AMA Amateur MX
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GYTR YJR success continues in Tasmania, WA and Queensland
Despite the various state and regional lock downs, racing has continued in some area and when there is a race, you know that the GYTR Yamaha Junior Racing Team will be there flying the Yamaha flag. With New South Wales holed-up at home, Victoria, South Australia and Queensland in snap lock downs, its been left to the Western Australian and Tasmanian riders to head line the team at their recent state championship events.
Tasmania
The Apple Isle has been able to sneak in a couple of state rounds to keep their racing going and have now just one more state title round remaining for the 2021 season. The duo of Angus Pearce and Jay Jennings are in the box seat, leading their respective championships after recent good form.
Pearce is looking good for victory in the 13-16 years Lites class after dominating the last two rounds. Pearce took three from three at Smithton and backed that up with identical results from Cambridge, meaning he has won six races on the trot and has extended his lead out to 41 points over his nearest rival.
Jay Jennings is also in a good position after the Cambridge round and leads both the 10-12 years 65cc class and the 9-11 years 85cc class. Jennings dominated the day at Smithton, winning all his races and cement his position at the top of the championship chase. Any consistent round at Cambridge on the weekend saw him consolidate that position despite not feeling 100%.
Jay now holds down a 35-point lead on his YZ65 and a 36-point lead on his YZ85.
“The last two rounds have been good for both the riders, and we are now really well placed in all classes with just one round to go,” said Team Manager, Brody Jennings. “Each track provided a different challenge for the riders with Smithton being wet and technical while Cambridge was dry and fast. We just need to finish the last round as strongly as we have contested the previous two rounds and we should be able to secure some more state championships for YJR.”
Western Australia
The WA guys have also been in action with plenty of local racing over there to keep the team of Jake Rumens and Deegan Fort motivated. The weekend just gone saw the running of round four of the Western Australian Motocross Championship and the riders again showed good speed and skill on a wet track.
Jake Rumens come out swinging on his YZ85 to take the round victory with 1-1-2 results and close in on the 12-14 years 85cc class lead. Rumens came into the round in second place but needing to win races to claw his way back to the top and he was able to make that happen and now just sits one point from the class lead.
He was also able to put some consistent races together in the 13-15 years 125cc class, finishing fifth in all three races and now moves to fourth in the championship.
Deegan Fort also double up on the weekend contesting both the 10-12 years 65cc and the 9-11 years 85cc class. Across the six races he contested, he finished with five, second place finishes and one fourth, giving him second place in both divisions. But the battle for the state championship is far from over with three riders duking it out for 85 class honours, while Fort sits in second on the 65cc, 24 points from the championship leader.
Peter Strickland
“Another good weekend for both riders and families in cold and damp conditions. It was far from perfect out there, but they battled away and finished up with some good results that has them looking pretty good in the championship. The boys and the team will keep on it for the remainder of the year and make the most of the racing we have in WA as we can see how fast things can change in other states.”
Queensland
The opening round of the Queensland Motocross Championship got underway at the Coolum circuit recently, but no sooner had it started, it was shut down when South East Queensland went into a snap lock down. Practice was completed but no racing held. Mackay is the next round on the schedule while MQ look at a new date for the Coolum round.
But, a round of the Queensland Off Road Championship was able to be ran recently and the young guns of Harley and Drake Hutton contested the event. Harley took the class win in the 85cc J1 category while younger brother, Drake, finished second on his 65. Old man Kirk also took the win in the Masters Over 45 class.
Harley leads the 85cc class by 28 points over his nearest rival while Drake hangs onto a narrow seven-point lead in the 65cc division.
Sebastian Bühler wins Hungarian Baja 2021
The Hungarian Baja was staged in the Lake Balaton region around the small town of Várpalota, with the overall victory falling to Sebastian Bühler (Hero) in the motorcycle category despite two special stages being cancelled. Other standouts were Junior rider Konrad Dabrowski (KTM) who was classified in seventh and, in the female category, Mirjam Pol (Husqvarna) 11th ahead of Margot Lloberat (KTM) the second Junior – and Sarah Khuraibet (KTM).
The first day of the fourth round of the 2021 FIM Bajas World Cup was somewhat epic… just like the second. Event organisers decided to start the motorcycles after the cars and riders duly encountered unusual difficulties over the damaged and rutted terrain, with banners and signs torn off and cars being delayed. They also had the added hazard of overtaking the slowest of the four-wheel entrants in the dust.
Used to getting up at dawn on Saturday morning, riders were able to sleep in because their departure was at 11.45hrs! Torrential rain had fallen in the area the day before the race began, so riders encountered very damaged ground after the passage of the cars. Riders incurred numerous penalties because, despite the road book, they found themselves racing on bad tracks.
The FIM jury decided to cancel the last special on Saturday for safety reasons as cars had become lost in SS5 and the departure of the motorcycles had been delayed with some riders running the risk of not arriving at nightfall.
A similar decision was taken on Sunday to cancel the last stage (SS7) for safety reasons and to avoid cars and motorcycles overtaking in the dust. Victory, therefore, fell to Sebastian Bühler (Hero).
Sebastian Bühler
“This morning, the track was broken after the cars passed twice yesterday. We still had to manage the banners but I managed to stay focused and gain a little time, despite destroying my rear tyre in 86 km. I’m happy with this performance because I was able to improve at each stage.”
Stefan Svitko (KTM) climbed on to the second step of the podium and Joachim Rodrigues (Hero) was third.
Stefan Svitko
“I didn’t feel comfortable attacking on increasingly destroyed ground. So I managed to finish. Our goal was to train and ride the bike for miles for the next rally.”
After entering the Baja at the last minute, Mathieu Doveze (KTM) finished fourth.
Mathieu Doveze
“This is my second Baja. I’m here to learn and store as much information as possible. With the rally bike, it was complicated on this broken ground, you had to stay focused but it was a good exercise.”
Graham Jarvis undergoes successful knee surgery
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Graham Jarvis is recovering well following knee surgery, required after he injured himself on day two at Romaniacs. Breaking the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) in his left leg, Jarvis travelled to Madrid in Spain where he underwent an ACL reconstruction and is now resting at home awaiting a green light so he can proceed with his rehabilitation.
Topping the first full day of offroad competition in Romania, Jarvis looked set to battle it out for the overall win as he chased an incredible seventh Romaniacs victory. With just 40 minutes of racing to go before the finish of the second day, and having successfully navigated through the toughest part of the course, Graham twisted his knee on a high-speed section, forcing him out of the event and requiring him to undergo the needed surgery.
Graham Jarvis
“I guess there are always positives and negatives with injuries like this, but I’m doing all I can do at this time. I managed to get surgery pretty quickly – in Madrid, Spain, on the Tuesday after Romaniacs – so that’s a real positive. Thankfully, there wasn’t much swelling, so I didn’t have to wait for things to settle down before visiting the surgeon. Now I’m just resting and keeping my leg elevated as much as possible. It’s a little uncomfortable, but as soon as I can I’ll start the rehab. It’s going to be a long time before I’m back racing – but it is what it is. I’ll be doing all I can to make sure when I do return, I’m as strong and fit as I can be. Right now I’m just taking things day-by-day. It goes without saying that I’m hugely disappointed, it was one of those silly little accidents. The support I’ve received has been incredible. From the team, from Husqvarna, and from fans all around the world – it’s been amazing. Thanks to everyone, and I look forward to being back racing as soon as I can.”
Red Bull Romaniacs 2021 Recap
Round four of this year’s FIM Hard Enduro World Championship at Red Bull Romaniacs was one to behold. A full week of pure Hard Enduro action and passion, it will be one to remember for a long time to come. With so much happening in such a relatively short space of time, here is a quick look back at some of the bits you may have missed…
Reading through the results sheet of the Gold class and it’s clear to see the growing number of manufacturers present with KTM, Beta, GASGAS, Sherco, and Husqvarna all in the mix. KTM topped the class thanks to Manuel Lettenbichler’s win, but Sherco were arguably team of the week with both Wade Young and Mario Roman second and third, respectively. A fourth from Jonny Walker was also Beta’s best ever result at Red Bull Romaniacs.
Making it two Gold class finishes in a row, Sandra Gomez (GASGAS) continues to push the limits for women in Hard Enduro. Last October she became the first female competitor to complete Gold at Red Bull Romaniacs, and this time she smashed it. Finishing an incredible 29th overall, she also stayed clean on penalties.
The much-anticipated marathon stage proved a hit during this year’s race. Between Offroad Day 2 and Offroad Day 3, competitors got back to basics by spending a night in the forest at a makeshift campsite. With no outside assistance from their teams and support crews allowed, they had to take care of all mechanical maintenance, while recharging body and mind for the following day.
Another little piece of history was made when Pol Tarres powered his adventure bike to a Bronze class finish. It was captivating, to say the least, watching Pol wrestle his 200kg twin-cylinder Yamaha Tenere 700 through the Carpathian Mountains.
While the top stars of Hard Enduro ultimately filled the top placings, they were pushed all the way by some rising stars of the sport. Bulgaria’s Teodor Kabakchiev (Husqvarna) took it to them throughout the week. Placing second in Tuesday’s Time Trial qualification was a sign of things to come. Never outside of the top 10 all week, third on Offroad Day 3 secured him an eventual eighth overall. With Michael Walkner (GASGAS) and Dominik Olszowy (KTM) ninth and 10th, the young guns are closing in.
One of the week’s most impressive rides came from Canada’s Trystan Hart (KTM). Making his Red Bull Romaniacs debut, he quietly chipped away at things. Settling into the race and adapting to the incredibly long and steep, descents and climbs, Hart placed seventh. As the 2020 winner of Red Bull TKO in the USA, expect him to be a rider to beat when we visit there on August 13-15 for round five.
The FIM Hard Enduro World Championship continues with round five at Red Bull TKO in the USA on August 13-15.
No decision yet on NGCP public offering mode–ERC
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The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) said Thursday it has not yet ruled on whether it is allowing the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) to conduct other modes of public listing.
Under NGCP’s franchise, the company can undertake public listing or in substitution submit proof of the listing of any company that owns or controls at least 30 percent of NGCP’s outstanding capital stock. This can be achieved through the share swap transaction and follow-on offering of 20 percent of Synergy Grid & Development Phils. Inc.’s (SGP) shares.
“We will evaluate when they file,” said ERC Commissioner Rexie Digal when sought to elaborate on the agency’s August 21 order. “We have not had the chance to rule on it because it was not made an issue in the case for which we granted the extension.”
The ERC stated that it has retained the six-month extension, or until, November 14 this year, for NGCP to conduct an initial public offering (IPO). “The Commission hereby stressed that the definite and set deadline on November 14, 2021 for compliance of NGCP of its IPO will not be extended.”
The agency said it will not hesitate to impose sanctions in case NGCP’s legal obligation under its franchise is not complied with.
Also, the ERC order, it stressed, “should not be taken as allowing or prohibiting any mode of ownership dispersal allowed under the law to be undertaken by NGCP as this was not made an issue in the entire proceedings.”
NGCP is partly owned by Monte Oro Grid Resources Corp. (MOGRC) and Calaca High Power Corp. (CHPC), with each company owning a 30-percent plus one share in the issued shares of NGCP. OneTaipan Holdings Inc. and Pacifica21 Holdings Inc. own 100 percent of MOGRC and CHPC.
Henry Sy Jr. owns 67 percent of One Taipan while Robert Coyuito Jr. owns 65 percent of Pacifica21.
The shares of stocks of Sy and Coyuito in the two firms will be swapped with shares from Synergy Grid & Development Philippines Inc. (SGP), which will purportedly result in MOGRC and CHPC becoming indirect subsidiaries of SGP and the latter gaining indirect control of NGCP.
Simply put, SGP will own shares in OneTaipan and Pacifica21 which are shareholders in MOGRC and CHPC, which collectively own more than 60 percent of NGCP shares, thereby enabling SGP to have indirect control over NGCP.
NGCP has informed the ERC that the share swap transactions have been completed. It said that it will only have to make a public offering of its shares through a follow-on offering of up to 20 percent of its shares, to meet the minimum public offering requirement under SEC rules for SGP to remain a listed company.
In view of the share swap transaction, NGCP sought clarification from the ERC if its decision does not prohibit other mode of compliance, such as the listing of any company in the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) which owns or controls at least 30 percent of the outstanding capital stock of NGCP, which can be achieved through a backdoor listing.
NGCP wants to know from the ERC if it is entitled to avail itself of either IPO or listing of any company in the PSE that owns or controls at least 30 percent of the grid operator’s outstanding capital stock to comply with NGCP’s franchise.
Digal said ERC has yet to rule on this.
Bartosz Zmarzlik seals fourth 2021 FIM Speedway Grand Prix win at Swedish SGP
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Bartosz Zmarzlik on the Swedish SGP podium with runnerup Artem Laguta and Fredrik Lindgren
World champion Bartosz Zmarzlik was delighted to overcome his early setup struggles to claim his fourth FIM Speedway Grand Prix win of 2021 at the Swedish SGP in Malilla on Saturday.
The Pole collected five points in his opening four heats to leave himself at risk of a disastrous exit before the semi-finals.
But Zmarzlik won his final heat, his semi, and then the final, which saw him defeat Artem Laguta and home hero Fredrik Lindgren to top the podium and extend his SGP World Championship advantage over Laguta to three points.
Riders were forced to get to grips with changing track conditions following heavy rain in the afternoon. Zmarzlik admits he and his team worked hard in the pits to perfect their bike setup, and he was delighted to get it right when it mattered most to follow up his Malilla triumph in 2017.
“I am very happy because it was the second time I have won in Malilla. For me it is unbelievable. I love racing here,” Zmarzlik said.
“The start of the meeting was not so easy for me. It was very hard to find the setups. In every ride, I changed something – the ignition, jets, and sprockets; every time it was different.
“I feel for my fifth race it was a little bit better. I changed it for the semi-final and had good speed. Before the final, I changed it again, but only a little bit. Then it was good.
“But I am very happy with today’s result – I won and I did everything I could. Again it was a good night, but now I am focused on the next round. Keep your fingers crossed for Togliatti and I will see you soon.”
Zmarzlik will be keen to continue his incredible form at the Togliatti SGP on August 28, but his nearest rival Artem Laguta will also have his sights set on a big night in his home country.
The Russian-born rider topped the heat score chart with 14 race points tonight, but Zmarzlik got the better of him when it mattered most in the final to take 20 championship points, leaving Laguta with 18. Zmarzlik leads the standings on 121, with Laguta close behind on 118.
The world No.7 was still pleased with his night in Sweden, though, saying, “It’s an absolutely great feeling to be in the top three and drinking the champagne – it’s something special. I am very happy about that.
“It was a tough competition and I knew it was going to be very tough in Malilla. After the first race, we swapped the bike and that was a good choice. We worked hard to get the best speed from the bike. The whole team put a lot of effort in and the bike was working very well.
“Bartek and I are so very close and we know it’s going to be a fight until the end. There is no room for mistakes. I will be focused with the whole team to score as many points as we can, to get the best speed from the bikes and to get to finals. That’s the major thing.
“Thank you to my team and my sponsors. I am very happy and I will see you in Togliatti!”
Third-placed Fredrik Lindgren was content with his night but admits top two Zmarzlik and Laguta have too much speed for the competition currently.
“I feel pretty good. I think I executed this meeting really well. I was feeling fast all night. It was just a shame I couldn’t make it happen in the final,” Lindgren explained.
“Again, Zmarzlik and Artem Laguta were too strong. Congratulations to both of them. They are one step ahead of the rest of us at the moment.
“I finished in third place, but overall I am very happy. I wish I could have won. It didn’t happen this time. But I thought I rode really well in pretty tough conditions early on after the rain.”
SWEDISH SGP SCORES:
1 Bartosz Zmarzlik 20 Points
2 Artem Laguta 18 Points
3 Fredrik Lindgren 16 Points
4 Jason Doyle 14 Points
5 Emil Sayfutdinov 12 Points
6 Maciej Janowski 11 Points
7 Dominik Kubera 10 Points
8 Anders Thomsen 9 Points
9 Tai Woffinden 8 Points
10 Max Fricke 7 Points
11 Robert Lambert 6 Points
12 Oliver Berntzon 5 Points
13 Matej Zagar 4 Points
14 Leon Madsen 3 Points
15 Krzysztof Kasprzak 2 Points
16 Pontus Aspgren 1 Points
17 Kim Nilsson 0 Points
18 Joel Andersson DNR Points
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS:
1 Bartosz Zmarzlik 121 Points
2 Artem Laguta 118 Points
3 Fredrik Lindgren 96 Points
4 Emil Sayfutdinov 91 Points
5 Maciej Janowski 83 Points
6 Tai Woffinden 73 Points
7 Leon Madsen 62 Points
8 Jason Doyle 61 Points
9 Max Fricke 59 Points
10 Robert Lambert 47 Points
11 Martin Vaculik 45 Points
12 Anders Thomsen 44 Points
13 Dominik Kubera 44 Points
14 Matej Zagar 31 Points
15 Krzysztof Kasprzak 16 Points
16 Oliver Berntzon 15 Points
17 Gleb Chugunov 8 Points
18 Jan Kvech 7 Points
19 Pontus Aspgren 1 Points