In one of the closest races GNCC spectators had seen in some time, Thor’s Kailub Russell earned his fifth race win of the season as he bested fellow Thor rider Charlie Mullins by just one second during Round 11 in St. Clairsville, Ohio. Russell started the race in second and quickly took over the lead on the second lap. Mullins closed the gap on Russell, eventually taking over the lead, but a few mistakes on the final lap gave Russell the advantage at the end. With the win, Russell made up ground in the chase for the championship, and now sits only four points behind the leader.

Charlie Mullins (above)
(Photo: Shan Moore)

Also at the GNCC, Thor’s Maria Forsberg not only won her women’s class for the 11th time this season, she took the overall against the entire field of 25 different classes during the morning bike races.

Maria Forsberg
(Photo: Shan Moore)

At Round 5 of the EnduroCross Series, Thor’s Taylor Robert and Mike Brown put on a good show for the Denver fans. Both riders won their heat races, giving them good gate pick for the main event. Robert and Brown both grabbed good starts and were battling before Robert moved back from second to fourth. Not one to back down, Robert put on a charge and worked his way back up to second, while Brown rounded out the podium in third. Robert now sits in second in the points, just two points ahead of Brown.

Taylor Robert
(Photo: Kinney Jones)

We had a chance to sit down and catch up with Thor’s Darryn Durham. Check out the latest from the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider.

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For all the latest from Thor, be sure to visit the NEW thormx.com, Thor on Facebook and follow@ThorMXOfficial on Twitter.

Red Bull KTM factory rider Taddy Blazusiak was back to his dominant ways at the Denver Endurocross to lead the main event in every lap and secure his third victory of the season in front of a packed stadium at the National Western Complex.

The Polish rider who is looking to retain his Endurocross title now has a 31-point lead with three rounds still to go. KTM teammate Mike Brown was third.

Blazusiak set the bar in the late afternoon after earning the fastest lap time in the hot lap session. Brown also turned a decent time during the hot laps to earn the fifth fastest time of the evening. The night program started well for both riders. Brown won the second heat and Taddy, in heat three was fifth at the start, moved into fourth in the first lap and closed in on leader Cody Webb one lap later, passing him in the fire pit area to take the lead. He led the remaining laps to take the heat win and a spot on the main event gate.

Brown, the X-Games EnduroCross gold medalist took the main event holeshot and Taddy was fourth at the first corner, took the lead in the matrix section and never looked back. He quickly pulled a comfortable lead and rode a faultless race to the checkered flag. Meanwhile, Brown battled with Taylor Robert for second position throughout the ten lap main event. The two swapped positions twice in the matrix section with Robert just edging out Brown on the final lap. Brown hung on for third to land his KTM on the podium.

Next Event: Everett, WA – October 20, 2012

Overall Results –
1, Taddy Blazusiak – KTM
2, Taylor Robert
3, Mike Brown – KTM
4, Geoff Aaron
5, Justin Soule
6, Cory Graffunder
7, Kyle Redmond
8, Gary Sutherlin
9, Wally Palmer
10. Kyle Calderini

Overall Point Standings –
1, Taddy Blazusiak – 129
2, Taylor Robert – 98
3, Mike Brown – 96

Chad Reed returns from injury. Two-time Supercross Champion Chad Reed was ranked #2 in the 2012 Monster Energy Supercross series when disaster struck heading into Round 7 at Dallas. Reed and Villopoto were battling for first in the final lap of the main event when Chad went over the bars on a triple set breaking two ribs, his T6, tearing an ACL, fracturing his tib/fib, and ending his Supercross season.

Just under 6 months later, Chad Reed is back on his bike and looking ahead to the 2013 Supercross season! Hear Chad talk about how he’s been able to keep this setback in perspective, and see him take his his Honda through the paces at his home track in Florida exclusively on Network A.

Honda World Motocross rider Evgeny Bobryshev overcame a problematic qualifying day yesterday to go 7-4 in today’s races for fourth overall at a notoriously tough Lierop track in The Netherlands for round 14 of the MX1 World Championship.

After a tough qualifying race yesterday where Bobryshev finished 15th, while Gonçalves had to retire with a technical problem, both riders got a good start to the opening moto of today. Gonçalves took up sixth place with Bobryshev two places back in eighth initially.

Bobryshev, who was feeling more comfortable with the overnight machine setting changes made, lost time with a mistake in the early stages, but the Russian ace got into his rhythm midway through the race and was able to take Shaun Simpson on the final lap for seventh place. Gonçalves slipped back through the order to finish in 14th position while struggling to find a good feeling with the bike, which was altered between motos.

In race two Bobryshev took up third place on lap three of the 35-minute plus two-lap moto, although Simpson got the better of him a handful of laps later. Tanel Leok charged past the dicing duo in the final stages of the moto, but a hard working Bobryshev took Simpson again on the last lap for fourth position and fourth place overall. Teammate Gonçalves got a superb start, but went down on lap one as an unavoidable Maximilian Nagl crashed right in front of him. Coming from the back of the pack the 27-year-old Portuguese rider came through in the super-rough, gnarly conditions to take a very commendable eighth position and 10th overall.

The Honda World Motocross team now heads to its home round in Faenza, Italy for the penultimate round of the Grand Prix series. Antonio Cairoli won both motos.

Evgeny Bobryshev #777: 4th overall
“In the first race the start wasn’t so bad, but I made a mistake on the first lap and crashed. I lost a lot of time so the guys at the front got away, but I just rode my own race, tried not to make any mistakes, and I was catching Simpson. In the last few laps it was tough, but I got him just before the end and I was fighting right to the finish. In the second race I got a good start, and I didn’t push too much in the beginning. I knew the guys would be tired, so I had a little plan to push more at the end, but unfortunately I too got tired. Leok passed me and I couldn’t go with him, but Simpson was in front and I managed to get him in the end to finish fourth. We made some little steps overnight with the suspension that made me feel better and we are definitely going in the right direction overall. I just need a little bit more time training on the sand tracks to get myself in the p erfect condition. My aim is just to stay consistent now for the last two races and enjoy my riding while continuing to train hard.”

Rui Gonçalves #999: 10th overall
“It’s been a tough weekend overall for me. We had some bike issues yesterday, which put me on the outside of the gate. We put some different settings into the bike today and in the first moto it wasn’t great for me. I got a good start, but I couldn’t get on with the bike like normal, so we ended up where we did. I was for sure not happy about that. In the second race I got a decent start into third but Max (Nagl) crashed in front of me in the first lap and I was right behind, so I couldn’t avoid him. I hit him and went down, so I was a long way behind the pack. On the first lap I managed to get back through a few positions, but I knew it would be really tough to get up front. I kept pushing and managed to take eighth, but I was close to (Clement) Desalle on the last lap. I was pretty happy with how I was rid ing, but I was frustrated with how the weekend turned out because it could have been a lot easier if things went more smoothly. I did my best, the team worked hard to resolve our issues, which I’m grateful for. Thanks to all my family and supporters; there’s two to go, so I’ll keep working hard to try and bring the good results home.”

Lorenzo Resta: Honda World Motocross Team Manager
“Overall I am very happy with the results from both riders. With Bobby’s bike we made quite a few changes overnight after yesterday’s performance, and we saw a big improvement. For Rui we had made some changes in the first moto, which didn’t suit him, but for the second he had a much better outing. Unfortunately he crashed after a couple of corners, as Max Nagl went down right in front of him, which wasn’t his fault. I’m really happy because we were one step off the podium with Bobby, which is unexpected at the moment. It’s the best race for him in the most difficult conditions this year. I’d also like to remember that here in Lierop three years ago Timotei Potisek rode with us just a few months before he sadly passed away. He was a special guy and he was a Le Touquet winner, so it&rsqu o;s nice to come here to remember that. Now we head to our home round in Faenza, which will be important to us and we will have a journalist test there for the 2013 CRF 450R, so we are really looking forward to that.”

Image credit Sarah Gutierrez

It’s an explosive start to the opening day of the Maxxis Enduro World Championship Scandinavian tour as day one at the GP Husaberg of Sweden in Karlsborg gets underway.

With the EWC returning to Sweden for the first time since 2008 it’s the French trio of Antoine MEO (KTM), Christophe NAMBOTIN (KTM) and Mathias BELLINO (Husaberg) that win Enduro 1, Enduro 2 and Enduro Junior. However, Finland’s Juha SALMINEN (Husqvarna) becomes the spoiler of the French party as he grabs victory in Enduro 2.
Italy’s Giacomo REDONDI (KTM) is crowned the first world champion of the 2012 season. By claiming his tenth consecutive victory in the Enduro Youth Cup, REDONDI secures his first ever world title on day one in Sweden.

After struggling through the Friday evening Super Test, KTM’s Christophe NAMBOTIN (F) immediately picked up his pace during the morning tests to gain an early lead in Enduro 3. Setting the fastest times in both the Cross Test and the long and technical forestry based Enduro Test NAMBOTIN continued to build his advantage throughout the day to secure victory.“It was a very tough day for me,” confirmed NAMBOTIN at the end of day one. “I had to work hard to recover from my crash during the Super Test. Thankfully, I was able to set some fast times in the Enduro Test, which helped me to win.”Clearly enjoying the loose, sandy terrain of Sweden, Estonia’s Aigar LEOK (TM) recorded his best result of the season since the GP of Chile to finish as runner up to NAMBOTIN. Battling hard with home favourite, Husaberg’s Joakim LJUNGGREN (S), the TM rider eventually placed almost 13 seconds clear of his rival. For LJUNGGREN, hopes of victory at his home race were soon dashed with numerous mistakes in the second Cross Test. Setting some fast times during the final lap, the Husaberg rider was able to end his day on the podium with third place.Italy’s Manuel MONNI (KTM) was the surprise performance of Enduro 3 as he delivered his best result of the season to place fourth. With MONNI fourth, Finland’s Marko TARKKALA (Beta) completed the top five.

Putting the effects of a summer flu to the back of his mind, France’s Antoine MEO (KTM) grabbed a hard fought victory in Enduro 1. Physically unable to ride to his maximum ability, MEO made a cautious start to the morning and gradually upped his pace as the day progressed to claim his ninth win of the season.“I want to thank all the efforts of my team in helping me get through today,” remarked MEO. “I felt very weak and couldn’t ride to my maximum ability but my team worked hard to ensure this good result for me.”Sherco’s Fabien PLANET (F) was another rider to truly enjoy the typical Scandinavian conditions as he powered his way to a personal best result of second place. Fending off a strong challenge from Italy’s Thomas OLDRATI (KTM), PLANET set the fastest time in the final two Extreme Tests to finish 19 seconds behind MEO.Equalling his result from day two at the GP of Italy, OLDRATI proved he is capable in all types of terrain to grab third.Missing out on a podium result by an agonising six seconds, Finland’s Matti SEISTOLA (Husqvarna) ended his day in fourth. Crashing numerous times in the Extreme Test, Eero REMES (FIN – KTM) saw his chance of a podium result slip away and finished fifth.

Finland’s Juha SALMINEN (Husqvarna) laid on a master class of racing in sand to easily top the Enduro 2 standings. Recording the fastest time in five of the day’s ten special tests, SALMINEN claimed victory by almost 40 seconds.I had no major problems today and my times were really strong in the Enduro Test,” said a pleased SALMINEN. “The track was very wet and muddy in the liaison sections between the tests, which made for a physical race. I expect tomorrow will be a tougher day but hopefully I can repeat this result.”Unable to match the fast pace set by SALMINEN on lap one, France’s Pela RENET (Husaberg) was forced to settle for second. Although picking his speed up during the final stages of the day, RENET couldn’t close the gap to the Husqvarna rider and finished day one as runner up in Enduro 2. Behind him, Spain’s Cristobal GUERRERO (KTM) battled back from a bad start in the morning to claim the final step of the podium with third.Charging hard throughout the day, KTM’s Johnny AUBERT (F) looked assured of a podium result until a costly one-minute time penalty dropped back behind his teammate GUERRERO to finish fourth. Rounding out the top five, Italy’s Alex SALVINI (Husqvarna) was fifth.

Husaberg’s Mathias BELLINO (F) once again stamped his authority on Enduro Junior as he claimed a commanding 57-second margin of victory. Setting the fastest of the evening during the Friday Super Test, the French rider continued to build on his race lead during the day to secure his eighth win of the season.
Behind him the battle for the remainder of the podium positions was fought out between Italy’s Jonathan MANZI (KTM), Sweden’s Johan EDLUND (Husaberg) and Britain’s Danny MCCANNEY (Gas Gas). With MANZI finishing second, EDLUND earned his first podium result of the year with third pushing MCCANNEY back into fourth. Italy’s Edoardo D’AMBROSIO (KTM) completed the top five.

Italy’s Giacomo REDONDI (KTM) claimed the win in Enduro Youth Cup to confirm himself as world champion. Italy’s Matteo BRESOLIN (Husaberg) finished second with Sweden’s Oliver NELSON (KTM) completing the top three.

Season best performances from riders Nez Parker and Jamie Law were a fantastic boost for Team STR KTM at round six of the Maxxis British Motocross Championships held at Hawkstone Park at the weekend.

There was a particularly fine display from Jamie Law deputising for injured lead rider, Matiss Karro on a 350 SX-F, whose efforts in the three races saw him jump to seventh overall in the Championship standings.

Nez Parker, back after two months on the side-lines with an ankle injury, competed with damaged knee ligaments, yet on board his new 2013 KTM 450 also put in a season best performance to climb the Championship table to eleventh place.

With Karro out for the foreseeable future, the new combination of Parker and Law were both looking forward to showing what they could do on their new mounts.

Qualifying

After posting ninth and 11th respectively in the timed qualifying session both riders stepped it up in super-pole with Parker taking a superb fifth with Law in sixth.

Race 1

Law made a great start in fourth with Parker back in tenth and as the race settled down Parker closed in on his new teammate and the two were running sixth and seventh. As the race progressed the rough track took its toll on the pair with them both suffering from arm-pump. They were unable to hold off the advancing Whatley and Krestinov and had to settle for eighth and ninth at the flag.

Race 2
Similar starts in the second race again saw Law in fourth early on with Parker a few places behind. Law had to give ground to Barr and Potisek but settled into sixth with Parker now on his back wheel. For a few laps it looked like Parker was going to make the pass on Law but the tough Cumbrian held him off to take sixth despite another huge effort on the final lap by Parker who had to be content with seventh.

Race 3
Law made his best start of the day in second behind Max Anstie but was soon passed by Simpson and Barr and later by Strijbos, the winner of the first two races. Parker was a little further back in 12th but soon progressed through to ninth but despite all his efforts he was unable to improve any further. Parker’s 9-7-9 points haul saw him move to sixth overall, his best result of the season and despite missing two rounds of the Championship he has moved up to 11th in the standings.

Law, meanwhile had reeled in Barr and the two of them fought over fourth for the second half of the race, but try as he might Law just couldn’t make a pass stick, eventually crossing the line in fifth just one second behind the Irishman. His 8-6-5 scorecard gave him his best ever British Championship finish in fifth place, moving him up to seventh in the Championship, just one point behind Whatley.

A happy Jamie Law commented: “The bike was awesome today. I can’t believe how good it was off the start. I felt really good out there and ended up with my best result ever so I’m really pumped and can’t wait to ride the bike in the Czech GP next week.”

Nez Parker added: “I am happy with my performance today, I haven’t raced for two months and also came here with an injury to my knee which I will get a scan on later in the week. I’ve got to be happy with sixth overall after being out for so long. I like the new 450, it handles really well and is a lot easier to ride than the 2012 bike and I’m looking forward to riding it next weekend at Loket.”

Team Manager, Steve Turner, said: “I came here a bit deflated after losing Matiss but I have to say the lads certainly put a smile back on my face. They both rode really well and I’d have definitely taken fifth and sixth overall at the start of the day. They both looked good on their new bikes and

Short of Desertmartin in Ireland, Duns in Scotland is the furthest that Suffolk-based John Banks Honda-supported rider Lewis Tombs has to travel to the race, and Tombs was not disappointed this time either.

After qualifying in tenth, Tombs launched himself into the first race in mid-pack. Ninth in the first lap, Tombs held his own against the MX1 bikes in the race, crossing the finish line on the final lap in seventh. In the second race, a crash in the first lap cost Tombs his position in the front of the pack. A second crash a lap later meant a restart in dead last, but he made quick progress up the pack again. With minutes left to go on the clock, Tombs caught a second wind and gathered a few more positions to end the race in ninth for a seventh overall on the day.

Commented Tombs: “Qualifying didn’t go so good, I didn’t get a clean lap in. I ended up tenth in the MX2, so I had a half decent gate pick. The first race was average; I managed to sneak around the inside and managed to come out ok. I was running in seventh in the MX2, and had a small crash. I was back outside the top ten but was riding real good. Towards the end I picked up a few places and ended seventh. In the second race there was a big pileup on the start, I managed to get around and get inside the top ten of the race, but I crashed, being impatient. I crashed again in the first lap and ended up dead last, and managed to get back I think to ninth. I was riding good but making silly mistakes.

After qualifying second yesterday, Gonçalves got a good start to the 35-minute plus two-lap moto into second position. The Honda pilot maintained a strong rhythm throughout the moto, despite being passed by Ken de Dycker, and was not distracted by the mid-moto downpour to bring his factory CRF 450R home in third position. Bobryshev battled hard from seventh place at the end of lap one to finish in fifth position.

Following heavy rainfall, which had left the track wet and with little choice in lines, Gonçalves didn’t repeat his race one start and completed lap one in sixth place after making some good passes. The 27-year-old Portuguese star dropped to seventh after three laps, but made a strong comeback starting with a pass on Shaun Simpson with some smooth and stylish riding mid-moto.

In the closing stages Gonçalves caught and passed Gautier Paulin, and had his eyes set on Clement Desalle after the team informed him that he needed another position for the podium. Despite pushing hard to close the gap, the Honda pilot couldn’t quite make the pass on the final lap and had to settle for fifth place with fourth overall.

Bobryshev had another eventful race as he didn’t get a good start after banging machines off the gate with another rider, and although he made some good passes, he crashed on lap one and came around in 19th position. The Russian racer fought hard to make his way back through to 11th place and took ninth position overall.

The Grand Prix was won by Antonio Cairoli and the team is now heading to Russia for round 11 of the series next weekend in Semigorje.

Rui Gonçalves #999: 4th overall
“It was two solid motos, which is the main thing for me today. I got a pretty good start to the first moto and there was a good pace going with Tony, but he was definitely faster, so I just tried to maintain a good rhythm. I wasn’t my best midway through the race, as I made some mistakes and de Dycker came by, but I finished third and I was pretty happy about that. It was a good moto; I was happy with how I was riding, and I could step up the pace towards the end. In the second moto the start wasn’t so good, as I touched a few guys in the first turn. With the rain in between the races it was difficult to find lines to pass, and also with the roost, because it was just filling the radiator with sand, so I was aware of that while aiming for consistency and I gained some positions for fifth. I came close to Desalle, and thought I had one place I could pass him, but I just wasn’t close enough on the last lap. We missed the podium, but it was much better with good riding and I want to thank the team for all of their hard work, as well as my family and my girlfriend.”

Evgeny Bobryshev #777: 9th overall
“It’s been another tough day. We had bad luck with the weather and the track was quite one liney. I didn’t get such a good jump from the gate in race one, and I was coming back through, so I was happy with fifth place. In the second race I touched Strijbos coming down the straight off the gate and it put me into neutral, so I lost a lot of time into the first turn. Then I made some passes, but I crashed hitting some deep sand. I had to come back from outside the top 20 and I got to 11th. I still can’t feel the results coming, although we keep trying so hard. I am going home to my family’s place to train this week in preparation for Russia, where I hope for some more improvements.”

Lorenzo Resta: Honda World Motocross Team Manager
“It was the best GP of the year for the team, and for Rui it was one of his best performances so far in the MX1 class. It’s a shame he wasn’t on the podium, as he deserved it; he was riding good in both motos, especially in the second heat where he made some good passes. Bobby had a bit more of a difficult weekend. I think he has some pressure on himself for being close to his home Grand Prix, so we need to work on that, and we’re working on the bike, to see where we can improve. We are looking forward to Russia, as it’s a very important race for us, but we don’t want to put too much pressure on and we just hope for a solid weekend from both riders.”

(Image credit Sarah Guiterrez)

Honda World Motocross rider Rui Gonçalves salvaged a seventh place second moto finish after neither he or teammate Evgeny Bobryshev completed race one in the wet conditions in Uddevalla, Sweden during round nine of the MX1 World Championship.

In the opening race of today after heavy rainfall, which left the track sloppy and wet, Bobryshev got a good start into fourth place from second on the gate while Gonçalves made up places in the opening lap by picking his way through the pack. Like many riders struggling to stay aboard their race machines, Bobryshev lost the front of his machine on lap five and landed on a rock with his right arm. Despite his attempt to continue, the forearm was bleeding heavily and he was forced to retire from the race.

Gonçalves fell a couple of times while negotiating the challenging track but settled into 12th position until the final lap, when his bike stopped and he was unable to make it to the finish line.

After returning from the Clinica, where Bobryshev received medical attention and four stitches to repair the deep puncture wound in his right arm, it was decided he would not line up for the second race, as he could not grip the handlebars safely.

Gonçalves was determined to make the best of a tough day for the team by getting a good start into eighth place in the second moto. The track, which again was proving tough for many riders, was drying in places, but the 27-year-old Portuguese star kept his cool to hold off attacks from Gautier Paulin and Xavier Boog to finish the race in seventh position.

Clement Desalle, who has now taken the championship lead, won both races and the Honda World Motocross team now has one weekend off before heading to the next round in Kegums, Latvia.

Rui Gonçalves #999: 13th Overall
“In the first moto I didn’t get a good start, so I pushed my way past a few other guys to get closer to the front, but then I made a mistake and went down. I came back again to 12th and then in the last lap the bike stopped, so I couldn’t finish. The gate position wasn’t great, and I needed to push as much as I could to the inside for a good start, which is what I did and although I got pushed wide, I made some passes on the first lap to find myself in a good position. I then rode consistently and better than in the first race to keep the position until the end. It’s a shame about the first race, but the track was really wet and in the second race it was really one liney with only a dry line a metre wide, so it was hard to make time up. Anyway I’d like to say thanks to the team and I want to stay focused on my training while hoping things will turn m y way, as I won’t give up.”

Evgeny Bobryshev #777: Not classified
“In the first race I got a good start and was fourth while battling with Pourcel a little. After five laps the front wheel washed out in quite a fast section and I landed on my right shoulder. While I was sliding down the track I could feel the stones cutting my skin and I thought it was okay, but when I got hold of the handlebar on the bike I had no power in my arm, and I looked down to see a big cut. The medical centre cleaned it up and stitched it, which will take four weeks to heal, so again we are in a bad situation. There’s nothing more I can say; I am so disappointed and it is quite painful at the moment. The track was hard, with so many guys crashing, as it was like ice underneath and difficult to know what was going to happen every lap. We just need some good weather and good track conditions, as this year has been so tough on everyone.”

Lorenzo Resta: Honda World Motocross Team Manager
“It’s really hard to find something to say because we’ve had another bad day, although for sure there are others today that have had worse luck than us. We were here to get the better results and we were really only unlucky again with Bobby crashing and landing on a stone. With Rui he was good but he didn’t deserve the final result in the first moto after the hard work in the race to then not finish on the final lap, but in the second moto it was much better. So it’s difficult to say something good, as with yesterday we were happy with the results, but we have to keep working and pushing with the belief that in Latvia something will change.”

(Image credit Sarah Gutierrez)