Smarty’s Moto Wrap for April 15, 2014

Smarty’s Moto Wrap for April 15, 2014

Recent visitor to Australia, Weston Peick along with veteran Ivan Tedesco will join the RCH Racing Soaring Eagle team to race the Lucas Oil Pro Motorcross Championship for 2014. With Josh Hill having a supercross only deal and Broc Tickle injured the RCH team needed riders on their Suzuki’s and for mind Peick at least was the obvious choice.

JGR Yamaha’s Justin Brayton and Josh Grant sat out the Seattle round of the AMA Supercross but JGR was able to field Phil Nicoletti and Vince Friese to keep the wheel rolling for their sponsors. Nicoletti and Friese qualified 17^th and 18^th respectively then finished 18^th and 21^st respectively in the main event.

While on the subject of Seattle, it was a tough track by the time the main events came around with a lot of ruts and sharp edges. James Stewart almost binned it in a big way several times on his way to a distant second place behind Ryan Villopoto. With the championship basically wrapped up by RV, I will now nervously sit through the next two rounds and hope that Stewart doesn’t do something dumb and take himself out of the AMA Motocross Championships with a big crash…..and I am sure the Suzuki team is doing the same. See full report and results below.

As I reported a few weeks ago, the SmarTop/MotoConcepts team is racing the opening round of the AMA Motocross Championships at Glen Helen and then heading north to contest the Canadian Motocross Championships but their 250 rider Kyle Cunningham isn’t going to join Mike Alessi and has confirmed that he will stay in America and race the nationals with help from owner Mike Genova.

Speaking of Glenn Helen, Brett Metcalfe will be on deck before returning to defend his Canadian title and I am sure Metty will be well inside the top ten if he gets to ride to his full potential.

Todd Waters scored tenth overall at the Italian round of the World Motocross Championships last Sunday. The Husqvarna pilot was caught up with a first corner incident to end the opening lap a distant 18^th place but managed to scramble his way up to 14^th place and in the second moto Waters was as far back as 13^th place before blasting his way up to 7^th place. Waters sits seventh overall in the championships.

Similarly Luke Styke started the opening moto just outside the top 20 and did extremely well to end up in 13^th place then in the second moto it was looking much better for the 2013 MX National Champion with a 14^th place start before moving up to 13^th mid moto, but the hard charging trio of Maxime Desprey, Max Anstie and Harri Kullas drop Styke back to 16^th place in the dying laps. Styke has moved into 20^th in the championship standings. See full report and results below.

The MX Nationals round at Appin was a cracker. I sat in my living room and was able to watch qualifying and the final motos on my lap top and found it very cool. There were people criticising the camera work and angles like they were expecting it to be a channel nine style coverage but for me, I thought they did a great job.

How about Matt Moss’s big lose in the first corner of the second moto that almost took him and his brother Jake out? We sort of caught it on the live coverage but the photos say a thousand words, there are very few riders in the world that could have saved that but Matt pulled it off to continue his domination of the day’s racing while Jake Moss is showing the makings of a championship contender with two solid rides.

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The second MX2 moto was a bottler. I am so happy for Jay Wilson to get that moto win but it was a nerve racking race with Kale Makeham all over Jay for the best part of the race and for anyone who doesn’t think it is a great idea to have the two strokes involved in the MX2 class this race should put pay to those thoughts.

Why, I hear you ask? Well, there were certain parts of the track where Wilson’s Serco YZ250F had the advantage while there were other parts where Makeham’s KTM250SX 2-stroke had the advantage. It made for one of the best races I have seen for quite a while. See full report and results below.

Our off-road exports did well over the weekend with Josh Strang coming home in third place at round four of the GNCC while Matthew Phillips went 2-3 over the two days of racing at round two of the World Enduro Championship held in Portugal. Strang sits third in the points chase while Phillips is second outright in this early part of the championships. See full reports and results below.

Our women motocross exports had an up and down weekend with Mackenzie Ticker extending her championship lead after winning round three of the Women’s AMA Motocross Championships held at Glen Helen while Meghan Rutledge lost her World Championship lead after winning the opening moto in Italy before being disqualified from the second moto. See full report and results below.

Moto Wrap for the weekend of April 12/13 includes:

– Round 15 of the AMA Supercross at the Century Link Field in Seattle
– Round 4 of World Motocross Championships in Arco di Trento, Italy
– Round 4 of the GNCC at Big Buck, Union, SC
– Round 3 of the Women’s Motocross Championship at Glen Helen
– Round 2 of the MX Nationals at Appin, NSW
– Round 2 of the FIM World Enduro Championships in Vale De Cambra, Portugal
– Round 1 of the 2014 World Trial Championships in Mt Tarrengower near Maldon, Victoria

2014 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship – Round 15 – Seattle

450 Race Report: For the second straight week, Villopoto had to earn his way into the 450SX Class Main Event through the Semi and once again was able to pilot his Monster Energy Kawasaki to the Nuclear Cowboyz® Holeshot Award when the gates dropped on the night’s final 20-lap race. Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey followed in second with BTO Sports/FLY Racing KTM’s Andrew Short in third. Team Yoshimura Suzuki’s James Stewart asserted himself into fifth.

By the time the field came around to complete the opening lap Villopoto was followed by Dungey and Stewart, pitting the top three riders in the championship in a battle for the win. Stewart made the pass on Dungey for second on Lap 3 and attempted to track down the lead. Villopoto held a comfortable margin from the get go and was able to extend it throughout the race, ultimately posting a wire-to-wire effort to earn just his second career win at his hometown race in six years.

“I don’t think I’ve ever raced in front of a crowd cheering me on this loud. It’s tough to race at home and in the past I haven’t been that stellar here, so to have a race like that is awesome,” said Villopoto, who’s first career 450SX Class win came in Seattle during his 2009 rookie season. “With [James Stewart] and [Ryan Dungey] standing up here next to me, getting a win is huge. I’m not thinking about the championship right now, but it does feel good to have an opportunity to wrap up the title in New York in a couple weeks.”

Stewart and Dungey maintained their podium positions throughout the race and finished in second and third, respectively, ultimately preventing Villopoto from wrapping up his fourth consecutive championship. With a 48-point lead in the standings, Villopoto can clinch the title at the next race, which will take place at MetLife Stadium for the first-time ever next weekend.

450SX Class Results: 1. Ryan Villopoto. 2. James Stewart. 3. Ryan Dungey. 4. Eli Tomac. 5. Justin Barcia. 6. Trey Canard. 7. Ken Roczen. 8. Andrew Short. 9. Josh Hill. 10.Mike Alessi.

450SX Championship Standings: 1. Ryan Villopoto – 318. 2. James Stewart – 270. 3. Ryan Dungey – 267. 4. Ken Roczen – 249. 5. Justin Barcia – 214. 6. Justin Brayton – 196. 7. Andrew Short – 194. 8. Broc Tickle – 126. 9. Josh Hill – 124. 10. Wil Hahn – 122.

250 Race Report: Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Dean Wilson started the Western Regional 250SX Class Main Event by grabbing the Nuclear Cowboyz Holeshot Award with Seely close behind. Seely maintained the pressure on Wilson and was able to make the pass for the lead coming to the line to complete the first lap. Wilson didn’t lose much ground on Seely and was within striking distance throughout the opening laps until he lost traction and went down on Lap 4, dropping to fifth. Wilson’s misfortune allowed Seely to open a gap on the field that he would ultimately maintain for the remainder of the race.

Behind Seely, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Justin Hill and Rockstar Energy Racing’s Jason Anderson engaged in a spirited battle for second. The duo traded spots on multiple occasions with Anderson, the championship leader, crashing and going off the track on separate occasions. Despite his misfortune, Anderson was able to continue the fight with Hill for second and made the pass stick on Lap 12.

Seely’s win helped him gain three points on Anderson, who finished second, to close to within eight points in the championships standings with one race remaining in the Western Regional Championship.

“I’m just trying to stay alive in the points hunt,” said Seely, who won in Seattle in 2011. “I’ve been solid and he [Jason Anderson] has been solid. I got off to good start then Dean [Wilson] made a mistake and I capitalized. We were able to put together 15 solid laps. This is where I need to be, so I’m pumped. I’m not thinking about the points. Whatever happens [in the championship] happens. It’s been a fun year.”

Hill rounded out the podium in third while Wilson bounced back from his crash to finish fourth. The Western Regional 250SX Class Championship will next race at the 2014 season finale from Las Vegas on May 3.

250SX West Results: 1. Cole Seely. 2. Jason Anderson. 3. Justin Hill. 4. Dean Wilson. 5. Jessy Nelson. 6. Zach Osborne. 7. Cooper Webb. 8. Jake Canada. 9. Malcolm Stewart. 10. Shane McElrath.

250SX West Regional Championship Standings After Round 8 of 9: 1. Jason Anderson – 178. 2. Cole Seely – 170. 3. Justin Hill – 139. 4. Dean Wilson – 138. 5. Cooper Webb – 121. 6. Malcolm Stewart – 121. 7. Jessy Nelson – 103. 8. Zach Osborne – 100. 9. Shane McElrath – 96. 10. Jake Canada – 72.

250SX East Regional Championship Standings After Round 7 of 9: 1. Martin Davalos – 149pts Kaw. 2. Justin Bogle 141pts Hon. 3. Adam Cianciarulo 120pts Kaw. 4. Blake Baggett 120pts Kaw. 5. Vince Friese 100pts Hon. 6. Kyle Cunningham 94pts Hon. 7. Cole Thompson 89pts KTM. 8. Jimmy Decotis 78pts Hon. 9. Matt Lemoine 74pts Kaw. 10. Alex Martin 72pts Yam. 11. Matt Bisceglia 60pts Hon. 12. AJ Catanzaro 59pts Hon. 13. Blake Wharton 51pts Hon. 14. Jeremy Martin 49pts Yam. 15. Mitchell Oldenburg 43pts Hon. 16. Kyle Peters 40pts Hon. 17. Jackson Richardson 36pts Hon. 18. Jesse Wentland 34pts Hon. 19. Gannon Audette 25pts Kaw. 20. Levi Kilbarger 21pts Hon.

2014 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series an FIM World Championship – Remaining Rounds

• Rd 16: April 26           – MetLife Stadium – East Rutherford, N.J.
• Rd 17: May 3              – Sam Boyd Stadium – Las Vegas

World Motocross Championships – Round 4 – Arco di Trento, Italy

MXGP Report

Saturday’s MXGP Qualifying Race Results: 1. Steven Frossard (FRA, Kawasaki), 24:29.095; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:09.235; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:14.828; 4. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), +0:25.433; 5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:34.585; 6. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +0:38.438; 7. Davide Guarneri (ITA, TM), +0:39.508; 8. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:40.144; 9. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), +0:45.841; 10. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:46.893. 12. Tyla Rattray. 18. Todd Waters.

It was a fantastic day for Rockstar Energy Suzuki World with both Belgian riders Clement Desalle and Kevin Strijbos finally banking scores that have been a long time coming. One of the biggest MXGP title challengers Clement Desalle got the race win he’s been aiming for since the start of the season, which combined with his second place finish in moto one, landed him on top of the box. Meanwhile his teammate Kevin Strijbos rounded off the podium in third with a fifth in race one and a third in race two to make the podium a complete Belgian affair.

Fellow Belgian Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Van Horebeek has quickly become a podium regular and genuine challenger for the title this year. Despite having a few hairy moments, dodging a bullet when Team HRC’s Evgeny Bobryshev went down on a jump right in front of him, the Belgian didn’t slow down pushing right to the checkers to finish second overall.

Team HRC’s Max Nagl is proving to be that fourth place guy. While a podium would look much better on paper, Nagl is an MXGP veteran and knows first hand, consistency pays off in the long run.

Although the weekend didn’t go to plan for the seven-time FIM Motocross World Champion Antonio Cairoli as he ended the day in fifth overall, the Italian was definitely a winner in the eyes of the public as they lead him around every lap of the track with a massive roaring Mexican Wave. When asked how he felt about the weekend the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider responded “I made too many mistakes myself, I was last on the start in race one and then in race two I crashed, then I got going again and found my lines and my rhythm and then I fell down again. For sure I wanted to win, but it’s not always possible. Anyway, it’s OK, I know the championship is long and fifth is still OK for the championship”.

Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Gautier Paulin was fired up in race one. After only qualifying eighth yesterday, the Frenchman’s choice of gate was taken by riders that qualified in front of him twice before the start of the race. Clearly it added to his determination as he hauled out of the gate to take his third consecutive Fox Holeshot and then went on to lead the race from start to finish for his second race win of the season. Meanwhile in race two, it appeared to be a repeat performance as he took yet another holeshot. After stretching out a gap of three seconds only three laps in, bad luck struck and a technical problem with his bike forced him out of the race. Nonetheless, he still finished sixth overall for the day.

Unfortunately in MXGP race one, yesterday’s top qualifier Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Steven Frossard came together with team mate Gautier Paulin in a battle for the lead on lap one, which resulted in Frossard going down hard. The Frenchman had a concussion and was attended to by the excellent medical crew and then taken to hospital for further examination. Youthstream wishes Steven a fast and full recovery and looks forward to seeing back on the track soon.

While many of the Italian fans missed seeing CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy’s Alessandro Lupino in the MX2 as he made the jump to MXGP this weekend, they were still proud of efforts with his MXGP debut resulting in twelfth overall. Meanwhile fellow Italian TM Ricci Racing’s Davide Guarneri also kept the fans happy with a steady ninth in total.

MXGP Race 1 top ten: 1. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 35:15.959; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:02.310; 3. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:04.616; 4. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), +0:08.139; 5. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:09.826; 6. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:13.420; 7. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:26.871; 8. Joel Roelants (BEL, Honda), +0:51.761; 9. Davide Guarneri (ITA, TM), +0:53.405; 10. Xavier Boog (FRA, Honda), +0:56.941. 14. Todd Waters (Aus, Husqvarna).

MXGP Race 2 top ten: 1. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 33:49.752; 2. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:00.801; 3. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:01.603; 4. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:11.113; 5. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), +0:34.395; 6. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +0:48.437; 7. Todd Waters (AUS, Husqvarna), +0:49.173; 8. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), +0:50.297; 9. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +0:53.200; 10. Xavier Boog (FRA, Honda), +0:59.055

MXGP Overall top ten: 1. Clement Desalle (BEL, SUZ), 47 points; 2. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 42 p.; 3. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 36 p.; 4. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HON), 34 p.; 5. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 33 p.; 6. Gautier Paulin (FRA, KAW), 25 p.; 7. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 24 p.; 8. Xavier Boog (FRA, HON), 22 p.; 9. Davide Guarneri (ITA, TM), 22 p.; 10. Todd Waters (AUS, HUS), 21 p

MXGP World Championship Classification Top Ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 175 points; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, SUZ), 158 p.; 3. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 154 p.; 4. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HON), 144 p.; 5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, KAW), 137 p.; 6. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 109 p.; 7. Todd Waters (AUS, HUS), 89 p.; 8. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 81 p.; 9. Joel Roelants (BEL, HON), 76 p.; 10. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 72 p.

MX2 Report

Saturday’s MX2 Qualifying Race Results: . Valentin Guillod (SUI, KTM), 25:00.220; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:02.534; 3. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:03.002; 4. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Kawasaki), +0:09.773; 5. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +0:27.495; 6. Max Anstie (GBR, Yamaha), +0:28.851; 7. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:29.260; 8. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +0:33.150; 9. Mel Pocock (GBR, KTM), +0:34.163; 10. Damon Graulus (BEL, KTM), +0:34.665. 13. Glenn Coldenhoff. 14. Luke Styke (AUS, Yamaha).

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings had to use every piece of real estate on the circuit of Arco di Trento today as he battled his way forward from two very average starts to take a win in race one and a second in race two for the MX2 Grand Prix of Trentino overall. In the press conference Jeffrey said, “my speed is not good but my fitness is good, I’m just missing hours on the bike, I’m not feeling good at all which gives the other guys a bit of a chance, but I will still come back strong.”

Team CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy’s Arnaud Tonus put in a strong effort today in Arco with a second in race one and a third in race two after banging bars with arch rival Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings. The combination of a 2 – 3 result left Tonus second overall for the day which was enough to hold on to the red plate with a lead of six points over Glenn Coldenhoff.

Meanwhile Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe’s Glenn Coldenhoff proved he is a solid contender for this title when he got off to a great start and put the pass on a super confident Valentin Guillod to take over the lead. Although he only got eighth in race one thanks to a bad start in which he agreed “I got a bad start and I just couldn’t find good lines to make passes”, the Dutchman bounced back in the second race for his second victory of the year. His combined 8 – 1 result left him in third overall for the day.

There must be something in the water in Switzerland with Standing Construct KTM’s Valentin Guillod being the second Swiss rider inside the top five. After taking pole position in qualifying yesterday, Guillod lined up today and ripped two Fox holeshots. The young Swiss who was last year’s European EMX250 champion then went on to lead laps in both races, with a fall in race one hindering what could have been his first podium finish of the year. Nevertheless, Guillod bounced back in race one to take fourth and backed that up with another fourth in race two for fourth overall.

Rounding out the top five Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Romain Febvre is still continuing to move forward. With a seventh in race one and a fifth in race two Febvre rounded finished fifth and moved up to fourth in the MX2 championship overall.

MX2 Race 1 top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 33:54.254; 2. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Kawasaki), +0:02.818; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:11.277; 4. Valentin Guillod (SUI, KTM), +0:13.188; 5. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:20.052; 6. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +0:22.015; 7. Romain Febvre (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:24.788; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Suzuki), +0:25.139; 9. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +0:36.305; 10. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:40.523. 13. Luke Styke (AUS Yamaha)

MX2 Race 2 top ten: 1. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Suzuki), 34:08.866; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:02.787; 3. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Kawasaki), +0:04.355; 4. Valentin Guillod (SUI, KTM), +0:19.297; 5. Romain Febvre (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:27.905; 6. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +0:31.225; 7. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +0:33.543; 8. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, Husqvarna), +0:43.821; 9. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:44.897; 10. Petar Petrov (BUL, Yamaha), +0:51.304. 16. Luke Styke (AUS Yamaha)

MX2 Overall top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 47 points; 2. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, KAW), 42 p.; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, SUZ), 38 p.; 4. Valentin Guillod (SUI, KTM), 36 p.; 5. Romain Febvre (FRA, HUS), 30 p.; 6. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 30 p.; 7. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 30 p.; 8. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 28 p.; 9. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 26 p.; 10. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, HUS), 20 p. 12. Luke Styke, 13 p.

MX2 World Championship Classification Top Ten: 1. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, KAW), 154 points; 2. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, SUZ), 148 p.; 3. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 144 p.; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, HUS), 126 p.; 5. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, KAW), 118 p.; 6. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 107 p.; 7. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, HUS), 107 p.; 8. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 100 p.; 9. Valentin Guillod (SUI, KTM), 95 p.; 10. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 93 p. 20. Luke Styke (AUS, YAM), 27p.

WMX Report

Aussie Meghan Rutledge won the opening moto convincingly and was looking like she was going to repeat the dose in the second moto before disaster struck and the Kawasaki rider took a dive just after the wave section and after a well-intentioned flag marshal assisted her the Aussie was disqualified from the results scoring no points in the second moto. Despite the setback Rutledge site third in the championships, just five points back from Ireland’s Natalie Kane.

“I’m so happy with how I’m riding but so disappointed with the disqualification.” Rutledge commented. “I felt good all weekend but went down in a big way in the second moto, I was trying to tell the flag marshal not to assist me, I just wanted to roll down the hill to get started again but there was definitely a language barrier in the way. He meant well but I was disqualified so I’m very disappointed.

“You don’t know how hungry I am to make up for this at Valkenswaard,” Rutledge added.

WMX Race 1 top ten: 1. Meghan Kat Rutledge (AUS, Kawasaki), 25:00.375; 2. Livia Lancelot (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:04.899; 3. Chiara Fontanesi (ITA, Yamaha), +0:09.134; 4. Natalie Kane (IRL, KTM), +0:17.193; 5. Stephanie Laier (GER, Suzuki), +0:42.051; 6. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Suzuki), +0:55.748; 7. Francesca Nocera (ITA, Suzuki), +0:59.361; 8. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, Yamaha), +1:11.352; 9. Justine Charroux (FRA, Yamaha), +1:30.820; 10. Anne Borchers (GER, Suzuki)

WMX Race 2 top ten: 1. Chiara Fontanesi (ITA, Yamaha), 24:57.236; 2. Stephanie Laier (GER, Suzuki), +0:04.342; 3. Natalie Kane (IRL, KTM), +0:04.743; 4. Francesca Nocera (ITA, Suzuki), +0:30.768; 5. Livia Lancelot (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:40.196; 6. Marianne Veenstra (NED, Husqvarna), +0:48.048; 7. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Suzuki), +0:50.427; 8. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, Yamaha), +0:51.477; 9. Anne Borchers (GER, Suzuki), +1:07.304; 10. Julie Dalgaard (DEN, Yamaha), +1:12.536

WMX Overall top ten: 1. Chiara Fontanesi (ITA, YAM), 45 points; 2. Stephanie Laier (GER, SUZ), 38 p.; 3. Natalie Kane (IRL, KTM), 38 p.; 4. Livia Lancelot (FRA, KAW), 38 p.; 5. Francesca Nocera (ITA, SUZ), 32 p.; 6. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, SUZ), 29 p.; 7. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, YAM), 26 p.; 8. Marianne Veenstra (NED, HUS), 25 p.; 9. Meghan Kat Rutledge (AUS, KAW), 25 p.; 10. Anne Borchers (GER, SUZ), 23 p.

WMX World Championship Classification Top Ten: 1. Natalie Kane (IRL, KTM), 80 points; 2. Chiara Fontanesi (ITA, YAM), 78 p.; 3. Meghan Kat Rutledge (AUS, KAW), 75 p.; 4. Livia Lancelot (FRA, KAW), 74 p.; 5. Stephanie Laier (GER, SUZ), 72 p.; 6. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, YAM), 60 p.; 7. Francesca Nocera (ITA, SUZ), 60 p.; 8. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, SUZ), 58 p.; 9. Marianne Veenstra (NED, HUS), 47 p.; 10. Justine Charroux (FRA, YAM), 42 p.

The next round of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship will take place in Valkenswaard, The Netherlands in three weeks’ time.

GNCC – Round 4 – Big Buck, Union, SC

Round 4 of the 2014 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series presented by Maxxis, an AMA National Championship, presented some of the most favourable weather conditions of the season with sunny skies and temperatures nearing the 80-degree mark. While the South Carolina temperatures were a welcomed change for spectators on Sunday, the track conditions were nothing short of brutal for the racers competing in the 18th Annual VP Racing Fuels Big Buck GNCC in Union County.

Factory FMF/KTM’s Kailub Russell extended his winning streak to three-in-a-row at the fourth stop of the 13-round series, topping his teammate and closest competitor Charlie Mullins by approximately one minute. However, like his other two wins this season, Russell had to work for this one.

N-Fab AmPro Yamaha’s Paul Whibley secured the $250 All Balls Racing XC1 Holeshot Award, while his teammate Jordan Ashburn grabbed the lead on the opening lap. While the rest of the pack was rounding the second corner, Russell was just getting through the start straight after another rider went down in front of him. From there, Russell charged his way through the pack, eventually taking over the lead from Mullins on Lap 3. Russell’s quick pace was enough to earn the $150 KR4 Performance Fastest Lap once again.

“I was about 30 seconds down from Charlie’s lead and it was tough to make moves real fast and get around those guys quick so I just chose good lines. I knew that if I could catch him [Mullins] I was going to win,” Russell said.

Mullins kept the pressure on Russell throughout much of the race, but a couple of mistakes cost him a substantial amount of time in the final laps of the three-hour race.

“I clipped a lapper and ended up hitting a tree and hitting my hand pretty good,” Mullins said. “The last few laps were pretty tough but I just did the best I could and didn’t really make up any time.”

Russell’s Round 4 victory will give the reigning champ the overall points lead and white number plate background for the first time this season, with only a two point advantage over Mullins heading into the fifth round.

Rocky Mountain ATV*MC/N-Fab AmPro Yamaha’s Josh Strang ran into issues firing his bike up on the start, where he immediately tucked in behind Russell on the opening lap. Strang made his way into the third place position and set his sights on Mullins for second place. Just as he reeled the KTM duo in, Strang had a crash that set him back a little further. Despite a valiant effort on the final lap, Strang wasn’t able to catch the leaders in time for the checkered flag.

“I caught Charlie and he picked up the pace and I couldn’t hang there at the end of the race,” Strang said. “I used a little more energy trying to catch those guys. I wanted to give it a go and I nearly did at the end but once I had that crash I was pretty much done.”

Factory Husqvarna’s Andrew Delong put forth the best ride of his XC1 Pro Class rookie season in South Carolina. Delong didn’t get the best start but the former XC2 Pro Lites standout put himself inside the top five soon enough, where he locked in the fourth place position. N-Fab AmPro Yamaha’s Paul Whibley finished in fifth after an impressive come-from-behind charge, while his teammate Jordan Ashburn followed in sixth.

Factory FMF/KTM’s Steward Baylor finished seventh in the XC1 Pro Class, followed by Maxxis/KLIM/DirtWise KTM Race Team’s Jason Thomas, Rockstar Energy/WMR/KTM’s Ryan Sipes and HR Motorsports-backed Takeshi Koikeda rounded out the top 10 in XC1.

It was a tough day for the Honda-backed rides of RideMPS.com/AMSOIL/Honda’s Thad DuVall and Johnny Campbell Racing (JCR) Honda’s Chris Bach, who both succumbed to the vicious conditions out on the course. Both riders spent some time in their pit areas making suspension adjustments, but neither was able to score championship points at Round 4.

The XC2 Pro Lites championship battled heated up as reigning champ Grant Baylor took over the points lead with a big win in his home state. It wasn’t Baylor’s from the beginning, though, as Raines Riding University/Yamaha-backed Ricky Russell led five of the six laps out there. Russell experienced a crash on the final lap that allowed Baylor to move by for the win.

Russell held on to finish second, while North Carolina’s Trevor Bollinger, Round 3 XC2 winner, rounded out the class podium with a third place finish.

The 2014 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series resumes April 26 and 27 with the Dunlop Limestone 100 in Springville, Ind. For more information on the series, visit www.gnccracing.com.

XC1 Event Results: 1. Kailub Russell (KTM). 2. Charlie Mullins (KTM). 3. Josh Strang (YAM). 4. Andrew Delong (HSQ). 5. Paul Whibley (YAM). 6. Jordan Ashburn (YAM). 7. Steward Baylor (KTM). 8. Jason Thomas (KTM). 9. Ryan Sipes (KTM). 10. Takeshi Koikeda (HON).

Overall National Championship Standings (after Round 4 of 13): 1. Kailub Russell (97). 2. Charlie Mullins (95). 3. Josh Strang (79). 4. Jordan Ashburn (65). 5. Paul Whibley (59). 6. Steward Baylor (57). 7. Grant Baylor (52). 8. Andrew Delong (48). 9. Ricky Russell (44). 10. Trevor Bollinger (44).

XC2 Event Results: 1. Grant Baylor (KTM). 2. Ricky Russell (YAM). 3. Trevor Bollinger (HON). 4. Layne Michael (HON). 5. Jesse Groemm (KTM). 6. Callan May (YAM). 7. Sam Evans (YAM). 8. Shane Hufford Jr (KTM). 9. Jedediah Haines (YAM). 10. Mark Heresco Jr. (KTM)

XC2 Series Standings: 1. Grant Baylor (96). 2. Ricky Russell (93). 3. Trevor Bollinger (90). 4. Shane Hufford Jr (65). 5. Rory Mead (56). 6. Callan May (56). 7. Layne Michael (53). 8. Sam Evans (51). 9. Chris Douglas (36). 10. Jesse Groemm (31)

Women’s AMA Motocross Championship Round 3 – California Classic – Glen Helen

Australian Mackenzie has dominated round three of the Women’s AMA Motocross Championship held at Glen Helen and in doing so extended her championship points lead heading to round four at the famous Mammoth Mountain race weekend in June. Tricker was in fine form at Glen Helen punching out lap times several second per lap ahead of her nearest competition but at the time of writing the championship points are not available.

WMX Overall: 1. Mackenzie Tricker Yam. 2. Marissa Markelon Kaw. 3. Sayaka Kaneshiro Hon. 4. Hailey Larson Yam. 5. Shelby Rolen Yam. 6. Cortney Roewer KTM. 7. Jessica Goodman Yam. 8. Amber Felicio Hon. 9. Glad Limbaugh Suz. 10. Christel Allen Hon. 11. Brandy Richards Kaw. 12. Victoria Johnson Kaw.

Remaining Rounds

• Round 4 SAT Jun 28 Mammoth Mountain – Mammoth Lakes, CA
• Round 5 SUN Aug 31 Baja Brawl – Millington, MI
• Round 6 SUN Oct 5 KROC Raceway Park – Englishtown, NJ
• Round 7 SUN Oct 19 Top Gun Showdown – Blountville, TN
• Round 8 SAT Nov 29 Winter Olympics – Gainesville, FL

MX Nationals Round 2 – Appin, NSW

MX1 Race Report: Team Motul Suzuki Rider Matt Moss has performed a clean sweep in the MX1 class at the 2014 Monster Energy MX Nationals, winning both motos in the second round of the series at Appin in New South Wales.

Moss’ twin brother Jake took his National Pump Monster Energy Kawasaki bike to back-to-back second placings to finish second outright on the day and completing the mirror of results from moto one to moto two, KTM Motocross Race Team rider Kirk Gibbs finished both races in third position.

The format for round two changed to the two-moto format (30 minutes + 1 lap per moto) meaning standings in each race carried significant importance in contributing to the outright results.

In the opening MX1 race, reigning champion Moss again proved that he is the rider to beat in 2014, charging straight to the holeshot and dominating from start to finish.

Moss was never threatened taking all 35 points on offer in the race – finishing nearly 8 seconds clear of his brother Jake in second.

Jake was impressive in the early stages of the race as he initially challenged for the lead, before doing enough to finish ahead of Gibbs in third, and Billy Mackenzie (CDR Yamaha) in fourth.

Mackenzie had been third for much of the race before he landed on the edge of a tabletop mid-race, which relegated him back to fourth.

Despite the hiccup he still managed to finish more than 20 seconds ahead of Suzuki privateers Hayden Mellross in fifth place and Jacob Wright (Honda) in sixth.

Adam Monea (Monster Energy Kawasaki), who finished second overall at the opening round in Broadford, had a start to forget and despite his best efforts could only register a 14^th place finish.

The second moto of the day nearly saw chaos at the first turn as Matt Moss had a case of the shakes and made contact with Jake.

He managed to regain his composure and stay upright, but not before Honda rider Alex Snow could sneak through to take the holeshot.

His lead lasted less than two corners before Matt Moss, followed by Jake, passed and took control of the race, and the pair spent the next 30 minutes riding as though they were having fun in their backyard.

The top five was rounded out by Gibbs, Mackenzie and Monea (in third, fourth and fifth respectively) – positions which the trio held their throughout most of the race itself.

In the overall championship standings, Matt Moss already has a huge buffer with 173 points – 20 points clear of Gibbs with Monea a further 13 behind.

“I’m super-happy with this,” said Moss. “Even though we won at the first round, it didn’t really go to plan, but this time we did and it was a good race for us. I’m excited about having Jake challenge me, it was nice to dominate this class today, and we will keep moving forward from here.”

“The bike is actually better than it’s ever been right now. Jay convinced me to try some things in that second moto and it was even improved again, which is a big part of why this team is so strong. Decisions have been great so far and the results are there to show that, so thanks to everyone for helping us to make this happen.”

Jake Moss knew this round was going to be tough. “Usually two second place finishes get you the win but unfortunately this is Matt’s (Moss) home track so I was expecting him to be quick. I needed the starts so I could race my race and try and pull away but unfortunately I was 4th and 5th off the start. The National Pump Monster Energy Kawasaki handled really well all day and I got my first podium for the year. It’s only the 2nd round and there’s a lot to go. I think me and Matt will battle all the way til the end.”

Monster Energy MX1 Timed Qualifying: 1-Matt Moss – 01:42.315. 2-Kirk Gibbs – 01:43.490. 3-Jake Moss – 01:44.400. 4-Adam Monea – 01:44.780. 5-Jay Marmont – 01:44.973. 6-Billy Mackenzie – 01:45.542. 7-Sam Martin – 01:45.835. 8-Rhys Carter – 01:46.118. 9-Jesse Dobson – 01:46.214. 10-Jacob Wright – 01:46.258.

Go Pro Super Pole MX1: 1-Kirk Gibbs – 01:42.628. 2-Jake Moss – 01:42.634. 3-Matt Moss – 01:42.866. 4-Jay Marmont – 01:45.229. 5-Adam Monea – 01:45.689.

Monster Energy MX1 Moto 1: 1-Matt Moss – 01:44.129. 2-Jake Moss – 01:44.851. 3-Kirk Gibbs – 01:46.710. 4-Billy Mackenzie – 01:46.811. 5-Hayden Mellross – 01:47.372. 6-Jacob Wright – 01:47.923. 7-Rhys Carter – 01:47.219. 8-Kade Mosig – 01:47.205. 9-Jay Marmont – 01:47.805. 10-Brock Winston – 01:47.890.

Monster Energy MX1 Moto2: 1-Matt Moss – 01:41.965. 2-Jake Moss – 01:41.990. 3-Kirk Gibbs – 01:43.363. 4-Billy Mackenzie – 01:43.569. 5-Adam Monea – 01:44.067. 6-Jay Marmont – 01:45.698. 7-Jacob Wright – 01:44.892. 8-Hayden Mellross – 01:45.988. 9-Rhys Carter – 01:45.928. 10-Kade Mosig – 01:46.601.

MX1 Overall: 1. Matt Moss – 70. 2. Jake Moss – 64. 3. Kirk Gibbs – 60. 4. Billy Mackenzie – 56. 5. Jacob Wright – 49. 6. Hayden Mellross – 49. 7. Jay Marmont – 47. 8. Rhys Carter – 46. 9. Kade Mosig – 44. 10. Adam Monea – 43. 11. Alex Snow – 39. 12. Brock Winston – 38. 13. Jesse Dobson – 34. 14. Lewis Woods – 34. 15. Sam Martin – 33. 16. Brad Groombridge – 29. 17. Dylan Gosling – 29. 18. Kieran Tisdale – 29. 19. Will Angel – 25. 20. Michael Grassick – 22.

MX1 Championship Standings (After Round 2 to 10): 1. Matt Moss – 173. 2. Kirk Gibbs – 153. 3. Adam Monea – 140. 4. Jake Moss – 139. 5. Billy Mackenzie – 125. 6. Kade Mosig – 120. 7. Rhys Carter – 120. 8. Jay Marmont – 115. 9. Hayden Mellross – 114. 10. Jacon Wright – 105. 11. Brock Winston – 99. 12. Brad Groombridge – 96. 13. Sam Martin – 91. 14. Jesse Dobson – 87. 15. Lewis Woods – 85. 16. Kieran Tisdale – 66. 17. Dylan Dylan – 58. 18. Michael Grassick – 46. 19. Will Angel – 45. 20. Matt Ginders – 43.

MX2 Race Report: Serco Yamaha rider Luke Clout has taken outright honours in the MX2 class at the second round of the 2014 Monster Energy MX Nationals held at Appin in New South Wales.

In a fiercely competitive day of action, only two points separated first and third place in the overall standings as Clout held his nerve with a third place in the second moto to go with his race-one win.

Clout finished one point ahead of Tunetech Racing KTM Australia rider Kale Makeham (second and second from his two motos) and another point clear of fellow Serco Yamaha rider Jay Wilson in third (fourth and first from his two motos).

In the first moto, opening round winner Kayne Lamont (Husqvarna Red Bull WIL Sport NZ Racing) took the holeshot, only to be passed by Clout on the opening lap.

On lap four, the Kiwi rider hit a soft section of the track, which caused him to fall over his bars and forced an early end to his race.

From that point on Clout (first) and Makeham (second) pulled away from the field, shifting the focus of the race to an enthralling battle behind them between Errol Willis (Axis Motorsports), Ryan Marmont (Raceline Pirelli Suzuki) and Wilson.

In the end it was Marmont who took third place in the race ahead of Wilson in fourth, SD3 Husqvarna rider Luke Arbon in fifth and Willis in sixth.

In the second moto, a huge bunch up at the opening corner spelled disaster for Willis who despite coming off his bike still managed a respectable 18th.

Avoiding the pile-up was KTM rider Caleb Ward who grabbed the holeshot from Makeham, Wilson, Marmont and Lamont.

On the third lap, a slight misjudgement forced Makeham to drop back into third place, with Wilson shooting into first.

Despite pressure throughout the race from Makeham – who managed to claw back into second, Wilson fought bravely to hold him off and register his first win in the MX2 class.

Makeham finished in second place with Clout working through the field to claim third, Hamish Harwood (CMR Redbull KTM) finishing in fourth and Wade Hunter taking his KTM to fifth.

In the overall championship standings, Clout has opened up a 14-point gap from Harwood, with Brenden Harrison (Instant Security KTM) a further two points behind.

Clout had this to say. “Round one didn’t go as the team and I planned and it was important we back on track immediately, so that was our plan for today. Race one went well and I got into the lead early in the race and just put in my laps and I was able to stretch the lead out late in the race. The second one was a bit tougher as I was in a bit of a freight train of riders and making passes was difficult.”

“But we managed to get to third and that was good enough for the round win. I wasn’t that happy with how I raced in the last won but it was all I had to do. it is pretty cool to win here at Appin as I had a lot of friends here and it was a great day for the team to have us both on the podium,” Clout ends.

Kale Makeham was happy with the day. “We had a good day, it was great to come back like that after Broadford, where I had bad starts and just didn’t ride like myself after that first corner crash which kind of made me question a few things. So it was good to come to Appin and be straight back where we belong, I was fastest in both motos so it’s great to see the hard work has paid off and I’m in a good position. That first race I was in second and probably could have made a move for first but I was happy to get the day off with some good momentum. In the second I did everything I could and only missed the overall by a point. In the overall scheme of things it’s not a bad day so we’ll take that!”

Championship favourite Kayne Lamont had this to say. “I had a shocker. Race one I got the holeshot, and Clout passed me, then about 10 min in I had a big spill of the ski and landed in the soft stuff and swapped off and face planted and took a big whack to the head, my shoulder and leg. I wasn’t healthy enough to finish off the moto so I went back to the pits. I wasn’t very well between races, I had my appendix out not so long ago, and it upset that little bit too. I wasn’t the healthiest creature. I had a few Panadols which stopped it a little so I could get out and ride. I think I was in 4th most of the race and then had a crash about halfway through, so the focus levels probably weren’t up to scratch, went back to tenth, but made my way back to sixth, and was completely blown out. I took my helmet off and spewed; I was not too well that’s for sure, so I was pretty stoked that I could collect some points for the day. It’s time for a healthy one I think!”

Motul MX2 Timed Qualifiying: 1-Brenden Harrison – 01:48.355. 2-Hamish Harwood – 01:48.640. 3-Luke Clout – 01:49.330. 4-Errol Willis – 01:49.934. 5-Kayne Lamont – 01:50.435. 6-Kale Makeham – 01:50.664. 7-Ryan Marmont – 01:50.739. 8-Caleb Ward – 01:51.026. 9-Daniel McCoy – 01:51.135. 10-Nick Sutherland – 01:51.291.

Motul MX2 Moto 1: 1-Luke Clout – 01:46.306. 2-Kale Makeham – 01:45.454. 3-Ryan Marmont – 01:47.182. 4-Jay Wilson – 01:47.355. 5-Luke Arbon – 01:47.000. 6-Errol Willis – 01:47.881. 7-Brenden Harrison – 01:47.793. 8-Hamish Harwood – 01:48.921. 9-Daniel McCoy – 01:48.478. 10-Nick Sutherland – 01:48.143.

Motul MX2 Moto 2: 1-Jay Wilson – 01:47.154. 2-Kale Makeham – 01:45.472. 3-Luke Clout – 01:47.302. 4-Hamish Harwood – 01:47.580. 5-Wade Hunter – 01:47.588. 6-Kayne Lamont – 01:46.888. 7-Brenden Harrison – 01:46.511. 8-Joel Milesevic – 01:48.034. 9-Ryan Marmont – 01:47.559. 10-Nick Sutherland – 01:49.023.

MX2 Overall: 1. Luke Clout – 65. 2. Kale Makeham – 64. 3. Jay Wilson – 63. 4. Ryan Marmont – 52. 5. Hamish Harwood – 51. 6. Brenden Harrison – 48. 7. Wade Hunter – 45. 8. Nick Sutherland – 42. 9. Daniel McCoy – 41. 10. Hamish Dobbyn – 40. 11. Joel Milesevic – 39. 12. Errol Willis – 38. 13. Luke Arbon – 38. 14. Caleb Ward – 35. 15. Riley Graham – 31. 16. Jake Emanuelli – 31. 17. Kayne Lamont – 25. 18. Nick Scott – 25. 19. Joel Evans – 25. 20. Dakota Court – 21.

MX2 Overall Championship Standings (After Round 2 to 10): 1. Luke Clout – 146. 2. Hamish Harwood – 132. 3. Brenden Harrison – 130. 4. Kayne Lamont – 127. 5. Kale Makeham – 121. 6. Ryan Marmont – 115. 7. Wade Hunter – 114. 8. Jay Wilson – 104. 9. Nick Scott – 97. 10. Daniel McCoy – 91. 11. Caleb Ward – 90. 12. Errol Willis – 89. 13. Hamish Dobbyn – 89. 14. Luke Arbon – 86. 15. Nick Sutherland – 79. 16. Joel Milesevic – 71. 17. Daniel Banks – 64. 18. Dylan Long – 62. 19. Jake Emanuelli – 54. 20. Matt van Slooten – 48.

MXD Race Report: Bolton KTM Motorcycles rider Jack Simpson has claimed round honours in the MXD class at the 2014 Monster Energy MX Nationals at Appin in New South Wales.

Simpson won the second moto of the day to go with his opening race second place, to finish six points clear of Husqvarna Austrlia’s Egan Mastin (first and fifth from his two races).

Opening round winner Jed Beaton (GYTR Yamaha) finished the second round in third place overall, following fourth and second place finishes from his two motos.

Fellow GYTR Yamaha rider Wilson Todd and Husqvarna rider Nathan Crawford continued their consistent performances from round one, finishing the Appin round in fourth and fifth place outright respectively.

Egan Mastin almost has his first round win. “It wasn’t too bad today, I was happy with the first moto and I got a good lead, but I was little disappointed with the last one. I was coming down the back hill there, and the lappers didn’t move out of the main line, so I just went around the outside and cut a different line to what I had been running and I tucked the front in a rut. That cost me the round win. A bit of a bummer, but I’m only one point off the series lead anyway.”

Nathan Crawford’s 3-7 results is not what he was after. “I had a good first race, got a good start, and rode a good consistent race for a solid third. But the second moto I just got a terrible start and the first corner was about a foot deep in mud all the way around. I was coming back through the pack real good, then about on the fourth lap I just tucked the front in a rut and had to re-pass all the riders I’d already passed again. I battled away into seventh, and then crossing the line fifth, sixth and I were all wheel after wheel. I’m fourth now in the championship, there’s 11 points between the leader and me. I really just need to work on my starts; if I can crack a holeshot I can really show what I can do.”

Pirelli MXD Timed Qualifying: 1-Wilson Todd – 01:48.898. 2-Egan Mastin – 01:50.722. 3-Nathan Crawford – 01:50.826. 4-Jed Beaton – 01:51.226. 5-Aaron Tanti – 01:51.276. 6-Jack Simpson – 01:51.424. 7-Jesse McNally – 01:52.496. 8-Blake Colleton – 01:52.615. 9-Brock McLeary – 01:52.658. 10-Dylan Wilson – 01:52.972.

Pirelli MXD Moto 1: 1-Egan Mastin – 01:47.482. 2-Jack Simpson – 01:48.915. 3-Nathan Crawford – 01:48.863. 4. Jed Beaton – 01:49.204. 5-Kyle Webster – 01:52.380. 6-Aaron Tanti – 01:51.792. 7-Wilson Todd – 01:50.317. 8-Jesse McNally – 01:53.267. 9-Braden Collins – 01:52.997. 10-Blake Colleton – 01:51.730.

Pirelli MXD Moto 2: 1-Jack Simpson – 01:48.631. 2-Jed Beaton – 01:47.687. 3-Wilson Todd – 01:48.025. 4-Blake Colleton – 01:49.172. 5-Egan Mastin – 01:47.652. 6-Aaron Tanti – 01:49.982. 7-Nathan Crawford – 01:49.770. 8-Kyle Webster – 01:49.539. 9-Dylan Wilson – 01:50.816. 10-Jesse McNally – 01:50.677.

MXD Overall: 1. Jack Simpson – 67. 2. Egan Mastin – 61. 3. Jed Beaton – 60. 4. Wilson Todd – 54. 5. Nathan Crawford – 54. 6. Aaron Tanti – 50. 7. Black Colleton – 49. 8, Kyle Webster – 49. 9. Jesse McNally – 44. 10. Braden Collins – 42.

MXD Championship Standings (After Round 2 to 8): 1. Jed Beaton – 156. 2. Egan Mastin – 155. 3. Jack Simpson – 152. 4. Nathan Crawford – 145. 5. Wilson Todd – 125. 6. Jayden Rykers – 106. 7. Brock McLeary – 101. 8. Jarrod Kelly – 96. 9. Jesse McNally – 95. 10. Kyle Webster – 90.

Yamaha Junior Cup Report: The Appin event was the first time in the series that the Yamaha 125cc Junior Cup has featured as a support class, and it was Mitchell Evans (KTM Australia Junior Race Team) who managed a clean-sweep with two comprehensive race wins.

Berry Sweet Husqvarna pilot Connor Tierney overcame two poor starts to navigate his way through the field in each race and register two third-place finishes.

Yamaha Junior Racing Team rider Cody Dyce was a model of consistency claiming two fourth-placings in his two races to take third overall for the round while privateer Dylan Dukes rode his KTM to fourth overall for the round (fifth and sixth from two races)  while Yamaha Junior Racing Teams’ Brendon Walther rounded out the top five (second and 14th).

Yamaha Junior Cup Timed Qualifying: 1-Mitchell Evans – 01:49.590. 2-Kaleb Barham – 01:54.188. 3-Reece Rayner – 01:54.714. 4-Michael Driscoll – 01:56.237. 5-Jordan Hill – 01:56.262. 6-Brendon Walther – 01:56.291. 7-Morgan Oloughlin – 01:56.813. 8-Cody Dyce – 01:56.895. 9-Connor Tierney – 01:56.966. 10-Blake Parker – 01:57.357.

Yamaha Junior Cup Moto 1: 1-Mitchell Evans – 01:48.210. 2-Brendon Walther – 01:51.399. 3-Connor Tierney – 01:50.389. 4-Cody Dyce – 01:51.948. 5-Dylan Dukes – 01:52.947. 6-Jordan Hill – 01:52.782. 7-Reece Rayner – 01:54.142. 8-Joel Adamson – 01:55.428. 9-Blake Parker – 01:53.449. 10-Michael Driscoll – 01:53.864.

Yamaha Junior Cup Moto 2: 1-Mitchell Evans – 01:45.974. 2-Kaleb Barham – 01:52.873. 3-Connor Tierney – 01:52.052. 4-Cody Dyce – 01:52.338. 5-Callum Norton – 01:53.570. 6-Dylan Dukes – 01:55.360. 7-Morgan Oloughlin – 01:54.125. 8-Blake Parker – 01:55.550. 9-Reece Rayner – 01:55.419. 10-Brendan Tanti – 01:54.297.

FIM Enduro World Championships – Round 2 – Vale De Cambra, Portugal

Day 1 Race Report: Tough conditions ensure non-stop race action on day one at the FIM Maxxis Enduro World Championship GP Polisport of Portugal in Vale de Cambra. With the tough and technical Portuguese terrain challenging the world’s best enduro riders to their limits, it was Christophe NAMBOTIN (KTM) that won the Enduro 1 category. Antoine MEO (KTM) edged out Pela RENET (Husqvarna) to claim victory in Enduro 2 while Ivan CERVANTES (KTM) led home the highly competitive Enduro 3 class.

Continuing their duel at the front of the Enduro 2 class, France’s Antoine MEO (KTM) and Pela RENET (Husqvarna) fought for the victory. Holding the race lead for the majority of the day, RENET lost out on his chance of winning when MEO attacked hard on the final lap to top the standings.

“That was a tough day but a great battle for the victory,” told MEO. “Conditions were difficult and I had to work hard to overcome a slow start in the morning. Pela was riding very strong but luckily I just beat him on the final lap to win.” Unable to hold off the late charge from MEO, RENET was forced to settle for the runner-up result. Slowly recovering from his recently broken thumb, defending champion Italy’s Alex SALVINI (Honda) beat Beta’s Johnny AUBERT (F) to secure his first podium result of the season. With AUBERT fourth, Spain’s Oriol MENA (Beta) completed the top five.

Recording his third victory of the series, Spain’s Ivan CERVANTES (KTM) won the Enduro 3 category. Trailing early pace setters Mathias BELLINO (F-Husqvarna) and teammate Matt PHILLIPS (AUS), CERVANTES gained control of the race lead at the midway point in the day to secure a 28-second margin of victory. “On lap one both Mathias and Matt were riding very fast but once I settled in to the race my speed got better,” explained CERVANTES.

“I found some nice lines and got into the lead to win.” Ensuring a KTM 1-2 on day one in Portugal, PHILLIPS finished as runner-up to CERVANTES. Despite getting his day off to a fast start, a couple of mistakes dropped BELLINO back to third overall. Missing out on a top three result by just six tenths of a second, Finland’s Matti SEISTOLA (Sherco) was fourth. Sixteen seconds adrift of Seistola, Estonia’s Aigar LEOK (TM) took fifth.

Forced to overcome a costly mistake on the opening extreme test, France’s Christophe NAMBOTIN (KTM) fought his way back into contention to win the Enduro 1 class. Marching on to record a comfortable victory, NAMBOTIN remains the rider to beat in 2014.

“Of course I’m happy to have won but I also made a lot of mistakes,” commented NAMBOTIN. “I crashed too many times on the first two laps and just wasn’t feeling comfortable. The victory is great but I need to work on a few things for day two.” Behind NAMBOTIN the battle for the remainder of the podium was fought out between Finland’s Eero REMES, Cristobal GUERRERO (S-KTM) and France’s Anthony BOISSIERE (Sherco). Beating his rivals on the final extreme test, REMES was rewarded with the runner-up result while GUERRERO narrowly finished ahead of BOISSIERE to snatch third. With the Sherco rider forced to settle for fourth, Jeremy TARROUX (F-Sherco) rounded out the top five.

E1 Day One Results

1. NAMBOTIN Christophe FRA KTM
2. REMES Eero FIN TM
3. GUERRERO Cristobal ESP KTM
4. BOISSIERE Anthony FRA SHERCO
5. TARROUX Jeremy FRA SHERCO
6. BETRIU Jaume ESP HVA
7. MICHELUZ Maurizio ITA SUZUKI
8. HUEBNER Edward DEU
9. ROHMER Kévin FRA YAMAHA
10. MORONI Rudi ITA KTM

E2 Day One Results

1. MEO Antoine FRA KTM
2. RENET Pierre Alexandre FRA HVA
3. SALVINI Alex ITA HONDA
4. AUBERT Johnny FRA BETA
5. MENA Oriol ESP BETA
6. SANTOLINO Lorenzo ESP SHERCO
7. LEWIS Jamie GBR
8. BARRAGAN Jonathan ESP
9. REIS Goncalo PRT
10. DUMONTIER Romain FRA YAMAHA

E3 Day One Results

1. CERVANTES Ivan ESP KTM
2. PHILLIPS Matthew AUS KTM
3. BELLINO Mathias FRA HVA
4. SEISTOLA Matti FIN SHERCO
5. LEOK Aigar EST TM
6. BASSET Antoine FRA GAS-GAS
7. JOLY Jérémy FRA KTM
8. ALBERGONI Simone ITA KTM
9. CORREIA Luis PRT BETA
10. BALLETTI Oscar ITA KTM

Day 2 Race Report: Day two of the FIM Maxxis Enduro World Championship GP Polisport of Portugal delivered yet another scorching day of race action.  Snatching victory from Pela RENET (F-Husqvarna) in the final moments, KTM’s Antoine MEO (F) took a thrilling victory in the Enduro 2 category. Ivan CERVANTES (KTM) won the Enduro 3 class to remain unbeaten so far this series while Christophe NAMBOTIN (KTM) was the runaway victor in the Enduro 1 category.

Continuing their epic battle from day one, both MEO and RENET set a stunning pace out front in the E2. Leading for the majority of the race, RENET appeared set to take the victory. But by delivering a stunning time in the final extreme test, MEO bettered his rival by four seconds to record the win.

“I gave it everything I had on that final test and it worked out for me,” laughed MEO. “That was an unbelievable race with Pela – we pushed each other so hard. It’s been brilliant to win both days here in Portugal because this was such a tough race.” Despite his best efforts, RENET was unable to hold the hard charging MEO at bay and was pushed back to the runner-up result. In the fight for the final step of the podium Italy’s Alex SALVINI (Honda) beat Beta’s Johnny AUBERT (F) by 10 seconds to secure third. With AUBERT in fourth, Spain’s Jonathan BARRAGAN (Husqvarna) recorded his second top five result of the season with fifth.

Firmly establishing himself as the rider to beat in Enduro 3, Ivan CERVANTES (S) recorded his fourth consecutive victory. Building his advantage as the race passed the halfway point, the Spaniard claimed a healthy 17-second margin of victory.

“Winning my fourth victory is incredible. I never expected this before the season started,” commented CERVANTES. “The conditions were really tough so to come away with the win is fantastic.” Behind CERVANTES, Matti SEISTOLA (FIN-Sherco), Matt PHILLIPS (AUS-KTM) and Portugal’s Luis CORREIA (Beta) fought for the final steps of the podium.

Edging early leader PHILLIPS out by just over one second, SEISTOLA secured the runner-up result. With PHILLIPS third, CORREIA frustratingly placed less than one second behind the Australian in fourth. France’s Mathias BELLINO (Husqvarna) completed the top five.

In the Enduro 1 category, the day belonged to France’s Christophe NAMBOTIN (KTM). Growing in confidence, NAMBOTIN recorded a massive 80-second win over runner-up Eero REMES (FIN-TM). “Today was much better for me,” told NAMBOTIN. “I was disappointed with how I rode yesterday and wanted to improve. It’s still only my fourth race in E1 but already things are coming good. It was nice to win by a big margin today.”

Unable to respond to NAMBOTIN’s pace, REMES instead battled with Spain’s Cristobal GUERRERO (KTM) for the runner-up result. Holding off the Spaniard, REMES took second with GUERRERO third. Placing a further one-minute behind, France’s Anthony BOISSIERE (Sherco) was fourth with his teammate and countryman Jeremy TARROUX fifth.

E1 Day Two Results

1. NAMBOTIN Christophe FRA KTM
2. REMES Eero FIN TM
3. GUERRERO Cristobal ESP KTM
4. BOISSIERE Anthony FRA SHERCO
5. TARROUX Jeremy FRA SHERCO
6. BETRIU Jaume ESP HVA
7. MICHELUZ Maurizio ITA SUZUKI
8. MORONI Rudi ITA KTM
9. HUEBNER Edward DEU
10. ROHMER Kévin FRA YAMAHA

E1 Championship standings after Rd. 4: 1, Nambotin, 80. 2, Remes, 60. 3, Guerrero, 60. 4, Boissiere 53. 5, Tarroux 48.

E2 Day Two Results

1. MEO Antoine FRA KTM
2. RENET Pierre Alexandre FRA HVA
3. SALVINI Alex ITA HONDA
4. AUBERT Johnny FRA BETA
5. BARRAGAN Jonathan ESP
6. MENA Oriol ESP BETA
7. SANTOLINO Lorenzo ESP SHERCO
8. LEWIS Jamie GBR
9. MONNI Manuel ITA HVA
10. REIS Goncalo PRT

E2 Championship standings after Rd. 4: 1, Meo 77. 2, Renet 69. 3, Aubert 58. 4, Salvini 51. 5, Santolino 42

E3 Day Two Results

1. CERVANTES Ivan ESP KTM
2. SEISTOLA Matti FIN SHERCO
3. PHILLIPS Matthew AUS KTM
4. CORREIA Luis PRT BETA
5. BELLINO Mathias FRA HVA
6. JOLY Jérémy FRA KTM
7. ALBERGONI Simone ITA KTM
8. BASSET Antoine FRA GAS-GAS
9. LEOK Aigar EST TM
10. PHILIPPAERTS Deny ITA BETA

E3 Championship standings after Rd. 4: 1, Cervantes 80. 2, Phillips, 64. 3, Seistola 57. 4, Bellino 51. 5, Correia 46.

The FIM Maxxis Enduro World Championship continues with round three in Greece on May 10/11.

World Trial Championships – Round 1 – Maldon, Victoria

Saturday Report: Taking a start to finish win Takahisa Fujinami (Repsol Honda) and Toni Bou (Repsol Honda) were separated by a single mark after three laps of twelve hazards at the Grand Prix of Australia which opened the 2014 series.

The opening day of the 2014 FIM World Trials Championship took place under clear blue skies in the sun at Mount Tarrengower Australia where the crowds witnessed a day of intense action.

With the competition under way it was the defending champion Toni Bou ? Repsol Honda who was the first to part with any marks when he took a nervous one mark penalty on section three and then another on section six. Eventual winner Takahisa Fujinami though remained feet up until sections eight and nine.

It was section eleven though where Bou parted with a five mark penalty which would push him down the leader board on the opening lap behind Fujinami and James Dabill (Beta) to tie on eight marks with Jeroni Fajardo (Beta) and Adam Raga (Gas Gas).

The second lap would see all the leading contenders keep their scores in single figures keeping the overall result very close and leaving no room for error in the chase for the victory.

Bou knew that after the early five mark failure on the first lap he would have to be at his very best to challenge his team mate Fujinami for the win and put in a faultless performance on the final lap which he did.

Takahisa knew with one hand on the winner?s trophy approaching the final lap that as long as kept calm the victory would be his. That is exactly what he did losing only two more marks and despite the loss of a single mark for going over the time limit he was the winner.

Behind the two Repsol Honda riders Jeroni Fajardo and Adam Raga both finished on eleven marks lost but Fajardo took the final position on the podium on the most cleans tie breaker.

Fujinami was pushed all the way by his team-mate Bou who really added to the pressure when he parted with no marks on his last lap. He added a single mark time penalty to his two marks on observation but the hard work on the opening two laps was enough to give him the victory.

It’s over 12 months since Fujinami last won a world championship round when he won the second day at his home round in Japan in 2013. He has been struggling with a knee injury since the end of last year but put all this behind him to take a popular win and make his rivals take note of his commitment to the championship.

“This is a fantastic victory for both my-self and the new Repsol Honda team,” the Japanese rider enthused. “I started the competition feeling very confident and I knew I could build on this when I took the lead after the opening lap. I concentrated on my riding and despite having to race against the clock on the final lap I took the victory. After the problems with my knee injury in the X-Trial championship I am very happy to be back on the top step of the podium and look forward to Sunday’s competition?.

Defending champion Toni Bou gave himself all the hard work to do after parting with seven marks on his opening lap, fighting back with a strong second lap score before finishing the final lap with a perfect no marks recorded on his score card.

“My day has not been so bad and second position is not a disaster,” the Spaniard lamented. “I knew when I parted with the five mark penalty that a victory today would be hard to achieve. The competion today has been quite easy after last year when the hazards were much harder. I would like to thank the fans today for their support and my team for their help?

Results Day 1 (Round 1): 1: Takahisa Fujinami (Repsol Honda-JPN) 8; 2: Toni Bou (Repsol Honda-ESP) 9; 3: Jeroni Fajardo (Beta-ESP) 11; 4: Adam Raga (Gas Gas-ESP) 11; 5: James Dabill (Beta-GBR) 33; 6: Albert Cabestany (Sherco-ESP) 43; 7: Pol Tarres (Sherco-ESP) 62; 8: Alexandre Ferrer (Sherco-FRA) 70; 9: Eddie Karlsson (Montesa-SWE) 81; 10: Jorge Casales (Gas Gas-ESP) 81.

Sunday Report: It was business as usual for current world trials champion Repsol Honda’s Toni Bou on day two of the 2014 FIM Trial World Championship at Mount Tarrengower, Victoria, Australia as he took a clear win from Gas Gas’ Adam Raga ? with Beta rider Jeroni Fajardo third.

After taking the win on day one of the Grand Prix of Australia which opened the 2014 FIM series Repsol Honda’s Takahisa Fujinami ? could not carry the form into day two and finished a lowly sixth. “The pressure has been on me to win today and I am very happy to take this victory,” Bou said.

“Second position yesterday was a good start to this year?s series but I now have the confidence to carry this victory to the next round in Japan. I would like to thank everyone in Australia for the support and also my team Repsol Honda for a good job.” the Spaniard concluded.

The organisers had made modifications to six of the hazards for the second day in order to extract more marks from the riders and this clearly showed in the final scores. It was clear blue skies once again over the event for the competitors as they set off to compete over three laps of fourteen sections.

The opening lap is always difficult as the riders watch each other’s attempts to gain the advantage and Bou made his move on section seven as he was the only rider to lose no marks which boosted his confidence for the remainder of the lap.

The difficult section thirteen though would once again prove difficult as Bou stopped and lost five marks with only the Sherco rider Alexandre Ferrer losing no marks for a spectacular clean ride. Fujinami and the young Spanish rider Jorge Casales (Gas Gas) would be the only other two riders passing through the ends cards as the rest of the entry failed.

As the first lap scores came in Bou on five marks held the advantage from Raga who was on ten which consisted of just two five mark penalties. The other leading riders had scores of over twenty each such was the dominant riding of the leading two.

On the second lap Raga knew that to challenge Bou he would have to keep the pressure on but Bou parted with just a solitary mark on section two though Raga also improved from his first lap to drop only two single marks on sections three and ten as these two riders pulled away from the rest of the entry to make the fight for the win on their own.

Another notable performance came from Great Britain’s James Dabill (Beta) who had a lap score of seven but he had accrued too many marks on the opening lap to make a serious challenge for a place on the podium.

It was a very tense final lap for Bou and Raga as they knew that one slip would change everything but they both held their nerve and parted with only single marks each to give Bou the victory. For Raga the damage had been done on the opening lap and despite some excellent riding he had to admit defeat to his Spanish rival and current world champion.

For the other competitors the modifications to the hazards had certainly made make them harder to clean and Jeroni Fajardo came home a distant third. Fajardo again claiming his third position on the tie breaker rule having finished on thirty nine marks together with Sherco’s Albert Cabestany. Cabastany making up for his disappointing sixth position finish on day one.

Toni Bou now takes a seven point advantage in the championship standings to the next round in Japan later this month.

Results Day 2 (Round 2): 1: Toni Bou (Repsol Honda-ESP) 7; 2: Adam Raga (Gas Gas-ESP) 13; 3: Jeroni Fajardo (Beta-ESP) 39; 4: Albert Cabestany (Sherco-ESP) 39; 5: James Dabill (Beta-GBR) 50; 6: Takahisa Fujinami (Repsol Honda-JPN) 69; 7: Jorge Casales (Gas Gas-ESP) 81; 8: Eddie Karlsson (Montesa-SWE) 106; 9: Pol Tarres (Sherco-ESP) 106; 10: Alexandre Ferrer (Sherco-FRA) 116.

World Championship Standings after Round 2: 1: Toni Bou (Repsol Honda-ESP) 37; 2: Takahisa Fujinami (Repsol Honda-JPN) 30; 3: Adam Raga (GasGas-ESP) 30; 4: Jeroni Fajardo (Beta-ESP) 30; 5: Albert Cabestany (Sherco-ESP) 23; 6: James Dabill (Beta-GBR) 22; 7: Jorge Casales (Gas Gas-ESP) 16; 8: Pol Tarres (Sherco-ESP) 16; 9: Eddie Karlsson (Montesa-SWE) 14; 10: Alexandre Ferrer (Sherco-FRA) 14.

We will wrap up this week/s Smarty’s Moto Wrap with this video from MX Nationals Round Two produced by Kawasaki
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Moto Wrap for the weekend of April 19/20 includes:

– Round 5 of World Motocross Championships in Bulgaria
– Round 2 of the UK MX Nationals at Fatcats
– Round 1 of the AMA Supermoto at Lake Havasu, AZ
– Round 1 of the All-Japan Motocross Championships at Saitama
– World Mini GP being held at Glen Helen, CA April 15-20

Moto Wrap for the weekend of April 26/27 includes:

– Round 16 of the AMA Supercross at the MetLife Stadium – East Rutherford, N.J.)
– Round 5 of the GNCC at Loretta Lynn’s, Hurricane Mills, TN
– Round 3 of the MX Nationals at Wonthaggi, Vic
– Round 3 of the Dutch Motocross Championship at the Axel circuit in Holland
– Round 2 of the FIM World Speedway Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland
– Round 2 of the Maxxis British Motocross Championships at Foxhill
– 2014 Aust Post Classic MX Champs being held at Toowoomba’s Echo Valley