2024 Rallye du Maroc

Daniel Sanders has claimed victory over Adrien Van Beveren and Pablo Quintanilla on stage three of the 2024 Rallye du Maroc.

Demonstrating exceptional skill in the dunes of today’s timed special, the Australian has taken the provisional rally lead with an advantage of one minute and 35 seconds after three full days and more than nine hours of intense competition.

The route of the longest day of this year’s Rallye du Maroc headed out of Zagora into the Oriental region but unlike the previous stages, the rain had not made as much of an impact on the route. 327km of timed special awaited the competitors as the stage made its way north via the breathtaking Merzouga and Erg Chebbi dunes, which rise over 500 feet at their peak. It was going to be as spectacular to ride as they were to see, especially as the recent rainfall had created glimmering lakes that nestled in amongst the dunes. With half of the stage made up of stony tracks caution was still advised as riders headed to the final destination of Mengoub Bouârfa.

As the third rider into the special, Daniel Sanders had two targets ahead of him in the form of Tosha Schareina and Adrien Van Beveren, both of whom he caught by kilometer 104.

Having made up good time on his rivals over the first half of the special, Sanders maintained a solid but safe pace over the second half, which consisted primarily of washed-out riverbeds and fast, rocky tracks. Making little in the way of errors over the long stage, and despite not earning any bonus time, Sanders rode home safely as fastest on the special. After well over nine hours of racing against the clock, Sanders holds a one-minute-and-30-second advantage at the front of the field.

“That’s stage three done! Another very long day on the bike with over 200 kilometers done in the morning and then well over 300 kilometers of special,” Sanders said. “It’s been super-hot, very dusty, and very demanding. I felt really good today and got off to a strong start. I caught the two guys ahead by the neutralization then pushed through the dust a little bit and got into the dunes. One of the guys ahead made a little mistake, but it meant it was difficult to get out front and collect any time bonus, so as the terrain turned a little rockier, I just played it smart and made sure I brought the bike home safely. We have a new area to race tomorrow, so I’m looking forward to it.”

 Adrien Van Beveren is doing everything he can to claim the 2024 World Championship with second on stage another strong showing. Photo: Rally Zone

With two stages remaining, Adrien Van Beveren isn’t giving up in the title fight just yet and took a spirited second place finish. Although nearly five minutes behind his teammate Schareina, today’s result has moved him up from fifth to third overall and with scenes reminiscent of Saudi Arabia’s Empty Quarter coming up on the last two stages, this terrain will favour the Dakar 48 Hour Chrono winner.

“Today I had a good stage, I was in Tosha’s dust for a while, then Daniel Sanders caught me so I spent half of the stage in a lot of dust,” the Frenchman explained. “It was a bit frustrating to not be able to push in my own rhythm but I then focused, accepted the situation and kept more or less the same distance to Daniel. The last part was really stony but I enjoyed the ride, the bike is really safe and this is an important factor in this race because there is a lot of dangers and risk. I felt comfortable, I had good rhythm without the need to go faster than normal, so now I will remain focused for the next couple of days.”

Pablo Quintanilla holds down fifth overall after finishing day 3 in third position. Photo: Rally Zone

With a better set up on his bike, Pablo Quintanilla was on a charge from the off posting the quickest time 33km into the stage. After a committed ride through the Merzouga dunes, his consistent pace paid off with the third fastest time of the day.

“Well the first part of the stage was really fun to ride, there were some fast pistes in the valleys, with mixed terrain alternating between hard pack and sandy sections,” Quintanilla explained. “Then we got to the classic Merzouga dunes which were really fun to ride until the refuelling. After that we started with the rocky section in the hard packed piste and I was pushing and feeling quite good. Then in the rocky sections it was a bit dangerous and I didn’t want to take any risks. I’m feeling better on the bike day by day with a good setup, so I’m happy.”

Maintaining a strong pace over the varied terrain of stage three, Luciano Benavides set off fifth into today’s 327-kilometer special and held that position to the finish where he now lies fourth overall in the provisional rally standings and is focused on making the best use of his seat time on the bike in race conditions to build his confidence and speed ahead of the upcoming Dakar Rally next January.

“It feels good to get stage three done – it was a really long stage and quite tough, similar to a Dakar stage,” Benavides said. “There were a lot of broken pistes and rocky tracks, and I found it tricky to settle into a good rhythm. The pace isn’t quite there yet, but we’ll keep on working on some things and improve the set-up as the rally goes on.”

Tosha Schareina carried on fighting hard to the finish line where his grit and determination had paid off to be quickest by 52 seconds. However, after the organisers had analysed Schareina’s GPS, he was found to have left the mid-stage neutralisation zone too early and was given a 13 minute time penalty which dropped him down to fifth and second overall.

“I made a big mistake six kilometres into the stage so I then had to try and fix something on my bike which meant I lost a bit of concentration and around four minutes in time,” Schareina explained. “Adrien was coming and I tried to chase him, I then passed him and continued to push during the rest of the stage. Daniel is putting a lot of pressure on, so with two more days to go I will keep focussed and go for it.”

The penultimate stage tomorrow loops around Megoub Bouârfa with 315km against the clock as the route takes them west wards from the Algerian border where the desert terrain will make riders feel like they’re back at the Dakar. This will be a good warm up for the 47th edition of the famous rally that takes place in January.

Cianciarulo on Deegan – “I Didn’t See this Level of Dominance Coming

Tomac at MXoN

Forkner Returns

“He is Moving Back to Georgia to Ride with Triumph,”Ryan Hughes Breaks Austin Forkner’s News

by Troy Dog October 7, 2024, 7:55 pm

After months of speculation an rumors on the future of Austin Forkner and his career, we can now say who he will be riding for in the 2025 season…thanks to his old trainer Ryan Hughes.

Apparently, Hughes had lunch with Forkner today to wish him well on his journey East to ride for Triumph.

To be honest, after the year that Forkner has had, we’re just happy to see that he wants to continue racing.

I trust Ryno’s words…all the way down to his ‘unlocking the hips’ movement, so this is legit. It’s not a press release, but it’ll do.

The switch to Triumph will take some time to adjust for us, as we haven’t seen Forkner on anything other than a Kawasaki since the 2011 season. He’s been green since Ryan Holliday picked him up after dominating the 85 (9-11) Stock and Modified classes at Loretta Lynn’s in 2010 on a Suzuki.

We’ll keep an eye out for an official PR from Triumph, until then…

Good job Ryno. Keep being you mate.

 

Tomac on GP Tracks!

Eli Tomac After the Motocross of Nations: “These GP Tracks Are Tough”

by Slaw Dog October 7, 2024, 2:30 pm

Not long ago, when Team USA could seemingly do no wrong at the Motocross of Nations, second place might have felt like a failure.

Not this year.

Things have changed. The European riders are faster than ever and have adapted their riding styles. Australia, thanks to the Lawrence brothers, are a force. And, overall, riders from across the globe have made it difficult for Team USA to win year-in and year-out like they once did.

This year was even more of an anomaly. Due to injuries, Cooper Webb had to drop down to the 250 Class. Eli Tomac, coming off an injury of his own prior to Pro Motocross, was a late replacement for Chase Sexton and Aaron Plessinger suffered a shoulder injury a few weeks before the event.

No, these are not excuses, just explaining it all.

Still, the USA had a damn good chance entering the third and final moto as they sat second overall behind The Netherlands. While Tomac and Plessinger put in a strong effort, Jett and Hunter Lawrence brought it home for Australia. While second place is not a win, this year it almost felt like it.

“It was a strong effort from everyone. Coop, AP (Aaron Plessinger), we all stepped up and rode our hearts out, that’s for sure,” said Tomac. “It was a gnarly track. These GP tracks are tough. The ruts were pretty insane, and it was very technical riding. We were very close in points in the end. Second doesn’t sit well, but it is what it is. We all tried hard, and I’m proud of our team.”

“Today was crazy. The track conditions, and this event in general, is insane,” said Webb. “I had an up-and-down day. The first moto wasn’t the greatest for me, but I redeemed myself in the second one. I felt like I rode really well that moto, put up a solid number and left it up to the boys. Overall, it was a great effort from the team. Everyone stepped up and did their part, and we were a few points away from winning it all. I’m happy with the podium. Obviously, the goal is to win, but I think with the cards that we were dealt, coming into this two weeks ago, this is a good result. I’m just stoked to have a good time, get on the podium, and come out of here healthy and ready for the new year.” 

2024 Team USA

2024 Motocross of Nations Post Race Interviews

Eli on MXoN

Eli Tomac was the key to securing Team USA’s presence at the MXoN and ultimately leading them to the podium! Bringing his best to Matterley Basin, Tomac ran up front all weekend, including grabbing an incredible holeshot in the final and highly competitive moto—possibly one of the most stacked in MXoN history. Although he was overtaken by Gajser and Jett Lawrence, Tomac held off Hunter Lawrence and a hard-charging Herlings in the closing stages, finishing 2-3 on the day and guiding the USA to a solid second overall, all on just two weeks’ notice.

Tomac said in the press conference: “We gave it our best effort obviously and came up that bit short, super proud of Cooper and Aaron. What a track, and the conditions, it was a very tough track. Proud to stay consistent and put in some good results. Of course we wanted more, it was a good effort.

Then, in convesation with Swapmoto, Eli said: “We all stepped up and tried our hearts out. It was a gnarly track, these GP tracks, the ruts were pretty insane, very technical riding but at the same time it was really cool for racing with how technical it was. Man, it was close, very close in points. Second doesn’t sit well but it is what it is.

“I expected him to be more fast…”

Jeffrey Herlings of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing led The Netherlands to third at the 2024 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations with 5-5 scores in his two motos. Vital MX's Lewis Phillips found him after the MXoN to discuss a hectic 48 hours of on-track action, in which he battled with Honda HRC's Jett Lawrence for a brief period and reunited with an old foe in the form of Ken Roczen.

2024 MXoN Some Great Racing!

  Jason WeigandtEditorial Director

It was the way motocross, and the Motocross of Nations, was supposed to be. It was motocross in the old world, a rainy, drizzling affair, powered by a raucous crowd and the best riders in the world converging in a clash of nations, ages, eras and more. It came down to a thrilling final moto, and even the last darned turn of the last lap. It was epic, and it ended up being historic.

Here's how it all went down at the 2024 FIM Monster Energy Motocross of Nations in England.

Moto 1: MXGP and MX2

The dramatic build up to this year's race quickly turned to reality in an amazing first moto, with an all-star list of big hitters battling right from the start. It was Jorge Prado nailing the holeshot even with Spain's outside gate pick, followed by Tim Gajser, Jeffrey Herlings, Eli Tomac, Ken Roczen and Romain Febvre. Think of teh names in that group! Roczen was up to his usual early moves, getting Tomac then battling Herlings, and the three titans went back and forth early, right behind the Prado/Gajser battle up ahead. Watching all five of these riders battle in formation in the early laps was a thrill and the crowd was absolutely crazy for it.

As laps unfolded, Gajser made the move for the lead on Prado, and then Tomac anchored Team USA's hopes by putting it together. He fended off Roczen, then Herlings crashed and Tomac got by, and then Tomac made the move on Prado. He then started attacking Gajser for the lead, and the duo started to pull away from the rest of the field.

The only big 450 hitter not in the lead group early in this moto was Australia's Hunter Lawrence, but that was by design. The 250s were on this gate as well, and Australia put 250 rider Kyle Webster in the best gate and it paid off with a good start. This put Hunter at a disadvantage but he slowly worked his way forward throughout the moto. The 250 star early was Belgium's Lucas Coenen, who was actually making moves toward Febvre and Tomac! Then he crashed, hard, and appeared to have injured himself. With that, Belgiums hopes, already hurt by injuries to other riders, took a serious dive.

Up front, Tomac kept heat on Gajser for awhile but then Gajser pulled away. Febvre got back to Tomac and pushed him hard for second place, but the Frenchman had to pull his goggles. He still stayed on Tomac through traffic, but ended up hurting his eye due to the roost. Gajser scored a big win, Tomac held on for second with Febvre third. Febvre was so mad at lapped rider Arnaud Tonus that he shoved him after the race!

While Herlings did fall early, he finished fifth, and Kay de Wolf rode well on the Netherlands' 250 bike to take sixth. All told, Netherlands' 11 points gave them a big early points lead. Australia sat on 19 with Hunter (eighth) and Webster (11th), but that was still a victory of sorts, as the Aussie team needed Webster to log at least one good result, and that 11th on the 250 was solid. Team USA also took 19 points with Tomac's second Cooper Webb's 17th. Webb was put on the outside gate and was outside the top twenty early, he inched his way forward throughout the race for 17th.

Moto 2: Open and MX2

Spain had a holeshot again with Rubin Fernandez, but this moto had Jett Lawrence in it, and he quickly made a few moves, took the lead from Fernandez and took off with the moto win. That was a big boost for Australia, and the Netherlands opened the door, slightly, to the other teams due to a few falls from de Wolf. He still ended up as the top MX2 rider overall with 6-5 scores, but did leave a few spots the Dutch desperately needed on the table. That was also hurt by Glenn Coldenhoff, who struggled and then crashed late to net 18th. Netherlands' big point lead from Moto 1 was gone.

Webster had a bad one with a bad start and a stop for goggles, he was 19th for Australia but that mattered little, it would be the team's one throwaway score. 

Team USA had an okay moto, Aaron Plessinger was up front early with a good start, but dropped some spots to finish seventh. Webb was better this time, bulldogging his 250 to ninth, which made him the fourth-best 250 on the track. 

Goggle management in the non-stop drizzle told so much of the story. Plessinger eventually had to throw his goggles, but so did so many others. Webb was wiping his goggles with his sleeve early to save his roll off film for the end. On the last lap Mikkel Haarup got to Webb and tried to make a pass, but Webb held him off by a wheel.

The French team took a hit based on a tough day for Tom Vialle, who went 22-12 in his two motos after winning the MX2 qualifier the previous day. Renaux was a solid fourth as the Open rider.

When it was all told, the points were incredibly close. Taking the drop score out, 

Five teams were separated by four points! Netherlands and the USA led with 18, France and Spain had 19, and Australia had 20. It would all come down to the final moto, which, by the way, packed one of the most stacked gates in the history of the sport with each team bringing two 450 riders to the gate. It could not get any better.

Goggle management in the non-stop drizzle told so much of the story. Plessinger eventually had to throw his goggles, but so did so many others. Webb was wiping his goggles with his sleeve early to save his roll off film for the end. On the last lap Mikkel Haarup got to Webb and tried to make a pass, but Webb held him off by a wheel.

The French team took a hit based on a tough day for Tom Vialle, who went 22-12 in his two motos after winning the MX2 qualifier the previous day. Renaux was a solid fourth as the Open rider.

When it was all told, the points were incredibly close. Taking the drop score out, 

Five teams were separated by four points! Netherlands and the USA led with 18, France and Spain had 19, and Australia had 20. It would all come down to the final moto, which, by the way, packed one of the most stacked gates in the history of the sport with each team bringing two 450 riders to the gate. It could not get any better.

Moto 3: MXGP and Open

It would come down to this. The final moto, with five teams with a chance to win and an all-time stacked gate. Who would be clutch and grab an incredibly-important start? How about Team USA’s Eli Tomac roaring off with the Fox Holeshot! On the first lap, the Netherlands and Spain found their hopes dashed when Coldenhoff and Fernandez got tangled in a pileup and were down in the back of the back. Now three teams remained with a shot: USA, Australia and France. France then saw hopes fade as Renaux crashed, and then Febvre crashed out of the moto completely when he knocked the wind out of himself.

It would come down to Team USA versus Australia, but also in the balance hung the bragging rights of a moto win against an all-time deep field. For the USA, Tomac took on early pressure from Prado, lost the lead, got it back, and then started to pull away. Plessinger was 15^th early but started to make passes as other riders faltered. Australia’s Lawrence brothers were fourth and fifth early, waiting for their chance.

As the race transpired, Gajser started to make tracks toward Tomac. Prado faded back and eventually finished 14th. Hunter and Jett got to third and fourth and the points were incredibly tight. Could the Lawrence’s move further forward? Could Tomac hold on for the win? Could Plessinger move up? At the halfway mark, Gajser really started pressing Tomac, but then Jett moved around Hunter to third and started putting blazing lap times together. Gajser passed Tomac for the lead and Tomac fought back. It was incredible racing as they traded the lead! Then Jett was there, he caught Tomac for second, made the move and closed down on Gajser. This was a massive boost for Australia’s chances, then Jett made a pass on the inside of turn one on Gajser to take the moto lead. He started pulling away briefly, but then Gajser responded with determination to latch back on to Lawrence. More great racing! Tomac remained in third.

At this point, the Lawrence’s 1-4 was going to be enough to bring the Chamberlain Trophy home. But Team USA gained some points as Plessinger moved forward and other riders went down. He would get to eighth from 15th. So much of the race ebbed and flowed with goggles, too, as the rain never quite let up. As the white flag waved, though, Australia was sitting on a four-point lead, but Gajser was on Jett’s rear wheel challenging for the moto win! Jett didn’t need to win it, but he explained that he wasn’t sure, so he was going all out to keep Gajser behind him but also not crash and throw the entire race away. Gajser, heartbroken over last week’s close loss of the MXGP World Title, had nothing to lose, and his nation, Slovenia, was not a contender for the win. It was his time. He absolutely sent the final lap and then with two turns to go got super aggressive and drove inside of Jett. He made the pass within sight of the finish! In this incredible moto, it was Tim Gajser with the bragging rights as the winner, and a 1-1 score in his two motos. Jett finished right behind him and Hunter’s fourth, behind Tomac, was enough to give Team Australia its first-ever Motocross of Nations win.

Team USA was second, three points behind, and the Netherlands salvaged a podium.

It was as close and exciting and as good as it could possibly be.