2019 HUSQVARNA TC 125 & TC BENELLI TNT 300 & TNT 600 MOTOCROSS TWO-STROKE STYLE MULTINATIONAL MOTORCYCLES

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1 QUICK LINKS IN THE WIND 30 STUFF 110 FIRST TESTS 2019 HUSQVARNA TC 125 & TC 250 MOTOCROSS TWO-STROKE STYLE 2018 BENELLI TNT 300 & TNT 600 MULTINATIONAL MOTORCYCLES

P24 CAPTURED No Other Race Like It The Suzuka 8 Hours is fast regaining the importance it enjoyed in the 1980s and 1990s as the world s premier endurance race.

2 P24 CAPTURED No Other Race Like It The Suzuka 8 Hours is fast regaining the importance it enjoyed in the 1980s and 1990s as the world s premier endurance race. This year, Yamaha once again rained on Honda s parade in their own backyard with another victory their fourth in a row for riders Michael van der Mark, Alex Lowes and Katsuyuki Nakasuga. PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEVE ENGLISH

3 VOL. 55 ISSUE 30 JULY 31, 2018 P25

IN THE WIND HELPING OUT BAKER The Class of 79 and Friends, American Flat Track s Official Charity Partner, has established a medical fund for Indian Motorcycle factory rider Brad Baker, who was

4 IN THE WIND HELPING OUT BAKER The Class of 79 and Friends, American Flat Track s Official Charity Partner, has established a medical fund for Indian Motorcycle factory rider Brad Baker, who was injured during practice for the Summer X Games flat track competition on July 22. Donations for Baker s hospitalization and care can be made electronically on the Class of 79 s website. Fans can donate via check, too; make checks payable to Class of 79, indicate that your donation is for Brad Baker, and mail to 3989 Springer Lane, Springfield, IL Funds raised will be used to cover expenses above and beyond medical insurance and support provided by Indian Motorcycle, his sponsors and existing additional support. Memorabilia of all sorts is being donated by fellow racers and being produced especially for this effort. Reigning AFT Twins champion Jared Mees has funded the production of specialedition Brad Baker number plates (designed by Tim Handrich at Pro Plates) that will be available online or at AFT s upcoming races at the Class of 79 charity booth. Specially designed T-shirts are also being produced and will be available online and at AFT races. There s more to come, too. Brad Baker has been our greatest supporter since the day we met, said Class of 79 s The Class of 79 and Friends, American Flat Track s Official Charity Partner, has established a medical fund for Indian Motorcycle factory rider Brad Baker. Charlie Roberts. He s traveled out of his way to make personal appearances on behalf of the Rookie Class of 79 and Friends, attends charity functions, after parties, meet and greets, autograph signings etc. He has donated memorabilia continuously for years. Most recently, Brad stood up at the riders meeting at Lima, Ohio and shared his passion for the charity with the entire paddock, explaining how it works, and how riders receive 100% of the donations made. He is a true champion, a great man, and we love him with all that we are. We will work tirelessly to P36 ensure that he and his family have what they need during this challenging time. American Flat Track urges you to help the cause and donate to the Brad Baker fund. The Class of 79 has helped and continues to help a number of injured riders, including Sandriana Shipman, Brandon Price, Parker Norris and many others over the years. Please give what you can and help relieve the burden on these riders and their families. The Rookie Class of 79 and Friends is a 501(c)(3) charity, and all donations are tax-deductible. CN

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IN THE WIND YAMAHA FACTORY RACING TAKES FOURTH STRAIGHT SUZUKA 8-HOURS WIN Yamaha Factory Racing (Katsuyuki Nakasuga, Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark) took a fourth straight win in the Suzuka 8

The Yamaha entrant came home ahead of Red Bull Honda with Japan Post (Takumi Takahashi, Takaaki Nakagami and Patrick Jacobsen) and pole sitters Team Green Kawasaki (Jonathan Rea, Leon Haslam and

6 IN THE WIND YAMAHA FACTORY RACING TAKES FOURTH STRAIGHT SUZUKA 8-HOURS WIN Yamaha Factory Racing (Katsuyuki Nakasuga, Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark) took a fourth straight win in the Suzuka 8 Hours. The Yamaha entrant came home ahead of Red Bull Honda with Japan Post (Takumi Takahashi, Takaaki Nakagami and Patrick Jacobsen) and pole sitters Team Green Kawasaki (Jonathan Rea, Leon Haslam and Kazuma Watanabe). In the Endurance World Championship, the F.C.C. TSR Honda France (Japanese team partnered with Honda France) team became the first Japanese team to take the outright honors in the championship s history, finishing the race in fifth. Rea and Team Green had taken the lead in the early stages but was caught out by a rain shower and crashed at low speed while on slick tires. He made it back to the pits for repairs but Team Green would finish a lap down. The race distilled to a battle between Yamaha Factory Racing and Red Bull Honda with Japan Post, with the current 8 Hours Champions stretching their advantage to 30.9 seconds at the flag. Suzuki S-Pulse Dream Racing IAI (Hideyuki Ogata, Tom Bridewell and Kasuki Watanabe) ran a flawless race to finish fourth, with F.C.C. TSR Honda France (Freddy Foray, Alan Techer and P50 Josh Hook) rounding out the top five. F.C.C. TSR Honda France thus takes the 2017/2018 FIM Endurance World Championship with a seven-point advantage over former world champions GMT94 Yamaha s David Checa, Niccolò Canepa and Mike Di Meglio, who finished the Suzuka race in sixth. The top 10 was rounded out by Honda Dream Asia Racing, KYB Moriwaki Motul Racing, Honda Endurance Racing and Yoshimura Suzuki Motul Racing. Team Kagayama U.S.A. with American Moto2 racer Joe Roberts and teammates Yukio Kagayama and Naomichi Uramoto finished 11th. CN Despite some serious competition from Kawasaki, the Yamaha Factory Racing Team prevailed yet again in the Suzuka 8 Hours.

ROUND 9 / JUNE 28, 2018 WASHOUGAL MX PARK / WASHOUGAL, WASHINGTON MOTOCROSS LUCAS OIL AMA PRO MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIPS P68 iii My Own Race: 17 JOEY SAVATGY 3RD 250MX (1-9) Joey Savatgy put in a

move through a rutted turn. In moto two, he went down on the start and fought back to ninth for third overall, but it was a breakthrough day, his first moto win of the year.

The track was tough and technical so after my bad start in moto two, it was good to at least get into the top 10. 54 PHIL NICOLETTI 10TH 450MX (9-12) Phil Nicoletti managed a top-10 at Washougal.

I got up, made some quick passes and started coming back. Then I crashed before the whoops. I literally picked my bike up and tried to take off but then went down again.

Washougal marked the most points earned in a single event so far outdoors for Harrison. Washougal was dry, hard-packed and bumpy, Harrison said.

25 MARVIN MUSQUIN 3RD 450MX (2-3) Marvin Musquin won at Washougal in 2017, so he had high expectations for the event this year. He was forced to settle for a 2-3 for third overall.

7 ROUND 9 / JUNE 28, 2018 WASHOUGAL MX PARK / WASHOUGAL, WASHINGTON MOTOCROSS LUCAS OIL AMA PRO MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIPS P68 iii My Own Race: 17 JOEY SAVATGY 3RD 250MX (1-9) Joey Savatgy put in a phenomenal ride to win the first moto at Washougal, after grabbing the holeshot, then losing the lead to his teammate Austin Forkner, then passing Forkner back several laps later with an aggressive move through a rutted turn. In moto two, he went down on the start and fought back to ninth for third overall, but it was a breakthrough day, his first moto win of the year. I felt good enough to get the overall, but getting the moto win and on the overall podium is a step in the right direction, Savatgy said. The track was tough and technical so after my bad start in moto two, it was good to at least get into the top PHIL NICOLETTI 10TH 450MX (9-12) Phil Nicoletti managed a top-10 at Washougal. Today was up and down, Nicoletti said. The first moto was decent and I had a hard-fought race. I went down in the first lap of the second moto. I got up, made some quick passes and started coming back. Then I crashed before the whoops. I literally picked my bike up and tried to take off but then went down again. It took the wind out of my sails. 30 MITCHELL HARRISON 10TH 250MX (12-7) Mitchell Harrison (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) had a solid day and continues to improve. Washougal marked the most points earned in a single event so far outdoors for Harrison. Washougal was dry, hard-packed and bumpy, Harrison said. I got a good start in the first moto but went down in the third lap. I got another decent start in the second moto and ended up seventh. It was a decent weekend, but I want to step it up. 25 MARVIN MUSQUIN 3RD 450MX (2-3) Marvin Musquin won at Washougal in 2017, so he had high expectations for the event this year. He was forced to settle for a 2-3 for third overall. Definitely a tough track, Musquin said. It was definitely hard for me today, but I did my best. Third, unfortunately, that second moto, gave us third overall. I thought I could charge and put pressure on Kenny, but he was consistent, and it was hard for me to step it up. Tough track. Consistent, but we re losing points, so it s a bummer. 28 SHANE MCELRATH 2ND 250MX (9-1) Shane McElrath got his first overall win earlier this season at Muddy Creek, but he went 3-2 for the win that day. Washougal marked the first moto victory of his career in the second moto, and he ended the day second overall. It s huge! McElrath said. We ve been working really hard together, and the team s just nonstop during the week. The results don t show what the team s been doing. That really showed what we re capable of. 94 KEN ROCZEN 2ND 450MX (3-2) Ken Roczen has been slowly getting better since his return, and he s now scored three second-place overall finishes in a row. It s just good to be up front, Roczen said. The track was really gnarly. Lots of shadows and some pretty deep ruts. There was a little bit of everything: some hard-pack, slippery stuff, tacky ruts, bumps. It was a tricky race, so I just tried to keep Marvin off, but Eli was just there and put on a charge. I tried everything I can, but for now, I have to be happy with that.

8 ROUND 9 / JUNE 28, 2018 WASHOUGAL MX PARK / WASHOUGAL, WASHINGTON MOTOCROSS LUCAS OIL AMA PRO MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIPS P72 No one dominated the 250MX class at Washougal, not even overall winner Aaron Plessinger (23).

VOL. 55 ISSUE 30 JULY 31, 2018 250MX Aaron Plessinger (Monster Energy/Yamalube/ Star Racing Yamaha) had won the last four motos in a row heading into

Sometimes, things just go your way and that s the way they are going for Plessinger right now. And sometimes, they simply aren t.

One of Payton s riders Joey Savatgy grabbed a massive holeshot to start the first moto and was joined up front by teammate Austin Forkner.

9 VOL. 55 ISSUE 30 JULY 31, MX Aaron Plessinger (Monster Energy/Yamalube/ Star Racing Yamaha) had won the last four motos in a row heading into Washougal, so expectations were high for him to prevail again. He lived up to those expectations, but didn t even come close to winning a moto. Sometimes, things just go your way and that s the way they are going for Plessinger right now. And sometimes, they simply aren t. Just ask Mitch Payton, team manager of the Monster En- P73 ergy/pro Circuit Kawasaki Team. At least things started out well. One of Payton s riders Joey Savatgy grabbed a massive holeshot to start the first moto and was joined up front by teammate Austin Forkner. Jordon Smith (TLD/Red Bull KTM) moved through a few racers to grab third before the end of the first lap, and points leader Plessinger passed three racers on lap two before settling into fourth (gifted one of those spots by team team-

ROUND 9 / JUNE 28, 2018 WASHOUGAL MX PARK / WASHOUGAL, WASHINGTON MOTOCROSS LUCAS OIL AMA PRO MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIPS P74 mate Dylan Ferrandis, when he crashed out of that spot).

10 ROUND 9 / JUNE 28, 2018 WASHOUGAL MX PARK / WASHOUGAL, WASHINGTON MOTOCROSS LUCAS OIL AMA PRO MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIPS P74 mate Dylan Ferrandis, when he crashed out of that spot). Plessinger tried to make a couple moves on Smith for third early in the race, but Smith wouldn t allow it. Out front, Forkner squared a corner to take the lead from Savatgy on lap six and held the spot until time had almost expired, when Savatgy shoved his way back by on the inside of a rutted left-hander to steal the lead back. Forkner tried to retaliate, but Savatgy held on to take the win over Forkner, Smith, Plessinger and Chase Sexton (Geico Honda). Behind them came fast qualifier Justin Coo- It looked as though it was going to be Pro Circuit s day with Joey Savatgy (17) and Austin Forkner (35) going 1-2 in the first 250MX moto; crashes caught up with them in the second moto. per, Michael Mosiman (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna), teammates Alex Martin and Shane McElrath, and RJ Hampshire. The Pro Circuit 1-2 was the best moto of the season for the team. But celebrating would have to wait for at least another couple of weeks, as both Forkner and Savatgy had their problems in the second moto. Plessinger got the holeshot in moto two, but was passed right away by McElrath, who immediately started pulling away. Plessinger had Forkner chasing him at the start of the second lap when Forkner went down violently over the scrub jump at the base of Horsepower Hill, ending his day. Savatgy was stuck coming through the pack from the tail end of the top 30 after going down in the second turn. Plessinger s teammates Ferrandis and Nichols were chasing him. Plessinger gave up the second spot near the end of the moto when he fell over in a corner, handing the spot to Ferrandis, and Nichols eventually gave way to Hampshire for fourth.

ROUND 9 / JUNE 28, 2018 WASHOUGAL MX PARK / WASHOUGAL, WASHINGTON MOTOCROSS LUCAS OIL AMA PRO MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIPS P76 Shane McElrath caught fire in the second 250MX moto.

11 ROUND 9 / JUNE 28, 2018 WASHOUGAL MX PARK / WASHOUGAL, WASHINGTON MOTOCROSS LUCAS OIL AMA PRO MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIPS P76 Shane McElrath caught fire in the second 250MX moto. He grabbed the early lead and ran away with the win. McElrath was absolutely dominant in the moto, winning by almost 13 seconds over Ferrandis, Plessinger, Hampshire, Nichols, Martin, Mitchell Harrison, Cooper and Savatgy, who fought his way up to ninth place. Sexton was 10th. Smith, who was third in the opening moto, was involved in the same incident as Savatgy on the opening lap and ended up 13th. Plessinger ended up with the unlikely overall win with a 4-3 score over McElrath s 9-1 and Savatgy s 1-9, but in the big picture, Plessinger now leads Mar- tin by 59 points in the championship chase with three rounds (six motos) still left to run. I had a little luck by my side with that one, Plessinger said. Shane was riding awesome. I got the start, and he passed me and pulled away from me. That s that! He was riding really good! I crashed, and Dylan got by me, and I couldn t get back by him; it s rough out here right now. These guys are riding good and you can t make a mistake. Now, there s a weekend off before the final three rounds kick off at Unadilla Valley Sports Center in New Berlin, New York, on August 11. CN 450MX 1. Eli Tomac (Kaw) Ken Roczen (Hon) Marvin Musquin (KTM) Justin Barcia (Yam) Blake Baggett (KTM) Cooper Webb (Yam) Benny Bloss (KTM) Weston Peick (Suz) Kyle Cunningham (Suz) Phil Nicoletti (Hus) MX 1. Aaron Plessinger (Yam) Shane McElrath (KTM) Joey Savatgy (Kaw) Dylan Ferrandis (Yam) RJ Hampshire (Hon) Alex Martin (KTM) Justin Cooper (Yam) Jordon Smith (KTM) Chase Sexton (Hon) Mitchell Harrison (Hus) 12-7

WORLD SBK, MOTOAMERICA INVADE MAZDA RACEWAY

QUICK LINKS IN THE WIND 30 STUFF 116 // LAGUNA SECA WORLD SBK, MOTOAMERICA INVADE MAZDA RACEWAY VOL. 53 ISSUE 27 JULY 12, 2016 //SOUTHWICK MOTOCROSS TOMAC TURNS THE TABLES //FEATURE RENNIE S PIKES PEAK