Rd 17 – FIM World Motocross Championships – WW Motocross Park, Jacksonville, Florida
Rd 15 – AMA Flat Track – Springfield Mile II – Illinois State Fairgrounds, Springfield, Ill.
2017 ISDE – Brive, France
Aussies Shine at ISDE
What an event! The 2017 ISDE held in France is done and dusted with our Aussie riders doing us proud, once again proving that they are among the best in the world.
The only negative was the fact that on Day One two of our Junior Trophy riders in Wil Ruprecht and Michael Driscoll lost their way out on a trial and ended up being excluded from the event.
Australia took a strong win over USA in the Women’s World Trophy
Here are where ALL of the Aussies Finished:
Senior Trophy
France – 12 hrs – 59 min
Australia +6.14 minutes
Finland + 9.12 minutes
Aussie Overall
4th – Daniel Milner – 2nd in E2
16th – Daniel Sanders – 3rd in E3
18th – Josh Green – 7th in E1
19th – Matthew Phillips – 5th in E3
39th – Lyndon Snodgrass – 10th in E3
Womens
Australia – 7 hrs – 8 min
USA +6.46 minutes
France +26.36 minutes
Aussie Overall
2nd – Tayla Jones 4th – Jess Gardner
7th – Jemma Wilson
C1 Class
27th – Shane Watts
C2 Class
12th – Ben Kearns
95th – Scott Campbell
Club Team Award (167 teams)
24th – Club Team Australia – + 1hr 3min
Watts/Kearns/Campbell
C79 – Vintage Class
3rd – Michael Harding
6th – Stephen Baker
C82 – Vintage Class
2nd – Geoff Ballard
38th – Peter Cave
DNF – Rob Shoemark
Youthstream and the FIM have released the official pre-entry list for the 2017 Motocross of Nations set to take place in Matterley Basin, England, on September 30 and October 1.
MXoN 2016
Below are the official rosters of the 39 countries scheduled to compete:
American stars Adam Cianciarulo and Cooper Webb were set to take on the best of the European riders at the USGP in Florida last weekend until Cianciarulo tweaked his knee during timed practice. Webb was near the top of the leader board early in the practice session, but toward the end he went down and broke his thumb.
Adam Cianciarulo
Jasikonis Dislocates Hip at USGP
Suzuki World MXGP rider Arminas Jasikonis suffered a huge crash in the first moto of the Monster Energy MXGP of USA leaving the Lithuanian rider with a dislocated hip. It was all-the-more unfortunate as the RM-450WS rider had just moved into third place in the race and was looking fast in the sandy conditions.
Arminas Jasikonis
General Manager Stefan Everts explained what happened in the race and what the future now holds for Jasikonis:
“He got a good start, moving into third position and was jumping the tabletop when the bike dug-in on soft ground as he landed. He went over the handlebars and the bike hit him and he dislocated his right hip. It’s been put back by the medical team and it’s not looking too bad but he has to have another check-up scan. Providing it is all ok, he should be able to travel back with the team tomorrow, but in what condition, I don’t know. It will be tough travelling for him but it’ll be good to get him back to Belgium so we can do all the tests there. A hip dislocation normally takes many months to come back fully, so we’ll just have to wait and see. Obviously we all wish him the best and will do everything we can to make his recovery as swift as possible.”
Relationship Ends for Carroll and Kawasaki
Troy Carroll and Carroll Motorsports Pty Ltd will step away from the factory Australian Kawasaki Motocross and Supercross racing team following the upcoming 2017 Australian Supercross Championship.
Kawasaki Motors Australia would like to thank Troy Carroll and each member of his team for their efforts during our joint Australian Motocross and Supercross campaigns over many years.
This year Kawasaki Motors Australia are looking forward to one of our most promising Supercross series yet with Daniel Reardon and Nathan Crawford as our factory riders, managed by multiple time Australian champion, Troy Carroll.
Carroll Motorsports has operated the Kawasaki’s factory-supported motocross and supercross team since 2010.
Troy Carroll
“Time for a huge change for myself and my family. It’s been a blast after 32 years in this sport and 24 Australian championships, now it’s time for a change of scenery! Thanks so much to all our teams fans and sponsors, we will go after this SX championship and go out with a bang.”
2018 FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championship Returns to Gillman
The highly anticipated 2018 FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championship will again be hosted at South Australia’s Gillman Speedway (Adelaide) on Saturday, March 31 as part of the 2018 Festival of Speed at Gillman.
The FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championship will return to Gillman in 2018
The prestigious three wheeled international show down will feature the world’s best Speedway Sidecar competitors as teams duke it out for coveted 2018 FIM Oceania line honours.
Gillman Speedway Manager, Dave Parker was excited to share news of the Easter long weekend event.
Dave Parker
“We are thrilled to once again be hosting the FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championship that will see world famous riders and passengers from New Zealand, United States of America and the United Kingdom come out to go for the 2018 title. They all treat this event as one of the biggest on the calendar. The 2018 Festival of Speed at Gillman Raceway will kick off on Good Friday with a Free ‘Family Fun Day’, where we will have many classic vehicles and motorcycles on display. Anything to do with racing really, from early and late models, sprint cars, speedway cars and bikes, go-carts, even remote control cars, but predominantly speedway orientated. Last year we even had monster trucks! There will also be jumping castles and face painting for the kids which is of course, free! We usually get round 3,000 people through the gates on Friday and they come back over the course of the weekend. The Festival of Speed is a three-day event. Gillman Raceway fans will have a great view of the track from where ever they are seated and will have full enjoyment of a world class stadium.”
Dunlop Geomax MX3S
Season Ending Injury for Benoit Paturel
Kemea Yamaha Official MX2’s Benoit Paturel will miss the remainder of the FIM MX2 World Championship season following an accident while training on Wednesday 30th of September at Villars-sous-Ecot, the same venue that will host the final round of the FIM Motocross World Championship.
Benoit Paturel
Following a medical examination soon after the accident, it was confirmed that the twenty-two year-old had lacerated his liver. He remains in hospital under observation.
Hans Corvers – Kemea Yamaha
“It’s a shame to end the season this way. Before the season had even started we made a plan to fight for the championship and the podium and we did. I am so happy he was able to win his first Grand Prix with us, but it’s really sad that he won’t be able to end the season the way he deserves. Benoit is a true fighter, he works his butt off every single day, and this is what makes it a disappointing end to what was an incredible three-year relationship between Benoit Paturel and Kemea Yamaha Official MX2.”
France Wins MXoEN
The 2017 Motocross of European Nations saw 17 teams from 16 different countries come together to race in Gdansk, Poland last weekend and predictably it was France with six results adding up to 36 points beating out team Denmark and 2015 Champion Team Italy while the WMXoEN title was dominated by Netherlands over Italy and Germany.
France wins 2017 MXoEN
The MXOeN consists of 85cc, 125cc and 250cc riders contesting three motos each over two days of racing featuring the top riders from each Nations amateur ranks.
Lewis Cornish shines in 2017 FIM Asia SuperMoto Championship
Moto 1 started with the sun shining directly above the riders on their respective grid. Sweats and anxiety to compete were spotted on their faces. Pole position Lewis Cornish stole the holeshot but was followed tightly by all riders as the race started with a straight tarmac road instead of the diversion to the first turn into the off-road section.
With Lewis speeding through the empty circuit, Malaysia’s Muhd Habibullah and Thailand’s Trakarn Thangthong pursued the front-runner tightly. Just after a few laps, Lewis was two seconds away from the duo, and the furious battle turned to Habibullah and Trakarn, leaving all rooms for Lewis to continue his lead.
FIM Asia SuperMoto Championship – Thailand
The top three positioning continued until five minutes before the end of Moto 1 until Habibullah lost his pace and Trakarn overtook the second seed. With inadequate time to steal the second spot, Habibullah concluded third in Moto 1. Lewis led Moto 1 with a total time of 22:236.002, followed by Trakarn and Habibullah at 22:42.962 and 23:14.056 respectively.
The second race witnessed high intensity on the track as Lewis stole the show with the second holeshot of the day. His familiarity of the circuit over the two days of practices were at the tips of his finger, riding through the track ahead of all riders. Lewis comfortably rode his way to victory, winning at least five seconds ahead of the first runner-up, Thailand’s Trakarn Thangthong.
Lewis Cornish
“It was a very technical track. Most of us were using slick tyres to race the track. With the triple dirt section, it feels more like a motocross track instead. I made multiple mistakes in Moto 1 but reduced it in Moto 2. I believe Trakarn and Habibullah made mistakes as well, which gave me an advantage to the race. I was fortunate when Habibullah hit on a hole at the third dirt section. That was when I passed him. He grew so much since our last faced off in 2015. I enjoyed riding with all the riders, and hopefully, I can perform better in Indonesia.”
Lewis and Trakarn rode smoothly as the Habibullah and Marcel pursued a battle for the final podium spot, blocking any other riders from moving forward in their position.
The goose chase between the Malaysian and Dutchman continued with multiple high risk overtakes on tight corners. Neither was giving up for the third podium spot. The dirt section was always the game changer for the duo, deciding on who leads upon exiting the off-road sections. Lap after lap of their battle soon became fan favourite.
It wasn’t until the final two laps during the race, Habibullah mistakenly took a detour off course, receiving a penalty that immediately dropped his dreams for a podium, a blow to his team and his confidence for the season. Habibullah landed the sixth spot in Moto 2, clocking a total time of 24:20.495. Khairi landed fourth in Moto 2, finishing nearly two seconds behind Marcel with a total time of 23:50.924.
The 2017 FIM Asia SuperMoto Championship will commence in Jogjakarta, Indonesia on 7 and 8 October 2017.
FIM Asia SuperMoto Championship – Thailand Results Top 5
Lewis Cornish GBR 50
Trakarn Thangthong THA 44
Marcel Van Drunen NED 38
Muhd Habibullah MA 35
Khairi Zakaria MAS 34
Dunlop Geomax MX3S
2017 FIM Oceania Supermoto Championship
It might have been Father’s Day, but the competitors of the Biogenetics Newcastle International SuperMoto were firmly focused on the green light of the start line.
The Postie Bike Challenge kicked off the day’s proceedings, proving that horsepower isn’t everything as the 110cc machines negotiated the same track as their SuperMoto counterparts.
Racing throughout the day was tight and fast, with the difference in the finish order often coming down to who made the least errors.
Precision and concentration were essential on such a demanding track and a number of riders chose to sit out a race to avoid fatigue.
Good starts were essential to avoid the crunch as the circuit transitioned from the speedway section to the tar via dirt stop-jump.
Longford (VIC) based ex motocross racer Adam Miller controlled the FIM Oceania Championship races and topped the Biogenetics Australia FIM Oceania Supermoto Championship
Overall standings at the end of the day saw Adam Miller declared the outright victor while Ben Attard made his return to competition after a number of years away, but showed he still had incredible pace to claim second overall ahead of Dirt and Flat Track star Michael Kirkness.
Micheal Kirkness #387 ahead of Luke Richards #24 – credit Newcastle Sport Photography
American Gage McAllister had the speed but a poor start forced him to work through the pack for a second place in race two which cost him an outright podium in the championship.
Miller came second in the 2016 Stay Upright Australian Supermoto Championship and is aiming to go one better when the Titles go on the line in Western Australia later this year.
Adam Miller
“It’s an honour to take out the first FIM Oceania Championship. So many of the guys in the race are already champions in their respective disciplines so it was an incredible feeling to cross the line first. The crowd really helped, they were so vocal and it was a real experience to race in such an environment.”
Adam Miller #46 wins FIM Oceania Supermoto Champion – credit Darren Pateman
For Gage McAllister, it was about finding the positives in a challenging weekend
“I’ve had a great time here in Australia, the riders are of such a high standard and the track really tested us out. I’d love to come back and race again next year. To be here with my Dad and to have been able to race against him in the Race of Champions is going to be a very special memory.” Neither McAllister is leaving empty handed. Gage claimed second place in the Race of Champions and Dad Brok secured first place in the over 50 Vets class.
Australian Dirt Track Champion Michael Kirkness competed in three classes and claimed a podium in each. First in the Race of Champions, second in the Newcastle International Pro class and third in the FIM Oceania Supermoto Championship. After taking the podium holding his two-week-old son, Kirkness said.
“This has been an incredible weekend, the calibre of riders and the track layout meant the racing was close and hard fought and it was great to be a part of it.”
FIM Oceania Board Member representative Simon Maas was in attendance over the weekend.
“The FIM Oceania racing was outstanding and showcased the best of a SuperMoto and we are proud to crown a new SuperMoto champion. It was great to see world champions and riders from around the world competing against Australia’s very best. There is no doubt that the SuperMoto is one of the most exciting forms of racing, bringing together the very best elements from road racing, motocross and dirt track. FIM Oceania is extremely proud to have worked with Boyd Events, the event partners and sponsors and look forward to working together for many years to come” said Mr Maas.
Riders were also overwhelmingly positive in their praise of the event and the work of the promoter, Boyd Events. But Graeme Boyd is already thinking of next year and the possibility of the current world champion competing.
“The racing was excellent, the weather was perfect, it was a great way to celebrate Father’s Day!”
The FIM Oceania SuperMoto Championship has been secured for Newcastle, through the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.
FIM Oceania rider lineup – credit Darren Pateman
2017 FIM Oceania SuperMoto Championship Results
Biogenetics Australia FIM Oceania Supermoto Championship
Off road motorcycle endurance ace, Rodney Faggotter, has added the 2017 Sunraysia Rally crown to his already impressive resume, when he claimed victory at the inaugural event recently.
Rodney Faggotter
“It was pleasing to get the win and nice to get some real endurance racing under my belt before I head back overseas for racing in Peru and also the Dakar events early next year. The mornings were a bit cold for a Queenslander and there was a strong wind which was fun and challenging at the same time. If it was a cross wind, it was tough to ride but when we had a section that we rode with the wind, I was able to get up to 178ks an hour on the WR, which was awesome.We had no bike issues at all and it was pretty much a dream run from start to finish. It is also good at have another high-profile race back on the Australian calendar and hopefully this is the start of a long and successful event. Thank you to the organisers for the effort to make this happen.”
Held around Mildura region in Victoria, the four day event is set to replace the old Australian Safari as the pinnacle in off road endurance/adventure racing in Australia and Faggotter was pumped to have his name etched first into the championships trophy.
Each day consisted of four stages with Faggotter taking control of the event early in the piece and winning over 60 percent of stages to stretch his lead out to 30 minutes by event end.
Seeded number 1 for the event, Faggotter found navigating his way around the rugged Victorian wilderness the most difficult as there were no marked tracks or riders to follow. None the less, he showed his true skill and went on to dominate the event on board his Yamaha WR450F.
Smarty’s Race Reports
Rd 17 – FIM World Motocross Championships – WW Motocross Park, Jacksonville, Florida
During an action packed day of racing Jeffrey Herlings and RJ Hampshire have won the MX1 and MX2 classes respectively when round 17 of the FIM World Motocross Championship hit WW Motocross Park in Jacksonville, Florida last weekend.
MXGP Start
MX1 Report
Herlings was the quickest all weekend but things didn’t go to plan in the opening moto with the Dutchman starting well outside the top ten before storming through to second place then in the second moto Herlings was sitting in second place until Antonio Cairoli fell on lap nine handing the lead and the win to Herlings.
Jeffrey Herlings
“It’s awesome. I got a good start (in the second moto) and worked my way to the front. It’s so hot, like 95 and a lot of humidity. I enjoyed the ride. You know, with five or six minutes to go I wanted to attack and I thought that was best, but then he went down and I got the lead. Bad start in the first moto, but second in the second moto, which helped.”
Jeffrey Herlings
Eli Tomac won the opening moto by a staggering 28 seconds ahead of Herlings before the Kawasaki rider complete the second moto in third place thus finishing second overall with a very solid 1-3 result.
Eli Tomac
“We are really happy how things ended up today. We were struggling yesterday and I got a holeshot and won the first moto. To be honest I was surprised with their pace early on and they got away. The track beat me up a bit too and it was tough.”
Eli Tomac
Cairoli led Herlings in both motos and was trying his absolute best to wrap up the championship but a crash while leading the second moto left the Italian with 3-2 finishes for third overall.
If Cairoli had have stayed in front of Herlings he would have wrapped up his ninth World Motocross Championships but he will go into the next round of the championship at Assen with a 96 point lead so all he has to do is finish the first moto in the points and he is the champ.
Tony Cairoli
“You know, I tried to get the title. I have a lot of points, but you always want to win but my fitness dropped and I was struggling in a rut and slipped over and crashed. Jeffrey passed and he was riding fast, its different because he started late and is riding fast now. We started fast and are riding slower now.”
Tony Cairoli
Tim Gajser (4-7), Max Anstie (6-6), Max Nagl (5-11), Clement Desalle, Clement (8-9), Glenn Coldenhoff (7-10), Jeremy Van Horebeek (10-8) and Evgeny Bobryshev (9-12) rounded out the top ten.
MXGP Race 1 Top Ten
Eli Tomac (USA, Kawasaki), 35:45.724
Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:28.267
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:36.781
Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:44.426
Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), +0:50.234
Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:55.850
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:58.113
Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +1:03.577
Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +1:05.334
Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +1:14.770.
MXGP Race 2 Top Ten
Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 35:50.247
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:15.990
Eli Tomac (USA, Kawasaki), +0:29.282
Gautier Paulin (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:37.540
Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:41.951
Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:47.523
Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:52.404
Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +1:00.454
Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +1:06.688
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +1:13.118.
MXGP Podium
MXGP Overall Top Ten
Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 47 points
Eli Tomac (USA, KAW), 45 p.
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 42 p.
Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 32 p.
Max Anstie (GBR, HUS), 30 p.
Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 26 p.
Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 25 p.
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 25 p.
Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 23 p.
Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 22 p.
MXGP Championship Top Ten
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 673 points
Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 577 p.
Gautier Paulin (FRA, HUS), 545 p.
Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 544 p.
Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 485 p.
Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 441 p.
Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 400 p.
Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 390 p.
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 377 p.
Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 366 p.
MX2 Report
In the opening moto it took five laps for Hampshire to get around the fast starting Thomas Covington to take the lead before blasting away for the win. But in the second moto it only took a handful of corners before Hampshire was in the lead.
MX2 Start – Hunter Lawrence at the forefront
The action didn’t stop there though, when Aussie Hunter Lawrence pulled up to the rear wheel of Hampshire late in the moto and it took all of the American’s race craft to keep Lawrence at bay to take the double moto win.
RJ Hampshire
“I was excited to come racing here as it is my home state, I felt good in the warm up and knew that we could make something happen today. In the first race I didn’t have a great start but made some quick passes. It was cool to battle with Covington today, I was excited especially to come to race with him. The guys from Suzuki were coming for me there at the end of the second race, I mean they’re lying if they say they weren’t. I was just trying to stabilize some breathing room and he was right there at the end but honestly I did not want to go any faster than what I had to because I was hurting.”
RJ Hampshire
Lawrence’s third and second secured him second overall tying his career best overall result.
Hunter Lawrence
“In the first moto I got quite a good start on my RM-Z250, inside the top 10 I’d say. I made some passes in the first couple of corners and got myself into fourth place just behind Mitchell Harrison where I stayed for about 10 minutes. RJ Hampshire and Thomas Covington were gone when I got my way into third, so I stayed there until the end. They both crashed but were still too far in front although I did close right up on both of them. In the second start I drifted a bit wide and a couple of guys passed me up the inside, I fought to make those passes back and got myself into third after passing Pauls Jonass. Covington was the next person I passed and after that I just got my head down, kept working and plugging away and I caught up to Hampshire in first but we just ran out of time so I couldn’t pass him for the win. “I’m really happy with my second overall, in my first time at an American GP. I’m just super happy with how the day went.”
Hunter Lawrence
Thomas Covington would finish 4th in race 2 and take 3rd overall.
Thomas Covington
“I was feeling really good on the track out here, I was having a lot of fun and even in warm up this morning I had a good feeling on the track. I pulled the holeshot on the first one and I just couldn’t get away from RJ as he was riding really well in both races.”
Thomas Covington
MX2 Championship leader Pauls Jonass took 7th overall losing points to Seewer dropping his championship gap to 40 points. “I felt really good all weekend actually except the two races,” a bemused Jonass explained.
Pauls Jonass
“Yesterday everything went good and also this morning in the warm up I felt good but the first race a had a really bad start, I almost hit the gate and then crashed straight on the start straight and that made it tough. I came back from dead last to tenth and in the second race I got a pretty good start but the guys were really fast today and it was difficult to hang with them. After 15 minutes I got a little tired, the last few laps I just tried to survive and still finished 5th so I didn’t lose too many points which is good and I’m really looking forward to Assen.”
Pauls Jonass
Aussie Hayden Mellross interrupted his preparation for the Australian Supercross Championship and flew back over to the States for the event and carded a more than credible 16-15 moto results for 15th overall.
MX2 Race 1 Top Ten
RJ Hampshire (USA, Honda), 36:18.487
Thomas Covington (USA, Husqvarna), +0:03.630
Hunter Lawrence (AUS, Suzuki), +0:04.689
Mitchell Harrison (USA, Yamaha), +0:06.477
Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:16.340
Chase Sexton (USA, Honda), +0:21.813
Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), +0:25.789
Justin Cooper (USA, Yamaha), +0:28.740
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:40.481
Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:49.613.
MX2 Race 2 Top Ten
RJ Hampshire (USA, Honda), 34:28.589
Hunter Lawrence (AUS, Suzuki), +0:01.190
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:02.826
Thomas Covington (USA, Husqvarna), +0:15.486
Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:23.499
Brent Van doninck (BEL, Yamaha), +0:25.316
Julien Lieber (BEL, KTM), +0:29.345
Chase Sexton (USA, Honda), +0:32.742
Mitchell Harrison (USA, Yamaha), +0:34.681
Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), +0:39.847.
MX2 Podium
MX2 Overall Top Ten
RJ Hampshire (USA, HON), 50 points
Hunter Lawrence (AUS, SUZ), 42 p.
Thomas Covington (USA, HUS), 40 p.
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 32 p.
Mitchell Harrison (USA, YAM), 30 p.
Chase Sexton (USA, HON), 28 p.
Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 27 p.
Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 26 p.
Brent Van doninck (BEL, YAM), 25 p.
Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), 25 p.
MX2 Championship Top Ten
Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 696 points
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 656 p.
Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 523 p.
Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 504 p.
Thomas Covington (USA, HUS), 457 p.
Julien Lieber (BEL, KTM), 450 p.
Jorge Prado Garcia (ESP, KTM), 392 p.
Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), 356 p.
Hunter Lawrence (AUS, SUZ), 326 p.
Brent Van doninck (BEL, YAM), 298 p.
Dunlop Geomax MX3S
Rd 15 – AMA Flat Track – Springfield Mile II – Illinois State Fairgrounds, Springfield, Ill.
Jared Mees continued his march toward the 2017 AFT Twins crown after taking a narrow victory in last Sunday’s epic Harley-Davidson Springfield Mile II which was round 15 of the AMA Flat Track Championship.
The grandstands at the Illinois State Fairgrounds were packed once again as American Flat Track fans turned out in huge numbers to find out how the highly anticipated rematch between rivals Mees and Bryan Smith (Allstate Scout FTR750) would play out.
Jared Mees
When the 25 lap final got underway Mees and Smith were joined at the front in a six-rider, three and four rider wide battle by Brad Baker (Allstate Scout FTR750), Sammy Halbert (Yamaha FZ-07), Briar Bauman (Kawasaki Ninja 650), and Jeffrey Carver Jr. (Kawasaki Ninja 650).
The prospect of a six-way shootout to the end was shot down on lap 17 of 25 when a red flag was displayed due to an incident involving Kenny Coolbeth (No. 2 Harley-Davidson XG750R), who had fought his way up from 13th to seventh to lead the second group.
When racing resumed, it quickly took shape as a four-way fight for victory involving Mees, Smith, Baker, and Halbert. Going into the final lap Mees was down in third before storming up the inside of Baker entering then backed that up with a smooth pass around the outside of Smith to slot just in front for the decisive sprint to the chequered flag.
Mees hit the stripe 0.021 seconds ahead of Smith. Baker narrowly edged Halbert to claim third another 0.051 seconds back to secure the Indian Wrecking Crew’s sixth podium sweep of the season.
The victory stands as Mees’ eighth on the season, upping his career mark to 30 to move equal with Bart Markel for 10th on the all-time list. Additionally, Mees now boasts a 46-point championship advantage (317 to Smith’s 271) with three races remaining. That means Mees could clinch the 2017 title two races early by claiming his ninth victory on the season at next weekend’s Harley-Davidson Williams Grove Half-Mile presented by Appalachian Harley-Davidson.
Jared Mees
“It feels so good to get this win. In the springtime, I got nipped at the line ever so slightly. My guys really gave me a good, strong motorcycle that was so hooked up. After practice, I thought this really could be my day, but I’ve felt that before and Bryan has always outsmarted me at the line… If there was one race I wanted to pull off this year after the first half of the year, it was the Springfield Mile II on Labor Day weekend.”
Jared Mees
Bryan Smith
“It was a fun race — I’d have much rather won though. Hats off to Jared. He just got around me in the last corner and outsmarted me a little bit. The track was totally different than in the spring; you didn’t have to play chess so much as checkers and make moves quick. Unfortunately, I came up a little bit short, but nonetheless, it’s awesome to see the Indian boys battle for every spot on the podium again.”
Brad Baker
“It was a really fun race. It was a blast out there. We all knew where we needed to be — whoever led off Turn 4 usually got to the stripe first… It was a dogfight whoever was going to get that spot. I was right there, but I think I set Jared up good to get us both. Bryan and I were right on his tail and we were all reacting at 140 miles per hour a couple inches away from the wall. It gets a little hectic there the last 50 feet of the race. To only lose by a half bike and get third just shows how close the racing was.”
Brad Baker – American Flat Track
Brandon Robinson (Harley-Davidson XG750R) made the most of the second chance provided by the red flag, out duelling early contenders Bauman and Carver to complete the top five.
2017 ISDE – Brive, France
After six hard fought days in at time gruelling conditions around the countryside of Brive, local heroes France are the 2017 FIM World Trophy and Junior Trophy team champions while the Australian team of Tayla Jones, Jess Gardner and Jemma Wilson wrapped up an incredible 5th straight Women’s World Trophy class win.
The final day of the 2017 ISDE saw France take the World Trophy title with Australia runners up
World Trophy Report
Putting the finishing touches to their week-long dominance of the blue-ribbon class, Jeremy Tarroux, Loic Larrieu, Christophe Nambotin and Christophe Charlier all successfully made it through the final day motocross races to claim an eventual six-minute and fourteen-second margin of victory over the Australian team of Josh Green, Matthew Phillips, Daniel Milner and Daniel Sanders.
Australia were in fact the World Trophy team winners on the sixth and final day of the 92nd running of the FIM ISDE, placing thirty-two seconds ahead of Finland, who were helped by solid performances by Eero Remes and Matti Seistola.
Eero Remes
France placed third ahead of Great Britain and Sweden. But in finishing third France did everything they needed to do to secure the World Trophy class victory ahead of Australia, Finland, Portugal, Great Britain, Sweden, The Netherlands, Brazil, Norway and Switzerland.
Christophe Nambotin
“This is such a great feeling, to win the World Trophy team competition here in France is amazing, especially after the final few days I’ve had. I knew I wouldn’t be able to do anything more than just ride around because of my injured hand, but thankfully the rest of the team rode amazingly and we did what we set out to do. For our Junior World trophy team to also win, it’s the perfect end to a great event for us.”
Christophe Nambotin
FIM Junior World Trophy Report
Not to be out done by their senior class team-mates, France’s FIM Junior World Trophy team of Jeremy Miroir, Hugo Blanjoue and Anthony Geslin battled hard throughout the event and despite finishing third in the final day at the motocross track France took the win by just fifteen seconds ahead of Italy with the USA rounding out the top three.
Great Britain placed fourth with Spain, Chile, Mexico, Czech Republic, Germany and Sweden rounding out the top ten.
Despite Australian Junior World Trophy Team members, Wil Ruprecht and Michael Driscoll not racing after Day One, they have made a significant contribution behind the scenes to help get the job done. MA would like to thank them for their assistance to the team.
Lyndon Snodgrass
“Just a big thanks to everyone that’s helped me get here over to France to help me race the ISDE, I couldn’t have done it without their assistance. It was a great feeling to cross the finish line and I appreciate everyone’s support to get me here today.”
Lyndon Snodgrass
FIM Women’s World Trophy Report
Team USA topped the FIM Women’s World Trophy results on the sixth and final day, placing thirteen seconds ahead of Australia with Canada, Sweden and France rounding out the top five for the day but it was Australia, as it has been time and time again in recent years, who topped the Women’s World Trophy classification.
Tayla Jones, Jessica Gardiner, Jemma Wilson
With Jess Gardiner, Jemma Wilson and Tayla Jones putting their experience to good use, they collectively claimed a six-minute and forty-six second margin of overall victory. The USA, with all three riders competing in their first ISDE, claimed a well-deserved runner-up result with France third, ahead of Sweden, Italy, Canada, Portugal, Slovakia and Spain.
Jones would still lead her team to an incredible fifth consecutive title, despite coming second overall.
Tayla Jones
“We had a good day for Day Six on the Final Moto and I had a lot of fun. We came out on top once again for our fifth title in a row! It’s an awesome feeling to be Champions once again. It’s been a great time over here with all the success we have had together. I want to thank the entire Australian Team, who have been there to support us throughout the event. I also want to thank mechanics for coming over and helping out this year.”
Jessica Gardiner
“I’m very happy to see that finish line after the injury to my hand! Its been a tough week with the pain. I am really stoked to be five times World Champions with Tayla and Jemma. Its been us as a team the whole way through. It wasn’t a bad Final Moto, I didn’t have the best start and unfortunately I went down at one point. I’m just happy to be a part of it all and I would personally like to than Team Australia for all their assistance. We have supporters and volunteers left right and centre. From helping us at the controls, to packing up the bikes, it’s a large effort. The locals have also been very kind and me throughout the tests. I would also like the medical crew for all their help. Finally, I would like to thank my boyfriend, Mathias Bellino.”
This will be Jemma Wilson’s final year representing her country as she goes out on a high note as an historic five time World Champion.
Jemma Wilson
“Another Six Days done, that’s seven for me and now a five-time Champion! My week started off pretty steady and I got better as the event went on. I ended up seventh for the ISDE, Jones and Tayla were both incredible. The Final Moto was awesome and it’s great to finish the even on a Yamaha. I decided throughout the week that this will be my final ISDE, in a way it’s sad but also exciting to see who will be the new team member and write their own story.”
E1 Report
Putting in one of the stand out performances of the final motocross races, Josep Garcia worked his way to the front of the Enduro 1 class final moto in style, going on to claim victory ahead of the USA’s Ryan Sipes and Eero Remes.
Garcia topped the Enduro 1 class overall results, finishing ahead of Ryan Sipes and Davide Guarneri with Aussie Josh Green finishing in 7th place. The highest Junior World Trophy team rider in the final E1 standings was Italy’s Davide Soreca. Green would finish overall 18th in the standings.
Josh Green
“Today went really well for the Final Moto and I got a very good start. I managed to jump up into fourth which allowed me to move up spots in the outright standings. I’m very happy to see that all the Senior Australian riders finished in the top 20 outright. Can’t wait for next year!”
Josh Green
E2 Report
In the Enduro 2 class it looked as if class leader Loic Larrieu would claim a start-to-finished win in the final motocross race but a mistake on the final corner of the race handed victory to Nathan Watson who for much of the race seemed destined to finish third. With Watson securing the win, Christophe Charlier placed second with Alex Salvini finishing just ahead of Larrieu.
Despite his final moto slip-up, Loic Larrieu topped the final E2 standings by one-and-a-half minutes from Australia’s Daniel Milner and Alex Salvini. The highest placed Junior World Trophy class rider in the final E2 standings was Albin Elowson in fourth.
Daniel Milner
“It went very well for the Australian’s today. We brought home the quickest Motocross times so it was an awesome day for us. Big thanks to KTM Australia for hooking me up with a bike over here. Next year we hope to get a step higher but we had a strong team and put in a lot of hard work. Big thanks to the team for assisting us wherever they could.”
Daniel Milner
E3 Report
Leading home a KTM one-two-three at the end of the final Enduro 3 motocross race, Spain’s Jaume Betriu claimed the win ahead of the USA’s Taylor Robert with Finland’s Matti Seistola third.
However it was Taylor Robert who topped the E3 category results, placing an eventual one-minute and forty-seven seconds ahead of Betriu with Australia’s Daniel Sanders battling with a shoulder injury in third and Matti Seistola, Matthew Phillips and Ruy Barbosa rounding out the top six.
Barbosa was the highest placed E3 class Junior World Trophy rider while Rookie Lyndon Snodgrass did himself and his country proud to finish 10th in class and 39th outright.
Daniel Sanders
“The ISDE is wrapped up and it’s great to finish. It was a good result considering the injury I sustained. I didn’t want to let the team down so I’m happy that the team got second. We had a bad start in the Final Moto, I caught up with Phillips later on in the race and he let me by to keep an eye on me. We just wanted to make sure that we didn’t lose any time on the Fins. The individual result wasn’t the one we wanted but with the year I’ve had, it’s good to finish in the top 20 and third in the E3 class. I would also like to thank Motorcycling Australia for getting us over here again and KTM.”
Matthew Phillips
“It was a good day and got off to a great start, I dropped back to fifth by the end but I really enjoyed myself. It’s great to now reflect on the ISDE as a whole and thank all our supporters and fans. Second place for the team is a great result. Everyone really dug in despite a few setbacks at times. We really appreciate all the assistance from the volunteers and team members. I’m really looking forward to coming home next year and it’s great to compete with the Aussies once again. Let’s see what next year brings!”
Matthew Phillips
Overall Placings
Loic Larrieu
Josep Garcia
Taylor Robert
Daniel Milner
Ryan Sipes
With this year’s ISDE now over, the focus now shift’s to the next edition to be hosted in Chile in October 2018.
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.
