Milner and Sanders take the honours at Dungog AORC

Big AORC hitters Daniel Milner and Daniel Sanders share the overall wins at rounds three and four in prime conditions at Dungog, New South Wales.

Daniel Milner, Luke Styke and Daniel Sanders each continued their 100% winning records at rounds three and four of the Australian Off Road Championship (AORC) in Dungog this weekend – with Milner taking the Saturday overall and Sanders turning the tide on Sunday to record fastest overall time.  

In perfect racing conditions at Dungog and, for once very little dust, rounds three and four of AORC ran a timecard enduro format on both days. In actual fact the format seems to matter little to the leading riders though as Daniel’s Sanders and Milner again battled all the weekend for the overall. 

More than comfortable onboard the KTM 350 EXC-F, Daniel Milner gave no chance to his rivals in E2 class. On both days he won by a clear margin – one minute on day one and 40 seconds on day two.  Joshua Green and Scott Keegan completed the podium on Saturday. On Sunday Green stayed second and Jeremy Carpentier made his way up to the last spot in the podium. 

“A few mistakes cost me.” Said milner after Dungog. “I didn’t get it together as well today [Sunday] as I did on Saturday. I got caught out on some grass sections but apart from those mistakes I really enjoyed the day. The club here always put on a good event which made for an exciting weekend full of close racing. I am really pleased to finish the weekend here in Dungog with two class wins.

“The hardest thing for me is that I’m the guy who is meant to stay smooth and consistent, but I just made mistakes. So I definitely have a strong drive now to work hard and fix the problems in time for the next rounds.”

 

Sanders takes no prisoners on Sunday

Winning by a margin of nearly three minutes on Saturday and by two minutes on Sunday, Daniel Sanders had the ride of the weekend in E3. The extra training between the first rounds and Dungog seemed to pay off with consistent speed and a reward of the overall on day two. Sanders was joined in the podium by Beau Ralston and Jesse Lawton on Saturday and Beau Ralston and Andres Wilksch on Sunday.

Dungog left a big smile on Sander’s face: “Sunday was a good day! I came out of Saturday feeling positive, so I wanted to push straight away in round four. I didn’t ride the grassy cross tests as well as I had hoped, so I worked really hard on that all day and finally scored a good run on the last loop.”

“The Enduro test was great. I just had to hit my markers and overall, I was really happy with how I went. There were a lot of positives after Toowoomba, but I still have a lot of work to do before Kyogle.”

“It was an awesome weekend here in Dungog and was without a doubt the best AORC event I have done so far! The AORC Committee and Dungog Motorcycle Club put on an awesome event. If you weren’t here you really missed out!”

Tomac wins in Nashville

AMA motocross champion Eli Tomac has won the latest round of the AMA supercross championship in Nashville, however it was Cooper Webb who came away to extend his points lead in the series and is looking hard to beat now for the championship.

Tomac won ahead of Blake Baggett and Cooper Webb, with Marvin Musquin down in sixth place. With three rounds remaining Webb has 309 points to 288 by Tomac and Musquin.

Husky riders Dean Wilson and Zach Osborne did well for fourth and fifth places in the main event.

Webb had a solid start to the evening as he finished second in 450SX Heat 1 to secure a favorable gate position heading into the Main Event. As the gate dropped for the main, Webb powered his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to the holeshot and early lead. He led for the first eight laps before dropping into the second-place position. As the race wore on, Webb found himself engaged in battle for second with KTM-mounted Blake Baggett. Baggett eventually made the move around Webb and he charged his way to the finish, capturing third overall and banking points toward his quest for a career-first 450SX title. 

“It was nice to get the holeshot and lead some laps in the Main Event," Webb said. "I made some mistakes and got passed by Eli and Blake – they were both riding really good tonight. I’m keeping the bigger picture in mind and a podium finish isn’t too bad, we were able to take away some points and extend the lead a little bit heading into the last three rounds.”  

Musquin had a great start to the day in Nashville as he claimed the second-place qualifying position in the 450SX class. He lined up in 450SX Heat 1 where he battled through the chaos to take the early lead in the race. The race was red flagged early on and after the restart Musquin ran into a few issues that ultimately set him back to claim an eighth-place transfer into the Main Event. As the gate dropped for the Main Event, Musquin put himself into second place where he battled just behind teammate Webb early on. As he was positioning himself for a pass into the lead, Musquin hit a square edge in the whoop section and went down, causing him to drop back to 20th on lap two. He made a big charge through the pack to ultimately climb his way up to sixth, claiming valuable points in the championship chase. 

“Qualifying eighth in the heat race," Musquin said. "Kind of put me in a bad position for the Main Event but I was able to get a decent start in second. Unfortunately, I made another mistake in the first set of whoops and I went down. From last, I came all the way back to sixth-place, which is okay but the end result is not good so we’ll keep on fighting.” 

“I qualified third, so the speed was good today,” Wilson said. “In the heat race, I rode a bit tight and ended up fourth. In the Main Event, I got a good start and avoided some carnage early on and got into second. I got passed by a couple guys and from there I rode in a pretty solid fourth the whole race. Fourth is a good finish but the podium was so close, so I just have to keep pushing for that.”

“Progress is progress, even if it’s slow or small,” Osborne said. “I started off a little slow on the day but a third in the heat race and fifth in the Main Event definitely feels like we’re going in the right direction. I’ll keep plugging away and looking forward to outdoors.” 

In the 250 class Chase Sexton looks like he might get the championship as Austin Forkner pulled out with injury and will likely miss the next round. Justin Cooper is also in the mix for the East Coast 250 championship, but it was Martin Davilos who won the main event in Nashville.

Gajser Tops Cairoli at Italian GP

Gajser Great Victory in Italy

HRC rider Tim Gajser has ridden the GP of his life as he battled possibly the greatest GP rider of all time, and in front of a massive Italian crowd. Gajser scored 1-1 results and made sure this MXGP championship is alive and well.

“It is unbelievable,” Gajser said. “I am speechless we played cat and mouse and he followed me and then he was so quick, and then I followed him and such an amazing race, unbelievable, unbelievable. I got a good start and led and Tony was behind me and we pushed hard and at the end, after more than a year I won a GP and we had a tough two years, but we never give up."

Antonio Cairoli was also brilliant, and did pick up a knee injury when he nearly crashed during the second moto.

"I am happy about the weekend," Cairoli said. "But of course not happy about the second moto. We rode fast and it was dangerous this speed and I was too aggresive in some places and took risk and that isnt' needed. I crashed and twisted my left knee and I felt a lot of pain and I couldnt' lay my bike down and I fell hard. It shouldn't happen, but Tim rode amazing and deserves this win."

Gajser took the lead early in the second MXGP moto, followed by Cairoli, Paulin, Tonus, Searle, Anstie, Bogers, Monticelli, Seewer, and Jonass in 10^th. Paulin in third pushing hard to get under Cairoli, and Coldenhoff quickly into 10^th place.

After one lap it was Gajser with a two second lead, then Cairoli, Paulin, Tonus, Anstie, Monticelli, Searle, Bogers, Coldenhoff and Bernardini in 10^th. Desalle and Jonass at the back of the field, as was Seewer and Van Horebeek. Simpson 21^st place.

After two laps the lead was more than two seconds and Paulin was a further three seconds back in third. Three laps in and Cairoli made up a little ground on the leader, and Anstie into the top five as he passed Jasikonis.

Anstie out of the top ten as he drops to 30^th place and into the mechanic area, clearly suffering from his moto one injury. After five laps and Cairoli closed up a little, and Paturel moved into 10^th place and Simpson riding well to move into 14^th place.

Gajser and Cairoli both turned up the speed and after six laps it was Gajser with a two second lead, with Paulin eight seconds back, then Tonus, Jasikonis, Monticelli, Searle, Bogers, Coldenhoff and Paturel.

After eight laps and Cairoli started pushing harder and was closing on the leader, with Paulin now 14 seconds back. Both riders looking very smooth, and in control, but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t turn into a slugfest.

Suddenly Cairoli went for the pass and Gajser made a mistake and let Cairoli through. Pandemonium as the Italian spectators just went wild. Gajser though wasn’t finished just yet as he turned up the tempo.

Seems like Gajser is pushing to get closer again, but Cairoli is looking very sharp up front. Maybe Cairoli made his move too quickly, because it looked like Gajser was watching the leaders lines and suddenly using the same lines as Cairoli.

After 11 laps it was Cairoli, Gajser, Paulin, Tonus, Jasikonis, Monticelli, Searle, Bogers, Coldenhoff and Paturel. Paulin now 26 seconds back on the top two riders. Simpson up to 12^th place, and Van Horebeek a stunning 14^th coming from the back.

Gajser a stunning move on Cairoli as he dived up the inside and then Cairoli made a big mistake and nearly crashed, possible even hurting himself as he struggled to stay on the bike and the force on his arms was forceful. Mistakes by both as they pushed to the limit, leaving Paulin 35 seconds back in third place.

It was now Cairolis chance to watch the lines of the leader. 15 laps and the two are close with Paulin in third, then Tonus, Jasikonis, Monticelli, Searle, Coldenhoff, Bogers and Lupino in 10^th. Simpson a strong 11^th, and Van Horebeek again back in the field.

The pace at the front was just ridiculous and with three laps to go they were side by side. Amazing strength from these two athletes. Lapped riders kept of of the way for the time being. Cairoli all over Gajser.

Cairoli into the lead in the same place Gajser got him a few laps earlier and Cairol nearly down again and Cairoli went down and handed the win to Gajser. Drama, drama, drama. Sensational racing from these two champions.

Gajser moved passed 14th placed Seewer and was onto Paturel who held 13th place. Tim Gajser, congratulations.

Gajser wins it from Cairoli and Paulin. Again Cairoli and Gajser embrace in another sign of what a great sportsman the Italian is in defeat.

MXGP - GP Classification

1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 50 points; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 44 p.; 3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 40 p.; 4. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 36 p.; 5. Ivo Monticelli (ITA, KTM), 31 p.; 6. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 28 p.; 7. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, KAW), 26 p.; 8. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 24 p.; 9. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 21 p.; 10. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 20 p.; 11. Tommy Searle (GBR, KAW), 17 p.; 12. Julien Lieber (BEL, KAW), 17 p.; 13. Brian Bogers (NED, HON), 14 p.; 14. Benoit Paturel (FRA, KAW), 13 p.; 15. Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 12 p.; 16. Tanel Leok (EST, HUS), 11 p.; 17. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 11 p.; 18. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 9 p.; 19. Vsevolod Brylyakov (RUS, YAM), 6 p.; 20. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 5 p.; 21. Samuele Bernardini (ITA, YAM), 3 p.; 22. Petar Petrov (BUL, KTM), 3 p.; 23. Pascal Rauchenecker (AUT, KTM), 1 p.; 24. Davide De Bortoli (ITA, HON), 0 p.; 25. Max Anstie (GBR, KTM), 0 p.; 26. Davide Bonini (ITA, SUZ), 0 p.; 27. Jonathan Bengtsson (SWE, KTM), 0 p.; 28. Artem Guryev (RUS, HUS), 0 p.; 29. Klemen Gercar (SLO, HUS), 0 p.; 30. Anton Gole (SWE, YAM), 0 p.; 31. Tom Koch (GER, KTM), 0 p.; 32. Gianluca Di Marziantonio (ITA, KTM), 0 p.;

Honda Rallye Team

Rallye News

One-two for Monster Energy Honda in 2019 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge second stage

Monster Energy Honda's José Ignacio Cornejo set off at a swift pace to claim the second stage win. Photo: RallyZone - Edoardo Bauer 

The Monster Energy Honda Team riders turned out a fine performance in the dunes of Liwa for the second stage of the 2019 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge taking the top two spots.

José Ignacio Cornejo and Joan Barreda finished first and second on the day, while the fastly improving American Andrew Short crossed the line third.

The heat and wind were once again the key climatic elements of stage two. The 222 kilometres of special timed stage proved to be a physical test for the riders once more. Yet in spite of the soft dunes and scorching temperatures on the course, riders finished the day reporting back good sensations.
José Ignacio Cornejo set off at a swift pace, catching the two riders ahead before finishing amongst the front-runners at the end of the special. The Chilean rider pulled off an important stage victory, his second in the World Championship. ‘Nacho’ now lies in second in the general standings, less than a minute behind the leader Sam Sunderland.

"Today I improved the pace with the bike in the dunes, I went a lot faster and I pulled back a bit of time before the refuelling," Cornejo explained. "In the second part I was pushing harder and I was able to catch up with the front-runners. Furthermore, I won the stage, so I am very happy, and the intention from now on is to continue along the same track and try to hold onto the second position in the general standings."

Joan Barreda was today able to resume the race after yesterday’s mechanical hitch. The Spanish rider was surprised to arrive at refuelling with the best provisional time. He would have been the best on the day too had it not been for a fall in the second part of the special which saw him drop precious seconds. He did, however, finish the stage in second place behind his team-mate.

"I was feeling pretty good. It was an important, yet tough day for me," Barreda shared. "In the earlier part I didn’t feel so confident, but things improved and I was able to reach a good race pace. Pity about the final part, where I got stuck in a dune and my ribs were hurting. I decided to slow down a bit to make it safely to the finish-line. Anyway, I am pleased with how I led the day in spite of the difficulties."

 

With only one set of tracks ahead of him in the sand, Short had to rely on his ever-increasing rally experience to navigate through the featureless Liwa desert. Photo: RallyZone - Edoardo Bauer

Andrew Short continues to impress posting the third fastest time on a tricky stage. As the second rider to head into the timed special, the American rider immediately set about chasing down the leader.

With only one set of tracks ahead of him in the sand, Short had to rely on his ever-increasing rally experience to navigate through the featureless Liwa desert. Ultimately catching the leading competitor 20 kilometres before the stage finish posting a stage time less than three minutes down on the day two winner. Despite incurring a one-minute speed penalty – his first ever in rally competition – Short still lies third in the provisional overall standings.

“Today’s stage was very similar to yesterday, but I was riding by myself for the majority of the day," Short said. "I was able to use the tracks in the sand to my advantage and managed to keep to a good pace. It was a bit tough out there battling against the wind once again but I’m happy with how I rode. It seems I got my first speed penalty today since I started rally, which isn’t good. Hopefully as the days continue, I can push the tracks and gain more positions.”

Luciano Benavides matched his fourth-place finish from the opening day, the 23-year-old successfully navigated his own way through the expansive dunes. Ultimately, he posted a stage time of three-hours-and-16-minutes, less than four minutes from the stage winner.

“It was a good day for me today," Benavides enthused. "I rode alone for the whole stage so I was able to learn a lot about this desert and how to read the dunes. I was able to maintain a good rhythm and I’m not too far away from the top guys so I’m happy with that. My pace is getting better and that’s very encouraging for the days ahead. My plan is to continue like this without any mistakes and arrive healthy at the end.”
Following on from his day one win, Sam Sunderland was the first to enter today’s stage. Navigating through the looped timed special that took riders around the Liwa oasis area, Sunderland led the majority of the route, only to be caught close to the finish. Despite the conditions being less than perfect, the 2017 Abu Dhabi winner showed excellent pace, posting the fifth fastest time for the day.

“Starting first on the route is always going to be a disadvantage obviously, but I’m pleased with how I rode and believe I did a good job of opening the stage," Sunderland said. "I set a good pace all day and only got caught by Andrew at around kilometre 200, which is really good for leading out here in Abu Dhabi as it’s always quite tricky to navigate and easy to lose time when riding at the front. I am very pleased with how everything is going at the moment – the bike is perfect and the team are doing great. Hopefully the wind eases off a little as it makes everyone’s job a little harder, but it’s the desert and it can be expected. Looking forward to getting going again tomorrow.”

Tomorrow, Tuesday, sees the third stage, the rally’s halfway point, which will feature the longest special stage that riders will have to face. This will include almost 300 kilometres against the clock, out of a total of 434 before the day is through.

Provisional Results Stage Two – 2019 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge
1. Jose Ignacio Cornejo (CHL), Honda, 3:13:21
2. Joan Barreda (SPA), Honda, 3:15:04 +1:43
3. Andrew Short (USA), Husqvarna, 3:16:19 +2:58
4. Luciano Benavides (ARG), KTM, 3:16:51 +3:30
5. Sam Sunderland (GBR), KTM, 3:19:16 +5:55

Provisional Overall Standings (after Stage Two)
1. Sam Sunderland (GBR), KTM, 6:59:57
2. Jose Ignacio Cornejo (CHL), Honda, 7:00:48 +0:51
3. Andrew Short (USA), Husqvarna, 7:04:09 +4:12
4. Luciano Benavides (ARG), KTM, 7:06:39 +6:42 5. Kevin Benavides (ARG), Honda, 7:20:17 +20:20

Wonthaggi injuries damaging to Metcalfe’s campaign

Former international hopeful to line-up at Broadford.

Image: Foremost Media.

Multiple injuries sustained in a first turn crash at Wonthaggi’s second round of the Pirelli MX Nationals have damaged Brett Metcalfe’s 2019 campaign in just its early stages.

The talented Penrite Honda Racing rider suffered a broken finger in three places, separated AC joint as well as a hematoma on his thigh after colliding with a number of riders in turn one of moto two on Sunday.

The injuries add to challenging pre-season that saw the former international endure multiple fractured vertebrae in his lower back, which he remarkably bounced back from to make the season-opener at Appin, just six weeks after the incident.

While his chances of earning the crown this season have slimmed, he’s certainly not out of the race for the premier class championship with an upcoming eight rounds granting him an opportunity to claw back the 35-point deficit to current leader Hayden Mellross (Raceline KTM Thor).

“My sole goal is to line-up at Broadford, brave the pain and get as many points as we can to stay in the championship,” Metcalfe admitted. “The biggest concern right now is the spiral fracture I have in my finger. I will head back to the clinic next Monday and we will make a decision following the second round of results.

“I felt fast but it was hard to pass, I lost a lot of time throughout the race being stuck behind riders as the track was very one-lined. In the end, I settled for fifth and I was able to make up 18 seconds on the winner so we certainly had great pace.”

Metcalfe’s fifth in race one at Wonthaggi credited him 17th overall, pushing him back to 13th in the series rankings after previously holding down fourth. The MX Nationals heads to Broadford in Victoria on 14 April.

Viewpoint: Antonio Cairoli

Antonio Cairoli on another MXGP triumph

The 2019 FIM Motocross World Championship has been rather kind to Antonio Cairoli so far, even though he is fighting a neck and shoulder problem currently. Cairoli jumped on the top step of the box at Valkenswaard, maintaining his perfect record this season, and extended his series lead significantly. Was his Dutch outing as uneventful as it looked? That is broken down in this exclusive interview from the sandy circuit.

MX Vice: Another 1-1 today. Your first Valkenswaard overall victory since 2014, so that is nice, and all in all it was kind of an uneventful day. You just went about your business. It worked out. You did not really have to push your limits. Kind of one of the days you would want, I guess. 

Antonio Cairoli: Yeah. The week was not really one of the best, because I thought I was going to rest a little bit and then we had something to test, so I could not really avoid this training. I did not really feel well during this training, so I was not really happy to race in the sand after this problem, but eventually we arrived here. I took some medicines, had some therapy and it was actually a little bit better. Yesterday was a little bit tougher than today, of course. Today was a little bit better, because I was warm from yesterday still.

 

(ConwayMX)

Anyway, it was enough. You do not need to win with a lot of seconds in front to take fifty points. I was controlling both motos. A good start in the first moto following [Max] Anstie. He was quite good in the opening laps and then he made a crash. I followed for a couple of laps, then he crashed so I passed him. I tried to keep this gap to [Clement] Desalle by controlling the race. The second moto again: I had a good start and I did not want somebody to pass me like in the first moto, so I tried to push a little bit more the first three or four laps. It worked out.

I saw that Tim [Gajser] was in the back and I could keep the same gap all the time and try to control him. I saw that the last two laps, with some lappers, he was getting a little bit closer, but fortunately for me I had a good last lap and I could stay in front and take the fifty points.

You mentioned you tested something this week so, as much as you can tell us, what was that? If you cannot say that, what area of the bike does it help?

Yeah, we are testing a lot the suspension. Especially for this track we saw that we have something to improve a little bit, because it is quite hard. It is not really sandy. We were prepared to come a little bit to a sandy track, then I saw the weather and I had a couple of trainings during the week. We struggled a little bit with some settings and then in the end we actually had a very good set-up. 

I am really happy about the bike, but the problem was mostly about my feeling with the shoulder and not riding as smooth as I always do in the sand. For the bike it was also not really helping. I really had to not change too much on the bike and just see that I get a little better, then we test when we are a little bit on a stronger condition.

(ConwayMX)

Do you actually think that your shoulder and neck has gotten worse since last week? Is riding not helping the situation?  

No. Actually the doctor tells me that it was better if I did not ride, but we had this plan already and I had to ride. Even if I did not really ride much, I still had some struggles. Not really the first day, which was feeling already okay, but the second day I feel a little bit that was getting stiffer. We interrupted the training a little bit earlier and then hoped that with two days of rest it would be better. 

Actually, it was not like this. Saturday was worse than Sunday. I think we need to let it work a little bit more and try to build up again the muscle, because I used it on the wrong way already before England and already here this week. I just need to rest I think now, one or two days more and then, okay, we are riding hard-pack so it should not be that big a problem next week. We are looking forward for Arco.  

You mentioned the second moto. I think for a lot of the race your gap over Tim was three seconds. If you look at that on paper, you think that is a close race. Watching you though, I kind of did not get excited that there was a battle coming at all. I just felt like you had it under control, so you could have gone faster if you needed to. I guess you just felt exactly the same way? 

Yeah. I knew that Tim was pushing a lot. They put that on the board also, to try to be consistent with the lap times. That is what I did. I was not on the limit, because you can see it from the riding. I was really trying to not make mistakes and stay on the bike, even if I had to push some sections a little bit more. I was quite controlling the race. Last two laps with some lappers he got a little bit closer, especially in the last lap, but I was still in control so far. I was happy with how we managed the second moto.

What about the track? A weird Valkenswaard. I have never seen it like this even when I was younger watching it on TV. Hard, fast and sketchy in spots. 

Yeah, exactly. It is not really a sandy race, actually. It was more like just soft dirt and not really close to a sand technique to ride. That is why a lot of people also… I think the racing was a little bit closer, because it was easier in one way to go fast and you do not get tired like you do in your back when you have to stand for all of the lap when you are riding in the proper sand. Valkenswaard was like it last year, with the rain and the cold there were a lot of ruts everywhere.  

This, I think, was the most difficult Valkenswaard I have ever seen. This year it was better in one way, because for the fans you have more racing and it is nicer, but for a sand lover like me it is not really a typical track. You can also see the standings in MX2 were not so far at all, even with Jorge [Prado] who is one of the best sand riders ever.

Was there actually anywhere on the track where you felt like you could make a difference then? A little area that was quite technical? 

Yeah, actually, I felt that I could make some difference where it was a little bit sandier, especially at the end of the first section. In the third section, which was the waves section and the jumps, I could still push a little bit. I saw, when watching Tim, that I could gain a little bit in this part, but he was really pushing a lot. I was trying to control it more to not come too close and not make stupid things.

Finally, in the week before Trentino, are you going to ride as normal or test as normal? Are you going to try and give the shoulder and neck a bit of a break?

No. Actually I am going to ride, I think only on Wednesday, because I have been here in Belgium already for almost twenty days, so I do not ride any hard-pack yet. I have been riding a lot of ruts and a lot of rain all of the time. I think I am going to ride a little bit of hard-pack on Wednesday, just to get back the feeling with this soil, then I have a lot of appointments during this week with radio and TV. I am really happy about this, because I always work a lot to bring in Italy a lot more popularity to the sport.

Interview:  Lewis Phillips | Lead Image: ConwayMX

Almost official: Dakar Rally on the Saudi desert rumour alley

The official suite of Dakar Rally did not mention that Saudi is the likely site of the 2020 race. These are still rumours but they are worth mentioning because there are so many of them.

Could the bike, quad, car, SxS and truck rally make a move to Saudi? Why not? It makes sense.

Rumour alley

The Dakar Rally has been held in South America for a decade now and had Peru for the 2019 running at a bid of $3 million to organizers.

Reports from Cycle World say the organizing body is thinking to relocate.

“There were a number of rumours circulating through the competitors, telephone style, that the Amaury Sport Organization (ASO) would be moving the Dakar rally out of South America, perhaps as early as 2020,” the rumours said.

According to Cycle World’s anonymous sources, the plan is to head to Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia reportedly offered $15 million to the coffers of the ASO to win the bid by a landslide.

One report said the 2020 running of the Dakar event will take place entirely within the confines of Saudi Arabia but will expand from 2021 to 2024 to extend the hosting roster to Jordan, Egypt, and the UAE.

Others said the entirety of the event will be held in Saudi alone until a new deal is struck in 2025.

Saudi entertainment agenda

A 2018 report from Flanders Investment and Trade said more than 4.5 million Saudis travel abroad annually spending about $25bn on entertainment in nearby Dubai or Bahrain, or outside the GCC.

Saudi plans to invest billions in entertainment projects to keep Saudi nationals home, while at the same time creating employment for its citizens.

The kingdom’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) said that its combined entertainment projects – which will eventually be able to cater to more than 50 million visitors each year – will provide 22,000 direct jobs and contribute $2.13bn to Saudi GDP by 2030.

Recently, $23.2bn in lifestyle projects were announced in the capital Riyadh to start in H2 2019. The four projects include the King Salman Park, Green Riyadh, Riyadh Art and Sports Boulevard. These are expected to generate 70,000 jobs for Saudis and attract local and foreign investors, the Saudi Press Agency said. Construction for the four projects will start in the second half of this year.

SEVEN, the Saudi Entertainment Ventures company established by the in December 2017 announced government investment plans totalling $64bn to develop its entertainment industry over the next decade.

Cairoli Goes 1, 1 In The Sand

Cairoli dominates at Valkenswaard.

 

Red Bull KTM Factory rider Antonio Cairoli picked up his 88^th GP victory, his seventh at the Valkenswaard circuit and his first at the eurocircuit since 2014. Cairoli won with a perfect day as he scored 1-1 results at the Grand Prix of the Netherlands. So far in 2019 the Italian has gone 1-1-1-2-1-1 and is starting to look in total command as he heads towards the first of his three home Grand Prix’s next weekend.

“Race okay, overall I am happy,” Cairoli said. “I thought it would be difficult with my shoulder, but the second moto wasn't too bad. I controlled the race and it was good for the team to be back at his track and winning.”

Second overall was Clement Desalle and third Tim Gajser.

Cairoli another holeshot in the second MXGP race with Van Horebeek, Monticelli, Gajser, Simpson, Tixier, Tonus, Lupino, Coldenhoff, and Jonass the top ten. Desalle in 11^th spot, and Paulin back in 15^th.

Monticelli into second spot, but then crashed and took Tonus down with him. Monticelli back in ninth and Tonus way back. Desalle again on the charge as he moved into seventh place, and after a lap it was Cairoli, Gajser, Van Horebeek, Simpson, Lupino, Jonass, Paulin, Jasikonis, and Monticelli.

Coldenhoff moved into the top ten, as he passed Monticelli, and Desalle moved into fourth place, with the top ten after two laps being Cairoli, Gajser, Van Horebeek, Desalle, Simpson, Lupino, Jonass, Paulin, Jasikonis and Coldenhoff.

After four laps Cairoli led by two seconds from Gajser, then Van Horebeek, Desalle, Simpson, Lupino, Paulin, Jonass, Jasikonis and Coldenhoff. Anstie in 18^th place.

Gajser wasn’t losing ground on Cairoli as the two did similar lap times, and there was so hope that we saw a battle in the MXGP class.

Cairoli having to push hard as Gajser closed up a little, but not enough to really worry the leader. In third place Van Horebeek was also not losing too much time on Gajser, but fourth placed man Desalle was 20 seconds off the lead rider.

Paulin all over Lupino, but then the Frenchman crashed hard and dropped a few places, down in 13^th after eight laps. After eight laps it was Cairoli with a four second lead, then Gajser, Van Horebeek, Desalle, Simpson, Lupino, Jasikonis, Seewer, Lieber, and Jonass 10^th.

10 laps in and Cairoli held 3.5 seconds on Gajser, then Van Horebeek 10 seconds back, Desalle, Simpson, Jasikonis, Seewer, Lupino, Lieber and Coldenhoff in 10^th.

Jasikonis moved past Simpson for fifth place and closed up on Desalle. Some big names outside the top ten with Jonass 11^th, Paulin 13^th, Anstie 14^th and Tonus down in 23^rd.

Cairoli doing what Cairoli does, holding down a safe lead without having to push too hard, after 13 laps the lead was 4.4 seconds, then came Van Horebeek, Desalle, Jasikonis, Simpson, Seewer, Lieber, Coldenhoff, and Lupino in 10^th.

Jasikonis all over Desalle and the tall Husky rider pushed the veteran Belgian out of the way as he headed to fourth place. After 16 laps it was Cairoli, Gajser, Van Horebeek, Jasikonis, Desalle, Simpson, Seewer, Lieber, Coldenhoff and Anstie in 10^th.

Cairoli wins it from Gajser and Van Horebeek.

MXGP - GP Classification

1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 50 points; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 38 p.; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 36 p.; 4. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 36 p.; 5. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 36 p.; 6. Julien Lieber (BEL, KAW), 29 p.; 7. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 28 p.; 8. Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 28 p.; 9. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 25 p.; 10. Max Anstie (GBR, KTM), 17 p.; 11. Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 17 p.; 12. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 15 p.; 13. Ivo Monticelli (ITA, KTM), 13 p.; 14. Harri Kullas (EST, HON), 12 p.; 15. Tanel Leok (EST, HUS), 11 p.; 16. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 11 p.; 17. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, KAW), 9 p.; 18. Brian Bogers (NED, HON), 9 p.; 19. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 8 p.; 20. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 5 p.; 21. Tommy Searle (GBR, KAW), 3 p.; 22. Sven Van der Mierden (NED, YAM), 2 p.; 23. Petar Petrov (BUL, KTM), 2 p.; 24. Anton Gole (SWE, YAM), 2 p.; 25. Gert Krestinov (EST, KAW), 0 p.; 26. Lars van Berkel (NED, HUS), 0 p.; 27. Vsevolod Brylyakov (RUS, YAM), 0 p.; 28. Jonathan Bengtsson (SWE, KTM), 0 p.; 29. Tom Koch (GER, KTM), 0 p.; 30. Matiss Karro (LAT, HUS), 0 p.; 31. Artem Guryev (RUS, HUS), 0 p.; 32. Volodymyr Tarasov (UKR, KTM), 0 p.; 33. Micha-Boy De Waal (NED, YAM), 0 p.; 

How Did He Ride This Out?

Dry Lake Motocross Park prepares for first full season

Motocross facility located north of Gypsum hopes to draw riders from near and far

A young rider kicks up an impressive cloud of dust while rounding a corner at the Dry Lake MX Park north of Gypsum. The park is eyeing a May 11 opening date for the 2019 season.
Photo courtesy Kristin Kohl

Dry Lake MX Park Fees*

• $20 annual rider registration
• $20 day pass for adults
• $20 day pass for rines age 11 to 18 years
• Free day pays for riders under age 11
• $300 adult season pass
• $500 family season pass

*2019 pricing is still tentative

GYPSUM — In a little more than a month, the Dry Lake Motocross Park will open for its first full season and the people charged with operating the facility believe 2019 will mark the time when the park really comes into its own.

The Dry Lake Motocross Park, located directly north of the Gypsum Interstate 70 interchange, about 4.5 miles north up Trail Gulch Road, represents one of the more innovative Eagle County Open Space projects. Situated on a 274-acre parcel of property owned by the county’s open space program, the motocross park is the only large, public use facility of its kind located along the I-70 corridor between Denver and Grand Junction. The Rocky Mountain Sports Riders — described as a “family-oriented dirt motorcycle riding club” — operates the park on behalf of the Town of Gypsum.

“We are trying to encourage the sport and get kids into it,” RMSR member Mitch Hayne said.

As envisioned, the Dry Lake Motocross Park will be a regional recreation facility, drawing outside dollars into the Eagle Valley. While its opening season was abbreviated, Hayne said the park is already attracting visiting riders

“We’re pulling in riders from as far away as Nebraska, Colorado Springs and Utah, and we didn’t do any advertising last year,” he said.

At peak times, Hayne said the park saw as many as 70 riders per day.

Opening day

Dry Lake Motocross Park hopes to open for the 2019 season on Saturday, May 11.

“There is a wildlife closure until May 1 and we need a little time to get set up,” Hayne said.

The town-owned park consists of six riding areas ranging from a peewee track for kids ages 5 to 9 years, to a feature track.

“We could run national level events at that track,” Hayne said. “On the feature track, it is possible to get 50 feet of air.

 

Photo courtesy Nick Barns, Peak Aerial Solutions
The Dry Lake Motocross Park features six different riding areas.

Other amenities at the park include a vet track, planned as a throwback to 1970s-era riding and a singletrack that runs 4.2 miles around the park perimeter.

“The singletrack really pushes what a ride and machine can do,” Hayne said.

Building the riding areas was just the first challenge at Dry Lake, he continued. Now that the tracks are built, the RMSR will work hard to maintain the riding surfaces. The club has a well and water truck for ongoing grooming work.

The park opened last fall, but 2019 will be its first full year of operation. Club members hope to plan a grand opening celebration later this spring.

Getting the park up and running for the year is 2019 goal No. 1 for the Rocky Mountain Sport Riders. The club also has identified 10 priority goals for the year ahead and one of its first objectives deals with safety procedures.

‘Not for the faint-hearted’

“This activity is not for the faint-hearted,” Hayne said. “We want to do everything we can to keep it safe without diluting the fun factor.”

To that aim, all riders at the site must be registered users and must sign a waiver. There is a $20 annual registration fee required to use the site and daily fees are charged, with season pass options available.

“We are currently working on a new website with a target date for going live on April 8,” Hayne said. “At that time, folks will be able to register to use the park, join the club, and/or purchase passes to the MX park from their phones or computers. There is cell service at the gate of the park, so the intent is for riders to be able to purchase a day pass right at the front gate if they don’t have one.”

The website is currently still under construction but later this spring it will be found at http://www.rmsrco.com.

As the year progresses, the RMSR plan to amp up their marking efforts and dial in their grooming schedule. Hopefully, Hayne noted, the first full year of operation will set the stage for many years to come.

 “We are just getting off the ground and getting this thing viable so it will be around for some time,” Hayne concluded.