racing report

DECEMBER 2014 I www.motorex.com
Photo:© S. Taglioni
RACING
REPORT
MOTOCROSS
4
Tony Cairoli takes
title number eight!
MOTO GP
16
TOM Lüthi FIGHTS
HIS WAY BACK
BIKE
26
A successful off-road
year
Photo:© S. Taglioni
MOTOREX RACING LAB
The MOTOREX Racing Lab is responsible for the development and provision of all fluid requirements of the major racing teams that MOTOREX supports. Over recent years the MOTOREX Racing Lab has established itself as one of the most respected centres of expertise when it comes to
special developments for racing teams.
These special Racing Line formulations in attractive premium packaging, combined with our passion for racing sport, create a completely new dimension for “High performance racing products”.
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www.motorex.com
EDITORIAL
DEAR MOTOR RACING FRIENDS
Another racing season is drawing to a close, and once
again it has been a “typical MOTOREX motorsports
year“. You might even say that 2014 was a lot better
than expected. Not all championships are over yet,
but one thing is already certain: 2014 will go down
in history as one of the most successful years in
motor racing for MOTOREX. We will have actively
contributed to ten world championship titles and
won a number of runner-up positions and various
national titles with our partners. These include
several quite unusual achievements. For example, we
supported the winner of the Women‘s World Triathlon
Championship, Gwen Joergensen-Lemieux, and she
used MOTOREX Bikeline products for the care and
maintenance of her bicycles on all continents with
the help of our importers.
Together with KTM we won the two most important
motocross world championship titles as well as
finishing as runner-up in the MX2. Tony Cairoli took
his eighth World Championship title, while Jordi
Tixier was able to prevail against Jeffrey Herlings
due to his impressive consistency and lack of injury.
Ken Roczen and Ryan Dungey were highly successful
in the supercross and motocross season in the
USA. Roczen‘s crowning glory was to win the AMA
motocross title in the big class – a huge achievement
for the young German!
Enduro racing is one of the core areas of expertise
for MOTOREX. With KTM we clinched two world
championships, with Christophe Nambotin and the
young Australian Matthew Phillips winning the
rider‘s title. KTM also won the constructor‘s title
in these two classes, as in the Motocross World
Championship. But there were surprises in the area
of enduro racing, too. The Junior and Youth World
Championship titles went to Team Costa Ligure Beta
Boano Racing, which is supported by our Italian
importer, while Danny McCanney and Davide Soreca
won the rider‘s titles on Beta and Yamaha motorcycles. Life is certainly full of surprises: our privately
funded partners also successfully carried MOTOREX
green across the finishing line when up against the
factory teams.
Our teams put in a superb effort in road racing, too.
Tom Lüthi tenaciously fought his way through the
season and even achieved two victories in the last
races. Led by the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 Team with
future MotoGP rookie Jack Miller, the Moto3 Teams
have worked hard throughout the season – winning
the Vice Champion Title at the end. Superbike at
World Championship level has seen some initial
success. MOTOREX‘s successful involvement is
rounded off with solid results in the American
championship, the British BSB and the German IDM
with Yoshimura Suzuki, GB Moto Kawasaki and HRP
Holzhauer Honda.
But where are we heading now? Will 2015 be another‚
typical MOTOREX motorsports year? We can certainly
expect some key changes: Ken Roczen is leaving KTM,
Tom Lüthi will be changing teams and there are new
riders joining Red Bull Ajo KTM. We will also witness
a superb battle between Tony Cairoli and Ryan
Villoporto in the Motocross World Championship,
the MXGP class, in 2015. The two best riders in the
world will be competing against one another on KTM
and Kawasaki. And the good thing is: they both use
MOTOREX oil. So we can already look forward to an
exciting new season.
Yours sincerely
Ronald Kabella
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Photo:© S. Taglioni
MOTOCROSS
Photo:© S. Taglioni
Photo:© S. Taglioni
MOTOCROSS
MXGP
THE CHAMPION GOES ONE BETTER:
TONY CAIROLI TAKES
TITLE NUMBER EIGHT!
The name of the first MXGP Motocross World
Championship winner is Antonio Cairoli. This is the
sixth time in succession that the 29-year-old Italian
has won the World Championship in motocross. After
the renaming of the MX1 category MXGP, the factory
rider of the Red Bull KTM Racing Team continues to
dominate proceedings with a more than impressive
showing.
At every Grand Prix weekend at virtually every
race track he remains the top favourite for Grand
Prix victory with amazing consistency, laying the
foundations for winning the world championship
title year by year. The Red Bull KTM rider achieved
supreme day victories at nine out of the seventeen
Grand Prix in the 2014 season, as well as putting in a
brilliant performance on six of these occasions with
a superb win in both races. All in all the likeable
Italian took a total of fifteen race victories as well
as finishing in the top three another thirteen times.
This incredible track record enabled him to clinch
his eighth World Championship title early on at the
Goias Grand Prix in Brazil. The exceptionally talented
rider has now chalked up seventy-two Grand Prix
victories on the eternal winners‘ list – and there is
no end in sight.
Off the race track, Antonio Cairoli is an outstanding
ambassador for motocross racing. In his home country
of Italy, the Sicilian was even voted athlete of the year
by Sky channel viewers . Here he came out top despite
being up against such leading figures as Valentino
Rossi, footballers Andrea Pirlo, Mario Balotelli and
Francesco Totti, NBA basketball player Luigi Datome,
swimmer Federica Pellegrini and Giro d‘Italia winner
Vincenzo Nibali.
A special highlight is the exclusive cinema feature
about the career of the eight-times world champion
entitled “Tony Cairoli – the Movie“. The film lasts
70 minutes and has been released in nine European countries.
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© Photos: Sarah Gutierrez
MOTOCROSS
KAWASAKI
ON FIRE
MXGP
GAUTIER PAULIN TAKES TEAM FRANCE TO NATIONS TRIUMPH
Regarded as the biggest challenger to multiple champion Antonio
Cairoli, smart Frenchman Gautier Paulin started the 2014 MXGP with a
bang by winning the night race in Qatar. For the time being, however,
this remained the highlight of the season for the 24-year-old. After race
victories in Italy, Bulgaria and the Netherlands, Paulin suffered a bad
fall and was forced to drop out of seven Grand Prix. After his injury
absence he steadily worked his way back among the leaders and won
his second Grand Prix victory of the year at the final in Mexico at the
close of the season.
With the momentum of this Grand Prix win, Paulin then went to
Kegums in Latvia for the MX of Nations. Here the Kawasaki factory
rider pulled Team France‘s chestnuts out of the fire as team leader on his
KX 450 F. He set the benchmark with two superb race victories, thereby
laying the foundations for the Équipe Tricolore‘s overall victory.
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MOTOCROSS
MXGP
STEVEN FROSSARD PUTS IN A STRONG MXGP
SEASON AND TRIUMPHS AT THE MX OF NATIONS
© Photos: Sarah Gutierrez
Paulin‘s fellow countryman and team colleague in the Kawasaki Factory Team KRT Steven
Frossard put in a powerful performance throughout the entire MXGP season and was
eventually rewarded with fifth place in the World Championship ranking. The highlight for
the 27-year-old was a second place on the podium at the Finnish Grand Prix. His potential
is reflected in a total of eight podium placements in individual races. Frossard brought the
season to a perfect close with the French team at the MX of Nations in Latvia. With superb
individual performances and outright victory in the open category, he made a crucial
contribution to the overall victory of the French.
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MOTOCROSS
TEAMFIGHT
Photo:© S. Taglioni
THROUGH TO THE LAST ROUND
VS.
MX2
JORDI TIXIER CLINCHES THE MX2 WORLD
CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE IN A DRAMATIC FINAL RACE
The MX2 Motocross World Championship in Leon,
Mexico, produced a season finale that offered
unbeatable edge-of-seat action and drama. The key
players were two-times world champion and title
defender Jeffrey Herlings from the Netherlands and
his French challenger and team colleague Jordi Tixier.
Jeffrey Herlings dominated the MX2 season, taking
the victory of the day in all the races he entered. He
was unable to take part in the third Grand Prix of
the year in Brazil due to injury but quickly went on
to regain leadership in the World Championship,
consolidating this to a terrific lead of one hundred
and forty-five points. He was therefore all set in
Loket, Czech Republic, to clinch his third successive
World Championship title early on. But things turned
out differently: the 20-year-old broke his femur in a
charity race and it looked as if his title dreams had
been dashed.
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Nonetheless, the Red Bull KTM factory rider performed
the incredible feat of fighting his way back for the big
showdown against his team colleague Jordi Tixier.
With enormous fighting spirit, the Frenchman had
minimised the gap during Herlings‘ absence in the
three Grand Prix prior to the season finale and was the
only challenger left.
In a finale that offered unbeatable edge-of-seat action
and drama, Jordi Tixier eventually came out on top
against the less-than-100% title defender and won
by the slimmest possible margin of just six World
Championship points. It was the 21-year-old‘s biggest
triumph of his career since winning the Junior World
Championship title in 2010. For the Red Bull KTM
Factory Racing Team this meant another double World
Championship win in the MX2 category.
MOTOCROSS
MXGP
CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE FOR SHAUN SIMPSON AND DENNIS ULLRICH
Shaun Simpson (Hitachi Construction KTM UK) and Dennis Ullrich
(KTM Sarholz Racing Team) both put
in excellent performances during
the course of the 2014 season. At
national level in particular the two
KTM riders were almost unbeatable
and their dominance allowed them
to clinch the championship titles.
Photos:© R. Archer
Simpson won the British Motocross
Championship while Ullrich successfully defended his title at the ADAC MX Masters in
Germany. The two also put in an impressive showing at the Motocross World Championship.
Simpson, 26, the last Grand Prix winner in the MX1 category in Lierop (Holland) in the
previous season, demonstrated his capabilities in the MXGP with three top-three placements,
even climbing the day‘s podium in the deep sand at Lommel, Belgium.
As one of the youngest riders in the
MXGP at just twenty-one years of
age, Dennis Ullrich‘s highlight of
the season was at the Czech Grand
Prix in Loket. He had previously
attracted some attention with the
occasional top ten placement, but
in Loket he finished a sensational
fourth place up against the world‘s
best.
At the MX of Nations in Kegums,
Latvia, Simpson put in a fine
support performance for the
British team, while Dennis Ullrich
likewise did an excellent job.
Originally from Swabia but now
based in the Saarland, Ullrich achieved an impressive
fifth place in the overall rankings along with his
17-year-old team mate Henry Jacobi (KTM Sarholz
Racing) and Max Nagl.
MOTOCROSS / SUPERMOTO SWITZERLAND
MOTOREX is also active in the world of motor sports in Switzerland, providing support for
both competition organisers and teams. As official partners of KTM and Husqvarna, the
2014 motocross season was a great success with no fewer than 4 national titles. While the
experienced rider from western Switzerland, Killian Auberson, took his 3rd title as Swiss
champion in the Inter MX2 category at the age of only 22, KTM Switzerland is always
particularly interested in unearthing new talent. With another 3 titles, the work of Philippe
Dupasquier and his team was richly rewarded. In the Kid 65cc category, Joel Elsener won
the national title while in the Minis 85cc category, Maurice Chanton took 1st place. The
resounding success was completed by Cyrille Flury’s victory in the Junior 2-T category and
there is no doubt that in the coming years, these riders will continue to be in the spotlight in
the MX Open and MX2 categories.
© Photo: Stephan Bögli
HOME GAME IN SWITZERLAND
In the Supermoto category, Husqvarna is highly prominent. In the Supermoto Prestige
category, Philippe Dupasquier became Vice-Champion of Switzerland while his son Jason
claimed victory in the Youngster 85 category.
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© Photos: S. Cudby
AMA NATIONALS / SUPERCROSS
ROOKIE SEASON
TRIUMPH
AMA NATIONALS
KEN ROCZEN WINS THE US MX CHAMPIONSHIP
In no time at all the 20-year-old from Thüringen
has pulverised all records and clinched the coveted
AMA national title in the USA at his first attempt.
He already put in an outstanding supercross season
performance but went one better in the outdoor
season to take home a much deserved overall victory.
In the supercross races he opened the season with a
bang, winning the opening race in Anaheim on the
KTM SX-F 450 – an amazing feat and the first win by
a rookie at the start of a season since 2009. For the
entire duration of the race, Roczen demonstrated his
incredible potential by holding out against multiple
SX champions Ryan Dungey, James Stewart, Chad
Reed and Ryan Villopoto. As the season continued
he achieved another impressive win at the final
in Atlanta and six more podium positions as well
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as leading the interim standings over a period of several weeks,
ultimately finishing an outstanding third in the final ranking of the
AMA Supercross Series. Since these results count equally towards
the Supercross World Championship, Roczen happily took world
championship bronze.
He quickly showed himself to be a title contender in the outdoor season,
too. Coming in a supreme second two more times at the finishing
line and on the day‘s podium at the opening event at Glen Helen, he
more than underpinned his title ambitions with another remarkable
showing in the second round in Hangtown. Here he won both races by a
clear margin, gaining his first of a total of five individual day wins. Over
the season as a whole he won eight race victories, climbed the day‘s
podium ten times and achieved twenty-one top-three placements. Like
the season as a whole, the finale in Utah was incredibly exciting. Roczen
remained cool and rode without any risk to take positions three and
four in the greatest triumph of his amazing career.
AMA NATIONALS / SUPERCROSS
SUPERCROSS
RYAN DUNGEY WINS TWO TIMES SILVER
The 2010 supercross champion of the Red Bull KTM
Factory Team, Ryan Dungey, collected silver and
bronze in the 2014 season. After an exciting battle
the US boy clinched second place in the supercross,
only to be outclassed by winner Ryan Villopoto. The
24-year-old from Tallahessee in Florida won the race
in Indianapolis and climbed the podium a total of ten
times.
He was a solid title contender in the AMA Nationals
up to the last round in Utah but was ultimately
outperformed by German team colleague Ken Roczen
and had to make do with silver. Dungey had a very
well balanced season, clinching four day and six race
wins, also finishing in the top three a total of twentyone times - just like Roczen. Having made it onto the
day podium at eleven out of twelve events, he was
just fourteen points away from achieving his third
outdoor triumph after 2010 and 2012.
© Photos: S. Cudby
After the AMA Nationals, Dungey wore the US colours
at the MX of Nations in Kegums (Latvia). He finished
fourth in the MXGP category, contributing to the US
team‘s bronze in the overall ranking.
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ENDURO
ENDURO 1
CHRISTOPHE NAMBOTIN RULES THE ROOST
© Photos: Future7Media
Christophe Nambotin faced one of his toughest seasons in the Enduro World Championship during 2014. But
you wouldn’t guess that too easily. Dropping down into the Enduro 1 category, Nambotin left his established
home in Enduro 3 and his trusted KTM 300 EXC two-stroke to begin his first season of competition in the
Enduro 1 category. Immediately the Frenchman proved more than capable on his KTM 250 EXC-f and silenced
his critics by winning the first five days of the series. A couple of uncharacteristic mistakes in Greece,
Finland and Sweden allowed his closest rivals to draw false hope when he slipped back to second. But at the
penultimate round of the championship in Italy the KTM rider got back to his winning ways and clinched the
title on his way to claiming victory during the final four days of the year.
ENDURO 3
BATTLE OF THE BRAVE
BETWEEN PHILLIPS AND CERVANTES
At rounds one and two it was the Cervantes’ show
as the Spaniard out foxed everyone to secure victory
in the first five days of the series. But on day two in
Greece momentum swung in Phillips’ favour when
the young Australian claimed his first victory as
Cervantes suffered a broken bone in his ankle. With
no time to recover, Cervantes struggled through
Finland and Sweden while Phillips grew stronger
and stronger. Entering the penultimate round in Italy,
Phillips was in the driving seat and appeared to be
on his way to the championship. But a badly broken
foot saw him retire from day two, leaving things on
a knife-edge for the final round showdown in France.
With it all to play for between the duo, it was Phillips
who held the upper hand and marched his way to the
2014 Enduro 3 World Championship.
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© Photos: Future7Media
While Nambotin had things mostly his own way in E1, the battle for supremacy in the
Enduro 3 class raged between KTM teammates Ivan Cervantes and Matt Phillips. Cervantes
had his sights set on collecting title number five while Phillips – fresh from his junior title
in 2013 – was keen to prove himself in the senior ranks.
ENDURO
ENDURO YOUTH / ENDURO JUNIOR
© Photos: Christiano Morello
A last minute switch to the Costa Ligure Beta Boano
Racing Team proved more than fruitful for Daniel
McCanney in the Enduro Junior ranks. Instantly gelling
with his new machine, the Beta rider immediately
became a force to be reckoned with. Racing his way to
victory in the first four days of the series, McCanney
took control of the points lead and never looked back.
Going on to win a further four days while never
missing out on a podium result, McCanney clinched
the Enduro Junior World Championship in style.
© Photos: Christiano Morello
DANIEL MCCANNEY AND DAVIDE SORECA
WIN FOR BOANO RACING
Boano Racing enjoyed continued EWC success in 2014
when their youngest rider Davide Soreca wrapped
up the 125 Youth Cup category. In a closely fought
championship, Soreca held his nerve during the final
round of the series in France to see himself crowned
world champion.
SWISS ENDURO CHAMPIONSHIP:
© Photo: Stephan Bögli
A LONG DUEL
In the Enduro Inter Open category, the season was marked by an absorbing
duel between Christophe Robert of Husqvarna and Cédric Evard of
Suzuki which went down to the wire. In the end, the more experienced
Christophe Robert took the national title while Cédric Evard, in only his
first season in the international category, sent out a message to his rivals
that he will be in the mix for the victory in the future.
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© Photo: Future7Media
© Photo: M. Maragni
© Photo: C. Barni
RALLYE
RALLYE
MARC COMA
RETURNS TO THE TOP
IN RALLYE
Doing no wrong in 2014, KTM’s Marc Coma proved himself the master of rallye by winning both the Dakar and
the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship. Missing the Dakar Rallye in 2013 due to a shoulder injury,
Coma returned to the most demanding race in motorsport intent on winning. Enjoying a flawless fortnight of
competition, he rode his way into the record books as a four-time champion of the event.
With the Dakar Rallye his, Coma then set his sights towards winning back the Cross-Country Rallies series he
lost in 2013. Travelling to the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Italy, Brazil and finally Morocco, the KTM rider was a
model of consistency. Never dropping outside of the top two and despite not needing to win the final round in
Morocco, Coma crossed the finish line as the race winner and the newly crowned champion.
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SUPER ENDURO / ENDURO EXTREME
SUPER ENDURO
With the series moving to Brazil and Mexico for
rounds three and four, Blazusiak returned to the top
step of the podium in Brazil to the delight of the fans.
Back in Europe for the penultimate round in Spain, the
KTM rider delivered a master class of riding and won
all three of the main events. With a comfortable points
lead in hand entering the final round of championship
in France, Blazusiak easily secured a double win to
wrap up his fifth world title.
© Photo: Future7Media
Yet again there was no stopping KTM’s Taddy Blazusiak
as he charged his way to a record breaking fifth
consecutive FIM SuperEnduro World Championship at
the start of 2014. Always the rider to beat indoors – no
matter which side of the Atlantic Ocean he lines up to
a race on – Blazusiak again led everyone home in 2014.
Kicking things off with a perfect score at round one
in Great Britain, he was unable to secure the winning
result he hoped for on his home turf in Poland at round
two.
© Photo: drp Productions
NO STOPPING TADDY BLAZUSIAK INDOORS
Joining Blazusiak on the championship podium in
third, Jonny Walker (KTM) capped off a strong indoor
series with a race win at the final round in France.
ENDURO EXTREME
2014 was a year to savour for KTM’s Jonny Walker.
Firmly finding his feet in Hard Enduro, the young
Brit took on and beat Graham Jarvis in the two most
important races of the year – Erzberg and Romaniacs.
Having missed out on a podium result in both races
during 2013, Walker more than made up for it this
year. Determined to fight his way onto the top
step of the podium in Erzberg, Walker delivered a
jaw-droppingly impressive ride to victory. Leading
from the off, the KTM rider made short work of the
notoriously steep climbs and descents that the “Iron
Giant“ had to offer. Crossing the finish line clear of
all his rivals, Walker picked up his second career
Erzberg victory.
© Photo: Future7Media
JONNY WALKER MAKES HIS MARK IN HARD ENDURO
Moving on to Romaniacs in Romania, Walker focused on keeping that winning momentum rolling along. A race he had yet to
win, he began the four-day event in fine style by securing victory on day one. With the race lead his, he kept his cool for the
remainder of the week as Jarvis did everything possible to chase him down. Going on to win the penultimate day’s action,
Walker kept everything in check during the fourth and final day to become this year’s Romaniacs champion.
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MOTOGP
MOTO2 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
K
C
A
B
Y
A
W
S
I
FIGHTS H
TOM LÜTHI
After the winter tests, Swiss racer Tom Lüthi was
regarded as one of the favourites to win the Moto2
World Championship title and everything was still
going to plan after he finished third at the opening
World Championship race in Qatar. But after this,
nothing seemed to go his way. Lüthi struggled with
the set-up of his Suter MMXIV and on many tracks the
German Kalex chassis was superior to the Swiss Suter.
In the meantime it was announced that Lüthi‘s Interwetten team
would be merging with the Technomag team after the 2014 season,
thereby creating a Swiss super team with Tom Lüthi and Dominique
Aegerter. Before the season final, the two future team partners were
just seven points apart in the World Championship table. In the final
showdown the two of them battled it out for fourth position in the
World Championship and the honour of being the best Swiss rider, with
Lüthi retaining the upper hand.
© Photos: Paddock GP Racing
Since Lüthi was not the only Suter rider to have
problems, the constructors in Turbenthal made
some improvements. Eskil Suter brought in a lot of
equipment for his teams to test and this soon bore
fruit. Lüthi initially stayed with the original frame,
however. Not until he realised that the other Suter riders were getting
faster did he switch to the new frame. From the Czech GP onwards, the
125cc World Championship winner of 2005 was once again able to keep
up with the leaders and won the Japanese GP in Motegi and the season
final in Valencia.
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MOTOGP
MOTO2 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
SUPERB MAVERICK VIÑALES FINISHES THE SEASON ROOKIE
OF THE YEAR
© Photos: Friedemann Kirn, Two World Media
Spanish ex-World Championship winner and team owner Sito Pons
was in a far from enviable position at the end of last year. Although
his team with Pol Espargaró won the Moto2 World Championship and
Esteve “Tito“ Rabat finished third in the World Championship rankings,
he was left without a rider. Espargaró moved up to the MotoGP and
Rabat defected to the competition. But it didn‘t take Pons long to find a
replacement – he hired Maverick Viñales and Luis Salom, the two most
promising shooting stars from the Moto3 class. The selection proved to be
a resounding success. Moto3 World Championship winner Viñales was
the surprise of the season, winning his second Moto2 GP on the Circuit
of the Americas in Austin. Though he still had a lesson or two to learn
after this, he gradually improved in strength and after finishing second
in Barcelona, Assen and Indianapolis he was ready for a superb winning
streak to finish off the season. The 19-year-old Spaniard won three of the
last five GPs and finished third in the World Championship. His meteoric
rise did not go unnoticed: Suzuki is going back into the MotoGP next year
and team manager Davide Brivio has recruited Viñales as one of the two
factory riders.
MOTO3 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
© Photos: Gold and Goose
JACK MILLER BECOMES WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP RUNNER-UP
AFTER A HUGE BATTLE
After his move to the Red Bull Ajo
KTM team, Australian Jack Miller was already a big favourite in
the previous season, clocking best
times on his factory KTM on all
tracks. Miller continued to perform
superbly when the World Championship got underway, winning
three out of the first five races. But
then not only did the new factory Hondas gain in strength as a
result of enormous development
efforts carried out this year but
Miller also started losing out in the
hard-fought position battles of this
closely contested class. He was also
touched by his World Championship rival Alex Márquez – brother
of MotoGP World Championship
winner Marc Márquez – on the
wet track in Aragón, causing him
to fall. As a result he only finished
runner-up despite a fantastic end
to the season with wins at his
home GP in Phillip Island as well as
at the final in Valencia. However,
the Australian is making history
in another way: Next year he will
be riding with LCR Honda, making
him the first Moto3 racer to move
straight up to the MotoGP.
Not only has Danny Kent returned
from Moto2 to the smallest World
Championship class, the Husqvarna brand also celebrated its return
to the Motorcycle World Championship this year. The 20-year-old
Englishman achieved his first podium position in Brno and went on
to finish eighth in the World Championship.
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ROAD RACING
WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP
SURPRISE WIN BY EUGENE LAVERTY
The World Superbike Championship got underway with an unexpected sensation this year: Despite being up against the fullblooded Aprilia, Ducati and Kawasaki factory teams, the supposedly inferior Voltcom Crescent Suzuki Team won the opening race
in Phillip Island, Australia with new recruit Eugene Laverty – runner-up in the 2013 World Superbike Championship.
© Photos: Roger Lohrer
Lavery was soon stopped in his tracks, however. Although he also made into onto the podium in Malaysia, falls, technical problems
and the sheer overpowering dominance of the competition pushed him back to a final ranking of tenth by the end of the season.
Laverty still achieved his own personal goal, however, and will be riding a Honda in Team Aspar in the MotoGP next year. The
second new rider on the team, Alex Lowes, also made it onto the podium twice with a second place in Assen and a third place in
Donington, finally finishing the World Championship in eleventh position.
SUPERSPORT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
KEVIN COGHLAN PUTS IN A FINE PERFORMANCE IN
A LARGE FIELD
The Supersport World Championship is an exciting and fiercely competed contest, and this year eight
riders from five countries riding different brands opted for MOTOREX products: They were Ratthapark
Wilairot, Jack Kennedy, Raffaele de Rosa, Nacho Calero, Kevin Coghlan, Alexej Ivanov, Roberto Tamburini and
Alessandro Nocco.
On his Yamaha, and with technical support from Kubiak & Mohr from Germany, Kevin Coghlan was actually
leading the championship after two races, ultimately finishing fourth. The two former Grand Prix riders
Raffaele de Rosa and Ratthapark Wilairot achieved ninth and 12th position respectively on the PTR team‘s
Hondas, with Wilairot also riding in the Moto2 World Championship at the end of the season.
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ROAD RACING
WORLD ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP
SENSATIONAL
SUCCESS
FOR THE BOLLIGER TEAM
If there were a special trophy for sheer tenacity and perseverance, it
would have been won for years by legendary Swiss team boss Hanspeter
“Hämpu“ Bolliger from Ruppoldsried. With his small but enthusiastic
and experienced private team he has been competing for more than 30
years against the overpowering factory teams of the World Endurance
Championship - with great success.
© Photos: Roger Lohrer / Fabrizio Foiadelli / Kenji Fujime
Once again this year he was able to show the giants a thing or two
with his riders Horst Saiger, Roman Stamm, Daniel Sutter and Gaston
Garcia Blasco, achieving third place in the World Championship having been runner-up in 2005 and 2010 and finishing third in 2009.
The team made it on to the podium both at the famous Bol d‘Or 24Hour Race and the 8 Hours of Oschersleben.
19
ROAD RACING
AMA SUPERBIKE
AN IMPRESSIVE ROGER HAYDEN FINISHES SECOND
Team Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing was
reinforced at the beginning of the year with the
internationally experienced Roger Hayden, younger
brother of ex-MotoGP world champion Nicky Hayden, and the 31-year-old from Owensboro, Kentucky
quickly spearheaded the team in its fight for the
US Superbike title. Making the podium in eight out
of twelve races, he put in an increasingly strong
performance in the second half of the season.
He especially demonstrated that he is a force to
be reckoned with in the future by winning the
championship final at New Jersey Motorsport Park.
Columbian Martin Cardenas also achieved podium
positions four times as well as winning the race
in Fontana, which does not count towards the
championship. However, his hopes of a title fight
were dashed after falls in Barber, Mid-Ohio and
New Jersey and he finished the season sixth in the
championship. Team junior Chris Clark, 23, made up
for this with a very consistent performance, making
it onto the Superbike podium for the first time at
Barber Motorsports Park and finishing fourth in the
championship.
© Photos:Brian J. Nelson
With the KTM RC8 being used in a championship
for the last time, former supermoto specialist Chris
Fillmore took it to an eighth overall final placement
at its farewell appearance, only narrowly missing
the podium in Mid-Ohio, for his team KTM/HMC
Superbike Racing.
IDM SUPERBIKE
DANNY DE BOER SAVES THE DAY
With Michael Ranseder finishing second in the 2013 championship and
having won four championship titles in recent years, the HRP Holzhauer
team was entertaining legitimate title hopes this year.
However, the 28-year-old Austrian fell far short of expectations. After
Ranseder‘s prolonged spell of poor form and five falls in eight races, team
boss Jens Holzhauer opted to look ahead and invest in the future. He
replaced Ranseder with 21-year-old Czech Jan Halbrich.
Meanwhile 24-year-old Dutchman Danny De Boer, who had been hired
at the start of the season, gradually established himself as a stable
top-ten rider and finished the championship well above expectations
in sixth place.
20
ROAD RACING
INTERNATIONAL SPANISH CHAMPIONSHIP
© Photo: Pons Racing Team
JESKO RAFFIN DOMINATES
18-year-old Swiss rider Jesko Raffin was the
sensation of the FIM CEV, the international Spanish
championship now held on tracks in three countries
and regarded as the training ground for the GP since
it has the same promotor. In the Moto2 class he won
virtually every race on his Kalex – except where the
competition brought him down – and achieved a
supreme title win. In the junior team of Spanish exWorld Champion Sito Pons he clearly outperformed
Pons‘ son Edgar, though the latter put in a fine showing
himself by winning the opening race after Raffin‘s
fall and subsequently making it onto the podium two
more times. Raffin‘s superior form and the untiring
work of his manager Marco Rodrigo have now borne
fruit: The up-and-coming talent from Zurich will be
riding a Kalex for the SAG team in the Moto2 World
Championship next year.
BRITISH SUPERBIKE
SPECTACULAR DEBUT FOR CHRIS WALKER
AND JAMES ELLISON
The GBmoto team took on a major challenge this year and became
the official Kawasaki team in the fiercely contested British Superbike
Championship. With two highly experienced riders – 42-year-old spectators‘ favourite Chris Walker and 34-year-old ex-World Endurance
Championship winner James Ellison – the team on the green Kawasaki
ZX-10 Ninjas caused quite a spectacle.
In order to keep the things exciting right through to the final, the
BSB has a unique points system whereby the six title contenders are
selected from the first 19 races. Chris Walker became the oldest rider in
BSB history to win a place among the six finalists with a second place
in the opening race of the season and two other podium finishes. James
Ellison put in an even better showing at first, making the podium in
all of the first six races, but he fell at high speed at Brands Hatch and
suffered a complex fracture of the right upper arm near the shoulder
joint. He had to undergo surgery and was out of the running for six
weeks. After his return, it took Ellison another month to regain full
physical fitness. Nonetheless, with two second places at the final in
Brands Hatch he demonstrated that without injury he would have been
a very hot title favourite.
21
CAR
BLANCPAIN ENDURANCE SERIES
BREAKTHROUGH YEAR FOR THE EMIL FREY RACING TEAM
2014 can be regarded as the breakthrough year for the
Emil Frey Racing Team: Its independently prepared
Jaguar XK is the only privately developed racing car in
the world to have become established in the booming
GT3 category. Fredy Barth‘s team achieved its greatest
success to date at the closing event of the Blancpain
Endurance Series, the 1000-kilometre race at the
Nürburgring: In a field of 40 sports cars, the purely
Swiss driver line-up of Fredy Barth, Lorenz Frey and
Gabriele Gardel finished ninth in the class despite
being up against seasoned factory teams.
They also achieved ninth position in the team ranking
at the end of the season, which consisted of three
3-hour races (Monza, Italy, Silverstone, England and Le
Castellet, France), the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps,
Belgium and the 1000-kilometre race at Nürburgring,
Germany. Fredy Barth summed up positively after
the last race at Nürburgring: “We‘re the only private
manufacturer to have made it to this top-class
professional league. That‘s something to be proud of.
We managed to keep up the pace with competitive lap
times. Our Emil Frey GT3 Jaguar did an excellent job.
That‘s very motivating for the future.“
ETCC
SUCCESSFUL RACING SEASON AND PROCAR CUP FOR RIKLI
The tradition-steeped racing team from Wangen an
der Aare has become a fixed feature at the European
Touring Car Championship and can look back on
another successful year of international racing.
The Honda Civic FD driven by both Peter Rikli and
Andrina Gugger was further improved, though of
course unable to match the BMWs as established
World Championship cars. Nonetheless, Peter Rikli
achieved four podium positions and even managed to
finish an overall third out of 14 drivers in the class,
making him the best non-BMW driver.
Andrina Gugger is increasingly displaying her
touring car skills and likewise put in good lap times,
though she failed to make it onto the podium due to
a run of bad luck on the technical side. Nonetheless,
third position overall is certainly an impressive
achievement. “We can be quite happy with ourselves
as we go into the winter break. In spite of the
significant weight disadvantage as compared to other
cars in the same class we did an excellent job with an
independently developed racing car,“ says Peter Rikli.
22
One of the team‘s highlights was the DTC/Procar Series in Germany.
Peter Rikli won both races as a starter at the Nürburgring while team
colleague Dario Pergolini from Liechtenstein was also able to collect
points. “Of course I‘m thrilled we‘ve been able to pick up another Procar
cup,“ said a delighted Rikli, who has his sights set on many more cups
in 2014.
CAR
WEC, LMP1
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE FOR BUEMI
Finally a top-class car! It was not hard to imagine what the MOTOREX brand
ambassador from the canton of Vaud must have been thinking at the opening
of the WEC season in Silverstone. Two seventh-place finishes were the best he
managed in 55 Formula 1 races for the Toro Rosso racing team between 2009 and
2011. Things steadily improved after he changed to sports cars and the Toyota
LMP1 team in 2012. This year it was time to reap the rewards of all the hard work: Toyota
turned out to be the dominating car in the first year of the newly introduced efficiency
regulations, so the season started with two victories in a row – first in Silverstone and then
at the second race in Spa-Francorchamps. Although the team were hot favourites going into
the 24 Hours of Le Mans, an accident put paid to any hopes of victory early on. Nonetheless
Buemi and his team colleagues Anthony Davidson and Nicolas Lapierre still managed to
finish third after the repair. After another third place in the rain chaos of Austin, the third
victory of the season at the Toyota home race in Fuji put Buemi and Davidson firmly back
on course for the World Championship title which was then clinched in dry weather in the
penultimate race of the season.
ELMS
Even before the season started it was beyond dispute
that the team from Marly FR was among the best in
the European Le Mans Series (ELMS). In 2014, however,
Benoît Morand‘s team‘s blue LMP2 went on to become
one of the most feared opponents. The team came
tantalisingly close to its first victory in the second
race of the ELMS in Imola. Just a few minutes before
the end of the four-hour race, however, ex-F1 driver
Christian Klien dropped out with engine damage
while in the lead. The wait finally came to an end in
the penultimate race in Le Castellet in the south of
France: Klien, Swiss driver Gary Hirsch and Pierre
Ragues dominated the proceedings to give Morand
its first ELMS race victory. The crowning conclusion
to a great season was finishing second in the final
race in Estoril and third in the overall championship:
If the team had not dropped out in Imola they would
even have clinched the title. So it is hardly surprising
that Benoît Morand was voted “Man of the Year“ by
his ELMS colleagues.
© Photo: P. Savet / VSA
SIGHTS ALREADY SET ON THE ELMS LMP2 TITLE IN 2015
The goal for 2015 is clear: The team aims to take a small step forward
and set its sights on the ELMS title. And with a little luck it might be
possible to put in a respectable showing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans
in the World Endurance Championship. In 2014 the team clinched an
excellent sixth place among 17 LMP2 teams, finishing an impressive
tenth in the overall rankings.
REMUS F3 POKAL
Thomas Amweg left his personal stamp on this year‘s Remus Formula 3
Cup. The 29-year-old from Ammerswil in the canton of Aargau won ten
out of the fourteen races on the calendar this year. He could probably
have done even better. But in Brno, Czech Republic, Amweg was not in
the starting line-up for races 9 and 10. He therefore only actually failed
to win twice: in the second race at the Red Bull Ring and in the first race
at Hockenheim. The Zeller driver still made it onto the podium on both
occasions, however. All in all, Amweg achieved an impressive score
of 283 points. Polish driver Jakub Smiechowski came second with 156
points - well behind Amweg. The latter‘s title win was decided at the
penultimate race of the season in Imola.
© Photo:Urs Gehrig
TITLE CUP FOR THOMAS AMWEG
23
CAR
© Photos: Joel Kernasenko
X-BOW BATTLE DAYS
ARE YOU READY TO RACE?
THE X-BOW BATTLE!
In 2010 KTM came up with a special idea for customer
racing: The aim of the “X-BOW BATTLE“ was to offer
affordable yet attractive motor racing for all owners
of a KTM X-BOW. The concept behind it was to have
several classes so as to allow all the different versions
of the KTM X-BOW to enter a racing series. Nobody was
to be excluded and nobody was to be forced to spend
unreasonable amounts of money on their car to meet
regulation requirements. With the support of KTM,
Georg Silbermayr took on the task of establishing the
series, which kicked off at the end of April 2010 with 16
starters at the Salzburgring in Austria.
Over the years the “X-BOW BATTLE“ concept has
turned out to be a resounding success: Starter fields
have constantly increased in size and some drivers
have even switched over from other series to drive
the Austrian racing car. At the end of 2010, the efforts
of all those involved eventually led to an invitation
on the part of ITR to put in a guest appearance at the
DTM on the Adria Raceway: Thirty drivers put in an
impressive showing, which in turn resulted in a direct
invitation to a further guest appearance in 2011. Here
again – this time at the Eurospeedway Lausitz – there
was edge-of-your-seat racing action to add that special
“orange touch“. The crowning glory finally came in
24
2012 when the “X-BOW BATTLE“ was held as part of
the DTM at the Red Bull Ring – right on the doorstep, so
to speak, since the supersports car on which the racers
are based is built less than 50 kilometres away from
Spielberg in Graz, Styria! As the appearance in front
of a home audience went down so well, the “BATTLE“
was included in the programme once again in 2013
and 2014.
By the time it came to its fifth year, however, the
series had undergone radical change. Not in terms of
excitement and action - the race-track drama was more
captivating and spectacular than ever before, with
the field of up to 40 starters moving ever more tightly
together in terms of performance. It was the regulations
that had been consistently revised as time went on,
ultimately turning the various X-BOW versions into
uniform brand cup cars. Initially there was a reduction
from three classes to two, and then the decision was
taken to create a single set of regulations and one class
only. Finally the move was made to Michelin slick tyres
in 2013, and MOTOREX joined as the lubricant partner
at the start of the 2014 season. A comparison of the
brand cup racing cars – known as KTM X-BOW RR –
with the cars of other racing series clearly illustrates
the enormous increase in performance: The times
CAR
achieved in the “BATTLE“ are now in the range of
the GT3 race cars in the ADAC GT Masters or Porsche
Carrera Cup cars – with the difference that the KTM
X-BOW is not fitted with any aids such as ABS, traction
control or sequential transmission to make the driver‘s
job easier. So the KTM X-BOW RR is one of the very few
automobiles to offer pure, unfiltered motor racing!
But the “X-BOW BATTLE“ organizers are not content
to rest on their laurels, so the next new development
is due for the 2015 season: For the first time the
“BATTLE“ will take place together with the “X-BOW
ROOKIES CHALLENGE“. A racing series for motor racing
newcomers, up-and-coming drivers or amateurs from
other racing series who would like to get a taste of the
Austrian supersports car on the race track or prepare
for the “X-BOW BATTLE“. You can join for a season from
a sensational price of just EUR 19,500 (not including
VAT) with a program of six events consisting of two
races each. The cars are directly supported by KTM
and drivers do not have to fear hidden costs. The price
includes vehicle hire, tyres, fuel, wear-and-tear parts
and maintenance of the 270-hp
“newcomer cars“ – also fitted with
Michelin slicks – so participants
only have to take care of personal
equipment such as helmets and
overalls. And equal opportunity
is ensured of course: The cars are
allocated by means of a draw before
the start of the racing weekend and
changes to the set-up stipulated by
factory driver Reini Kofler are not
permitted. If this has aroused your
interest and you fancy taking the
wheel yourself, visit www.ktm.
com/xbow for full details!
THE X-BOW BATTLE & X-BOW ROOKIES CHALLENGE 2014 DATES:
16 - 19 APRIL 2015: BARCELONA / SPAIN
08 - 09 MAY 2015: PANNONIARING / HUNGARY (+ ROOKIES)
29 - 30 MAY 2015: RED BULL RING / AUSTRIA (+ ROOKIES)
26 - 28 JUNE 2015: NÜRBURGRING / GERMANY (TRUCK GP + ROOKIES)
24 - 25 JULY 2015: SLOVAKIARING / SLOVAKIA (+ ROOKIES)
11 - 12 SEPTEMBER 2015: RIJEKA / CROATIA (+ ROOKIES)
09 - 10 OCTOBER 2015: BRNO / CZECH REPUBLIC (+ ROOKIES)
25
BIKE
MOUNTAINBIKE
A SUCCESSFUL OFF-ROAD YEAR FOR MOTOREX RIDERS
This year’s mountain bike world championship was held in Norway in
the resort of Hafjell-Lillehammer from 2 to 7 September. Under an everpresent sun, the riders offered the numerous spectators an absolutely
unforgettable show.
© Photo: Matthew DeLorme
In the descent discipline, Team Trek World Racing had 3 riders with
hopes of a medal. With the experienced Neko Mulally (USA) and Brook
Macdonald (NZ) in the men’s Elite category, a podium finish was a
strong possibility. In the end, the two Team Trek riders had to settle
for 4th and 5th place, less than 3 seconds off the gold medal time! The
entire team was disappointed not to win yet another medal following
the previous day’s junior race in which the talented 17-year-old Laurie
Greenland from Bristol (England) took a magnificent 2nd place to offer
Team Trek a silver medal.
26
© Photo: Grega Stopar
During the European Championships held from 5 to 8 June in St. Wendel,
Germany, the MOTOREX brand won no fewer than three medals. In
the men’s Eliminator category, the Swiss 2012 World Champion in the
discipline Ralf Näf, riding for Team BMC, won a magnificent silver medal
while in the XCO Elite category, an Olympic discipline, the gold medals
were won by Tanja Žakelj of Team Uniors in the women’s competition
and the inevitable Julien Absalon of Team BMC in the men’s race.
The men’s elite race offered the best chance of
winning one or more medals. Although they
managed only one medal between them, no fewer
than 5 riders supported by MOTOREX finished in
the top ten places of this competition. José Antonio
Hermida took 9th place for Team Merida while the
Team BMC riders Ralf Näf, Lukas Flückiger and Moritz
Milatz claimed 10th, 7th and 4th places respectively
with Milatz only 5 seconds off the podium. Victory
and the gold medal went to one of the leading lights
of the 2014 season, the Frenchman Julien Absalon. It
should also be noted that Mathias Flückiger of Team
Stöckli finished a disappointing 19th place in these
World Championships, a result that the Swiss rider
was quick to put behind him by winning the first
edition of the Swiss Epic race between Verbier and
Zermatt only a week later.
© Photo:Marius Maasewerd / EGO-PROMOTION
As a technical partner of the very best UCI teams both in XCO (crosscountry) including Multivan Merida, BMC Mountainbike, Uniors Tools,
Ghost and Stöckli and in DH (downhill) with Team Trek World Racing,
the 2014 season once again saw a rich haul of titles to add to the evergrowing list of trophies.
In the women’s cross country event, the Slovenian
Tanja Žakelj of Team Uniors just missed out on a
podium, finishing fourth. Often at the front of the
pack throughout the season, Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjå
of Team Merida Multivan was keen to make her
mark in front of a crowd that was totally behind
her. The likeable Norwegian had every chance of
adding another trophy to her impressive collection.
Finishing 9th, Gunn-Rita was unable to hide her
disappointment.
© Photo: Team Lampre Merida
In the fields of mountain biking and road cycling, the MOTOREX Bike
Line range has gained considerable renown over the years within the
international cycling community thanks to the numerous victories and
titles it has won.
BIKE
MOUNTAINBIKE
JULIEN ABSALON, AN EXCEPTIONAL RIDER!
© Photo: Maxime Schmid
Having won the French and European titles as well
as taking first place in the final standings of the UCI
MTB World Cup, Julien Absalon had a single aim for
the World Championships in Lillehammer: to win a
5th gold medal. Having claimed 3
successive titles in 2004, 2005 and
2006 wearing the colours of Team
MOTOREX-Bianchi, the Team BMC
Mountainbike Racing rider gave his
main rivals absolutely no chance,
taking first place ahead of Nino
Schurter and the Italian Marco
Aurelio Fontana.
The
right
technical
choice!
Throughout his career, Julien
Absalon’s most significant victories
have all come with a Hardtail
mountain bike model (front
suspension and rigid rear frame).
In Norway, however, the multiple
World Champion opted for the brand
new BMC Fourstroke FS01 29-inch
model with full suspension. After
the race, Julien Absalon admitted
that “this technical choice played
an essential role in today’s success
and I am really pleased to win a
new rainbow jersey 7 years on.”
© Photo: Maxime Schmid
Following an absorbing season-long duel with the
Swiss Nino Schurter, the 34-year-old French rider Julien
Absalon once again left his mark on the 2014 crosscountry season. With an unparalleled list of triumphs
to his name including two Olympic gold medals, 4
World Championships, 2 European titles, 5 World Cup
wins and 11 national titles, the rider from Saint Amé
(Vosges) was as motivated as ever for the 2014 season.
ROAD RACING
MOTOREX is also present on the international road racing scene with numerous different
teams. Throughout the year, the Lampre Merida and Raleigh teams are present at all the
major international races. Having joined Team Lampre Merida at the beginning of the 2014
season, the 2013 world road racing champion Rui Costa claimed his 3rd consecutive overall
victory in the Tour de Suisse. Naturally, the entire Lampre Merida team benefitted from the
Portuguese rider’s qualities and experience throughout the season.
© Photo: BettiniPhoto
DEVELOPMENT PHASE IN 2014
WOMEN’S TRIATHLON
Gwen Jorgensen only took up triathlon in 2010, earning seven top-ten
finishes in her very first year. A year later, she took second place in the
World Championship series in London. However, 2014 was to be her
greatest triumph: Jorgensen won four consecutive major World Triathlon
Series races, a feat no triathlete before her has ever achieved. With a
commanding victory in the season’s finale in Canada, she then won the
short-distance World Championship. She also enjoyed considerable success
over the Olympic distance in 2014 winning the American Championship.
On a personal note, Gwen Jorgensen brought the season to a successful
end in October with her wedding. We would like to congratulate her on a
spectacular year all round!
© Photo: Competitive Image / Paul Phillips
A YEAR OF HIGHLIGHTS
27
MOTOREX.
AND IT RUNS LIKE A CHARM.
A motorcycle is not just a vehicle – it stands for passion, sportiness and pure
driving pleasure. Unless the mechanics let you down. That‘s why the MOTOREX
MOTO LINE offers you a unique, specialised line of lubricants and care products
that are all easy to use and effective. Find out more about how our partnership with world-class racing teams and leading motorcycle brands ensures greater reliability, higher performance and enhanced safety: www.motorex.com