Welcome to the Weekly Dirt, the place to go each week to get the scoop on the off-road scene. This week most of the DR crew is on the way to Indy for the trade show
If you’ve been wondering why you haven’t seen Ricky Dietrich’s name in this year’s WORCS results, that’s because he’s racing World Enduro this year for the Italian Husqvarna CH Racing Monster Energy team. Dietrich is also signed on to race the Husqvarna ACU British Sprint Enduro Championship, which kicked off this past weekend in Aldershot, Hampshire, England. The opening two rounds of the British Sprint Enduro Championship provided some closely fought racing in some extreme weather conditions, with KTM teammates Johnny Aubert and David Knight each taking a win over the two-day event. Meanwhile, Dietrich, in his debut on a Husky, finished eighth and 14th.”It’s a shame how my weekend ended but I’ve come away learning a lot,” said Dietrich. “At round one, I finished eight overall but a couple of mistakes held me back. For round two we made some changes to the bike and I was feeling great. My time in the first run was really good but then I hurt my knee a little. I’ve enjoyed my first taste of the BSEC this weekend and now know what I need to work on and can expect for the next round.”With temperatures plummeting to near freezing prior to the start, Aubert quickly mastered the slippery conditions to top the hotly contested first round, winning three of the five special tests. Aubert rode to a convincing victory ahead of newly crowned FIM SuperEnduro World Champion Taddy Blazusiak (KTM).”After racing nothing but EnduroCross for the last year, I’m enjoying this type of racing and had a lot of fun,” said Blazusiak. “I came here to do some testing and ended up coming away with second on Saturday. It wasn’t easy conditions to ride in but we made the best of it. The course improved after each lap and I was able to push a little harder each time.”On the second day, with both Aubert and Blazusiak unable to compete at round two, Knight, who opted not to ride at round one after falling on the first lap and hurting his hand, took control of the race proceedings to claim the win. Showing no ill effects of his round one crash, Knight ended the day’s competition 24 seconds clear of runner-up Tom Sagar on a Honda.2012 Husqvarna ACU British Sprint Enduro Championship – Round 1
1. Johnny Aubert (KTM) 37:53.05; 2. Taddy Blazusiak (KTM); 3. Tom Sagar (Honda); 4. Simon Wakely (Husaberg); 5. Tom Church (KTM); 6. Jamie Lewis (Husqvarna); 7. Daryl Bolter (KTM); 8. Ricky Dietrich (Husqvarna); 9. Mark Roberts (Kawasaki); 10. Paul Bolton (KTM); 11. Lee Edmondson (KTM); 12. Gavin Houson (KTM); 13. Jon Hinam (Husqvarna); 14. Gordon Clarke (TM ); 15. Jordon Rose (TM ); 16. Ryan Voase (Kawasaki).2012 Husqvarna ACU British Sprint Enduro Championship – Round 2
1. David Knight (KTM) 36:34.12; 2. Tom Sagar (Honda); 3. Jordan Rose (TM ); 4. Simon Wakely (Husaberg); 5. Tom Church (KTM); 6. Jamie Lewis (Husqvarna); 7. Daryl Bolter (KTM); 8. Mark Roberts (Kawasaki); 9. Paul Bolton (KTM); 10. Gavin Houson (KTM); 11. Lee Edmondson (KTM); 12. Jon Hinam (Husqvarna); 13. Gordon Clarke (TM ); 14. Ricky Dietrich (Husqvarna)Check out this cool video, courtesy of Amped Clothing, of highlights from the opening round of the 2012 ACU British Sprint Enduro Championship, starring Aubert, Knight, Blazusiak, Dietrich and upcoming talent Jonny Walker: http://vimeo.com/36806353.
KTM’s Russell Bobbitt takes the next step towards defending his title at round two of the AMA/Rekluse National Enduro Series this weekend in Greensboro, Georgia. Photo by Shan Moore.
If you’re a national enduro fan, round two of the series is this weekend in Greensboro, Georgia. The National Enduro Promotions Group has announced a new way to follow race-day results by text and e-mail updates courtesy of Motion Pro. You can now follow the next race test by test by signing up to receive results of the top three overall via text and the top 10 overall via e-mail as each check point closes. When the data from each check is up-loaded to the web you will receive a text and or an e-mail with the top three overall and a notice that you can look at all of the class results through that check at www.nationalenduro.com. Sign-up for Motion Pro txt & e-mail alerts at: ? http://www.moto-tally.com/NEPG/ResultsNotification.aspx.Defending series champ Russell Bobbitt will be looking to get back on track this weekend after a sub-par day at the opening round two weeks ago in South Carolina.
Ryan Villopoto is the first rider to score two wins in the Supercross series. Photo by Shan Moore.
This past weekend’s Supercross round in San Diego was one of the most exciting yet, with Chad Reed giving Ryan Villopoto a real test. The course was rather bland with the exception of an ultra-tough whoops section, which is where the men were separated from the boys, as they say. The whoops were also the culprit of several unbelievable crashes, including one by James Stewart and another by Lites points leader Eli Tomac. This one was a game-changer for Tomac, who came into the race with a 22-point lead in the Lites West standings and left trailing San Diego race winner Dean Wilson by two points.In the 450 class, Reed was exceptionally fast through the whoops on his TwoTwo Motorsports/Bel-Ray/Honda, and consistently closed on Villopoto in this spot. In fact, Reed’s consistency in the whoops allowed him to close in on Villopoto and eventually pass him take the lead in the 20-lap final with two laps to go. However, the Monster Energy Kawasaki rider regained the lead just before the white flag and held on for the win to become the first repeat winner of the series.Once again, Stewart was fastest in qualifying and had moved up into a solid third during the final, after getting off around sixth. However, on lap seven, the JGR/Toyota/Yamaha rider went down in the whoops when he dropped his front wheel too low, and unfortunately was pinned under the bike, apparently with his riding pants hooked on something. A course worker finally cut him loose and he was able to work his way back to an eventual 15th place.With six races in the books, Villopoto now holds a six-point lead over Reed, 133 to 127. Dungey is third with 123, while Stewart is fourth with 101.For more on the San Diego race, check out Chris Green’s report and Scott Hoffman’s photos at www.motocross.com. -Shan MooreThat’s all for this week. Check back in next Wednesday for the latest scoop from the world of off-road.
