Motorcycling Australia: Latest News

Vale Peter Kitto

Wed, 16 May 2012 13:02:00 +1000

Peter was an intrinsic member of the MA community, having worked tirelessly as the President of Motorcycling Tasmania since 2004 and as a member of the MA National Council since 2005. He was also a member of the MA Motocross Commission.

Well known and well liked throughout the industry, Peter will be held in our memories and sorely missed.

The condolences of Motorcycling Australia and the entire Motorcycle Sport community are with Peter�s family and friends at this time.

MA Board members re-elected at AGM

Wed, 16 May 2012 09:49:00 +1000

The meeting returned Stephen Foody as the MA President for a second term, and Ray Jonkers to the position of Director.

Vice President John Tisdale, and Directors Lyal Allen, Bob Kershaw and Stuart Strickland, are currently fulfilling their two-year Board terms and were not up for re-election at this year�s meeting.

For more information regarding the MA Board or Constitution please visit the MA Structure section of our website.

Crumps leads World Championship

Tue, 15 May 2012 14:00:00 +1000

Crump, who top scored in the heats before winning the semi-final, just missed the top spot on the podium after rearing at the start of the final and unable to pass eventual winner Nicki Pedersen. Despite missing out on victory on the night, the three-time World Champion collected 20 points to take the lead in the World Championship standings.

�I am pretty happy with the result but messed the start up a little in the final, but tonight has been a big step forward,� reflected Crump, who used a new engine that he had not ridden before.

�I�m physically and mentally fit and being back on the pace tonight has boosted my confidence immensely.

�It takes a lot of self-belief to know that you are still capable of winning races and getting back on the podium. I have not been on top of the box for some time so hopefully I can make that happen several times this year.�

Round Four of the 2012 World Championship Speedway GP will take place at Sweden�s Ullevi Stadium on Gothenberg on 26 May.

FIM MITAS CZECH SGP SCORES: 1 Nicki Pedersen 19, 2 JASON CRUMP 20, 3 Tomasz Gollob 12, 4 Greg Hancock 12, 5 Chris Holder 12, 6 Emil Sayfutdinov 10, 7 Josef Franc 9, 8 Antonio Lindback 9, 9 Hans Andersen 6, 10 Jaroslaw Hampel 6, 11 Bjarne Pedersen 6, 12 Chris Harris 6, 13 Fredrik Lindgren 6, 14 Peter Ljung 5, 15 Kenneth Bjerre 3, 16 Andreas Jonsson 3.

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: 1 JASON CRUMP 44, 2 Greg Hancock 43, 3 Tomasz Gollob 43, 4 Nicki Pedersen 42, 5 Jaroslaw Hampel 39, 6 Chris Holder 35, 7 Antonio Lindback 26, 8 Emil Sayfutdinov 25, 9 Fredrik Lindgren 22, 10 Andreas Jonsson 20, 11 Hans Andersen 17, 12 Kenneth Bjerre 15, 13 Bjarne Pedersen 15, 14 Peter Ljung 15, 15 Chris Harris 14, 16 Josef Franc 9, 17 Przemyslaw Pawlicki 7, 18 Jason Bunyan 1.

2012 Senior Dirt Track C'Ship Supp Regs

Tue, 15 May 2012 12:17:00 +1000

The Supplementary Regulations and Entry Form are available to view and download from the MA Supp Regs page.

Entries close at COB Friday 1 June and must be submitted to:

Rebecca Payne
Acting Race Secretary
25 The Domain
Nerang QLD 4211

For further event information please contact Rebecca Payne on 0434 243 717.

On-track program set for 2012 Aussie MotoGP

Tue, 15 May 2012 10:09:00 +1000

The penultimate round of the 2012 MotoGP season will see Casey Stoner take to the cliff-top circuit chasing a sixth consecutive premier class victory at his home track, while the Moto2 and new-for-2012 Moto3 categories feature a talented trio of Australians looking to mix it with the world�s best.

In addition, the best home-grown racers in the country will provide an action-packed support race bill, with the Australian Superbike/Superstock 1000 and Australian Supersport/Superstock 600 categories promising fast and furious racing at Australia�s premier two-wheel event from October 26-28.

David White, Chief Executive Officer of Motorcycling Australia, said support category riders would once again relish the chance to demonstrate their skill in front of such a large audience.

�The riders in the Australian Superbike/Superstock 1000 and Australian Supersport/Superstock 600 categories are the best in Australia, and they�ll be keen to put on a show at Phillip Island,� White said.

Nearly 100,000 people attended the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix last October, and none of them would have gone home disappointed with the action they saw across three days of racing.

Stoner will be the man to catch in the MotoGP class; remarkably, the Australian has led all but one lap of the last five Grands Prix at his home track. World Champion in 2007 and again last year, the 26-year-old Honda rider is likely to be right in the championship mix come the second-last round of the 2012 campaign.

Queensland�s Anthony West is Australia�s representative in the competitive Moto2 category, with the 30-year-old riding a Moriwaki for the QMMF Racing Team in the intermediate class.

Two young guns will represent Australia in the Moto3 category, the new four-stroke 250cc championship that made its debut as a replacement for the 125cc two-stroke class at this season�s opening World Championship round in Qatar.

Townsville�s Jack Miller, 17, will ride a Honda for the Caretta Technology team, while 16-year-old Arthur Sissis will make his maiden World Championship appearance at home for the Red Bull KTM Ajo team. The Adelaide native finished second in the prestigious Red Bull Rookies Cup feeder series in 2011.

Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, Andrew Westacott, said the local contingent in the international classes and the packed fields in the support races will offer plenty of high-class racing at the 2012 AirAsia Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix.

With five separate categories of racing all featuring Australian riders on one of the world�s most revered motorcycle circuits, we have a fantastic line-up of events for fans in October,� he said.

"The Superbike and Supersport categories always put on a show, and we�ll all be keen for the Australians in the World Championship classes to put in top performances in front of a passionate home crowd.�

Tickets for the October event are on sale now and the Australian Grand Prix Corporation is urging fans to book early to secure their seat. For more information visit www.motogp.com.au or call Foxtix on 1800 100 030

The Monday Wrap: 14-05-12

Mon, 14 May 2012 14:25:00 +1000

Remember, if you know any Aussies who are competing anywhere on foreign soil send an email to communications@ma.org.au with all the details and we�ll add it to the wrap. And give you the credit!

Gardiner and Wilson make top 5 in Portugal
Jess Gardiner and Jemma Wilson delivered an excellent performance at the 2012 MAXXIS Enduro World Championship Women�s Cup in Portugal last weekend.

In just their second round on the EWC circuit, the Yamaha duo managed to pull out some solid results. Wilson picked up a consistent 6-5 result across the two days, while Gardiner finished the weekend with an impressive 8-4 tally.

The pair will now wing their way back to Australia for this weekend�s round of the 2012 Australian Off-Road Championship.

Crump takes lead in FIM Speedway GP
Three-times World Champ Jason Crump has taken the overall lead in the 2012 FIM Speedway GP World Championship, after a commanding third round performance in the Czech Republic.

The Australian Speedway star emerged from a strong four-man final with Nicki Pedersen, Tomasz Gollob and Greg Hancock with the silver medal of the round, and enough points to take the overall Championship lead.

Fellow Australian Chris Holder, who claimed the second round of the Championship, finished his visit to the Czech Republic with a 6th place result.

The fourth round of the 2012 Championship will be played out at Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden on 26 May.

Consistent weekend for Ferris in Mexico
The 2012 FIM Motocross World Championship visited Guadalajara, Mexico over the weekend for the fourth round of the Series. Australia�s Dean Ferris, who missed the start of the 2012 season with an elbow injury, delivered a consistent 12-12 MX1 result for his Kawasaki Ice1Racing Team.

The Series will head to Brazil next weekend for the fifth instalment of the year.

Aussies deliver at Donnington
It was a green and gold weekend at the fifth round of the 2012 World Superbike Championship in Donnington, with three Aussies finishing in the top ten of the Supersport class.

Broc Parkes (Ten Kate Racing Products) led the Australian assault to claim fourth, with Smith Gloucester teammates Glen Richards and Billy McConnell finishing in 6th and 9th respectively. Melbourne rider Jed Metcher (Rivamoto Junior Team) rounded out the Aussie quartet to record a 13th place finish.

Parkes now sits 5th in the Championship Standings, followed by Richards (11), Metcher (15) and McConnell (25).

It was a mixed weekend for Australia�s single light in the World Superbike class, Mark Aitchison, who retired just a few laps from the finish in Race 1 before picking up a 14th place result in an incident-plagued Race 2.

Aitchison now holds 26th position in the Championship Standings, ahead of the sixth round in Salt Lake City on 28 May.

Dream run for Hook and Pickering in Asian Dream Cup
The first round of the 2012 Asian Road Championships delivered dream results for Honda riders Josh Pickering and Josh Hook, who both took top ten finishes in the Asia Dream Cup.

Hook finished the first weekend of the Series with a 4-12 result, while Pickering took home a 10-10 result.

It was a disappointing series opener for Cru Halliday in the Supersport 600 Class, with the Yamaha rider bowing out of Race 1 and not starting Race 2.

AORC Rounds 7 & 8 Final Instructions

Mon, 14 May 2012 11:26:00 +1000

The Final Instructions can be downloaded here.

For all the latest news and information about the AORC. make sure to visit the Official Series website.

Coppins and Styke win at Wanneroo MX

Mon, 14 May 2012 10:12:00 +1000

MX1 series leader Josh Coppins picked up his second win of the season in an impressive performance, winning motos one and three to extend his championship lead to 42 points despite riding through the pain of a pinched nerve in his neck.

�The last round didn�t go to well for us, so it�s nice to bounce back and I really want to thank CDR Yamaha for all their hard work,� the New Zealander said.

�We�ve been working really hard, they�ve been looking after me and I can�t say thanks to the team enough. It�s pretty tough out there, so I just want to try get rid of my injury, loosen up and try ride a bit better as the season goes on.�

Despite the relentless sand whoops of Wanneroo that formed throughout the round, Australia�s leading contenders pushed at 100 percent during all three of the pro motos in the series� first visit to WA since 2009.

Backing Coppins up to make it a Yamaha 1-2 was teammate Lawson Bopping, who picked up his second podium of 2012 after a consistent effort. Bopping claimed second in moto one, third in moto two and sixth in the final outing.

Continuing his spectacular run of results since joining Motul Pirelli Suzuki was Todd Waters, finishing third overall in what was his third podium in four rounds.
Waters was fourth in motos one and two, before a third in the final moto sealed the podium.

Completing the top five was Carlton Dry Honda Thor Racing�s Brad Anderson and Waters� teammate Cody Cooper. Top privateer finisher was Simmonds Racing Honda rider Tye Simmonds in sixth.

The hard-luck story of the round was defending four-time champion Jay Marmont, who broke through for his first win of the season for the Monster Energy squad in moto two. His day ended early in moto three though, forced out late in the moto as his pre-season knee injury continues to take its toll.

Motul MX2 championship leader Luke Styke picked up his second overall of the season for Serco Yamaha Metal Mulisha Racing, winning motos one and two before finishing fourth in the gruelling final moto.

�After putting in hard this weekend, I just want to thank the Serco Yamaha Metal Mulisha Racing team and the club for a great event,� Styke said.

�It was a good weekend and it feels good that all the hard work is paying off for all of us, but it�s early in the season and we need to keep trying the best we can.�

Styke won ahead of DPH Motorsport Honda�s Cheyne Boyd, who enjoyed a consistent round for his first podium of the season. After setting pole on Saturday, Boyd raced to second in moto one and third in the final two motos of the round.

Zero Seven Motorsports Suzuki rider Adam Monea was third overall, winning the final moto in a dominant performance. The Victorian was yet again back to his best in WA, edging out fellow Victorian Kade Mosig for the final position on the podium by just a single point.

Motorex/KTM�s Josh Cachia completed the top five despite battling through the day with an expected bout of appendicitis, heading another Victorian in Lewis Woods. Woods enjoyed his best round of the season by far for the Hart and Huntington/InsureMyRide team.

Title contenders Ford Dale (Carlton Dry Honda Thor Racing) and Kirk Gibbs (Serco Yamaha Metal Mulisha Racing) had a day to forget, with Dale taking seventh after a troublesome day, while Gibbs will have to settle for 13th after a flat tyre in moto one forced him out of the points.

Styke now enjoys a handy 39-point lead in the series ahead of Dale, while Gibbs remains third as we approach the halfway point.

The Australian Motocross Championship will now head straight to Murray Bridge in South Australia for round five of the Monster Energy Mx Nationals this weekend on 20 May.

Visit www.mxnationals.com.au for further information on the Monster Energy MX Nationals series.

2012 Monster Energy MX Nationals, Australian Motocross Championship
Round Four � Wanneroo, WA

MX1 Overall Results:
1. Josh Coppins 72
2. Lawson Bopping    57
3.Todd Waters 56
4. Brad Anderson 50
5. Cody Cooper 46
6. Tye Simmonds 45
7. Daniel McCoy 42
8. Jay Marmont 38
9. Mike Phillips 33
10. Gordon Crockard 32

MX2 Overall Results:
1. Luke Styke 68
2. Cheyne Boyd 62
3. Adam Monea 55
4. Kade Mosig 54
5. Josh Cachia 46
6. Lewis Woods 44
7. Ford Dale 42
8. Scott Columb 38
9. Luke Arbon 38
10. Kirk Gibbs 37

MX1 Championship Standings (after 4 of 10 rounds):
1. Josh Coppins 253
2. Brad Anderson 211
3. Todd Waters 208
4. Lawson Bopping    203
5. Cody Cooper 183
6. Tye Simmonds 178
7. Jay Marmont 177
8. Jake Moss 157
9. Daniel McCoy 125
10. Daniel Reardon 107

MX2 Championship Standings (after 4 of 10 rounds):
1. Luke Styke 260
2. Ford Dale 221
3. Kirk Gibbs 199
4. Cheyne Boyd 198
5. Josh Cachia 195
6. Kade Mosig 194
7. Adam Monea 190
8. Justin McDonald 143
9. Lewis Woods 134
10. Errol Willis 131

- Words by Alex Gobert, TwoThree Public Relations

Parkes thunders to fourth at Donnington

Mon, 14 May 2012 09:31:00 +1000

After recording a 7-3 result in the two timed qualifying practices of the weekend, the Newcastle native rode his Ten Kate Honda to an impressive fourth place finish in the main event, laying down a fastest lap time of 1�31.660 in the process.

The Australian was edged off the podium by Great Britain�s Sam Lowes (Bogdanka PTR Honda), Turkey�s Kenan Sofugulo (Kawasaki DeltaFin Lorenzini) and France�s Jules Cluzel (PRT Honda).

Parkes was shadowed across the finish line by fellow Australian racer Glen Richards (Smiths Gloucester) who picked up fifth place behind Parkes with a margin of 3.698 separating the pair, and a best lap time of 1�31.682. Richards� teammate Billy McConnell piloted his Triumph to ninth, while Melbourne�s Jed Metcher (Rivamoto Junior Team) picked up thirteenth.

Having picked up third place at the season opener at Phillip Island, and a fourth place finish at Round 4 in Monza, Parkes� now sits fifth on the Championship ladder with a solid tally of 42 points.

Parkes� and his fellow countrymen will now pack their bag and make the long haul to Salt Lake City in the United States for the sixth instalment of the fourteen round Series on 28 May.

For all the latest news and results from the 2012 World Superbike Championship and support classes, visit www.worldsbk.com.

Crump prepares for Czech Speedway GP

Sun, 13 May 2012 13:26:00 +1000

With the first two rounds of the World Championship already completed in New Zealand and Poland, Crump will be looking for a better result when he heads out at Marketa Stadium tomorrow.

The three-time World Championship is no stranger to success at Marketa Stadium, having taken three victories there in the past.

"I have had some success here at this track but it has been a while since I won here,� said Crump, who finished fourth at last year�s event.

�I just need to remain focussed on the job at hand and take each race at a time, get through the semi-final and win the final; that would be perfect but it�s not that easy, unfortunately.�

�I will be giving it everything next Saturday and with a bit of luck on my side, I hope to be on the top of the podium once again. It won�t be from lack of trying. We will wait and see what happens on the night.�

Crump enters the round sitting fourth in the Championship Standings, with fellow Australian Chris Holder one position behind in fifth.

The third round will be screened live from the Czech Republic on SPEED TV from 3am EST on Sunday May 13.

For live results on your iOS or Android device, download the new free Speedway GP 2012 Official App!