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Moto News Weekly Wrap
June 17, 2025

What’s New:

• Four Aussies confirmed for WJMX 2025
• Danielle McDonald in US Sprint Enduro Championship
• X-Trial expands in 2026
• HEWC points system updates
• Kevin Benavides retires from motorcycle racing
• KTM Racing team up with MitchCap
• Cairoli returns to MXGP at Matterley Basin
• 2025 SGP2 line-up locked in with wildcards including McDiarmid
• FIM Junior Motocross World Championships Entry Lists
• Halbert storms to FIM Flat Track victory at Meissen
• Chadwick wins AHEC Round Two – Murrumba Madness
• AMA Pro MX Round Four – High Point
• 2025 FIM SGP Rounds Four & Five Wrap from Manchester
• Silver Kings Hard Enduro
• 2025 Racing Calendars

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Four Aussies confirmed for WJMX 2025

Motorcycling Australia has revealed a strong Team Australia line-up to compete in the 2025 FIM Junior Motocross World Championship (WJMX), which will be held at Romagne in France from July 4-6.

Riders in the 65 cc class are Kye Sproule (NSW, Yamaha) and Mason Ezergailis (Vic, KTM), while in the 85 cc class we’ll see Seth Thomas (NSW, KTM) and Blake Bohannon (NSW, Yamaha). No 125cc riders have been selected for this year due to clashes with AusProMX Round Six in Canberra, which is the focus for leading MX3 riders.

All four Australian riders are perennial front-runners in the local junior ranks, with Bohannon and Thomas currently running 1-2 in the Fox Racing MX85 class at the 2025 Penrite ProMX Championship presented by AMX Superstores, while Ezergailis and Sproule are first and third in the KTM Group MX65 Futures.

Bohannon, Thomas and Ezergailis also won classes at the 2024 KTM Australian Junior Motocross Championship in Bunbury. Thomas and Ezergailis both competed at the 2024 WJMX in The Netherlands, with the former 12th in the 85cc class and Ezergalis eighth in the 65cc class.

As the pinnace of junior competition, the championship is also a stepping-stone into the professional ranks, with Queensland superstar Jett Lawrence a prime example after winning the 65cc class in 2014.

See below for the full pre-entry lists.

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Danielle McDonald in US Sprint Enduro Championship

Danielle McDonald has been able to keep her recent momentum roiling with another recent podium performance, this time at round seven of the US Sprint Enduro Championship.

In the Pro Women’s class, McDonald was able to finish second in perfect conditions. While this championship isn’t her focus, the Sprint series allows her to keep racing and increase her intensity as she finds her feet in the US GNCC championship.

Danielle McDonald

“I like being able to race every weekend and I think it has helped me in recent weeks. I feel I have really started to settle into the US racing and become a lot more comfortable with my bike, the team and the conditions over here and the results are starting to reflect that.”

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X-Trial expands in 2026

The FIM X-Trial World Championship takes another step forward in its international expansion with the launch of an exciting calendar for the 2026 season. Ten events across six countries make up a season that promises to be more intense and more competitive than ever.

The season will kick off on October 4, 2025, in Andorra la Vella (Andorra), just 30 days after the conclusion of the TrialGP World Championship, and will wrap up on April 18, 2026, in Tarragona (Spain), which will make its debut by hosting the season finale and crowning the 2026 World Champion.

Three new countries join the 2026 calendar. The 2026 calendar will expand the reach of X-Trial with the addition of:

• Italy, which will host two competition days counting towards the overall standings in Ponte di Legno in December.
• The United Kingdom, returning to the series for the first time since 2017 with the inaugural X-Trial in Leeds.
• Portugal, making a comeback after 19 years with the X-Trial in Lisbon.

The X-Trial Saint-Denis (Réunion Island, France) will also return after a five-year hiatus, while Barcelona (Spain) will celebrate its 49th edition, further cementing its status as an iconic event. The FIM Women’s X-Trial Trophy event will also take place in Barcelona. Chalon-sur-Saône (France) will remain a key stop on the calendar.

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HEWC reveals points system updates

The FIM Hard Enduro World Championship has unveil a newly restructured championship points system, developed in collaboration with the FIM, the update is designed to bring a heightened level of fairness, strategy, and competitiveness across both single-day and multi-day events. The changes debuted at the Silver Kings Hard Enduro in the United States.

Unlike traditional HEWC events where the overall classification is determined by final race placement, Silver Kings features a unique points-based structure: Each racing segment across the event’s two days contributes to the final score.

The overall winner accumulates the highest total points from all competition stages—not necessarily the first across the final finish line. This structure emphasises endurance, consistency, and adaptability, demanding the best from even the most elite riders across every section of terrain.

See below for the Silver Kings Hard Enduro Report.

Revised Points Allocation System

• Single-Day Events (e.g., 24MX GetzenRodeo)
  • Prologue Points (Top 3): 1st – 3 points; 2nd – 2 points; 3rd – 1 point
• Main Event Points (Top 15):
  • 1st – 20; 2nd – 17; 3rd – 15; 4th – 13; 5th – 11; 6th – 10; 7th – 9; 8th – 8; 9th – 7; 10th – 6; 11th – 5;1 2th – 4; 13th – 3; 14th – 2;15th – 1
• Multi-Day Events (e.g.Silver Kings, Roof of Africa, Seatosky)
  • Prologue Points (Top 3): 1st – 3 points; 2nd – 2 points; 3rd – 1 point
• Day 1 and Day 2 Points (Top 10 each day):
  • 1st – 10; 2nd – 9; 3rd – 8; 4th – 7; 5th – 6; 6th – 5; 7th – 4; 8th – 3; 9th – 2;10th – 1
• Overall Event Classification (Top 15):
  • 1st – 20; 2nd – 17; 3rd – 15; 4th – 13; 5th – 11; 6th – 10; 7th – 9; 8th – 8; 9th – 7; 10th – 6; 11th – 5; 12th – 4; 13th – 3; 14th – 2; 15th – 1

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Kevin Benavides retires from motorcycle racing

Two-time Dakar Rally champion Kevin Benavides has announced his decision to retire from professional motorcycle racing, bringing an end to an outstanding career in the sport.

Kevin’s retirement marks the conclusion of a successful five-year partnership with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – a period defined by hard-fought victories, unforgettable moments, and shared success at the very highest level of rally-raid competition.

Kevin joined Red Bull KTM Factory Racing in 2021, fresh from winning his first Dakar title earlier that year. He quickly added to his legacy with a second Dakar victory in 2023, this time aboard the KTM 450 RALLY, etching his name even deeper into the sport’s history.

In what would be his final Dakar appearance in 2025, Kevin raced alongside his brother Luciano, making a long-held dream of competing together on the same team a reality.

Kevin Benavides

“Today is not an easy day, but it’s definitely a special one. After so many years of racing – riding motorcycles since I was three, crossing the toughest terrains on Earth, experiencing victories, crashes, and life-changing lessons – I’ve made one of the hardest decisions of my life: to bring my professional motorcycle racing career to an end. Saying goodbye to the bike feels like letting go of a part of myself, but I do so with pride. From Salta, Argentina, to the world, becoming a factory rider, winning the Dakar twice, and making history in rally and Argentine sport – these were dreams that once seemed impossible. This isn’t how I imagined retiring, but my injury prevents me from competing at 100 percent, and I’ve always raced with everything I had. Still, I’m deeply grateful for all I’ve achieved. I want to thank my family, my team, the fans, and especially KTM – for believing in me and standing by me through everything. I hope to stay close to the KTM family, support my brother Luciano, and keep contributing to the sport in new ways. Dakar taught me that there are no limits when you love what you do and stay humble. Thank you all for being part of this journey.”

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KTM Racing team up with MitchCap

The KTM Racing Team has announced a partnership with MitchCap, a premier Australian distribution finance provider, in a deal that will extend through to the end of the 2027 season.

MitchCap has recently been appointed as the official floor plan provider and business partner for the KTM Group dealer network across Australia and New Zealand. Their expertise in distribution finance and deep understanding of industry-specific needs position them as key contributors to the KTM Racing Team’s ongoing success and expansion into new markets.

As a part of this partnership, MitchCap branding will be featured on KTM racing assets inclusive of team apparel, race jerseys and motorcycles during the current and future seasons of the Australian ProMX Championship and the Australian Supercross Championship.

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Cairoli returns to MXGP at Matterley Basin

Antonio Cairoli will be at the start of the MXGP of Great Britain with a third official Ducati Desmo450 MX of the Aruba.it – Ducati Factory MX Team.

In the 12th seasonal event of the FIM Motocross World Championship, which will take place from 20 to 22 June on the English track of Matterley Basin a few kilometres from the city of Winchester, in Hampshire, the Aruba.it – Ducati Factory MX Team will field three riders; other than regular riders Jeremy Seewer and Mattia Guadagnini, nine-time Motocross World Champion Antonio Cairoli will also be at the gate.

The Sicilian Champion already competed this year with the Desmo450 MX at the Grand Prix of Trentino, will return to race on the Matterley Basin track, where he has a record of six victories achieved in the 2011/2021 decade, all in the premier class, in addition to the first unforgettable success achieved in the 2006 Grand Prix of Nations, the first race ever hosted on the British track, when he won on a 250 against the more powerful 450s.

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2025 SGP2 line-up locked in with wildcards including McDiarmid

The line-up for the 2025 FIM SGP2 series has been confirmed as Australia’s Mitchell McDiarmid, Czechia’s Adam Bubba Bednar and Great Britain’s Dan Thompson complete the field as permanent wild cards for the FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship series.

Fifteen riders from 10 different countries will compete across three rounds, which follow the Speedway GP format, starting with the Virkvarn Jord och Skog AB FIM SGP2 of Sweden – Malilla on July 4. The action then moves to the DeWalt FIM SGP2 of Latvia – Riga on August 1, with the champion crowned at the Deluxe Homeart FIM SGP2 of Denmark – Vojens on night one of FIM Speedway’s Weekend of Champions on September 12.

McDiarmid represents Australia in the series after narrowly missing out on qualification following a run-off at the SGP2 qualifier in Debrecen, Hungary last Saturday. He competes for Zielona Gora in Poland, as well as racing for the Oxford Cheetahs in Britain’s Cab Direct Championship.

The trio of wildcards take on the 12 riders who qualified for SGP2 by achieving top-four finishes at the three qualification rounds in Pardubice (Czechia) and Glasgow (Great Britain) on May 24 and Debrecen (Hungary) on June 7.

All of last season’s SGP2 top four are back to compete for FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship gold, as 2024 champion Wiktor Przyjemski of Poland, Ukrainian runner-up Nazar Parnitskyi, Norwegian bronze medallist Mathias Pollestad and Denmark’s fourth-placed Mikkel Andersen made it through the qualifiers.

Should any of the 15 regular SGP2 stars be unable to compete in a round due to injury, illness or other reasons, 2024 SGP2 star Villads Nagel of Denmark is the first substitute in line to replace them. He is joined on the standby list by Sweden’s Sammy van Dyck, Australia’s Tate Zischke, Austria’s Sebastian Kossler and Latvia’s Nikita Kaulins.

FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship Line-Up

• 999. Mathias Pollestad (Norway)
• 37. Norick Blodorn (Germany)
• 97. Mikkel Andersen (Denmark)
• 505. Wiktor Przyjemski (Poland)
• 785. Nazar Parnitskyi (Ukraine)
• 72. Jake Mulford (Great Britain)
• 545. William Drejer (Denmark)
• 802. Kevin Malkiewicz (Poland)
• 310. Jan Przanowski (Poland)
• 226. Anze Grmek (Slovenia)
• 305. Antoni Mencel (Poland)
• 43. Casper Henriksson (Sweden)
• 27. Mitchell McDiarmid (Australia)
• 79. Adam Bubba Bednar (Czechia)
• 237. Dan Thompson (Great Britain)
• SUBSTITUTES
  • 108. Villads Nagel (Denmark)
  • 150. Sammy van Dyck (Sweden)
  • 131. Tate Zischke (Australia)
  • 609. Sebastian Kossler (Austria)
  • 23. Nikita Kaulins (Latvia)

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FIM Junior Motocross World Championships Pre Entry Lists

The FIM has revealed the pre-entry lists for the 2025 FIM Junior Motocross World Championships scheduled to take place in Romagne (FRA) on 05-06 July, across all three classes:

65cc – Over 50cc to 65cc 2-stroke Entries

85cc – Over 65cc to 85cc 2-Stroke Entries

125cc – Over 100cc to 125cc 2-Stroke Entries

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Halbert storms to FIM Flat Track victory at Meissen

Round two of the 2025 FIM Flat Track World Championship at Meissen in Germany was slated as an opportunity for Ervin Krajčovič to extend his slender three-point lead at the front of the field, with major rival Sammy Halbert ending the opening round down in fifth, his first time off the podium since 2023…

Splitting the favourites was Italian Daniele Tonelli sitting in second place ahead of Czech racer Ondřej Svědík who received a bonus point for recording the fastest lap in the Grand Final – and Spain’s Gerard Bailo – the champion from 2022.

When the flags dropped however, it was Halbert who stormed his way up the points table to claim the round two victory.

Former champion Ervin Krajčovič got the programme under way with victory in the opening eight-lap Heat ahead of Britain’s Tim Neave. Then Ondřej Švédík made it back-to-back wins for Czech riders with a win in the second Heat from Italy’s Kevin Corradetti.

A suspected technical issue saw Halbert at the back of the third Heat that was won by Austrian rider Max Hellmann from Michele Guerra.

Victory for Krajčovič from Švédík in the fourth Heat moved the 34-year-old from Prague into a clear lead before Halbert defeated Corradetti, and Bailo took his first win of the evening ahead of German veteran Markus Jell.

With only the top ten riders earning an automatic place in the Grand Final, the atmosphere moving into the second half of the programme was electric and when Švédík won his third Heat ahead of Dutch racer Menno Van Meer and Krajčovič could only manage third behind Halbert and Daniele Tonelli from Italy.

Neave also remained firmly in contention after winning his third Heat from Corradetti before the top ten was decided in the fourth block of racing with Švédík taking his third win to progress to the twelve-lap Grand Final in front.

Maintaining the Czech one-two, Krajčovič’s third win of the programme saw him safely through in second ahead of Corradetti, Neave and Tonelli who won his final Heat from Halbert who made the cut in sixth followed by Bailo, Argentina’s Santiago Arangio, Vít Janoušek from the Czech Republic and Britain’s Jack Bell.

The next ten riders went into the five-lap Last Chance Heat where Guerra and Van Meer picked up the two remaining places in the Grand Final that got away at the second attempt after Guerra was penalised for jumping the original start.

From the restart Švédík took an early lead from Halbert and Tonelli with Krajčovič and Neave in tow. Halbert then eased Švédík wide to move to the front on lap two and was never headed again as he used his years of top-level experience to coolly control the race from the front.

Švédík kept the pressure on Halbert – who also got the bonus point for posting the fastest lap in the Grand Final – all the way to the chequered flag with Krajčovič – who moved ahead of Neave just after half-distance – completing the podium as Tonelli kept his championship hopes very much alive in fifth.

Focus now shifts to Donji Kraljevec in Croatia on 12 July where Krajčovič will defend his slender two-point advantage over Švédík with Halbert ominously just a further point adrift in third.

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Chadwick wins AHEC Round Two – Murrumba Madness

The weekend saw Round Two of the Australian Hard Enduro Championship held in Esk, Queensland, with the Murrumba Madness event crowning Beta’s Ruben Chadwick the victor, Jon Gatt and Wade Ibrahim filling out the podium.

Riders were greeted with dry weather and frosty morning temperatures at a brand-new venue on the race calendar, the technical and unforgiving terrain challenged competitors throughout the weekend.

Saturday featured a short but demanding prologue loop, filled with rocky creek sections and tight technical lines. Ruben Chadwick battled closely with the competition and executed a welltimed pass in one of the few overtaking spots on the course. He held his ground and brought home a strong second place finish aboard his RR 300 RACE.

Sunday delivered near-perfect racing conditions for the main race. Ruben was second off the start line and quickly took the lead. Drawing on his extensive trials background and experience on similar terrain, Ruben thrived on the rocky creek beds and steep hill sections, extending his lead to 10 minutes by the end of the first lap, and a commanding 23 minutes by lap two. He crossed the line in first place, further cementing his dominance in the championship.

After Round Two, Ruben Chadwick maintains his lead in the 2025 Australian Hard Enduro Championship standings.

Ruben Chadwick

“It was a great weekend with perfect conditions on the new property. The Beta RR 300 RACE soaked up everything I gave it. I’m happy to come away with the win after a busy few weeks overseas at Erzberg. Thank you to our sponsors and the team.”

Anthony Solar endured a challenging weekend, battled through a string of setbacks to record a pair of fourth-place finishes in the premier Gold Class.

Fresh off a string of international competition, including a personal-best finish at the iconic Erzbergrodeo, Solar returned home to face a tough outing in Esk. A series of mishaps early in both races made it difficult for the Victorian to challenge for the podium, but he pushed hard to salvage a pair of fourth-place results and keep his championship campaign alive.

Sunday’s main race was equally frustrating for Solar, who was forced to restart from the beginning of the course after a costly navigational error with another competitor.

Anthony Solar

“I didn’t have the best weekend in terms of results, which is disappointing,” Solar explained. “On Saturday’s prologue, it was a slow start that hurt me over the first three laps. I lost a fair bit of time trying to work through traffic. It was a fast-paced race and not overly technical, so making up time was difficult. I eventually found my groove and managed to click off some strong laps – I actually had the fastest times on laps five and six and clawed my way back to fourth. Unfortunately, I just ran out of time to make up any more positions. Congrats to Jon Gatt on his first Gold Class prologue win. It’s great to see another rider progressing and challenging at the front. The main race started well – I was following another rider and we both missed a critical turn that was hard to see,” Solar continued. “We thought we were still on course when we saw bunting, but by the time we realised we were off-track, it was too late. I had to return to the start line and restart the lap, more than an hour behind. From there, it was just about salvaging what I could. I charged hard and was able to claw back to fourth again, giving me a 4-4 result for the weekend. Disappointing for sure – that’s not what we came here for – but these things happen in hard enduro. Eventually, everyone has a tough round, and this was mine. The positives are that I felt strong, fit, and the Sherco 300 SE Factory was running great. It gives me confidence heading back to Europe for a few more events before returning to Australia and giving it my all for the final three rounds. I can’t thank all my sponsors enough for their ongoing support.”

Ebony Nielsen also delivered a solid performance, pushing through over 4 hours and 20 minutes of racing in the tough conditions. She finished eighth on Saturday, and 17th on Sunday in the mixed Silver class.

Ebony Nielsen

“As the only female rider in the silver class, I was happy to come away with a 8 place finish in the prologue and 17 in the main race. It’s been a while since I raced hard enduro, after focusing on the Australian Enduro Championship, but it was good to get back out there.”

Riders return to the AHEC for Round Three, the Dog & Bone Extreme, on September 20–21 in Sandy Hill, NSW.

2025 AHEC – Rd 2 ‘Murrumba Madness’ Gold Top Five

1. Ruben Chadwick – 725 pts
2. Jon Gatt – 670 pts
3. Wade Ibrahim – 660 pts
4. Anthony Solar – 600 pts
5. Cooper Miller – 580 pts

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AMA Pro MX Round Four – High Point Wrap

Images by Stephen Hopkins

See full results here:
Recapping the action from High Point – AMA Pro MX Round Four

The 2025 AMA Pro Motocross Championship wrapped up its opening month with the UFO Plast High Point National, a beloved Father’s Day weekend tradition at the legendary High Point Raceway.

Race 4 of the summer campaign — and Round 21 of the SMX World Championship — unfolded under mostly overcast skies through the day’s first three motos. However, a downpour ahead of the final race set the stage for a dramatic 450 Class showdown.

When the mud settled, Team Honda HRC Progressive’s Jett Lawrence emerged victorious, extending his perfect start to the season with a fourth consecutive round win.

In the 250 Class, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan reaffirmed his grip on the championship with a dominant 1-1 moto sweep — his third such performance of the season — further solidifying his status as the rider to beat in the division.

After four consecutive race weekends, AMA Pro Motocross takes its first break of the season. Round 5 will take place Saturday, June 28, at The Wick 338 in Southwick, Massachusetts.

450 Moto One

The opening 450 Class moto kicked off with Jett Lawrence grabbing the Pro Motocross Holeshot for Team Honda HRC Progressive, followed closely by Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) and Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing). Hunter Lawrence, also aboard a Honda, slotted into fourth and helped the lead quartet break away from the rest of the field.

Jett Lawrence established a modest early lead while Plessinger moved past Cooper for second and began closing in. Soon after, Hunter Lawrence also worked his way around Cooper to move into third.

The front trio settled in until the 10-minute mark, when a stall from Jett Lawrence dramatically shuffled the order — Plessinger and Hunter both capitalised, with Jett rejoining in third.

Plessinger took full advantage of the opportunity, quickly building a four-second lead as the Lawrence brothers began battling for second.

Jett eventually regained the upper hand over Hunter and began chipping away at Plessinger’s advantage. His first attempt at a pass saw a few mistakes, allowing Plessinger to briefly extend the gap, but Jett regrouped and mounted a successful second charge to retake the lead with just under 10 minutes remaining.

With the clock winding down, the fight for second heated up. Hunter Lawrence found a way past Plessinger in the final three minutes to secure the runner-up spot.

The last lap brought a three-way scrap for third, with Plessinger, Cooper, and Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) all in contention. Cooper briefly got by, but Plessinger fought back and held off both Cooper and a charging Tomac by mere bike lengths.

At the front, Jett Lawrence collected his sixth moto win of the season, crossing the line 1.8 seconds ahead of his brother Hunter, with Plessinger rounding out the podium in a gritty ride to third.

450 Round

Jett Lawrence’s resilient comeback in the final moto was enough to secure the overall victory at the UFO Plast High Point National, thanks to 1-3 moto finishes. The result marked the 19th Pro Motocross win of his career and edged out his brother, Hunter Lawrence (2-2), by a single point in the final classification.

Eli Tomac’s commanding win in the rain-shortened second moto earned him third overall (5-1), notching the 75th podium result of his 450 Class career.

With the victory, Jett Lawrence extended his lead in the championship standings to 28 points over Tomac, while Aaron Plessinger, who finished fourth overall (3-4), now trails the lead by 34 points.

Jett Lawrence 1-3

“I needed to make sure I didn’t make a mistake any bigger than the one I made on the start [of Moto 2]. Eli [Tomac] and Hunter [Lawrence] were gone, and I saw AP [Aaron Plessinger] and knew I had to do the best I could, which was third place. I didn’t know how much time was left when they flew the red flag, but thankfully I was third [to secure the overall].”

Hunter Lawrence 2-2

“I know my capabilities on the bike, so after the first moto I knew I needed to improve on my start and a few other small things. But that all went out the window when the rain came and then I knew that the first lap could likely determine how the race would play out.”

Eli Tomac 5-1

“It was like I had two different days [Moto 1 to Moto 2]. It’s such a different experience racing out front versus being in the chaos, so it was good to make things easier on myself in Moto 2. It was a breath of fresh air.”

Aaron Plessinger 3-4

“High Point was a good day. First moto, I got a good start, then Jett [Lawrence] stalled it and I led for a little bit, but I got a bit tight for a while there and I finished P3 in that one. Second moto, I didn’t know it was going to rain and I picked the wrong goggles. [My] tear-offs were gone, had to pull in, and then pretty much straight after that, we got red-flagged. Overall, still P4, so I can’t be too mad! We’ll have a weekend off and get ready for Southwick.”

Joey Savatgy 8-6

“My launch was solid, but I spun out in Turn 1 and lost momentum, turn two wasn’t much better, then I couldn’t get into the line I wanted and missed the double into the first rhythm section in the first moto. I was happy with that ride considering the start. Once I had clear air, my lap times were strong. The heat took a toll late in the race, so I conserved energy and focused on where I could improve for Moto 2. The second race was brutal. We knew we were capable of a top six, but the weather made it extra tough. Still, it felt good. We stuck to our plan, the team stayed positive, and I had fun racing. This is where we belong, and we’re going to keep pushing.”

Jason Anderson 7-7

“My weekend was pretty middle of the road. In the first qualifying session, I was sixth, then in the second one I was eighth for eighth overall. In Moto 1, I battled my way to get seventh, then in Moto 2, I started at the front of the field. I feel like I should’ve finished fifth or sixth in that moto, but I had to take my goggles off and had a tip-over. The rain was pretty crazy, and I ended up going 7-7 for seventh overall. The results show progress, but I still want to be better.”

RJ Hampshire 6-8

“All in all, it was a really solid weekend. Came out with another P6 in Moto 1 and felt like I rode well, then the skies opened in Moto 2, and it became all about survival. Another weekend in the six-to-eight range, so we’ll make use of the weekend off and go to work, get stronger, and aim for that top-five at Southwick.”

Benoit Paturel 11-10

“It was a decent day, and we were very close to finishing in the top 10 overall. It’s just a bummer that I gave up a 10th place position on last lap of the first moto. In the second moto I got a good start and rode safe to finish 10th. It could have been better, but we’ll take it; it was good to put in a solid race day after having such a rough one last weekend. So, we need to keep going, keep working hard, and try to be better each weekend. Thank you to the team for sticking behind me and giving 200%.”

Colt Nichols 13-12

“High Point is one of my favorite tracks of the year, so I was very excited to come here this weekend,” Nichols stated. “I got a terrible start in moto 1 but fought really hard to get up to 13th. In moto 2 I got a much better start, but the rain hit and then it was kind of survival mode. I ended up P12 overall, so I’ll take it.”

Jorge Prado 12-23

“It was a difficult weekend. After the first qualifying session, we made some changes that helped me put a fast lap together for second qualifying. In the first moto, I had a pretty good start, but I struggled the first lap to get some passes and was getting arm pump, which caused me to drop back a bit. The second moto was a mudfest. Hopefully, now with the next two weeks, we can improve a lot and bounce back for the next part of the season. Hopefully, we can make some big changes and improve to be battling up front.”

450 Round Points

450 AMA MX Championship Points

450 SMX Championship Points

250 Moto One

The opening 250 Class moto at the UFO Plast High Point National saw a fast launch from Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing, with a trio of blue bikes out front. Nate Thrasher grabbed the Pro Motocross Holeshot ahead of teammate Haiden Deegan and top amateur prospect Kayden Minear.

Thrasher led the field through most of the opening lap, but Deegan quickly found his rhythm, making a decisive pass to take over the lead. Behind them, Minear went down, which promoted Seth Hammaker (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) into third.

Once in control, Deegan wasted no time pulling away, opening up a multi-second gap while Thrasher settled into second. The battle for third intensified as Hammaker’s teammate, Levi Kitchen, made his way forward, first passing Hammaker and then slipping past Thrasher for second just over 10 minutes into the moto. A few minutes later, Hammaker got around Thrasher to reclaim third.

Out front, Deegan continued to stretch his advantage, eventually building a 10-second lead. The Yamaha rider remained untouchable through the closing laps, cruising to his fifth moto win of the season by seven seconds.

Levi Kitchen took a solid second-place finish, while Seth Hammaker claimed a career-best third. Tom Vialle (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) crossed the line fourth, with Chance Hymas (Team Honda HRC Progressive) rounding out the top five.

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2025 FIM SGP Round Four & Five Wrap from Manchester

Round Four

British icon Dan Bewley admits he was determined to repay a passionate and partisan home crowd as he stormed to ATPI FIM Speedway GP of Great Britain – Manchester glory on Friday, ahead of the showdown on Saturday night for Round Five.

The Cumbrian sent 5,500 fans – the biggest crowd in the venue’s nine-year history – wild when he made a sensational start in the final, before outpacing Poland’s five-time Speedway GP world champion Bartosz Zmarzlik in second, his Belle Vue teammate Brady Kurtz of Australia in third place and Sweden’s Fredrik Lindgren in fourth.

Bewley battled his way through a tough last-chance qualifier to reach the final, defying a nightmare start to overhaul Australia’s Jack Holder for the win.

Chants of ‘Bewley, Bewley’ reverberated across the National Speedway Stadium as Union flags flew high, and the 26-year-old admits he will never forget his fifth Speedway GP victory – and his third FIM British Speedway GP win to add to triumphs at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium in 2022 and 2024.

Bewley, who famously won the FIM Speedway of Nations world title with Great Britain in Manchester in 2021 and 2024, said:

“The whole day has been pretty cool, to be honest. Obviously, we have had the Speedway of Nations here, but this is by far the biggest crowd we have had. The whole day has been pretty surreal. I just came here and treated it like any other meeting. I didn’t really want to change too much. I just used my British bikes – nothing was really different for me than when I come to a normal league meeting. I felt the same, but that feeling from the crowd was pretty different. I wish we had that every week. I didn’t really feel pressure or anything, but when you see so much support, you’re thinking, ‘I want to give you something back and I want to do you proud.’ It was so cool to see the fans. Everyone seemed like they were loving it. Thanks to everyone who has always had my back. Even when I had a couple of not-so-good races, the fans were non-stop chanting for me. They are pretty special.”

While Bewley has won five Speedway GPs – two of them at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, one on his Polish home track in Wroclaw and another at Malilla’s Skrotfrag Arena in Sweden – he admits the fight to seal this victory was an enjoyable one. He said:

“This one was cool. I have raced here since I was in the National League in 2016. It’s quite cool to have gone from the bottom of professional racing to the very top. I think that’s also the best race I’ve had in the final to get the win. I didn’t just make the start; I had to work for it.”

Zmarzlik was content with second spot as he extended his Speedway GP World Championship lead to nine points, moving on to 73 with nearest rival Kurtz on 64 in second and Bewley third on 54 – level with Holder and Lindgren.

The Pole, who also finished third in this afternoon’s sprint race to collect two extra championship points, said:

“I am very happy because I am second and I also scored the points from the sprint race. I am happy because I had many questions about the track, setups and bikes before the meeting. But I felt so very nice during the meeting, and I took a lot of fun from the racing. The track was really fantastic for fighting and racing. Dan did an amazing job in the final and also Brady. I think everyone did a good job for the fans. Of course, it’s a hard and busy weekend, but it is how it is. A double-header is okay because everyone else is in the same situation, so let’s go!”

Aussie ace Kurtz had not competed since he crashed on the final turn of the last-chance qualifier at the FIM Speedway GP of Czech Republic – Prague on May 31. After two weeks of best rest and rehabilitation, he was delighted to keep pace with Zmarzlik, losing only one point to him in the Speedway GP title race after Kurtz also finished second in the afternoon’s sprint race.

Kurtz, who reached the final at the opening two rounds in Landshut and Warsaw, said:

“I’m stoked with third. The first two rounds went a little bit too well, you could say, and then Prague sucked. I felt I needed to get back amongst it to stay in the points. It was good all night. I had loads of speed and just missed out in the final. The crash in Prague hurt me. I really hit the ground hard, and I haven’t really felt like that after a crash and had nothing broken. I was not in a good way over the next few days. I wouldn’t say it was hard work to get here. I would say it was no work. I was trying not to do too much at all. I did a lot of physio and rehabilitation – anything I could to be as healthy as I could be come this weekend. I woke up this morning and thought I was right to go. Congratulations to Dan – he knows the track better than anyone and he showed it in the final. Hopefully another good performance in the heats would be nice on Saturday and I’ll try and do something special in the final.”

2025 FIM Speedway GP of Great Britain – Manchester Results

1. Dan Bewley 20
2. Bartosz Zmarzlik 18
3. Brady Kurtz 16
4. Fredrik Lindgren 14
5. Jack Holder 12
6. Robert Lambert 11
7. Martin Vaculik 10
8. Mikkel Michelsen 9
9. Max Fricke 8
10. Jan Kvech 7
11. Charles Wright 6
12. Kai Huckenbeck 5
13. Dominik Kubera 4
14. Jason Doyle 3
15. Anders Thomsen 2
16. Andzejs Lebedevs 1

Round Five

Poland’s five-time world champion Bartosz Zmarzlik topped the podium in front of 5,999 fans at a sold-out second night of the ATPI FIM Speedway GP of Great Britain – Manchester double-header. 30-year-old Zmarzlik won the final ahead of Aussie world title rival Brady Kurtz in second, Sweden’s Fredrik Lindgren in third, and Aussie ace Jack Holder in fourth place.

As well as extending his own record for SGP wins, Zmarzlik achieved another milestone in his career as Poland’s finest reached his 66th Speedway GP final – surpassing mentor and 2010 world champion Tomasz Gollob’s haul of 65. Only American icon Greg Hancock (92) and Aussie legend Jason Crump (77) have now reached more SGP finals.

After finishing second to Great Britain’s Dan Bewley in round four at the National Speedway Stadium on Friday, Zmarzlik admitted he went into the weekend with questions about the track, as well as the bike setups needed to succeed on Speedway GP’s newest circuit.

He was delighted to answer them by claiming his second FIM British Speedway GP win – adding to his triumph at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium in 2018.  Zmarzlik now holds an 11-point lead over Kurtz at the top of the Speedway GP standings.

Bartosz Zmarzlik

“Winning here is unbelievable because I had many questions before the rounds in Manchester, but I feel amazing because I am on top of the podium again in Britain. It feels really nice. I have a new record – 29 wins is unbelievable. I am really proud about this. I don’t remember all of the numbers and statistics, but I feel good. I am happy to have made so many finals. I always try my best in every meeting – no matter where I am – because I love to race.”

Next up for Zmarzlik is the Events.com FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Gorzow next Saturday, which sees the Lublin star return to the Edward Jancarz Stadium – the track where he transformed from raw rookie into one of the sport’s all-time greats with Stal Gorzow.

Zmarzlik has won three FIM Gorzow Speedway GPs in 2014, 2020 and 2023 and would love to add to that tally after Lindgren passed him in the 2024 final there to deny him victory.

Third-placed Lindgren enjoyed a fine evening as he claimed third place in the Speedway GP standings.

Fredrik Lindgren

“I feel that overall, my evening was pretty good. There were just a few crucial moments – I had a chance to go straight through to the final, for example, and I failed to do that. But I had a pretty awesome time riding the fast line on the outside and I think I went from last to first in the last-chance qualifier. I battled hard, and I wish I could have done more in the final. I am a little bit sick and tired of losing to Bartosz all the time, but he is super good, and Brady is in super form this year as well. I am still playing a bit of catch-up, and it is a good fight.”

2025 FIM Speedway GP of Great Britain – Manchester Results

1. Bartosz Zmarzlik 20
2. Brady Kurtz 18
3. Fredrik Lindgren 16
4. Jack Holder 14
5. Max Fricke 12
6. Martin Vaculik 11
7. Kai Huckenbeck 10
8. Mikkel Michelsen 9
9. Dominik Kubera 8
10. Dan Bewley 7
11. Anders Thomsen 6
12. Robert Lambert 5
13. Andzejs Lebedevs 4
14. Jan Kvech 3
15. Jason Doyle 2
16. Charles Wright 1

FIM Speedway GP Standings

1. Bartosz Zmarzlik 93
2. Brady Kurtz 82
3. Fredrik Lindgren 70
4. Jack Holder 68
5. Dan Bewley 61
6. Andzejs Lebedevs 46
7. Max Fricke 46
8. Robert Lambert 43
9. Dominik Kubera 39
10. Martin Vaculik 38
11. Mikkel Michelsen 34
12. Anders Thomsen 32
13. Jan Kvech 31
14. Kai Huckenbeck 22
15. Leon Madsen 16
16. Patryk Dudek 16
17. Jason Doyle 13
18. Charles Wright 7
19. Erik Riss 2
20. Daniel Klima 1

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Silver Kings Hard Enduro Wrap

Staged over three intense days, including a SuperEnduro-style prologue and two demanding off-road races on Silver Mountain, Idaho, the event proved a true test of skill and endurance. Getting the weekend underway in spectacular fashion, Thursday’s prologue delivered tight, technical racing in front of a packed crowd. Trystan Hart impressed with a commanding ride to secure the win

Saturday’s first offroad day saw a fierce battle unfold between the chief protagonista. Lettenbichler took an early lead and kept his composure through the technical Milo Creek section, while the chasing pack struggled in the chaos behind. Closing the gap in the second half of the race, Trystan tailed Mani before launching a decisive charge in the final five minutes to take the win on the last hill climb. Hart claimed the day’s victory, with Mani crossing the line in second.

With everything to play for on Sunday, the fight for the overall win went down to the wire. Lettenbichler dug deep and delivered when it mattered most, taking the main race win with a narrow 20-second advantage over Hart.

Mani’s consistent 3-2-1 results were enough to secure him the overall Silver Kings crown, extending his championship lead to 18 points.

Manuel Lettenbichler – P1

“It’s been a really good race! I felt good on the bike from the first day and it showed in my results. The mountain race was awesome, and I enjoyed it a lot, especially battling with Trystan [Hart] and Mitch [Brightmore]. The main race was gnarly and the battle between me and Trystan was super fun, we must have passed each other 20-25 times! I’m happy to take the overall win and hope to come back here again!”

FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Trystan Hart impressed with a standout performance, finishing a close second after an exciting battle with Lettenbichler throughout the weekend.

Trystan Hart – P2

“I started off well with second in the prologue which was great. The first offroad day was crazy with an eight-way battle for most of the race. I really pushed near the end and managed to take the win which I was really happy with after a tough race. Today, I was with Mani for pretty much the whole race, swapping the lead for over two hours. At the end there was only 20 seconds between us, but I really enjoyed that and it’s great to have a KTM one-two!”

Australia’s Will Riordan backed up his recent top ten finish at Erzberg with a ninth place result at Silver Kings.

Will Riordan – P9

“The World Championship round at Silver Kings Hard Enduro was an awesome event. 9-6 for 9th overall. Had some vision troubles which made it hard to balance and concentrate, but I give it 100%, that’s for sure. Had a great time, and thanks everyone for the help and support.”

2025 Silver Kings Hard Enduro Results

1. Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM)
2. Trystan Hart (KTM)
3. Mitch Brightmore (GASGAS)
4. Wade Young (GASGAS)
5. Mario Roman (Sherco)
6. Teodor Kabakchiev (Sherco)
7. Billy Bolt (Husqvarna)
8. Ryder Leblond (Husqvarna)
9. Will Riordan (Sherco)
10. Alfredo Gomez (Beta)

2025 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship Standings after Round Two

1. Manuel Lettenbichler (GER), KTM, 64 points
2. Mitch Brightmore (GBR), GASGAS, 46 pts
3. Billy Bolt (GBR), Husqvarna, 43 pts
4. Teodor Kabakchiev (BUL), Sherco, 40 pts
5. Wade Young (RSA), GASGAS, 39 pts

Next

Next up for most of the world’s best hard enduro riders is the legendary Red Bull Romaniacs on July 22-26, where Mani Lettenbichler will be aiming to secure his sixth victory at the iconic event. The FIM Hard Enduro World Championship then resumes with round three at Abestone in Italy on September 6-7.

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