented by MXStore
  • 2021 Australian Penrite ProMX
  • 2021 Speedway GP
  • 2021 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship
  • 2021 FIM Cross-Country Rallies
  • 2021 AMA Supercross
  • 2021 GNCC
  • 2021 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross
  • 2021 Progressive American Flat Track
  • 2021 New Zealand Motocross
  • 2021 New Zealand Cross-Country
  • 2021 New Zealand Enduro
  • 2021 Australian Supercross (provisional)
  • And more…

Todd Waters wins King of Capricorn 2021

Todd Waters has won the 2021 King of Capricorn over the weekend, with a consistent performance across the top two steps of the podium in the day’s races leaving him 20-points clear of runner-up Kirk Gibbs. Aaron Tanti completed the podium in third, with fourth through sixth a close affair between Jesse Dobson, Jai Walker and Levi Rogers, with a single point separating each rider, on 149, 148 and 147 respectively.

Todd Waters – P1

“Super fun weekend at the King Of Capricorn MX over the weekend. Taking out the overall in both the two-stroke and the King of Capricorn classes. Huge thanks to Mike Ward for pulling off the largest cash prize purse in Australian MX together with the RADMX Rockhampton Motocross, you guys rock.”

Kirk Gibbs – P2

“My Terrafirma Honda worked well all weekend and I felt competitive. My biggest setback were my starts. The format included 9 races, 5 of which were 3 lap sprint races. I got one out of nine holeshots. I definitely made life hard for myself all day and I know what I need to practice on. I really felt strong, and I could have made some aggressive passes, but I could have taken myself down as well. As much as I wanted to win the overall, I am glad I won the final race comfortably and I am in one piece to fight for the Queensland titles this coming weekend in MacKay.”

Kobe Drew claimed the Prince of Capricorn title, winning the class on 169-points, ahead of Jack Mather and Jett Burgess-Stevens, with Jake Cannon and Jet Alsop completing the top five.

2021 King of Capricorn Top 10

2021 Prince of Capricorn Top 10

2021 International Six Days of Enduro returns to Italy

The 95th edition of the FIM International Six Days of Enduro will kick off in Lombardy / Piedmont on Augusta 30, marking the 11th time Italy has hosted the event, with only Great Britain holding a better record.

Italy’s long association with the ISDE – originally titled the International Six Days Trial (ISDT) – began in 1931 when the town of Merano had the unique honour of hosting the event in back-to-back years. The Italians triumphed on home soil on the first of these occasions before giving way to the British who won the main two trophies when the ISDE returned a year later.

It wouldn’t be until 1948 that the event would return to Italy, in San Remo, followed by Varese in 1951. 17-years later it would reconvene in San Pellegrino Terme, before heading to Camerino in 1974.

1981 was the next time that Italy would act as the host to the freshly named ISDE. Isola d’Elba was the venue for this memorable edition, and home nation won both of the new team classes – namely the now established World Trophy and Junior Trophy competitions.

Five years later as San Pellegrino Terme accommodated the ISDE for a second time and was the scene of the 1986 celebrations as once again the host nation won both the World and Junior Trophies.

After an extended break, Italy was back in charge of delivering another notable running of the ISDE in 1997. Brescia being the last venue where the Italians achieved home wins in both the World Trophy and Junior Trophy categories. The beautiful island of Sardinia was the host in 2013, which marked the tenth time that the ISDE had been held on Italian soil.

Eight years later, and after having been postponed twelve months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the FIM International Six Days of Enduro is returning to the Italian heartland of Enduro and to some of the best off-road terrain in Europe. Lombardy / Piedmont will once again welcome riders from across the world for six demanding days in the saddle from August 30 to September 4, 2021.

Leszno defeat Lublin 48-42 at the Alfred Smoczyk Stadium

Polish racers Przemyslaw Pawlicki and Krzysztof Kasprzak were the last-heat heroes as they secured Grudziadz’s spot in the 2022 PGE Ekstraliga and sent Zielona Gora down.

Grudziadz spent most of the season bottom of the table, but they stormed to a last-gasp 48-42 victory at home to Czestochowa on Sunday, which saw them leapfrog Falubaz for seventh spot and drop one of Polish speedway’s superpowers into the First Division for next season.

Pawlicki has endured a mixed campaign for Grudziadz, but delivered when it mattered most, top-scoring on 13 points.

He led Kasprzak to a 4-2 in heat 15, parting Lions pair Leon Madsen and Bartosz Smektala on turn two to send the home fans into raptures, while KK nipped past Smektala on bend three to break Zielona Gora hearts.

This was after Nicki Pedersen and Kenneth Bjerre raced to a 4-2 of their own over Jonas Jeppesen and Mateusz Swidnicki in heat 14, with Jeppesen just snatching second on the line to send Grudziadz’s relegation fight to the last heat.

Kasprzak has endured a tough couple of seasons, but lifted himself for Grudziadz’s biggest match of the year, delivering 10 paid 11.

Triple world champion Pedersen roared back into action with 11 points after his racing ban for remonstrating with a referee was put on hold by the Danish Sports Confederation. His contribution was telling for a team that has relied on him heavily all season. His compatriot Bjerre collected nine paid 10.

Madsen was Czestochowa’s top scorer on 10 paid 11, while Smektala scored eight and Freddie Lindgren registered four.

Grudziadz’s triumph throws the future of Zielona Gora’s big guns for 2022 into serious question as the club faces its first season out of the top flight since 2006.

Local hero Patryk Dudek may be forced to move away from his boyhood club for the first time in his career in search of PGE Ekstraliga action, while SGP regulars Max Fricke and Matej Zagar may also seek pastures new.

In the day’s other match, Lublin secured second spot in the PGE Ekstraliga table and booked a play-off semi-finals showdown with Gorzow.

Leszno defeated Lublin 48-42 at the Alfred Smoczyk Stadium. But with the visitors taking the bonus point, the reigning champions will now face a tough semi-final showdown with table-topping Wroclaw as they bid for a fifth straight league title.

Aussie icon Jason Doyle impressed for Leszno on 13 paid 14, while Emil Sayfutdinov tallied 10 and World Under-21 champion Jaimon Lidsey added eight paid 10. Jaroslaw Hampel was Lublin’s top scorer on nine.

Max Fricke on the podium at SpeedwayGP Challenge

Polish racer Pawel Przedpelski admits he’s in dreamland after crowning the week he became a father by booking his place in the 2022 FIM Speedway Grand Prix series alongside Max Fricke and Patryk Dudek. The Torun icon topped the GP Challenge podium to take his place in the SGP World Championship for the first time next year.

Przedpelski tied on 12 points with Aussie champion Fricke, but triumphed in a run-off to win the meeting, while Fricke secured his SGP status for next year – regardless of where he finishes in the SGP 2021 standings.
Meanwhile, former world No.2 Dudek bagged third place on 11 points to earn an SGP World Championship comeback after just a season away.

Victory capped a week Przedpelski will never forget after he welcomed daughter Rozalka into the world along with partner Michalina on Tuesday.

Pawel Przedpelski

“I can’t believe it. This week couldn’t have been better for me. On Tuesday my daughter came into the world. That was unbelievable. Today I got into the GP, so it is like a dream. It cannot be real. It is a beautiful day.”

Przedpelski stormed to 11 points from his opening four rides to put himself within touching distance of qualification. He found himself at the back in race 18 behind Dudek and Jan Kvech, but Przedpelski powered past Slovakian racer Jakub Valkovic for third going into bend three to snatch the point that sealed his spot on the sport’s biggest stage.

Fricke endured a difficult start, fighting his way past former Belle Vue team mate Dan Bewley for third in heat four as he finished behind Przedpelski and Andzejs Lebedevs.

The Victorian ace racked up 11 points from his remaining four rides, rounding them off by winning a ferocious battle with compatriot Chris Holder to take victory in race 19 and seal a podium place.

But the Zielona Gora and Indianerna star is still targeting qualification via the SGP 2021 top six – even with his spot for next year secure.

Max Fricke

“It definitely takes the pressure off, knowing that I am in the championship next year. But hopefully we don’t need this place. That’s the aim of the game. Now I can go out and focus on every GP and try and put in the best possible results to finish off the year.”

Dudek raced to two seconds and a third in his opening three heats. But he delivered a flawless finish, winning races 13 and 18.

Dudek’s fellow Polish star Janusz Kolodziej could have sealed a spot in SGP 2022 with second place in heat 20. But the Leszno man was left languishing at the back after a nightmare start and first turn, sending Dudek through.

Kolodziej had to make do with fourth spot on 10, although it could still be enough to secure his place in SGP 2022 in the event Fricke finishes in the 2021 SGP World Championship’s top six.

Kolodziej’s 10-point haul was matched by German ace Martin Smolinski in fifth. The Bavarian roared to victory in his opening two heats, before finishing second to Przedpelski in heat nine. But third places in his final two rides saw him fall short of a remarkable SGP comeback – just 15 months after recovering from serious hip and nerve injuries, which could have ended his career.

Latvian international Andzejs Lebedevs missed out on nine, while 2012 world champion Chris Holder, Dan Bewley, Jevgenijs Kostigovs and Jan Kvech all collected eight points.

John Darroch tops WA State MX Round 4

Round 4 of the WAMX Senior State Championship ran over the weekend, with John Darroch taking a double win for the MX1 Pro victory, ahead of Charlie Creech and Stuart Eardley-Wilmot, with Luke Davis and Brendon Bayliss completing the top five.

In the MX2 Pro Class, Daniel Pajewski took the overall win ahead of Evan Browne, with each rider taking a win a-piece. Cody Chittick was third overall with a consistent 4-3 result.

Kayden Minear topped the MX3 class going 1-1, ahead of Deacon Paice (2-2) and Jordan Minear (3-3).

In the Veterans class Luke Few swept all three races for the win, ahead of Aaron Chircop and Trevor Unstead. Kara Cats meanwhile won the Womens class, ahead of Hannah Stewart and Che’Ebert.

WAMX Round 4 Final MX1 Pro Results

AORC Rounds 9 & 10 in South Australia cancelled

The AORC management team have now officially cancelled Rounds 9 and 10 of the Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship, presented by MXstore, due to the continuing COVID-19 state border closures and lockdowns.

The AORC management team worked closely with their South Australian counterparts and host club Keyneton MCC, but under the current regulations, with border closures and extended lockdowns in several states, it is not possible for the Kingston SE round to proceed.

The AORC management understand riders were very keen to hit the track, but with the current state restrictions, the health and safety of competitors, teams, officials and fans are paramount.

Despite this, the South Australian Off-Road Championships which were to run alongside the AORC will still proceed for South Australian riders at a yet to be confirmed new venue.

The AORC management team thanked Keyneton MCC for their significant work in preparing for the AORC rounds as well as the wider enduro community for their support and understanding during this difficult time.

Under-16s Speedway Championships cancelled due to Covid

South Australian Sidewinders Under Sixteen Speedway Club have cancelled of the 2021 Australian Under 16’s 125cc Speedway Solo and Under 16’s 125cc Teams Championships due to COVID-19 State lockdowns and border restrictions. The Championships were to be held at Wingfield, South Australia on September 24 and 25.

Meredith Sterry – South Australian Sidewinders U16 Speedway Club Secretary

“In view of the Country’s current Covid 19 situation, and in particular the issues in NSW, along with the subsequent lock downs and border restrictions, we feel it would not be possible to conduct the event in the manner in which it deserves to be run.”

The Club and MA will work together in regard to next year’s Championships and to find a suitable date which will be announced in the near future.

2021 Australian ATV National Championships cancelled

The Cretive48 have, in consultation with Motorcycling Australia, cancelled the 2021 ATV MX Nationals to be held at Kilcoy, QLD, October 16-17 due to current global pandemic of COVID 19 and the restrictions, lockdown and quarantine laws that vary from State to State that have resulted from this crisis.

Mitch Van Vliet

“We had big plans for the 2021 ATV MXN and the event was looking to be the biggest and best nationals yet. After the crazy year we had in 2020 it was looking promising for the event to go ahead 2021, but with the uncertainty and ever-changing laws from State to State the safest thing we could do at this point in time is cancel the event. We had some great sponsors lined up and for the first time we were planning on having the event Live streamed for the ATV World to tune in to see just how fast us Aussie are. I am still very passionate about growing the sport and plan on giving all ATV racers the most professional events that continue to get bigger and better every year. We are currently in negotiations with Motorcycling Australia in regards to the 2022 and 2023 ATV MX Nationals and will be making an announcement in the near future regarding those events. In the meant time please stay tuned to the Facebook page and instagram for any updates.”

FOX Racing teams up with Australian Supercross Championship

The Australian Supercross Championship have entered into a naming rights partnership with global motocross apparel giant FOX Racing, with the FOX Australian Supercross Championship to boast a complete rebrand and all-new look.

Domestically, FOX have held a strong partnership for the best part of three decades with Australia’s successful racing outfit, CDR Yamaha, with a large collection of number one plates going to the Craig Dack run operation.

Mikey Rangel – FOX’s Global Director of Marketing

“The team at FOX is beyond excited and grateful for the opportunity to partner with the Australian Supercross Championship. The work Adam & the crew have done to drive a premier race experience through this series is admirable. We’re eager to kick off further collaborative efforts to celebrate Supercross in Australia with our activations on-site, presence in the domestic marketplace, and through FOX’s global platforms.”

Adam Bailey – AUS SX Holding

“To say that we’re excited to be partnering with a global and iconic brand like FOX is a massive understatement. FOX is synonymous with dirt biking, globally. Their ability to build and market a brand is second to none and their designs and products they have built over the years are etched into some of the most memorable moments in Motocross and Supercross. We can’t wait to see what we can do together, with Supercross in Australia.”

Following a tumultuous two years which has been plagued by the Covid-19 pandemic, sports fans across the world have demonstrated their thirst for the return of actions sports. The 2021 FOX Australian Supercross Championship was scheduled to kick off in Queensland on October 16 and conclude in Victoria in late November, with events also confirmed in SA, WA and NSW. The current Covid-19 outbreak however has put this on hold until further notice.

‘It’s obviously been a tough period for everyone and for Supercross fans it’s been no different. We felt like as a Championship we were hitting our straps in 2019, culminating with 35,000 fans inside Marvel Stadium, so it was a huge shame to miss out on backing that up in 2020.

An official schedule for the 2021 FOX Australian Supercross Championship is expected to be released in the coming weeks.

Adrien Metge wins 2021 Rally dos Sertões

The third round of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship took place in Brazil on a route between Tamandaré and Tibau do Sul, offering a diverse challenge over stony and sandy terrain, rolling tracks and magnificent landscapes.

It was also a difficult route because of logistical issues created by the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, and as a result few riders were able to participate, while the last stage was cancelled after torrential rain inundated the region.

Adrien Metge (Yamaha) led the motorcycle category from the Prologue to the end of the rally. However, the Frenchman experienced GPS issues on the first stage and over-speeding cost him a 16-minute time penalty and he finished the section in ninth. The Yamaha rider then went on to win all the stages, with the exception of the last one, that fell to Gregorio Caselani (Honda).

On SS6, Metge almost didn’t finish when his engine gave signs of weakness and gave in at the end of the special. Fortunately, team-mate Tulio Malta – who had started far behind after experiencing a problem on stage five – was able to tow him to the bivouac.

Jean de Azevedo (Honda), for his part, made a comeback at the handlebars of a Honda and demonstrated that he had lost none of his ability to finish second overall, ahead of Bissinho Zavatti (Honda), Tulio Malta (Yamaha) and Gregorio Caselani (Honda).

Ricardo Martins (Yamaha) fell on the fourth stage and was forced to retire with fractured ribs.

With all the aforementioned riders registered in Rally2, Metge won Rallye dos Sertões and the Rally2 category, while the victory in RallyeGP went to Caselani.

2021 Rally dos Sertões Results

Speedway of Nations Semi-Final line-up revealed

The line-ups for the 2021 Monster Energy FIM Speedway of Nations Semi-Finals in Daugavpils on September 17 and 18 have been revealed.

Poland, Sweden and Denmark have all been drawn into a stacked Semi-Final 1 on Friday, September 17 with the nations boasting 15 FIM Speedway World Cup titles between them. They’ll battle for places in the Monster Energy SON Final in Manchester on October 16 and 17.

They are joined in the meeting by 2020 finalists, the Czech Republic, plus the USA, Slovenia and Finland.

Hosts Latvia take their place in Semi-Final 2, which sees them come up against reigning champions, the Motorcycle Federation of Russia.

Their national heroes FIM Speedway Grand Prix world title contender Artem Laguta and double European champion Emil Sayfutdinov have won all three Monster Energy SON world championships since the competition was launched in 2018 and will hope to make it number four in Manchester.

They will be determined to deliver a big performance in neighbouring Latvia as they also take on 2019 SON bronze medal winners Australia, Germany, France, the Ukraine and Italy.

The top two teams after 21 heats in each Semi-Final will automatically join hosts Great Britain in the Monster Energy FIM SON Final in Manchester.

The third and fourth-placed countries in each Semi-Final will then face off in the Final Qualifier, with the teams that triumph also taking their places at Manchester’s National Speedway Stadium.

• SEMI-FINAL 1 LINE-UP:
  • Poland,
  • Denmark,
  • Sweden,
  • Finland,
  • Czech Republic,
  • Slovenia,
  • USA.
• SEMI-FINAL 2 LINE-UP:
  • Motorcycle Federation of Russia,
  • Australia,
  • Latvia,
  • Italy,
  • Ukraine,
  • Germany,
  • France.

Toni Bou finishes Andorra TrialGP 1-3

Toni Bou sneaked the win by the narrowest of margins in the first of the two TrialGP World Championship trials held this weekend in Sant Julià de Lòria, Andorra, before finished the fifth round on the third step of the podium, retaining the overall championship lead.

The difficulty level of the twelve Andorran sections made for a closely-fought trial on the first day of competition at the Andorra TrialGP, filled with tough, highly-demanding sections. In addition, several riders were further penalised for exceeding the maximum time limits.

Repsol Honda Team rider Toni Bou fought neck and neck against long-term arch-rival Adam Raga for the triumph throughout the two laps of the Andorran course. Bou and Raga constantly traded places at the head of the table, but in the end it was Toni Bou who claimed the win, in spite of finishing on 46 marks, the same number as his rival. The tie-breaking factor proved to be the total time taken in completing the route, with the Repsol Honda Team rider finishing one minute ahead. Another fine result sees Toni Bou continue to top the championship leaderboard, now holding a thirteen-point advantage in the general standings.

The second trial of the Andorra TrialGP turned out to be an arduous task for the Repsol Honda Team riders. Andorra, while always a gruelling event for riders, also usually makes huge demands on the bike due to the high altitude of the sections and the high temperatures. Day 2 proved a struggle for all the competitors over the two twelve-section laps of the Sant Julià de Lòria course.

And it was Toni Bou’s turn to struggle in Andorra. Right off the bat, in section two, he picked up a puncture, before committing several errors which would eventually cost him the lead and rob him of a potential tenth win in Andorra. The Repsol Honda Team rider had to settle for third place in the end, but Bou keeps hold of the overall championship lead with an eight-point advantage over pursuer Adam Raga, winner of today’s trial.

Competitors will get little rest in this week with the forthcoming sixth trial of the 2021 TrialGP World Championship to be held next weekend in Cahors, France.

Toni Bou

“This weekend was really complicated. Finishing first and third is a great result, considering that we struggled so much. Despite all the problems, the team has worked hard and I am very grateful for that. Now we just have to work to recover the good feelings on the bike and be in the fight for the win in France next week.”

2021 TrialGP or Andorra Results

JD Beach wins 2021 Peoria TT – Whale second in Singles

Images by Scott Hunter

JD Beach (No. 95 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) added a highlight achievement to his lengthy list of racing accomplishments, winning the 74th Law Tigers Peoria TT presented by Country Saloon at PMC Race Park in Peoria, Illinois, on Saturday afternoon.

Beach came into the weekend with the reputation as one of the very best TT riders in the Progressive American Flat Track paddock. That reputation was well-earned; boasting three victories in the most recent four SuperTwins Main Events, with a third-place finish in the 2019 Peoria TT standing the only blemish on that record.

The ultra-versatile Beach got his revenge today, brushing off the race-long pressure applied by the ‘19 winner, reigning Grand National Champion Briar Bauman (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750), to earn one of the most coveted checkered flags in the sport.

Beach made quick work of holeshot winner Jared Mees (No. 9 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) and then fully exploited the temporary head start he held over Bauman, who made an identical move up the inside of Mees in Turn 2 just over a minute later. That short minute, however, provided Beach with the time to accumulate an early 1.123-second advantage.

Bauman stalked his way up toward Beach as the race developed. He cut the advantage to 0.837 as they took the halfway flags and then further decreased the difference to 0.509 with two minute to go. And that gap promised to evaporate to nothing when the leaders ran up the backside of a big pack of lappers just when the clock dipped under the one-minute-to-go mark.

However, a couple minor miscues on the part of Bauman allowed Beach to knife through unchallenged, spoiling any last-lap plans the champ may have formulated during his pursuit.

JD Beach

“I just trusted the bike and the team, and it was a lot of fun. For me and the team, it’s nice because we’ve one ‘Super TTs’ and these one-off races, but to win a real flat track race feels great. We had an awesome day and to end it like this is great.”

Mees appeared to be on the wane after being passed by Beach and Bauman, also surrendering third place to Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) a few minutes later. However, the factory Indian ace regrouped and took the position back to end the race on the podium. That determined effort may prove important; Bauman now leads Mees by 25 points (217-192) with a critically important stretch of four consecutive Miles looming on the horizon.

Vanderkooi, meanwhile, upped his top-five streak to nine in fourth, while Robert Pearson (No. 27 Rackley Racing/John Franklin Indian FTR750) came out on top of a huge multi-rider slugfest for fifth.

AFT Singles

The AFT Singles Main Event was arguably the most anticipated of the weekend, with “King” Henry Wiles (No. 17 American Honda/Progressive Insurance CRF450R) and his 14-race Peoria win streak set to square off with reigning champion and fellow Peoria genius Dallas Daniels (No. 1 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F). In fact, a rain delay and subsequent schedule reshuffle even moved the class Main Event to the end-of-the-program slot customarily reserved for Mission SuperTwins.

The hype only intensified after Wiles and Daniels won their Semis, while Brandon Kitchen (No. 105 Husqvarna Motorcycles/Vance & Hines Husqvarna FC450) added the spice of a potential spoiler, flashing Wiles-bettering speed in the lead-up to the Main.

However, the Main Event provided even more drama than anyone expected (or wanted). Daniels took the holeshot and immediately built up a small gap from Wiles. However, the race had barely gotten underway when the Estenson Racing prodigy nearly lost the jump landing from the front, veering into the wet grass and crashing to the ground.

Kitchen was the next to go down; he fell hard from second-place in the same area with his bike tumbling over the fence and into the creek, bringing out the red flag.

A lap down and starting from the back of the field, Daniels ripped past half the field following the restart. Unfortunately, his day soon took an even worse turn. A massive headshake suffered while pulling away a tear-off sent him over the bars at speed on the front straight, forcing yet another stoppage.

Wiles continued to control the race up front all the while, assembling his third big gap of the race before a last-lap red flag following a Trevor Brunner (No. 21 American Honda/Progressive Insurance CRF450R) crash brought the Main to a conclusion.

Henry Wiles

“We gutted it out today. It was a bummer to see Dallas go down… He had a little gap on me. I came in here just praying today and thanking God for all my blessings because I’ve had so many of them just at this track alone. I was getting a little emotional coming in here, and it almost seemed like fate that I made that little mistake before Daniels went off the track over there. It was definitely interesting on how things worked out. I really hope everybody who fell is okay.”

Perhaps the biggest winner on the day was Max Whale (No. 18 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-FFE). What originally looked to be a task of damage minimization ended with a runner-up result after Whale outdueled Wiles’ teammates, Cole Zabala (No. 51 American Honda/Progressive Insurance CRF450R) and Brunner.

As a result, Whale leapt from two points back to 16 up on Daniels (196-180) with just five races remaining.

Zabala rounded out the podium with Brunner being credited in fourth despite his late crash.

Behind, Ferran Cardús (No. 377 Roof Systems of Dallas/Bullet Strong Racing Honda CRF450R) came out on top of a scrap with fellow high-profile wild card Ryan Sipes (No. 264 Red Bull/Troy Lee Designs GASGAS MC450F) to complete the top five.

AFT Production Twins

2018 AFT Singles champion Dan Bromley (No. 62 Memphis Shades/Vinson Construction Yamaha MT-07) scored his maiden AFT Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines victory in a charging performance at Peoria.

The Pennsylvanian worked his way up from an early fourth to chase down race-long leader Ben Lowe (No. 25 Mission Roof Systems Yamaha MT-07), finally executing the race’s decisive maneuver entering Turn 1 with just five seconds (plus two laps) remaining on the clock.

Much of the pre-race talk revolved around the fact that Vance & Hines drafted in a pair of TT titans in Hayden Gillim (No. 59 D&D Cycles/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson XG750R) and Jesse Janisch (No. 96 Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson XG750R) to fill-in for the injured Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 D&D Cycles/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson XG750R). A 1-2 for the super subs seemed like not only a possibility but a probability after they powered to victories in their respective Semifinals.

However, their threatening presence actually turned out to be a boon for Bromley. In the end, the duo finished third (Janisch) and fourth (Gillim), providing an additional points buffer between third-ranked Bromley and championship leader Cory Texter (No. 65 G&G Racing/Yamaha Racing MT-07).

Texter, meanwhile, had his work cut out for him from the jump. While clutch issues in his Semi forced him to start from the back, he still managed to battle his way up to sixth at the checkered flag. Ultimately, that allowed him to extend his points advantage to nearly two full races (49 points) over Gauthier.

Bromley, who is just five points further adrift, said, “I knew coming in here this was going to be one of the most physically demanding tracks. I tried training as hard as I could and my mechanic, Nick Henderson, was sending me motivational speeches, books, everything, just to try to get me in the right mindset.

The coolest thing was, for me, the rougher the track and the harder I rode, the easier it was. Toward the end of the race, every lap I caught Ben by about five feet. A lapper held him up a little bit and I was able to capitalize on that. I came through on the next lap and was able to get the win. To be up here is amazing.”

Lima winner Johnny Lewis (No. 10 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield Twins FT) came home between Gillim and Texter to round out the top five.

Results

2021 Pro Motocross Championship – Round 9 – Budds Creek Report

Images by Jeff Kardas

Nestled in the shadow of the nation’s capital of Washington D.C., Southern Maryland’s Budds Creek Motocross Park served as the site of the ninth round of the 2021 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing.

Intermittent cloud cover was complemented by humid conditions for the Circle K Budds Creek National, as a fierce battle for victory unfolded in the 450 Class and required a tie-breaker to determine a winner. In the end, Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Dylan Ferrandis prevailed over Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen for the Frenchman’s fifth win of the summer.

In the 250 Class, Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Jeremy Martin relied on an emphatic win in the final moto to capture his class-leading third victory of the season by a single point over Jett Lawrence. The Aussie youngster closed to within three-points of championship leader Justin Cooper.

450 Moto 1

The first 450 Class moto got underway with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Cooper Webb at the head of the pack with the MotoSport.com Holeshot, with Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac and Roczen in hot pursuit. Known as one of the best opening-lap riders in the world, Roczen put the hammer down immediately and made a quick pass on Tomac for second and then fought his way into the lead around Webb a short time later. By the completion of the first circuit, Roczen was already more than a second clear of the field.

As Roczen continued to inch away, Webb and Tomac battled it out for second, which allowed Team Honda HRC’s Chase Sexton and Ferrandis, the championship leader, to join the mix. A determined Tomac saw several pass attempts thwarted by Webb, but he eventually made the move. However, a hard charge by Sexton saw the Honda rider get by both Webb and Tomac on the same lap to vault from fourth to second and put Honda 1-2 in the running order.

The Honda duo continued to put distance over the rest of the field as Tomac started to lose ground to Ferrandis in fourth. The Frenchman got into a rhythm and soon found himself within a few bike lengths of the Kawasaki, at which point he went on the attack and made an impressive pass to take control of third. Back out front, Sexton started to chip away at his deficit to Roczen and closed to within a few seconds of the lead, while Ferrandis continued to log the fastest laps on the track.

With less than five minutes remaining in the moto, the top three ran within five seconds of one another, with Ferrandis consistently the fastest of the trio. As the race clock ticked to under a minute remaining, Ferrandis closed in on Sexton for third and took advantage of a lapped rider to make the pass happen with relative ease. With two laps to go, four seconds separated the championship rivals.

Ferrandis took huge chunks out of his deficit and closed to within striking distance on the final lap, and even had a shot at stealing the win as they navigated the final section, but Roczen held on to take the moto win by three tenths of a second. Sexton finished a distant third, with Tomac fourth and Webb fifth. The torrid pace by Roczen and Ferrandis saw them lap through 11th place.

450 Moto 2

The German picked up where he left off to start the second moto by racing to the MotoSport.com Holeshot over Webb, Ferrandis, and Sexton.

With no one ahead of him Roczen put his head down and sprinted away on the opening lap to a lead of just under two seconds. Behind him, Sexton aided his teammate with a pass on Ferrandis, which dropped the Yamaha rider to fourth.

Sexton wasn’t done and he kept the charge going on Webb, easily moving into second to put the Honda riders once again at the head of the pack. Ferrandis responded as well and made the pass on Webb for third, while Tomac dropped Webb to fifth a short time later.

The top four riders on the track ran within a handful of seconds of one another 10 minutes into the moto and things only got tighter from there. As the race reached the halfway point the gap closed to just over two seconds. A bobble by Sexton allowed Ferrandis to move into second and put Sexton into the clutches of Tomac. The Kawasaki rider bided his time but eventually made his move to take over third.

Up front, Ferrandis had Roczen in his sights. They traded fast laps to keep the gap at about a second as they approached the final 10 minutes of the moto, while Tomac lurked in third. A battle for the lead ensued as Ferrandis looked for a way around. After several attempts Ferrandis made the pass happen and seized control of the moto with seven minutes to go.

Once out front, the Frenchman gapped the German and appeared to have the moto in hand. Roczen was able to put in a late charge in the closing laps and got within a few bike lengths of Ferrandis, but the points leader responded, was more efficient navigating lapped traffic, and brought home the moto win by 4.8 seconds at the end.

450 Overall

With identical moto scores, Ferrandis (2-1) and Roczen (1-2) ended the day tied atop the overall classification. However, by virtue of his better result in the second moto Ferrandis earned the tiebreaker to earn his fifth win of the season. Tomac completed the overall podium in third (4-3).

“Last weekend I got beat so bad, so we made some changes this week and came back better (today),” said Ferrandis. “The bike was so good, I could do whatever I wanted. I was glad to get my pace back and in the second moto I was able to catch Kenny (Roczen) and battle for the win. It was fun, but it’s always the most fun when you win.”

Dylan Ferrandis – P1

“I didn’t have a good start in Moto 1. I had to push hard to come back to second and then managed to finish the moto close to the leader. It’s hard putting in so much effort and losing by a few tenths, but it was a good moto. My start was way better in Moto 2, so I put myself in a better position and had some good battles. I really wanted that win. The bike was incredible, and the team is awesome – my teammates also – so it’s a really good environment for getting good results. I’m really happy with my day at Budds Creek.”

Ken Roczen – P2

“Budds Creek was another really good weekend for us. It wasn’t quite the overall win, but we won qualifying again, and while you obviously don’t get points for that, it’s still nice. We had a really good first moto and got the win. We had a really fun second moto, where we battled with Eli Tomac and Dylan Ferrandis. I got second in that moto, so me and Dylan were split for the day and I got second overall. I didn’t really make up any points, but I feel like we put in a really good effort and like I rode well. It wasn’t enough to close in on the lead, but we still have three rounds to go and I’m looking forward to this coming weekend.”

With equal points for the afternoon, Ferrandis’ lead over Roczen in the 450 Class standings remains at 39 points with three rounds remaining. Tomac remains third, 71 out of the lead.

450SX Results

Jett Lawrence a point off the 250 win at Budds Creek
250 Moto 1

The first gate drop of the 250 Class saw the 40-rider field funnel into the first turn, from which Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Justin Cooper, the championship leader, emerged with the MotoSport.com Holeshot, followed by Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Jalek Swoll and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Austin Forkner.

The clear track paid big dividends for Cooper as he was able to sprint out to an early lead while Swoll and Forkner duked it out for second. Cooper completed the opening lap with a three-second advantage, while Forkner made the pass and settled into second.

As Cooper and Forkner continued to lead the way, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s RJ Hampshire was on a march forward. After starting fifth, Hampshire made a pass for fourth and then worked his way around teammate Swoll to take control of third. Hampshire then set his sights on Forkner.

As he gave pursuit, Hampshire encountered misfortune and lost several positions, which moved Swoll back up to third, but under heavy pressure from Team Honda HRC’s Jett Lawrence. The Australian rider was patient and made the pass for third.

With 10 minutes left in the moto the battle for second heated up between Forkner and Lawrence, who was the fastest rider on the track at this stage of the race. As they navigated through lapped traffic Lawrence benefitted from a rider who crashed right in front of Forkner and forced the Kawasaki rider off-line, which allowed Lawreance to take over the position unchallenged. Cooper and Lawrence, the top two riders in the championship, were then separated by 5.4 seconds with six minutes to go.

Cooper responded to Lawrence’s charge from second and picked up the pace in the closing stages of the moto to maintain his advantage. He easily finished off a wire-to-wire victory and secured his fifth moto win of the season by 5.3 seconds over Lawrence while Martin followed with a quiet third-place effort, with Forkner fourth and Swoll fifth.

250 Moto 2

The second moto roared out the gate with Martin leading the way with the MotoSport.com Holeshot, followed by Lawrence in second, as Cooper navigated his way into the top five.

With no one in front of them, Martin and Lawrence quickly moved out to a lead of more than four seconds on the rest of the field, with about two seconds separating the top two.

As the lead pair settled in, the attention shifted to Cooper as he looked to move up the running order. He gave chase to Team Honda HRC’s Hunter Lawrence from fifth, as both riders looked to track down AEO GASGAS’ Ty Masterpool in third. Masterpool then went down, which allowed Lawrence to assume third and Cooper fourth. That was ultimately the last change for position amongst the top five.

Martin was dominant en route to his sixth moto win of the season with a wire-to-wire effort. He took the checkered flag 8.8 seconds ahead of Jett Lawrence in second with Hunter Lawrence third, followed by Cooper in fourth.

250 Overall

By virtue of his second-moto win, Martin surged to the top of the overall classification with 3-1 moto finishes. It signified the 20th victory of his career, which moves him into a tie with Steve Lamson for fourth on the all-time wins list.

Jett Lawrence just missed out on the overall win by a single point but settled for the runner-up spot (2-2) and his sixth podium finish of the season. Cooper was one additional point behind in third (1-4) to keep his unblemished podium streak this season intact at nine rounds.

Lawrence gained a single-point on Cooper in the 250 Class standings, where three-points now separate the championship rivals with three rounds remaining. Martin’s victory moved him up to third, 60 points out of the lead.

Jeremy Martin – P1

“Man, what a day! In the first moto, I kind of got pushed wide at the start, and then I was trying to ride hard but wasn’t going anywhere. Finally, I kind of found a groove there and started making some passes. We made some changes to the bike in the second moto, and I got the holeshot and was just riding on rails. I haven’t been that comfortable since Washougal. It just feels really good to be able to push the limit out there. I know we’re trying to beat these guys, but when you’re giving it your all, and you feel like that, those are the good days.”

Jett Lawrence – P2

“Budds Creek wasn’t too bad for us; it was an up and down race day, really. We ended with a good finish and we gained a point, but I’m a little bummed about the second moto. I got a really good start and was second, but I just had nothing to give after that. Basically, I went to go play poker and I had no money to put down [laughs]. That’s tough, but again, we gained a point. We’re still in this championship and just have to keep fighting to get some good motos in over these next three rounds. We’ll keep on pushing and hopefully we can wrap this up. We’ll keep on fighting and give it all we got.”

Justin Cooper – P3

“It was a hot one today, which made for a tough day being sick coming into this one, but we did what we needed to do and salvaged some points. It was great to get that win in the first moto. I had a pretty good lead going, and then right at the top of the hill, I came into the rut, and it kind of gave away, and I ended up going down. It was hard to regroup, but I put it behind me and kept riding forward to get the win. In the second moto, I just didn’t have the fight for those guys. It’s time to buckle down for these last three and make them count. Thanks to the team, they were awesome all day.”

Hunter Lawrence – P4

“The weekend was okay, even if I’m not stoked with how the first moto went. We had a small issue with the clutch adjustment knob and one of the fork protectors, which managed to come loose. Finally, I ran out of tear-offs, so it was a bit chaotic. I was glad to bounce back in the second moto with a solid, clean race. I had a better start, put myself in a better position and brought it home for third. I’m happy with that and look forward to Ironman. I have a couple more chances to get an overall and will work hard to make that happen.”

Just three rounds remain in the 2021 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, which will travel to the motorsports mecca of the greater Indianapolis area next Saturday, August 28, for the 10th round of the season and the Guaranteed Rate Ironman National from Crawfordsville, Indiana’s Ironman Raceway.

250SX Results

2021 Racing schedule

2021 MXGP Calendar

2021 Yamaha AORC Championship Calendar

2021 Penrite ProMX Championship Calendar
(As of July 14, 2021)

2021 Speedway GP Calendar

2021 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship

2021 Australian Speedway events

2021 FIM Cross-Country Rallies calendar

2021 GNCC

2021 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship

2021 Progressive American Flat Track calendar

2021 Provisional Australian Supercross dates

• 25 September – Further information TBA
• 9 October – Further information TBA
• 16 October – Further information TBA
• 23 October – Further information TBA
• 30 October – Further information TBA
• 6 November – Further information TBA
• 20 November – Further information TBA
• 27 November – Further information TBA

2021 International Six Day Enduro (ISDE)
30 August – 4 September – Italy