Yas, Abu Dhabi to host FIM World Supercross in November
SX Global has announced that Yas Island, Abu Dhabi will host the penultimate round of the FIM World Supercross Championship (WSX) in 2023.
The WSX Abu Dhabi GP will be held over two days at the Etihad Arena on Yas Island on 4-5 November 2023. The historic event will be the first time a World Supercross event has been held in the region. Tickets will go on sale next month.
Caden Braswell extends run with GASGAS Factory Racing
Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing and 250MX rookie Caden Braswell will continue their partnership through the next four rounds of the 2023 Pro Motocross Championship, building upon experience gained in the early stages of the season as he works toward establishing himself inside the top 10.
Caden Braswell
“I am very excited to continue with the Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing Team. I’m looking forward to the next rounds and to continue improving my results.”
RedBud MX to celebrate 50 year anniversary
The Independence Day holiday and RedBud MX is a focal point of the summer season, and this year’s FMF RedBud National will carry even more significance as the Michigan venue celebrates its 50th anniversary and five memorable decades of moto on Saturday, July 1. To commemorate this landmark moment in RedBud’s history, the National will feature a retro theme.
Kicking off the weekend on Thursday, June 29, will be amateur practice, followed by the start of amateur racing on Friday. Night-time festivities on Friday will consist of amateur racing at RedBud’s night track and a fireworks display to bring the evening to a close.
Following the action of the National on Saturday, amateur racing will continue under the lights at the night track, followed by another fireworks display. The weekend will draw to a close on Sunday, July 2, with a full slate of amateur racing on the same pro track the stars of American motocross waged battle on the day before.
For those unable to join the festivities in person, coverage from RedBud will be streamed live exclusively on Peacock.
US ISDE Team announced
The AMA have announced the 10 Trophy riders and 21 Club Team riders who will represent the United States at the 97th FIM International Six Days Enduro (ISDE), which takes place Nov. 6-11 in San Juan, Argentina — the fifth time the ISDE has been held in South America.
The 10 Trophy riders will compete as the U.S. World Trophy, Junior World Trophy and Women’s World Trophy teams. Every country participating in the ISDE is allowed four riders on its World Trophy Team, three riders age 23 or younger on its Junior Trophy Team, and three female riders on its Women’s team.
The 2023 U.S. World Trophy Team includes Taylor Robert, Johnny Girroir, Dante Oliveira and Cole Martinez.
The 2023 U.S. Women’s World Trophy Team includes Brandy Richards, Rachel Gutish and Korie Steede.
The 2023 U.S. Junior World Trophy Team, made up of riders age 23 and younger, includes Mateo Oliveira, Kai Aiello and Grant Davis.
2023 Snowshoe GNCC Report
The Grand National Cross Country Series (GNCC) concluded its ninth round of racing, yjr Yamaha Racing Snowshoe, on Sunday, June 25, atop Cheat Mountain in Snowshoe, West Virginia.
As row one took off, the Snowshoe GNCC event pays tribute to the Blackwater heritage as the race starts “in town” with riders lined up in groups of five or seven on the main road. They start live-engine ever 10 seconds, and are time adjusted based off of what row they begin on. The early lead would go to AmPro Yamaha’s Ricky Russell as they came through on lap one.
As they came through on lap two it would be Rocky Mountain/Tely Energy/KTM’s Steward Baylor leading the way. Not far behind them FMF/KTM Factory Racing’s Ben Kelley was making the necessary moves towards the front of the pack, and he would move into the lead position by the time they came around to the finish line on lap three.
Kelley would continue to hold the lead and push forward for the next two laps. When the checkered flag came out, Kelley would come through with over a minute lead to earn his second win of the season.
Magna1 Motorsports/Husqvarna’s Jordan Ashburn would have a consistent race at Snowshoe as he held the number two position for the majority of the race. Ashburn would battle for the lead but would be unable to make a pass stick. He would hold onto second overall at round nine.
FMF/KTM Factory Racing’s Jonathan Girroir would also have a good race as he continued to battle in the third overall position for the duration of the race. Girroir would come through to round out the podium before summer break.
After briefly holding the lead, Baylor would have to make a long pit stop to have a rear tire changed. He could get back out on the track and continue to charge, making his way up to fourth overall for the day. Baylor Jr. now sits tied in the points standings for the National Championship. Babbitt’s Online/Monster Energy/Kawasaki Team Green’s Grant Baylor would round out the top five overall finishers on the day as he worked his way up from seventh.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Craig DeLong, who is now tied with Baylor in the points standings for first, did not have the race he hoped for at Snowshoe as he came through sixth in XC1 and 11th overall on the day. His teammate, Trevor Bollinger would come through in seventh with a 15th overall finishing position.
Battling back after running outside the top 10 for the majority of the day was Babbitt’s Online/Monster Energy/Kawasaki Team Green’s Josh Strang. As he came through to the finish, he would cross the line eighth in the XC1 Open Pro class.
GASGAS/FXR Moto/Scott Goggle’s Layne Michael would come through behind Strang to earn ninth in the class, while Enduro Engineering/GASGAS’ Joshua Toth made an appearance at the GNCC event to round out the top 10 in XC1. Unfortunately for Russell he would only be able to complete three laps before having to retire from the race.
Ben Kelley
“Today was good! I’ve struggled with managing my races all year and messed up a little this time, but it’s the track – it’ll reach up and bite you. It was one of those tracks where everyone was making mistakes, so I did what I could to stay up front with the leaders, then by lap three I put a charge on. I extended out to a decent lead, focused on hitting my marks, and I’m proud to return to the top step of the podium and share this with the team.”
XC1 Pro Event Results
- Ben Kelley (KTM)
- Jordan Ashburn (HQV)
- Jonathan Girroir (KTM)
- Steward Baylor (KTM)
- Grant Baylor (KAW)
- Craig Delong (HQV)
- Trevor Bollinger (HQV)
- Josh Strang (KAW)
- Layne Michael (GAS)
- Joshua Toth (GAS)
*Overall National Championship Standings
- Steward Baylor (178)
- Craig Delong (178)
- Ben Kelley (174)
- Jordan Ashburn (153)
- Grant Baylor (130)
- Jonathan Girroir (124)
- Ricky Russell (113)
- Josh Strang (109)
- Ruy Barbosa (104)
- Angus Riordan (98)
XC2 250 Pro
AmPro Yamaha’s Liam Draper earned his second-straight XC2 250 Pro class win of the season atop Snowshoe Mountain Resort. However, Draper would battle throughout the day with Phoenix Racing Honda’s Ruy Barbosa as they swapped the lead position for a brief period.
Draper would soon regain the lead and come through to earn the win, while Barbosa would hold onto second in the class when the checkered flag flew.
FMF/RPM KTM Racing’s Angus Riordan would find himself in podium contention once again after working his way up from a seventh place start to the day. Riordan would make the pass for third on the last lap and hold onto until he reached the checkered flag.
XC2 250 Pro Event Results
- Liam Draper (YAM)
- Ruy Barbosa (HON)
- Angus Riordan (KTM)
- Grant Davis (KTM)
- Cody Barnes (HON)
- Michael Witkowski (HON)
- Jesse Ansley (KTM)
- Evan Smith (BET)
- Jack Edmondson (KTM)
- Jonathan Johnson (BET)
XC2 250 Pro Series Standings
- Liam Draper (194)
- Ruy Barbosa (191)
- Angus Riordan (177)
- Cody Barnes (176)
- Ryder Lafferty (145)
- Michael Witkowski (139)
- Mason Semmens (131)
- Evan Smith (123)
- Jonathan Johnson (107)
- Jesse Ansley (97)
FMF XC3 125 Pro-Am
In the FMF XC3 125 Pro-Am class it was Bonecutter Off-Road/Steel City Mens Clinic/XC Gear’s Thorn Devlin returning to the GNCC races and earning the class win after leading all five laps of the race.
Carolina XC/Moose Racing/KTM’s Zack Hayes would work his way up to second in the class after a fourth place start to the day. Osburn Off-Road/JDP Suspension/Bell Helmet’s Jayce Knopp would steadily work his way up through the pack and round out the FMF XC3 podium with a third place finish on the day.
Earning the Snowshoe GNCC Top Amateur Honors was Nicholas Defeo of the 4-Stroke A Lites class as he earned the class win and came through 14th overall on the day.
Cooper Jones would come through to earn second Top Amateur as he earned the 250 A class win and finished 18th overall. Michael Delosa finished second in the 250 A class and 22nd overall, earning himself the final spot atop the Top Amateur podium.
WCX/Youth
As the morning race got underway and the WXC racers took off it was AmPro Yamaha’s Rachael Archer getting out front early in the race. Archer would continue to push and place a gap out front as the race wore on. As the checkered flag flew Archer would come through to earn her sixth win of the season.
GASGAS/Over and Out/RG Factory Racing’s Rachel Gutish would hold onto second for the duration of the race, even after a slight mechanical issue would set her back from making a push to battle for the lead.
Raines Riding University/Yamaha Racing’s Prestin Raines would swap the third place position multiple times with Trail Jesters KTM Racing’s Korie Steede. However, Raines would hold on to earn her second podium of the season with a third in the WXC class.
Gary Fridley of the Super Senior A class would come through to earn second overall in the race behind Archer, and Tucker Kenreigh would earn third overall and first in the 150 B Schoolboy (12-17) class.
In the Youth Race it was Ryan Amancio coming away with the overall win at Snowshoe, followed by James Jenkins and Canyon Richards rounding out the top three overall finishers. All three also completed the YXC1 Super Mini Sr. (14-15) class podium.
Doc Smith would come through to earn the YXC2 Super Mini Jr. (12-13) class win, while Ethan Harwell and Brayden Baisley rounded out the YXC2 top three finishers.
Ryder Sigety claimed the 85 Big Wheel (11-15) class win, Ryder Reick earned the 85 (12-13) class win, Brody Boland would earn the 85 (7-11) class win, Tucker Aldrich brought home the 65 (10-11) class win, Jace Mitchell claimed the 65 (9) class win and Tripp Lewis earned the 65 (7-8) class win.
Addison Harris clinched the Girls Super Mini (12-16) class win, Sahara Robinson would earn the Girls 85 (7-13) class win, Aubrey Tsakanikas would take home the Girls 65 (7-11) class win while Peyton Robinson earned the Trail Rider (7-15) class win.
MIE claim another E-Xplorer World Cup win in Crans Montana
The second round of the 2023 E-Xplorer FIM World Cup produced a second win in a row for the Japanese MIE team of the Spanish pairing of Jorge Zaragoza and Sandra Gómez in a thrilling final. The final was a close-run race with Seven-EM Stewart Racing who were delighted to take the second-place podium slot.
Jorge Zaragoza
“It was very different from the Round One in Catalunya, I am a motocross rider so it was challenging for me here with the logs and the obstacles, but Sandra, my team mate, really helped me with this format and we talked a lot and combined our experience to great effect. The whole event has been amazing. It was certainly one of the best races I have ever won thanks to this stunning location. It has been a fantastic two days.”
Sandra Gómez
“In this championship, we don’t know the tracks until we get here,” said Sandra Gómez. “I loved the lay out and it suited me. But more than anything it was amazing to be racing so high up in the Swiss Alps with Montblanc and the Matterhorn in the background.”
Second place went to the US team, Seven-EM Stewart, with the new pairing of Canadian rider Spenser Wilton and young Norwegian rider Vilde Marie Holt, who was delighted to be invited to race with the James Stewart owned team in a late call. For the 21-year-old from Oslo it was a dream calling.
The ‘Small Final’ which settles the final podium place was won by Maddwill powered by EMBX, a team which also arrived in Switzerland with a new line up of Swiss rider Sandra Keller and Brit, Dylan Woodcock who received a call early in the week to ride. It was a fantastic result for the team and a memorable one for Woodcock.
2024 will be the time to introduce a second category of racing to be introduced as honed, bespoke prototypes built specifically to be optimal in this race format. The emphasis for the manufacturers will be to focus on promoting their brand and their technology and sustainability credentials.
In addition, the second year of E-Xplorer will see significant changes to the Sporting Regulations with the introduction of longer format races showcasing the bikes capabilities, testing and pushing further the development of the power units. With the changes on track and the innovations in technology, an association of light electric vehicle manufacturers will be established to actively promote and drive progress in innovation within the industry. More details will be released in due course.
Ruben Chadwick tops Ironstone Extreme Hard Enduro
The weekend saw Beta Motorcycles Australia’s Ruben Chadwick head to Mount Morgan, QLD for round three of the Australian Hard Enduro Championship (AHEC). The round dubbed ‘Ironstone Extreme’, saw very dry and dusty conditions that suited Ruben’s experience and riding style.
The prologue race on Saturday consisted of two sprint laps and Ruben finished in first place aboard his RR 300 Racing, giving him pole for Sunday’s race.
Sunday saw more of the same dry, dusty conditions with large, rocky gullies and creeks throughout the track. Ruben took out the win on Sunday with a total time of 4:39:35 for a clean sweep.
Ruben Chadwick now leads the AHEC championship with a 495 point lead.
Ruben Chadwick
“I’m really happy with how I performed this weekend. The tracks were super dry and dusty, which suited my riding, and the bike took everything I threw at it. I came away with the win on both days and am feeling good going into round four in August.”
Ruben returns to the track on the 12-13 August for RD4 of the Australian Hard Enduro Championship for the Hillstorm Challenge in Hillston, NSW.
Strong results for Sherco in European Enduro & Trials
This past weekend saw Sherco riders competing in the Enduro Championships of Portugal and Belgium, the third round of the French Trials Championship in Sommières, as well as the fifth round of the English Trials Championship.
Portuguese Enduro Championship
Lesiardo earns the title
Sunday’s racing marked the end of the season in Portugal. Almost certain of winning the title this weekend, Morgan Lesiardo had a good race on Saturday and posted the best time in his category and in the general classification.
Sunday he performed as well as the day before and won the day with a 57 second lead as well as the title of Portuguese Champion. He is now concentrating on the Italian Championship and the World Championship.
Belgian Enduro Championship
The Chimay motorcycle club had prepared two great specials, including one in a quarry with technical sections for the Belgian Enduro Championship, where riders completed four laps with a time limit of two hours.
Antoine Magain was back at his National Championship to seek another victory, accomplishing this goal by winning the day in his category and in the general classification.
French Trials Championship
The latest round of the French Trials Championship took place under a blazing sun in Sommières. The race was organised around the motocross track with lots of very close areas which made it easy for the spectators to watch the riders compete. The sections contained large blocks of yellow stone and steep slopes, where Benoit Bincaz finished third in the Elite class. A few falls and errors depriving him of the victory.
On July 22 the Trials riders will meet in Sestrière in Italy to compete in the penultimate round of the TrialGP World Championship.
English Trials Championship
Trials GB had an appointment in the south of the country for the fifth round, which was held near Torridge. The very traditional site offered rocky rivers, wooded hills and a plateau providing the riders with a relatively challenging course. The weather was great for most of the event, but as the day progressed, showers hit the area which changed the nature of some of the sections.
On the final lap, Jack Peace once again showed his will to win by achieving the best single lap score in the event, dropping just 2 points to secure victory and the extra point for the championship.
He still tops the ACU British Championship with his fourth win in five rounds. He earned an extra point for the best single-lap score and holds a solid 24-point lead with three rounds remaining in the championship.
In the Expert class Emma Bristow had a good race and finished in fourth place.
Bartosz Zmarzlik wins Speedway GP of Poland – Gorzow
Poland’s triple world champion Bartosz Zmarzlik was elated with an epic last bend that saw him land a fantastic third KGHM FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Gorzow victory on Saturday.
Zmarzlik may no longer be a Stal Gorzow rider following his winter move to PGE Ekstraliga champions Lublin. But the man who reached the top of world speedway in the club’s yellow and blue sent the Edward Jancarz Stadium wild once again as he blazed past Danish star Leon Madsen on the final turn to snatch his third Speedway GP win of 2023 in fine style.
After overhauling Sweden’s Fredrik Lindgren for second place, Zmarzlik launched an epic pursuit of Madsen, fuelled by the roars of a partisan Polish crowd. He forced his way past the world No.2 with a jaw-dropping move to add to his 2014 and 2020 round-three Gorzow victories.
The final was started three times after Lindgren fell in a hard-fought first bend at the first attempt. Australian star Jason Doyle then tumbled in the second run of the race as Zmarzlik and Lindgren passed him going into lap two.
Zmarzlik got the job done at the third attempt. But he admits finding the energy it takes to fight for victory in a Speedway GP final three times was some test.
Bartosz Zmarzlik
“I am tired after the final, there were too many restarts. When you go into the final, it’s hard for the head. When you have to start it three times, it’s really, really hard. But I am really happy with what I did on the last corner, and I am really happy about today. After the first re-run, I could see my gating had stopped working from gate one and I had to go for plan B on the corner. I made a little bit of a mistake at the start, and I lost the start with Freddie. I had really good speed in every corner, but not on the straights. I rode a little bit of a different line that I had learned; I won, and I am very happy about this.”
Next up for the sport’s top stars is the FIM Speedway GP of Sweden – Malilla on Saturday, July 15 on an historic weekend for FIM Speedway.
Speedway GP of Poland – Gorzow Results
Speedway GP of Poland – Gorzow Standings
Mateusz Cierniak tops SGP2 at Gorzow
Mateusz Cierniak produced a breath-taking, all-action performance in round two of the FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship to blaze through his heats and semi-final unbeaten, before beating Australian Under-21 champion Keynan Rew, Denmark’s Emil Breum and Sweden’s Casper Henriksson in a thrilling final showdown.
He is the first rider to go unbeaten over seven rides since the championship was relaunched as FIM SGP2 in 2022 and the first since Polish star Bartosz Smektala won all seven races in the last round of the 2018 World Under-21 Championship at Pardubice on October 1, 2018.
Cierniak and his rivals had plenty of time on their hands during the day as the official practice session at 13:00 CET was cancelled due to rain.
While the track was being readied for racing, the Lublin youngster admits he made the most of his unexpected free time on a fishing lake, before landing his biggest catch of the day at Edward Jancarz Stadium.
Mateusz Cierniak
“When I knew that they had cancelled practice, I went fishing. I spent almost two hours on the lake; then we went to McDonalds to eat something, and then I came here. I had a very chilled-out day and maybe this is a good idea for next time. I feel very good, very happy after this, but also very tired. I feel so proud of myself. I took some good positions on the track in this competition. Every heat made me more confident, and I didn’t change almost anything on my bike. I just focused on my rides on this track and thought about what line would be the best.”
Cierniak holds a 10-point lead at the top of the FIM SGP2 standings ahead of Rew and Poland’s Bartlomiej Kowalski, who are tied on 30 points and ranked second and third respectively, with the Aussie placed higher due to his superior FIM ranking.
Breum holds fourth spot on 26, with Poland’s Damian Ratajczak fifth on 25 and Norway’s Mathias Pollestad sixth on 22 points.
Speedway GP of Poland – Gorzow SGP2 Results
Speedway GP of Poland – Gorzow SGP2 Standings
$5.5 million to be won in SMX World Championship
As the Pro Motocross Championship goes into its first break of the 11-round summer season, new details have been revealed regarding how the historic $5.5 million prize will be distributed across the final three rounds of the 31-event SuperMotocross World Championship.
The 450cc class SMX Champion is guaranteed a seven-figure payday of $1 million for earning the most SMX points in the three-round SMX Playoffs and Final. Second place earns $500K, third place $250K, while positions four through eight still pay in the six figures. Ninth position is worth $90K while a tenth-place finish will still earn a considerable $75K. Positions 11 through 22 range from $50K to $25K.
The champion of the 250cc class will earn $500K, second place $250K, and third place $150K. Fourth place still awards in the six figures at $100K while fifth pays $50K, and sixth $25K. Seventh place earns $18K, then the points fund continues in thousand dollar increments to twentieth.
For the first time in the sport’s 50-plus year history, the top 20 athletes in combined Supercross and Pro Motocross points will compete in a postseason and will be automatically seeded into the SMX World Championship Finals.
The top 20 will be seeded according to their SMX points rankings. Once seeding positions are established, the points will be reset to zero and then each position will start with a quantity of points based on their seeding position using a 25-point system. First place will start with 25 points, second 22 points, third 20 points, fourth 18 points, then will continue in single digit increments to 20th starting with two points. Positions 21st and 22nd will start with zero points.
The SMX World Championship Finals will feature a two-moto format for both classes as is the norm in Pro Motocross.
For each moto first place equals one point, second place two points, third place three points, ending with 22 points for the last position. Moto scores will then be added together to determine the lowest score for the overall – 1 + 1 equals 2 points if an athlete wins both motos, ultimately producing the lowest score possible. SMX Championship points will then be awarded according to the overall finishing position for each event.
SMX Playoff 1 will award single points for the top 21 positions (25-1), while Playoff 2 will pay out double points (50-2). The SMX World Championship Final will then pay triple points (75-3), setting the stage for a wide-open, three-race showdown guaranteed to provide championship drama all the way to the end.
If a seeded, top 20 athlete is unable to compete in an event, an additional opportunity will be made available for a provisional racer to qualify through the Last Chance Qualifier.
All roads lead towards the SuperMotocross World Championship as Playoff 1 will take place on Saturday, September 9 at zMAX Dragway at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. Playoff 2 is set for Saturday, September 16 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., followed by the SuperMotocross World Championship Final on Saturday, September 23 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, Calif.
2023 AusProMX Round Six – Toowoomba, QLD
See the full results and wrap here:
Dean Ferris unstoppable at Toowoomba ProMX
Dean Ferris tops MX1
Dean Ferris (Brisbane Motorcycles) took the round win on his YZ450F with a near wheel perfect performance in the two, thirty minute motos contested over the weekend. Ferris rebounded strongly after a bitterly disappointing performance at the previous round in Gilman and more than redeemed himself with two moto wins and now takes the clear lead in the MX1 championship, holding a seven-point lead in the series with two rounds remaining.
Jet Beaton claimed second overall, running 3-2, and feels the team and bike are going in the right direction and looks forward to the final two rounds in August.
Jed Beaton – P2
“We are improving each week, we were much better this weekend on hard pack, we lost some points to the new points leader but we are in a good position going into the final two rounds. We have a plan in place and I am confident we can only move up from here.”
Leading home the CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team charge on the weekend was Aaron Tanti who finished in third place with 5-2 results. Tanti put up a fight all weekend and was the only rider to threaten Ferris for race wins.
Aaron Tanti – P3
“It was a frustrating weekend and fell short of what I wanted from myself here at Toowoomba. I made two mistakes in the first two laps of race one and it set me back in the field and then had to work hard to move forward. It took me the whole moto to get back to second and then with the last lap board out, I crashed on the rollers and damaged the bike pretty good. Fortunately, I had built a decent gap over the riders behind, so I only dropped three spots to finish fifth, but I was dirty on myself. Race two was better and I had good speed. I was able to get past Dean and lead it for a few laps. Dean kept the pressure on and got around me. I stayed with him for a while, but I fatigued just after the halfway point and then I decided that because of what I did in race one, I needed to finish in second place and with no more mistakes, which is what I was able to do. “I’m still within 20 points of the lead so well and truly in the championship hunt. The next round is at QMP, and I have done a lot of riding and training there, so hopefully I can turn that into a round win and give myself every chance heading into Coolum.”
MX1 saw KTM Racing Team’s former champion Kirk Gibbs begin his day with a qualifying time that positioned him in a solid second place heading into the event, riding the KTM 450 SX-F. Two consistent rides gave Gibbs a pair of fourth-place finishes, which provided strong points towards the 2023 championship, where he is currently ranked P4.
Kirk Gibbs – P4
“I had a decent day today, ended up with second in the pole shootout, which was cool. Got off to a solid start in the opening moto and sat second for a while, but just rode a little bit tight and lost a few positions to come home in fourth. Then second moto, another good start, just lacked a little bit early, and ended P4. Went 4-4, so it was a nice consistent day, although I want to be on the podium, so I was right there, but just need to execute a little better and we’ll be on the podium.”
Beaton’s teammate was nursing an injury going into the weekends race and is focused on the positives. Webster knows he should be better than 5th and will now focus on finishing strong in the final two rounds.
Kyle Webster – P5
“I had a bad crash a few weeks ago and spent the night in hospital. I wasn’t 100% this weekend, we got some decent points and we have a goal going into the final two rounds and I am focusing on that.”
Nathan Crawford takes MX2 victory
KTM Racing Team’s Nathan Crawford mastered the mountain at Round 6 of the 2023 ProMX Championship in Toowoomba, QLD, landing a 1-2 moto scorecard to claim the MX2 class victory overall. MX1 contender Kirk Gibbs posted a consistent ride with a fourth-place result, as MX2 rookie Kayden Minear finished in 10th position.
After topping the qualifying timesheets, Crawford clawed his way through the field following a mid-pack start in the opening moto, reaching the leaders by the halfway point of the race. Some quick passes on his KTM 250 SX-F saw the Queenslander earn the race victory, and combined with a strong second place in moto two, he took home the round win to edge closer in the standings.
Nathan Crawford – MX2 P1
“I had a really positive day today at Toowoomba! It was almost a perfect weekend, topping every session, minus the second moto. Finished in P2, which gave me the overall, so I’m really happy with that and I’m stoked on my weekend. The team and I worked great together and we are looking forward to the next round.”
Wilson Todd finished second overall on the weekend with 3-1 moto finishes. The first moto was challenging as he lost his rear brake mid-race and had to manage his speed. In the second moto he controlled the lead and won convincingly. Wilson has a 35-point lead over second place and is racing to win another championship.
Wilson Todd – P2
“Race 1 was hard without a rear brake, in race 2 I controlled the win and pace. We have two rounds and four races left and I am focused on the championship, not race wins. I am still managing my stomach irritations and forever changing diet. Its improving but it’s far from perfect right now. 35 points is a nice gap but anything can happen and I am not willing to take any risks”
A second-successive MX2 podium result was claimed by GASGAS Racing Team’s Noah Ferguson in Toowoomba with third overall, navigating the technical ruts of the hillside Echo Valley circuit as he continues his convincing return from early season injury.
Noah Ferguson – P3
“On one hand I’m happy with the day, while on the other I want more! Good starts in the motos, but I know I can battle with the top guys, and I want to be fighting for wins in the next couple of rounds. Happy with my bike and the team, they’re working great, and now onto the next one.”
Serco Yamaha’s Rhys Budd finished in fourth place, his 4-5 results consolidated his fourth place in the MX2 championship.
Rhys Budd – P4
“I felt like I raced well, just the front three guys were better than me today. I didn’t get a great start in race one and had to make some passes early to get to fourth. Then I got a better start in race two and had a good battle with Brodie and Noah there for a while but couldn’t hold them both off. It’s back to work on Monday and keep trying to improve. Two rounds to go and plenty to race for with a championship podium within reach. Thanks to the Serco Yamaha team for their efforts this weekend and we will be ready to go at QMP.”
Brodie Connolly continues to make positive gains in his first full season in Australia. Connolly led race 1 before crashing. He remounted and finished 6th. In race 2 he rode to a sensible 4th. Brodie sits 3rd in the championship, 12 points in front of forth place.
Brodie Connolly – P5
“I made some dumb mistakes in race 1 and paid the price. Race 2 was much better; I caught the leaders and learnt a lot from following them. I can run their pace but I am not comfortable enough at that speed for the entire race. I need to be patient and take the positives. With two rounds to go my goal is to finish on the podium overall.”
2023 MXGP of Sumbawa, Indonesia – Round 10
For the full report see:
Romain Febvre & Lucas Coenen top MXGP of Sumbawa
Round 10 of the 2023 FIM Motocross World Championship rolled into Samota over the weekend, as the season reached the MXGP of Sumbawa Indonesia, where Kawasaki Racing Team’s Romain Febvre came out victorious – for the first time of the season – heading off Red Plate Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado and Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team’s Jeremy Seewer.
In MX2 it was another first as Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Lucas Coenen got his career first victory in style with a perfect hat-trick ahead of his countrymen Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Liam Everts and Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 Team’s Jago Geerts. That marked another the first full Belgium podium since 2014 in Talavera where Clement Desalle won in front of Jeremy Van Horebeek and Kevin Strijbos.
