Australasian Dirt Bike – May 2019

16 |MAY 2019 http://www.adbmag.com.au

SOIL SAMPLE HOT OFF THE PRESS

USUALSUSPECTSLEADAORC

TheYamahaAustralianOff-Road

Championshipopenedcompetitionin

ToowoombaforRounds 1 and2.KTM

EnduroRacingTeam’sDanielMilner

wonbothdaysinE2aheadofJosh

Green(Yamaha)andJeremyCarpentier

(Yamaha).Husqvarna’sDanielSanders

tookback-to-backroundwinsinE3,

defeatingBeauRalston(Husqvarna)and

AndrewWilksch(Sherco).KTM’sLyndon

SnodgrassandYamaha’sLukeStyke

sharedwinsinE1.Yamaha’sJessGardiner

wonbothroundsofthewomens.

CAIROLIINTHEHOTSEAT

RedBullFactoryKTM’sTonyCairolihas

openedthisyear’sFIMMotocrossWorld

Championshipwithadominantwinin

Argentina.Thenine-timeworldchampion

wonbothracesgivinghimtheoveralland

thechampionshiplead.HRCHondarider

TimGajserfinishedsecondandHonda’s

JeremyVanHorebeekthird.Defending

MX2championJorgePradowonMX

aheadofThomasKjerOlsen(Husqvarna)

andMitchEvans(Honda).

GUTENTAGBERLIN

GermanriderLucAckermannwonNIGHT

oftheJUMPsinBerlinwithamassive

DoubleBackflipNac-Nac.The21-year-old

defeatedfive-timeworldchampionMaikel

MeleroandnowleadstheFIMFreestyle

MotocrossWorldChampionshipafterthe

firsttwocompetitions.

AMASX

RedBullKTM’sCooperWebbleadsthe

FIMMonsterEnergyAMASupercross

Championshipby14-pointsover

teammateMarvinMusquinafterRound

11 inIndianapolis.MonsterEnergy

Kawasaki’sEliTomacisthird,21-points

behindWebb.JGRSuzuki’sChadReedis

seventhinthechampionshipstandings.

MonsterEnergyKawasaki’sAustinForkner

leadstheEasternRegional250SXClass

Championship,teammateAdamCianciarulo

leadstheWesternRegionalChampionship.

MX NATS

DPH Husqvarna’s Todd Waters won the

opening round of the Pirelli MX Nationals

at Appin. Torrential rain forced organisers

cancel Moto 2 for all classes and winners

were announced after the fi rst race.

Waters was joined on the MX1 podium by

Raceline KTM’s Hayden Mellross and CDR

Yamaha’s Kirk Gibbs. Raceline KTM’s Jy

Roberts won MX2 ahead of Yamaha’s Jay

Wilson and Husqvarna rider Wilson Todd.

Phillips

THECATISoutofthebagwith

four-timeFIMEnduroWorld

Champion,MatthewPhillips,

rollingintoRound 1 ofthe

YamahaAustralianOff-Road

Championship(AORC)aboard

anMXStoreKTM.

TheTasmanianlocal

contestedtheopening

tworoundsoftheseriesin

Toowoomba,Queensland,

finishingfifthinE1onthe

Saturdaybeforeretiringonthe

Sundayduetoinjury.

PhillipstoldADBheinjured

hiskneewhenheclippeda

stumponthesideofthetrack

withhisboot.TheACLisok

andwithsomephysiotherapy

hewillbebackinactionfor

Rounds 3 & 4 oftheAORCon

6-7AprilinDungog,NSW.

Phillipsdecidedtoracethe

the 2019 AORCinDecemberlast

year.Afterretiringfromracing

inEuropeduetoaheadinjury,

Phillipsreturnedhomeandbegan

coachingup-and-comingTassie

rider,KyronBacon,whoisnowhis

teammate.

“LastyearIsufferedahead

injurywhichputmeoffthebike

foraboutsixmonths.Iwasina

negativeheadspaceafterthat

RACING, RACING

AND MORE RACING

Sports

corner

and decided to head home,” said

Phillips. “As I started to recover

I decided to help out a young and

upcoming rider, Kyron Bacon,

which got me back into the love

of riding! So, it’s thanks to Kyron

that I’m back on the bike and have

found that drive I lost last year.”

For KTM Australia, partnering

with Bacon and Phillips for the

AORC was a no-brainer,

“After a string of successful

years in the World Enduro

Championship where he secured

four world championships,

Matthew Phillips has returned

to Australian racing and we are

thrilled to welcome him back to

KTM,” KTM Motorsport Manager

Glenn Kearney told ADB.

“Supported by KTM Australia,

Matthew will be operating his own

team for the Australian Off Road

Championship”.

Photos: Alan McIntosh

JACOB SMITH QUITS HONDA

JACOB SMITH has parted ways with
Honda after 10 years and signed a
one-year deal with the Husqvarna
desert team.
The Condobolin local will pilot
the latest FE501 under the guidance
of Husqvarna desert team manager
Dave Schwarz.
Smith will contest the D’Aquino
Liquor Condo 750, Penrite Hattah
Desert Race, Sunraysia Safari,
Yellow Mountain Cross Country
and Tatts Finke Desert Race while
working full-time. As a Finke
veteran, Smith hopes to secure
an elusive Finke win, “I’m feeling
confi dent this year. The team is
really strong and the equipment is
great. We’ve got the same engine
and suspension as the guys who
are winning and the bikes are super
reliable,” Smith told ADB.
Having been with Honda for over

a decade, Smith said it was a strange

feeling switching brands. “I felt weird

about leaving but everyone at Honda

was supportive of my decision and

I’m grateful for everything they have

done for me. It’s a good change for

me and I feel refreshed. I’m excited

for what this year holds.”

Smith had never ridden a Husky

FE501 until after the deal was done but

said he quickly became comfortable.

Jake’s teammates will be Sam

Davie and Beau Ralston. Schwarz told

ADB the deal with Jake came about

after former team rider Ivan Long

decided to take a break from the

racing scene.

Smith’s fi rst race on his new

machine will be the Condo 750

navigational rally on 6-7 April, where

he will defend his 2018 title and aim

to take his fi fth in total.

Evans top of the world

MITCH EVANS has begun his FIM Motocross World Championship

campaign in style, fi nishing third overall in the MX2 class at the opening

MXPG in Patagonia, Argentina. Riding for his new team, Honda 114

Motorsports, the 20-year-old Queenslander recorded a fi fth in Race 1

and third in Race 2. “I couldn’t be any happier, I didn’t really know what

to expect being my fi rst GP,” said Evans. “I enjoyed every moment of it,

it was awesome being here, the fans were awesome ... I knew with the

the work we put in during the off season I could run with these boys.”