Moto News | Finke | King of MX | NZ Enduro | TrialGP | MXGP | Rally

Moto News Weekly Wrap
June 15 , 2021

What’s New:

• David Walsh wins 2021 Finke Desert Race
• Matt Moss crowned 2021 King of MX
• Yearbury wraps up 2021 New Zealand Enduro Championships
• Bou & Fujinami share TrialGP opener victories
• Abestone Hard Enduro next stop for World Championship
• ProMX set for Gillman, SA return to action at Round 3
• Queensland to host 2021 Australian Senior Dirt Track
• Oklahoma City OKC Mile I & II this weekend!
• AMA 2021 ISDE Teams revealed
• Ross Branch wins Kazakhstan Rally 2021
• 2021 MXGP of Russia – Tim Gajser on top
• Vialle tops MX2 in Russia as Beaton runs sevenths
• 2021 Racing Calendars
  • 2021 Provisional MXGP
  • 2021 Yamaha AORC presented by MXStore
  • 2021 Australian Penrite ProMX
  • 2021 Speedway GP
  • 2021 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship
  • 2021 FIM Cross-Country Rallies
  • 2021 AMA Supercross
  • 2021 GNCC
  • 2021 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross
  • 2021 Progressive American Flat Track
  • 2021 New Zealand Motocross
  • 2021 New Zealand Cross-Country
  • 2021 New Zealand Enduro
  • 2021 Australian Supercross (provisional)
  • And more…

David Walsh wins 2021 Finke Desert Race

KTM Racing Team’s David Walsh has captured back-to-back ‘King of the Desert’ crowns at the 2021 Finke Desert Race after a scintillating run from Alice Springs to Finke on Sunday.

Alice Springs local Walsh, 31, was flawless on his record-breaking journey down to Finke on Sunday, powering through the 299-kilometre distance in a remarkable time of 1h45m34.9s.

This year’s event was cut short following the tragic loss of a spectator on Monday, declaring the return leg from Finke to Alice Springs. Results for the bikes were determined by the results from day one.

As a result, Walsh and his KTM 500 EXC-F topped their second-consecutive Finke Desert Race after blitzing the rest of the field by 4m23s on the first leg. His time was a staggering 10 minutes quicker than his previous opening day benchmark.

The now two-time Finke Desert Race winner finished ahead of Victorian Jack Simpson, who had gained the early upper-hand after winning the prologue by 3.9 seconds. The pair battled for the lead through the opening turns, before Walsh took control when the track opened up and left the rest of the field in his wake.

David Walsh

“I’ve got pretty mixed feelings at the moment. It’s nice to go back-to-back, but to do it under these circumstances isn’t the way I wanted to achieve it. Coming into this year’s event I knew I’d done the work and that I’d be fast. KTM Racing Team had provided everything I needed, but I was conscious that even though I needed to push on the first leg yesterday, I still needed to leave something in the tank for the return. I wasn’t expecting to have a near four-and-a-half-minute lead and it allowed me to come into today feeling more relaxed than I usually would. Today was tough, but the race organisers made the right call and everyone’s safety is paramount. Our thoughts and sympathies are with the families and friends of those involved in today’s tragedy.”

Husqvarna Racing Team desert racer Callum Norton equalled his career-best result at the 2021 Finke Desert Race with a well-earned fifth position overall. The 20-year-old Victorian matched his 2019 performance of P5 after setting a personal best opening day time of 1h53m45s following a gruelling, high-speed 229-kilometre journey from Alice Springs to Finke.

Callum Norton

“It would’ve been good to improve a position or two on my previous result, but I’m certainly not unhappy with walking away with fifth outright this year – I felt awesome and the bike felt great yesterday. My run to Finke was pretty clean and I had a clear run for the first 60km and was one of the first to that checkpoint, but I then got caught in another rider’s dust and I struggled to get around him. Today’s incident certainly put a dampener on things, even when we returned to Alice Springs it didn’t feel the same. My hat goes off to the organisers, who did a great job in incredibly tough circumstances, and our thoughts are with everyone affected by today’s tragic events.”

Aussie off-road legend Ben Grabham also made a spectacular return to the Finke Desert Race (FDR), easily winning the open two-stroke class on his Motul Pirelli Sherco Racing Team 300 SE Factory.

Ben Grabham

“I am rapt with my result at Finke, and I couldn’t fault the 300 SE Factory. I had an absolute ball, and I’ve now ticked the box for riding a two-stroke at the event for the first time. The week before the race I really gave the bike some hard workouts to make sure it’d be fine when the real stuff began, and it didn’t miss a beat the whole time. It was a very tough race for two-strokes, especially on the high-speed terrain – but when it turned rough and technical I passed lots of riders. To win my class by over 18 minutes was very satisfying.”

Sherco’s second top gun at the 2021 FDR, the Mallee Motorcycles-backed Nathan Trigg, didn’t start the race after injuring his knee in a high-speed prologue crash on the 450 SEF Factory. The 2021 FDR was won by defending champion David Walsh ahead of Jack Simpson and Beau Ralston.

In the car division, Australia’s two-time Dakar Rally champion Toby Price romped to victory, meaning he became the first person to win both the bike and car contests.

2021 Finke Desert Race Results (Bikes)

Matt Moss crowned 2021 King of MX

The NSW MX State Titles wrapped up over the weekend, with the season finale at Cessnock held over three days, with both the King of MX and Queen of MX crowned and taking home $2000 in price money a-piece.

Matt Moss topped the King of MX main event from brother Jake, winning by 2.832-seconds, while Jay Lamb claimed the final podium position in third, 20.170s off the lead. Stefan Granquist and Ryan Findanis completed the top five.

Yamalube Yamaha’s Rhys Budd is the 2021 New South Wales MX2 Champion with the perfect score card of three race wins from three starts in that class. Budd was a step above his rivals and managed to take victory on the day and secure another championship for Yamaha.

The Queen of MX event saw seven riders take to the track, with Emma Milesevic the top performer, winning from Taylah McCutcheon by almost 13-seconds, with Madison Healey completing the podium. Emilie Karlsson and Tanesha Harnett were fourth and fifth.

In the senior women WMX class, Taylah McCutcheon travelled down from Queensland to contest the event and returns home with a championship to her name. She won all three races over the weekend after some hard-fought battles with Emma Milesevic.

The MX3 class competed across three races, with Ben Novak claiming top honours on 69-points when the weekend came to a close, with a 2-1-2 overall result. Runner-up was Ryder Kingsford on 62-points, with 3-2-3 results.

Blake Flox claimed third, winning the final race of the weekend, but was fourth in the two earlier races. Cooper Holroyd and Dominic Wilson were fourth and fifth overall.

Ryder Kingsford brought home the 250 cc and 125 cc Under-15 titles. He won all three motos contested on his 250F while 5-1-1 results were good enough to get the job done on his YZ125.

Younger brother, Kayd Kingsford, was also on track for a podium result in the 12-15 years 85cc class after finishing with 1-3 results in the first two motos but a fall while leading the final race led to a DNF and he dropped to eighth in the final standings.

Results

Yearbury wraps up 2021 New Zealand Enduro Championships

By Andy McGechan

There was probably a small moment in time when Waikato man Dylan Yearbury thought his national title hopes had just flown out the window. But, a never-say-die attitude from the Husqvarna man was enough for him to complete the task he’d set himself when forced to settle for overall runner-up at last season’s COVID-19 pandemic-shortened New Zealand Enduro Championships… and that was to fight back and win it in 2021.

Yearbury (Husqvarna FE350) was in command after the first three of five rounds in this year’s championships, having compiled a 2-1-1 score-sheet from the events in Tokoroa and the Marlborough and Porirua/Upper Hutt regions respectively, and he arrived in the Wairarapa Region for the final two back-to-back rounds at the weekend in a confident mood.

Yearbury finished runner-up to his main title rival Tommy Buxton at round four on farmland near Masterton on Saturday and was still the favourite to go on and wrap it up on similar terrain near Martinborough the following day. But a high-speed crash during Sunday’s fifth and final round very nearly shattered his dreams.

“I had a huge crash and the impact of that cracked the bike’s rear sub-frame. I knew it was risky to carry on with the bike damaged like that, but I didn’t have a lot of choice,” said the 26-year-old Cambridge builder. “The crash was in the day’s first ‘special test’ and it stunned me a bit. I struggled to get a flow going with my riding after that. I went okay, but not brilliant.”

But even when Yearbury is not at his best, he’s still a lot better than so many others in the competition and he managed to end the day at Martinborough third overall of the 65 starters, finishing behind Whanganui’s Seth Reardon and Buxton.

Fortunately for Yearbury, this was easily enough for him to get the job done and he could therefore celebrate winning his first national enduro championships outright. Buxton finished the series runner-up, with Reardon, Oparau’s James Scott and Taupo’s Wil Yeoman rounding out the top five.

Yearbury also added icing to his cake by claiming the over-301cc four-stroke class win. He is current and two-time winner of the parallel-but-separate New Zealand Extreme Off-Road Championships, but never the enduro nationals and that’s probably largely due to his competing overseas in past years.

With COVID putting a crimp on international travel, it’s likely we’ll see Yearbury’s name feature a little more regularly at home.

The various class winners this season were:

• Dylan Yearbury (Husqvarna, expert over-301cc 4-stroke class);
• Seth Reardon (Yamaha, expert under-300cc 4-stroke class);
• Aston Grey (Yamaha, expert over-201cc 2-stroke class);
• Wil Yeoman (Yamaha, expert under-200cc 2-stroke class);
• Sean Clarke (Husqvarna, expert veterans over-40 years class)
• Julia Williams (KTM, women’s class);
• Joshua Alexander (KTM, intermediate over-201cc 2-stroke and over 301cc 4-stroke class);
• Harrison McClintock (KTM, intermediate under-200cc 2-stroke and under 300cc 4-stroke class);
• Phil Gibson (Husqvarna, intermediate veterans 40-49 years class);
• George Callaghan (Yamaha, intermediate 50-54 years class);
• Phil Skinner (Husqvarna, intermediate veterans over-55 years class).

Bou & Fujinami share TrialGP opener victories

Repsol Honda Team rider Toni Bou became the first leader of the 2021 TrialGP World Championship after claiming victory in the Italian town of Tolmezzo. Team-mate Takahisa Fujinami finished in seventh place.

Just five weeks ago Toni Bou was lying on a stretcher waiting to be operated on for a left leg fibula fracture. Today, Toni Bou was back in the competition, finishing on the highest step of the podium, having sealed the win at the 2021 Trial World Championship curtain-raiser in Italy.

Without having prepared or trained as he had wished, the Repsol Honda Team rider was nevertheless able to endure the first day of competition held in Tolmezzo (Italy). Despite suffering some discomfort on the second lap of the twelve sections, Bou went on to claim the victory by a mere point ahead of arch rival, Adam Raga.

Takahisa Fujinami, at 41 years of age, claimed victory on the second day of the Italian TrialGP. Toni Bou, runner-up, keeps hold of the overall leadership after the world championship opener.

Five years have gone by since Takahisa Fujinami’s last win in Lourdes, France, in July 2016. Today, Repsol Honda Team’s Japanese rider made his return to the top step of the podium sealing victory number 34 in the Outdoor Trial World Championship.

Elevated temperatures marked the second day of the trial in the Italian town of Tolmezzo, wreaking havoc among riders in the more technical sections. Repsol Honda Team rider, Takahisa Fujinami, gradually improving throughout the day, was however, able to overcome many of the tougher sections, picking up just four marks on an extraordinary second lap to capture the final victory. With this superb result, “Fujigas” now holds third place in the overall standings, eight points behind the leader and team-mate, Toni Bou.

Takahisa Fujinami

“Yesterday, I felt comfortable on the bike, but the results didn’t materialize. In general, these last few months I have trained hard and I have felt very good with the bike. Yesterday, I did not expect to finish seventh, but the truth is that I was close to fifth and with room for improvement. What I did not expect was to be able to win today! I was looking for the win, but not 100%. I’m very happy. At 41, I don’t think anyone was expecting it, not my team, nor Toni, and I don’t think I was. It was terrific to be able to achieve it. I felt like I did in 2004, when I was 24 years old. Thank you very much to the whole team for always supporting me and helping me, this victory is a gift for all of you.”

Despite starting the day somewhat worse for wear after Day 1’s huge victory effort, Toni Bou once again performed well and was able to finish in a more than commendable second position. The Repsol Honda Team rider leaves Italy leading the world championship.

Toni Bou

“First of all, I want to congratulate my partner Takahisa Fujinami. What he has done today at 41 has been incredible. He works a lot and does such a good job with the whole team. As for me, I am happy with the weekend in general. Today in section 6 I hurt myself a bit, I made a mistake with the line and wasn’t able to secure my foot. Even so, I got a very good result. I hope I haven’t done too much damage and hopefully I will be able to recover fully for the second round of the world championship.”

Laia Sanz also showed she’s lost none of her feet-up skills by winning the opening day of the Women’s Trial World Championship at the GP of Italy. Giving her all to secure victory, Laia then placed a strong second on day two to sit as joint leader of the women’s championship ahead of the second round.

Laia Sanz

“Overall, it’s been a great trial for me. It’s been so nice to be back in the trial paddock, and to win on the first day was incredible – it felt so, so good to get that result. It wasn’t easy for me with the non-stop rules, but things worked out really well. The second lap was tough, but I managed to push to the end. I found day two hard. I was already struggling physically a little at the end of the first day, and today, with the heat, I wasn’t at 100%. I made some mistakes on the first lap that really I shouldn’t have made, but I was leading, so I was happy. The second lap was hard, I dropped some extra marks, and Emma was riding well. But there are many positives from this weekend, not least the day one victory.”

Next stop for the TrialGP World Championship will be a one-day-only event in Charade, France, on July 3.

TrialGP Italy Results

Abestone Hard Enduro next stop for World Championship

The 2021 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship looks to hit its stride for round three at the Italian Abestone Hard Enduro. Despite a difficult start to this year’s championship, due to the Covid-hit Extreme XL Lagares and subsequent cancellation of Red Bull Erzbergrodeo, the fighting spirit of Hard Enduro is very much alive as it regroups for the remainder of season.

Only four weeks out from the Abestone Hard Enduro, all eyes focus towards the Italian event. Injecting a new event into the Hard Enduro scene, taking place in the heart of the Tuscany mountains, the event is set to be both spectacular and exciting. Hard Enduro veteran Michele Bosi and his organising team are hard at work to ensure no stone is left unturned and no trail unexplored, as they work to ensure a race that will undoubtedly put Italy firmly back on the international Hard Enduro map.

With barely time to recover it’s then off to Romania and the incredible Red Bull Romaniacs for round four. An event that needs little introduction, it’s produced some iconic memories during its 17 editions to date. With organisers also planning for a marathon stage, featuring a ‘night under the stars’ for competitors, another show-stopper is on the cards.

From Romania the series heads across the pond to the USA for the Red Bull TKO. North America’s premier Hard Enduro, the Tennessee venue will be one to watch. With a wealth of American talent eager to shine on home soil, everyone will be pushing the limits to win.

Poland’s HERO Challenge in early September brings the series back to Europe for the home stretch. Staged over days there will be a real mix of Urban and Hard Enduro for riders to contend with, plus high-speed elements. The city prologue in the heart of Dabrow Górnicza is sure to become a highlight of the weekend. At a crucial stage in the championship, expect this year’s title contenders to step forward.

Spain’s Hixpania Hard Enduro plays host to the penultimate round of the series. Staged over three days, it offers a wide array of riding. From Friday’s prologue in the heart of the medieval town of Aguilar de Campoo, to Saturday’s extreme cross-country race around the shoreline of a gigantic lake and Sunday’s intense multi-lap quarry-based finale, it’s a technical masterpiece to excel at.

Ready to provide a truly memorable ending to the inaugural season of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship is Germany’s GetzenRodeo. Arguably one of the smallest venues on the calendar, it punches way above its welterweight. As the venue of the 2019 WESS finale, the racing was electric and we’re certain it will deliver another grandstand ending to sign off 2021.

The FIM Hard Enduro World Championship continues with the Abestone Hard Enduro in Italy on July 10-11.

ProMX set for Gillman, SA return to action at Round 3

The dirt flying action will return to South Australia on July 11 when the 2021 Penrite ProMX Championship, presented by AMX Superstores, hits Gillman, following the forced postponement last month of Round 3 of the Championship.

The round was scheduled for May 30 at Gillman but was postponed due to the South Australian Government’s COVID-19 border restrictions only days prior to the event.

ProMX Management Team has now advised the tentative rescheduling of the Gillman round for July 11, 2021, subject to lifting of the SA Government COVID-19 border restrictions. The team will provide confirmation that the round will go ahead no later than June 25.

If restrictions do not allow the July 11 date to occur, a secondary date of September 19 will be considered by the ProMX Management Team and MRA.

Riders and teams are advised to monitor ProMX announcements in the meantime and entries for the event will re-open soon, a further communication will be announced confirming the time.

For the fans who had already purchased tickets, they will be able to use them for entry in July. For spectators wanting to get along to Gillman tickets are available now via www.auspromx.com.au.

Queensland to host 2021 Australian Senior Dirt Track

The 2021 Australian Senior Dirt Track Championships will fly into action September 4 and 5, at Mick Doohan Raceway, Banyo, Queensland. Originally slated to be held in Canberra, Queensland club North Brisbane Junior MCC will now host the Championships. The club is also hosting the Australian Junior Track Championships July 3 and 4.

The Senior Dirt Track Championships weekend will see Australia’s best dirt trackers fight it out to be crowned Motorcycling Australia’s Senior Dirt Track Champions. Full fields of 10 Championship classes are expected following the success of the recent Track Championships held Tamworth in NSW.

Classes of competition will include:

• Pro 250 – 100cc to 150cc 2-stroke & 200cc to 250cc 4-stroke (MX)
• Pro 450 – 250cc 2-stroke & 450cc 4-stroke (MX)
• MX Open – 500cc 2-stroke & Over 300cc 4-stroke (MX)
• 250cc Slider – Up to 250cc
• 500cc Slider – Up to 500cc
• Slider Open – Unlimited 460cc and over
• Pro Open – Women Unlimited (MX)
• Sidecar – Up to 1100cc
• ATV Open – Up to 550cc 2-stroke & 700cc 4-stroke
• ATV Open – Women Up to 550cc 2-stroke & 700cc 4-stroke

Jarred Brook who recently had success at Tamworth will be hoping to repeat his 2019 Australian Senior Dirt Track Championships results (the last time the Championship was held) where he clean swept the competition in the MX Open, Pro 450 and Pro Open classes.

Andrew Brook – North Brisbane Junior MCC President

“It’s an honour to host the Championships, we as a committee have worked really hard to get us in this position to hold major meetings and we are very happy that we have secured both the Junior and Senior Dirt Track Championships. We have been doing some fairly major pit extensions which are looking very professional and will be ready in time for the Championships. With the excitement of Australian titles and being so close to the Brisbane, people love to see good riders, and good fast clean action, so we certainly expect a good crowd.”

Oklahoma City OKC Mile I & II this weekend!

Images by Scott Hunter

For the first time in 2021, the full power of Progressive American Flat Track will be unleashed on a big Mile racetrack with this weekend’s Indian Motorcycle of Oklahoma City OKC Mile I & II at Remington Park in Oklahoma City on Friday, June 18 and Saturday, June 19.

Coming off of the cathartic victory of reigning two-time champion Briar Bauman at the recent Chicago Half-Mile, his title rival Jared Mees will be seriously motivated to counter with a victory (or two) of his own this weekend.

While he built his reputation largely on his Half-Mile prowess – and later his all-around game – Mees has developed into one of the sport’s all-time great Milers in recent years. Since 2016, he’s racked up an astonishing 15 Mile wins, including all three previous stops at Remington Park.

Even though title hopeful Sammy Halbert is out of action while on the mend from injury, Mees’ path to victory will be all the more difficult to negotiate considering this weekend marks the anticipated return of “Mile Master” Bryan Smith.

A tactical genius in high-speed drafting wars, Smith is tied with the iconic Bubba Shobert for third on the all-time Mile wins list at 25. Now picking and choosing his best races and funneling all of his focus and effort into winning those rather than the season-long grind of a championship chase, Smith could be a serious threat at the OKC Mile.

Despite the fact that the OKC Mile is one of the few Miles Smith has yet to conquer, he’s been on the podium in each of his three attempts. Given a sniff of the draft on the final lap, victory #26 could be within his grasp.

AFT Singles

Estenson Yamaha teammates Dallas Daniels and Mikey Rush are separated by just a single point atop the AFT Singles championship order thanks to their consistent excellence. Rush has yet to finish off the podium this year, while Daniels has finished no lower than fourth and holds the slight advantage thanks to his Atlanta Super TT victory.

Both riders are proven Mile experts – Rush in particular – so it would be a surprise if they weren’t among the lead group battling it out for the wins again this weekend.

However, all eyes will be on the class’ all-time winningest rider, Shayna Texter-Bauman. Aggressive, instinctive and intelligent, Texter-Bauman is nearly unbeatable on high-speed tracks when everything is clicking, as evidenced by her record eight-career Mile wins, including one at Remington Park. Should she up that tally to ten, Texter-Bauman would instantly reignite the title pursuit she kicked off in double-win fashion back in March at Volusia Speedway Park.

Even though he’s best known for his legendary TT and ST accomplishments, Henry Wiles was actually the best Miler in the class during last year’s abbreviated schedule with a win and runner-up at the 2020 Indy Mile. The Honda ace could use a similar result this weekend to kickstart his championship campaign.

AFT Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines

Cory Texter leads the AFT Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines field into the OKC Mile fresh off his second victory of the season at the Chicago Half-Mile.

The championship’s top four ranked riders – Texter, Chad Cose, Dan Bromley and Dalton Gauthier – have put themselves in that position with consistently strong performances.

Oklahoma native Danny Eslick, fresh off of a third place finish at the Chicago Half-Mile, stands confident as he prepares to line up on his home turf.

In its return, the Indian Motorcycle of Oklahoma City OKC Mile brings back with it the open paddock experience and the return of a rider autograph session to precede Opening Ceremonies both days. Chasing Neon will entertain with its eclectic mix of live party music that ranges from country to classic rock and everything in between. Additionally, the Fan Zone and vendor area will keep spectators fully fed, hydrated, and stimulated all day at the track.

AMA 2021 ISDE Teams revealed

The American Motorcyclist Association have announced the 10 Trophy team riders selected to represent the United States at the 2021 FIM International Six Days Enduro in Italy on Aug. 30 – Sept. 4, 2021.

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 U.S. World Trophy Team last won the ISDE —- the world’s largest annual off-road motorcycle competition – in 2019, giving the U.S. its second ISDE World Trophy title. The U.S. Women’s Trophy team won in 2019, as well, the first time since 2007 the Women’s Trophy team had taken the award.

The 2021 U.S. World Trophy Team includes: Johnny Girroir of Boonville, N.C., GASGAS EC 250F; Taylor Robert of Scottsdale, Ariz., KTM 450 XC-F; Layne Michael of Boonville N.C., Yamaha YZ450F; and Ryan Sipes of Ekron, Ky., GASGAS EC 300 TPI.

Antti Kallonen – U.S. ISDE Trophy Team Manager

“I’m excited to return to ISDE racing after a long, one-year break from it and our motivation is high with lots of fresh faces on our team roster this year. I’m excited to bring a new rider — Johnny Girroir — to the World Trophy team, as [Girroir] has been dominating in our national races here on a 250F. He is new to ISDE, but I have all the confidence he will perform well. With our seasoned veterans and former ISDE overall winners Taylor Robert’s and Ryan Sipes’ guidance, I have no doubt about it. I’m very excited to welcome back Layne Michael, who was part of our championship team in 2016. Since then, Layne has developed tremendously and I’m looking forward to a great performance from him as well. I’m equally excited about our all-new Junior team this year. Our former riders from the past have all aged out and we have some very fast, next-generation riders eager to step in, prove their speed and continue the title hunt in the Junior class. We have some new faces in the Women’s division as well. Brandy Richards will be returning and gunning for the overall victory together with new team member Rachel Gutish, who is no stranger to ISDE and I’m happy to welcome her back. I’m excited to bring new rider Britney Gallegos to the team and work with her and the entire team to have a successful race. I believe we have been able to form three strong teams to defend our World Trophy and Women titles and aim for a Junior title, as well.”

The 2021 U.S. Junior World Trophy Team, made up of riders age 23 and younger, includes: Cody Barnes of Sterling, Ill., Honda CRF250R; Dante Oliveira of Hollister, Calif., KTM 450 XC-F; and Austin Walton of Sparks, Nev., Husqvarna FX450.

The 2021 U.S. Women’s World Trophy team includes: Brandy Richards of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., KTM 250 XC-F; Rachel Gutish of Terre Haute, Ind., Beta 250 RR; and Britney Gallegos of Monte Vista, Colo., Husqvarna 250FX.

Joining the 10 Trophy riders are 21 Club Team riders, who have qualified through the AMA East and West ISDE Qualifier series in the first six months of the season.

Club Team riders include:

• Tyler Vore — Indianapolis, Ind.
• Axel Pearson — Panaca, Nev.
• Tanner Whipple — Colona, Ill.
• Preston Campbell — Murrieta, Calif.
• Travis Reynaud — Strafford, Mo.
• Anson Maloney — Grass Valley, Calif.
• Cade Henderson — Pacelot, S.C.
• Josh Knight — Ogden, Utah
• Talon Soenksen — Fife Lake, Utah
• Anthony Ferrante — Penn Valley, Calif.
• Nicholas Swenson — Delano, Minn.
• Nathan Ferderer— Bend, Ore.
• Grady Faint — Hoschton, Ga.
• Joel Tonsgard — Arlington, Wash.
• Brian Storrie — McKinney, Texas
• Jayson Densley — Fairfield, Utah
• Reid Brown — North Plains, Ore.
• Mateo Oliveira — Hollister, Calif.
• John Beal — Snohomish, Wash.
• Cole Martinez — Camp Verde, Ariz.

Ross Branch wins Kazakhstan Rally 2021

2021 has just seen the first inclusion of the Kazakhstan Rally in the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship as Round 1, run over five stages around Aktau City on the shores of the Caspian Sea, offering fast terrain, small dunes and plenty of challenges.

Aussie Daniel Sanders proved a front runner, after closing out the event after 15-hours of racing on board his GasGas RC 450F with two third places, pushing him up to fourth overall.

Navigation was not easy for any rider and the Marathon stage put a strain on tyre wear, with rain on the fourth day making the ground very slippery. Despite these difficulties, Botswanan rider Ross Branch (Yamaha) managed to deliver a brilliant win.

He even returned to the bivouac at the end of the second part of the Marathon stage on a wheel rim after his rear tyre disintegrated 50km before the end of the special stage.

The fifth and final stage was shortened to 158km because the gasoline truck was not on time at the refuelling point and it was impossible to organise a new start with everything managed automatically with the GPS.

Joachim Rodrigues (Hero) won the stage, finishing ahead of Branch, who arrived at the Aktau bivouac earlier than expected, delighted by his victory but worried about the state of the health of crashed rider Sam Sunderland. He had fallen heavily after 18km.

Ross Branch – P1

“All-in-all it’s been an amazing week here in Kazakhstan and I’m so happy to come away with the win. Before this race I really focused on working on my navigation and it certainly worked here. I opened stages and finished up front on each stage so I can’t ask for anything more. The goal today was to manage the lead that I had, and I feel like I was doing a good job up until the stage was cut short. Overall, I’ve really enjoyed the whole week. It’s great to be racing again and the team has done a fantastic job with the bike and it’s just been an awesome experience. I’m really happy to have won for myself and the team.”

Matthias Walkner (KTM) led for one stage but day three’s Marathon stage got the better of his tyre foam and then a navigation error relegated him to second place.

Matthias Walkner – P2

“Finally, we have arrived at the finish line at Rally Kazakhstan. I’ve really enjoyed it – the landscape here has been amazing, and the event has been good. It’s been a very fast rally and that took a little time to get used to, but overall, I’m extremely happy with my riding and the bike has been perfect. Second place overall is good, it’s a little frustrating to be just four minutes away from the win after close to 15 hours of racing, and I know I made a couple of mistakes earlier in the race that cost me that time, but this is the nature of rallying. I’m especially happy that on the days where I was opening the stage, I was able to maintain a good pace and not lose too much time to the guys behind, so that’s really encouraging. I’m feeling good and already looking forward to Silk Way.”

Despite much of the terrain not to the Frenchman’s liking, Van Beveren opted to focus intently on his navigation throughout the race – a strategy that has kickstarted his season in fine style.

Adrien Van Beveren – P3

“We’ve finally arrived at the finish and I’m super-happy to have finished third overall in the rally. It’s great for the team to have three riders in the top five and it’s nice to see Ross take the win, he deserved it. This rally isn’t really on my favoured terrain, I would have preferred more sand, so to finish third here is a great result for me. My navigation was strong and my consistency all week was really good, so I’m really happy with my result and I’m now looking forward to the Silk Way Rally.”

Finding his rhythm during the second half of Rally Kazakhstan, Sanders delivered a pair of back-to-back third-place finishes on stages four and five to rocket up the leaderboard and end the rally in fourth overall. Sanders will now line up for the Silk Way Rally next month safe in the knowledge that he can compete with the best rally riders in the world.

Daniel Sanders – P4

“Another good day for me today and I feel like I’m back to where I belong. My navigation was on point today. The stage was shortened but up until that point I didn’t make a single mistake and got into a good rhythm. It’s a shame as I felt awesome on the bike today. But anyway, that’s my first world championship race done, and I learned a lot this week. The focus now is to work on a few things before the next round so that I can start strong and be up the front from the beginning.”

As the seventh rider to enter the day’s timed special, Sam Sunderland knew he would have to push right from the start in order to make up time on his rivals ahead. Unfortunately, a crash just over 20km into the special resulted in Sunderland being unable to continue the stage.

Taken to the local hospital, scans confirmed Sam suffered a fractured hip, and concussion. Thankfully, the British rider is able to walk, and was soon discharged and back with his team. Although disappointed not to have completed the event, Sam is thankful for the assistance he received, and will soon return home for further checks.

2021 Kazakhstan Rally Results

2021 MXGP of Russia – Tim Gajser on top

Tim Gajser proved why he is a two-time MXGP World Champion, as he took control of the opening race, leading the way from start to finish and eventually winning by 16.794 seconds from Romain Febvre, with Antonio Cairoli third.

Jorge Prado grabbed the first Fox Holeshot of the season, before Gajser was able to slip into the lead, with Prado being pushed to second ahead of Cairoli. Just a couple of laps later the Spaniard made a mistake and went down, to re-join down the field in 22nd leaving him with a lot of work to get back up to the leaders.

Gajser led Cairoli, Febvre and Alessandro Lupino, with the Italian getting off to a great start in the race. He later came under immense pressure from Jeffrey Herlings but was able to keep him at bay for the majority of the race (14 laps) before the Dutchman was able to fight his way through into fourth, where he eventually finished the race.

Jeremy Seewer had a strong ride to finish the race sixth after spending much of the racing keeping up with Herlings and Lupino.

Following his crash on lap two, Prado was eventually able to fight his way back up to ninth, with Thomas Kjer Olsen having a good ride on his first MXGP outing to finish the race in 10th.

In race two it was Herlings who took the Fox Holeshot, leading Cairoli, Pauls Jonass and Febvre, while Gajser and Prado got caught in some start dramas which saw both riders pushed wide in the first corner. This left Gajser down outside the top 20, which meant he had to work hard to get back up to the front.

Herlings’ lead didn’t last for long, as he had a small crash letting Cairoli, Jonass and Febvre through, but re-joining the race ahead of Seewer who was fifth.

Further down the order, Gajser wasted no time, as by lap five he was already up into P3, making passes on Olsen, Seewer, and Lupino. A lap later he also made a move on Herlings, taking an inside line for P2.

There was a bit of drama for Febvre, with the Frenchman hitting the back of Jonass as he pushed to pass him, which left him on the side of the track. This mistake was costly, though by the end of the race the Frenchman was able to make some good passes to get back up into sixth after falling to 15th.

At the top of the field Cairoli still led the way keeping a good pace that saw him set a few fastest laps of the race. Gajser was catching quickly however and by lap 12 was the new race leader.

Cairoli was keen to challenge Gajser but had an unfortunate crash which left his bike too bent to finish, despite the nine-time world champion’s best effort.

In the end it was Gajser, Herlings and Jonass making up the podium while, Lupino and Seewer completed the top five of the second MXGP race!

Picking up right where he left off from the 2019 MXGP of Russia, Gajser stood on the top step of the podium in Orlyonok once again to take the overall victory and the red plate, with Herlings second and Febvre finishing third overall for the round.

Tim Gajser – P1

“First of all, I’m really happy that we are back racing. It has been a really long period without races and it is great to see so many fans here in Russia. In the first race my start was good, and my riding was smooth and consistent. I was able to get into the lead quickly and control the moto. Then in the second race my jump out of the gate was good but someone on the inside, crashed and pushed me off the track and I even jumped off the bike so when I remounted I was way back in the pack. I searched for some lines in the first few laps, trying to pass as many people as possible. I got into second and looked where best to make the move and once I got into first, I made a gap and took the win. I’m very happy with how it all went this weekend.”

MXGP of Russia Results

Vialle tops MX2 in Russia as Beaton runs sevenths

In MX2, Tom Vialle made it clear that the pressure of being a defending world champion did not disturb him in the slightest as he cruised around in both races to go 1-1 and secure the red plate at the opening round in Orlyonok.

Vialle got off to a great start in race one, followed by Ruben Fernandez, Mathys Boisrame and Roan Van De Moosdijk. Last year’s Vice World Champion, Jago Geerts and his teammate Maxime Renaux didn’t get off to the best starts down in 16th and 9th respectively.

Rene Hofer moved into fourth,  with Renaux catching up on to the back of Jed Beaton (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) and Jan Pancar.

Boisrame then moved back into fourth with a block pass on Hofer on lap 8 to sit behind his teammate van de Moosdijk who was P3. Van de Moosdijk was on a charge as he clocked some fast laps looking to get close to Fernandez for second, though ultimately he had to settle for third.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s newest addition Mattia Guadagnini had a strong first race finishing ninth. On lap 13 the Italian was even faster than his teammate and race leader Vialle, giving an indication of what he is capable of and what can be expected for the upcoming GP’s.

Vialle though was the race winner, with Fernandez securing his best MX2 result to finish second and Moosdijk crossing the line in third.

Australian Jed Beaton finished seventh, while fellow Aussie Wilson Todd was 16th.

The second race saw a different KTM rider taking the Fox Holeshot, as Rene Hofer beat the rest of the field to the first turn. Though it only took a few moments before Vialle was up front with Fernandez on his tail. The pair had a close battle with Fernandez having a brief moment in the lead, but it was Vialle who led the way from there.

Stephen Rubini got off to a good start in fourth position in the second race, but unfortunately did not finish the heat. Renaux also didn’t get the best start and was left having to fight back from 26th.

Boisrame and van de Moosdijk once again got a good jump out of the gate with both riders inside the top five, with Boisrame pushing to pass Rubini. After Rubini came Fernandez, who focused on his own battle with Hofer.

By lap 15 Boisrame was able to get around both to secure second place behind Vialle who already held too much of a gap for the Kawasaki rider to challenge him for the win.

Fernandez was keen not to let his earlier mistakes in the race cost him a podium and we were treated to a close battle between him and Hofer, with the pair making contact as Fernandez moved into P3, while Hofer was left to pick up his bike. The Austrian finished the race in fourth.

In the end it was Vialle who was the race winner with Boisrame finishing just 2.569 seconds behind him and Fernandez third. Caught in a crash, Beaton fought his way back to 11th, while Wilson Todd improved to 14th.

In terms of the podium, Vialle started his season in the best way possible with a GP win and the red plate, taking the championship lead to Matterley Basin, while Fernandez took his first MX2 podium, occupying the second place step, while Boisrame finished third.

Tom Vialle – P1

“I had a really good day and I’m really happy with both races. This morning I couldn’t do any better than 9th position in time practice but in the races I had two good starts, leading both races, it was a good weekend and I’m really happy because I’ve been working really hard in the winter. We have been working on the bike also with KTM, so everything was good and I’m really looking forward to going to England and ride again there. My goal is to win at the end of the championship, so the goal was to be consistent like I was last year and it was working pretty good today.”

Jed Beaton – P7

“The day started really good with third in qualifying. From there it wasn’t my greatest day, at least it wasn’t where I wanted to be anyway. It’s the first of 19 rounds so there’s still a long way to go and many races so it’s not over by any means. The class is so stacked that it was hard to make passes today but we’ll move forward from here. I’ll be working on my starts during the next couple of weeks and I’ll be back for more at Matterley Basin in two weeks’ time.”

Wilson Todd (Bike It MTX Kawasaki) was disputing fifteenth with the 2020 world number two during the early laps of race one until they collided and the Australian faced a long hard charge from nineteenth to regain sixteenth by the finish.

He raced quickly from fifteenth to twelfth in race two before sacrificing two places in traffic during the closing stages. He heads to his “home GP”– as team manager Steve Dixon is the promoter of the British GP – fourteenth in the points standings.

MXGP travels back to central Europe and for a swift sequence of six consecutive rounds in six weeks. Round two takes place at the popular Matterley Basin circuit for the British Grand Prix on June 27th.

MX2 Results

2021 Racing schedule

2021 Provisional MXGP Calendar

2021 Yamaha AORC presented by MXStore calendar

2021 Australian Penrite ProMX calendar

2021 Speedway GP Calendar

2021 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship (Provisional)

2021 Australian Speedway events

2021 FIM Cross-Country Rallies calendar

2021 GNCC

2021 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship

2021 Progressive American Flat Track calendar

2021 New Zealand Enduro Championship

FIM Bajas World Cup 2021 (Provisional)

2021 Provisional Australian Supercross dates

• 25 September – Further information TBA
• 9 October – Further information TBA
• 16 October – Further information TBA
• 23 October – Further information TBA
• 30 October – Further information TBA
• 6 November – Further information TBA
• 20 November – Further information TBA
• 27 November – Further information TBA

2021 Finke Desert Race
11-14 June – Northern Territory

2021 Hattah Desert Race
3-4 July – Hattah, Victoria

2021 Motocross Australian Classic Motocross Championship
9-11 July – Nowra, NSW

2021 Motocross Australian Post Classic Motocross
16-18 July – Nowra, NSW

2021 International Six Day Enduro (ISDE)
30 August – 4 September – Italy