Bugga!! Todd Waters and Max Nagl have been involved in a multi rider pile up while practicing at Eersel in Holland last Wednesday. According to sources in Europe there were several GP stars at the track and Waters and Nagl landed on a fallen rider’s bike on the down side of a high speed, blind jump.
Disastrously, Waters suffered a broken left Tibia and Fibula, right collarbone, right hip and has already undergone surgery at the Eindhoven University Hospital while it has been confirmed that Nagl has a broken scaphoid in his right hand and a slight metacarpal fracture in his left hand and has undergone surgery in Belguim.
Suzuki’s MX2 contender Glenn Coldenhoff will be sidelined for the remainder of the season after suffering a knee injury and a broken leg after a monster crash at Honda Park in Belgium.
Daniel McCoy has had a big crash while testing his TM250 up on the Sunshine Coast and damaged the L2, L3 and T12 in his vertebra. McCoy has reported that he will be out of the MX Nationals for at least the next three rounds.
While on the subject of injuries, here is the list of AMA riders who are either injured, getting over injuries or about to come back from injuries. Jimmy Albertson, Justin Brayton, Kyle Chisholm, Matt Goerke, Josh Grant, Wil Hahn, Davi Millsaps, Kyle Partridge, Chad Reed, Broc Schmelyun, Shane Sewell, Ivan Tedesco, Broc Tickle and Jake Weimer.
And in the 250 class we have Blake Baggett, Zach Bell, Matt Bisceglia, Adam Cianciarulo, Martin Davalos, Darryn Durham, Dean Ferris, Casey Hinson, Brady Kiesel, Vann Martin, Cole Martinez, Marvin Musquin, Fredrik Noren, Mitchell Oldenburg, Kyle Peters, Austin Politelli, Anthony Rodriguez,Joey Savatgy, Cole Thompson, Blake Wharton and Ryan Zimmer.
You read right when you saw the Monster Energy Kawasaki duo of Blake Bagget and Martin Davalos on the injured list. Baggett was hit in the eye with a rock while testing at Glen Helen last week and East Coast 250SX point’s leader Davalos has crashed and damaged both ankles at Milestone during the week.
Like Waters and Nagl, Davalos’ crash was not his doing, apparently his chain snapped while he was half way through a rhythm section and he was tossed violently over the bars and landed on both feet before slamming into the next jump. The impact dislocated his right foot, badly bruised his left heel and shattered his scaphoid. Davalos has already had surgery and is expected to join the AMA Motocross Championships in a few months.
Chad Reed is joining Brett Metcalfe for the opening round of the AMA Motocross Championships at Glen Helen on the 24th of May. Chad quipped in a recent interview that he is willing to ‘put up with some blisters’ at the opening round to give himself a chance at the championship.
Jackson Richardson and Taylor Potter had their best round of the 250SX East Coast series at round 16 in East Rutherford with both riders making it through to the main from their heat race and in the main event Richardson score tenth place ahead of Potters 17th.
I wrote recently that I was hoping that James Stewart would get through the final few rounds of Supercross without hurting himself so that he was fit for the motocross championships. Well, my fears have come to fruition with Bubba tweaking his knee last weekend while trying to get around the outside of Mike Alessi. See full report and results below.
Our Aussie speedway stars did exceptionally well at round 2 of the FIM World Speedway Championships held in Poland with Darcy Ward finishing a close second place, Chris Holder finished a credible fifth while Troy Bachelor scored enough points for 14th on the night. See full report and results below.
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 World Outdoor Trials Championship held at Motegi, Japan
- – Round 2 of the Maxxis British Motocross Championships at Foxhill
- – 2014 Aust Post Classic MX Champs being held at Toowoomba’s Echo Valley
- – Sealine Cross-Country Rally in Qatar.
AMA Supercross – Round 16 – MetLife Stadium – East Rutherford, N.J.
450SX Race Report: Over 60,000 spectators braved rain squalls to watch Ryan Villopoto wrap up his fourth consecutive AMA Supercross title and in doing so join Jeremy McGrath as the two riders in the history of AMA Supercross to win four straight championships.
As far as the actual race goes Villopoto made the front running very boring by grabbing the holeshot before taking off to a commanding lead and eventual championship winning victory. It was RV’s sixth win of the season.
Behind Villopoto, Josh Hill finally got himself a decent start and was in second place for a while until Eli Tomac caught and passed him and that is where the top three sat for the rest of the race but just a little further back disaster struck for James Stewart who jumped to the outside of a corner only to have the front end slide away and as JS7 dabbed his foot to right the bike he immediately slowed and grabbed his knee. James rode straight back to the pits and his immediate future in the sport is in doubt.
The best battle on the track at this stage was between Ryan Dungey, Justin Barcia and Ken Roczen. Roczen got around Barcia and was looking for a way by his team mate for several laps before Barcia dive bombed the German in a left hand bowl turn taking back the place.
A couple of lap later Barcia and Roczen got by Dungey so at the checker flag we have Villopoto, Tomac, Hill, Barcia, Roczen, Dungey, Mike Alessi, Andrew Short, Trey Canard and Weston Peick making up the top ten.
“It’s been an awesome day here at MetLife Stadium,” said Villopoto. “We had a little bit of rain, but I couldn’t believe how well the track held up. It feels great to lock in my fourth-consecutive championship. It’s been a hard-fought season with a few ups and downs, but it was obviously my most consistent, so I’m glad to be able to close it out on top.”
Main Event: 1. R. Villopoto. 2. E. Tomac. 3. J. Hill. 4. J. Barcia. 5. K. Roczen. 6. R. Dungey. 7. M. Alessi. 8. A. Short. 9. T. Canard. 10. W. Peick. 11. J. Weimer.12. P. Nicoletti. 13. N. Wey. 14. R. Stewart. 15. C. Blose. 16. J. Grant. 17. B. Lamay. 18. T. Archer. 19. J. Albertson. 20. C. Gilmore. 21. T. Tapia. 22. J. Stewart.
450SX Class Season Standings: 1. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki, 343. 2. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM, 282. 3. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki, 271.4. Ken Roczen, Murrieta, Calif., KTM, 265. 5. Justin Barcia, Pinetta, Fla., Honda, 232. 6. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, KTM, 207. 7. Justin Brayton, Cornelius, N.C., Yamaha, 196. 8. Josh Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., Suzuki, 144. 9. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki, 126. 10. Wil Hahn, Menifee, Calif., Honda, 122.
250SX Race Report: Honda-backed Jimmy Decotis captured his first Nuclear Cowboyz Holeshot Award of the season to start the Eastern Regional 250SX Class Championship with GEICO Honda’s Matt Bisceglia following in second place. On Lap 3, Decotis and Bisceglia came together after the finish line and Decotis crashed, giving the lead to Bisceglia as Bogle took over the number-two position.
Bogle worked his way around Bisceglia on Lap 6 and rode to his second win of the season. Yamaha/Star Racing/Yamalube’s Jeremy Martin made a late-race charge to finish a season-best second place. Vince Friese, who rides for The Factory Metal Works team, also earned a season-best finish with third place.
Bogle now has a 17-point lead heading into Las Vegas’ Sam Boyd Stadium next weekend for the season finale. “I’m really excited to take home the victory tonight,” said Bogle. “As we were approaching the starting gate the rain picked up, so it got super slick out there as the race went on. I got off to an incredible start, but there were some tough battles out there, and I had to be more cautious because of the rain, so I feel I handled the race well and gave it my best.”
250SX Main Event: 1. J. Bogle. 2. J. Martin. 3. V. Friese. 4. M. Bisceglia. 5. M. Lemoine. 6. K. Cunningham. 7. A. Martin. 8. M. Oldenburg. 9. J. Decotis. 10. J. Richardson. 11. G. Audette. 12. J. Starling. 13. A. Catanzaro. 14. J. Baumert. 15. L. Kilbarger. 16. L. Vonlinger. 17. Z. Williams. 18. C. Clason. 19. T. Potter. 20. K. Bitterman. 21. L. Powell. 22. A. Gulley.
Eastern Regional 250SX Class Season Standings: 1. Justin Bogle, Cushing, Okla., Honda, 166. 2. Martin Davalos, Cairo, Ga., Kawasaki, 149. 3. Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki, 120. 4. Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., 120. 5. Vince Friese, Cape Girardeau, Mo., Honda, 120. 6. Kyle Cunningham, Aledo, Texas, Honda, 109. 7. Matthew Lemoine, Pilot Point, Texas, Kawasaki, 90. 8. James Decotis, Peabody, Mass., Honda, 90. 9. Cole Thompson, Brigden, Ontario, KTM, 89. 10. Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha, 86. 16. Jackson Richardson – 47. 29. Taylor Potter – 6.
Western Regional 250SX Class Season Standings: 1. Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.M., KTM, 178. 2. Cole Seely, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Honda, 170. 3. Justin Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., Kawasaki, 139. 4. Dean Wilson, Wesley Chapel, Fla., Kawasaki, 138. 5. Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., Yamaha, 121. 6. Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Honda, 121. 7. Jessy Nelson, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda, 103. 8. Zach Osborne, Chesterfield, S.C., Honda, 100. 9. Shane McElrath, Chesterfield, S.C., Honda, 96. 10. Jake Canada, Sun City, Calif., Honda, 72.
GNCC – Round 5 – Loretta Lynn’s, Hurricane Mills, TN
Round 5 of the 2014 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series presented by Maxxis, an AMA National Championship, showcased some of the most exciting action of the season on Sunday afternoon. As an unpredictable chain of events unfolded, it was Factory FMF/KTM’s Charlie Mullins who remained poised and consistent to capture a big win at the third running of the Dunlop Limestone 100. Ricky Russell had a breakout performance, capturing his first XC2 Pro Lites victory of the season and an impressive fourth overall for the day.
Factory FMF/KTM’s Kailub Russell came into the fifth round in Springville, Ind. with a two-point advantage over his teammate Mullins but after three long hours of battle through the woods of the Lawrence County Recreational Park, the 2011 GNCC National Champion Mullins left with a seven-point lead in the championship standings.
N-Fab AmPro Yamaha’s Paul Whibley kicked off the afternoon with the $250 All Balls Racing XC1 Holeshot Award, where he diced it out with Factory FMF/KTM’s Steward Baylor Jr. on the opening lap. However, Russell quickly moved to the lead position with Whibley, Mullins, Baylor, Thad DuVall and Jordan Ashburn close behind.
After three laps of leading the pack, Russell experienced a big crash that sent the reigning champion end-over-end and to the ground. “I don’t even know what happened really, I grabbed the front brake and my front end just went sideways. I was wide open out of the straightaway and I went flipping several times,” Russell said of his crash.
Russell remounted his KTM almost immediately but he lost a substantial amount of time when he was forced to stop in the Factory KTM pit where his crew switched out an exhaust that got ruined in the crash.
Mullins capitalized on the opportunity to take over the lead on Lap 4, while RideMPS.com/AMSOIL/Honda’s Thad DuVall moved himself into the second place position. Mullins was able to keep a steady pace in the final laps where he progressively increased his gap on DuVall with each lap. Despite a big charge on the final lap, DuVall wasn’t able to catch Mullins to contest the lead position.
“I’ll be straight up, I just got tired out there,” DuVall said. “I rode good, I just wish I wouldn’t have let Charlie get away. I tried to push as hard as I could but I think I pushed a little too early.”
Meanwhile, a hard-charging Russell continued to push his way through the pack from outside the top ten overall. With two laps to go, Russell had made his way into third place in the XC1 Class, but once again the XC2 Pro Lites front-runners interjected into the lead battle on the adjusted time clock. So not only was Russell battling his XC1 class competitors physically on the track, but he was also competing with XC2 leader Ricky Russell for the third and final position atop the overall podium.
Kailub Russell caught up to DuVall on the final lap and it was a head-to-head battle throughout the final moments of the three-hour race. Despite a valiant comeback effort by Russell, it just wasn’t enough to make the pass on DuVall at the end. Only 00.375 separated the second and third place finishers.
After the race DuVall mentioned, “I had a pretty good lead on Kailub at the end but I just about threw it away. I crashed just before the finish with a mile to go and by the time I picked it up Kailub was right on me so I just tried to push it into the finish.”
Sunday’s Limestone 100 victory was a big one for Charlie Mullins, as he not only put an end to Russell’s three-race winning streak but he also reclaimed the points lead heading into the mid-way point of the 13-race series.
“Kailub had a good pace going in the beginning and it looked like it was going to be a battle but he ended up going down hard. I knew all I had to do is ride steady and that’s what I did,” Mullins said. “It was long the last few laps but I felt better than I have been as far as riding goes so it was a good day.”
Raines Riding University/Atlas Cycles’ Ricky Russell had a stellar day of racing as he secured his first career victory in the XC2 Pro Lites class. Russell and XC2 competitor Maxxis/KLIM/DirtWise KTM Race Team’s Jesse Groemm set a fast pace early on but it wasn’t until they latched on to a hard-charging Kailub Russell that they were able to move so quickly into overall podium contention.
Groemm dropped back to the third place position as R. Russell and KTM support rider Grant Baylor both went by in a battle for the lead position. However, Russell turned it up in the final laps, where he eventually finished less than one minute away from landing atop the overall podium from the second row.
N-Fab AmPro Yamaha’s Paul Whibley maintained a third place position for a majority of the race but the two-time GNCC National Champion fell back a couple spots in the end, finishing fourth in the XC1 Pro class and fifth overall for the day just behind the XC2 winner Russell.
Grant Baylor landed second place in the XC2 Pro Lites division, finishing out sixth overall just ahead of his brother Stu in seventh. HR Motorsports-backed Takeshi Koikeda put forth a stellar ride at the fifth round, running in the fourth place position for a majority of the race. Koikeda, a former Japan National Cross Country (JNCC) Champion, put in a season-best finish of sixth place in the XC1 class and eighth overall for the day.
N-Fab/AmPro Yamaha’s Jordan Ashburn finished ninth overall for the day, while Rocky Mountain ATV*MC/N-Fab AmPro Yamaha’s Josh Strang rounded out the top ten.
XC1 Event Results: 1. Charlie Mullins (KTM). 2. Thad DuVall (HON). 3. Kailub Russell (KTM). 4. Paul Whibley (YAM). 5. Steward Baylor (KTM). 6. Takeshi Koikeda (HON). 7. Jordan Ashburn (YAM). 8. Josh Strang (YAM). 9. Chris Bach (HON). 10. Jason Thomas (KTM)
Overall National Championship Standings: 1. Charlie Mullins (125). 2. Kailub Russell (118). 3. Josh Strang (90). 4. Jordan Ashburn (77). 5. Paul Whibley (75). 6. Steward Baylor (71). 7. Grant Baylor (67). 8. Ricky Russell (62). 9. Thad DuVall (61). 10. Andrew Delong (55)
XC2 Event Results: 1. Ricky Russell (YAM). 2. Grant Baylor (KTM). 3. Jesse Groemm (KTM). 4. Layne Michael (HON). 5. Jedediah Haines (YAM). 6. Trevor Bollinger (HON). 7. Callan May (YAM). 8. Shane Hufford Jr (KTM). 9. Derrik Allen (KAW). 10. Sam Evans (YAM)
XC2 Series Standings: 1. Ricky Russell (123). 2. Grant Baylor (121). 3. Trevor Bollinger (105). 4. Shane Hufford Jr (78). 5. Callan May (70). 6. Layne Michael (69). 7. Rory Mead (56). 8. Sam Evans (56). 9. Jesse Groemm (52). 10. Chris Douglas (45)
MX Nationals – Round 3 – Wonthaggi, Vic
MX1 Race Report: Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Adam Monea put in a consistent effort to claim overall honours in the MX1 class at round three of the 2014 Monster Energy MX Nationals.
Beautiful weather and a large crowd of spectators witnessed some fantastic racing in the Monster MX1 class, where the top three riders all finished the day on 60 points.
However on a countback, it was Monea who claimed the round win (third and third from his two races) ahead of Team Motul Suzuki’ Matt Moss (second and fourth) and KTM Motocross Race Team’s Kirk Gibbs (first and sixth).
In the opening MX1 moto, it was a familiar sight with Jake Moss (National Pump Monster Energy Kawasaki) and Matt Moss both streaming to the front from the start gate.
It was Jake who managed to take the holeshot, before being passed by brother Matt just a few corners later.
However on the second lap, Jake Moss went over his bars at the back section of the track, pushing him down to 20th – he finished the race in 17th overall.
CDR Yamaha rider Billy Mackenzie rode up into second place, before he lost control of his handlebars on lap seven and was forced back into seventh position.
At that point the race settled down with Matt Moss leading the way from Monea, Gibbs and Kade Mosig (DPH Motorsport).
It was the first time that Moss had really looked challenged in 2014 when out in front, and the racing was tight for the next seven laps. That was when the action really heated up.
On lap 15, Monea passed Moss to claim the lead, and two jumps later Gibbs passed Moss relegating the reigning champion to third spot.
But just as Monea’s consistent riding looked like it would pay off, he crashed into a lapped rider and dropped back to third position – where he eventually finished.
Gibbs held on to claim the race win from Moss, with Mosig finishing in fourth and Suzuki privateer Hayden Mellross claiming fifth.
In the second moto, Mackenzie began the race on the pace taking out the holeshot, and control over the rest of the field. He shot clear of Matt Moss, Jake Moss, Cody Cooper (Penrite Honda Racing) and Rhys Carter (Team Motul Suzuki) and lead from start to finish to claim the race win.
The surprise of the moto was witnessing the seeming invincibility of Matt Moss challenged, and the Suzuki leader drifted from second spot to fourth by the end of the race.
He was passed by Jake Moss and Cooper on the third lap of the moto but could not peg them back – younger brother Jake finishing the race in second.
In third place for the moto was Monea, who after a bad start found himself in ninth place and battling mid-field. But a tenacious effort from the Kawasaki rider saw him claw his way to third by the end of the 30-minute moto, doing enough to take the overall honours on the day.
“I am so stoked. It’s definitely something I dream of, but I would have like to have done it with a couple of wins instead of a couple of thirds”, said Monea. “I threw it away in that first one and it was a crazy race in the second one where Billy (Mackenzie) got the holeshot and got out of there. Jake (Moss) was riding strong and I got a terrible start. I just clawed my way back and had a good run with Matt (Moss) for majority of the race and got around him and Coops (Cody Cooper) and just put my head down and it was pretty gnarley.”
“You got to take it when it’s given to you like that, like I said I would have loved to take the overall with a couple of wins. But it’s nothing to shy at – it’s a win and it’s my first one so I am pumped, I lost three points in Superpole to Matt, so I’ve got to try and not equal him on points on days like today – I have to beat him.”
In the overall championship standings, Matt Moss actually increased his championship lead from Gibbs to be 22 points clear, with Monea a further 14 points behind in third.
MX1 Superpole: 1. Matt Moss 1:46.488 (5 points). 2. Cody Cooper 1:46.521 (4 points). 3. Kirk Gibbs 1:46.525 (3 points). 4. Adam Monea 1:46.641 (2 points). 5. Jake Moss 1:46.670 (1 points)
Round Results: 1. Adam Monea 60 (30, 30). 2. Matt Moss 60 (32, 28). 3. Kirk Gibbs 60 (35, 25). 4. Billy Mackenzie 56 (21, 35). 5. Kade Mosig 49 (28, 21). 6. Rhys Carter 48 (25, 23). 7. Jake Moss 46
(14, 32). 8. Cody Cooper 45 (19, 26). 9. Hayden Mellross 45 (26, 19). 10. Sam Martin 44 (22, 22)
Overall Championship Standings: 1. Matt Moss 238. . Kirk Gibbs 216. 3. Adam Monea 202. 4. Jake Moss 186. 5. Billy Mackenzie 181. 6. Kade Mosig 169. 7. Rhys Carter 168. 8. Hayden Mellross 159. 9. Jay Marmont 156. 10. Jacob Wright 142
MX2 Race Report: Husqvarna Red Bull WIL Sport NZ Racing rider Kayne Lamont has had a great day at the third round of the 2014 Monster Energy MX Nationals, taking outright honours in the Motul MX2 class.
The New Zealander proved that his opening round victory at Broadford was no fluke, registering second and first placings from his two races to take the outright honours.
Serco Yamaha rider Luke Clout added a fifth placing in the second moto to his opening race win, to take second place overall for the round.
Hamish Harwood (CMR Redbull KTM) finished the round in third place overall after a consistent fourth and second from his two races.
In the opening MX2 moto on the day, it was Raceline Pirelli Suzuki rider Geran Stapleton who shot to the front to claim the holeshot on his comeback from injury.
Stapleton strapped himself in and was looking good to complete a fairytale comeback, however disaster struck the Suzuki rider on the last lap of the moto.
An unfortunate crash halfway through the final lap relegated him to third place, allowing Clout and Lamont to stream through and take the moto win and second place respectively.
It was a great ride from series leader Clout who finished the opening lap in eighth position, and managed to negotiate his way up the field throughout the race.
By lap seven of the 17 lap race, Clout had pushed up into third and was patient in his quest to take the race win, grabbing the lead on the last lap to claim the win.
Lamont finished in third after some great mid-race battles with Harwood who finished fourth and Wade Hunter taking his KTM to fifth.
Series contender Kale Makeham (Tunetech Racing KTM Australia) was left to rue a poor start that had him back in 14th after the opening lap, however he did manage to climb back to ninth outright for the race.
In the second race of the class, Lamont dominated from start to end – taking the holeshot and opening a lead that no one was able to reign in.
Harwood managed a clean start and despite his best efforts to catch his Kiwi counterpart, he had to settle for second place.
The battle for third to fifth placings was far more competitive with SD3 Husqvarna rider Luke Arbon working hard to keep Errol Willis (Axis Motorsports), Daniel Banks (KTM) and Clout at bay.
Arbon did well and managed to finish third in the race, while Willis finished in fourth.
Despite finishing the opening lap in seventh place, Clout clawed his way back into fifth by the time the checkered flag was raised, which could be important for the final points tally come the end of the year.
In the overall championship standings, Clout maintained a handy break from his nearest rival – still 13 points clear of round-winner Lamont.
Harwood remains in touch with the leaders a further two points behind Lamont and sitting in third outright.
“I love the Wonthaggi track, I have always liked riding here and the jumps are awesome.” Lamont said. “It reminded me a little bit of back home, with all the jumps, so it was familiar ground, my bike was pretty much on form today and I felt a lot better on it. I got one good start and I wish the first one was a bit better, but I managed to charge through and nearly take the win, but I was happy with race two and the win.”
“When the tracks get wet like it was in race two it is like it is back home, I am sure the Aussie guys were hating it, for me and Hamish it was similar to riding back home.” Lamont continued. “It was tricky, it was very slippery and it didn’t really dry out much during the moto, it was all about keeping consistent lines and staying up right and that is what I managed to do and I ran away with it.”
“I felt pretty good today.” Clout said. “The first moto was good, we came though the pack for the win. I had good fitness for both motos, the last moto I struggled a little bit, the track was pretty average, it seemed to suit the two strokes again. I did what I had to do, I went 1-5 for the day for second overall and still have a thirteen point lead, I am looking forward to round four and keeping that red plate throughout the whole year hopefully.”
Round Results: 1. Kayne Lamont 67 (32, 35). 2. Luke Clout 61 (35, 26). 3. Hamish Harwood 60 (28, 32). 4. Luke Arbon 51 (21, 30). 5. Errol Willis 51 (23, 38). 6. Brenden Harrison 50 (25, 25). 7. Kale Makeham 46 (22, 24). 8. Jay Wilson 45 (24, 21). 9. Geran Stapleton 44 (30, 14). 10. Jake Emanualli 42 (19, 23).
Championship Standings: 1. Luke Clout 207. 2. Kayne Lamont 194. 3. Hamish Harwood 192. 4. Brenden Harrison 180. 5. Kale Makeham 167. 6. Jay Wilson 149. 7. Errol Willis 140. 8. Wade Hunter 140. 9. Luke Arbon 137. 10. Ryan Marmont 135.
MXD Race Report: Bolton KTM Motorcycles rider Jack Simpson has claimed third round honours and taken the overall championship lead in the Pirelli MXD class of the 2014 Monster Energy MX Nationals.
A hard fought day of action at Wonthaggi saw Simpson (first and second from his two races) take a seven point round win from GYTR Yamaha’s Jed Beaton (sixth and first) and Husqvarna Australia’s Egan Mastin (second and fourth).
In the first MXD race of the day, GYTR Yamaha rider Wilson Todd shot out to a handy lead claiming the holeshot, before going down midway through the opening lap.
That left title contenders Simpson, Beaton and Mastin to vie for the lead, with all three riders keen to earn maximum points.
Just one lap later, Beaton suffered the same fate as his GYTR teammate and he came unstuck in the whoops in what looked to be a serious crash.
However Beaton got back on the bike, and put in a stunning performance throughout the remainder of the race to save face by finishing in sixth position.
Up the front of the field, Simpson and Mastin were having a hard fought battle, with Mastin claiming the race lead on lap five.
It was a tight struggle between the pair for most of the race – the duo treating the crowd to a great display of tough, tight racing.
On the last lap with only three corners to go, Mastin had a momentary lapse of concentration and ran off the track, allowing Simpson to fly past and take the race win.
Mastin finished in second place with Wayde Carter (Motorex KTM) ending the race in third, Todd finishing in fourth and Yamaha rider Kyle Webster in fifth.
In the second race, Beaton cruised into an early lead from Todd, Webster and Simpson – but despite all efforts from the rest of the field, the local hero cruised to an easy moto win.
Simpson worked hard to get into second place on lap five – a position he never surrendered, and it was enough to give him round honours.
Wayde Carter was trying hard to add to his third place from the opening moto however he cut a section of the track in the second race and the KTM rider incurred a 10-second penalty which dropped him back into sixth. It was Webster who rounded out the podium in moto two, with Mastin finishing in fourth and Nathan Crawford (Husqvarna) finishing in fifth.
Jack Simpson was happy with the day. “It started off good – two good starts which put me in a really good position, the first race was a good one and I put some pressure on the rider in front of me – he went off the track or whatever he did and I capitilised on that.”
“In the second race I just wanted to get home safe and that’s what I did and it came out well, the young dudes – I have been there and done that. I have noticed that if I stay consistent all year it will all work out in the end – I just have to be patient and get the job done!”
Only four points separates the top three riders in the overall standings of the MXD class, with Simpson three points ahead of Beaton and Mastin one point further behind.
Round Results: 1. Jack Simpson 67 (35, 32). 2. Jed Beaton 60 (25, 35). 3. Egan Mastin 60 (32, 28). 4. Kyle Webster 56 (26, 30). 5. Wayde Carter 55 (30, 25). 6. Nathan Crawford 50 (24, 26). 7. Jayden Rykers 47 (23, 24). 8. Wilson Todd 45 (28, 17). 9. Dylan Wilson 43 (21, 22). 10. Robert Lovett 42 (22, 20).
Overall Championship Standings: 1. Jack Simpson 219. 2. Jed Beaton 216. 3. Egan Mastin 215. 4. Nathan Crawford 195. 5. Wilson Todd 170. 6. Jayden Rykers 153. 7. Kyle Webster 146. 8. Brock McLeary 138. 9. Wayde Carter 132. 10. Jesse McNally 128.
Dutch Motocross Championship – Round 3 – Axel, Holland
Former World MX2 Champion Tyla Rattray of the Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna Factory team has had the perfect preparation for the Grand Prix of Valkenswaard next weekend with a stunning 1-1 victory at the third round of the Dutch MX1 Championship while Jeffrey Herlings dominated both of the MX races on the day.
Rattray mentioned in Bulgaria last weekend that he would finally be 100% fit for the Valkenswaard race and wanted a good result while Herlings is logging solid track time as he regains his fitness after the early season injury.
MX1 Overall: 1 Tyla Rattray 1-1 Husqvarna. 2 Jeffrey Dewulf 3-2 Yamaha. 3 Herjan Brakke 6-3 Kawasaki. 4 Ceriel Klein Kromhof 5-4 KTM. 5 Marc de Reuver 4-6 Honda.
MX2 Overall: 1 Jeffrey Herlings 1-1 KTM. 2 Romain Febvre 3-2 Hus. 3 Jordi Tixier 2-4 KTM. 4 Aleksandr Tonkov 4-3 Hus. 5 Petar Petrov 5-5 Yam. 7 Luke Styke 7-9 Yamaha
Dutch Championship Standings MX2: 1 Romain Febvre 126. 2 Aleksandr Tonkov 118. 3 Glenn Coldenhoff 100. 4 Harri Kullas 96. 5 Brent van Doninck 85.
FIM World Speedway Championships – Round 2 – Bydgoszcz, Poland
Polish star Krzysztof Kasprzak admits winning his battle with nerves has transformed his fortunes after claiming his maiden SGP victory in an epic Meridian Lifts European FIM Speedway Grand Prix final in Bydgoszcz.
Special KK was a popular winner in his homeland, after scything under Australian sensation Darcy Ward on the final turn to cap a speedy performance which puts him 11 points clear at the World Championship summit.
Kasprzak’s victory is even more astonishing after he failed to score a single point in five rides at Bydgoszcz in 2013. The Leszno-born rider could not be happier with his engines and crew and is delighted with the part they’re playing in what has been a dramatic upsurge in fortunes.
But he admits enlisting the help of a psychologist is finally helping him conquer his battle with nerves in the SGP series. “My psychologist is making my head relaxed,” Kasprzak said. “I haven’t got too much pressure. When I was stressed before, my body tensed up and I couldn’t race properly.
“Everyone was writing me messages and telling me on Facebook ‘you’ll win, you’ll win’ this weekend. But I don’t like this. When people say this, it’s usually a bad meeting, but now I’m just thinking ‘it’s just a league meeting’ and this is good. I’ve got the best psychologist in the world. But I cannot say her name because she is so good.”
Kasprzak is pleased a year of dramatic changes is helping him make his mark on the SGP series. “Last year I was a different rider,” Kasprzak admitted, “I have different engines, a different team; everything is different. I sat down in the winter, thinking, ‘I’m nearly 30 years old, I have good technique, I’m a very good starter’, so I was wondering why I wasn’t winning races in the GP. We talked about this and made some changes. What we have done is working well for me.”
“We have worked for this for 13 years from 2000 when I got a licence and my team is very good. My Dad, Peter Johns, Rafal Lewicki, Gordon Day, Wiktor Lewandowski, many people have helped me in my life. I’m very happy.”
Kasprzak admits his engines have played a key role in his success so far this year and paid tribute to tuner Peter Johns for giving him motors that are putting him streets ahead of the competition. “Peter Johns has helped me very much,” Kasprzak added, “The engine is so important in speedway today and I hope he helps me like this until the end of the season.”
“The track went slicker and that was no good for me. I had a strong engine. But when I passed Andreas Jonsson in the semi, I knew we were fast. Even when rain fell from the sky, my brother Robert said ‘you will win Krzysztof. You have the fastest engine’, and I did win.”
Kasprzak tops the World Championship on 35 points – 11 clear of Nicki Pedersen in second. But he refuses to consider the prospect of mounting a title charge yet. He added: “I don’t think about this. We will be working for 10 more rounds and that’s all I can do. I don’t want to say about places and where I will finish. I only want to be in the GP next year.”
Kasprzak admits he was also boosted by a good luck message from a man who rides Bydgoszcz better than anybody – 2010 world champ and local hero Tomasz Gollob. He said: “I’m very happy because my manager talked with Tomasz Gollob on Saturday morning and he said ‘good luck to you Kris, I hope you get a good result because I’m not there.’ I’m very happy I got it.”
Runner-up Ward admits he was fortunate to take part in the Meridian Lifts European SGP as he continues his battle with the knee ligament damage he suffered at the New Zealand SGP.
Ward, who sat out Friday’s practice session, left with 16 points. He said: “I think I’m lucky I was in Bydgoszcz given that I couldn’t even put my foot down. There was some good racing and it was hard work. I had to keep battling because everyone was so quick.”
“When the rain came, we had decisions to make and this definitely feels like a win for me. My knee is definitely pretty bad at the moment. But you can just pick your leg up and balance on the bike at Bydgoszcz. I got some good points and I didn’t realise how many I got. Obviously KK has an incredible lead after two rounds, but the rest of us are there. We’ve just got to push forward and try and catch this man.”
World No.2 Jaroslaw Hampel finished third ahead of American icon Greg Hancock and was pleased to bag a bronze medal on what he admits was an up-and-down night. “It was a pretty good meeting. I went well in one race and then worse in the next. But I tried to keep going until the end,” Hampel said.
“I worked really hard in the pits because I had to change the setup for nearly every race. Then the rain came and I was thinking what I had to do with my bikes to keep the speed. Everything worked well nearly to the end. I made a good gate in the final, but I couldn’t build my speed on the straight and maybe I chose the wrong line. Maybe I should have gone a little bit more outside.”
It was a night to forget for British duo Tai Woffinden and Chris Harris. They scored five and two points respectively.
Next up for the world’s top riders is the inaugural Mitas Finnish FIM Speedway Grand Prix in Tampere on May 17.
BYDGOSZCZ Points: 1 Krzysztof Kasprzak 18, 2 Darcy Ward 16, 3 Jaroslaw Hampel 14, 4 Greg Hancock 16, 5 Chris Holder 11, 6 Andreas Jonsson 10, 7 Niels-Kristian Iversen 10, 8 Martin Smolinski 7, 9 Matej Zagar 6, 10 Adrian Miedzinski 5, 11 Tai Woffinden 5, 12 Nicki Pedersen 5, 13 Fredrik Lindgren 5, 14 Troy Batchelor 4.
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: 1 Krzysztof Kasprzak 35, 2 Nicki Pedersen 24, 3 Jaroslaw Hampel 22, 4 Greg Hancock 22, 5 Chris Holder 22, 6 Martin Smolinski 22, 7 Darcy Ward 21, 8 Fredrik Lindgren 18, 9 Andreas Jonsson 17, 10 Niels-Kristian Iversen 16, 11 Kenneth Bjerre 15, 12 Tai Woffinden 12, 13 Matej Zagar 12, 14 Troy Batchelor 8.
Trial Outdoor World Championship – Round 2 – Motegi, Japan
Gas Gas rider Adam Raga came from being behind on the first lap today to record his second win of the weekend at the Japanese Grand Prix held at Twin Ring, Motegi.
Back to back wins for Raga at the second round of the 2014 FIM Trial World Championship sees the Spanish rider move within a single point of series leader Toni Bou, who had to be content with the runners-up spot for the second day in a row. The injured Repsol Honda rider led Raga by four marks after today’s initial tour, but his performance faded as his pain killing injection wore off.
“I knew that it would be tough today, but I really suffered. My ribs gave me a lot of trouble all day in spite of pain-killers,” Bou said. “At the beginning of the second lap the effects had practically worn off, and the hold-up affected me a lot, and it was hard to pick up the pace again. I was completely without strength by the end of the race. Taking all of this into consideration, the result is an excellent one, as I never expected to get onto the podium”.
Fourth yesterday, Albert Cabestany – Sherco moved up into a podium position today, his first of the 2014 campaign. Takahisa Fujinami – Repsol Honda failed to repeat his top three placing of twenty-four hours earlier as he struggled with the effects of his twisted knee sustained during Saturday’s competition.
Beta’s Jeroni Fajardo matched the fifth position he recorded on day one on the second day of the Japanese event, but will not be satisfied with his weekend’s work after he twice placed on the podium in Australia. Japan’s Tomoyuki Ogawa was the sensation of the day as the Honda rider took several scalps when he finished in a lofty sixth spot much to the delight of the large home crowd that had turned out in force on both days of the GP.
Jorge Casales – Gas Gas recorded his best ever result since moving up to the World Pro class at the start of this season, he took seventh spot well ahead of eighth placed Alexandre Ferrer – Sherco who equalled his opening day position. Yamaha mounted Fumitaka Nozaki made it three home riders in the top ten as he beat a very off form James Dabill by a single mark to claim ninth place in front of the detuned British challenger.
Pol Tarres – Sherco, Eddie Karlsson – Montesa, Kenichi Kuroyama – Yamaha, Jack Sheppard – Beta and Tsuyoshi Ogawa – Beta were the last of the points scorers and rounded out the top fifteen on what proved to be a tough day of competition. This was much due to another day of sweltering heat and the fact that sections three, seven, eight and nine were all heavily modified for all three classes ahead of today’s Trial which brought increased severity in all cases and was directly reflected in the riders’ scores.
RESULTS JAPANESE GP 26/4/14. DAY 1: 1: Adam Raga (Gas Gas-ESP) 26; 2: Toni Bou (Repsol Honda-ESP) 42; 3: Takahisa Fujinami (Repsol Honda-JPN) 45; 4: Albert Cabestany (Sherco-ESP) 56; 5: Jeroni Fajardo (Beta-ESP) 62; 6: James Dabill (Beta-GBR) 82; 7: Jorge Casales (Gas Gas-ESP) 84; 8: Alexandre Ferrer (Sherco-FRA) 102; 9: Kenichi Kuroyama (Yamaha-JPN) 108; 10: Pol Tarres (Sherco-ESP) 109.
RESULTS JAPANESE GP 27/4/14. DAY 2: 1: Adam Raga (Gas Gas-ESP) 40; 2: Toni Bou (Repsol Honda-ESP) 47; 3: Albert Cabestany (Sherco-ESP) 53; 4: Takahisa Fujinami (Repsol Honda-JPN) 63; 5: Jeroni Fajardo (Beta-ESP) 66; 6: Tomoyuki Ogawa (Honda-JPN) 81; 7: Jorge Casales (Gas Gas-ESP) 89; 8: Alexandre Ferrer (Sherco-FRA) 108; 9: Nozaki Fumitaka (Yamaha-JPN) 110; 10: James Dabill (Beta-GBR) 111.
World Championship Standings: 1: Toni Bou (Repsol Honda-ESP) 71; 2: Adam Raga (Gas Gas-ESP) 70; 3: Takahisa Fujinami (Repsol Honda-JPN) 58; 4: Jeroni Fajardo (Beta-ESP) 52; 5: Albert Cabestany (Sherco-ESP) 51; 6: James Dabill (Beta-GBR) 38; 7: Jorge Casales (Gas Gas-ESP) 34; 8: Alexandre Ferrer (Sherco-FRA) 30; 9: Pol Tarres (Sherco-ESP) 27; 10: Eddie Karlsson (Montesa-SWE) 18.
Maxxis British Motocross Championships – Round 2 – Foxhill
ACU Events in conjunction with the organising Club have made the decision to cancel round three of the Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship which was scheduled for the Foxhill, Swindon last Sunday.
After glorious weather on Thursday the rains came at approx. 10am this morning (Friday) and the circuit became flooded immediately. The organisers made consultations with various Weather Forecasters and a clear indication of rain forecast for Saturday and Sunday further forced the decision.
2014 Maxima/Bolt Aust Post Classic MX Champs – Echo Valley, Toowoomba
Dean Burt, James Deakin, Brad Van Barello, Dale Newman, Jacob and Matt Dank, Jody Perry, Michael Kirkness, John Kittle, Liam Beverly and Peter Horwood were just a handful of the 100s of riders who were part of a sensational weekend of racing at the Australian Post Classic Motocross Championships held at Toowoomba’s Echo Valley circuit last weekend.
The star of the weekend was my ol’ mate Brad Van Barello who took out the Evo250 40-49 age group, the Evo open 40-49 age group and the Pre 85 open class.
From what I can gather some of these results that I chopped out of MyLaps are not 100% correct but at the time of writing there has nothing official coming from the club so this is as official as it gets right now.
What is 100% correct is that Brisbane’s John White managed to get dead last and lapped in every race he entered over the weekend so if you didn’t even turn up you scored as many points as ‘Whitey’ did.
Evolution Solo 263 & Over: 1. Dean Burt. 2. Michael Kirkness. 3. Steven Newman. 4. Scott Bayley. 5. Brad van Barrelo. 6. Derek Eklund. 7. Bruce Wilson. 8. Nicholas Kendall. 9. Henry Leatham. 10. Peter Horwood.
Pre 90 Solo 125: 1. Jacob Dank. 2. Justin Rooney. 3. Steve Wastell. 4. Geoffrey McMullin. 5. Matthew Wust. 6. Simon Hunter. 7. Travis Hanly. 8. Nathan Senior. 9. Brett Hunter. 10. Nathan Day.
Pre 85 Solo 125: 1. Jody Perry. 2. Callum Wastell. 3. Andrew Bailey. 4. Karl Stuhmcke. 5. Jason Ladson. 6. Tommy Hannan. 7. Benjamin Ward. 8. Ian Hearn. 9. Rex Day. 10. Brian Ward.
Evolution Solo 125: 1. Dale Newman. 2. Justin McMahon. 3. John Kemp. 4. Matt Dank. 5. Daniel Argent. 6. Ashley Woolford. 7. Jules Keable. 8. Rex Day. 9. Kieran Stokes. 10. Scott Lawes.
Evolution Solo 125 All Age Groups: 1. Matt Dank. 2. Justin McMahon. 3. Rex Day. 4. Kieran Stokes. 5. Scott Lawes. 6. Wayne Skyring. 7. John Kemp. 8. Russell Ralph. 9. Glenn Wollenweber. 10. Brian Ward.
Evolution Solo 132 to 250: 1. Dean Burt. 2. Liam Beverly. 3. Brad van Barrelo. 4. Carl Rindlisbacher. 5. Lachlan Pratt. 6. Justin McMahon. 7. Simon Abel. 8. John Kittle. 9. Karl Stuhmcke. 10. Michael Harding.
Pre 85 Solo 263 & Over: 1. Brad van Barrelo. 2. Robert Byrnes. 3. Adam Martin. 4. Jody Perry. 5. Steve Wastell. 6. Scott Bayley. 7. Gary Armstrong. 8. Craig Wills. 9. Steven Newman. 10. Carl Blecher.
Pre 90 Solo 263 & Over: 1. James Deakin. 2. Peter Horwood. 3. Brad van Barrelo. 4. Adam Martin. 5. Justin Rooney. 6. Andrew Bailey. 7. Craig Lancaster. 8. Shaun Guerin. 9. Martin Wright. 10. Mick Lavars.
Evolution Solo 263 & Over Age groups 50 and over: 1. Steve New. 2. John Kittle. 3. Kevin Mortimer. 4. Mark Bowgett. 5. Bruce Wilson. 6. Grant Bankier. 7. Glenn Wollenweber. 8. Anthony Major. 9. Mark Harris. 10. Henry Leatham.
Evolution Solo 263 & Over Age groups up to 49: 1. Brad van Barrelo. 2. Michael Kirkness. 3. Scott Bayley. 4. Barry Haack. 5. Derek Eklund. 6. Nicholas Kendall. 7. Steven Newman. 8. Grant McLennan. 9. Sean Allanson. 10. Brian Fox.
Evolution Solo 132 to 250 Age groups 50 and over: 1. John Kittle. 2. Carl Blecher. 3. Wayne Skyring. 4. John Kemp. 5. Henry Leatham. 6. Scott Lawes. 7. Scott McKechnie. 8. Glenn Wollenweber. 9. Russell Ralph. 10. Dave Tanner.
Evolution Solo 132 to 250 Age groups up to 49: 1. Brad van Barrelo. 2. Liam Beverly. 3. Justin McMahon. 4. Lachlan Pratt. 5. Shawn Tomkins. 6. Carl Rindlisbacher. 7. Barry Haack. 8. Simon Abel. 9. Karl Stuhmcke. 10. Damian Foley.
Pre 90 Solo 250: 1. James Deakin. 2. Dean Burt. 3. Callum Wastell. 4. Matt Dank. 5. Justin McMahon. 6. Gary Armstrong. 7. Shane Chestnut. 8. Travis Hanly. 9. Shawn Tomkins. 10. Connor Rice.
Pre 85 Solo 250: 1. Peter Horwood. 2. Carl Rindlisbacher. 3. Simon Broad. 4. Martin Wright. 5. Karl Stuhmcke. 6. Sam Russell. 7. Jonni Row. 8. Jason Ladson. 9. Terry Groom. 10. Dave Cusack.
Sealine Cross-Country Rally – Qatar
After a week of gruelling terrain and conditions, team HRC rider Joan Barreda has narrowly won the Sealine Rally ahead of KTM star Marc Coma while his teammate Helder Rodrigues won the final day to take third outright in the event.
Joan Barreda was pleased with his week. “I’m really pleased. Finally, after a whole week of really hard work, I’ve made it. I’m really happy for the victory, for the team, and for Honda. We have won here in Qatar, and we are leading the world championship too. This is a just reward for all the hard work that the team has done.”
Even though he lost by just 1 minute and 23 second, Coma said he was still happy with his second place. “We added some good points for the World Championship and we again did a good job. We had a consistent race with a good pace, just as we did in the first round in Abu Dhabi. It is very difficult to be competitive in all the stages because they are really different races. These rallies are also short and it is only the small details that decide the outcome. We tried right up until the end of the last stage but it was not been possible to break away from the group of riders.”
Helder Rodrigues won the final day. “Last race day in Qatar has been a very positive one for us all. Joan has won the race. I finished third and I’m happy, and above all, for the team result. Paulo had been ahead as well, and I think that we’ve done a great job together.”
Final Standings – Sealine Cross-Country Rally
1 Joan Barreda 20:28’46 ESP HONDA TEAM HRC
2 Marc Coma +01’23 ESP KTM KTM Red Bull Rally Factory
3 Helder Rodrigues +01’50 PRT HONDA TEAM HRC
4 Jordi Viladoms +07’19 ESP KTM KTM Red Bull Rally Factory
5 Paulo Goncalves +08’40 PRT HONDA TEAM HRC
6 Mohammed Albalooshi +03:12’36 UAE KTM KTM UAC
7 Mohammed Abu Issa +04:15’10 QAT YAMAHA Abu Issa
8 Rafal Sonik +04:47’26 POL HONDA Poland National
9 Julián Villarrubia +04:59’39 ESP HONDA Poland National
10 Jakub Piatek +05:30’06 POL KTM Team Hanesco
Moto Wrap for the weekend of May 3/4 includes:
– Round 17 of the AMA Supercross in Las Vegas
– Rounds 5 and 6 of the AORC at Hedley, VIC
– Round 6 of the World Motocross Championships at Valkenswaard, Netherlands
– Round 3 of the UK MX Nationals at Culham Park
