| The Motocross stars of tomorrow were out in force this weekend at Lierneux in Belgium for the 2014 edition of the World Junior Motocross Championship which saw KTM riders dominating the competition and sweeping the podiums in both the 65cc and 85cc classes.
Close to 300 enthusiastic young riders tackled the hard pack surface that was made even more challenging after heavy rain.
KTM’s Jett Lawrence Junior World Champion 65cc?
First to be crowned 2014 champion was Australian Jett Lawrence, who, as already a seasoned Australian national champion was well at home on the top of the podium. He picked up a 1-2 result in his two motos to take the title with KTM riders Jo Shimoda of Japan (4-1) and American Jeremy Ryan (3-3) taking the minor places. Nine of the top ten riders were on the Made in Austria KTM machines.
KTM’s Kim Savaste Junior World Champion 85cc
KTM riders were also strong in the 85cc championship with Finland’s Kim Savaste taking the title with a 3-2 in his two motos. After two crashes in the recent European EMX85 cost him the title, he ensured overall victory in the Worlds with a solid and consistent 3-2 result for his two motos.
Australian Caleb Grothues dominated his opening moto but had to settle for sixth in the second race for overall second place, a disappointing finish for the 2012 FIM Junior Motocross 65cc World Champion. Third place went to Danish rider Mikkel Haarup who vaulted up the order after winning his second moto. The first eight riders in the class all rode KTM machines.
Hsu Junior World Champion? 125cc
KTM riders were absent from the podium in the 125cc class, with several dominant young orange riders unable to compete because of injury, including Davy Pootjes of the Netherlands who recently was signed by KTM Factory Racing for five years. Winner was Germany’s Brian Hsu with Gilberto Locurcio of Venezuela and Sweden’s Alvin Ostlund taking the minor places. While missing from the podium, KTM riders still had a strong presence in the 125cc shakeout, taking five of the top 10 positions.
National Team honors to USA
Overall it was USA who took line honors in the nations category thanks to the efforts of Jeremy Ryan, Jett Reynolds and Carter Biese, ahead of Germany and France in third place.
Results & Standings 65cc Lierneux
1. Jett Lawrence (AUS), KTM (1-2), 47 points (65cc World Champion 2014)
2. Jo Shimoda (JPN), KTM (4-1), 43
3. Jeremy Ryan (USA), KTM (3-3), 40
4. Jett Reynolds (USA), Kawasaki (2-4), 40
5. Carter Biese (USA), KTM (11-5), 26
6. Gerard Congost Aguilera (ESP), KTM (5-12), 25
7. David Braceras Martinez (ESP), KTM (12-6), 24
8. Paul Bloy (GER), KTM (13-7), 22
9. Kristians Freimanis (LAT), KTM (9-11), 22
10. Nikita Kusherov (RUS), KTM (6-16), 20
Results & Standings 85cc Lierneux
1. Kim Savaste (FIN), KTM (3-2), 42 points (85cc World Champion 2014)
2. Caleb Grothues (AUS), KTM (1-6), 40
3. Mikkel Haarup (DEN), KTM (13-1), 33
4. Paolo Lugana (ITA), KTM (10-3), 31
5. Jago Geerts (BEL), KTM (5-10), 27
6. Calvin Fontvieille (FRA), KTM (11-5), 26
7. Conner Mullennix (USA), KTM (14-4), 25
8. Taylor Hammal (GBR), KTM (6-11), 25
9. Gianluca Facchetti (ITA), Suzuki (12-7), 23
10. Brian Strubhart Moreau (FRA), Kawasaki (2-31), 22
Results & Standings 125cc Lierneux
1. Brian Hsu (GER), Suzuki (1-1), 50 points (125cc World Champion 2014)
2. Gilberto Locurcio (VEN), Yamaha (3-2), 42
3. Alvin Ostlund (SWE), Yamaha (2-3), 42
4. David Herbreteau (FRA), Yamaha (4-5), 34
5. Ivan Baranov (RUS), KTM (9-4), 30
6. Tomass Sileika (LAT), KTM (6-6), 30
7. Josiah Natzke (NZL), KTM (7-10), 25
8. Riccardo Righi (ITA), Husqvarna (15-7), 20
9. Anthony Bourdon (FRA), KTM (18-8), 16
10. Miro Sihvonen (FIN), KTM (17-9), 16
Nations Standings Lierneux
1. USA
2. Germany
3. France |
