RED BULL KTM TEAMMATES SHARE PODIUM HONORS AT TEXAS HALF-MILE
KODY KOPP EDGES OUT TEAMMATE MAX WHALE TO CLAIM SECOND IN AFT SINGLES CLASS
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – Round 2 AFT
FORT WORTH, Texas – Following 1-2 finishes at the opening round, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammates Kody Kopp and Max Whale once again shared podium honors at Round 2 of the American Flat Track Championship, delivering strong 2-3 results at the Texas Half-Mile.
Australian native Max Whale came out swinging from the start as he powered his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to the front in Semi 2. Sweeping all eight laps in dominant fashion, Whale secured pole position for the AFT Singles Main Event. Kopp also had a strong performance in Semi 1, where he raced in third from start to finish to secure a second-row start for the main.
In the Main Event, Whale once again asserted himself at the front of the pack with a second-place start, while Kopp worked his way into fifth and battled just outside podium contention early on. A red flag came out to re-set the field after a downed rider and this time it was Kopp who established a good jump off the re-start. Overtaking Whale for second, the 17-year-old chased down the race leader and the Red Bull KTM duo held on the pressure late into the race. Despite being within striking distance of the win, Kopp made the decision to play it safe and bring home a second-place finish, crossing the line only 0.123 seconds behind the leader.
Kody Kopp (12). Photo courtesy KTM Factory Racing.
Kody Kopp: “Texas was a very big weekend for me, I learned a lot and felt like I made a lot of progress throughout the day. I qualified 11th and then to come out with second was a win in itself. We changed a decent amount of stuff and it all came together in the Main Event. We narrowly missed a collision on the back straightaway and that allowed me to keep fighting through the pack. I got a killer re-start after the red flag and was up to second but just couldn’t make the move for the lead. I knew I had the speed and the bike to do it but it was such a sketchy track that if I went for it, I didn’t think I was going to finish on two wheels. We stuck it out and got some good points with second for a 1-2 to start the season.”
Whale, charging hard, finished another 0.210 seconds back for third.
Max Whale (18). Photo courtesy KTM Factory Racing.
Max Whale: “Texas was good, it went well for me personally and another double-podium for the team, which is great! I felt awesome all day but the track was hard to pass on and I struggled with that. All-in-all, it was a good weekend and I’m looking forward to the next one.”
Next Race: I-70 Half-Mile – Odessa, Missouri – April 23, 2021
Round 2 Results – Texas Half-Mile AFT Singles Main Event
More, from a press release issued by Indian Motorcycle:
INDIAN MOTORCYCLE RACING WINS TEXAS HALF-MILE WITH DOMINANT PERFORMANCE BY JARED MEES
Reigning SuperTwins Champion Secures First Win of 2022 Season, Jumps to Second on Leaderboard
Jared Mees (1). Photo courtesy Indian Motorcycle.
Minneapolis, MN. (March 21, 2022) – Indian Motorcycle Racing, presented by Progressive Motorcycle Insurance, secured its second consecutive win of the 2022 American Flat Track season following a dominant performance by reigning SuperTwins Champion Jared Mees. Mees’ first win of the season places him in second on the championship leaderboard, just one point behind fellow Indian Motorcycle Wrecking Crew rider Briar Bauman.
Following a fifth-place finish at the Volusia Half-Mile season opener, Mees, the defending champion, was seeking redemption at the Texas Half-Mile. After winning his semi and the #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, Mees demonstrated his racing prowess during the Main event. While JD Beach jumped out to an early lead in the Main, it was Mees who took control after just two laps. He quickly pulled away from the rest of the field, riding unchallenged the remainder of the 32-lap racing, to ultimately capture his first win of the 2022 season.
“This was a classic Jared Mees, bounce-back performance. After missing the podium last round, Mees answered with an impressive round that reminded everyone why he’s the No. 1 rider,” said Gary Gray, Vice President Racing, Service & Technology for Indian Motorcycle. “Though it’s early in the season, this was an important win for Jared as he looks to stay out front and at the top of the leaderboard throughout the entire season.”
In 2021, Mees demonstrated one of his finest performances of his career. After a mid-season knee surgery cost him critical points, Mees went on a historic run to earn his seventh career championship – securing nine consecutive podiums and winning five of the last seven races of the season. The strong finish edged him over fellow Wrecking Crew rider Briar Bauman and got Mees one championship closer to his career goal to meet Scottie Parker’s record of nine championships.
The 2022 American Flat Track season continues April 23 for the I-70 Half-Mile at I-70 Motorsports Park in Odessa, MO.
Sponsors for Indian Motorcycle Racing’s American Flat Track efforts include Progressive Insurance, S&S®, Indian Motorcycle Oil, Bell Helmets, Drag Specialties and Parts Unlimited.
For more information on Indian Motorcycle Racing, visit IndianMotorcycle.com and follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
ABOUT INDIAN MOTORCYCLE®
Indian Motorcycle is America’s First Motorcycle Company®. Founded in 1901, Indian Motorcycle has won the hearts of motorcyclists around the world and earned distinction as one of America’s most legendary and iconic brands through unrivaled racing dominance, engineering prowess and countless innovations and industry firsts. Today that heritage and passion is reignited under new brand stewardship. To learn more, please visit www.indianmotorcycle.com.
MotoGP™ Legend inductions set to take place in 2022
Jorge Lorenzo, Max Biaggi and Hugh Anderson are confirmed to be inducted into the Hall of Fame this season
Monday, 21 March 2022
Five-time World Champion Jorge Lorenzo, four-time World Champion Max Biaggi and four-time World Champion Hugh Anderson were set to be inducted into the MotoGP™ Legends Hall of Fame prior to the Covid-19 pandemic; the Spaniard at Jerez, the Italian at Mugello and the New Zealander later in the season.
Due to limitations caused by the pandemic, it was decided to delay their inductions until such time as it was possible to hold a more traditional MotoGP™ Legend ceremony – allowing the three the opportunity to celebrate the milestone in the company of family members, friends, and paddock personnel, as well as to allow journalists and media the chance to attend.
As restrictions ease in many places, a new date has now been set for each ceremony. As originally planned, Jorge Lorenzo will be inducted on Saturday at the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto, with two-time WorldSBK Champion Max Biaggi up next on Friday at the Autodromo del Mugello. Hugh Anderson will be inducted later in 2022, with the initial plan set to see the ceremony for the New Zealander take place at Phillip Island.
Mike Jones completed a perfect weekend to take two wins from two races at Round Two of the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul (ASBK) at Queensland Raceway.
Bryan Staring (DesmoSport Ducati Panigale V4-R) got the early jump on Mike Jones (Yamaha Racing YZF-R1) to take the lead in Race 1, with Glenn Allerton (Maxima Oils Racing BMW M1000RR) also making a big first lap move up to fourth. Jones would briefly retake the lead on lap two, but left the door open enough for Staring to nudge through.
A mid-corner error from Staring saw the Championship leader drop out of contention and hand second place to Wayne Maxwell (V4-R). Jones would cruise to a 5.6-second lead to take victory ahead of Maxwell and Josh Waters (Maxima Oils Racing BMW M1000RR).
Maxwell would time his launch perfectly to take an early lead in Race Two ahead of Jones and Staring. It would be short-lived however as Jones ran past the Ducati through the outside of turn two. Arthur Sissis (Unitech Racing YZF-R1) and Cru Halliday (Yamaha Racing YZF-R1) would argue over fourth and fifth respectively. This duel would be settled before the chequered flag when Halliday stopped on the penultimate lap with mechanical issues.
Staring would shadow Jones more closely in the afternoon race, albeit two-seconds adrift. Eventually, Jones took his second win by 4.6 seconds ahead of Bryan Staring and Wayne Maxwell.
“All the guys at Yamaha have put in a big effort to help me adapt to this bike. The last win for me was in 2019 so to come and get a couple of wins is just fantastic,” said Jones.
Jones now leads the championship on 86 points over Bryan Staring on 70 points with Josh Waters on 67 points. Jones, by his own admission, was surprised to be so competitive so early.
“I was hoping as the season went on to get to grips with the Yamaha and be able to challenge, so to lead the championship is a little bit above my expectations,” added Jones.
Second-placed Staring was circumspect after a crash in Race One effectively lost him the championship lead to Jones, but philosophical nonetheless about his return to form.
“It’s funny how the desire to be competitive is soon outrun by the fact that you want to win,” said Staring.
Third-placed Maxwell was happy to score two podiums on which he deems to be his ‘bogey’ circuit.
“Massive congrats to Mike and Bryan. They rode awesome,” said Maxwell.
“We’ll go back, have a look at the drawing board and come back at some tracks that are a little more suited to us and the bike.”
Mike Jones (center), Wayne Maxwell (left) and Josh Waters (right) on the podium at Queensland Raceway. Photo by Karl Phillipson/@optikalphoto, courtesy ASBK.
John Lytras (Yamaha YZF-R6) ran out to an early two-tenths of a second lead in Race One for Michelin Supersport, but couldn’t hold on – eventually being usurped by Tom Edwards (Yamaha YZF-R6) to the honours in ahead of Scott Nicholson (Yamaha YZF-R6) and Lytras. Nominal Championship leader (With actual leader Senna Agius now overseas) Tom Bramich crashed out of the race, giving him a challenge to work back into contention over the next six rounds.
Lytras would get the jump in Race Two, only to get pushed down to third in the first few corners by Olly Simpson and Tom Edwards. Tom Drane would make an impressive start to vault to fifth position. Edwards would eventually take two from two to lead the championship ahead of Lytras and Simpson.
After two riders went down at turn two (including Saturday front-runner Taiyo Asksu), the Dunlop Supersport 300 Race Two was restarted with five laps remaining. At the restart, Cameron Dunker (Yamaha YZF-R3) and Glenn Nelson (Yamaha YZF-R3) immediately grabbed an early break on the opposition. They were never challenged, with Nelson capitalising on a last-corner error from Dunker to take victory with Jonatha Nahlous (Kawasaki Ninja) in third.
In Race Three, Nelson and Dunker would get an early break on the field, with Nahlous fending off the rest of the pack. Dunker would pull a late race challenge, but Nelson would close the gate to take victory with Henry Snell eventually sneaking through to pinch third place.
With a number of riders missing the grid for Race Two of the Yamaha Finance R3 Cup, a large contingent would e forced to start from pit-lane. Cameron Dunker (Yamaha YZF-R3) got the early jump but would be challenged by both Glenn Nelson (Yamaha YZF-R3) and Henry Snell (Yamaha YZF-R3).
Nelson would survive a tight-fought battle to take victory in a thriller from Dunker and first-time podium placer Sam Pezzetta (Yamaha YZF-R3). Dunker would make amends to take the victory for Race Three ahead of Henry Snell and Glenn Nelson.
In Race Two of the bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup, it was another tense battle between Cameron Rende, Ryan Larkin, Teerin Fleming and Hudson Thompson (all Yamaha YZF-R15), with the lead changing multiple times each lap.
After dropping as low as sixth, Rende would time his run perfectly to take the chequered ahead of Larkin and Harrison Watts by five-hundredths of a second. However, applied penalties saw an amended result of Cameron Rende, Sam Drane and Hudson Thompson on the final podium.
In Race Three, Hunter Corney would lead into turn one ahead of Thompson and Watts. With only 1.2 seconds covering the top eight riders, getting the timing right would be crucial on the run to the flag.
Rende would have no such luck after dropping out from third place, leaving Watts to take a narrow victory over a fast-closing Ryan Larkin and Hudson Thompson in third.
Completing an almost perfect weekend, Phillip Underwood and Tristan Vercoe win Race Three of the Horsell Australian Sidecar Championship with the Turner family fighting out the final spots – Neil and Danyon Turner taking second place ahead of Jamie and Shelbey Turner in third.
Round Three of the 2022 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul (ASBK) continues at Wakefield Park on 22 – 24 April.
2022 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul (ASBK)
Round 1 Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, VIC 25 – 27 February
SBK, SSPT, SS300, R3 Cup, OJC, SBK Masters
Round 3 Wakefield Park Raceway, Goulburn NSW 22 – 24 April
SBK, SSPT, SS300, R3 Cup, OJC, Sidecars
Round 4 Hidden Valley Raceway, Darwin NT 17 – 19 June
* With Supercars – SBK Only
Round 5 Morgan Park Raceway, Warwick QLD 5 – 7 August
SBK, SSPT, SS300, R3 Cup, OJC
Round 6 Symmons Plains Raceway – Launceston TAS 20 – 23 October
SBK, SSPT, SS300, R3 Cup
Round 7 Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, Cowes VIC TBA – November
TBC
Round 8 The Bend Motorsport Park, Tailem Bend SA 2 – 4 December
SBK, SSPT, SS300, R3 Cup, OJC
ASBK Night of Champions Dinner – The Bend 4 December
More, from another press release issued by ASBK:
22nd March 2022
ASBK Race Direction Post-Race Notification
Dear Supersport Competitors,
The ASBK Race Direction advise of the Post-Race Disqualification of – #26 Tom Edwards
Following Post-Race Technical Inspection, a report from the ASBK Chief Technical Officer to the ASBK Race Director confirms a breach of ASBK Technical Regulations 4.25.6 – Technical Regulations (SSP) Modification of OEM Parts for rider #26 Tom Edwards.
This breach is effective for Supersport Race 1 & 2, in addition to the pole position result during ASBK Round 2 – Queensland Raceway.
The final results of both Supersport races at ASBK Round 2, the ASBK Championship Points for Supersport will now be amended by the ASBK Chief Timekeeper.
The point for Pole Position for Supersport class at ASBK Round 2 will now be awarded to the 2nd place qualifier.
The updated results will be available on Computime & ASBK websites and any new podium placegetters will be contacted by ASBK Management with respect to the trophy presentation.
The rider retains the right to protest as per the ASBK Sporting Regulations and MA GCR’s.
Featured In the March 2022 issue of Roadracing World:
“Confirmation bias describes the human tendency to accept evidence of previously held beliefs while discarding philosophically troubling and potentially contradictory data. If there is one thing we learned from Cassandra, it’s that awareness of a developing phenomenon is not always useful.
“AOD had won the opening round at Carolina Motorsports Park in a pretty decisive fashion but Twisted Speed, our principal competition, had still finished second due to an ill-fated DNF from N2/Bobblehead. My instinct was to accept the win as proof of our competitive superiority but I knew that we had been fortunate for a variety of reasons and, therefore, we still had work to do but, with only the wet race experience, it was a little tough to decide which direction we needed to go…”
—Army Of Darkness, N2/WERA Endurance, Part 2, by Sam Q. Fleming
Backs against the wall, the Army of Darkness resorts to testing in order to chase down Twisted Speed Racing in perhaps the highest-profile racing series in the U.S. to feature an honest-to-god tire battle. Read how AOD tried to dig itself out of its early-season hole in the latest issue of Roadracing World!
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Oliveira stages a wet weather masterclass to put KTM on top at Mandalika
A truly stunning performance from the Portuguese rider puts him back on the top step and gives KTM the lead in the Teams’ and Constructors’ standings
Miguel Oliveira (88) takes the checkered flag in Indonesia. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Sunday, 20 March 2022
It was worth the wait, wasn’t it? On a rain-soaked Sunday afternoon at the Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia, Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) put in an absolute masterclass in wet conditions to claim victory and bounce back in style from a tough opening round. Reigning World Champion Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) sliced back through to second for his first podium of the season, ahead of compatriot Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) in third. The win for Oliveira sees KTM head the Constructors’ standings for the first time, as well as putting Red Bull KTM Factory Racing top in the teams’ title fight thanks to their Qatar podium and, now, first victory of the season.
The drama began early on Sunday, however, as Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) suffered a huge crash in Warm Up and was forced to miss the race due to concussion. Then, after Moto2™, the rain came down as thunderstorms hit Lombok, but after more than an hour’s delay, at 16:15 local time, it was lights out in Indonesia for the first time in 25 years. Quartararo got an outstanding launch from pole position, comfortably collecting the holeshot, as Oliveira made a lightning start from P7 to grab second and Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) shot swiftly up to P3 from sixth on the grid.
At the start of Lap 2, both Oliveira and Miller passed Quartararo as the early pacesetters started to stretch their legs, with the Australian then picking off Oliveira for the race lead too. Now down in third, Quartararo had Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), compatriot Zarco and a rapid starting Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) for company too – the 2020 Champion up from way down the grid after a nightmare Q1.
Rins and Zarco then got the better of Quartararo early on, but they faced an already substantial 2.4s gap to Miller and Oliveira… and that order was about to switch. The Portuguese rider carved his way past the Ducati of Miller at Turn 12 on Lap 6 to retake the lead, and then he got the hammer down.
Meanwhile, there was a big moment for Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), the Italian somehow staying on after a snap into Turn 1. Still, he slipped down to P12 behind Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), with Championship leader Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) struggling even more, dow in P20 from fifth on the grid.
Back in the top ten though, Turn 1 was about to bite again. Having just got the better of Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) for P7, Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) then became the first and only crasher of the race in the braking zone into the first corner, the 2021 Rookie of the Year down, out, but ok.
At the front, there were no such dramas. Oliveira had stretched his lead to 1.6s, Miller was second, Rins third, Zarco fourth, and Quartararo fifth with 12 laps to go. At half race distance though, Zarco was the quickest rider on track and a quality move came on Rins at Turn 12 for P3. Miller wasn’t far up the road from the Frenchman either, and he looked desperate to pass the Australian as Quartararo really started to find his groove behind them. Sure enough, El Diablo was back into P3 with five laps to go, with he and Zarco fighting it out in spectacular style.
Oliveira was 3.5s clear as the battle raged behind, but with Quartararo now the fastest rider on track and back up to second on Lap 16 of 20. Zarco also managed to follow the Yamaha man through on Miller, and with three laps to go, it suddenly started to look like Oliveira might be in the crosshairs after all. The gap was slashed by a second and the lead was down to 3.4s – was it game on?
Quartararo took a tenth more here and there as the laps ticked down, but Oliveira responded. At the start of the last lap, it remained a healthy 2.8s and the Portuguese rider just needed to bring it home, with Quartararo enjoying a 0.9s buffer to Zarco, who in turn had 2.3s in hand over Miller. The podium seemed decided, and it was.
Crossing the line for his first win of the year, Oliveira’s masterclass sees the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider take 25 points, puts KTM on top in the title and factory fights, and moves him up 16 places in the riders’ Championship to boot. After a tough start in Qatar and for much of the latter half of 2021, it was quite a statement ride by the multiple MotoGP™ winner.
Nevertheless, Quartararo celebrated P2 like a win as the Frenchman showed his wet weather prowess for the first time in the premier class, taking some valuable points too. Zarco completed the podium, the third place marking a return to the rostrum for the number 5 for the first time since Barcelona 2021.
Miller, always strong in the wet, takes home a hard-earned P4, with Rins putting in a solid ride to claim P5. P6 for Mir, having started from the lower echelons of the top 20, is also a job well done for the 2020 World Champion too, and he got onto the back of his teammate by the flag. Morbidelli ended up a somewhat lonely P7 despite his three-place grid penalty as we witnessed an almighty battle for P8 behind the Italian.
It was won in the end by Brad Binder, who was just ahead of Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) over the line. But the South African had to get his elbows to take that eighth place by force, and it was none other than his brother, WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™ Team’s Darryn Binder, standing in the way.
The rookie put in a tour de force and one of the rides of the day, leading the battle for eighth onto the final lap before Brad Binder struck, then only losing out to the number 33 and Espargaro’s Aprilia. The number 40 claimed his first points and top ten after an absolute barnstormer, top rookie by some margin.
World Championship leader Bastianini, who retains that moniker by two single points ahead of Brad Binder and recovering well in the latter stages, took P11 ahead of Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team), Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) and Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team). Bagnaia slipped down the order after his earlier moment to a tough P15, making it one point from the opening two races for one of the pre-season title favourites.
Andrea Dovizioso (WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™ Team) was the only other non-finisher alongside Martin after the Italian encountered an issue with his YZR-M1 and was forced to retire.
That’s take one on Lombok in the history books, and it’s safe to say the Indonesian GP was full of action. Oliveira goes home with the race-winning trophy, Bastianini remains the title leader, and there’s only 10 points between the top nine heading to Argentina for Round 3… as well as a new manufacturer on top in the standings. Join us for more as MotoGP™ returns at Termas de Rio Hondo!
Miguel Oliveira: “Emotionally it was a rollercoaster because the start was perfect but in the wet it’s so hard to judge where the limit is. So I followed Jack for a couple of laps and then I understood I could go a bit faster, so when I overtook him I just tried to focus for the next five laps to do the maximum I could. Then I built a gap and just managed throughout the whole race, but for sure it wasn’t easy. The last couple of months haven’t been easy for me so to be back like this with this incredible win, it’s really emotional. I promised my daughter I would get her a trophy from Indonesia, so this one is for you baby. I want to dedicate this podium to a guy called Rizman, he’s part of the staff in the hotel I’ve stayed in, he has been supporting me the whole week and he’s a really nice guy, so I promised that if I was on the podium I’d dedicate it to him. Let’s go to Argentina, see what we can do, keep up the level but for now I’m just super happy to be here on the podium!”
Chantra uncatchable to become Thailand’s first Grand Prix winner
The Idemitsu Honda Team Asia rider dominated from start to finish to make a little history at Mandalika
Somkiat Chantra (35). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Somkiat Chantra is the first Thai rider to win a Grand Prix race! The Idemitsu Honda Team Asia rider led from the first corner to the chequered flag in a Moto2™ masterclass, coming home three seconds clear of Championship leader Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team, with Aron Canet (Flexbox HP40) collecting his second podium of the season in third – and remaining the rider on Vietti’s tail in the standings.
Ahead of the race, it was announced that the new race length would be 16 laps due to track conditions, although the intermediate class had a dry race barring some drops of very light rain on the warm up lap. The race got underway on slicks though though and it was Chantra who pinched the holeshot from the second row, with polesitter Jake Dixon (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team) P2 before Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) snuck past at Turn 2.
The rain was still lingering but Chantra held onto the lead from Lowes and Dixon, with Vietti eventually getting the better of Simone Corsi (MV Agusta Forward Racing) as the Italians battled it out at the end of the opening lap. Canet was a beneficiary of the Vietti/Corsi fight too, the Spaniard into P4 and in touch with Lowes and Dixon.
On Lap 6, just after passing compatriot Lowes for second, Dixon then tucked the front at Turn 10. Just ahead, Chantra had opened the gap up to over a second, and after Dixon’s crash, Canet was left in second ahead of Lowes. Vietti then passed the Brit and with nine laps to go, two seconds split the top three. Vietti made a classy move on Canet stick at Turn 12 not long after, and the gap to bridge was 2.1s with eight laps remaining…
The response from Chantra? The fastest lap of the race. His lead over Vietti went up a tenth, and on the next lap, it was up to 2.3s. By five to go it was 2.6s, and it looked like Vietti and co. had no answer for the Thai star. With two laps to go, the gap was over three seconds and it seemed decided: all Chantra had to do was bring it home.
That’s exactly what he did. The Thai rider crossed the line to claim an outstanding victory by over three seconds, becoming the first rider from his nation to win a Grand Prix race. Vietti was able to take a valuable second and 20 points though, the Qatar winner extending his lead over Canet as the Spaniard completed the podium. For both, it’s back-to-back podiums to start the season.
Lowes was a lonely finisher in P4 as Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) held off a charge up from a tough grid position for Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) in P5 and P6, respectively. Fermin Aldeguer (MB Conveyors Speed Up) took an impressive P7, with Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) in eighth. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) claimed ninth after his Long Lap Penalty given for crashing under a yellow flag in practice, the Spaniard embroiled in a great battle with Albert Arenas (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team), who ultimately lost out.
Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) took P11, just ahead of compatriot Cameron Beaubier (American Racing) less than a tenth behind him. Jorge Navarro (Flexbox HP40), rookie Jeremy Alcoba (Liqui Moly Intact GP) and near-home hero Bo Bendsneyder (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team) completed the top 15.
And so a little history is made at Mandalika, with a new rider and nation on the list of winners. Vietti extends his title lead to nine points over Canet heading to Argentina, but it will surely be a another classic. Come back for more in just under a fortnight as Termas de Rio Hondo plays host!
2 Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) – Kalex – +3.230
3 Aron Canet (Flexbox HP 40) – Kalex – +4.366
Somkiat Chantra: “I feel so happy! I also don’t believe it! On the last lap, I saw I was P1 and I saw the chequered flag and I was like ‘oh I’m in first position!’ It’s also my first time here in Moto2…I’m really happy. I also would like to say thanks to my family. I want to thank my sponsors, Thai Honda. Also thank you to Idemitsu Honda Team Asia and next leg I will be more strong! See you then, bye!”
Foggia takes flawless first win of 2022
The runner up last season blasted out the blocks and straight to the top step in Lombok, with Guevara second and Tatay taking a first podium in third
Dennis Foggia (7) won the Moto3 race in Indonesia. Photo courtesy Dorna.
That’s about as good as it gets if your name is Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing). The Italian dominated the Moto3™ race at the Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia to claim his first victory of the season – and the World Championship lead with it. Izan Guevara (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) picked up a hard-fought P2, with polesitter Carlos Tatay (CFMoto Racing PrüstelGP) brilliantly recovering from a Long Lap Penalty to earn a maiden Grand Prix podium in third.
There was drama before the race started for second on the grid Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI), with the Brazilian rookie suffering an issue with his machine and forced to start from the back of the grid. Back at the front, Sergio Garcia (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) grabbed an impressive holeshot from seventh on the grid, with Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) and Foggia making their own great starts from the second row.
Foggia made it to the front and was joined by Migno, Garcia and Guevara, with the quartet able to pull a gap in the opening five laps. Foggia then decided to put the hammer down and the Italian was 1.5s clear on Lap 7 of 23, as Championship leader Migno had a front-end scare at the final corner. By Lap 9, Foggia’s lead was up to 3.2s, with Guevera opening up a 0.5s gap in second place.
Garcia had slipped back into the clutches of Migno, Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo), Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3), Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Ayumu Sasaki (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max), but the Spaniard suddenly turned up the wick to reel in Guevara with 10 laps to go. By this stage at the front though, Foggia had checked out – his lead up to 5.1s.
With Foggia producing a flawless race, it was all eyes on the battle for second. Guevara, Migno, Öncü, Garcia, Masia, Holgado and Sasaki were now joined by Xavier Artigas (CFMoto Racing PrüstelGP), Elia Bartolini (QJMotor Avintia Racing Team), Tatay and Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing).
Heading onto the final lap, Guevera was 0.9s ahead of the charging Tatay and Garcia. Foggia was four seconds up the road and cruising to victory, and Tatay was then wide at Turn 10 to allow Garcia into the final podium position. But at the penultimate corner the number 99 struck back, keeping it over the line and coming home behind Guevara.
At the front though, no one had an answer for Foggia as he popped a wheelie over the line to confirm his dominant victory, still more than two seconds clear at the flag. Guevara’s second is his first podium of the season, and for Tatay the incredible charge to the podium marks his first visit to the rostrum, as well as the first for CFMoto.
Garcia took fourth but some solid points, just two behind Foggia and in second, with Öncü completing the top five. Artigas took P6 ahead of Masia after the number 5 escaped a tangle with Öncü late on, with Bartolini, Holgado and Suzuki completing the top ten.
Sasaki and Migno crashed on the final lap – the Japanese rider tagging the back of Migno at Turn 10. The number 71 has been given a Long Lap penalty for the Moto3™ race in Argentina.
Ryusei Yamanaka (MT Helmets – MSI) beat Kaito Toba (CIP – Green Power) to 11th, with a trio of rookies completing the points. The first was Scott Ogden (VisionTrack Racing Team) as the Brit finished close to the Japanese veterans just ahead, impressing with his first Grand Prix points.
Then came the home hero: Mario Aji (Honda Team Asia). The Indonesian took an incredible front row on Saturday and backed it up with his first points on Sunday despite a Long Lap, taking a big step forward on home turf. Matteo Bertelle (QJMotor Avintia Racing Team) took the final point in P15, the Italian rookie crossing the line a couple of tenths behind Aji but after having taking two Long Lap penalties – the first for a shortcut, and the second for failing to take the first.
That’s a wrap on another classic weekend of Moto3™ action, with Argentina up next. Foggia is in the driving seat now but Garcia only trails by a single point… so what will Termas de Rio Hondo bring? Find out in just under two weeks!
Moto3™ PODIUM
1 Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) – Honda – 38’51.668
3 Carlos Tatay (CFMoto Racing PrüstelGP) – CFMoto – +3.639
Dennis Foggia: “I don’t have words. It was so hot. It was incredible, the race. Yesterday, I was unlucky in the qualifying because I crashed when I was being fast, but finally I finished in 6th position. Now, I know that we had a good pace for the race. In the last lap, it was impossible to breathe, it was so hard. This my best hard race in my life. Incredible. I’m very happy for me and for my team. I would like to thanks to all my team, my family, all my friends and my girlfriend. See you in Argentina!”
Provisional Mission Production Twins Main Event Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Cory Texter (Yam), 24 laps
2. Ben Lowe (Har), -00.872 seconds
3. Kolby Carlile (Har), -02.680
4. Nick Armstrong (Yam), -02.894
5. Cole Zabala (Yam), -04.964
6. Johnny Lewis (Roy), -06.270
7. Ryan Varnes (KTM), -10.378
8. Michael Hill (Yam), -11.159
9. Kasey Sciscoe (Kaw), -12.740
10. David Wiggin (Har), -17.177
11. Gary Ketchum (Har), -17.412
12. Billy Ross (Kaw), -11 laps
13. Jeffery Lowery (Yam), -11 laps
14. Jesse Janisch (Har), -18 laps
15. Cody Johncox (Yam), -22 laps
16. Patrick Buchanan (Har), -23 laps
17. Chad Cose (Har), -24 laps
Provisional Parts Unlimited AFT Singles Main Event Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Morgen Mischler (Hon), 5 laps
2. Max Whale (KTM), -00.100 seconds
3. Trevor Brunner (Yam), -00.291
4. Justin Jones (Hon), -01.141
5. Kody Kopp (KTM), -01.575
6. Tanner Dean (KTM), -02.057
7. Dalton Gauthier (Hon), -02.768
8. Gage Smith (Hon), -02.956
9. Aidan RoosEvans (Hon), -03.476
10. Michael Inderbitzin (Hon), -03.520
11. Trent Lowe (Hon), -03.679
12. Ryan Wells (KTM), -04.094
13. Hunter Bauer (KTM), -04.888
14. Chase Saathoff (Hon), -05.081
15. Kevin Stollings (Hon), -05.412
16. Logan McGrane (KTM), -05.635
17. Tarren Santero (Yam), -16.686
Provisional Mission SuperTwins Main Event Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Jared Mees (Ind), 32 laps
2. JD Beach (Yam), -00.408 seconds
3. Dallas Daniels (Yam), -00.791
4. Briar Bauman (Ind), -05.618
5. Jarod Vanderkooi (Ind), -10.797
6. Brandon Robinson (Ind), -11.712
7. Davis Fisher (Ind), -11.892
8. Bronson Bauman (Har), -13.422
9. Brandon Price (Ind), -1 lap, -01.634
10. Ben Lowe (PT) (Har), -1 lap, -03.425
11. Larry Pegram (Ind), -1 lap, -06.654
12. Kolby Carlile (PT) (Har), -1 lap, -06.787
13. Danny Eslick (Ind), -1 lap, -09.385
14. Nick Armstrong (PT) (Yam), -1 lap, -10.704
15. Robert Pearson (Ind), -1 lap, -20.307
16. Shayna Texter-Bauman (Ind), -12 laps
More, from a press release issued by American Flat Track (AFT):
Mees Strikes Back at Texas Half-Mile
Jared Mees (1). Photo courtesy AFT.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 19, 2022) – Progressive American Flat Track superstar Jared Mees (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) rebounded like a champion with a convincing victory in Saturday night’s Mission Texas Half-Mile presented by Roof Systems at the Dirt Track at Texas Motor Speedway.
Few expected Mees to kick off his Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle title defense as a relative non-factor, running in fifth in last weekend’s season opener at Volusia Speedway Park. That muted performance made this weekend’s showdown all that more important, and given a second chance, Mees made clear the path to the #1 plate still goes through him.
Mees looked virtually unbeatable all night long, a trend he continued once he dove underneath a quick-starting JD Beach (No. 95 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) to take control of the Main Event while still in its opening stages.
The defending champ pulled clear and cruised to the checkered flag, only suffering a minor scare when Beach and his Estenson teammate, Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT), used traffic and their own battle for second to reduce the gap to back under a second over the race’s final two laps.
“It felt really good,” Mees said. “Last weekend we were a little off for sure, but it felt good to rebound. That Main Event was really hectic with all the lappers, but the Indian Motorcycle backed by Progressive Insurance worked awesome tonight. It was so hooked up. My guys are all working so hard.
“I really wanted to come in and have a good result today with the break we have coming up. Last week didn’t sit well… I wanted this one bad.”
The Yamaha 2-3 was another sign that the series’ attempts to balance the field are working as hoped, while also providing positive feedback for Estenson Racing in regards to their offseason MT-07 DT upgrades.
It also underlined the potency of the talented Beach-Daniels tandem. That was made especially clear when Mission SuperTwins rookie Daniels not only diced with two-time class champion Briar Bauman (No. 3 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) but got the better of him.
A bobble on Bauman’s part put him out of podium contention, but he was well clear of the pack behind and finished alone in a safe fourth. Some five seconds back, Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) won out over teammate Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) in their scrap for fifth.
Meanwhile, Davis Fisher (No. 67 Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing Indian FTR750), Bronson Bauman (No. 37 Latus Motors Racing Harley-Davidson XG750R), and Brandon Price (No. 92 Briggsauto.com/Martin Trucking Indian FTR750) came home seventh through ninth, respectively, while Ben Lowe (No. 25 Helipower Racing/Mission Foods Harley-Davidson XG750R) turned his Mission Production Twins Challenge entry into a top-ten premier-class finish.
Mission Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines
While reigning Mission Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines champion Cory Texter (No. 1 G&G Racing/Yamaha Racing Yamaha MT-07) got his own title defense off to a bit of a quiet start last weekend, all it took was a return to the scene of his maiden class victory in 2019 to remind the paddock of the pecking order he’s worked so hard to maintain ever since. That and a lot of perseverance.
Texter was in control throughout the Main Event despite the numerous potential pitfalls thrown his way. Moments after he claimed the initial holeshot, Chad Cose (No. 49 DPC Racing/Voodoo Ranger Harley-Davidson XG750R) crashed after coming together with Jesse Janisch (No. 33 Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson XG750R), bringing out an early red.
Then after getting a second holeshot and opening up a healthy advantage, Texter was forced to do it a third time when a second red flag was shown following a Jeffery Lowery (No. 223 Lowery Racing/Gray Hogs Yamaha MT-07) fall. Make that a fourth time, as Billy Ross (No. 109 Pro 1 Industries/Campbells Services Kawasaki 650 Ninja) was the next to crash and cause another stoppage.
Texter then had to set the pace and avoid any mistakes of his own on an extremely tricky dry surface before at last securing his first win of the young 2022 season.
“You don’t like to see red flags when you’re leading,” Texter said. “When you have a gap, it’s like, ‘Man…’ But I’ve been in that situation before so I just stayed calm, had confidence in my starts, and trusted my instincts. The boys said to keep doing what I was doing, so at that point you just don’t want to mess up.
“This is such an emotional win for me. The last time we were here and I won, I gave my mechanic, Jon (Reid), the victory lap, and he passed away at the end of the season. So I really wanted to win this one for him. This one means a lot.”
Ben Lowe (No. 25 Helipower Racing/Mission Foods Harley-Davidson XG750R) kept Texter honest in the final leg of the Main and was well positioned to capitalize on any mistake. While that mistake never came, Lowe did finish as the runner-up, earning a strong result at his primary sponsors’ home round.
The still-mending Kolby Carlile (No. 36 KC36 Las Vegas Harley-Davidson XG750R) rounded out the podium. He did so only after fending off last weekend’s surprise winner, Nick Armstrong (No. 60 Competitive Racing Frames/Lessley Brothers Yamaha MT-07), who proved that his opening-weekend performance was no fluke with a close fourth.
New class contender Cole Zabala (No. 51 Memphis Shades/Corbin/Vinson Yamaha MT-07) made a late move around Johnny Lewis (No. 10 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield Twins FT) to complete the top five.
Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER
Best known for epic, come-from-behind rides exploiting the high line, Morgen Mischler (No. 13 American Honda/Progressive Insurance CRF450R) won in the complete opposite fashion on Saturday night. After beating polesitter Max Whale (No. 18 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-FFE) into the opening corner, Mischler immediately set about what would ultimately prove to be a race-long defense of the low line.
It was actually Trevor Brunner (No. 21 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) who was the rider on the move in the early stages, blasting his way up from the third row and into third place on a track where no one else seemed to have much success overtaking.
However, the reason for that was made evident with the manner in which Brunner’s charge ended. His aggressive attempts to overhaul Whale for second concluded with the Yamaha pilot on the dirt. Making matters worse, Tanner Dean (No. 38 Waters Autobody Racing KTM 450 SX-F) had nowhere to go but over top of Brunner’s downed machine, the incident provoking a red-flag stoppage.
Mischler resumed the lead at the restart, but Whale lost another spot off the line. This time it was teammate Kody Kopp (No. 12 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-FFE) who displaced him, diving into second to take over the pursuit for the lead.
The three then raced in close formation for the remainder of the race. Despite Kopp sizing Mischler up for a final-lap attack, he thought better of it and accepted second rather than risk disaster.
Race-winner Mischer said, “Our team has a lot of great pieces that pull this whole program together. The whole Turner Factory Honda team is amazing and they have a wealth of knowledge. I felt really bad because in practice I wadded one of these bikes up pretty bad. This is actually my ‘B bike,’ but she got the job done today. Those guys put in a ton of work, and I wouldn’t be here without them.”
Mischler’s teammate, Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 American Honda/Progressive Insurance CRF450R), put in a relatively lonely ride to fourth, followed by Michael Inderbitzin (No. 54 1st Impressions Services of Florida Honda CRF450R) and Trent Lowe (No. 48 Mission Foods/Al Lamb’s Dallas Honda CRF450R).
The Mission Texas Half-Mile will premiere on FS1 on Sunday, March 27, at 1:00 p.m. ET/10:00 a.m. PT., including exclusive features, cutting-edge aerial drone and onboard footage, and expert commentary.
For those viewing from home, you can catch the livestream free via Facebook up until Opening Ceremonies. Fans can then purchase access to watch Opening Ceremonies, Semis, Main Events, and podium celebrations via Facebook Paid Online Events for $3.99 if purchased 24 hours or more in advance, or $4.99 if purchased on the day of the event.
To score the latest gear for the Progressive American Flat Track fan, visit our official merchandise store at https://store.americanflattrack.com.
How to Watch:
FOX Sports and Facebook are the official homes for coverage of Progressive American Flat Track. For the 2022 season, all 18 races will premiere in one-hour telecasts on FS1 during highly desirable weekend time slots. The complete schedule can be viewed at https://www.americanflattrack.com/events-foxsports. Viewers can watch livestream coverage of every round in the Facebook mobile app, Facebook desktop site or on the Facebook Watch mobile app. To watch the livestream on TV, fans can download the Facebook Watch TV app, or cast to a TV from the Facebook mobile app. Facebook Watch is available through Apple TV, Samsung Smart TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, and Xbox One.
Hometown hero, Mike Jones has taken pole position for Round Two of the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul (ASBK) at Queensland Raceway.
Practice form certainly dictated the outcome, with Jones’ time of 1:07.673 enjoying a two-tenths margin over Staring, but for the first time this weekend – after much speculation – the top three riders finally dropped into the 1:07’s.
In the post-qualifying press conference, Jones was simply happy to tick the first box for the weekend.
“Track knowledge is a key part of being able to go fast around here and being able to refine each corner to the absolute maximum,” said Jones.
“I just need to make a good start, get my head down and put in some quick lap times and see what happens towards the end of the race.”
Starting from P2 tomorrow, Bryan Staring would not be drawn on being the top Ducati on the day – ahead of Wayne Maxwell. “That’s fine, it’s not a big deal to me. I’m really happy with that qualifying session- to be back on the front row- I actually don’t know the last time I was on the front row.
“It’s all about getting a good start for the two races tomorrow…”
For Wayne Maxwell, P3 was a good outcome, but there’s work to be done if the 2021 Champion is going to claw back from seventh in the title chase.”Look, it’s been a bit of a struggle. We’re on the back foot compared to these guys… we’ll try to make some more improvements to the bike overnight and come out tomorrow and try to close that last bit of the gap. We’ll just do our thing tomorrow.”
In Q1, Jed Metcher, Aiden Wagner and Mark Chiodo progressed to the final stage of Superbike qualifying, while in Q2, Troy Herfoss would run into technical issues, forcing him to swap onto his second bike with five minutes remaining in the session.
After a close-fought qualifying, Tom Edwards (Yamaha YZF-R6) took the Michelin Supersport pole after securing a time of 1:11.180 – pipping Friday Practice fast man John Lytras (Yamaha YZF-R6) by two-tenths of a second, with Olly Simpson (Yamaha YZF-R6) a further three-tenths adrift.
Until he put the bike on pole, Edwards had not topped the timesheets in any session but knew the incremental improvements the team had made was heading the bike in the right direction.
“I’m really happy with qualifying- I picked up a heap of time just in qualifying. I just went out there to do a race simulation and I just got quicker and quicker – every lap I do here I learn
more.
Edwards wrapped up his press conference while sounding an ominous warning to fellow Michelin Supersport competitors: “I still think there’s definitely more to come tomorrow…”
Glenn Nelson (Yamaha YZF-R3) edged Cameron Dunker (Yamaha YZF-R3) by a tenth of a second to take pole for Dunlop Supersport 300, with Henry Snell (Yamaha YZF-R3) rounding out the top three. After starting from fifth of the grid, James Jacobs (Kawasaki Ninja) edged his way into the lead, taking out Race One ahead of Cameron Dunker and Taiyo Aksu (Yamaha YZF-R3) in a typically exciting and varied Dunlop Supersport 300 race.
The Yamaha Finance R3 Cup grid was the first to get locked away just after lunch, with Cameron Dunker (Yamaha YZF-R3) taking pole with a 1.21:916 – half a second ahead of Glenn Nelson (Yamaha YZF-R3) and Macus Hamod (Yamaha YZF-R3).
In Race One, Dunker would lead from lights to flag ahead of runner-up Nelson, with Aksu rounding out the top three. A crash at Turn 3 saw Henry Snell walk away unscathed but out of contention.
It was going to be a tight bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup with Levi Russo (Yamaha YZF-15) just edging Hudson Thompson (Yamaha YZF-15) in Q1 by just 2-hundredths of a second and Hunter Corney (Yamaha YZF-15) a further tenth away.
In Race One, Ryan Larkin would vault from sixth place on the grid to take the lead with four laps remaining. After a close dice with Hunter Corney and Cameron Rende, it was Hudson Thompson who would prevail from Corney and Rende with just four-tenths of a second covering the top five riders at the flag.
Phillip Underwood and Tristan Vercoe (Suzuki LCR 1000) laid down a hot time to take pole position for the Horsell Sidecar Championship ahead of Jamie and Shelby Turner (Suzuki LCR 1000), with Howard Ford and Corey Blackman (Suzuki RHR 1000) rounding out the top three.
Underwood and Vercoe went on to claim Race One victory, with Ford and Blackman edging Des Harvey and Stephen Marshall (Kawasaki RHR 1000) for the final podium spots.
In Race 2, Underwood and Vercoe would go the double, with the Turners again taking the runner-up spot ahead of Jeff Brown and Paris Halsey (Suzuki JBR 1000).
Featured In the March 2022 issue of Roadracing World:
It’s the little things that drive home the step American racers have to make when they leave the States and dive into the cauldron of International-level competition.For Garrett Gerloff, it was realizing that his one-finger front braking style simply didn’t work at the Superbike World Championship level. The ultimate braking capability on a World Superbike was so far beyond the limit of a MotoAmerica-spec machine that he discovered, he says, “With one finger, I just couldn’t pull the lever hard enough!”
Of the Americans currently racing overseas at the sport’s highest levels, Gerloff has so far been the most competitive. Aboard a GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team YZF-R1, the four-time MotoAmerica Superbike race winner has scored five podiums, including two second places…
—Interview: American Garrett Gerloff, by Michael Gougis
American Garrett Gerloff talks about moving from a series in which he was nearly always at the front of the field to one in which the competition is far stiffer. Gerloff discusses his challenges and his successes, and why he’s moved to Europe, in the latest issue of Roadracing World!
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Texas Motor Speedway, as seen in 2022. Photo by Scott Hunter, courtesy AFT.
RED BULL KTM TEAMMATES SHARE PODIUM HONORS AT TEXAS HALF-MILE
KODY KOPP EDGES OUT TEAMMATE MAX WHALE TO CLAIM SECOND IN AFT SINGLES CLASS
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – Round 2 AFT
FORT WORTH, Texas – Following 1-2 finishes at the opening round, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammates Kody Kopp and Max Whale once again shared podium honors at Round 2 of the American Flat Track Championship, delivering strong 2-3 results at the Texas Half-Mile.
Australian native Max Whale came out swinging from the start as he powered his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to the front in Semi 2. Sweeping all eight laps in dominant fashion, Whale secured pole position for the AFT Singles Main Event. Kopp also had a strong performance in Semi 1, where he raced in third from start to finish to secure a second-row start for the main.
In the Main Event, Whale once again asserted himself at the front of the pack with a second-place start, while Kopp worked his way into fifth and battled just outside podium contention early on. A red flag came out to re-set the field after a downed rider and this time it was Kopp who established a good jump off the re-start. Overtaking Whale for second, the 17-year-old chased down the race leader and the Red Bull KTM duo held on the pressure late into the race. Despite being within striking distance of the win, Kopp made the decision to play it safe and bring home a second-place finish, crossing the line only 0.123 seconds behind the leader.
Kody Kopp (12). Photo courtesy KTM Factory Racing.
Kody Kopp: “Texas was a very big weekend for me, I learned a lot and felt like I made a lot of progress throughout the day. I qualified 11th and then to come out with second was a win in itself. We changed a decent amount of stuff and it all came together in the Main Event. We narrowly missed a collision on the back straightaway and that allowed me to keep fighting through the pack. I got a killer re-start after the red flag and was up to second but just couldn’t make the move for the lead. I knew I had the speed and the bike to do it but it was such a sketchy track that if I went for it, I didn’t think I was going to finish on two wheels. We stuck it out and got some good points with second for a 1-2 to start the season.”
Whale, charging hard, finished another 0.210 seconds back for third.
Max Whale (18). Photo courtesy KTM Factory Racing.
Max Whale: “Texas was good, it went well for me personally and another double-podium for the team, which is great! I felt awesome all day but the track was hard to pass on and I struggled with that. All-in-all, it was a good weekend and I’m looking forward to the next one.”
Next Race: I-70 Half-Mile – Odessa, Missouri – April 23, 2021
Round 2 Results – Texas Half-Mile AFT Singles Main Event
More, from a press release issued by Indian Motorcycle:
INDIAN MOTORCYCLE RACING WINS TEXAS HALF-MILE WITH DOMINANT PERFORMANCE BY JARED MEES
Reigning SuperTwins Champion Secures First Win of 2022 Season, Jumps to Second on Leaderboard
Jared Mees (1). Photo courtesy Indian Motorcycle.
Minneapolis, MN. (March 21, 2022) – Indian Motorcycle Racing, presented by Progressive Motorcycle Insurance, secured its second consecutive win of the 2022 American Flat Track season following a dominant performance by reigning SuperTwins Champion Jared Mees. Mees’ first win of the season places him in second on the championship leaderboard, just one point behind fellow Indian Motorcycle Wrecking Crew rider Briar Bauman.
Following a fifth-place finish at the Volusia Half-Mile season opener, Mees, the defending champion, was seeking redemption at the Texas Half-Mile. After winning his semi and the #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, Mees demonstrated his racing prowess during the Main event. While JD Beach jumped out to an early lead in the Main, it was Mees who took control after just two laps. He quickly pulled away from the rest of the field, riding unchallenged the remainder of the 32-lap racing, to ultimately capture his first win of the 2022 season.
“This was a classic Jared Mees, bounce-back performance. After missing the podium last round, Mees answered with an impressive round that reminded everyone why he’s the No. 1 rider,” said Gary Gray, Vice President Racing, Service & Technology for Indian Motorcycle. “Though it’s early in the season, this was an important win for Jared as he looks to stay out front and at the top of the leaderboard throughout the entire season.”
In 2021, Mees demonstrated one of his finest performances of his career. After a mid-season knee surgery cost him critical points, Mees went on a historic run to earn his seventh career championship – securing nine consecutive podiums and winning five of the last seven races of the season. The strong finish edged him over fellow Wrecking Crew rider Briar Bauman and got Mees one championship closer to his career goal to meet Scottie Parker’s record of nine championships.
The 2022 American Flat Track season continues April 23 for the I-70 Half-Mile at I-70 Motorsports Park in Odessa, MO.
Sponsors for Indian Motorcycle Racing’s American Flat Track efforts include Progressive Insurance, S&S®, Indian Motorcycle Oil, Bell Helmets, Drag Specialties and Parts Unlimited.
For more information on Indian Motorcycle Racing, visit IndianMotorcycle.com and follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
ABOUT INDIAN MOTORCYCLE®
Indian Motorcycle is America’s First Motorcycle Company®. Founded in 1901, Indian Motorcycle has won the hearts of motorcyclists around the world and earned distinction as one of America’s most legendary and iconic brands through unrivaled racing dominance, engineering prowess and countless innovations and industry firsts. Today that heritage and passion is reignited under new brand stewardship. To learn more, please visit www.indianmotorcycle.com.
Jorge Lorenzo (99) riding a Repsol Honda at Phillip Island in 2019. Photo courtesy of Repsol Honda.
MotoGP™ Legend inductions set to take place in 2022
Jorge Lorenzo, Max Biaggi and Hugh Anderson are confirmed to be inducted into the Hall of Fame this season
Monday, 21 March 2022
Five-time World Champion Jorge Lorenzo, four-time World Champion Max Biaggi and four-time World Champion Hugh Anderson were set to be inducted into the MotoGP™ Legends Hall of Fame prior to the Covid-19 pandemic; the Spaniard at Jerez, the Italian at Mugello and the New Zealander later in the season.
Due to limitations caused by the pandemic, it was decided to delay their inductions until such time as it was possible to hold a more traditional MotoGP™ Legend ceremony – allowing the three the opportunity to celebrate the milestone in the company of family members, friends, and paddock personnel, as well as to allow journalists and media the chance to attend.
As restrictions ease in many places, a new date has now been set for each ceremony. As originally planned, Jorge Lorenzo will be inducted on Saturday at the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto, with two-time WorldSBK Champion Max Biaggi up next on Friday at the Autodromo del Mugello. Hugh Anderson will be inducted later in 2022, with the initial plan set to see the ceremony for the New Zealander take place at Phillip Island.
Wayne Maxwell (1) leads Mike Jones (behind Maxwell) and the rest of the field at the start of Australian Superbike Race 2 at ASBK Round One at Queensland Raceway. Photo by Karl Phillipson/@optikalphoto, courtesy ASBK.
Mike Jones completed a perfect weekend to take two wins from two races at Round Two of the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul (ASBK) at Queensland Raceway.
Bryan Staring (DesmoSport Ducati Panigale V4-R) got the early jump on Mike Jones (Yamaha Racing YZF-R1) to take the lead in Race 1, with Glenn Allerton (Maxima Oils Racing BMW M1000RR) also making a big first lap move up to fourth. Jones would briefly retake the lead on lap two, but left the door open enough for Staring to nudge through.
A mid-corner error from Staring saw the Championship leader drop out of contention and hand second place to Wayne Maxwell (V4-R). Jones would cruise to a 5.6-second lead to take victory ahead of Maxwell and Josh Waters (Maxima Oils Racing BMW M1000RR).
Maxwell would time his launch perfectly to take an early lead in Race Two ahead of Jones and Staring. It would be short-lived however as Jones ran past the Ducati through the outside of turn two. Arthur Sissis (Unitech Racing YZF-R1) and Cru Halliday (Yamaha Racing YZF-R1) would argue over fourth and fifth respectively. This duel would be settled before the chequered flag when Halliday stopped on the penultimate lap with mechanical issues.
Staring would shadow Jones more closely in the afternoon race, albeit two-seconds adrift. Eventually, Jones took his second win by 4.6 seconds ahead of Bryan Staring and Wayne Maxwell.
“All the guys at Yamaha have put in a big effort to help me adapt to this bike. The last win for me was in 2019 so to come and get a couple of wins is just fantastic,” said Jones.
Jones now leads the championship on 86 points over Bryan Staring on 70 points with Josh Waters on 67 points. Jones, by his own admission, was surprised to be so competitive so early.
“I was hoping as the season went on to get to grips with the Yamaha and be able to challenge, so to lead the championship is a little bit above my expectations,” added Jones.
Second-placed Staring was circumspect after a crash in Race One effectively lost him the championship lead to Jones, but philosophical nonetheless about his return to form.
“It’s funny how the desire to be competitive is soon outrun by the fact that you want to win,” said Staring.
Third-placed Maxwell was happy to score two podiums on which he deems to be his ‘bogey’ circuit.
“Massive congrats to Mike and Bryan. They rode awesome,” said Maxwell.
“We’ll go back, have a look at the drawing board and come back at some tracks that are a little more suited to us and the bike.”
Mike Jones (center), Wayne Maxwell (left) and Josh Waters (right) on the podium at Queensland Raceway. Photo by Karl Phillipson/@optikalphoto, courtesy ASBK.
John Lytras (Yamaha YZF-R6) ran out to an early two-tenths of a second lead in Race One for Michelin Supersport, but couldn’t hold on – eventually being usurped by Tom Edwards (Yamaha YZF-R6) to the honours in ahead of Scott Nicholson (Yamaha YZF-R6) and Lytras. Nominal Championship leader (With actual leader Senna Agius now overseas) Tom Bramich crashed out of the race, giving him a challenge to work back into contention over the next six rounds.
Lytras would get the jump in Race Two, only to get pushed down to third in the first few corners by Olly Simpson and Tom Edwards. Tom Drane would make an impressive start to vault to fifth position. Edwards would eventually take two from two to lead the championship ahead of Lytras and Simpson.
After two riders went down at turn two (including Saturday front-runner Taiyo Asksu), the Dunlop Supersport 300 Race Two was restarted with five laps remaining. At the restart, Cameron Dunker (Yamaha YZF-R3) and Glenn Nelson (Yamaha YZF-R3) immediately grabbed an early break on the opposition. They were never challenged, with Nelson capitalising on a last-corner error from Dunker to take victory with Jonatha Nahlous (Kawasaki Ninja) in third.
In Race Three, Nelson and Dunker would get an early break on the field, with Nahlous fending off the rest of the pack. Dunker would pull a late race challenge, but Nelson would close the gate to take victory with Henry Snell eventually sneaking through to pinch third place.
With a number of riders missing the grid for Race Two of the Yamaha Finance R3 Cup, a large contingent would e forced to start from pit-lane. Cameron Dunker (Yamaha YZF-R3) got the early jump but would be challenged by both Glenn Nelson (Yamaha YZF-R3) and Henry Snell (Yamaha YZF-R3).
Nelson would survive a tight-fought battle to take victory in a thriller from Dunker and first-time podium placer Sam Pezzetta (Yamaha YZF-R3). Dunker would make amends to take the victory for Race Three ahead of Henry Snell and Glenn Nelson.
In Race Two of the bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup, it was another tense battle between Cameron Rende, Ryan Larkin, Teerin Fleming and Hudson Thompson (all Yamaha YZF-R15), with the lead changing multiple times each lap.
After dropping as low as sixth, Rende would time his run perfectly to take the chequered ahead of Larkin and Harrison Watts by five-hundredths of a second. However, applied penalties saw an amended result of Cameron Rende, Sam Drane and Hudson Thompson on the final podium.
In Race Three, Hunter Corney would lead into turn one ahead of Thompson and Watts. With only 1.2 seconds covering the top eight riders, getting the timing right would be crucial on the run to the flag.
Rende would have no such luck after dropping out from third place, leaving Watts to take a narrow victory over a fast-closing Ryan Larkin and Hudson Thompson in third.
Completing an almost perfect weekend, Phillip Underwood and Tristan Vercoe win Race Three of the Horsell Australian Sidecar Championship with the Turner family fighting out the final spots – Neil and Danyon Turner taking second place ahead of Jamie and Shelbey Turner in third.
Round Three of the 2022 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul (ASBK) continues at Wakefield Park on 22 – 24 April.
2022 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul (ASBK)
Round 1 Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, VIC 25 – 27 February
SBK, SSPT, SS300, R3 Cup, OJC, SBK Masters
Round 3 Wakefield Park Raceway, Goulburn NSW 22 – 24 April
SBK, SSPT, SS300, R3 Cup, OJC, Sidecars
Round 4 Hidden Valley Raceway, Darwin NT 17 – 19 June
* With Supercars – SBK Only
Round 5 Morgan Park Raceway, Warwick QLD 5 – 7 August
SBK, SSPT, SS300, R3 Cup, OJC
Round 6 Symmons Plains Raceway – Launceston TAS 20 – 23 October
SBK, SSPT, SS300, R3 Cup
Round 7 Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, Cowes VIC TBA – November
TBC
Round 8 The Bend Motorsport Park, Tailem Bend SA 2 – 4 December
SBK, SSPT, SS300, R3 Cup, OJC
ASBK Night of Champions Dinner – The Bend 4 December
More, from another press release issued by ASBK:
22nd March 2022
ASBK Race Direction Post-Race Notification
Dear Supersport Competitors,
The ASBK Race Direction advise of the Post-Race Disqualification of – #26 Tom Edwards
Following Post-Race Technical Inspection, a report from the ASBK Chief Technical Officer to the ASBK Race Director confirms a breach of ASBK Technical Regulations 4.25.6 – Technical Regulations (SSP) Modification of OEM Parts for rider #26 Tom Edwards.
This breach is effective for Supersport Race 1 & 2, in addition to the pole position result during ASBK Round 2 – Queensland Raceway.
The final results of both Supersport races at ASBK Round 2, the ASBK Championship Points for Supersport will now be amended by the ASBK Chief Timekeeper.
The point for Pole Position for Supersport class at ASBK Round 2 will now be awarded to the 2nd place qualifier.
The updated results will be available on Computime & ASBK websites and any new podium placegetters will be contacted by ASBK Management with respect to the trophy presentation.
The rider retains the right to protest as per the ASBK Sporting Regulations and MA GCR’s.
Chris Peris the painter: Pirelli his paint and Roebling Road, his canvas. Photo by Lee Fields.
Featured In the March 2022 issue of Roadracing World:
“Confirmation bias describes the human tendency to accept evidence of previously held beliefs while discarding philosophically troubling and potentially contradictory data. If there is one thing we learned from Cassandra, it’s that awareness of a developing phenomenon is not always useful.
“AOD had won the opening round at Carolina Motorsports Park in a pretty decisive fashion but Twisted Speed, our principal competition, had still finished second due to an ill-fated DNF from N2/Bobblehead. My instinct was to accept the win as proof of our competitive superiority but I knew that we had been fortunate for a variety of reasons and, therefore, we still had work to do but, with only the wet race experience, it was a little tough to decide which direction we needed to go…”
—Army Of Darkness, N2/WERA Endurance, Part 2, by Sam Q. Fleming
Backs against the wall, the Army of Darkness resorts to testing in order to chase down Twisted Speed Racing in perhaps the highest-profile racing series in the U.S. to feature an honest-to-god tire battle. Read how AOD tried to dig itself out of its early-season hole in the latest issue of Roadracing World!
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Oliveira stages a wet weather masterclass to put KTM on top at Mandalika
A truly stunning performance from the Portuguese rider puts him back on the top step and gives KTM the lead in the Teams’ and Constructors’ standings
Miguel Oliveira (88) takes the checkered flag in Indonesia. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Sunday, 20 March 2022
It was worth the wait, wasn’t it? On a rain-soaked Sunday afternoon at the Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia, Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) put in an absolute masterclass in wet conditions to claim victory and bounce back in style from a tough opening round. Reigning World Champion Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) sliced back through to second for his first podium of the season, ahead of compatriot Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) in third. The win for Oliveira sees KTM head the Constructors’ standings for the first time, as well as putting Red Bull KTM Factory Racing top in the teams’ title fight thanks to their Qatar podium and, now, first victory of the season.
The drama began early on Sunday, however, as Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) suffered a huge crash in Warm Up and was forced to miss the race due to concussion. Then, after Moto2™, the rain came down as thunderstorms hit Lombok, but after more than an hour’s delay, at 16:15 local time, it was lights out in Indonesia for the first time in 25 years. Quartararo got an outstanding launch from pole position, comfortably collecting the holeshot, as Oliveira made a lightning start from P7 to grab second and Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) shot swiftly up to P3 from sixth on the grid.
At the start of Lap 2, both Oliveira and Miller passed Quartararo as the early pacesetters started to stretch their legs, with the Australian then picking off Oliveira for the race lead too. Now down in third, Quartararo had Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), compatriot Zarco and a rapid starting Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) for company too – the 2020 Champion up from way down the grid after a nightmare Q1.
Rins and Zarco then got the better of Quartararo early on, but they faced an already substantial 2.4s gap to Miller and Oliveira… and that order was about to switch. The Portuguese rider carved his way past the Ducati of Miller at Turn 12 on Lap 6 to retake the lead, and then he got the hammer down.
Meanwhile, there was a big moment for Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), the Italian somehow staying on after a snap into Turn 1. Still, he slipped down to P12 behind Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), with Championship leader Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) struggling even more, dow in P20 from fifth on the grid.
Back in the top ten though, Turn 1 was about to bite again. Having just got the better of Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) for P7, Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) then became the first and only crasher of the race in the braking zone into the first corner, the 2021 Rookie of the Year down, out, but ok.
At the front, there were no such dramas. Oliveira had stretched his lead to 1.6s, Miller was second, Rins third, Zarco fourth, and Quartararo fifth with 12 laps to go. At half race distance though, Zarco was the quickest rider on track and a quality move came on Rins at Turn 12 for P3. Miller wasn’t far up the road from the Frenchman either, and he looked desperate to pass the Australian as Quartararo really started to find his groove behind them. Sure enough, El Diablo was back into P3 with five laps to go, with he and Zarco fighting it out in spectacular style.
Oliveira was 3.5s clear as the battle raged behind, but with Quartararo now the fastest rider on track and back up to second on Lap 16 of 20. Zarco also managed to follow the Yamaha man through on Miller, and with three laps to go, it suddenly started to look like Oliveira might be in the crosshairs after all. The gap was slashed by a second and the lead was down to 3.4s – was it game on?
Quartararo took a tenth more here and there as the laps ticked down, but Oliveira responded. At the start of the last lap, it remained a healthy 2.8s and the Portuguese rider just needed to bring it home, with Quartararo enjoying a 0.9s buffer to Zarco, who in turn had 2.3s in hand over Miller. The podium seemed decided, and it was.
Crossing the line for his first win of the year, Oliveira’s masterclass sees the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider take 25 points, puts KTM on top in the title and factory fights, and moves him up 16 places in the riders’ Championship to boot. After a tough start in Qatar and for much of the latter half of 2021, it was quite a statement ride by the multiple MotoGP™ winner.
Nevertheless, Quartararo celebrated P2 like a win as the Frenchman showed his wet weather prowess for the first time in the premier class, taking some valuable points too. Zarco completed the podium, the third place marking a return to the rostrum for the number 5 for the first time since Barcelona 2021.
Miller, always strong in the wet, takes home a hard-earned P4, with Rins putting in a solid ride to claim P5. P6 for Mir, having started from the lower echelons of the top 20, is also a job well done for the 2020 World Champion too, and he got onto the back of his teammate by the flag. Morbidelli ended up a somewhat lonely P7 despite his three-place grid penalty as we witnessed an almighty battle for P8 behind the Italian.
It was won in the end by Brad Binder, who was just ahead of Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) over the line. But the South African had to get his elbows to take that eighth place by force, and it was none other than his brother, WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™ Team’s Darryn Binder, standing in the way.
The rookie put in a tour de force and one of the rides of the day, leading the battle for eighth onto the final lap before Brad Binder struck, then only losing out to the number 33 and Espargaro’s Aprilia. The number 40 claimed his first points and top ten after an absolute barnstormer, top rookie by some margin.
World Championship leader Bastianini, who retains that moniker by two single points ahead of Brad Binder and recovering well in the latter stages, took P11 ahead of Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team), Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) and Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team). Bagnaia slipped down the order after his earlier moment to a tough P15, making it one point from the opening two races for one of the pre-season title favourites.
Andrea Dovizioso (WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™ Team) was the only other non-finisher alongside Martin after the Italian encountered an issue with his YZR-M1 and was forced to retire.
That’s take one on Lombok in the history books, and it’s safe to say the Indonesian GP was full of action. Oliveira goes home with the race-winning trophy, Bastianini remains the title leader, and there’s only 10 points between the top nine heading to Argentina for Round 3… as well as a new manufacturer on top in the standings. Join us for more as MotoGP™ returns at Termas de Rio Hondo!
Miguel Oliveira: “Emotionally it was a rollercoaster because the start was perfect but in the wet it’s so hard to judge where the limit is. So I followed Jack for a couple of laps and then I understood I could go a bit faster, so when I overtook him I just tried to focus for the next five laps to do the maximum I could. Then I built a gap and just managed throughout the whole race, but for sure it wasn’t easy. The last couple of months haven’t been easy for me so to be back like this with this incredible win, it’s really emotional. I promised my daughter I would get her a trophy from Indonesia, so this one is for you baby. I want to dedicate this podium to a guy called Rizman, he’s part of the staff in the hotel I’ve stayed in, he has been supporting me the whole week and he’s a really nice guy, so I promised that if I was on the podium I’d dedicate it to him. Let’s go to Argentina, see what we can do, keep up the level but for now I’m just super happy to be here on the podium!”
Chantra uncatchable to become Thailand’s first Grand Prix winner
The Idemitsu Honda Team Asia rider dominated from start to finish to make a little history at Mandalika
Somkiat Chantra (35). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Somkiat Chantra is the first Thai rider to win a Grand Prix race! The Idemitsu Honda Team Asia rider led from the first corner to the chequered flag in a Moto2™ masterclass, coming home three seconds clear of Championship leader Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team, with Aron Canet (Flexbox HP40) collecting his second podium of the season in third – and remaining the rider on Vietti’s tail in the standings.
Ahead of the race, it was announced that the new race length would be 16 laps due to track conditions, although the intermediate class had a dry race barring some drops of very light rain on the warm up lap. The race got underway on slicks though though and it was Chantra who pinched the holeshot from the second row, with polesitter Jake Dixon (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team) P2 before Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) snuck past at Turn 2.
The rain was still lingering but Chantra held onto the lead from Lowes and Dixon, with Vietti eventually getting the better of Simone Corsi (MV Agusta Forward Racing) as the Italians battled it out at the end of the opening lap. Canet was a beneficiary of the Vietti/Corsi fight too, the Spaniard into P4 and in touch with Lowes and Dixon.
On Lap 6, just after passing compatriot Lowes for second, Dixon then tucked the front at Turn 10. Just ahead, Chantra had opened the gap up to over a second, and after Dixon’s crash, Canet was left in second ahead of Lowes. Vietti then passed the Brit and with nine laps to go, two seconds split the top three. Vietti made a classy move on Canet stick at Turn 12 not long after, and the gap to bridge was 2.1s with eight laps remaining…
The response from Chantra? The fastest lap of the race. His lead over Vietti went up a tenth, and on the next lap, it was up to 2.3s. By five to go it was 2.6s, and it looked like Vietti and co. had no answer for the Thai star. With two laps to go, the gap was over three seconds and it seemed decided: all Chantra had to do was bring it home.
That’s exactly what he did. The Thai rider crossed the line to claim an outstanding victory by over three seconds, becoming the first rider from his nation to win a Grand Prix race. Vietti was able to take a valuable second and 20 points though, the Qatar winner extending his lead over Canet as the Spaniard completed the podium. For both, it’s back-to-back podiums to start the season.
Lowes was a lonely finisher in P4 as Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) held off a charge up from a tough grid position for Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) in P5 and P6, respectively. Fermin Aldeguer (MB Conveyors Speed Up) took an impressive P7, with Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) in eighth. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) claimed ninth after his Long Lap Penalty given for crashing under a yellow flag in practice, the Spaniard embroiled in a great battle with Albert Arenas (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team), who ultimately lost out.
Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) took P11, just ahead of compatriot Cameron Beaubier (American Racing) less than a tenth behind him. Jorge Navarro (Flexbox HP40), rookie Jeremy Alcoba (Liqui Moly Intact GP) and near-home hero Bo Bendsneyder (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team) completed the top 15.
And so a little history is made at Mandalika, with a new rider and nation on the list of winners. Vietti extends his title lead to nine points over Canet heading to Argentina, but it will surely be a another classic. Come back for more in just under a fortnight as Termas de Rio Hondo plays host!
2 Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) – Kalex – +3.230
3 Aron Canet (Flexbox HP 40) – Kalex – +4.366
Somkiat Chantra: “I feel so happy! I also don’t believe it! On the last lap, I saw I was P1 and I saw the chequered flag and I was like ‘oh I’m in first position!’ It’s also my first time here in Moto2…I’m really happy. I also would like to say thanks to my family. I want to thank my sponsors, Thai Honda. Also thank you to Idemitsu Honda Team Asia and next leg I will be more strong! See you then, bye!”
Foggia takes flawless first win of 2022
The runner up last season blasted out the blocks and straight to the top step in Lombok, with Guevara second and Tatay taking a first podium in third
Dennis Foggia (7) won the Moto3 race in Indonesia. Photo courtesy Dorna.
That’s about as good as it gets if your name is Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing). The Italian dominated the Moto3™ race at the Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia to claim his first victory of the season – and the World Championship lead with it. Izan Guevara (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) picked up a hard-fought P2, with polesitter Carlos Tatay (CFMoto Racing PrüstelGP) brilliantly recovering from a Long Lap Penalty to earn a maiden Grand Prix podium in third.
There was drama before the race started for second on the grid Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI), with the Brazilian rookie suffering an issue with his machine and forced to start from the back of the grid. Back at the front, Sergio Garcia (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) grabbed an impressive holeshot from seventh on the grid, with Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) and Foggia making their own great starts from the second row.
Foggia made it to the front and was joined by Migno, Garcia and Guevara, with the quartet able to pull a gap in the opening five laps. Foggia then decided to put the hammer down and the Italian was 1.5s clear on Lap 7 of 23, as Championship leader Migno had a front-end scare at the final corner. By Lap 9, Foggia’s lead was up to 3.2s, with Guevera opening up a 0.5s gap in second place.
Garcia had slipped back into the clutches of Migno, Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo), Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3), Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Ayumu Sasaki (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max), but the Spaniard suddenly turned up the wick to reel in Guevara with 10 laps to go. By this stage at the front though, Foggia had checked out – his lead up to 5.1s.
With Foggia producing a flawless race, it was all eyes on the battle for second. Guevara, Migno, Öncü, Garcia, Masia, Holgado and Sasaki were now joined by Xavier Artigas (CFMoto Racing PrüstelGP), Elia Bartolini (QJMotor Avintia Racing Team), Tatay and Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing).
Heading onto the final lap, Guevera was 0.9s ahead of the charging Tatay and Garcia. Foggia was four seconds up the road and cruising to victory, and Tatay was then wide at Turn 10 to allow Garcia into the final podium position. But at the penultimate corner the number 99 struck back, keeping it over the line and coming home behind Guevara.
At the front though, no one had an answer for Foggia as he popped a wheelie over the line to confirm his dominant victory, still more than two seconds clear at the flag. Guevara’s second is his first podium of the season, and for Tatay the incredible charge to the podium marks his first visit to the rostrum, as well as the first for CFMoto.
Garcia took fourth but some solid points, just two behind Foggia and in second, with Öncü completing the top five. Artigas took P6 ahead of Masia after the number 5 escaped a tangle with Öncü late on, with Bartolini, Holgado and Suzuki completing the top ten.
Sasaki and Migno crashed on the final lap – the Japanese rider tagging the back of Migno at Turn 10. The number 71 has been given a Long Lap penalty for the Moto3™ race in Argentina.
Ryusei Yamanaka (MT Helmets – MSI) beat Kaito Toba (CIP – Green Power) to 11th, with a trio of rookies completing the points. The first was Scott Ogden (VisionTrack Racing Team) as the Brit finished close to the Japanese veterans just ahead, impressing with his first Grand Prix points.
Then came the home hero: Mario Aji (Honda Team Asia). The Indonesian took an incredible front row on Saturday and backed it up with his first points on Sunday despite a Long Lap, taking a big step forward on home turf. Matteo Bertelle (QJMotor Avintia Racing Team) took the final point in P15, the Italian rookie crossing the line a couple of tenths behind Aji but after having taking two Long Lap penalties – the first for a shortcut, and the second for failing to take the first.
That’s a wrap on another classic weekend of Moto3™ action, with Argentina up next. Foggia is in the driving seat now but Garcia only trails by a single point… so what will Termas de Rio Hondo bring? Find out in just under two weeks!
Moto3™ PODIUM
1 Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) – Honda – 38’51.668
3 Carlos Tatay (CFMoto Racing PrüstelGP) – CFMoto – +3.639
Dennis Foggia: “I don’t have words. It was so hot. It was incredible, the race. Yesterday, I was unlucky in the qualifying because I crashed when I was being fast, but finally I finished in 6th position. Now, I know that we had a good pace for the race. In the last lap, it was impossible to breathe, it was so hard. This my best hard race in my life. Incredible. I’m very happy for me and for my team. I would like to thanks to all my team, my family, all my friends and my girlfriend. See you in Argentina!”
Provisional Mission Production Twins Main Event Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Cory Texter (Yam), 24 laps
2. Ben Lowe (Har), -00.872 seconds
3. Kolby Carlile (Har), -02.680
4. Nick Armstrong (Yam), -02.894
5. Cole Zabala (Yam), -04.964
6. Johnny Lewis (Roy), -06.270
7. Ryan Varnes (KTM), -10.378
8. Michael Hill (Yam), -11.159
9. Kasey Sciscoe (Kaw), -12.740
10. David Wiggin (Har), -17.177
11. Gary Ketchum (Har), -17.412
12. Billy Ross (Kaw), -11 laps
13. Jeffery Lowery (Yam), -11 laps
14. Jesse Janisch (Har), -18 laps
15. Cody Johncox (Yam), -22 laps
16. Patrick Buchanan (Har), -23 laps
17. Chad Cose (Har), -24 laps
Provisional Parts Unlimited AFT Singles Main Event Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Morgen Mischler (Hon), 5 laps
2. Max Whale (KTM), -00.100 seconds
3. Trevor Brunner (Yam), -00.291
4. Justin Jones (Hon), -01.141
5. Kody Kopp (KTM), -01.575
6. Tanner Dean (KTM), -02.057
7. Dalton Gauthier (Hon), -02.768
8. Gage Smith (Hon), -02.956
9. Aidan RoosEvans (Hon), -03.476
10. Michael Inderbitzin (Hon), -03.520
11. Trent Lowe (Hon), -03.679
12. Ryan Wells (KTM), -04.094
13. Hunter Bauer (KTM), -04.888
14. Chase Saathoff (Hon), -05.081
15. Kevin Stollings (Hon), -05.412
16. Logan McGrane (KTM), -05.635
17. Tarren Santero (Yam), -16.686
Provisional Mission SuperTwins Main Event Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Jared Mees (Ind), 32 laps
2. JD Beach (Yam), -00.408 seconds
3. Dallas Daniels (Yam), -00.791
4. Briar Bauman (Ind), -05.618
5. Jarod Vanderkooi (Ind), -10.797
6. Brandon Robinson (Ind), -11.712
7. Davis Fisher (Ind), -11.892
8. Bronson Bauman (Har), -13.422
9. Brandon Price (Ind), -1 lap, -01.634
10. Ben Lowe (PT) (Har), -1 lap, -03.425
11. Larry Pegram (Ind), -1 lap, -06.654
12. Kolby Carlile (PT) (Har), -1 lap, -06.787
13. Danny Eslick (Ind), -1 lap, -09.385
14. Nick Armstrong (PT) (Yam), -1 lap, -10.704
15. Robert Pearson (Ind), -1 lap, -20.307
16. Shayna Texter-Bauman (Ind), -12 laps
More, from a press release issued by American Flat Track (AFT):
Mees Strikes Back at Texas Half-Mile
Jared Mees (1). Photo courtesy AFT.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 19, 2022) – Progressive American Flat Track superstar Jared Mees (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) rebounded like a champion with a convincing victory in Saturday night’s Mission Texas Half-Mile presented by Roof Systems at the Dirt Track at Texas Motor Speedway.
Few expected Mees to kick off his Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle title defense as a relative non-factor, running in fifth in last weekend’s season opener at Volusia Speedway Park. That muted performance made this weekend’s showdown all that more important, and given a second chance, Mees made clear the path to the #1 plate still goes through him.
Mees looked virtually unbeatable all night long, a trend he continued once he dove underneath a quick-starting JD Beach (No. 95 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) to take control of the Main Event while still in its opening stages.
The defending champ pulled clear and cruised to the checkered flag, only suffering a minor scare when Beach and his Estenson teammate, Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT), used traffic and their own battle for second to reduce the gap to back under a second over the race’s final two laps.
“It felt really good,” Mees said. “Last weekend we were a little off for sure, but it felt good to rebound. That Main Event was really hectic with all the lappers, but the Indian Motorcycle backed by Progressive Insurance worked awesome tonight. It was so hooked up. My guys are all working so hard.
“I really wanted to come in and have a good result today with the break we have coming up. Last week didn’t sit well… I wanted this one bad.”
The Yamaha 2-3 was another sign that the series’ attempts to balance the field are working as hoped, while also providing positive feedback for Estenson Racing in regards to their offseason MT-07 DT upgrades.
It also underlined the potency of the talented Beach-Daniels tandem. That was made especially clear when Mission SuperTwins rookie Daniels not only diced with two-time class champion Briar Bauman (No. 3 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) but got the better of him.
A bobble on Bauman’s part put him out of podium contention, but he was well clear of the pack behind and finished alone in a safe fourth. Some five seconds back, Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) won out over teammate Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) in their scrap for fifth.
Meanwhile, Davis Fisher (No. 67 Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing Indian FTR750), Bronson Bauman (No. 37 Latus Motors Racing Harley-Davidson XG750R), and Brandon Price (No. 92 Briggsauto.com/Martin Trucking Indian FTR750) came home seventh through ninth, respectively, while Ben Lowe (No. 25 Helipower Racing/Mission Foods Harley-Davidson XG750R) turned his Mission Production Twins Challenge entry into a top-ten premier-class finish.
Mission Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines
While reigning Mission Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines champion Cory Texter (No. 1 G&G Racing/Yamaha Racing Yamaha MT-07) got his own title defense off to a bit of a quiet start last weekend, all it took was a return to the scene of his maiden class victory in 2019 to remind the paddock of the pecking order he’s worked so hard to maintain ever since. That and a lot of perseverance.
Texter was in control throughout the Main Event despite the numerous potential pitfalls thrown his way. Moments after he claimed the initial holeshot, Chad Cose (No. 49 DPC Racing/Voodoo Ranger Harley-Davidson XG750R) crashed after coming together with Jesse Janisch (No. 33 Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson XG750R), bringing out an early red.
Then after getting a second holeshot and opening up a healthy advantage, Texter was forced to do it a third time when a second red flag was shown following a Jeffery Lowery (No. 223 Lowery Racing/Gray Hogs Yamaha MT-07) fall. Make that a fourth time, as Billy Ross (No. 109 Pro 1 Industries/Campbells Services Kawasaki 650 Ninja) was the next to crash and cause another stoppage.
Texter then had to set the pace and avoid any mistakes of his own on an extremely tricky dry surface before at last securing his first win of the young 2022 season.
“You don’t like to see red flags when you’re leading,” Texter said. “When you have a gap, it’s like, ‘Man…’ But I’ve been in that situation before so I just stayed calm, had confidence in my starts, and trusted my instincts. The boys said to keep doing what I was doing, so at that point you just don’t want to mess up.
“This is such an emotional win for me. The last time we were here and I won, I gave my mechanic, Jon (Reid), the victory lap, and he passed away at the end of the season. So I really wanted to win this one for him. This one means a lot.”
Ben Lowe (No. 25 Helipower Racing/Mission Foods Harley-Davidson XG750R) kept Texter honest in the final leg of the Main and was well positioned to capitalize on any mistake. While that mistake never came, Lowe did finish as the runner-up, earning a strong result at his primary sponsors’ home round.
The still-mending Kolby Carlile (No. 36 KC36 Las Vegas Harley-Davidson XG750R) rounded out the podium. He did so only after fending off last weekend’s surprise winner, Nick Armstrong (No. 60 Competitive Racing Frames/Lessley Brothers Yamaha MT-07), who proved that his opening-weekend performance was no fluke with a close fourth.
New class contender Cole Zabala (No. 51 Memphis Shades/Corbin/Vinson Yamaha MT-07) made a late move around Johnny Lewis (No. 10 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield Twins FT) to complete the top five.
Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER
Best known for epic, come-from-behind rides exploiting the high line, Morgen Mischler (No. 13 American Honda/Progressive Insurance CRF450R) won in the complete opposite fashion on Saturday night. After beating polesitter Max Whale (No. 18 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-FFE) into the opening corner, Mischler immediately set about what would ultimately prove to be a race-long defense of the low line.
It was actually Trevor Brunner (No. 21 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) who was the rider on the move in the early stages, blasting his way up from the third row and into third place on a track where no one else seemed to have much success overtaking.
However, the reason for that was made evident with the manner in which Brunner’s charge ended. His aggressive attempts to overhaul Whale for second concluded with the Yamaha pilot on the dirt. Making matters worse, Tanner Dean (No. 38 Waters Autobody Racing KTM 450 SX-F) had nowhere to go but over top of Brunner’s downed machine, the incident provoking a red-flag stoppage.
Mischler resumed the lead at the restart, but Whale lost another spot off the line. This time it was teammate Kody Kopp (No. 12 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-FFE) who displaced him, diving into second to take over the pursuit for the lead.
The three then raced in close formation for the remainder of the race. Despite Kopp sizing Mischler up for a final-lap attack, he thought better of it and accepted second rather than risk disaster.
Race-winner Mischer said, “Our team has a lot of great pieces that pull this whole program together. The whole Turner Factory Honda team is amazing and they have a wealth of knowledge. I felt really bad because in practice I wadded one of these bikes up pretty bad. This is actually my ‘B bike,’ but she got the job done today. Those guys put in a ton of work, and I wouldn’t be here without them.”
Mischler’s teammate, Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 American Honda/Progressive Insurance CRF450R), put in a relatively lonely ride to fourth, followed by Michael Inderbitzin (No. 54 1st Impressions Services of Florida Honda CRF450R) and Trent Lowe (No. 48 Mission Foods/Al Lamb’s Dallas Honda CRF450R).
The Mission Texas Half-Mile will premiere on FS1 on Sunday, March 27, at 1:00 p.m. ET/10:00 a.m. PT., including exclusive features, cutting-edge aerial drone and onboard footage, and expert commentary.
For those viewing from home, you can catch the livestream free via Facebook up until Opening Ceremonies. Fans can then purchase access to watch Opening Ceremonies, Semis, Main Events, and podium celebrations via Facebook Paid Online Events for $3.99 if purchased 24 hours or more in advance, or $4.99 if purchased on the day of the event.
To score the latest gear for the Progressive American Flat Track fan, visit our official merchandise store at https://store.americanflattrack.com.
How to Watch:
FOX Sports and Facebook are the official homes for coverage of Progressive American Flat Track. For the 2022 season, all 18 races will premiere in one-hour telecasts on FS1 during highly desirable weekend time slots. The complete schedule can be viewed at https://www.americanflattrack.com/events-foxsports. Viewers can watch livestream coverage of every round in the Facebook mobile app, Facebook desktop site or on the Facebook Watch mobile app. To watch the livestream on TV, fans can download the Facebook Watch TV app, or cast to a TV from the Facebook mobile app. Facebook Watch is available through Apple TV, Samsung Smart TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, and Xbox One.
Hometown hero, Mike Jones has taken pole position for Round Two of the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul (ASBK) at Queensland Raceway.
Practice form certainly dictated the outcome, with Jones’ time of 1:07.673 enjoying a two-tenths margin over Staring, but for the first time this weekend – after much speculation – the top three riders finally dropped into the 1:07’s.
In the post-qualifying press conference, Jones was simply happy to tick the first box for the weekend.
“Track knowledge is a key part of being able to go fast around here and being able to refine each corner to the absolute maximum,” said Jones.
“I just need to make a good start, get my head down and put in some quick lap times and see what happens towards the end of the race.”
Starting from P2 tomorrow, Bryan Staring would not be drawn on being the top Ducati on the day – ahead of Wayne Maxwell. “That’s fine, it’s not a big deal to me. I’m really happy with that qualifying session- to be back on the front row- I actually don’t know the last time I was on the front row.
“It’s all about getting a good start for the two races tomorrow…”
For Wayne Maxwell, P3 was a good outcome, but there’s work to be done if the 2021 Champion is going to claw back from seventh in the title chase.”Look, it’s been a bit of a struggle. We’re on the back foot compared to these guys… we’ll try to make some more improvements to the bike overnight and come out tomorrow and try to close that last bit of the gap. We’ll just do our thing tomorrow.”
In Q1, Jed Metcher, Aiden Wagner and Mark Chiodo progressed to the final stage of Superbike qualifying, while in Q2, Troy Herfoss would run into technical issues, forcing him to swap onto his second bike with five minutes remaining in the session.
After a close-fought qualifying, Tom Edwards (Yamaha YZF-R6) took the Michelin Supersport pole after securing a time of 1:11.180 – pipping Friday Practice fast man John Lytras (Yamaha YZF-R6) by two-tenths of a second, with Olly Simpson (Yamaha YZF-R6) a further three-tenths adrift.
Until he put the bike on pole, Edwards had not topped the timesheets in any session but knew the incremental improvements the team had made was heading the bike in the right direction.
“I’m really happy with qualifying- I picked up a heap of time just in qualifying. I just went out there to do a race simulation and I just got quicker and quicker – every lap I do here I learn
more.
Edwards wrapped up his press conference while sounding an ominous warning to fellow Michelin Supersport competitors: “I still think there’s definitely more to come tomorrow…”
Glenn Nelson (Yamaha YZF-R3) edged Cameron Dunker (Yamaha YZF-R3) by a tenth of a second to take pole for Dunlop Supersport 300, with Henry Snell (Yamaha YZF-R3) rounding out the top three. After starting from fifth of the grid, James Jacobs (Kawasaki Ninja) edged his way into the lead, taking out Race One ahead of Cameron Dunker and Taiyo Aksu (Yamaha YZF-R3) in a typically exciting and varied Dunlop Supersport 300 race.
The Yamaha Finance R3 Cup grid was the first to get locked away just after lunch, with Cameron Dunker (Yamaha YZF-R3) taking pole with a 1.21:916 – half a second ahead of Glenn Nelson (Yamaha YZF-R3) and Macus Hamod (Yamaha YZF-R3).
In Race One, Dunker would lead from lights to flag ahead of runner-up Nelson, with Aksu rounding out the top three. A crash at Turn 3 saw Henry Snell walk away unscathed but out of contention.
It was going to be a tight bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup with Levi Russo (Yamaha YZF-15) just edging Hudson Thompson (Yamaha YZF-15) in Q1 by just 2-hundredths of a second and Hunter Corney (Yamaha YZF-15) a further tenth away.
In Race One, Ryan Larkin would vault from sixth place on the grid to take the lead with four laps remaining. After a close dice with Hunter Corney and Cameron Rende, it was Hudson Thompson who would prevail from Corney and Rende with just four-tenths of a second covering the top five riders at the flag.
Phillip Underwood and Tristan Vercoe (Suzuki LCR 1000) laid down a hot time to take pole position for the Horsell Sidecar Championship ahead of Jamie and Shelby Turner (Suzuki LCR 1000), with Howard Ford and Corey Blackman (Suzuki RHR 1000) rounding out the top three.
Underwood and Vercoe went on to claim Race One victory, with Ford and Blackman edging Des Harvey and Stephen Marshall (Kawasaki RHR 1000) for the final podium spots.
In Race 2, Underwood and Vercoe would go the double, with the Turners again taking the runner-up spot ahead of Jeff Brown and Paris Halsey (Suzuki JBR 1000).
While similar in spec to the Attack YZF-R1 he raced in MotoAmerica Superbike competition, Garrett Gerloff (31) says the GRT Yamaha World Superbike is more refined, demanding changes in his riding style. "It still feels like a Yamaha, but it's a lot more subtle, more smooth. It's easier to ride it more aggressively because the bike isn't aggressive," he says. Photo by Michael Gougis.
Featured In the March 2022 issue of Roadracing World:
It’s the little things that drive home the step American racers have to make when they leave the States and dive into the cauldron of International-level competition.For Garrett Gerloff, it was realizing that his one-finger front braking style simply didn’t work at the Superbike World Championship level. The ultimate braking capability on a World Superbike was so far beyond the limit of a MotoAmerica-spec machine that he discovered, he says, “With one finger, I just couldn’t pull the lever hard enough!”
Of the Americans currently racing overseas at the sport’s highest levels, Gerloff has so far been the most competitive. Aboard a GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team YZF-R1, the four-time MotoAmerica Superbike race winner has scored five podiums, including two second places…
—Interview: American Garrett Gerloff, by Michael Gougis
American Garrett Gerloff talks about moving from a series in which he was nearly always at the front of the field to one in which the competition is far stiffer. Gerloff discusses his challenges and his successes, and why he’s moved to Europe, in the latest issue of Roadracing World!
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