Racing Report 2014 EN by Motorex

DECEMBER 2014 I www.motorex.com

Photo:© S. Taglioni

RACING REPORT MOTOCROSS

Tony Cairoli takes title number eight!

MOTO GP

TOM Lüthi FIGHTS HIS WAY BACK

BIKE

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”. 2

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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 3

Photo:© S. Taglioni

MOTOCROSS

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. 5

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.

MOTOCROSS

MXGP

STEVEN FROSSARD PUTS IN A STRONG MXGP SEASON AND TRIUMPHS AT THE MX OF NATIONS

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.

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.

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.

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. 9

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

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.

ÂŠ 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 teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s bronze in the overall ranking.

ENDURO ENDURO 1

CHRISTOPHE NAMBOTIN RULES THE ROOST

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.

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

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.

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:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

MOTOGP MOTO2 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

SUPERB MAVERICK VIÑALES FINISHES THE SEASON ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

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

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.

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.

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. 18

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.

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.

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.

ÂŠ 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 Ransederâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;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.

ROAD RACING INTERNATIONAL SPANISH CHAMPIONSHIP

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.

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.

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.

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.

TITLE CUP FOR THOMAS AMWEG

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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)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.”

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.

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!

A YEAR OF HIGHLIGHTS

MOTOREX. AND IT RUNS LIKE A CHARM.

A motorcycle is not just a vehicle â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it stands for passion, sportiness and pure driving pleasure. Unless the mechanics let you down. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;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