KTM Australia press release:

KTM Junior Motocross Racing Team riders put forward encouraging performances in the 2018 FIM Junior Motocross World Championship at Horsham, Victoria, on Sunday despite encountering a largely challenging race weekend.

The world’s best young motocross racers converged on Horsham for the event, where Blake Fox, Regan Duffy, Deegan Mancinelli, Jett Burgess-Stevens and Jet Alsop represented their nation at home.

Fox impressed on his way to ninth position in the 125cc World Championship after recording 8-9 finishes, one place ahead of teammate Duffy overall aboard their KTM 125 SX machinery. After battling for second during moto one, Duffy ultimately crossed the line in P9 following a minor mistake and then claimed 15th in moto two for 10th overall.

In the 85cc World Championship, Mancinelli lapped in seventh position for much of moto one, but was forced to settle for 32nd after experiencing some issues late in the moto. He scored points with 15th in race two, resulting in 21st overall. After qualifying 18th, newcomer Burgess-Stevens went 33-38 for 39th in the standings riding the KTM 85 SX.

Current national champion Jet Alsop rode an inspired race for sixth overall on-board his KTM 65 SX. He qualified seventh and replicated that position in the opening moto, before improving to score fifth in race two and display his potential on the world stage.

Next up for the KTM Junior Motocross Racing Team will be the KTM Australian Junior Motocross Championship on 29 September-6 October, to be contested at the Coastal Motocross Club in Penguin, Tasmania.

Tam Paul – Brand Manager, KTM Australia: “It was definitely an emotional roller-coaster after a number of things didn’t go to plan. The highlight was probably Blake Fox’s performance at 14 years old, to finish ninth in the 125cc class was a great achievement and beyond our expectations. Regan Duffy was obviously one of the Australian favourites coming into the event, but it didn’t quite pan out, so we will look ahead to the Aussies now – we can work with speed! Deegan Mancinelli was going well in that first moto in P7 for most of the race, only to have a few things go against him, however he rode really well on Sunday. Jett Burgess-Stevens was in a crash that damaged his pipe in the first moto, although regardless of the end result today, it is his first year on the big-wheel and is only very young. Jet Alsop was sixth overall despite a fall in the second moto that cost him some positions. It was a great event and KTM Australia was happy to be heavily involved as sponsors, offering our tech services, factory technicians and we had a lot of bikes supplied to international riders as well. Congratulations to everybody involved on a really successful event.”

Blake Fox – KTM 125 SX: “It was a great experience racing with everybody from around the world and the different countries. I was pretty happy with how I went and it was good to finish in the top 10 for the weekend. It’s my first year and I have a few more years to come in the class, so that was positive and it was a good learning experience for me.”

Regan Duffy – KTM 125 SX: “It definitely wasn’t what I was hoping for, but I just don’t think I was prepared in the right way for that event – the 30-minute motos were definitely an eye-opener for me. I’m used to doing 15s and they keep the same lap-times the whole race, so it was hard, but my pace was good. I know what I have to do now and I should be right! It was really cool to see where I was at though and now I can work to move forward from here.”

Deegan Mancinelli – KTM 85 SX: “I had a lot of fun, it was a good weekend and I’m happy. The first moto was disappointing in the end, but I was pretty stoked with how I rode and I took a lot out of it. Just to be up there with all the top riders in the world was a really good experience. In race two I got a good start, but came together with another guy and went down, but I came back from 40th position all the way back to 15th. I just can’t wait to try again next year.”

Jett Burgess-Stevens – KTM 85 SX: “The experience of racing in the world championship was great. Obviously I didn’t get the results that I wanted, but I will have to keep training harder and working to improve further. It was really good to have all the people from different countries and I enjoyed it a lot. Saturday was a bit better for me, but Sunday was more of a challenge, and now I am aiming for the Aussies in Tasmania!”

Jet Alsop – KTM 65 SX: “It was a lot of fun and I had a sick battle in race two, so that was really fun for me. The first race was tough, but I think the start I had in the second moto helped me a lot. The world championships were really fun, to be racing against kids from all around the world, and it was really tough competition – you can’t be too friendly and you really have to push your way through the pack! I am happy with how it all turned out in the end.”