Checkpoint | September 24 2020
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INSTAGRAM | @officialmooseracing
MEDIA | WORCS, WESS, Precision Concepts
Welcome to Checkpoint, a new weekly feature that will cover the ongoings in the off-road motorcycle racing world, presented by Moose Racing. Although motocross and Supercross is the center of the SML universe, our staff has massive respect for the varied disciplines of off-road, from SuperEnduro to Rally to GNCC to Big Six, and we always have an eye on what’s happening in the professional racing series. Every week we will bring updates from around the world, including race results, photos, video highlights, and new bike or product debuts.
2020 GLEN HELEN WORCS DOUBLEHEADER
Summers off are standard in the off-road racing circles, when racers take a hiatus of sorts during the hottest months of the year and then come back fresh and ready to close out the season. That’s what happened over the weekend the Rocky Mountain ATV-MC WORCS Series, as the West Coast-based championship returned to action with a double-header at the famed Glen Helen Raceway in Southern California. WORCS racers are known for being demanding on riders and equipment, so running rounds four and five on back-to-back days was a challenge for everyone in the paddock, even with a modified format that made Pro Main Events a 75-minute and one lap run, instead of the usual two-hour haul.
KTM’s Dante Oliveira and Taylor Robert split the Pro Class wins over the weekend and continued their reign as the only two victors in the 2020 season. Oliveira took Friday’s race by 37-seconds over Robert, while Robert claimed Saturday’s race by 11-seconds over Austin Walton. The slight swing in results between the two was great for defending class champion Robert because his 2-1 finishes helped him to put more points to his season total over than Oliveira’s 1-3 results. The teammates are now split by 22-points with four events left in the season.
Mateo Oliveira added to the family trophy collection with his pair of Pro 2 wins at the Glen Helen double-header, as the KTM rider won Friday’s race by 25-plus seconds over Tallon LaFountaine and Saturday’s race by 22-seconds over Colton Aeck. LaFountaine struggled with cramps and discomfort on Friday but held on to take second place, while Aeck’s runner-up result on Saturday happened at his second-ever WORCS race. Oliveira is now 17-points ahead of LaFountaine in the championship standings.
2020 WORCS RESULTS & CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
2020 GLEN HELEN WORCS | ONBOARD VIDEOS
What was the WORCS course at Glen Helen like? As always, the Chaparral Motorsports/Precision Concepts/Kawasaki team mounted GoPro cameras to JP Alvarez and Clay Hengeveld. Press play on the footage below…
2020 BURR OAK GNCC
The Grand National Cross Country Series will continue on this Sunday with the tenth round of the season, the 2020 Burr Oak GNCC. Riders will rip through the woods of Ohio in pursuit of a race win and a chance at closing the point gap that Kaliub Russell has built in the standings. The defending champion is well on his way to another title on his way to retirement, but guys like Steward Baylor, Jordan Ashburn, Ben Kelley, and Grant Baylor can make things interesting in the hours-long race. Will second-place ranked Josh Strang return after a recent shoulder injury? That remains to be seen.
Want to watch? Circle back on Sunday morning to watch the official live stream, which we will post on the site.
2020 WESS CHAMPIONSHIP SUSPENDED, INDIVIDUAL EVENTS WILL STILL TAKE PLACE
WESS Promotion GmbH would like to announce changes to the upcoming WESS Championship with no overall title set for 2020.
Due to the tightening of entry regulations for Great Britain, including a mandatory 14-day quarantine, it has made participation in the proposed opening round – Hawkstone Park Cross-Country – practically impossible for the majority of riders, media representatives including TV production and the organising team.
WESS Promotion GmbH, the promoter of the WESS Championship, has therefore decided to remove the race in Hawkstone Park from the series calendar.
With the three remaining events confronted with increasingly restrictive travel restrictions, the basis for a fair championship is now no longer possible. As a result, the logical decision from WESS Promotion GmbH is to suspend this year’s championship.
Racing set to continue
However, this only has an indirect influence on the planned 2020 WESS events. Independently, all organisers are continuing to host their respective events, adapted to COVID-19 restrictions, but without WESS Championship status.
This also applies in particular to Hawkstone Park on September 19/20. Ultimately, the current official restrictions will determine the final decision of the respective organisers. The likelihood that these restrictions will tighten in the next few weeks is expected.
Continued factory team support
In order to support the organisers and subsequently WESS, the factory teams from KTM, Husqvarna and GASGAS are confirming their rider’s participation. In coordination with the respective national travel regulations, factory riders for whom participation is possible will be present.
This invitation and motivation to participate goes of course to all national teams and private competitors. And in particular to the factory teams from other manufacturers who, with their participation and the achievements shown, have made a significant contribution to the rise of WESS as the world’s most recognised and popular enduro series.
Planning for 2021
The planning for the 2021 WESS Championship is already in full swing. With the optimistic assumption that general travel restrictions will be less dramatic, there are eight events on the preliminary calendar, including two overseas competitions
