EnduroGP Trentino 2018 Highlights

News Highlights - MXGP of Indonesia 2018

Cairoli Hurt

Injury News: Tony Cairoli

A hard hit for Antonio Cairoli

Sunday, 1st July 2018

Antonio Cairoli felt the pain of defeat at the Grand Prix of Indonesia, round twelve of the FIM Motocross World Championship, but also had to deal with some discomfort in his thumb. Cairoli crashed rather hard in the final moto of the day at Pangkal Pinang and hit his hand, but it remains to be seen if any significant damage has been sustained.

"I had a big crash, after the dragon's back, and hit my thumb so bad," Antonio Cairoli said in the post-race press conference. "I was warmed and kept going, so came a bit closer to Jeffrey [Herlings]. I was feeling a little bit stiff and I did not really have the feeling on my arm or on my hand anymore. I was riding on the clutch a little bit strange. I hope it is not too bad with my thumb, but I feel quite some pain at the moment. Hopefully we can check and be ready for next week."

After tying on points with Jeffrey Herlings in Indonesia, the deficit that Antonio Cairoli is currently facing is still at twelve points. The next round of the series, the Grand Prix of Asia at the new circuit of Semarang, will take place in just five days.

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Herlings on Indonesia

Red Bull KTM Factory rider Jeffrey Herlings has told Dutch television that he is ready and waiting to fly to Indonesia and continue his fight for the 2018 MXGP championship.

"I have no problems anymore and am happy to be there again this weekend. It has been the third time that I have broken my collarbone in the same place and in the past I have been driving after a much shorter time than now, according to the doctor it is safe and I assume that I will be pain free. I do not assume that I'm going to win. I have not ridden for two and a half weeks and the competition is strong, I will probably lose a lot of points and I will lose the lead in the MXGP points standings, but then there are still seven matches to fight back.

"When I come back from Indonesia, I hope to be able to train 100 percent again, and then it will be a man-to-man fight until the end. There is no guarantee that Cairoli will play all matches without any injury, and there is a risk, especially in this sport, so we just have to wait and see.  I assume that there are no complications: in the normal world seventeen days is not long for this injury, but in my sport seventeen days is a long time not to be able to drive."

Love this quote from Herlings: "Fight for what you love, because the days that break you are the days that make you."

Ken Roczen in USA

For the second consecutive week, Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen finished just shy of the podium, scoring another fourth-place overall result with 3-4 moto finishes at round five of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship in Blountville, Tennessee. In moto one, Roczen rocketed down the start straight with the holeshot and early lead. He immediately came under fire but was able to fend off the attacks until lap six, when he relinquished the front spot. He tried to mount a charge but was once again forced to play defense before falling to third and riding smoothly and consistently for the remainder of the 30-minute-plus-two-lap race.

In the second race, the German was once again unstoppable off the start, launching his CRF450R to another holeshot. He fell to second halfway through the opening lap, then lost an additional position one lap later. He maintained third until again coming under fire with eight minutes remaining. Roczen fought hard, but as lappers entered the picture he fell to fourth, which is where he finished.

On Friday, Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen, along with GEICO Honda’s Jeremy Martin, RJ Hampshire, Chase Sexton, and Cameron McAdoo, attended a pre-race open house at Atlas Motorsports, where hundreds of enthusiastic fans were on hand to meet their favorite riders.

Light rain during the early part of the day made for slick and muddy track conditions throughout qualifying practice. After two sessions, Roczen qualified sixth-fastest with a 1’54.228’ time.

It was a bittersweet day for the GEICO Honda squad, as rookie Chase Sexton celebrated his career-first 250MX podium finish of third overall with 8-4 results, while Jeremy Martin had a hard crash early in the second moto that sent him to the hospital with a burst fracture to his L1 vertebrae. Martin has full mobility but will undergo surgery today (Monday) to stabilize the area.

Ken Roczen: “I’m happy with how today went. I got fourth, but I feel a lot better and am more satisfied with it this weekend than last because I think we made some good steps forward. I’m a lot happier with my second moto. We definitely made some great improvements on the bike between races. I was kind of fighting it a little in the first moto, but the changes we made were a lot better. I was having fun and not feeling beat up. I ripped two holeshots, which is great. I was up there in the first moto, finishing third, but I just wasn’t gelling. I don’t think the results show how happy I was with the second moto—not on the podium, but all in all I’m satisfied and we can just keep working forward from here on out.”

Erik Kehoe - Team Manager: “Fourth overall is not where Kenny wants to be ultimately, but it was another week of progress. He made steps forward, being more comfortable with the bike, being a little stronger, and getting two holeshots. Starts are obviously key, and he’s really getting those dialed, with one holeshot last weekend and now two this weekend. Everything is building, which is what we want to see each week.”

Oscar Wirdeman - Mechanic (Ken Roczen): “I think today went well for Ken. Obviously, he wants to be on the podium and is a little disappointed he let the leaders gap him as much as they did, but we made lot of progress today and he’s happy with that. He’s getting more and more comfortable each week, so things are good.”

Sipes Tops Jolly Mine

hare to More 80

Husqvarna’s Ryan Sipes returned to winning form with a solid victory at the Jolly Mine Sprint Enduro, round four of the Kenda Full Gas Sprint Enduro Series in Wellston, Ohio. 

Ryan Sipes followed his familiar pattern in taking victory at the Jolly Mine Sprint Enduro this weekend: winning all of the Cross tests and then hanging on for dear life in the Enduro tests. 

Saying afterwards the Ohio race was his “best yet” for his times in the Enduro tests, a fact proved by the Kentucky rider also winning his first Enduro test of the season. 

“I’m getting better at the Enduro tests with each race and I’m pleased that I was actually able to win one this weekend,” said Sipes. “I feel like I have a little more confidence in the woods and I’m actually hitting a few trees which is a sign that I’m pushing a little harder.”

Throwing it away in Saturday's final Enduro test 

“I was leading Steward Baylor by 14 seconds going into the final test of the day on Saturday and I fell over in a flat turn and it took me a while to get going,” said Sipes. “I ended up losing Saturday’s round by 1.4 seconds to Steward, which kind of bummed me out.”

In spite of his snafu on Saturday, Sipes won seven of the 12 tests over the course of the two-day event (all six Cross tests and one Enduro test) and took the overall win ahead of Grant Baylor by just over five seconds. 

 

Photo Credit:  Darrin Chapman

Steward Baylor topped two Enduro tests en route to Saturday’s win. However, the Tely Energy KTM rider injured his knee in the opening test on Sunday, which put a damper on his bid for the overall win.

“I was riding really good on Saturday and I think I could have repeated that performance on Sunday, but in the first test I was going through one of the off-camber turns, which we were running backwards, and I caught a rut with my front wheel and I jammed my foot into the ground,” said Baylor. “My knee swelled up pretty tight and I just had to coast for the rest of the day.” Steward finished off the day in fourth and was fourth overall for the weekend.

 

Photo Credit:  Darrin Chapman

Grant Baylor was the beneficiary of his brother’s bad luck and wound up in the runner-up slot for the weekend. The Tely Energy KTM rider won three Enduro tests in all, one on Saturday and two on Sunday, but didn’t exactly get off to the best of starts.

“I was going good in the first test of the weekend and then about six turns from the finish I went down in a fast turn and the bike slid a long way, so it took me a while to get to it and get going again,” said Grant. “Other than that one mistake, the rest of the weekend was pretty good; I think I was on pace with the rest of the guys.”

 

Photo Credit:  Darrin Chapman

Josh Strang turned in a fast and consistent performance to claim the final step of the podium in third. The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider was particularly fast in the Cross test. 

“The grass track was really technical, there were a bunch of off-camber sections and you just had to be real patient,” said Strang. “Some of the dirt was dry but once you got on the gas and started to turn on it, it got really slick, which made it tricky. I felt like I was solid in both tests and it was a good weekend for me.”

With his third overall finish, Strang solidified second place in the standings, seven points behind leader Sipes. 

Fifth overall in front of a hometown audience was KR4 Husqvarna’s Cory Buttrick, who lives in nearby Logan, Ohio. Ten seconds behind Buttrick was his teammate Layne Michael in sixth. 

 

Photo Credit:  Darrin Chapman

Beta USA’s Jordan Ashburn ran hot and cold in Ohio and eventually settled in seventh, 21 seconds ahead of SRT Racing’s Evan Smith. 

KR4 Husqvarna’s Liam Draper won the Pro2 class in ninth overall, while Coastal Racing Husqvarna’s Craig Delong rounded out the top 10. 

Maryland KTM rider Billy Schlag finished second in the Pro2 class in 12th overall, while Braxton McGee was third in class and 13^thoverall. 

Tayla Jones blitzed to the win in the Women’s Pro class. The KR4 Husqvarna rider had a perfect weekend winning all 12 of the tests. 

“The tests were pretty technical but I was just on a hot streak,” said Jones. “I stayed upright for the most part and I really felt good on the bike all weekend.” Mackenzie Tricker was second in the Women’s Pro class, with Brooke Cosner finishing third.

 

Photo Credit:  Darrin Chapman

North Carolina’s Conner Smith beat out Virginia’s Luke Ross and Indiana’s Alex Witkowski to win the Open A division, while local boy Devan Byer took top honours in the Lites A class ahead of Pennsylvania’s Dantae Ranieri and Virginia’s Henry Symanski. 

OVERALL RESULTS

1. Ryan Sipes (Hsq)
2. Grant Baylor (KTM)
3. Josh Strang (Hsq)
4. Steward Baylor (KTM)
5. Cory Buttrick (Hsq)
6. Layne Michael (Hsq)
7. Jordan Ashburn (Bet)
8. Evan Smith (Hsq)
9. Liam Draper (Hsq)
10. Craig DeLong (Hsq)

TrialGP Andorra

Bou Bounces Back at TrialGP Andorra For 99th World Championship Win

Toni Bou's 99th win ties him with British legend Dougie Lampkin.

Toni Bou held his nerve to take victory at TrialGP Andorra, round three of the 2018 FIM Trial World Championship, following a tense four-way battle at altitude in the Pyrenees principality.

With the majority of sections plotted on the almost sheer, rocky hillside just outside Sant Julia de Loria where the Repsol Honda rider now calls home, the Trial called for courage and commitment in equal measure and at the end of the day it was the defending eleven-time FIM Trial World Champion who kept his cool in sweltering conditions.

The result ties him with British legend Dougie Lampkin on ninety-nine TrialGP victories and paves the way for a possible record-breaking one hundredth win at TrialGP Portugal in one week's time.

"The feeling is incredible because in Andorra it is always very difficult for me and today I think it's the best I've ridden this year," said Bou. "I made some little mistakes on the first lap, but I finally made sure of the win in the last section."

Following a close opening lap it was Bou who led on ten from his fellow Spaniards Albert Cabestany and Gas Gas' Jaime Busto who were tied on eleven with Jeroni Fajardo a further three marks off the pace.

After sharing the wins at TrialGP Japan last time out, both Fajardo and Busto knew victory would hand them the championship lead which only added to the tension.

The entire fourteen-rider field collected maximums on section twelve at their first attempt so it was modified for lap two. Bou needed a steadying dab here the second time around while Fajardo sailed through clean, but both Cabestany and Busto collected fives.

Bou was joined on the podium by previous round winner Jamie Busto and Adam Raga.

The Trial was ultimately won and lost on the very last section of the event, the man-made hazard comprising huge boulders and giant logs in the town's main street that was used for Saturday's qualification session.

Fajardo arrived here on a total of fifteen, one ahead of Bou, with Cabestany on eighteen and Busto out of contention on twenty-four. With his second victory of the 2018 campaign in his grasp, Fajardo - whose sole TrialGP win up until this season had come in Andorra in 2009 - collected a shock maximum on what was a relatively simple section.

With Bou and Cabestany both nailing inch-perfect rides it meant victory went to Bou from Cabestany by two marks with Fajardo slipping to third on a total of twenty.

"I am very happy with this victory here in Andorra. It's been a tough weekend, with lots of nerves and a lot of pressure, but we've finally won," Bou said.

"Today I felt very good on the bike and my back did not bother me, which is very positive to be able to continue improving like that. This is a very important victory both for the championship and for my morale. To reach victory number ninety-nine is impressive and now we have to work to achieve one hundred victories. I keep saying that this will be a very complicated year for me but we will continue fighting," Bou concluded.

Busto was next on twenty-four before a five-mark gap to his compatriot Adam Raga - TRRS who won in Andorra last year, but never really looked comfortable after a shaky first lap.

Spain's Jorge Casales was the next rider home on a distant forty-six, one mark ahead of British rider James Dabill.

Miquel Gelabert from Spain, Scorpa mounted Frenchman Benoit Bincaz and Britain's Jack Price rounded out the top ten.

The result hands Bou a seven-point lead over Fajardo with Busto a further two points behind as the series approaches the halfway mark.

The 2018 TrialGP series continues in Portugal next weekend.

Giacomo Redondi California Dreaming

Giacomo Redondi in "Chase the dream" by Davide Derocchi

Cairoli goes 1-1 in Italy

Antonio "King" Cairoli once again proved what experience means as he went 1-1 to close down the MXGP points lead by Jeffrey Herlings to just 12 points going into the two GP’s in Indonesia in two weeks’ time. The nine-time world champion made the most of the DNS of Herlings (out due to injury) in Italy and also picked up his 85^th Grand Prix victory and his second of the season.

It was Cairoli of old as he showed the competition how to race the deep sand, and like he has done so many times before, when the season gets into the serious half, he starts to put the pressure on.

"Yes," Cairoli said. "It was a good race again just a small mistake in the second moto, I stalled the bike and crashed, too high in the gears, I tried to ride smooth, and yesterday I used a lot of energy and I was a bit tired. It was good for the championship. I wanted to put a gap in the second moto and was pushing and I fell, but I know this track is tough an its hot and I tried to come back. Tim was strong, but I passed him."

Second overall was Gautier Paulin 4-3 and third Max Anstie with 3-4. The two Husqvarna riders looking to try and climb up the points ladder.

"Actually," Paulin said. "To be honest it was hot and rough and I liked it. I was feeling good, two bad starts and close to crashing in both motos, but I came back really strong, and to finish second on the podiums is good. You need to dig deep an I want to congraulate my team-mate being on the podium."

"I know," Anstie said. "It is awesome to be back up here and worse start of the season I have had. Coming into the year and literally bang, bang, bang, but its not to be up here and be in the race. I want to give it up to the people around my, James Dobb is here trying to help me out and the team has done a great job.

Kevin Strijbos led the second MXGP moto early, then Cairoli and Desalle, then came Coldenhoff, Gajser, Lupino, Nagl, Febvre, Monticelli, Paulin, Anstie, Simpson, Seewer, Waters, and Irwin 15^th. Cairoli quickly into the lead, and Strijbos holding off Desalle for second. Waters quickly into 12^th place.

Gajser moved past Coldenhoff, who dropped back to 8^th place, and Nagl from seventh to fifth place. After a lap the lead was 2.5 for Cairoli, followed by Strijbos, Gajser, Desalle, Nagl, Paulin, Febvre, Coldenhoff, Anstie and Monticelli. Waters down and way back in 27^th place.

Cairoli made a small mistake, crashed and dropped back to fourth, and Coldenhoff continued to have trouble as he dropped back to ninth and the Brits struggling with Anstie ninth, Simpson 16^th and Searle 17^th.

Strijbos in the lead and once again putting in a solid ride in the sand. Strijbos of course won at Lommel a few years ago. Cairoli quickly into third and hunting down Strijbos and Gajser.

Gajser went past Strijbos for the lead and Cairoli was also onto the Belgian veteran and on lap four went into second place. Cairoli on fire as he put a lot of pressure on Gajser.

After four laps the top ten was Gajser, Cairoli, Strijbos, Paulin, Nagl, Febvre, Anstie, Desalle, Seewer and Van Horebeek.

Cairoli moved into the lead and just took off, ala Herlings the last few months. The Italian looking to pull back the points lead by Herlings even more. Desalle down hard in the whoops and nearly hit by Seewer, and way back now in 16^th position.

Waters out of the race, and after seven laps the top ten was Cairoli, Gajser, Strijbos, Paulin, Febvre, Anstie, Seewer, Nagl, Van Horebeek, and Coldenhoff.

Cairoli wins the moto, and the Grand Prix.

MXGP - Grand Prix Race 2 - Classification

1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 34:38.105; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:03.560; 3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:08.496; 4. Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:16.600; 5. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:19.628; 6. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:32.708; 7. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), +0:35.614; 8. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:46.022; 9. Maximilian Nagl (GER, TM), +0:52.311; 10. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Suzuki), +1:01.851; 11. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +1:04.561; 12. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), +1:05.134; 13. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +1:09.592; 14. Valentin Guillod (SUI, KTM), +1:16.511; 15. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +1:38.009; 16. Graeme Irwin (GBR, KTM), +1:40.526; 17. Tanel Leok (EST, Husqvarna), -1 lap(s); 18. Erki Kahro (EST, KTM), -1 lap(s); 19. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), -1 lap(s); 20. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), -