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Seventh for Max Whale at Black Hills Half-Mile AFT

Images by Tim Lester

Progressive American Flat Track saw a pair of undercard stars recapture their past glory in Saturday evening’s Progressive Black Hills Half-Mile presented by Saddlemen at Black Hills Speedway in Rapid City, South Dakota.

But even the world’s fastest riders were unable to outrace the rain, which brought the Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle Main Event to a conclusion just moments after it started. The skies opened, forcing the race to be red flagged. Continued inclement weather ultimately led to the round to be called complete. By rule, with the Main Event’s starting positions decided but less than two laps completed, every rider on the grid was awarded one point and “Rain Pay” (which divides 50% of the posted purse equally among all riders who earned starting positions) for their day’s work.

Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER

Trevor Brunner (No. 21 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) finally brought an end to the season-long stranglehold of the top step on the podium by the combined efforts of the factory KTM and American Honda squads thanks to a tenacious performance in the night’s Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER Main Event.

Brunner seized the early lead and controlled the race’s opening half but still found himself in need of a late strike after earlier losing the position to an on-form Morgen Mischler (No. 13 American Honda/Progressive Insurance CRF450R).

In fact, for a time, second-ranked Mischler appeared well positioned to make huge inroads in what had become a hefty title deficit. The Wisconsin native darted past both Brunner and teammate Chase Saathoff (No. 106 American Honda/Progressive Insurance CRF450R) to take point and had a third win of the season in his sights while championship leader Kody Kopp (No. 12 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-FFE) languished down near the bottom of the top ten.

However, Brunner had other ideas, drawing back up on the rear of Mischler’s machine and ultimately diving underneath him to reclaim the lead with just ten seconds remaining on the clock. Brunner then cemented the win with a perfect execution of the final two laps to score his first victory since being drafted into the Estenson Racing Yamaha team at the start of the season to fill the seat left vacant due to the premier-class graduation of two-time Parts Unlimited AFT Singles champion Dallas Daniels.

Afterward, Brunner said, “After Mischler got by me, I just tried to stay cool, calm, and collected behind him. I tried to figure out what he was doing that was faster than what I was doing. I kind of figured that out and got close enough where it just became a matter of what I could do to pass him and where I could do it. Fortunately, I got under him entering one of the turns and never looked back.

“I can’t thank my whole team enough for all the support and all the hard work they’ve put in for me.”

Trent Lowe (No. 48 Mission Foods/Al Lamb’s Dallas Honda CRF450R) picked up his third podium finish of the season after out-dueling ‘19 class champ Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 American Honda/Progressive Insurance CRF450R) in their tussle for the final spot on the box.

Meanwhile, Mischler’s hopes to make major waves were further deflated after Saathoff encountered difficulties and lost several positions, including one to Kopp, who ultimately fought all the way back up to fifth at the checkered flag.

Max Whale meanwhile had to settle for seventh, after a strong start into P2 for qualifying…

Max Whale

“Started the day off good in #Sturgis qualifying p2, then p2 in semi but it went down hill fast. Ended up finishing p7 in main for my worst result this year. Excited for this weekend at Castle Rock.”

As a result, Kopp remains firmly in control of the title chase – even if he no longer seems quite as invincible as he did a few weeks back – leading Mischler by a still mammoth 44 points (234-190).

Black Hills Half-Mile AFT Singles Main Event Results

Parts Unlimited AFT Singles ( Top 15)

Mission Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines

Despite still riding at less than 100%, Mikey Rush (No. 15 Helipower Racing/Las Vegas Harley-Davidson XG750R) achieved a huge milestone in his comeback following last year’s season-ending injury by taking his first-career Mission Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines victory.

Already a race winner in Progressive AFT’s other two classes, Rush completed the hat trick after tracking down and overhauling Mission Production Twins title rivals Jesse Janisch (No. 33 Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson XG750R) and Cory Texter (No. 1 G&G Racing/Yamaha Racing Yamaha MT-07).

Those two had been widely expected to settle tonight’s winner between themselves, a notion seemingly confirmed when they battled back and forth at the front during the race’s opening stages.

Instead, Rush executed a quick charge up to third before slotting past Texter for second at mid-distance. He pulled the same trick on Janisch 30 seconds later and just as quickly left the two in his wake.

“I never doubted myself,” said an emotional Rush. “It’s been a rough road coming off the couch and getting back to what I love doing. These guys rode a hell of a race, and I knew we had our work cut out for us.

“Just a big shout out to my team. I couldn’t do it without the Helipower Racing/Las Vegas Harley-Davidson team. My crew works their tail off and it’s an honor to ride these bikes.”

Despite missing out on the win, it still proved to be a positive night for Texter when considering the bigger picture. Aided by an assist from Nick Armstrong (No. 60 Competitive Racing Frames/Lessley Brothers Yamaha MT-07), who knocked Janisch off the podium altogether with a last-gasp move to claim his first podium since April’s I-70 Half-Mile, runner-up Texter managed to reduce Janisch’s title lead down from eleven points to six (214-208).

While it’s more than a little strong to call the result a disaster for Janisch, it was still a disappointment after he had managed to sweep the evening’s practice, qualifying, and Semi sessions – just as he had in his prior two victories – until finishing fourth in the Main.

Semi winner Michael Hill (No. 47 Pacific Auto Trim/Jim Speer Yamaha MT-07) enjoyed the best result of his professional career by completing the race’s top five.

Black Hills Half-Mile Production Twins Main Event Results

Mission Production Twins Standings (Top 15)

Osterhagen & Van Erp top EMX in Sweden

Rounds eight of the EMX250 and EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing have concluded at the round of Sweden in Uddevalla, with Fantic Factory Team Maddii’s Haakon Osterhagen securing his first overall victory in the EMX250 class, while Yamaha Europe EMX125 MJC’s Ivano Van Erp celebrated his second visit to the top step of the podium!

EMX250

In the first EMX250 race of the weekend, it was Fantic Factory Team Maddii’s Haakon Osterhagen who took the holeshot while Hutten Metaal Yamaha Racing’s Andrea Bonacorsi got caught up in a big crash, and did not carry on with the race, as his teammate Rick Elzinga also had a tough start to his race.

Osterhagen was the leading rider ahead of Lucas Coenen of Jumbo Husqvarna BT Racing Team, David Braceras of Team VRT KTM Veritise, Sacha Coenen of Jumbo Husqvarna BT Racing Team and Fantic Factory Team Maddii’s Cornelius Toendel.

Elzinga began his charge towards the front pretty urgently as he entered the top 20 by the end of the first lap. Though at the sharp end of the field Osterhagen was coming under immense pressure from L. Coenen who was searching for every opportunity to pass the Norwegian. But Osterhagen was quick to respond with the fastest lap of the race, to open up the gap to 1.605 seconds as L. Coenen began to make mistakes.

The race took a turn for the worst for the title hopeful Toendel who struggled to fire up his Fantic machine to carry on with the race. Despite his best efforts, he was forced to DNF and as a result, lost valuable championship points to Elzinga.

L. Coenen was the next rider to suffer a mechanical problem after a broken chain forced him out of second position and allowed Osterhagen to get comfortable in first place. Coenen did not finish the race.

The running order was then Osterhagen, Braceras, S. Coenen, Quentin Marc Prugnieres of 9MM Energy-BUD Racing Kawasaki, and Camden McLellan of TBS Conversions Racing Team.

Both Prugnieres and McLellan were on a charge in the final stages of the race as both got by S. Coenen to move up to third and fourth and continued to push forward until they caught onto the rear wheel of Braceras who was 11.249 seconds behind the leader Osterhagen.

Further down the order, Elzinga was already inside the top 10 and eventually managed to finish 9th.

Osterhagen ended up winning the race ahead of Prugnieres who held off McLellan in the final laps, as Yago Martinez managed to work his way up to fourth ahead of Braceras.

In the second race, it was again Osterhagen who was the leading rider into the first turn, though was quickly passed by L. Coenen after making a mistake. Meico Vettik start well before dropping a few positions which allowed Braceras, Toendel and Elzinga through.

Braceras then made a mistake and dropped down to seventh place, as Elzinga began to apply the pressure onto Prugnieres, while Martinez was also pushing from behind.

Braceras then crashed again and got going outside the top 20 and eventually finished in 17th.

Osterhagen was pushing L. Coenen in the opening stages but small mistakes began to creep in and the Belgian was able to open up the gap to 4.591 seconds. While further down, Prugnieres was chasing down Toendel for third. The Frenchman pushed hard and made a mistake which sent him off the track, though he was able to get back into the swing of things and make the pass stick on lap 11.

Elzinga was next to go after the Norwegian and managed to pass him a lap later as McLellan closed in on Martinez as the two battled for the final spot on the podium. Eventually, McLellan was able to get it done and move into sixth.

In the end, L. Coenen was the race winner with a strong 9.627 second lead over Osterhagen, Prugnieres, Elzinga and Toendel. A 1-2 result gave Osterhagen the overall win, his first ever in the EMX250 class, while a solid 3-3 result put Prugnieres second on the box ahead of McLellan who celebrated his first podium finish.

Two rounds remain of the EMX250 Championship and Elzinga continues to lead over Toendel by 44 points, while L. Coenen is third.

EMX250 – Overall Top 10 Classification

1. Haakon Osterhagen (NOR, FAN), 47 points; 2. Quentin Marc Prugnieres (FRA, KAW), 42 p.; 3. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, KTM), 35 p.; 4. Yago Martinez (ESP, KTM), 32 p.; 5. Rick Elzinga (NED, YAM), 30 p.; 6. Lucas Coenen (BEL, HUS), 25 p.; 7. Magnus Smith (DEN, YAM), 25 p.; 8. Sacha Coenen (BEL, HUS), 25 p.; 9. Scotty Verhaeghe (FRA, KTM), 21 p.; 10. Maximilian Spies (GER, KTM), 20 p.;

EMX250 – Championship Top 10 Classification

1. Rick Elzinga (NED, YAM), 311 points; 2. Cornelius Toendel (NOR, FAN), 267 p.; 3. Lucas Coenen (BEL, HUS), 233 p.; 4. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, KTM), 224 p.; 5. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, YAM), 207 p.; 6. Haakon Osterhagen (NOR, FAN), 205 p.; 7. Quentin Marc Prugnieres (FRA, KAW), 205 p.; 8. David Braceras (ESP, KTM), 167 p.; 9. Maximilian Spies (GER, KTM), 146 p.; 10. Yago Martinez (ESP, KTM), 123 p.;

EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing

In race one of the EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing category, it was Laban Alm who took the holeshot and was the leading rider ahead of Matteo Luigi Russi of Tech 32, Maximillian Werner of Diga Procross KTM Racing, Ferruccio Zanchi of Yamaha Europe EMX125 MJC and Linus Persson.

Early on in the first lap, Ivano Van Erp of Yamaha Europe EMX125 MJC got himself up to sixth place, while Werner dropped down to 10th.

Championship leader, Cas Valk of Fantic Factory Team Maddii had a tough start to the race by the fourth lap was already inside the top 10 and pushing further.

Russi then clocked the fastest lap of the race as he passed Alm at the very end of the fourth lap, while Van Erp took fourth from Mads Fredsoe and moments after also passed Zanchi to move up to third and by the eighth lap Van Erp was the race leader after Russi crashed.

Van Erp was looking to get comfortable in first place, though could not afford to relax as Janis Martins Reisulis fought his way through the pack and was putting on a charge for the leader.

Towards the closing stages of the race, the pair battled closely with J, Reisulis managing to pass Van Erp. The Latvian managed two laps in the lead before he crashed which allowed Van Erp back into the driving seat, as the KTM rider got going again in fourth ahead of Valk.

In the end, Van Erp won the race 6.599 seconds ahead of Zanchi, Alm, J. Reisulis and Valk.

In race two, J. Reisulis took the holeshot ahead of Fantic Factory Team Maddii’s Alexis Fueri, Werner, Van Erp and Zanchi. Valk started in around the top 10, which once again left him with a lot of work to do if he wanted to secure the title early.

J. Reisulis set the fastest lap time of the race as he extended his lead to 4.646 over Fueri. While Van Erp began to push Werner for third. Several corners later, he was able to make it stick and move into third.

Further down the order, K. Reisulis was making progress as he caught onto Alm and passed him for sixth, with Valk doing the same shortly after.

Zanchi then crashed out of fifth and dropped back to 10th which allowed Valk through as the Dutchman pushed to catch K. Reisulis ahead. At the same time, K. Reisulis was looking to edge closer to Van Erp. Valk made several attempts to pass K. Reisulis with the battle carrying on until the chequered flag. The Latvian was able to maintain his position and keep the Dutchman at bay.

J. Reisulis won the race ahead of Fueri who had Van Erp applying the pressure in the final lap. K. Reisulis finished fourth ahead of Valk.

A race win and third gave Van Erp the overall victory ahead of J. Reisulis and Fueri who stood on the third step of the podium. Despite not being on the podium, Valk leads the championship into the final round of the series which will head to Finland and holds a 48-point advantage over his closest rival and teammate Fueri, while K. Reisulis is third.

EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing – Overall Top 10 Classification

1. Ivano Van Erp (NED, YAM), 45 points; 2. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, KTM), 43 p.; 3. Alexis Fueri (FRA, FAN), 36 p.; 4. Laban Alm (SWE, HUS), 35 p.; 5. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, YAM), 33 p.; 6. Cas Valk (NED, FAN), 32 p.; 7. Maximilian Werner (GER, KTM), 24 p.; 8. Vitezslav Marek (CZE, KTM), 20 p.; 9. Julius Mikula (CZE, KTM), 19 p.; 10. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 18 p.;

EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing – Championship Top 10 Classification

1. Cas Valk (NED, FAN), 321 points; 2. Alexis Fueri (FRA, FAN), 273 p.; 3. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 272 p.; 4. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, KTM), 269 p.; 5. Ivano Van Erp (NED, YAM), 241 p.; 6. Julius Mikula (CZE, KTM), 184 p.; 7. Marc-Antoine Rossi (FRA, KTM), 155 p.; 8. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, YAM), 149 p.; 9. Adrien Petit (FRA, YAM), 115 p.; 10. Francisco Garcia (ESP, GAS), 107 p.;

2022 Junior Motocross World Championship Entry List

Infront Moto Racing have revealed the pre entry lists for the 2022 FIM Junior Motocross World Championship taking place on 26th and 28th of August in the Lavanko track in Finland, in the famous motocross city of Vantaa.

The event will bring together riders from more than 20 different countries, including riders who will be making the trip over from Australia, Canada and USA, will go head-to-head for the overall nation classifications as well as the Junior World Champion and 65cc World Cup crowns!

Three classes will take part in the event which includes the 65cc, 85cc and 125cc categories. Take a look at the full entry lists below to see who will line-up for the biggest junior motocross race of the year.

Australia is represented by Seth Thomas and Ollie Kirkitt in the 65 cc class, while Heath Fisher and Jack Deveson are our entries in the 85 cc class. Byron Dennis and Kayden Minear are Australian’s competing the 125 cc category.

65cc – Over 50cc to 65cc 2-stroke

85cc – Over 65cc to 85cc 2-stroke

125cc – Over 100cc to 125cc 2-stroke

2022 MXGP of Sweden Round 15 Wrap

See the full report here:
Yamaha dominate MXGP of Sweden | Mitch Evans P6

Round 15 of the FIM Motocross World Championship has seen Jeremy Seewer and Jago Geerts top the podium in MXGP and MX2 respectively, with Tom Vialle giving Geerts a run for his money for the MX2 victory, with the two tied on points for the round.

Tim Gajser of Team HRC also made his return to the box after a tough GP in Belgium, while Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Glenn Coldenhoff made it back-to-back podiums in Sweden, marking his fifth visit to the box this season.

Overall, it was a great return to Uddevalla, with the local crowd of more than 21,000 showing their support and creating a great atmosphere around the track and in the paddock.

Of the Australians, Mitch Evans made a slight error in the first moto and had to remount his bike, near the back of the field, crossing the line in 27th on lap one, but making his way up to 10th place by the end of the moto, in a monumental effort.

Evans made some nice moves to get into fourth by the end of lap one in the second moto, and with riders separated by just a few seconds, there was potential for the results to get even better. However, like race one, the top five were all running laptimes so close to each other than passing was almost impossible, and although Evans did post the fastest laptime, he could not make a pass and finished where he started, in fourth.

The fourth place finish is Evans’ best of the season and saw him move into 10th place in the championship.

Mitch Evans – P6

“After winning yesterday’s qualification race, I really felt like I could have been on the podium today, but unfortunately I made a small mistake on the first lap of race one and that cost me. I fought back from near the back of the field, and worked my way up to 10th, which on this track wasn’t easy, so that was a good recovery, but I really hoped for more. Still, in race two, I made up for that with a strong fourth place finish, my best moto result of the season so that felt really good and gives me confidence that I can battle for the podium spots in these last three GPs of the season.”

Jed Beaton was moving forward from midfield starts in each moto until incidents cost him dearly and he had to be content with nineteenth and eighteenth placings at the chequered flag. The Australian remains seventeenth in the points standings.

2022 MXGP of  Video Highlights

MXGP Championship Standings (Top 30)

MX2 Championship Standings

EnduroGP of Hungary 2022 Wrap

For the full report see:
Garcia does the double in Hungary | Ruprecht suffers mechanical issue

The penultimate round of the WPTGlobal FIM EnduroGP World Championship saw our first champions of the season crowned in winning style, with Verona topping Enduro1 and Pichon doing likewise in Enduro Junior.

As he’s been all year, Verona was once again the rider to beat in Enduro1. With the prospect of taking the Enduro1 title with a round to spare locked in his sights, the Italian put on a masterclass in Enduro1. Racing to a clear victory, the GASGAS rider ended his day as world champion.

Andrea Verona – 2022 Enduro1 Champion

“It’s such a great feeling to have now won three Enduro1 titles in a row and the last two with GASGAS. It’s been an incredible effort from the whole team to build me such a great bike and I have to thank everyone involved with what we have achieved over the last two seasons. The level in EnduroGP is so high right now that mistakes can easily happen. I had a couple of small crashes Saturday which cost me some time and maybe some positions in EnduroGP, but I ended up third on Saturday and second on Sunday which increased my lead to 28 points. I won both days in Enduro1 which was enough to secure the title a round early so now, the focus is on the final round in Germany and the EnduroGP title. I need to be as prepared as possible for that one and I’m looking forward to the battle.”

EnduroGP Standings

2022 Racing schedule

2022 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship, presented by MXstore

2022 FIM Motocross (MXGP) World Championship Calendar

2022 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship Provisional Schedule

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