Smarty’s Moto News Wrap for Feb 3, 2015 – by Darren Smart
Australasian News
Matt Moss’s assault on the opening six rounds of the 2015 AMA Supercross Championships has ended after the most dominant rider competing in our domestic championships dislocated his shoulder while practicing for A3. Moss posted this on his FB page on Jan 30: ‘Just got back from the hospital I have popped my shoulder out !! I have a stretched ACL and damaged my muscles and nerves in my rotor cuff . Be back in 6 weeks . Sorry to all my fans and sponsors ! This trip was not what I wanted but I will bounce back better then ever’
Ever wanted to ride across Australia? Well, here is your chance. The 2015 Great Australian Ride gets underway at Byron Bay on the 8th of August with several different options of distances with the die hards ending up over in WA at Steep Point on the 28th of August. Got to www.greataustralianride.com for more info.
American News
Let’s see how the Aussie riders faired at round 5 the AMA Supercross Championships held in Anaheim last Saturday night.
Matt Moss didn’t make it to A3 (see Australian News above) and like his brother Jake will now be looking to get ready for the Australian MX Nationals that kicks off on the 29th of March at Horsham, Vic.
Brett Metcalfe qualified in 19th place, finished 6th place in his heat before fighting off Jake Weimer for fourth in his Semi but once again a poor start in the main saw Metty finish back in 18th place. Brett will compete in one more round before heading to Canada to compete in their MX Nationals.
Chad Reed qualified in 8th place, finished 2nd place in his heat race behind Eli Tomac then made a bucket load of key passes to get around the likes of Justin Barcia, Jason Anderson and early leader Blake Baggett to finish in a more than credible 6th place in the main event.
Jackson Richardson qualified in 15th place, finished a sensational seventh in his heat race but once again just missed out on a top ten finish with an 11th in the main event.
Adam Monea qualified in 29th place, finished 14th in his heat race and Semi but a poor start in the LCQ saw the gutsy Aussie finish back in 8th. Monea posted a photo of himself all battered and bruised after A3 so he obviously had a big crash at some stage during the night.
Luke Wilson qualified in 46th place so he missed out on the night program by just over one second with a time of 108.177 (Richardson’s time was 1.00.969). Wilson posted this on his Facebook page. “Never been so disappointed in my life I worked super hard for tonight and missed the night show by 5 positions as far as I know thanks so much for every one back home throwing support at me you guys are all awesome. I guess I’ll be bringing back heaps of stuff I’ve learnt just wish I could of made the night show for myself and everyone that supported me.”
As far as the racing went at Anaheim 3 you have to take your hat off to points leaders Ryan Dungey and Cooper Webb. Dungey is doing what he does best, he just keeps putting in solids rides and when a win comes his way happy days so here we are five rounds in and bugga me dead, who is leading the points?
Webb on the other hand is basically a cut above the rest in the 250 class but he is doing it with all of the aggression any young man can muster. All things being equal with mechanical or crashes aside, put your money on both Dungey and Webb to win their respective championships…….mark my words.
See the full Report and Results from A3 below.
Broc Tickle, , Dean Wilson, Justin Brayton and Weston Peick are all out of the 2015 AMA Supercross Championships. Tickle may make it back in a few weeks after tweaking his back at A2 but the rest will look to the outdoors for a crack at that title.
Josh Strang and Daniel Milner were on hand at the opening round of the 2015 Kenda National Enduro Championships held in South Carolina last weekend. Strang finished a credible 7th place whole Milner ran out of fuel. See the full report and results below.
Euro News
Dean Ferris and Todd Waters were back in action at the opening round of the 2015 Italian Motocross Championships last weekend as they prepare for the 2015 World Motocross Championships. Both Aussies had a few issues on the day but it was a good day to iron out some of the bugs on their new bikes. See full report and results below.
There is another Aussie is making a name for himself over in Europe and that is Sam Martin who narrowly missed out on being crowned King of Herning at the annual Supercross held in Zaterdog, Denmark last weekend. See report and results below.
Race Reports and Results for the Weekend of the 31st of January and the 1st of February
- FMF Winter Indoor Series – Rounds 8 and 9 – WNC Ag Center – Fletcher, NC
- Monster Energy Supercross Championships – Round 5 – Anaheim
- AMSOIL Arenacross Championships – Round 5 – Nashville, TN
- UK Arenacross Championships – Round 5 – Newcastle
- FIM SuperEnduro – Round 3 – Helsinki, Finland
- FIM X-Trial World Championship – Round 2 – Marseille
- 2015 Italian Motocross Championships – Round 1 – Riola Sardo, Sardinia
- 2015 Kenda AMA National Enduro Series – Round 1 – Sumter, South Carolina
- Enduro du Touquet – France
- 2015 Herning Supercross – Zaterdag, Denmark
FMF Winter Indoor Series – Rounds 8 and 9 – WNC Ag Center – Fletcher, NC
Former AMA Supercross and Motocross contender Jimmy Decotis has had his best weekend to date in the FMF Winter Indoor Series by winning three of four main events at rounds 8 and 9 held at the WNC Ag Center in Fletcher, NC.
Decotis was on fire both nights in 250 class but the championship leader Kyle Bitterman managed to extend his points lead with a pair of second places while the 450 class points leader Robbie Horton went 5-3 over the two nights and now leads the series by just 14 points over Bitterman.
250 Pro Overall (Friday): 1. Jimmy Decotis. 2. Kyle Bitterman. 3. Robbie Horton. 4. Jared Lesheer. 5. Ryan Smith. 6. Hunter Mims. 7. Cody Gragg. 8. Jesse Kuzbyt. 9. Garrett Church. 10. Logan Karnow.
250 Pro Overall (Saturday): 1. Jimmy Decotis. 2. Kyle Bitterman. 3. Robbie Horton. 4. Ryan Smith. 5. Marshall Weltin. 6. Bennett Mantooth. 7. Jeramy Taylor. 8. Logan Karnow. 9. Jesse Kuzbyt. 10. Cody Gragg.
450 Pro Overall (Friday): 1. Kyle Bitterman. 2. Jimmy Decotis. 3. Grant Ransdell. 4. Jared Lesheer. 5. Robbie Horton. 6. Ryan Smith. 7. Alexander Wagers. 8. Jamal Porter. 9. Cody Gragg. 10. Jesse Kuzbyt.
450 Pro Overall (Saturday): 1. Jimmy Decotis. 2. Kyle Bitterman. 3. Robbie Horton. 4. Marshall Weltin. 5. Chris Fisher. 6. Ryan Smith. 7. Nathan Winegar. 8. Jared Lesheer. 9. Cody Gragg. 10. Jesse Kuzbyt.
250 Pro Series Standings: 1. Kyle Bitterman – 214pts. 2. Robbie Horton – 182pts. 3. Jesse Kuzbyt – 123pts. 4. Cody Gragg – 118pts. 5. Jimmy Decotis – 92pts. 6. Ryan Smith – 80pts. 7. Tyler McSwain – 69pts. 8. Garrett Church – 66pts. 9. Jared Lesheer – 63pts. 10. Dave Ginolfi – 63pts.
450 Pro Series Standings: 1. Robbie Horton – 191pts. 2. Kyle Bitterman – 177pts. 3. Cody Gragg – 145pts. 4. Jesse Kuzbyt – 106pts. 5. Jimmy Decotis – 87pts. 6. Nathan Winegar – 78pts. 7. Tyler McSwain – 73pts. 8. Ryan Smith – 69pts. 9. Jared Lesheer – 67. 10. Josh Cartwright – 56pts.
Monster Energy Supercross Championships – Round 5 – Anaheim
450SX Report: For the first time in his 450SX Class career, Team Yoshimura Suzuki rookie Blake Baggett earned the Holeshot Award with Dungey in second place. Dungey used a pass on the opening lap to get around Baggett and take over the lead, and on the same lap, Team Honda’s Cole Seely passed Baggett to take over the number-two position.
Team Honda’s Trey Canard, who won last week’s race in Oakland, moved into third place on Lap 2. While pressuring his teammate Seely for second, Canard crashed on Lap 10 and lost several spots, allowing RCH Soaring Eagle/Jimmy John’s Factory Suzuki’s Ken Roczen, who won the first two races in Anaheim this season, to take over third place and GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac to move into fourth place.
Dungey led 19 of the 20 laps in the Main Event to earn his 15th career victory and his first since Indianapolis last March, 12 races ago.
“The whole day was great,” said Dungey who won his heat before posting the fastest time in the final and winning by over 2.5 second. “We went out there and got a good start, got into the lead and led all of the laps. That is all we can do. We’ve finished fourth, third, second, second and now first [this season], and that is a step forward. We will continue to take it race by race and give it everything we have.”
On the last lap, Tomac made a pass on Roczen to secure the third and final spot on the podium. Seely held on for a career-best second place finish. “Those guys were pressuring me toward the end of the race, but I was able to put my head down and hold them off,” said Seely.
Dungey extended his lead over Roczen in the championship to 11 points, while Tomac moved into a tie with Canard for third.
250SX Report: Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil/Red Bull/KTM’s Jessy Nelson, who won the opening race of the season in Anaheim, started the Western Regional 250SX Class Main Event with the SupercrossLive.com Holeshot Award. Webb, who entered the night with two wins in his last three starts, followed Nelson in second place with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Zach Osborne in third place.
Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Tyler Bowers, the four-time AMSOIL Arenacross Champion, moved into fifth place by the end of Lap 1, but on the following lap he crashed, re-enterring in last place after stopping for adjustments in the mechanics area.
Webb passed Nelson for the lead on Lap 7 and rode to his third win of the season. Webb’s teammate and 250SX Class rookie Aaron Plessinger, who completed AMSOIL Arenacross’ Ricky Carmichael Road to Supercross last year, earned the first podium of his career with a third place effort.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better race,” said Webb. “I look forward to keeping the momentum up next weekend in San Diego.”
Nelson moved into second place in season standings, up one position from last week, and sits 18 points behind Webb. Here is what Nelson told RacerX. “I had a good start, but [Matt] Biceglia was a little ahead of me and we kind of bottle necked into the first two turns, then the third and the fourth. The first lap pretty much was just carnage. The best place to be is ahead of all that, so wasn’t so good at first and then started making my way up through the pack and all of the sudden I saw a red flag. First thing I was thinking was, “Oh man, who got hurt.” Checked around, nobody was hurt, so I was like, “Man, I wonder what happened; must have been a gate malfunction.” I went over there and somebody’s gate broke. I was very fortunate to have the red flag because I think I was buried somewhere around tenth, and then on the restart I managed to grab the holeshot and rode my own race up front. Had some pressure from Cooper [Webb] and I kind of just folded a little bit. I was riding good—I was riding well actually—and just got a little tight made some mistakes. He got around me and I rode behind him for a while; then I kind of just settled in from there. I kind of figured no sense in pushing any more—he’s riding good. Just take a second and hopefully some good points.”
“I can’t believe I am up here [on the podium] tonight,” said Plessinger. “I am speechless. This is an accomplishment that I didn’t expect in my rookie season.”
Osborne, who finished fourth, moved into third in the series and he had this to say tp RacerX. “I don’t know what happened (with the start gate). It just never flinched. It just stayed up the whole time. I went a few laps kind of in awe that they weren’t stopping it, and I was like, “Man, they’re not going to stop it, so I better pin it now.” Then I worked up to like fifteenth and then they finally did red flag it. I got a second chance, so on the second start I made a really good start, got up to I think third and rode there for a little while, and then ended up fourth.”
Tyler Bowers dropped to fourth following his 15th-place finish.
450SX Class Results – Anaheim: 1. Ryan Dungey. 2. Cole Seely. 3. Eli Tomac. 4. Ken Roczen. 5. Trey Canard. 6. Chad Reed. 7. Blake Baggett. 8. Justin Barcia. 9. Jason Anderson. 10. Josh Hill. 18. Brett Metcalfe.
450SX Class Season Standings: 1. Ryan Dungey – 107. 2. Ken Roczen – 96. 3. Eli Tomac – 84. 4. Trey Canard – 84. 5. Jason Anderson – 74. 6. Justin Barcia – 71. 7. Cole Seely – 67. 8. Chad Reed – 57. 9. Davi Millsaps – 54. 10. Blake Baggett – 54. 15. Brett Metcalfe – 30.
Western Regional 250SX Class Results – Anaheim: 1. Cooper Webb. 2. Jessy Nelson. 3. Aaron Plessinger. 4. Zach Osborne. 5. Matt Bisceglia. 6. Shane McElrath. 7. Josh Hansen. 8. Justin Hill. 9. Alex Martin. 10. Cole Martinez. 11. Jackson Richardson.
Western Regional 250SX Class Season Standings: 1. Cooper Webb – 111. 2. Jessy Nelson – 93. 3. Zach Osborne. 4. Tyler Bowers – 84. 5. Justin Hill – 78. 6. Aaron Plessinger – 74. 7. Malcolm Stewart – 68. 8. Shane McElrath – 64. 9. Josh Hansen – 61. 10. Alex Martin – 59. 15. Jackson Richardson – 30.
AMSOIL Arenacross Championships – Round 5 – Nashville, TN
The fourth stop of the 2015 season of AMSOIL Arenacross, featuring Ricky Carmichael’s Road to Supercross, made its debut inside Bridgestone Arena on Saturday night in what ended up being a perfect night for Team Babbitt’s Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Chris Blose.
The first-year Arenacross Class competitor earned his second overall win of the season by becoming the first rider to sweep both Main Events, in addition to claiming the RMATV/MC Head 2 Head Challenge.
In the return of the Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class, Spinechillers Racing KTM’s Dave Ginolfi took over control of the points lead by winning his first Main Event of the season.
Arenacross Class Report: After winning the opening round of the season, Blose had endured some ups and downs heading into Nashville, even missing a night of action with an injury. However, he bounced back in a big way inside Bridgestone Arena. In the first Arenacross Class Main Event, Blose grabbed the holeshot with Husqvarna TiLUBE TUF Racing’s Kyle Regal, Babbitt’s Online/Reynard Mods Suzuki’s Cory Green, and Team Babbitt’s Monster Energy Kawasaki teammates Matt Goerke and Jacob Hayes rounding out the top five.
While Blose and Regal asserted themselves out front, Green, Goerke and Hayes engaged in an exciting battle for third. The Babbitt’s tandem soon overtook Green, while Hayes fought his way around Goerke to take over third.
The battle between Hayes and Goerke continued until the points leader, Goerke, when down on Lap 5 and fell outside the top 10. Blose maintained a consistent margin over Regal for the remainder of the 15-lap Main Event to take his third Main Event win of the season. Regal followed in second, while Hayes rounded out the podium in third. Green held on for fourth with ThermoTec Yamaha’s Bobby Kiniry rounding out the top five. Goerke battled back to finish 11th, his first finish outside the top 10 this season.
Blose had the distinction of selecting the inversion for the second Main Event, revealing the number eight for the fourth straight night and signifying that half the field would be inverted.
Out of the gate for the second Main Event, Kiniry gained the early advantage with Blose right behind. Hayes, A&Y Racing Honda’s Daniel Herrlein, and Regal rounded out the top five, while Goerke looked to rebound with a seventh-place start.
While the lead group settled in on Lap 1, Goerke looked to make a charge to the front, taking over fifth from Regal and then moving into fourth past Herrlein on the following lap. Regal also made his way around Herrlein a few laps later, which is when the action up front began to heat up as well.
On Lap 4 Blose made his move on Kiniry to take over the lead, and was soon followed by his teammate Hayes, dropping Kiniry two positions to third on one lap. As this battle ensued, Goerke’s forward progression continued as well, closing in on the front-runners as they traded positions and making the pass on Kiniry for third on Lap 6. Shortly thereafter, Kiniry made a mistake in the whoops that dropped him to sixth.
The Team Babbitt’s trio appeared to be on their way to a podium sweep until Goerke crashed after the finish on Lap 9. He was able to remount and get back into action quickly, but dropped to fifth, allowing Regal to take over third and Herrlein fourth. Just two laps later misfortune struck Goerke again, crashing in the whoops and dropping to the back of the field. Blose continued his strong ride out front and took the checkered flag ahead of Hayes, while Regal followed in third.
Herrlein and Motosport.com/Haeseker Racing KTM’s Gared Steinke rounded out the top five, while Goerke outside the top 10 for the second straight time in 15th.
Blose’s convincing Main Event triumphs, combined with his RMATV/MC Head 2 Head Challenge win over Regal earlier in the evening, gave him 34 points for the night and also gives him the most Main Event wins in 2015 with four. Hayes’ consistent 3-2 results tied him with Regal for second (2-3), but Hayes earned the runner-up spot by virtue of his better finish in the second Main Event. Herrlein (6-4) and Kiniry (5-6) rounded out the top five. Goerke’s toughest night of the season thus far landed him 13th overall (11-15).
Goerke’s hard luck also cost him possession of the Arenacross Class points lead. Goerke brought a 12-point advantage into Nashville, but leaves facing a nine-point deficit to Hayes, who leads the championship for the second time this season. Regal maintained his control of third, 19 points behind Hayes. Blose’s victory vaulted him from seventh to fourth, 39 points back.
Lites Report: TZR Woodstock KTM’s Josh Osby captured the holeshot to lead the early stages of the 15-lap Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class Main Event, ahead of Herrlein, Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green’s Mitchell Harrison, Hillview Motorsports Suzuki’s Steve Roman and Ginolfi.
Herrlein moved into the lead in the whoops on Lap 2 and was soon followed by Harrison. Ginolfi, who had worked his way past Roman in the opening laps, also overtook Osby on Lap 4. Shortly thereafter Osby crashed after the finish.
Herrlein, the points leader entering the evening, sat comfortably out front, but a mistake in the whoops on Lap 6 forced him off the track and dropped him outside the top 10. That allowed Harrison to take control of the Main Event with Ginolfi hot on his rear fender, while GEICO Honda’s Tristan Charboneau overcame an eighth-place spot to move into third.
Ginolfi’s consistent pressure on Harrison paid off on Lap 13 when he was able to take advantage of a small mistake by the Road to Supercross after the finish to move into the top spot. Once out front, Ginolfi pulled away to take his first win of the season.
Harrison followed in second while fellow Road to Supercross competitor Charboneau finished third. Herrlein was impressive in his recovery from misfortune, battling all the way back to fifth.
Ginolfi’s win, combined with Herrlein’s trouble, allowed the KTM rider to take control of the championship standings. He carries a one-point lead over Herrlein, while Roman, who finished fourth, sits in third, 20 points back.
Arenacross Class Results – Overall (Main Event Finishes)
- Chris Blose, Phoenix, Ariz., Kawasaki (1-1)
- Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Kawasaki (3-2)
- Kyle Regal, Grand Prairie, Texas, Husqvarna (2-3)
- Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, Honda (6-4)
- Bobby Kiniry, Holland Patent, N.Y., Yamaha (5-6)
- Cory Green, Nowata, Okla., Suzuki (4-9)
- Gared Steinke, Temecula, Calif., KTM (8-5)
- Darian Sanayei, Orting, Wash., Kawasaki (7-7)
- Willy Browning, Pleasantville, Ohio, KTM (10-8)
- Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, KTM (9-12)
Arenacross Class Points (Race 6 of 20)
- Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Kawasaki – 158 (3 Main Event wins)
- Matt Goerke, Temecula, Calif., Kawasaki – 149
- Kyle Regal, Grand Prairie, Texas, Husqvarna – 139 (2 Main Event wins)
- Chris Blose, Phoenix, Ariz., Kawasaki – 119 (4 Main Event wins)
- Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, KTM – 118 (1 Main Event win)
- Willy Browning, Pleasantville, Ohio, KTM – 114
- Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM – 110
- Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, Honda – 110
- Bobby Kiniry, Holland Patent, N.Y., Yamaha – 109
- Gared Steinke, Temecula, Calif., KTM – 96
Western Regional Arenacross Lites Class Results
- Dave Ginolfi, Boston, N.J., KTM
- Mitchell Harrison, Cairo, Ga., Kawasaki
- Tristan Charboneau, Tenino, Wash., Honda
- Steve Roman, Apollo, Pa., Suzuki
- Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, Honda
- Cody VanBuskirk, Harvard, Ill., KTM
- Brandon Glenn, Mesquite, Texas, KTM
- Daniel Blair, Lodi, Calif., KTM
- Jason McConnell, Canonsburg, Pa., KTM
- Scott Zont, Algonquin, Ill., KTM
Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class Points (After Race 4 of 10)
- Dave Ginolfi, Boston, N.J., KTM – 57 (1 Main Event win)
- Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, Honda – 56
- Steve Roman, Apollo, Pa., Suzuki – 37
- Darian Sanayei, Orting, Wash., Kawasaki – 35 (2 Main Event wins)
- Mitchell Harrison, Cairo, Georgia, Kawasaki – 33 (1 Main Event win)
- Scott Zont, Algonquin, Ill., KTM – 33
- Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, KTM – 29
- Dylan Rouse, Florence, Ky., KTM – 23
- Dave Blanchet, Quebec, Canada, Kawasaki – 20
- Josh Cartwright, Tallahassee, Fla., Yamaha – 18
UK Arenacross Championships – Round 5 – Newcastle
Another year, another birthday and another win for Elliott Banks Browne! Round 5 in Newcastle ended with some super smooth style as the Geartec Suzuki rider fulfilled the potential we all knew he has in the indoor scene.
The main event of course saw #44 Elliott Banks Browne take his first top step of the 2015 series on the eve of his birthday, mirroring what he did in Liverpool last year. Just behind him was Angelo Pellegrini who rode an amazing race making up place upon place with every lap. Third place went to Frenchman Crazy Coulon who battled through an ankle injury to get onto the podium.
Despite winning the points in the head to heads, last week’s winner Adam Chatfield suffered a slight off and came in 8th while the MCF St. Blazey team saw their first foray into the main event as Adrien Lopez, straight out of racing in Denmark yesterday, pulled it out of the bag and came away with 9th overall.
With three rounds remaining Remette holds a 10 point lead in series over Richier with Chatfield just 9 points further back.
Newcastle Final Results: 1. Elliott Banks-Browne. 2. Angelo Pellegrini. 3. Cyrille Coulon. 4. Florent Richier. 5. Thomas Ramette. 6. Nev Bradshaw. 7. Harri Kullas. 8. Adam Chatfield. 9. Loic Rombaut. 10. Franklin Nogueras. 11. Adrien Lopes. 12. Romain Biela.
2015 Pro Championship: 1. Thomas Ramette – 96. 2. Florent Richier – 86. 3. Adam Chatfield – 77. 4. Angelo Pellegrini – 77. 5. Harri Kulas – 73. 6. Elliott Banks-Browne – 67. 7. Cyrille Coulon – 64. 8. Nev Bradshaw – 52. 9. Romain Biela – 48. 10. Loic Rombaut – 46.
FIM SuperEnduro – Round 3 – Helsinki, Finland
Red Bull KTM Factory rider Taddy Blazusiak came out on top of a strong competition for KTM in Round Three of the FIM SuperEnduro World Championship in Helsinki, Finland on Sunday to move further ahead in the points.
Blazusiak, who also won the opening two rounds of the championship at home in Poland and in Riesa, Germany, picked up a 2-3-1 race result for his overall victory. Second overall went to KTM’s American rider Cody Webb, Red Bull KTM’s Jonny Walker was third and David Knight, racing for KTM UK was fourth.
Knight led for the first race but crashed and had to scramble back into the action from outside the top five. Husqvarna rider Alfredo Gomez had an early lead but he also crashed opening the way for a race win for Webb followed by Blazusiak, Knight and Walker in fourth spot.
Race two always starts in reverse order and Taddy did well to fight his way from the back into second place and come out better off after a hard battle with Webb. But it was Walker who took the win after a clean start to finish race. Knight had a good start, slipped past Paul Bolton early in the race and went on to finish second.
Blazusiak had the measure of his opponents and the track by the third race and picked up the win ahead of Webb, Walker and Knight, who all rode well to make it a top result for KTM.
Taddy Blazusiak said later he was happy with the results but had struggled with his feeling and with the set-up for the bike. “We made a few changes between sessions and I was more comfortable, but before the last moto we did something that I’d say was more drastic. It felt way better and I could flow better. I was leading from start to finish, but on the last lap I was taking it easy when Cody passed me, although I got him back. It was a great race and it was an aggressive pass but pretty clean to be honest, and I was happy about that. It was a pass for the win, which was important. I’m pleased we’re building that gap in the championship and I’m pumped to win the race, as three in a row is good. I couldn’t have asked for more.”
Cody Webb said he felt confidence and had enjoyed the ricing. “The track was kind of similar to American style, although not so prepped between motos, and I used that to my advantage, as a lot of guys were making mistakes. That’s been me the last few races, and I finally put it together for a good result. I had Taddy there at the finish, and then into the last corner I left a line open and got punted. I can’t be mad at him, and it’s good for him to get the overall, but there’s even more fight for me coming into the races in Brazil and Mexico.”
Jonny Walker, who picked up a 4-1-3 result said he was happy to be on the podium especially after two starts from the second row. “I can’t complain too much as we’re all still close on points. Cody has maybe pulled a few points on me, but I’ll keep pushing for the next round. In qualifying for my first fast lap I caught David and that messed my lap up, then the second good one I stalled it in the rocks, and after that I just couldn’t get a clean lap with the people I caught up with.”
Overall Results in Round 3: 1, Taddy Blazusiak POL, KTM 53 points (2-3-1). 2, Cody Webb, USA KTM 53 (1-4-2). 3, Jonny Walker, GBR, KTM 48 (4-1-3). 4, David Knight, GBR, KTM 45 (3-2-4). 5, Alfredo Gomez, ESP, Husqvarna 35. 6, Kyle Redmond, USA, Beta 27. 7, Daniel McCanny, GBR, Husqvarna 24. 8, Taylor Robert, USA, KTM, 23. 9, Paul Bolton, GBR, KTM, 22. 10, Mario Roman, ESP, KTM 21.
Championship points after Round Three: 1, Blazusiak, KTM, 169. 2, Knight, KTM, 148. 3, Walker, KTM, 129. 4, Webb, KTM, 121. 5, Gomez, Husqvarna, 102. 6, Robert, 92. 7, Roman, 72. 8, Bolton 68. 9, McCanny 60. 10, Redmond, 59.
FIM X-Trial World Championship – Round 2 – Marseille
Repsol Honda Team’s Toni Bou is back on the winning rostrum for the 28th consecutive time as the FIM X-Trial World Championship thrills Marseille. Bou tightens his grip on the overall leadership.
It was another fine win for Toni Bou on the second date of the FIM X-Trial World Championship in France. Demonstrating exactly why he holds the top-spot, the eight-time world champion pulled out all the stops, displaying extraordinary management of the machine and a never-say-die approach which once again allowed him to overcome the stiff competition in a closely-fought final.
The riders had to be at their very best today and were faced with a fearsome circuit of six sections in the Palais des Sports of the French city of Marseille. The event was made all the more difficult by the fact that the hazards – which had been tackled one way in the first phase – had to be re-negotiated from the opposite direction on the final lap, upping the ante considerably.
In spite of this, the Montesa Cota 4RT rider set about imposing himself on the competition from obstacle one. Bou was the sole finalist to make it through the second section without picking up any marks. He, likewise, kept a clean score-sheet in sections four and five, which mathematically secured the victory. This gave the Spaniard the liberty for a well-deserved bit of showboating in the closing section, which the 4,500 spectators present in the French arena lapped up.
“It was a great win, with a really tough qualifying round, where any error would have cost me a final place.” Bou said. “The final was a very complicated one, just the way that I like it.
“I was able to take some risks in the final section to keep the crowd entertained. I’m really happy with this type of race, they are worthy of the world championship: one has to search for the limits, and the organisation should be thanked for that.”
This latest victory in the FIM X-Trial World Championship, sets a new record of twenty-eight consecutive triumphs for Toni Bou, and sees the Honda star pull further away at the head of the overall classification, with a thirteen point advantage over the second place rival.
Next stop for the World Championship will be the French town of Pau on February 6.
Round Results: 1. Toni Bou. 2. Adam Raga. 3. Albert Cabestany. 4. Jeroni Fajardo. 5. Alexandre Ferrer. 6. Loris Gubian. 7. James Dabill. 8. Eddie Karlsson.
Championship Standings After Round 2: 1. Toni Bou – 40 Pts. 2. Adam Raga – 27 Pts. 3. Albert Cabestany – 27 Pts. 4. Jeroni Fajardo – 18 Pts. 5. Alexandre Ferrer – 12 Pts. 6. James Dabill – 6 Pts. 7. Loris Gubian – 4 Pts. 8. Michael Brown – 2 Pts.
2015 Italian Motocross Championships – Round 1 – Riola Sardo, Sardinia
HRC Honda’s Gautier Paulin and the Factory Red Bull KTM duo of Antonio Cairoli and Pauls Jonass have taken out the MX1, Elite and MX2 classes respectively at round 1 of the Italian Motocross Championships held at Riola Sardo last weekend.
It was Paulin debut on the factory Honda and the likeable Frenchman took the win ahead of defending champion Cairoli with Factory Yamaha’s Jeremy Van Horebeek earning a hard fought third place while Aussie duo of Dean Ferris and Todd Waters overcame poor starts and a couple of falls for 14th and 15th by race end.
Pauls Jonass was not the favourite for the MX2 win but he hard work in the off-season saw the KTM rider take the moto win well ahead of Jeremy Seewer and Vsevolod Brylaykov.
The Elite race combines the top 20 MX1 and MX2 rider and as you would expect it was Cairoli who took charge of the race and eventually cross the finish line almost 30 seconds ahead of Paulin and KTM350SX-F mounted Tommy Searle.
“This is the kind of track that is always very technical and it’s great to race here in the pre-season races.” Cairoli said. “I had a good first race to finish second. For sure there is still some work to do but that’s normal for the first race of the season.”
“I feel good with the bike but I still feel a bit from my small injury at the Motocross of Nations. It’s not one hundred percent but I feel good and I try to build up some muscle to make the leg a bit stronger to be ready for Qatar. That’s our goal.”
Todd Waters had this to say of his day. “It was a tough one for me. I’m a little disappointed that things didn’t go better than they did, but I’m also pleased that the season has officially started. With all my training back in Australia done on hard pack it’s been a bit of a shock to the system racing in sand. The track was pretty rough, I did the best I could but with some mistakes, some poor starts and a crash. I wasn’t able to get the results I wanted. But I feel good, my bike is working great and now we’re back racing the focus is on getting ready for the first GP.”
MX1 Round Results and Championship Standings: 1. Gautier Paulin – 120 Pts. 2. Antonio Cairoli – 100 Pts. 3. Jeremy Van HoreBeek – 80 Pts. 4. Max Nagl – 65 Pts. 5. Romain Febvre – 60 Pts. 6. Ken De Dycker – 55 Pts. 7. Tommy Searle – 50 Pts. 8. Jose Butron – 45 Pts. 9. Gert Krestinov – 40 Pts. 10. Nathan Watson – 36 Pts. 14. Dean Ferris – 28 Pts. 15. Todd Waters – 26 Pts.
MX2 Round Results and Championship Standings: 1. Pauls Jonass – 120 Pts. 2. Jeremy Seewer – 100 Pts. 3. Vsevolod Brylyakov – 80 Pts. 4. Tim Gajser – 65 Pts. 5. Aleksandr Tonkov – 60 Pts. 6. Davy Pootjes – 55 Pts. 7. Ivan Baranov – 50 Pts. 8. Jens Getteman – 45 Pts. 9. Joakin Furbetta – 40 Pts. 10. Alessandro D’Angelo – 36 Pts.
Elite Round Results and Championship Standings: 1. Antonio Cairoli – 120 Pts. 2. Gautier Paulin – 100 Pts. 3. Tommy Searle – 80 Pts. 4. Jose Butron – 65 Pts. 5. Romain Febvre – 60 Pts. 6. Max Nagl – 55 Pts. 7. Pauls Jonass – 50 Pts. 8. Dean Ferris – 45 Pts. 9. Aleksandr Tonkov – 40 Pts. 10. Jens Getteman – 36 Pts. 16. Todd Waters – 25 Pts.
The second round of the three-round Italian championship will be held next weekend at Castiglione del Lago.
2015 Kenda AMA National Enduro Series – Round 1 – Sumter, South Carolina
Steward Baylor topped a massive field of off-road competitors this weekend, taking an impressive win at the opening round of the 2015 Kenda AMA National Enduro Series in Sumter, South Carolina.
A record turnout of 825 riders took to Sumter’s tight and sandy trails, and after 65 miles of racing, Baylor held off a last minute challenge by FMF/KTM’s Kailub Russell to take the overall victory by 13 seconds. Baylor’s win was significant in that the 2012 series champion is returning to action this year after spending all of last year recovering from injury.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said Baylor. “This is where I’ve wanted to be since 2012, to be on top of the box. The day started out pretty rough, but I just kept pushing and it paid off.”
Baylor got off to a rough start in test one, losing valuable time when he crashed midway into the test. However, the Mototech KTM rider quickly regained his footing with a solid win in test two, finishing 10 seconds ahead of 2014 champ Andrew DeLong. In all, Baylor won only two of the six tests on the day, however, consistency paid off in the long run for the South Carolina rider, and he collected to first victory of the 2015 season.
Russell finished up the event with an impressive ride for second place, although he had his ups and downs. On the “up” side, Russell was fastest in the first and last tests of the day. However, a crash in test two left the North Carolina rider 10th fastest for the test. Russell was sixth fastest in test three, but then he started to pick up the pace and was second to Motosport Yamaha’s Brad Bakken in tests four and five. A win in the final test allowed Russell to move ahead of Motosport Yamaha’s Brad Bakken for second.
“It was good, bad and ugly,” said Russell. “I didn’t really get going until the end of the third test, and then I felt like I had a good rhythm.”
Bakken rounded out the podium, finishing just five seconds behind Russell. Bakken also got off to a slow start but came on strong in the middle part of the race before a bad final test stopped his momentum.
Fourth went to four-time champ Russell Bobbitt, who is back on KTM after spending the last few years on Husaberg and Husqvarna. The FMF/KTM rider lost considerable time in test four when he took a tumble and bent his controls, but came back with some good rides in the final two tests.
Beta USA’s Cory Buttrick turned in his best performance in a couple of years with a solid fifth place finish, while Chris Bach made a rare national enduro appearance to claim sixth, edging out Rockstar Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Josh Strang by just two seconds.
Defending series champ Andrew DeLong ran in second place for most of the day, but a pair of devastating finishes in the final two tests dropped the Rockstar Husqvarna Factory Racing-backed rider all the way down into eighth for the day.
Meanwhile, Am Pro Yamaha’s Grant Baylor and AirGroup Racing’s Ryder Lafferty rounded out the top 10.
Australian off-road star Daniel Milner was expected to do well in Sumter, however, the Am Pro Yamaha rider ran out of fuel in test one when a mechanic forgot to fuel his bike, and he was not able to start the second test.
The Kenda AMA National Enduro Series resumes action with round two of the series on March 1st in Pelion, South Carolina.
Results: 1. Steward Baylor (KTM). 2. Kailub Russell (KTM). 3. Brad Bakken (Yam). 4. Russell Bobbitt (KTM). 5. Cory Buttrick (Bet). 6. Chris Bach (Hon). 7. Josh Strang (Hus). 8. Andrew DeLong (Hus). 9. Grant Baylor (Yam). 10. Ryder Lafferty (Hus).
Enduro du Touquet – France
Moto Land-Yamaha Yamalube Racing’s Adrien Van Beveren made the famously intense beach race Enduro du Touquet look easy as he rode his Yamaha YZ450F to victory, claiming the French Sand Racing Championship (FFM des Courses sur Sable) title for the second time in a row in the process.
Despite more than a thousand participants rushing at 165 km/h to the first corner, it was none other than Yamaha’s Van Beveren who took the holeshot award and the thousand euros prize money that goes with it. The 25 year old enjoyed a fight for the lead with rival Yentel Martens, closely followed by fellow Yamaha rider Daymond Martens. The leading trio soon started lapping riders, as heavy traffic resulted in a jam in front of the first jump after the start finish.
Van Beveren skillfully followed Martens through the cluster of stranded riders and took over the lead. Martens didn’t give up easily, but Van Beveren was able to hold off the Belgium rider’s aggressive attacks.
The fight was decided by the first of three mandatory pit stops. Van Beveren was the last one to go to his box at the end of his fifth lap and was soon back on his way, re-entering the race at the front.
The race leader suffered a small collision with a backmarker, but managed to hold on and steer clear of further forms of trouble. Not letting the exhaustion get to him after completing 14 laps of 13 km he cruised to the finish line and clocked a time of 3h02’46.986, followed by Daymond Martens (at 5’50.964), Julien Tournessi (at 6’32.862) and Yamaha Factory Racing Rally Team Yamalube’s Dakar rider Olivier Pain (at one lap).
“This is my second victory and I am very happy,” Van Beveren exclaimed after winning the famous beach race. “I managed to make the difference from the beginning of the race and I increased my rhythm throughout. “I don’t plan to stop here and I hope that this is only the beginning of a long victory list, my motorcycle’s performance was great, so I was able to take the holeshot because I had a very good top speed on the straight line.”
The Enduro du Touquet was created by Thierry Sabine in 1975, and has become a legend in the world of motorcycle sport, attracting more than a 100.000 spectators every year.
Celebrating its 40th anniversary, this legendary event has been able to evolve and adapt to environmental constraints and is seen as the ultimate get-together for professional beach racers and newcomers from other disciplines.
Enduro du Touquet Results: 1. Adrien Van Beveren, FRA (Yamaha). 2. Daymond Martens, BEL (Yamaha). 3. Julien Tournessi, FRA (KTM). 4. Olivier Pain, FRA (Yamaha). 5. Nicolas Cailly, FRA (Honda). 6. Rodolphe Bignot, FRA (Yamaha). 7. Nicolas Leteve, FRA (Suzuki).8. Eddy Mollon, FRA (Yamaha). 9. Arnaud Moras, FRA (Suzuki). 10. Cedric Tosatto, FRA (Yamaha).
2015 Herning Supercross – Zaterdag, Denmark
Aussie Sam Martin traded moto wins with French Supercross star Florent Richier at the annual King of Herning Supercross event held in Denmark but it was Richier who took home the overall over Martin and American hotshot Ross Johnson.
2015 King of Herning: 1. Florent Richier. 2. Sam Martin. 3. Ross Johnson. 4. Metteo Bonini. 5. Boris Maillard. 6. Adrien Lopez. 7. Jurgen Wybo. 8. Charles Lefrançois . 9. Ricky Renner. 10. Mickaël Musquin.
