EICMA Dirt Track 2024
There was some racing staged in Milan last weekend as part of the annual EICMA (International Motorcycle and Accessories Exhibition) trade fair.
One of the most interesting events was in the Dirt Track arena with a star-studded line-up doing battle on a variety of machinery.
The racing was staged via one-on-one knockout races that saw the likes of our very own legends Troy Bayliss and Casey Stoner going up against the likes of Stefan Everts, Joel Smets, Marco Melandri, Carlos Checa, Randy Mamola and Loris Capirossi, just to name a few.
Motocross legend Christophe Pourcel bested Checa and Smets on his way to meeting Troy Bayliss in the final.
The Frenchman got the better of TB in the final to claim outright honours.
Along the way Bayliss got the better of Carlos Checa and Marco Melandri.
Casey Stoner proved very popular with the Italian crowd but a fall while racing Checa saw the 39-year-old miss out on the glory this time around.
Before going down in the semi Casey had got the better of Randy Mamola in an earlier elimination bout. Stoner was riding a specially prepared 350 cc two-stroke Beta.
A similar event was also conducted amongst current riders, many of whom came from the World Superbike paddock. Jonathan Rea came out on top of this contest ahead of Italian Supermoto Champion Elia Sanmartin and Ryan Vickers.
The events were put on to support Riders4Riders, a non-profit organisation founded in 2010 by riders and two-wheel enthusiasts, to raise funds to support seriously injured riders and research on spinal cord injuries.
The races also featured the finals of the 2024 Internazionali d’Italia MX24 Supercross. In the Supercross 450 Main Event, Filippo Zonta (KTM) secured the championship with a flawless performance, clinching the title with maximum points.
In the SX Lite Main Event, Eugenio Barbaglia (Husqvarna) was crowned the new champion, ahead of Giacomo Bosi (GASGAS) and Davide Brandini (KTM). However, Samuele Bernardini (Honda) stole the spotlight, winning the race for the second consecutive day. He finished ahead of Barbaglia, with Bosi in third place.
The intense and unpredictable 85cc race saw Luis Santeusanio (KTM) win the Main Event, followed by Francesco Assini (GASGAS) and Simone Beccari (Husqvarna)
