Baylor Wins Dragon's Back

Grant Baylor Tops Dragon’s Back National Enduro

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Grant Baylor started fast and finished strong to win the Dragon’s Back National Enduro, round four of the Kenda AMA National Enduro Series in Arrington, Virginia.

Just two weeks out from surgery to repair a broken bone in his hand, Grant Baylor has taken the win at Dragon's Back. Baylor’s performance wasn’t the prettiest of his career, by his own admission: “I was struggling all day long,” said Grant. “I just wasn’t riding like I should, I crashed three times in the fifth test and twice in the last. 

“But I won, so obviously I made fewer mistakes than everybody else. This year has been an uphill battle for me, with the broken hand and all. But I just rode my race and kept trying to smooth out a bit, and I guess I did just enough.”

The Virginia race was held at the Oak Ridge Estates, thanks to the Holland family, and despite a heavy rain that slickened the course during the first test, most of the riders had good things to say about the race and a few called it the enduro of the year. 

After six tests and 55 miles of racing, Grant finished with three test wins and beat out his brother and teammate Steward Baylor by 52 seconds for the win.

 

Photo Credit: Shan Moore

Unlike his brother, Steward didn’t get off to a good start but managed to edge FMF KTM’s Josh Toth for the runner-up slot by mere tenths of a second. 

“I struggled the first two tests and I just couldn’t seem to find a groove,” said Steward. “I just made a lot of mistakes and no matter what I did I just couldn’t get out of it.”

Heading into the final three tests, Steward found himself in a pretty big hole, but the Tely Energy KTM rider managed to dig his way out thanks to a pair of second-place finishes in the final two tests.

“I worked my way back into contention in test five, so I was nine seconds behind Toth heading into the final test,” added Steward. “I just went for it in that last one and I managed to barley get the job done.”

 

Photo Credit: Shan Moore

Josh Toth won tests two and three, but tip-overs late in the race left him third overall by the narrowest of margins. 

“I rode pretty consistent, but I didn’t ride my best today, for sure,” said Toth. “I fell in the fifth test and then I crashed twice in the final test, just trying to catch Grant and that cost me second.”

Thad DuVall finished second in test one and he won test two, however a stumble in test four and a navigation error in section five dropped the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory rider fourth overall. 

Ben Kelley rounded out the top five after turning in a performance that saw the FMF KTM Factory rider turn up the heat in the later tests.

“I was off the pace in the beginning, I just wasn’t aggressive enough at the start,” said Kelley. “I tried to turn it around and my last two tests were faster, although I had a couple of crashes. The first two tests were pretty slick and I think I was just a bit timid.”

 

Photo Credit: Shan Moore

Meanwhile, Solid Performance KTM’s Ryder Lafferty topped the NE Pro 2 division with a ninth place overall finish.

“It was pretty slick in the first few tests, but it tacked up starting with the third test and I got a little more comfortable,” said Lafferty. “I was all over the place in that second test, but I’m happy with how I rode, especially in the last three or four tests.”

Gas Gas North America’s Nick Davis was second in the NE Pro 2 division with a 12th overall finish, while Virginia’s Paddy Holloway was third in the class and 14th overall.

In the Women’s Elite class, Tayla Jones grabbed her second win of the season, after topping Bonanza Plumbing/Trail Jesters KTM’s Mackenzie Tricker by 24 seconds.

“I had a good race, even though the track was a bit slippery at the beginning,” said Jones. “I had a few silly mistakes and I got stuck a few times, but I managed to hold on for the win.”

Jones won three tests compared to two for Tricker.

FLY/Maxxis/Seat Concepts KTM, while Yamaha-mounted Brooke Cosner rounded out the top three, 50 seconds behind Tricker. 

The Kenda AMA National Enduro Series returns to action on June 3 for the Cherokee National Enduro in Greensboro, Georgia, round five of the Kenda AMA National Enduro Series. 

Overall results:

1. Grant Baylor (KTM)
2. Steward Baylor (KTM)
3. Josh Toth (KTM)
4. Thad DuVall (Hsq)
5. Ben Kelley (KTM)
6. Evan Smith (Hsq)
7. Cory Buttrick (Hsq)
8. Russell Bobbitt (KTM)
9. Ryder Lafferty (KTM)
10. Andrew DeLong (GG)

The Sandbox!

2018 Nevada IOTMX...Fernley, Nevada

This years Fernley Old Timers moto was very good. The weather was good, cool but not cold. The track ws fun...if you like sand. If you don't like sand you should not be in Fernley. The turnout appeared good, the racing was fun. The dinner was excellent. I did not hear any complaints, people seemed to enjoy themselves. For pictures go to the photo section above.

From Russia With Love!

Holcombe turns the tide

Holcombe: "something clicked, I dropped the pin and went for it"

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The 2018 Spanish Enduro GP got a whole lot more interesting on day two after heavy overnight rain, and almost continues rain during the day, made conditions tricky to say the least. 

At different points most of the top 10 riders were putting up strong test times but equally took turns to drop chunks of time in the incredibly difficult conditions. The transfer sections between tests were throwing up some challenging riding all of their own. 

 

 

Holcombe turns the tide

For Steve Holcombe it was a case of not making those mistakes and getting the result he felt he deserved after his day one was hampered when his Beta sucked in water on the enduro test: “It was difficult for me and Eero [Remes] to open all the tests after the rain last night but I tried to be smart in at least the first lap and a half. 

“I saw I was a little bit down on time, then something clicked in the second enduro test and I dropped the pin and went for it."

“From there it felt really good, really precise and I kept it in control. I’m happy to get the time back I lost this morning and take the win. Making up some points after yesterday was important. I’m fit and comfortable on the bike and pushing right to the end now which is a good sign for the rest of the season.”

Strong weekend for Salvini

Alex Salvini’s 1-3 scorecard was the kind of result the former world champion is looking increasingly likely to pull off in 2018. His season both in GPs and the Italian Championship is showing Salvini is back running where we know he should be.

 

 

Yamaha's team performance

Jamie McCanney’s 1-1 in E1 was another strong performance from the Outsiders Yamaha rider after a similar showing in Finland. Second overall on day two built upon his fourth from day one for a successful weekend for the Brit. 

“It was a wild day for everyone with the rain but it’s the same for everyone. Yesterday was my first race of the year really, apart from Finland, so I was a bit rusty and nervous.” Said McCanney.

 

 

“Today I relaxed and knew what I was capable of doing. I didn’t realise for a start I was fighting for the scratch overall result – I’m focusing on my class and in that I had a comfortable lead today so didn’t want to risk too much. I’m looking forward to next week where hopefully the rain stays away and we have a sunny Portugal!”  

Jamie’s Outsiders Yamaha team-mate, Loic Larrieu also had a strong weekend and looked to be heading for a scratch result podium at least until one poor test knocked his overall time. Runner-up in E2 on day two though added to his third in both E3 and overall on day one.  

 

 

The top two riders in Juniors (J1 and J2) deserve mention also with some super-fast test times on day two. Andrea Verona (J1) and Davide Soreca (J2) finished with overall times easily comparable with the podium results in the bigger classes and well inside the top 10 in Scratch.

Holcombe, both McCanney’s, Larrieu, Salvini, Remes, Charlier and Nambotin traded places at the top of the test time sheets all day – showing the event and new World Enduro class system to be a very competitive at this event. 

Gas Sprint Enduro Round Two

Narrowest of wins for Sipes at Full Gas Sprint Enduro round two

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Ryan Sipes edged Grant Baylor by just 1.5 seconds for the victory at the Harleywood Sprint Enduro – round two of the Kenda Full Gas Sprint Enduro Series in Bristol, Virginia. 

At the Full Gas Sprint series opener in Georgia, back in February, Sipes carried out a clear win but that almost didn’t work in Virginia. Despite winning 12 Cross tests over two days racing, former Supercross rider Ryan Sipes didn’t carry his speed across every test. 

Grant Baylor on the other hand managed to win just enough of the Enduro tests (3) and stay consistent enough in the Cross tests to give Sipes a run for his money. By contrast Sipes only managed a pair of sixths in the Enduro test and that almost cost him the overall. 

Despite Sipes’ speed in the Cross test, Grant Baylor managed to beat Sipes to win Saturday’s event by less than a second. On Sunday, Sipes went into the final test of the weekend with a 14-second advantage over Grant. However, a couple of mistakes wiped all but 1.5 seconds off that lead away, and Sipes escaped by the skin of his teeth to claim his second win in a row in 2018. 

“I made way too many mistakes in that last test,” said Sipes. “It was an emotional rollercoaster for me this weekend. I would kill ‘em in the Cross test, and then they would get me back in the Enduro test. 

“I was a little upset about Sunday’s race, losing eight seconds in the last test. But overall, it was a good weekend. I’ve got two overall wins in two races and I think I’m getting better in the Enduro tests with every race.”

 

 

Photo Credit: Darrin Chapman

Baylor runs close second

Grant Baylor claimed his best finish in the series with the win on Saturday and second overall for the weekend. The South Carolina rider was strongest in the Enduro test, but just fast enough in the Cross test to compete for the overall. 

After braking a bone in his hand just over two weeks ago, Baylor said after the race that it wasn’t a factor: “I got off to a slow start, but I picked up the pace starting with the second Cross test.”

“I won the Enduro test twice on Saturday and I was second in the Cross test, and that was enough to take the win for the day. I started off struggling on Sunday, and I was making mental mistakes, but I managed to get it together for the final few tests and I think Ryan had a problem in that last one, which made it close. He had a good lead on me in that last test, but I knew I could beat him. I figured he would back it off a little since he had a big lead, but I came up just short, but I’m happy with second overall.”

 

Photo Credit: Darrin Chapman

Strang third

Josh Strang made the podium for the second race in a row with a third overall. Strang started strong with a second in the opening Cross test, followed by a win in the Enduro test. However, the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory rider crashed in the final Enduro test on Saturday, which cost him valuable time, and perhaps a chance at the win. 

On Sunday, Strang struggled with the drier conditions, but still managed a consistent third overall.

“It really dried up a ton from Saturday, so the track ended up being slick,” said Strang. “We were all pretty close in the Enduro test, but it was just a bit unsettling in places. Sipes just destroyed us in the Cross test. I felt like I was riding well, but I was getting seconds and thirds. Overall, it was a good weekend, but I need to work on a few things before the next round.”

Layne Michael made a great showing in Virginia, winning one of the Enduro tests and grabbing four seconds and a third for fourth overall. 

Rounding out the top five was Steward Baylor who struggled on Saturday, never finishing higher than fourth in any of the tests. On Sunday, Steward was sixth fastest in the first test, but then seemed to catch fire with a pair of seconds, followed by a win in the Enduro test. 

The Kenda Full Gas Sprint Enduro Series resumes on May 19-20 with round three of the series at Lake Suger Tree Raceway in Axton, Virginia.

More information on the series at sprintenduro.com

RESULTS

1. Ryan Sipes (Hsq) 01:19:50.151
2. Grant Baylor (Hsq) 01:19:51.698
3. Josh Strang (Hsq) 01:20:11.487
4. Layne Michael (Hsq) 01:20:14.062
5. Steward Baylor (KTM) 01:20:29.051
6. Jordan Ashburn (Bet) 01:20:42.620
7. Evan Smith (Hsq) 01:21:47.653
8. Liam Draper (Hsq) 01:23:23.951
9. Mike Witkowski (Bet) 01:24:09.384
10. JoJo Bowden (KTM) 01:24:15.403

Desalle tough In Russia!

Desalle wins in Russia

Posted on May 01, 2018

Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Clement Desalle picked up his 23^rd Grand Prix victory with a consistent 1-2 score today in Russia. The Belgian toughman looked very solid all day and became the first none KTM rider to win an MXGP overall in 2018.

"It feels good," Desalle said. "I am really happy, it was tough, at the beginning of the year with the two orange guys. We worked hard and the bike is perfect. It is a nice track, also happy to be the first guy to beat the KTMs."

"You know we did a good thing in the championship," Herlings said. "23 points or something. It isn't my favourite track, I think this an Arco are my least favourite. I am looking forward to Latvia and go for the top spot again."

"First moto was ok," Cairoli said. "A good battle with Jeffrey, close racing, but Desalle was fast and pulled away, I got closer, but too late. The track was difficult, slippery, not really my type of track. Second moto I crashed and back to figth, which is okay. It was better to be closer to the podium, My goal is to make the podium at every race, so my did that today."

Second overall was Jeffrey Herlings, who again looked strong with his 3-1 results, and he also extended his championship points lead over Antonio Cairoli to 23 points. The defending world MXGP champion (Cairoli) scored 2-5 results in Russia and was third overall.

In the second MXGP moto, Herlings took a big holeshot from Desalle, Gajser, Cairoli, Seewer, Coldenhoff, Nagl, Lieber, and Monticelli.

While Herlings continued to lead, Desalle remained close and after two laps it was Herlings, Desalle, Gajser, Cairoli, Febvre, Paulin, Coldenhoff, Seewer, Nagl and Lupino. Desalle all over Herlings and looking like the tough Belgium from a few years ago.

Not a lot happening, as after eight laps Herlings lead was four seconds over Desalle, with Gajser a further two seconds back, then came Cairoli, Febvre, Paulin, Seewer, Lieber, Coldenhoff, and Nagl.

Cairoli goes down and Febvre moved past, and the Italian continues to struggle in this moto. After 12 laps it was Herlings with a three second lead, then came Desalle, Gajser, Febvre, Cairoli, Paulin, Lieber, Coldenhoff, Seewer, and Nagl 10^th.

Herlings won the moto, and Desalle, who finished second in the moto won the GP overall. Febvre finished third in the moto.     

Ray Archer image

MXGP - GP Classification

Pos Nr Rider Nat. Fed. Bike Race 1 Race 2 Total 1 25 Desalle, Clement BEL FMB KAW 25 22 47 2 84 Herlings, Jeffrey NED KNMV KTM 20 25 45 3 222 Cairoli, Antonio ITA FMI KTM 22 16 38 4 461 Febvre, Romain FRA FFM YAM 14 20 34 5 243 Gajser, Tim SLO AMZS HON 16 18 34 6 21 Paulin, Gautier FRA MCM HUS 18 15 33 7 33 Lieber, Julien BEL FMB KAW 13 14 27 8 91 Seewer, Jeremy SUI FMS YAM 12 13 25 9 77 Lupino, Alessandro ITA FMI KAW 10 10 20 10 27 Jasikonis, Arminas LTU LMSF HON 11 8 1

MX Rewind!

Unadilla Announces the Return of Thor as Title Sponsor of MX Rewind

New Berlin, NY (April 25, 2018)-Unadilla Motocross in New Berlin, New York is pleased to announce the return of Thor as title sponsor of MX Rewind.

Now in its seventh year, Thor MX Rewind has become the destination for the vintage dirt bike racing community. "We are thrilled to have Thor back with us" states Unadilla''s Greg Robinson. "Thor MX Rewind has become a mecca for all those who love vintage dirt bikes while preserving their racing legacy.Thor, now celebrating its 50th year, is a natural fit with its own long standing history in the sport. When we conceptualized Thor MX Rewind, we wanted to showcase the bikes while also recognizing the racing history at Unadilla. The response has been fantastic as each year we welcome over 900 racers from over twenty-five states and Canada. It''s just a fantastic weekend for everyone as they look back at a time gone past. We really put a priority on keeping that history alive and well."

Over 900 vintage racers at Thor MX Rewind keep vintage racing history alive.

Tom McKelvey photo

Racing at Thor MX Rewind begins on June 1st with the AHRMA cross-country program. Motocross starts on Saturday, June 2nd, with both AHRMA vintage motocross classes as well as the first moto for the promoter support classes. The weekend concludes on Sunday, June 3rd, with AHRMA post vintage motocross and the second moto of the promoter support classes.

More information about Thor MX Rewind is available by visiting www.mxrewind.com, by emailing info@unadillamx.com, or by calling (607)965-8450.

About Thor MX Rewind- Thor MX Rewind at is the premier vintage off road event in North America. The event takes place in New Berlin, New York and at the world famous Unadilla Motocross track. Thor MX Rewind celebrates over four decades of motocross history as well as every aspect of off-roading. Fans and racers from every generation enjoy a fun weekend that includes cross-country racing, grass track motocross, two days of motocross racing on the world famous Unadilla pro motocross track, a parts and memorabilia swap meet, and of course plenty of bench racing and tall tales. Thor MX Rewind is about having fun with your friends and family and spending a weekend at Unadilla celebrating the good times we have had riding motorcycles.

About Unadilla MX- Unadilla MX began promoting motocross races at its current facility in New Berlin, NY in 1969. Run by the Robinson Family since its inception, Unadilla hosted the "Inter Am", Trans Am, Trans USA, and began hosting the 250cc U.S. Grand Prix in 1978. It was the first track in the U.S. to host the prestigious MX des Nations in 1987, and has been a stop on the American Pro National MX circuit since 1992. All historically significant MX riders in the world have strapped on the leather and kicked the lever at Unadilla.

Clarified: MXGP of Russia

Orlyonok will run on Monday

Thursday, 26th April 2018

The sixth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship, the Grand Prix of Russia, is just days away, but why is it being run on a Monday and Tuesday? The move has been made so that the event coincides with a major holiday in Russia, known as Labor and Spring Day.

A majority of banks, public buildings and educational institutions are closed on this day. So, with that in mind, there is a chance that some fresh faces will be attracted to the event that takes place alongside the Black Sea. The holiday takes place on Tuesday, the day that the points-paying motos will be run.

Jeffrey Herlings - Phenomenon

Jeffrey Herlings goes into next Tuesdays Grand Prix of Russia with a lot of pressure on his (still) young shoulders. At 23 years of age, no single rider has had the records that the Dutchman has at the same age. Not Stefan Everts, not Antonio Cairoli, not Roger Decoster, in fact, the Red Bull KTM Factory rider is something of a phenomenon when it comes to what he has achieved in the last eight years.

When you consider at 23 years of age Stefan Everts had just a single world motocross championship and maybe a dozen GP wins (at best). Antonio Cairoli had two world motocross championships and 21 GP wins to his name. Herlings who won't turn 24 until after the season ends has every chance to have four world titles and a bunch of extra GP wins to his name, while still 23.

Like Herlings, both Everts and Cairoli struggled injuries in the early part of their careers, and both could have won so many more GPs and titles with a little luck.

Herlings has three world titles and a stunning 71 GP wins. He can score his 72^nd in Russia on Tuesday, and that old 72 number of Stefan Everts while not important in terms of GP wins, is a number we all relate to SE72, the greatest GP rider of all time.

While Herlings started his 2018 season with a DNF in the opening pre-season race in Italy, and we all thought, “oh, no, not again”, he has proven that he isn’t the crasher of his previous seven or so seasons. A very much polished performer now, and with pre-season and GP weekends combined, his race results are DNF-1-1-1-1-1-1-2-1-1-1-2-2-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1. I can tell you, without even having to look at the record books, NO rider has started a GP season (in the premier class) in such sensational form, and for sure not as a 23-year-old.

I do know in 2006, Stefan Everts at the age of 35, was nearly unbeatable, and his was only loss that year was to Josh Coppins in the GP of Ireland, but even the great Everts GP season started with a second place finish in the opening GP at Zolder (beaton by Seb Tortelli) and a third in the next round in Spain (beaton by Kevin Strijbos and Tanel Leok). With all respect to the King, he wasn’t racing a nine-time world champion, and his biggest rival, Josh Coppins missed the opening seven rounds due to injury. Up until now, Herlings has only lost to Cairoli, a much tougher opposition than anything Everts faced.

Yes, be sure, we are seeing something special with these performances of Herlings. In my opinion, he will become the greatest Grand Prix rider of all time. His championships and GP wins will easily pass both Cairoli and Everts, and his domination will be Ricky Carmichael like for the next 10 years.

All I know is for now, that victory number 72 awaits him, and that fourth world title, while a long way off, another world title will place him along the likes of Harry Everts, Torsten Hallman, and Heikki Mikkola. At the age of just 23 years old, that is just amazing.

If I had to bet my house on the form Herlings is showing, he might even end the season (and before his 24^th birthday) with more than 80 GP wins, and be right on the tail of Cairoli in the all-time GP winners list. 

Aldon Baker Training A Winning Program!

Monster Energy® AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, is the premier off-road motorcycle racing circuit in the world, produced with man-made tracks inside the world's most elite stadiums.