Quick Fill | January 14, 2020

Welcome to Quick Fill, 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.

Since this is our first installment of the feature, we want to hear your feedback. Drop a comment below and let us know what you think or what you want to see. 

2020 DAKAR RALLY

The 2020 Dakar Rally is in its closing days, as the near two-week race through Saudi Arabia is set to conclude on January 17 with Stage 12. The first year of the iconic race in the Middle East, it has been an eventful and emotional run through the Arabian landscape due to the long days in the saddle, abuse on equipment, the tragic death of one longtime competitor, and even some political tension in the region.

Monster Energy Honda’s Ricky Brabec is currently in the overall lead of the motorcycle category and holds a sizeable lead over second-place runner and defending champion Toby Price. Should Brabec hang on to the top spot all the way to Qiddiya, he will become the first American motorcycle winner in the storied event’s history. 

Tragedy in Stage Seven made international headlines, as the bivouac lost racer Paulo Goncalves to a crash. The Portuguese rider had been a fixture of the race since 2006 and had been in the top-10 results in the early portion of the event with the Hero Motorcycles racing operation and teammate/brother-in-law Joaquim Rodriguez. Event organizers canceled Stage Eight for the Motorcycle category as a sign of respect for Goncalves and so that the field could properly mourn before the final leg of the event. 

The results and highlights below are current up to Stage Nine, which took place on January 14th.

2020 FIM SUPERENDURO

The 2020 FIM SuperEnduro Series is in full swing and riders will compete at round three this coming weekend in Spain. Run in European arenas, SuperEnduro brings all of the technical aspects of hard enduro racing (rock gardens, water crossings, log jumps, sand pits) into one tight setting and cuts riders loose in a sprint to the finish. It’s basically the Erzbergrodeo in a Supercross format. Off-road icon Taddy Blazusiak currently holds the top spot in the championship with an eleven-point advantage over second-place ranked Billy Bolt. Check out the highlights from the first two races of the year, first in Poland and then in Germany, plus the complete point standings.