Jonass leads the Pack

While many eyes will be on the battle between present world or former world champion Antonio Cairoli, Jeffrey Herlings, Tim Gajser and Romain Febvre in the MXGP class, when the series begins in Argentina in early March, you can be sure the MX2 class won’t go unnoticed.

With defending MX2 world champion Pauls Jonass as the early favourite, a long list of riders are waiting to take up the challenge of taking that number one plate from the Latvian.

Jonass, clearly the most experienced and decorated rider in the class, the 2017 world champion knows that his past means nothing, but his consistent approach to this victory last year will be the important aspect of success in defending the championship.

“I am only 21 and I am almost a veteran there,” Jonass said. “It feels a little strange, I did two full seasons in MX2 and this will be the third one. I have a lot more experience than the other guys and there will be good guys, like Jorge (Prado) and Hunter (Lawrence), but I also think (Thomas) Olsen and (Thomas) Covington will be good, many good guys who can win a GP or a race. It will be tough, but I will make sure I will be ready for the challenge.

Jorge Prado, who recently changed to the Claudio de Carli side of the KTM tent, knows that his 2017 results need to improve if he wants to be a serious contender in 2018.

“I mean there are so many guys who can go fast and be consistent and can win,” Prado said. “I think I can be one of them, why not, but I think it’s going to be difficult. I would be happy with top three at the end of last year. Last year I was close to the top five and I had three races where I didn’t get points. If I can keep myself on two wheels the whole year and not missing races with zeros, then I think the top five would be good, but I think we can aim a little higher. But it’s difficult to say, because it’s a long season and it hasn’t even started yet.

American rider Thomas Covington hasn’t been the most consistent of riders in the MX2 class, but like Prado he has won Grand Prix’s and is one of the few in the class with that distinction.

“There are quite a few guys who can run up front,” Covington said. “Like last year, I think a small group of us will probably break away as the season goes on. It is such a long year, which should be to my benefit, as I haven’t ridden much in the off-season I can build into it. I want to stay consistent, which is something I have lacked in the past. I really want to focus on that and be there for the championship at the end of the season. Maybe in the early rounds I won’t light it on fire, but hopefully I will be when we get into the heart of the season.”

So now, with just six weeks until the Argentinian Grand Prix, all the best MX2 riders are preparing for what could turn out to be a very interesting season.