Smarty’s Moto Wrap for March 4, 2014
It was a weekend of ups and downs for our Aussie international riders as Luke Styke and Todd Waters had a tough run of it at the opening round of the 2014 World Motocross Championship held in Qatar last weekend.
Styke finished a credible 16th in his MX2 qualifying race but over the two championship motos scored no points thanks to a virus. Todd Waters bounced back from a huge crash in the qualifying race when Clement Desalle came back on the track and caused the Aussie to take a dive in the whoops.
Despite a very sore body Waters managed to score a solid 14th in the opening moto then worked his way up from a poor start in the second moto to end up in 11th place and sits 11th in the points. Waters will be a top five contender as the season progresses, nothing surer.
Red Bull KTM Factory rider Dean Ferris was injured in a practice crash here in Australia last week and will miss the remainder of the Supercross Championship. Ferris fractured his wrist in the crash and had surgery to repair the fracture immediately, so the flying Aussie will now return to the US to prepare for the opening round of the Lucas Oil Pro 250 Motocross Championship series.
On a brighter note, Meghan Rutledge dominated the opening round of the Womens World Motocross Championship class in Qatar and if she keeps this form up she will be hard to beat
Daniel McCoy scored a third place in the final event of the UK based Garmin Arenacross Series and finished the series in second place overall.
On the local scene, it was announced this week that all ten rounds of the 2014 Australian Motocross Championships will once again be broadcast live on www.mysportlive.com.au.
According to the press release, 2014 will see new and improved coverage, featuring more cameras and increased track coverage of practice, qualifying and the final moto from each class.
“It really is exciting that we will continue with our online broadcast to take the series into the homes of viewers across the country and around the world,” said series promoter Kevin Williams. “We are always at the forefront of cutting edge technology in motorcycling in this country, and took a big step forward last year by introducing live streaming before many other motorcycling events and other sports have.”
“Our partnership with My Sport Live has developed to the point where they have invested into our series and we are all going to reap the benefits of this, this year we will have an even better production, introduce more variety in the race coverage, and take you behind the scenes to get a feel for the entire event – on and off the track.”
Speaking of the MX Nationals, most of the teams have finalised their rider line up and just this week Wilson MX announced that Victorian MX2 rider Jake Emmanuelli and Queenslander MX2 rider Luke Wilson will contest the entire MX Nationals and ASX season on Honda machinery for the team.
So, thanks to the greatest minds on my Facebook account here is the rider list for the 2014 Australian motocross and supercross season.
- Kirk Gibbs (Motorex KTM MX1)
- Ford Dale (Motorex KTM MX1)
- Louis Calvin (Berry Sweet/Mandurah City KTM MX1)
- Jesse Dobson (KTM MX1)
- Dylan Long (BBF Motorsports KTM MX2)
- Kale Makeham (Tunetech Racing KTM MX2)
- Brenden Harrison (Twe12e Clothing KTM MX2)
- Dean Porter (Berry Sweet/Mandurah City KTM MX2)
- Caleb Ward (KTM MX2)
- Hamish Dobbyn (KTM MX2)
- Hamish Harwood (KTM MX2)
- Jack Simpson (Bolton’s KTM MXD)
- Broc Winston (Husqvarna MX1)
- Nick Sutherland (Husqvarna MX2)
- Kayne Lamont (Husqvarna MX2)
- Nathan Crawford (Husqvarna MXD)
- Egan Mastin (Husqvarna MXD)
- Daniel McCoy (65 TM Racing MX2)
- Joel Evans (Full force TM Racing MX2)
- Joel Milesevic (Emu Racing TM MX2)
- Robbie Marshall (Top Gun Honda MX1)
- Cody Cooper (Penrite Honda Team MX1)
- Josh Cachia (Penrite Honda Team MX2)
- Luke Wilson (Jet Pilot Honda MX2)
- Jake Emmanuelli (Jet Pilot Honda MX2)
- Jay Marmont (CDR Yamaha MX1)
- Billy Mackenzie (CDR Yamaha MX1)
- Sam Martin (DPH Motorsports Yamaha MX1)
- Kade Mosig (DPH Motorsports Yamaha MX2)
- Jay Wilson (Serco Yamaha MX2)
- Luke Clout (Serco Yamaha MX2)
- Joel Dinsdale (GYTR Yamaha MXD)
- Jed Beaton (GYTR Yamaha MXD)
- Jacob Wright (Tattoo Racing Suzuki MX1)
- James Booth Elliot (SGR Suzuki MX1)
- Matt Moss (Team Motul/Pirelli Suzuki MX1)
- Hayden Mellross (Raceline Suzuki MX1 Support)
- Ryan Marmont (Raceline Suzuki MX2)
- Geran Stapleton (Raceline Suzuki MX2)
- Jake Moss (Monster Energy Kawasaki MX1)
- Adam Monea (Monster Energy Kawasaki MX1)
This week we have the race reports and results from:
– Round 9 of the AMA Supercross held at Indianapolis
– Round 9 of the Amsoil Arenacross Series held at Tulsa
– Round 7 of the Garmin Arenacross Championships held in London
– Round 3 of the KTM Enduro-X Nationals held at Calder Park, Vic
– Round 1 of the 2014 World Motocross Championships held at Losail, Qatar
– Round 1 of the Sunshine State Motocross Series held at Roma (Qld)
2014 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship – Round 9 – Indianapolis
450 Race Report: Mike Alessi pulled another holeshot and this time he had Ryan Dungey, Eli Tomac, Justin Brayton and Cole Seely (who is riding Trey Canard’s factory CRF450R) in tow while lying on their backs on the start straight were our championship top dogs; Ryan Villopoto and Ken Roczen. The two riders tangled with riders all around them and ended up on their heads.
James Stewart and Dean Wilson (who is filling in on Chad Reed’s KX450F) also had troubles through the first corner so there were plenty of big hitters trying to come back through the pack.
Alessi was riding extremely well out front but eventually Dungey managed to get by the controversial star and despite some heavy moves from Eli Tomac, Alessi was able to hold on to second place for over half of the race but a heavy crash after a small rutted whoop section put pay to Alessi’s first ever supercross podium. Michael Byrne is coaching Alessi and it is showing.
Meanwhile, Villopoto and Roczen had moved into the top ten, with Stewart just a few places behind, but Roczen spectacularly flew over the bars on a fast rhythm section.
With a handful of laps remaining Dungey held the best part of a 10-second lead while Tomac and Seeley looked solid in second and third and Villopoto was able to move up to fourth ahead of Broc Tickle.
Dungey held on for his first win for 2014 while Tomac and Seeley could not be happier with their podium finishes and Villopoto seemed happy to have come up to fourth ahead of Tickle, Short, Stewart, Brayton, Hill and Wilson. Roczen and Weston Peick finished 21st and 22nd.
“We needed that win, it’s been a long season,” said Dungey. “The track got really torn up tonight, but it feels good, I got up front pretty early and was able to hold a good pace, and not do anything stupid. It was one of the toughest races of the season for sure. We have to keep taking the championship one race at a time. It’s a great series with a lot of good riders so you have to just keep plugging away.”
Main Event: 1. R. Dungey. 2. E. Tomac. 3. C. Seely. 4. R. Villopoto. 5. B. Tickle. 6. A. Short. 7. J. Stewart. 8. J. Brayton. 9. J. Hill. 10. D. Wilson. 11. W. Hahn. 12. J. Grant. 13. N. Wey. 14. C. Blose. 15. M. Alessi. 16. K. Chisholm. 17. J. Albertson. 18. C. Gilmore. 19. N. Schmidt. 20. R. Stewart. 21. K. Roczen. 22. W. Peick.
450SX Championship Standings After Round 9 of 17: 1. Ryan Villopoto 184. 2. Ryan Dungey 161. 3. Ken Roczen 158. 4. James Stewart 154. 5. Justin Brayton 143. 6. Chad Reed 111. 7. Justin Barcia 109. 8. Andrew Short 109. 9. Wil Hahn 93. 10. Broc Tickle 93. 11. Weston Peick 68. 12. Ivan Tedesco 62. 13. Josh Hill 58. 14. Josh Grant 56. 15. Mike Alessi 55. 16. Nick Wey 52. 17. Jake Weimer 50. 18. Eli Tomac 48. 19. Matt Georke 41. 20. Kyle Chisholm 29.
250 Race Report: Vince Friese pulled the holeshot in the 15 lap main event but was quickly relegated to third when Martin Davalos and Adam Cianciarulo came blasting by so at the end of the first lap we had Davalos leading Cianciarulo, Friese, Jimmy Decotis and Matt Bisceglia. Blake Baggett was way back at this stage.
As Davalos gapped his Pro-Circuit Kawasaki teammate, Bisceglia put together a solid second lap to move by Decotis and Friese into third before Friese fell back to fifth after Decotis slotted into fourth.
Davalos looked solid out front but spewed off the track after losing traction on an exposed area of the plywood flooring. Cianciarulo took over the lead but slid out and laid the bike over soon after but was able to pick his bike up quick enough to keep the lead.
With Cianciarulo out front and moving towards his second win of the year, Davalos pushed back up to second place when he and Justin Bogle were able to move past Bisceglia to finish in second and third place ahead of Bisceglia and Baggett who made his was from the back of the pack once again.
Jackson Richardson just missed out of qualifying straight from his heat but convincingly scored a second place in the LCQ but in the main event the young Aussie got squeezed out of the first corner but moved up to 13th place before dropping two positions late in the race for 15th.
Cianciarulo now has a five point lead over Davalos while Bogle now holds down third place in the championship ahead of Baggett. “I’m definitely happy with my ride, it was more of a smart race for me,” said Cianciarulo. “I knew the whoops would be key because they really deteriorated. I had a couple close calls early on, but was able to keep it close to Martin, he made a mistake and I was able to capitalize on it. I almost gave it back a little bit later, but I got back on the bike quick and kept the lead.”
Main Event: 1. A. Cianciarulo. 2. M. Davalos. 3. J. Bogle. 4. M. Bisceglia. 5. B. Baggett. 6. V. Friese. 7. J. Decotis. 8. M. Lemoine. 9. C. Thompson. 10. K. Cunningham. 11. A. Martin. 12. K. Peters. 13. M. Oldenburg. 14. A. Catanzaro. 15. J. Richardson. 16. J. Starling. 17. B. Nauditt. 18. J. Owen. 19. J. Martin. 20. B. Wharton. 21. P. Coates. 22. G. Faith.
250SX East Regional Championship Standings After Round 3 of 9: 1. Adam Cianciarulo 72. 2. Martin Davalos 67. 3. Justin Bogle 56. 4. Blake Baggett 54. 5. Vince Friese 48. 6. Cole Thompson 40. 7. Jimmy Decotis 34. 8. Blake Wharton 33. 9. Kyle Cunningham 33. 10. Mitchell Oldenburg 30. 11. Alex Martin 27. 12. Matt Lemoine 26. 13. AJ Catanzaro 23. 14. Matt Bisceglia 21. 15. Kyle Peters 20. 16. Jesse Wentland 17. 17. Justin Starling 12. 18. Gannon Audette 11. 19. Jackson Richardson 10. 20. Levi Kilbarger 9.
250SX West Regional Championship Standings After Round 6 of 9: 1. Jason Anderson Rio – 131. 2. Cole Seely – 127. 3. Justin Hill – 107. 4. Dean Wilson – 98. 5. Cooper Webb – 92. 6. Malcolm Stewart – 89. 7. Jessy Nelson – 76. 8. Shane Mcelrath – 71. 9. Zach Osborne – 69. 10. Dean Ferris – 63. 11. Michael Leib – 51. 12. Dakota Tedder – 50. 13. Jake Canada – 46. 14. Scott Champion – 46. 15. Valentin Teillet – 28. 16. Cole Martinez – 24. 17. Darryn Durham – 21. 18. Topher Ingalls – 19. 19. Preston Mull – 17. 20. Chris Plouffe – 13.
2014 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series an FIM World Championship
Rd 10: March 8 – Daytona International Speedway – Daytona Beach, Fla.
Rd 11: March 15 – Ford Field – Detroit
Rd 12: March 22 – Rogers Centre – Toronto
Rd 13: March 29 – Edward Jones Dome – St. Louis
Rd 14: April 5 – Reliant Stadium – Houston
Rd 15: April 12 – Century Link Field – Seattle
Rd 16: April 26 – MetLife Stadium – East Rutherford, N.J.
Rd 17: May 3 – Sam Boyd Stadium – Las Vegas
2014 World Motocross Championships – Round 1 – Losail, Qatar
MXGP Race Report
Moto 1: Xavier Boog took the holeshot and was followed by Strijbos, Bobryshev, Nagl, Cairoli, Frossard, Paulin, Desalle, Guarneri, Roelants while Todd Waters sat back just inside the top 20.
Strijbos took the lead after half a lap and soon after Bobryshev and Cairoli also went past Boog while Desalle crashed back to 13th place. Nagl moved into second after getting around Bobryshev and Cairoli and to everyone’s surprise Paulin passed Cairoli and set out after Bobryshev while Nagl closed in on Strijbos for the lead and eventually got by the smooth veteran at the end of lap 3.
With Nagl out front and pulling away from Strijbos, we had Paulin, Bobryshev, Cairoli and Frossard fighting over third place but on lap five Paulin, Cairoli, and Frossard moved onto the back wheel of Strijbos but they could not find a way by so on lap seven the running order was Nagl, Strijbos, Paulin, Cairoli, Frossard, Bobryshev, Van Horebeek, Searle, Simpson, Guarneri with Waters up to 15th place.
Strijbos’ lack of race time caught up with him soon after and Paulin, Cairoli and Frossard went by and started making ground on Nagl but the battling duo started costing each other time and Nagl etched out a four second lead and an eventual win ahead of ahead of Cairoli, Paulin, Frossard, Van Horebeek, Van Horbeek, Searle, Strijbos, Bobryshev, Desalle, Roelants with Waters getting up to 14th place.
Moto 2: Paulin took the lead early but was closely followed by Karro, Frossard, Bobryshev, Nagl, Cairoli, Searle, Desalle, Simpson and Guarneri while Strijbos sat back in 14th ahead of Waters who was way back in 19th place.
Frossard quickly got by Karro and started swapping the lead with Paulin while Cairoli moved up to third place. So, after two laps Paulin held a narrow lead over Frossard with Cairoli sitting in third ahead of Nagl, Van Horebeek, Bobryshev, Desalle, Searle, Karro and Simpson. Waters had moved up to 15th place.
With the top five riders keeping pace, Desalle moved up to sixth place and despite the pain of his crash the previous day Waters passed Philippaerts for 10th place.
Paulin took the win from his Kawasaki teammate Frossard who in turn led home Cairoli, Nagl and Van Horebeek while Roelants moved into the top 10 by passing Waters at the death.
“It’s been a rough start to my MXGP career.” Waters admitted. “I had a massive crash during qualification and was lucky not to get injured. Coming through the wave section the rider in front of me made a mistake and I had to take avoiding action resulting in one of the biggest crashes I’ve had in a long time, I was quite beat up after it but was determined to compete in my first ever MXGP race,” he added.
“In race one I was still hurting but toughed out a 14th place result. I felt a bit better for race two but was struggling with confidence in the track but finishing 11th overall was a good improvement. Hopefully next weekend things will go smoother and I can finish inside the top 10 like I know I’m capable of.”
MXGP Moto Points – Round 1 – Qatar: 1. Gautier Paulin (20-25) Kaw. 2. Max Nagl (25-18) Hon. 3. Antonio Cairoli (22-20) KTM. 4. Steven Frossard (18-22) Kaw. 5. Jeremy Van Horbeek (16-16) Yam. 6. Tommy Searle (15-14) Kaw. 7. Clement Desalle (12-15) Suz. 8. Kevin Strijbos (14-13) Suz. 9. Evgeny Bobryshev (13-12) Hon. 10. Joel Roelants (11-11) Hon. 11. Todd Waters (7-10) Hus.
MXGP World Championship standings after 1 of 18 rounds: 1. Gautier Paulin (FRA, KAW), 45. 2. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HON), 43. 3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 42. 4. Steven Frossard (FRA, KAW), 40. 5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 32. 6. Tommy Searle (GBR, KAW), 29. 7. Clement Desalle (BEL, SUZ), 27. 8. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 27. 9. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 25. 10. Joel Roelants (BEL, HON), 22. 11. Todd Waters, 17. 12. David Philippaerts, 17. 13. Tanel Leok, 13. 14. Jake Nicholls, 10. 15. Shaun Simpson, 10. 16. Davide Guarneri, 9. 17. Xavier Boog, 8. 18. Rui Goncalves, 8. 19. Matiss Karro, 6. 20. Jens Getteman, 6.
Rattray Injury Update – Unable to compete at the FIM Motocross World Championship’s opening GP of Qatar due to severe pain from his broken finger, sustained at round three of the Internazionali d’Italia championship at Montevarchi, Italy, Tyla has successfully gone under the surgeons knife in Belgium having two pins inserted to stabilise the fracture. Tyla will need to rest for three weeks before he can start any physiotherapy on his finger. Then, if all goes well, Tyla will be able to return to riding soon after as he begins his preparations for a return to the Motocross World Championship, most like round four in Trentino, Italy.
Tyla Rattray: “This is seriously disappointing for everyone, but now I have to focus on getting my finger ready to return to racing. We knew my finger was broken after the race in Montevarchi when a rock hit my hand, but I was told by my doctor that I would be ok to race in Qatar. I guess that just wasn’t the case. The heavy landings in Losail were hard on my finger. Now I have two pins in the break, so it’s just a matter of time now before I can return to racing. I’ve been told that I can’t do anything for three weeks, and then I can start my rehab and after that get back on a bike. When I’m ready I’ll then return to racing, hopefully for the first European GP at Arco di Trento.”
MX2 Race Report
Moto 1: Ferrandis held the lead for a short time before Butron took over with Leiber, Anstie, Tixier, Tonkov, Coldenhoff, Pocock, Gajser, Petrov, Seewer, Guillod, Herlings, Desprey and Febvre. Young American Thomas Covington was out of the race with a mechanical problem on lap two.
On lap two Anstie took the lead from Butron, Ferrandis and Lieber, while Herlings was recovering from a first lap incident and moved up to 12th place and by lap- four Herlings was up to ninth.
Anstie had a lead of five seconds over Butron, who soon lost his second place to Ferrandis. At this stage, Coldenhoff held fourth ahead of Tonkov, Febvre, Pocock, Herlings and Tixier.
After 13 laps Anstie held a solid lead while Herlings passed Tonkov for fifth place and was quickly looking for a way around Butron for fourth place.
Disaster stuck for Anstie around lap 14 when his Yamaha stoped suddenly handing Ferrandis the lead with Coldenhoff close behind in second with Herlings a further six seconds back in third place.
Going into the final lap, Coldenhoff and Herlings were looking for a way by Ferrandis for the lead and after a sensational final lap Ferrandis got the win by a bike length ahead of Herlings with Coldenhoff a close third.
Luke Styke started the moto just inside the top 20 and after making his way into the top 15 disappeared from the time sheet with a virus.
Moto 2: Styke did not make it to the finish line for moto two and this time it is Butron who scored the holeshot ahead Anstie, Covington, Tonkov, Tixier, Ferrandis, Gajser, Tonus, Pocock and Seewer while Herlings and Coldenhoff sat just inside the top 20.
After a frantic opening lap we have Anstie leading Butron, Covington, Tonkov, Ferrandis, Lieber, Herlings (yes, he passed 10 plus riders in one lap), Charlier, Febvre, and Tixier.
Anstie had Covington closing in at around the sixth lap while Ferrandis and Herlings held down third and fourth but on lap 10 Herlings passed Ferrandis for third place.
Herlings quickly caught and passed Covington and before he could catch Anstie for the lead, the British rider’s bike stopped for the second time on the day.
In the dying laps the race was there for the defending World Champion to win with the final order being Herlings, Tonus, Covington, Febvre, Tonkov, Ferrandis, Tixier, Butron, Charlier and Gajser.
MX2 Moto Points – Round 1 of 18: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (22-25) KTM. 2. Dylan Ferrandis (25-15) Kaw. 3. Romain Febvre (16-18) Hus. 4. Arnaud Tonus (11-22) Kaw. 5. Aleksandr Tonkov (15-16) Hus. 6. Jose Butron (18-13) KTM. 7. Glenn Coldenhoff (20-9) Suz. 8. Jordi Tixier (14-14) KTM. 9. Tim Gajser (13-11) Hon. 10. Christophe Charlier (9-12) Yam. 11. Thomas Covington (0-20) Kaw.
MX2 World Championship standings after 1 of 18 rounds: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 47. 2. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, KAW), 40. 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, HUS), 34. 4. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, KAW), 33. 5. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 31. 6. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, HUS), 31. 7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, SUZ), 29. 8. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 28. 9. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 24. 10. Christophe Charlier (FRA, YAM), 21. 11. Thomas Covington, 20. 12. Valentin Guillod, 19. 13. Petar Petrov, 15. 14. Alessandro Lupino, 15. 15. Maxime Desprey, 12. 16. Julien Lieber, 11. 17. Jeremy Seewer, 10. 18. Mel Pocock, 10. 19. Max Anstie, 4. 20. Roberts Justs, 4.
WMX Race Report
Kawasaki ‘s Meghan Rutledge won both motos in Qatar ahead of Natalie Kane and Livia Lancelot and is looking to take that momentum into the second round of the series in Italy on April the 13th.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better start to the season,” an excited Rutledge stated. “My Bud Racing Team Kawasaki KX250F was awesome and I couldn’t have asked for more.
“I won FIM World races last year but never the double like I have here so I’m so excited. I can’t thank everybody at Bud Kawasaki Racing enough and also everyone at Kawasaki Australia for their ongoing support, it feels great to be able to get the red plate here at the first round and I can’t wait to get to Italy for the 2nd round.” Rutledge added.
WMX Points after Round 1 of 6: 1. Meghan Rutledge, 50. 2. Natalie Kane, 42. 3. Livia Lancelot, 36. 4. Stephanie Laier, 34. 5. Nancy Van De Ven, 34. 6. Chiara Fontanesi, 33. 7. Larissa Papenmeier, 29. 8. Francesca Nocera, 28. 9. Marianne Veenstra, 22. 10. Justine Charroux, 12.
FIM MXGP & MX2 Motocross World Championships – Support Classes in brackets
Round 1: 01 March – Losail, Qatar (Women)
Round 2: 09 March – Si Racha, Thailand
Round 3: 30 March – Beto Carrero, Brazil
Round 4: 13 April – Arco di Trento Italy (Women & 125 support)
Round 5: 20 April TBA (250EMX & 300 two-strokes)
Round 6: 04 May – Valkenswaard, Netherlands (Women, 125 & 150 support)
Round 7: 11 May TBA (250EMX & 300 two-strokes)
Round 8: 25 May – Matterley Basin, Great Britain (250EMX & 300 two-strokes)
Round 9: 01 June – St Jean d’Angely, France (Women & 125 support)
Round 10: 15 June – Maggiora, Italy (250EMX & 300 two-strokes)
Round 11: 22 June – Teutschenthal, Germany (Women, 125 & 150 support)
Round 12: 06 July – Uddevalla, Sweden (Vets, 250EMX & 300 two-strokes)
Round 13: 13 July – Hyvinkää, Finland (65, 85, 250EMX & 300 two-strokes)
Round 14: 27 July – Loket, Czech Rep (Women, 125 & 150 support)
Round 15: 03 August – Tba, Belgium (125, 250EMX & 300 two-strokes)
Round 16: 17 August – Dimitrov, Donetsk Ukraine (125 & 250 EMX)
Round 17: 07 September – Goiania, Brazil
Round 18: 15 September – Leon, Mexico
Amsoil Arenacross – Rd 9 – Tulsa
AMSOIL Arenacross, featuring Ricky Carmichael’s Road to Supercross, kicked off its Race to the Championship on Saturday night inside the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla. Entering the night in second, Babbitt’s Monster Energy/AMSOIL Kawasaki presented by Maxxis rider Zach Ames took over the championship lead with his second overall victory of the season. Team Faith/FLY Racing KTM’s Kelly Smith grabbed the win in the final round of the Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class.
Ames started off the night by taking over the early lead in the first 15-lap Arenacross Class Main Event, with PBR/TiLube/TUF Racing Honda’s Kyle Regal and Babbitt’s Monster Energy/AMSOIL Kawasaki’s Tyler Bowers in third. On Lap 3, Bowers moved into the lead but crashed on Lap 8, allowing Ames to reclaim the position. Regal took over second, while Bowers fell to 13th. Ames held on to take the win with Regal in second, while Farmers Insurance/Reynard Mods Suzuki’s Cory Green finished third. Ames selected the inversion for the second Main Event, picking zero.
Green capitalized on a strong start to take the lead in the second Main Event, with Regal and Ames close behind. Bowers started just outside the top five. Green paced the field for most of the race, but gave way to Ames on Lap 10. Team Babbitt’s Monster Energy/AMSOIL Kawasaki’s Colt Nichols made a strong charge into the top three halfway through the Main Event and took over second on Lap 13. In the closing two laps, Bowers also surged forward, moving from fifth to third to give the Babbitt’s squad a 1-2-3 finish.
Ames’ 1-1 effort was his most impressive outing of the season on a night when championship momentum is key. Nichols secured his best career overall result in second (4-2), while Green rounded out the podium in third (3-4). Bowers, who entered the night as the championship leader, finished sixth (13-3).
Earlier in the evening, Bowers defeated Regal to win Head-to-Head Bracket Racing, earning a valuable championship bonus point.
Ames assumes control of the Race to the Championship and is currently the points leader, holding a seven-point lead over Regal and Nichols. The pair both have 31 points, but Regal sits in second by virtue of higher finishes, while Nichols sits third. Green is in fourth, eight points out of the lead, while Bowers is fifth 12-points behind Ames.
Smith was dominant in the final Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class Championship Main Event of the season. KMS KTM’s Dave Ginolfi started the race in second, but was never able to challenge Smith for the lead, maintaining the spot throughout to finish in the runner-up position. BWRengines.com Honda’s Maxx Malatia started the race in third, but battled with Team Faith/FLY Racing Honda’s Cheyenne Harmon for the spot early. Malatia quickly reclaimed the spot and held on to it through the remainder of the race.
AMSOIL Arenacross continues next weekend for the second round of the Race to the Championship from Albuquerque, N.M., and Tingley Coliseum for two nights of racing. Action begins next Friday, March 7th, and continued on Saturday, March 8th.
Arenacross Class Results – Overall (Main Event Finishes): 1. Zach Ames, Prospect, Ohio, Kawasaki (1-1). 2. Colt Nichols, S. Muskogee, Okla., Kawasaki (4-2). 3. Cory Green, Nowata, Okla., Suzuki (3-4). 4. Kyle Regal, Grand Prairie, Texas, Honda (2-6). 5. Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM (5-9). 6. Tyler Bowers, Danville, Ky., Kawasaki (13-3). 7. Michael McDade, McDonald, Ohio, Kawasaki (9-7). 8. Willy Browning, Pleasantville, Ohio, KTM (7-8). 9. Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Honda (14-5). 10. Kelly Smith, Ludington, Mich., KTM (8-12).
Western Regional Arenacross Lites Class Results: 1. Kelly Smith, Ludington, Mich, KTM. 2. Dave Ginolfi, Boston, N.J., KTM. 3. Maxx Malatia, Itasca, Ill., Honda. 4. Brandon Glenn, Mesquite, Texas, KTM. 5. Daniel Blair, Lodi, Calif., KTM. 6. Dylan Rouse, Florence, Ky., Honda. 7. Josh Struebig, Crown Point, Ind., KTM. 8. Jeremy Pronovost, St. Philippe, Quebec, KTM. 9. Cheyenne Harmon, Olivia, Texas, Honda. 10. Davey Sterritt, Athens, N.Y., KTM
Arenacross Class Race to the Championship: 1. Zach Ames, Prospect, Ohio, Kawasaki – 38. 2. Kyle Regal, Grand Prairie, Texas, Honda – 31. 3. Colt Nichols, S. Muskogee, Okla., Kawasaki – 31. 4. Cory Green, Nowata, Okla., Suzuki – 30. 5. Tyler Bowers, Danville, Ky., Kawasaki – 26. 6. Willy Browning, Pleasantville, Ohio, KTM – 22. 7. Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM – 22. 8. Michael McDade, McDonald, Ohio, Kawasaki – 21. 9. Jacob Hayes, Greensboro, N.C., Honda – 20. 10. Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Kawasaki – 15.
Western Regional Arenacross Class Points: 1. Kelly Smith, Ludington, Mich., KTM – 222. 2. Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, Kawasaki – 124. 3. Nathan Skaggs, Chillicothe, Ohio, Kawasaki – 116. 4. Jeff Gibson, Pataskala, Ohio, Honda – 90. 5. Dave Ginolfi, Boston, N.J., KTM – 89. 6. Robby Marshall, Stow, Mass., KTM – 85. 7. Kyle White, Freeport, Ill., Honda – 81. 8. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha – 75. 9. Keith Tucker, Fuquay Varina, N.C., Yamaha – 57. 10. Daniel Blair, Lodi, Calif., KTM – 47
Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class Points (After Race 9 of 9): 1. Tony Archer, Waldorf, Md., Kawasaki – 101. 2. Brandon Glenn, Mesquite, Texas, KTM – 83. 3. Steve Roman, Apollo, Pa., Suzuki – 69. 4. Jacob Williamson, Swartz Creek, Mich., Yamaha – 65. 5. Michael Lang, Saugerties, N.Y., Honda – 41. 6. Scott Zont, Algonquin, Ill., KTM – 36. 7. Dylan Rouse, Florence, Ky., Honda – 34. 8. Jeremy Pronovost, St. Philippe, Quebec, KTM – 34. 9. Keith Tucker, Furgacy-Varina, N.C., Yamaha – 33. 10. Chad Wages, Frederick, Md., KTM – 28.
2014 AMSOIL Arenacross Championships
Rd10 – March 7-9 – Albuquerque, NM
Rd11 – March 14-16 – Hidalgo, TX
Rd12 – March 29-30 – Salt Lake City, UT
KTM Enduro-X Nationals – Round 3 – Calder Park, Vic
Chris Hollis had a tough final round of the 2014 KTM Enduro-X Nationals held at Calder Park last weekend but the plucky Yamaha pilot hung on to score enough points to take the championship win from arch rival Toby Price.
“I am pretty lucky that I went so well at the first two rounds, coming out on top in those round,” Hollis said. “In the first race here today I got caught up with Toby off the start, then went down in the rock section and busted my wrist up a bit. Those last two races were definitely hard, in the end it was all about the championship and I just cruised around and made sure of it. A big thanks to the CDR Yamaha team, it has been a couple of years since I have raced a Yamaha and it is good to be back and be able to put that number one plate on.”
Ever-green veteran Mike Brown managed to win the day on his Husqvarna. “It was a good day today.” Brown stated. “I got some good starts, but crashed twice in the second race when they watered the track and didn’t tell us, but that’s racing, that happens sometimes. Then in the third, me and Toby got good starts but I knew what I had to do to win so I didn’t have to take too many extra risks.”
Pro Class Calder Park Overall Round Results: 1. Mike Brown 69. 2. Beau Ralston 60. 3. Toby Price 57. 4. Chris Hollis 50. 5. Daniel Milner 49. 6. Glenn Kearney 48. 7. Stefan Granquist 47. 8. Daniel Sanders 45. 9. Tom McCormack 38. 10. Jack Field 32. 11. Peter Boyle 22. 12. Scott Keegan 11.
Pro Class Overall Championship Results: 1. Chris Hollis 188. 2. Toby Price 182. 3. Daniel Milner 161. 4. Tom McCormack 130. 5. Peter Boyle 128. 6. Mike Brown 127. 7. Beau Ralston 113. 8. Stefan Granquist 95. 9. Glenn Kearney 82. 10. Jack Field 55.
Garmin Arenacross Championships – Round 7 – London
The final round of the Garmin Arenacross Tour was held in London on Saturday night and the main event winner was Frenchman Thomas Ramette (Buildbase Honda) who made it four different winners from seven rounds while our own Daniel McCoy scored the final podium position in the final.
“It has been a great night for me, I won both my heats and the final so it has been perfect,” says Thomas. “I really liked the track, you needed to be smooth because it was very slippery and that suited me, I came to my team on Wednesday and we worked on the bike and I got used to it. It’s been great to work with the Buildbase Honda team. Hopefully I will come back next year.”
Cyrille Coulon (SR75-Molson Suzuki) managed second on the night and third outright. “It’s been a good weekend and a good day today,” says Coulon. “The track is very slippery and so tight but I got a good time in practice and rode aggressively in the Main Event. I thank the team – SR75-Molson – and all the sponsors for making my tour possible. Arenacross has been organised really well and I’ve really enjoyed it, I’d love to come back and do it again next year.”
Aussie Daniel McCoy (MBO Sport ASA Yamaha) finished with a third in London and earned second in the series. “It was definitely a good experience,” said McCoy. “I came over to race at late notice which always makes it a bit harder but I got some decent results and the team’s been really, really good and I got along with everyone. I’m super-happy – hopefully I can come back and do another series.”
Main Event: 1. Thomas Ramette. 2. Cyrille Coulon. 3. Daniel McCoy. 4. Kristian Whatley. 5. Angelo Pellegrini. 6. Fabien Izoird. 7. Nev Bradshaw. 8. Romain Biela. 9. Steven Clarke. 10. Luke Arbon.
Final Point Standings: 1. Fabien Izoird 135. 2. Daniel McCoy 117. 3. Cyrille Coulon 114. 4. Loic Rombaut 91. 5. Kristian Whatley 87. 6. Nev Bradshaw 87. 7. Steven Clarke 86. 8. Angelo Pellegrini 78. 9. Elliott Banks-Browne 53. 10. Luke Arbon 53.
GNCC Kicks Off This Weekend – Strang and Whibley Ready To Go
We will get to see how Aussie Josh Strang and Kiwi Paul Whibly have fared in the off season when the 2014 GNCC kicks off this weekend in Florida. Strang is now riding a Yamaha and has been putting in the hard yards on his mountain bike and the new YZF so fitness should not be a problem for the former champion.
Here is the calendar for the 2014 GNCC.
Round 1. Mud Mucker – Bunnell, FL – March 8-9 2014
Round 2. The General – Washington, GA – March 15-16 2014
Round 3. Steel Creek – Morgantown, NC – March 29-30 2014
Round 4. Big Buck – Union, SC – April 12-13 2014
Round 5. Limestone 100 – Springville, IN – April 26-27 2014
Round 6. Loretta Lynn’s – Hurrican Mills TN – May 10-11 2014
Round 7. Mountaineer Run – Masontown, WV – May 24-25 2014
Round 8. John Penton – Millfield, OH – June 7-8 2014
Round 9. Snowshoe – Snowshoe, WV – June 21-22 2014
Round 10. Unadilla – New Berlin, NY – Sept. 6-7 2014
Round 11. Car-Mate, TBA, PA – Sept. 20-21 2014
Round 12. Powerline Park – St. Clairsville, OH – Oct. 4-5 2014
Round 13. Ironman – Crawfordsville,IN – Oct. 25-26 2014
Knight wins British Extreme Enduro Championship ahead of Walker
David Knight was back on winning form at the weekend when he lifted his 16th British Championship title by winning the Fast Eddy British Extreme Enduro Championship at Back Cowm Quarry (Cowm Leisure) on Sunday. Knight fresh from finishing runner-up in the World Indoor SuperEnduro series was eager to secure another British title at the weekend.
The track was looking great on Saturday but the heavens opened overnight and the temperature plummeted on Sunday making the terrain and course extremely difficult for some of the most experienced riders. David was riding the Sherco 300 4T racing model and was locked in a battle all day with youngster Jonny Walker, with David eventually taking the win.
Despite this he did suffer a huge crash and winded himself pretty badly in the early stages of the day but he remounted and fought through the pain to become victorious. For two and a half hours David and Jonny swapped positions and each suffering their own problems, this made it extremely close and exciting for the crowd of spectators that had braved the elements to come and watch and support.
David Knight – “If I can ride like that with loads of silly things happening and sill win, it can’t be too bad. I’m happy to have won at Cowm Leisure but even happier to have won my 16th British title. I suffered a lot all day with arm pump for some reason and after I had my big crash I was just trying to re-group and get myself sorted out. I must say a huge thank you to my mechanic Leo and once again all at MRS for their support and encouragement. I’m feeling a little second hand now but a bit of a rest will cure that.”
This final round of the British Extreme Championship was also the start of a European series – the FIM Extreme Enduro Cup.
Results – Eddy’s Xtreme, Rnd2 – 1: David Knight (Sherco) 2: Jonny Walker (KTM) 3: Paul Bolton (KTM) 4: Ben Hemingway (Beta) 5: Marcus Kehr (Sherco) 6: Gary Daniels (Sherco)
2014 FIM Extreme Enduro Cup calendar:
Round 1: March 2 – Eddy’s Xtreme, Back Cowm Quarry Whitworth, Lancashire, Great Britain
Round 2: June 20-22 – HEPN Hard Enduro Pietra Neamt, Pietra Neamt, Romania, FRM
Round 3: July 25-26 – Battle of Vikings, Storstenhöjden, Sweden
Round 4: October 25 – GetzenRodeo, Drebach/Griessbach, Germany
Catchya next week. Smarty #97
