EMX250

MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 4 May 2022 – The seventh round of the FIM Motocross World Championship is heading back to the legendary Maggiora Park this weekend for the MXGP of Italy.

Last season, Maggiora Park made its much-anticipated return to the MXGP calendar, after closing its doors in late 2016. In that time, the well-known Italian circuit was revived and made its World Championship return, re-introducing a beloved old-school traditional circuit with some modernised touches.  

The hillside track based in the north of Italy has a rich history having hosted numerous FIM Motocross World Championship events since the late 60’s, including the most memorable 1970, 1986 and 2016 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations.

Maggiora stats & facts:

• First GP hosted in 1966 and was won by Paul Friedrichs
• Host of the legendary 1970, 1986 & 2016 Monster Energy FIM MXoN
• 10 GP’s hosted in total since 1966 – this year will be the 11^th!
• Jeffrey Herlings has won the most GPs in Maggiora than any other rider (3 – 2013, 2014 & 2021)

Joining the MXGP and MX2 riders this weekend will be the EMX categories with rounds three and four of the EMX250 and EMX Open Championships. In EMX250, after two rounds Hutten Metaal Yamaha Racing’s Rick Elzinga leads the championship with 93 points over Fantic Factory Team Maddii’s Cornelius Toendel and Oriol Oliver of WZ Racing. Elzinga has won both of the first two rounds in Lombardia and Portugal, so it will be interesting to see if he can carry on his winning streak, or whether a new rider will rise to the occasion.

Meanwhile in EMX Open, just a point separates Raths Motorsports’ Michael Sandner and Jose Butron from JD Gunnex KTM Racing Team in the championship standings, after Sandner’s DNF in race one at the Latvian round saw him in danger of losing the red plate. Butron will enter the Italian round following his first overall victory of the season, so it will be interesting to see whether he can repeat his success and take control of the series.

As we head into round seven of the series, news broke that defending world champion Jeffrey Herlings of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing will sit out the remainder of the season. Herlings will undergo two corrective surgeries and will instead focus his efforts on being ready for 2023. Meanwhile there is still no news on Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP’s Romain Febvre and his return. 

At the moment Team HRC’s Tim Gajser is in the driving season of the championship and after the perfect scorecard in Latvia last weekend and his fifth GP win of the season, the Slovenian will be looking to continue his winning streak and deliver a much more positive result this time around in Maggiora, compared to last year’s 5-6 scorecard for seventh overall.

Gajser has previously won in Maggiora back in 2015 though this was in MX2, and he is yet to win in the MXGP category at the hillside venue. As it stands, Gajser currently leads all of the stats so far in terms of pole positions, laps led, race wins, GP victories and podiums, therefore having him as a top contender for the win this weekend wouldn’t be that surprising.

Of course, his closest title rival and the rider who follows him in all of those stats is Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado. Prado will be looking to bounce back after a disastrous weekend in Kegums. A 12^th and 13^th in the races saw Prado now drop to 66 points behind Gajser, so maximum points will be needed for the Spaniard in order to not lose grip on his chance to go for his first MXGP championship.

Standing Construct Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass will enter the Italian Grand Prix off the back of a very successful weekend on home soil that saw him battle at the front of the field and challenging Gajser for race wins on his way to his first podium of 2022. In the end Jonass confirmed he needed to “keep his feet on the ground” which was a very mature decision by the Latvian, in order to deliver a solid result rather than risk it all. Now having had a race weekend where he was consistently fighting with the championship leaders, this should give him confidence for the rest of the year and it will be interesting to see how he can follow up with that.

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Glenn Coldenhoff was among the three riders that were tied on points for the GP victory last season in Maggiora. The Dutchman finished on 40 points alongside Red KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings and Antonio Cairoli, with Herlings’ race two victory eventually overruling the scores of the other two riders. Having those memories will be a bonus for Coldenhoff who has been building for a podium finish this season and has been looking strong ever since Portugal where he won the qualifying race and has been close to a spot on the box ever since.

His teammates Maxime Renaux and Jeremy Seewer have also been in the mix at the sharp end consistently. Though when it comes to looking at the numbers, Renaux is currently the most successful rider on the team this season, if we measure ‘success’ by podium finishes, which the Frenchman has three under his belt compared to Seewer’s one. Seewer also revealed that he struggled in Latvia, as did Renaux, so it would be good to see the pair back at the top this time around.

Honda 114 Motorsports Ruben Fernandez is a rider to watch this weekend. The Spaniard secured his first MXGP podium of his career in Latvia, going 3-4 for third overall. Now it will be interesting to see if that first podium will change anything for Fernandez and whether he can follow up with more.

Gebben Van Venrooy Yamaha Racing’s Arminas Jasikonis is on the entry list for the Italian Grand Prix and will hopefully make his come back after missing the last four GPs. Looking at the current entry list, Beta SDM Corse’s Alessandro Lupino will also return to racing

Making a wildcard appearance for this GP will be David Philippaerts who is a usual regular when it comes to racing the Italian GP’s.

Home rider Alberto Forato of SM Action Racing Team YUASA Battery will be looking to put on his best performance on home soil and continue delivering the strong results that he has been showing so far. He currently sits ninth in the championship standings which is pretty impressive. There are quite a few Italians to watch out for in general this weekend including Fantic Factory Team Maddii’s Nicholas Lapucci and Filippo Zonta among quite a few others who will wildcard this weekend.

2021 MXGP of Italy Top 3 – MXGP:

1. Jeffrey Herlings (40 pts)

2. Glenn Coldenhoff (40 pts)

3. Antonio Cairoli (40 pts)

Main Photo: MXGP Start 2021

Bottom Photos: 1. Tim Gajser 2. Glenn Coldenhoff

MXGP - World Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 286 points; 2. Jorge Prado (ESP, GAS), 220 p.; 3. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 215 p.; 4. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 187 p.; 5. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, YAM), 177 p.; 6. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 163 p.; 7. Brian Bogers (NED, HUS), 154 p.; 8. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, BET), 140 p.; 9. Alberto Forato (ITA, GAS), 124 p.; 10. Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 120 p.;

In MX2 things are getting interesting at the top of the championship standings as Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jago Geerts took back the red plate in Latvia with a clean 1-1 overall victory, though he remains tied on points with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle. So, it’s back to square one for the pair, as they basically start from zero, which should make for some very interesting racing.

In Latvia, Geerts was on top of his game and keen on making up for lost ground in Trentino where a DNF saw him lose the championship lead. Meanwhile, Vialle struggled to find his rhythm all weekend long in Kegums, so will be looking to bring his A game this weekend and take maximum points. Last year the MXGP of Italy was not the best for Vialle, who after getting injured a few weeks prior, only managed a few laps of the races.

What would be nice to see this weekend is something special from Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Mattia Guadagnini. Last season, Guadagnini had a dream weekend in Maggiora, winning a race and then subsequently winning the GP (his very first one and on home soil) as well as taking the red plate! Of course, expectations are going to be high this weekend, as the Italian is yet to finish on the podium this year and this weekend could be his best opportunity to do it.

The second Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing rider Simon Längenfelder is currently third in the championship, sitting on the same points as Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Kay de Wolf and Big Van World MTX Kawasaki’s Mikkel Haarup. Since his podium in Great Britain, Längenfelder has come close to the podium, but consistency its what’s letting him down lately. Meanwhile, de Wolf has also had some very solid results this year, he’s been on the podium twice but has also had a couple of races, where consistency was the reason why he narrowly missed out on a spot on the box. Either way both Längenfelder and de Wolf are still a pair to watch out for this weekend.

Meanwhile Haarup had a tough weekend in Latvia after an unavoidable crash, on a landing of a jump where another rider had already fallen, took him out of the running for his fourth consecutive podium. Before that, Haarup was running well and had presented himself as a real threat at the sharp end, so hopefully he can bounce back this weekend and see the beginning of another podium streak.

F&H Kawasaki Racing’s Kevin Horgmo had a near perfect weekend in Kegums and continued the team’s success in Latvia, securing his first podium in MX2 with second overall. Horgmo led an impressive 11 laps of the second race, before getting caught by Geerts, nonetheless, the Norwegian showed that he is fast enough, fit enough and most importantly confident enough to lead races which is a huge confidence boost in itself. It will be interesting to see what the next race has in store and whether the result in Kegums will be like a springboard for Horgmo for the rest of the season.

The Italian GP this weekend will also be a home round for SM Action Racing Team YUASA Battery’s Andrea Adamo. Since his podium in Mantova, Adamo has struggled to put together two consistent results. Also not scoring points in race two at the MXGP of Trentino didn’t help his overall standings as he currently sits in 8^th behind Guadagnini. A home GP is usually special for any rider, so hopefully that extra boost of motivation to perform well on home soil will see Adamo fighting with the leaders once again.

Gianluca Facchetti of Team Beddini Racing KTM is also on the entry list, along with another local rider Daniel Gimm who will make a wildcard appearance this weekend.

2021 MXGP of Italy Top 3 – MX2:

1. Mattia Guadagnini (47 pts)

2. Maxime Renaux (37 pts)

3. Jago Geerts (34 pts)

Main Photo: MX2 Start 2021

Bottom Photos: 1. Jago Geerts 2. Mattia Guadagnini

MX2 - World Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 244 points; 2. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 244 p.; 3. Simon Längenfelder (GER, GAS), 181 p.; 4. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 181 p.; 5. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, KAW), 181 p.; 6. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KAW), 176 p.; 7. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, GAS), 161 p.; 8. Andrea Adamo (ITA, GAS), 153 p.; 9. Isak Gifting (SWE, KTM), 136 p.; 10. Stephen Rubini (FRA, HON), 121 p.;

TIMETABLE (Local Timing CEST)

SATURDAY: 09:45 EMX Open Free Practice, 10:15 EMX250 Free Practice, 10:50 MX2 Free Practice, 11:20 MXGP Free Practice, 12:10 EMX Open Qualifying Practice, 12:45 EMX250 Qualifying Practice, 13:25 MX2 Time Practice, 14:00 MXGP Time Practice, 14:45 EMX Open Race 1, 15:30 EMX250 Race 1, 16:25 MX2 Qualifying Race, 17:10 MXGP Qualifying Race.

SUNDAY: 09:45 EMX Open Race 2, 10:25 MX2 Warm-up, 10:45 MXGP Warm-up, 11:30 EMX250 Race 2, 13:15 MX2 Race 1, 14:15 MXGP Race 1, 16:10 MX2 Race 2, 17:10 MXGP Race 2.

All the photos from the MXGP of Italy will be available HERE.

You can find the complete results HERE.

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

FIM Europe

MXGP of Italy – Maggiora

The FIM Motocross World Championship heads to Maggiora Park for round seven of the series this weekend, for the MXGP of Italy. Check out the timetable and entry lists below:

TIMETABLE

MXGP ENTRY LIST

MX2 ENTRY LIST

EMX250 ENTRY LIST

EMX OPEN ENTRY LIST

AGUEDA (Portugal) 3 April 2022 – The second round of the EMX250 Championship has concluded in Agueda, Portugal. It was a fantatsic day for Hutten Metaal Yamaha Racing’s Rick Elzinga who claimed maximum points and celebrated his first 1-1 of the 2022 season, as well as extending his championship lead over Fantic Factory Team Maddii's Cornelius Toendel. 

In EMX250 race one, it was Meico Vettik with a great start ahead of Elzinga and Yago Martinez, as a few riders hit the gate. Martinez then crashed, as Elzinga closed in on Vettik for the lead and by the end of the lap took control of the race.

Elzinga then led Vettik, Camden Mc Lellan of TBS Conversion Racing Team, Lucas Coenen of Jumbo Husqvarna BT Racing and Eddie Wade of 9MM Energy Drink BUD Racing, though Wade came under fire from Mc Lellan and Marcel Stauffer as both riders went by on the Brit. He then lost more positions and went down to 10^th. He eventually finished 16^th.

Mc Lellan then put on a charge for Vettik and on lap eight the South African got by for second and later so did Coenen as Vettik eventually placed 10^th.

Elzinga took the win ahead of Mc Lellan and Lucas Coenen. Stauffer finished fourth ahead of Fantic Factory Team Maddii’s Cornelius Toendel.

In race two, it was Hakon Osterhagen of Fantic Factory Team Maddii who grabbed the holeshot from Sacha Coenen of Jumbo Husqvarna BT Racing, Vettik, Elzinga and Toendel as Coenen crashed hard with a couple of other riders.

There was an intense battle inside the top five as Andrea Bonacorsi of Hutten Metaal Yamaha Racing was caught out by Guillem Farres and Oriol Oliver of WZ Racing Team and lost two spots within a lap.

Sacha Coenen came into pitlane after that second turn crash, but went back out to finish the race 22^nd, just outside of the points. Meanwhile his brother had a much stronger race.

Elzinga then took the lead on lap three, as Osterhagen worked hard to keep Farres behind him. Meanwhile Toendel was charging forward and by lap six was second ahead of Vettik, while Lucas Coenen made his way into sixth.

Bonacorsi then slipped back to 11^th as Farres crashed out of fifth but managed to get going quickly and lost only four positions.

In the final stages of the race Lucas Coenen was able to make some good passes and as the chequered flag fell, it was Elzinga who took the victory, 4.776 seconds ahead of Toendel and Coenen who fought back to third.

A clean 1-1 result gave Elzinga his second back-to-back victory as Coenen celebrated his first podium of the season in second ahead of Toendel who was third.

Elzinga extends his championship lead to 93 points, as Toendel remains second with 77 while Oliver is third with 62 points. The next round of the EMX250 championship will take place in Maggiora, Italy on the 7^th and 8^th of May.

Rick Elzinga: “The first race was just amazing. I controlled it and felt like it was a training session, was just doing my laps and was just really comfortable. In the second race, again comfortable, but had to push until the end because Cornelius was quite close, but I held a gap consistently so that he couldn’t get the pass. It’s amazing to get that 1-1, I can’t thank everyone behind me enough, the hard work is paying off and I just love it!”.

Main Photos: EMX250 Start / EMX250 Podium

Bottom Photos: 1. Rick Elzinga 2. Lucas Coenen

EMX250 - Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Rick Elzinga (NED, Yamaha), 29:42.329; 2. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, KTM), +0:07.136; 3. Lucas Coenen (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:08.654; 4. Marcel Stauffer (AUT, KTM), +0:15.698; 5. Cornelius Toendel (NOR, Fantic), +0:25.373; 6. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), +0:27.559; 7. Guillem Farres (ESP, GASGAS), +0:28.199; 8. Maximilian Spies (GER, KTM), +0:33.127; 9. David Braceras (ESP, KTM), +0:34.444; 10. Meico Vettik (EST, KTM), +0:21.556;

EMX250 - Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Rick Elzinga (NED, Yamaha), 29:29.016; 2. Cornelius Toendel (NOR, Fantic), +0:04.776; 3. Lucas Coenen (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:31.718; 4. Marcel Stauffer (AUT, KTM), +0:34.702; 5. Meico Vettik (EST, KTM), +0:35.958; 6. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), +0:46.158; 7. Guillem Farres (ESP, GASGAS), +0:51.528; 8. Quentin Marc Prugnieres (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:52.595; 9. Maximilian Spies (GER, KTM), +0:54.607; 10. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, KTM), +0:56.098;

EMX250 - Overall Top 10 Classification: 1. Rick Elzinga (NED, YAM), 50 points; 2. Lucas Coenen (BEL, HUS), 40 p.; 3. Cornelius Toendel (NOR, FAN), 38 p.; 4. Marcel Stauffer (AUT, KTM), 36 p.; 5. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), 30 p.; 6. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, KTM), 29 p.; 7. Guillem Farres (ESP, GAS), 28 p.; 8. Meico Vettik (EST, KTM), 27 p.; 9. Maximilian Spies (GER, KTM), 25 p.; 10. David Braceras (ESP, KTM), 21 p.;

EMX250 - Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Rick Elzinga (NED, YAM), 93 points; 2. Cornelius Toendel (NOR, FAN), 77 p.; 3. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), 62 p.; 4. Meico Vettik (EST, KTM), 60 p.; 5. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, KTM), 57 p.; 6. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, KTM), 51 p.; 7. Haakon Osterhagen (NOR, FAN), 47 p.; 8. Marcel Stauffer (AUT, KTM), 44 p.; 9. David Braceras (ESP, KTM), 43 p.; 10. Lucas Coenen (BEL, HUS), 40 p.;

EMX250 - Manufacturers Classification: 1. Yamaha, 93 points; 2. KTM, 84 p.; 3. Fantic, 81 p.; 4. Husqvarna, 48 p.; 5. Kawasaki, 41 p.; 6. GASGAS, 28 p.;

All the photos from the MXGP of Portugal will be available HERE.

You can find the complete results HERE.

MXGP OF PORTUGAL QUICK FACTS:

Circuit length: 1630m

Type of ground: Clay Based

Temperature: 16° C

Weather conditions: Sunny

Weekend Crowd Attendance: 25000

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM Europe

MXGP of Portugal

MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 30 March 2022 – It has been three years since the FIM Motocross World Championship took place in Agueda, Portugal and finally, this weekend, MXGP will see the return of the Portuguese Grand Prix.

Agueda has been on the MXGP calendar since 1985, with the inaugural event won by David Strijbos in the 125cc division. Since then, the Portuguese circuit, known for its distinctive orange clay base has hosted 22 FIM Motocross World Championship events, with this weekend's race being the 23^rd time.

As it stands, Antonio Cairoli holds the record for the most Grand Prix victories at the venue, having won five in 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2017. While in the Women’s Motocross World Championship, it’s Courtney Duncan of Big Van World MTX Kawasaki who has the most victories having won the previous two events that took place there.

Last time around in 2019, the MXGP of Portugal saw Team HRC’s Tim Gajser go 1-1 for the second time that season in MXGP, while in MX2, Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado won both of his races too and went on to claim the red plate from Diga Procross KTM Racing’s Thomas Kjer Olsen for the first time that season.

Heading into the races this weekend, there is no doubt that Gajser is the top favourite to win. The Slovenian is yet to let anybody else win a GP this season, having won the last three out of three events. He is without a doubt in great form and positive memories from the last time that he visited Agueda will only add to his strength.

When it comes to the championship standings, Gajser also holds a 17-point lead over Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Maxime Renaux, but he will need to be careful of the Frenchman this weekend, after we witnessed him secure his first race victory in the MXGP category less than two weeks ago. Renaux has certainly made some heads turn as he has solidified himself as a true MXGP competitor and title contender for 2022. He has also shown time and time again that he has the strength, speed and the mentality to run with the front-runners of the premier class and therefore could be a big threat for the championship.

Meanwhile Prado will take the opportunity to bounce back from a tough Argentinian Grand Prix. Despite landing on the podium, the Spaniard did not look like his usual self throughout the weekend, confirming the feeling himself at the post-race press conference, he also declared that he is excited to return to Portugal, a place that holds nice memories. Last time around Prado took the red plate in MX2 and continued the season with a string of victories to dominate the championship and claim his second world title. He will no doubt use those memories to his advantage this weekend as he will look to come back with a strong result.

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Seewer had an unlucky weekend at the previous round in Villa La Angostura, as a crash in the second race with Olsen went on to cost both riders valuable points. Seewer is currently fourth in the standings and will need a good result in Portugal in order to not lose the group ahead of him and stay within contention of the title this season. Meanwhile Olsen is seventh and has shown some positive results this season and it will be interesting to see what more he can deliver.

Standing Construct Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass may have surprised a few people in Argentina, after he claimed the MXGP qualifying race win and led 11 laps of the first race. The Latvian struggled with injury in the off-season and admitted that a lack of bike time was an issue, but despite his wound opening up in Mantova and needing further surgery to fix that, Jonass came to Argentina without any pressure, and that certainly paid off. Now it will be interesting to see if he can carry this momentum to Agueda and continue his year in a positive direction. Meanwhile his teammate Brian Bogers did not get so lucky. After coming close to a podium finish in Mantova, Bogers drew some attention by the time we arrive to Argentina. Things were looking positive until a big crash with F&H Kawasaki Racing Team’s Jed Beaton in the qualifying race saw the Dutchman dislocate his shoulder and not line up for the races. It is unclear how Bogers is at the moment, but his name remains on the entry list for the weekend.

Another name to look out for in MXGP is Honda 114 Motorsports Ruben Fernandez who has finished well inside the top 10 during the last two GP’s. This is Fernandez’s rookie season, but already he has shown a glimpse of what can be expected for the future as he gains more experience and confidence in the category.

Meanwhile, finally making his return to MXGP and his debut with the JM Honda Racing Team is Ivo Monticelli who due to injury was missing from the first three rounds of the season. But now back on the bike and ready to go, it will be interesting to see how Monticelli will match up against his competitors and his teammate Henry Jacobi who has been strong out of the gate the last couple of rounds as he claimed two Fox Holeshot’s this year so far.

2019 MXGP of Portugal Top 3 – MXGP:

1. Tim Gajser

2. Antonio Cairoli

3. Arnaud Tonus

Main Photo: MXGP Start 2019 Agueda

Bottom Photos: 1. Tim Gajser 2. Maxime Renaux

MXGP - World Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 141 points; 2. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 124 p.; 3. Jorge Prado (ESP, GAS), 118 p.; 4. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 94 p.; 5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, BET), 76 p.; 6. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 74 p.; 7. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, KTM), 73 p.; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, YAM), 71 p.; 9. Jed Beaton (AUS, KAW), 58 p.; 10. Alberto Forato (ITA, GAS), 58 p.;

In MX2, things are also getting interesting as we finally witnessed Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle make his much-anticipated return to the top step of the podium after a tough couple of weeks. The Frenchman struggled with injury in the off-season and then upon his return had some big crashes, most notably the crash in Mantova and another in the last lap of practice in Argentina. But he bounced back with a win in the second heat to steal the overall victory from Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jago Geerts.

Three rounds in, Geerts leads the MX2 standings by 26 points over Vialle, who is just a point ahead of Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Simon Längenfelder. As it stands, the trio have a GP victory each to their names, while Geerts is slightly ahead with 3 podiums and 3 race victories. But those stats don’t mean a lot at the moment as there are still plenty of rounds to go.

Riders who could challenge the top three include the likes of SM Action Racing Team YUASA Battery’s Andrea Adamo who has caught attention of many in the first few races this season, along with Big Van World MTX Kawasaki’s Mikkel Haarup who celebrated his first podium since 2020 after finishing third overall in Argentina. It will be interesting to see if he can carry on with this momentum and who knows maybe this could be a start of string of podiums for the Dane and regular top five finishes, as he has shown that he has the ability to run at the sharp end.

And the same goes for F&H Kawasaki Racing Team’s Kevin Horgmo who has demonstrated that he can battle with the riders at the front, though crashes have proven to be costly for him. Nonetheless, he has made a lot of progress over the off-season that is evident, and a podium finish is likely on its way.

Despite struggling in the first few races this season, there is still a lot of hope that Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Mattia Guadagnini will turn things around and get back up to podium fighting positions, where he deserved to be. Last season Guadagnini racked up a nice number of podiums, before struggling in the latter part of the season and it’s still unclear what has been holding him back this year, but one thing for sure is if things come together he can run at the front.

Last time around in Argentina, it seemed like the MX2 category took a big hit as two of the top stars, Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Kay de Wolf and Roan Van de Moosdijk suffered crashes and went out with injuries. Now news comes that de Wolf will aim to make a return for Portugal, which is great news as he was among the top guys in the class, while Van de Moosdijk underwent surgery on his shoulder and is nursing a broken collarbone and fracture wrist as well. His return is not yet known.

On a more positive note, this weekend we will see the return of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Thibault Benistant who was another rider who missed the start of the season due to injury.

Hitachi KTM Fuelled by Milwaukee rider Isak Gifting and Gianluca Facchetti of KTM Beddini MX2 will miss the upcoming GP due to injuries sustained in Argentina. Their return is not yet confirmed.

2019 MXGP of Portugal Top 3 – MX2:

1. Jorge Prado

2. Thomas Kjer Olsen

3. Mitch Evans

Main Photo: MX2 Start 2019 Agueda

Bottom Photos: 1. Tom Vialle 2. Jago Geerts

MX2 - World Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 137 points; 2. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 111 p.; 3. Simon Längenfelder (GER, GAS), 110 p.; 4. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, KAW), 92 p.; 5. Andrea Adamo (ITA, GAS), 85 p.; 6. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, GAS), 81 p.; 7. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 78 p.; 8. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KAW), 78 p.; 9. Stephen Rubini (FRA, HON), 69 p.; 10. Isak Gifting (SWE, KTM), 67 p.;

Joining the main action this weekend will also be the EMX250 and WMX riders, with Hutten Metaal Yamaha Racing’s Rick Elzinga and Ceres 71 Racing’s Nancy Van De Ven currently leading the standings. It will be interesting to see whether the pair can hold on to the red plate after this weekend or whether they will be challenge by the rest of the field.

TIMETABLE (Local Timing UTC+1)

SATURDAY: 08:45 WMX Free Practice, 09:10 EMX250 Group 1 Free Practice, 09:35 EMX250 Group 2 Free Practice, 10:05 WMX Qualifying Practice, 10:50 MX2 Free Practice, 11:20 MXGP Free Practice, 12:10 EMX250 Group 1 Qualifying Practice, 12:45 EMX250 Group 2 Qualifying Practice, 13:25 MX2 Time Practice, 14:00 MXGP Time Practice, 14:45 WMX Race 1, 15:30 EMX250 Race 1, 16:25 MX2 Qualifying Race, 17:10 MXGP Qualifying Race.

SUNDAY: 09:45 WMX Race 2, 10:25 MX2 Warm-up, 10:45 MXGP Warm-up, 11:30 EMX250 Race 2, 13:15 MX2 Race 1, 14:15 MXGP Race 1, 16:10 MX2 Race 2, 17:10 MXGP Race 2.

All the photos from the MXGP of Portugal will be available HERE.

You can find the complete results HERE.

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

MXGP of Portugal

The FIM Motocross World Championship continues this weekend on the 2^nd and 3^rd of April in Agueda for the MXGP of Portugal.

Take a look at the timetable and entry lists below:

Timetable

MXGP Entry List

MX2 Entry List

EMX250 Entry List

WMX Entry List