THOMAS COVINGTON CLAIMS MX2 MOTO WIN AT CHALLENGING GP OF THE NETHERLANDS

Courtesy of Husqvarna Motorcycles

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Covington has secured his debut race victory of the 2016 FIM Motocross World Championship, winning moto one at the GP of The Netherlands.

Completing a confident and well-calculated race the American took the lead before the halfway point of the moto before going on to dominate the field and finish 21 seconds clear of second-placed Jeffrey Herlings. Frustratingly, a series of mistakes resulted in the FC 250-powered Covington having to settle for 16th in moto two.

Fast and consistent despite challenging and changing track conditions, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s MXGP star Max Nagl wrapped up round 16 of the 2016 FIM Motocross World Championship with fourth overall in Assen. With his FC 450 powering him to a good start in moto one, Nagl remained mistake-free and managed to cross the finish line in sixth place.

As the deep sand dried out during moto two, Nagl rode another smart race to finish a strong fourth. Remaining third in the MXGP championship standings, the German rider further increased the gap to fourth-placed Romain Febvre to 20 points.

GP of The Netherlands was also highly positive for Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Anstie, who like Nagl secured fourth overall. Following his winning results during the previous two GPs Anstie suffered from a number of small mistakes in both MX2 motos, which reduced his chances of a third consecutive podium result.

Going down after the first corner in moto one the young Brit was left with a mountain to climb. He came from the back of the pack to cross the line in eighth place. Luck wasn’t on Anstie’s side in moto two either. Battling for the runner-up spot he went down on the very last lap and had to settle for fourth.

Struggling with an ankle injury he picked up during the qualifying race, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Conrad Mewse was unable to continue his strong run of form in Assen. Earning two top 20 results he rounded out the GP of The Netherlands in 23rd position.

The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team will now journey to the US to contest round 17 of the FIM Motocross World Championship in Charlotte Motor Speedway on September 2/3. The final round of the series will take place a week later at the historic Glen Helen track.

Thomas Covington: “It’s been a great GP and I’m happy the off-season training has finally paid off. The conditions were really hard in moto one. I got a great start behind Prado. I knew it was going to be a long race so I just tried to relax and remain focused. A couple of guys crashed and when I got the lead I tried to be fast without making mistakes. Everything went perfect and we managed to secure the win. In moto two I got a bad start and crashed in the opening lap. I had two more crashes during the race so it was difficult to stay close to the leaders. The speed is there and I’m really looking forward to the next two GPs back home in the US. The goal is to battle for the overall podium in MX2.”

Max Nagl: “It was a challenging GP and I’m pleased with fourth overall. The track was really demanding. Especially the opening moto, which felt like an extreme enduro race. There was water everywhere and in some parts of the track you had to struggle to stay on two wheels. I got a decent start and battled my way to sixth place. Conditions were drier in moto two. I had a good start and had some good battles to cross the line in fourth. I think I made the best out of a difficult GP and I’m really happy. All my team did a great job this weekend and we managed to make a few more improvements in our suspension set-up. We’re flying out to the US on Tuesday to adapt to the conditions there. The plan is to battle for the podium in each of these two last GPs on US soil.”

Max Anstie: “Overall, we had a good GP. In the first race I put myself in a good position after the gate dropped and almost got the holeshot. Unfortunately, I hit a soft spot on the track after the first turn and did a front flip. I had to work my way through the rankings, but rode strong and ended up finishing eighth. I got a good start again in moto two and found myself in second after the first turn. The track was really different in moto two. They’d flattened everything and everyone was flat out. Just before the end I made my move to Prado for second but ended up going down with two turns to go. I ended up fourth losing a spot on the overall podium. That’s just how it was and we now need to focus on the remaining two GPs. My goal is to be up front and end the season on a high note.”

Conrad Mewse: “To be fair I found this GP quite difficult. I crashed during the warm-up session on Saturday and hurt my ankle, so I was forced to battle through pain throughout both motos on Sunday. I just tried to do my best and ended up finishing inside the top 20 on both motos. This was my last GP for 2016. It’s been a great season and I’ve really learnt a lot. I can’t thank the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna team enough for giving me the opportunity to race in MX2. My plan is to get back to work so hopefully next year we can consistently fight for the top five in MX2.”

Results – FIM Motocross World Championship, Round 16

MXGP Overall
1. Clement Desalle (Kawasaki) 44 points; 2. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 43; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (KTM) 40; 4. Max Nagl (Husqvarna) 33… 14. Rui Goncalves (Husqvarna) 16… 17. Jake Nicholls (Husqvarna) 9

MXGP Race 1
1. Shaun Simpson (KTM) 17 laps, 34:23.278; 2. Clement Desalle (Kawasaki) 34:31.789; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (KTM) 34:38.927… 6. Max Nagl (Husqvarna) 34:58.995; 7. Rui Goncalves (Husqvarna) 35:06.162… 20. Jake Nicholls (Husqvarna) 16 laps, 34:41.857… 25. Rick Satinik (Husqvarna) 15 laps, 35:49.298

MXGP Race 2
1. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 19 laps, 34:18.739; 2. Clement Desalle (Kawasaki) 34:20.845; 3. Glen Coldenhoff (KTM) 34:22.006; 4. Max Nagl (Husqvarna) 34:24.109… 13. Jake Nicholls (Husqvarna) 35:42.286… 19. Rui Goncalves (Husqvarna) 36:06.930… 23. Rick Satinik (Husqvarna) 18 laps, 36:15.935

MX2 Overall
1. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 47pts; 2. Brian Bogers (KTM) 40; 3. Jorge Prado (KTM) 31; 4. Max Anstie (Husqvarna) 31; 5. Thomas Kjer Olsen (Husqvarna) 30; 6. Thomas Covington (Husqvarna) 30… 9. Lars van Berkel (Husqvarna) 25… 20. Sven Van der Mierden (Husqvarna) 6… 23. Conrad Mewse (Husqvarna) 3

MX2 Race 1
1. Thomas Covington (Husqvarna) 17 laps, 36:09.602; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 36:31.382; 3. Brian Bogers (KTM) 36:31.823; 4. Lars van Berkel (Husqvarna) 36:51.731… 7. Thomas Kjer Olsen (Husqvarna) 37:11.030; 8. Max Anstie (Husqvarna) 37:12.856… 18. Sven Van der Mierden (Husqvarna) 16 laps, 36:15.500… 20. Conrad Mewse (Husqvarna) 36:29.026

MX2 Race 2
1. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 19 laps, 34:07.512; 2. Jorge Prado (KTM) 34:42.247; 3. Brian Bogers (KTM) 34:44.887; 4. Max Anstie (Husqvarna) 34:52.585; 5. Thomas Kjer Olsen (Husqvarna) 35:06.455… 14. Lars van Berkel (Husqvarna) 18 laps, 34:17.959… 16. Thomas Covington (Husqvarna) 34:30.710… 18. Conrad Mewse (Husqvarna) 35:05.391… 25. Sven Van der Mierden (Husqvarna) 16 laps, 34:50.360

Championship Standings (After Round 16)

MXGP
1. Tim Gajser (Honda) 653 points; 2. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 588; 3. Max Nagl (Husqvarna) 542… 14. Christophe Charlier (Husqvarna) 198... 21. Jake Nicholls (Husqvarna) 103... 23. Rui Goncalves (Husqvarna) 49… 42. Rick Satink (Husqvarna) 4

MX2
1. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 644 points; 2. Jeremy Seewer (Suzuki) 568; 3. Benoit Paturel (Yamaha) 460; 4. Max Anstie (Husqvarna) 447… 11. Thomas Covington (Husqvarna) 225… 18. Conrad Mewse (Husqvarna) 126… 26. Lars van Berkel (Husqvarna) 56; 27. Thomas Kjer Olsen (Husqvarna) 54… 32. Ben Watson (Husqvarna) 39… 38. Pascal Rauchenecker (Husqvarna) 24… 40. Davide Bonini (Husqvarna) 21… 43. Nicholas Lapucci (Husqvarna) 16; 44. James Dunn (Husqvarna) 15… 51. Sven Van der Mierden (Husqvarna) 6



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Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Concludes 2016 AMA Pro Motocross Season

Courtesy of Red Bull KTM

The final round of the 2016 AMA Pro Motocross Championship took place on Saturday with a brutally-rough Ironman MX National in Crawfordsville, Indiana. The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team prevailed through the tough conditions as Marvin Musquin ended the season strongly with 4th overall, while Dean Wilson captured 12th in only his fifth race of the season following injury and Andrew Short competed in the final professional race of his career.

Moto 1
In 450 Class Moto 1, both Dean Wilson and Marvin Musquin jumped into a favorable position off the start as they rounded the first few corners inside the top five. Musquin immediately went to work, powering his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION into the 3rd place position by lap three.
After battling with Eli Tomac for the final podium position, Musquin ultimately finished 4th in Moto 1. Wilson went on to capture 10th place in Moto 1, followed closely by KTM Canada’s Kaven Benoit in 12th.

Moto 2
In Moto 2, it was BTOSports.com KTM rider Andrew Short who shot out to capture the holeshot in the final professional race of his career to lead the beginning moments of the race. Unfortunately, Short soon experienced a bike issue that forced him to ultimately drop out of the race after the opening lap.

Musquin got off to a great start as he began the opening lap in the 3rd place position. After battling with Tomac, Musquin eventually settled into the 4th place position where he spent a majority of the race fighting off Jason Anderson. Musquin held tough to capture 4th place in Moto 2 and 4th place overall for the day.

“The goal was to finish the season strong and to keep 3rd place in the championship and we did that but it was a tough day,” Musquin said. “I didn’t finish on the overall podium but 4-4, that’s what I could do. It’s been a long season so to finish 3rd place in the championship is good for the first year in the 450 Class.”

Wilson didn’t get the most favorable start as he began the race in the top ten position. From there, Wilson put on a charge to make up some ground but a crash late in the race caused him to drop two positions in the overall running. Despite a hard-fought effort, Wilson finished 12th in Moto 2, where he ultimately finished 12th overall for the day with 10-12 moto scores.
Following a successful 3rd place season in the Canadian MX1 Championship, Canadian KTM rider Kaven Benoit made an appearance at the final round of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship. Benoit put forth a solid effort to capture 11th overall with 12-10 moto scores, just behind BTOSports.com. KTM rider Benny Bloss, who finished 10th overall with 7-11 moto finishes.
As previously announced, BTOSports.com KTM’s Andrew Short competed in the final professional race of his career on Saturday, following many years of commendable performance and achievement. Despite the bad luck in Moto 2, Short put forth a memorable performance in his final race and KTM would like to wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors beyond professional racing.

Troy Lee Designs Red Bull KTM’s Justin Hill and Mitchell Oldenburg close out Pro Motocross season on a positive note

Mitchell Oldenburg and Justin Hill gathered for the last round of the Pro Motocross season at Ironman Raceway, both collecting top-10 finishes and giving the team a high note to end on. Oldenburg showed flashes of great speed in Moto 1, and rounded out the day eighth overall. Hill bounced back from a tough Moto 1 to score seventh in Moto 2 and placing him ninth overall.
The riders were faced with tough conditions at the track outside Indianapolis. After rain overnight, the track was tricky and line selection was key. Oldenburg was up to the challenge and knew the start was going to be key. He was in second for the opening laps on his KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION and ended up holding onto seventh in Moto 1. As the track got tougher in Moto 2, Oldenburg battled hard to a 13th-place finish, good enough for another top-10 overall finish.

“It’s been a long motocross season and I’m really happy to bring the team another top 10 finish,”said Oldenburg. “Obviously I would have loved for the race to have gone better in Moto 2, but we came out healthy and have all 12 rounds under out belt.”
Unlike Oldenburg, Hill has had to bounce back from injuries this season, but he didn’t let that hold him back in Indiana. He raced hard in Moto 1 to a 15th place finish, while ending the series with a seventh place finish in Moto 2. His second moto effort propelled him into the top 10, where he claimed ninth overall.

“I’ve really felt good in the second half of the moto, but still have needed to find that speed in the opening laps,” said Hill. “I was able to do a bit better in Moto 2, which we’ll claim as a positive way to end an up and down season.”

Results 450MX Class Ironman 2016
1. Ken Roczen (GER), Suzuki (1-1)
2. Justin Barcia (USA), Yamaha (2-2)
3. Eli Tomac (USA), Kawasaki (3-3)
4. Marvin Musquin (FRA), KTM (4-4)
5. Jason Anderson (USA), Hisqvarna (5-5)
Other KTM
10. Benny Bloss (USA), KTM (7-11)
12. Dean Wilson (GBR), KTM (10-12)
16. Andrew Short (USA), KTM (13-35)
DNS Ryan Dungey (USA), KTM

Final Standings 450MX Class 2016 after 12 of 12 rounds
1. Roczen, 584 points
2. Tomac, 498
3. Musquin, 401
4. Barcia, 360
5. Phillip Nicoletti (USA), Yamaha, 229
Other KTM
6. Bloss, 228
9. Short,197
11. Justin Brayton (USA), KTM, 173
17. Ryan Dungey (USA), KTM, 131
19. Wilson, 122
Results 250MX Class Ironman 2016
1. Austin Forkner (USA), Kawasaki (1-3)
2. Aaron Plessinger (USA), Yamaha (8-1)
3. Cooper Webb (USA), Yamaha (5-2)
4. Alex Martin (USA), Yamaha (3-4)
5. Adam Cianciarulo (USA), Kawasaki (6-5)
Other KTM
8. Mitchell Oldenburg (USA), KTM (7-13)
9. Justin Hill (USA), KTM (15-7)
DNS Jessy Nelson (USA), KTM
DNS Shane McElrath (USA), KTM
DNS Alex Frye (USA), KTM

Final Standings 250MX Class 2016 after 12 of 12 rounds
1. Webb, 495 points
2. A. Martin, 422
3. Joey Savatgy (USA), Kawasaki, 383
4. Forkner, 376
5. Plessinger, 351
Other KTM
10. Oldenburg, 237
14. McElrath, 132
17. Hill, 122
19. Nelson, 105
28. Frye, 25


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Team Honda HRC Finishes MX Season at Ironman National

Courtesy of American Honda Racing

 he 2016 AMA Pro Motocross season concluded with the Ironman National in Crawfordsville, Indiana, where Team Honda HRC’s Fredrik Noren rode to a respectable ninth-place overall finish. In moto one, Noren got off the line to a less-than-desirable start but quickly began navigating through the pack. By the halfway point, the Swede had worked his way into ninth, which is where he finished. On the opening lap of moto two, Noren got tangled with a downed rider’s bike, causing him to fall back to nearly last. He put in an impressive come-from-behind performance over the remainder of the 30-minute-plus-two-lap race, advancing to ninth by the checkered flag.
NOTES

• After nine weeks of recuperation from a finger injury, Cole Seely is expected to return to riding this week. The Californian had been enjoying the best AMA Pro Motocross season of his career, with two third-place moto results, when he suffered the injury, which required surgery. “The recovery process took a little longer than I thought,” said Seely, who attended the Ironman National as a spectator. “Luckily, I live right down the street from my physical therapy office so I would go every day for electric stimulation and have my hand worked on, which I think helped for sure. I’ve been off the bike for about nine weeks, but I finally get to start riding again on Tuesday. We’re going to jump right into some testing with the 2017 bike and start getting ready for Monster Cup.”
• Rain throughout Friday night and Saturday morning left the Ironman track covered in thick mud for the timed qualifying practice period. Fredrik Noren was ninth fastest with a 2.36.957 lap time, posted in the first session.
• For Team Honda HRC, there is no break following the final AMA Pro Motocross race, as the team is quickly switching gears back to Supercross mode. Testing starts right away for the Monster Energy Cup, to be held at Las Vegas’ Sam Boyd Stadium October 15. “We have a ton of work that needs to be done,” said Team Manager Dan Betley. “Unlike in previous years when our bike had relatively few changes, the 2017 CRF450R is all-new, requiring a lot of testing. We won’t be taking any time off; instead, September will be the busiest we’ve been since the beginning of the summer.”

THE FOCUS: Farewell Trey Canard
On the eve of the Pro Motocross finale, Team Honda HRC hosted an end-of-season BBQ in the Ironman MX pits to honor Trey Canard, who is departing to ride for another team next season. Everyone from the factory Honda squad was in attendance, as was the GEICO Honda crew, who had the pleasure of working with Canard during his 250 career. Before the festivities, Team Manager Dan Betley and Manager of Motorcycle Sports Takashi “Sam” Mishima presented Canard with custom trophies, one from American Honda and the other from Honda Racing Corporation and HGA (Honda motorcycle R&D) in Japan. In return, the Oklahoman showed his gratitude by surprising the team with its own plaque that he had made. A few days before the race, Honda had also issued a farewell video featuring memorable moments from Canard’s time with the brand.
Canard has spent 10 years in the Honda family, and his departure has been surrounded by positive feelings. “It’s not very often in sports in general that you see an athlete and an organization leave on such good terms,” Canard said. “Actually, I don’t feel like we left on good terms—I really feel like we leave on great terms. There are no hard feelings or drama and the whole process has been very respectful from both sides. Then this week has just been surreal for me. To see the video that was done for me was very emotional. It brought to life so many situations, both highs and lows, that I’ve experienced over the past 10 years with Honda. That was unreal. Then to come here on Friday and feel the love and support from not only the Team Honda HRC crew, but also Japan and GEICO Honda was amazing. I’d also really like to say thank you to my mechanic Brent [Presnell], who has worked with me for 12 years and truly is family. This is definitely the end of a chapter in my book, but it was a great way to end it for sure.”
Everyone at Honda wishes Canard the best in his next endeavor.

---

Fredrik Noren  ³⁹

I’m not feeling great about my results today. A 9-9 score isn’t that bad but it’s obviously not where I want to be. My riding was pretty good today though, so I’m happy about that. Overall it’s been a bumpy year but I’m glad to have ended it with some pretty solid motos with these guys. I just need to get those starts dialed. In moto 2, I had a decent spot coming by the mechanics’ area and was about seventh when [Benny] Bloss went down in front of me and I ran into his back, getting stuck. I was one of the last guys once I got going again, but felt like I was riding really well after that. I had worked my way up pretty far and was feeling good until I crashed and just lost all my momentum.

Dan Betley

Team Manager

To say this was a tough series would be an understatement. I’m happy for it to be over and to be moving toward 2017. We started strong with Trey and Cole both riding well at the opening rounds, but we were dogged with injuries for the rest of the series. We had Freddie come on board for the last three rounds, and although we had hoped for some top-five finishes, we’re happy with the results he produced. We can just plan for next year and try to come back strong.

Rich Simmons

Mechanic (Fredrik Noren)

Freddie is probably one of the most consistent riders I’ve ever worked with. Wherever he qualifies is where he finishes; he was ninth in practice and ninth in both motos for ninth overall. The day wasn’t too bad overall, and I think he rode well, but he needs to be better on his starts. He can’t get pushed around on the start straight or the first turn, but to have two crashes in the second moto and still come back to ninth is really good. He was riding really well, and it was a pleasure working with Freddie these past couple weeks.




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MICROBILT/PRBC SUZUKI’S STEWART ENDS 2016 ON A HIGH NOTE

Courtesy of Microbilt/PRBC


KENNESAW, GA. (August 29, 2016) – It was a standout weekend for Team MicroBilt/PRBC Suzuki’s Ronnie Stewart in the season finale of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross National Championship Saturday at the Ironman MX National in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Stewart scored his best results of the season, earned a championship point and left Indiana happy with the progress he and his team made this season.

Stewart raced his MicroBilt/PRBC Suzuki RM-Z450 to 22-20 moto finishes earning him 24th overall. His 20th-place second moto finish marked his best race result of the summer and also earned him a championship point, one of the goals he wanted to accomplish by the end of the season. Stewart scored his solid moto result in spite of suffering a crash in the race. He was able to pick up his Suzuki and continue charging, making back nine positions by checkered flag.

Adding to the forward momentum by Stewart and the MicroBilt/PRBC Suzuki squad, was the fact that he qualified 15th at the Ironman, marking yet another season best.

“I feel great,” Stewart said after the races. “I couldn’t be happier than to end the season celebrating the small victories of improving each week. It’s feels great to have my best finish and be 15th in qualifying. To finish 20th and get a point after going down in the second moto and losing quite a few positions, it’s just great. I’m so excited to go into the off season healthy and am excited to see what’s in store for 2017. It was not the complete season I was hoping for, but I leave here with my head held high and looking forward to a better year in 2017.”

There were high hopes for Stewart coming into 2016, but a pre-season crash resulting in a serious wrist injury put the entire season in jeopardy. Stewart never quit and thanks to excellent medical care, rehabilitation and his training regimen, Stewart came back to racing well ahead of the schedule his care team predicted. There were setbacks along the way, but Stewart kept fighting and during the second half of the outdoor nationals the progress finally began showing in his results. In all he qualified for nine nationals in the premier 450 class.

Almost as exciting as scoring a national championship point at the Ironman, was Stewart’s performance in qualifying. He overcame muddy conditions early in the day to earn the 15th gate pick.

“It felt great to come out in the first session and qualify 15th,” Stewart explained. “The track was a little bit slower in the second session, so I wasn’t in a do-or-die situation. It gave me the chance to focus on trying different lines and move my concentration on to the motos.”

Stewart was running 18th in the second moto when he crashed and dropped all the way to 29th. He charged back up to 20th in the closing laps of the moto and admitted some nerves set in toward the end.

“I wanted to seal the deal,” Stewart said of his goal to at least score points in the event. “I rode a little tight those last two laps, but we accomplished the goal. I want to thank all my sponsors and everyone behind me for sticking with me through it all. It was a great character-building experience and I think it will help us get to the next level next season.”

The positive momentum should serve Stewart well as he begins preparations for 2017, where he hopes to take all he’s learned from this season and apply that when he’s fully healthy.

Keep up with Team MicroBilt/PRBC Suzuki via social media via:
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And by using and searching for the hashtag #teammicrobiltprbc.

About MicroBilt: MicroBilt is the single source and preferred provider of decision critical information for over 35 years that responsibly assists businesses in reducing risk and managing their business. MicroBilt offers the business owner simple, cost-effective solutions and a wide selection of data products for fraud prevention, consumer financing, debt collection and background screening.

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