Honda Starts MXGP In Hole!

Gajser and Bogers to miss opening MXGP

Team HRC’s Tim Gajser will miss the opening event of the 2018 MXGP season in Argentina as a result of the jaw injury suffered in the final round of the ‘Internazionali d’Italia’ in Mantova last Sunday.

With team mate Brian Bogers still on his way to full recovery, the sole standard bearer of the team at Neuquén will be Calvin Vlaanderen aboard his Honda CRF250RW machine in the MX2 class.

After undergoing a successful surgery in Mantova on the evening of Sunday 18th February, Gajser checked out of the hospital the following day and was transported via ambulance to his native Slovenia, where he had another surgical operation – performed by jaw surgeon specialist Dr Grošeta of Maribor Hospital – to further stabilise the fractured jaw.

With the recovery time estimated at three weeks, and a mandatory rest for the two-time World Champion, Gajser will target a possible return to action at the MXGP of Europe at Valkenswaard.

"All things considered, I can say that I’ve been quite lucky," Gajser reflected. "I slid with my right leg before going for a jump and that caused me to inadvertently open the throttle and that’s why I overjumped. I landed basically at the base of the following jump and hit my face hard on the handlebar.

"I want to look at the bright side because it could have been much worse, and I’ll be back sooner rather than later. I would like to thank the doctors and medical staff who took care of me, the team that stayed by my side and the fans and everyone who was seriously concerned about my well-being. I’ll soon get a smile back on my face – and hopefully it will be a good-looking one, too!

Marcus Pereira de Freitas, HRC General Manager - MXGP, added, "First of all, we’re happy that Tim had no serious injury to his body because it was quite a scary crash! The goal for now is to make sure he gets back to full fitness before jumping back on the bike, but looks like it won’t take too long this time. We can’t wait to have him back on board with us and we wish him a speedy recovery; he’s a warrior, so he’ll be stronger than ever."

Main Photo: Tim Gajser (L) and Brian Bogers

Preview GNCC

The 2018 Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) championship begins this weekend at Big Buck Farm, Union, South Carolina.

Historically filled with the best of American enduro racing talent, GNCC claims the crown of premier off road championships in the US.

Defending Pro Class champion Kailub Russell is the obvious favourite at Big Buck but he’ll have his work cut out with no shortage of riders hungry to take his crown.

Russell will roll into round one with the number one plate on his KTM having claimed his fifth consecutive championship in 2017 – only Scott Summers comes close to that record with three-straight wins from 1990-1992.

 

Photo Credit: Simon Cudby

With the exception of an injury at last season’s ISDE, Thad Duvall had a pretty stellar 2017 and tops the list of title rivals.

Duvall chopped away at Russell’s points as the 2017 season wore on and claimed two consecutive wins and landed a total of nine podium finishes to end the year second overall.

The number 212 Yamaha of Ricky Russell is also one to watch. After claiming his first-ever win at the Snowshoe GNCC, and with one win under his belt the ball is rolling.

 

Photo Credit: Ken Hill

Last year’s Big Buck overall winner, Steward Baylor came back strong in 2017. Claiming his first career win at round one he went on to claim six more podium finishes in the 2017 season.

Fresh off a win at the opening round of the National Enduro series, Stu will come into Big Buck strong, confident and looking to claim another win.

That’s just the Pro XC1 class! The 2018 season is upon us and everyone will be looking to start the season on a high note. Are you ready to watch it all unfold? It’s almost time to go racing!

Mario Roman Wins Valongo Extreme

Mario Roman has won the first round of the new, Portuguese Hard Enduro Series in Valongo. 

The Valongo event, which saw 149 riders across five classes, ran a prologue before the main three hour race.

The PHES is aimed at preparing Portuguese riders for their annual main event – the Extreme Lagares in May.

Mario Roman ran out the winner and surely bagged some quality riding time on the same hills as riders will face at the World Enduro Super Series round one at Lagares in May.

 

Photo Credit: Pedro Meira

 

After the race Roman said: “It was a very good race, and good training for trials skills because of the course.

“My first lap was pretty easy because there were no riders on the track but the second, third and fourth laps was the most difficult part of the race really. I had to choose more difficult lines to get to the top of something because of the riders stuck on the lines.

“Despite that I was faster every lap and actually it was quite a long lap of around 50 minutes so a good challenge.”

Taylor Robert Wins Arizona Hare Scrambles

Taylor Robert Wins Arizona AMA Hare Scramble

 

Taylor Robert took the AMA Hare Scramble Pro class win in Prescott Valley, Arizona with Tyrstan Hart second and Dante Oliveira third.

Nearly 400 riders competed the cactus-strewn desert course to 2018 AMA KENDA SRT West Hare Scramble Championship at a rider favourite track in Arizona.

Pro Class

The Pro class saw an overall win from Taylor Robert in a race that is now one of his personal favorites.

Max Gerston was second early on with Oliveira in third and Travis Coy only seconds behind. Lap two changed the standings as Hart stole second from Gerston, who dropped to third.

 

 

Taylor Robert set the bar pretty high with his speed and the gap between him and the rest. Oliveira moved himself up to third for the third lap behind Coy.

The battle for fourth spot in the final lap between Jacob Argubright, Kendall Norman, and Gerston was a hot one. At the finish Norman stole it with Gerston fifth and Argubright sixth. Norman put the pressure on Oliveira for third but the gap was too great and Oliveira held to the finish.

Pro 250

The new Pro2 and Pro 250 is the talk of the championship just now. With both classes starting on the same line, the stacked line-up made competition for the holeshot impressive.

Justin Bonita won the race from the gate, leading the pack as Trystan Hart, Max Gerston, and many more put on the pressure to steal the lead.

Reed Goes for LaRocco's Record!

Age is a valued number for motocross rider Chad Reed

Dade City's Chad Reed, who turns 36 on March 15, is the oldest rider in the Monster Energy Supercross 450 cc series. (Times file)

By Jim Tomlin, Times Correspondent

Published: February 20, 2018

 

Chad Reed is set to break one of the most impressive records in motorsports, but it’s not the mark he wants most.

The Dade City resident and native Australian has started 227 main events in the Monster Energy Supercross 450 cc series, tying former rider Mike Larocco for the career record. And in Saturday’s event at Raymond James Stadium, Reed will break the record if he qualifies out of the heat race.

"Larocco has one record that I want," Reed said last week, before he tied the record at a race in Arlington, Texas. "He is the oldest winner of a race. That record is what is important to me. This one (for most starts) is a record that was always going to happen, I just love racing. But man, I want to win another race so I could be the oldest winner. So that’s my goal, to get 100 percent healthy and then come out swinging and be the oldest guy to win a Supercross race."

Reed’s most recent victory came at Atlanta in 2015 at age 32. Larocco won in 2004 in Indianapolis at 33. To show what a young man’s sport Supercross is, only four riders have ever earned victories after age 30, according to racerxonline.com.

But Reed, who turns 36 on March 15 and is the oldest rider in the series, says the thought of setting the mark for most series starts does bring him satisfaction.

"I just love it," Reed said of racing, which he has done since age 12 in Australia. "It gets the adrenaline, the blood, it gets everything pumping for me. … I don’t plan that this is my last year so I feel like the number is going to be a big number. I’m going to set the bar high."

Reed remembers watching Larocco — "on DVD, or actually on VCR tapes," he said with a laugh — and later competed against him.

Now Reed gets a chance to break Larocco’s record at his home race, not far from his Dade City residence. It’s all the sweeter because the series has not held an event in Tampa since 1999, so even a long-tenured rider like Reed has not raced here.

"You could not have wrote it any more perfect if you tried," he said of breaking the record in Tampa. "I have a lot of friends and all my family there."

As for setting up shop in Pasco County, where he has plenty of room to ride and for his wife and their three children, Reed said it just felt natural.

"I grew up in a small town, way smaller than Dade City," Reed said. "It just has a homey feel, it’s just a nice, small town. I have property where I can do training and riding. My three kids go to school."

Reed broke his ankle last year and hadn’t raced since May, and he has struggled to find top form. His best finish this season on his new No. 22 Husqvarna bike was 13th in San Diego on Feb. 10. The two-time series champion holds 44 victories on 450 cc bikes, fourth all-time.

But the pain — both recovering from injury and from his unaccustomed struggle to be competitive so far this season — will all be worth it as his record stands testimony to Chad Reed’s love for the sport and his endurance.

"I feel really good about where we’re at and what I’ve been able to achieve this year on so little training and bike time," he said. "I didn’t always show up 100 percent but I showed up and gave it my 100 percent. I think that that was always key."

Auatrailian Motocross News

Penrite Honda Racing Team made official

Long-time Honda man Yarrive Konsky is back at the helm of the official Honda Motorcycles Australia motocross and supercross team, the Penrite Honda Racing Team.

The Penrite Honda Racing Team will compete in the Australian Motocross and Supercross championships with Brett Metcalfe heading the MX/SX 1 class on the CRF450R and Todd Waters to compete in the Australian Supercross Championship as well as selected local events.

Metcalfe is determined to achieve the ultimate prize in 2018 in Australia, being no stranger to success on a Honda overseas.

“During my career I’ve achieved my best overall results with Honda. In 2009, I was third in the 250 class and in 2010; I took six podium finishes on my way to second overall to Ryan Dungey in the 450 class when competing in America… I want to win an Australian Motocross Championship in the MX1 before I finish racing professionally.” Metcalfe said.

Brett Metcalfe will be gunning for the MX1 title.

The team will also support Waters in his quest to achieve success in the ultra-competitive American Motocross Championship.

“I can’t thank Yarrive and Honda enough. This year has been unbelievable. Testing has gone well, I have done some training with Ben Townley and everyone has been super supportive of my goal to compete in America.” Waters said.

Set to debut in Adelaide at the new Split Rhythm racing event; run in conjunction with the Virgin Supercars at the Adelaide 500 from 1 - 4 of March, South Australian Metcalfe is pleased for the chance to compete in front of his home crowd at one of our nation’s biggest motorsport events.

“They get over 200,000 people to the event; in Motocross we never see these types of crowds anywhere in the world. I hope they look at doing more of these, it’s great for our sport and it’s even better that this one is in my home state,” Metcalfe said.

This year marks the multi-championship winning team’s 15th year with Honda. Team owner Yarrive Konsky is proud of this milestone and aims to build on the team’s previous successes.

“It’s been a very strong and successful partnership with Honda; we have achieved some incredible results over the years which include 7 overall Championships and 3 second place finishes,” said Konsky.

Brand and Motorsports manager Glyn Griffiths welcomes a big year ahead; "This team completes a massive racing program for Honda. We are excited to see what Todd can do in America. Brett is a terrific asset and his best results in America were achieved on a Honda, he really has settled in well and his experience has made a significant difference,” said Griffiths.

“The Adelaide 500 is a terrific place for our new factory team to debut and we are proud to be associated with the event. We will also have our ‘Come and try’ fun bike program with our CRF50s available for kids to enjoy,” Griffiths concluded.

Announcements of the teams’ full Supercross program will come closer to the commencement of the Championship.

SuperEnduro Spain 2018 - Highlights

Tomac Wins Texas, Barcia Hurt!

450 RAPID RESULTS | 2018 ARLINGTON SUPERCROSS (DALLAS)

Last updated Feb 17, 2018

 

 

Eli Tomac wins his third 450 Supercross main event of the year. It has been a rough yer for Eli, but when he is healthy is winning races. Points leader, Jason Anderson was consistent and steady with a forth place finish. Jason has more than a full race lead at 28 points. 

450SX ARLINGTON SUPERCROSS MAIN EVENT RESULTS 

1. Eli Tomac (Kaw)
2. Marvin Musquin (KTM)
3. Blake Baggett (KTM)
4. Jason Anderson (Hus)
5. Cole Seely (Hon)
6. Cooper Webb (Yam)
7. Weston Peick (Suz)
8. Dean Wilson (Hus)
9. Broc Tickle (KTM)
10. Justin Brayton (Hon)
11. Malcolm Stewart (Suz)
12. Vince Friese (Hon)
13. Kyle Chisholm (Yam)
14. Benny Bloss (KTM)
15. Chad Reed (Hus)
16. Tyler Bowers (Kaw)
17. Ben Lamay (Hon)
18. Cole Martinez (Hus)
19. Kyle Cunningham (Suz)
20. Austin Politelli (Hon)
21. Aj Catanzaro (Kaw)
22. Henry Miller (Suz)

Cody Webb Wins 2018 Malaga SuperEnduro

The SuperEnduro battle in Malaga raged with crashes, all-action riding and another win for Cody Webb in the 2018 Championship.

With racing just about as exciting as SuperEnduro gets, things were “a little crazy out there” said eventual overall winner Cody Webb.

Webb took the overall win in Malaga but not before some close and at times aggressive racing in the tight Malaga arena: "I finished the final race with a hole in my radiator, my bars were completely bent and I had half a grip missing on the throttle side, but I still managed to do enough to get the overall win. It was a crazy night, that's for sure, but I never gave up, and it feels great to have won.”

 

Photo Credit: Andrea Bellus

Race One

Billy Bolt initially led from Mani Lettenbichler with a trio of KTMs chasing down the lead.

After Bolt made a mistake Webb, Walker and Blazusiak took turns to swap the lead with some aggressive overtakes. It was a case of where to look next as the 11 lap race unfolded with everyone taking turns to crash and lead.

At the finish it was Walker who took the win to get some valuable points, with Webb and Blazusiak third.

Race Two

The second Prestige race of the night looked set to unfold with a bit less drama until Blazusiak got a bit whiskey and actually ended up under the stands – luckily with no serious injuries.

The race got a little cleaner after Taddy’s departure by not much as again Cody and Walker traded places, this time with Colton Haaker very much in the mix.

Cody eventally ran out the winner from Haaker a close-run second. A mistake late on from Walker allowed Bolt through to take third.

 

Photo Credit: Robert Lynn

Race Three

Taddy made amends in race three with a win after a monster crash at turn one involving half the field. When the dust had settled it was Webb and Haaker were the ones left tangled and dead last. Walker had fared little better.

Blazusiak benefitted and ran out the race winner but not without some pressure from the Husky boys Bolt and Alfredo Gomez. Gomez eventally worked his way forwards, largely by keeping things clean and not crashing, to take a popular second in front of the Spanish crowd. Billy Bolt was third.

 

Photo Credit: Robert Lynn

Championship standings

The SuperEnduro World Championship is definitely swinging towards Cody Webb at the half way stage.

Webb has 155 points from Blazusiak on 131 points in second.

Billy Bolt is closing in after another podium overall place in his rookie year – he now has 124 points. Colton Haaker sits on 114 points with Jonny Walker and Alfredo Gomez tied on 105.

Roczen News

Ken Roczen - Bad News

Posted on February 17, 2018

HRC rider Ken Roczen had bad news yesterday when he went to get his injured hand repaired. He will be out for possibly two months. HRC released a statement on his operation and recovery time.

"On Friday, Ken Roczen underwent successful surgery at the Steadman Clinic in Vail, CO, to repair injuries sustained during his crash in San Diego. Unfortunately, the damage was more extensive than originally diagnosed. During surgery, Dr. Viola cleaned up a chip at the base of the thumb and hook of hamate, repaired the fractured second metacarpal with a plate and screws, and also repaired torn ligaments. The initial prognosis is six to eight weeks, but Roczen will be reevaluated throughout his recovery. He will still attend multiple races and dealer appearances throughout the remainder of the season. Everyone at Honda wishes you a speedy recovery and can't wait to have you back out there."