WERA AT BARBER MOTORSPORTS HOSTING THE 3RD ANNUAL VINTAGE CONCOURS IS SET FOR SATURDAY, JULY 3RD
WERA Motorcycle and Ron Raven, founder of the Concours, are set to have the sights and sounds of vintage race bikes on track July 3rd at Barber Motorsports Park when they join the WERA Sportsman Series for the weekend.
Concours Founder, Ron Raven reports, “We have a full and diverse field this year. Last year was a small event without spectators and everyone wearing masks. It seems like as soon as we announced the requests for invitations were open we had a flood of inquiries. People want to get out and share the bikes again. One thing that our chief judge, Brian Slark of the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, insisted on this year was a diversity of sound out on the track. So, I am thrilled to say that I think we have met his criteria. In addition to a bevy of TZ250 twins of various ages providing the strong two-stroke sound background, we have Triumph triples; BSA, Norton and Ducati twins; Bultaco and Ducati singles; and a wide variety of four-cylinder superbikes – plus even a Norton rotary.”
Evelyne Clarke, CEO of WERA, remarked after reviewing the entries, “I am super excited about the upcoming Concours. I have been to many races and I have never heard a Norton rotary on track. I kind of imagine the sound from hearing a Mazda rotary race car but can’t wait to hear it in person along with all the other machines that will bring back memories and show the history of our great sport.”
In addition to the bikes on track there will be additional historic bikes on display including one of the very earliest Yoshimura racers and one of the Ducati 888 Superbikes Carl Fogarty raced during is WSBK career. Judging for both the “go” and the “show” class will be headed up by Brian Slark and the trophies are being made in-house by the museum staff.
This year the Concours will be staged in the lower paddock and open to visitors. We encourage you to come out and see where the love of motorcycles all began! One-day tickets will be available for spectators.
WERA Motorcycle Roadracing was founded in 1973 and remains the foremost place to develop talent in the sport of motorcycle road racing. The legacy of Pro Riders on a National and World level is legendary. All events are run by WERA Motorcycle Roadracing with a co-sanction by the AMA and they go coast to coast offering entry level racing with the WERA Sportsman Series as well as a Pro-Am Series which is the Pirelli/WERA National Challenge Series. WERA also offers Vintage Racing and hosts the Concours de ’Competition and Concours d’ Elegance in July at Barber Motorsports Park. Endurance Racing is also on the menu with our partner N2 and runs 4-5 events a year with a Big Bike Endurance and an Ultralightweight Endurance. WERA Motorcycle Roadracing was voted the 2017 AMA Track Organizer of the year.
For more information on WERA Motorcycle Roadracing please check out our web site at wera.com.
SVENDBORG, Denmark – Leading powersport distributor of premium motorcycle and UTV parts Tucker Powersports, becomes new official distributor of SBS brake products in the US.
SBS is proud to announce a new official Distributor of SBS brake products in the US market. Tucker Powersports, the Texas-based wholesaler, will, with its wide warehouse and dealership network across the United States, increase the availability of the SBS brake brand for dealers and American motorcyclists.
The addition of Tucker Powersports as SBS Distributor is an important step in making SBS a relevant and preferred brake parts supplier across the US.
– Tucker Powersports have for many years been a central market supplier of motorcycle parts in the US. Their wide dealership network with thousands of points-of-sale and progressive dealership support, as part of the new strategy of Tucker Powersports, are just some of the reasons why we deem that this collaboration is an ideal match, states CSO at SBS Friction, Christel Munk Pedersen.
Tucker Powersports can with this agreement supply motorcycle communities across the US with the entire SBS product portfolio, including brake rotors, clutch kits and standard, upgrade and performance brake pads for motorcycles and ATV, UTV and SSV. SBS brake pads are quality certified according to ECE R90 as an industry-first, and both organic and new sinter material brake pads are offered with NUCAP NRS technology, securing a mechanical and indestructible bonding of the compound to the back plate.
– Tucker Powersports is a trusted American brand with a significant presence since the 1970s. Tucker’s professional sales representatives have played a vital role in the success of Tucker, over the past 50 years. We trust that Tucker’s continued ability to service the market and their ambitious sales representatives, will enable SBS an enhanced presence and relevance in the US market, Christel continues.
– We are delighted to partner with SBS Friction, one of the world’s largest suppliers of brake pads and accessories for motorcycles and UTV’s. The quality, performance and range of products that SBS creates is perfect for the dealers we serve, said Tucker’s VP of Sales Brad Turner.
RED BULL KTM’S MAX WHALE CAPS OFF DOUBLEHEADER WEEKEND WITH A WIN AT OKC MILE II
Rounds 5 & 6 – American Flat Track Championship
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Max Whale capped off a successful double-header weekend in Oklahoma on Saturday as he claimed his second AFT Singles victory of the season at Round 6 of the 2021 American Flat Track Championship.
Serving as the first “mile” of the season, the OKC Mile doubleheader delivered rounds five and six of the series, presenting a variety of challenging track conditions throughout the race weekend. On Friday, Max Whale carried a seventh-place qualifying position into AFT Singles Semi 1, where he powered his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION into third on the opening lap. He fought his way up to the lead battle and with two laps to go, he pulled the trigger to claim the semi win. In the Main Event, Whale put himself into fourth off the start and he got shuffled back to fifth early on. Racing just outside the top-five battle, the Aussie secured sixth on the first night.
Saturday proved to be a new day and Whale was determined to end the weekend on a high note. He came in swinging for AFT Singles Semi 2, securing the holeshot and early lead. With a hard-fought performance, Whale ultimately finished second in the Semi but he entered the Main Event with great momentum behind him. With a second-place start, Whale went to work battling for the lead position early on. Putting together a strategic plan heading into the final laps, Whale hung back and waited for an opportune moment, which came just seconds before the checkered flag when he made his move to secure the lead and put a stamp on victory on day two of racing.
Max Whale on the podium in Oklahoma City. Photo courtesy Red Bull KTM Factory Racing.
Whale: “On day one, I had a good Semi win but I struggled to put things together in the Main Event. Day two was great. I stuck onto Henry [Wiles] in the Main Event and I stayed there all race. I managed to pull off a last-lap draft pass for the win. It was a huge accomplishment to get my first “mile” podium and it was a win. I can’t thank my team enough, they put in such a huge effort and it means so much to me. Onto the next one.”
Shayna Texter-Bauman started the weekend off positively with P3 in practice but with deteriorating track conditions throughout the weekend, it became a challenge for the multi-time race winner. In AFT Singles Semi 1, Shayna got off to a top-10 start and battled her way up to a fifth-place finish, setting herself up for a third-row start in the Main Event. She didn’t get the best jump off the start as she found herself in 15th at the end of lap one. She broke into the top-10 late in the race and from there she held strong for 10th place.
Energized and ready to go to battle once again on Saturday, Shayna lined up in AFT Singles Semi 1 and she powered her KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION into fifth off the start. She battled mid-pack for the rest of the race, securing the final transfer position in eighth. In the Main Event, Shayna began just outside the top-10 and she battled around the same spot all race long to ultimately finish 12th on the night.
Shayna Texter-Bauman (52). Photo courtesy Red Bull KTM Factory Racing.
Texter-Bauman: “In the past I’ve had a lot of success here, so I was really looking forward to this race but man, the track was rough and challenging. We battled some dry conditions throughout the weekend, which made it a little bit of a challenge, but no excuses, the track is the same for everyone. Night one was disappointing but I was also energized for night two because I felt like in the Main Event we were moving forward. Going into night two, we tried to make the bike better for what I was struggling with but unfortunately, we just weren’t able to get it. Overall, just a little bit disappointed in the results. As a team, we’ll put our heads down and think about how we can be better heading into the next race. We have high expectations heading into Lima and we’re ready to get back to work.”
Next Race: Lima Half-Mile – Lima, Ohio – June 26, 2021
AFT Singles Main Event – OKC Mile I
1. Henry Wiles, Honda
2. Dallas Daniels, Yamaha
3. Morgen Mischler, KTM
OTHER KTM
6. Max Whale – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
9. James Ott, KTM
10. Shayna Texter-Bauman – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
11. Aiden RoosEvans, KTM
15. Hunter Bauer, KTM AFT Singles Main Event – OKC Mile II
1. Max Whale – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
2. Henry Wiles, Honda
3. Dallas Daniels, Yamaha
OTHER KTM
5. Hunter Bauer, KTM
11. Morgen Mischler, KTM
12. Shayna Texter-Bauman – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
13. James Ott, KTM
16. David Wiggin, KTM
AFT Singles Point Standings (After Round 6)
1. Dallas Daniels, 112 points
2. Max Whale – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 106
3. Michael Rush, 102
4. Henry Wiles, 83
5. Shayna Texter-Bauman – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 75
6. Morgen Mischler, 74
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Daniels Scores Back-to-Back Podiums at Remington Park
Dallas Daniels. Photo courtesy Yamaha.
Estenson Racing’s Dallas Daniels scored his second-consecutive podium finish aboard his Yamaha YZ450F at Remington Park, finishing third in last night’s Progressive American Flat Track AFT Singles Main Event at the OKC Mile II. Mikey Rush rallied back from a third-row start, crossing the line just outside the top five in sixth. On the Mission SuperTwins side of the tent, Kolby Carlile and JD Beach broke the top 10, finishing eighth and ninth, respectively.
Daniels got a great start in his Semi and showed strength straight away by challenging Friday night’s winner. He ultimately finished second to secure a front-row start for the Main Event. After the green light, the defending champ was third into turn one. He tried to make a break with the frontrunners but got caught up in a multi-rider scrap, which included his teammate. On Lap 9, Daniels reclaimed third and then put some distance between himself and the competition to secure another podium finish at the OKC Mile. Although he was hoping for a win on his 18th birthday, the third-place finish helped maintain his six-point lead in the championship.
Starting from the third row after a tough Semi race, Rush got a good start in sixth and quickly joined the fight for the final podium spot. The veteran jockeyed for position in the multi-rider battle but ultimately was shuffled back to sixth with five laps to go. Rush kept pushing and narrowly missed that top-five finish at the line.
Another hot day in Oklahoma City made for challenging conditions at the OKC Mile II. The Mission SuperTwins team had a better start to the day but struggled on a dusty, slippery track in the Semi and Main Event. Carlile worked his way from 10th to eighth before the halfway mark. Towards the end of the race, he started to lose a little pace as his eyes filled up with dust, and he was shuffled to ninth. The “Flying Tomato” soldiered on and reclaimed eighth in the final laps. His teammate Beach also had a tough Main Event but fought his way back from last place to ninth.
Estenson Racing heads to Lima, Ohio, next weekend for Round 7 of the Progressive American Flat Track Championship at the legendary Lima Half-Mile on June 25.
Tommy Hayden – Estenson Racing Team Manager
“The second day here in Oklahoma City started off a little better for us. The guys were a little more competitive in practice and qualifying. We thought we had the potential to have better results today, and the guys fought hard. Although the results didn’t show, I do think that we were a little better. We were definitely hoping to make a bigger step tonight, but we just weren’t able to. So we’ll leave here, regroup and come back for a better result next weekend at Lima.”
Dallas Daniels – Estenson Racing AFT Singles
“It was definitely a crazy race. We made a shock change before the Main Event, and it took me a while to figure out how to ride it differently. I finally was able to build a bit of a gap, but by then, the leaders were long gone. It’s hard to be disappointed with a podium, but I really wanted to win tonight. It’s awesome for the team though, everyone works their butts off, so I’m happy to reward them with a podium. All in all, it was a good points night on a tricky track. We’ll move on to Lima next weekend and do better.”
Mikey Rush – Estenson Racing AFT Singles
“I had a decent night two at the OKC Mile. We struggled a little bit on setup and tried some stuff going into the Semi, but kind of went the wrong direction. We went back the other way for the Main Event, and it was a lot better. Starting on the third row was pretty difficult, so I’m super happy to come from the third row to get sixth. We’ll keep our head high, keep chipping away and get ready for Lima next week. The team did a great job making the changes I wanted on the bike. I’m looking forward to getting back at it at Lima next weekend.”
Kolby Carlile – Estenson Racing Mission SuperTwins
“I had a tough day here at the OKC Mile II and didn’t have the race I wanted to. Today they took a lot of the material off the track, and it was a lot more slippery. We tried a lot of stuff all day, and we came away with a decent setup for the Main Event. I was able to get going, but it was so dusty that my eyes filled up with dust, and by the end of the race, I could hardly see at all and had to drop my pace a bit. I was able to finish in eighth place tonight and learn a few things. I’m happy that we get to race again next weekend, and I’m really looking forward to Lima.”
JD Beach – Estenson Racing Mission SuperTwins
“It was another tough day for us in Oklahoma City. The track was a little smoother today compared to yesterday but more brushed off, so it was pretty slippery. We kept working hard but still struggled. We’re going to go back to work and try for a better result at Lima.”
More, from a press release issued by Indian Motorcycle:
BRANDON ROBINSON AND JARED MEES SPLIT WINS AT OKLAHOMA CITY DOUBLEHEADER
Jared Mees (9). Photo courtesy Indian Motorcycle.
Robinson becomes second rider to win two Mission SuperTwins victories of the season; Jared Mees’ 3-straight win streak at OKC comes to an end, but completes 4th career win at Remington Park
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (June 18/19, 2021) – Indian Motorcycle Racing, presented by KICKER, continued its 2021 American Flat Track season with wins at this weekend’s doubleheader at Oklahoma City Mile I and II. Brandon Robinson took first place in Friday night’s Mile I, while Wrecking Crew rider Jared Mees won Mile II on Saturday night.
Robinson was sidelined for the past three weeks, after an injury at Joliet back on May 29. Nursing a bad knee, Robinson dealt with the rough conditions at the Remington Park venue while holding his own. A hot Briar Bauman finished in second place, after back-to-back event wins in Fort Worth and Joliet.
Friday night’s victory marked Robinson’s second of the 2021 AFT season, his first coming at the Volusia Half-Mile I event in March. Robinson’s Wrecking Crew teammate Jared Mees also made the podium on Friday, finishing third.
With a third place finish last month in Chicago and in Friday night’s event, Mees came into Saturday with a chip on his shoulder. Mees ended up on top of the Mile II event, winning his second race of the season. This win was Mess’ 4th career victory in 5 appearances in Oklahoma City.
The multi-time Grand National Champion Mees got off to a great start from the opening lap and never looked back. Friday’s victor, Robinson, got a great feel for the track but didn’t get a good starting position. Again, Robinson found himself battling the pack and ultimately clawed his way to a second place finish, ahead of Briar Bauman.
Through seven races, Robinson, Mees, and Bauman all have two wins a piece. With second and third place finishes in Oklahoma City, Bauman is still atop of the leaderboard with 114 points. Two points separate Robinson and Mees, who have 107 and 105, respectively. Jarod Vanderkooi, who made consecutive fourth place finishes this weekend, also sits in fourth with 93 points.
The 2021 AFT season will continue on Saturday, June 26, at the Lima half-mile. 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.
After a short break to what has been an intense starting schedule for the 2021 FIM Superbike World Championship a two-day ‘in-season’ test session is taking place for KRT at the new WorldSBK venue of Circuito de Navarra in Spain.
With three meetings inside a four week window after a long-delayed start, the 2021 WorldSBK season is very much underway. Next up for the hardworking KRT duo of six-times champion Jonathan Rea and proven race winner Alex Lowes is a two day test at Navarra, between 21-22 June.
Lowes and Rea are first time riders at this circuit in Northern Spain and will be competitors during round seven of the WorldSBK championship at this same venue later this season.
The previous round at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli was held in hot conditions and ideally those are the conditions the team hope to find at Navarra. The weather may potentially have other plans but no matter the ambient conditions at this test it will allow Rea and Lowes to ride their new Ninja ZX-10RR machines around what is an all-new circuit for WorldSBK.
The 3.933km long Circuito de Navarra racetrack was built in 2010 and features no fewer than 15 corners over its relatively short length. It still manages to feature a huge variety of corners, including fast curves at Turns 1, 5, 10 and 14 plus what appear to be several out-braking opportunities approaching the more angular and slower corners.
The official Ducati squad has already tested at Navarra and as well as KRT there will be official teams from BMW, Honda and Yamaha present at these Current Navarra tests — showing the importance of entering any new round armed with at least some track knowledge before racing starts for real.
Navarra will be the seventh round of the 2021 championship when it comes around between 20-22 August, providing another ‘first’ for WorldSBK. It will begin a run of five mostly Southern European races that will ensure a busy autumn for WorldSBK in general, before the season culminates with two scheduled long haul races, in Argentina and Indonesia.
Alex and Jonathan will return to home ground for the next round of competitive action in the WorldSBK championship, at the Donington Park Circuit in the UK, between 2-4 July.
Jonathan Rea, stated: “I am very curious to try a new circuit and it is always exciting to go somewhere I have never raced at before. As well as the track being new for me it is also new for the team. The test is really important to understand the layout, the gearing, and initial set-up so we can arrive at Navarra for FP1 during race weekend in the best possible shape. We have some new items for our test programme that I have to test for KHI, which is nice to test in the middle of the season to make more steps with the Ninja ZX-10RR. Apart from that I will try to enjoy the riding and get the feeling step by step. The main target of the test is to find a rhythm on the track, so let’s see what the next few days bring.”
Alex Lowes, stated: “Over the first three rounds of the season we had three different tracks and three different temperatures. It got progressively hotter towards Misano, which was a really hot one, and I was hoping for some hot conditions at this Navarra test. Those are the conditions I lack a little experience with on this bike so we can try a few things to handle high track temperatures and tyre management. In terms of the bike we had a base settings from the winter tests that we have tweaked a little bit. So we are going to do some back-to-back testing at Navarra to give us a base setting. The next race is at Donington but once August starts we have a pretty busy schedule. So we want to make sure we are not changing the bike too much by finding some consistency. On top of that, Navarra is a new track, so I have done some research, watched some onboard laps, things like that. It looks great, like it has a bit of character, some faster corners and maybe a bit bumpy in places, plus some tighter sections. It is always nice to go to a new track for the first time. More or less the target for this test is to refine the set-up we have, not do anything too major.”
Guim Roda, KRT Team Manager, stated: “This Navarra test has been organised mainly to understand the track characteristics because it is a new on in the WorldSBK calendar. We have tried to find a way to make a test and understand how to set-up the bike there. It will be another new track for everybody and it is important over the two days understand the bike there. For the rest it will be a kind of test to continue solving some difficulties we found in Misano. We will continue developing solutions when the track temperature is high and the track grip is less. This is an opportunity to test in the summer to understand how to understand the tyre situation better and to continue our work in general.”
Matteo Bertelle wins from pole Sachsenring Rookies Race 2
Matteo Bertelle won his first Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup race in dramatic fashion. The 17-year-old Italian was in the lead battle all the way and managed to avoid a 5 rider fall starting the final laps that took out the rest of the lead group.
After his solitary last lap he crossed the line over 2 seconds ahead of Daniel Muñoz with Tatchakorn Buasri granted 3rd after Diogo Moreira was penalised a place for a last lap track limits infraction.
It had been another incredible KTM battle and with the laps counting down Saturday’s winner David Alonso looked most comfortable in the lead. As the pack went onto the last lap he was under great pressure from Daniel Holgado, David Muñoz, Marcos Uriarte, Iván Ortolá and Bertelle.”
“The six all funnelled into Turn 1 and simply didn’t fit, Bertelle managed to back out of it but the other five ended in the gravel, fortunately without serious injury.
Matteo Bertelle takes the luck and the win
“It has been a fantastic weekend. Yesterday was an unlucky day but today was a lucky day. I am so sorry for the other guys who crashed but this is the race.”
“I had a very good feeling with the bike and I say thanks to my mechanic Frederico and everyone who supports me so much and I will see you in Austria.”
Daniel Muñoz looking for more
“It was a very difficult race because I have pain in my arm all week,” explained the 15-year-old Spaniard. “But I am happy for the podium. I still want more because I couldn’t run with the first group in the last laps.”
“For this I am not happy but I am training and working for the next races. I still need to improve a lot of things and I want to battle at the front at the Red Bull Ring and have the rhythm to be fighting at the front right to the last laps.”
Tatchakorn Buasri happy to podium
“Today I am very happy because I improved a lot,” enthused the 20-year-old Thai. “I was fighting in the front group. In the last few laps I lost the leaders as I had a big highside as I opened the throttle and then there was a big gap to the lead group.”
“Then the front group had a big crash and I was then fighting for 2nd place. It was a great last lap battle and finally I could get the podium. I am very excited and happy with the result. I think we made big improvements and I can’t wait to go racing again.”
David Alonso misses the double
“Today I made a good start but in the first corner I touched with some rider and then I was at the back of the group more or less, waiting until the last laps. I felt good and also the riders were pushing hard so I stayed there,” explained the 15-year-old Colombian.
“Then with 5 laps to go I got into the lead and I pushed hard. I was happy that I could do good laps alone. It was fast but I could not get away. In the last lap I was second but going to be first then one rider hit us all and that finished the race.”
We have a new first time winner! After some incredible pace in preseason prefaced a rollercoaster first two rounds for Rossi Moor (FAIRIUM Next Generation Riders Team), the Hungarian took his first podium in Race 1 of Round 3… and on Sunday he went one better. The rookie duelled it out against Jakub Gurecky (JRT Brno Circuit) on the final lap, making a move stick at the final corner to become the first to defeat the Czech rider in the last five races. Gurecky, nevertheless, increases his points lead as Jacopo Hosciuc (Hos Racing Team) completed the podium.
From the off the stage was set for another similar battle, but on Sunday the podium finishers had a few more names to contend with. Lorenz Luciano (Junior Black Knights Team), Kas Beekmans (Team KNMV), Kevin Farkas (FAIRIUM Next Generation Riders) and Niklas Kitzbichler (Racing-Team-Kitzbichler) were all in the fight at the front, with a small freight train swapping and changing positions around the Sachsenring. With Farkas and Kitzbichler making a big step forward, the points were even more crucial for those near the top of the standings.
This time around, Moor wasn’t content to let Gurecky lead onto the final lap after the Czech rider outfoxed the field on Saturday, and instead the Hungarian blasted round Turn 1 for the final time in the lead. And he hung on until Gurecky hit back down the Waterfall, but Moor would have one final shot – and he took it to perfection. Keeping it pinned down the inside of the final corner, the number 92 crossed the line just half a tenth ahead to take his first ever NTC win.
Gurecky may have lost the victory and the chance at five in a row, but the Czech rider increased his advantage to 42 points at the top of the table, impressing once again and, once again, in the dry. Hosciuc won the squabble for third just ahead of the rest, the Romanian moving forward after a fifth on Saturday and back on the rostrum.
Fourth went to Farkas as he picked his way through to his best result yet after an impressive fight, with Luciano the man to lose out in the latter stages and the standings as he completed the top five. Beekmans took sixth after another impressive and solid performance once again from the consistent Dutchman.
Kitzbichler took seventh place at the flag, which equals his Race 1 result, but the Austrian only lost out on the podium late on after getting much nearer the front – and pulling some choice moves to boot.
Stepan Zuda (Motoracing23 Klub V ACR) charged from 24th to eighth in an impressive display, ultimately ending up in a lonely ride after doing so much work early on but being unable to catch the front group. Jonas Kocourek (JRT Brno Circuit) and Tibor Varga (Forty Racing) once again completed the top ten, also in some clear air each.
That’s a wrap on Round 3 of the NTC, but it’s not long to wait for the next one as the Cup heads to the TT Circuit Assen for Round 4, alongside the MotoGP™ paddock once again.
More, from a press release issued by Fairium NGRT:
Rossi Moor 13-year-old American-Hungarian wins in the Northern Talent Cup at Sachsenring.
The Northern Talent Cup race series continued this weekend in Sachenring, Germany, alongside MotoGP race.
After some serious preparation, the riders of the Fairium Next Generation Riders Team went big in both races. After Rossi Moor #92 broke the Pannonian Ring lap record at home, the first race of his life in Sachenring was no problem for him.
In the free practice, he was just studying the technical track, and then he took 3rd place in the QP.
Despite a successful free practice, Farkas Kevin #28 scored the 15th grid due to a technical problem on the time trial.
Saturday’s race was incredibly exciting.
The first 5 places, changing every second, were typical throughout the race.
After a very good start, Rossi went all the way in the lead, first and second, battling with Jackub Gurecky. He couldn’t break away from the group and accounted for himself in the final lap, finishing 2nd in the exciting race.
Farkas Kevin took 16th place with a huge start, battling all the way to 6th place.
There were small problems with the back grip, but it solved it perfectly.
Sunday:
Sunday’s race was a bit cloudy but took place in warm weather. Even now, the positions in the forefront changed every second. Rossi Moor raced all the way to the top 4 in the torn 6-wheeler who rode a separate race.
Farkas Kevin, who a very good start again from 15th place, came to this group and even took the second place for a few corners.
In a huge battle, Rossi Moor was finally put down, Farkas Kevin in 4th place.
Rossi is 3rd and Kevin in 10th place in the Overall.
The 2021 racing season will continue on June 26-27 in Assen, the Netherlands, along with MotoGp races.
#KingOfTheRing: Marquez returns to claim his throne
11 in a row, eight in MotoGP™, 30 laps, 25 points and 581 days: an emotional return to the top step sees the eight-time World Champion remain unbeaten in Germany
Marc Marquez (93), after taking the checkered flag at Sachsenring. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Sunday, 20 June 2021
581 days ago, Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) stood atop the MotoGP™ podium in Valencia. It was a normal Sunday for the eight-time World Champion, another notch in an ever-increasing roll call of history made and victories earned. There was no Covid-19, the grandstands were full and always had been, and the number 93 was on top of the world. Three surgeries, nearly a season on the sidelines and a whole different world later, Marquez is back on top of that rostrum – and he did it in style. Taking over at the front early on and then putting the hammer down even as rain threatened, the number 93 withstood ever-increasing pressure from Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) to take his 11th win in a row at the Sachsenring, which is also his eighth in a row at the venue in the premier class. 30 laps leading to 25 points, prefaced by 581 days.
Oliveira pushed as much as he could but makes it three podiums in a row as he comes closer than most ever have – or will – to taking the throne from the King of the Ring, with Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) increasing his Championship lead in third place.
It was Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) who took the holeshot from the off though, with Marquez blasting through into second and standing Quartararo up as the number 93 made it immediately clear he’d be racing to win in Germany. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) then struck against Quartararo too as El Diablo initially lost out a little, with one man doing the opposite: Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing). The South African stormed up from P13 to seventh on Lap 1.
By the end of said Lap 1, there was another move further ahead as Marquez struck for the lead at the final corner. Past the Aprilia of Aleix Espargaro there and staying ahead into Turn 1, it was a statement of intent but the number 93 couldn’t shake him off just yet. Next time around the two went toe-to-toe again, but Marquez retained that lead… and then began to grow it as the white flag came out.
The Sachsenring is no stranger to spots of rain, and as a few began to fall the flag showed that riders could, if they so chose, come in to change bikes. Marquez’ reaction to that, as Aleix Espargaro dropped back, was to push even more – and sure enough, the bravery paid off with a nice cushion leaving him with some breathing space at the front.
Meanwhile, Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) and Oliveira had made their way past Quartararo and then Zarco before also slicing through on Aleix Espargaro. By a third of the race run, Oliveira struck against Miller too, the Portuguese rider taking over in second and inheriting the task of trying to chase down Marc Marquez at the Sachsenring. But boy, did he try.
Two seconds became 1.9 became 1.8, with the KTM rider in the groove as he tried to haul in every meter possible on a charge for the front. Chipping away a tenth here and a tenth there, it seemed to be a matter of time, surely, before the Portuguese rider caught up? The gap was steadfastly going one way: down.
With only a handful of laps to go, it looked like game on. From hovering at 1.2 to suddenly only nine tenths, Oliveira showcased more great racecraft to back up his stunner in Barcelona. But Marquez wouldn’t be fazed. It went back up over a second as the eight-time World Champion responded and then, suddenly, that seemed it was it: one more tenth, then a few more, and suddenly the Honda had a second and a half in hand once again. Now, all that was left was to bring it home.
That Marquez did, with a nod of his head to the Repsol Honda Team waiting on pit wall as he secured that incredible eighth premier class win in a row at the Sachsenring. An achievement that would have made headlines alone, if not for 581 days and career-endangering injury in between his trips to the top step of the MotoGP™ podium. Tears, cheers and some serious emotion poured out as one of the truly great comebacks saw the eight-time World Champion wrap up another premier class victory.
Oliveira, after calling time on his charge, came home in second for yet another podium – his third in a row – ahead of Quartararo as the Frenchman made up some previously lost ground to round out the rostrum. Just behind him, Brad Binder came home fourth to make it an even better day for KTM.
Fifth place went to a Ducati, but not the early scene stealers. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) was near the end of the points on Lap 1, the Italian seemingly out of the fight for the front. But he made steady and impressive progress to eventually pip teammate Jack Miller to the final place in the top five, the Aussie forced to settled for sixth. Also seemingly somewhat forced to settle were Aleix Espargaro in P7 and, in the end, Zarco down in eighth, losing some ground to Quartararo in the standings.
Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) likewise made an early charge into the top ten, but the reigning Champion’s challenge bottomed out before he could attack any further forward, the number 36 taking home ninth although just two tenths behind Zarco. A little further off that duel, Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) completed the top ten.
Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), despite his injury struggles, came home in P11 and just fought off the attention of the likewise-returning Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing). The number 89 was top rookie at the Ring and took some solid points after earlier fighting further forward. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemutsu) was 13th ahead of Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT), the Doctor taking two points. Completing those points was Luca Marini (Sky VR46 Avintia) as he beat fellow rookie and teammate Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) to P15 by a tenth.
There are a few usual frontrunners missing from that list. After a difficult qualifying, Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) had their day go from bad to worse at the start as they were running last. It didn’t get better from there either, with both staying on but coming home as the final two finishers split by a few tenths. Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) and Danilo Petrucci (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) also failed to score after they crashed out together, and Lorenzo Savadori (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) slid out.
That’s it from the Sachsenring and a history-making Sunday. Only Marc Marquez will likely ever know how it feels, what it cost or the true work behind being able to return to the top step of a Grand Prix podium. 30 laps likely felt like a long time this afternoon, but 581 days will have seemed like a lifetime.
Join us again next weekend for another showdown as the TT Circuit Assen welcomes MotoGP™ back to the Netherlands.
Marc Marquez: “It’s one of the most important and hardest moments of my career, today I knew it was a great opportunity, the mentality wasn’t easy because I’m coming from a hard situation with three 0s in a row but I said today is the day. Before this weekend I thought I’d fight for the podium and try and be close with the top guys. The victory was a low possibility but I said if it’s perfect conditions, I’ll try. When I saw a few raindrops on Lap 4 or 5, I said ‘it’s my race’. At that point I pushed and kept the same pace as before, when the second stop started I pushed even more, and I said, ‘ok it’s time to take a risk’. I took it in those laps, then the second race started with Miguel. He pushed a lot, but it was really hard to keep concentrating, all the memories from the last year were there in my mind. But we did it, and we’ll do it again.”
Gardner imperious to make some Moto2™ history in Germany
The Championship leader is the first Australian to win three in a row in the intermediate class, as well as the winner of Moto2™ race number 200
Remy Gardner (87) celebrates his victory at Sachsenring. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Remy Gardner (Red Bull KTM Ajo) waited a little while to take to the top step in 2021, but the Australian has now done it three times in a row and is the first from his nation to do so. Another imperious performance saw him enjoy what looked almost like a track day at the Sachsenring, with teammate Raul Fernandez initially on his tail before sliding out. Aron Canet (Aspar Team Moto2) returned to the intermediate class podium in second, with Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46) locking out the rostrum in third.
As the lights went out it was Fernandez and Gardner who got the jump down into Turn 1, whilst Fabio Di Giannantonio (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) got a terrible getaway and was left mired down in fifth. Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta Racing) was up to third ahead of Bezzecchi, who held position from his starting place. It was also a good start from Jorge Navarro (+EGO Speed Up), likewise holding his position from the start of the race.
It became clear from the early stages that the race would be between the two Red Bull KTM Ajos, with Fernandez leading until Gardner got ahead of him at Turn 12 on Lap 2. Whilst both were racing away at the front at a rate of around a second a lap, it would be a mistake that would see the title pendulum swing in favour of Gardner: suddenly, Fernandez tucked the front at Turn 3. The rookie faltered for the first time in 2021 and the Australian was left to race against concentration, and himself. Crossing the line for his third win in a row with some real breathing space, he got the job done and now leads by 36 points over Fernandez in the standings…
Canet was left in second and the Aspar rider pushed to stay there, with a big gap slowly but surely diminishing as the race went on. Bezzecchi was the man on the chase but just came up a second short, nevertheless taking the podium after repelling the attentions of Di Giannantonio, who was forced to settle for fourth.
Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) pinched fifth place in the closing stages to deny Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP), although the home hero had fought valiantly from 17th on the grid. Jorge Navarro, Albert Arenas (Aspar Team Moto2), Marcos Ramirez (American Racing) and Cameron Beaubier (American Racing) completed the top ten, that for Arenas a first Moto2™ top ten and Beaubier giving America a third top ten of 2021.
The final lap also saw numerous positions squandered, as Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta Racing) crashed out of sixth place at Turn 1. Then, further down the order, Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) crashed from 11th, also at Turn 1. Then, at Turn 8, it was Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) who crashed out from fifth, promoting Lowes vs Schrötter.
There was also drama for Augusto Fernandez (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) and Jake Dixon (Petronas Sprinta Racing) earlier in the race as the two collided at Turn 12, resulting in Dixon running off and Fernandez going down.
Moto2™ will return at the TT Circuit Assen… can Gardner make it an incredible four in a row?
Remy Gardner: “Before the race my brother messaged me, ‘yo go win it today! You’ll be the first Australian to win three consecutively in the intermediate class!’ I guess I’m making history so that’s cool! Honestly I expected a hard battle today, Raul’s been really strong all weekend, I thought Diggia would be there, I don’t know what happened. Especially in Warm Up Raul had better pace than me so I was expecting a good long fight. I knew Raul would struggle a bit with the front tyre but I saw I had a bit more pace in the first laps so I passed him and just tried to go, but being smooth. Then a few laps later I saw plus 4 and a half, or something like that, and I was just trying then to not lose concentration. It was a really long race, a lot of laps around here. Happy to get those 25 points, it was an extremely important day for us.”
More, from a press release issued by Italtrans Racing:
Unlucky race for Italtrans Racing Team at Sachsenring.
Joe Roberts out on the last lap, while a technical problem stops Lorenzo Dalla Porta’s comeback.
Tough German Grand Prix for Italtrans Racing Team, today at Sachsenring for the eighth round of the MotoGP World Championship.
A very unlucky Sunday for the team with both riders out in a top ten race.
Starting from the third row of the grid with the 12th position, Joe Roberts had a regular race with a steady pace and was finishing 10th but he crashed on the last lap.
Unlucky day for Lorenzo Dalla Porta, who had to stop a promising comeback race due to a technical problem on lap 13. The Tuscan rider, who set the 6th fastest time in the warm up and started 19th on the grid, shown great pace by recovering several positions and would surely have finished in the top ten.
Lorenzo Dalla Porta (19) leads Marcos Ramirez (42) and Cameron Beaubier (6) at Sachsenring. Photo courtesy Italtrans Racing.
Lorenzo Dalla Porta
nc
“For a couple of laps I felt a drop of the engine, then suddenly I didn’t have any more power and I had to stop. It’s a real shame because this is the fourth race we haven’t a real result. We look forward with confidence: we have shown that we can do well and we just have to keep working hard”.
Joe Roberts in action at Sachsenring. Photo courtesy Italtrans Racing.
Joe Roberts
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“Tough day. I’m really sorry for the crash because I could have done some points for the standing. We are going through a hard time at the moment. Let’s try to turn it in the next GP in Assen”.
Giovanni Sandi, Technical Director
“This weekend we were never been competitive, but it was important to try to have a good race. I’m not happy with Joe, who made a mistake on the last lap. On the other hand Lorenzo was once again very unlucky: he was having a good race, but he stopped because of a technical problem”.
Young Gun Bayliss Breaks Through For Maiden ASBK Win
Oli Bayliss (32) leads Wayne Maxwell (1) in Australian Superbike Race Three at Hidden Valley Raceway. Photo by Optikal Photography, courtesy ASBK.
Rising star Oli Bayliss has defeated Wayne Maxwell in a nail-biting Ducati duel to snare his maiden race and round wins in the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship, presented by Motul, at Hidden Valley today.
This morning’s second race of the weekend was declared a non-event after an incident involving yesterday’s race winner Troy Herfoss on the opening lap.
In Race 3, a strong start from Bayliss allowed him to take the lead from Maxwell heading into the first corner, but Maxwell recaptured the top spot a couple of laps later. The two Ducati riders continued their contest until the race was red-flagged after four laps due to a crash involving Matt Walters and Corey Turner at the first corner.
The race was restarted with eight laps remaining, Maxwell leading the field away. He and Bayliss each set times underneath Herfoss’ Saturday lap record as they pulled clear of the rest of the field.
A committed move from Bayliss into the first corner enabled him to take the lead two laps from home and he was able to withstand Maxwell’s pressure to secure a memorable first win in the Alpinestars Superbike class.
A gracious Bayliss said his thoughts were with the riders involved in crashes over the weekend, including his DesmoSport Ducati team-mate Mike Jones.
“Unfortunately Jonesy and Troy had crashes, which is a shame because I know they would have been up there with us today,” Bayliss said.
“I’m happy that something clicked with me and the team, and I’m sure that as the year goes on we can keep winning.
“After the red flag, my tyre grip didn’t feel the best and I had a feeling Wayne was in the same boat.
“As the race went on, I stayed behind him, worked out a place where I could pass him and tried to win the race from there.”
Bayliss said he and his legendary father, Troy, are looking forward to celebrating back at their home on the Gold Coast.
“Hopefully Mum will cook us a nice dinner and then I’ll get straight back into training,” he said.
Another second-place finish for Maxwell saw the Boost Mobile with K-Tech rider extending his championship lead to 26 points.
“Oli rode fantastic in Race 3, it was a terrific battle,” Maxwell said.
“We had our back to the wall this weekend with some of our team members not able to be here, so to come away second for the round is very good for us.
“I feel for Troy, to see something like that happen to one of your best mates is awful, so I wish him all the best for a fast recovery.”
Glenn Allerton recorded another third-place finish in Race 3 and moved up to third in the standings.
“It’s been a great debut for our new BMW, it’s fantastic to finish on the podium even though we had some teething problems this weekend,” Allerton said.
“Once we’re able to test, I’m confident we’ll be competitive with the front-runners, there’s heaps of potential there.”
Bryan Staring brought his Kawasaki home fourth ahead of the Yamahas of Daniel Falzon, Aiden Wagner and Anthony West; the second Kawasaki BCPerformance entry of Josh Waters was eighth, with Cru Halliday and Jed Metcher completing the top 10 on their Yamahas.
The next round of the ASBK takes place at Morgan Park, 20-22 August.
Troy Herfoss has been involved in an incident on lap one, race two of the Alpinestars Superbikes at Hidden Valley this morning for round four of the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance ASBK, presented by Motul.
The Racesafe medical chase car was immediately in attendance at the scene of the incident.
Herfoss is in a serious but stable condition, and he is being transported to Royal Darwin Hospital for further investigations.
The race was declared with no points awarded.
The third and final ASBK race of the weekend is scheduled for 2:05pm.
More, from a press release issued by Penrite Honda:
ASBK RACE ONE WINNER HERFOSS HOSPITALISED IN DARWIN INCIDENT
Penrite Honda Racing rider and race one winner Troy Herfoss remains hospitalised in Royal Darwin Hospital following an incident in today’s Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) round at Hidden Valley.
The two-time ASBK champion starred in Saturday’s opening 16-lap encounter by storming to victory with a final lap pass on-board his ER Motorsports-prepared CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP.
Earlier, Herfoss was fourth-fastest in practice and qualified in P4 beneath the previous circuit qualifying record at 1m05.645s. From there, he went on to deliver an exceptional performance in the opening outing for the win and broke the race lap record with a 1m05.618s in the process.
With anticipation high for Sunday’s scheduled pair of Superbike races alongside the Supercars as part of the Northern Territory’s Darwin Triple Crown event, Herfoss unfortunately fell in turn three on lap one at over 200km/h and made contact with the outside air-fence and barrier.
Initial scans have confirmed that 34-year-old Herfoss has sustained a badly-broken right humerus and femur in the fall. Both will require surgery in order to begin his road to recovery and, at this point, he has been cleared of any further injuries.
“Our focus at this stage is obviously on Troy and doing what we can to assist him with his injuries, we certainly wish him well and hope for the best possible outcome in his recovery,” commented Penrite Honda Racing team owner Deon Coote.
“As he always does, Troy was exceptional in race one yesterday to take the win and we were buzzing following that result and such a spectacular finish. Today has been a difficult one, but we thank the trackside medical crew and everybody for expressing their support of Troy.”
The points scored by Herfoss in race one yesterday afternoon meant that he was credited eighth overall for the weekend and currently sits second in the 2021 championship point-standings.
WERA AT BARBER MOTORSPORTS HOSTING THE 3RD ANNUAL VINTAGE CONCOURS IS SET FOR SATURDAY, JULY 3RD
WERA Motorcycle and Ron Raven, founder of the Concours, are set to have the sights and sounds of vintage race bikes on track July 3rd at Barber Motorsports Park when they join the WERA Sportsman Series for the weekend.
Concours Founder, Ron Raven reports, “We have a full and diverse field this year. Last year was a small event without spectators and everyone wearing masks. It seems like as soon as we announced the requests for invitations were open we had a flood of inquiries. People want to get out and share the bikes again. One thing that our chief judge, Brian Slark of the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, insisted on this year was a diversity of sound out on the track. So, I am thrilled to say that I think we have met his criteria. In addition to a bevy of TZ250 twins of various ages providing the strong two-stroke sound background, we have Triumph triples; BSA, Norton and Ducati twins; Bultaco and Ducati singles; and a wide variety of four-cylinder superbikes – plus even a Norton rotary.”
Evelyne Clarke, CEO of WERA, remarked after reviewing the entries, “I am super excited about the upcoming Concours. I have been to many races and I have never heard a Norton rotary on track. I kind of imagine the sound from hearing a Mazda rotary race car but can’t wait to hear it in person along with all the other machines that will bring back memories and show the history of our great sport.”
In addition to the bikes on track there will be additional historic bikes on display including one of the very earliest Yoshimura racers and one of the Ducati 888 Superbikes Carl Fogarty raced during is WSBK career. Judging for both the “go” and the “show” class will be headed up by Brian Slark and the trophies are being made in-house by the museum staff.
This year the Concours will be staged in the lower paddock and open to visitors. We encourage you to come out and see where the love of motorcycles all began! One-day tickets will be available for spectators.
WERA Motorcycle Roadracing was founded in 1973 and remains the foremost place to develop talent in the sport of motorcycle road racing. The legacy of Pro Riders on a National and World level is legendary. All events are run by WERA Motorcycle Roadracing with a co-sanction by the AMA and they go coast to coast offering entry level racing with the WERA Sportsman Series as well as a Pro-Am Series which is the Pirelli/WERA National Challenge Series. WERA also offers Vintage Racing and hosts the Concours de ’Competition and Concours d’ Elegance in July at Barber Motorsports Park. Endurance Racing is also on the menu with our partner N2 and runs 4-5 events a year with a Big Bike Endurance and an Ultralightweight Endurance. WERA Motorcycle Roadracing was voted the 2017 AMA Track Organizer of the year.
For more information on WERA Motorcycle Roadracing please check out our web site at wera.com.
SVENDBORG, Denmark – Leading powersport distributor of premium motorcycle and UTV parts Tucker Powersports, becomes new official distributor of SBS brake products in the US.
SBS is proud to announce a new official Distributor of SBS brake products in the US market. Tucker Powersports, the Texas-based wholesaler, will, with its wide warehouse and dealership network across the United States, increase the availability of the SBS brake brand for dealers and American motorcyclists.
The addition of Tucker Powersports as SBS Distributor is an important step in making SBS a relevant and preferred brake parts supplier across the US.
– Tucker Powersports have for many years been a central market supplier of motorcycle parts in the US. Their wide dealership network with thousands of points-of-sale and progressive dealership support, as part of the new strategy of Tucker Powersports, are just some of the reasons why we deem that this collaboration is an ideal match, states CSO at SBS Friction, Christel Munk Pedersen.
Tucker Powersports can with this agreement supply motorcycle communities across the US with the entire SBS product portfolio, including brake rotors, clutch kits and standard, upgrade and performance brake pads for motorcycles and ATV, UTV and SSV. SBS brake pads are quality certified according to ECE R90 as an industry-first, and both organic and new sinter material brake pads are offered with NUCAP NRS technology, securing a mechanical and indestructible bonding of the compound to the back plate.
– Tucker Powersports is a trusted American brand with a significant presence since the 1970s. Tucker’s professional sales representatives have played a vital role in the success of Tucker, over the past 50 years. We trust that Tucker’s continued ability to service the market and their ambitious sales representatives, will enable SBS an enhanced presence and relevance in the US market, Christel continues.
– We are delighted to partner with SBS Friction, one of the world’s largest suppliers of brake pads and accessories for motorcycles and UTV’s. The quality, performance and range of products that SBS creates is perfect for the dealers we serve, said Tucker’s VP of Sales Brad Turner.
Max Whale (18). Photo courtesy Red Bull KTM Factory Racing.
RED BULL KTM’S MAX WHALE CAPS OFF DOUBLEHEADER WEEKEND WITH A WIN AT OKC MILE II
Rounds 5 & 6 – American Flat Track Championship
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Max Whale capped off a successful double-header weekend in Oklahoma on Saturday as he claimed his second AFT Singles victory of the season at Round 6 of the 2021 American Flat Track Championship.
Serving as the first “mile” of the season, the OKC Mile doubleheader delivered rounds five and six of the series, presenting a variety of challenging track conditions throughout the race weekend. On Friday, Max Whale carried a seventh-place qualifying position into AFT Singles Semi 1, where he powered his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION into third on the opening lap. He fought his way up to the lead battle and with two laps to go, he pulled the trigger to claim the semi win. In the Main Event, Whale put himself into fourth off the start and he got shuffled back to fifth early on. Racing just outside the top-five battle, the Aussie secured sixth on the first night.
Saturday proved to be a new day and Whale was determined to end the weekend on a high note. He came in swinging for AFT Singles Semi 2, securing the holeshot and early lead. With a hard-fought performance, Whale ultimately finished second in the Semi but he entered the Main Event with great momentum behind him. With a second-place start, Whale went to work battling for the lead position early on. Putting together a strategic plan heading into the final laps, Whale hung back and waited for an opportune moment, which came just seconds before the checkered flag when he made his move to secure the lead and put a stamp on victory on day two of racing.
Max Whale on the podium in Oklahoma City. Photo courtesy Red Bull KTM Factory Racing.
Whale: “On day one, I had a good Semi win but I struggled to put things together in the Main Event. Day two was great. I stuck onto Henry [Wiles] in the Main Event and I stayed there all race. I managed to pull off a last-lap draft pass for the win. It was a huge accomplishment to get my first “mile” podium and it was a win. I can’t thank my team enough, they put in such a huge effort and it means so much to me. Onto the next one.”
Shayna Texter-Bauman started the weekend off positively with P3 in practice but with deteriorating track conditions throughout the weekend, it became a challenge for the multi-time race winner. In AFT Singles Semi 1, Shayna got off to a top-10 start and battled her way up to a fifth-place finish, setting herself up for a third-row start in the Main Event. She didn’t get the best jump off the start as she found herself in 15th at the end of lap one. She broke into the top-10 late in the race and from there she held strong for 10th place.
Energized and ready to go to battle once again on Saturday, Shayna lined up in AFT Singles Semi 1 and she powered her KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION into fifth off the start. She battled mid-pack for the rest of the race, securing the final transfer position in eighth. In the Main Event, Shayna began just outside the top-10 and she battled around the same spot all race long to ultimately finish 12th on the night.
Shayna Texter-Bauman (52). Photo courtesy Red Bull KTM Factory Racing.
Texter-Bauman: “In the past I’ve had a lot of success here, so I was really looking forward to this race but man, the track was rough and challenging. We battled some dry conditions throughout the weekend, which made it a little bit of a challenge, but no excuses, the track is the same for everyone. Night one was disappointing but I was also energized for night two because I felt like in the Main Event we were moving forward. Going into night two, we tried to make the bike better for what I was struggling with but unfortunately, we just weren’t able to get it. Overall, just a little bit disappointed in the results. As a team, we’ll put our heads down and think about how we can be better heading into the next race. We have high expectations heading into Lima and we’re ready to get back to work.”
Next Race: Lima Half-Mile – Lima, Ohio – June 26, 2021
AFT Singles Main Event – OKC Mile I
1. Henry Wiles, Honda
2. Dallas Daniels, Yamaha
3. Morgen Mischler, KTM
OTHER KTM
6. Max Whale – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
9. James Ott, KTM
10. Shayna Texter-Bauman – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
11. Aiden RoosEvans, KTM
15. Hunter Bauer, KTM AFT Singles Main Event – OKC Mile II
1. Max Whale – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
2. Henry Wiles, Honda
3. Dallas Daniels, Yamaha
OTHER KTM
5. Hunter Bauer, KTM
11. Morgen Mischler, KTM
12. Shayna Texter-Bauman – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
13. James Ott, KTM
16. David Wiggin, KTM
AFT Singles Point Standings (After Round 6)
1. Dallas Daniels, 112 points
2. Max Whale – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 106
3. Michael Rush, 102
4. Henry Wiles, 83
5. Shayna Texter-Bauman – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 75
6. Morgen Mischler, 74
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Daniels Scores Back-to-Back Podiums at Remington Park
Dallas Daniels. Photo courtesy Yamaha.
Estenson Racing’s Dallas Daniels scored his second-consecutive podium finish aboard his Yamaha YZ450F at Remington Park, finishing third in last night’s Progressive American Flat Track AFT Singles Main Event at the OKC Mile II. Mikey Rush rallied back from a third-row start, crossing the line just outside the top five in sixth. On the Mission SuperTwins side of the tent, Kolby Carlile and JD Beach broke the top 10, finishing eighth and ninth, respectively.
Daniels got a great start in his Semi and showed strength straight away by challenging Friday night’s winner. He ultimately finished second to secure a front-row start for the Main Event. After the green light, the defending champ was third into turn one. He tried to make a break with the frontrunners but got caught up in a multi-rider scrap, which included his teammate. On Lap 9, Daniels reclaimed third and then put some distance between himself and the competition to secure another podium finish at the OKC Mile. Although he was hoping for a win on his 18th birthday, the third-place finish helped maintain his six-point lead in the championship.
Starting from the third row after a tough Semi race, Rush got a good start in sixth and quickly joined the fight for the final podium spot. The veteran jockeyed for position in the multi-rider battle but ultimately was shuffled back to sixth with five laps to go. Rush kept pushing and narrowly missed that top-five finish at the line.
Another hot day in Oklahoma City made for challenging conditions at the OKC Mile II. The Mission SuperTwins team had a better start to the day but struggled on a dusty, slippery track in the Semi and Main Event. Carlile worked his way from 10th to eighth before the halfway mark. Towards the end of the race, he started to lose a little pace as his eyes filled up with dust, and he was shuffled to ninth. The “Flying Tomato” soldiered on and reclaimed eighth in the final laps. His teammate Beach also had a tough Main Event but fought his way back from last place to ninth.
Estenson Racing heads to Lima, Ohio, next weekend for Round 7 of the Progressive American Flat Track Championship at the legendary Lima Half-Mile on June 25.
Tommy Hayden – Estenson Racing Team Manager
“The second day here in Oklahoma City started off a little better for us. The guys were a little more competitive in practice and qualifying. We thought we had the potential to have better results today, and the guys fought hard. Although the results didn’t show, I do think that we were a little better. We were definitely hoping to make a bigger step tonight, but we just weren’t able to. So we’ll leave here, regroup and come back for a better result next weekend at Lima.”
Dallas Daniels – Estenson Racing AFT Singles
“It was definitely a crazy race. We made a shock change before the Main Event, and it took me a while to figure out how to ride it differently. I finally was able to build a bit of a gap, but by then, the leaders were long gone. It’s hard to be disappointed with a podium, but I really wanted to win tonight. It’s awesome for the team though, everyone works their butts off, so I’m happy to reward them with a podium. All in all, it was a good points night on a tricky track. We’ll move on to Lima next weekend and do better.”
Mikey Rush – Estenson Racing AFT Singles
“I had a decent night two at the OKC Mile. We struggled a little bit on setup and tried some stuff going into the Semi, but kind of went the wrong direction. We went back the other way for the Main Event, and it was a lot better. Starting on the third row was pretty difficult, so I’m super happy to come from the third row to get sixth. We’ll keep our head high, keep chipping away and get ready for Lima next week. The team did a great job making the changes I wanted on the bike. I’m looking forward to getting back at it at Lima next weekend.”
Kolby Carlile – Estenson Racing Mission SuperTwins
“I had a tough day here at the OKC Mile II and didn’t have the race I wanted to. Today they took a lot of the material off the track, and it was a lot more slippery. We tried a lot of stuff all day, and we came away with a decent setup for the Main Event. I was able to get going, but it was so dusty that my eyes filled up with dust, and by the end of the race, I could hardly see at all and had to drop my pace a bit. I was able to finish in eighth place tonight and learn a few things. I’m happy that we get to race again next weekend, and I’m really looking forward to Lima.”
JD Beach – Estenson Racing Mission SuperTwins
“It was another tough day for us in Oklahoma City. The track was a little smoother today compared to yesterday but more brushed off, so it was pretty slippery. We kept working hard but still struggled. We’re going to go back to work and try for a better result at Lima.”
More, from a press release issued by Indian Motorcycle:
BRANDON ROBINSON AND JARED MEES SPLIT WINS AT OKLAHOMA CITY DOUBLEHEADER
Jared Mees (9). Photo courtesy Indian Motorcycle.
Robinson becomes second rider to win two Mission SuperTwins victories of the season; Jared Mees’ 3-straight win streak at OKC comes to an end, but completes 4th career win at Remington Park
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (June 18/19, 2021) – Indian Motorcycle Racing, presented by KICKER, continued its 2021 American Flat Track season with wins at this weekend’s doubleheader at Oklahoma City Mile I and II. Brandon Robinson took first place in Friday night’s Mile I, while Wrecking Crew rider Jared Mees won Mile II on Saturday night.
Robinson was sidelined for the past three weeks, after an injury at Joliet back on May 29. Nursing a bad knee, Robinson dealt with the rough conditions at the Remington Park venue while holding his own. A hot Briar Bauman finished in second place, after back-to-back event wins in Fort Worth and Joliet.
Friday night’s victory marked Robinson’s second of the 2021 AFT season, his first coming at the Volusia Half-Mile I event in March. Robinson’s Wrecking Crew teammate Jared Mees also made the podium on Friday, finishing third.
With a third place finish last month in Chicago and in Friday night’s event, Mees came into Saturday with a chip on his shoulder. Mees ended up on top of the Mile II event, winning his second race of the season. This win was Mess’ 4th career victory in 5 appearances in Oklahoma City.
The multi-time Grand National Champion Mees got off to a great start from the opening lap and never looked back. Friday’s victor, Robinson, got a great feel for the track but didn’t get a good starting position. Again, Robinson found himself battling the pack and ultimately clawed his way to a second place finish, ahead of Briar Bauman.
Through seven races, Robinson, Mees, and Bauman all have two wins a piece. With second and third place finishes in Oklahoma City, Bauman is still atop of the leaderboard with 114 points. Two points separate Robinson and Mees, who have 107 and 105, respectively. Jarod Vanderkooi, who made consecutive fourth place finishes this weekend, also sits in fourth with 93 points.
The 2021 AFT season will continue on Saturday, June 26, at the Lima half-mile. 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.
Kawasaki factory riders Jonathan Rea (1) and Alex Lowes (22). Photo courtesy Kawasaki.
Navarra Test For KRT Duo
After a short break to what has been an intense starting schedule for the 2021 FIM Superbike World Championship a two-day ‘in-season’ test session is taking place for KRT at the new WorldSBK venue of Circuito de Navarra in Spain.
With three meetings inside a four week window after a long-delayed start, the 2021 WorldSBK season is very much underway. Next up for the hardworking KRT duo of six-times champion Jonathan Rea and proven race winner Alex Lowes is a two day test at Navarra, between 21-22 June.
Lowes and Rea are first time riders at this circuit in Northern Spain and will be competitors during round seven of the WorldSBK championship at this same venue later this season.
The previous round at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli was held in hot conditions and ideally those are the conditions the team hope to find at Navarra. The weather may potentially have other plans but no matter the ambient conditions at this test it will allow Rea and Lowes to ride their new Ninja ZX-10RR machines around what is an all-new circuit for WorldSBK.
The 3.933km long Circuito de Navarra racetrack was built in 2010 and features no fewer than 15 corners over its relatively short length. It still manages to feature a huge variety of corners, including fast curves at Turns 1, 5, 10 and 14 plus what appear to be several out-braking opportunities approaching the more angular and slower corners.
The official Ducati squad has already tested at Navarra and as well as KRT there will be official teams from BMW, Honda and Yamaha present at these Current Navarra tests — showing the importance of entering any new round armed with at least some track knowledge before racing starts for real.
Navarra will be the seventh round of the 2021 championship when it comes around between 20-22 August, providing another ‘first’ for WorldSBK. It will begin a run of five mostly Southern European races that will ensure a busy autumn for WorldSBK in general, before the season culminates with two scheduled long haul races, in Argentina and Indonesia.
Alex and Jonathan will return to home ground for the next round of competitive action in the WorldSBK championship, at the Donington Park Circuit in the UK, between 2-4 July.
Jonathan Rea, stated: “I am very curious to try a new circuit and it is always exciting to go somewhere I have never raced at before. As well as the track being new for me it is also new for the team. The test is really important to understand the layout, the gearing, and initial set-up so we can arrive at Navarra for FP1 during race weekend in the best possible shape. We have some new items for our test programme that I have to test for KHI, which is nice to test in the middle of the season to make more steps with the Ninja ZX-10RR. Apart from that I will try to enjoy the riding and get the feeling step by step. The main target of the test is to find a rhythm on the track, so let’s see what the next few days bring.”
Alex Lowes, stated: “Over the first three rounds of the season we had three different tracks and three different temperatures. It got progressively hotter towards Misano, which was a really hot one, and I was hoping for some hot conditions at this Navarra test. Those are the conditions I lack a little experience with on this bike so we can try a few things to handle high track temperatures and tyre management. In terms of the bike we had a base settings from the winter tests that we have tweaked a little bit. So we are going to do some back-to-back testing at Navarra to give us a base setting. The next race is at Donington but once August starts we have a pretty busy schedule. So we want to make sure we are not changing the bike too much by finding some consistency. On top of that, Navarra is a new track, so I have done some research, watched some onboard laps, things like that. It looks great, like it has a bit of character, some faster corners and maybe a bit bumpy in places, plus some tighter sections. It is always nice to go to a new track for the first time. More or less the target for this test is to refine the set-up we have, not do anything too major.”
Guim Roda, KRT Team Manager, stated: “This Navarra test has been organised mainly to understand the track characteristics because it is a new on in the WorldSBK calendar. We have tried to find a way to make a test and understand how to set-up the bike there. It will be another new track for everybody and it is important over the two days understand the bike there. For the rest it will be a kind of test to continue solving some difficulties we found in Misano. We will continue developing solutions when the track temperature is high and the track grip is less. This is an opportunity to test in the summer to understand how to understand the tyre situation better and to continue our work in general.”
Matteo Bertelle (28) leads Ivan Ortola (24), Marcos Uriarte (89), and the rest of the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup field during Race Two at Sachsenring. Photo courtesy Red Bull.
Matteo Bertelle wins from pole Sachsenring Rookies Race 2
Matteo Bertelle won his first Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup race in dramatic fashion. The 17-year-old Italian was in the lead battle all the way and managed to avoid a 5 rider fall starting the final laps that took out the rest of the lead group.
After his solitary last lap he crossed the line over 2 seconds ahead of Daniel Muñoz with Tatchakorn Buasri granted 3rd after Diogo Moreira was penalised a place for a last lap track limits infraction.
It had been another incredible KTM battle and with the laps counting down Saturday’s winner David Alonso looked most comfortable in the lead. As the pack went onto the last lap he was under great pressure from Daniel Holgado, David Muñoz, Marcos Uriarte, Iván Ortolá and Bertelle.”
“The six all funnelled into Turn 1 and simply didn’t fit, Bertelle managed to back out of it but the other five ended in the gravel, fortunately without serious injury.
Matteo Bertelle takes the luck and the win
“It has been a fantastic weekend. Yesterday was an unlucky day but today was a lucky day. I am so sorry for the other guys who crashed but this is the race.”
“I had a very good feeling with the bike and I say thanks to my mechanic Frederico and everyone who supports me so much and I will see you in Austria.”
Daniel Muñoz looking for more
“It was a very difficult race because I have pain in my arm all week,” explained the 15-year-old Spaniard. “But I am happy for the podium. I still want more because I couldn’t run with the first group in the last laps.”
“For this I am not happy but I am training and working for the next races. I still need to improve a lot of things and I want to battle at the front at the Red Bull Ring and have the rhythm to be fighting at the front right to the last laps.”
Tatchakorn Buasri happy to podium
“Today I am very happy because I improved a lot,” enthused the 20-year-old Thai. “I was fighting in the front group. In the last few laps I lost the leaders as I had a big highside as I opened the throttle and then there was a big gap to the lead group.”
“Then the front group had a big crash and I was then fighting for 2nd place. It was a great last lap battle and finally I could get the podium. I am very excited and happy with the result. I think we made big improvements and I can’t wait to go racing again.”
David Alonso misses the double
“Today I made a good start but in the first corner I touched with some rider and then I was at the back of the group more or less, waiting until the last laps. I felt good and also the riders were pushing hard so I stayed there,” explained the 15-year-old Colombian.
“Then with 5 laps to go I got into the lead and I pushed hard. I was happy that I could do good laps alone. It was fast but I could not get away. In the last lap I was second but going to be first then one rider hit us all and that finished the race.”
We have a new first time winner! After some incredible pace in preseason prefaced a rollercoaster first two rounds for Rossi Moor (FAIRIUM Next Generation Riders Team), the Hungarian took his first podium in Race 1 of Round 3… and on Sunday he went one better. The rookie duelled it out against Jakub Gurecky (JRT Brno Circuit) on the final lap, making a move stick at the final corner to become the first to defeat the Czech rider in the last five races. Gurecky, nevertheless, increases his points lead as Jacopo Hosciuc (Hos Racing Team) completed the podium.
From the off the stage was set for another similar battle, but on Sunday the podium finishers had a few more names to contend with. Lorenz Luciano (Junior Black Knights Team), Kas Beekmans (Team KNMV), Kevin Farkas (FAIRIUM Next Generation Riders) and Niklas Kitzbichler (Racing-Team-Kitzbichler) were all in the fight at the front, with a small freight train swapping and changing positions around the Sachsenring. With Farkas and Kitzbichler making a big step forward, the points were even more crucial for those near the top of the standings.
This time around, Moor wasn’t content to let Gurecky lead onto the final lap after the Czech rider outfoxed the field on Saturday, and instead the Hungarian blasted round Turn 1 for the final time in the lead. And he hung on until Gurecky hit back down the Waterfall, but Moor would have one final shot – and he took it to perfection. Keeping it pinned down the inside of the final corner, the number 92 crossed the line just half a tenth ahead to take his first ever NTC win.
Gurecky may have lost the victory and the chance at five in a row, but the Czech rider increased his advantage to 42 points at the top of the table, impressing once again and, once again, in the dry. Hosciuc won the squabble for third just ahead of the rest, the Romanian moving forward after a fifth on Saturday and back on the rostrum.
Fourth went to Farkas as he picked his way through to his best result yet after an impressive fight, with Luciano the man to lose out in the latter stages and the standings as he completed the top five. Beekmans took sixth after another impressive and solid performance once again from the consistent Dutchman.
Kitzbichler took seventh place at the flag, which equals his Race 1 result, but the Austrian only lost out on the podium late on after getting much nearer the front – and pulling some choice moves to boot.
Stepan Zuda (Motoracing23 Klub V ACR) charged from 24th to eighth in an impressive display, ultimately ending up in a lonely ride after doing so much work early on but being unable to catch the front group. Jonas Kocourek (JRT Brno Circuit) and Tibor Varga (Forty Racing) once again completed the top ten, also in some clear air each.
That’s a wrap on Round 3 of the NTC, but it’s not long to wait for the next one as the Cup heads to the TT Circuit Assen for Round 4, alongside the MotoGP™ paddock once again.
More, from a press release issued by Fairium NGRT:
Rossi Moor 13-year-old American-Hungarian wins in the Northern Talent Cup at Sachsenring.
The Northern Talent Cup race series continued this weekend in Sachenring, Germany, alongside MotoGP race.
After some serious preparation, the riders of the Fairium Next Generation Riders Team went big in both races. After Rossi Moor #92 broke the Pannonian Ring lap record at home, the first race of his life in Sachenring was no problem for him.
In the free practice, he was just studying the technical track, and then he took 3rd place in the QP.
Despite a successful free practice, Farkas Kevin #28 scored the 15th grid due to a technical problem on the time trial.
Saturday’s race was incredibly exciting.
The first 5 places, changing every second, were typical throughout the race.
After a very good start, Rossi went all the way in the lead, first and second, battling with Jackub Gurecky. He couldn’t break away from the group and accounted for himself in the final lap, finishing 2nd in the exciting race.
Farkas Kevin took 16th place with a huge start, battling all the way to 6th place.
There were small problems with the back grip, but it solved it perfectly.
Sunday:
Sunday’s race was a bit cloudy but took place in warm weather. Even now, the positions in the forefront changed every second. Rossi Moor raced all the way to the top 4 in the torn 6-wheeler who rode a separate race.
Farkas Kevin, who a very good start again from 15th place, came to this group and even took the second place for a few corners.
In a huge battle, Rossi Moor was finally put down, Farkas Kevin in 4th place.
Rossi is 3rd and Kevin in 10th place in the Overall.
The 2021 racing season will continue on June 26-27 in Assen, the Netherlands, along with MotoGp races.
#KingOfTheRing: Marquez returns to claim his throne
11 in a row, eight in MotoGP™, 30 laps, 25 points and 581 days: an emotional return to the top step sees the eight-time World Champion remain unbeaten in Germany
Marc Marquez (93), after taking the checkered flag at Sachsenring. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Sunday, 20 June 2021
581 days ago, Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) stood atop the MotoGP™ podium in Valencia. It was a normal Sunday for the eight-time World Champion, another notch in an ever-increasing roll call of history made and victories earned. There was no Covid-19, the grandstands were full and always had been, and the number 93 was on top of the world. Three surgeries, nearly a season on the sidelines and a whole different world later, Marquez is back on top of that rostrum – and he did it in style. Taking over at the front early on and then putting the hammer down even as rain threatened, the number 93 withstood ever-increasing pressure from Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) to take his 11th win in a row at the Sachsenring, which is also his eighth in a row at the venue in the premier class. 30 laps leading to 25 points, prefaced by 581 days.
Oliveira pushed as much as he could but makes it three podiums in a row as he comes closer than most ever have – or will – to taking the throne from the King of the Ring, with Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) increasing his Championship lead in third place.
It was Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) who took the holeshot from the off though, with Marquez blasting through into second and standing Quartararo up as the number 93 made it immediately clear he’d be racing to win in Germany. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) then struck against Quartararo too as El Diablo initially lost out a little, with one man doing the opposite: Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing). The South African stormed up from P13 to seventh on Lap 1.
By the end of said Lap 1, there was another move further ahead as Marquez struck for the lead at the final corner. Past the Aprilia of Aleix Espargaro there and staying ahead into Turn 1, it was a statement of intent but the number 93 couldn’t shake him off just yet. Next time around the two went toe-to-toe again, but Marquez retained that lead… and then began to grow it as the white flag came out.
The Sachsenring is no stranger to spots of rain, and as a few began to fall the flag showed that riders could, if they so chose, come in to change bikes. Marquez’ reaction to that, as Aleix Espargaro dropped back, was to push even more – and sure enough, the bravery paid off with a nice cushion leaving him with some breathing space at the front.
Meanwhile, Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) and Oliveira had made their way past Quartararo and then Zarco before also slicing through on Aleix Espargaro. By a third of the race run, Oliveira struck against Miller too, the Portuguese rider taking over in second and inheriting the task of trying to chase down Marc Marquez at the Sachsenring. But boy, did he try.
Two seconds became 1.9 became 1.8, with the KTM rider in the groove as he tried to haul in every meter possible on a charge for the front. Chipping away a tenth here and a tenth there, it seemed to be a matter of time, surely, before the Portuguese rider caught up? The gap was steadfastly going one way: down.
With only a handful of laps to go, it looked like game on. From hovering at 1.2 to suddenly only nine tenths, Oliveira showcased more great racecraft to back up his stunner in Barcelona. But Marquez wouldn’t be fazed. It went back up over a second as the eight-time World Champion responded and then, suddenly, that seemed it was it: one more tenth, then a few more, and suddenly the Honda had a second and a half in hand once again. Now, all that was left was to bring it home.
That Marquez did, with a nod of his head to the Repsol Honda Team waiting on pit wall as he secured that incredible eighth premier class win in a row at the Sachsenring. An achievement that would have made headlines alone, if not for 581 days and career-endangering injury in between his trips to the top step of the MotoGP™ podium. Tears, cheers and some serious emotion poured out as one of the truly great comebacks saw the eight-time World Champion wrap up another premier class victory.
Oliveira, after calling time on his charge, came home in second for yet another podium – his third in a row – ahead of Quartararo as the Frenchman made up some previously lost ground to round out the rostrum. Just behind him, Brad Binder came home fourth to make it an even better day for KTM.
Fifth place went to a Ducati, but not the early scene stealers. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) was near the end of the points on Lap 1, the Italian seemingly out of the fight for the front. But he made steady and impressive progress to eventually pip teammate Jack Miller to the final place in the top five, the Aussie forced to settled for sixth. Also seemingly somewhat forced to settle were Aleix Espargaro in P7 and, in the end, Zarco down in eighth, losing some ground to Quartararo in the standings.
Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) likewise made an early charge into the top ten, but the reigning Champion’s challenge bottomed out before he could attack any further forward, the number 36 taking home ninth although just two tenths behind Zarco. A little further off that duel, Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) completed the top ten.
Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), despite his injury struggles, came home in P11 and just fought off the attention of the likewise-returning Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing). The number 89 was top rookie at the Ring and took some solid points after earlier fighting further forward. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemutsu) was 13th ahead of Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT), the Doctor taking two points. Completing those points was Luca Marini (Sky VR46 Avintia) as he beat fellow rookie and teammate Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) to P15 by a tenth.
There are a few usual frontrunners missing from that list. After a difficult qualifying, Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) had their day go from bad to worse at the start as they were running last. It didn’t get better from there either, with both staying on but coming home as the final two finishers split by a few tenths. Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) and Danilo Petrucci (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) also failed to score after they crashed out together, and Lorenzo Savadori (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) slid out.
That’s it from the Sachsenring and a history-making Sunday. Only Marc Marquez will likely ever know how it feels, what it cost or the true work behind being able to return to the top step of a Grand Prix podium. 30 laps likely felt like a long time this afternoon, but 581 days will have seemed like a lifetime.
Join us again next weekend for another showdown as the TT Circuit Assen welcomes MotoGP™ back to the Netherlands.
Marc Marquez: “It’s one of the most important and hardest moments of my career, today I knew it was a great opportunity, the mentality wasn’t easy because I’m coming from a hard situation with three 0s in a row but I said today is the day. Before this weekend I thought I’d fight for the podium and try and be close with the top guys. The victory was a low possibility but I said if it’s perfect conditions, I’ll try. When I saw a few raindrops on Lap 4 or 5, I said ‘it’s my race’. At that point I pushed and kept the same pace as before, when the second stop started I pushed even more, and I said, ‘ok it’s time to take a risk’. I took it in those laps, then the second race started with Miguel. He pushed a lot, but it was really hard to keep concentrating, all the memories from the last year were there in my mind. But we did it, and we’ll do it again.”
Gardner imperious to make some Moto2™ history in Germany
The Championship leader is the first Australian to win three in a row in the intermediate class, as well as the winner of Moto2™ race number 200
Remy Gardner (87) celebrates his victory at Sachsenring. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Remy Gardner (Red Bull KTM Ajo) waited a little while to take to the top step in 2021, but the Australian has now done it three times in a row and is the first from his nation to do so. Another imperious performance saw him enjoy what looked almost like a track day at the Sachsenring, with teammate Raul Fernandez initially on his tail before sliding out. Aron Canet (Aspar Team Moto2) returned to the intermediate class podium in second, with Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46) locking out the rostrum in third.
As the lights went out it was Fernandez and Gardner who got the jump down into Turn 1, whilst Fabio Di Giannantonio (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) got a terrible getaway and was left mired down in fifth. Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta Racing) was up to third ahead of Bezzecchi, who held position from his starting place. It was also a good start from Jorge Navarro (+EGO Speed Up), likewise holding his position from the start of the race.
It became clear from the early stages that the race would be between the two Red Bull KTM Ajos, with Fernandez leading until Gardner got ahead of him at Turn 12 on Lap 2. Whilst both were racing away at the front at a rate of around a second a lap, it would be a mistake that would see the title pendulum swing in favour of Gardner: suddenly, Fernandez tucked the front at Turn 3. The rookie faltered for the first time in 2021 and the Australian was left to race against concentration, and himself. Crossing the line for his third win in a row with some real breathing space, he got the job done and now leads by 36 points over Fernandez in the standings…
Canet was left in second and the Aspar rider pushed to stay there, with a big gap slowly but surely diminishing as the race went on. Bezzecchi was the man on the chase but just came up a second short, nevertheless taking the podium after repelling the attentions of Di Giannantonio, who was forced to settle for fourth.
Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) pinched fifth place in the closing stages to deny Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP), although the home hero had fought valiantly from 17th on the grid. Jorge Navarro, Albert Arenas (Aspar Team Moto2), Marcos Ramirez (American Racing) and Cameron Beaubier (American Racing) completed the top ten, that for Arenas a first Moto2™ top ten and Beaubier giving America a third top ten of 2021.
The final lap also saw numerous positions squandered, as Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta Racing) crashed out of sixth place at Turn 1. Then, further down the order, Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) crashed from 11th, also at Turn 1. Then, at Turn 8, it was Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) who crashed out from fifth, promoting Lowes vs Schrötter.
There was also drama for Augusto Fernandez (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) and Jake Dixon (Petronas Sprinta Racing) earlier in the race as the two collided at Turn 12, resulting in Dixon running off and Fernandez going down.
Moto2™ will return at the TT Circuit Assen… can Gardner make it an incredible four in a row?
Remy Gardner: “Before the race my brother messaged me, ‘yo go win it today! You’ll be the first Australian to win three consecutively in the intermediate class!’ I guess I’m making history so that’s cool! Honestly I expected a hard battle today, Raul’s been really strong all weekend, I thought Diggia would be there, I don’t know what happened. Especially in Warm Up Raul had better pace than me so I was expecting a good long fight. I knew Raul would struggle a bit with the front tyre but I saw I had a bit more pace in the first laps so I passed him and just tried to go, but being smooth. Then a few laps later I saw plus 4 and a half, or something like that, and I was just trying then to not lose concentration. It was a really long race, a lot of laps around here. Happy to get those 25 points, it was an extremely important day for us.”
More, from a press release issued by Italtrans Racing:
Unlucky race for Italtrans Racing Team at Sachsenring.
Joe Roberts out on the last lap, while a technical problem stops Lorenzo Dalla Porta’s comeback.
Tough German Grand Prix for Italtrans Racing Team, today at Sachsenring for the eighth round of the MotoGP World Championship.
A very unlucky Sunday for the team with both riders out in a top ten race.
Starting from the third row of the grid with the 12th position, Joe Roberts had a regular race with a steady pace and was finishing 10th but he crashed on the last lap.
Unlucky day for Lorenzo Dalla Porta, who had to stop a promising comeback race due to a technical problem on lap 13. The Tuscan rider, who set the 6th fastest time in the warm up and started 19th on the grid, shown great pace by recovering several positions and would surely have finished in the top ten.
Lorenzo Dalla Porta (19) leads Marcos Ramirez (42) and Cameron Beaubier (6) at Sachsenring. Photo courtesy Italtrans Racing.
Lorenzo Dalla Porta
nc
“For a couple of laps I felt a drop of the engine, then suddenly I didn’t have any more power and I had to stop. It’s a real shame because this is the fourth race we haven’t a real result. We look forward with confidence: we have shown that we can do well and we just have to keep working hard”.
Joe Roberts in action at Sachsenring. Photo courtesy Italtrans Racing.
Joe Roberts
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“Tough day. I’m really sorry for the crash because I could have done some points for the standing. We are going through a hard time at the moment. Let’s try to turn it in the next GP in Assen”.
Giovanni Sandi, Technical Director
“This weekend we were never been competitive, but it was important to try to have a good race. I’m not happy with Joe, who made a mistake on the last lap. On the other hand Lorenzo was once again very unlucky: he was having a good race, but he stopped because of a technical problem”.
Action from an Australian Superbike race at Hidden Valley Raceway. Photo by Optikal Photography, courtesy ASBK.
Young Gun Bayliss Breaks Through For Maiden ASBK Win
Oli Bayliss (32) leads Wayne Maxwell (1) in Australian Superbike Race Three at Hidden Valley Raceway. Photo by Optikal Photography, courtesy ASBK.
Rising star Oli Bayliss has defeated Wayne Maxwell in a nail-biting Ducati duel to snare his maiden race and round wins in the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship, presented by Motul, at Hidden Valley today.
This morning’s second race of the weekend was declared a non-event after an incident involving yesterday’s race winner Troy Herfoss on the opening lap.
In Race 3, a strong start from Bayliss allowed him to take the lead from Maxwell heading into the first corner, but Maxwell recaptured the top spot a couple of laps later. The two Ducati riders continued their contest until the race was red-flagged after four laps due to a crash involving Matt Walters and Corey Turner at the first corner.
The race was restarted with eight laps remaining, Maxwell leading the field away. He and Bayliss each set times underneath Herfoss’ Saturday lap record as they pulled clear of the rest of the field.
A committed move from Bayliss into the first corner enabled him to take the lead two laps from home and he was able to withstand Maxwell’s pressure to secure a memorable first win in the Alpinestars Superbike class.
A gracious Bayliss said his thoughts were with the riders involved in crashes over the weekend, including his DesmoSport Ducati team-mate Mike Jones.
“Unfortunately Jonesy and Troy had crashes, which is a shame because I know they would have been up there with us today,” Bayliss said.
“I’m happy that something clicked with me and the team, and I’m sure that as the year goes on we can keep winning.
“After the red flag, my tyre grip didn’t feel the best and I had a feeling Wayne was in the same boat.
“As the race went on, I stayed behind him, worked out a place where I could pass him and tried to win the race from there.”
Bayliss said he and his legendary father, Troy, are looking forward to celebrating back at their home on the Gold Coast.
“Hopefully Mum will cook us a nice dinner and then I’ll get straight back into training,” he said.
Another second-place finish for Maxwell saw the Boost Mobile with K-Tech rider extending his championship lead to 26 points.
“Oli rode fantastic in Race 3, it was a terrific battle,” Maxwell said.
“We had our back to the wall this weekend with some of our team members not able to be here, so to come away second for the round is very good for us.
“I feel for Troy, to see something like that happen to one of your best mates is awful, so I wish him all the best for a fast recovery.”
Glenn Allerton recorded another third-place finish in Race 3 and moved up to third in the standings.
“It’s been a great debut for our new BMW, it’s fantastic to finish on the podium even though we had some teething problems this weekend,” Allerton said.
“Once we’re able to test, I’m confident we’ll be competitive with the front-runners, there’s heaps of potential there.”
Bryan Staring brought his Kawasaki home fourth ahead of the Yamahas of Daniel Falzon, Aiden Wagner and Anthony West; the second Kawasaki BCPerformance entry of Josh Waters was eighth, with Cru Halliday and Jed Metcher completing the top 10 on their Yamahas.
The next round of the ASBK takes place at Morgan Park, 20-22 August.
Troy Herfoss has been involved in an incident on lap one, race two of the Alpinestars Superbikes at Hidden Valley this morning for round four of the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance ASBK, presented by Motul.
The Racesafe medical chase car was immediately in attendance at the scene of the incident.
Herfoss is in a serious but stable condition, and he is being transported to Royal Darwin Hospital for further investigations.
The race was declared with no points awarded.
The third and final ASBK race of the weekend is scheduled for 2:05pm.
More, from a press release issued by Penrite Honda:
ASBK RACE ONE WINNER HERFOSS HOSPITALISED IN DARWIN INCIDENT
Penrite Honda Racing rider and race one winner Troy Herfoss remains hospitalised in Royal Darwin Hospital following an incident in today’s Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) round at Hidden Valley.
The two-time ASBK champion starred in Saturday’s opening 16-lap encounter by storming to victory with a final lap pass on-board his ER Motorsports-prepared CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP.
Earlier, Herfoss was fourth-fastest in practice and qualified in P4 beneath the previous circuit qualifying record at 1m05.645s. From there, he went on to deliver an exceptional performance in the opening outing for the win and broke the race lap record with a 1m05.618s in the process.
With anticipation high for Sunday’s scheduled pair of Superbike races alongside the Supercars as part of the Northern Territory’s Darwin Triple Crown event, Herfoss unfortunately fell in turn three on lap one at over 200km/h and made contact with the outside air-fence and barrier.
Initial scans have confirmed that 34-year-old Herfoss has sustained a badly-broken right humerus and femur in the fall. Both will require surgery in order to begin his road to recovery and, at this point, he has been cleared of any further injuries.
“Our focus at this stage is obviously on Troy and doing what we can to assist him with his injuries, we certainly wish him well and hope for the best possible outcome in his recovery,” commented Penrite Honda Racing team owner Deon Coote.
“As he always does, Troy was exceptional in race one yesterday to take the win and we were buzzing following that result and such a spectacular finish. Today has been a difficult one, but we thank the trackside medical crew and everybody for expressing their support of Troy.”
The points scored by Herfoss in race one yesterday afternoon meant that he was credited eighth overall for the weekend and currently sits second in the 2021 championship point-standings.
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