Sunday, January 17, 2021 at 11:34AM
Honda’s Ken Roczen (#94) had the speed to win but kept his pass attempts clean and eventually settled for a second place finish to start the year in a good points position
Sunday, January 17, 2021 at 11:23AM 
Image: Octopi Media.
Last week it was a marketing stunt at ‘A1’, this time it’s for real as Justin Barcia powered to a first-time win by TLD Red Bull GasGas at Houston 1, making it three opening round victories in a row.
On debut with the factory MC 450F, a composed Barcia kept Ken Roczen (Team Honda HRC) at bay to win by 1.015s after 20 minutes plus a lap, that duo untouched as Monster Energy Supercross took off tonight.
A mid-race surge by Roczen wasn’t enough to deliver the new CRF450R a winning debut, but on a night where some of the best in the business faltered, second position was a satisfying start to the 17-round series.
Rounding out the podium was Marvin Musquin (Red Bull KTM) after getting the holeshot in his first 450SX since 2019, but 20 seconds outside of the victory. He was ahead of Adam Cianciarulo (Monster Energy Kawasaki) and Malcolm Stewart (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha).
Veteran Justin Brayton was quick out of the gates and put in a solid effort for P6 in what was the premier class debut of Muc-Off Honda Racing. Despite missing much of the pre-season with a hand injury, last year’s 250SX West champion Dylan Ferrandis (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) rode to seventh.
Ferrandis was directly in front of teammate Plessinger, who appears to be improved now back at Star, while title threats Cooper Webb (Red Bull KTM) – the 2019 champion – and current Pro Motocross champion Zach Osborne (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) overcame a challenging affair for top 10 finishes.
Of the top riders that were further back, defending champion Tomac salvaged 13th following multiple run-ins with Vince Friese (Smartop Bullfrog Spas MotoConcepts Honda), as top qualifier Chase Sexton (Team Honda HRC) had to settle for 14th after being caught up in a major crash involving Martin Davalos (Monster Energy Team Tedder KTM).
Another former champion Jason Anderson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) was inside the top 10 for much of the final, however, he dropped down to 15th position in the closing laps in a frustrating end to his night at the opener.
Monster Energy Supercross will continue this Tuesday, 19 January, with round two of the 2021 season once again to be held in Houston for the second of three events to commence the series at NRG Stadium.
Sunday, January 17, 2021 at 11:15AM 
Benavides clinches Dakar Rally title for Honda
By:
Jan 15, 2021, 7:05 AM
Kevin Benavides clinched his first Dakar Rally title on Friday's 12th and final stage of the event, giving Honda back-to-back wins in the motorcycle class.
Having initially held a lead of 4m12s after Thursday's penultimate test of the rally, Benavides' hopes were given a boost when his advantage over KTM rider Sam Sunderland was revised upwards to 5m07s due to a failure with the organisers' GPS equipment.
Starting the deciding Yanbu-Jeddah stage third in the running order, Benavides gained 10 minutes on Sunderland in the opening 99km as the Briton struggled opening the road.
From there, Benavides was able to manage his advantage as he fought Honda teammate Ricky Brabec for the stage win, ultimately missing out to the American by 2m17s.
But with Sunderland finishing 13 minutes off the pace, it was enough for Benavides to wrap up a first outright victory in the Dakar and a second in a row for Honda.
The 32-year-old becomes the first Argentinian rider to win in the motorcycle class of the Dakar, or indeed a title in the legendary rally-raid in any category other than quads.
Brabec surpassed Sunderland for second overall to make it a Honda one-two - the first for the Japanese manufacturer since 1987 - 4m56s behind Benavides.
Sunderland had to settle for the bottom step of the podium after finishing only 12th on the final stage, 15m57s behind Benavides.
KTM rookie Daniel Sanders held on for fourth place, while privateer Skyler Howes (KTM) won his battle against Sherco's Lorenzo Santolino to seal fifth place.
Pablo Quintanilla was the only factory Husqvarna rider to make the finish in seventh place, but Yamaha's sole remaining works representative Adrian van Beveren wasn't so lucky, suffering engine problems just 30 minutes into the stage.
Van Beveren's demise helped works KTM man Matthias Walkner - who was ruled out of realistic contention as early as Stage 2 - finish ninth behind KTM privateer Stefan Svitko.
Argentina's Manuel Andujar sealed victory in the quads category, having taken the lead on Stage 7 following the
Saturday, January 16, 2021 at 3:06PM Heavy fall for reigning outdoor champion during 450SX media session.
Image: Supplied.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Zach Osborne has managed to avoid injury following a major scare in press day today, around 24 hours out from round one of Monster Energy Supercross.
Osborne was ejected over the handlebars of his factory FC 450 during Friday’s media session, later confirming he would be fit to ride the opener.
“All good after this little mishap today, thank you to everyone who asked and checked in,” Osborne wrote in a brief update on social media. The incident was captured on film by French media outlet LeBig USA (embedded below).
It’s anticipated that Osborne could be an outsider of sorts for the premier class title over the next 17 rounds, picking up his first victory in Salt Lake City’s 450SX finals last year and then going on to win the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship.
“I’m not sure if it’s really a confidence thing, but I think the overall mindset of winning a championship in the premier class has changed a little bit for me,” he explained earlier this week. “Getting the outdoor win and just some clutch overalls that I really needed helped my overall mindset and goal a lot.
“For me, that’s the biggest thing, to check some of those boxes that needed to be checked and I can really move forward with that in my back pocket. I kind of rolled Salt Lake into the outdoors, but still, it’s tough, this class is deep and it’s going to be tough to win races no matter how many you’ve won.”
Saturday, January 16, 2021 at 3:03PM 2021 Dakar Rally, Stage 12
By
Kevin Benavides finished second on Stage 12, the final leg of the 2021 Dakar Rally. That was good enough to earn him the overall win, Honda’s second championship in a row.
It’s the well-deserved result of years of hard work and loyalty for the big Argentinian rider. Benavides started with the Honda team back in 2016, when their Dakar bikes had iffy reliability. He quickly proved to be a promising rider and a team player, earning second overall in 2018. Now, he’s the champ, after racing a careful 2021 rally. He even managed to break his nose in one of the earlier stages, and he’s been pounding out consistent results anyway.
Benavides’ teammate Ricky Brabec, the 2020 champion, was first on the stage and finished second overall. It was easy to see the disappointment in his comments, but Brabec still battled back from a massive navigation error on the race’s first day, and kept within striking distance of the win.
Sam Sunderland was unable to make up the time to win the overall lead. Photo: Red Bull Content Pool
Sam Sunderland, the highest-ranked KTM rider, finished third overall, losing any chance at the title when he finished 11th on the stage due to a series of mistakes. His teammate Matthias Walkner was third on the stage; Walkner’s clutch trouble early in the race set him far back in the pack, and he thought he’d lost any chance at contention, so he (understandably) let off on the gas a bit.
Still, he finished ninth overall, which shows how bad the factory teams suffered from injuries and breakdowns this year. Honda lost two stud riders, KTM lost Price, Husqvarna lost Luciano Benavides, and the Yamaha factory squad was wiped out, with Adrien Van Beveren on the withdrawal list today.
It’s got to be an incredibly embarrassing situation for the Yamaha team, as every one of its riders was forced out due to breakdown. Andrew Short’s issue (bad fuel supplied by the rally organizers) is understandable, but to also have Franco Caimi, Jamie McCanney, Ross Branch and Van Beveren forced out with mechanicals is a very bad look. Especially with Van Beveren leaving on the final stage, after changing the engine only a couple of days back.
Instead of Yamaha, there are a few privateers in the top 10 now. Stefan Svitko, Skyler Howes and Martin Michek all rode KTM-based bikes to top-10s. Hopefully that results in a factory ride for Howes in 2021, as he proved very reliable this year, as he was last year. Maybe Honda will have a spot for him, if Joan Barreda retires?
Thursday, January 14, 2021 at 1:58PM Ricky Brabec falls to third, takes shot at KTM amid refueling drama!
Ricky Brabec Instagram
Team Honda’s Ricky Brabec lost six minutes to the overall leader Kevin Benavides in Stage 11 of the Dakar Rally and was passed by Red Bull KTM’s Sam Sunderland for second overall. Brabec will need a perfect final stage if he is going to win his second consecutive Dakar, after being the first American to win it last year.
But as he crossed the line at the end of the stage, drama unfolded.
Suffering from the effects of a fall two days earlier, Honda teammate Joan Barreda missed a refueling point at 174 kilometers. That would have incurred a penalty for the Spanish rider who was on his way to a best-ever Dakar finish. But it was only the tip of the iceberg.
“I wasn’t feeling well again this morning,” Barreda said in a release, who finished Stage 10 in second. “I don’t know if it’s because of the crash I had two days ago, I was a bit dizzy. So I ended up missing the refueling point, and I didn’t stop. Ultimately it was my mistake.”
Eventually, Barreda ran out of fuel. After a medical check, he ended the day in a local hospital.
Brabec wasn’t buying that Barreda missed the refueling station unintentionally.
“They think that it was a strategy for Joan to go ahead and skip refueling,” Brabec said. “But you know what, they’re talking crap behind our back, and I’m not OK with that. They want to play that game, then we’re going to play. Hopefully tomorrow we can clinch a podium spot, that’s about it.”
KTM’s Matthias Walkner later apologized to Honda.
Sunderland won Stage 11 and closed to within 4 minutes, 12 seconds of Benavides. It was the first stage win this year for Sunderland.
“Today I knew this was one of the last chances I had to win this race and give my all,” Sunderland said. “I ran out of water with 60ks to go and was riding like hell in the dunes. I made a few navigation mistakes but no regrets. I gave my all.”
Brabec fell to third overall, 7 minutes and 13 seconds back.
Once again, blazing the trail by being first out after the Stage 10 victory was not a winning formula as Brabec wrote in an Instagram post that he was expecting to lose time with the competition starting behind him.
“I’m fortunate to have rode really well (in Stage 10) and very unfortunate to open today,” Brabec said. “It was a tough one. We’ll do our best and stay focused. Tomorrow we’re gonna ride our ass off.”
Having lost nearly 13 minutes to the leader on Thursday, he knows anything can happen on Friday. “Today is said and done, tomorrow let’s make a final push and after a bit of drama from the orange brigade boys were fired up on this one,” he posted on IG.
One day after his Honda teammate Nacho Canejo was forced to retire, it was Barreda’s turn. He entered the stage fourth in the overall ranking, 15 minutes, 40 seconds behind the leader.
“I’m sorry, folks. I’m in the hospital performing a head scan,” Barreda said on Instagram. “The fall of two days ago when I lost consciousness for a few minutes has been billed to me today.
“I was really looking forward to continuing in the race and finishing my best, but it couldn’t have been.”
American privateer Skyler Howes started fourth after a strong Stage 10. Thursday was not as kind. Howes got stuck in a hole in the desert and lost considerable time getting back under way.
“This last bit in the dunes, I came over one wrong, just too far to the right, ended up in a hole and got completely stuck,” said Howes, who finished 25 minutes, 53 seconds behind Sunderland. “I tried to get out for a long, long time and wasted a lot of energy doing it. Really frustrating day, especially this close to the end. Was really hoping not to lose any time but lost quite a bit.”
Wednesday, January 13, 2021 at 3:42PM
The 2021 schedule for the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship was unveiled Tuesday with 12 rounds beginning May 29 at Fox Raceway in Pala, California.
Series officials are expecting fans at every event this season, which will feature an increase from three races over a 2020 season that started three months late and was disrupted by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Though the 2021 motocross season still will be impacted by the pandemic, the series will return to many of its iconic venues that were skipped last year, such as High Point Raceway, The Wick 338, Washougal MX Park, Unadilla MX, and Budds Creek Motocross Park.
Motocross also will return to Hangtown, the oldest event in pro motocross, for its Sept. 11 season finale.
The season will begin three weeks after the Supercross season, which will start Saturday in Houston.
“The 2021 schedule has been developed through a collective effort alongside all of our event organizers, and we’re thrilled to see such legendary venues back on the calendar,” Roy Janson, managing director at MX Sports Pro Racing, said in a release. “The outlook surrounding the fight to eradicate COVID-19 has provided a sense of optimism amongst our group, which has us hopeful to welcome spectators at all the races while also allowing nearly every one of our events to remain on their traditional dates.
“Safety remains paramount in our efforts to host a successful season and we will continuously monitor all national, state, and local guidelines in an effort to ensure the well-being of our fans, competitors, and series personnel. While that may require some level of restriction or limited capacity, it will be in the best interest of all parties.”
2021 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross schedule
May 29 — Fox Raceway National (Pala, California
June 5 — Thunder Valley National (Lakewood, Colorado)
June 19 — High Point National (Mt. Morris, Pennsylvania)
June 26 — Southwick National (Southwick, Massachusetts)
July 3 — RedBud National (Buchanan, Michigan)
July 17 — Spring Creek National (Millville, Minnesota)
July 24 — Washougal Naitonal (Washougal, Washington)
Aug. 14 — Unadilla National (New Berlin, New York)
Aug. 21 — Budds Creek National (Mechanicsville, Indiana)
Aug. 28 — Ironman National (Crawfordsville, Indiana)
Sept. 4 — Pala National (Pala, California)
Sept. 11 — Hangtown National (Sacramento, California)
Wednesday, January 13, 2021 at 3:37PM Dakar 2021, Stage 9: Cornejo lead grows after Price exit
By:
Jan 12, 2021, 11:41 AM
Honda rider Jose Ignacio Cornejo took a step towards victory in the 2021 Dakar Rally's bikes class as he opened up a lead of more than 10 minutes in the wake of Toby Price's crash on the ninth stage.
Cornejo entered Tuesday's 465km loop around Neom with one minute and six seconds in hand over KTM rider Price, having taken his first win of the rally on Monday.
Despite opening the road, Chilean came close to making it back-to-back successes, leading at the 198km point before losing ground to Honda teammate Kevin Benavides.
He eventually finished 1m34s behind Benavides, who notched up a second stage victory of the 2021 edition as the lead pair finished 13 minutes clear of the opposition.
Following the retirements of Price and Husqvarna rider Luciano Benavides due to crashes, and Ricky Brabec (Honda) and Sam Sunderland (KTM) both losing around 15 minutes to tend to the injured Price, Adrian van Beveren was third-fastest for Yamaha.
Matthias Walkner (KTM) and Joan Barreda (Honda) completed the top five on the stage provisionally, but with both Brabec and Sunderland both set to gain time back.
As things stand, Cornejo is now 11 minutes and 24 seconds clear of Benavides at the head of the general classification with three stages left to run, giving him by some distance the largest lead any rider has enjoyed of the rally so far.
Barreda has moved up to a provisional third, exactly 29 minutes back, but is set to fall behind Sunderland and Brabec once the times are finalised.
KTM rookie Daniel Sanders is likely to be sixth overall ahead of privateer Skyler Howes (KTM) and Sherco rider Lorenzo Santolino.
Yamaha's miserable luck continued as Ross Branch - already outside of the top 10 owing to his earlier problems - was forced out of the event with engine trouble, leaving van Beveren as the manufacturer's sole remaining factory representative in ninth.
Wednesday, January 13, 2021 at 11:25AM If you want to see more pictures and a history of Joel's life go to this site www.motocrossactionmag.com
