Herlings Sensational in Holland

Jeffery Herlings of the Red Bull KTM Factory team is the master of race craft. His cruise to second place in the opening moto made us all doubt he is still the man in MXGP, but his total domination of the second moto, to score 2-1 results proved “The Bullet” is still the man, taking his second GP of the season and his 88^th in his career. It was also Herlings ninth victory at the Valkenswaard circuit. Herlings also lapped up to fifth place.

“Yes, he did (Gajser gave him a hard time),” Herlings said. “I don’t know how he did it from that start position and he did great, he was up the front in both races early. Second race we were first and second, so nice to beat him straight up. He beat me in the first one fair and square, and I beat him in the second one. I am looking forward to Argentina now. He was good, I don't know what he has done in the winters, he has improved so much and he did a great job and kept me honest. We lapped up to fifth place, so we were on it."

Second overall was Tim Gajser who went 1-2 after crashing while in second in the second moto, but showed enough over the weekend to let us know that he will give Herlings some tough races in 2020. Third overall was Arminas Jasikonis with 3-3 results.

“Overall I am super happy from what happened yesterday with a really bad gate pick," Gajser said. "Two solid starts and the second race battling with Jeffrey, but I got a roost in the second one and couldn't see properly and it was easy to make a mistake, because the ground was realy soft."

In the championship points it is Jeffrey Herlings 94 points, Tim Gajser 85 points and Antonio Cairoli on 68 points. It might be a two horse race moving into the next few rounds.

Herlings led the second MXGP moto from Gajser, Cairoli, Jasikonis, Jonass, Simpson, Monticelli, Cervellin, Lupino, Bobryshev in 10^th. Gajser tried to pass Herlings, but the Dutchman wasn’t having any of it as he blocked the Honda riders move. Prado and Seewer down in the first corner and Jonass down and way out of the top ten soon after. Tonus stuck on the start with what seemed like a dead motor. Evans not starting after injuring his shoulder in the first race.

After two laps the lead was two seconds as Gajser seems to be really pushing his limits and Herlings is another animal from the first race. His go slow attitude seems to be spot on. Top ten on lap two was Herlings, Gajser, Jasikonis, Cairoli, Simpson, Monticelli, Bobryshev, Van Horebeek, Cervellin, and Van Berkel 10^th.

Herlings looking brilliant again and making everyone in the crowd comfortable again.  Monticelli down and Seewer also in trouble, as was Adam Sterry. After two laps the lead was nearly five seconds and the lap times of Herlings were three seconds quicker than Gajser.

Gajser though turned up his times on lap four and was suddenly less than three seconds behind Herlings. Cat and mouse stuff by the two quickest riders in the World and the crowd are loving it. Desalle back in 15^th, Prado 16^th and Paulin 20^th.

Five laps down and the lead was again five seconds, Jasikonis was third, then Cairoli, Simpson, Van Horebeek, Bobryshev, Cervellin, Kullas, and Van Berkel 10^th. Desalle 13^th, Prado 17^th and Paulin 18^th.

A lap later and the lead was two seconds again as he started catching Herlings and in third place Jasikonis was 16 seconds back in third. Jonass a brilliant ride and into the top ten as he moved into 8^th place.

Gajser onto Herlings as the bullet blocked by lapped riders, and then Gajser nearly off the bike as he mis-times a jump as he slipped in the muddy conditions. Suddenly the lead was more than five seconds. Desalle into 10^th place and Paulin into 13^th.

Lapped riders getting out of the way of Herlings as he starts lapping up to 15^th place, and Gajser has a little more trouble to get past the slower riders. After 10 laps it was Herlings, Gajser, Jasikonis, Cairoli, Simpson, Van Horebeek, Bobryshev, Jonass, Kullas, and Desalle. Gajser making little mistakes and the lead was up to around seven seconds.

After 11 laps the lead was nine seconds as Herlings continued to look the goods, Gajser second, Jasikonis half a lap behind the leader, then Simpson, Cairoli, Van Horebeek, Bobryshev, Desalle, Coldenhoff and Kullas. Herlings lapping 10^th place rider, but more importantly, Gajser took five seconds out of the lead by Herlings, just five seconds on lap 12.

Gajser down hard as he handed the GP overall to Herlings and the Dutchman laps seventh placed Desalle. The lead was 19 seconds as Herlings wins the race, the overall and is still the man in MXGP.

MXGP of Netherlands - Highlights

Daytona Preview

Roczen wins Atlanta

The Monster Energy AMA Supercross an FIM World Championship crossed the season's half way point, and round 9 of the 17-race series was a barn burner in Atlanta in front of 59,743 fans inside Mercedez Benz Stadium. The 450SX Class Main Event was a thrill-a-minute battle for nearly everyone except race winner Ken Roczen of Team Honda HRC. Roczen pulled the holeshot and disappeared from the pack to convincingly grab his third win of the season. The victory brings the Honda rider into a championship points tie with Monster Energy Kawasaki's Eli Tomac.

After two fourth-place finishes in the past two weekends, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing's Justin Barcia grabbed a podium finish the hard way - the Yamaha rider recovered from a 15^th place start to steadily and aggressively push through the pack to finish in second place. Red Bull KTM's Cooper Webb spent all week recovering from a brutal crash seven days prior; after an eighth-place start Webb fell back a bit in the early laps but kept his head down. Tomac also started poorly, then mis-timed a block pass on Rocky Mountain ATV/MC-KTM-WPS's Blake Baggett, sending both riders to the ground. Tomac remounted in 14^th and made the push toward the front.

 
With four minutes left on the clock Tomac reached Webb and started applying the pressure - at that point battling for sixth place. The two moved forward on the leader board and with two laps remaining had reached Team Tedder / Monster Energy Racing's Martin Davalos who ran in third. On the final lap Webb squared up a 180-degree berm and cut under and passed Davalos with hardly an inch to spare. Tomac followed and kept the pressure on Webb, but the defending champ held strong until the end and turned what might have been a no-show event for most riders into a podium finish.

Herlings wins in England

Red Bull KTM Factory rider Jeffrey Herlings has gone 1-2 for victory at the Grand Prix of Great Britain. The 2018 MXGP champion added another GP victory to his name and goes into his home GP at Valkenswaard next weekend with a lot of confidence. 

Tim Gajser, the defending champion also showed his hand with a stunning second moto victory, but a crash in the first race cost him any chance of battling Herlings for the GP win. 

Second overall was Tim Gajser and third Antonio Cairoli. Three of the big four on the podium and a championship that is looking very good. A total of 16 World championships on the podium with the big three. 200 GP wins between the big three. Yes, these boys are all legends.

Jeffrey Herlings: “Yes, definitely (great to win), it was scary that second race with the sun so low but we have that in March. We got a great win with first and second and that second race I didn’t want to take any risk with the sun in that second one. I have been studying the championships and I want to be consistent and I don't want to win every race and I already lost a moto, so that is okay.

Tim Gajser: I mean, overall I am super happy to finish on the podium. The first race I was disappointed and crashed twice, but the second one I had a good start and got a comfortable lead and won the moto. Looking forward to next weekend.

Antonio Cairoli: Like I told before, I am really happy with anything here. My shoulder is much better, but 10 days ago I twisted my knee in Lommel and hurt my PCL and the knee was already damaged and I am thankful that I didn't have too much pain today. It was dangerous with the sun and I was scared and couldn't see much. I want to take it easy and build it up.

Gajser took the lead early from Cairoli, Herlings, Jacobi, Paulin, Desalle, Prado, Simpson, Seewer, Coldenhoff, Jonass, Tonus, Vlaanderen, Jasikonis, and Cervellin 15^th. Evans was down in 22^nd.

Gajser just took off as Cairoli got out of shape and nearly went down but remained in second place. Herlings third, with Paulin and Desalle rounding out the top five. Gajser a stunning eight seconds ahead of Cairoli and Herlings all over the Italian for second place. The pace of this class is just ridiculous.

Two laps done and the lead was 10 seconds as Gajser just bullies the race away from the competition. Evans on a small charge as he moved into 10^th place. Herlings was all over Cairoli and passed the Italian on a fantastic passing move. Within a few corners he has gapped Cairoli by 100 metres.

Evans all over Prado and Coldenhoff and he quickly dispatched the MX2 World champion and lined up Coldenhoff. Evans into seventh place as he moved Jacobi out of the way, the Aussie is flying. Evans also moved past Seewer for sixth place.

After five laps the lead by the World champion was 16 seconds, then Herlings, Cairoli, Paulin, Desalle, Evans, Seewer, Coldenhoff, Jacobi and Prado. Evans is quickly onto Desalle and Paulin. Herlings nearly off the bike as he slips and slides around a corner.

Interestingly, it looked like Paulin and Desalle were catching Cairoli and Evans was catching them. Jonass in the mechanics area with problems on lap six. The lead was extended to 19 seconds as Gajser really showing he isn’t handing his title to anyone on a plate.

Seven laps in and the lead was 22 seconds, second was Herlings just two seconds ahead of Cairoli and then came Paulin, Desalle, Evans, Seewer, Coldenhoff, Jacobi, Prado in 10^th. Coldenhoff went past Evans, and on the 11^th lap the lead by Gajser was 22 seconds.

The final finishing order for the race was Gajser, Herlings, Cairoli, Paulin, Desalle, Coldenhoff, Evans, Seewer, Jacobi and Paturel. Prado down to 12^th place, obviously struggling with his fitness after his injury.

MXGP - Grand Prix Race 2 – Classification: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 35:44.501; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:23.382; 3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:28.395; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:30.195; 5. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:32.276; 6. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, GASGAS), +0:33.945; 7. Mitchell Evans (AUS, Honda), +0:36.870; 8. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:38.209; 9. Henry Jacobi (GER, Yamaha), +0:48.109; 10.

Osborne injured - Atlanta

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Zach Osborne was injured during a practice crash in Florida this week following Round 8 of the 2020 AMA Supercross World Championship Series. Osborne suffered a broken rib, two bruised lungs and a sprained wrist. His return to racing is yet to be determined as he assesses the proper recovery time for his injuries. 

“I’m really gutted with the timing of this incident but very grateful that my injuries were minor considering the hit that I took,” Osborne said. “It’s been a very tough start to the season for me and my team has been so awesome in picking me back up as they always do.  This is just a bump in the road and I will be back as soon as I’m back to 100% and can reach my full potential again.”

Round 9 of the 2020 AMA Supercross World Championship Series will take place this Saturday, February 29 in Atlanta, Georgia where Osborne’s Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing teammates will line up inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Taft WORCS

2020 Taft WORCS: Zach Bell Races Forward in the Pro Race After Hard First-Lap Crash

WORCS round two hit Taft which proved to be one of the fastest off road tracks in the series. When you crash here it hits home, as many riders found last weekend including Precision Concepts Racing’s Bell.

Zach hit the deck hard while chasing lead riders Dante Oliveira and eventual winner Taylor Robert (all of whom had their own crashes on the day). Bell picks himself up and heads to the pits for a front wheel change before blasting back through the pack to finish fourth overall in the Pro class.

Ryan Dungey parts ways with Factory Connection Honda

 

Ryan Dungey and Chase Sexton

Former AMA Supercross and Motocross champion Ryan Dungey will step away from his role at Factory Connection Honda after signing on as part-owner in December last year (2019).

Dungey made the announcement he was parting ways with the team on Instagram this morning, saying “After months spent with the Factory Connection Racing team and discussions with the teams owners, it’s tough to say we will be discontinuing our relationship. I found this is to be a larger commitment than I can give it at this stage in my life.
"It’s not in my style to do a job half way, nor is it fair to the team to not get the full efforts that they deserve. My overall impression of the team is very high. I’m grateful for the time they gave me and how much Jeff Majkrzak and Rick Zielfelder helped me in my life journey. I hope for continued success for the team and the Honda organization.”

Have You Checked Your Sag Lately?

Why is setting sag on off-road and dual sport bikes so important?

Modern dirt bike setup is based on the bike sitting at a particular height and posture with the rider mounted, regardless of the weight of the rider. This means that every rider needs to measure the rider sag and adjust the spring preload so the bike handles properly. In some cases it may be necessary to get heavier or softer springs which can easily be determined by looking at your static sag measurement once your rider sag is set. It is critical to check sag regularly and adjust for different conditions. Even if you have no experience setting up motorcycle suspension, this sag tool makes it super fast and easy to make sure your bike is setup properly and keeps you fast, safe and having fun! With just a couple of simple measurements, you can get your spring preload dialed in and verify if you have the right spring rates installed.
How often should I check my sag?

With dirt bikes we recommend checking it every ride and adjust to find the perfect setting for any given condition. For faster conditions run a little extra sag for stability and for the tight stuff run a little less for better steering.

Do I need to service my dirt bikes suspension?

Yes, you should get the suspension serviced at least every 20-30 hours of riding. As the fluids break down and bushings and seals wear, the suspension will start to perform poorly. Also remember to grease any linkage, pivot points and shock mount points whenever you service the suspension.

The Music Sucks but the Riding Is Awesome

Day one race highlights from the city EnduroX race at El Inka Hard Enduro 2020 in Peru – Mario Roman took victory ahead of Max Gerston and Benjamin Herrera