Febvre Hangs Tough

While Kawasaki factory rider Romain Febvre’s run of victories might have stopped in Sweden last weekend, the hot form the Frenchman is carrying into this last stage of the 2023 MXGP championship is very much still on point. 

A 2-2 result saw him finish second overall and once again beat him the red plate man, Jorge Prado. The sixth time in a row he has beaten the Spaniard and while that massive points gap of Prado is still secure, Febvre had made it clear, second isn't really something he is happy about, in the championship, or in Sweden.

The 2015 World champion and 2021 runner-up is capable of many things in our sport and his desire to win on every single occasion must be taken very seriously. Coming into the MXGP of The Netherlands, at the Arnhem circuit next weekend, don’t be surprised to see Febvre come out swinging again and produce yet another win.

Febvre had a frustrating time in qualification on the Saturday in Uddevalla and the track is notoriously difficult to pass on. He quickly made a pass stick on the opening lap to take over fifth, he was denied at every turn as he sought to take over fourth. He eventually found a way through after ten minutes but slipped off less than a lap later as he pushed hard to pull back the gap to third. The pattern of racing continued after he remounted, and he eventually finished a disappointed fifth.

“I had a good feeling with the bike, and I enjoy riding this track but it’s really difficult to make the difference as there are so few options to pass. I was eventually able to pass Jeffrey when he made a mistake, but then I also made a mistake, and he was able to pass me back. Even if you are faster, it’s difficult to find a spot as they had changed the track in some corners where it was possible to make a move in the past. My start was not the best, just average, and even though I could gain some positions in the first few corners, that was it.”

“I get the FOX Holeshot in the first race and was leading so I thought that this was going to be my race, but I made a mistake and gave the lead to Jorge (Prado). In the second race was the same with a good start but I was just second and could not pass Seewer. Happy to be on the podium again with a 2-2 and I’ll try to win next time. Today I got two good starts and when I holeshot in the first race. I knew the starts were vital today in these muddy conditions and everything was going well in the first moto until I made a mistake and crashed in a corner. It only cost me a few seconds, but Prado was able to go past me, and I had to settle for second. In the second race I was second again after a couple of corners; in the first few laps I was behind Seewer and tried to find a spot to pass him but there were no possibilities! I was faster and I tried to open up some lines to pass him but in the end I nearly crashed. Today it was easy to make mistakes and the starting line was really muddy. I’m satisfied with my races; I finished twice second, and I was consistent once again.”

So, as we head to Arnhem, Holland, you just know that Febvre will already be planning his attack on the white sand of the Dutch circuit and bring some fire to his rival’s next weekend. Another win isn’t far off and while many will have their eyes on the Flying Dutchman, Jeffrey Herlings, don’t be surprised if the Frenchman ruins the home-coming plans of “The Bullet”.

Aprilla Gone Wild

This MX bike was banned by the AMA, but why? Let's find out! In this video we ride and review one of the rarest, most exotic production dirt bikes ever made, and of course we are also going to compare it against our favorite big bore 500cc 2 stroke as well. The Aprilia MXV450 is the only twin cylinder motocross machine of the modern era, but why are they so rare? What happened to this V-Twin project? And why were the banned from racing in American Pro Motocross and Supercross? This video has all the answers! :-D We love riding these weird bikes and telling their wonderful stories, so if you have something that you think we should feature please do drop me a message on instagram @oneminutemoto A huge thanks goes to Jon for lending us his awesome bike for the day and to Sean Smith for helping me test this Italian Stallion.

Bam Bam Is Back!

Confirmed: Justin Barcia to return at Unadilla National

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This weekend’s ninth round of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship at Unadilla will see Justin Barcia make a welcome return to action with Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing, marking his first outdoor appearance of the 2023 season.

• Justin Barcia will be back behind the 450MX Class gates at Unadilla
• Final three rounds of Pro Motocross will lead into SMX Championship
• Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS thanks 250MX fill-in Caden Braswell

Barcia, who was recently on location at the GASGAS Spice It Up Festival in Italy to help introduce the 2024 range, will be back on track riding his MC 450F Factory Edition across the final three rounds of the outdoor season and is excited to build momentum over the course of the next three weeks.

Justin was initially injured toward the end of April in Nashville’s AMA Supercross Championship round, with complications delaying his return. Despite sitting out the final stages of the 450SX season and missing the majority of Pro Motocross, the 31-year-old currently sits 10th in the combined SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) standings.

Justin Barcia: “It’s been a process, for sure, a lot to think about. We’re past the injury now after two surgeries, lots of training and a lot of recovery, so I’m definitely excited to come back at my home race in New York for the fans and myself, just to get out there. There are no expectations set because I’ve been off for a lot of months, so I just want to go out there and have fun and build. Obviously, as a racer, you always want to be competitive, but I just need to get back to the races and enjoy being around the team, as well as my family and friends there. Unadilla’s going to be a cool race!”

With Barcia lining up alongside 250MX team regular Pierce Brown this Saturday at Unadilla, Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing would like to thank fill-in rider Caden Braswell for his efforts throughout the opening eight rounds of the series.

Max Lee, Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing Team Manager: “We are very excited to have Justin Barcia back racing with us at Unadilla. It’s been longer than we all expected for him to be returning to the races, but we are as excited as ever to have him alongside Pierce Brown this weekend. Without a ton of time that Justin has had on the bike, it looks like he hasn’t skipped a beat. I’m excited to bring him back to his home MX race of the season and hopefully bring some more excitement as well! Caden will no longer be joining us at the races this season. The team is very thankful for the opportunity to work with him and for keeping us racing, since for the first six rounds, he was our only rider. We wish him the best in the next step of his career and hope he can keep improving. See you at the races!”

Words: Press Release

Image: Align Media

Justin Barcia Having Fun

Justin Barcia takes down Taddy Blazusiak! All just in fun and no one is on probation as a results. They were both taking part in the games at the GasGas Spice It Up festival near Florence, Italy this week where the 2024 GasGas product line was revealed.

Ageless Mike Brown Takes Two Classes at Loretta's

Brown won the 40 class and the 50 class beating former National Champ Jeff Emig on both races.

50+ Year Old Mike Brown to Race AMA Pro Motocross National in 2024

August 1, 2023 by James Stewart

Mike Brown, aged 51, achieved an impressive victory in the 40-plus opening moto at the 2023 Loretta Lynn’s Amateur National, defeating Jeff Emig by a significant margin of thirty seconds.

Brown praised the new 350 KTM bike and expressed his determination to pursue victory throughout his career. He also emphasized the importance of this race to him every year. On the podium, he stated that he plans to participate in a National event after Loretta’s if he returns next year.

“I’m trying to get as many championships here, I’m not chasing it but I’m getting close, enjoy one more year of it and then try a National and if I qualify good, and if I don’t, I’ll probably be back here”

Can - Am Re Born

Can-Am motorcycles was a big player in American motocross back in the 1970s. They even managed to win the 1974 AMA 250 National Motocross Championship with Gary Jones at the controls (as part of a one-two-three sweep of the Nationals with Jones, Tripes and Ellis). Then a year later, Jimmy Ellis won the 1975 AMA Supercross Championship. They never reached that pinnacle of success in motocross ever again.

But, when Can-Am purchased Alta’s intellectual properties and patents, you knew something was coming—the 2024 Can-Am Pulse electric Dual-Sport bike was coming. This Can-Am video doesn’t give you a great look at what they are working on, but since they showed us the prototype less than a year ago—we think you know what it looks like.

Tim Gajser Still Fighting

David Bulmer story Bavo Swijgers image

 

Team HRC’s Tim Gajser left Finland knowing that things can get better after a tough day of racing at the Vantaa circuit, near Helsinki. For Gajser, it was his highest points tally since returning from injury, but he is aiming for the level of performance which saw him dominate the 2022 MXGP World Championship and while this was a solid showing, he now has a couple of weeks to keep the upward trend and get even closer to that sort of level.

“Another week and improvements were definitely made,” Gajser said after Finland. “Of course, I’m not completely happy with the results but I can see progress and I can also see where things can be better, so that’s important. Now I have a weekend off so I can get some good practice in and just work on some things, so that hopefully I can be challenging further forward in Sweden, which is a track that I like.”    

No support classes in Finland, meant the track had a little bit longer to recover and after the MX2 qualification race went ahead, it was time for the MXGP class to line up. With drizzle still falling, it meant that a good start was critical to avoiding as much roost as possible and also to avoid having to make passes on what is a very tight, narrow Vantaa circuit, which was a last-minute replacement for Hyvinkaa, that hosted the Finnish GP last year.

After the gate-drop, Gajser having moved forward into fifth as they crossed for the first lap. Unfortunately, midway through lap two, a rock got caught in the chain of Gajser’s bike and locked up his rear-wheel. Eventually he got it free, but he dropped 11 places in the process and had to then try and work his way through the field. Following through in 12th place Gajser had passed four riders after his misfortune.

“I was having a really good day,” Gajser said. “Even with all the rain. I was fourth in free practice and had put in a good lap before the rain came to get fourth in timed practice. I had a good start in the race and had worked my way into fifth and was just about to challenge for fourth when a stone got caught in my chain and my rear wheel locked up. It took a bit of time to get it loose and when it finally came out, I was down in 16th. It was annoying to have bad luck again, but I kept pushing until the end and finished 12th.”

The first moto on Sunday saw the #243 gradually move up from eighth to sixth over the course of the 19 laps, while race two was a battle as he tried to hold onto fifth place, against riders who have won races in 2023. Eventually, he came home sixth, which gave him sixth overall and meant he left Finland knowing there is still work to be done in the remaining five rounds of this campaign. While there isn’t any pressure on specific results, the goal for the Honda CRF450R rider is always to be near the podium, and with more time on the bike, as well as more favourable circuits, that is certainly a possibility as the championship enters its final quarter

Gajser will be using this break to recoup and assess his progress after three races in three weekends, on what has been a tough return to action after breaking his femur in February. The sand of Vantaa wasn’t as deep as Lommel last time out, but the tight layout, combined with the heavy rain that fell yesterday meant it was still a difficult track to negotiate, as he looks to climb back to the top of the MXGP podium.

So, now into Sweden in 10 days’ time and we all hope the current MXGP champion and five-time World champion can start to get closer to a podium, or a victory, as there is nothing better than seeing the best at the front and in his current form, it just doesn’t seem right seeing the Honda man finishing where he is finishing.

Highlights | MXGP of Finland 2023

Febvre continues with MXGP of Finland overall

Post: Troy Guenther

Adamo goes 1-1 in pivotal round 14 for MX2 championship.

Image: Supplied.

Kawasaki Racing Team’s Romain Febvre secured his fifth-straight overall victory at the 2023 MXGP World Championship outing in Finland, while Andrea Adamo delivered two wins in what was a pivotal round 14 in MX2.

Kawasaki Racing Team’s Romain Febvre secured his fifth-straight overall victory at the 2023 MXGP World Championship outing in Finland, while Andrea Adamo delivered two wins in what was a pivotal round 14 in MX2.

A 1-2 scorecard in the premier class saw the Frenchman continue his streak of round victories, edging red plate-holder Jorge Prado (Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing) who went 3-1 for second overall.

Monster Energy Yamaha’s Glenn Coldenhoff (3-4) was third overall at Vantaa, ahead of teammate Jeremy Seewer (2-5) and Jeffrey Herlings (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) who was fifth in his return, just one point ahead of defending champion Tim Gasjer (Team Honda HRC) for the round thanks to 8-4 finishes.

Qualifying race winner Prado now holds a 98-point lead in the standings ahead of the next round at Uddevalla, Sweden on 13 August.

Image: Supplied.

In MX2, red-plate Holder Adamo (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) went 1-1 to extend his championship lead, while disaster struck for Jago Geerts (Monster Energy Yamaha).

During the early stages of moto one, Geerts could not avoid a fallen rider and crashed heavily on his own shoulder after he went over the bars. In the incident, he fractured his left clavicle which ruled him out for the remainder of the round.

Meanwhile, qualifying race winner Simon Laengenfelder (Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing) finished second behind Adamo with a 2-2 scorecard, as Liam Everts (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was third thanks to 3-4 results.

5-3 finishes landed Lucas Coenen (Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing) P4 in Finland, and F&H Kawasaki rider Kevin Horgmo completed the top five with a fourth in race one and then a P7 in race two.

In terms of the MX2 World Championship standings, Adamo leads on 619 from Geerts on 559. Everts is third and 87 points from the red plate.

Red Bull Romaniacs 2023