Reigning champions Harrison Payne (ARS Yamaha) and Kevin Rousseau extended their advantage at the front of the 2025 FIM Sidecar World Championship with another overall victory – their fourth of the season – as the series made a repeat visit to the famous TT Circuit Assen in the Netherlands for round six last weekend (20-21 September).
FIM Sidecar World Championship returns to Assen for round six
Defending champions Harrison Payne and Kevin Rousseau extend series lead
British brothers Sam and Thomas Christie consolidate second in series
The British/French pairing have been the dominant force in this year’s championship, but a mechanical DNF at the opening round at Le Mans and a second no-score due to a technical issue at round four at Most have prevented them from breaking free from the chasing pack and, as a result, their series lead stands at twenty-three points with just next month’s final round at Oschersleben in Germany left on the calendar.
Giving a good indication of how close the racing was going to be in the ‘Cathedral of Speed’, just 0.127 covered the first three crews in qualifying with British brothers Sam and Thomas Christie (LCR Yamaha) – who sit second in the standings – on top chased by the Swiss/German pairing of Markus Schlosser (LCR Yamaha) and Luca Schmidt with Payne/Rousseau third.
With the track still wet following a huge downpour, Schlosser/Schmidt led Saturday’s ten-lap Sprint race into the opening turn from Payne/Rousseau and the Christie brothers, but an early spin in the chicane by the leaders dropped them back to seventh, handing the advantage to the defending champions.
Hugely experienced Finnish rider Pekka Päivärinta (ARS Yamaha) – with Adam Christie, the third of the Christie brothers in action, in the chair – was revelling in the wet conditions and after passing the Christie brothers he turned his attention to Payne/Rousseau. The British pairing of Lewis Blackstock (LCR Yamaha) and Oscar Lawrence – who were making their second championship appearance this season as wild cards – also moved into contention after passing the Christie brothers.
Harrison Payne and Kevin Rousseau (1) at 2025 FIM Sidecar World Championship – Assen (NED). Photo credit Mark Walters
Following a decisive pass for the lead, Päivärinta/Christie cruised clear to win by almost eight seconds from Payne/Rousseau with Blackstock/Lawrence third ahead of the Christie brothers and Britain’s Sam and Jack Laidlow (LCR Yamaha) with Schlosser/Schmidt unable to advance from seventh.
With the sun shining for Sunday’s sixteen-lap Main race, Payne/Rousseau led from the start with Schlosser/Schmidt, the Christie brothers, Blackstock/Lawrence, former champions Todd Ellis (Yamaha) and Emmanuelle Clement and Päivärinta/Christie in pursuit.
Carrying momentum from the previous day, Päivärinta/Christie moved up to fourth with the British/French pairing of Ellis/Clement following them past Blackstock/Lawrence, but the wild cards fought their way back into podium contention.
In the closing stages Schlosser/Schmidt got close enough to attempt a pass on Payne/Rousseau for the lead, although ran wide which allowed the Christie brothers through into second and the positions remained unchanged until the chequered flag came out.
Blackstock/Lawrence were a solid fourth from Päivärinta/Christie with the Laidlow brothers sixth ahead of Ellis/Clement.
Focus now shifts to the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben in central Germany on 3-5 October for the seventh and concluding round.
Now in its 14th edition, this iconic annual ride brings together a vibrant and diverse community of Royal Enfield owners and riders from around the world to celebrate their camaraderie and shared passion for Pure Motorcycling.
One Ride celebrates the simple, accessible joy of motorcycling that connects riders across cultures, ages, and backgrounds through shared passion for authentic riding experiences and individual self-expression.
This Sunday, the world rode as one for the 14th edition of Royal Enfield’s One Ride. The ride offers the global Royal Enfield community an opportunity to get together and be on the saddle on One Day, witnessing the scale of the incredible camaraderie. This year saw more than 40,000 riders across 1,500 rides in 60+ countries ride in unison, making the ride one of the largest annual celebrations of motorcycling seen anywhere in the world. Serving as a remarkable testimony to Royal Enfield’s philosophy of ‘Pure Motorcycling’, the ride began with the first sunrise in the East continuing until the last sunset in the West, creating a true 24-hour global celebration spanning all time zones.
Every year, One Ride brings together a diverse and passionate community of riders and enthusiasts – from first-time riders to seasoned adventurers — who come together to celebrate individuality, self-expression, and the shared joy of the open road. The ride showcases the strength of the world’s most passionate organic motorcycling community — one that spans continents yet feels intimate, where strangers become lifelong riding companions through their shared love of Pure Motorcycling.
Ride together : Royal Enfield’s one ride 2025 unites riders from Chennai to California for a common cause. Photo courtesy Royal Enfield.
While united in spirit, this year the helmets were more than just gear as riders celebrated their individuality through personalized helmets, custom motorcycle modifications, and unique riding gear, transforming essential safety equipment into powerful canvases of personal stories and creativity.
Beyond celebration, One Ride championed responsible motorcycling through curated safe routes, community mentorship, and initiatives like Helmets for India, ensuring every rider returns home safely to ride another day.
One Ride has grown exponentially since its debut in 2011, witnessing merely 14 countries and 23 Indian cities participating in this annual celebration. The 2024 edition achieved record participation with 41,730 riders across 66 countries, while 2025 maintained a similar scale with 40,000+ riders across 60+ countries.
About Royal Enfield :
The oldest motorcycle brand in continuous production, Royal Enfield has created beautifully crafted motorcycles since 1901. From its British roots, a manufacturing plant was established in Madras in 1955, a foothold from which Royal Enfield spearheaded the growth of India’s mid-sized two-wheeler segment. Royal Enfields are engaging, uncomplicated, accessible and fun to ride; a vehicle for exploration and self-expression. It’s an approach the brand calls Pure Motorcycling.
Royal Enfield’s premium line-up includes Bear 650, Classic 650, Guerrilla 450 modern roadster, Hunter 350, Meteor 350, Super Meteor 650, Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 twins, the Shotgun 650, the Himalayan 450, the Scram 440 ADV Crossover, the iconic Bullet 350, Classic 350 and Goan Classic 350. The company recently unveiled its new city+ motorcycle brand – the Flying Flea – a fresh take on urban mobility, blending authentic design with advanced technology.
Riders and a passionate community are fostered with a rich profusion of events at a local, regional and international level. Most notable are Motoverse (previously Rider Mania), an annual gathering of thousands of Royal Enfield enthusiasts in Goa, and Himalayan Odyssey; a yearly pilgrimage over some of the toughest terrain and highest mountain passes.
A division of Eicher Motors Limited, Royal Enfield operates through more than 2000 stores across all major cities and towns in India and through nearly 850 stores in more than 60 countries around the globe. Royal Enfield also has two world-class technical centres, in Bruntingthorpe, UK, and in Chennai, India. The company’s two state-of-the-art production facilities are located at Oragadam and VallamVadagal, near Chennai. Across the world, Royal Enfield has six modern CKD assembly facilities in Bangladesh, Nepal, Brazil, Thailand, Argentina and Colombia.
More from a press release issued by Yoshimura SERT Motul:
Yoshimura SERT Motul takes emphatic win at 2025 Bol d’Or.
Yoshimura SERT Motul collected maximum points at the final round of the 2025 Endurance World Championship and bagged a hat trick of wins at the famous Bol d’Or. Despite a flawless performance, the Franco-Japanese narrowly missed retaining its EWC title by just one point.
To defend its chances of winning another world title, Yoshimura SERT Motul had to deliver a perfect performance at the Paul Ricard circuit in the south of France. Its intent was evident from the get-go when Gregg Black set a new Bol d’Or qualifying lap record in Q1, which was then bettered by team-mate Etienne Masson in Q2 who broke into a sub 1:51s lap time, the absolute fastest time of the weekend.
The Suzuki team carried that strong performance through to the start of the race with Black getting ahead of the pack and completing the first lap in the lead. During the early hours of the race, Black, Masson and Dan Linfoot fought an intense battle against their main rivals in the championship.
Despite a stop/go penalty imposed for work carried out on the bike after refuelling, Yoshimura SERT Motul led the standings at the 8-hour mark and pocketed the maximum bonus of 10 points.
Throughout the night, the Suzuki team rider’s stints flowed one after another without a single mistake, both on the track and during refuelling. At the 16-hour mark, the team was still leading the race, one lap ahead of its closest rival. In terms of points, Yoshimura SERT Motul’s lead increased by a further 10 bonus points.
Solid and fast throughout the demanding race, which saw 20 of the 53 entered teams drop out, Yoshimura SERT Motul maintained a single-minded focus to secure its third successive Bol d’Or win. The team delivered a perfect performance to claim an undisputed victory and accumulate 65 points, the maximum possible in this event. Despite this outstanding accomplishment, the Franco-Japanese team missed out on the world title by just one point in the final standings.
Yohei KATO – team director: “I’m finding it a little difficult to express how I feel. Of course, there’s the frustration of coming so close to the title, but I’m also very happy with the team’s performance and the work done by my riders. We’ve been very strong since the start of the week. In the first qualifying session, Gregg broke the track record and the next day, Etienne improved on it! Then our perfect race demonstrated all the qualities of this “old generation” Suzuki. We’ll be back next year with a brand-new and very promising version.”
Damien SAULNIER – team manager: “We’ve won the Bol d’Or for the third consecutive time, so we’ll be able to keep the trophy at home. Our team has won here five times in six years, so I think we can only be delighted. Still, there is a slight tinge of bitterness about the single point that separates us from the title. But that’s racing. I have a lot of respect and admiration for the Yamaha team, and my thoughts also go out to the BMW team, which had a great season. We all obviously deserved this title.”
Gregg Black in action. Photo courtesy SERT Team.
Gregg BLACK – rider:
“The team made technical improvements to the bike that allowed us to set a faster pace than last year, when we won. So we only had one thing to do in the race: stay in front until the finish line to score 65 points. We knew what we had to do. Then we had to make it happen. So we are very pleased to have won this very difficult race with the Mistral straight, which is so demanding on the bike. Our victory once again demonstrates the reliability of the Suzuki. Now, losing the championship by a single point is tough, but we gave it our all. We will come back in 2026 even stronger and make fewer mistakes at the start of the season.”
Etienne Masson in action. Photo courtesy SERT Team.
Etienne MASSON – rider: “After qualifying, we were feeling pretty confident about the race. We started off at the pace we had planned. We fought all night to try to keep up that pace and maintain the pressure on our rivals. And that’s exactly what we managed to do. The team once again did an incredible job during the pit stops. They were exemplary. Everyone stuck to the plan. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to win the title, but I think we can be proud. See you next year.”
Dan Linfoot in night action. Photo courtesy SERT Team.
Dan LINFOOT – rider: “Of course, this victory is very good for the whole team. We all feel satisfied with a job well done, but there is also the frustration of the World Championship. That’s the feeling I have tonight. We did everything we needed to do and we scored the maximum number of points. After that, it was out of our hands; it was in the hands of our opponents. I would like to congratulate YART on winning the world championship title. We gave it our all and we can be proud of that. It allowed us to put all the odds in our favour and keep our hopes alive for as long as possible.”
Yoshimura SERT Motul is now focusing on preparing for the 2026 season, which will kick off at Le Mans for the 24 Heures Motos, scheduled for the 16th to the 19th of April. The team, managed by Yohei Katoh and Damien Saulnier, will be competing with the latest evolution of the GSX-R1000R.
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More from a press release issued by Honda Racing:
Drama for F.C.C. TSR Honda France at the 88th Bol d’Or as National Motos Honda FMA reclaims 2025 FIM Endurance World Cup.
F.C.C. TSR Honda France impresses with a strong performance, but a well-deserved podium slips away after the halfway point of the 24-hour race.
Honda Superstock teams as National Motos Honda FMA wins the FIM Endurance World Cup title. Photo courtesy Honda Racing.
Double delight for Honda Superstock teams as National Motos Honda FMA wins the FIM Endurance World Cup title and Kaedear-Dafy-Rac41-Honda finishes as a runner-up.
F.C.C. TSR Honda France made a strong start at the Bol d’Or thanks to Alan Techer, who started from fourth on the grid aboard the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP. The Frenchman quickly moved into the lead after the second lap and was running second when he handed over the #5 Honda to Corentin Perolari, becoming the first rider to pit in the race.
Perolari rejoined in second place and soon moved back into the lead before a Safety Car neutralised the race for nearly 20 minutes. From then on, Techer and Perolari alternated stints at the front, supported by Taiga Hada, who contributed valuable laps despite a lower race pace. The French riders focused on consistency, fast lap times, and avoiding mistakes — a strategy that paid off. In the fifth hour, Techer set a new race lap record of 1:52.506, showcasing an impressive pace and positioning.
Corentin Perolari (5) on his F.C.C. TSR Honda France. Photo courtesy Honda Racing.
As the race approached the eighth hour, F.C.C. TSR Honda France was still leading. However, a scheduled stint combined with a lengthy pit stop to change the brake pads during the rider handover between Techer and Perolari cost the team valuable time, dropping them back to second. Despite the setback, the team secured nine points for the championship after the first part of the race.
From that point on, solid stints from the #Honda 5 riders through the night, combined with the performance of the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP, moved F.C.C. TSR Honda France into the race lead until halfway of the race.
Unfortunately, after 12hour race, Perolari was forced to bring the #Honda 5 to the boxes due to a mechanical problem. Despite the best efforts of all the technical crew to fix the bike to get it back on track, F.C.C. TSR Honda France was forced to retire.
Throughout the weekend, the Honda #5 riders demonstrated the speed of the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP and the team’s ability to compete at the front. Although a setback prevented them from ending the season with a podium, the team proved their potential by consistently hitting 1:53 lap times, setting a race lap record and confirming their strength heading into the next season, which will kick off at Le Mans from 16 to 19 April 2026.
Martin Renaudin (4) on his Tati Team AVA6 Racing Honda. Photo courtesy Honda Racing.
Tati Team AVA6 Racing started from sixth on the grid, with Hugo Clère taking the opening stint aboard the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP. Clère delivered a strong start, moving up into fourth position after just 12 laps. When Randy Krummenacher took over, the Swiss rider kept the team firmly in contention, holding the same position with a solid and consistent pace.
However, during Martin Renaudin’s stint, a brake issue forced the team into a costly pit stop lasting nearly eight minutes. As a result, the Honda #4 rejoined the race in 26th place.
Despite this significant challenge, the French team showed determination. Through consistent lap times and well-managed stints, Tati Team AVA6 Racing steadily climbed back, reaching 14th position overall at the six-hour mark.
Unfortunately, a mechanical failure at the halfway point forced again the team into the pits for bike checks. A prolonged stop of over an hour caused the squad to lose valuable positions, and when Renaudin rejoined, Honda #4 was back again in 26th place.
Entering the final three hours while running 8th in the Superstock category, the Honda #4 was forced back into the pits. Despite this situation, the team managed to rejoin the race without losing position, ultimately crossing the chequered flag in a hard-fought 6th place.
Marco Fetz (53) on his Mana-Au Competition Honda. Photo courtesy Honda Racing.
Mana-Au Competition, with Max Schmidt, Marco Fetz, and Brayden Elliot aboard the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP #53, qualified 15th in the EWC class. Over 15 hours of intense endurance racing, the team fought their way up to 6thplace in their category.
The French squad delivered an outstanding performance, ultimately finishing the 24-hour race in 4th place in the EWC and 9th overall.
Guillaume Raymond (55) on his National Motos Honda FMA. Photo courtesy Honda Racing.
In the Superstock category, National Motos Honda FMA has once again claimed the FIM Endurance World Cup for Teams aboard the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP #55.
With Valentin Suchet, Guillaume Raymond, and Johan Nigon, the team secured a strong third-place finish at the Bol d’Or.
Defending FIM Endurance World Cup Champions National Motos Honda FMA had a challenging qualifying session, starting 8th on the grid in the Superstock category. Despite this, the team’s goal remained clear: secure the title by running their own race with a clear focus on consistency and avoiding unnecessary risk.
Relying on steady pace and consistency, the team gradually worked their way up toward the podium and after six hours of racing, National Motos Honda FMA were running in third position.
By the halfway mark, they were firmly in second place in the Superstock category, setting themselves up for a decisive final stage.
In the last two hours, the team strategically eased their pace to ensure a safe finish. Crossing the line in third place at the Bol d’Or, National Motos Honda FMA secured enough points to successfully defend their title and claim the 2025 FIM Endurance World Cup.
Kaedear-Dafy-Rac41-Honda, started fifth in the Superstock category with Diego Poncet taking the start aboard the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP. With a strong opening stint, the team quickly moved the Honda #41 up to second place after just two hours of racing.
A prolonged pit stop due to a rear tyre issue and a stop-and-go penalty saw the team drop back to 6th in class after six hours. However, consistent pace and determination allowed the squad to recover, climbing back to third by the halfway point.
In the closing stages, with just two hours remaining, the Honda #41 advanced to second place in the Superstock category. Thanks to extraordinary teamwork, strong communication, and the and the outstanding reliability of the Fireblade, Kaedear-Dafy-Rac41-Honda secured second place at the Bol d’Or and concluded the season as runner-up in the FIM Endurance World Cup, achieving the same result as last season.
Other Honda-powered teams that completed the Superstock category at the 88th Bol d’Or included Team 113 VIP Moto-Sporting Moto-Dynoperf, which finished in 8th place, followed by AG Racing. Team SLA Honda Toulon crossed the line in 12th, Slider Endurance in 15th, and Wójcik Racing Team #777 SST in 16th, with LCR Endurance rounding out the Honda entries.
Alan Techer – F.C.C. TSR Honda France
“The race ended badly for us, but it started well. I took the start, we were in the lead. Corentin and I had a really good pace to fight for the win. We did a lot of relays with just the two of us. We showed that we were fast and that the bike was performing well. Unfortunately, that’s not how we wanted to finish. Mechanically, there wasn’t much we could do about it. Everyone saw that we had the potential to fight for victory, and that’s what I want to remember. We had a great week, we worked well, the bike was easy to ride, both at night and during the day. The goal was to ride in 53 and that’s what we did. Now we’re going to work for next year and try to do better.”
Corentin Perolari – F.C.C. TSR Honda France
“Alan got off to a great start and we were regularly the fastest for 12 hours. We were battling for first place after every pit stop, and then we had a technical problem, which was a real shame. What I take away from this season is that we were fast in every race. Now we need to keep it up until the finish line and at the end of the year we’ll have a great result in the championship.”
Taiga Hada – F.C.C. TSR Honda France
“It’s difficult to end the race like this. In the final stint, I managed to set laps faster than in qualifying, which was a positive step for me. I was gradually improving, but then we had the mechanical problem, which is frustrating. Still, that’s racing. I want to take this experience with me, thank the whole team and my teammates for their great work, and use it positively for the future of my racing career.”
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More from a press release issued by Aviobike WRS:
Bol d’Or heartbreak for Aviobike WRS after 20 hours of battle.
• The Italian squad retires after 19 hours and 53 minutes despite a stellar effort from Ferrari, Bernardi, Lepine and De Cancellis on the Ducati Panigale V4.
An heroic effort from Team Aviobike WRS came to a bitter end just hours from the finish of the 88th Bol d’Or. After 19 hours and 53 minutes and a total of 544 laps, the Italian squad was forced to withdraw, despite an inspired performance from Matteo Ferrari, Luca Bernardi, Adrien Lepine and Hugo De Cancellis.
The race had started brightly. With a lightning getaway, Ferrari pushed the team’s Ducati Panigale V4 – the only bike from Borgo Panigale on the grid – up to third place in the Superstock class. Bernardi held that position during his opening stint, even after a safety car at lap 40 wiped out the early gaps.
Adrien Lepine (111) riding on his Aviobike WRS. Photo courtesy Aviobike Team.
Both Lepine and De Cancellis – drafted in at the last minute to replace the injured Andrea Mantovani – settled quickly into the rhythm, while the pit crew delivered faultless work through the opening twelve hours. At the halfway mark, the #111 Ducati was running sixth in class and 15th overall, with consistency as the team’s biggest strength.
As night fell over Paul Ricard, the determination to finish grew stronger. Even a pair of extended pit stops, costing six laps, couldn’t shake the spirit inside the Aviobike garage. By dawn, the team had fought back to P6 in class, hovering near the overall top ten, before inching back to P11 Stock and P20 overall.
Then came the cruel twist: with less than five hours remaining, the Ducati was forced to retire.
Giovanni Baggi statement:
“It has been an intense week in every way. We had high expectations and gave it our all. Unfortunately, at 11 o’clock this morning, we couldn’t quite put the cherry on the cake. The performance was extraordinary, but that’s endurance racing: one moment you’re elated, the next you’re devastated. I want to thank the entire crew for their incredible commitment, the riders for giving everything, WRS, and in particular Nicolas Zavoli for his constant support throughout the season. And of course, our sponsors, who make all this possible. Now we have the winter ahead to reset and prepare for 2026″.
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More from a press release issued by FIM Motorcycling Australia:
Australian Jason O’Halloran has won the 2025 FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC) following a dramatic season-ending round in France on September 20-21.
Riding for the Yamaha Austria Racing Team (YART) team alongside Karel Hanika and Marvin Fritz, the trio finished second in the Bol d’Or 24-hour behind Yoshimura SERT Motul, which was enough for them to claim the 2025 championship by 1pt.
YART’s success came after late heartbreak for the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team, which was running second – and on track to win the championship – just 30 minutes before the end of the gruelling race when smoke began pouring from the rear of the squad’s M 1000 RR.
BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team and YART had started the season showdown level on points following qualifying, making the 88th Bol d’Or a winner-takes-all fight for top honours.
But BMW’s despair became YART’s elation, in what was the final twist in a season which had produced a catalogue of highs and lows for the leading teams.
“Until the finish line nothing is done. I want to say very sorry to the BMW team, they made an awesome job and were so unlucky,”said YART team manager Mandy Kainz.
“It’s unbelievable to be honest, they would also deserve it. We had bad luck in Suzuka, now came a lot of luck.”
After four rounds, YART finished the 2025 championship on 139pts from Yoshimura SERT Motul (138pts) and BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team (108pts).
The UK-based O’Halloran, who joined the world endurance paddock full-time in 2025 following a long career in the British Superbike Championship, is now the sixth Australian to win in the long form of circuit racing behind Peter Goddard (1997), Warwick Nowland (2000), Heinz Platacis (2001), Steve Martin (2009) and Josh Hook (2018).
Martin’s victory also came with YART, which has a long and distinguished connection with the EWC.
O’Halloran’s rookie season in world endurance has paid instant dividends. Photo courtesy Motorcycling Australia
After never being headed from the seventh hour onwards, Yoshimura SERT Motul made it a hat-trick of Bol d’Or victories, finishing three laps ahead of YART. Third, a further 16 laps down, was the Champion MRP Tecmas (BMW) team.
The second Australian in the race, Brayden Elliott, was a brilliant ninth in his EWC debut on the French-entered Mana-Au Competition Honda.
A total of 32 teams completed the marathon, with 21 DNFs.
For results and final standings in the 2025 FIM Endurance World Championship, click here.
The 2026 EWC season will begin with the 24 Heures Motos at Le Mans in France from April 16-19.
Despite the absence of AOD crew chief Tim Gooding, who had been inconveniently incapacitated by a virus that he termed “green lung,” Army of Darkness emerged victorious at the end of almost four hours of endurance racing at the track that witnessed the team’s inception with WERA endurance 32 years ago.
Friday practice dawned clear and cool, with intermittent clouds delivering a pleasant day for testing riders and equipment. Upon hearing the news that Tim would not be in attendance, the radiator on the team’s A bike began weeping uncontrollably through a pinhole introduced by a special Ohio pebble that may have been round on the ends and hi in the middle, which proved to be the only setback for the weekend. A spare radiator and radiator guard were quickly installed and practice continued with no further drama or emotional outbursts.
Reach for the sky! Or, at least, point to it. From left: YT Lechner, Taylor Knapp, Melissa Berkoff, Chris Manfrin, Josh Hayes, Hunter Dunham, Sam Fleming, Tony Romo. Photo courtesy AOD.
In AOD’s debut race back in 1993, the team’s trusty FZR600 excitedly attempted to engage in two gears simultaneously, thereby bringing the team’s first attempt at an endurance race to a premature end. AOD has had mixed success at Nelson Ledges since then, but on this race day, AOD’s Josh Hayes grabbed the lead from the start and never relinquished it, with teammates Hunter Dunham and Taylor Knapp extending it to 6 laps by the end of the race that was shortened by about 20 minutes due to a single red flag for a blown motor that put down oil on the track and fumigated the nearby woods early in the first hour.
AOD is sponsored by Army of Darkness, Dunlop, Woodcraft, Hindle, Vortex, EK Chains, Thermosman Suspensions, Champ School, WERA, Roadracing World, and Industry 13.
Scott Redding celebrated a double race win at the TT Circuit Assen by taking victory after a three-way battle in the final Bennetts British Superbike Championship race of the weekend, sharing today’s victories with Christian Iddon who became the eighth different race winner of the season.
Defending champion Kyle Ryde leaves the opening round of the Showdown with the lead in the standings by 31 points ahead of Oulton Park.
On the return to the TT Circuit Assen, seven different riders representing seven different teams celebrated podium finishes with two rounds of the title fight now remaining.
BSB Race 2 podium with, from left to right, Rory Skinner, Christian Iddon and Bradley Ray. Photo courtesy BSB.
In the second race of the weekend, Iddon mastered the wet conditions to hold off both Rory Skinner and Ray. In the changing conditions, he launched off the line to lead the pack on the opening lap. Skinner meanwhile had started 18th on the grid after a difficult race yesterday; fighting his way through the pack on the Cheshire Mouldings Ducati, and was into third place by lap five.
Iddon was holding the edge at the front, with Ray pushing to regain the ground he lost after a crash yesterday with Skinner and a hard-charging Leon Haslam holding the leading positions. Skinner moved into second at the Chicane on lap ten, with Ray shadowing him but despite the gap changing throughout the race to the front, Iddon was victorious at the chequered flag.
Skinner held second place, whilst Ray’s third place finish meant he gained ten points back on his title rival Ryde, who salvaged eighth on the final lap. The defending champion gained pace in the closing stages of the second race to regain ground, having run in 11th place for the first half of the race.
In the final race of the weekend, Redding celebrated his second race win of the weekend as the Hager PBM Ducati rider emerged on top following a dogfight with Haslam and Ryde. The Nitrous Competitions Racing Yamaha rider now heads to the penultimate round at Oulton Park with a 31-point advantage over Ray.
The race initially started with a huge battle at the front between Ryde, Iddon and Haslam as they traded positions in the dry conditions until the start of lap four when a shower began and the race was subsequently red flagged and restarted.
The shower passed and the race restarted in dry conditions and Ryde launched into the lead ahead of Storm Stacey, Haslam and Iddon. However, after claiming victory earlier today for AJN Steelstock Kawasaki, Iddon crashed out unhurt on the opening lap.
At the front, Haslam moved into second and the leading group began to start making a break with Ryde, Haslam, Stacey, Tommy Bridewell and Redding with Ray just adrift on the Raceways Yamaha.
Bridewell then moved ahead of Stacey and a few laps later, Ray also made his move, however later in the race, the Bathams AJN Racing BMW rider would make a move back for fifth to push the championship contender into sixth at the chequered flag.
At the front the final two lap dogfight began with Ryde leading, however Redding was on the attack and claimed the position on the special edition liveried Hager PBM Ducati, celebrating the 70th anniversary of their title partner.
Haslam then made a move to change the leader again and as the trio began the final lap of the race, the Moto Rapido Ducati Racing rider was ahead of Redding and Ryde with nothing separating them for victory.
Redding seized the advantage at turn one and Haslam and Ryde were both pushing, but he was able to hold off the pair to make it a double on Bennetts BSB’s return to the TT Circuit Assen with Haslam in turn holding off Ryde.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, TT Circuit Assen, Race 2 result:
Christian Iddon (AJN Steelstock Kawasaki)
Rory Skinner (Cheshire Mouldings Ducati) +1.241s
Bradley Ray (Raceways Yamaha) +2.848s
Tommy Bridewell (Honda Racing UK) +4.963s
Leon Haslam (Moto Rapido Ducati Racing) +7.278s
Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda) +9.973s
Fraser Rogers (TAG Honda) +10.776s
Kyle Ryde (Nitrous Competitions Racing Yamaha) +11.195s
Storm Stacey (Bathams AJN Racing BMW) +11.372s
John McPhee (MasterMac Honda) +19.676s
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, TT Circuit Assen, Race 3 result:
Scott Redding (Hager PBM Ducati)
Leon Haslam (Moto Rapido Ducati Racing) +0.505s
Kyle Ryde (Nitrous Competitions Racing Yamaha) +0.624s
Tommy Bridewell (Honda Racing UK) +2.748s
Storm Stacey (Bathams AJN Racing BMW) +10.137s
Bradley Ray (Raceways Yamaha) +10.182s
Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda) +11.841s
Rory Skinner (Cheshire Mouldings Ducati) +15.170s
Fraser Rogers (TAG Honda) +17.652s
Glenn Irwin (Nitrous Competitions Racing Yamaha) +21.698s
Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings:
Kyle Ryde (Nitrous Competitions Racing Yamaha) 391
Bradley Ray (Raceways Yamaha) 360
Leon Haslam (Moto Rapido Ducati Racing) 280
Rory Skinner (Cheshire Mouldings Ducati) 268
Christian Iddon (AJN Steelstock Kawasaki) 240
Tommy Bridewell (Honda Racing UK) 236
Danny Kent (McAMS Racing Yamaha) 217
Scott Redding (Hager PBM Ducati) 207.5
Max Cook (AJN Steelstock Kawasaki) 182
Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda) 158
For more information on the Bennetts British Superbike Championship visit www.britishsuperbike.com
SCOTT REDDING – HAGER PBM DUCATI
“In the first race this morning I felt like a right goon riding round back there! With this livery, you’re supposed to deliver when you’ve got special things like this, it fired me up. I had a bad tyre and nothing I could do, so I was thinking ‘do I risk just throwing it down the road for a couple of positions, not really worth it to be honest’.
“And then I came in and I didn’t even bank a lap time for the next race, so I thought I was 13th but turned out to be 15th so I thought, come on, wind me up some more baby. I got off to the first start of the race and I had it between my teeth, but had a bit more control than Donington, so I learnt my lesson last time out and I was firing up overtakes, which has been my weaker point.
“I’ve been a little bit nicer to these guys but I had to turn the wick up to come up through and I moved up and they started putting their hands up, safety is always first and then I had a nice reset and start eighth on the grid so the luck started to change for me.
“Then we went out for that second restart and my start wasn’t too bad, I don’t remember the start of races, it is just chaos but just needed to move up. I got to Leon, Kyle was holding a good enough pace that I couldn’t reel him fast enough so couldn’t take a breather, I thought I might have a little bit in the pocket but he was just hitting markers as he always does and keeps it clean and Leon was just defending from me.
“I was kind of waiting to pounce on Kyle and I knew I needed to get in to that mix and then with a few laps to go the sparks flew and we were throwing everything at each other but it was super clean tidy racing. You know I love racing like that where it is hard, you get so much adrenaline but its clean and fair, there was no dirty moves and respected each other and we put on a show out there. To have that anniversary for Hager and to win and race with these boys has been amazing.”
Bettencourt Racing powered by AK Race Fab will field a two-rider lineup for the MotoAmerica season finale at New Jersey Motorsports Park, September 26–28, with Matthew Paternoster joining the team in the SC Project Twins Cup and Nathan Bettencourt returning to the grid in the Parts Unlimited Talent Cup.
Matthew Paternoster, of Delanson, NY, will make his MotoAmerica debut aboard his Sticker Mule-sponsored Aprilia RS660 in the Twins Cup class. This marks the culmination of Patternoster’s first full season as an expert-level rider, with a national round entry set as a personal goal from the outset. “Matt’s been grinding all year, working hard on his program, and earned this shot,”said Adam Kells, Crew Chief and owner of AK Race Fab. “We’re proud to have him under the AKRF tent and are excited to see him on track.”
Nathan Bettencourt, 15, of Medford, MA, will once again pilot his Krämer APX350MA in the Talent Cup class. After a season of steady progression and multiple top-ten finishes — including a recent top-five at COTA — Bettencourt is looking to capitalize on his familiarity with the NJMP layout. “We’ve seen Nathan’s confidence grow round by round,” said Kells.“He knows this track, and with the hard work put in by himself and the team, he’s ready to cash in at this round”.
Joining the team as Co-Crew Chief for the weekend is Charles “Jesse” Sandoz of Wonalancet, NH — Co-Owner of Seacoast Sport Cycle in Derry, NH, Aprilia & Ducati Master Technician, and multi-class club champion with over 30 years of trackside experience. “It’s an honor to have Jesse under our tent this weekend to keep Matt and his Aprilia in contention,”said Kells.“His knowledge, technical abilities, and drive have made him an incredible employer, mentor, and more importantly, friend over the years.”
Bettencourt Racing powered by AK Race Fab is proud to represent a growing roster of regional sponsors and supporters. Fans can follow the team’s progress on Instagram:
@akracefab
@nathanbettencourtracing
@seacoastsportcycle
@stickermule
The story arcs for Stock 1000 Champion Andrew Lee and runner-up JD Beach were decidedly different, and yet, both riders concluded their seasons just two points apart.
OrangeCat Racing’s Lee began his season like gangbusters, with the win in race one at Road Atlanta, followed by a second-place finish to his teammate Jayson Uribe in race two. Lee then got the double win at the next round of the championship at Road America.
Meanwhile, Beach finished fourth in both races at Road Atlanta. Things improved for JD when he got to Elkhart Lake, as he was second in race one at Road America, and third in race two. Starting at VIR, the Jiggy Dog won five of the final six races of the season.
Going into the final round at COTA, Lee knew that, if Beach were to win both races in Texas, Lee would have to finish in fourth or better to clinch the title. That’s exactly what Lee did.
Lee with his ever-enthusiastic OrangeCat Racing team. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
“My goal for race one was to try to win, of course.”Lee said. “Race wins are always the goal. But, when I was with the lead pack at the beginning of Saturday’s race, my bike started to overheat. So, I had to be careful. I backed off my pace a little bit, and the engine temperature came back down. So, I managed my position and brought it home in fourth. Race two was all about winning the championship. Another fourth-place finish was exactly what I needed, so I paid attention to my pit board, stayed where I needed to be, and brought it home safely.”
For Lee, it was his third MotoAmerica Championship, and his third in the stock literbike class. “I won the very first MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Championship, and the last one, too.”
“Bookends,”he quipped.
JD Beach wanted the Stock 1000 Championship more than he wanted to win the Superbike Cup Championship…but he’ll happily take the $25,000 check. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
To lose a class championship by just two points is a tough pill to swallow, but on the bright side, Beach won the Superbike Cup and the $25,000 check that goes with it. Given a choice, would Beach have rather won the Stock 1000 title?
“The $25,000 is, of course, great, and I can really use it,” Beach said. “But, I’d rather have won the Stock 1000 title. That one is a true class championship, and the wins count. But I did all I could to win it, and getting an AMA #1 plate for Superbike Cup feels really good.”
I asked JD if losing by two points made him think about the crazy situation that befell him in race one at Mid-Ohio where he couldn’t overcome a technical problem with his bike, and he was unable to get any points—not even two—as a result. He said, “Not just that race. There were a whole bunch of times this past season where, looking back, I could have gotten that extra two points. But I’m happy with what we did this year. I feel like I’ve been riding more like myself this year. This is the best I’ve ever ridden in my career. Even better than I did in 2018 (Beach won the Supersport Championship in 2018 with 11 wins on the season).”
Set Records. Break Records. Shatter Records
Despite the high temperatures in Texas, new lap records were set in all five MotoAmerica classes that were in action at COTA. Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Cameron Beaubier didn’t quite eclipse the Superbike lap record of 2:06.559 that he set last year during Qualifying 2, but he did break the race lap record with a 2:07.497 in Sunday’s race two.
Jones Honda’s Ashton Yates set a new lap record in Stock 1000 with a 2:09.553 in Saturday’s Qualifying 2, breaking the previous record Bobby Fong set back in 2017.
Mathew Scholtz was en fuego in Texas. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Garrett Gerloff’s Supersport lap record and JD Beach’s Supersport race lap record—both set in 2016—were finally broken by Strack Racing Yamaha’s Mathew Scholtz. The South African did a 2:11.765 in Saturday’s Qualifying 2, and then, in Saturday’s race one, Scholtz set a new race lap record of 2:12.544.
Hayden Gillim also broke both the lap record and race lap record in Mission King of The Baggers. The RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson rider did a 2:12.975 in Qualifying 2, and then, he did a lap-record-breaking 2:13.150 during Sunday’s race two.
The third rider to set a new lap record and race lap record at COTA was Warhorse Ducati/American Racing’s Alessandro Di Mario. The newly crowned Parts Unlimited Talent Cup By Motul Champion did a 2:26.620 during Sunday’s race two, which is a new lap record and race lap record.
Stock 1000 rider Tony Ugoh has two Super Bowl rings, including the one from Super XLVI when his New York Giants beat the New England Patirots. Again. Photo courtesy of the New York Giants.
“Tony, You Go Racing”
You’ve probably seen the movie, “The Blind Side,” and/or you’re a fan of the NFL. So, you know how important to a football team the guy who plays left tackle is. Left tackles are BIG. Tony Ugoh played offensive tackle for five seasons in the NFL, including for the Peyton-Manning-led Indianapolis Colts and the Eli-Manning-led New York Giants. Also, he has two Super Bowl rings from the 2006 season when the Colts won Super Bowl XVI and from the 2011 season when the Giants won Super Bowl XLVI.
The former Arkansas Razorback is 6 feet, 5 inches tall, and he weighed over 300 pounds when he was in the NFL.
This past weekend at COTA, Tony Ugoh made his debut as a professional motorcycle racer in the MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Championship. He’s still 6’ 5”, but he’s at least 100 pounds lighter than he was when he played pro football.
With him and his crew decked out in Ugoh Racing gear that incorporates the snarling University of Arkansas Razorback in his team logo, the Texan’s goal was to qualify and finish in the top-20 in both races. Aboard his #528 Ugoh Racing BMW M 1000 RR and entered as “Anthony Ugoh,” he qualified 26th out of 40 riders and made the show.
Ugoh Racing. Yes, you go racing. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Ugoh went fast in both races. He maintained his starting-grid position and finished 26th on both Saturday and Sunday. It was a very solid weekend for Ugoh’s first time in MotoAmerica.
We hope to see him on the grid again in 2026, and maybe even in more than just one round at COTA. He knows he’ll need to up-spec his bike and race at least in Superbike Cup since the Stock 1000 Championship is going away. He also knows fully well how to train during the off-season. Good luck, Tony.
Martin Cardenas returned to AMA road racing looking exactly the same as he did almost 20 years ago. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Cárdenas Regresa A Estados Unidos
Colombian Martín Cárdenas is one of the most popular riders in AMA road racing history. He competed in the series from 2006 through 2014, and he won a total of 27 races, plus two AMA Pro Racing Daytona SportBike Championships with Team Hammer (2010 with M4 Monster Energy Suzuki and 2012 with GEICO Suzuki). Cárdenas also won three AMA Pro SuperBike races, including his first career SuperBike victory with Team Hammer’s M4 Suzuki team in 2011.
This past weekend at COTA, Cárdenas seemingly emerged from a time machine. Looking every bit as fit and race ready as he was nearly 20 years ago when he first started racing in the U.S., Cárdenas reunited with Team Hammer and raced in the MotoAmerica Supersport Championship in Texas aboard a Coatzymoto LatinWE Powered by Team Hammer Suzuki GSX-R750. With his signature number 36 emblazoned on the bike, of course.
Cárdenas notched a ninth-place finish in Saturday’s race one and a result just outside the top 10 in Sunday’s race two. Team Hammer produced posters featuring Cárdenas, and I saw a lot of happy fans lined up to say hello to the man and get a poster autographed by him.
Dave Meijerink raced to a famous home victory at the fourth and deciding round of the 2025 FIM Long Track World Championship powered by Anlas, Kineo and HKC Koopmann at Roden on Sunday (21 September), but the big winner was Britain’s Zach Wajtknecht who clinched his first-ever FIM gold medal on a dramatic afternoon in the Netherlands.
FIM Long Track World Championship concludes in the Netherlands
Zach Wajtknecht clinches the crown as title fight goes down to the wire
Home hero Dave Meijerink takes overall victory in Roden
Wajtknecht, who was second in 2022 and won bronze last year, started the day just two points behind Germany’s Lukas Fienhage and two ahead of his compatriot Chris Harris and with defending champion Martin Smolinski out injured the title was between the three-remaining stand-out stars of this season’s competition.
It was Denmark’s Kenneth Kruse Hansen who raced to victory in the first of the programme’s fifteen Heat races in the Speed Centre Roden from Britain’s Jake Mulford and French rider Mathias Trésarrieuwith conditions challenging on a damp and overcast afternoon.
Racing on home ground, Romano Hummel – champion in 2021 – then got his day under way with a win ahead of his compatriot Mike Meijer before Wajtknecht claimed an important early psychological advantage when he won from Meijerink and Fienhage.
After pulling out of his opening Heat race, Harris bounced back with victory second time out chased by Finland’s Tero Aarnio and Meijerink and then Trésarrieu won from Mulford and Meijer before the pendulum swung back in Fienhage’s favour when he led Hummel, Hansen and Wajtknecht across the line.
As conditions rapidly dried out, Hansen kicked off the third block with his second victory of the afternoon, this time from Mulford – who was making just his second appearance in this year’s championship – and Fienhage before Meijerink defeated Meijer and Wajtknecht won from Harris.
With two blocks remaining the battle for the three automatic places in the Final was incredibly closewith Hansen leading on ten points, just one ahead of a three-way tie for second between Wajtknecht, Meijerink and Mulford with Hummel, Fienhage and Meijer locked together on eight.
2025 FIM Long Track World Championship, Roden. Photo credit Jesper Veldhuizen
Keeping the pressure firmly on the leaders, Harris then roared back into contention with his second win of the afternoon from his compatriot Andrew Appleton who had started slowly with just two points from his first three outings.
Wajtknecht then took a vital victory from Trésarrieu and Fienhage as Hansen maintained his lead after winning ahead of Meijerink and Hummel before a dramatic final block that would have a major impact on the destination of the crown.
The first shock was when Wajtknecht pulled up just feet from the tapes after apparent contact with Hummel, leaving Meijer to race to victory from Trésarrieu to take his total to thirteen – the same as Wajtknecht.
Mulford, who was firmly in contention for a place in the Grand Final, was then disqualified from his final Heat for a false start that brought his day to a premature end.
Harris then suffered a technical issue at the beginning of the fifteenth and final Heat and Fienhage raced to victory chased by Meijerink and Aarnio, only to be disqualified for an issue with his dirt deflector. This sent the championship leader to the Last Chance Heat along with Harris, Trésarrieu, Hummel and Meijer as Meijerink qualified on top ahead of Hansen and Wajtknecht.
With the final two places behind the tapes for the Grand Final up for grabs, the Last Chance Heat was won by Trésarrieu from Harris and with Fienhage eliminated in fourth the twenty-six-year-old’s title hopes were over for another season, but Harris – who won last time out in Scheessel – was still very much in contention.
When the tapes went up on the deciding race of the season, Meijerink took an early lead before Wajtknecht dived around the outside of Harris and from there the positions were settled with the dynamite Dutchman powering to victory and Wajtknecht content to keep Harris behind him to make sure of the crown.
American Rossi Attila Moor, riding his Cardoso Racing Kalex on the 2.62-mile (4.22 km) track, was 14th during Moto2 European Championship Race 1 Sunday afternoon at Misano Circuit Marco Simoncelli, in San Marino, in Italy.
More from a press release issued by Revesz Racing:
Strong debut for Hungarian-American rider Rossi Moor with Team Cardoso at Misano
The Misano Adriatico weekend marked an important milestone for Hungarian-American rider Rossi Moor, making his debut with Team Cardoso in the FIM JuniorGP Moto2 category.
Changing teams always requires an adaptation period, with new methods, dynamics, and ways of working. Rossi, however, managed this transition with determination and speed.
From the very first free practice through to Qualifying 2, he consistently improved his lap times, working closely with his new team to fine-tune the bike setup.
Misano is a demanding and technical track, and Rossi faced the additional challenge of never having tested here before. On top of that, on Saturday night he fell ill with a fever of 38°C (100.4°F) and arrived at the circuit on race day in less-than-ideal physical condition. Despite this setback, he decided to race and pushed through with grit and determination.
On the very first lap, at Turn 2, Rossi was forced to brake hard and avoid several riders involved in a crash right in front of him. This incident cost him 11 seconds compared to the riders who managed to escape the chaos. Despite such a heavy time loss, Rossi recovered and finished in 14th place.
Rossi Attila Moor (92) and Adrián Cruces (11) at Misano. Photo courtesy Cardoso Racing
His race pace was impressive, matching the lap times of the group fighting for 7th–8th position, suggesting that without the incident he could have battled for a top-10 finish.
Overall, this debut with Team Cardoso can be considered extremely positive: Rossi demonstrated both speed and adaptability, proving his fighting spirit under tough conditions.
The next challenge will be the penultimate round of the season, in Barcelona during the first week of November, where the Hungarian-American rider is eager to continue his growth and progress.
Las Vegas, Nev., (September 21, 2025) Team Honda HRC Progressive’s Jett Lawrence grabbed his third consecutive SMX World Championship™ with a dramatic overall victory on the SMX track built over The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. After winning the first moto, Jett delivered a nail-biting charge late in the second moto to reach second place; his (1-2) moto scores combined to win the night’s racing, the $100,000 race win bonus, and more significantly the one million dollar championship payout.
Team Honda HRC Progressive’s Hunter Lawrence, entering the race with enough points that a victory would bring him his first 450SMX title, toughed out a win in the second moto despite entering the event under the weather. Hunter’s third-place finish in the opening moto netted him second overall at the Vegas race as well as in the championship, which brought him a $500,000 championship runner-up bonus. Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Eli Tomac battled up front in both motos and finished the night with (2-3) moto scores. Tomac wrapped up his season with a third place result in the moto, the event, and the championship, which came with a $250,000 bonus.
In what may have been the wildest and most thrilling motorsports race of the year, Team Honda HRC Progressive’s Jo Shimoda captured the 250SMX Class SMX World Championship. Needing only a second place overall from the event, Shimoda succeeded despite aggressive tactics from his competitors. Shimoda finished the second moto with enough points to capture event win and with it the 250SMX Class title and its $500,000 win bonus. Shimoda became the first Japanese rider to win an SMX title.
Jett Lawrence – First place – 450SMX. Photo credit Feld Motor Sports
“[It’s conflicting] emotions of obviously wanting to win this, and get this, but then I also hate to see [Hunter not get the win] – today he deserved that. He executed two really good starts and obviously the guy’s battling with a cold right now, and [I’m] bummed to see him sad about it, because he worked really hard; we both worked hard, but I’m happy. Halfway through [the second moto] I honestly had some doubts that I could even catch those guys. [Hunter and Eli] were riding really, really well. But I had to dig deep and just try to send it. It was either sending it or crashing at that point. So, I tired, I was able to catch up to Eli. I had a few good laps and was able to make a quick pass when I had the chance. I’m happy for the team, with going 1-2 for Honda, but right now my mind’s thinking about multiple things… Because, obviously, this could be [Hunter’s] first 450 championship. But obviously I want it really badly as well, it’s a lot of money. It’s difficult, because you want to see your brother do well, it’s difficult competing against him.” – Jett Lawrence
Hunter Lawrence – Second place – 450SMX. Photo credit Feld Motor Sports
“[Sarcastically] I feel amazing, if you can’t read it on my face… Yeah, I’m gutted. I did everything I could in that one, felt like I just gave it 110% every time I went on the track… Just came up short.” – Hunter Lawrence
Eli Tomac – Third place – 450SMX. Photo credit Feld Motor Sports
“It was a fantastic crowd; we had such wonderful support all night. I did what I could. I tried. No lack of trying. Those brothers are really good. I actually didn’t have quite as much in that second moto, so [I’m] a little disappointed in myself. But the night as a whole – [it was] okay… Thank you Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing. This was a good podium for us. Of course I want more, but we’ll take this third. Thanks.” – Eli Tomac
450SMX Class podium (riders left to right) Hunter Lawrence, Jett Lawrence, and Eli Tomac. Photo credit Feld Motor Sports
Jo Shimoda’s Heroic 250SMX Class Ride Earns History-making 250SMX World Championship
The 250SMX Class delivered peak thrills for any form of racing, and just the type of scenario that the SMX World Championship postseason structure was designed to create. The first moto delivered excellent racing, but almost nothing in motorsports could match the excitement delivered in the second 250SMX Class moto.
Sitting second in championship points, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan lined up to the inside of Shimoda for the final 250SMX moto of the year. The two bumped just off the gate, and by the third corner Deegan appeared to slow to take Shimoda wide; neither rider went down, but Shimoda lost two positions. Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Seth Hammaker had the holeshot and the early lead, and as the riders were positioned as they crossed the green flag, Hammaker would have the points needed to take the night’s win and the championship. That was the math if every rider stayed where they were… but the race was about to explode with incredible riding, aggressive passes, take-out moves, heroic bravery, and frantic moto math to sort out what every development did to the championship standings.
Six minutes into the race, Deegan made his way past Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Levi Kitchen to take over second place. From there Deegan appeared to alter his pace to mix up the front runners’ positions. Six and a half minutes into the race, Deegan moved past Hammaker, which included contact on a high-speed section. Shimoda, still in fourth at that moment, needed a third-place finish in the moto to secure the title from Deegan. Kitchen then dropped out with what appeared to be a bike problem.
At the moto’s midpoint, Shimoda reached second place and Deegan slowed to allow Hammaker to tighten back up to them. Over the next laps, Deegan instigated contact against Shimoda no less than three times, and the third impact put both riders on the ground. Shimoda quickly remounted in second place while Deegan walked away from his bike with what was later diagnosed as a broken collarbone. The games up front allowed Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle to catch Shimoda and pass him with less than two laps remaining. With Hammaker leading, Vialle holding second, and Shimoda in third, the title would go to Shimoda with the night’s overall going to Hammaker. But Shimoda put on a final burst and passed Vialle in the final corner to earn second in the moto, an overall victory for the night, and secure the 2025 SMX World Championship. The title marks Shimoda’s first professional title and he becomes the first Japanese rider to earn an SMX, SX, or MX title.
The crowd was wildly enthusiastic for Jo Shimoda at the podium when he received his championship trophy, the $500,000 payout, and what sounded like a massive increase of the earnest racer’s fan base.
Jo Shimoda (#30) – First place – 250SMX. Photo credit Feld Motor Sports
“I kind of slipped out on the start. I’m not going to lie, I was a little nervous. But I think we made good passes in the first few laps. I caught Seth, passed him. [Then] I caught Deegan, but he slowed to let me pass, so I kinda knew already [that] something’s going to happen and he might attack pretty crazy, which he did. At one moment I had my leg cramped and everything because of him hitting, but I just want to say thank you to my family first, my trainer, my whole team, my mechanic Ben. You know, it’s only a three-round [postseason] series, but for me, I think getting this title and finishing off the year good, with the [red] plate, that’s what I needed. And yeah, confidence booster, for sure.” – Jo Shimoda
Seth Hammaker – Second place – 250SMX. Photo credit Feld Motor Sports
“Came up a little short on that one, but I’m just so grateful. [There were] a lot of ups and downs to this season, and I’m just grateful to be up here. It’s awesome to finish second, Jo was riding awesome, and a hectic race for sure… Man, it just feels good. Second overall in the series, a good way to end the season, and now just time to rest up and get ready for next year. My time will come, just gotta stay true to the plan. Thank you to everybody at Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki, my entire family, everybody at the Dog Pound [training facility], Burner, my race mechanic, my practice mechanic, and everybody. These fans are wild. Thank you to everybody that comes out and supports us, so let’s go!” – Seth Hammaker
Tom Vialle – Third place – 250SMX. Photo credit Feld Motor Sports
“It was a big weekend for me. It was my last 250 race, so I’m really excited to move to the 450 next year. My start today was not that good. I think the riding was good. I’m pretty happy with the way I [wrapped] up my season. Third in the SMX Championship is pretty good, so I’m excited for the future and moving up to the 450.” – Tom Vialle
Haiden Deegan (#1) – Ninth Place (under review for possible penalty) – 250SMX. Photo credit Feld Motor Sports
“All I can say is I’m [gonna] fight. That’s all I can say is I’m ‘a fight. We’ve got one more moto to go and that’s all I got. I’m gonna fight for this one, let’s go.” – Haiden Deegan after this first moto ride that earned him a second-place moto result.
250SMX Class podium (riders left to right) Seth Hammaker, Jo Shimoda, and Tom Vialle. Photo credit Feld Motor Sports
Among the VIPs in attendance, country music star Bailey Zimmerman joined the broadcast booth during qualifying and pre-race coverage where he said, “[Las Vegas] has always been that race, that is like, ‘the one.’ I’ve been saying it all day: a lot of people get to go to races, [but] you don’t get to go to the SuperMotocross World Championships in Las Vegas, Nevada, all the time. How cool is it to be out here and get to see this… I literally can’t believe I’m here right now. This is insane!”
The 2025 SMX World Championship wraps its third season since its inception in 2023. With a total postseason purse of $5.5 million, Playoff 1, Playoff 2, and the Final have raised the bar on the racing stakes and intensity. Additionally, the points reset in August has created a fresh dynamic throughout the 28 regular-season rounds. For video highlights, results, racing news, and ticket sales (once on-sale) please go to supermotocross.com
Every round of the 2025 SMX World Championship was streamed live and remains available on-demand on Peacock; other platforms that covered the 2025 racing include NBC, USA Network, Telemundo Deportes (English and Spanish) on the NBC app, YouTube, X, and Facebook. Audio coverage of the season was heard on NBC Sports Audio on SiriusXM Channel 85. International fans can find on-demand coverage in English, Spanish, and French through the SuperMotocross Video Pass (supermotocross.tv).
Looking ahead to next year, the 2026 Supercross and Pro Motocross regular-season race schedules will be announced, and presale tickets go on sale, on September 30th. One week later, general public tickets will also be available for sale. To experience the action in person in 2026, with unmatched access to athletes and teams, please go to supermotocross.com.
For information about the SMX World Championship, please visit www.SuperMotocross.com and be sure to follow all of the new SMX social media channels for exclusive content and additional information on the latest news:
2025 FIM Sidecar World Championship - Assen (NED). Photo credit Mark Walters
Reigning champions Harrison Payne (ARS Yamaha) and Kevin Rousseau extended their advantage at the front of the 2025 FIM Sidecar World Championship with another overall victory – their fourth of the season – as the series made a repeat visit to the famous TT Circuit Assen in the Netherlands for round six last weekend (20-21 September).
FIM Sidecar World Championship returns to Assen for round six
Defending champions Harrison Payne and Kevin Rousseau extend series lead
British brothers Sam and Thomas Christie consolidate second in series
The British/French pairing have been the dominant force in this year’s championship, but a mechanical DNF at the opening round at Le Mans and a second no-score due to a technical issue at round four at Most have prevented them from breaking free from the chasing pack and, as a result, their series lead stands at twenty-three points with just next month’s final round at Oschersleben in Germany left on the calendar.
Giving a good indication of how close the racing was going to be in the ‘Cathedral of Speed’, just 0.127 covered the first three crews in qualifying with British brothers Sam and Thomas Christie (LCR Yamaha) – who sit second in the standings – on top chased by the Swiss/German pairing of Markus Schlosser (LCR Yamaha) and Luca Schmidt with Payne/Rousseau third.
With the track still wet following a huge downpour, Schlosser/Schmidt led Saturday’s ten-lap Sprint race into the opening turn from Payne/Rousseau and the Christie brothers, but an early spin in the chicane by the leaders dropped them back to seventh, handing the advantage to the defending champions.
Hugely experienced Finnish rider Pekka Päivärinta (ARS Yamaha) – with Adam Christie, the third of the Christie brothers in action, in the chair – was revelling in the wet conditions and after passing the Christie brothers he turned his attention to Payne/Rousseau. The British pairing of Lewis Blackstock (LCR Yamaha) and Oscar Lawrence – who were making their second championship appearance this season as wild cards – also moved into contention after passing the Christie brothers.
Harrison Payne and Kevin Rousseau (1) at 2025 FIM Sidecar World Championship – Assen (NED). Photo credit Mark Walters
Following a decisive pass for the lead, Päivärinta/Christie cruised clear to win by almost eight seconds from Payne/Rousseau with Blackstock/Lawrence third ahead of the Christie brothers and Britain’s Sam and Jack Laidlow (LCR Yamaha) with Schlosser/Schmidt unable to advance from seventh.
With the sun shining for Sunday’s sixteen-lap Main race, Payne/Rousseau led from the start with Schlosser/Schmidt, the Christie brothers, Blackstock/Lawrence, former champions Todd Ellis (Yamaha) and Emmanuelle Clement and Päivärinta/Christie in pursuit.
Carrying momentum from the previous day, Päivärinta/Christie moved up to fourth with the British/French pairing of Ellis/Clement following them past Blackstock/Lawrence, but the wild cards fought their way back into podium contention.
In the closing stages Schlosser/Schmidt got close enough to attempt a pass on Payne/Rousseau for the lead, although ran wide which allowed the Christie brothers through into second and the positions remained unchanged until the chequered flag came out.
Blackstock/Lawrence were a solid fourth from Päivärinta/Christie with the Laidlow brothers sixth ahead of Ellis/Clement.
Focus now shifts to the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben in central Germany on 3-5 October for the seventh and concluding round.
Ride together : Royal Enfield's one ride 2025 unites riders from Chennai to California for a common cause. Photo courtesy Royal Enfield.
Now in its 14th edition, this iconic annual ride brings together a vibrant and diverse community of Royal Enfield owners and riders from around the world to celebrate their camaraderie and shared passion for Pure Motorcycling.
One Ride celebrates the simple, accessible joy of motorcycling that connects riders across cultures, ages, and backgrounds through shared passion for authentic riding experiences and individual self-expression.
This Sunday, the world rode as one for the 14th edition of Royal Enfield’s One Ride. The ride offers the global Royal Enfield community an opportunity to get together and be on the saddle on One Day, witnessing the scale of the incredible camaraderie. This year saw more than 40,000 riders across 1,500 rides in 60+ countries ride in unison, making the ride one of the largest annual celebrations of motorcycling seen anywhere in the world. Serving as a remarkable testimony to Royal Enfield’s philosophy of ‘Pure Motorcycling’, the ride began with the first sunrise in the East continuing until the last sunset in the West, creating a true 24-hour global celebration spanning all time zones.
Every year, One Ride brings together a diverse and passionate community of riders and enthusiasts – from first-time riders to seasoned adventurers — who come together to celebrate individuality, self-expression, and the shared joy of the open road. The ride showcases the strength of the world’s most passionate organic motorcycling community — one that spans continents yet feels intimate, where strangers become lifelong riding companions through their shared love of Pure Motorcycling.
Ride together : Royal Enfield’s one ride 2025 unites riders from Chennai to California for a common cause. Photo courtesy Royal Enfield.
While united in spirit, this year the helmets were more than just gear as riders celebrated their individuality through personalized helmets, custom motorcycle modifications, and unique riding gear, transforming essential safety equipment into powerful canvases of personal stories and creativity.
Beyond celebration, One Ride championed responsible motorcycling through curated safe routes, community mentorship, and initiatives like Helmets for India, ensuring every rider returns home safely to ride another day.
One Ride has grown exponentially since its debut in 2011, witnessing merely 14 countries and 23 Indian cities participating in this annual celebration. The 2024 edition achieved record participation with 41,730 riders across 66 countries, while 2025 maintained a similar scale with 40,000+ riders across 60+ countries.
About Royal Enfield :
The oldest motorcycle brand in continuous production, Royal Enfield has created beautifully crafted motorcycles since 1901. From its British roots, a manufacturing plant was established in Madras in 1955, a foothold from which Royal Enfield spearheaded the growth of India’s mid-sized two-wheeler segment. Royal Enfields are engaging, uncomplicated, accessible and fun to ride; a vehicle for exploration and self-expression. It’s an approach the brand calls Pure Motorcycling.
Royal Enfield’s premium line-up includes Bear 650, Classic 650, Guerrilla 450 modern roadster, Hunter 350, Meteor 350, Super Meteor 650, Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 twins, the Shotgun 650, the Himalayan 450, the Scram 440 ADV Crossover, the iconic Bullet 350, Classic 350 and Goan Classic 350. The company recently unveiled its new city+ motorcycle brand – the Flying Flea – a fresh take on urban mobility, blending authentic design with advanced technology.
Riders and a passionate community are fostered with a rich profusion of events at a local, regional and international level. Most notable are Motoverse (previously Rider Mania), an annual gathering of thousands of Royal Enfield enthusiasts in Goa, and Himalayan Odyssey; a yearly pilgrimage over some of the toughest terrain and highest mountain passes.
A division of Eicher Motors Limited, Royal Enfield operates through more than 2000 stores across all major cities and towns in India and through nearly 850 stores in more than 60 countries around the globe. Royal Enfield also has two world-class technical centres, in Bruntingthorpe, UK, and in Chennai, India. The company’s two state-of-the-art production facilities are located at Oragadam and VallamVadagal, near Chennai. Across the world, Royal Enfield has six modern CKD assembly facilities in Bangladesh, Nepal, Brazil, Thailand, Argentina and Colombia.
The Yoshimura SERT Motul team celebrates on balcony [l-r] Etienne Masson, Dan Linfoot, Gregg Black, Yohei Kato, Damien Saulnier. Photo courtesy SERT Team.
More from a press release issued by Yoshimura SERT Motul:
Yoshimura SERT Motul takes emphatic win at 2025 Bol d’Or.
Yoshimura SERT Motul collected maximum points at the final round of the 2025 Endurance World Championship and bagged a hat trick of wins at the famous Bol d’Or. Despite a flawless performance, the Franco-Japanese narrowly missed retaining its EWC title by just one point.
To defend its chances of winning another world title, Yoshimura SERT Motul had to deliver a perfect performance at the Paul Ricard circuit in the south of France. Its intent was evident from the get-go when Gregg Black set a new Bol d’Or qualifying lap record in Q1, which was then bettered by team-mate Etienne Masson in Q2 who broke into a sub 1:51s lap time, the absolute fastest time of the weekend.
The Suzuki team carried that strong performance through to the start of the race with Black getting ahead of the pack and completing the first lap in the lead. During the early hours of the race, Black, Masson and Dan Linfoot fought an intense battle against their main rivals in the championship.
Despite a stop/go penalty imposed for work carried out on the bike after refuelling, Yoshimura SERT Motul led the standings at the 8-hour mark and pocketed the maximum bonus of 10 points.
Throughout the night, the Suzuki team rider’s stints flowed one after another without a single mistake, both on the track and during refuelling. At the 16-hour mark, the team was still leading the race, one lap ahead of its closest rival. In terms of points, Yoshimura SERT Motul’s lead increased by a further 10 bonus points.
Solid and fast throughout the demanding race, which saw 20 of the 53 entered teams drop out, Yoshimura SERT Motul maintained a single-minded focus to secure its third successive Bol d’Or win. The team delivered a perfect performance to claim an undisputed victory and accumulate 65 points, the maximum possible in this event. Despite this outstanding accomplishment, the Franco-Japanese team missed out on the world title by just one point in the final standings.
Yohei KATO – team director: “I’m finding it a little difficult to express how I feel. Of course, there’s the frustration of coming so close to the title, but I’m also very happy with the team’s performance and the work done by my riders. We’ve been very strong since the start of the week. In the first qualifying session, Gregg broke the track record and the next day, Etienne improved on it! Then our perfect race demonstrated all the qualities of this “old generation” Suzuki. We’ll be back next year with a brand-new and very promising version.”
Damien SAULNIER – team manager: “We’ve won the Bol d’Or for the third consecutive time, so we’ll be able to keep the trophy at home. Our team has won here five times in six years, so I think we can only be delighted. Still, there is a slight tinge of bitterness about the single point that separates us from the title. But that’s racing. I have a lot of respect and admiration for the Yamaha team, and my thoughts also go out to the BMW team, which had a great season. We all obviously deserved this title.”
Gregg Black in action. Photo courtesy SERT Team.
Gregg BLACK – rider:
“The team made technical improvements to the bike that allowed us to set a faster pace than last year, when we won. So we only had one thing to do in the race: stay in front until the finish line to score 65 points. We knew what we had to do. Then we had to make it happen. So we are very pleased to have won this very difficult race with the Mistral straight, which is so demanding on the bike. Our victory once again demonstrates the reliability of the Suzuki. Now, losing the championship by a single point is tough, but we gave it our all. We will come back in 2026 even stronger and make fewer mistakes at the start of the season.”
Etienne Masson in action. Photo courtesy SERT Team.
Etienne MASSON – rider: “After qualifying, we were feeling pretty confident about the race. We started off at the pace we had planned. We fought all night to try to keep up that pace and maintain the pressure on our rivals. And that’s exactly what we managed to do. The team once again did an incredible job during the pit stops. They were exemplary. Everyone stuck to the plan. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to win the title, but I think we can be proud. See you next year.”
Dan Linfoot in night action. Photo courtesy SERT Team.
Dan LINFOOT – rider: “Of course, this victory is very good for the whole team. We all feel satisfied with a job well done, but there is also the frustration of the World Championship. That’s the feeling I have tonight. We did everything we needed to do and we scored the maximum number of points. After that, it was out of our hands; it was in the hands of our opponents. I would like to congratulate YART on winning the world championship title. We gave it our all and we can be proud of that. It allowed us to put all the odds in our favour and keep our hopes alive for as long as possible.”
Yoshimura SERT Motul is now focusing on preparing for the 2026 season, which will kick off at Le Mans for the 24 Heures Motos, scheduled for the 16th to the 19th of April. The team, managed by Yohei Katoh and Damien Saulnier, will be competing with the latest evolution of the GSX-R1000R.
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More from a press release issued by Honda Racing:
Drama for F.C.C. TSR Honda France at the 88th Bol d’Or as National Motos Honda FMA reclaims 2025 FIM Endurance World Cup.
F.C.C. TSR Honda France impresses with a strong performance, but a well-deserved podium slips away after the halfway point of the 24-hour race.
Honda Superstock teams as National Motos Honda FMA wins the FIM Endurance World Cup title. Photo courtesy Honda Racing.
Double delight for Honda Superstock teams as National Motos Honda FMA wins the FIM Endurance World Cup title and Kaedear-Dafy-Rac41-Honda finishes as a runner-up.
F.C.C. TSR Honda France made a strong start at the Bol d’Or thanks to Alan Techer, who started from fourth on the grid aboard the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP. The Frenchman quickly moved into the lead after the second lap and was running second when he handed over the #5 Honda to Corentin Perolari, becoming the first rider to pit in the race.
Perolari rejoined in second place and soon moved back into the lead before a Safety Car neutralised the race for nearly 20 minutes. From then on, Techer and Perolari alternated stints at the front, supported by Taiga Hada, who contributed valuable laps despite a lower race pace. The French riders focused on consistency, fast lap times, and avoiding mistakes — a strategy that paid off. In the fifth hour, Techer set a new race lap record of 1:52.506, showcasing an impressive pace and positioning.
Corentin Perolari (5) on his F.C.C. TSR Honda France. Photo courtesy Honda Racing.
As the race approached the eighth hour, F.C.C. TSR Honda France was still leading. However, a scheduled stint combined with a lengthy pit stop to change the brake pads during the rider handover between Techer and Perolari cost the team valuable time, dropping them back to second. Despite the setback, the team secured nine points for the championship after the first part of the race.
From that point on, solid stints from the #Honda 5 riders through the night, combined with the performance of the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP, moved F.C.C. TSR Honda France into the race lead until halfway of the race.
Unfortunately, after 12hour race, Perolari was forced to bring the #Honda 5 to the boxes due to a mechanical problem. Despite the best efforts of all the technical crew to fix the bike to get it back on track, F.C.C. TSR Honda France was forced to retire.
Throughout the weekend, the Honda #5 riders demonstrated the speed of the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP and the team’s ability to compete at the front. Although a setback prevented them from ending the season with a podium, the team proved their potential by consistently hitting 1:53 lap times, setting a race lap record and confirming their strength heading into the next season, which will kick off at Le Mans from 16 to 19 April 2026.
Martin Renaudin (4) on his Tati Team AVA6 Racing Honda. Photo courtesy Honda Racing.
Tati Team AVA6 Racing started from sixth on the grid, with Hugo Clère taking the opening stint aboard the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP. Clère delivered a strong start, moving up into fourth position after just 12 laps. When Randy Krummenacher took over, the Swiss rider kept the team firmly in contention, holding the same position with a solid and consistent pace.
However, during Martin Renaudin’s stint, a brake issue forced the team into a costly pit stop lasting nearly eight minutes. As a result, the Honda #4 rejoined the race in 26th place.
Despite this significant challenge, the French team showed determination. Through consistent lap times and well-managed stints, Tati Team AVA6 Racing steadily climbed back, reaching 14th position overall at the six-hour mark.
Unfortunately, a mechanical failure at the halfway point forced again the team into the pits for bike checks. A prolonged stop of over an hour caused the squad to lose valuable positions, and when Renaudin rejoined, Honda #4 was back again in 26th place.
Entering the final three hours while running 8th in the Superstock category, the Honda #4 was forced back into the pits. Despite this situation, the team managed to rejoin the race without losing position, ultimately crossing the chequered flag in a hard-fought 6th place.
Marco Fetz (53) on his Mana-Au Competition Honda. Photo courtesy Honda Racing.
Mana-Au Competition, with Max Schmidt, Marco Fetz, and Brayden Elliot aboard the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP #53, qualified 15th in the EWC class. Over 15 hours of intense endurance racing, the team fought their way up to 6thplace in their category.
The French squad delivered an outstanding performance, ultimately finishing the 24-hour race in 4th place in the EWC and 9th overall.
Guillaume Raymond (55) on his National Motos Honda FMA. Photo courtesy Honda Racing.
In the Superstock category, National Motos Honda FMA has once again claimed the FIM Endurance World Cup for Teams aboard the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP #55.
With Valentin Suchet, Guillaume Raymond, and Johan Nigon, the team secured a strong third-place finish at the Bol d’Or.
Defending FIM Endurance World Cup Champions National Motos Honda FMA had a challenging qualifying session, starting 8th on the grid in the Superstock category. Despite this, the team’s goal remained clear: secure the title by running their own race with a clear focus on consistency and avoiding unnecessary risk.
Relying on steady pace and consistency, the team gradually worked their way up toward the podium and after six hours of racing, National Motos Honda FMA were running in third position.
By the halfway mark, they were firmly in second place in the Superstock category, setting themselves up for a decisive final stage.
In the last two hours, the team strategically eased their pace to ensure a safe finish. Crossing the line in third place at the Bol d’Or, National Motos Honda FMA secured enough points to successfully defend their title and claim the 2025 FIM Endurance World Cup.
Kaedear-Dafy-Rac41-Honda, started fifth in the Superstock category with Diego Poncet taking the start aboard the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP. With a strong opening stint, the team quickly moved the Honda #41 up to second place after just two hours of racing.
A prolonged pit stop due to a rear tyre issue and a stop-and-go penalty saw the team drop back to 6th in class after six hours. However, consistent pace and determination allowed the squad to recover, climbing back to third by the halfway point.
In the closing stages, with just two hours remaining, the Honda #41 advanced to second place in the Superstock category. Thanks to extraordinary teamwork, strong communication, and the and the outstanding reliability of the Fireblade, Kaedear-Dafy-Rac41-Honda secured second place at the Bol d’Or and concluded the season as runner-up in the FIM Endurance World Cup, achieving the same result as last season.
Other Honda-powered teams that completed the Superstock category at the 88th Bol d’Or included Team 113 VIP Moto-Sporting Moto-Dynoperf, which finished in 8th place, followed by AG Racing. Team SLA Honda Toulon crossed the line in 12th, Slider Endurance in 15th, and Wójcik Racing Team #777 SST in 16th, with LCR Endurance rounding out the Honda entries.
Alan Techer – F.C.C. TSR Honda France
“The race ended badly for us, but it started well. I took the start, we were in the lead. Corentin and I had a really good pace to fight for the win. We did a lot of relays with just the two of us. We showed that we were fast and that the bike was performing well. Unfortunately, that’s not how we wanted to finish. Mechanically, there wasn’t much we could do about it. Everyone saw that we had the potential to fight for victory, and that’s what I want to remember. We had a great week, we worked well, the bike was easy to ride, both at night and during the day. The goal was to ride in 53 and that’s what we did. Now we’re going to work for next year and try to do better.”
Corentin Perolari – F.C.C. TSR Honda France
“Alan got off to a great start and we were regularly the fastest for 12 hours. We were battling for first place after every pit stop, and then we had a technical problem, which was a real shame. What I take away from this season is that we were fast in every race. Now we need to keep it up until the finish line and at the end of the year we’ll have a great result in the championship.”
Taiga Hada – F.C.C. TSR Honda France
“It’s difficult to end the race like this. In the final stint, I managed to set laps faster than in qualifying, which was a positive step for me. I was gradually improving, but then we had the mechanical problem, which is frustrating. Still, that’s racing. I want to take this experience with me, thank the whole team and my teammates for their great work, and use it positively for the future of my racing career.”
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More from a press release issued by Aviobike WRS:
Bol d’Or heartbreak for Aviobike WRS after 20 hours of battle.
• The Italian squad retires after 19 hours and 53 minutes despite a stellar effort from Ferrari, Bernardi, Lepine and De Cancellis on the Ducati Panigale V4.
An heroic effort from Team Aviobike WRS came to a bitter end just hours from the finish of the 88th Bol d’Or. After 19 hours and 53 minutes and a total of 544 laps, the Italian squad was forced to withdraw, despite an inspired performance from Matteo Ferrari, Luca Bernardi, Adrien Lepine and Hugo De Cancellis.
The race had started brightly. With a lightning getaway, Ferrari pushed the team’s Ducati Panigale V4 – the only bike from Borgo Panigale on the grid – up to third place in the Superstock class. Bernardi held that position during his opening stint, even after a safety car at lap 40 wiped out the early gaps.
Adrien Lepine (111) riding on his Aviobike WRS. Photo courtesy Aviobike Team.
Both Lepine and De Cancellis – drafted in at the last minute to replace the injured Andrea Mantovani – settled quickly into the rhythm, while the pit crew delivered faultless work through the opening twelve hours. At the halfway mark, the #111 Ducati was running sixth in class and 15th overall, with consistency as the team’s biggest strength.
As night fell over Paul Ricard, the determination to finish grew stronger. Even a pair of extended pit stops, costing six laps, couldn’t shake the spirit inside the Aviobike garage. By dawn, the team had fought back to P6 in class, hovering near the overall top ten, before inching back to P11 Stock and P20 overall.
Then came the cruel twist: with less than five hours remaining, the Ducati was forced to retire.
Giovanni Baggi statement:
“It has been an intense week in every way. We had high expectations and gave it our all. Unfortunately, at 11 o’clock this morning, we couldn’t quite put the cherry on the cake. The performance was extraordinary, but that’s endurance racing: one moment you’re elated, the next you’re devastated. I want to thank the entire crew for their incredible commitment, the riders for giving everything, WRS, and in particular Nicolas Zavoli for his constant support throughout the season. And of course, our sponsors, who make all this possible. Now we have the winter ahead to reset and prepare for 2026″.
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More from a press release issued by FIM Motorcycling Australia:
Australian Jason O’Halloran has won the 2025 FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC) following a dramatic season-ending round in France on September 20-21.
Riding for the Yamaha Austria Racing Team (YART) team alongside Karel Hanika and Marvin Fritz, the trio finished second in the Bol d’Or 24-hour behind Yoshimura SERT Motul, which was enough for them to claim the 2025 championship by 1pt.
YART’s success came after late heartbreak for the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team, which was running second – and on track to win the championship – just 30 minutes before the end of the gruelling race when smoke began pouring from the rear of the squad’s M 1000 RR.
BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team and YART had started the season showdown level on points following qualifying, making the 88th Bol d’Or a winner-takes-all fight for top honours.
But BMW’s despair became YART’s elation, in what was the final twist in a season which had produced a catalogue of highs and lows for the leading teams.
“Until the finish line nothing is done. I want to say very sorry to the BMW team, they made an awesome job and were so unlucky,”said YART team manager Mandy Kainz.
“It’s unbelievable to be honest, they would also deserve it. We had bad luck in Suzuka, now came a lot of luck.”
After four rounds, YART finished the 2025 championship on 139pts from Yoshimura SERT Motul (138pts) and BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team (108pts).
The UK-based O’Halloran, who joined the world endurance paddock full-time in 2025 following a long career in the British Superbike Championship, is now the sixth Australian to win in the long form of circuit racing behind Peter Goddard (1997), Warwick Nowland (2000), Heinz Platacis (2001), Steve Martin (2009) and Josh Hook (2018).
Martin’s victory also came with YART, which has a long and distinguished connection with the EWC.
O’Halloran’s rookie season in world endurance has paid instant dividends. Photo courtesy Motorcycling Australia
After never being headed from the seventh hour onwards, Yoshimura SERT Motul made it a hat-trick of Bol d’Or victories, finishing three laps ahead of YART. Third, a further 16 laps down, was the Champion MRP Tecmas (BMW) team.
The second Australian in the race, Brayden Elliott, was a brilliant ninth in his EWC debut on the French-entered Mana-Au Competition Honda.
A total of 32 teams completed the marathon, with 21 DNFs.
For results and final standings in the 2025 FIM Endurance World Championship, click here.
The 2026 EWC season will begin with the 24 Heures Motos at Le Mans in France from April 16-19.
Josh Hayes on the AOD bike leads teams Real Beal Racing and
Endless Motorsports early in the race before ripping open an insurmountable gap. Photo by Turn 13 Photo.
Despite the absence of AOD crew chief Tim Gooding, who had been inconveniently incapacitated by a virus that he termed “green lung,” Army of Darkness emerged victorious at the end of almost four hours of endurance racing at the track that witnessed the team’s inception with WERA endurance 32 years ago.
Friday practice dawned clear and cool, with intermittent clouds delivering a pleasant day for testing riders and equipment. Upon hearing the news that Tim would not be in attendance, the radiator on the team’s A bike began weeping uncontrollably through a pinhole introduced by a special Ohio pebble that may have been round on the ends and hi in the middle, which proved to be the only setback for the weekend. A spare radiator and radiator guard were quickly installed and practice continued with no further drama or emotional outbursts.
Reach for the sky! Or, at least, point to it. From left: YT Lechner, Taylor Knapp, Melissa Berkoff, Chris Manfrin, Josh Hayes, Hunter Dunham, Sam Fleming, Tony Romo. Photo courtesy AOD.
In AOD’s debut race back in 1993, the team’s trusty FZR600 excitedly attempted to engage in two gears simultaneously, thereby bringing the team’s first attempt at an endurance race to a premature end. AOD has had mixed success at Nelson Ledges since then, but on this race day, AOD’s Josh Hayes grabbed the lead from the start and never relinquished it, with teammates Hunter Dunham and Taylor Knapp extending it to 6 laps by the end of the race that was shortened by about 20 minutes due to a single red flag for a blown motor that put down oil on the track and fumigated the nearby woods early in the first hour.
AOD is sponsored by Army of Darkness, Dunlop, Woodcraft, Hindle, Vortex, EK Chains, Thermosman Suspensions, Champ School, WERA, Roadracing World, and Industry 13.
Scott Redding (4), Kyle Ride (1) and Leon Haslam (91) at TT Assen Circuit during Race 3. Photo courtesy EWC.
Scott Redding celebrated a double race win at the TT Circuit Assen by taking victory after a three-way battle in the final Bennetts British Superbike Championship race of the weekend, sharing today’s victories with Christian Iddon who became the eighth different race winner of the season.
Defending champion Kyle Ryde leaves the opening round of the Showdown with the lead in the standings by 31 points ahead of Oulton Park.
On the return to the TT Circuit Assen, seven different riders representing seven different teams celebrated podium finishes with two rounds of the title fight now remaining.
BSB Race 2 podium with, from left to right, Rory Skinner, Christian Iddon and Bradley Ray. Photo courtesy BSB.
In the second race of the weekend, Iddon mastered the wet conditions to hold off both Rory Skinner and Ray. In the changing conditions, he launched off the line to lead the pack on the opening lap. Skinner meanwhile had started 18th on the grid after a difficult race yesterday; fighting his way through the pack on the Cheshire Mouldings Ducati, and was into third place by lap five.
Iddon was holding the edge at the front, with Ray pushing to regain the ground he lost after a crash yesterday with Skinner and a hard-charging Leon Haslam holding the leading positions. Skinner moved into second at the Chicane on lap ten, with Ray shadowing him but despite the gap changing throughout the race to the front, Iddon was victorious at the chequered flag.
Skinner held second place, whilst Ray’s third place finish meant he gained ten points back on his title rival Ryde, who salvaged eighth on the final lap. The defending champion gained pace in the closing stages of the second race to regain ground, having run in 11th place for the first half of the race.
In the final race of the weekend, Redding celebrated his second race win of the weekend as the Hager PBM Ducati rider emerged on top following a dogfight with Haslam and Ryde. The Nitrous Competitions Racing Yamaha rider now heads to the penultimate round at Oulton Park with a 31-point advantage over Ray.
The race initially started with a huge battle at the front between Ryde, Iddon and Haslam as they traded positions in the dry conditions until the start of lap four when a shower began and the race was subsequently red flagged and restarted.
The shower passed and the race restarted in dry conditions and Ryde launched into the lead ahead of Storm Stacey, Haslam and Iddon. However, after claiming victory earlier today for AJN Steelstock Kawasaki, Iddon crashed out unhurt on the opening lap.
At the front, Haslam moved into second and the leading group began to start making a break with Ryde, Haslam, Stacey, Tommy Bridewell and Redding with Ray just adrift on the Raceways Yamaha.
Bridewell then moved ahead of Stacey and a few laps later, Ray also made his move, however later in the race, the Bathams AJN Racing BMW rider would make a move back for fifth to push the championship contender into sixth at the chequered flag.
At the front the final two lap dogfight began with Ryde leading, however Redding was on the attack and claimed the position on the special edition liveried Hager PBM Ducati, celebrating the 70th anniversary of their title partner.
Haslam then made a move to change the leader again and as the trio began the final lap of the race, the Moto Rapido Ducati Racing rider was ahead of Redding and Ryde with nothing separating them for victory.
Redding seized the advantage at turn one and Haslam and Ryde were both pushing, but he was able to hold off the pair to make it a double on Bennetts BSB’s return to the TT Circuit Assen with Haslam in turn holding off Ryde.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, TT Circuit Assen, Race 2 result:
Christian Iddon (AJN Steelstock Kawasaki)
Rory Skinner (Cheshire Mouldings Ducati) +1.241s
Bradley Ray (Raceways Yamaha) +2.848s
Tommy Bridewell (Honda Racing UK) +4.963s
Leon Haslam (Moto Rapido Ducati Racing) +7.278s
Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda) +9.973s
Fraser Rogers (TAG Honda) +10.776s
Kyle Ryde (Nitrous Competitions Racing Yamaha) +11.195s
Storm Stacey (Bathams AJN Racing BMW) +11.372s
John McPhee (MasterMac Honda) +19.676s
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, TT Circuit Assen, Race 3 result:
Scott Redding (Hager PBM Ducati)
Leon Haslam (Moto Rapido Ducati Racing) +0.505s
Kyle Ryde (Nitrous Competitions Racing Yamaha) +0.624s
Tommy Bridewell (Honda Racing UK) +2.748s
Storm Stacey (Bathams AJN Racing BMW) +10.137s
Bradley Ray (Raceways Yamaha) +10.182s
Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda) +11.841s
Rory Skinner (Cheshire Mouldings Ducati) +15.170s
Fraser Rogers (TAG Honda) +17.652s
Glenn Irwin (Nitrous Competitions Racing Yamaha) +21.698s
Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings:
Kyle Ryde (Nitrous Competitions Racing Yamaha) 391
Bradley Ray (Raceways Yamaha) 360
Leon Haslam (Moto Rapido Ducati Racing) 280
Rory Skinner (Cheshire Mouldings Ducati) 268
Christian Iddon (AJN Steelstock Kawasaki) 240
Tommy Bridewell (Honda Racing UK) 236
Danny Kent (McAMS Racing Yamaha) 217
Scott Redding (Hager PBM Ducati) 207.5
Max Cook (AJN Steelstock Kawasaki) 182
Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda) 158
For more information on the Bennetts British Superbike Championship visit www.britishsuperbike.com
SCOTT REDDING – HAGER PBM DUCATI
“In the first race this morning I felt like a right goon riding round back there! With this livery, you’re supposed to deliver when you’ve got special things like this, it fired me up. I had a bad tyre and nothing I could do, so I was thinking ‘do I risk just throwing it down the road for a couple of positions, not really worth it to be honest’.
“And then I came in and I didn’t even bank a lap time for the next race, so I thought I was 13th but turned out to be 15th so I thought, come on, wind me up some more baby. I got off to the first start of the race and I had it between my teeth, but had a bit more control than Donington, so I learnt my lesson last time out and I was firing up overtakes, which has been my weaker point.
“I’ve been a little bit nicer to these guys but I had to turn the wick up to come up through and I moved up and they started putting their hands up, safety is always first and then I had a nice reset and start eighth on the grid so the luck started to change for me.
“Then we went out for that second restart and my start wasn’t too bad, I don’t remember the start of races, it is just chaos but just needed to move up. I got to Leon, Kyle was holding a good enough pace that I couldn’t reel him fast enough so couldn’t take a breather, I thought I might have a little bit in the pocket but he was just hitting markers as he always does and keeps it clean and Leon was just defending from me.
“I was kind of waiting to pounce on Kyle and I knew I needed to get in to that mix and then with a few laps to go the sparks flew and we were throwing everything at each other but it was super clean tidy racing. You know I love racing like that where it is hard, you get so much adrenaline but its clean and fair, there was no dirty moves and respected each other and we put on a show out there. To have that anniversary for Hager and to win and race with these boys has been amazing.”
Matthew Paternoster (810) seen during the recent ASRA weekend at NJMP. Photo by @noiselessproductions.
Bettencourt Racing powered by AK Race Fab will field a two-rider lineup for the MotoAmerica season finale at New Jersey Motorsports Park, September 26–28, with Matthew Paternoster joining the team in the SC Project Twins Cup and Nathan Bettencourt returning to the grid in the Parts Unlimited Talent Cup.
Matthew Paternoster, of Delanson, NY, will make his MotoAmerica debut aboard his Sticker Mule-sponsored Aprilia RS660 in the Twins Cup class. This marks the culmination of Patternoster’s first full season as an expert-level rider, with a national round entry set as a personal goal from the outset. “Matt’s been grinding all year, working hard on his program, and earned this shot,”said Adam Kells, Crew Chief and owner of AK Race Fab. “We’re proud to have him under the AKRF tent and are excited to see him on track.”
Nathan Bettencourt, 15, of Medford, MA, will once again pilot his Krämer APX350MA in the Talent Cup class. After a season of steady progression and multiple top-ten finishes — including a recent top-five at COTA — Bettencourt is looking to capitalize on his familiarity with the NJMP layout. “We’ve seen Nathan’s confidence grow round by round,” said Kells.“He knows this track, and with the hard work put in by himself and the team, he’s ready to cash in at this round”.
Joining the team as Co-Crew Chief for the weekend is Charles “Jesse” Sandoz of Wonalancet, NH — Co-Owner of Seacoast Sport Cycle in Derry, NH, Aprilia & Ducati Master Technician, and multi-class club champion with over 30 years of trackside experience. “It’s an honor to have Jesse under our tent this weekend to keep Matt and his Aprilia in contention,”said Kells.“His knowledge, technical abilities, and drive have made him an incredible employer, mentor, and more importantly, friend over the years.”
Bettencourt Racing powered by AK Race Fab is proud to represent a growing roster of regional sponsors and supporters. Fans can follow the team’s progress on Instagram:
@akracefab
@nathanbettencourtracing
@seacoastsportcycle
@stickermule
At Circuit of The Americas, two fourth-place finishes for the tactical Andrew Lee was exactly what he needed to wrap up his third Stock 1000 Championship. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
The story arcs for Stock 1000 Champion Andrew Lee and runner-up JD Beach were decidedly different, and yet, both riders concluded their seasons just two points apart.
OrangeCat Racing’s Lee began his season like gangbusters, with the win in race one at Road Atlanta, followed by a second-place finish to his teammate Jayson Uribe in race two. Lee then got the double win at the next round of the championship at Road America.
Meanwhile, Beach finished fourth in both races at Road Atlanta. Things improved for JD when he got to Elkhart Lake, as he was second in race one at Road America, and third in race two. Starting at VIR, the Jiggy Dog won five of the final six races of the season.
Going into the final round at COTA, Lee knew that, if Beach were to win both races in Texas, Lee would have to finish in fourth or better to clinch the title. That’s exactly what Lee did.
Lee with his ever-enthusiastic OrangeCat Racing team. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
“My goal for race one was to try to win, of course.”Lee said. “Race wins are always the goal. But, when I was with the lead pack at the beginning of Saturday’s race, my bike started to overheat. So, I had to be careful. I backed off my pace a little bit, and the engine temperature came back down. So, I managed my position and brought it home in fourth. Race two was all about winning the championship. Another fourth-place finish was exactly what I needed, so I paid attention to my pit board, stayed where I needed to be, and brought it home safely.”
For Lee, it was his third MotoAmerica Championship, and his third in the stock literbike class. “I won the very first MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Championship, and the last one, too.”
“Bookends,”he quipped.
JD Beach wanted the Stock 1000 Championship more than he wanted to win the Superbike Cup Championship…but he’ll happily take the $25,000 check. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
To lose a class championship by just two points is a tough pill to swallow, but on the bright side, Beach won the Superbike Cup and the $25,000 check that goes with it. Given a choice, would Beach have rather won the Stock 1000 title?
“The $25,000 is, of course, great, and I can really use it,” Beach said. “But, I’d rather have won the Stock 1000 title. That one is a true class championship, and the wins count. But I did all I could to win it, and getting an AMA #1 plate for Superbike Cup feels really good.”
I asked JD if losing by two points made him think about the crazy situation that befell him in race one at Mid-Ohio where he couldn’t overcome a technical problem with his bike, and he was unable to get any points—not even two—as a result. He said, “Not just that race. There were a whole bunch of times this past season where, looking back, I could have gotten that extra two points. But I’m happy with what we did this year. I feel like I’ve been riding more like myself this year. This is the best I’ve ever ridden in my career. Even better than I did in 2018 (Beach won the Supersport Championship in 2018 with 11 wins on the season).”
Set Records. Break Records. Shatter Records
Despite the high temperatures in Texas, new lap records were set in all five MotoAmerica classes that were in action at COTA. Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Cameron Beaubier didn’t quite eclipse the Superbike lap record of 2:06.559 that he set last year during Qualifying 2, but he did break the race lap record with a 2:07.497 in Sunday’s race two.
Jones Honda’s Ashton Yates set a new lap record in Stock 1000 with a 2:09.553 in Saturday’s Qualifying 2, breaking the previous record Bobby Fong set back in 2017.
Mathew Scholtz was en fuego in Texas. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Garrett Gerloff’s Supersport lap record and JD Beach’s Supersport race lap record—both set in 2016—were finally broken by Strack Racing Yamaha’s Mathew Scholtz. The South African did a 2:11.765 in Saturday’s Qualifying 2, and then, in Saturday’s race one, Scholtz set a new race lap record of 2:12.544.
Hayden Gillim also broke both the lap record and race lap record in Mission King of The Baggers. The RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson rider did a 2:12.975 in Qualifying 2, and then, he did a lap-record-breaking 2:13.150 during Sunday’s race two.
The third rider to set a new lap record and race lap record at COTA was Warhorse Ducati/American Racing’s Alessandro Di Mario. The newly crowned Parts Unlimited Talent Cup By Motul Champion did a 2:26.620 during Sunday’s race two, which is a new lap record and race lap record.
Stock 1000 rider Tony Ugoh has two Super Bowl rings, including the one from Super XLVI when his New York Giants beat the New England Patirots. Again. Photo courtesy of the New York Giants.
“Tony, You Go Racing”
You’ve probably seen the movie, “The Blind Side,” and/or you’re a fan of the NFL. So, you know how important to a football team the guy who plays left tackle is. Left tackles are BIG. Tony Ugoh played offensive tackle for five seasons in the NFL, including for the Peyton-Manning-led Indianapolis Colts and the Eli-Manning-led New York Giants. Also, he has two Super Bowl rings from the 2006 season when the Colts won Super Bowl XVI and from the 2011 season when the Giants won Super Bowl XLVI.
The former Arkansas Razorback is 6 feet, 5 inches tall, and he weighed over 300 pounds when he was in the NFL.
This past weekend at COTA, Tony Ugoh made his debut as a professional motorcycle racer in the MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Championship. He’s still 6’ 5”, but he’s at least 100 pounds lighter than he was when he played pro football.
With him and his crew decked out in Ugoh Racing gear that incorporates the snarling University of Arkansas Razorback in his team logo, the Texan’s goal was to qualify and finish in the top-20 in both races. Aboard his #528 Ugoh Racing BMW M 1000 RR and entered as “Anthony Ugoh,” he qualified 26th out of 40 riders and made the show.
Ugoh Racing. Yes, you go racing. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Ugoh went fast in both races. He maintained his starting-grid position and finished 26th on both Saturday and Sunday. It was a very solid weekend for Ugoh’s first time in MotoAmerica.
We hope to see him on the grid again in 2026, and maybe even in more than just one round at COTA. He knows he’ll need to up-spec his bike and race at least in Superbike Cup since the Stock 1000 Championship is going away. He also knows fully well how to train during the off-season. Good luck, Tony.
Martin Cardenas returned to AMA road racing looking exactly the same as he did almost 20 years ago. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Cárdenas Regresa A Estados Unidos
Colombian Martín Cárdenas is one of the most popular riders in AMA road racing history. He competed in the series from 2006 through 2014, and he won a total of 27 races, plus two AMA Pro Racing Daytona SportBike Championships with Team Hammer (2010 with M4 Monster Energy Suzuki and 2012 with GEICO Suzuki). Cárdenas also won three AMA Pro SuperBike races, including his first career SuperBike victory with Team Hammer’s M4 Suzuki team in 2011.
This past weekend at COTA, Cárdenas seemingly emerged from a time machine. Looking every bit as fit and race ready as he was nearly 20 years ago when he first started racing in the U.S., Cárdenas reunited with Team Hammer and raced in the MotoAmerica Supersport Championship in Texas aboard a Coatzymoto LatinWE Powered by Team Hammer Suzuki GSX-R750. With his signature number 36 emblazoned on the bike, of course.
Cárdenas notched a ninth-place finish in Saturday’s race one and a result just outside the top 10 in Sunday’s race two. Team Hammer produced posters featuring Cárdenas, and I saw a lot of happy fans lined up to say hello to the man and get a poster autographed by him.
Championship Podium at 2025 FIM Long Track World Championship, Roden. Photo credit Jesper Veldhuizen
Dave Meijerink raced to a famous home victory at the fourth and deciding round of the 2025 FIM Long Track World Championship powered by Anlas, Kineo and HKC Koopmann at Roden on Sunday (21 September), but the big winner was Britain’s Zach Wajtknecht who clinched his first-ever FIM gold medal on a dramatic afternoon in the Netherlands.
FIM Long Track World Championship concludes in the Netherlands
Zach Wajtknecht clinches the crown as title fight goes down to the wire
Home hero Dave Meijerink takes overall victory in Roden
Wajtknecht, who was second in 2022 and won bronze last year, started the day just two points behind Germany’s Lukas Fienhage and two ahead of his compatriot Chris Harris and with defending champion Martin Smolinski out injured the title was between the three-remaining stand-out stars of this season’s competition.
It was Denmark’s Kenneth Kruse Hansen who raced to victory in the first of the programme’s fifteen Heat races in the Speed Centre Roden from Britain’s Jake Mulford and French rider Mathias Trésarrieuwith conditions challenging on a damp and overcast afternoon.
Racing on home ground, Romano Hummel – champion in 2021 – then got his day under way with a win ahead of his compatriot Mike Meijer before Wajtknecht claimed an important early psychological advantage when he won from Meijerink and Fienhage.
After pulling out of his opening Heat race, Harris bounced back with victory second time out chased by Finland’s Tero Aarnio and Meijerink and then Trésarrieu won from Mulford and Meijer before the pendulum swung back in Fienhage’s favour when he led Hummel, Hansen and Wajtknecht across the line.
As conditions rapidly dried out, Hansen kicked off the third block with his second victory of the afternoon, this time from Mulford – who was making just his second appearance in this year’s championship – and Fienhage before Meijerink defeated Meijer and Wajtknecht won from Harris.
With two blocks remaining the battle for the three automatic places in the Final was incredibly closewith Hansen leading on ten points, just one ahead of a three-way tie for second between Wajtknecht, Meijerink and Mulford with Hummel, Fienhage and Meijer locked together on eight.
2025 FIM Long Track World Championship, Roden. Photo credit Jesper Veldhuizen
Keeping the pressure firmly on the leaders, Harris then roared back into contention with his second win of the afternoon from his compatriot Andrew Appleton who had started slowly with just two points from his first three outings.
Wajtknecht then took a vital victory from Trésarrieu and Fienhage as Hansen maintained his lead after winning ahead of Meijerink and Hummel before a dramatic final block that would have a major impact on the destination of the crown.
The first shock was when Wajtknecht pulled up just feet from the tapes after apparent contact with Hummel, leaving Meijer to race to victory from Trésarrieu to take his total to thirteen – the same as Wajtknecht.
Mulford, who was firmly in contention for a place in the Grand Final, was then disqualified from his final Heat for a false start that brought his day to a premature end.
Harris then suffered a technical issue at the beginning of the fifteenth and final Heat and Fienhage raced to victory chased by Meijerink and Aarnio, only to be disqualified for an issue with his dirt deflector. This sent the championship leader to the Last Chance Heat along with Harris, Trésarrieu, Hummel and Meijer as Meijerink qualified on top ahead of Hansen and Wajtknecht.
With the final two places behind the tapes for the Grand Final up for grabs, the Last Chance Heat was won by Trésarrieu from Harris and with Fienhage eliminated in fourth the twenty-six-year-old’s title hopes were over for another season, but Harris – who won last time out in Scheessel – was still very much in contention.
When the tapes went up on the deciding race of the season, Meijerink took an early lead before Wajtknecht dived around the outside of Harris and from there the positions were settled with the dynamite Dutchman powering to victory and Wajtknecht content to keep Harris behind him to make sure of the crown.
Rossi Moor (92) at Misano. Photo courtesy Cardoso Racing Team.
American Rossi Attila Moor, riding his Cardoso Racing Kalex on the 2.62-mile (4.22 km) track, was 14th during Moto2 European Championship Race 1 Sunday afternoon at Misano Circuit Marco Simoncelli, in San Marino, in Italy.
More from a press release issued by Revesz Racing:
Strong debut for Hungarian-American rider Rossi Moor with Team Cardoso at Misano
The Misano Adriatico weekend marked an important milestone for Hungarian-American rider Rossi Moor, making his debut with Team Cardoso in the FIM JuniorGP Moto2 category.
Changing teams always requires an adaptation period, with new methods, dynamics, and ways of working. Rossi, however, managed this transition with determination and speed.
From the very first free practice through to Qualifying 2, he consistently improved his lap times, working closely with his new team to fine-tune the bike setup.
Misano is a demanding and technical track, and Rossi faced the additional challenge of never having tested here before. On top of that, on Saturday night he fell ill with a fever of 38°C (100.4°F) and arrived at the circuit on race day in less-than-ideal physical condition. Despite this setback, he decided to race and pushed through with grit and determination.
On the very first lap, at Turn 2, Rossi was forced to brake hard and avoid several riders involved in a crash right in front of him. This incident cost him 11 seconds compared to the riders who managed to escape the chaos. Despite such a heavy time loss, Rossi recovered and finished in 14th place.
Rossi Attila Moor (92) and Adrián Cruces (11) at Misano. Photo courtesy Cardoso Racing
His race pace was impressive, matching the lap times of the group fighting for 7th–8th position, suggesting that without the incident he could have battled for a top-10 finish.
Overall, this debut with Team Cardoso can be considered extremely positive: Rossi demonstrated both speed and adaptability, proving his fighting spirit under tough conditions.
The next challenge will be the penultimate round of the season, in Barcelona during the first week of November, where the Hungarian-American rider is eager to continue his growth and progress.
The SMX World Championship Final crowned two champions at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, including the first Japanese rider to win an SMX title. The warm, clear night sky was electrified with racing excitement in the glow of downtown Las Vegas. Photo credit Feld Motor Sports.
Las Vegas, Nev., (September 21, 2025) Team Honda HRC Progressive’s Jett Lawrence grabbed his third consecutive SMX World Championship™ with a dramatic overall victory on the SMX track built over The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. After winning the first moto, Jett delivered a nail-biting charge late in the second moto to reach second place; his (1-2) moto scores combined to win the night’s racing, the $100,000 race win bonus, and more significantly the one million dollar championship payout.
Team Honda HRC Progressive’s Hunter Lawrence, entering the race with enough points that a victory would bring him his first 450SMX title, toughed out a win in the second moto despite entering the event under the weather. Hunter’s third-place finish in the opening moto netted him second overall at the Vegas race as well as in the championship, which brought him a $500,000 championship runner-up bonus. Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Eli Tomac battled up front in both motos and finished the night with (2-3) moto scores. Tomac wrapped up his season with a third place result in the moto, the event, and the championship, which came with a $250,000 bonus.
In what may have been the wildest and most thrilling motorsports race of the year, Team Honda HRC Progressive’s Jo Shimoda captured the 250SMX Class SMX World Championship. Needing only a second place overall from the event, Shimoda succeeded despite aggressive tactics from his competitors. Shimoda finished the second moto with enough points to capture event win and with it the 250SMX Class title and its $500,000 win bonus. Shimoda became the first Japanese rider to win an SMX title.
Jett Lawrence – First place – 450SMX. Photo credit Feld Motor Sports
“[It’s conflicting] emotions of obviously wanting to win this, and get this, but then I also hate to see [Hunter not get the win] – today he deserved that. He executed two really good starts and obviously the guy’s battling with a cold right now, and [I’m] bummed to see him sad about it, because he worked really hard; we both worked hard, but I’m happy. Halfway through [the second moto] I honestly had some doubts that I could even catch those guys. [Hunter and Eli] were riding really, really well. But I had to dig deep and just try to send it. It was either sending it or crashing at that point. So, I tired, I was able to catch up to Eli. I had a few good laps and was able to make a quick pass when I had the chance. I’m happy for the team, with going 1-2 for Honda, but right now my mind’s thinking about multiple things… Because, obviously, this could be [Hunter’s] first 450 championship. But obviously I want it really badly as well, it’s a lot of money. It’s difficult, because you want to see your brother do well, it’s difficult competing against him.” – Jett Lawrence
Hunter Lawrence – Second place – 450SMX. Photo credit Feld Motor Sports
“[Sarcastically] I feel amazing, if you can’t read it on my face… Yeah, I’m gutted. I did everything I could in that one, felt like I just gave it 110% every time I went on the track… Just came up short.” – Hunter Lawrence
Eli Tomac – Third place – 450SMX. Photo credit Feld Motor Sports
“It was a fantastic crowd; we had such wonderful support all night. I did what I could. I tried. No lack of trying. Those brothers are really good. I actually didn’t have quite as much in that second moto, so [I’m] a little disappointed in myself. But the night as a whole – [it was] okay… Thank you Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing. This was a good podium for us. Of course I want more, but we’ll take this third. Thanks.” – Eli Tomac
450SMX Class podium (riders left to right) Hunter Lawrence, Jett Lawrence, and Eli Tomac. Photo credit Feld Motor Sports
Jo Shimoda’s Heroic 250SMX Class Ride Earns History-making 250SMX World Championship
The 250SMX Class delivered peak thrills for any form of racing, and just the type of scenario that the SMX World Championship postseason structure was designed to create. The first moto delivered excellent racing, but almost nothing in motorsports could match the excitement delivered in the second 250SMX Class moto.
Sitting second in championship points, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan lined up to the inside of Shimoda for the final 250SMX moto of the year. The two bumped just off the gate, and by the third corner Deegan appeared to slow to take Shimoda wide; neither rider went down, but Shimoda lost two positions. Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Seth Hammaker had the holeshot and the early lead, and as the riders were positioned as they crossed the green flag, Hammaker would have the points needed to take the night’s win and the championship. That was the math if every rider stayed where they were… but the race was about to explode with incredible riding, aggressive passes, take-out moves, heroic bravery, and frantic moto math to sort out what every development did to the championship standings.
Six minutes into the race, Deegan made his way past Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Levi Kitchen to take over second place. From there Deegan appeared to alter his pace to mix up the front runners’ positions. Six and a half minutes into the race, Deegan moved past Hammaker, which included contact on a high-speed section. Shimoda, still in fourth at that moment, needed a third-place finish in the moto to secure the title from Deegan. Kitchen then dropped out with what appeared to be a bike problem.
At the moto’s midpoint, Shimoda reached second place and Deegan slowed to allow Hammaker to tighten back up to them. Over the next laps, Deegan instigated contact against Shimoda no less than three times, and the third impact put both riders on the ground. Shimoda quickly remounted in second place while Deegan walked away from his bike with what was later diagnosed as a broken collarbone. The games up front allowed Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle to catch Shimoda and pass him with less than two laps remaining. With Hammaker leading, Vialle holding second, and Shimoda in third, the title would go to Shimoda with the night’s overall going to Hammaker. But Shimoda put on a final burst and passed Vialle in the final corner to earn second in the moto, an overall victory for the night, and secure the 2025 SMX World Championship. The title marks Shimoda’s first professional title and he becomes the first Japanese rider to earn an SMX, SX, or MX title.
The crowd was wildly enthusiastic for Jo Shimoda at the podium when he received his championship trophy, the $500,000 payout, and what sounded like a massive increase of the earnest racer’s fan base.
Jo Shimoda (#30) – First place – 250SMX. Photo credit Feld Motor Sports
“I kind of slipped out on the start. I’m not going to lie, I was a little nervous. But I think we made good passes in the first few laps. I caught Seth, passed him. [Then] I caught Deegan, but he slowed to let me pass, so I kinda knew already [that] something’s going to happen and he might attack pretty crazy, which he did. At one moment I had my leg cramped and everything because of him hitting, but I just want to say thank you to my family first, my trainer, my whole team, my mechanic Ben. You know, it’s only a three-round [postseason] series, but for me, I think getting this title and finishing off the year good, with the [red] plate, that’s what I needed. And yeah, confidence booster, for sure.” – Jo Shimoda
Seth Hammaker – Second place – 250SMX. Photo credit Feld Motor Sports
“Came up a little short on that one, but I’m just so grateful. [There were] a lot of ups and downs to this season, and I’m just grateful to be up here. It’s awesome to finish second, Jo was riding awesome, and a hectic race for sure… Man, it just feels good. Second overall in the series, a good way to end the season, and now just time to rest up and get ready for next year. My time will come, just gotta stay true to the plan. Thank you to everybody at Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki, my entire family, everybody at the Dog Pound [training facility], Burner, my race mechanic, my practice mechanic, and everybody. These fans are wild. Thank you to everybody that comes out and supports us, so let’s go!” – Seth Hammaker
Tom Vialle – Third place – 250SMX. Photo credit Feld Motor Sports
“It was a big weekend for me. It was my last 250 race, so I’m really excited to move to the 450 next year. My start today was not that good. I think the riding was good. I’m pretty happy with the way I [wrapped] up my season. Third in the SMX Championship is pretty good, so I’m excited for the future and moving up to the 450.” – Tom Vialle
Haiden Deegan (#1) – Ninth Place (under review for possible penalty) – 250SMX. Photo credit Feld Motor Sports
“All I can say is I’m [gonna] fight. That’s all I can say is I’m ‘a fight. We’ve got one more moto to go and that’s all I got. I’m gonna fight for this one, let’s go.” – Haiden Deegan after this first moto ride that earned him a second-place moto result.
250SMX Class podium (riders left to right) Seth Hammaker, Jo Shimoda, and Tom Vialle. Photo credit Feld Motor Sports
Among the VIPs in attendance, country music star Bailey Zimmerman joined the broadcast booth during qualifying and pre-race coverage where he said, “[Las Vegas] has always been that race, that is like, ‘the one.’ I’ve been saying it all day: a lot of people get to go to races, [but] you don’t get to go to the SuperMotocross World Championships in Las Vegas, Nevada, all the time. How cool is it to be out here and get to see this… I literally can’t believe I’m here right now. This is insane!”
The 2025 SMX World Championship wraps its third season since its inception in 2023. With a total postseason purse of $5.5 million, Playoff 1, Playoff 2, and the Final have raised the bar on the racing stakes and intensity. Additionally, the points reset in August has created a fresh dynamic throughout the 28 regular-season rounds. For video highlights, results, racing news, and ticket sales (once on-sale) please go to supermotocross.com
Every round of the 2025 SMX World Championship was streamed live and remains available on-demand on Peacock; other platforms that covered the 2025 racing include NBC, USA Network, Telemundo Deportes (English and Spanish) on the NBC app, YouTube, X, and Facebook. Audio coverage of the season was heard on NBC Sports Audio on SiriusXM Channel 85. International fans can find on-demand coverage in English, Spanish, and French through the SuperMotocross Video Pass (supermotocross.tv).
Looking ahead to next year, the 2026 Supercross and Pro Motocross regular-season race schedules will be announced, and presale tickets go on sale, on September 30th. One week later, general public tickets will also be available for sale. To experience the action in person in 2026, with unmatched access to athletes and teams, please go to supermotocross.com.
For information about the SMX World Championship, please visit www.SuperMotocross.com and be sure to follow all of the new SMX social media channels for exclusive content and additional information on the latest news:
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This website utilizes various technologies that are meant to make it as accessible as possible at all times. We utilize an accessibility interface that allows persons with specific
disabilities to adjust the website’s UI (user interface) and design it to their personal needs.
Additionally, the website utilizes an AI-based application that runs in the background and optimizes its accessibility level constantly. This application remediates the website’s HTML,
adapts Its functionality and behavior for screen-readers used by the blind users, and for keyboard functions used by individuals with motor impairments.
If you’ve found a malfunction or have ideas for improvement, we’ll be happy to hear from you. You can reach out to the website’s operators by using the following email
Screen-reader and keyboard navigation
Our website implements the ARIA attributes (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) technique, alongside various different behavioral changes, to ensure blind users visiting with
screen-readers are able to read, comprehend, and enjoy the website’s functions. As soon as a user with a screen-reader enters your site, they immediately receive
a prompt to enter the Screen-Reader Profile so they can browse and operate your site effectively. Here’s how our website covers some of the most important screen-reader requirements,
alongside console screenshots of code examples:
Screen-reader optimization: we run a background process that learns the website’s components from top to bottom, to ensure ongoing compliance even when updating the website.
In this process, we provide screen-readers with meaningful data using the ARIA set of attributes. For example, we provide accurate form labels;
descriptions for actionable icons (social media icons, search icons, cart icons, etc.); validation guidance for form inputs; element roles such as buttons, menus, modal dialogues (popups),
and others. Additionally, the background process scans all the website’s images and provides an accurate and meaningful image-object-recognition-based description as an ALT (alternate text) tag
for images that are not described. It will also extract texts that are embedded within the image, using an OCR (optical character recognition) technology.
To turn on screen-reader adjustments at any time, users need only to press the Alt+1 keyboard combination. Screen-reader users also get automatic announcements to turn the Screen-reader mode on
as soon as they enter the website.
These adjustments are compatible with all popular screen readers, including JAWS and NVDA.
Keyboard navigation optimization: The background process also adjusts the website’s HTML, and adds various behaviors using JavaScript code to make the website operable by the keyboard. This includes the ability to navigate the website using the Tab and Shift+Tab keys, operate dropdowns with the arrow keys, close them with Esc, trigger buttons and links using the Enter key, navigate between radio and checkbox elements using the arrow keys, and fill them in with the Spacebar or Enter key.Additionally, keyboard users will find quick-navigation and content-skip menus, available at any time by clicking Alt+1, or as the first elements of the site while navigating with the keyboard. The background process also handles triggered popups by moving the keyboard focus towards them as soon as they appear, and not allow the focus drift outside it.
Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.
Disability profiles supported in our website
Epilepsy Safe Mode: this profile enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
Visually Impaired Mode: this mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
Cognitive Disability Mode: this mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
ADHD Friendly Mode: this mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
Blindness Mode: this mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.
Keyboard Navigation Profile (Motor-Impaired): this profile enables motor-impaired persons to operate the website using the keyboard Tab, Shift+Tab, and the Enter keys. Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.
Additional UI, design, and readability adjustments
Font adjustments – users, can increase and decrease its size, change its family (type), adjust the spacing, alignment, line height, and more.
Color adjustments – users can select various color contrast profiles such as light, dark, inverted, and monochrome. Additionally, users can swap color schemes of titles, texts, and backgrounds, with over seven different coloring options.
Animations – person with epilepsy can stop all running animations with the click of a button. Animations controlled by the interface include videos, GIFs, and CSS flashing transitions.
Content highlighting – users can choose to emphasize important elements such as links and titles. They can also choose to highlight focused or hovered elements only.
Audio muting – users with hearing devices may experience headaches or other issues due to automatic audio playing. This option lets users mute the entire website instantly.
Cognitive disorders – we utilize a search engine that is linked to Wikipedia and Wiktionary, allowing people with cognitive disorders to decipher meanings of phrases, initials, slang, and others.
Additional functions – we provide users the option to change cursor color and size, use a printing mode, enable a virtual keyboard, and many other functions.
Browser and assistive technology compatibility
We aim to support the widest array of browsers and assistive technologies as possible, so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them, with as few limitations as possible. Therefore, we have worked very hard to be able to support all major systems that comprise over 95% of the user market share including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera and Microsoft Edge, JAWS and NVDA (screen readers).
Notes, comments, and feedback
Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs. There may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible. Still, we are continually improving our accessibility, adding, updating and improving its options and features, and developing and adopting new technologies. All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility, following technological advancements. For any assistance, please reach out to
Alan Techer – F.C.C. TSR Honda France 
Taiga Hada – F.C.C. TSR Honda France 
SCOTT REDDING – HAGER PBM DUCATI
![The team celebrates on balcony [l-r] Etienne Masson, Dan Linfoot, Gregg Black, Yohei Kato, Damien Saulnier. Photo courtesy SERT Team.](https://www.roadracingworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/bol-dor-2025-team-on-balcony_1758492326-e1758492358320-696x442.jpg "The team celebrates on balcony [l-r] Etienne Masson, Dan Linfoot, Gregg Black, Yohei Kato, Damien Saulnier. Photo courtesy SERT Team.")
