EMX250

FUNCHAL (Portugal), 17 October 2014 – Youthstream is pleased to announce the official calendars for the 2015 European Motocross Championships EMX125, EMX250, EMX300 as well as the finals of EMX65 and EMX85 and the Honda EMX150 Championship.

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FIM Europe

CNC Doors KTM’s Steven Clarke of Great Britain knows a little about winning championships. Having won the European 85cc junior world championship nearly a decade ago, and now the 2014 EMX250 championship Clarke is becoming something of an expert in winning away from home.

Last weekend in Lommel another young British rider in Albie Wilkie won the Honda European Championship EMX150 and secured himself a ride for the Honda Jtech team in the 2015 European EMX250 category.

With Bike It Yamaha Yamaha Cosworth rider Max Anstie going 1-2 and winning the overall in the MX2 class, it was a day of celebration for the British fans and riders alike.

For Clarke it was a no brainer to race the EMX 250 championship in 2014 after sampling the series in 2013 and finding it to his liking.

“I did two rounds of the EMX 250 championship in 2013 and finished eighth in one round, and second in the other. After those results I said to my dad I wanted to race the full EMX250 championship in 2014. The original plan was to do it with my British based team, but that didn’t work out and we came out with the family and my mechanic and just went for it. We went to Bulgaria and finished in fourth place overall, then led the championship from round two until the end. We got some help from Standing Construct KTM and that helped. We all put in a lot of hard work and it was a good finish in the championship. I wasn’t nervous coming into Lommel, I have a lot of experience compared to my rivals, and I kept a cool head and kept it on two wheels. I took it to the last moto and I didn’t really know if I had won the title, at least not until I saw my dad cartwheeling across the track after the finish line.”

For Wilkie it was a dream come true as he finished just two points ahead of rival Jere Haavisto in the series points, and claimed not only the 150cc championship, but also a ride for the 2015 season. The Eastwood Honda rider was solid all series and very much deserved his success.

“It didn’t go to plan on Saturday, but to come off with the championship victory, and to get that ride for 2015 is really exciting. I had never ridden Lommel before and it was the toughest circuit I have ever ridden in my career. On the smaller bikes on those big bumps was tough.”

It seems the British riders enjoyed the experience of Lommel and with two euro champions in 2014 anything is possible for the Brits in 2015 as they all look at trying to continue the success of one of the proudest motocross nations in the world.

LOMMEL (Belgium), 03 August 2014 – Saving the best for last the final rounds of the European Championship’s EMX125, EMX150, EMX250 and EMX300 took place in the harsh sand of Lommel publishing a story of panic revs and side swappers as the boys went down to the wire for their overall rankings.

At the end of the day, four champions have been crowned in the form of Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe’s Brian Hsu, Albie Wilkie, CNC Doors KTM’s Steven Clarke and TM Racing Team’s Samuele Bernardini while four different riders won the round.

In the EMX125, Mafi Yamaha MX Team’s Alvin Östlund dominated the EMX125 with two race wins as did Jere Haavisto in the EMX150. In the EMX250 HSF Logistic Motorsport Team’s Brian Bogers went 2 – 3 for his second overall win of the season while Belgian Mike Van Der Straeten carved through his home soil to take the overall victory in the EMX300 with a 3 – 1 finish.

EMX125

Who knew Swede’s were so fast in the sand? As of now, everyone knows after the dominating performance of Mafi Yamaha MX Team’s Alvin Östlund who rode impressively in the sandy chop of Lommel this weekend to go 1-1 for his first two moto victories of the year as well as his first ever EMX125 round victory.

Although it was Östlund who took the cake this weekend, you can’t take anything away from the challenge in race two. Diga Racing’s young Latvian star on the rise Tomass Sileika took the holeshot and led the opening laps of the race, while an abundance of riders tailed him.

With the entire top eight literally riding wheel to wheel around what is possibly the toughest circuit imaginable for a 125cc bike, the sand masters eventually emerged.

While early race leader Sileika battled to keep his KTM 125 rubber side down, Dutchman Bas Vaessen stepped in to give the race one winner and new race two leader Östlund some grief. After keeping Östlund on his toes for the first twenty minutes, Vaessen made a mistake out the back of the circuit and dropped back to fourth allowing SV Racing MX Team Russia’s Ivan Baranov and red plate holder Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe’s Brian Hsu, who were in the thick of a battle of their own, to push forward and take over the second and third positions.

As Hsu continued to hound Baranov, Kemea Yamaha Racing’s Cyril Genot had closed in on Vaessen for fourth. Vaessen who appeared to be drained after his tremendous early race effort for the lead started making error after error that allowed the young Belgian Genot to go through.

After a close call through the rhythm section with one lap to go, Vaessen lost yet another position to KTM Junior Academy Finland’s Miro Shivonen, who put in an extraordinary ride from outside the top twenty to come home in fifth.

With the combined results of race one yesterday and race two today, Alvin Östlund was the clear round winner ahead of the newly crowned champion Brian Hsu and Dutch Bas Vaessen. Cyril Genot managed to seal the deal on fourth overall with Miro Shivonen rounding out the top five.

As for the championship, Hsu was crowned champion ahead of today’s victor Östlund while Red Bull KTM Racing’s injured rider Davy Pootjes still managed to take away third overall despite sitting out two of the rounds this season.

EMX125 Race 1: 1. Alvin Östlund (SWE, Yamaha), 29:20.025; 2. Bas Vaessen (NED, KTM), +0:08.868; 3. Brian Hsu (GER, Suzuki), +0:12.299; 4. Cyril Genot (BEL, Yamaha), +0:26.843; 5. Max Engelen (NED, KTM), +0:30.959; 6. Miro Sihvonen (FIN, KTM), +0:34.045; 7. Hardi Roosiorg (EST, KTM), +0:51.447; 8. Nathan Renkens (BEL, KTM), +0:52.881; 9. David Herbreteau (FRA, Yamaha), +0:54.392; 10. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +0:56.089.

EMX125 Race 2: 1. Alvin Östlund (SWE, Yamaha), 30:29.995; 2. Ivan Baranov (RUS, KTM), +0:13.319; 3. Brian Hsu (GER, Suzuki), +0:17.816; 4. Cyril Genot (BEL, Yamaha), +0:23.168; 5. Miro Sihvonen (FIN, KTM), +0:25.491; 6. Bas Vaessen (NED, KTM), +0:31.715; 7. Max Engelen (NED, KTM), +0:44.580; 8. William Andersson (SWE, KTM), +0:54.285; 9. Nicholas Adams (RSA, KTM), +0:59.404; 10. Hardi Roosiorg (EST, KTM), +1:10.769.

EMX125 Overall: 1. Alvin Östlund (SWE, YAM), 50 points; 2. Brian Hsu (GER, SUZ), 40 p.; 3. Bas Vaessen (NED, KTM), 37 p.; 4. Cyril Genot (BEL, YAM), 36 p.; 5. Miro Sihvonen (FIN, KTM), 31 p.; 6. Max Engelen (NED, KTM), 30 p.; 7. Hardi Roosiorg (EST, KTM), 25 p.; 8. Ivan Baranov (RUS, KTM), 22 p.; 9. Nathan Renkens (BEL, KTM), 21 p.; 10. William Andersson (SWE, KTM), 20 p.

EMX125 Championship Standings: 1. Brian Hsu (GER, SUZ), 268 points; 2. Alvin Östlund (SWE, YAM), 252 p.; 3. Davy Pootjes (NED, KTM), 216 p.; 4. David Herbreteau (FRA, YAM), 181 p.; 5. Tomass Sileika (LAT, KTM), 177 p.; 6. Joakin Furbetta (ITA, KTM), 168 p.; 7. Dan Houzet (FRA, KTM), 123 p.; 8. Max Engelen (NED, KTM), 115 p.; 9. Michael Ivanov (BUL, KTM), 102 p.; 10. Cyril Genot (BEL, YAM), 97 p.

EMX250

With eight different race winners and five different round winners this season, the seventh and final round here in the savage sand of Lommel delivered what was the most intense and dramatic yet exhilarating end to what was easily the best ever season of European Championship EMX250 racing.

With the championship being more or less narrowed down to two riders heading into the final race of the championship, the red plate holder CNC Doors KTM’s Steven Clarke and HSF Logistics Motorsport Team’s Brian Bogers carried the weight of the world on their shoulders.

When the gate fell for the last time this season, the guy trailing the championship leader Clarke by eleven points coming in, Brian Bogers, stole the holeshot immediately sending both the crowd and pit-lane into turmoil.

While most eyes were on the positions of Bogers and Clarke, it was Kemea Yamaha Racing’s Nick Kouwenberg actually stole the show today, launching past Bogers in the rhythm section on the opening lap and sailing smoothly to his second race win of the season.

Meanwhile Bogers hung out on his own in second just focusing on clicking off his own laps while behind him an out right ruckus had unfurled.

Hitachi Construction Machinery UK KTM’s Ben Watson, Creymert Racing’s Brent Van Doninck, Wilvo Forkrent KTM’s Adam Sterry, and HSF Logistics Motorsport Team’s Ceriel Klein Kromhof were the guys that set the tone as they relentlessly brawled for third. While they tossed the positions amongst themselves Van Doninck was the first to crack, binning it on the backside of the circuit.

Approaching the mid-mark, Klein Kromhof had just taken over third before being left in a cloud of blue dust which had puffed from his own engine, meanwhile Van Doninck was making a historic charge back toward the front of the pack, to eventually emerge in third.

While Watson begun to fade, his fellow Brit held on strong in fourth despite a late race charge from race one winner KTM Bodo Schmidt Motorsports Calvin Vlaanderen who was on mission after not getting off to the greatest of starts.

Coming home in a hard fought sixth CNC Doors KTM’s Steven Clarke lost eleven points on Bogers meaning they would tie for the championship overall. With the tie breaker coming down to race wins over round wins, Clarke known to many of his friends and fans a ‘Clarkie’ or ‘Scuba Steve’ was crowned the 2014 EMX250 Champion.

While Bogers was forced to settle for second overall in the championship, he was able to relish in the overall victory for the round with yesterday’s victor Calvin Vlaanderen mounting the second step. Adam Sterry wrapped up the final round of the season with third for third overall in the championship while race two winner Nick Kouwenberg finished up the weekend in fourth with Brent Van Doninck rounding out the top five.

EMX250 Race 1: 1. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, KTM), 29:09.525; 2. Adam Sterry (GBR, KTM), +0:00.095; 3. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), +0:05.235; 4. Brent Van doninck (BEL, KTM), +0:16.593; 5. Steven Clarke (GBR, KTM), +0:23.150; 6. Frederik van der Vlist (NED, KTM), +0:24.873; 7. Nick Kouwenberg (NED, Yamaha), +0:26.869; 8. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Honda), +0:31.465; 9. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, KTM), +0:33.256; 10. Ceriel Klein Kromhof (NED, KTM), +0:36.394

EMX250 Race 2: 1. Nick Kouwenberg (NED, Yamaha), 29:52.330; 2. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), +0:09.119; 3. Brent Van doninck (BEL, KTM), +0:14.811; 4. Adam Sterry (GBR, KTM), +0:20.527; 5. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, KTM), +0:29.598; 6. Steven Clarke (GBR, KTM), +0:36.860; 7. Ben Watson (GBR, KTM), +0:40.696; 8. Ken Bengtson (SWE, KTM), +0:44.143; 9. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, KTM), +0:46.752; 10. Yentel Martens (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:48.449.

EMX250 Overall: 1. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), 42 points; 2. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, KTM), 41 p.; 3. Adam Sterry (GBR, KTM), 40 p.; 4. Nick Kouwenberg (NED, YAM), 39 p.; 5. Brent Van doninck (BEL, KTM), 38 p.; 6. Steven Clarke (GBR, KTM), 31 p.; 7. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, KTM), 24 p.; 8. Frederik van der Vlist (NED, KTM), 24 p.; 9. Ken Bengtson (SWE, KTM), 22 p.; 10. Ben Watson (GBR, KTM), 21 p.

EMX250 Championship Standings: 1. Steven Clarke (GBR, KTM), 237 points; 2. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), 237 p.; 3. Adam Sterry (GBR, KTM), 214 p.; 4. Brent Van doninck (BEL, KTM), 208 p.; 5. Ben Watson (GBR, KTM), 197 p.; 6. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HON), 169 p.; 7. Sullivan Jaulin (FRA, KAW), 161 p.; 8. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, KTM), 161 p.; 9. Michele Cervellin (ITA, HON), 150 p.; 10. Ceriel Klein Kromhof (NED, KTM), 131 p.

EMX300

We’ve reached the seventh and final round of the European Championship EMX300 series and the sound of twenty-six 300cc two strokes ripping around a track still sounds as mint as it did at the first round of the championship back in April this year.

When the gates dropped for the final race of the season, the newly crowned EMX300 champion TM Racing Team’s Samuele Bernardini carried that same momentum he’s been carrying all championship long around turn one with yet another holeshot. Although it appeared the Italian would check out as he set the fastest lap of the race on lap one putting a three second cushion on yesterday’s fastest rider GL12 Racing’s Lewis Gregory, he threw it away with a high side on lap two which dropped him back to tenth. Gregory exhibiting that same aggression and intensity he showed in race one yesterday afternoon was quick to capitalize on Bernardini’s mistake.

While Gregory managed to put a slight buffer on the rest of the pack which temporarily teased him with a grasp on the overall round victory, one of the early season championship favorites Wilvo Forkrent KTM’s Kenny Van Dueren had caused an uproar from the ecstatic Belgian crowd as he came under attack from fellow Belgian’s Mike Van Der Straeten and Sven Scheynen.

Van Der Straeten, clearly no stranger to the terrain here in Lommel as he was the winner of the ‘Rookie Cup’ back in 2009, started clicking off a series of consistently fast laps and was soon pressuring Gregory for the lead. With a quarter of the race to go, Van Der Straeten dropped the hammer and made the pass into first forcing Gregory to ploy a response.

Gregory, who was hungrier than ever for the overall victory, started pushing a little harder as he tried to find an answer to the incursion of Van Der Straeten.

One lap later, Gregory hit a kicker over the finish line and cartwheeled it allowing Van Der Straeten to jet away for his first ever European Championship race and overall victory. With Gregory fortunate enough to re-mount and finish without loosing a position, Van Dueren crossed the line in an unchallenged third.

Meanwhile the third of the Belgians inside the top four Sven Scheynen took fourth with young Brit Matthew Moffat rounding out the top five.

As for the early race leader, Bernardini, he would have been happy to have got the job done yesterday as today saw him face plant a couple of times. Despite spending a bit of time with his head buried in the sand, the 2014 EMX300 Champion still soldiered on for sixth in race two and third overall for the weekend.

Mike Van Der Straeten supplied the Belgian crowd with their first playing of their national anthem as he topped the box, while GL12 Racing’s Lewis Gregory was a bit guttered to stand on the second step after holding the round victory in the palm of his hands fifteen minutes prior to the podium ceremony. TM Racing Team’s Samuele Bernardini rounded out the top three.

Now with all seven rounds of the European Championship EMX300 in the bag, TM Racing Team’s Samuele Bernardini was the clear champion while fellow Italian Team Maddii Racing’s Marco Maddii put together a consistent season for second ahead of GL12 Racing’s Lewis Gregory. 

EMX300 Race 1: 1. Samuele Bernardini (ITA, TM), 29:42.692; 2. Lewis Gregory (GBR, Yamaha), +0:04.071; 3. Mike Vanderstraeten (BEL, Suzuki), +0:14.468; 4. Kenny Vandueren (BEL, KTM), +0:28.584; 5. Marco Maddii (ITA, KTM), +0:57.898; 6. Sven Scheynen (BEL, Yamaha), +1:01.268; 7. Kevin Davidsson (SWE, KTM), +1:05.156; 8. Joey Smet (BEL, KTM), +1:21.213; 9. Ton van Grinsven (NED, TM), +1:35.867; 10. Rasmus Lykke (DEN, KTM), +1:44.090.

EMX300 Race 2: 1. Mike Vanderstraeten (BEL, Suzuki), 29:07.750; 2. Lewis Gregory (GBR, Yamaha), +0:29.793; 3. Kenny Vandueren (BEL, KTM), +0:42.534; 4. Sven Scheynen (BEL, Yamaha), +0:58.253; 5. Matthew Moffat (GBR, KTM), +1:14.361; 6. Samuele Bernardini (ITA, TM), +1:21.102; 7. Marco Maddii (ITA, KTM), +1:53.361; 8. Stephane Watel (FRA, KTM), +1:59.513; 9. Ton van Grinsven (NED, TM), -1 lap(s); 10. Joey Smet (BEL, KTM), -1 lap(s).

EMX300 Overall: 1. Mike Vanderstraeten (BEL, SUZ), 45 points; 2. Lewis Gregory (GBR, YAM), 44 p.; 3. Samuele Bernardini (ITA, TM), 40 p.; 4. Kenny Vandueren (BEL, KTM), 38 p.; 5. Sven Scheynen (BEL, YAM), 33 p.; 6. Marco Maddii (ITA, KTM), 30 p.; 7. Ton van Grinsven (NED, TM), 24 p.; 8. Joey Smet (BEL, KTM), 24 p.; 9. Stephane Watel (FRA, KTM), 22 p.; 10. Ronny van Hove (BEL, KTM), 18 p.

EMX300 Championship Standings: 1. Samuele Bernardini (ITA, TM), 325 points; 2. Marco Maddii (ITA, KTM), 281 p.; 3. Lewis Gregory (GBR, YAM), 276 p.; 4. Kenny Vandueren (BEL, KTM), 176 p.; 5. Stephane Watel (FRA, KTM), 173 p.; 6. Michele Cencioni (ITA, KTM), 158 p.; 7. Txomin Arana (ESP, YAM), 143 p.; 8. Bence Szvoboda (HUN, KTM), 106 p.; 9. Jean Loup Lepan (FRA, YAM), 101 p.; 10. Toms Macuks (LAT, KTM), 94 p.

EMX150

As for the Honda European Championship EMX150, Jere Haavisto put in a impressive performance to wrap up his season with a double race victory for his second round win of the season, but lost out on the championship title by a narrow two points on Albie Wilkie who was crowned champion here in Lommel today.  

EMX150 Race 1: 1. Jere Haavisto (FIN, Honda), 26:37.759; 2. Rick Elzinga (NED, Honda), +0:10.076; 3. Albie Wilkie (GBR, Honda), +0:10.358; 4. Shana van der Vlist (NED, Honda), +0:22.899; 5. Keegan Hickson Mahony (RSA, Honda), +0:58.259; 6. Matias Murto (FIN, Honda), +1:01.245; 7. Damian Bergevoet (NED, Honda), +1:25.199; 8. Albin Larsen (SWE, Honda), +1:26.694; 9. Filip Olsson (SWE, Honda), +1:30.170; 10. Tatu Junnola (FIN, Honda), +1:49.148.

EMX150 Race 2: 1. Jere Haavisto (FIN, Honda), 25:43.208; 2. Albie Wilkie (GBR, Honda), +0:22.185; 3. Rick Elzinga (NED, Honda), +0:24.741; 4. Shana van der Vlist (NED, Honda), +1:02.096; 5. Damian Bergevoet (NED, Honda), +1:04.948; 6. Tatu Junnola (FIN, Honda), +1:05.482; 7. Brian Van Der Klij (NED, Honda), +1:16.965; 8. Albin Larsen (SWE, Honda), +1:23.366; 9. Hans Priidel (EST, Honda), +1:26.919; 10. Quentin Delbrassinne (BEL, Honda), +1:31.176.

EMX150 Overall: 1. Jere Haavisto (FIN, HON), 50 points; 2. Albie Wilkie (GBR, HON), 42 p.; 3. Rick Elzinga (NED, HON), 42 p.; 4. Shana van der Vlist (NED, HON), 36 p.; 5. Damian Bergevoet (NED, HON), 30 p.; 6. Tatu Junnola (FIN, HON), 26 p.; 7. Albin Larsen (SWE, HON), 26 p.; 8. Keegan Hickson Mahony (RSA, HON), 25 p.; 9. Brian Van Der Klij (NED, HON), 23 p.; 10. Quentin Delbrassinne (BEL, HON), 21 p.

EMX150 Championship Standings: 1. Albie Wilkie (GBR, HON), 222 points; 2. Jere Haavisto (FIN, HON), 220 p.; 3. Albin Larsen (SWE, HON), 158 p.; 4. Matias Murto (FIN, HON), 135 p.; 5. Tatu Junnola (FIN, HON), 135 p.; 6. Quentin Delbrassinne (BEL, HON), 122 p.; 7. Damian Bergevoet (NED, HON), 120 p.; 8. Brian Van Der Klij (NED, HON), 113 p.; 9. Rick Elzinga (NED, HON), 89 p.; 10. Max Erlandsson (SWE, HON), 88 p.

Click here to obtain the complete results.

All the photos of the MXGP of Belgium will be available here

MXGP will be available across the board in high definition, and is also globally available to view live and in HD on www.MXGP-TV.com. Click here for the complete list of countries and cooperating MXGP broadcasting networks, viewing times can be viewed by clicking on the logo of your chosen broadcasting network.

MXGP BELGIUM – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1675

Type of ground: sand

Temperature: 26°

Weather conditions: sunny

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FIM Europe

MXGP of Belgium

LOMMEL (Belgium), 02 August 2014 – Grit was the word of the day today at round fifteen of the FIM Motocross World Championship in Lommel as riders gritted their teeth while bashing their way through the soft yet gritty sand. While the circuit, as expected, got gnarly and whooped out it turned out to be a playground for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli and BikeIT Yamaha Cosworth’s Max Anstie as they charged their way to pole.

With racing wrapping up today, we are officially half way through the final rounds of the European Championship’s EMX125, EMX150, EMX250 and EMX300.  Team Mafi Yamaha MX Team’s Alvin Ostlund won EMX125 race one today to overtake injured Red Bull KTM Racing rider Davy Pootjes for second overall in the championship, he now trails Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe's Brian Hsu by twenty-one points, while Fin Jere Haavisto won the first race in the EMX150 and now trails Brit Albie Wilkie by five with one crucial race remaining.

After a epic race in the EMX250, KTM Bodo Schmidt Motorsport’s Calvin Vlaanderen, who is South African yet lives in Holland so is no stranger to the sand, very narrowly won the EMX250 race one while TM Racing Team’s Samuele Bernardini was the first champion to be crowned this weekend wrapping up the EMX300 championship with a win in the penultimate race of the season.

MXGP

The MXGP qualifying race has already got the fans here at round fifteen of the FIM Motocross World Championship all pumped up for what tomorrow may bring. When the gates fell it was local MXGP favorite Rockstar Energy Suzuki World’s Kevin Strijbos who wasn’t mucking around, pinning it around turn one to claim the holeshot ahead of MXGP’s blast from the past, Marc De Reuver and Swedish young gun Fillip Bengsston.

While De Reuver is not Belgian, he is more or less local, but his years of knowledge and experience at this track did him no good when he crashed three quarters of the way into lap one. With Bengsston taking over second and Strijbos still in sight, the Swede wasted no time in embracing the ‘pin it to win it’ technique, surprisingly closing in on the Suzuki rider to keep him honest in the opening laps.

A few laps later Bengsston found himself up against a few of the toughest competitors in the class, Hitachi Construction Machinery UK KTM’s Shaun Simpson, who ended up nursing a slipping clutch home for seventh, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli and Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Van Horebeek. While the Swede was running a blistering pace in the opening laps, he struggled to maintain it the entire duration and eventually dropped back to tenth, yet he can be proud of the fact he set the fastest lap time of the race.

Around mid-race, a super fluid Cairoli started finding his groove making light work of everyone else as he moved to the front and floated his way to his sixth qualifying heat victory. Meanwhile second place turned into a battle of pride as the young grasshopper Van Horebeek started creeping up on the well-seasoned Strijbos eventually getting the job done with three laps to go.

While Strijbos had a few hairy moments in the closing stages of the race, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Ken De Dycker was putting in the best ride we’ve seen from him this year in fourth while Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Gautier Paulin soldiered on throughout the moto for a smooth and smart fifth.

MXGP Qualifying Race top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 23:48.175; 2. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:03.426; 3. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:04.833; 4. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:14.753; 5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:16.256; 6. Steven Frossard (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:17.461; 7. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +0:26.786; 8. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), +0:31.284; 9. Filip Bengtsson (SWE, KTM), +0:39.285; 10. Rui Goncalves (POR, Yamaha), +0:41.632.

MX2

It may be the turning point of the season for BikeIT Yamaha Cosworth’s Max Anstie, but only tomorrow will tell. After a season completely riddled with bouts of bad luck, Anstie managed to turn it all around today with his dominating performance after the gate drop of MX2’s qualifying race.

No one can lean back any further than KTM Silver Action’s Jose Butrón, who is known for his impressive start technique, although CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy’s Dylan Ferrandis did manage to match the Spaniards pace out of the gate this time to go neck and neck around turn one. One turn later, and the Frenchman was down, collecting Standing Construct KTM’s Valentin Guillod, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jordi Tixier and Honda Gariboldi’s Tim Gajser. While Ferrandis and Tixier were able to re-mount, Guillod’s bike resembled something of a banana with snapped triple clamps and bent forks while Gajser’s bike also suffered some kind of damage.

While the carnage on turn two cleared, Butrón had pulled four bike lengths on the rest of the field, briefly, before Anstie started peeling off lap times consistently two seconds faster than everyone, blasting past Butrón and locking down first ever qualifying heat victory.

Meanwhile Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Romain Febvre was putting his winter of testing at this very circuit to good use, making light work of Butrón and wrapping up the race in an unchallenged second.

As for the battle for third, it was pretty surprising to say the least. At the start of the race Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe’s Jeremy Seewer was running the pace up front before disappearing off the radar, as was Yamaha Factory Racing’s Christophe Charlier and Marchetti Racing KTM’s Pauls Jonass. While Charlier replicated Seewer and eventually retired from the race, Jonass looked solid in third for the majority of the moto before succumbing to the pressure of seasoned MX2 stars Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jordi Tixier and Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Aleksandr Tonkov.

Hats off to Tixier for his awe-inspiring performance, ripping all the way from outside the top twenty to bring home third just ahead of Tonkov. And also a plausible effort for Jonass who held on for his best qualifying heat result of the season in fifth.

On another note it was great to see the defending champion Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herling’s, who is nursing a broken femur which has recently been pinned, out watching his fellow competitors vie for their qualifying positions in a terrain he loves to ride. As was seeing the return of Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe’s Glenn Coldenhoff who got tangled with another rider early in the race yet managed to bounce back for a respectable tenth.

MX2 Qualifying Race top ten: 1. Max Anstie (GBR, Yamaha), 24:07.111; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:22.107; 3. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +0:32.472; 4. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, Husqvarna), +0:42.012; 5. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:45.613; 6. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +0:45.961; 7. Petar Petrov (BUL, Yamaha), +0:59.319; 8. Michael Hool (NED, KTM), +1:05.533; 9. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:08.349; 10. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Suzuki), +1:09.540

Click here to obtain the complete results.

All the photos of the MXGP of Belgium will be available here

MXGP will be available across the board in high definition, and is also globally available to view live and in HD on www.MXGP-TV.com. Click here for the complete list of countries and cooperating MXGP broadcasting networks, viewing times can be viewed by clicking on the logo of your chosen broadcasting network.

MXGP BELGIUM – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1675

Type of ground: sand

Temperature: 24°

Weather conditions: sunny

TIMETABLE

SUNDAY: EMX300 Warm-up 08:00; EMX150 Warm-up 08:15; EMX125 Warm-up 08:30; EMX250 Warm-up 08:45; EMX300 Race 2 09:10; MX2 Warm-up 09:50; MXGP Warm-up 10:10; EMX150 Race 2 10:40; EMX125 Race 2 11:20; EMX250 Race 2 12:05; MX2 Race 1 13:15; MXGP Race 1 14:15; MX2 Race 2 16:10; MXGP Race 2 17:10.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

MXGP of Belgium

LOMMEL (Belgium), 30 July 2014 – From one extreme, the heavily elevated hard pack clay of the Czech Republic, to the other, the bottomless whooped out sand of Belgium, the fifteenth stop from seventeen on the FIM Motocross World Championship calendar will be this weekend, August 03, in Lommel. While the circuit itself hardly needs introducing, as it is definitely one of the most widely recognized tracks in the world, known to be the ultimate test of both physical and mental strength, riders can expect to dig deep on a track layout similar to that of 2012’s edition of the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations.

Also donning a set of scoop tires this weekend, the boys of the European Championships EMX300, EMX250 and EMX125 will be set to go bar to bar for their overall ranking as it is the seventh and final round of their championships, while the Honda European Championship EMX150 will be contesting their fifth and final round.

MXGP

It’s home away from home for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli, who will head into this weekend as the hot favorite. While it’s hard to call TC222 a ‘sand specialist’ since he basically specializes at every surface, the Italian seven-time world champion openly admits sand is more his forte than clay, a statement like “I always look forward to going to Lommel, I like to race in the sand” coming from the champ means it’s not going to be a easy weekend for the rest of the competitors in MXGP.

But, if anyone is going to rise to the occasion this weekend it will probably be one of the local heroes Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Van Horebeek or Rockstar Energy Suzuki World’s Kevin Strijbos. Van Horebeek experienced his first taste of victory last weekend in Czech and while he is said to favor hard and slick surfaces, he doesn’t mind the sand either and is sure to have put in his fair share of laps around Lommel over the years. Meanwhile, Strijbos has been banking results that haven’t necessarily reflected his speed. The twenty-eight year old is looking hungry for a win, could this weekend be a breakthrough for ‘The Kid’?

It may be a bit far fetched to predict Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Gautier Paulin for a win given he’s a little rusty on the racing front and a track of Lommel’s caliber is no walk in the park. At the end of the day, a racer is a racer and there is no doubt GP21, if he’s ‘feelin’ it’ could be a contender for the overall.

While the list goes on for riders that base themselves around Lommel during the season, another ‘local’ is Team HRC’s Max Nagl. Like Cairoli and Strijbos, Nagl lives no more than twenty minutes from the track and can never be counted out for a podium performance. If the German can get off the line and around turn one at the sharp end of the field, he’s sure to be a threat for that top step.

It’s hard to say if we’d be surprised to see Hitachi Construction Machinery UK KTM’s Shaun Simpson on the podium this weekend. While he remains the underdog, more for statistical reasons, it’s a knowledgeable fact the Scot digs the sand and if anyone’s going to mix things up in the results sheets, it’s probably going to be him.

2011 MXGP of Limburg

1. Antonio Cairoli

2. Clement Desalle

3. Max Nagl

MXGP World Championship Classification Top Ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 619 points; 2. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 562 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, SUZ), 484 p.; 4. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 469 p.; 5. Steven Frossard (FRA, KAW), 333 p.; 6. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 325 p.; 7. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HON), 291 p.; 8. Gautier Paulin (FRA, KAW), 235 p.; 9. David Philippaerts (ITA, YAM), 234 p.; 10. Davide Guarneri (ITA, TM), 232 p.

MX2

Adrenalin levels have just spiked thinking about the racing that’s going to occur in MX2. Who’s going to win remains anybody’s guess and what makes it even harder to predict is the fact that the last Grand Prix to be run in the treacherous sand of Lommel was back in 2011 when most of these guys were still racing the European Championships.  

Starting with last weekend’s winner, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jordi Tixier. Tixier fired back at all his critics last weekend with his impressive performance in race one for his first ever MX2 race victory which eventually left him topping the box for the first time in his career as the overall Grand Prix winner. With Lommel being at the opposite end of the spectrum to Loket, and the sand being so shifty and unpredictable ‘the Tix’ is going to have to bring his ‘A’ game this weekend if he wants to relish that view from the top once again.

Standing Construct KTM’s Valentin Guillod can’t be overlooked. It’s his first full season in MX2 and the kid has shown he’s got some serious skill on a motorcycle. As one of the five caught up in the epic duel for third at the last round (which can be seen by clicking here) he proved he’s a genuine force to be reckoned with claiming second overall for his first Grand Prix podium of his career in Loket.

Funnily enough, the most neglected of the Frenchmen pegged to rise above in MX2 at the moment was the one of the ones who pulled through last weekend. Yamaha Factory Racing’s Christophe Charlier flew in under the radar to claim a convincing race win in the second moto which was enough to land him on the third step of the podium for his best result of the season. With three rounds left to make the most of his MX2 career before being forced up to MXGP, it will be interesting to see just how deep the Frenchman can dig.

Meanwhile, the other two French toppers, Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Romain Febvre and CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy’s Dylan Ferrandis will be out for redemption this weekend after last weekend not exactly panning out the way they had hoped. Both were looking solid for a podium in Czech, but cracked under the pressure. With Ferrandis claiming to be the strongest Frenchman in the sand, and Febvre’s team being based in Lommel, this weekend there is high chance that one of these two super fast Frenchmen could lob their name into that exclusive circle of MX2 Grand Prix winners.

KTM Silver Action’s Jose Butrón still remains a candidate for the podium, as does Honda Gariboldi’s Tim Gajser. While Butrón has relocated to Belgium to train under the watchful eye of the great Harry Everts, which means he’ll be spending a lot of time in the sand, Gajser has podiums to his name and talent to burn and also can rest easy knowing there are no rocks on the circuit to smash him on the knee cap, which according to Team HRC team manager Roger Harvey was the cause of his slow-up and look of discomfort halfway through race two in Czech.

2011 MXGP of Limburg

1. Jeffrey Herlings

2. Ken Roczen

3. Jeremy Van Horebeek

MX2 World Championship Classification Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 594 points; 2. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 492 p.; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, HUS), 453 p.; 4. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, KAW), 425 p.; 5. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 420 p.; 6. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, KAW), 389 p.; 7. Valentin Guillod (SUI, KTM), 354 p.; 8. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, HUS), 335 p.; 9. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 321 p.; 10. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 282 p.

EMX125

Heading into Lommel, Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe’s Brian Hsu has a twelve-point advantage over the early season dominator Red Bull KTM Racing’s Davy Pootjes. Pootjes, who at one point in the season had more than a fifty-point lead on the current championship leader Hsu, was forced to sit out the round of Germany due to an on-going shoulder problem he has been carrying since a crash at round two in Bulgaria. While there has been no official announcement, word is a shoulder operation is on the cards for Pootjes who is still struggling with the injury; the sixteen-year-old took to Facebook to say, “Today my shoulder dislocated again. I didn’t crash, I will go back to the hospital on Thursday and will keep you guys updated.”

EMX250

We’re predicting the EMX250 title will be a hard fought one as Team CNC Doors KTM’s Steven Clarke leads Team HSF Logistics Motorsports Brian Bogers by eleven. While Bogers is Dutch, meaning he’s naturally fast in the sand, the kid hanging out in third place trailing Bogers by nineteen, Hitachi Construction Machinery UK KTM’s Ben Watson is also known for his sand skills after winning the junior division of the toughest beach race in Europe, the ‘Le Touquet’.

EMX300

Pressure shouldn’t really be an issue for TM Racing Team’s Samuele Bernardini as the Italian leads with a healthy thirty-four-point buffer over Team Maddii Racing’s Marco Maddii.  

Meanwhile, it’s pretty close between the little guys on board the Honda’s in the EMX150. Great Britain’s Albie Wilkie currently leads Finlands Jere Haavisto by ten.

All the photos of the MXGP of Belgium will be available here

TIMETABLE

SATURDAY: EMX300 Free/Timed Practice 08:20; EMX150 Free/Timed Practice 08:55; EMX125 Free/Timed Practice 09:30; MX2 Free Practice 10:15; MXGP Free Practice 10:45; EMX250 Free/Timed Practice 11:10; EMX300 Race 1 12:30; EMX150 Race 1 13:20; MX2 Time practice 14:00; MXGP Time practice 14:35; EMX125 Race 1 15:20; MX2 Qualifying race 16:10; MXGP Qualifying race 17:00; EMX250 Race 1 17:40.

SUNDAY: EMX300 Warm-up 08:00; EMX150 Warm-up 08:15; EMX125 Warm-up 08:30; EMX250 Warm-up 08:45; EMX300 Race 2 09:10; MX2 Warm-up 09:50; MXGP Warm-up 10:10; EMX150 Race 2 10:40; EMX125 Race 2 11:20; EMX250 Race 2 12:05; MX2 Race 1 13:15; MXGP Race 1 14:15; MX2 Race 2 16:10; MXGP Race 2 17:10.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

MXGP of Belgium

The fifteenth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship will be held in Lommel, Belgium on the 3^rd August weekend and together with MXGP and MX2 classes, it will take place the last round of the EMX150, EMX125, EMX250 and EMX300 Championships.

**A special note to all riders of EMX125 and EMX250 who are entered but will NOT be racing, please send an e-mail to cancel your entry as soon as possible to sportoffice@youthstream.org so another rider can be entered in your place. These classes are very popular and we wish to have a full line up in Lommel. Your co-operation will be greatly appreciated.

The EMX125, EMX250 and EMX300 Entry Lists can be found here below:

EMX125 Entry List

EMX250 Entry List

EMX300 Entry List

Below is the official entry list of EMX250 riders entered to race the seventh and final round of the European Championship EMX250 which is all set to take place in Lommel, Belgium next weekend August 03.

**A special note to all riders who are entered but will NOT be racing, please send an e-mail to cancel your entry as soon as possible to sportoffice@youthstream.org so another rider can be entered in your place. This class is very popular and we wish to have a full line up in Lommel. Your co-operation will be greatly appreciated.

The same list corresponding to the EMX125 class will be published the beginning of next week.

EMX250 Entry List