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Moto News Weekly Wrap
July 12, 2022

What’s New:

• 2022 Team Australia WJMX revealed
• Speedway of Nations moved to Vojens
• ProMX Round 7 entries now open
• Alex Martin to retire from professional racing
• Davey Coombs apologises for Pro Motocross live streaming issues
• Kayden Downing crowned Grasstree King of the Beach for 2022
• Miller wins Opens at Battle in the Bush
• WA MX Senior State Round 5
• Riordan tops Senior Vic MX State Title Round 3 at Wodonga
• Toni Bou tops German TrialGP across both days
• Yamaha dominate SA 24 Hour Reliability Trails
• Riders talk Pro Motocross Round Six at Southwick
• Red Bull Abestone Hard Enduro Wrap
• 2022 Racing Calendars
  • 2022 FIM Motocross (MXGP) World Championship
  • 2022 Monster Energy AMA/ FIM World Supercross
  • 2022 FIM Hard Enduro
  • 2022 Australian Arenacross
  • 2022 ProMX (Australia)
  • 2022 Lucas Oil Pro MX
  • 2022 Victorian Junior MX State Titles
  • 2022 WA State Supercross
  • 2022 FIM Bajas World Cup
  • 2022 Silk Way Rally
  • 2022 FIM ISDE

2022 Team Australia WJMX revealed

Motorcycling Australia have revealed the riders and manager who will represent Team Australia at the 2022 FIM Junior Motocross World Championships (WJMX) in Finland from 26-28 August 2022.

Joining team manager, Ross Beaton, is a well-balanced group of riders who are ready to showcase the talent of Australia:

Class 1: FIM Junior 65cc Motocross World Cup

• Ollie Birkitt
• Seth Thomas

Class 2: FIM Junior 85cc Motocross World Championship

• Jack Deveson
• Heath Fisher

Class 3: FIM Junior 125cc Motocross World Championship

• Byron Dennis
• Kayden Minear

Finland’s famous motocross city of Vantaa will play host to the Championship at the Lavanko track, located a stone’s throw from Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport.

Speedway of Nations moved to Vojens

The 2022 FIM Speedway of Nations has been relocated from Esbjerg to Vojens Speedway Center. The four-day event to crown the 2022 world team champions will still be raced from July 27-30, but will now take place at the home of the FIM Speedway GP of Denmark – Vojens.

The change was necessary as EMS Event AsP chief executive officer Lars Guldager Dyhr stepped down from his position due to ill health and the board of directors from that company was unable to continue to run the event.

2022 ProMX Round 7 entries now open

Entries for the 2022 Penrite ProMX Championship presented by AMX Superstores Round Seven are now open for the Queensland Moto Park, QLD round currently scheduled for August 14, 2022.

Due to a number of classes being oversubscribed previously, riders are encouraged to enter early in order to avoid disappointment.

Entries are available via RiderNet or a link can be found via competitor info on the ProMX Website, closing Sunday 7th August at 11:59pm.

Entries are also set to open at 3pm (AEST) Tuesday the 12th July for Round 8 in Coolum, QLD scheduled for August 20-21 August, 2022.

Alex Martin to retire from professional racing

Alex Martin has confirmed he’ll be retiring from professional racing at the completion of this year’s AMA Pro Motocross championship, with his younger brother Jeremy Martin joining the Muc-Off/FXR/ClubMX Yamaha team for 2023. Here’s what he had to say when the news dropped:

Alex Martin

“After 14 years of racing professionally I have decided to retire from full time racing at the end of this season. This sport takes a toll both physically and mentally on its riders. I’ve had my share of ups and downs, concussions, broken bones, podiums, wins, I jumped the Leap on and won a moto by over a minute on a Suzuki 250, 17 rounds of 450 SX, 9 years as a privateer, 5 years as a “Factory” racer, ultimately I’m damn proud of what I was able to accomplish in my career. I want to thank all the teams that made a spot for me throughout the years: Ti Lube-Storm Lake Honda, David Sammani, Eleven-ten Mods, Cycletrader Rock River Yamaha, Star Racing Yamaha, TLD Red Bull Ktm, JGR Yoshimura Suzuki and this year with the Muc-Off FXR Club Mx Yamaha team. Thank you! I’m looking forward to the next chapter and continuing to grow @trolltraining with my long time coach and friend @jrwessling. With 7 rounds of @promotocross to go I still intend to show up ready to race every weekend!”

Davey Coombs apologises for Pro Motocross live streaming issues

Davey Coombs, President of MX Sports Pro Racing has released a public apology for the 2022 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship’s streaming service, which has been unable to handle the level of interest shown internationally, with their hosting services.

As MAVTV have been unable to find a fix, and after five rounds of frustration, they made the decision to move the streaming coverage to a different platform in FloSports, on a new “MAVTV on FloRacing” channel, honouring the MAVTV Plus subscriptions through to the end of the month, before refunding the balance of any annual subs.

FloRacing is honouring the $6.99 per month price that MAVTV Plus originally offered, which is significantly lower than their regular monthly subscription. MAVTV Motorsports Network will also continue airing Lucas Oil Pro Motocross.

You can read the full letter and explanation here:
A Letter Regarding Streaming

Kayden Downing crowned Grasstree King of the Beach 2022

Mackay has been hosting beach races for almost 100 years and the 2022 edition of the King of the Beach was staged at Grasstree Beach last weekend.

These days the event is staged by the Gum Valley Motorcycle Club with the help of Mackay Regional Council and other local businesses.

Townsville’s Damien Koppe has largely reigned supreme in recent years and been the man to beat, but this year Koppe was bested by both Kayden Downing and Andrew McLiesh in the battle for the Steve Dinsdale Memorial ‘King of the Beach’ trophy.

Kayden Downing won the 2022 running of the King of the Beach 0.4s ahead of Andrew McLiesh, with Damien Koppe, Daniel O’Brien and Ricky Barney completing the top five.

Check out the full report here:
Kayden Downing crowned Grasstree King of the Beach 2022

King of the Beach 2022 Results

Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop

Miller wins Opens at 2022 Battle in the Bush

The Battle in the Bush was a motocross event staged last weekend, July 10, at Green Park in Conondale and backed by MXStore, with Jack Miller making headlines claiming the Open win, tying on points with Kye Orchard.

While there were two x five lap races staged for Over 250, 125/Expert and 250 classes, along with Clubman 125 four-lappers, the headline act was a three-hour teams relay event.

The inaugural Batte in the Bush MXStore three-hour Moto Relay victory though went to the triumvirate of Michael Munro, Ford Dale and Rhys Budd running under the moniker of ‘MFK’.

The second placed ‘Team Roys’ were just over a minute behind and consisted of Thomas Wood, Tom Kruger, Joel Phillips and Jayce Cosford.

‘TLR’ rounded out the podium with Cody Schat, Ricky Latimer and Kye Orchard.

Jack Miller had teamed up with Matty Macalpine, Ryan Thomas and Jake Gook for the three-hour and the quartet finished seventh.

See the full report here:
Jack Miller wins Open category MX at Battle in the Bush

WA MX Senior State Round 5

Jayden Rykers has taken the MX1 win at the WAMX Round 5 at Wanneroo, taking victory in both races, with Liam Atkinson and Charlie Creech completing the race and overall podium in the same order respectively.

Rykers leads the MX1 class on 239-points, to Creech on 200-points, with Liam Atkinson on 186.

In the MX2 class Myles Gilmore won both races and the overall, relegating class leader Stuart Eardley-Wilmot to third and second across the two races, for second overall. Jake Turner finished 2-3 for the final podium position.

Wilmot holds that lead on 225-points, with Turner on 213 and Jordan Minear in third on 184-points.

Seth Shackelton took the MX3 win, going 1-1,with Jake Rumens second on 2-2 and Ricki Edwards third on 3-3.

Rumens leads the standings on 214-points to Taj Moore on 185. Charlie Bartlett is third on 169-points. Moore was a DNF in Race 1, only collecting 16-points in Race 2, while Bartlett was fourth for the round.

Megan Bagnall took the Women’s win running 2-1-1 across the three races run. Hannah Stewart as runner up with a 1-2-2 and Phoebe Bronwin rounded out the overall top three finishing 4-3-3.

Bagnall overtook Stewart for the lead, 345-points to 343, with Bronwin a more distant third on 294-points.

MX1 Pro Overall Results

WAMX MX1 Pro Standings

MX2 Pro Overall Results

WAMX MX2 Pro Standings

MX3 Pro Overall Results

WAMX MX3 Pro Standings

MXW Overall Results

WAMX MXW Standings

Riordan tops 2022 Senior Vic MX State Title Round 3 at Wodonga

Angus Riordan has won Round 3 of the Senior Vic MX State championship, running 1-2-1 over the weekend’s three races, for the overall over Joben Baldwin and Mitchell Norris.

Baldwin now leads the standings on 215-points, with Corey Watts – who finished fourth at Round 3 – second overall on 180-points, while Allister Kent is third on 137.

Noah Ferguson took the MX2 win with his 2-1-2 result, narrowly winning from Haruki Yokoyama with his 3-2-1 finishes. Cambell Williams was third, running 1-3-3, with each of the top three taking a race win.

Liam Andrews retains the MX2 standings lead on 150-points from Wilson Greiner-Daish, and Jacob Sweet.

Joben Baldwin swept all three All Powers races, ahead of Wilson Greiner-Daish, with Mitchell Norris third overall.

Baldwin extended his standings lead to 225-points, aheadof Greier-Daish on 180, while Connar Adams is third on 140-points.

MX1 Overall

MX1 Standings

MX2 Overall

MX2 Standings

All Powers Overall

All Powers Standings

Toni Bou tops German TrialGP across both days

After a six-year absence from the calendar, the TrialGP World Championship was once again back in Germany, this time at a new location: Neunkirchen. There, riders found a tricky and fairly high level course, having to tackle a lot of artificial stone and rock-filled sections, plus wooded areas with plenty of ramps. Section 11 proved to be particularly taxing with the entire field picking up the maximum marks on both laps.

Toni Bou pulled off a resounding triumph at the newly-opened Neunkirchen venue. The Repsol Honda Trial Team rider gave a fine display of his riding prowess, dominating both laps from start to finish, in spite of struggling in section 11.

Today’s win sees the Catalan rider continue to edge further away at the top of the overall leaderboard.

Day one of the TrialGP of Germany was less positive for Gabriel Marcelli. The Repsol Honda Trial Team rider was low on confidence due to the recent infection after a left leg injury, which forced him to take a more prudent ride, especially around the opening lap. Marcelli posted eighth place on the day.

The demanding wooded and natural areas of Neunkirchen once again characterised the second day of the TrialGP World Championship in Germany.

With yesterday’s reference points noted and a minor storm after the podium celebration, Toni Bou came out guns blazing from the get-go this morning.

The highlight of the day was, however, the brawl for the top-spot between Jaime Busto, Matteo Grattarola and Bou himself. The Repsol Honda Trial Team rider finished the first lap in second position and managed to minimise the mistakes on lap two to claim a close win that was not decided until the final two sections.

Bou’s twin victories in Neunkirchen means the Catalan rider takes his tally to five consecutive wins in Germany, after a victory in 2011 and two wins in 2016 in Gefrees. Furthermore, Toni Bou continues to strengthen his overall lead in the general standings, with a total of 114 points, 23 points ahead of the nearest second-placed rider.

For Gabriel Marcelli, the second day of the TrialGP of Germany proved equally positive. Despite physical aggravations in his injured left leg, the Galician rider from the Repsol Honda Trial Team managed to find the right feelings today and remained in the fight for fifth place until the final sections of the course, although he would eventually post sixth. In the overall standings, Gabriel Marcelli continues to occupy seventh position, with a total of 59 points.

Having passed the halfway point in the 2022 season, the TrialGP World Championship now takes a five-week summer break. The action will return on the weekend of August 20 and 21, with a one-day race in Comblain-au-Pont (Belgium).

TrialGP Standings after Germany

Yamaha dominate SA 24 Hour Reliability Trails

The Yamaha WR450F again proved its performance and durability with a 1-2 finish at the long running SA 24 Hour Reliability Trails event held over the weekend.  Nearing its 100th year, the event continues to be a drawcard for riders who are willing to take on the elements as well as test the limits of their bike and body.

Contested in cold, yet clear conditions in the South Australian wilderness, near Kapunda, Riley Graham became a two-timing winner with his 2022 victory, in an impressive performance that sits right alongside his previous win in 2018. Behind him fellow WR450F mounted rider, Sean Throupe, was himself a winner on three previous occasions.

At 11am on Saturday, a contingent of around 150 riders rolled out of the start shute and onto the course proper where a series of twelve check points make up one complete lap. One lap takes about six hours and that includes fuel stops and any running repairs with a total distance of just under 1000 kilometres for event. Then take in the dark, the cold and the sleep deprivation and it is one tough race to contest. It’s even tougher to win.

It has been a gruelling couple of weeks for Riley Graham. Just last week he charged to a top ten finish in the Hattah Desert Race, an event that is taxing as it is enjoyable and despite some late race cramping and exhaustion he was still primed and ready to put his body and bike through another weekend of torture. Just seven days later he rolls across the finish line to take a well-earned victory in the SA 24 Hour race.

It was a hassle-free run for Graham and apart from a couple of small falls in the middle of the night, he had no issues. He took control of the race right from the get-go and increased his lead with each passing lap to take a comfortable victory.

Riley Graham

“The bike was perfect all weekend and we did little more than throw some fuel in at each stop and give it a quick check over. So, it was just smooth sailing right the way through from the bikes point of view. I had a couple of crashes overnight, both just buried the front tyre in some bulldust that was hard to see in the night. Both my fault but they were pretty harmless and didn’t cost me much time. Other than some tiredness just before the sun came up, I was good and finished the last lap with good pace. “Thanks to my crew for looking after me all weekend and everyone who put in the pre-event preparation. Its not an easy event to do but I had some great help and thankful to everyone that came out and supported me.”

Also competing on a WR450F, Throupe slotted in behind Graham on the opening lap while he was right in the mix, he never was able to claw his way to the lead. He remained well clear of those behind him, so his second-place finish was on the cards unless and mistake came from Graham, and it never did.

Sean Throupe

“I would love to have won today but Riley was just too good and deserved his victory. I was able to sit at a comfortable pace the entire 24hours but not get close enough to him to really poor the pressure on. He just inched out his lead on each lap and didn’t make any costly mistakes that I could capitalise on., so congratulations to Riley and his team. We had no issues ourselves and to have two basically standard WR450F’s with big head lights go 1-2 in the event and get through with no problems at all is a huge testament to the bike and how well suited it is for Australian conditions. It’s a tough event to do but I always look back at it as a lot of fun. I won my first one back in 2013, so it would be nice to celebrate the 10year anniversary with another victory, so after a long sleep tonight, I might start work on the 2023 version as soon as I can.”

Triumph also had a noteworthy result in the 24hr Trial, with Cameron Donald piloting the new Tiger 1200 Rally Pro to finish the event, which was quite the accomplishment considering of 138 entries, only 91 finished – even on Enduro machines.

Cameron Donald

“Physically, that was one of the toughest things I’ve ever done on a motorcycle,” Donald said. “To ride out there in that terrain on these bikes over four six-hour laps for 24 hours was such a battle. It was brutal. A lot of people told us we were crazy, not expecting us to finish a single lap let alone four laps to finish the race. Worse yet, an experienced competitor who’s finished the race 24 times said this year’s course was by far technically most difficult.”

2022 SA 24 Hour Results

1. Riley Graham
2. Sean Throupe
3. Kyan Haydon
4. Clinton Voigt
5. Charlie Milton

AMA Pro MX riders talk  Southwick

A picture-perfect afternoon of sunny skies and comfortable temperatures provided ideal racing conditions for the sixth round of the 2022 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship at the legendary sands of The Wick 338.

The recent hot streak by Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing’s Eli Tomac continued with what was arguably the multi-time champion’s most impressive performance to date in the 2022 season. Tomac was forced to come from behind in each 450 Class moto and showed his prowess in the sand with a dominant 1-1 effort that saw his moto win streak extend to five en route to a third consecutive overall victory that cemented his status as the hottest rider in American motocross.

One week after he lost his hold of the 250 Class point lead through heartbreak, Team Honda HRC’s Jett Lawrence reclaimed control of the championship and reassumed his position at the head of the pack with an emphatic 1-1 effort. Lawrence was in a class of his own all afternoon and easily secured his fifth win in six rounds to once again grab control of the red plate.

For the full round report see:
Jett Lawrence and Eli Tomac both double up at Southwick

250 Overall

Jett Lawrence’s second 1-1 performance of the summer resulted in his fifth overall victory of the season and cemented his rebound from the heartbreak of the previous round. It was also the milestone 10th career victory of the Australian. Shimoda followed-up his winning effort from last week with a runner-up finish (2-3), while Cooper finished on the podium for the second time this summer in third (3-4).

Lawrence’s dominant afternoon allowed him to reclaim possession of the point lead from his brother, Hunter, who finished seventh (6-8). A 22-point swing saw Jett go from seven points down to 15 points ahead of Hunter, while Shimoda now sits 37 points out of the lead in third.

Jett Lawrence – P1

“It was good. Qualifying went great—P1—and I was really happy with my starts today. In the second one I had a better reaction but went into the deeper sand a little bit. I was second into the turn but was able to cut down a little bit and was able to collect the holeshot, thankfully. I had a little bit of a battle with Levi [Kitchen] and then was able to break him a little bit, with lappers. Then I just ended up maintaining. The track was brutal today, but the bike felt awesome and was running great. It’s good to get that red plate back.”

Jo Shimoda – P2

“I had good speed in the first moto but spent too much time following the guys in front instead of making passes early on. In Moto 2, I got an okay start and actually passed the guys in front quicker than in the first moto but the track was so gnarly by that time of the day that I couldn’t mount a real late-race charge for second. I still finished second overall, which is a good result for us.”

Justin Cooper – P3

“It was a better day for sure, and while it was good, we need to keep working. Our team has been making progress, and it showed at Southwick. I’ll be looking to keep getting better to try and be back up on the podium again where we belong.”

Levi Kitchen – P4

“In the first moto, I kind of had to work my way through from the back after a few mishaps but got up to eighth. The second moto was great, though! I got a good start and made a quick pass for second. I tried to run with Jett (Lawrence) as long as I could and had a few opportunities, but I rode it out and finished fourth overall.”

RJ Hampshire – P5

“We made it through another pretty solid day,”Hampshire said. “The first moto, I had good speed and a lapper stalled in front of me and I jumped right into him and lost that podium. Second moto, I didn’t have a good start at all. All-in-all, we had some progress and a bit of positives today. We’re working hard and the team is working hard also, we’ve had something special here for these last five or six rounds. We’ll take this week to get healthy again and come out swinging for Millville.”

Stilez Robertson – P6

“Qualifying was a little rough, I couldn’t find my flow and with Southwick, you have to get it soon and fast, which kind of stressed me out,” Robertson said. “First moto, I was just kind of flat – not really energywise, but riding-wise, I had nothing in me. Second moto, I was good at the beginning and then just got smoked. My body went away and I was trying my best.”

Hunter Lawrence – P7

“Rough day. It was great last year, running 1-1, but this year we just sucked. It was almost like me and Jett did a role reversal from last year. I’m going to have to go to the dentist this week, after crashing in the first moto—got cross-jumped and then hit by another guy. It is what it is now—I can’t change it. I did everything I could, but it was just a really, really tough day. We’ll bounce back.”

Michael Mosiman – P8

“It was a tough day, indeed. I felt like I rode really well and my fitness was quite strong, but a poor start was kind of the story and I just made the best of it, especially in the first moto. I was having a couple of silly issues, just with goggles and we’ve been messing around with the bike a little bit, so there’s certainly things to work on. Frustrating finishes but there are positives and we’re going to focus on those and build on those. I’m going to clean up my starts and try to make sure that I’m where I need to be from the get-go.”

Nate Thrasher – P9

“I felt like I had the speed in both motos for a top five. In the first moto, I was running about eighth but went down and couldn’t get back to that same intensity after I got back up. The second moto was a lot better for me to come from about 15th to finish sixth. It was a better weekend for us; the track was brutal, and we put in a good fight.”

Jalek Swoll – P10

“It was a tough track today but it was good,”Swoll said. “I’m happy to get through two motos again, that’s something we can keep building off of and finally start to find some sort of rhythm this year. I think my speed is good, I just have to get that intensity back. The guys are going really fast right now and they have a lot of motos under their belts. I’m just playing catch-up right now but I’ll start to find the flow and start clicking off some good days.”

Seth Hammaker – P11

“This was my first time racing at Southwick and I was excited to learn a new track. I quickly realized this was going to be a physically demanding race course as I went through practice and strategically decided to use the practice sessions as an opportunity to find consistent lines instead of homing in on one fast lap. I got an okay start in both motos but it was hard for me to make a lot of passes happen on this track, especially with how deep the field is. As a racer, we’re never completely satisfied with how we perform but we showed promising speed in the race and will work on getting better starts so we can battle with the guys up front next weekend.”

Max Vohland – P12

“I qualified the best all-year and rode really fast in the second qualifying practice and into the first moto with a top-10 start. I moved up to fifth and I was riding really good, and then just kind of hit the wall, as they say. I felt like I didn’t have anything left and really was just trying to survive that second moto. I just need to work on that endurance.”

Nick Romano – P14

“It was a good day, and we made some good changes in the right direction. A 10-15 result for the day doesn’t necessarily look good on paper, but we had some positives to take away from it. In the first moto, I ran in the top five for about 20 minutes, and in the second moto, I was sixth for about 15 minutes. The fitness will come, and I’m not worried about it. I’m looking forward to Millville.”

Pierce Brown – P15

“It was a struggle of a day. I battled with bad starts and it was hard to make passes out there with the sandy terrain, I’m not really used to that. All-in-all, I had fun out there and I put some pretty good laps together in the first moto. The second moto, I just struggled all around. I’m hoping to put that one in the past and gain some momentum here soon.”

250 Round Points

250 Championship Points Standings

450 Round

Tomac’s second consecutive 1-1 sweep resulted in a third straight overall victory and the landmark 30th win of his 450 Class career. Sexton continued his podium streak in second (2-2), while Plessinger’s strong second moto landed him on the overall podium for the first time this season in third (7-3).

While Tomac gained even more ground in the championship battle, Sexton’s runner-up effort allowed him to maintain his hold of the point lead. A single point now separates the riders halfway through the 12-round season. Roczen, who finished fourth (6-4), is third, 41 points out of the lead.

Eli Tomac – P1

“It was an awesome day at Southwick. It really couldn’t have been better. In Moto 1, I didn’t have the best start, but I was able to come through the pack and make quite a few passes early in the race and get to the front. In Moto 2, I got a much better start. Here you kind of have to be gritty and really go for it the whole moto. It’s definitely the hardest track of the year physically, so you just have to tough it out. It was a pretty special day for us to go 1-1, and I’m proud of the team. We made a few small adjustments in practice to get everything dialed, and it paid off.”

Chase Sexton – P2

“My first-moto start wasn’t horrible; I was in a good enough position, even though Eli [Tomac] passed me. The second-moto start was not good; I think I just sat there and spun. I think I was outside the top 10, and it’s hard to come through a pack that’s this deep. Starts are something I’m going to focus on this week, because if you start out front, it just makes your life a whole lot easier. Other than that, I felt really good on the bike. I’ve never loved this place; my best overall finish was [seventh], so second’s obviously a lot better than that. I was pretty happy with my riding. In the second moto, I kind of came alive towards the end. All in all, it’s positive, and on to the next one.”

Aaron Plessinger – P3

“It was an interesting one today! I felt good in qualifying but the numbers didn’t show with P19. In the first moto, I was feeling good and started flowing and caught up to almost fifth and then lost my tear-offs in the last few laps, so I ended up seventh. Second moto, I got off to a sick start and me, Eli and Kenny were battling there for a bit. I got by Kenny and tried to pace Eli for a bit but Chase was on rails and I started making a few mistakes there at the end. Overall, it was a really good day and I’m heading into Spring Creek with high confidence.”

Ken Roczen – P4

“It was a tough one. We obviously know that this track is very unique. I’ve been trying to improve my bike and myself. In the first moto I was getting beat up and couldn’t make anything happen. That was tough to swallow because I just wasn’t feeling it. We made a little change for the second moto, which helped me out, but I haven’t found a breakthrough setup yet. I’m hanging in there, and the team’s doing a great job of sending me stuff as quick as they can, doing everything they can to get me happy. Today wasn’t the result that we want, but I’m happy that I at least ended on a much better note in that second moto. I’m looking forward to trying to improve for Millville.”

Christian Craig – P5

“I’ve never really been great here at Southwick. I’ve had decent results but never really gelled with the track, so I really wanted to do well this year. We qualified decent, and in the moto’s, I got off to two good starts and led the first moto for almost 20 minutes. I made a couple of big mistakes that cost me huge and was shuffled back to third and stayed there. I was pumped with that as it’s been a while since our podium at Pala. Then, in the second moto, I was optimistic and got off to another good start in second, but then right away, I just knew my energy was gone from the first moto and that I was going to suffer. No excuses, though. The bike was good all day; it was just that my energy wasn’t there for the second moto. I was shuffled back to eighth and got fifth overall, but we gained a little bit in the points and had some positives today.”

Max Anstie – P6

“I started riding the Honda 5 weeks ago, the team called me up and gave me an opportunity and after visiting the teams base in Cairo, Georgia I was confident we could build something special. The team is very passionate and experienced and fortunate to have the support of American Honda. We did a two-day test, our only test at Southwick with Factory Connection three weeks ago and developed a competitive bike and Max was quick and more importantly happy. We all worked together to refine the bike following our test and I was confident we would be competitive. I didn’t expect P2 in qualifying, but I did expect him to be competitive. It was a nice reward for the effort everyone has been putting in. Everyone has been putting in a lot of hours to get ready. “The results on the weekend were positive and with more time we could improve on those. The Honda is competitive out of the box, seriously, it’s unreal and we proved that on the weekend. Factory Connection created magic and we all agreed with more time we could refine everything a little more, with that said it was a terrific result for the team and our sponsors. It was nice to race again and be around the fans.”

Ryan Dungey – P7

“The day was pretty good. I got a good start in the first moto and I actually had a tip-over and recouped still in fifth. I was able to make a pass on Kenny for fourth and pretty much hung there for the rest of the moto, so I was happy with that. The first half of the second moto was really solid, but the second half I kind of ran out of steam. I just have to keep being patient – physically, it was tougher than normal – but we’ll try to keep building and get the bike a little bit better. I’m excited to go to the hometown race next weekend and try to put in a good showing there.”

Jason Anderson – P8

“I felt like I had the speed to be up near the front today. My Kawasaki KX450SR was hooking up great during qualifying and gave me a ton of confidence heading into Moto 1. Unfortunately, I got caught up in a first turn pile-up and fought back from 33rd place up to eighth. I got a much better start in the second moto but I was spent after having to fight so hard in Moto 1 that I had to ride smart and manage a sixth-place finish. Overall, I think we still had some positives come out from today.”

Justin Barcia – P10

“I love this place! The fans are great here and it was fun, to say the least. I definitely struggled today, though, and I’m very not happy with my results, obviously. I was going from a podium last week to not-so-good results, so this weekend is tough mentally, but I need to regroup. I was riding well in the first moto and then I had a crash and got landed on, so I got pretty tore up there. I was pretty sore for the second moto but I pushed as hard as I could, I just didn’t come home with the result I was looking for. We’re going to go back, regroup and come out to Millville swinging.”

Joey Savatgy – P12

“That was a tough race. My starts this weekend were okay, but there’s certainly room for improvement there. I think I showed everyone last weekend just how good I can be with a decent start. I want to try and focus on getting a little bit better on those so I don’t have to battle my way through the middle of pack early in the race and instead can gain more experience battling with the leaders on race day.”

Shane McElrath – P13

“My day started out a lot better,” McElrath said. “I had my best qualifying sessions, as far as getting a good feel of the track and putting some good laps in. The track was honestly really, really rough for our second practice and it just continued to get worse. I definitely struggled and fought against the track all day, it was a little bit disappointing. I’ve got some stuff to figure out and I’m gonna keep working. That’s really all I can do.”

450 Round Points

450 Championship Points Standings

Next Up

The second half of the 2022 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship will commence next Saturday, July 16, with the series’ annual visit to Minnesota and Millville’s famed Spring Creek MX Park.

2022 Red Bull Abestone Hard Enduro Wrap

Round four of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship has been won by Manuel Lettenbichler, the KTM rider topping the Red Bull Abestone of Italy, ahead of Husqvarna’s Billy Bolt and Sherco’s Mario Roman.

That makes it three-in-a-row for Lettenbichler following wins in Serbia and Austria, and the KTM rider kept that momentum rolling.

Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Billy Bolt topped the standings on day one and was fastest in the morning qualification before going on to win the evening’s JUST1 Straight Rhythm over AG Racing Team 89’s Alfredo Gomez. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Manuel Lettenbichler edged out Sweden’s Eddie Karlsson (KTM) to complete the top three in Val di Luce.

Bolt then led the field away for the LIQUI MOLY FINAL A, starting 1953 metres above sea level at the Abetone gondola. AG Racing Team 89’s Alfredo Gomez was next to leave the start line 30 seconds later, with Lettenbichler the third rider flagged away a further 30 seconds behind Gomez.

Between high temperatures and a brutally tough course, the two-lap race would prove a hard task for all. Bolt opened the course, but after 45 minutes Lettenbichler had already disposed of Gomez and was closing in on the Husqvarna rider. Despite pushing hard, Bolt had no answer for Lettenbichler and midway through lap one, the German got out in front.

Controlling the pace, Mani steadily built up a cushion that he would work to his advantage on lap two. Managing the race superbly, Lettenbichler pushed on in the final stages to claim the win by over eight minutes.

Manuel Lettenbichler – P1

“To get three wins in a row has come as a big surprise, it wasn’t something I expected happening at the beginning of the year. But I feel good in my riding and it’s showing in my results. The organisers did a great job this year with the track. It was hard the whole way through. I think I got into the lead after about 45 minutes. Although Billy was never too far away, I rode on my own for quite a lot. But the gap never felt too big, so I had to keep pushing on.”

Despite a powerful performance on Saturday, winning both the morning qualifier and JUST1 Straight Rhythm, Bolt was unable to hold off Lettenbichler in the LIQUI MOLY FINAL A. An ongoing wrist injury wasn’t helping him on the steep technical downhills and Bolt ultimately managed second place to keep his championship lead intact.

Billy Bolt – P2

“I was managing the difficult sections pretty good, but my wrist was hurting on the downhills, and it was hard to keep the pace with Mani. I’m happy with second to be honest. When he came past, I made a small mistake and lost touch with him. He pulled away a bit and I pulled a gap on third place, so the final lap was about trying to manage that and bring it home safe.”

Behind the top two, the fight for the final step of the podium was exciting. Gomez held third for the majority of the race, but a late-starting Roman was charging. The Sherco rider was picking off riders left, right, and centre as he worked his way up the leaderboard. Ending lap one inside the top five, he knew a podium result was on the cards. Leaving it all on the track, he caught and passed Gomez to get the job done and claim third.

Mario Roman – P3

“I had my work cut out for me today. I started quite far back in 13th and had a lot of guys to overtake to get near the front. On the first lap I just tried to keep steady and chip away at the positions. On the final lap I was into the top five and felt strong, so I gave it everything to catch Alfredo and got third.”

With no answer for his fellow Spaniard on the final lap, Gomez saw his hopes of a podium dashed and he had to settle for fourth.

Rigo Racing’s Matthew Green is a rider going from strength to strength in 2022. The South African has made the Junior category his own by remaining undefeated so far. But at Red Bull Abestone he pushed his own performance even further again. Racing to a career-best fifth, he headed off high profile Hard Enduro names like Graham Jarvis (Husqvarna) and Michael Walkner (GASGAS) in sixth and seventh respectively.

Matthew Green – P5 (Top Junior)

“It was an insane race and was really brutal with hard section after hard section. I felt good and tried to pace myself, which helped me stay strong on the final lap. I knew Graham Jarvis was behind me, so that was motivation to keep pushing. To get fifth overall is incredible. The team and I have been working hard behind the scenes and now the momentum is building.”

Michael Walkner – P7

“That was a hard race. My qualification on Saturday wasn’t too good, so I knew I had a bit of work to do for Sunday. I hoped the technical sections would play in my favor and they did at times, although it wasn’t easy. I’m happy with seventh although I hoped for more. Red Bull Romaniacs is next, so I’m excited for that.”

The FIM Hard Enduro World Championship continues with round five at Red Bull Romaniacs in Romania on July 26-30.

2022 Red Bull Abestone Results

2022 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship Standings

2022 Racing schedule

2022 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship, presented by MXstore

2022 FIM Motocross (MXGP) World Championship Calendar

2022 Monster Energy AMA/ FIM World Supercross Schedule

2022 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship Provisional Schedule

2022 Australian Arenacross Calendar

Round	Location	Date
Round 1	Bacchus Marsh	Jan-29
Round 2	Swan Hill	Feb-12
Round 3	Albury/Wodonga	Feb-26
Round 4	Renmark	Mar-12

2022 ProMX Championship Calendar

Round	Location	Date
Round 1	Wonthaggi, VIC	Mar-27
Round 2	Mackay, QLD	Apr-10
Round 3	Wodonga, VIC	May-01
Round 4	Gillman, SA	May-29
Round 5	Maitland, NSW	Jun-26
Round 6	Coffs Harbour, NSW	Jul-24
Round 7	Queensland Moto Park	Aug-14
Round 8	Coolum, QLD	August 20-21

2022 Lucas Oil Pro MX Championship Calendar

Round	Event	Location	Date
Round 1	Fox Raceway National I	Pala, CA	May-28
Round 2	Hangtown Motocross Classic	Sacramento, CA	Jun-04
Round 3	Thunder Valley National	Lakewood, CO	Jun-11
Round 4	High Point National	MT Morris, PA	Jun-28
Round 5	Redbud National	Buchanan, MI	Jul-02
Round 6	Southwick National	Southwick, MA	Jul-09
Round 7	Spring Creek National	Millwille, MN	Jul-16
Round 8	Washougal National	Washougal, WA	Jul-23
Round 9	Unadilla National	New Berlin, NY	Aug-13
Round 10	Budds Creek National	Mechanicsville, MD	Aug-20
Round 11	Ironman National	Crawfordsville, IN	Aug-27
Round 12	Fox Raceway National II	Pala, CA	Sep-03

2022 Victorian Junior MX State Titles Calendar

Round	Location	Date
Round 1	Shipwreck	April 2-3
Round 2	Broadford	May 7-8
Round 3	Horsham	July 30-31
Round 4	Korumburra	September 3-4

 2022 FIM Bajas World Cup Calendar

Date	Event	Venue	Country
17-19 February	Jordan Baja	Aqaba	Jordan
24 -26 February	Qatar Intl. Baja	Doha	Qatar
06-08 May	Baja do Oeste Castelo	Branco	Portugal
22-24 July	Baja Aragon	Teruel	Spain
04-07 August	Hungarian Baja	Varpalota	Hungary
27-30 August	Atacama Baja 1	Iquique	Chile
31 Aug-01 Sept	Atacama Baja 2	Iquique	Chile
27-29 October	Baja Portalegre	Portalegre	Portugal
10-12 November	Saudi Baja * Tbc	Saudi	Arabia
01-03 December	Dubai Intl. Baja	Dubai United	Arab Emirate

2022 Silk Way Rally – July 6-16, 2022

2022 FIM ISDE – Le Puy en Velay, France
29 August-3 September, 2022