Steel Commander Corp Is Now The Title Sponsor Of The MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Championship
Steel-Building Manufacturer Set For Title Sponsorship of Steel Commander Stock 1000 Class Beginning At Barber Motorsports Park Round
IRVINE, CA (May 16, 2023) – MotoAmerica, North America’s premier road racing racing series, is pleased to announce that Steel Commander Corp will be the title sponsor of the 2023 MotoAmerica Steel Commander Stock 1000 Championship, beginning with the May 19-21 second round of the series at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama.
Steel Commander Corp, with its corporate headquarters in Boca Raton, Florida, is an all-American Steel Building manufacturer shipping factory-direct to all U.S. territories offering a combination of expertise, innovation, and dedication to quality and customer satisfaction. Steel Commander Corp offers a comprehensive range of solutions for the commercial, industrial, residential, garage, storage, and other industries with a combined experience of over 60 years.
In addition to being the title sponsor of the Steel Commander Stock 1000 class, the steel-building manufacturer recently announced that it will field a team in the series with former MotoAmerica Supersport class winner Gabriel Da Silva. Da Silva will compete in both the Steel Commander Stock 1000 class and the Superbike Cup division of the MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike series. Da Silva and the team will also be making their debut at Barber Motorsports Park, May 19-21.
“We are pumped to have Steel Commander Corp on board as the Stock 1000 title sponsor for 2023,” said Lance Bryson, MotoAmerica’s Director of Sponsorship. “They are true fans of the sport and are excited to be joining our series with both a team and a title sponsor. We are equally as excited to have them onboard and to have our fans learn about Steel Commander’s products. The Stock 1000 class got started at Road Atlanta a few weeks ago with two exciting races and we’re expecting more of that at every round, including Steel Commander’s first race as a sponsor at Barber.”
“We are excited to announce this new partnership between Steel Commander Corp and MotoAmerica.” said Shawn Fisher, President and CEO of Steel Commander Corp. “This is a great opportunity for the two companies to promote the 2023 MotoAmerica Championship and to showcase the incredible talent and dedication of exceptional riders like Gabriel Da Silva. We are eagerly awaiting Gabriel’s first race this weekend (May 19-21) in Alabama.”
About MotoAmerica
MotoAmerica is North America’s premier motorcycle road racing series. Established in 2014, MotoAmerica is home to the AMA Superbike Championship as well as additional classes including Supersport, Stock 1000, Twins Cup, Junior Cup, and King Of The Baggers. MotoAmerica is an affiliate of KRAVE Group LLC, a partnership including three-time 500cc World Champion, two-time AMA Superbike Champion, and AMA Hall of Famer Wayne Rainey; ex-racer and former manager of Team Roberts Chuck Aksland; motorsports marketing executive Terry Karges; and businessman Richard Varner. For more information, please visit www.MotoAmerica.com and follow MotoAmerica on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube.
On the Front Cover: The KTM RC 8 C is a limited-edition, purpose-built, light-weight track bike with a twin-cylinder engine from the Duke 890 and a custom frame. It is fast, it handles well, and riding it is big fun.
Round 2 of the 2023 Northeast Motorcycle Road Racing (NEMRR) had a palpable
excitement in the air over the entire weekend. In preparation for the
100th running of the Loudon Classic in June, the paddock had a number of
top riders in attendance and everyone was excited to see how they would
fare. The list of “non regular” riders riding New Hampshire Motor
Speedway (NHMS) included the likes of Tyler Scott, Blake Davis, Joe Limandri
and JC Camacho. In addition, top NEMRR home town riders who are often
traveling at national events like Teagg Hobbs, Shane Narbonne and Jacob
Crossman were all in attendance as well. Although he wasn’t competing
this weekend, even AMA Superbike legend Josh Hayes was in attendance on
Sunday afternoon.
Brett Guyer started off the weekend with a dominating victory in the 25
minute GTL class on his Seacoast Sport Cycle Aprilia RS 660. Racing with
fellow NEMRR veteran Rick Doucette and his son Adam, Brett scored the
holeshot and was challenged by Doucette for the first five laps. A mistake
by Doucette on lap six gave Guyer a sizable cushion that he then extended
throughout the remainder of race. This race set the tone for an
extremely successful weekend for Guyer where he went on to win six of the
seven races that he entered. The only rider to get the best of Guyer all
weekend was fellow RS 660 rider Jacob Crossman, a rider who started at
NEMRR and is now riding the MotoAmerica Twins Cup Series with 3D
Racing. Crossman won the LW Grand Prix class by just over two seconds
from Guyer, and in the process ran a 1.15.00 lap time, the fastest trip
around NHMS on a LW motorcycle for the weekend!
Brett Guyer (11) won six of his seven races. Photo by Martin Hanlon, courtesy NEMRR.
The Pros from out of town were picking the track up quickly as many of
them were contending with series regulars for podium positions during
the weekend. The Gen-2 Moto America bikes of Tyler Scott and Teagg
Hobbs have not yet been incorporated into the Middleweight Grand Prix
rules on regular NEMRR weekends, so those riders competed in the
Heavyweight and Unlimited classes in their quest to get up to speed.
Those bikes will be legal for the Loudon Classic, and there is the
potential that NEMRR tech officials will get the training needed to
incorporate those machines into the Middleweight GP classes after the
June event. Hobbs and Scott battled at the front in all of their races.
The feature race of NEMRR weekend was the Michelin/MotoRace dash for
cash. The large 38-bike field was set via qualifying times from the
morning practice session, and the front two rows were stacked with
talent. As the field came around for the first lap, the race was led by
series regular Eli Block, followed closely by Dash for Cash rookies
Blake Davis and Joe Limandri. Recovering from sub-par starts were
contenders Shane Narbonne and Tyler Sweeney in fourth and fifth place.
Narbonne and Sweeney clearly had their heads down, but the young riders
in front of them were showing why they have had the success at the
national level. Narbonne, the all-time leader in Loudon Classic wins,
moved steadily forward as he passed Limandri on lap two and Davis on lap
three. By the time he got to second place, Block had opened up nearly a two-second lead. Meanwhile, Sweeney was close behind and moved past
Limandri on lap three and Davis on lap six. Once in third place, Sweeney was
the fastest rider on the track for several laps as he caught the lead
duo. On lap nine Narbonne used his signature braking move into the Turn Six
bowl and moved into the lead. As he inched away from his rivals,
Sweeney pressured Block and took advantage of a big slide that Block
saved while driving up the Turn Four hill to make his move into the second
spot. Davis and Limandri hung on to round out the top five.
After the races were all over, Dunlop held a tire test and that included
Blake Davis, Teagg Hobbs, Tyler Scott, Tyler Sweeney and Josh Hayes, who
last rode the track in 2001. With a fully open track and a weekend of
racing behind them the groundwork was there to churn out some impressive
times. Josh Hayes, riding a borrowed bike and seeing the track for the
first time in over two decades, got down to competitive times in a mere eight
laps! Tyler Scott was the fastest rider at the test, beating the best
race times of the entire race weekend on a consistent basis. These
riders are a sign of what is to come in next month’s classic, as these
top professionals adapt to new tracks quickly. The competition should
be intense!
The historic running of the Loudon Classic will be June 16-18. Friday
will consist of both NEMRR racing and Loudon Classic Qualifying, and
Saturday will be a dedicated Pro Day with practice, qualifying and
finals for the three pro classes. Enthusiasts looking for tickets to the
Loudon Classic June 16-18 can find a link directly on the www.nemrr.com
home page!
THREE PODIUMS AND GOLD CUP WIN FOR TEAM WRT AT BRANDS HATCH
It was a successful start of the 2023 Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup season for Team WRT at Brands Hatch, as the squad took three overall podiums and one Gold Cup win. It will be a memorable weekend also because Valentino Rossi signed his first Fanatec GT podium by finishing second together with Maxime Martin in race two, while reigning champions Dries Vanthoor and Charles Weerts netted two third finishes. Niklas Kruetten and Calan Williams scored their maiden win in the Gold Cup in race two, finishing at an impressive seventh position overall.
Team WRT Principal Vincent Vosse was very happy at the end of the weekend: “There are podium finishes that taste as sweet as victories, and the ones taken here are of that kind. This was our first sprint race with the new BMW M4 GT3 and we had a very positive outcome. Everybody did a great job; the drivers were fantastic and the pit stops, perfect. Obviously, Vale was very happy with his first podium, and I feel very proud that he conquered it with us and in a sprint race. I also want to stress the great weekend of our young guys in the Gold Cup, who won race two taking a great seventh overall. On the whole, we lacked top-speed pace with respect to some of our competitors, and we will have to focus on improving in that area.”
It was not an easy start to the weekend for the BMW M4 GT3s, as they were struggling with pace and remained in the second third of the time sheets of the two free practice sessions. In qualifying for race one, things got better for car #32, with Charles Weerts qualifying fifth, while Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer (#31), Valentino Rossi (#46) and Calan Williams (#30) took 18th, 20th and 21st on the grid, respectively.
Race one, with no major incidents and no yellow periods, was a typical Brands Hatch race, with almost no possibility to overtake. Weerts stabilized in sixth position after the start, while Simmenauer was able to climb to 17th and Williams was running 21st, fourth in the Gold Cup. The four cars maintained those positions up to the pit stop, with Weerts and Rossi pitting in lap 19, one lap earlier than their teammates. Timely and perfect pit stops allowed Vanthoor to be third at the beginning of the second stint, with Neubauer 14th right ahead of Martin and Kruetten. The Belgian reduced significantly the gap with the two leaders but positions did not change for any of the Team WRT cars.
After post-race one decisions, Maxime Martin got promoted from fifth to third on the grid of race two, while Kruetten also gained a position up to eighth, with Vanthoor 13th and Neubauer 21st.
At the start of race two, Martin managed to fight for the lead but couldn’t materialise, and kept very close to the leaders in the first part of the race, while Vanthoor climbed up to ninth after swapping positions with Kruetten, and Neubauer was 15th. In lap 14, shortly before the opening of the pit stop window, the safety car had to intervene to allow the recovery of a car from the gravel trap. At the restart, Neubauer managed to gain one position.
Vanthoor and Neubauer dived into the pits as soon as the window opened, followed later by Martin and Kruetten. Another perfect pit stop allowed Rossi and Weerts to be in second and third at the beginning of the second stint, while Williams was seventh and leading the Gold Cup and Simmenauer dropped to 18th after suffering a spin. The closing laps remained uneventful for Rossi and Williams, while Weerts had to fight to retain his third position, and Simmenauer finished 15th despite being sent off-track by a rival.
Valentino Rossi (#46): “I am so happy about this second position and first podium! We got close some times last year and in Monza at the start of the season, and finally, it came. We all did a good job, the team, myself and Maxime, who put a mega lap time in qualifying. The pit stops were perfect, and the result is this podium, which is even more rewarding, as Sprint Cup races are more difficult.”
Maxime Martin (#46): “To finish second is of course a very good result. I had a clean start [to race two] and could stay in third position. The pace was good and improved after the safety car. We had a very good pit stop and Vale did a fantastic stint, bringing the car home safely. It’s the first podium for Vale and the first in Sprint for me, so we are very happy and I think we can aim at more good results during the season.”
Dries Vanthoor (#32): “A double podium is a very good result, and, honestly, more than what we expected after qualifying, when we were hoping to be in the top five. In race two, I had a good start and later the safety car helped a bit, but it’s really a team effort, with the boys doing great pit stops in both races. Looking at the whole season, the Sprint Cup will be a good challenge for us, but this weekend proves that if we fight hard, prepare well, and don’t give up, we can do well.”
Charles Weerts (#32): “I am very happy with the result. Honestly, I did not think we could take two podiums today, but we did a great job and could extract the maximum out of both races. I want to thank the mechanics because they did a super job in the two pit stops. We are now second in the standings, not far from the top, and that is great news.”
Calan Williams (#30): “It’s a great way to start the season in the Sprint Cup, with a win. I’m really happy with that, the team did a great job all weekend and the car was great. We showed we have the pace on track and in the pit stops, and that allowed us to have these great results.”
Nicklas Kruetten (#30): “We didn’t know what to expect since neither Calan nor I had raced here before, but I felt comfortable with the car since free practice one and we only had to do some set-up adjustments. In the high-speed corners, the car was really very good. For race two, I qualified strong, we managed to have a clean race, the team made a perfect pit stop and called us in at the right moment. That’s how we won the race and I think that if we keep going like this, we will have more opportunities this year to win races and hopefully the title.”
Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Sprint Cup – Round 1
Brands Hatch, United Kingdom, 14 May 2023
Race 1 results:
1. Marciello-Boguslavskiy (Mercedes AMG GT3) 42 laps
2. Drudi-Feller (Audi R8 LMS) + 0s616
3. Vanthoor-Weerts (BMW M4 GT3) +3s683
4. Légeret-Haase (Audi R8 LMS) +27s432
5. Lappalainen-Altoè (Ferrari 296 GT3) +28s251
14. Neubauer-Simmenauer (BMW M4 GT3) +58s883
15. Martin-Rossi (BMW M4 GT3) +59s241
16. Kruetten-Williams (BMW M4 GT3) +59s703 (4th in Gold)
Race 2 results:
1. Drudi-Feller (Audi R8 LMS GT3) 41 laps
2. Martin-Rossi (BMW M4 GT3) +3s769
3. Vanthoor-Weerts (BMW M4 GT3) +4s659
4. Goethe-Kjaergaard (McLaren 720S GT3) +5s317
5. Légeret-Haase (Audi R8 LMS GT3) +7s692
7. Kruetten-Williams (BMW M4 GT3) +15s108 (1st in Gold)
Angel Piqueras wins stunning Rookies Le Mans Race 2
Too much drama in Race 2 of the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup at Le Mans but it didn’t prevent Angel Piqueras taking his 5th win of the season and the 16-year-old Spaniard brilliantly held off Italian 15-year-old Guido Pini.
Spaniard Alberto Ferrández took 3rd from Argentina’s Marco Morelli as the 15-year-olds battled to the line for the final podium spot.
Piqueras did it again
“I really didn’t have a plan for the race today, I knew that the track would be different to yesterday and it was, it was a bit cold and without the same grip.”
“In the early laps and all the way through the race, it was a big battle at the front, all the riders were pushing very hard but on the last two laps I decided to push and to see what I could do.”
“It worked and am very happy to win again, of course, this is very good for the championship and it has been a great weekend. Two wins, it might not have been like that but it was.”
Pini improved last lap effort
“I am very happy with that, it’s my first podium in Rookies Cup. It was a very hard race, a lot of fighting at the front. We had to be a bit careful in the beginning because the track was cold but that was OK.
“I was confident going into the race today as I was yesterday. Yesterday I made mistakes on the last lap and that cost me the podium but not today. I battled with Piqueras for the win but I couldn’t do it this time.”
“I am enjoying the bike and really looking forward to my home race in Mugello.”
Ferrández gave it all
“I am very happy with that, I pushed all the way, from the first lap to the last I was always on the limit.”
“Finally on the last lap, so many riders crashed and finally I could overtake Morelli in the last corners and got on the podium. I have practised a lot, worked very hard for this but that is normal and I will try and do it again in Mugello.”
Morelli makes better use of Pole
“I am happy with the result, better than yesterday but very lucky because some riders crashed. I am happy though because today I could stay in the front group, I didn’t do that yesterday.”
“I still need to improve I need to be able to overtake more. I have scored some points which is good for the championship but that is not so important this year.”
“I tried for the podium, I overtook Ferrández but he overtook me, I was close to the podium and try again in Mugello.”
Cormac Buchanan 5th
“Well, very lucky, I was P11 going into the second to last lap and finished P5 so it is the first top 5. Lucky but then to finish first, first you have to finish so I’ll take it,” explained the 16-year-old New Zealander referring to the 5 riders who fell off at the end of the race.
“The starts this weekend have been really good, I am finally getting back to the way I felt at the end of last year so I’m really pleased with that but I just need to work on staying a bit more calm because when I get in that front group it gets a bit hectic and I kind of make a lot of mistakes. Then start losing the group.”
“There is still plenty to work on and I am going to train hard for Mugello and get P5 with more merit shall we say.”
Màximo Quiles falls on the final lap
“At the beginning of the race I was quite strong, I pushed and caught the front and we battled all the race, I could lead for some laps. But then towards the end, I dropped back a bit to get recharged so that I could push again for the finish.”
“Then on the last lap I was P4 and preparing the overtake and in the 2nd corner I braked straight and I crashed, I think I crashed with 2 more and I am very sorry for them. I hope Hakim (Danish) is OK.”
Hakim Danish brought down
“I was feeling good with the bike,” explained the 15-year-old Malaysian.” I was in the front group, I did a better job than yesterday, today I didn’t make the same mistakes as yesterday.”
I had a good start and managed to get quickly into the front group, then run in the top 5 and I could get up to 2nd. In the last lap, two riders crashed and hit me hard, I could do nothing about that. I am OK and let’s see the next race.”
Álvaro Carpe taken out
“I’m not so happy because I was in 3rd on the last lap and a rider hit me and I crashed.” stated the 15-year-old Spaniard. “I went to the bike but the engine had stopped and I could not restart it to get any points.”
“Yesterday I was 6th but it is not so good for the championship, I think I am still second but Piqueras has such a big lead.”
“We have to wait for Mugello and see what we can do there. I will do my best.”
Rico Salmela falls on last lap
“I’m OK after the crash. It was quite a good race before the crash. I was top 3 most of the race. Then close to the end I made a small mistake, I got neutral and I dropped to the back of the group. Then I pushed to catch up, I gained some positions and on the last lap I was P3 and I thought I could try to catch the riders in front. And then I had a small accident, I tried to save it but it was too much.
We’ll see what we can do in Mugello if we can still beat Piqueras.”
Ruche Moodley misses matching Race 1
“In the first laps I took it a bit carefully, just to check the track, because in Portimão I didn’t do that,” said the 16-year-old South African referring to his early race crash on a cold track in Portugal. “Then I felt confident, even though I was 13th at one stage, that I could catch the group.”
“The track was good and got better, on the 2nd to last lap I tried to get in a better position so that I could attack on the last lap and I just tucked the front.”
Chase Sexton Wraps Up 2023 Supercross Title with Utah Win
Jett Lawrence Tops 250SX Class Racers in East/West Showdown
Salt Lake City, Utah, (May 14, 2023) Team Honda HRC’s Chase Sexton nabbed the final win of the 2023 Monster Energy AMA Supercross indoor stadium season to cap his first 450SX Class championship with a victory in front of a sold-out crowd of 49,871 fans inside Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Red Bull KTM’s Aaron Plessinger took the race’s runner-up spot at the Supercross Championship Final Presented by Utah Sports Commission. And Team Tedder Monster Energy Mountain Motorsport’s Justin Hill took third place and his career-first 450SX Class podium to conclude the Supercross season and also earn points toward the inaugural 31-round SuperMotocross World Championship. In the 250SX Class season finale, Team Honda HRC’s Jett Lawrence earned his sixth victory of the season in the Dave Coombs Sr. East/West Showdown that pit both regions against each other for the second time in 2023.
Chase Sexton (23) used speed and determination to take his first Supercross Championship. He finished the season on top with a nearly 20-second win at the finale in Salt Lake City, Utah. Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports, Inc.
On the podium, the AMA awarded Chase Sexton the Monster Energy Supercross Champion title. He entered the race with the championship mathematically won but received the official #1 plate after the race. With Team Honda HRC’s Hunter Lawrence and Jett Lawrence wrapping the two 250SX Class championships at previous rounds, 2023 marked only the third time ever, and second time for Honda, that a manufacturer has captured all three Supercross championships in the same season. The 2023 season marks the 50th Anniversary of Supercross racing in America.
When the gate dropped Chase Sexton grabbed the holeshot ahead of Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo, FXR General Grind & Machine’s Justin Starling, Twisted Tea Suzuki Progressive Insurance’s Kyle Chisholm and Progressive Insurance ECSTAR Suzuki’s Ken Roczen. Roczen was on the move early but just a few turns in he injured his knee in a rutted corner. Roczen’s injury took him out of the race and he lost a chance to earn the two points needed to secure third overall in the championship.
Cianciarulo was into second place just a few laps into the race with Chisholm right behind. Just over three minutes into the 20-minute plus one lap race Aaron Plessinger took over third and set his sights on Cianciarulo while Justin Hill was into fourth place and on the charge. As the race clock ticked past 12 minutes Plessinger moved past Cianciarulo to take over second, and a lap and a half later Justin Hill was around Cianciarulo and into third place.
As Sexton stretched out his lead up front, Cianciarulo mounted a charge to take back third. But with five minutes left on the race clock the final positions appeared settled. Chase Sexton took his sixth win of the season and brought Honda its first Supercross title since 2003. Sexton’s late-season surge was one of the sport’s great title comebacks, with parallels to David Bailey’s 1983 season that also included a third-to-first drive in the final five races of the season.
Jett Lawrence (1) took the win in what is likely his final 250SX Class race. He moves up to race the 450SX Class next year. Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports, Inc.
In the final 250SX Class race of the season, Phoenix Racing Honda’s Coty Schock grabbed the holeshot but Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s RJ Hampshire was quickly into the lead ahead of Red Bull KTM’s Tom Vialle, Jett Lawrence, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Levi Kitchen, and Fire Power Honda’s Max Anstie as heavy rain came down in the stadium. Hunter Lawrence found himself with a mid-pack start and then got tangled up when Muc-Off FXR ClubMX Yamaha’s Enzo Lopes crashed. As Hampshire, Jett Lawrence and Kitchen slotted into the top three spots, Hunter Lawrence and Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan worked their way up from outside the top ten.
Three minutes into the 15-minute plus one lap race Jett Lawrence began applying pressure on Hampshire for the lead. At the same time, back on the track, Deegan broke into the top ten. Two minutes later Jett Lawrence was in striking distance of the front spot as his brother Hunter Lawrence climbed into the top ten. As the race clock ticked down to eight and a half minutes Jett Lawrence charged through the whoops and cut under Hampshire in the following corner. The riders made contact; Lawrence accelerated away clean but the disturbance led to a Hampshire mistake down the next rhythm lane.
From there Jett Lawrence was unchallenged for the lead. The win gives the Australian racer the distinction of being the winningest Honda rider in the 250SX Class, surpassing racing legends Eli Tomac, Jeremy McGrath and Hunter Lawrence. Hampshire held second to the checkered, and Kitchen took the final 250SX Class podium of the season.
With the 2023 Monster Energy AMA Supercross indoor stadium season wrapped up, the racers have a two week break before the start of the 11-round AMA Pro Motocross outdoor season. Points earned from the Supercross season will combine with points earned in the motocross season to determine the top 20 riders who will gain entry into the all-new SuperMotocross World Championship. Riders in spots 21-30 in overall points, as well as single event winners not in the top 20, will get a spot on the line in the Last Chance Qualifier to battle for the final two spots on the 22-rider starting gate. In September two Playoff races and one Final, with increasing points payouts, will determine the first SuperMotocross World Champion and deliver a $1,000,000 win bonus to that rider. The 250 class racers will battle for a $500,000 win bonus. It’s the first ever playoff season for the sport and delivers a three-race post season that will be all-new for the fans, teams, and racers.
Before the Monster Energy Supercross season closes its books, one great event is yet to conclude: the 2023 St. Jude Love Moto Stop Cancer Supercross Auction. The online auction offers unique, autographed, one-of-a-kind memorabilia donated by the teams, partners, and athletes. The auction runs until Monday, May 15th at 8:00 PM ET. All money raised goes directly to the children at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the St. Jude mission of Finding Cures. Saving Children. To bid on the auction items please go to: St. Jude Love Moto Stop Cancer Supercross Auction.
All rounds of the 2023 SuperMotocross World Championship will be streamed live on Peacock; rounds 29 and 31 will also be broadcast live on USA Network. Both Playoffs and the Final will be re-broadcast on CNBC. For the full race schedule and ticket sales, as well as 2023 Supercross highlight videos, recap race reports, and post-race press conferences, please go to SupercrossLIVE.com.
450SX Class podium (racers from left) Aaron Plessinger, Chase Sexton, and Justin Hill. Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports, Inc.
450SX Class Results
1. Chase Sexton, Clermont, Fla., Honda
2. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, KTM
3. Justin Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., KTM
4. Adam Cianciarulo, New Smyrna Beach, Fla., Kawasaki
5. Dean Wilson, Menifee, Calif., Honda
6. Josh Hill, Huntersville, N.C., KTM
7. Shane McElrath, Oakland, Fla., Suzuki
8. Justin Starling, Riverview, Fla., GASGAS
9. Devin Simonson, Laurinburg, N.C., Kawasaki
10. Grant Harlan, Decatur, Tex., Yamaha
450SX Class Championship Final Standings
1. Chase Sexton, Clermont, Fla., Honda (372)
2. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Yamaha (339)
3. Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., KTM (304)
4. Ken Roczen, Clermont, Fla., Suzuki (304)
5. Justin Barcia, Greenville, Fla., GASGAS (267)
6. Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.Mex., Kawasaki (242)
7. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, KTM (236)
8. Justin Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., KTM (212)
9. Adam Cianciarulo, New Smyrna Beach, Fla., Kawasaki (210)
10. Dean Wilson, Menifee, Calif., Honda (200)
250SX Class podium (racers from left) Levi Kitchen, Jett Lawrence, and RJ Hampshire. Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports, Inc.
Mooney VR46 Racing Team’s Marco Bezzecchi won the Shark Grand Prix of France, a FIM MotoGP World Championship race, Sunday at the Bugatti Circuit, in Le Mans, France.
Bezzecchi, riding his Ducati Desmosedici GP22, won the race (his second of the season), by 4.256 seconds over Prima Pramac Ducati’s Jorge Martin, the pole-sitter. Martin just held off his teammate — and home hero — Johann Zarco by 0.5 second.
The race saw eight riders crash out, including Championship point leader Francesco Bagnaia, and only 13 riders finish.
Drama. Clashes. Glory. And a title twist! #GP1000 had it all as Bezzecchi takes stunning second win
Bezzecchi bounces back, Bagnaia clashes with Viñales, Marquez slides out and there’s a home hero on the podium as Le Mans served up a day packed with headlines
Marco Bezzecchi (72). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Sunday, 14 May 2023
Take a minute to catch your breath after what was an incredible SHARK Grand Prix de France! Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) takes a special place in history as the race winner at the 1000th FIM Grand Prix after a stunning break for glory in front of a record crowd at Le Mans, and there was drama, drama, drama throughout the field.
First, Bezzecchi is now just one point behind Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) after the Italian crashed out of the race in a dramatic clash with Aprilia Racing’s Maverick Viñales… gravel trap shouting match included, but both riders ok. Then, Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) vs Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) lit up the fight for second in a tough but fair tussle, but that then ended in late race heartbreak for the number 93 as he slid out. However, for the French fans it did mean Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) was then promoted to a glorious home podium after some impressive Sunday pace, giving the 278,805 record crowd even more to cheer about.
The grid formed in front of the biggest crowd MotoGP™ has ever seen and it was Marc Marquez who shot into the lead as Bagnaia dropped down the order to P5. Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) slotted himself into P2 with Bezzecchi putting his VR46 Ducati into P3. Bagnaia then quickly snapped back at Martin as the Ducati riders duked it out on lap 1.
It was Marquez, Miller, Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team), Bagnaia, and then Martin as they came across the line for the first time, and we had a race on our hands in MotoGP™. Miller wasn’t intimated by the eight-time World Champion by any means as the Aussie tried to force his way through on Marquez, but the Spaniard wouldn’t give in and hit straight back in true Marquez fashion.
Miller hit the front at the Dunlop chicane, meanwhile, the reigning World Champion was on the move as Bagnaia had now climbed his way back up into a podium position with 25 laps remaining.
The laps ticked away as a seven-bike battle for victory formed with Viñales carving his way into the 3rd place, the Aprilia seriously on the move. But then came the drama: the Spaniard collided with Bagnaia as both riders competed for the same piece of tarmac, both careening off into the gravel. Riders ok and to their feet… and then a fair few yells exchanged.
Half a lap later, there was more drama in the Le Mans gravel traps as Marini suffered a big crash coming out of the Dunlop chicane, just cutting the kerb. Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) then got caught in the Italian’s crash as the field behind avoided the incident, riders again ok but another huge moment of adrenaline shaking the race up.
As the chaos subsided, we had a race on our hands. A four-rider battle for victory had formed as Miller now found himself with Marquez, Bezzecchi, and Martin for company, before Bezzecchi pushed his way through on Marc Marquez – and dropped the Spaniard from 2nd to 4th. The number 93 was sent into another postcode although no harm done, with both regrouping and Bezzecchi then told to drop a position for the move: a penalty he expected, and a penalty he also served wisely as he chose his moment to let Martin back through. And then took it back, with Marquez following suit too.
Bezzecchi now had an open goal to make huge gains in the title fight as Bagnaia sat in the garage, and the VR46 rider took the lead from Miller as they barrelled into the Dunlop chicane once again. Marquez quickly followed him through half a lap later too, with Bezzecchi already stretching out half a second at the front.
With 15 laps to go, Bezzecchi had 1.2s in his pocket to Marquez behind, who was 0.5s up the road from Martin, who had found his way through on Miller. The Aussie was starting to fall into the clutches of Zarco and Augusto Fernandez (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3). It didn’t take long for Zarco to push his way through either as the Frenchman moved up into P4 and Fernandez followed, leaving Miller in sixth.
With six to go, Martin thought it was time to pounce on Marc Marquez. The Spaniard tried to push his way through on the eight-time World Champion, but the Repsol Honda man was not giving in easy and bit back at the Prima Pramac Racing rider at every opportunity. That allowed Zarco to edge closer and closer… and the crowd had definitely noticed.
Martin finally pushed his way through with one and a half laps remaining, and this time the drama was for the number 93. Trying to hang in there, the returning Repsol Honda rider tucked the front and ended his French Grand Prix in the gravel trap, but after quite a return to the upper echelons of the timesheets.
That meant one thing to a partisan crown: Zarco was on the podium. The grandstands erupted around the French circuit as Bezzecchi crossed the line for a first dry weather win, Martin ensured he’s the top scorer at Le Mans this year, and then the home hero reached the flag. The noise made for an impressive welcome.
Fourth place was also something to shout about as Tech3’s Fernandez took an impressive result after an impressive weekend. First time in Q2, the GASGAS rider had had the speed all weekend and made it pay to perfection on Sunday to bounce back.
Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) rounded out the top five as Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) recovered from being battered down the order on the first lap to fight his way back through the pack, take a long penalty for a shortcut, and still manage to take sixth.
Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) had a tougher home Grand Prix but took a chunk of points on Sunday as the 2021 World Champion ended his weekend in Le Mans with a P7, with Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), Takaaki Nakagami (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia), and Franco Morbidelli taking 8th, 9th, and 10th – just ahead of Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Lenovo Team) on his MotoGP™ return deputising for the injured Enea Bastianini.
Early race leader Miller crashed out with three laps remaining after the Aussie had been dropping down the order on his KTM machine, making it a weekend to forget in terms of results but one to remember for speed. Can he bounce back at Mugello? Many will be looking to join him in doing so…
With the championship plot ever-changing in MotoGP™, there’s no telling what the chapter holds as the paddock moves to the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley on the 9th to 11th of June. Make sure to keep up to date with all of the action as it unfolds on motogp.com!
QUOTES: BEZZECHI
MARCO BEZZECCHI: “I expected the penalty. I didn’t want to pass but I braked a bit too late and when I realized I was getting closer and closer, I tried to go to the inside to not hit him. Unfortunately I pushed him wide so I thought for sure they give me a drop position. I was ready for it and I agree, also. It was a bit too much. It’s difficult to pass but I didn’t really want to pass, but it’s ok. Fortunately I kept myself calm about the penalty I knew was coming, tried to find the right place to give up the position and then fight back.
How was that winning feeling?
“It was fantastic. I saw I was fast, at the beginning I didn’t want to use the front tyre too much or put too much temperature in it. When I was behind someone, I was trying to pass quite quick and when I found myself at the front I thought, ‘now I have fresh air’. I tried to push and see how it is. On Friday I had good pace so I tried to make the same but it was even better! I was able to ride 31.9, 31.8 and it was fantastic. I saw I was escaping so I tried to stay calm and concentrate, at one with my bike, and it was an incredible emotion crossing the line in the dry. In the wet was good but in the dry even better!”
And on that bet to not shave their moustaches until he won again…
“This is the thing I’m most happy about. I made this bet first in December before Christmas with my team, we were having dinner together and to break their balls a little bit I said ‘ok, you all have a long beard but if I win, you have to make it moustache and we won’t shave it until I win again. But then when I did win I said, ‘No! Now I have to really have a moustache!’ I was so nervous because it wasn’t coming anymore, so fortunately today when I saw the feeling was good, I said ‘today’s the day!”
Tony Arbolino (14). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Arbolino grabs the momentum as Acosta crashes out in France
The Italian is back on top to take the title lead, with Salač and Lopez completing the podium
Tony Arbolino (Elf MarcVDS Racing Team) took an important victory for his Championship campaign as he commanded the race from the front, putting the pressure on Championship rival Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo). Acosta, who went into the Shark Grand Prix de France as Championship leader but equal on points with Arbolino, crashed out of second trying to reel in the number 14. Filip Salač (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2™) put some pressure on Arbolino as the chequered flag drew closer, but the Italian held strong forcing the Czech rider to settle for second. Alonso Lopez (Lightech SpeedUp) hung onto the leading duo too, taking third and yet another podium.
Arbolino got the holeshot before Lopez dived up the inside to take over, but there was drama one lap later as Arbolino took the lead into Turn 1, with his teammate Sam Lowes (Elf MarcVDS Racing Team) crashing out of 3rd place at Turn 2. However, the red flags came out for a incident involving multiple riders at turn 5. All riders ok: Albert Arenas (Red Bull KTM Ajo), Aron Canet (Pons Wegow Los40) and Manuel Gonzalez (Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp).
With the countdown to the restart underway, it was all hands on deck as the polesitter rushed his way back to the box with under a minute left until the green light went on to open pit lane, and the team worked on his bike. The crowd watched on with baited breath and Lowes missed the deadline for the the pitlane closing time by just a second, forcing the Brit to start from the back of the grid…
So riders lined up for the restart but this time without the polesitter in position. The red lights went out once again and it was Arbolino who took the holeshot, fending off Lopez through the Dunlop chicane, with Acosta latched onto to the leading duo.
Arbolino, Lopez, Acosta, and Salač was the order as the came across the line for the first time with the top 3 stretching out a little bit of breathing space to the Czech rider. Lopez and Acosta were swapping paintwork as the two Spaniards battled it out though, letting Arbolino sail away at the front and allowing Salač to join the P2 party.
Arbolino began to stretch a lead at the front as he set a new race lap record on his very first flying lap. This also stretched out the riders behind as Acosta began to pull away from Lopez, who now had Salač and Celestino Vietti (Fantic Racing) for company in the battle for 3rd.
Acosta responded one lap later setting the new fastest lap but still with 0.6s to find to catch the Italian. Incredible Championship drama came soon after though, as the former Championship leader crashed out of the race with 10 laps to go… as key title rival Arbolino sat in comfortable victory contention.
That promoted the battle for 3rd to the battle for 2nd as Salač led Lopez in P2. Arbolino had 1.8s in his pocket until he began to lose ground at an alarming rate though, with Salač getting within under half a second of the Italian with seven laps to go. But Arbolino controlled the gap at 0.5s at the front, taking the race victory as Acosta watched the #14 stretch out a 25-point lead in the Championship.
Salač still takes an impressive second place to reward his speed this season, with Lopez once again tasting that Prosecco in third.
Vietti looked strong in the opening stages of the race but wasn’t able to keep up with the incredible pace of the top 3 as the Italian finished 0.6s back from the podium fight in P4. Jake Dixon (Inde GASGAS Aspar M2) rounded the top 5 after carving through an incredible scrap involving Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), Barry Baltus (Fieten Olie Racing GP) and Fermin Aldeguer (Ligthtech SpeedUp) who finished 6th, 7th, and 8th respectively. Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) took ninth, just fending off an impressive ride from rookie Sergio Garcia (Pons Wegow Los40).
The Lowes watch was a dramatic one as the Brit carved his way through from the back of the grid, picking off rider after rider in hopes of finishing in a point-scoring position. Although it’s not the result the Brit would have wanted, he recovered to P15 as he walked away from Le Mans with a Championship point.
The Championship story continues to run its rollercoaster course in the 2023 Moto2™ season though. With the momentum currently with Arbolino, the Italian will go into his home Grand Prix in high spirits as the attention now turns to the iconic Mugello circuit for the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley in just four weeks’ time!
Daniel Holgado (96) beat Ayumu Sasaki (71) and Jaume Masia (5) to win the Moto3 race at Le Mans. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Holgado escapes Sasaki to take home win for Tech3
The Championship leader extends his advantage with a masterclass, with Sasaki back on the box and Masia continuing his run of form in France
Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Tech3) is the Moto3™ race winner in the 1000th FIM Grand Prix in history! The Spaniard extended his Championship lead as he got back on the top step in style, leading from the front and keeping it pitch perfect over the final lap to take a home win for the Tech3 team too. After a tough start to the season, Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) took his first rostrum of the season after some more impressive speed, and Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing) completed the podium as his consistent run continues… and he moves up to second overall.
Sasaki technically got the holeshot but got attacked into the first chicane by Holgado, the Japanese rider trying to fight back later in the lap but denied. As ever in the close competition of the lightweight class though, it soon became a group fight with a leading freight train of ten riders – with rookies David Alonso (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) and Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) leading the chase, Alonso up from 25th on the grid.
A top eight was able to pull away though, with Holgado, Sasaki, Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo), Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team), Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI, Masia, Xavier Artigas (CFMoto PrüstelGP) and Ryusei Yamanaka (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) line astern. Heading into the final corners with 10 to go though, drama hit as Moreira suddenly slid out, crashing alone and rider ok, but his place in the standings left up for grabs – and Championship leader Holgado still holding firm at the front.
On the last couple of laps, the top four made their break: Holgado, Sasaki, Masia and Ortola. Over the line onto the last lap, Holgado still had a few tenths in hand too, but that didn’t last long as Sasaki homed in. The duo gained some reprieve as a moment for Masia dropped him back slightly too, and it became two duels.
At the front though, Holgado just had too much for the Japanese rider on the chase. The number 96 crossed the line for a stunning second win and increases his advantage in the title fight, with Sasaki second but back on the box for the first time this season. Masia recovered from his moment to hold off Ortola, taking the last step on the podium and making his own gains in the Championship too.
Yamanaka got the better of Öncü to complete the top five, with Artigas a little further back in seventh. Alonso, Rueda and Stefano Nepa (Angeluss MTA Team) completed the top ten in that second group.
Now it’s time to reset and reload for Mugello, with Holgado leading Masia as Tuscany beckons at the start of the triple header!
Elf Marc VDS Racing’s Tony Arbolino won the FIM Moto2 World Championship race Sunday at the 2.6-mile (4.2 km) Bugatti Circuit, in Le Mans, France. The Italian rider won the race, his first of the season, by 0.620 second over QJMotor Gresini rider Celestino Vietti. Lightech Speedup’s Alonso Lopez was a relatively close third.
Americans Joe Roberts and Sean Dylan Kelly (SDK) finished 12th and 16th, respectively.
The race was stopped by a red flag shortly after the original start due to four riders – including pole-sitter Sam Lowes — crashing. A complete restart of 14 laps was then run. Lowes, Arbolino’s teammate, finished 15th.
Red Bull KTM Tech3 rider Daniel Holgado won the Moto3 World Championship race Sunday at the Bugatti Circuit, in Le Mans, France. Holgado took the victory, his second of the season, by 0.150 second over Liqui Moly Intact GP Husqvarna’s Ayumu Sasaki. Jaume Masia finished third on his Leopard Racing Honda.
Provisional Parts Unlimited AFT Singles Main Event Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Tom Drane (Yam), 18 laps
2. Trent Lowe (Hon), -00.005 seconds
3. Chase Saathoff (Hon), -00.036
4. Chad Cose (Hus), -00.101
5. Dalton Gauthier (KTM), -01.503
6. Trevor Brunner (Yam), -01.784
7. Max Whale (KTM), -01.855
8. Shayna Texter-Bauman (KTM), -02.706
9. Travis Petton (KTM), -02.718
10. Kody Kopp (KTM), -03.115
11. Morgen Mischler (Hon), -04.423
12. Declan Bender (KTM), -11.246
13. James Ott (Hus), -11.257
14. Aidan RoosEvans (Hon), -11.397
15. Hunter Bauer (Hon), -11.633
16. Landen Smith (KTM), -12.953
17. Jared Lowe (Hon), -14.571
18. Tyler Raggio (Yam), -18.380
19. Justin Jones (KTM), -18.482
Provisional Mission SuperTwins Main Event Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Jared Mees (Ind), 24 laps
2. Dallas Daniels (Yam), -00.573 seconds
3. JD Beach (Yam), -07.545
4. Kolby Carlile (Yam), -07.566
5. Brandon Robinson (Ind), -07.931
6. Davis Fisher (Ind), -08.035
7. Briar Bauman (KTM), -11.674
8. Bronson Bauman (KTM), -15.753
9. Ben Lowe (Ind), -19.601
10. Jarod Vanderkooi (Ind), -19.606
11. Nick Armstrong (Yam), -28.813
12. Kasey Sciscoe (Har), -2 laps
13. Jimmy McAllister (KTM), -2 laps, -27.570
14. Scooter Vernon (Kaw), -10 laps, DNF
15. Johnny Lewis (Roy), -24 laps, DNF
16. Ryan Wells (Roy), -24 laps, DNF
More, from a press release issued by American Flat Track (AFT):
Mees Gets His Revenge in Sacramento Mile Rematch
Jared Mees (1). Photo courtesy AFT.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 13, 2023) – Jared Mees (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Rogers Racing/SDI Racing FTR750) furthered his claim as the preeminent Mile rider currently competing in Progressive American Flat Track, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, with a pivotal victory in Saturday night’s 57th Legendary Mission Sacramento Mile powered by Law Tigers at Cal Expo in Sacramento, California.
Those bragging rights were brought into question after Mees was outscored 2-1 in Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle Mile wins a year ago by then-rookie Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT). Their first Mile showdown of the season carried even greater significance than it otherwise would have with Daniels having arguably emerged the title favorite and leading reigning champion Mees in the points.
The race went to script with the two separating at the front and settling into a one-on-one fight to the flag. Just past mid-distance, Mees railed around the corners with his helmet down in an attempt to break Daniels’ challenge. While unable to sink Daniels’ hopes completely, the ploy granted Mees a few tenths which he successfully guarded all the way to the end.
The victory was the 24th Mile triumph of Mees’ illustrious career. That moves him ahead of Ricky Graham and into sole possession of fifth place on the all-time order and just one away from joining Bubba Shobert and Bryan Smith in a tie for third.
The result also drew Mees a bit closer to the championship lead. That said, Daniels is not doing him any favors in that regard, extending his season-long streak of top-two finishes. The gap is now 20 points (159-139) as the two continue to distance themselves from the remainder of a talented pack of contenders.
“I honestly was sweating coming into the Miles – last year I felt like we were a little down,” Mees admitted after earning his fifth-career Sacramento Mile win. “I didn’t know what to expect. But Kenny (Tolbert) worked really hard this winter to get us back some ponies, and Jimmy Wood really had that thing hooked up with the Öhlins suspension. I don’t think I’ve ever been that hooked up before. I could just go into the corner and mash the throttle. The Indian Motorcycle was phenomenal tonight.”
Daniels’ teammate, JD Beach (No. 95 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT), solidified his hold on third in the championship order with his third podium of the season. It only came about following a final-lap duel with Kolby Carlile (No. 36 G&G Racing/Yamaha Racing Yamaha MT-07), however, when Beach poked ahead by 0.021 seconds at the line.
Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) and Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing Indian FTR750) each had a shot at the box on the final lap as well, ultimately finishing fractionally behind in fifth and sixth, respectively.
Briar Bauman (No. 3 Parts Plus/Jacob Companies KTM 790 Duke) earned a lonely seventh, although that description fails to adequately express the contour of his race. Bauman actually led more than once early in the contest before running wide on the powerful-yet-brutish KTM and dropping to fifth. He worked his way back up to third at one point before going off the groove again and fading out of podium contention.
Bauman was followed home by his brother, Bronson Bauman (No. 37 Fastrack Racing/2 Wheelz KTM 790 Duke), while Ben Lowe (No. 25 Rackley Racing/Mission Foods Indian FTR750) and Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 JMC Motorsports/Fairway Ford Indian FTR750) completed the top ten.
Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER
Australian phenom Tom Drane (No. 59 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) scored his maiden Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER victory in breathtaking fashion in Sacramento.
A huge early train of 450s connected to the front slowly whittled away as the race progressed. The battle for the win at last took its final shape with just over a minute remaining when three-time Sacramento Mile winner Trevor Brunner (No. 21 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) fell away from the lead group and into the clutches of a second group bursting with big names and title contenders.
With Brunner out of the fight, the checkered flag was set to be decided between Drane, Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R), Chase Saathoff (No. 88 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R), and Chad Cose (No. 49 1st Impressions Race Team/Husqvarna Racing FC450).
Lowe stormed past Drane as they opened the final lap, but the diminutive Aussie stormed back by on the back straight, confident he could out-run any and all slingshot attempts in the decisive drag race to the line.
He was proven correct, albeit only by just 0.005 seconds over Lowe and 0.036 seconds over Saathoff. Meanwhile, Cose finished just another 0.065 seconds back yet found himself left off the podium altogether.
Drane came into the season with serious hype and had endured something of a quiet start to the year when judged based on those lofty expectations. However, tonight’s victory put everything back in its proper perspective. Ultimately, the Estenson Racing Yamaha prodigy earned his first win just a month after turning 17 and competing in what was just his eighth Progressive AFT Main Event. Perhaps even more remarkably, it was the first Main Event at a Mile in Drane’s career.
He said, “I just can’t thank the team enough for all the work they do, all the hours. It’s amazing. This has boosted my confidence heaps, showing I can do it. I’m so happy.”
Fifth went to Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 D&D Racing/Certified KTM 450 SX-F), who clawed his way up from outside the top ten after earning his slot on the grid via the LCQ.
He placed Brunner between himself and his primary title rivals in the process. Max Whale (No. 18 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F) crossed the stripe in seventh, followed by Sacramento Mile legend Shayna Texter-Bauman (No. 52 Parts Plus/Jacob Companies KTM 450 SX-F) and the impressive Travis Petton IV (No. 82 ECG Racing/3 Bros KTM 450 SX-F).
The final position in the top ten went to defending class champ Kody Kopp (No. 1 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F). Despite the uncharacteristic result, Kopp continues to lead in the standings with 137 points. Gauthier closed to within 14 points at 123, while Whale and Saathoff are now tied for third at 115.
Next Up:
Progressive American Flat Track will continue its run of spectacular Mile action with the Red Mile presented by Indian Motorcycle of Lexington at the Red Mile in Lexington, Kentucky, on May 27. Visit https://www.tixr.com/groups/americanflattrack/events/red-mile-59131 to secure your tickets today.
For those that can’t catch the live action from the circuit, FansChoice.tv is the live streaming home of Progressive AFT. Sign up now and catch every second of on-track action starting with Practice & Qualifying and ending with the Victory Podium at the end of the night at https://www.fanschoice.tv.
FOX Sports coverage of the Legendary Sacramento Mile, featuring in-depth features and thrilling onboard cameras, will premiere on FS1 on Saturday, May 27, at 11:30 a.m. ET (8:30 a.m. PT).
Progressive American Flat Track, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, is the world’s premier dirt track motorcycle racing series and one of the longest-running championships in the history of motorsports. Sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing in Daytona Beach, Fla., the series is highly regarded as the most competitive form of dirt track motorcycle racing on the globe. For more information on Progressive American Flat Track, please visit us on the web, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, check us out on Instagram and catch all the Progressive American Flat Track racing action on FOX Sports.
More, from a press release issued by KTM Factory Racing:
KODY KOPP CONTINUES TO LEAD AFT SINGLES POINTS AFTER SACRAMENTO MILE CHALLENGE
Round 7 – American Flat Track Championship
Kody Kopp (1). Photo courtesy KTM Factory Racing.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing duo Kody Kopp and Max Whale endured a tough night of competition at Round 7 of the 2023 American Flat Track Championship, with Whale finishing in seventh position and Kopp 10th in the AFT Singles Main Event. Defending champion Kopp continues to lead the point standings following the Sacramento Mile.
After qualifying in seventh, defending champion Kopp made inroads between qualifying and the opening Heat of the event, powering his #1 KTM 450 SX-F to third position, setting himself up well for the Main Event. A more difficult 18-lap affair saw Kopp eventually cross the line in 10th position, retaining his lead in the AFT Singles series.
Kody Kopp: “Honestly, a little frustrated with how the weekend went, and a lot of things added up to the 10th-place finish here at the Sacramento Mile. We’re a team though, we’ll go back to work, we’ve got a two-week break and we’ll come back swinging in Kentucky.”
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammate Whale was 10th in qualifying at the Northern Californian venue, before crossing the finish line in fourth place for the second Heat of the event, just 0.213 off the race winner. The Australian fought hard during the Main Event, landing P7 and still sitting third in the championship overall.
Max Whale: “Definitely a tough day here in Sacramento. I feel as though I rode well, but just a few mistakes today – the team worked great, but I ended the night in P7, which isn’t great. It could’ve been much worse from where I was at one stage, we fought hard, and we’ll move on to the next one.”
Next Race: The Red Mile – Lexington, Kentucky – May 27, 2023
Round 7 Results
AFT Singles Main Event
1. Tom Drane, Yamaha
2. Trent Lowe, Honda
3. Chase Saathoff, Honda
OTHER KTM
5. Dalton Gauthier, KTM
7. Max Whale, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
8. Shayna Texter-Bauman, KTM
9. Travis Petton IV, KTM
10. Kody Kopp, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
12. Declan Bender, KTM
16. Landen Smith, KTM
19. Justin Jones, KTM
2023 AFT Singles Point Standings
1. Kody Kopp, 137 points
2. Dalton Gauthier, 123
3. Max Whale, 115
OTHER KTM
11. Justin Jones, 52
13. Travis Petton IV, 35
14. Shayna Texter-Bauman, 34
16. Logan Eisenhard, 27
22. Hunter Bauer, 16
23. Hayden Gillim, 14
24. Clarke Morian V, 10
25. Tanner Dean, 9
28. Declan Bender, 8
31. Landen Smith, 4
32. Olin Kissler, 4
More, from a press release issued by Indian Motorcycle:
Indian Motorcycle Racing & Jared Mees Win Sacramento Mile
Mees Pilots Indian FTR750 to Third Victory of the Season, Continues Hunt for Record-Tying Ninth Premier Class Championship
Jared Mees (1). Photo by Tim Lester, courtesy Indian Motorcycle.
MINNEAPOLIS – It was another exciting weekend of American Flat Track (AFT) racing, as Indian Wrecking Crew Rider and Reigning SuperTwins Champion Jared Mees wins the Sacramento Mile aboard his Indian FTR750. The win marked Mees’ third of the season, tying him for the most wins this season with Estenson Racing Yamaha rider Dallas Daniels.
Starting from the pole position, Mees staved off the competition as he rode hard across the finish line to his 24th-career Mile victory, moving him up in the record books with the fifth most Mile wins of all time. In typical Mees fashion, Mees delivered a clutch performance, as he and Daniels are in the thick of a head-to-head battle for the 2023 SuperTwins Championship.
“I honestly was sweating coming into the Miles – last year I felt like we were a little down,” Mees admitted. “I didn’t know what to expect. But Kenny (Tolbert) worked really hard this winter to get us back some ponies, and Jimmy Wood really had that thing hooked up with the Öhlins suspension. I don’t think I’ve ever been that hooked up before. I could just go into the corner and mash the throttle. The Indian Motorcycle was phenomenal tonight.”
With 139 points on the year, Mees sits securely in second – 24 points ahead of third (115) and 20 points behind Daniels (159). In addition to his three wins, Mees has secured a third-place podium finish, two fourth-place finishes and a P6. Meanwhile, Daniels has raced to a top-two finish in all seven races this season.
The AFT season continues with two more Mile races, the Red Mile presented by Indian Motorcycle of Lexington on May 27, and the DuQuoin Mile on June 17.
For more information on Indian Motorcycle Racing, visit IndianMotorcycle.com and follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
ABOUT INDIAN MOTORCYCLE®
Indian Motorcycle Company is America’s First Motorcycle Company®. Founded in 1901, Indian Motorcycle has won the hearts of motorcyclists around the world and earned distinction as one of America’s most legendary and iconic brands through unrivaled racing dominance, engineering prowess and countless innovations and industry firsts. Today that heritage and passion is reignited under new brand stewardship. To learn more, please visit www.indianmotorcycle.com.
INDIAN and INDIAN MOTORCYCLE are registered trademarks of Indian Motorcycle International, LLC. Always wear a helmet, protective clothing and eyewear and insist your passenger does the same. Ride within the limits of the law and your own abilities. Read, understand and follow your owner’s manual. Never ride under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
The start of MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Race One at Road Atlanta. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Steel Commander Corp Is Now The Title Sponsor Of The MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Championship
Steel-Building Manufacturer Set For Title Sponsorship of Steel Commander Stock 1000 Class Beginning At Barber Motorsports Park Round
IRVINE, CA (May 16, 2023) – MotoAmerica, North America’s premier road racing racing series, is pleased to announce that Steel Commander Corp will be the title sponsor of the 2023 MotoAmerica Steel Commander Stock 1000 Championship, beginning with the May 19-21 second round of the series at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama.
Steel Commander Corp, with its corporate headquarters in Boca Raton, Florida, is an all-American Steel Building manufacturer shipping factory-direct to all U.S. territories offering a combination of expertise, innovation, and dedication to quality and customer satisfaction. Steel Commander Corp offers a comprehensive range of solutions for the commercial, industrial, residential, garage, storage, and other industries with a combined experience of over 60 years.
In addition to being the title sponsor of the Steel Commander Stock 1000 class, the steel-building manufacturer recently announced that it will field a team in the series with former MotoAmerica Supersport class winner Gabriel Da Silva. Da Silva will compete in both the Steel Commander Stock 1000 class and the Superbike Cup division of the MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike series. Da Silva and the team will also be making their debut at Barber Motorsports Park, May 19-21.
“We are pumped to have Steel Commander Corp on board as the Stock 1000 title sponsor for 2023,” said Lance Bryson, MotoAmerica’s Director of Sponsorship. “They are true fans of the sport and are excited to be joining our series with both a team and a title sponsor. We are equally as excited to have them onboard and to have our fans learn about Steel Commander’s products. The Stock 1000 class got started at Road Atlanta a few weeks ago with two exciting races and we’re expecting more of that at every round, including Steel Commander’s first race as a sponsor at Barber.”
“We are excited to announce this new partnership between Steel Commander Corp and MotoAmerica.” said Shawn Fisher, President and CEO of Steel Commander Corp. “This is a great opportunity for the two companies to promote the 2023 MotoAmerica Championship and to showcase the incredible talent and dedication of exceptional riders like Gabriel Da Silva. We are eagerly awaiting Gabriel’s first race this weekend (May 19-21) in Alabama.”
About MotoAmerica
MotoAmerica is North America’s premier motorcycle road racing series. Established in 2014, MotoAmerica is home to the AMA Superbike Championship as well as additional classes including Supersport, Stock 1000, Twins Cup, Junior Cup, and King Of The Baggers. MotoAmerica is an affiliate of KRAVE Group LLC, a partnership including three-time 500cc World Champion, two-time AMA Superbike Champion, and AMA Hall of Famer Wayne Rainey; ex-racer and former manager of Team Roberts Chuck Aksland; motorsports marketing executive Terry Karges; and businessman Richard Varner. For more information, please visit www.MotoAmerica.com and follow MotoAmerica on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube.
On the Front Cover: The KTM RC 8 C is a limited-edition, purpose-built, light-weight track bike with a twin-cylinder engine from the Duke 890 and a custom frame. It is fast, it handles well, and riding it is big fun.
Shane Narbonne (64) won the NEMRR Middleweight Grand Prix in preparation for the 100th Loudon Classic in June. Photo by Martin Hanlon, courtesy NEMRR.
Round 2 of the 2023 Northeast Motorcycle Road Racing (NEMRR) had a palpable
excitement in the air over the entire weekend. In preparation for the
100th running of the Loudon Classic in June, the paddock had a number of
top riders in attendance and everyone was excited to see how they would
fare. The list of “non regular” riders riding New Hampshire Motor
Speedway (NHMS) included the likes of Tyler Scott, Blake Davis, Joe Limandri
and JC Camacho. In addition, top NEMRR home town riders who are often
traveling at national events like Teagg Hobbs, Shane Narbonne and Jacob
Crossman were all in attendance as well. Although he wasn’t competing
this weekend, even AMA Superbike legend Josh Hayes was in attendance on
Sunday afternoon.
Brett Guyer started off the weekend with a dominating victory in the 25
minute GTL class on his Seacoast Sport Cycle Aprilia RS 660. Racing with
fellow NEMRR veteran Rick Doucette and his son Adam, Brett scored the
holeshot and was challenged by Doucette for the first five laps. A mistake
by Doucette on lap six gave Guyer a sizable cushion that he then extended
throughout the remainder of race. This race set the tone for an
extremely successful weekend for Guyer where he went on to win six of the
seven races that he entered. The only rider to get the best of Guyer all
weekend was fellow RS 660 rider Jacob Crossman, a rider who started at
NEMRR and is now riding the MotoAmerica Twins Cup Series with 3D
Racing. Crossman won the LW Grand Prix class by just over two seconds
from Guyer, and in the process ran a 1.15.00 lap time, the fastest trip
around NHMS on a LW motorcycle for the weekend!
Brett Guyer (11) won six of his seven races. Photo by Martin Hanlon, courtesy NEMRR.
The Pros from out of town were picking the track up quickly as many of
them were contending with series regulars for podium positions during
the weekend. The Gen-2 Moto America bikes of Tyler Scott and Teagg
Hobbs have not yet been incorporated into the Middleweight Grand Prix
rules on regular NEMRR weekends, so those riders competed in the
Heavyweight and Unlimited classes in their quest to get up to speed.
Those bikes will be legal for the Loudon Classic, and there is the
potential that NEMRR tech officials will get the training needed to
incorporate those machines into the Middleweight GP classes after the
June event. Hobbs and Scott battled at the front in all of their races.
The feature race of NEMRR weekend was the Michelin/MotoRace dash for
cash. The large 38-bike field was set via qualifying times from the
morning practice session, and the front two rows were stacked with
talent. As the field came around for the first lap, the race was led by
series regular Eli Block, followed closely by Dash for Cash rookies
Blake Davis and Joe Limandri. Recovering from sub-par starts were
contenders Shane Narbonne and Tyler Sweeney in fourth and fifth place.
Narbonne and Sweeney clearly had their heads down, but the young riders
in front of them were showing why they have had the success at the
national level. Narbonne, the all-time leader in Loudon Classic wins,
moved steadily forward as he passed Limandri on lap two and Davis on lap
three. By the time he got to second place, Block had opened up nearly a two-second lead. Meanwhile, Sweeney was close behind and moved past
Limandri on lap three and Davis on lap six. Once in third place, Sweeney was
the fastest rider on the track for several laps as he caught the lead
duo. On lap nine Narbonne used his signature braking move into the Turn Six
bowl and moved into the lead. As he inched away from his rivals,
Sweeney pressured Block and took advantage of a big slide that Block
saved while driving up the Turn Four hill to make his move into the second
spot. Davis and Limandri hung on to round out the top five.
After the races were all over, Dunlop held a tire test and that included
Blake Davis, Teagg Hobbs, Tyler Scott, Tyler Sweeney and Josh Hayes, who
last rode the track in 2001. With a fully open track and a weekend of
racing behind them the groundwork was there to churn out some impressive
times. Josh Hayes, riding a borrowed bike and seeing the track for the
first time in over two decades, got down to competitive times in a mere eight
laps! Tyler Scott was the fastest rider at the test, beating the best
race times of the entire race weekend on a consistent basis. These
riders are a sign of what is to come in next month’s classic, as these
top professionals adapt to new tracks quickly. The competition should
be intense!
The historic running of the Loudon Classic will be June 16-18. Friday
will consist of both NEMRR racing and Loudon Classic Qualifying, and
Saturday will be a dedicated Pro Day with practice, qualifying and
finals for the three pro classes. Enthusiasts looking for tickets to the
Loudon Classic June 16-18 can find a link directly on the www.nemrr.com
home page!
Valentino Rossi (right) enjoying a champagne shower at Brands Hatch. Photo courtesy Team WRT.
THREE PODIUMS AND GOLD CUP WIN FOR TEAM WRT AT BRANDS HATCH
It was a successful start of the 2023 Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup season for Team WRT at Brands Hatch, as the squad took three overall podiums and one Gold Cup win. It will be a memorable weekend also because Valentino Rossi signed his first Fanatec GT podium by finishing second together with Maxime Martin in race two, while reigning champions Dries Vanthoor and Charles Weerts netted two third finishes. Niklas Kruetten and Calan Williams scored their maiden win in the Gold Cup in race two, finishing at an impressive seventh position overall.
Team WRT Principal Vincent Vosse was very happy at the end of the weekend: “There are podium finishes that taste as sweet as victories, and the ones taken here are of that kind. This was our first sprint race with the new BMW M4 GT3 and we had a very positive outcome. Everybody did a great job; the drivers were fantastic and the pit stops, perfect. Obviously, Vale was very happy with his first podium, and I feel very proud that he conquered it with us and in a sprint race. I also want to stress the great weekend of our young guys in the Gold Cup, who won race two taking a great seventh overall. On the whole, we lacked top-speed pace with respect to some of our competitors, and we will have to focus on improving in that area.”
It was not an easy start to the weekend for the BMW M4 GT3s, as they were struggling with pace and remained in the second third of the time sheets of the two free practice sessions. In qualifying for race one, things got better for car #32, with Charles Weerts qualifying fifth, while Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer (#31), Valentino Rossi (#46) and Calan Williams (#30) took 18th, 20th and 21st on the grid, respectively.
Race one, with no major incidents and no yellow periods, was a typical Brands Hatch race, with almost no possibility to overtake. Weerts stabilized in sixth position after the start, while Simmenauer was able to climb to 17th and Williams was running 21st, fourth in the Gold Cup. The four cars maintained those positions up to the pit stop, with Weerts and Rossi pitting in lap 19, one lap earlier than their teammates. Timely and perfect pit stops allowed Vanthoor to be third at the beginning of the second stint, with Neubauer 14th right ahead of Martin and Kruetten. The Belgian reduced significantly the gap with the two leaders but positions did not change for any of the Team WRT cars.
After post-race one decisions, Maxime Martin got promoted from fifth to third on the grid of race two, while Kruetten also gained a position up to eighth, with Vanthoor 13th and Neubauer 21st.
At the start of race two, Martin managed to fight for the lead but couldn’t materialise, and kept very close to the leaders in the first part of the race, while Vanthoor climbed up to ninth after swapping positions with Kruetten, and Neubauer was 15th. In lap 14, shortly before the opening of the pit stop window, the safety car had to intervene to allow the recovery of a car from the gravel trap. At the restart, Neubauer managed to gain one position.
Vanthoor and Neubauer dived into the pits as soon as the window opened, followed later by Martin and Kruetten. Another perfect pit stop allowed Rossi and Weerts to be in second and third at the beginning of the second stint, while Williams was seventh and leading the Gold Cup and Simmenauer dropped to 18th after suffering a spin. The closing laps remained uneventful for Rossi and Williams, while Weerts had to fight to retain his third position, and Simmenauer finished 15th despite being sent off-track by a rival.
Valentino Rossi (#46): “I am so happy about this second position and first podium! We got close some times last year and in Monza at the start of the season, and finally, it came. We all did a good job, the team, myself and Maxime, who put a mega lap time in qualifying. The pit stops were perfect, and the result is this podium, which is even more rewarding, as Sprint Cup races are more difficult.”
Maxime Martin (#46): “To finish second is of course a very good result. I had a clean start [to race two] and could stay in third position. The pace was good and improved after the safety car. We had a very good pit stop and Vale did a fantastic stint, bringing the car home safely. It’s the first podium for Vale and the first in Sprint for me, so we are very happy and I think we can aim at more good results during the season.”
Dries Vanthoor (#32): “A double podium is a very good result, and, honestly, more than what we expected after qualifying, when we were hoping to be in the top five. In race two, I had a good start and later the safety car helped a bit, but it’s really a team effort, with the boys doing great pit stops in both races. Looking at the whole season, the Sprint Cup will be a good challenge for us, but this weekend proves that if we fight hard, prepare well, and don’t give up, we can do well.”
Charles Weerts (#32): “I am very happy with the result. Honestly, I did not think we could take two podiums today, but we did a great job and could extract the maximum out of both races. I want to thank the mechanics because they did a super job in the two pit stops. We are now second in the standings, not far from the top, and that is great news.”
Calan Williams (#30): “It’s a great way to start the season in the Sprint Cup, with a win. I’m really happy with that, the team did a great job all weekend and the car was great. We showed we have the pace on track and in the pit stops, and that allowed us to have these great results.”
Nicklas Kruetten (#30): “We didn’t know what to expect since neither Calan nor I had raced here before, but I felt comfortable with the car since free practice one and we only had to do some set-up adjustments. In the high-speed corners, the car was really very good. For race two, I qualified strong, we managed to have a clean race, the team made a perfect pit stop and called us in at the right moment. That’s how we won the race and I think that if we keep going like this, we will have more opportunities this year to win races and hopefully the title.”
Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Sprint Cup – Round 1
Brands Hatch, United Kingdom, 14 May 2023
Race 1 results:
1. Marciello-Boguslavskiy (Mercedes AMG GT3) 42 laps
2. Drudi-Feller (Audi R8 LMS) + 0s616
3. Vanthoor-Weerts (BMW M4 GT3) +3s683
4. Légeret-Haase (Audi R8 LMS) +27s432
5. Lappalainen-Altoè (Ferrari 296 GT3) +28s251
14. Neubauer-Simmenauer (BMW M4 GT3) +58s883
15. Martin-Rossi (BMW M4 GT3) +59s241
16. Kruetten-Williams (BMW M4 GT3) +59s703 (4th in Gold)
Race 2 results:
1. Drudi-Feller (Audi R8 LMS GT3) 41 laps
2. Martin-Rossi (BMW M4 GT3) +3s769
3. Vanthoor-Weerts (BMW M4 GT3) +4s659
4. Goethe-Kjaergaard (McLaren 720S GT3) +5s317
5. Légeret-Haase (Audi R8 LMS GT3) +7s692
7. Kruetten-Williams (BMW M4 GT3) +15s108 (1st in Gold)
Angel Piqueras (18) leads Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Race Two at Le Mans. Photo courtesy Red Bull.
Angel Piqueras wins stunning Rookies Le Mans Race 2
Too much drama in Race 2 of the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup at Le Mans but it didn’t prevent Angel Piqueras taking his 5th win of the season and the 16-year-old Spaniard brilliantly held off Italian 15-year-old Guido Pini.
Spaniard Alberto Ferrández took 3rd from Argentina’s Marco Morelli as the 15-year-olds battled to the line for the final podium spot.
Piqueras did it again
“I really didn’t have a plan for the race today, I knew that the track would be different to yesterday and it was, it was a bit cold and without the same grip.”
“In the early laps and all the way through the race, it was a big battle at the front, all the riders were pushing very hard but on the last two laps I decided to push and to see what I could do.”
“It worked and am very happy to win again, of course, this is very good for the championship and it has been a great weekend. Two wins, it might not have been like that but it was.”
Pini improved last lap effort
“I am very happy with that, it’s my first podium in Rookies Cup. It was a very hard race, a lot of fighting at the front. We had to be a bit careful in the beginning because the track was cold but that was OK.
“I was confident going into the race today as I was yesterday. Yesterday I made mistakes on the last lap and that cost me the podium but not today. I battled with Piqueras for the win but I couldn’t do it this time.”
“I am enjoying the bike and really looking forward to my home race in Mugello.”
Ferrández gave it all
“I am very happy with that, I pushed all the way, from the first lap to the last I was always on the limit.”
“Finally on the last lap, so many riders crashed and finally I could overtake Morelli in the last corners and got on the podium. I have practised a lot, worked very hard for this but that is normal and I will try and do it again in Mugello.”
Morelli makes better use of Pole
“I am happy with the result, better than yesterday but very lucky because some riders crashed. I am happy though because today I could stay in the front group, I didn’t do that yesterday.”
“I still need to improve I need to be able to overtake more. I have scored some points which is good for the championship but that is not so important this year.”
“I tried for the podium, I overtook Ferrández but he overtook me, I was close to the podium and try again in Mugello.”
Cormac Buchanan 5th
“Well, very lucky, I was P11 going into the second to last lap and finished P5 so it is the first top 5. Lucky but then to finish first, first you have to finish so I’ll take it,” explained the 16-year-old New Zealander referring to the 5 riders who fell off at the end of the race.
“The starts this weekend have been really good, I am finally getting back to the way I felt at the end of last year so I’m really pleased with that but I just need to work on staying a bit more calm because when I get in that front group it gets a bit hectic and I kind of make a lot of mistakes. Then start losing the group.”
“There is still plenty to work on and I am going to train hard for Mugello and get P5 with more merit shall we say.”
Màximo Quiles falls on the final lap
“At the beginning of the race I was quite strong, I pushed and caught the front and we battled all the race, I could lead for some laps. But then towards the end, I dropped back a bit to get recharged so that I could push again for the finish.”
“Then on the last lap I was P4 and preparing the overtake and in the 2nd corner I braked straight and I crashed, I think I crashed with 2 more and I am very sorry for them. I hope Hakim (Danish) is OK.”
Hakim Danish brought down
“I was feeling good with the bike,” explained the 15-year-old Malaysian.” I was in the front group, I did a better job than yesterday, today I didn’t make the same mistakes as yesterday.”
I had a good start and managed to get quickly into the front group, then run in the top 5 and I could get up to 2nd. In the last lap, two riders crashed and hit me hard, I could do nothing about that. I am OK and let’s see the next race.”
Álvaro Carpe taken out
“I’m not so happy because I was in 3rd on the last lap and a rider hit me and I crashed.” stated the 15-year-old Spaniard. “I went to the bike but the engine had stopped and I could not restart it to get any points.”
“Yesterday I was 6th but it is not so good for the championship, I think I am still second but Piqueras has such a big lead.”
“We have to wait for Mugello and see what we can do there. I will do my best.”
Rico Salmela falls on last lap
“I’m OK after the crash. It was quite a good race before the crash. I was top 3 most of the race. Then close to the end I made a small mistake, I got neutral and I dropped to the back of the group. Then I pushed to catch up, I gained some positions and on the last lap I was P3 and I thought I could try to catch the riders in front. And then I had a small accident, I tried to save it but it was too much.
We’ll see what we can do in Mugello if we can still beat Piqueras.”
Ruche Moodley misses matching Race 1
“In the first laps I took it a bit carefully, just to check the track, because in Portimão I didn’t do that,” said the 16-year-old South African referring to his early race crash on a cold track in Portugal. “Then I felt confident, even though I was 13th at one stage, that I could catch the group.”
“The track was good and got better, on the 2nd to last lap I tried to get in a better position so that I could attack on the last lap and I just tucked the front.”
Rice-Eccles Stadium hosted its 22nd Monster Energy Supercross, and its fourth Supercross season finale, in Utah's inspiring “State of Sport" spirit. Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports, Inc.
Chase Sexton Wraps Up 2023 Supercross Title with Utah Win
Jett Lawrence Tops 250SX Class Racers in East/West Showdown
Salt Lake City, Utah, (May 14, 2023) Team Honda HRC’s Chase Sexton nabbed the final win of the 2023 Monster Energy AMA Supercross indoor stadium season to cap his first 450SX Class championship with a victory in front of a sold-out crowd of 49,871 fans inside Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Red Bull KTM’s Aaron Plessinger took the race’s runner-up spot at the Supercross Championship Final Presented by Utah Sports Commission. And Team Tedder Monster Energy Mountain Motorsport’s Justin Hill took third place and his career-first 450SX Class podium to conclude the Supercross season and also earn points toward the inaugural 31-round SuperMotocross World Championship. In the 250SX Class season finale, Team Honda HRC’s Jett Lawrence earned his sixth victory of the season in the Dave Coombs Sr. East/West Showdown that pit both regions against each other for the second time in 2023.
Chase Sexton (23) used speed and determination to take his first Supercross Championship. He finished the season on top with a nearly 20-second win at the finale in Salt Lake City, Utah. Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports, Inc.
On the podium, the AMA awarded Chase Sexton the Monster Energy Supercross Champion title. He entered the race with the championship mathematically won but received the official #1 plate after the race. With Team Honda HRC’s Hunter Lawrence and Jett Lawrence wrapping the two 250SX Class championships at previous rounds, 2023 marked only the third time ever, and second time for Honda, that a manufacturer has captured all three Supercross championships in the same season. The 2023 season marks the 50th Anniversary of Supercross racing in America.
When the gate dropped Chase Sexton grabbed the holeshot ahead of Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo, FXR General Grind & Machine’s Justin Starling, Twisted Tea Suzuki Progressive Insurance’s Kyle Chisholm and Progressive Insurance ECSTAR Suzuki’s Ken Roczen. Roczen was on the move early but just a few turns in he injured his knee in a rutted corner. Roczen’s injury took him out of the race and he lost a chance to earn the two points needed to secure third overall in the championship.
Cianciarulo was into second place just a few laps into the race with Chisholm right behind. Just over three minutes into the 20-minute plus one lap race Aaron Plessinger took over third and set his sights on Cianciarulo while Justin Hill was into fourth place and on the charge. As the race clock ticked past 12 minutes Plessinger moved past Cianciarulo to take over second, and a lap and a half later Justin Hill was around Cianciarulo and into third place.
As Sexton stretched out his lead up front, Cianciarulo mounted a charge to take back third. But with five minutes left on the race clock the final positions appeared settled. Chase Sexton took his sixth win of the season and brought Honda its first Supercross title since 2003. Sexton’s late-season surge was one of the sport’s great title comebacks, with parallels to David Bailey’s 1983 season that also included a third-to-first drive in the final five races of the season.
Jett Lawrence (1) took the win in what is likely his final 250SX Class race. He moves up to race the 450SX Class next year. Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports, Inc.
In the final 250SX Class race of the season, Phoenix Racing Honda’s Coty Schock grabbed the holeshot but Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s RJ Hampshire was quickly into the lead ahead of Red Bull KTM’s Tom Vialle, Jett Lawrence, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Levi Kitchen, and Fire Power Honda’s Max Anstie as heavy rain came down in the stadium. Hunter Lawrence found himself with a mid-pack start and then got tangled up when Muc-Off FXR ClubMX Yamaha’s Enzo Lopes crashed. As Hampshire, Jett Lawrence and Kitchen slotted into the top three spots, Hunter Lawrence and Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan worked their way up from outside the top ten.
Three minutes into the 15-minute plus one lap race Jett Lawrence began applying pressure on Hampshire for the lead. At the same time, back on the track, Deegan broke into the top ten. Two minutes later Jett Lawrence was in striking distance of the front spot as his brother Hunter Lawrence climbed into the top ten. As the race clock ticked down to eight and a half minutes Jett Lawrence charged through the whoops and cut under Hampshire in the following corner. The riders made contact; Lawrence accelerated away clean but the disturbance led to a Hampshire mistake down the next rhythm lane.
From there Jett Lawrence was unchallenged for the lead. The win gives the Australian racer the distinction of being the winningest Honda rider in the 250SX Class, surpassing racing legends Eli Tomac, Jeremy McGrath and Hunter Lawrence. Hampshire held second to the checkered, and Kitchen took the final 250SX Class podium of the season.
With the 2023 Monster Energy AMA Supercross indoor stadium season wrapped up, the racers have a two week break before the start of the 11-round AMA Pro Motocross outdoor season. Points earned from the Supercross season will combine with points earned in the motocross season to determine the top 20 riders who will gain entry into the all-new SuperMotocross World Championship. Riders in spots 21-30 in overall points, as well as single event winners not in the top 20, will get a spot on the line in the Last Chance Qualifier to battle for the final two spots on the 22-rider starting gate. In September two Playoff races and one Final, with increasing points payouts, will determine the first SuperMotocross World Champion and deliver a $1,000,000 win bonus to that rider. The 250 class racers will battle for a $500,000 win bonus. It’s the first ever playoff season for the sport and delivers a three-race post season that will be all-new for the fans, teams, and racers.
Before the Monster Energy Supercross season closes its books, one great event is yet to conclude: the 2023 St. Jude Love Moto Stop Cancer Supercross Auction. The online auction offers unique, autographed, one-of-a-kind memorabilia donated by the teams, partners, and athletes. The auction runs until Monday, May 15th at 8:00 PM ET. All money raised goes directly to the children at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the St. Jude mission of Finding Cures. Saving Children. To bid on the auction items please go to: St. Jude Love Moto Stop Cancer Supercross Auction.
All rounds of the 2023 SuperMotocross World Championship will be streamed live on Peacock; rounds 29 and 31 will also be broadcast live on USA Network. Both Playoffs and the Final will be re-broadcast on CNBC. For the full race schedule and ticket sales, as well as 2023 Supercross highlight videos, recap race reports, and post-race press conferences, please go to SupercrossLIVE.com.
450SX Class podium (racers from left) Aaron Plessinger, Chase Sexton, and Justin Hill. Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports, Inc.
450SX Class Results
1. Chase Sexton, Clermont, Fla., Honda
2. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, KTM
3. Justin Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., KTM
4. Adam Cianciarulo, New Smyrna Beach, Fla., Kawasaki
5. Dean Wilson, Menifee, Calif., Honda
6. Josh Hill, Huntersville, N.C., KTM
7. Shane McElrath, Oakland, Fla., Suzuki
8. Justin Starling, Riverview, Fla., GASGAS
9. Devin Simonson, Laurinburg, N.C., Kawasaki
10. Grant Harlan, Decatur, Tex., Yamaha
450SX Class Championship Final Standings
1. Chase Sexton, Clermont, Fla., Honda (372)
2. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Yamaha (339)
3. Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., KTM (304)
4. Ken Roczen, Clermont, Fla., Suzuki (304)
5. Justin Barcia, Greenville, Fla., GASGAS (267)
6. Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.Mex., Kawasaki (242)
7. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, KTM (236)
8. Justin Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., KTM (212)
9. Adam Cianciarulo, New Smyrna Beach, Fla., Kawasaki (210)
10. Dean Wilson, Menifee, Calif., Honda (200)
250SX Class podium (racers from left) Levi Kitchen, Jett Lawrence, and RJ Hampshire. Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports, Inc.
The Bugatti Circuit, in Le Mans, France. Photo courtesy CIP Green Power KTM.
Mooney VR46 Racing Team’s Marco Bezzecchi won the Shark Grand Prix of France, a FIM MotoGP World Championship race, Sunday at the Bugatti Circuit, in Le Mans, France.
Bezzecchi, riding his Ducati Desmosedici GP22, won the race (his second of the season), by 4.256 seconds over Prima Pramac Ducati’s Jorge Martin, the pole-sitter. Martin just held off his teammate — and home hero — Johann Zarco by 0.5 second.
The race saw eight riders crash out, including Championship point leader Francesco Bagnaia, and only 13 riders finish.
Drama. Clashes. Glory. And a title twist! #GP1000 had it all as Bezzecchi takes stunning second win
Bezzecchi bounces back, Bagnaia clashes with Viñales, Marquez slides out and there’s a home hero on the podium as Le Mans served up a day packed with headlines
Marco Bezzecchi (72). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Sunday, 14 May 2023
Take a minute to catch your breath after what was an incredible SHARK Grand Prix de France! Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) takes a special place in history as the race winner at the 1000th FIM Grand Prix after a stunning break for glory in front of a record crowd at Le Mans, and there was drama, drama, drama throughout the field.
First, Bezzecchi is now just one point behind Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) after the Italian crashed out of the race in a dramatic clash with Aprilia Racing’s Maverick Viñales… gravel trap shouting match included, but both riders ok. Then, Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) vs Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) lit up the fight for second in a tough but fair tussle, but that then ended in late race heartbreak for the number 93 as he slid out. However, for the French fans it did mean Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) was then promoted to a glorious home podium after some impressive Sunday pace, giving the 278,805 record crowd even more to cheer about.
The grid formed in front of the biggest crowd MotoGP™ has ever seen and it was Marc Marquez who shot into the lead as Bagnaia dropped down the order to P5. Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) slotted himself into P2 with Bezzecchi putting his VR46 Ducati into P3. Bagnaia then quickly snapped back at Martin as the Ducati riders duked it out on lap 1.
It was Marquez, Miller, Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team), Bagnaia, and then Martin as they came across the line for the first time, and we had a race on our hands in MotoGP™. Miller wasn’t intimated by the eight-time World Champion by any means as the Aussie tried to force his way through on Marquez, but the Spaniard wouldn’t give in and hit straight back in true Marquez fashion.
Miller hit the front at the Dunlop chicane, meanwhile, the reigning World Champion was on the move as Bagnaia had now climbed his way back up into a podium position with 25 laps remaining.
The laps ticked away as a seven-bike battle for victory formed with Viñales carving his way into the 3rd place, the Aprilia seriously on the move. But then came the drama: the Spaniard collided with Bagnaia as both riders competed for the same piece of tarmac, both careening off into the gravel. Riders ok and to their feet… and then a fair few yells exchanged.
Half a lap later, there was more drama in the Le Mans gravel traps as Marini suffered a big crash coming out of the Dunlop chicane, just cutting the kerb. Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) then got caught in the Italian’s crash as the field behind avoided the incident, riders again ok but another huge moment of adrenaline shaking the race up.
As the chaos subsided, we had a race on our hands. A four-rider battle for victory had formed as Miller now found himself with Marquez, Bezzecchi, and Martin for company, before Bezzecchi pushed his way through on Marc Marquez – and dropped the Spaniard from 2nd to 4th. The number 93 was sent into another postcode although no harm done, with both regrouping and Bezzecchi then told to drop a position for the move: a penalty he expected, and a penalty he also served wisely as he chose his moment to let Martin back through. And then took it back, with Marquez following suit too.
Bezzecchi now had an open goal to make huge gains in the title fight as Bagnaia sat in the garage, and the VR46 rider took the lead from Miller as they barrelled into the Dunlop chicane once again. Marquez quickly followed him through half a lap later too, with Bezzecchi already stretching out half a second at the front.
With 15 laps to go, Bezzecchi had 1.2s in his pocket to Marquez behind, who was 0.5s up the road from Martin, who had found his way through on Miller. The Aussie was starting to fall into the clutches of Zarco and Augusto Fernandez (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3). It didn’t take long for Zarco to push his way through either as the Frenchman moved up into P4 and Fernandez followed, leaving Miller in sixth.
With six to go, Martin thought it was time to pounce on Marc Marquez. The Spaniard tried to push his way through on the eight-time World Champion, but the Repsol Honda man was not giving in easy and bit back at the Prima Pramac Racing rider at every opportunity. That allowed Zarco to edge closer and closer… and the crowd had definitely noticed.
Martin finally pushed his way through with one and a half laps remaining, and this time the drama was for the number 93. Trying to hang in there, the returning Repsol Honda rider tucked the front and ended his French Grand Prix in the gravel trap, but after quite a return to the upper echelons of the timesheets.
That meant one thing to a partisan crown: Zarco was on the podium. The grandstands erupted around the French circuit as Bezzecchi crossed the line for a first dry weather win, Martin ensured he’s the top scorer at Le Mans this year, and then the home hero reached the flag. The noise made for an impressive welcome.
Fourth place was also something to shout about as Tech3’s Fernandez took an impressive result after an impressive weekend. First time in Q2, the GASGAS rider had had the speed all weekend and made it pay to perfection on Sunday to bounce back.
Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) rounded out the top five as Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) recovered from being battered down the order on the first lap to fight his way back through the pack, take a long penalty for a shortcut, and still manage to take sixth.
Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) had a tougher home Grand Prix but took a chunk of points on Sunday as the 2021 World Champion ended his weekend in Le Mans with a P7, with Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), Takaaki Nakagami (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia), and Franco Morbidelli taking 8th, 9th, and 10th – just ahead of Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Lenovo Team) on his MotoGP™ return deputising for the injured Enea Bastianini.
Early race leader Miller crashed out with three laps remaining after the Aussie had been dropping down the order on his KTM machine, making it a weekend to forget in terms of results but one to remember for speed. Can he bounce back at Mugello? Many will be looking to join him in doing so…
With the championship plot ever-changing in MotoGP™, there’s no telling what the chapter holds as the paddock moves to the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley on the 9th to 11th of June. Make sure to keep up to date with all of the action as it unfolds on motogp.com!
QUOTES: BEZZECHI
MARCO BEZZECCHI: “I expected the penalty. I didn’t want to pass but I braked a bit too late and when I realized I was getting closer and closer, I tried to go to the inside to not hit him. Unfortunately I pushed him wide so I thought for sure they give me a drop position. I was ready for it and I agree, also. It was a bit too much. It’s difficult to pass but I didn’t really want to pass, but it’s ok. Fortunately I kept myself calm about the penalty I knew was coming, tried to find the right place to give up the position and then fight back.
How was that winning feeling?
“It was fantastic. I saw I was fast, at the beginning I didn’t want to use the front tyre too much or put too much temperature in it. When I was behind someone, I was trying to pass quite quick and when I found myself at the front I thought, ‘now I have fresh air’. I tried to push and see how it is. On Friday I had good pace so I tried to make the same but it was even better! I was able to ride 31.9, 31.8 and it was fantastic. I saw I was escaping so I tried to stay calm and concentrate, at one with my bike, and it was an incredible emotion crossing the line in the dry. In the wet was good but in the dry even better!”
And on that bet to not shave their moustaches until he won again…
“This is the thing I’m most happy about. I made this bet first in December before Christmas with my team, we were having dinner together and to break their balls a little bit I said ‘ok, you all have a long beard but if I win, you have to make it moustache and we won’t shave it until I win again. But then when I did win I said, ‘No! Now I have to really have a moustache!’ I was so nervous because it wasn’t coming anymore, so fortunately today when I saw the feeling was good, I said ‘today’s the day!”
Tony Arbolino (14). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Arbolino grabs the momentum as Acosta crashes out in France
The Italian is back on top to take the title lead, with Salač and Lopez completing the podium
Tony Arbolino (Elf MarcVDS Racing Team) took an important victory for his Championship campaign as he commanded the race from the front, putting the pressure on Championship rival Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo). Acosta, who went into the Shark Grand Prix de France as Championship leader but equal on points with Arbolino, crashed out of second trying to reel in the number 14. Filip Salač (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2™) put some pressure on Arbolino as the chequered flag drew closer, but the Italian held strong forcing the Czech rider to settle for second. Alonso Lopez (Lightech SpeedUp) hung onto the leading duo too, taking third and yet another podium.
Arbolino got the holeshot before Lopez dived up the inside to take over, but there was drama one lap later as Arbolino took the lead into Turn 1, with his teammate Sam Lowes (Elf MarcVDS Racing Team) crashing out of 3rd place at Turn 2. However, the red flags came out for a incident involving multiple riders at turn 5. All riders ok: Albert Arenas (Red Bull KTM Ajo), Aron Canet (Pons Wegow Los40) and Manuel Gonzalez (Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp).
With the countdown to the restart underway, it was all hands on deck as the polesitter rushed his way back to the box with under a minute left until the green light went on to open pit lane, and the team worked on his bike. The crowd watched on with baited breath and Lowes missed the deadline for the the pitlane closing time by just a second, forcing the Brit to start from the back of the grid…
So riders lined up for the restart but this time without the polesitter in position. The red lights went out once again and it was Arbolino who took the holeshot, fending off Lopez through the Dunlop chicane, with Acosta latched onto to the leading duo.
Arbolino, Lopez, Acosta, and Salač was the order as the came across the line for the first time with the top 3 stretching out a little bit of breathing space to the Czech rider. Lopez and Acosta were swapping paintwork as the two Spaniards battled it out though, letting Arbolino sail away at the front and allowing Salač to join the P2 party.
Arbolino began to stretch a lead at the front as he set a new race lap record on his very first flying lap. This also stretched out the riders behind as Acosta began to pull away from Lopez, who now had Salač and Celestino Vietti (Fantic Racing) for company in the battle for 3rd.
Acosta responded one lap later setting the new fastest lap but still with 0.6s to find to catch the Italian. Incredible Championship drama came soon after though, as the former Championship leader crashed out of the race with 10 laps to go… as key title rival Arbolino sat in comfortable victory contention.
That promoted the battle for 3rd to the battle for 2nd as Salač led Lopez in P2. Arbolino had 1.8s in his pocket until he began to lose ground at an alarming rate though, with Salač getting within under half a second of the Italian with seven laps to go. But Arbolino controlled the gap at 0.5s at the front, taking the race victory as Acosta watched the #14 stretch out a 25-point lead in the Championship.
Salač still takes an impressive second place to reward his speed this season, with Lopez once again tasting that Prosecco in third.
Vietti looked strong in the opening stages of the race but wasn’t able to keep up with the incredible pace of the top 3 as the Italian finished 0.6s back from the podium fight in P4. Jake Dixon (Inde GASGAS Aspar M2) rounded the top 5 after carving through an incredible scrap involving Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), Barry Baltus (Fieten Olie Racing GP) and Fermin Aldeguer (Ligthtech SpeedUp) who finished 6th, 7th, and 8th respectively. Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) took ninth, just fending off an impressive ride from rookie Sergio Garcia (Pons Wegow Los40).
The Lowes watch was a dramatic one as the Brit carved his way through from the back of the grid, picking off rider after rider in hopes of finishing in a point-scoring position. Although it’s not the result the Brit would have wanted, he recovered to P15 as he walked away from Le Mans with a Championship point.
The Championship story continues to run its rollercoaster course in the 2023 Moto2™ season though. With the momentum currently with Arbolino, the Italian will go into his home Grand Prix in high spirits as the attention now turns to the iconic Mugello circuit for the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley in just four weeks’ time!
Daniel Holgado (96) beat Ayumu Sasaki (71) and Jaume Masia (5) to win the Moto3 race at Le Mans. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Holgado escapes Sasaki to take home win for Tech3
The Championship leader extends his advantage with a masterclass, with Sasaki back on the box and Masia continuing his run of form in France
Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Tech3) is the Moto3™ race winner in the 1000th FIM Grand Prix in history! The Spaniard extended his Championship lead as he got back on the top step in style, leading from the front and keeping it pitch perfect over the final lap to take a home win for the Tech3 team too. After a tough start to the season, Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) took his first rostrum of the season after some more impressive speed, and Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing) completed the podium as his consistent run continues… and he moves up to second overall.
Sasaki technically got the holeshot but got attacked into the first chicane by Holgado, the Japanese rider trying to fight back later in the lap but denied. As ever in the close competition of the lightweight class though, it soon became a group fight with a leading freight train of ten riders – with rookies David Alonso (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) and Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) leading the chase, Alonso up from 25th on the grid.
A top eight was able to pull away though, with Holgado, Sasaki, Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo), Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team), Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI, Masia, Xavier Artigas (CFMoto PrüstelGP) and Ryusei Yamanaka (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) line astern. Heading into the final corners with 10 to go though, drama hit as Moreira suddenly slid out, crashing alone and rider ok, but his place in the standings left up for grabs – and Championship leader Holgado still holding firm at the front.
On the last couple of laps, the top four made their break: Holgado, Sasaki, Masia and Ortola. Over the line onto the last lap, Holgado still had a few tenths in hand too, but that didn’t last long as Sasaki homed in. The duo gained some reprieve as a moment for Masia dropped him back slightly too, and it became two duels.
At the front though, Holgado just had too much for the Japanese rider on the chase. The number 96 crossed the line for a stunning second win and increases his advantage in the title fight, with Sasaki second but back on the box for the first time this season. Masia recovered from his moment to hold off Ortola, taking the last step on the podium and making his own gains in the Championship too.
Yamanaka got the better of Öncü to complete the top five, with Artigas a little further back in seventh. Alonso, Rueda and Stefano Nepa (Angeluss MTA Team) completed the top ten in that second group.
Now it’s time to reset and reload for Mugello, with Holgado leading Masia as Tuscany beckons at the start of the triple header!
The Bugatti Circuit, in Le Mans, France. Photo courtesy CIP Green Power KTM.
Elf Marc VDS Racing’s Tony Arbolino won the FIM Moto2 World Championship race Sunday at the 2.6-mile (4.2 km) Bugatti Circuit, in Le Mans, France. The Italian rider won the race, his first of the season, by 0.620 second over QJMotor Gresini rider Celestino Vietti. Lightech Speedup’s Alonso Lopez was a relatively close third.
Americans Joe Roberts and Sean Dylan Kelly (SDK) finished 12th and 16th, respectively.
The race was stopped by a red flag shortly after the original start due to four riders – including pole-sitter Sam Lowes — crashing. A complete restart of 14 laps was then run. Lowes, Arbolino’s teammate, finished 15th.
The Bugatti Circuit, in Le Mans, France. Photo courtesy CIP Green Power KTM.
Red Bull KTM Tech3 rider Daniel Holgado won the Moto3 World Championship race Sunday at the Bugatti Circuit, in Le Mans, France. Holgado took the victory, his second of the season, by 0.150 second over Liqui Moly Intact GP Husqvarna’s Ayumu Sasaki. Jaume Masia finished third on his Leopard Racing Honda.
Provisional Parts Unlimited AFT Singles Main Event Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Tom Drane (Yam), 18 laps
2. Trent Lowe (Hon), -00.005 seconds
3. Chase Saathoff (Hon), -00.036
4. Chad Cose (Hus), -00.101
5. Dalton Gauthier (KTM), -01.503
6. Trevor Brunner (Yam), -01.784
7. Max Whale (KTM), -01.855
8. Shayna Texter-Bauman (KTM), -02.706
9. Travis Petton (KTM), -02.718
10. Kody Kopp (KTM), -03.115
11. Morgen Mischler (Hon), -04.423
12. Declan Bender (KTM), -11.246
13. James Ott (Hus), -11.257
14. Aidan RoosEvans (Hon), -11.397
15. Hunter Bauer (Hon), -11.633
16. Landen Smith (KTM), -12.953
17. Jared Lowe (Hon), -14.571
18. Tyler Raggio (Yam), -18.380
19. Justin Jones (KTM), -18.482
Provisional Mission SuperTwins Main Event Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Jared Mees (Ind), 24 laps
2. Dallas Daniels (Yam), -00.573 seconds
3. JD Beach (Yam), -07.545
4. Kolby Carlile (Yam), -07.566
5. Brandon Robinson (Ind), -07.931
6. Davis Fisher (Ind), -08.035
7. Briar Bauman (KTM), -11.674
8. Bronson Bauman (KTM), -15.753
9. Ben Lowe (Ind), -19.601
10. Jarod Vanderkooi (Ind), -19.606
11. Nick Armstrong (Yam), -28.813
12. Kasey Sciscoe (Har), -2 laps
13. Jimmy McAllister (KTM), -2 laps, -27.570
14. Scooter Vernon (Kaw), -10 laps, DNF
15. Johnny Lewis (Roy), -24 laps, DNF
16. Ryan Wells (Roy), -24 laps, DNF
More, from a press release issued by American Flat Track (AFT):
Mees Gets His Revenge in Sacramento Mile Rematch
Jared Mees (1). Photo courtesy AFT.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 13, 2023) – Jared Mees (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Rogers Racing/SDI Racing FTR750) furthered his claim as the preeminent Mile rider currently competing in Progressive American Flat Track, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, with a pivotal victory in Saturday night’s 57th Legendary Mission Sacramento Mile powered by Law Tigers at Cal Expo in Sacramento, California.
Those bragging rights were brought into question after Mees was outscored 2-1 in Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle Mile wins a year ago by then-rookie Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT). Their first Mile showdown of the season carried even greater significance than it otherwise would have with Daniels having arguably emerged the title favorite and leading reigning champion Mees in the points.
The race went to script with the two separating at the front and settling into a one-on-one fight to the flag. Just past mid-distance, Mees railed around the corners with his helmet down in an attempt to break Daniels’ challenge. While unable to sink Daniels’ hopes completely, the ploy granted Mees a few tenths which he successfully guarded all the way to the end.
The victory was the 24th Mile triumph of Mees’ illustrious career. That moves him ahead of Ricky Graham and into sole possession of fifth place on the all-time order and just one away from joining Bubba Shobert and Bryan Smith in a tie for third.
The result also drew Mees a bit closer to the championship lead. That said, Daniels is not doing him any favors in that regard, extending his season-long streak of top-two finishes. The gap is now 20 points (159-139) as the two continue to distance themselves from the remainder of a talented pack of contenders.
“I honestly was sweating coming into the Miles – last year I felt like we were a little down,” Mees admitted after earning his fifth-career Sacramento Mile win. “I didn’t know what to expect. But Kenny (Tolbert) worked really hard this winter to get us back some ponies, and Jimmy Wood really had that thing hooked up with the Öhlins suspension. I don’t think I’ve ever been that hooked up before. I could just go into the corner and mash the throttle. The Indian Motorcycle was phenomenal tonight.”
Daniels’ teammate, JD Beach (No. 95 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT), solidified his hold on third in the championship order with his third podium of the season. It only came about following a final-lap duel with Kolby Carlile (No. 36 G&G Racing/Yamaha Racing Yamaha MT-07), however, when Beach poked ahead by 0.021 seconds at the line.
Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) and Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing Indian FTR750) each had a shot at the box on the final lap as well, ultimately finishing fractionally behind in fifth and sixth, respectively.
Briar Bauman (No. 3 Parts Plus/Jacob Companies KTM 790 Duke) earned a lonely seventh, although that description fails to adequately express the contour of his race. Bauman actually led more than once early in the contest before running wide on the powerful-yet-brutish KTM and dropping to fifth. He worked his way back up to third at one point before going off the groove again and fading out of podium contention.
Bauman was followed home by his brother, Bronson Bauman (No. 37 Fastrack Racing/2 Wheelz KTM 790 Duke), while Ben Lowe (No. 25 Rackley Racing/Mission Foods Indian FTR750) and Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 JMC Motorsports/Fairway Ford Indian FTR750) completed the top ten.
Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER
Australian phenom Tom Drane (No. 59 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) scored his maiden Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER victory in breathtaking fashion in Sacramento.
A huge early train of 450s connected to the front slowly whittled away as the race progressed. The battle for the win at last took its final shape with just over a minute remaining when three-time Sacramento Mile winner Trevor Brunner (No. 21 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) fell away from the lead group and into the clutches of a second group bursting with big names and title contenders.
With Brunner out of the fight, the checkered flag was set to be decided between Drane, Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R), Chase Saathoff (No. 88 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R), and Chad Cose (No. 49 1st Impressions Race Team/Husqvarna Racing FC450).
Lowe stormed past Drane as they opened the final lap, but the diminutive Aussie stormed back by on the back straight, confident he could out-run any and all slingshot attempts in the decisive drag race to the line.
He was proven correct, albeit only by just 0.005 seconds over Lowe and 0.036 seconds over Saathoff. Meanwhile, Cose finished just another 0.065 seconds back yet found himself left off the podium altogether.
Drane came into the season with serious hype and had endured something of a quiet start to the year when judged based on those lofty expectations. However, tonight’s victory put everything back in its proper perspective. Ultimately, the Estenson Racing Yamaha prodigy earned his first win just a month after turning 17 and competing in what was just his eighth Progressive AFT Main Event. Perhaps even more remarkably, it was the first Main Event at a Mile in Drane’s career.
He said, “I just can’t thank the team enough for all the work they do, all the hours. It’s amazing. This has boosted my confidence heaps, showing I can do it. I’m so happy.”
Fifth went to Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 D&D Racing/Certified KTM 450 SX-F), who clawed his way up from outside the top ten after earning his slot on the grid via the LCQ.
He placed Brunner between himself and his primary title rivals in the process. Max Whale (No. 18 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F) crossed the stripe in seventh, followed by Sacramento Mile legend Shayna Texter-Bauman (No. 52 Parts Plus/Jacob Companies KTM 450 SX-F) and the impressive Travis Petton IV (No. 82 ECG Racing/3 Bros KTM 450 SX-F).
The final position in the top ten went to defending class champ Kody Kopp (No. 1 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F). Despite the uncharacteristic result, Kopp continues to lead in the standings with 137 points. Gauthier closed to within 14 points at 123, while Whale and Saathoff are now tied for third at 115.
Next Up:
Progressive American Flat Track will continue its run of spectacular Mile action with the Red Mile presented by Indian Motorcycle of Lexington at the Red Mile in Lexington, Kentucky, on May 27. Visit https://www.tixr.com/groups/americanflattrack/events/red-mile-59131 to secure your tickets today.
For those that can’t catch the live action from the circuit, FansChoice.tv is the live streaming home of Progressive AFT. Sign up now and catch every second of on-track action starting with Practice & Qualifying and ending with the Victory Podium at the end of the night at https://www.fanschoice.tv.
FOX Sports coverage of the Legendary Sacramento Mile, featuring in-depth features and thrilling onboard cameras, will premiere on FS1 on Saturday, May 27, at 11:30 a.m. ET (8:30 a.m. PT).
Progressive American Flat Track, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, is the world’s premier dirt track motorcycle racing series and one of the longest-running championships in the history of motorsports. Sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing in Daytona Beach, Fla., the series is highly regarded as the most competitive form of dirt track motorcycle racing on the globe. For more information on Progressive American Flat Track, please visit us on the web, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, check us out on Instagram and catch all the Progressive American Flat Track racing action on FOX Sports.
More, from a press release issued by KTM Factory Racing:
KODY KOPP CONTINUES TO LEAD AFT SINGLES POINTS AFTER SACRAMENTO MILE CHALLENGE
Round 7 – American Flat Track Championship
Kody Kopp (1). Photo courtesy KTM Factory Racing.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing duo Kody Kopp and Max Whale endured a tough night of competition at Round 7 of the 2023 American Flat Track Championship, with Whale finishing in seventh position and Kopp 10th in the AFT Singles Main Event. Defending champion Kopp continues to lead the point standings following the Sacramento Mile.
After qualifying in seventh, defending champion Kopp made inroads between qualifying and the opening Heat of the event, powering his #1 KTM 450 SX-F to third position, setting himself up well for the Main Event. A more difficult 18-lap affair saw Kopp eventually cross the line in 10th position, retaining his lead in the AFT Singles series.
Kody Kopp: “Honestly, a little frustrated with how the weekend went, and a lot of things added up to the 10th-place finish here at the Sacramento Mile. We’re a team though, we’ll go back to work, we’ve got a two-week break and we’ll come back swinging in Kentucky.”
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammate Whale was 10th in qualifying at the Northern Californian venue, before crossing the finish line in fourth place for the second Heat of the event, just 0.213 off the race winner. The Australian fought hard during the Main Event, landing P7 and still sitting third in the championship overall.
Max Whale: “Definitely a tough day here in Sacramento. I feel as though I rode well, but just a few mistakes today – the team worked great, but I ended the night in P7, which isn’t great. It could’ve been much worse from where I was at one stage, we fought hard, and we’ll move on to the next one.”
Next Race: The Red Mile – Lexington, Kentucky – May 27, 2023
Round 7 Results
AFT Singles Main Event
1. Tom Drane, Yamaha
2. Trent Lowe, Honda
3. Chase Saathoff, Honda
OTHER KTM
5. Dalton Gauthier, KTM
7. Max Whale, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
8. Shayna Texter-Bauman, KTM
9. Travis Petton IV, KTM
10. Kody Kopp, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
12. Declan Bender, KTM
16. Landen Smith, KTM
19. Justin Jones, KTM
2023 AFT Singles Point Standings
1. Kody Kopp, 137 points
2. Dalton Gauthier, 123
3. Max Whale, 115
OTHER KTM
11. Justin Jones, 52
13. Travis Petton IV, 35
14. Shayna Texter-Bauman, 34
16. Logan Eisenhard, 27
22. Hunter Bauer, 16
23. Hayden Gillim, 14
24. Clarke Morian V, 10
25. Tanner Dean, 9
28. Declan Bender, 8
31. Landen Smith, 4
32. Olin Kissler, 4
More, from a press release issued by Indian Motorcycle:
Indian Motorcycle Racing & Jared Mees Win Sacramento Mile
Mees Pilots Indian FTR750 to Third Victory of the Season, Continues Hunt for Record-Tying Ninth Premier Class Championship
Jared Mees (1). Photo by Tim Lester, courtesy Indian Motorcycle.
MINNEAPOLIS – It was another exciting weekend of American Flat Track (AFT) racing, as Indian Wrecking Crew Rider and Reigning SuperTwins Champion Jared Mees wins the Sacramento Mile aboard his Indian FTR750. The win marked Mees’ third of the season, tying him for the most wins this season with Estenson Racing Yamaha rider Dallas Daniels.
Starting from the pole position, Mees staved off the competition as he rode hard across the finish line to his 24th-career Mile victory, moving him up in the record books with the fifth most Mile wins of all time. In typical Mees fashion, Mees delivered a clutch performance, as he and Daniels are in the thick of a head-to-head battle for the 2023 SuperTwins Championship.
“I honestly was sweating coming into the Miles – last year I felt like we were a little down,” Mees admitted. “I didn’t know what to expect. But Kenny (Tolbert) worked really hard this winter to get us back some ponies, and Jimmy Wood really had that thing hooked up with the Öhlins suspension. I don’t think I’ve ever been that hooked up before. I could just go into the corner and mash the throttle. The Indian Motorcycle was phenomenal tonight.”
With 139 points on the year, Mees sits securely in second – 24 points ahead of third (115) and 20 points behind Daniels (159). In addition to his three wins, Mees has secured a third-place podium finish, two fourth-place finishes and a P6. Meanwhile, Daniels has raced to a top-two finish in all seven races this season.
The AFT season continues with two more Mile races, the Red Mile presented by Indian Motorcycle of Lexington on May 27, and the DuQuoin Mile on June 17.
For more information on Indian Motorcycle Racing, visit IndianMotorcycle.com and follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
ABOUT INDIAN MOTORCYCLE®
Indian Motorcycle Company is America’s First Motorcycle Company®. Founded in 1901, Indian Motorcycle has won the hearts of motorcyclists around the world and earned distinction as one of America’s most legendary and iconic brands through unrivaled racing dominance, engineering prowess and countless innovations and industry firsts. Today that heritage and passion is reignited under new brand stewardship. To learn more, please visit www.indianmotorcycle.com.
INDIAN and INDIAN MOTORCYCLE are registered trademarks of Indian Motorcycle International, LLC. Always wear a helmet, protective clothing and eyewear and insist your passenger does the same. Ride within the limits of the law and your own abilities. Read, understand and follow your owner’s manual. Never ride under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
A “press release” is promotional text issued by a rider, team, company or organization to inform
the public about an event, product, or service from the issuer’s own point of view, and if deemed
to have news value, may be placed on roadracingworld.com as a service to our readers.
A press release is not an article written by Roadracingworld.com staffers. When a post is labeled with the words “press release”, it means that Roadracingworld.com is not responsible for its content and that Roadracingworld.com makes no guarantee that it is accurate. Not all press releases are posted and Roadracingworld.com may reject press releases if the content is too heavy on commercial promotion with little or no news value or if the press release contains obvious errors.
Accessibility
Accessibility modes
Epilepsy Safe Mode
Dampens color and removes blinks
This mode 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
Improves website's visuals
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
Helps to focus on specific content
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
Reduces distractions and improve focus
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
Allows using the site with your screen-reader
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.
Online Dictionary
Readable Experience
Content Scaling
Default
Text Magnifier
Readable Font
Dyslexia Friendly
Highlight Titles
Highlight Links
Font Sizing
Default
Line Height
Default
Letter Spacing
Default
Left Aligned
Center Aligned
Right Aligned
Visually Pleasing Experience
Dark Contrast
Light Contrast
Monochrome
High Contrast
High Saturation
Low Saturation
Adjust Text Colors
Adjust Title Colors
Adjust Background Colors
Easy Orientation
Mute Sounds
Hide Images
Hide Emoji
Reading Guide
Stop Animations
Reading Mask
Highlight Hover
Highlight Focus
Big Dark Cursor
Big Light Cursor
Cognitive Reading
Virtual Keyboard
Navigation Keys
Voice Navigation
Accessibility Statement
www.roadracingworld.com
November 14, 2026
Compliance status
We firmly believe that the internet should be available and accessible to anyone, and are committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience,
regardless of circumstance and ability.
To fulfill this, we aim to adhere as strictly as possible to the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG 2.1) at the AA level.
These guidelines explain how to make web content accessible to people with a wide array of disabilities. Complying with those guidelines helps us ensure that the website is accessible
to all people: blind people, people with motor impairments, visual impairment, cognitive disabilities, and more.
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
