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2022 Honda Coastal Motorcycle Centre NSW Junior Track Championship Wrap

With Peter Baker

Any doubts that junior riders can turn on thrills and excitement were cast aside as some exceptional young talent vied for honours at the 2022 Honda Coastal Motorcycle Centre New South Wales Junior Track Championship meeting staged at the Central Coast Junior Motorcycle Club track on Sunday (November 27).

Big fields in four classes meant there were four rounds of two heats before a repechage and then final, while other classes were decided over five point-scoring rounds.

Regardless of the format maximum points were hard to come by and one-off deciding finals were never easy to win.

Only two riders won finals after being unbeaten in the heats – Hugh Hope-Hodgetts and Hugo Holmes and both have Australian Championships wins to their credit earlier in the year.

Hope-Hodgetts was also unbeaten in the heats of another class but was second in the final, while Holmes took a heavy fall while chasing Hope-Hodgetts in his final win..

Both Theo Afeaki and Taylen Howard scored class wins and a minor placing in another class and Riley Nauta also had a class win as a reward for his efforts.

The oldest junior age bracket (13 to Under 16s) produced the most decisive win with Thoren Openshaw winning his first four rounds and he could then afford to take it easy to finish third in his last round to seal a still decisive advantage on points.

Finishing behind him were Jayden Holder, Jett Cater and James Wood who all produced probably their best performances since entering this age bracket.

The small entry for the Girls’ classes provided the only dual winner of the day with Katarna Robinson overcoming Molly Fairey in both classes in what will be the last appearance in junior competition for both.

They met in 10 races – Robinson finishing with a 3-2 advantage over Fairey in both classes and they were seemingly within a few bike lengths of one another all day.

Blake Fairey did better than his sister as he finished with a 3-2 advantage over Max Carter to claim his class win.

While these names may not be significant to many fans in 2022 we never know what stage they might be performing on in years to come.

Some may continue racing dirt track, while others may find their way in to road racing, speedway or flat track racing in the USA.

Results Of 2022honda Coastal Motorcycle Centre
New South Wales Junior Motor Cycle Track Championships

Haruki Yokoyama signs with Empire Kawasaki for 2023

Japanese champion Haruki Yokoyama has signed on for the 2023 motocross season with Empire Kawasaki in Australia, the KX250 rider jumping into the full season of racing in the 2023 Australian ProMX Championship.

2022 saw Yokoyama gain experience in the Australian style of racing, the second half of the season grabbing holeshots and podium finishes. All the progress built through the 2022 season will be drawn upon to take on the championship battle in 2023.

Haruki Yokoyama is currently part of a three-rider line-up competing in the Australian Supercross Championship with Empire Kawasaki on the KX250.

FIM Bajas World Cup finale heads to Dubai

After seven events this year, the best riders in the FIM Bajas World Cup will gather in Dubai this weekend to compete in the Grand Final.

Only the two best results of the season have been retained by each rider and everything will be decided on Friday (December 2) and Saturday (December 3) over 390 km of competitive selective sections.

No less than 34 FIM motorcycles and six quads are on the official entry list, including five riders in the Women’s category, three Juniors and seven Veterans.

Emirati rider Mohammed Al-Balooshi (KTM) currently tops the motorcycle category with 50 points, followed by Fabio Magalhães (Honda) on 45 and Konrad Dabrowski (Husqvarna) on 41. The young Pole is also the leader of the Junior category and has 50 points in his section, although he will be challenged in the UAE by Alex McInnes and Tobias Ebster, who have not scored points this season.

In the Women’s category, Mirjam Pol (Husqvarna) holds the top spot with 50 points, followed by Joanna Modrzewska (Husqvarna) on 45, Margot Llobera Farre (KTM) on 36 and Alona Ben Natan (GasGas) with 25.

Pedro Bianchi Prata (Honda) arrives in Dubai with 50 points and leads the Veterans’ section, while Kurt Burroughs (KTM) has 45 and Barry Howe (KTM) is in third with 41 and Rui Ferreira (Honda) has 40. Norwegian Ola Floene and the UAE-based British duo of David McBride and David Mabbs haven’t scored any points this season.

Riders will pass the administrative and technical checks, followed by the official pre-event press conference and the ceremonial start on Thursday (December 1st).

On Friday, the first rider will start the opening selective section at 08.01hrs for a first run of 194.40 km (SS1A and SS1B).

Saturday sees the second stage that will close out the championship. It runs for 195.98 km (SS2A + SS2B) for a total of 390.38km of selective sections on the last FIM Baja of the season.

ACU British E-Motocross Championship set for 2023

The Arenacross Tour presented by Fix Auto UK has teamed up with leading off-road motorcycle manufacturers KTM, Husqvarna Motorcycles and GASGAS to run the first-ever ACU British E-Motocross Championship.

The inaugural KTM AX-E5 Championship races will be held over two nights at Belfast and Aberdeen, and one at Birmingham, before a Super-Final that will be staged in London.

Up to 12 local young riders, aged six to nine-years old, will qualify through the Arenacross reservation system as well as working closely with KTM, Husqvarna Motorcycles and GASGAS dealerships throughout the UK.

The top four riders from each of the first three events will qualify through to an AX-E5 Championship Super-Final in Wembley, London on the final night of the tour; Saturday the 18th of February 2023. The winner in London will claim both the British Championship title and the bike they compete on.

All machines, equipment and technician’s team gear will be supplied by the three manufacturers. The bikes and support crew will be transported to each round by the KTM, Husqvarna Motorcycles and GASGAS teams where they’ll set up an E-zone within the Pit Area, leaving the young AX-E5 Championship superstars to simply turn up and ride.

Matt Walker – Managing Director, KTM Sportmotorcycle UK

“The inaugural AX-E5 Championship is the perfect platform to showcase the amazing electric product available from all three of our brands. It complements the European Junior e-Motocross Series that we run at selected MXGP rounds, and to have it recognised as the first ACU British E-Bike Motocross Championship is a great boost for everyone riding. We can’t wait to see the riders on the gate in the New Year and to discover a new future star starting their winning career on one of our products.”

Matt Bates – Arenacross Tour promoter

“This is yet another amazing step forward for Arenacross and I can’t thank the team at KTM, enough for investing so much in our young riders. To be able to say that we’re staging the first-ever electric Motocross British Championship is something that I have no doubt a lot of young riders will want to be part of. And then, to have a leading manufacturer willing to make those future stars feel like factory riders is an opportunity like no other. The AX-E5 Super-Final in London will mark the start of a ground-breaking new era for Arenacross.”

2023 Arenacross Tour Calendar

• Round 1: Friday 20th January – SSE Arena, Belfast, Northern Ireland
• Round 2: Saturday 21st January – SSE Arena, Belfast, Northern Ireland
• Round 3: Saturday 28th January – P&J Live, Aberdeen, Scotland
• Round 4: Sunday 29th January – P&J Live, Aberdeen, Scotland
• Round 5: Saturday 4th February – The Resorts World Arena, Birmingham NEC, England
• Round 6: Saturday 18th February – The OVO Arena, Wembley, England

2023 VRT KTM Factory Juniors EMX team confirmed

KTM’s fresh factory racing talent scheme structure for MXGP solidified even further for 2023 as promising youngsters Marc-Antoine Rossi and Ferruccio Zanchi were confirmed as part of the VRT KTM Factory Juniors Team.

The French crew will enter a seventh year of collaboration with KTM, and the alliance will be closer and more productive than ever thanks to VRT KTM Factory Juniors Team’s new position as the talent conduit for the company in the international motocross pyramid.

Based near Nantes and led by Mickaël Vrignon, with former motocross and Enduro star ‘Pela’ Renet at the head of management staff, the VRT KTM Factory Juniors Team will work in European Championship competition and specifically the EMX250 category with KTM 250 SX-F machinery; the division is seen as the ‘final step’ before MX2 Grand Prix.

Marc-Antoine Rossi finished eighth in both the 2021 and 2022 EMX125 championships, both times riding the KTM 125 SX. The French 16-year-old grabbed his first moto victory and podium finish at his home round, LaCapelle Marival, in the summer of 2021 and appeared on the box again in 2022.

Marc-Antoine Rossi

“I am very happy to start this new adventure with the VRT KTM Factory Juniors Team in EMX250. I can’t wait to start working with all the team to prepare the season and to make the move from 125 to 250 as smooth as possible.”

Like Rossi, Ferruccio Zanchi will make his debut in 2023 in EMX250 and with the KTM 250 SX-F. The Italian, also 16 years of age, has won three motos in EMX125 and registered another four top-three moto results in 2022 on the way to 7th in the standings.

Ferruccio Zanchi

“I am very happy to finally have this great opportunity to ride for KTM VRT Team in the EMX250 for the 2023 season. It was not an easy choice but I strongly believe this is the right one for my personal and professional growth. I feel really good on the KTM 250 SX-F and I really look forward to start collaborating with KTM and the VRT Team for the upcoming year. So now let’s enjoy!”

As well as 2023 EMX250, Rossi and and Zanchi will be looking to gain even more experience and mileage in various domestic meetings and series in Europe, beginning already this winter and in the run-up to the new season.

Pela Renet – Team Manager

“The goal was to find young riders for the European EMX250 Championship and we worked with KTM to sign two youngsters and we are really happy with Ferruccio, a young Italian and Marc Antoine, a young Frenchman. They showed a great potential in EMX125 this season and although the transition from the 125 to the 250 is a big one they are working hard and they have a huge possibilities. For sure, the goal is to fight in front and to have the best results possible.”

2023 FIM Track Racing calendars announced

2023 FIM Ice Speedway World Championship Calendar

2023 FIM Long Track World Championship

2023 FIM E-Xplorer World Cup inaugural calendar

The FIM and E-Xplorer have announce the provisional calendar for the FIM E-Xplorer World Cup inaugural Season in 2023. The Championship is described as an ‘international electric, all-terrain motorcycle series that fuses competitive racing and technical innovation with sustainability, progress and exploration.’

The Championship calendar will run from May to November and features races in six countries on three continents. Kicking off in May in Barcelona, Spain and concluding in November in Asia, the Championship races will take place in a mix of epic natural landscapes and iconic cities, showcasing the excitement of electric freeriding in all its forms.

The E-Xplorer team is working closely with local partners in each race location to deliver world-class all-terrain electric motorcycle racing and unique fan experiences.

Twelve all-electric teams, each featuring two riders – one female and one male – will compete in thrilling head-to-head racing throughout the season, crowning the first-ever FIM E-Xplorer World Cup winner in Asia in November.

The provisional 2023 calendar is as follows:

2023 FIM E-Xplorer World Cup Calendar