Wednesday, March 27, 2019 at 2:26PM Highlights from the sweet course at round two of the AMA National Enduro Series in Ormond Beach, Florida the 68th Alligator Enduro. Stew Baylor wins from Russell Bobbitt and Evan Smith.
Sunday, March 24, 2019 at 5:25PM 
Antonio Cairoli scored another GP victory, the 87th of his career with a consistent 1-2 performance. The Italian showed smarts to take his time in the opening moto when Tim Gajser pushed hard and fell, and then sat back and watched the HRC rider win the second moto, but his GP victory was more than enough the give the Italian a big smile.
Second overall was Gajser with 3-1 and third Gautier Paulin with 2-3 scores.
Cairoli takes the holeshot, but Gajser quickly into the lead and Paulin into third place, followed by Jasikonis, Seewer, Jonass, Tixier, Simpson, Coldenhoff, Van Horebeek in 10th. Ferris down in the first corner and out of the race.
Gajser in control again, just like he was in the opening moto, but the circuit is rough and there are plenty of slippery sections. Gajser looking smooth as silk and after three laps the lead was five second, then came Cairoli, Paulin, Jasikonis, Seewer, Jonass, Van Horebeek, Simpson, Tonus and Tixier.
Cairoli clocking off quick lap times, but Gajser responded with the fastest lap of the race on lap five. After five laps it was Gajser, Cairoli, Paulin, Jasikonis, Seewer, Van Horebeek, Jonass, Tonus, Tixier, and Simpson 10th.
Gajser and Cairoli on another level compared to the rest as they pull well away from everyone else. After eight laps Gajser led with six seconds over Cairoli, then Paulin 27 seconds back, followed by Jasikonis, Seewer, Van Horebeek, Jonass, Desalle, Coldenhoff, Simpson.
Cairoli on the gas as he picks up the pace and started closing in on Gajser with three laps to go. After 11 laps the lead was four and a half seconds. Gajser clocked the quickest first second of the track and Cairoli the fastest in the last section. Two laps to go and less than three seconds in it.
Gajser wins the moto after Cairoli pulled right up on him, and third placed Paulin some 54 minutes back.
Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), -6 lap(s); 33. Ander Valentin (ESP, Husqvarna), -10 lap(s); 34. Matiss Karro (LAT, Husqvarna), -14 lap(s); 35. Dean Ferris (AUS, Yamaha), -15 lap(s);
MXGP - GP Classification
1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 47 points; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 45 p.; 3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 42 p.; 4. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 32 p.; 5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 31 p.; 6. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 30 p.; 7. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 29 p.; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 22 p.; 9. Max Anstie (GBR, KTM), 21 p.; 10. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 17 p.; Guryev (RUS, HUS), 0 p.; 33. Jake Millward (GBR, HUS), 0 p.; 34. Ander Valentin (ESP, HUS), 0 p.; 35. Matiss Karro (LAT, HUS), 0 p.;
MXGP - World Championship Classification
1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 97 points; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 89 p.; 3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 74 p.; 4. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 66 p.; 5. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 65 p.; 6. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 56 p.; 7. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 50 p.; 8. Max Anstie (GBR, KTM), 39 p.; 9. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 39 p.; 10. Tommy Searle (GBR, KAW), 38 p.;
Ray Archer image
Sunday, March 24, 2019 at 5:17PM Explaining Marvin Musquin's Penalty
Red Bull KTM's Marvin Musquin won the Seattle Supercross last night, his second-consecutive victory in Monster Energy AMA Supercross, but the entire race was shrouded with doubt after the #25 rider was seen jumping through a section lined with red cross (no jumping) flags.
The flags were out due to an huge crash that claimed both Chad Reed and Justin Brayton. Neither rider returned to the race, and Reed is suspected to have arm and rib injuries. Brayton was talking of knee pain and possibly a torn MCL ligament. We will update the status of these two as more information comes available.
As for Musquin, he led the race early and went on to capture the win. But would he be penalized and be stripped of the victory? No. As the official championship rulebook explains, the penalty is now points, not positions.
Under section 4.16 of the rulebook, it states that a rider must do all of the obstacles individually (i.e. no double, triple, step on/off, etc.) when a red cross or red flashing light is shown. It goes on to say that if Race Direction determines that there was a blatant violation of the rule, the penalty will be as follows (emphasis ours):
A. During practice and qualifying, the loss of the fastest lap time during that session.
B. During Heat or LCQ races, the loss of number of positions gained, plus two additional positions in the final results for that race.
C. During a main event race, if no positions were gained, the penalty will be the points and purse equal to two positions in the final results for that race plus two additional points.
D. During a main event race, if any positions are gained, the loss of number of positions gained plus the points and purse equal to two additional positions in the final results for that race, plus two additional points.
E. During a sighting or cool-down lap, a fine as determined by Race Direction.
F. If at any time Race Direction determines that it was not a blatant violation of the rule, a warning or fine may be issued.
So, in the case of Musquin, no positions were gained, so rule 9C was applied: He was stripped of points and purse equal to two positions (this case first to third) and an additional two points. That resulted in a seven-point penalty in the championship for Musquin.
Some fans may remember Ryan Dungey being stripped of a win for jumping through a red cross section in 2016, but the rulebook changed prior to the 2017 season. This new rule was actually enforced in the exact same manner at last year's Indianapolis Supercross, when Jeremy Martin won the race, but was found to have doubled a triple, and was thus still awarded the race win but was stripped of seven championship points.
Here's a link to the Martin story from last year, which also contains additional information on the rule from the AMA Supercross Manager Mike Pelletier.
Musquin remains second in the series and 14 points down to his teammate Cooper Webb. He was 14 points down coming into Seattle.
Friday, March 22, 2019 at 11:30AM The Big Red is taking an e-step.
Electric motorcycles are blossoming on the market like Spring flowers. While a lot of the most appealing models are offered by small-volume companies and startups, some of the industry’s biggest players are finally joining in. For instance, KTM introduced the Freeride EX-C dirt bike while Yamaha went the trials way with the TY-E. Others like Ducati and Kawasaki are supposedly working on emission-free models of their own. A new player has now officially (kind of) entered the e-game: Honda is going electric.
TThe terms “electric” and “Honda” sharing a sentence isn’t exactly news-worthy. The manufacturer has already dabbled in the technology on the automotive industry. On the motorcycle front, however, we’ve seen a few ideas from the company including its self-standing motorcycle as well as a partnership with Panasonic for the development of swappable e-scooter batteries. However, a proper, almost production-ready bike hadn’t exactly been part of the plan.
It now is. In fact, the Japanese giant surprised everyone by introducing an electric dirt bike prototype at the Tokyo Motorcycle Show, the CR Electric. The frame of the motocross is similar to a standard CR-F 250, that is an aluminum twin-spar structure with a prominent beam framing the engine. Even the block itself is deceptively similar to a petrol mill if not inspected up close—unlike other designs that enclose the battery and electric motor into a box.
Of course, as a prototype, there is very little information available such as battery size, power, range, weight, etc. There’s no need to have a keen eye to notice the massive “Showa” decorating the inverted fork at the front. Braking power (at least part of it) is likely provided by Nissin, if the fluid reservoir is any indications.
As a prototype, what’s interesting is the fact that Honda is choosing for the dirt path rather than the paved one to put its electric technology to the test—the same path a number of other companies have also chosen. The Honda representatives in Tokyo commented that “Motocross (off road) is the toughest test for electric bikes. Honda will develop the E-sports bike also.” An electric road Honda on the way? We’re looking forward to seeing that.
Friday, March 22, 2019 at 11:24AM Red Bull KTM talent anticipating riding return in late April.
Reigning champion Jeffrey Herlings has reaffirmed his commitment to the 2019 MXGP World Championship despite speculation previously linking him to campaign in the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship.
The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider broke his right foot at the end of January in a training incident, sidelining him for at least the first four rounds and resulting in increased talk of the Dutchman plotting an assault on the American pro circuit after being ruled out of grand prix title contention.
Today the Austrian manufacturer released a statement revealing Herlings will in fact remain in the world championship, with an anticipated return from injury scheduled for late April.
“Rehab has been going very well and I cannot wait to be back and to throw a leg over the bike again,” Herlings explained. “I want to be back at the GPs as quick as possible but we cannot say which race yet until I get some riding time.
“I’m also able to step-up my cycling and swimming now. For sure we’ll miss the next three rounds and we also don’t want to rush things and risk a set-back.”
KTM vice president of off-road added: “It is good to see that Jeffrey is making progress and we can perhaps see the end of this unfortunate injury that was so disruptive to our 2019 plans. It will be a big boost for us and the team to have Jeffrey back, fit and happy in MXGP. He is a very important rider for an important team for us in MXGP.”
Friday, March 22, 2019 at 11:22AM Inaugural electric-powered enduro sanctioned by FIM to take place in France.
The FIM has confirmed the introduction of the inaugural E-Bike Enduro World Cup that will take place on 1-2 June 2019, as part of the Trophee de France E-VTT Enduro at Privas, France.
The electric-powered series will include two categories: Enduro1 (E1) – bikes equipped with a motor with a maximum rated continuous power of more than 250W without exceeding 45kph, and Enduro2 (E2) – also boasting a maximum continuous rated power of 250W that does not exceed 25kph.
Saturday’s opening day will utilise an urban prologue in the centre of the city, while Sunday’s main race will unfold in the surrounding hills. The main race will include three laps of approximately 25km per lap – comprising of the liaison route that will link the three special tests, that will vary in length.
These will be located in a nearby forest and will incorporate the local rocky terrain that will present its own technical challenges. Overall the course will look to test the E-Bikes’ technology plus physical condition and skills of the riders.
“I am particularly proud to announce the launch of our first E-Bike competition,” said FIM president Jorge Viegas. “Power assisted bicycles and electric powered cycles are not recent products and have long been part of the history of the FIM, as the vintage Indian motorcycle on display in our headquarters confirms.
“In fact the early motorcycles were much based on a bicycle frame with the addition of an engine, so the story has really returned back to the beginning of our evolution.
Thursday, March 21, 2019 at 2:04PM Why a scenic field in Hampshire is home to the British Motocross Grand Prix
Motocross is one of the most exciting sports to watch, so it's no surprise that the British round of the World Championship is a hit with spectators Credit: Ray Archer
Round two of nineteen in the 2019 FIM MXGP Motocross World Championship drops into the shallow ‘bowl’ of Matterley Basin, Winchester this weekend. The large site is a mud-splat away from junction 9 of the M3 and has been home to the British Grand Prix for the last decade.
It draws fans from across the UK and Europe to a location used once a year for motorcycle racing and a summer music festival. A (so far) stable weather forecast should see more than 30,000 people converge close to England’s former capital city come Sunday. They will crowd around a jump-laden and spectacular course with vast viewing potential for spectators, permitting full appreciation of a violent and perilous form of motorsport with a vast and unseen grass roots following.
Matterley Basin is epic in scale over its forty-four acres and was inaugurated in 2006 for the Motocross of Nations (a ‘world cup’ of the sport): a fixture that was blighted by rain in the build-up but did not deter an official crowd figure of 89,000. Since then the ground has been mined for the Nations again (2017) and has become the stable British stop on the MXGP calendar thanks to originator and driving force Steve Dixon.
Principal of the Bike it DRT Kawasaki team (that competes in the MX2 class of the series), local resident Dixon took a crash course in event-planning and all the regulations and permits required to make a world championship race occur to establish Matterley Basin. The venue is virtually unique on the Grand Prix agenda (that visits sixteen countries) because long after the bikes have throttled the English soil the circuit grasses-over and remains a quaint part of the countryside until the following year.
“Making the grand prix involves a ten-day build but it is a smooth process now,” said Dixon who has dealt with a myriad of problems and issues through ten editions of the British Grand Prix, ranging from parking, access, weather, communications, security, ticketing: all the imaginable head-aches of a major international occasion. Aside from running a Grand Prix winning team Dixon is now a venerable bank of knowledge when it comes to a large scale sanctioned sporting gathering.
He persists with Matterley Basin and a place that can welcome over 400 competitors, factory teams and race transporters once the support classes have made their way through the gates. “It’s a green-field site so everything has to be brought in,” he reveals. “That includes 7km of fencing, water pipes and temporary water structures, generators and other infrastructure to create the paddock.”
Matterley has clear advantages: size, uninterrupted views and a track that is widely rated amongst the grand prix riders as one of the best on the schedule. But the ‘temporary’ nature of the Basin does create hassle. The simple question for Dixon and his small organisational team, flanked by volunteers and other people enamoured by the sport is: why?
“To run a grand prix you need a lot of space and the established motocross tracks we know in the UK simply don't have the requirements or the specifications,” he reveals. “We’ve invested into Matterley with underground structure, communication lines and detailed traffic planning and management and a ton of small details such as flat-parking for trucks and lorries. A road racing circuit would have the facilities, but the costs of creating a motocross track inside are so high because you essentially need to close down the circuit from it’s day-to-day use and transport all the dirt into the site. Good dirt in order to make a Grand Prix track is very expensive and then you cannot control the rain or the drainage. It needs to be kept dry.”
“So Matterley is hard work but it is also fairly cheap and more sustainable,” he adds. “You also have to think that the distances for the fans from the track at a place like Donington Park or Brands Hatch will also have an effect on the atmosphere and we’d like to try and preserve that the best we can.”
This year Dixon took a gamble. He made a request to championship overseers Youthstream for the British Grand Prix to shifted from a traditional summer berth to earlier on the slate. The March date skirts closer to disaster with the weather but for something that costs upwards of a quarter of a million pounds to run the timing also has financial benefits (as well as possibly fishing for extra fans hungry for MXGP after a long off-season). “By moving the race to March I’d say we’ve saved 25% of the budget on infrastructure costs – a metre of fencing is 8-9 pounds instead of 15 – as it would be in the summer. There is a lot more means of transport available. It is a ‘feast or famine’ scenario compared to the summer and the music festival period. Having the race in March means we can cherry-pick our prices more.”
Dixon’s obsession with the grand prix has involved a lot of personal and professional sacrifice. It began in 2005 as an enterprise to support the promotion of his team and DRT is the only Grand Prix squad from the UK still in existence from the last century. “It was important for my team and the sponsors and there was a time when the race wasn't going to happen; we didn't have one in 2003,” he says. “I’ve run a race team for thirty years now so I know I am doing something right there!”
The British Grand Prix survives largely thanks to Dixon and his relationship with the Matterley landowner, local sponsors and companies and the support of the fans that still make the journey to Winchester. Getting people onto the grass banking is not getting any easier and this is a preoccupation that any motorsport – or sport – promoter can relate to.
“I still cannot really give an answer as to why I do it,” he admits. “I think if people were not prepared to give their time and their knowledge for sporting events like this then they wouldn't exist and that goes for pretty much any sport I believe.”
“MXGP is easy to see on TV and there are many other distractions for people today,” he adds. “So we cater for the ‘hardcore’ and have to make it work right for them. Compared to music festival goers that will buy tickets in just a few hours and well-in-advance, race fans tend to decide maybe a week before or even on the day, so it means cash-flow can be tight and it can be a stressful time.”
“I think if anyone came into this just for the money then there are too many variables for it to work,” he stressed. “It has to be driven by passion to make it happen. I’m at the point now where I don't want to give up and be seen to fail with it. When the first race starts on Sunday I still get a good feeling: the hairs go up on my arms and I think ‘we did it again’.”
Wednesday, March 20, 2019 at 8:42PM
Ken Roczen has always been one of the most open and honest racers in the pits, and so his short two-race slump of sub-par finishes has already resulted in a surprisingly candid response. After finishing eighth at the Indianapolis Supercross, which dropped him 27 points down from championship leader Cooper Webb, he could have just said he got a bad start on a track that didn’t offer much passing. No one would have noticed.
Instead, Roczen’s Team Honda HRC press release contained this quote:
“There isn’t much to say about Indianapolis,” Roczen said in the team statement. “It just wasn’t a good weekend for us. I had some struggles during the week and over the past couple of weeks that have really held me back and have made it so I can’t ride and train to my full potential. I’m trying to figure out what’s going on and hopefully get some answers soon. I’ve just been getting tired and I’m not sure why. Right now I’m just trying to focus on getting my body and everything aligned so that I can fight back and ride like I was during the beginning of the season. I’m obviously not where I want to be at eighth, but if there’s a good thing to take away it’s that we’re physically healthy and heading to Seattle.”
“Our goal is to get on the podium each week and we’ve been falling short of that, which is tough because we know both of our guys are capable of it,” said team manager Erik Kehoe. "Ken’s been consistent throughout most of the season but the last few weeks have been tough. Since he had been fighting the flu, he’s had a hard time bouncing back.”
Roczen has recently struggled with the flu, but a team statement revealed there might me more holding the #94 back. Rich Shepherd
Roczen finished inside the top five in all of the first nine rounds. Now he has back-to-back eighth-place finishes.
“Tonight was kind of tough to watch,” added Roczen’s mechanic Oscar Wirdeman. “I’m not sure what happened, but there wasn’t a lot of progression throughout the race obviously, as Kenny started and finished in basically the same position. Bike-wise, he was pretty happy and we didn’t make many changes throughout the day, so that wasn’t the issue. He wasn’t happy so we just need to figure it out and go from there.”
What could be the problem? Surely Kenny will be subjected to some tests to try to figure out why he’s not feeling 100 percent, physically. Remember, this is the first season where Ken has made it out of the West Coast races healthy, which means he’s taken on the load of pre-season training and then 11 races in 11 weekends for the first time since 2016. Is he just feeling run down? Can he get his energy back in time to get that ever-elusive victory and make a title run? Time is running out, and stressing over it probably will only make things worse.
There’s quite a bit of struggle over at Honda right now, as Cole Seely, Roczen’s teammate, has shown signs of speed all year but is still without a podium finish.
Seely has shown the speed to run up front in heat races but hasn't gotten the starts needed to run up front in the main events. Rich Shepherd
“Cole has been struggling to find his confidence this year,” said Kehoe. “He has the skill and talent but I think he really just needs to believe in himself.”
“This season has been a challenge and tonight was no different,” said Seely, who finished 12th in Indy and is 11th in 450SX points, with a high finish of sixth. “I’m really frustrated. I have the speed to do it but just need to put it all together. It’s definitely tough when you don’t put yourself in a good position off the start, which is what happened in the main. All I can do is keeping working and building forward.”
“I think everyone is a little frustrated because we’re not sure what’s missing,” added Seely’s mechanic, Jordan Troxell. “I know Cole wants it, I know he can run up front, and he’s happy with the bike, but we can’t seem to get past whatever is holding him back. He’s been struggling with starts, which puts him in a bad situation from the beginning. That’s hard but he’s also still building himself up mentally.”
For Seely, he’s still looking for that mental edge after his big crash and injuries last season. For Roczen, he’s looking for answers on the physical side. Either way, the long slog of a long season has taken a toll on Team Honda HRC. Can they find some answers?
Wednesday, March 20, 2019 at 8:36PM Video highlights action from the third round of the 2019 GNCC Championship, The General GNCC in Washington Georgia. Russell takes the win but not without a fight with Bollinger and Duvall.
Wednesday, March 20, 2019 at 8:33PM Factory Honda rider eager to build on runner-up performance from round one.
Image: Supplied.
Former world champion Tim Gajser is feeling optimistic heading into this weekend’s second round of the 2019 MXGP World Championship as he favours the Matterley Basin circuit in Great Britain.
The Honda HRC rider believes his liking for the venue will promote a sense of enjoyment, which can only lead to strong results according to the Slovenian.
Gajser was unable to challenge nine-time world champion Antonio Cairoli (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), finishing runner-up in both outings at the Argentinian stop.
“It’s great to get back to racing after two weeks off,” said Gajser. “I have been training hard and putting in a lot of work in preparation for this race and I can’t wait to finally get back on a race track again after having the break.
“I really like the Matterley Basin track so I’m really looking forward to having some good races over there and having fun, which I think is the most important thing because if I can have fun, I know that I will have had a good race and a good result.”
Round two of the MXGP World Championship marks the start of three back-to-back stops, with the series set to visit Valkenswaard in The Netherlands and Pietramurata in Italy over the following weeks.
