The Standing Construct KTM team have announced that Kevin Strijbos has signed with the team for the 2018 season to contest the MXGP World Championship. The Belgian rider had a difficult 2017 season due to some injuries but he has ended the season on a high and has proven in the last few GP’s that he can still be a top five contender.
Kevin Strijbos joins Standing Construct KTM
After a total of almost 7 years with the now defunct factory Suzuki team, Strijbos will contest the MXGP World Championship in 2018 with the factory supported Belgian KTM team.
Kevin Strijbos
“I am really happy to sign a deal to ride for Standing Construct KTM. The team has proven in the past, when they were a GP winning team in MX2, to be very professional and well organized as well as having the know-how and the infrastructure to be competitive on the highest level. I had some good offers from other teams but having the guarantee with the Standing Construct KTM team that I will be in a team that gives me together with their factory support all the needs to perform at the highest level made me quickly decide to sign with them. I would like to thank Sylvain Geboers for all the things he did for me, he was the one who brought me into the world of top motocross many years ago and who kept believing in me all these years.”
Kevin Strijbos moves to Standing Construct KTM for 2018
Tim Mathys – Standing Construct KTM
“Kevin has proven throughout his career that he is a great rider and that he’s more than capable of getting great results when he feels comfortable on the bike and in the team. He is one of the more experienced riders of the MXGP paddock with still a lot of ambition and we are convinced that we can give him the material and surroundings that he needs to satisfy him. When the news was spread that we would make a comeback in the MXGP paddock I was contacted by a lot of riders but Kevin gave me the most motivated and ‘hungry’ impression. I am confident that together with our experience and for Kevin with a crew that he knows well, we will have a good 2018 season.”
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Smarty’s Race Reports
Honda Summercross – Bay of Plenty, NZ
Team Honda rider Cody Cooper has claimed his third consecutive Bay of Plenty Summercross this time ahead of Kawasaki’s Rhys Carter and Honda’s John Phillips.
Cooper rode to victory in the MX1 class carrying a 515 number plate on the front of his Honda as a tribute to former team-mate David Fisher, who drowned recently in an accident at Lake Wanaka.
Cody Cooper leading at Awakaponga – Image by InMotion Photography
Originally from Tauranga, Fisher raced motocross through his teens and on Saturday fellow Bay Of Plenty riders Rhys Carter and Roydon White also carried Fisher’s race number. “We got the number plates made up as tribute to him,” Cooper said. “It’s an honour to win today carrying Davey’s number.”
Cooper was in bed with the flu leading up to Saturday’s race but with four sprint races followed by a longer final moto, worked in his favour. “I had to win the shorter races to get an advantage. I knew it would be hard in the longer race and at the end I was mucking up and not riding well. I pulled it back a bit to make sure I’d finish,” added Cooper.
With four wins already on the scorecard, Cooper’s third place behind Yamaha’s Kayne Lamont (Mangakino) and Carter (Mount Maunganui) in the final moto gave him a clear overall win.
Carter was second overall and happy with his first race on his Kawasaki since breaking his thumb and collar bone in May. “It was my first time back at the starting gate for about six months. It’s good to know my speed is okay and I can still race,” said Carter.
Cooper was the MX1 overall winner with 266 points over the five-race format from Carter on 246 and Rotorua’s John Phillips (Honda) on 214 while Lamont was in podium contention after a 3-3-2 sequence in the first three races but crashed at the start of the fourth moto before climbing back to fifth overall with his final race win.
MX2 honours went to Wyatt Chase (KTM) in a duel with Maximus Purvis (Yamaha) after Chase took three wins and Purvis two but a fall in race three left Purvis with a ninth place on his scorecard and trailing Chase by 18 points.
The closest Summercross fight came in the Youth MX (15-21 years) class where Ryan Gwynn (Husqvarna), Thomas Watts (Husqvarna) and Jake Tomblin (Honda) each rode to a moto win but when the points were tallied Gwynn edged Watts by five points for the overall win.
In his first start in the veteran ranks, former national champion Peter Broxholme (Honda) cleaned up the 35-40 years age group and as one would expect Darryll King (Husqvarna) was unbeaten in the over-40 category.
Letitia Alabaster put in an unbeaten performance on her KTM in the Women’s class to take the Summercross honours ahead of Rachael Archer (Husqvarna) and Melissa Patterson (KTM).
Ryan Villopoto Amateur Cup – Pala Raceway, California
The inaugural Ryan Villopoto Amateur Cup was held at Pala Raceway last weekend and from all accounts the event was a complete success with hundreds of racers from four-years-of-age right through to 40-plus competing in 36 classes ranging from 50cc to 450cc machinery.
Ryan Villopoto Amateur Cup
Seth Dennis was the most successful rider on the weekend with four class wins while Jo Shimodo and Max Vohland had particularly good weekends with three class wins each and it was two class wins each for Matix Soto, Austin Black, Haiden Deegan, Kaeden Kniffing and Talon Hawkins.
Second generation racers are showing their talent with Tallon Vohland’s son Max, Rick Ryan’s son Jeremy, Brian Deegan’s son Haiden and Nick Wey’s sons Vincent and Donovan all putting in good rides at Pala.
Top five Ryan Villopoto Amateur Cup from all classes
Vet 30+ – Overall Finish Positions
Jason Thomas
Dean Wilcox
Kenny Bell
Chad Freeman
Michael Miller
450 A Pro Sport – Overall Finish Positions
Mitchell Falk
Derek Drake
Matthew Hubert
Jason Thomas
Conner Mullennix
450 Amateur Challenge – Overall Finish Positions
Jo Shimoda
Franky Martini
Michael Quinn
Austin Hess
Kevin Sparks
450 B (12+) – Overall Finish Positions
Jo Shimoda
Carson Mumford
Kaeden Kniffing
Colby Copp
Franky Martini
450 B (12-18) – Overall Finish Positions
Austin Black
Carson Mumford
Jo Shimoda
Bjorn Viney
Devon Bates
450 C (12+) – Overall Finish Positions
Matix Soto
DJ Weber
Lane Tebbs
Justin Patton
Caleb Foelker
450 C (12-18) – Overall Finish Positions
Matix Soto
Lane Tebbs
Jake Keiffer
Teddy Weeks
Chase Taylor
250 A Pro Sport – Overall Finish Positions
Derek Drake
Mitchell Falk
Conner Mullennix
Grant Wall
Mason Olson
250 B Challenge – Overall Finish Positions
Jo Shimoda
Carson Mumford
Kaeden Kniffing
Austin Black
Max Miller
250 B (17+) – Overall Finish Positions
Austin Black
Matin Banegas
Franky Martini
Johnny Murphy
Devon Bates
250 B (12-16) – Overall Finish Positions
Jo Shimoda
Carson Mumford
Kaeden Kniffing
Max Miller
Bjorn Viney
250 C Challenge – Overall Finish Positions
DJ Weber
Kaiden Zeller
Teddy Weeks
Lane Tebbs
Tyler Hartman
250 C (17+) – Overall Finish Positions
Kaiden Zeller
Lane Tebbs
Zack Walker
Justin Patton
Richard Begg
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax
250 C (12-16) – Overall Finish Positions
Jesse Grasso
Matix Soto
DJ Weber
Tyler Hartman
Chase Taylor
Women’s (12+) – Overall Finish Positions
Brook Whipple
Viviana Contreas
Lauren Hammond
Harmony Morgan
Elizabeth Bahr
125 (12-16) Challenge – Overall Finish Positions
Kaeden Kniffing
Brandon Ray
Andrew Hertzler
Nolan Stallings
Ethon Reyes
125 (14-16) – Overall Finish Positions
Kaeden Kniffing
Joshua Varize
Max Miller
Tyler Nicholson
Nolan Stallings
125 (12-14) – Overall Finish Positions
Max Vohland
Andrew Hertzler
Brandon Ray
Tyler Nicholson
Brock Bennett
Super Mini 2 (13-16) – Overall Finish Positions
Max Vohland
Jeremy Ryan
Joshua Varize
Brock Bennett
Blake Piedalue
Super Mini 1 (12-15) – Overall Finish Positions
Max Vohland
Brandon Ray
Talon Hawkins
Joshua Varize
Jeremy Ryan
Mini Sr (12-15) Challenge – Overall Finish Positions
Talon Hawkins
Wyatt Mattson
Joshua Correll
Reven Gordon
Ryoga Satake
Mini Sr (13-14) – Overall Finish Positions
Talon Hawkins
Wyatt Mattson
Ryoga Satake
Joshua Correll
Reven Gordon
Mini Sr (12-13) – Overall Finish Positions
Preston Boespflug
Wyatt Mattson
Noah Smerdon
Justin Aragaki
Gage Wilcox
Mini Jr (9-12) Challenge – Overall Finish Positions
