This weekend’s GP saw riders, including Valentino Rossi (back from self-quarantine), return to Spain for the 13th round of the MotoGP calendar. But before riders hit the tar on the Ricardo Tormo Circuit, a few riders had to pay their dues after acquiring penalties at the Teruel GP.

Brad Binder had received a long lap penalty after accidentally nudging Miller’s back wheel, causing them both to crash. And Maverick Viñales had to start the race from the pit lane after receiving a penalty for Yamaha’s mistake—running an illegal engine in his YZR-M1.

Valencia’s flat and twisty circuit was greeted by heavy showers, that created wet and drying track conditions throughout Saturday’s free practice and qualifying. The first three positions chopped and changed for the entire fifteen minutes of Q2, with the likes of Alex Rins, Takaaki Nakagami and Johann Zarco showing their cards. Stealthy Pol Espargaro swooped in and took pole with minutes to spare, followed by Alex Rins in second and Nakagami in third.

The KTM boys had a great qualifying, seeing all three KTM RC16’s place inside the top ten. Brad secured himself a Q2 qualifier on Friday’s free practice and showed some good pace in qualifying, landing him a 10th grid start. Miguel Oliveira’s fast pace saw him climb into Q2 and earn himself a well-deserved eighth. Unfortunately, Iker Lecuona was forced to miss the Grand Prix due to COVID-19 quarantine regulations, as his brother and personal assistant had tested positive.

Race day promised to be a dry race, thanks to good weather and the Moto2 boys who spattered those damp patches aside. A dry track is usually good news, but in this case it was unfamiliar territory, as the weekend already had riders used to wet weather tyres and bike setup. With a low track temperature of 20 degrees Celsius and a dry circuit, thirteen riders out of the twenty-one rider field opted for Michelin’s new hard compound tyres.

Lights out and the two front runners Rins and Espargaro launched well off the line and led into the first turn, followed by Mir and Nakagami. Drama at turn 8 saw Fabio Quartararo’s title hopes vanish as he and Aleix Espargaro simultaneously tucked their front wheels next to each other. Quartararo found enough energy to pick up his bike and continue, but for ‘El Diablo’ it was too late as he slid into last place.

By lap two, both Suzukis had got past Espargaro to lead the Valencia GP; Rins in first, with Mir in second. Further back, Oliveira had now passed Nakagami and was now behind his teammate Espargaro chasing down the ‘blue rockets.’ Oh, boy… more bad luck for Yamaha as Rossi stopped his YZR-M1 in disappointment—not the return he was looking for. After starting from the pit lane, Viñales had climbed his way up into a respectable 15th.

Somewhere towards the middle of the pack, Brad took his long lap penalty and fought back with impressive pace. Upfront, it was still the Suzukis of Rins and Mir, hunted down by the KTMs of Espargaro and Oliveira. Nakagami, Zarco and Jack Miller started to form their own group, and were duking it out for fifth.

With 12 laps to go, Mir was on his teammate’s tailpipes, Espargaro was keeping tabs on the Suzukis, and Nakagami got through Oliveira to grab fourth. Rins ran wide into turn 11, leaving the door wide open for the lime green number 36 to sweep past. As things stood with 10 laps to go, Mir would take a massive 37-point lead into the final two races… could he be stopped?

Brad fought his way back and found himself battling Zarco, Dovi and Miller for 7th during the closing laps of the race. Espargaro was beginning to lose touch of the blue rockets and began to settle for the third step of the podium. Mir was hitting 1:31.9s, riding a perfect race and pulled a gap of 1.3 seconds over Rins.

With a lap to go, Suzuki Team Manager Davide Brivio’s heart rate monitor was reading upwards of 125bmps—he couldn’t watch as Mir crossed the line to start the final lap. Espargaro was pushing his RC16 to the limit as Rins started to come closer into the picture (I nearly though it was possible.) With less than a lap left, it was Mir’s race to lose.

Mir took the flag, while Rins made it Suzukis first 1-2 since 1982 and Espargaro finished off the podium in third. A seriously impressive race by fellow South African Brad Binder, as he clocked the fastest lap of the race with five laps to go, and finished in an astonishing 7th position.

Well done to Mir, he rode a flawless race and I’m happy he put his consistency aside and finally got his first premier class victory. With Mir’s 37 point lead, could we perhaps see a new World Champion being crowned next Sunday, as we head back to the Circuit Ricardo Tormo?

Joan Mir: “I’m just so happy, the Team and I put together a perfect weekend! It’s difficult to give 100% when you’re fighting for a title, because you always have to be a bit cautious, but today I saw the chance for my debut victory and I had to take it. I knew what I had to do, and I felt really great with my bike. I don’t really have words to describe how amazing it feels to be a MotoGP race winner, and it gives me an extra boost, especially after a tricky weekend in terms of conditions. Things are still close at the top, so I need to stay focused and continuing working for next weekend.”

Alex Rins: “I was leading for a large part of the race, and I was hoping to lead from start to finish, but I missed a gear at Turn 11 on the 17th lap, and I went wide and Joan got through. Once he was at the front it was very hard to stay with him, even though I tried, because his pace was really good. But even if the result wasn’t perfect for me, it was a fantastic day for the Team. Joan got the victory that he really wanted, Suzuki got a one-two finish, and I got 20 points to add to my championship tally! So, I’m happy! Ready to go again next week and see what I can do, there are still plenty of points on the table.”

Davide Brivio – Team Manager: “It’s been an unbelievable race, I’ve been dreaming of a Suzuki 1-2 for a long time and today we managed it! Thank you so much to all the Team, and to Joan and Alex of course! We’re doing something fantastic this season – we’re leading all three championships and our riders are so strong in the races. I would like to have this wonderful feeling forever, but we still have two races to focus on, so we will stay calm and keep our heads down. Let’s try to continue in this way!”

Pol Espargaro: “It was hard, so tough with these guys. They were fast but I was catching back on brakes. I lost a bit of corner speed and through the apex but we went for the hard front and medium rear tires and it was a perfect choice. We had zero data for that selection but we gambled and I was gaining time. I’m really pleased. Another podium for KTM and myself, a great feeling.”

Brad Binder: “The race started OK but I got a bit boxed-in through the first two-three corners. I didn’t want to take too much of a risk with the full fuel tank and I knew the Long Lap penalty was coming early on. As soon as I did it I dropped down the order and worked to catch back up but then Cal Crutchlow crashed in front of me and I had to run off the track! I lost a few more seconds that lap. The comeback was not bad. I felt good and the bike worked really well today. Even when the tires were used we could keep the same lap-times. It was a shame about the result because we had the pace for much better but I’m really happy and I think we can do a good job next weekend.”

GRAN PREMIO DE EUROPA – Race Classification:

1. J. MIR – Team SUZUKI ECSTAR – 41:37.297
2. A. RINS – Team SUZUKI ECSTAR – +00.651
3. P. ESPARGARO – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – +01.203
4. T. NAKAGAMI – LCR Honda IDEMITSU – +02.194
5. M. OLIVEIRA – Red Bull KTM Tech 3 – +08.046
6. J. MILLER – Pramac Racing – +08.755
7. B. BINDER – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – +10.137

2020 MotoGP World Championship Classification – Rider:

1. Joan MIR Suzuki 162
2. Fabio QUARTARARO Yamaha 125
3. Alex RINS Suzuki 125
4. Maverick VIÑALES Yamaha 121
5. Franco MORBIDELLI Yamaha 117
6. Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati 117
7. Pol ESPARGARO KTM 106
12. Brad BINDER KTM 76

2020 has been an interesting year, to put it mildly. But one of this year’s silver linings has been watching our local hero, Brad Binder, make his mark on this year’s MotoGP season. From being the first South African to win in the premier class, to being one of only a handful of riders to do it in their rookie season, Brad’s set the hearts of South African MotoGP fans on fire, and raised the profile of the sport in this country.

‘Becoming 33’ is a new documentary from KTM team sponsor, Red Bull. It documents the arduous journey that took Brad from Rookie Cup hopeful, and through the ranks of Moto3 and Moto2, to factory racer at Red Bull KTM Racing. Packed with footage from his early days and interview with his parents, brother and Moto3 sensation Darryn, and other key figures, it’s well worth a watch.

Check out the trailer below, then head over to Red Bull TV to watch the 52 minute documentary.

Following consultations this week with representatives of the Lesotho Government and the Lesotho Sports and Recreation Commission (LSRC), Live Lesotho has been advised that Lesotho will remain in a level 3 lockdown indefinitely. This decision is based on the concerns surrounding a possible second wave of COVID-19 infections. Due to these necessary restrictions, the 53rd edition of the “Mother of Hard Enduro” has therefore been postponed until 2021.

Charan Moore (Managing Director of Live Lesotho): “We are aware of how disappointing this news will be to riders and their teams, but unfortunately the current situation has not stabilised enough and there is simply too much uncertainty surrounding the pandemic at present. We owe it to everyone involved, and especially the people of our host country, Lesotho, to ensure that the Motul Roof of Africa does not present any additional COVID-19 risks. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that in the current circumstances.”

Live Lesotho has communicated this decision to the event sponsors. The title sponsor, Motul, has indicated that they fully support the postponement of the 53rd edition of the Roof of Africa until next year, by when it is hoped that there will be a much greater degree of certainty surrounding the pandemic and any ongoing precautions required to contain it.
Moore thanked the sponsors, riders, LSRC, LORA and Live Lesotho team members for their support and for the hard work that has already been invested into the 53rd edition of the Motul Roof of Africa. He committed to channelling this collective positive energy into making the 2021 Motul Roof of Africa the best yet.

Live Lesotho further announced that all riders who had secured and paid for a place in the 2020 event can carry this forward to the 2021 edition at no additional cost. Alternatively, they can opt for a full refund.

The confirmed dates for next year’s event will be 3 – 6 November 2021, so riders and Enduro fans can add those dates to their diaries. For more information, including advice on carrying over an entry or obtaining a refund, please contact the roof team at [email protected] You can also visit the official Motul Roof of Africa website for more information: www.roofofafrica.co.ls

The country’s 2020 National Motocross champions were crowned in Bloemfontein this weekend. The series came to a close with an exciting double-header round where Red Bull KTM’s Tristan Purdon took top honours in the premier MX1 Class. Effectively dubbing Purdon as the best Motocross rider in the country.

The victory came especially sweet for Purdon after last year’s season finale where he finished as runner-up. In a bid to set the record straight this time around, Purdon lined-up in Bloemfontein leading the MX1 Class by a single point. In excruciatingly hot conditions with temperatures above 38 degrees Celsius, the rider launched his attack. With consecutive victories in the first three heats and a third place in the final moto, Purdon took the victory overall in both rounds to secure the 2020 title.

Purdon: “I can finally say it – I’m the 2020 MX1 Champion! That is a wrap for the season – thank you is not enough to everyone in my corner.”

Adding to the celebrations in the orange camp was yet another championship title courtesy of young gun Jonathan Mlimi, who stormed to victory in the High School Class. Having fought his way back from an injury that ruled him out of the 2019 season, Mlimi was determined to reinstate himself as the frontrunner in his class.

Mlimi: “We did it! This time I managed to take three hole shots and another four wins – which makes it 8/8 victories since the season restarted. The hard work and training really payed off – thank you to everyone who supported me.”

Rounding out the orange squad this weekend was Kerim Fitz-Gerald. While the rider was unable to make up the 20-point deficit keeping him from the top of the MX2 leaderboard, he finished off the season with an outstanding performance.

Louwrens Mahoney (KTM South Africa’s Marketing Manager): “What a tough and demanding weekend it was with the track getting so rough, the unbearable heat and two solid days of racing! I am so proud of the team and their achievements, not just at this event but over the entire year. We’re going into 2021 with the MX1 and High School Championship, which is a massive confidence boost for the riders and the team. We will work hard in the off season to maintain this form and to come back even stronger!”

The Gran Premio Liqui Moly de Teruel (named after the province) saw riders return to MotorLand Aragón for the 11th round of the MotoGP calendar. The weekend was ushered in by sunshine and warmer temperatures, making Saturday’s qualifying less complicated compared to the cold conditions of the previous week.

Qualifying was an unexpected affair, to say the least. Takaaki Nakagami blew the competition away on his LCR Honda with an impressive 1’46.882, followed by Franco Morbidelli in second and the smooth Alex Rins finishing off the front row. Fabio Quartararo had no chance at pole this weekend and had to settle for sixth on the grid, after having a few sketchy moments coming out of the final corner.

KTM had a great qualifier that saw three of their riders enter the first 11 positions. Miguel Oliveira led the charge in eighth, closely followed by Pol Espargaro in ninth – only one-hundredth of a second separated the two. Iker Lecuona was only a tenth of a second away in 11th, in a session that saw twelve riders split by 0.7 seconds. Brad Binder nearly made it into Q2, but missed out by three-tenths of a second, placing him 15th for Sunday’s race.

Sunday had riders, fans and especially the Michelin Man smiling, as weather conditions at MotorLand Aragón hit near perfect. Any bets? Don’t even think about it buddy, this is the 2020 MotoGP season—anything can happen.

Nakagami had a stellar start, launching himself into the lead followed by front row starters Morbidelli and Rins. Brad accidentally nudged Miller’s back wheel into turn two, causing both riders to take a tumble (he’s since been handed a long lap penalty at the next race). And then came turn five… Nakagami tucked the front of his RC213V and threw it all away. He walked away from the crash, but it was heartbreaking to watch.

The drama upfront allowed Morbidelli to take the lead, closely followed by Rins, Johann Zarco and Maverick Viñales. Quartararo’s medium tyre choice seemed to be his demise, as he soon became Cal Crutchlow’s and Alex Marquez’s prey. Morbidelli wasted no time upfront and set a 1:48.089 to take the race lap record at MotorLand, while Viñales got gobbled up by both Mir and Marquez.

‘El Diablo’ was sliding further back down the grid as he battled with the medium Michelin rear (funnily enough, Morbidelli had no issues with his medium rear). By lap eight, Morbidelli and Rins were now 1.7 seconds ahead of Zarco; Mir and Marquez had taken a second out of Viñales and could now see Morbidelli and Rins in the distance.

Red Bull KTM riders Pol Espargaro and Oliveira both got past Quartararo and began to reel in Viñales, as the Yamaha boys continued to battle with tyre wear. Further up, Mir pounced on Zarco at turn four narrowing the gap to 2.2 seconds from the leaders. Drama yet again, Marquez fell victim to turn two and missed out on getting his second consecutive podium at MotorLand.

Upfront, Morbidelli’s lead over Rins was 0.6 seconds, Mir was 2.6 seconds behind with nine laps to go, Zarco was now in fourth and Pol Espargaro sat in fifth. Oliveira then found himself battling with Quartararo—he made his move and it stuck on Lap 15, with Dovizioso now right behind Quartararo. Incredible scenes!

Disaster struck Dovizioso in an already less-than-satisfying race, as Aleix Espargaro made an aggressive move, forcing Dovi wide and causing him to move down into 12th.

With a mere three laps remaining, Morbidelli’s lead rose to 1.2 seconds over Rins, and Mir looked like he wasn’t going to have any say in the challenge for victory. The battle for fourth was raging between Pol Espargaro, Zarco and Oliveira. Esparagaro climbed to fourth and Oliveira was soon through too, but Zarco wasn’t going to give up that easily, and the Ducati man fought right back at turn 13.

With two to go and a 1.9-second lead, it was Morbidelli’s race to lose. Rins was well clear of teammate Mir, with the championship leader in a lonely third. Morbidelli put on a true masterclass of a race as he crossed the line first, becoming the first non-Spanish Aragon winner since Casey Stoner in 2011. Rins finished as runner-up this week but rode a fantastic race earning himself 45 points out of 50 in Aragon, bringing himself right into the title frame.

Two thirds at MotorLand sees Mir extend his World Championship lead with three races to go. He’s now 14 points ahead of Quartararo, despite not having won a single race this season.

It was a truly unpredictable title race that kept on twisting and turning, and now just 32 points split the top six with three to go. Who will win the 2020 MotoGP World Championship from here? Mir leads the field heading into Valencia, but as we’ve figured out by now, that can change in the blink of an eye.

Franco Morbidelli: “I am very happy with this win; it feels a little bit different to when I won in Misano. It comes from the hard work that the crew has put in; they have done an unbelievable job and worked so well together to get this win. The bike was perfect during the race, I was feeling great and I just had to focus on getting the bike to the finish line in the shortest, fastest, time possible. This victory is for them, for my crew. Without their work it would not have been possible. So thank you. Now we are just 25 points from being at the top of the championship standings, which means that it is time to go super aggressive into the final three races of this year.”

Alex Rins: “Obviously I was hoping to win again today, but another podium is an awesome feeling anyway. It was really hard to do battle with Franco today, he was very strong and he got a good start. I was happy with my tyre choice but I did feel a little bit of drop part way through the race, I knew that I had a decent gap on Joan so I kept things smooth and went for second place. I was really happy to see Joan there in third because it means another great day for Suzuki with both of us on the podium again! Joan is so consistent, but I’m also feeling better every race so let’s see what can happen in the next few races. Anyway, I’m really pleased to be on the podium again at MotorLand!”

Joan Mir: “My feeling was good today, but on the last laps today I wasn’t able to make up the difference – I had the same speed as Alex and Franco but I couldn’t manage to go quicker to close the gap. That was a bit of a shame, but it’s always hard to start further back on the grid and I lost some time while overtaking other riders. But anyway, I’m glad to have been able to collect points today and I’m satisfied because my target was the podium; I knew that was needed to keep a hold on the championship lead, so I’m happy that I achieved that. I will be giving my best in the next three races.”

Brad Binder: “I had quite an ‘OK’ start and as I went up the inside of Turn1 I then changed direction like a regular lap and got bunched up. It was a big mistake on my behalf and I’m so sorry to wipe out Jack’s race. I want to apologize not only to my team but also to his. We’ll have to restart and go again in Valencia.”

GRAN PREMIO LIQUI MOLY DE TERUEL – Race Classification:

1. F. MORBIDELLI – Petronas Yamaha SRT – 41:47.652
2. A. RINS – Team SUZUKI ECSTAR – +02.205
3. J. MIR – Team SUZUKI ECSTAR – +05.376
4. P. ESPARGARO – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – +10.299
5. J. ZARCO – Esponsorama Racing – +12.915
6. M. OLIVEIRA – Red Bull KTM Tech 3 – +12.953
7. M. VIÑALES – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP – +14.262
8. F. QUARTARARO – Petronas Yamaha SRT – +14.720
9. I. LECUONA – Red Bull KTM Tech 3 – +17.177
10. D. PETRUCCI – Ducati Team – +19.519
11. C. CRUTCHLOW – LCR Honda CASTROL – +19.708
12. S. BRADL – Repsol Honda Team – +20.591
13. A. DOVIZIOSO – Ducati Team – +22.222
14. T. RABAT – Esponsorama Racing – +26.496
15. B. SMITH – Aprilia Racing Team Gresini – +31.816

MotoGP World Championship Classification – RIDER:

1. Joan MIR Suzuki – 137pts
2. Fabio QUARTARARO Yamaha – 123pts
3. Maverick VIÑALES Yamaha – 118pts
4. Franco MORBIDELLI Yamaha – 112pts
5. Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati – 109pts
6. Alex RINS Suzuki – 105pts

Brother Leader Tread KTM’s Bradley Cox and Charan Moore have officially been crowned 2020 National Cross Country champions. The riders received top honours in KwaZulu-Natal this weekend as the series ended with an exciting double-header round in Mid-Illovo. The victory marked a significant milestone for Moore who snatched up the first OR1 national title of his career. Having only been recruited by the team at the start of the 2020 season, the rider has bolstered his status as one of the front runners in this sport.

“I put everything I had into this championship. This KTM family and team made it all the sweeter! Thank you all for helping make this possible,” said an elated Moore.

Brother Leader Tread KTM teammate Bradley Cox stormed to national OR3 glory for the second time in his career. Drawing on the inspiration of his father and racing legend Alfie Cox, the young multi-disciplined talent has been determined to make a name for himself in all facets of South African motorsport.

With his sights set on dreams as big as racing the Dakar Rally in the near future, the victory this weekend was an important steppingstone for Cox.

“It takes a village to make this dream happen – thanks to everyone who has been a part of my circle! Hours and hours of hard work goes into this and to see it payoff is always so rewarding,” commented Cox.

A cherry on the top of what was a phenomenally successful season for the team was a second place from Jarryd Coetzee. The OR2 rider fought tooth and nail to defend his 2019 title and will certainly return to try reclaim the top step next year.

“What a season it’s been! From not knowing if we’d even be able to race again this year, to walking away with the OR1 and OR3 National championship – it is a big blessing for the team!

I am so proud of the riders and the team for all their hard work and dedication throughout this challenging year. It was a demanding weekend of racing, but everyone gave 110 % and it payed off in the end. We will now regroup and start planning for the 2021 season. Thanks so much to all our riders, their family and everyone in the team for all the sacrifices that made this dream come true for everyone,” said KTM South Africa’s Marketing Manager Louwrens Mahoney.

This weekend marked the moment that Brett Swanepoel had been waiting for. In an unforgettable season finale, the Pepson Plastics Husqvarna Racing star reinstated himself as the country’s leading Cross Country racer.

Having spent the past two years relentlessly working his way back from a near career-ending injury, the victory comes especially sweet for Swanepoel. After fighting tooth and nail for the top step this season, the OR2 championship came right down to the wire. In what was a nerve-wracking season finale, Swanepoel lined up tied for the points lead with championship rival Jarryd Coetzee. Swanepoel put on the performance of his career to storm to not only the OR2 title, but the National Cross Country Championship overall.

“It is always an unbelievable feeling to win a National Championship. It has taken a lot to get back to this point and I can’t thank my team and the people around me enough for continuing to believe in me throughout this process,” said Swanepoel.

Husqvarna South Africa’s Brand Manager Fred Fensham commented, “How incredibly exciting is this! As a team, we have gone through so much but continued to put our full support behind Brett, and what he has done in return is absolutely amazing. This doubleheader was tough in every way – from the heat to the long, demanding loops and the opposition that pushed him to the limit. However, Brett on his Husqvarna FX 350 was untouchable right from the time trial and showed every other rider a clean pair of heels. Man, he really deserves all the accolades!”

It was a bitter-sweet weekend for Pepson Plastics Husqvarna Racing who were dealt a heavy blow in the first round of the double-header. Star rider Kenny Gilbert, who had been leading the OR1 class at the time, suffered from an injury after an unfortunate crash that forced him to retire from the event.

“Bittersweet is an understatement for how we feel. The unfortunate tumble that Kenny took effectively ended his title challenge once again – this OR1 Championship was there for Kenny and with 5kms to go it again disappeared. Having become a close friend to us all, we are gutted for Kenny and his wonderful family,” said Fensham.

A silver lining is seen for Husqvarna in young gun Davin Cocker. The team decided to assist with his efforts this year and were blown away by his performance. Fensham enthused: “Wow, did he show us that not only is he a humble young man, but that he has serious talent and speed beyond his years. He put up quite a fight in the hotly contested OR3 Class where he finished second overall.”

“As a team we would like to thank PEPSON PLASTICS for their incredible support as our title sponsor over the last years as well as our partners at Michelin, Motorex and Twin Air. With the season wrapped up I can only say that for 2021 – watch this space!”

The tenth round of the MotoGP calendar brought riders back to Spain, for the latest back-to-back episode of the 2020 season and the fourth Spanish round this year. MotorLand Aragón is one of my personal favourite circuits to watch both MotoGP and WSBK. Elevations, off-camber braking, slow and sharp hairpins, long full gas corners and the famous 340+ km/h back straight… Aragón has it all.

Bad news hit the paddock on Thursday, as the nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi tested positive for Covid-19. Rossi will sit out of next weekend’s GP too, but he assures us a return for the double-header in Valencia. The 41-year-old Italian is the second rider to test positive for the Coronavirus; Moto2 rider, Jorge Martin, was forced to sit out of last month’s Misano double-header after a positive test.

Saturday saw harsh conditions hit MotorLand Aragón, forcing the Grand Prix schedule to be moved later in the day to suit Michelin’s optimal temperature range. These chilly conditions made qualifying more of a search for grip, rather than a search for split seconds. Fabio Quartararo made it look easy as usual, by taking pole with a 1’47.076. He was followed by Maverick Viñales in second, with Cal Crutchlow surprising us all with a blitzing third, to round off the front row.

The Honda boys seemed to have things working well this weekend, with Takaaki Nakagami placing his private RC213V in seventh and Alex Marquez placing his Repsol Honda in 11th. The Red Bull KTM boys didn’t have the greatest qualifying, but both Pol Espargaro and Brad Binder experimented with Michelin’s soft and medium compound rubbers in consideration of Sunday’s 23-lapper. Espargaró managed to grasp 12th after running into traffic on his flyer, and Brad managed to just squeeze into the top 14.

Sunday’s Grand Prix was rescheduled for a later start as temperatures were again not meeting Michelin’s safe operating range. Just like trying to decide how you like your eggs done (soft or medium), riders were changing their tyre choices on the grid, with minutes to spare. It was a mix and match: Quartararo went with a medium front and soft rear, the Suzukis and factory KTMs went with softs, and the Ducati factory team went with mediums.

But who and what would stick to the Spanish asphalt the best?

Lights off, and it was Viñales who took the holeshot, followed by Quartararo in 2nd and Alex Rins launching into fourth from the fourth row of the grid (10th). Cal Crutchlow had one of the worst starts, hitting every branch on the way down to 12th after the first lap. Espargaró and teammate Brad held their positions off the line, and were both soon followed by sister team Red Bull KTM Tech3.

Viñales started to eke out a narrow 0.7 second gap, followed by Quartararo, Rins and Franco Morbidelli. Mir. Rins soon overtook Quartararo on the final bend and started to close in on Viñales—but meanwhile fifth place Mir was the fastest man on circuit. Surprise! Out of nowhere, Alex Marquez had made his way from 11th on the grid, past Jack Miller, and latched himself onto the back of the blue train.

At halfway race distance, Rins took the plunge on Viñales for the race lead. Marquez grabbed 5th off of Quartararo, and then took fourth from Morbidelli. The Repsol Honda man was also the fastest on circuit, 0.2 quicker than Mir, just ahead of him.

The KTM boys were in their own orange train and were swopping positions between themselves from twelfth to fifteenth. Quartararo started having tyre wear problems, which saw Nakagami, Miller, Andrea Dovisioso and Crutchlow all taking advantage, dropping Quartararo into a vulnerable 9th.

Back up front, Rins was leading by a comfortable gap of 1.2 seconds with Viñales, Mir and Marquez battling it out for the last two steps of the podium. Mir dove through Viñales at turn 16 and Marquez took advantage of the stunned number 12 into turn one. Visually, you could see Marquez had better tyre life left, with tighter lines everywhere and smoother transitions. At this point of the race, you would be silly to bet against Marquez.

Further back, Quartararo was having a turd of a race as Johann Zarco, Danilo Petrucci, Aleix Espargaró and the Red Bull KTM quartet of Espargaró, Brad, Miguel Oliveira and teammate Iker Lecuona were through. An unbelievable scene, as the championship leader dropped to 18th.

Marquez got through Mir with an awesome pass in the last double apex corner, closed the gap down to just under a second to Rins and showed no signs of slowing down. The last lap was all about the drive down the 1 km back straight, but Rins got his GSX-RR hooked up nicely. With Marquez not close enough to try his line past Rins, they raised over the brow of the hill with Rins taking victory by just 0.2 seconds in another stunning race.

Mir picked up the final podium position, along with the championship lead. Viñales finished in a comfortable fourth, earning himself much needed points for third overall in the championship standings, and Dovi crossed the line in seventh, placing him fourth overall. Espargaro was overtaken by Brad in the final phases, and the South African won the chase to 11th by only three-tenths of a second.

An awesome showdown between the Spanish Musketeers! Rins rode a near-perfect race, Marquez proved his haters wrong and Mir rode consistently, as is the norm. Rins might have won, but the spotlight is on Mir as he becomes the first Hamamatsu factory rider to lead the championship since Kenny Roberts Jr. in 2000.

A simply unbelievable MotoGP race gave us the eighth different winner in the last nine races, with 10 races now run. Four are yet to come, and trying to guess who will win them is virtually impossible—let alone trying to predict who will win the title. So get your T-shirts washed and throats cleared for the same thing next weekend at MotorLand Aragón.

Alex Rins: “I’m full of emotion! At the beginning of the season I really struggled a lot, and since then the team and I have worked so hard, and now we’ve won and it feels amazing! I was not sure that I could win from 10th on the grid, but I was able to do it! When I was chasing down the riders in front of me I could feel that I had good pace and the bike was working really well. I felt really relaxed despite having Marquez and Joan close behind, and I managed the pressure. It will be tricky to replicate this again next weekend, but for sure I will try my best! It feels super to be back on the top step!”

Alex Marquez: “Honestly I didn’t expect to get a podium from starting in 11th but I was able to recover well. I found myself in a good position, so we did what we could! I knew I could take quite good care of my tyres for the end of the race. I enjoyed every overtake, but I was really on the limit with the front tyre. Even so, it’s great to be back on the podium and to do it in the dry, we really showed our potential all weekend. We still need to work on Qualifying, but we can enjoy what we achieved today. I want to again say thank you to the Repsol Honda Team for believing in me, supporting me, guiding me and never giving up. They gave me an amazing bike and I enjoyed the whole race.”

Joan Mir: “I’m really happy! All the effort that we’re putting in every race weekend has paid off and I’m now leading the championship. In a way it doesn’t mean a lot because there are still four races to go and a lot can still happen, but it’s a nice situation to be in at the moment. I actually expected a little bit more from today’s race because at the beginning my pace was really good and I maintained everything well, but in the last few laps I started to struggle a bit with the front tyre. I had plenty of grip on the rear tyre but in the end it was better to take third than to take a risk. I’m really looking forward to next weekend and hopefully, I’ll be able to get an even better result.”

Brad Binder: “A challenging weekend in general. We had some good sessions but also some where it did not really work out for us. The whole team worked really hard and we tried different things but we couldn’t find the solution. Today I rode my best and tried my hardest from lap one until the end. It was easy to fold the front end today and we lacked some feeling there. It was hard to stay calm and not over-attack the corners. We’ve got the whole week to analyze and come back stronger next weekend.”

Aragon GP Top 10:

1. Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar)
2. Alex Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) + 0.263
3. Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) + 2.644
4. Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha) + 2.880
5. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda) + 4.570
6. Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) + 4.756
7. Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) + 8.639
8. Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) + 8.913
9. Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) + 9.390
10. Johann Zarco (Esponsorama Racing) + 9.617
11. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) +13.200

Rider Standings
Limited to top 12 results

1. Joan Mir 36 SPA (Team Suzuki Ecstar) pts – 121
2. Fabio Quartararo 20 FRA (Petronas Yamaha SRT) pts – 115
3. Maverick Viñales 12 SPA (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) pts – 109
4. Andrea Dovizioso 4 ITA (Ducati Team) pts – 106 
5. Takaaki Nakagami 30 JPN (LCR Honda) pts – 92
6. Franco Morbidelli 21 ITA (Petronas Yamaha SRT) pts – 87 
7. Alex Rins 42 SPA (Team Suzuki Ecstar) pts – 85
8. Jack Miller 43 AUS (Pramac Racing Ducati) pts – 82 
9. Pol Espargaró 44 SPA (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) pts – 77 
10. Miguel Oliveira 88 POR (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) pts – 69
11. Alex Marquez 73 SPA (Repsol Honda Team) pts – 67 
12. Brad Binder 33 RSA (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) pts – 67

Live Lesotho has announced that the 2020 Motul Roof of Africa will be going ahead as planned. While the coronavirus pandemic will necessitate some changes to the way the event is staged, riders can look forward to a classic “Mother of Hard Enduro” which will challenge competitors in all classes (Gold, Silver and Bronze).

Although ongoing travel restrictions in some countries may limit the number of international riders who can participate this year, the headline news at this stage is that Wade Young (Sherco Factory Team powered by Motul) will be back to defend the Gold Class title he won so decisively last year (travel restrictions permitting). To date, Young has won an incredible five Roof of Africa titles – only Roof legend Alfie Cox has more victories to his name – including the last three in a row.

With more than 200 riders having signed up already, the organisers are confident that there will be a strong showing by riders from across southern Africa.

After a year in which the Extreme Enduro season has been severely disrupted, with many events either postponed until 2021 or cancelled, the Motul Roof of Africa represents the perfect opportunity for riders to get back into the Maluti Mountains and enjoy some of the region’s most breath-taking – and challenging – high-altitude landscapes.

“I’m pleased to be able to end the speculation as to whether the Motul Roof of Africa would be run this year,” commented Charan Moore, Motul Roof of Africa Route Director and Manager of Live Lesotho. “The confirmed dates are 9th – 12th December 2020, and I’m also happy to squash the rumours that this year’s routes will be easier than usual. That’s certainly not the case, so I’d advise riders in every class to get out there and train and prepare properly in anticipation of some epic Extreme Enduro action,” added Moore.

It is important to note that while the safety measures for Motorsport events around the world are evolving, the current regulations, in compliance with MSA’s event requirements, will include:

• All entrants and support staff will need to supply COVID-19 tests that indicate a negative status within 72 hours of their arrival at the border for entry into Lesotho. You will then be allowed 14 days of travel and the same COVID-19 test can be used when returning to South Africa. The organisers are confirming if their medical partner will have a COVID-19 testing station at the event.
• Screening and sanitising protocols will be followed at the start of each section of the event, including a verification process and scrutineering, time trial and all race stages.
• There will be no spectators or hospitality this year to avoid mass gatherings and maintain social distancing.
• Each competitor may have up to 5 crew members so a total of 6 people per entry (1 competitor and 5 crew). The DSP for each race day will be open to riders and crew only.
• There will be no Round the Houses or EduroX to avoid mass gatherings and maintain social distancing.
• The programme of events will include a verification process and scrutineering on Wed, time trial on Thurs and race days 1 and 2 on Fri and Sat respectively.
• There will be no bike wash facility – again, to maintain social distancing.
• It is uncertain at this stage if there will be a prize-giving ceremony for the top 3 riders in each class – an application has been made to MSA for permission and approval is awaited. It has been confirmed there will be no main prize-giving ceremony for the remainder of the competitors, although medals will still be available for finishers and trophies will be made available for collection after the event.

The organisers are committed to the safety and wellbeing of everyone connected with the Roof and are determined to eliminate the risk of disease transmission. For more information about the COVID-19 measures that are being implemented, entrants are asked to visit the official Facebook page: theroofofafrica – updates will be posted regularly as the situation continues to evolve.

Entries for the Motul Roof of Africa 2020 are now open on a strictly first-come, first-served basis. Various payment schedules are available up until the last day of November 2020, when entries will close. Full details can be found at the official Motul Roof of Africa website: www.roofofafrica.co.ls

This past weekend gave us the ninth round of the 2020 MotoGP calendar, and the 33rd FIM World Championship race at the historic Le Mans circuit. The gloomy grey clouds above the French track reflected the riders and teams emotions heading into Saturday’s qualifying, but the conditions really came into play in Sunday’s race.

Fabio Quartararo took pole, followed by Jack Miller in second, and Danilo Petrucci completing the front row with an impressive third. You would have been silly to bet against Ducati come race day, because qualifying saw five of their riders place inside the top nine. Fellow South African Brad Binder couldn’t make it into Q2, thanks to a crash on his flying lap, so he took up the 17th grid position for Sunday’s race.

Race day dawned cloudy and wet with heavy showers falling as the riders lined-up on the grid. With a delayed start and nerves going through the roof, riders got themselves ready for the first wet race since Valencia in 2018. For the likes of Quartararo, Joan Mir, Brad and a few others, this would be uncharted territory.

‘Jack Attack’ Miller shot off the line like a missile and led the French GP into turn one, followed by a great start from Cal Crutchlow. For the third time this year, Valentino Rossi crashed out and couldn’t get his bike going again.

Before you knew it, Ducati had filled the top three positions, with Petrucci leading the way, and Andrea Dovizioso grabbing second from Miller, who dropped to third after running wide at turn six.

Alex Rins showed impressive pace, steadily hauling in the top three. Then chaos unfolded as he dove past the inside of all the Ducatis; Dovi lost out and dropped to fourth, Miller ran wide, Rins gained second and Petrucci, who had dropped back, regained the lead.

Just one lap later, Miller got a dose of bad luck as his Ducati started blowing smoke, and the Aussie was out with only eight laps to go. Moments later, Suzuki’s dreams of a win at Le Mans ended too, as Rins crashed out at turn three.

As position-swapping, crashes and technical problems started to unfold throughout the race, Pol Espargaro and Miguel Oliveira maintained their pace and started closing in on the front runners.

Petrucci’s lead had risen to nearly three seconds with Dovizioso second, and a familiar surname on his tail—Marquez. Under the radar, Alex Marquez had been climbing from 18th place all race long, clocking a few fastest laps in the process.

With only a few laps to go, Petrucci’s lead decreased to only 1.3 seconds. Dovizioso, Marquez, Espargaro and Oliveira were all catching the number 9. Dovi seemed to be steadily running out of grip, with Marquez, Espargaro and Oliveira all taking turns to get past. But Dovi took back one spot, making his way past Oliveira as the riders headed onto the final lap of a magnificent French GP.

Marquez was making steady ground in second place, but 1.2 seconds was a bit too much to ask. Pol Espargaro was sitting in third, and somehow Dovi was managing to hold off Oliveira. With just a few turns left, it was Petrucci’s to lose.

Petrucci finished first and became the first Ducati rider to win at Le Mans, and the seventh different MotoGP winner this year. Marquez rode a stunning race to take second (his 39th career podium and his first in the premier class), and Espargaro claimed his fourth premier-class podium (for the third time this season).

Quartararo might have lost his pole position, but he managed to salvage ninth—extending his championship lead over 11th place finisher Mir.

Brad Binder ran a steady race, while slowly gaining confidence in his tyres and their grip levels on the wet Le Mans tar. Impressively, his lap-times started to get quicker towards the end of the race, and that saw him move up from the depths of the top twenty and into a 12th place result.

Danilo Petrucci: “It was an incredible race. As of this morning, I knew I could have done a good performance with the dry conditions, but when I saw the rain on the grid, I knew it was going to be a difficult race. I thought I had nothing to lose and that maybe, I could be equally strong even in the wet. In the past, I had managed to get podiums in those conditions, but never a win. I’ve waited a long time before getting back on the top step of the podium, and it’s nice to do it here at Le Mans, a track where I’ve got some good results in the past. I want to dedicate this win to all the people who have continued to believe in me even in this difficult time.”

Alex Marquez: “A great day. It wasn’t easy starting 18th on the grid but I was feeling really good on the bike. We lost some time fighting with Cal and Pol and Dovi but apart from this I did a good race and it’s a great result for the Repsol Honda Team. I want to say thank you to them for always believing in me and working so hard. Myself and the team never gave up. I felt good even in the dry Warm Up this morning so I think we have managed everything well. It’s been a great weekend and we go to Aragon for two more races. Now we just need to make this result in the dry!”

Pol Espargaro: “I enjoyed that so much. It was a very tough race. When I saw the rain coming I said to myself ‘I’ve got nothing to lose, so let’s send-it and try it’. On the last laps I was spinning and sliding a lot but I was super-pumped to see the podium was in reach, so I pushed. It was a great ending.”

Brad Binder: “Mixed emotions today because at the beginning of the race I was incredibly slow for the first ten-fifteen laps. Then, all of a sudden, I found two seconds on one lap and started to understand a lot more about how much grip there was available. It was disappointing that I wasted so much time in the beginning and I learnt today how incredible the tires are; I’ve never been able to do things like that in the wet and it’s quite amazing to see what you can do with the bike in those conditions. So today was a learning day because I was much, much better at the end than the beginning. The next time it’s wet we will be better off.”

Results MotoGP Shark Helmets Grand Prix de France 2020

1. Danilo Petrucci (ITA), Ducati 45:54.736
2. Alex Marquez (ESP), Honda +1.273
3. Pol Espargaro (ESP), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +1.711
4. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Ducati +3.911
5. Johann Zarco (FRA) Ducati +4.310
6. Miguel Oliveira (POR), Red Bull KTM Tech3 +4.466
12. Brad Binder (RSA), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +27.321
15. Iker Lecuona (ESP), Red Bull KTM Tech3 +51.087

MotoGP World Standing 2020 after the French GP:

1. Fabio Quartraro (FRA), Petronas Yamaha SRT 115
2. Joan Mir (SPA) Team Suzuki Ecstar 105
3. DOVIZIOSO Andrea (ITA) Team Ducati 97
11. BINDER Brad (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 62

The Cannabis Energy South African National Motocross Championship exploded back into action with a double header round 2 and 3 at Thunder Valley in Pietermaritzburg on Saturday and Sunday. It proved a thrilling weekend of spectacular, muddy racing with multiple winners and a few surprises in the open classes. There was a fair bit of domination too, across the ladies and junior motocross classes.

SA champion Maddy Malan started the weekend perfectly with a double open class Moto 1 victory for Husqvarna on Saturday. He beat Yamaha man David Goosen and Cameron Durow on a KTM in the first race. Malan then took heat 2 over Goosen and Tristan Purdon’s KTM. it was a different story on Sunday however as Goosen took his chance to do the double as Purdon and Malan shared out the lower podium steps.

Kerim Fitz-Gerald took a gate-to-flag opening Saturday MX2 moto for KTM after Yamaha challenger Slade Smith crashed in pursuit. David Goosen was second on another Yamaha from KTM man Tristan Purdon. Goosen took race 2 from Smith, Fitz-Gerald and Purdon. Slade Smith then made it three winners in three 250cc MX2 races over the double-header weekend in a Yamaha 1-2 over David Goosen and Fitz-Gerald. Goosen then went five wins up for the weekend across Moto 1 and Moto 2 when he beat Smith and Tristan Purdon’s KTM in Moto 2 race 2, too.

Over-30 rider Wyatt Avis beat over-40 men Ian Topliss and Brett Bircher in Saturday’s opening MX3 masters class race. Topliss’ Yamaha took race 2 from KTM men Avis and Bircher on a pair of KTMs. Avis took both Sunday’s races as Bircher and Topliss shared out the second places.

While there were multiple winners in the open classes, it was however a different scenario in the Ladies and schoolboy classes over the weekend. Kayla Raaff once again proved unstoppable in Ladies MX as she powered to four wins out of four races on her Kawasaki. Natasha Rugani on her KTM and Husqvarna sisters Jadene and Chayenne de Lima fought over the crumbs.

Jonathan Mlimi’ was another rider to take a clean sweep of 125cc High School wins aboard his KTM. On Saturday he beat Miguel de Waal and Mark-Anthony Filip each time in a double KTM clean sweep. And on Sunday he beat Yamaha rider Christian Celliers and de Waal’s KTM in race 1, and Dylan Lloyd-Kirk and Celliers in race 2.

Kayde van Deventer’s KTM took the opening 85cc Pro Mini heat from Bryce Petersen on a Yamaha and Lucas Venter’s Husqvarna. Petersen then beat du Plooy and Venter in race 2. Nobody could stop Petersen on Sunday however, as he powered to the double. He beat Venter and Seth Young’s KTM in the first race and Wian du Plooy on a Husqvarna and Venter in the second moto.

Husqvarna kid Liam Botha was unbeaten in the 85 Junior races. Ryan Adler on another Husqvarna and Yamaha lad Tyler Petersen swapped out the seconds and thirds on Saturday. Botha continued his winning form with two more Sunday wins over Petersen, while Ryan Adler and Timo Maximo Toepfler on a KTM shared the thirds.

Neil van der Vyver dominated the 65cc class for Husqvarna. Jordan van Wyk on another Husqvarna and KTM kid Trey Cox shared out the seconds and thirds in pursuit on Saturday. On Sunday, van der Vyver beat KTM pair Cox and Blade Tilley in moto 1, before Jordan van Wyk bounced back to second over Cox in the final moto.

And last but not least in the baby 50s. Trenton Kretzman won both Saturday races on a Husqvarna. Brody Bircher and Evan Frost shared out the seconds and thirds on their KTMs. Kretzman took Sunday’s first race from Bircher and Frost. Frost then took the final from Kretzman and Bircher.

The 2020 SA Motocross championship will wrap up with another double-header in Bloemfontein over the weekend of 24 and 25 October. The South African National Motocross Championship is proudly presented and sanctioned by Motorsport South Africa in partnership with Cannabis Energy, TRP Distributors, Prepsol, Bridgestone, Thor, Gaerne, FMF, Pro Taper, 100%, Fly Racing, Ogio, Racestar Graffix and the Sunoco Race Shop.

Just four points separated the top four riders heading into Barcelona, for round nine of the MotoGP World Championship. With the Championship so tight and with four possible title chasers in the mix, there’s been much to think about.

Would the Championship standing change again? Would Quartararo, Viñales, and Mir take advantage of Dovizioso’s 17th place starting position? Or could Dovi pull something out of the hat? Either way, the Catalan GP promised to be another phenomenal race.

Saturday’s qualifying was blue indeed, but not in the order many would have predicted. Franco Morbidelli claimed his first MotoGP pole position with a blitzing 1:38.798, Fabio Quartararo (2nd) lost out to his teammate by two tenths and Valentino Rossi (3rd) celebrated his 2021 contract deal with his first front row since the 2019 British GP.

Brad Binder had a tough qualifying, struggling to find front end grip in the cooler conditions, but managed to get a fourth row start in 10th. Pol Espargaro placed his RC16 in 7th position on the starting grid, but felt so-so about his performance because of similar front-end grip problems.

The coolest conditions yet for 2020 graced Catalunya on Sunday, making the slick asphalt a complicated challenge. Teams and riders had to make speedy judgements on tyres in order to find rubber that would last the full race distance, but also offer performance in the opening stages of the Grand Prix.

Franco Morbidelli had a great launch with Jack Miller sliding into second from fourth, and Valentino Rossi and Quartararo falling back. Turn two took a turn for the worst, as Zarco grabbed too much front brake trying to dodge Danilo Petrucci, tucked the front and took Dovi out of the race—and out of the Championship lead.

Back at the front, it was a Yamaha one-two-three with Morbidelli in the lead, Rossi overtaking Miller for second, and Quartararo sliding his way into 3rd after Miller ran wide. There was more blue behind the Yamahas, as Miller tried to hold off Joan Mir and Alex Rins for fourth. Maverick Viñales got an awful start, and was running a low pace down in 15th.

After sneaking past Rossi, Quartararo was hunting down teammate and race leader Morbidelli, with Rossi waiting in the wings; Miller too. Then, at the beginning of lap nine, Quartararo snatched the baton from Morbidelli to lead into turn one, and slowly started to sign out. Meanwhile, Miller was just 0.7 seconds off the podium, with Mir 1.2 seconds behind Miller.

With a few laps to go, the riders were starting to get into tyre degradation territory. Pol Espargaro crashed at turn one with just 12 laps to go, then Morbidelli was nearly down a lap later, allowing Rossi through into second. Lap 16 saw more drama unfold at turn two as the Doctor slid out of contention while tipping into the left-hander. Then, a few laps later, turn two collected its last victim: Miguel Oliveira.

Quartararo was leading the charge with a 2.5 second gap to Morbidelli and the Suzuki man, Mir, in third. On the second last lap, Mir took Morbidelli and left him with a hungry Rins. Mir was immediately off into the distance, and Rins was then up the inside at turn 10 to demote the pole-sitter to 4th.

Last lap! Quartararo’s lead was starting to shrink (down to 1.8 seconds), Mir was flying and Rins had broken away from Morbidelli, followed by Miller, Francesco Bagnaia, and Takaaki Nakagami. Halfway around the last lap, Mir was now just 1.4 seconds behind, but it was too late for him. With another lap and the number 36 may have bagged the win, but Quartararo turned the final corner to win for the first time since Jerez. Mir brought home second and Rins finished off the podium in third, claiming his first podium of 2020.

Brad Binder fought the mid-pack all race long, and eventually crossed the line in 11th after experiencing a lack of rear grip in the closing laps.

His brother, Darryn, fared much better on the day, taking first place in the Moto3 race. (Can you imagine two Binders on the MotoGP grid a few years from now?)

El Diablo returned to his winning ways at the perfect time to silence critics and, more importantly, is now leading the championship again. Mir rode a great race and has proven himself once again by bagging his third consecutive podium. The Spaniard climbs to second overall in the title race, sitting just eight points behind Quartararo heading to Le Mans.

Fabio Quartararo: “This is the best moment that I have had in a long time! We have had some tough times since Jerez, so this actually feels better than those wins. I was not expecting to be so fast in the opening laps, but those two guys [Joan Mir and Alex Rins] were so fast at the end of the race. We need to look at why we are struggling at the end of the race. We know that our bike is better in qualifying, so we need to balance this a bit better, but at the end of the day the race result is the most important thing and we won. It feels so good though to be back on the top step of the podium. I am also so happy that I am able to race at my home GP next, because there are not many races in this season. My thanks to the team because this victory is well deserved.”

Joan Mir: “It was quite a tough race, especially starting from the third row. It means you have to push in the early laps and it can be a bit risky. I tried to avoid any trouble and keep my head down whilst also over-taking some riders. When I was behind Miller I knew I needed to stick with him and be ready to take advantage. I got close to the victory today, maybe with a couple more laps it could have been possible, but Fabio was managing everything really well and he did a great race. It’s so nice for Suzuki to have two riders on the podium after a long time and I’m really pleased with today’s work!”

Alex Rins: “I’ve been struggling a lot in the last weeks, and to take a podium here today at my home race feels fantastic. Since my shoulder injury in Jerez things haven’t been easy, and I have found it hard to be physically strong enough to compete at the very front. But I’ve worked hard off the bike and the team have worked super hard and have supported me a lot, so I want to thank them. I also want to thank the fans for their support and for standing by me in this tricky season. I’m so happy.”

Brad Binder: “Today was a bit different to what I had in mind. Coming into the race my pace seemed really good and I had a good feeling with the bike. In the race it just didn’t quite go to plan. I tried my best at the start but when we hit lap sixteen things became a bit more difficult with the rear tire. It was tough, for sure. Not a great result in the end but we’ll learn from this and use it for the future. We’ll stay focused, look ahead to the next race and try to make things right there.”

GRAN PREMI MONSTER ENERGY DE CATALUNYA – Race Classification:

1. F. QUARTARARO – Petronas Yamaha SRT – 40:33.176
2. J. MIR – Team SUZUKI ECSTAR – +00.928
3. A. RINS – Team SUZUKI ECSTAR – +01.898
4. F. MORBIDELLI – Petronas Yamaha SRT – +02.846
5. J. MILLER – Pramac Racing – +03.391
6. F. BAGNAIA – Pramac Racing – +03.518
7. T. NAKAGAMI – LCR Honda IDEMITSU – +03.671
8. D. PETRUCCI – Ducati Team – +06.117
9. M. VIÑALES – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP – +13.607
10. C. CRUTCHLOW – LCR Honda CASTROL – +14.483
11. B. BINDER – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – +14.927

MotoGP World Standing 2020 after the Catalan GP:

1. Fabio QUARTARARO – Yamaha FRA 108
2. Joan MIR – Suzuki SPA 100
3. Maverick – VIÑALES Yamaha SPA 90
4. Andrea DOVIZIOSO – Ducati ITA 84
5. Franco MORBIDELLI – Yamaha ITA 77
6. Jack MILLER Ducati – AUS 75
7. Takaaki NAKAGAMI – Honda JPN 72
8. Alex RINS – Suzuki SPA 60
9. Miguel OLIVEIRA – KTM POR 59
10. Brad BINDER – KTM RSA 58

As riders returned to the National Enduro Championship under Covid-19 regulations, this weekend Pepson Plastics Husqvarna Racing completely stole the show. Both Brett Swanepoel and Matthew Green stormed to victory in the E2 and E1 Class respectively.

Swanepoel entered the event in third overall in the E2 Class and relished the opportunity to fight his way back up the leaderboard. Over the past year, Swanepoel has worked relentlessly to reinstate himself as a force to be reckoned with in the fight for national glory. With a line-up of riders that included names like Scott Bouverie and Blake Guzeit, and an extremely unforgiving route; Swanepoel’s impressive victory was hard-earned.

“I am so stoked to have taken the top step. It was such a demanding day on the bike and the track was so testing and tough on the body. Thank you to my team for all the support,” said Swanepoel.

Swanepoel now holds the red plate in both the National Enduro and Cross Country Championship. With a rider that is spearheading the hunt for national titles, a proud Husqvarna South Africa’s Brand Manager Fred Fensham commented: Brett once again showed that hard work, commitment and dedication pays off. After his win in the E2 class, he now holds the red plate in both National Enduro and National Cross Country – wow!”

Having accomplished his goal of winning the High School Championship, teammate Green stepped up to the E1 Class in 2018 to find his place amongst South Africa’s enduro elite. The victory this weekend was a massive milestone for the prestigious young rider, who not only proved that he has the pace to keep up with the frontrunners in this sport, but the talent to beat them.

“It feels so good to take my first win in the E1 Class! There were so many things that contributed to this victory – the track was amazing, my TE 150i was on point, and my team never skipped a beat. All the months of training for this during lockdown has finally paid off!” said Green.

“What an incredible weekend – the second in a row for the PEPSON PLASTICS HUSQVARNA RACING team. Not sure my nerves can take much more! To win both E1 and E2 for our team is simply amaizing. Matt Green was on the gas from the start and brings home his maiden victory in the class. Very happy and proud of him and the team! Again I must thank Anthony for his meticulous prep of the Husqvarna racing machines and giving the boys the equipment to win on. My best wishes go to Heindrich Aust, the young gun that we are helping out this season and wish him a speedy recovery after taking a nasty fall and injuring his lower back – I’m sure he will be back soon” said Fensham.

The seventh round of the MotoGP calendar brought us back to Misano, for the Gran Premio TISSOT dell’ Emilia Romagna e della Riviera di Rimini. (Try saying that five times fast.) The double-header took some stress off the riders, allowed the teams to get their machines tweaked to near perfection—therefore making lap records easier to beat.

With the championship blown wide open and the double-header providing riders a second shot at victory, who would be leading by the end of it all?

Maverick Viñales rode the wheels off of his Monster Energy Yamaha YZR-M1 in Saturday’s qualifying, registering both the fastest lap (1:31.077) around Misano and bagging P1 for Sunday’s race. Jack Miller was on the pace and put the Pramac Racing Ducati in second, closely followed by Fabio Quartararo to finish off the front row.

What impressed me most, was that the top six riders all smashed last weekend’s lap record set by Viñales (1:31.411) during qualifying. With more feedback coming from the front tyre and more support on the rear allowing them to push harder, Pol Espargaro and Brad Binder posted the 4th and 6th quickest lap-times.

Race day saw riders lining up under the warm Italian sun, trying to get their heads wrapped around which tyres to start the race with. Would it be medium rear or soft? Viñales learnt his lesson from last weekend and opted for the medium rear, while Pol Espargaro and Brad Binder placed their complete trust in Michelin’s soft rear.

Jack Miller got the holey, with a great launch off the line followed by Viñales slotting into second. Fabio Quartararo held onto 3rd with Pecco Bagnaia making up a place to get past Espargaro. Binder made good progress on the opening lap, and before long our local boy was up into 5th, ahead of his teammate. Viñales had a 0.9 second lead over the line as the riders clocked into the second lap.

A stroke of bad luck for the local legend Valentino Rossi at turn four saw his 250th Grand Prix with Yamaha tarnished. While that was going on, Bagnaia had got past teammate Miller into second, while Binder took third at turn 10, passing Quartararo like he was standing still.

All us Binder fans were on our toes as the rookie lost the front end of his RC16 braking into turn 14. Binder remounted but, binned it once again a few laps down the line before a disappointing retirement.

One fastest lap after another saw Bagnaia close down Viñales’s lengthy lead, and the duo were slowly pulling away from Esparagro and Quartararo. Then Viñales ran it wide into turn four, leaving the door open for Bagnaia. Further back, Espargaro and Quartararo were quickly being reeled in by Joan Mir’s Suzuki.

With only seven laps remaining, Bagnaia’s 1.4 second lead and his first MotoGP win slipped away as the Italian’s front end gave way. With a four second lead, it was now Viñales’s race to lose. Espargaro’s soft rear tyre had now worn off, and to make matters worse Quartararo and Mir were both ready to order a main course of KTM RC16.

Mir took the first bite heading into turn one, and Quartararo then took the second into turn three as Espargaro went from P2 to P4 in a matter of corners. But there was more drama in store: Quartararo was given a long-lap penalty for exceeding track limits more than once, and his only chance to do it was on the last lap.

Viñales finally got his well-deserved victory, proving to all the haters that he actually can win. Mir finished second, and Espargaro was promoted to third when Quartararo was handed a three second penalty for not taking the long lap. That demoted him to fourth, just in front of Miguel Oliveira.

MotoGP has once again produced the goods. We’ve now got six different winners from seven races, an ‘unemployed’ Dovi leading the championship, and just four points splitting the top four contenders. 2020 just keeps getting better and we’re far from done, with the Catalan GP set to kick-off in less than a week.

Maverick Viñales: “We did an amazing job this weekend, and we prepared really well for this race. Pecco was very fast, and I was pushing a lot throughout and trying to save a bit of tyre for the last ten laps. Then I started to push at the end, and I thought I was catching up with Pecco. But after he made a mistake, I just focused on keeping the bike with both wheels on the ground, trying to not crash and take the maximum amount of points. It’s fantastic! I’m very happy, because my mentality is exactly the same as it was last weekend and during the last races, but we just found a set-up that’s a bit better for when we ride with 20 litres at the beginning of the race. I actually made a mistake in turn four. I was pushing a lot in the beginning, trying to open the gap. But when we were with only two riders, it was good. I want to say ‘Thank you’ to all the people who are supporting me at home. They know we’ve had some tough times in our team, but it seems like we’ve passed it, right now we have some good luck, and that’s what counts. I’m very happy and appreciate all the work from the team, and we need to continue like that, pushing very hard, because we have a lot more potential.”

Joan Mir: “It feels so nice to be here on the podium again! I know I need to improve my qualifying results, and that’s something we’ve been trying to work on, but I’m so glad that I was able to fight through for the podium despite starting 11th. I just kept trying to close the gap and stay focused, and it paid off. I’m so happy and I really hope I can enjoy another good result next weekend in Barcelona!”

Pol Espargaro: “We knew we were taking a gamble with the rear tire but I wanted to really enjoy the race. I also knew we’d have to deal with some drop-off in performance but that came much earlier than we expected. I was very fast at the beginning—with a bike I love—and I kept pushing and keeping Maverick close for some time. In the end I wanted to keep the others behind me and defend my position: that big effort paid off. With Fabio’s penalty we were able can do it… that’s why I never give up.”

Brad Binder: “I felt really, really good today. I made a decent start but then lost the front into Turn 11 and had a big head shake of the bike. I was thinking ‘that was close’ but then tucked the front going into Turn 13. I was a little bit wild. I tried to restart but then crashed again. So, not a great race but I’m happy because I had such a good feeling with the bike, and we’ve worked hard to get to that. Unfortunately we go home with nothing today but we’ll try again in Barcelona. We’ll need to learn quickly there and if I take one thing from this weekend then it’s that a good qualification makes life so much easier! We’ll try for that again next weekend.”

MotoGP Dell’Emilia Romagna e Riviera di Rimini Race Results

1. Maverick Viñales (SPA) Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP 41’55.846
2. Joan Mir (SPA) Team Suzuki Ecstar 2.425
3. Pol Espargaro (SPA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 4.528
4. Fabio Quartararo (FRA) Petronas Yamaha SRT  6.419
5. Miguel Oliveira (POR) Red Bull KTM Tech 3  7.368

Rider Standings

1. Andrea Dovizioso 4 (ITA) 84 Ducati Team 84pts
2. Maverick Viñales 12 (SPA) 83 Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP 83pts
3. Fabio Quartararo 20 (FRA) 83 Petronas Yamaha SRT 83pts
4. Joan Mir 36 (SPA) Team Suzuki Ecstar 80pts
5. Franco Morbidelli (ITA) Petronas Yamaha SRT 64pts
***
11. Brad Binder 33 (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 53pts

This weekend marked the highly anticipated return to racing for South Africa’s motorsport stars. The second round of the National Cross Country Championship was hosted by Gauteng’s local racing series, GXCC Racing, and took place under strict Covid-19 regulations.

It was clear from the get go that reigning OR2 National Championship Jarryd Coetzee had spent the past seven months preparing for a massive assault on the title. After starting the season in second place, Coetzee returned to the top step of the podium with not only a class win, but a victory overall.

Jarryd Coetzee: “I couldn’t have had a better race. It was gnarly out there – it was a really good mix of terrain. There were some moments where I wondered if I’d be able to maintain the pace until the end, but it all worked out like I’d hoped. I can’t thank my team enough for preparing my KTM 350 XC-F so well.”

It was a successful day of racing for the rest of the Brother Leader Tread squad, who all managed to bring home some silverware. All eyes were on the team’s newest recruit Charan Moore, who battled it out in dusty conditions to secure the second step on the podium in the prestigious OR1 Class.

It was a nail-biting event for Bradley Cox as he entered a bar-to-bar battle with OR3 rival Davin Cocker. The race literally came down to the last 100 metres where Cocker managed to narrowly beat Cox to the finish line. Fans are in for an exciting showdown this season as Cox will now have to pull out all the stops in order to defend his 2019 National OR3 title.

Bradley Cox: “Davin and I went head-to-head those last two laps. It’s always an exciting race when it comes down to the last few hundred metres! I’m still in it for the championship, and plan to take this momentum into the next round.”

The countdown has officially begun for the next race of the championship, which will take place as a double-header event in KwaZulu-Natal.

Louwrens Mahoney, KTM South Africa’s Marketing Manager: “Well done to the organisers of this event and our team for racing their hearts out today. We’ve all gained some valuable experience from this, and I don’t doubt that the riders will continue working on fitness and technique for the next one.”

Pepson Plastics Husqvarna Racing’s Kenny Gilbert stormed to victory this weekend as the National Cross Country Championship returned under Covid-19 regulations. It was a momentous win for Gilbert, who stepped onto the top step of the podium for the first time since his near-career-ending injury in 2019.

The rider started racing again in February this year at the season opener in Lesotho. After discovering that he still had the pace to keep up with the front runners in this sport, Gilbert stepped into the rest of the season with a regained sense of confidence.

Kenny Gilbert: “I’m so happy to come away with a win. After that first round in Lesotho I knew that if I worked hard enough, I’d be able to pull it off. It’s onwards and upwards from here – I gained a lot from today. Thanks to my team for supporting me through it all, winning today made the effort to get here worth it.”

The goal for Gilbert is to snatch up the elusive OR1 title before he hangs up his boots on his racing career. The national series also forms part of preparation for his bigger 2021 Dakar Rally dream. Gilbert has set his focus on returning to the world-renowned event to better his result from 2019.

Fred Fensham, Husqvarna South Africa’s Brand Manager: “Kenny was the old Kenny, and I don’t mean in years but in the way he went about his day – the consummate professional, fast, calculating and determined! He will be a difficult man to beat going forward.”

Teammate Brett Swanepoel added to the celebrations at the Pepson Plastics Husqvarna Racing camp on Saturday. After battling it out in the dust with a strong field of riders in the OR2 Class, the rider managed to secure the second spot on the podium.

Brett Swanepoel: “It’s so good to be back, even if things feel a little different with the Covid-19 regulations. We put in a lot of work leading up to this event, and I believe that showed today.”

Fred Fensham: “I was immensely proud of Brett as it was this kind of terrain that almost ended his career. A second in OR2 means he now shares the red plate going into the third round – so watch this space.”

A cherry on the top of an already exciting race for Husqvarna was the eye-catching performance of Davin Cocker. The young OR3 rider arrived at the start line with Bradley Cox in his sights, and in a nail-biting race managed to take the class victory in the last few hundred metres to the chequered flag. Fensham explained the blow-by-blow action:

“Davin Cocker was the race and rider to watch this weekend. From time trial, where he qualified fourth overall, he put the hammer down and raced his heart out! A nerve-wracking moment on the fourth loop saw him take a big tumble, but got up sore and bruised, and even more determined. Even with Brad now ahead, he kept chasing and with only a few hundred meters to go (after some 5 hours of racing) regained the lead with a spectacular pass!”

He added, “A massive thank you goes out to Pepson Plastics, our title sponsor, for all their support and for sponsoring an awesome round of National Cross Country racing; Michelin for the perfect tyres and mousses; and Motorex our technical partner. Last, but by no means least, to Anthony Trichardt our race technician, who once again prepared three perfect Husqvarnas for our athletes to go out and chase championships on.”

Electrifying, dramatic and utterly mental—this is the 2020 MotoGP World Championship. Choosing your favourite rider for the weekend has never been so difficult. And boy, if you got used to that 93 percent chance of Marc bringing it home each time, then it’s certainly been gruelling for you.

But on the flip side, it’s been exciting to watch newcomers get their first taste of victory, and also seeing supporters latch onto new riders.

Yamaha dominated Saturday’s qualifying at San Marino, sealing a top four qualifying lockout—a first for the Iwata factory since 1988. Maverick Viñales took first with an all-new lap record (1:31.411), with the Petronas duo of Franco Morbidelli and Fabio Quartararo joining him on the front row. Valentino Rossi qualified 4th and was feeling stronger than ever.

KTM had a tough qualifying session though, seeing Pol Espargaró capture 11th position, ahead of fellow Red Bull KTM riders Miguel Oliveira (12th) and Brad Binder (16th).

Sunday brought with it a hot Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli for the first of two San Marino-based rounds of the 2020 MotoGP. With new 2020-spec callipers on the M1 of Viñales, the Doctor on his meds and the Petronas due ready for battle, Yamaha looked unstoppable.

Morbidelli got the hole shot into turn one, followed by Rossi, who had a superb start to slot into second ahead of the equally-fast Jack Miller. The Italian fans were out of their seats as Rossi and Morbidelli continued to battle throughout the opening laps. Miller held third, with Viñales (who had dropped back) holding off Quartararo and the two Team Suzuki Ecstar machines of Alex Rins and Joan Mir.

A few positions back, Pol was leading the orange charge with Styrian GP winner Oliveira shortly behind and Brad soon joining the fight. Sadly, Iker Lecuona stalled on the warm-up lap which later resulted in a long-lap penalty, pushing him down the time sheets.

Back at the front, Viñales was not having his way on the hard Michelin rear tyre, and it was clear that the lap record holder was slowly dropping off the pace. The championship leader (Quartararo), tucked the front of his M1 heading into turn 4, causing another twist in the championship and releasing some stress off of Dovi’s throttle. (Quartararo managed to rejoin the field, then retired to the pits, then came out again, only to crash for a second time.)

Injured, yet fast, Francesco Bagnaia was setting fastest laps like there was no tomorrow, and soon found himself in 3rd behind Rossi, closely followed by Rins. With the gap between Rossi and Morbidelli growing to just over two seconds, a scrap for second was now on the cards for both Rins and Bagnaia. With a dogfight at hand, Mir was able to make up some time and join the leading group.

Bagnaia managed to pull away from the fight behind him, leaving Rossi and Mir to battle it out for the last podium position. Mir lined up a sublime move up the inside at turn 10 to climb into third. Rossi tried to set up a move coming into the hairpin but he was slightly wide at turn 13, ending his hopes and dreams of a 200th podium in his backyard.

Morbidelli had a near perfect race, took the win, and became the fourth rider in six races to win their first MotoGP in 2020. Bagnaia finished 2nd after returning from injury and claimed his first MotoGP podium. Mir finished 3rd by defeated the Doctor on the last lap at Misano (not many riders can say that).

It would have been a historic podium finish for Rossi too—both Morbidelli and Bagnaia are graduates of his VR46 Academy.

KTM’s riders didn’t fare as well, but managed to salvage some points, with Espargaró in 10th, Oliveira in 11th, Brad in 12th and Lecuona picking up 14th. It’s a less stellar result than what we’ve come to expect from our local boy, but by salvaging four positions from the start, he’s proved once again that he does have the pace.

Amazingly, this is the first time since 1949 (the very first motorcycle Grand Prix World Championship season), that the fourth maiden winner stands on the top step in the opening six races. It’s blown the championship wide open too, with Dovi currently leading by just six points.

And there you have it, 12 different podium finishers and five different winners, in just six races.

Franco Morbidelli: “I feel like this has been a magical week for me. Everything had been going well, so going into today I was thinking that maybe something good would be possible. Turns out, it was something great! I have never won a World Championship race at home before, so to do it in MotoGP is the greatest achievement in my life. I’m really proud to be able to say that. I want to say thanks to all the people that work with me, it isn’t just me. This win is a result of teamwork. Right now I’m just so proud of what we have achieved, not just today but in general. Seven years ago I was racing here with a stock 600, now I’m winning a MotoGP race. It’s just amazing, especially as it’s the first race with a crowd this year. It felt great to be able to salute the crowd after the race. We do this for them, so to celebrate with them was such a great feeling.”

Razlan Razali, Petronas Yamaha Team Principal: “This weekend was the best so far for PETRONAS Sepang Racing Team, as a collective. It was a fantastic win for Franco: very well deserved, especially considering his crash in the first Austrian race. Doing it at his home Grand Prix as well is amazing. It was unfortunate for Fabio; he crashed while trying to catch the front-runners. He is still second in the championship, so it’s not too bad and I’m sure he’ll come back stronger next week.”

Brad Binder: “I didn’t start well and from then I tried my best to recover positions. The first 10-12 laps I didn’t have a good feeling but then it got better and better. I don’t feel I can complain too much. We have to take advantage of this test on Tuesday to make a few improvements. It was cool to be part of that KTM battle and I could see we were all having the same issues. It’s very tight in MotoGP right now but my attitude stays the same: I’m trying to enjoy and take the best of each race.”

Grand Prix of San Marino Race Results

1. Franco Morbidelli (ITA) Yamaha 42:02.272
2. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) Ducati +2.217
3. Joan Mir (ESP), Suzuki +2.290
4. Valentino Rossi (ITA), Yamaha +2.643
5. Alex Rins (ESP) Suzuki +4.044
***
10. Pol Espargaro (ESP), Red Bull KTM +12.030
11. Miguel Oliveira (POR), Red Bull KTM Tech3 +12.376
12. Brad Binder (RSA), Red Bull KTM +12.405
14. Iker Lecuona (ESP), Red Bull KTM Tech3 +19.914

Rider Standings

1. Andrea Dovizioso 4 (ITA) Ducati Team Ducati 76pts 
2. Fabio Quartararo (FRA) Petronas Yamaha SRT 70pts
3. Jack Miller 43 (AUS) Pramac Racing Ducati 64pts
4. Joan Mir 36 (SPA) Team Suzuki Ecstar Suzuki 60pts
5. Valentino Rossi 46 (ITA) Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 58pts
8. Brad Binder (RSA), Red Bull KTM 53pts