Training for Start of the Season

As we await round one of the 2021 FIM Motocross World Championship, set down for the MXGP of Russia at the beautiful Orlyonok circuit, riders sit patiently preparing, not too hard just yet, but enough to make sure they are ready when called into action.

It is no surprised that Red Bull KTM Factory rider Jeffrey Herlings is ready to race, as the 2018 MXGP Champion wants to forget his injury riddled 2019 and 2020 seasons and add another title to his impressive list of four.

“I feel like I am ready to race,” Herlings said. “I did not see the point of racing in Italy in February when we might not have a GP until June or something like that. I hope the season starts as soon as possible”,

Australian racer Mitch Evans is another coming back from injury and while he cannot wait to start the season, the longer it takes the better it is for his preparation. The HRC factory rider is still recovering from his wrist injury and need a little more time to be ready.

“I had five months off the bike,” Evans said. “My wrist hasn’t had that sort of impact. The break was worse than we thought. The break broke from the bone and shattered into a heap of pieces. Basically, just crushed the end of my radius (the radius is one of two forearm bones and is located on the thumb side). It just has not had that impact in the joint for that long and it will just take time to get used to. No stress just let it heal at its own pace. I can only ride one day at the moment and not two in a row.”

Privateer Shaun Simpson, who runs the SS24 KTM team also went out injured in 2020 after an impressive top ten in the opening two rounds of the MXGP championship and like Herlings and Evans is hungry to get racing again. The veteran of a decade of GP battle knows that a MXGP calendar is something to look forward to as he works away in his homeland of Scotland.

“One point I wanted to make,” Simpson said. “I just really forgot how much I love racing. As you know, or anyone, it is really hard work to go and do race practice, because there are no good results to work off, or no bad results to say let us knuckle down and work harder. There are no gauge and racing gives you that.”

No doubt these three riders and all their competition cannot wait to line up in Russia and fight for major points. As for now, the training continued as the wait gets shorter and shorter. With all three now recovered from the injuries they picked up in 2020, they are ready to go and excited for what 2021 will bring them.

Photo Copyright: Bavo Swijgers