The Atlanta round of the AMA Supercross Championship was highlighted first up by Justin Barcia cartwheeling his Honda during practice, forcing the young up-start to sit out the night’s racing. While Mike Alessi was fined $4000.00 and put on probation for riding straight into Broc Tickle and taking both of them down during the heat race. It has been a few years since Alessi has done something this dumb but it shows that old habits die hard.
Speaking of old habits, just when we thought that James Stewart had matured enough to stop crashing more often than not, the Yoshimura Suzuki rider made a rookie mistake and grabbed too much front brake going into a right hand berm and hit the deck while sitting in second place in the main event. Stewart’s championship hopes are all but done.
Nine years is a long time to be one of the fastest riders on the track yet to never have won a race and that is how Martin Davalos’ pro career has played out until his win at Atlanta. Most of us were scratching our heads when Mitch Payton put Davalos on his Pro-Circuit Kawasaki team last year but here we are a year later and Mitch has the three fastest riders on the East Coast 250SX series with Adam Cianciarulo, Davalos and Blake Baggett sitting first, second and third in the championship after two rounds.
Cairns export Jackson Richardson was right on the pace at Atlanta with the 16th fastest time in qualifying but a 15th place start in his heat and a 12th place start in the 4-lap LCQ put pay to any chance of making the main event.
Unfortunately our other Aussie Taylor Potter missed out on qualifying for the night program by one spot. That’s right, the Aussie qualified in 41st place, .006 of a second off 40th place. Better luck next week Taylor.
Next week at the Indianapolis round we will get to see Dean Wilson riding Chad Reed’s KX450F against the likes of Villopoto, Roczen and Dungey. It will be interesting to see how he fairs. My bet is a solid top ten.
Cody Cooper absolutely blitzed the MX1 class at round two of the New Zealand Motocross Championship and is now almost a full race points score ahead of Billy Mackenzie, while in the MX2 class Kane Lamont already has a race up his sleeve with two rounds remaining. Lamont could be the first person to claim a national championship on a Husqvarna since KTM purchased the iconic marque. It would be a nice feather in his cap.
Nick Sutherland was at Queensland Moto Park last Saturday on the Husqvarna 250 2-stroke and was looking fast and fit. Sutherland is spreading his training time between testing with Craig Anderson in NSW and getting as much seat time as he can around South East Queensland and Northern NSW.
This week we have the race reports and results from:
– Round 8 of the AMA Supercross being held at the Georgia Dome, Atlanta
– Round 8 of the Amsoil Arenacross Series held at Reno, Nevada
– Round 6 of the World 2014 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship held in Tours, France
– Round 2 of the New Zealand Motocross Championship held at Tokoroa
– 2014 Hawkstone International
2014 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship – Round 8 – Oakland
450 Race Report: Mike Alessi put the controversy of his stoush with Broc Tickle behind him to pull the holeshot in the main event ahead of James Stewart, Ryan Villopoto, Ken Roczen and Ryan Dungey. Roczen and Dungey got around Villopoto during the first lap but as they all swept across the main straight heading towards a right hand berm they came across Stewart and his Suzuki piled up in the middle of the track causing Dungey to go wide and allowing Villopoto back into third place behind Alessi and Roczen.
A lap later Roczen failed to jump the finish line double handing second place back to Villopoto who quickly moved up to pass Alessi who was soon passed by the KTM teamsters. For the next ten laps or so Villopoto, Roczen and Dungey freight trained their way around the slick layout until with just a few laps remaining Roczen upped he pace and just as he was getting to within striking range Villopoto lost traction exiting the corner before the big triple and was forced to double-single.
Roczen flew by Villopoto to take the lead and put together two flawless laps to take his second win of the year and reduce his point deficit to Villopoto to nine points. Villopoto held on to second ahead of Dungey who in turn had quite a gap back to Wil Hahn, Justin Brayton, Mike Alessi, Broc Tickle, Weston Peick, Josh Grant, Andrew Short and James Stewart.
“It feels so great to get a win,” said Roczen after the 20 lap main event. “Getting on the podium is nice, but to get a win is so much better. It proves that hard work pays off. I am so happy I was able to pull it off and so thankful to my team for being behind me and building me a great bike.”
Villopoto was happy…sort of. “From where our day started, I am happy with second place.”
Dungey needs a win and he knows it. “It was great that the three of us were so close but the track got really rough at the end. I tried to take a few different lines to see if I could make up some time but the track was so rough it was hard. We work hard every week to make things better and we are ready to get on the top step of the podium.”
Heat 1 (Top Four to Main): 1. R. Villopoto. 2. J. Brayton. 3. K. Roczen. 4. R. Dungey. 5. I. Tedesco. 6. A. Short. 7. J. Hill. 8. P. Nicoletti. 9. C. Blose. 10. J. Albertson.
Heat 2 (Top Four to Main): 1. J. Stewart. 2. W. Hahn. 3. E. Tomac. 4. W. Peick. 5. K. Chisholm. 6. J. Grant. 7. M. Alessi. 8. N. Wey. 9. J. Sipes. 10. N. Schmidt.
Semi 1 (Top Five to Main): 1. A. Short. 2. B. Tickle. 3. J. Grant. 4. J. Albertson. 5. M. Goerke. 6. N. Wey. 7. N. Schmidt. 8. A. Nagy. 9. P. Nicoletti. 10. A. Enticknap.
Semi 2 (Top Five to Main): 1. M. Alessi. 2. K. Chisholm. 3. J. Hill. 4. C. Blose. 5. I. Tedesco. 6. R. Stewart. 7. L. Smith. 8. J. Sipes. 9. T. Tapia. 10. A. Howell.
LCQ: 1 (Top Four to Main): 1. J. Sipes. 2. N. Wey. 3. P. Nicoletti. 4. N. Schmidt. 5. C. Gilmore. 6. L. Smith. 7. A. Howell. 8. A. Nagy. 9. A. Enticknap. 10. D. Pipes.
Main Event: 1. Ken Roczen KTM. 2. Ryan Villopoto Kaw. 3. Ryan Dungey KTM. 4. Wil Hahn Hon. 5. Justin Brayton Yam. 6. Mike Alessi Suz. 7. Broc Tickle Suz. 8. Weston Peick Suz. 9. Josh Grant Yam. 10. Andrew Short KTM. 11. James Stewart Suz. 12. Matt Goerke KTM. 13. Josh Hill Suz. 14. Ivan Tedesco KTM. 15. Chris Blose Hon. 16. Nick Wey Kaw. 17. Kyle Chisholm Yam. 18. Jimmy Albertson Hon. 19. Justin Sipes Kaw. 20. Nick Schmidt Hon. 21. Eli Tomac Hon. 22. Phil Nicoletti Yam.
450SX Championship Standings After Round 8 of 17: 1. Ryan Villopoto 166. 2. Ken Roczen 157. 3. James Stewart 140. 4. Ryan Dungey 136. 5. Justin Brayton 130. 6. Chad Reed 111. 7. Justin Barcia 109. 8. Andrew Short 94. 9. Wil Hahn 83. 10. Broc Tickle 83. 11. Weston Peick 67. 12. Ivan Tedesco 62. 13. Jake Weimer 50. 14. Mike Alessi 49. 15. Josh Grant 47. 16. Josh Hill 46. 17. Nick Wey 44. 18. Matt Goerke 41. 19. Matt Moss 28. 20. Vince Friese 28.
250 Race Report: Thanks to his LCQ win, Adam Cianciarulo was a long shot for a good start but the rookie put all of the power of his Pro-Circuit Kawasaki to good use and pulled the main event holeshot from the far outside while one of his team mates in Blake Baggett was dead last into the first corner after tangling with another rider just after the gate dropped.
Cianciarulo’s other team mate Martin Davalos took the lead on the second rhythm section and simply took off for his maiden supercross win well ahead of Cianciarulo who simply put in the laps to secure second place and the red plate for another week.
Now, the action behind the two Pro-Circuit Kawasaki riders was heating up with Anthony Rodriguez, Blake Wharton, Vince Friese and Justin Bogle all doing battle for that final podium position and let us not forget Baggett slicing through the pack and closing in at the rate of a second or two per lap.
On lap ten Wharton slid out in the corner entering a rhythm section which allowed Friese and Bogle by then Rodriguez crashed hard and was out of the race with a broken collar bone. Friese was forced to slow during the Rodriguez crash allowing Bogle through for third while late in the race Wharton and Baggett got by Friese for fourth and fifth place.
“It’s been a long road for me, it’s been a lot of frustration, a lot of time,” said an emotional Davalos after his win. “I don’t know what to say, I just want to thank the people that really have stuck behind me, the people who believed in me all this time. It’s taken me a few years. But people really don’t understand that I come from a country that has nothing and it’s taken me a long way to get to where I needed to be. I turned pro really fast. I never got the whole amateur experience these kids were born to do. I was put in the pro scene really fast. I’ve been always fast but I haven’t been able to close the deal. Tonight was a great night for me. I felt good through the day. I’ve been feeling really good. I’ve put a lot of work. I don’t know what to say. This is amazing.”
Heat 1 (Top 9 to Main): 1. B. Baggett. 2. J. Bogle. 3. J. Decotis. 4. A. Martin. 5. C. Thompson. 6. M. Oldenburg. 7. B. Wharton. 8. G. Audette. 9. J. Starling. 10. A. Catanzaro. 12. J. Richardson.
Heat 2 (Top 9 to Main): 1. M. Davalos. 2. M. Bisceglia. 3. K. Cunningham. 4. G. Faith. 5. M. Lemoine. 6. K. Peters. 7. J. Wentland. 8. A. Rodriguez. 9. V. Friese. 10. L. Kilbarger.
LCQ (Top 4 to Main): 1. A. Cianciarulo. 2. J. Owen. 3. A. Catanzaro. 4. R. Zimmer. 5. F. Noren. 6. Z. Williams. 7. L. Kilbarger. 8. J. Richardson. 9. A. Albers. 10. A. Lopes.
Main Event: 1. Martin Davalos Kaw. 2. Adam Cianciarulo Kaw. 3. Justin Bogle Hon. 4. Blake Wharton Hon. 5. Blake Baggett Kaw. 6. Vince Friese Hon. 7. Jimmy Decotis Hon. 8. Cole Thompson KTM. 9. Matt Lemoine Kaw. 10. Mitchell Oldenburg Hon. 11. Jesse Wentland Hon. 12. Kyle Cunningham Hon. 13. AJ Catanzaro Hon. 14. Justin Starling Hon. 15. Gannon Audette Kaw. 16. Alex Martin Yam. 17. Gavin Faith Hon. 18. Jace Owen Hon. 19. Ryan Zimmer Hon. 20. Alex Rodriguez Yam. 21. Matt Bisceglia Hon. 22. Kyle Peters Hon.
250SX East Regional Championship Standings After Round 2 of 9: 1. Adam Cianciarulo 47. 2. Martin Davalos 45. 3. Blake Baggett 38. 4. Justin Bogle 36. 5. Vince Friese 33. 6. Blake Wharton 32. 7. Cole Thompson 28. 8. Kyle Cunningham 22. 9. Mitchell Oldenburg 22. 10. Jimmy Decotis 20. 11. Alex Martin 17. 12. Jesse Wentland 17. 13. AJ Catanzaro 16. 14. Matt Lemoine 13. 15. Kyle Peters 11. 16. Gannon Audette 11. 17. Levi Kilbarger 9. 18. Justin Starling 7. 19. Gavin Faith 5. 20. Jackson Richardson 4.
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 9: March 1 – Lucas Oil Stadium – Indianapolis
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
Amsoil Arenacross – Reno, Nevada
The eighth round of AMSOIL Arenacross came to a dramatic conclusion on Saturday night in Reno, Nev., inside the Livestock Events Center as the final 10 riders that will compete in the Race to the Championship were determined.
After a pair of dramatic Arenacross Class Main Events, Babbitt’s Monster Energy/AMSOIL Kawasaki presented by Maxxis Tyler Bowers captured his sixth overall victory to solidify his position atop the championship standings. For the second straight evening, Factory Connection Honda’s RJ Hampshire dominated the Western Regional Arenacross Lites Class to sweep the division Main Events in AMSOIL Arenacross debut weekend.
PBR/TiLube/TUF Racing Honda’s Jacob Hayes took over the early lead in the opening Arenacross Class Main Event, Babbitt’s Monster Energy/AMSOIL Kawasaki teammates Zach Ames and Bowers in tow. Bowers wasted little time in making his move to the front, passing Ames for second on Lap 2 and then Hayes for the lead on Lap 3. Once out front, Bowers never looked back. Meanwhile, Ames and Hayes engaged in battle beginning on Lap 3 with Ames following his teammate to take over second place. However, on Lap 7 Hayes made his way back around Ames, who then experienced misfortune on Lap 8 and fell deep inside the top 10. That allowed Motosport.com/MJM Express/Spinechillers Racing KTM’s Willy Browning to take over third, but his time in a podium spot was short lived as PBR/TiLube/TUF Racing Honda’s Kyle Regal took over third on Lap 11. Bowers was followed across the line by the TUF Racing duo.
Bowers selected the inversion for the second Main Event, and for the second night in a row inverted the entire field of 16 riders.
Hampshire, who finished 11th in the first Main Event, took advantage of the inversion to assume the early lead in the final Main Event, followed by Motosport.com/MJM Express/Spinechillers Racing Kawasaki’s Michael McDade and AJ Oilfield Services Kawasaki’s Gray Davenport, who was soon passed by Farmers Insurance/Reynard Mods Suzuki’s Cory Green. Bowers started in ninth, Hayes in sixth, and Regal in 13th. Neither Hampshire nor McDade were really challenged out front, but the ensuing battles behind them provided a wild 15-laps of racing.
Hayes moved his way into fourth and was looking to secure a potential third straight overall victory, but experienced misfortune on Lap 3, which also collected Bowers and dropped both riders outside the top 10. Green endured consistent pressure for third from the likes of Motosport Hillsboro Kawasaki’s Gared Steinke, Ames, and his teammate Colt Nichols. Out front, Hampshire raced to his first career Arenacross Class Main Event win with McDade in second. They were joined on the podium by Green, with Nichols fourth, Ames fifth, and Steinke sixth. Bowers battled his way back to finish seventh, with Regal in eighth. Hayes recorded a DNF and finished 15th.
Earlier in the evening, Bowers defeated Hampshire to win Head-to-Head Bracket Racing, and the additional championship bonus point proved critical in the overall standings.
Bowers’ impressive resiliency in the second Main Event vaulted him to first overall despite 1-7 finishes, edging out his teammate Nichols (4-4) by just one point. Nichols’ runner-up effort was a career-best result. Regal rounded out the overall podium in third (3-8). Hampshire’s first career premier class win landed him just off the podium in fourth (11-1), while Hayes finished 11th (2-15).
Bowers, who took over the points lead on Friday, now enters the Race to the Championship as the top seed. He will be joined by (in order of seeding): Ames, Hayes, Regal, Green, Browning, Nichols, McDade, Sewell and Gared Steinke. Team Faith/FLY Racing KTM’s Kelly Smith missed out on a qualifying spot by just six points. The championship points will be reset for these 10 riders for beginning of the Race to the Championship next weekend.
In just his second Western Regional Arenacross Lites Class Championship Main Event, Hampshire showed how comfortable he already is in AMSOIL Arenacross. Hampshire grabbed the early lead in the 18-lap Main Event and looked as though he’d go wire-to-wire for the second straight night, but a bobble on Lap 5 handed the lead to KMS KTM’s Dave Ginolfi.
However, just one lap later Hampshire reclaimed the position and set sail to victory. Behind him, the battle for the podium heated up as KTM rider Michael Horban moved into third on Lap 8 and then moved into second just a couple laps later. BWRengines.com Honda’s Maxx Malatia then assumed the final spot on the podium on Lap 13, while Ginolfi went from the race lead to a fourth-place result over the final 10 laps of competition.
BWRengines.com Honda’s Kyle White, who finished fifth, moved into the lead in the Western Regional Arenacross Lites Class standings. He holds a six-point lead over AJ Oilfield Services Kawasaki’s Gray Davenport, who finished sixth.
AMSOIL Arenacross continues next weekend for the opening round of the Race to the Championship from Tulsa, Okla., and the BOK Center. Action commences next Saturday, March 1, beginning at 8 p.m. ET.
Arenacross Class Results – Overall: 1. Tyler Bowers, Danville, Ky., Kawasaki (1-7). 2. Colt Nichols, S. Muskogee, Okla., Kawasaki (4-4). 3. Kyle Regal, Grand Prairie, Texas, Honda (3-8). 4. RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Honda (11-1). 5. Cory Green, Nowata, Okla., Suzuki (8-3). 6. Michael McDade, McDonald, Ohio, Kawasaki (12-2). 7. Zach Ames, Prospect, Ohio, Kawasaki (9-5). 8. Kelly Smith, Ludington, Mich., KTM (5-10). 9. Willy Browning, Pleasantville, Ohio, KTM (6-9). 10. Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Kawasaki (10-6).
Western Regional Arenacross Lites Class Results: 1. RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Honda. 2. Michael Horban, Grant Pass, Ore., KTM. 3. Maxx Malatia, Itasca, Ill., Honda. 4. Dave Ginolfi, Boston, N.J., KTM. 5. Kyle White, Freeport, Ill., Honda. 6. Gray Davenport, Lehi, Utah, Kawasaki. 7. Axell Hodges, Encinitas, Calif., Honda. 8. Robert Noftz, Red Bluff, Calif., Yamaha. 9. Brandon Glenn, Mesquite, Texas, KTM. 10. Dylan Rouse, Florence, Ky., Honda.
Arenacross Class Race to the Championship: 1. Tyler Bowers, Danville, Ky., Kawasaki – 6. 2. Zach Ames, Prospect, Ohio, Kawasaki – 5. 3. Jacob Hayes, Greensboro, N.C., Kawasaki – 4. 4. Kyle Regal, Grand Prairie, Texas, Honda – 4. 5. Cory Green, Nowata, Okla., Suzuki – 3. 6. Willy Browning, Pleasantville, Ohio, KTM – 3. 7. Colt Nichols, S. Muskogee, Okla., Kawasaki – 2. 8. Michael McDade, McDonald, Ohio, Kawasaki – 2. 9. Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM – 1. 10. Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., KTM – 1.
Arenacross Class Points: 1. Kelly Smith, Ludington, Mich., KTM – 207. 2. Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, Kawasaki – 124. 3. Nathan Skaggs, Chillicothe, Ohio, Kawasaki – 116. 4. Jeff Gibson, Pataskala, Ohio, Honda – 90. 5. Robby Marshall, Stow, Mass., KTM – 85. 6. Dave Ginolfi, Boston, N.J., KTM – 83. 7. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha – 75. 8. Kyle White, Freeport, Ill., Honda – 67. 9. Keith Tucker, Fuquay Varina, N.C., Yamaha – 57. 10. Daniel Blair, Lodi, Calif., KTM – 45.
Western Regional Arenacross Lites Class Points (After Race 5 of 10): 1. Kyle White, Freeport, Ill., Honda – 63. 2. Gray Davenport, Lehi, Utah, Kawasaki – 57. 3. Maxx Malatia, Itasca, Ill., Honda – 54. 4. Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, Kawasaki – 53. 5. Daniel Blair, Lodi, Calif., KTM – 43. 6. Dave Ginolfi, Boston, N.J., KTM – 43. 7. Lane Staley, Chillicothe, Ohio, KTM – 26. 8. Brian Alquist, LaGrange, Calif., KTM – 21. 9. Josh Struebig, Crown Point, Ind., KTM – 17 . 10. Ryan Breece, Athol, Idaho, Kawasaki – 16.
2014 AMSOIL Arenacross Championships
Rd9 – March 1-2 – Tulsa, OK
Rd10 – March 7-9 – Albuquerque, NM
Rd11 – March 14-16 – Hidalgo, TX
Rd12 – March 29-30 – Salt Lake City, UT
2014 Hawkstone International MX
Jeffrey Herlings is back in the saddle after spending the off-season recovering from some niggling injuries and by the looks of the results from the 2014 Hawkstone International held last weekend the Dutch rider is on track to win yet another World MX2 Motocross Championships.
Tommy Searle was also on the pace in the MX1 class but he did have mechanical trouble in the second MX1 and Superfinal races while Shaun Simpson was also on the pace on the KTM450SX-F while Todd Waters battled the leading pack in the MX1 class on the Husqvarna but at the time of writing I couldn’t find where the Queenslander finished in each moto.
MX2 Moto 1: 1. Jeffrey Herlings. 2. Petar Petrov. 3. Lars van Berkel.
MX2 Moto 2: 1. Jeffrey Herlings. 2. Mel Pocock. 3. Martin Barr.
MX1 Moto 1: 1. Tommy Searle. 2. Shaun Simpson. 3. Matiss Karro.
MX1 Moto 2: 1. Shaun Simpson. 2. Matiss Karro. 3. Dean Waters.
Superfinal: 1. Jeffrey Herlings. 2. Matiss Karro. 3. Lars Van Berkel.
Jeffrey Herlings was happy to be back on the race track. “I have been off for six months so I am very happy to be back. The track was pretty gnarly but it was really fun and I had a great times. I liked the track because it’s a lot like riding at home in Holland and this win gives me confidence for the first GP next weekend. I am really looking forward to going to race in Qatar.”
New Zealand Motocross Championship – Round 2 – Tokoroa
Defending MX1 champion Cody Cooper scored maximum points at round two of the New Zealand Motocross Championships last weekend and takes a 21 point lead over Billy Mackenzie heading into the third round of the championships a Pukekohe on March 9. Aussies Kirk Gibbs and Ford Dale didn’t fair as well as they would have liked and their fourth and seventh respectively on the day makes the championship win almost impossible with just two rounds remaining.
In the MX2 class Kayne Lamont took his Husqvarna to another round win ahead of Hamish Dobbyn and Aussie Jay Wilson. The defending MX2 champion Scott Columb had a shocker with mechanical problems hampering the Yamaha rider’s championship chances and with just four motos remaining in the series Columb needs to make up 29 points on Lamont.
The championship continues at Pukekohe on March 9 with the fourth and final round being held at the sensational Taupo circuit on March 22.
Round 2 MX1 Results: 1. Cody Cooper 75. 2. Brad Groombridge 64. 3. Billy MacKenzie 60. 4. Kirk Gibbs 56. 5. Michael Phillips 46. 6. Yu Hirata 44. 7. Ford Dale 43. 8. Jesse Wiki 36. 9. Ethan Martens 34. 10. Dion Picard 32. 11. Matty Haworth 28. 12. Brock Winston 26. 13. Damien King 23 Pts
MX1 Championship Standings: 1. Cody Cooper 145. 2. Billy MacKenzie 124. 3. Ford Dale 110. 4. Brad Groombridge 110. 5. Kirk Gibbs 110. 6. Yu Hirata 88. 7. Michael Phillips 74. 8. Jesse Wiki 68. 9. Dion Picard 65. 10. Ethan Martens 61. 11. Matt Haworth 56 Pts. 17. Brock Winston 26. 18. Damien King.
Round 2 MX2 Results: 1. Kayne Lamont 69. 2. Hamish Dobbyn 63. 3. Jay Wilson 56. 4. Hamish Harwood 52. 5. John Phillips 49. 6. Scott Columb 43. 7. Hayden Kanters 39. 8. Dakota Court 32. 9. Nick Saunders 29. 10. Cohen Chase 28 Pts. 19. Darryll King 12.
MX2 Championship Standings: 1. Kayne Lamont 141. 2. Hamish Dobbyn 114. 3. Scott Columb 112. 4. Jay Wilson 111. 5. Hamish Harwood 97. 6. John Phillips 96. 7. Dakota Court 64. 8. Nick Saunders 61. 9. Hayden Kanters 60. 10. Rhys Carter 58.
2014 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship – Round 6 – Tours, France
Taddy Blazusiak has secured a fifth FIM SuperEnduro World Championship title following an overall event win at the sixth and final round of the 2014 SuperEnduro series held in Tours, France.
Starting the closing round of the series in a commanding position, Taddy wasted no time in securing the 2014 SuperEnduro title by winning the night’s opening final in Tours. That, added to the fact that the KTM racer finished ahead of his closest championship rival David Knight in the Superpole qualifying session, meant the title was his.
With his focus for the event very much securing the world title, in ending the second final as runner-up an overall event win was also very much on the cards. And in topping the series’ closing race, Taddy brought his participation in the 2014 SuperEnduro World Championship to a perfect close by securing the overall event win – his fourth outright win of the 2014 championship having stood atop the podium in Liverpool, Belo Horizonte (Brazil), Barcelona and Tours.
Taddy Blazusiak: “It’s amazing to think that this is my fifth SuperEnduro championship. It’s been an incredible five years with some great moments and some tough times, but to finally get this championship won is amazing. My plan was simple – I wanted to stay ahead of David Knight in the Superpole and then win the first final. That would be enough to secure the championship, and that’s what I managed to do. Once I knew that the championship was safe I decided to go for the overall event win as well, which I wasn’t thinking about before the race. I felt good in second in the opening final, but I could see that Bellino was tiring a little. I felt strong and pushed hard for the last two laps and got the win I needed. Although I got second in the second race I still felt like I could get the overall win. The last race went really well and to end the series with the overall win here in France, and with the title, is just great… it’s been another great championship.”
Final 1: 1. Taddy Blazusiak. 2. Mathias Bellino. 3. Jonny Walker. 4. David Knight. 5. Daniel Gibert-Gatell. 6. Paul Bolton. 7. Joakim Ljunggren. 8. Alfredo Gomez. 9. Xavier Leon. 10. Daniel McCannery.
Final 2: 1. Jonny Walker. 2. Taddy Blazusiak. 3. Alfredo Gomez. 4. Joakim Ljunggren. 5. Daniel Gibert-Gatell. 6. David Knight. 7. Mathias Bellino. 8. Xavier Leon. 9. Paul Bolton. 10. Daniel McCanney.
Final 3: 1. Taddy Blazusiak. 2. Jonny Walker. 3. Mathias Bellino. 4. Alfredo Gomez. 5. David Knight. 6. Daniel Gibert-Gatell. 7. Paul Bolton. 8. Daniel McCanney. 9. Xavier Leon. 10. Joakim Ljunggren.
Final Championship Standings: 1. Taddy Blazusiak 338. 2. David Knight 274. 3. Jonny Walker 259. 4. Alfredo Gomez 224. 5. Joakim Ljunggren 190. 6. Daniel Gibert-Gatell 179. 7. Mathias Bellino 165. 8. Kyle Redmond 115. 9. Daniel McCanney 96. 10. Kevin Rookstool 77.
Next Week’s Moto Wrap will feature:
– Round 9 of the AMA Supercross being held at the Georgia Dome, Atlanta
– Round 9 of the Amsoil Arenacross Series held at Tulsa
– Round 1 of the Sunshine State Motocross Series held at Roma (Qld)
Catchya next week. Smarty #97
