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Baja World Cup heads to the Hungarian Baja for Round 5

The FIM Bajas World Cup moves to Hungary for this weekend’s fifth round. For two decades, Várpalota has hosted competitors on the largest active military shooting range in Europe. It is on this terrain, fast, but also known for its tight turns and very technical bends, that the FIM riders will compete for three days.

There will be 415km of competitive action during which it will be necessary to spare the bikes and save energy because temperatures are always very high in Hungary at this time of year.

In the motorcycles, three women will compete for the top of the Women’s category ranking: Joanna Modrzewska (Husqvarna), Mirjam Pol (Husqvarna) and Margot Llobera (KTM).

On the men’s side, Kurt Burroughs (KTM) leads the Veteran category in the FIM Bajas World Cup and will have to compete against Robbie Wallace (KTM), Jan Brabec (KTM), Barry Howe (KTM), Toni Mulec (Husqvarna) and the only Hungarian entered in the FIM category, Richard Hodola (KTM).

Administrative and technical checks begin on Friday, August 5, followed by the press conference at 15.15hrs. and a seven-kilometre Prologue, starting at 16.45hrs.

Charli Cannon to contest MXGP WMX final in Turkey

Australia’s fastest female motocross rider, Charli Cannon, is set to contest the final round of the 2022 FIM Motocross World Championship in the WMX division, at Afyon Turkey, on September 3 and 4. With the assistance of the JK Racing Yamaha Team, Cannon will fly to Turkey in early September with her father and Yamalube Yamaha Team mechanic, Nash Ihle, and be a guest on the UK based team for the final round.

17-year-old Cannon has proven to be a revelation in the Women’s ProMX championship, taking all four moto wins on her YZ250F. The Queenslander has been a step above her rivals in terms of speed and fitness. The opportunity to contest the final round of the World Championship is a fitting reward for Cannon and one she is looking forward to.

Charli Cannon

“I am beyond thankful to get this chance to race the final round in Turkey and to be a guest on the JK Racing Yamaha team. This year has been so exciting for me and to race MXGP is another highlight that I won’t forget. Thank you to everyone involved in making this happen, from Yamaha and the Yamalube Yamaha Team to JK Racing as well as Motorcycling Australia, who have given female riders a national platform.”

2022 ProMX Awards Night tickets on sale

Tickets are now on sale for the 2022 ProMX end-of-season awards night which will be hosted on Sunday the 21st of August. The awards night will be held at the Marcoola Beach Hotel on the evening of the 21st of August after the completion of racing for Round 8 at the Coolum MX track.

The event will be celebrating the champions of the Thor MX1, Pirelli MX2, Maxxis MX3 and EZILIFT MXW classes. Tickets can be purchased and more event information can be found here: https://www.ticketebo.com.au/promxseasonawards

FIM Vintage Motocross World Cups confirmed for Maggiora

The FIM, the FMI and the organisers have announced that the first ever FIM Vintage Motocross World Cups will take place in Maggiora (ITA) on 10-11 September.

The age limits for FIM Classic/Evo Motocross World Cups are as follows: minimum age: 40 years old / maximum age: 65 years old.

FIM Vintage Motocross World Cup events are open to motorcycles as defined below:

• a) Classic 125: production motorcycles from 01.01.1980 to 31.12.1989; Cat. I, Group A1, over 100cc up to 125cc for 2-stroke engines.
• b) Classic 250: production motorcycles from 01.01.1980 to 31.12.1989; motorcycles of Cat. I, Group A1, over 175cc up to 250cc for 2-stroke engines.
• c) Classic 500: production motorcycles from 01.01.1980 to 31.12.1989; motorcycles of Cat. I, Group A1, over 350cc up to 500cc for 2-stroke engines and over 350cc up to 650cc for 4-stroke engines.
• d) Evo 125: production motorcycles from 01.01.1990 to 31.12.1996; motorcycles of Cat. I, Group A1, over 100cc up to 125cc for 2-stroke engines.
• e) Evo 250: production motorcycles from 01.01.1990 to 31.12.1996; motorcycles of Cat. I, Group A1, over 175cc up to 250cc for 2-stroke engines.
• f) Evo 500: production motorcycles from 01.01.1990 to 31.12.1996; motorcycles of Cat. I, Group A1, over 350cc up to 500cc for 2-stroke engines and over 350cc up to 650cc for 4-stroke engines.

Each rider is restricted to one single motorcycle which must be presented in their name and number at the technical verifications. They must use the same motorcycle during the entire event.

The even will run across three days as follows:

• Friday 9 September
  • Technical and Administrative Verifications 10:00 – 19:00
• Saturday 10 September
  • 1 X Free Practice 20 minutes 50 riders
  • 1 X Time Practice 20 minutes 50 riders
• Sunday 11 September
  • 1 X Warm-Up 15 minutes 42 riders(*)
  • 2 X Races 15 minutes + 1 Lap 40 riders

For the full list of rules see:
FIM-Vintage-Motocross-World-Cup-2022-Venue-and-Rules.pdf

Aussies win 2022 FIM Speedway of Nations

At the end of an epic four days and 90 heats of racing, and the first SON of a new era for FIM Speedway under new global promoter Discovery Sports Events, the Aussies topped the podium ahead of runners-up Great Britain and third-placed Sweden.

Team Manager Mark Lemon took the decision to make Speedway GP duo Jack Holder and Max Fricke his starting pair throughout the Final and the young duo repaid him spectacularly, with Holder piling up 19 points and Fricke 11 as they totalled 30 points.

For the full report and results see:
Aussies win 2022 FIM Speedway of Nations

Joel Evans tops Dumaguete Motocross Challenge

Dumaguete has been dubbed the unofficial ‘motorcycle capital of the Phillipines’, and Queenslander Joel Evans contested their popular motocross races over the weekend at Davsons Motocross Park and came away with the win.

Cutajar wins WAMX Seniors Round 6 at Henderson

Julian Cutajar eked out a narrow win in the MX1 class at Round 6 of the WAMX Senior State Championship, held at Coastal Park in Henderson. The tough two-kilometre sound track is situated just over the dunes from Cockburn Sound and is considered one of the most brutal motocross tracks in the country.

Second place in both motos was enough to claim the overall victory for Cutajar, who won the first race but dropped to fourth in the second. Jake Fewster completed the podium running 3-3, while moto 2 winner Liam Atkinson was fourth overall.

Charlie Creech currently leads the MX1 standings on 243-points, to Jayden Rykers (239) Liam Atkinson (223) and Julian Katajar (209).

The MX2 was a more clearcut affair. Myles Gilmore went 1-1, Stuart Eardley-Wilmot 2-2 and Jake Turner 3-3 for the same overall positions.

Eardly-Wilmot leads the MX2 standings on 269-points, to Jake Turner (253) and Jordan Minear (216).

It was a similar story in the MX3, Seth Shackleton sweeping both races, ahead of Jake Rumens – second in both, and Patrick Butler, who went 3-3.

Rumens holds a strong lead in the MX3 standings, 258-points, to second-placed Taj Moore’s 221. Charlie Bartlett is third on 201-points.

Hannah Stewart won the Women’s overall, with a 1-1-2 for 72-points, 10-clear of second placed Olivia Webster (2-2-4), with a consistent Megan Bagnall going 3-3-3 for 60-points and third.

Hannah Stewart leads the Women’s standings on 415-points, from Megan Bagnall on 405. Phoebe Bronwin is third on 346-points.

Round 6 – MX1 Results

Round 6 – MX2 Results

Round 6 – MX3 Results

Round 6 – MXW Results

2022 American Flat Track – Peoria TT Wrap

Images by Tim Lester & Kristen Lassen

Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER

The four-race win streak of Kody Kopp finally came to an end, but the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing win streak now stands at five as Max Whale (No. 18 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-FFE), finally collected his first victory of 2022.

Both KTM pilots found themselves behind Estenson Racing’s Trevor Brunner (No. 21 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) off the line. Whale struck first, railing up the inside of Brunner as they powered onto the front straight a minute-and-a-half into the contest.

The Australian proceeded to rip open a couple seconds at the front as Kopp desperately attempted to find a way through himself. Instead, he found himself victimized by the charging Morgen Mischler (No. 13 American Honda/Progressive Insurance CRF450R) and dropped to fourth as Whale continued to break away at the front.

Mischler would eventually exploit a big bobble on Brunner’s part to slide into second with around a minute to go and then close rapidly on the leader. What once seemed to be a certain win became considerably less so, but Whale responded to Mischler’s late push to hold on for a 0.831-second win.

While Whale was awarded last year’s win at Peoria, it only came due to a DQ ahead of him. So technically this was his second in succession at the famed race even if it felt like a first to him.

Max Whale

“This one feels so good! Peoria is hard to pass normally, the track dried out a lot but it got a groove on it and it was real slick, so I knew what I needed to do in the Main Event. I had a good start again in second and just put a few good laps in and got around [Trevor] Brunner. I just kept a smooth pace and tried to manage the lead as best I could and brought home the win. It seems like it’s been so long since I’ve won my last race but it feels awesome. I can’t thank my whole team enough for all the effort they put in week in and week out!”

Mischer’s runner-up represented his first-ever TT podium and saw him narrow Kopp’s title advantage for the first time in five races (even if it still stands at two full races, 220-170). The podium was completed by Brunner, who ultimately kept Kopp corralled behind him for full race distance, which meant the title leader would equal his worst finish of the season in fourth.

Rookie Chase Saathoff (No. 106 American Honda/Progressive Insurance CRF450R) pulled off a last-lap pass on Ferran Cardús (No. 377 Roof Systems of Dallas/Bullet Strong Racing Honda CRF450R) to edge the Spanish champion for fifth by 0.008 seconds at the flag.

Next Race: Black Hills Half-Mile – Rapid City, South Dakota – August 6, 2022.

Peoria TT Singles Results

Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER Standings –  Top 15

Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle

JD Beach (No. 95 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) solidified his claim as the leading TT rider in all of Progressive American Flat Track by earning a second consecutive victory at the World Famous SC2 Peoria TT presented by Country Saloon on Saturday at the Peoria Motorcycle Club in Peoria, Illinois.

While Beach ultimately went wire-to-wire to victory, the contest was in fact quite a tense affair with two-time Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle champion Briar Bauman (No. 3 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) glued to Beach’s rear wheel pretty much throughout.

A five-rider freight train formed at the start, with Beach holding the lead ahead of Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750), Bauman, Jared Mees (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750), and Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT).

Bauman was the first to slip past ‘VDK,’ blasting ahead as they exited the race’s opening corner, while Mees and Daniels would do the same over the next few minutes.

Bauman only really showed Beach his front wheel on a single occasion. That said, he was perfectly positioned at nearly every moment to capitalize on any mistakes that might possibly befall Beach on the dry and notchy track. However, the Yamaha ace proved remarkably resilient under fire, especially considering he was still riding at less than 100% after hurting his ankle at the Mission Port Royal Half-Mile a couple weeks back.

Beach took the checkered flag 0.492 seconds ahead of Bauman to improve his overall series TT record to five wins in his last six attempts.

JD Beach

“When I hurt my ankle at the last race, I couldn’t even walk to leave the track. Coming into Peoria, there are so many fast guys here, and I was sitting on my butt for two weeks. I just have to thank my family, who made sure I didn’t do anything because I’m not good at sitting around. The whole Estenson team worked so hard. Today was a little hectic, but to get this win again here and get two in a row… To imagine Henry (Wiles) got 14 in a row here is just insane. It feels so good. I’m pumped.”

The continuation of Bauman’s midseason surge further tightened the title fight. So too did Daniels’ third-place finish, a result that only came following a protracted battle with reigning champion Mees for the position. If not for his continued woes at leaving the starting line, the rookie might have had more of a say in the final outcome. Still, he had to be satisfied with standing on the box in his first premier-class race at his home track.

Bauman is now just three points behind Mees (188-185), while Daniels is only another 13 points back. Beach, too, has new life, closing to within 30 points of Mees (159) after securing his second win of the season.

Peoria TT SuperTwins Results

Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle Standings – Top 15

Mission Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines

Jesse Janisch was in full-on imperious form, winning the drag race to Turn 1 and promptly building up a sizable gap before even completing a single lap.

Janisch’s fellow Semi winner, Johnny Lewis (No. 10 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield 650), was outflanked by Dan Bromley (No. 62 Vinson Construction/Viper Air Yamaha MT-07) in the first corner and then spent the next couple of minutes looking for a way back through. By the time Lewis retook second, Janisch already had more than two seconds in hand.

That advantage only continued to stretch even when Lewis had clear air in front of him. Janisch ultimately piled on more than 14 seconds worth of padding before he wheelied his way down the front straight to a 12.192-second margin of victory.

The triumph was Janisch’s fourth professional win at the circuit, the first three coming aboard single-cylinder machinery. The victory also provided Janisch a bit more breathing space in the championship fight. That said, defending class champion Cory Texter (No. 1 G&G Racing/Yamaha Racing Yamaha MT-07) did what he does so well, minimizing the damage on the days in which he’s at a disadvantage in order to fight back another day.

Texter held Cole Zabala (No. 51 Memphis Shades/Corbin/Vinson Yamaha MT-07) at bay to finish fourth, crossing the line just over a second back of podium finishers Lewis and Bromley. As a result, Janisch now leads Texter 199-188 with seven races remaining to decide the back-and-forth championship battle.

Peoria TT Production Twins Results

Mission Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines Standings – Top 15

Ruprecht wins EnduroGP of  Slovakia Round 5

TM Racing’s Wil Ruprecht won the opening day of round five of the WPTGlobal FIM EnduroGP World Championship in Gelnica, Slovakia over the weekend. A wet and muddy day of racing at the GP of Slovakia saw the Australian come good in the final test of the day to edge out GASGAS Factory Racing’s Andrea Verona by 11 seconds for the win. Beta Factory Racing’s Steve Holcombe was having fun in the tricky conditions and finished third overall.

A new winner emerged in Enduro Junior with Max Ahlin (Beta) securing his first win of the season, while Samuli Puhakainen carded another win for TM Racing with victory in Enduro Youth.

Ruprecht was then able to celebrate a perfect weekend after storming to victory on Sunday, the Australian on top form, overcoming the wet and slippery conditions to top the EnduroGP podium.

Beta Factory Racing’s Steve Holcombe pushed Ruprecht all the way, finishing just under half of a second behind him as runner-up. Back from injury, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Josep Garcia returned to the podium with third. Honda Redmoto World Enduro’s Roni Kytonen took victory in Enduro Junior, while Fantic’s Kevin Cristino won Enduro Youth.

For the full report see:
Wil Ruprecht does EnduroGP of Slovakia double

EnduroGP Standings

Under-21 Team Speedway World Championship Wrap

Poland topped the podium in Denmark after winning a dramatic Grand Final ahead of Czech Republic, with Jakub Miskowiak taking the chequered flag ahead of Czech racer Jan Kvech.

Disaster struck for the Czech team halfway through the race when Petr Chlupac suffered mechanical problems, which saw him drop the all-important third place to Cierniak. A possible 5-4 victory and a first-ever speedway world team title for the Czech team became a 6-3 triumph for Poland.

The Poles have now won the FIM Team Speedway Under-21 crown nine years in a row and 15 times in 18 attempts.

But their victory was marred by an ugly first-turn crash for Przyjemski, who left the track in an ambulance with damage to his finger.

Miskowiak and Cierniak stepped up in his absence, and 2021 World Under-21 champion Miskowiak, who scored 15 points, dedicated the gold medals to his fallen colleague.

Mateusz Cierniak leads the SGP2 standings after winning the opening round of the FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship in Prague on May 27. He was initially listed as Poland’s No.3 reserve rider, but he was delighted to play a key role in his side’s victory, topping the scorechart on 17.

Mateusz Cierniak

“I feel good because I had the chance to fight for this on the track. Today’s meeting was very hard. But me and Jakub gave it full power and this result is very good.”

Czech skipper Jan Kvech helped the senior side to second place in FIM SON Semi-Final 2 on Thursday night to secure their place in Saturday’s FIM SON Final.

Jan Kvech

“We are very happy. It was a good result for Czech speedway because we are in the Final of the senior SON and today we took second place in SON2. We will be going for another good result tomorrow.”

Great Britain captain Tom Brennan scored an heroic 20 of Lions’ 28 points and battled hard with Kvech in the Grand Final Qualifier, but the Czechs 6-3 forced the Young Lions to settle for the bronze medals. But the 2021 FIM SON world champion was content to see his country claim a fifth FIM Team Speedway Under-21 medal in as many years.

Tom Brennan

“We obviously wanted to go one better, if not two better. Just to get a medal was great. We have all worked really, really hard for this. I want to say a massive thank you to our team manager Neil Vatcher. He tried to push us in the pits as much as possible and helped everyone with setup. Everybody worked really, really hard for this and I am very, very proud of it. For me to have a good night is great, but it’s all about the team. Drew Kemp did a fantastic job as well. Leon Flint was on standby. He didn’t get a ride, but he was there ready and we had his encouragement. For us, it was great to get third place. That’s fantastic. These boys will have to fight harder without me next year because I will be too old to race in this, but hopefully they can go that next step.”

Keynan Rew top scored for Australia with 12 points while Fraser Bowed added an important ten points to the tally for Team Australia which ultimately saw Australia finish sixth.

2022 FIM Team Speedway Under-21 World Championship

1. POLAND 36: 1 Wiktor Przyjemski 4, 2 Jakub Miskowiak 15, 3 Mateusz Cierniak 17.
2. CZECH REPUBLIC 29: 1 Jan Kvech 18, 2 Petr Chlupac 11, 3 Matous Kamenik 0.
3. GREAT BRITAIN 28: 1 Tom Brennan 20, 2 Drew Kemp 8, 3 Leon Flint 0.
4. LATVIA 28: 1 Francis Gusts 22, 2 Ricards Ansviesulis 6, 3 Ernests Matjusonoks 0.
5. DENMARK 26: 1 Benjamin Basso 21, 2 Kevin Juhl Pedersen 5, 3 Jonas Knudsen 0.
6. AUSTRALIA 22: 1 Keynan Rew 12, 2 Fraser Bowes 10, 3 James Pearson 0.
7. SWEDEN 18: 1 Gustav Grahn 4, 2 Casper Henriksson 5, 3 Philip Hellstrom-Bangs 9.