EMX2T

LOMMEL (Flanders, Belgium) 31 July 2021 – Today’s European races in Lommel saw another successful day for Fantic Factory Team Maddii riders Nicholas Lapucci and Maximilian Spies as the pair were victorious in the EMX250 and EMX2t Presented by FMF Racing categories and went on to extend their championship leads.

In the first EMX250 race of the day, it was Lapucci who took the holeshot and was closely followed by SM Action YUASA Battery Racing Team’s Kevin Horgmo as a few riders got caught out after the first corner.

Lapucci then led Horgmo, Cornelius Toendel of Riley Racing as well as Jorgen-Matthias Talviku of No Fear/Jumbo BT Racing and Dave Kooiker of Hutten Metaal Yamaha Racing.

Meanwhile Horgmo was not letting Lapucci run away with it as he set the fastest lap time of the race and was keeping close with the Fantic rider. As the race progressed, the Norwegian made several attempts to take the lead and eventually by lap eight was the new race leader. Though his time in the lead did not last long as by the following lap the GasGas rider crashed out and re-joined in fourth place.

Further down the field, home rider Liam Everts of KTM Liamski was working his way back up into the top 10 as he charged forward making some good passes to finish the race in fifth position.

Though it was Lapucci who was victorious in race one with Talviku second and Rick Elzinga of TBS Conversions Racing finishing the race in third.

In race two, it was Lapucci and Horgmo who were side-by-side in the start followed by Elzinga, Florian Miot of PAR Homes Husqvarna Powered by Stebbings and Kjell Verbruggen of KTM Sarholz Racing Team.

Horgmo then dropped to third as Elzinga went through and by lap three we saw the Dutchman take the lead as he managed to get around Lapucci.

Everts was having a much better start to the race as he passed Talviku and Miot to move into fourth, while Elzinga was the fastest rider on track and went on to extend is lead to 3.308 seconds.

Miot then made a mistake which allowed Talviku into fifth position as Everts searched for a way to get close to the top three riders.

Elzinga rode a dominant race until the chequered flag fell, with Lapucci finishing second and Horgmo third. With a 1-2 result, it was Nicholas Lapucci who was the overall winner, while Elzinga finished second on the podium with Horgmo third.

In terms of the championship standings, it’s Lapucci who leads by 26-points over Horgmo, while Elzinga moves from fifth to third in the standings.

Nicholas Lapucci: “The main goal today was to manage, take as many points as possible because the track was really sketchy and it was really easy to make mistakes, so I just took two good starts, I think I took two holeshots, then from there I managed to take the overall win and just focus on my flow, to don’t do some stupid mistake and take the win”

“For sure, to win is good for the mind, I will go to Latvia more pumped than ever, let’s see what will happen and always we take it race by race, no pressure, just have fun, try to keep the red plate until the end of the championship”.

Rick Elzinga: “I like this track a lot. It’s always good to have a good result in Lommel especially because it is an iconic track, I really love being here. In the first race I had a trouble with the bike and was fighting a lot with the track, but second race was much better, for me race 2 is always a big race, happy to win again, happy to take the second place. After England I was really far behind, I think fifteenth, and then after Oss, I moved to sixth in the standings and now to third, if we keep going like this, it will be good for the championship”.

Kevin Horgmo: I felt quite in control when I was leading the first race and then just it went over and hit my neck really bad, so for the second race for me it was just a matter of surviving. It was really hard to keep the head up in all the bumps; in the first ten minutes I managed but the last twenty minutes were terrible for me. I’m little bit sad because I think the track was really awesome and it would be fun to have some good battles if I was one hundred per cent fit but that is racing”.

“I like Kegums, it’s a little bit a harder sand, maybe a little bit more difficult in one way but in another way not as though as here. Now I need just to focus on the starts, because in England I had two really bad starts, today I improved in both starts, so I want to keep battling with those guys, and hopefully be on the podium for many rounds to come”.

Main Photo: EMX250 Start

Bottom Photos: 1. Nicholas Lapucci and Marco Maddii on the podium. 2. Rick Elzinga. 

EMX250 - Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Nicholas Lapucci (ITA, Fantic), 31:11.641; 2. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, Husqvarna), +0:11.108; 3. Rick Elzinga (NED, KTM), +0:18.071; 4. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, GASGAS), +0:29.713; 5. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), +0:35.355; 6. Cornelius Toendel (NOR, Yamaha), +0:44.940; 7. Marcel Conijn (NED, KTM), +0:50.169; 8. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Husqvarna), +0:56.485; 9. Tim Edberg (SWE, KTM), +0:56.818; 10. Mike Gwerder (SUI, KTM), +1:07.003;

EMX250 - Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Rick Elzinga (NED, KTM), 31:41.753; 2. Nicholas Lapucci (ITA, Fantic), +0:08.829; 3. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, GASGAS), +0:21.170; 4. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), +0:41.063; 5. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, Husqvarna), +0:52.497; 6. Marcel Conijn (NED, KTM), +1:12.919; 7. Dave Kooiker (NED, Yamaha), +1:21.768; 8. Mike Gwerder (SUI, KTM), +1:28.206; 9. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Husqvarna), +1:49.217; 10. Filip Olsson (SWE, Husqvarna), +1:51.253;

EMX250 - Overall Top 10 Classification: 1. Nicholas Lapucci (ITA, FAN), 47 points; 2. Rick Elzinga (NED, KTM), 45 p.; 3. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, GAS), 38 p.; 4. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, HUS), 38 p.; 5. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 34 p.; 6. Marcel Conijn (NED, KTM), 29 p.; 7. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, HUS), 25 p.; 8. Mike Gwerder (SUI, KTM), 24 p.; 9. Dave Kooiker (NED, YAM), 22 p.; 10. Cornelius Toendel (NOR, YAM), 15 p.;

EMX250 - Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Nicholas Lapucci (ITA, FAN), 142 points; 2. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, GAS), 116 p.; 3. Rick Elzinga (NED, KTM), 102 p.; 4. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 92 p.; 5. Cornelius Toendel (NOR, YAM), 72 p.; 6. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, YAM), 71 p.; 7. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, HUS), 57 p.; 8. Yago Martinez (ESP, KTM), 55 p.; 9. Dave Kooiker (NED, YAM), 52 p.; 10. Mike Gwerder (SUI, KTM), 47 p.;

EMX250 - Manufacturers Classification: 1. Fantic, 142 points; 2. KTM, 121 p.; 3. GASGAS, 116 p.; 4. Yamaha, 103 p.; 5. Husqvarna, 92 p.; 6. Kawasaki, 52 p.; 7. Honda, 34 p.; 8. TM, 17 p.;

In the opening EMX2t Presented by FMF Racing heat, it was Federico Tuani of Fantic Factory Team Maddii who grabbed the holeshot and led the way, with Damian Wedage, Liam Hanstrom, Spies, Ken De Dycker and Brad Anderson of Verde Substance KTM just behind.

Spies then began to close in on Hanstrom and by lap three was the new race leader, as Tuani dropped to third. Meanwhile, Anderson worked his way up to fifth and then chased down De Dycker for fourth and set his sights on Hanstrom to break into the top three.

Tuani then took back second place as the gap was 3.071 seconds between him and Spies. Not long after the gap dropped to just over a second as Tuani set his personal best lap of the race going almost two seconds faster than Spies.

With 12 minutes plus two laps to go Anderson moved into third, as Spies got his head down and focused on his own race. Tuani then lost a load of time on the race leader as the gap went up to 8.228 seconds and that’s when Anderson caught a sight of the Italian rider and began his late charge for second.

In the end it was Spies who was the first race winner with Tuani second and Anderson third.

In race two, it was Anderson who got a much better start and led Wedage, Hanstrom, Tuani and Rene Boer. Meanwhile race one winner, Spies, had an unlucky start to the race after crashing on the opening lap and having to work his way up from outside the top 10.

De Dycker then got Boer for fifth, while Tuani closed in on Hanstrom to steal second place from the Swede. Hanstrom the dropped another position as De Dycker went through into third.

Tuani then cut the gap to Anderson as he went after the race win, while Spies was making progress of his own as he got around Boer and Hanstrom to move into fourth position.

Tuani took the lead on lap five and then stretched out his lead to 11.392 over the next few laps, while Spies managed to get around Anderson for second and then it was game on as the German fought hard to catch his teammate.

With just a lap remaining, Tuani made a very costly error and crashed which cost him his first EMX race victory as Spies was able to go through and take another win. Anderson finished the race second, as Tuani managed to hold on to third.

With two race victories, Maximilian Spies was the overall winner, with Brad Anderson second on the box and Federico Tuani third. Spies continues to lead the championship with a 16-point advantage over Anderson, with Tuani a further two points behind.

Maximilian Spies: “The day started very good again and also very close with the time practice, I went fastest on the last lap with 0.05 seconds in front of Federico. I felt a little bit of pressure but in the first race I managed to get a good start in third, just pass both riders and got my flow and kept focused for the second race. But the second race didn’t go how I wanted it. I crashed in the first lap, and I lost a lot of time there but when I stood up I just focused and said I want to win. I did my best and on the last lap when I saw Federico, we had just four second between us, then he made a mistake, that’s racing, and anything can happen. I went 1-1 again today and I am very happy with it”.

“I want to keep consistent and don’t do anything stupid in the races, just ride good and smooth and win again. It will be hard on hard pack because I know Federico and Brad are good riders and I also made good progress with the Maddii Family in the hard pack, and we will see”.

Brad Anderson: “In the first race I pushed so hard in the start and used so much energy, but that second one I got a brilliant start ,got out first and I tried to control it but pushed too hard and didn’t have anything left as I wasn’t feeling so well. I was looking forward to this round but I’m getting older now and it was tough for me around here but I’m glad to come away with second overall and second in the championship. Hopefully I can pull some points back at the next round”.

Federico Tuani: “I trained a lot here in Lommel, so I really wanted that win but unluckily I crashed on the last lap, and I don’t know what to say because I feel awful inside. It’s difficult to accept but it is what it is. I finish on the box and that is quite okay, we move on to Turkey and I hope for the best, a good ride, and no stupid mistakes. I am quite happy that it will be hardpack, I saw some videos of the track and it looks like it will be fun”.

Main Photo: EMX2t Presented by FMF Racing Start 

Bottom Photos: 1. Maximilian Spies 2. Federico Tuani ahead of Rene Boer. 

EMX2T Presented by FMF Racing - Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Maximilian Spies (GER, Fantic), 30:48.714; 2. Federico Tuani (ITA, Fantic), +0:10.493; 3. Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), +0:19.027; 4. Ken de Dycker (BEL, GASGAS), +1:00.178; 5. Ben Putnam (GBR, Husqvarna), +1:04.106; 6. Liam Hanstrom (SWE, Yamaha), +1:06.521; 7. Rene Boer (NED, Husqvarna), +1:09.421; 8. Damian Wedage (NED, KTM), +1:34.003; 9. Jaap Janssen (NED, KTM), +1:37.239; 10. Dieter Vromans (BEL, Husqvarna), +1:58.209;

EMX2T Presented by FMF Racing - Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Maximilian Spies (GER, Fantic), 31:50.743; 2. Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), +0:08.087; 3. Federico Tuani (ITA, Fantic), +0:24.662; 4. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Fantic), +1:28.266; 5. Rene Boer (NED, Husqvarna), +1:34.521; 6. Ben Putnam (GBR, Husqvarna), +1:43.933; 7. Jaap Janssen (NED, KTM), +1:48.843; 8. Maxime Sot (FRA, Yamaha), +2:06.349; 9. Damian Wedage (NED, KTM), +2:17.348; 10. Krijn van Vroenhoven (NED, KTM), -1 lap(s);

EMX2T Presented by FMF Racing - Overall Top 10 Classification: 1. Maximilian Spies (GER, FAN), 50 points; 2. Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 42 p.; 3. Federico Tuani (ITA, FAN), 42 p.; 4. Ken de Dycker (BEL, FAN), 36 p.; 5. Ben Putnam (GBR, HUS), 31 p.; 6. Rene Boer (NED, HUS), 30 p.; 7. Jaap Janssen (NED, KTM), 26 p.; 8. Damian Wedage (NED, KTM), 25 p.; 9. Krijn van Vroenhoven (NED, KTM), 21 p.; 10. Maxime Sot (FRA, YAM), 20 p.;

EMX2T Presented by FMF Racing - Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Maximilian Spies (GER, FAN), 100 points; 2. Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 84 p.; 3. Federico Tuani (ITA, FAN), 82 p.; 4. Ben Putnam (GBR, HUS), 63 p.; 5. Twan Wagenaar (NED, KTM), 44 p.; 6. Jonas Nedved (CZE, KTM), 38 p.; 7. Krijn van Vroenhoven (NED, KTM), 38 p.; 8. Ken de Dycker (BEL, FAN), 36 p.; 9. Pablo Caspani (ITA, HUS), 32 p.; 10. Rene Boer (NED, HUS), 30 p.;

EMX2T Presented by FMF Racing - Manufacturers Classification: 1. Fantic, 100 points; 2. KTM, 84 p.; 3. Husqvarna, 64 p.; 4. Yamaha, 51 p.; 5. Honda, 11 p.;

Click here to obtain the complete results

All the photos from the MXGP of Flanders-Belgium will be available HERE

MXGP OF FLANDERS-BELGIUM – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1830m

Type of ground: Sand

Temperature: 21°

Weather conditions: Cloudy

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM Europe

Lommel

LOMMEL (Flanders-Belgium) 29 July 2021 – The FIM Motocross World Championship continues this weekend with the MXGP of Flanders-Belgium as the action heads to the sandpit of Lommel.

Last season, Belgium hosted one of the few triple-headers of the season as Tim Gajser, Jorge Prado, Tom Vialle and Ben Watson took victories at the toughest sand circuit in the world. And as the competition heats up this season in both MXGP and MX2, it will be interesting to see who will rise to the challenge and come out on top.

Fans in Belgium will be able enjoy the action on Belgian TV channels, including Telenet who will continue broadcasting the season LIVE, along with VRT who are covering the races in their sport program on Sunday evenings, as well as RTV. 

Below you can find a list of TV channels that will air LIVE and delayed action of the Belgian Grand Prix, along with the 26min Behind-the-Gate magazine, available to enjoy on MXGP-TV.com and via our TV magazine partners following the GP weekend, featuring the best moments from the races and exclusive interviews, plus more!

As always though, MXGP fans can follow the races LIVE throughout the weekend, all you need to do is log onto www.MXGP-TV.com this Saturday and Sunday to watch the MXGP, MX2, WMX, EMX250 and EMX2t Presented by FMF Racing action from the comfort of your home.

USA - CANADA

CBS Sports Network

Sunday 1^st August 2021 – MX2 Race 2 – 03:00 pm ET Delayed

Sunday 1^st August 2021 – MXGP Race 2 – 04:00 pm ET Delayed

EUROPE

EUROSPORT 2

Thursday 12^th August 2021 – MX2 Race 1 – 18:00 CET Delayed

Thursday 12^th August 2021 – MXGP Race 1 – 18:30 CET Delayed

Thursday 12^th August 2021 – MX2 Race 2 – 19:00 CET Delayed

Thursday 12^th August 2021 – MXGP Race 2 – 19:30 CET Delayed

BALTICS (Estonia – Latvia - Lithuania)

TV3 SPORT OPEN

Sunday 1^st August 2021 – MXGP Race 1 – 13:00 CET LIVE

Sunday 1^st August 2021 – MXGP Race 2 – 16:00 CET LIVE

BELGIUM 

PLAY SPORTS OPEN

Sunday 1^st August 2021 – MX2 Race 1 – 12:00 CET LIVE

Sunday 1^st August 2021 – MXGP Race 1 – 13:00 CET LIVE

Sunday 1^st August 2021 – MX2 Race 2 – 15:00 CET LIVE

Sunday 1^st August 2021 – MXGP Race 2 – 16:00 CET LIVE

VRT

Sunday 1^st August 2021 – 20mn highlights

FINLAND

Cmore Max – CMORE Sport 1 – Cmore Sport 2

Sunday 1^st August 2021 – MXGP Race 2 – 16:00 CET LIVE

FRANCE

AUTOMOTO LA CHAINE  

Sunday 1^st August 2021 – MXGP Race 1 – 13:00 CET LIVE

Sunday 1^st August 2021 – MX2 Race 1 – 14:00 CET Delayed

Sunday 1^st August 2021 – MX2 Race 2 – 15:00 CET LIVE

Sunday 1^st August 2021 – MXGP Race 2 – 16:00 CET LIVE

EUROSPORT 2

Friday 13^th August 2021 – MX2 Race 1 – 08:30 CET Delayed

Friday 13^th August 2021 – MXGP Race 1 – 09:00 CET Delayed

Friday 13^th August 2021 – MX2 Race 2 – 09:30 CET Delayed

Friday 13^th August 2021 – MXGP Race 2 – 10:00 CET Delayed

ITALY

RAI SPORT HD

Sunday 1^st August 2021  – MXGP Race 1 – 13:00 CET LIVE

Sunday 1^st August 2021 – MXGP Race 2 – 16:00 CET LIVE

EUROSPORT 2

Thursday 12^th August 2021 – MX2 Race 1 – 18:00 CET Delayed

Thursday 12^th August 2021 – MXGP Race 1 – 18:30 CET Delayed

Thursday 12^th August 2021 – MX2 Race 2 – 19:00 CET Delayed

Thursday 12^th August 2021 – MXGP Race 2 – 19:30 CET Delayed

NETHERLANDS

NOS

Sunday 1^st August 2021 – MXGP Race 1 – 14:00 CET LIVE Streaming

Sunday 1^st August 2021 – MXGP Race 2 – 17:00 CET LIVE Streaming

SLOVENIA 

Sport TV1

Sunday 1^st August 2021 – MX2 Race 1 – 12:00 CET LIVE

Sunday 1^st August 2021 – MXGP Race 1 – 13:00 CET LIVE

Sunday 1^st August 2021 – MX2 Race 2 – 15:00 CET LIVE

Sunday 1^st August 2021 – MXGP Race 2 – 16:00 CET LIVE

SPAIN

TV Galicia

Sunday 1^st August 2021 – MXGP Race 1 – 13:00 CET LIVE

Sunday 1^st August 2021 – MXGP Race 2 – 16:00 CET LIVE

26min Behind-the-Gate Magazine Partners:

AMERICA

FOX Latin America      Latin America                          Thursday after each MXGP at 8:30pm

USA                             MAV TV                                   During the week after the event

AFRICA

Africa                           AXP                                          During the week after the event

EUROPE

Albania                        Kreator TV                               During the week after the event

Austria                        Kreator TV                               During the week after the event

Baltics                          TV3 Sport Open                      Thursday after each MXGP

Bosnia                         Kreator TV                               During the week after the event

Croatia                        Kreator TV                               During the week after the event

Finland                        MTV                                        During the week after the event

France                         Automoto TV la chaine           During the week after the event

Hungary                      Kreator TV                               During the week after the event

Kosovo                        Kreator TV                               During the week after the event

Montenegro                Kreator TV                               During the week after the event

Northern Macedonia  Kreator TV                               During the week after the event

Portugal                      SPORT TV                                Tuesday after the event        

Romania                      Look Sport                               During the week after the event

Serbia                          Kreator TV                               During the week after the event

Slovenia                      Sport TV                                  Tuesday after the event

Spain                           Movistar                                  Tuesday after the event

WORLDWIDE

Worldwide                  Motorvision                            During the week after the event

                                    Redbull TV                               MX World and Vlog

MXGP of Flanders-Belgium LIVE MXGP-TV Timetable

TIMETABLE (Local Timing GMT+2)

SATURDAY: 07:45 EMX2t Free Practice, 08:10 WMX Free Practice, 08:35 EMX250 Group 1 Free Practice, 09:00 EMX250 Group 2 Free Practice, 09:30 EMX2t Qualifying Practice, 10:05 WMX Qualifying Practice, 10:40 EMX250 Group 1 Qualifying Practice, 11:15 EMX250 Group 2 Qualifying Practice, 12:20 EMX2t Race 1, 13:10 WMX Race 1, 13:55 EMX250 Race 1, 14:50 EMX2t Race 2, 15:40 WMX Race 2, 16:35 EMX250 Race 2.

SUNDAY: 09:15 MX2 Free/Time Practice, 10:15 MXGP Free/Time Practice, 12:15 MX2 Race 1, 13:15 MXGP Race 1, 15:10 MX2 Race 2, 16:10 MXGP Race 2.

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

FIM Europe

Lommel

MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 28 July 2021 – The time has come for the FIM Motocross World Championship to head to the deep sand of Lommel for the MXGP of Flanders-Belgium!

Every season, the Belgian Grand Prix is one of the most talked about races of the year as the track is considered to be the heartland of motocross and has played a vital part in the Motocross World Championship for many years, becoming known as one of the toughest sand circuits in the world.

Many memorable races have taken place in Lommel, including the 1981 Motocross of Nations and total of 18 Grand Prix’s since 1990, including last year’s triple-header!

During the Belgian triple-header, we saw Team HRC’s Tim Gajser take two out of the three victories, while Jorge Prado of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing was the overall winner during the second of three GP’s. Meanwhile in MX2, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle won the first two events, while Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Ben Watson finished off his MX2 career with a high to secure his first MX2 overall victory.

Other winners at the popular sand circuit include the likes of Marnicq Bervoets, Stefan Everts, Avo Leok, Ken Roczen, Max Anstie, Jeffrey Herlings and Antonio Cairoli.

The MXGP of Flanders-Belgium will be even more exciting this season as the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship riders will make their very first appearance in Lommel for round two of the championship, as defending world champion Courtney Duncan of Bike it MTX Kawasaki will look to continue her dominant force with another solid result, while Larissa Papenmeier of Yamaha Racing 423 will look to keep the championship gap close, as Nancy Van De Ven and Kiara Fontanesi will look to get themselves on the podium after a tough weekend in Loket.

This weekend’s races will also see round two of the EMX2t Presented by FMF Racing as Fantic Factory Team Maddii’s Maximilian Spies will enter the race in Lommel as the championship leader looking to keep that gap to Verde Substance KTM’s Brad Anderson and his teammate Federico Tuani. Former MXGP rider Ken De Dycker will also make a wildcard appearance in the EMX2t category this weekend, so it will be interesting to see if he can make things interesting for the leaders.

In addition, there will also be races of the EMX250 category, as Fantic Factory Team Maddii’s Nicholas Lapucci will look to keep the red plate on his Fantic machine and keep SM Action Racing Team YUASA Battery’s Kevin Horgmo, Hutten Metaal Yamaha Racing’s Andrea Bonacorsi, Liam Everts of KTM Liamski and Rick Elzinga of TBS Conversions KTM Racing Team at bay.

This weekend will be a chance for Team HRC’s Tim Gajser to claw back some valuable championship points that he lost out on in Loket due to the crash in the second race. Last season, Gajser won four of the six races that took place in Lommel during the Belgian triple-header, so entering the races this weekend, he is likely to pick up where he left off last time around.

Of course, there’s a field of riders who won’t make this easy, one of those riders being Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli who will look to continue his podium streak as he chases his fifth consecutive top three finish. Last time Cairoli was victorious in Lommel was 2014, so a GP victory in the sand is well overdue and it will be interesting to see how he can manage this weekend.

His young teammate, Jorge Prado will aim to make two GP wins on the bounce after his first podium of 2021 in Loket last weekend. Prado has somewhat struggled at the beginning of the year, though it looks like the Spaniard is picking up the pace now, as he proved this in Czech Republic with his race one win and GP victory.

Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Romain Febvre will look for redemption in Lommel after some tough races in Oss and Loket. For Febvre staying on two wheels and consistency is the only thing missing, as he’s finding it tough to put together two strong races, which would put him in the fight for the podium and more importantly for the overall.

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing riders Glenn Coldenhoff, Jeremy Seewer and Ben Watson are all within a fighting chance of some top results this weekend and even podium finishes. Last year in Lommel Watson secured two race wins and his first MX2 overall, so no doubt he will have an extra boost of confidence coming back to the circuit this weekend. While his teammate Seewer will enter the Belgian GP off the back of his first podium finish this season which is a big confidence boost for the Swiss who struggled in the beginning of the year.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Arminas Jasikonis could shine this weekend as the tall Lithuanian has been making great progress in getting back up to speed during the last couple of GP’s. While the races in Loket didn’t deliver on the results Jasikonis would have wanted, we did however see a glimpse of what can be expected in Oss as he rode his way to a top 10 finish for the first time this season.

For Gebben Van Venrooy Racing’s Brent Van Doninck and Kevin Strijbos, along with Beta SDM Corse Motocross Team’s Jeremy Van Horebeek the races this weekend will be extra special, as the trio will want to put on their best performance for their home Grand Prix.

But the biggest talking point as we enter the sand races is whether or not Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings will make his return after a shoulder blade injury sustained in Oss. Herlings revealed in an interview with Lisa Leyland that he would want to return for Lommel in order to keep his championship chase alive, though the smart decision would be to return a couple of weeks later. So, it will be interesting to see what decision the team and Herlings make and whether we will see him line-up for the sand race on Sunday.

MXGP of Flanders-Belgium Top 3 MXGP:

1. Tim Gajser

2. Gautier Paulin

3. Jorge Prado

Main Photo: MXGP Start from 2020

Bottom Photos: 1. Tim Gajser 2. Ben Watson

MXGP - World Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 194 points; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 183 p.; 3. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 177 p.; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 174 p.; 5. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 151 p.; 6. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 143 p.; 7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, YAM), 140 p.; 8. Pauls Jonass (LAT, GAS), 119 p.; 9. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, KTM), 109 p.; 10. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 90 p.

In MX2, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Maxime Renaux will enter the sixth round of the series as the championship leader by just two points over Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Mattia Guadagnini who was the overall winner in Loket. There is no doubt both riders will want to do their best this weekend to gain some valuable championship points.

Thibault Benistant from Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing is a rider to look out for as he will line-up in Lommel after his maiden MX2 podium in Loket, after a 9-1 result. Last season, Benistant was impressive in the deep sand of Lommel as he chased his EMX250 title, so it will be interesting to see where he will match-up in the sand among the other MX2 riders.

For the third factory Yamaha rider, Jago Geerts, the home Grand Prix this weekend will be another chance for him to have some good races to get himself back on the podium and make his way up the championship standings. Last year the three races in Lommel were a mix for Geerts who struggled to keep it on two wheels, so hopefully this season he will be able to show what he is capable of in the sand.

Meanwhile Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle will continue his return after injury. Last week in Loket saw Vialle finish second behind Guadagnini in race one, while in the second race, the Frenchman went down twice and did not finish the race. Hopefully the crashes of last season have not been a set-back in his recovery and he can continue to get back to grips and defend his title.

Finally, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Jed Beaton and Kay De Wolf have been very promising so far this season as the pair have regularly been running at the top end of the field. In the sand race in Oss, the pair were second and third on the podium as they both challenged for race wins, so it will be good to see them do the same this time around.

Missing this weekend will be F&H Kawasaki Racing’s Roan Van De Moosdijk who would’ve been among the favourites for this sand race. The Dutchman unfortunately broke his scaphoid after a crash in Loket and has undergone surgery this week to repair it.

MXGP of Flanders-Belgium Top 3 MX2:

1. Tom Vialle

2. Jago Geerts

3. Ben Watson

Main Photo: MX2 Start from 2020

Bottom Photos: 1. Jago Geerts 2. Mattia Guadagnini

MX2 - World Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 179 points; 2. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, KTM), 177 p.; 3. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 165 p.; 4. Mathys Boisrame (FRA, KAW), 149 p.; 5. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 146 p.; 6. Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS), 142 p.; 7. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 140 p.; 8. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 137 p.; 9. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, KAW), 132 p.; 10. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 114 p.;

TIMETABLE (Local Timing GMT+2)

SATURDAY: 07:45 EMX2t Free Practice, 08:10 WMX Free Practice, 08:35 EMX250 Group 1 Free Practice, 09:00 EMX250 Group 2 Free Practice, 09:30 EMX2t Qualifying Practice, 10:05 WMX Qualifying Practice, 10:40 EMX250 Group 1 Qualifying Practice, 11:15 EMX250 Group 2 Qualifying Practice, 12:20 EMX2t Race 1, 13:10 WMX Race 1, 13:55 EMX250 Race 1, 14:50 EMX2t Race 2, 15:40 WMX Race 2, 16:35 EMX250 Race 2.

SUNDAY: 09:15 MX2 Free/Time Practice, 10:15 MXGP Free/Time Practice, 12:15 MX2 Race 1, 13:15 MXGP Race 1, 15:10 MX2 Race 2, 16:10 MXGP Race 2.

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Lommel

LOKET (Czech Republic) 24 July 2021 – The first part of the weekend’s races in Loket have concluded with victories by Simon Jost in the EMX Open category and Maximilian Spies of Fantic Factory Team Maddii in EMX2t Presented by FMF Racing.

In EMX Open race one, it was Joel Van Mechelen who got a good start, with Filippo Zonta and Simone Croci right there as well. The championship leader (at the time) Nicolas Dercourt of Honda SR Motoblouz meanwhile was down in around tenth.

Zonta then took the lead, with Croci following as well, as Dercourt dropped to 14^th.

Croci then closed in on the race leader, as Davide De Bortoli and Simon Jost battled for third, with the pair exchanging positions several times over the course of the lap.

Jost then dropped to fifth as De Bortoli and Micha-Boy De Waal of No Fear/Jumbo BT Racing Team both went through on the Slovakian rider.

Croci then briefly took the lead from Zonta, as De Bortoli and De Waal closed in on the leaders with just over 3 seconds separating the top four.

De Bortoli then passed Croci on lap eight and was able to get Zonta as well to become the new race leader. Zonta then crashed and re-joined in fifth to eventually finish the race in fifth place ahead of Jost.

De Bortoli took the win, with De Waal and Croci second and third, as Dercourt struggled to make his way up the field and ended the race ninth.

As the gate dropped for race two, it was Zonta who led the way, as De Waal had a big crash in the second corner. Zonta carried on out front, with De Bortoli wasting no time applying the pressure onto the leader.

By lap two, De Bortoli was the new race leader, Jost started to close in on Zonta as he set his sights on second place. Meanwhile Dercourt was having a much better start to the race as he battled in 6^th.

De Waal did pick himself up after the crash in the start and managed to get up and carried on for 10 laps until deciding to pull out of the race.

The attention quickly moved to the front as Zonta and Jost went at it for second. The pair had a nice battle that saw Jost go through, for Zonta to fight back immediately but eventually it was the Slovakian rider who came out on top.

With 8 minutes and 2 laps to go, the gap between De Bortoli and Jost was 3.134 seconds, but a couple of laps later we saw some drama as De Bortoli crashed out of the lead.

Jost then inherited first place, with Tim Koch second and Zonta third, as De Bortoli dropped to fourth position.

De Bortoli then crashed again to finish the race 10^th, while Jost took his first ever EMX race win, with Koch second and Zonta third.

In terms of the podium, it was Simon Jost who secured the top step of the podium, with Filippo Zonta placing second and Davide De Bortoli second.

Just two rounds remain of the EMX Open Championship as the series heads to Kegums with De Bortoli leading the championship by four points over Dercourt, with Simon Croci third on 97 points.

Simon Jost: “I wasn’t expecting this result but anyway I’m feeling really good about it. I felt good the whole day. In time practice, I was fourth and in race one I had a little crash, I wasn’t able to finish where I wanted because I was only fifth. In race two, I was really struggling with my knee that is still not 100% and especially at the end of the race was hard to ride in this condition”.

Filippo Zonta: “Today I struggled a bit to find a good rhythm with my bike. In race one, I started really well with the holeshot but while I was second another rider hit me and I crashed. Anyway, I managed to come back to fourth position. In race two, I did another great start, took the holsehot, but anyway I did some mistakes and two riders passed me; despite that I was able to be third at the end of the race. Overall I’m happy because I did just two races and I’ve been both times on the podium”.

Davide De Bortoli: “I’m upset about the mistake I did in race two because I lost so many points in the championship. Today I was feeling really confident with the bike and also the speed was good so I’m happy also because I still have the red plate that I want to keep as long as I can. Latvia will not be that easy for me because is a sand track but anyway I’ll try to do my best, be there and fight for the win”.

Main Photo: EMXOpen Start

Bottom Photos: 1. Simon Jost; 2. Zonta vs De Bortoli battling

EMXOpen - Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Davide De Bortoli (ITA, Honda), 30:08.141; 2. Micha-Boy De Waal (NED, Husqvarna), +0:06.123; 3. Simone Croci (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:11.454; 4. Filippo Zonta (ITA, Honda), +0:14.820; 5. Simon Jost (SVK, KTM), +0:15.764; 6. Martin Krc (CZE, KTM), +0:17.031; 7. Martin Michek (CZE, KTM), +0:18.447; 8. Tim Koch (GER, Husqvarna), +0:30.214; 9. Nicolas Dercourt (FRA, Honda), +0:30.983; 10. Petr Michalec (CZE, Honda), +0:34.161;

EMXOpen - Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Simon Jost (SVK, KTM), 30:34.151; 2. Tim Koch (GER, Husqvarna), +0:03.871; 3. Filippo Zonta (ITA, Honda), +0:09.761; 4. Martin Michek (CZE, KTM), +0:14.491; 5. Nicolas Dercourt (FRA, Honda), +0:18.314; 6. Simone Croci (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:20.119; 7. Martin Krc (CZE, KTM), +0:22.864; 8. Tomasz Wysocki (POL, KTM), +0:26.258; 9. Petr Michalec (CZE, Honda), +0:28.605; 10. Davide De Bortoli (ITA, Honda), +0:38.324;

EMXOpen - Overall Top 10 Classification: 1. Simon Jost (SVK, KTM), 41 points; 2. Filippo Zonta (ITA, HON), 38 p.; 3. Davide De Bortoli (ITA, HON), 36 p.; 4. Tim Koch (GER, HUS), 35 p.; 5. Simone Croci (ITA, HUS), 35 p.; 6. Martin Michek (CZE, KTM), 32 p.; 7. Martin Krc (CZE, KTM), 29 p.; 8. Nicolas Dercourt (FRA, HON), 28 p.; 9. Petr Michalec (CZE, HON), 23 p.; 10. Micha-Boy De Waal (NED, HUS), 22 p.;

EMXOpen - Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Davide De Bortoli (ITA, HON), 116 points; 2. Nicolas Dercourt (FRA, HON), 112 p.; 3. Simone Croci (ITA, HUS), 97 p.; 4. Filippo Zonta (ITA, HON), 88 p.; 5. Micha-Boy De Waal (NED, HUS), 85 p.; 6. Simeo Ubach (ESP, HUS), 61 p.; 7. Andero Lusbo (EST, HUS), 55 p.; 8. Jilani Cambré (BEL, YAM), 49 p.; 9. Kay Ebben (NED, KTM), 42 p.; 10. Simon Jost (SVK, KTM), 41 p.;

EMXOpen - Manufacturers Classification: 1. Honda, 139 points; 2. Husqvarna, 130 p.; 3. KTM, 94 p.; 4. Yamaha, 50 p.; 5. Kawasaki, 45 p.; 6. GASGAS, 12 p.;

In the first heat of the EMX2t Presented by FMF Racing it was Fantic Factory Team Maddii’s Federico Tuani who got a great start though immediately crashed which allowed the defending champion, Brad Anderson of Verde Substance KTM to take the lead.

Anderson was the rider in front, as Maximilian Spies of Fantic Factory Team Maddii got around Jonas Nedved for second, while Tuani was fighting back from the back.

Spies then caught up with Anderson and was looking faster than the leader. The German made several attempts to pass the Brit, though Anderson was quick to shut the door. The Verde Substance KTM rider did a good job to defend the lead for eight laps, until Spies was able to get the drive and pass for the lead.

Spies then opened a gap to Anderson, as Tuani was making great progress through the field to get into fifth.

By the end of the race Anderson was looking like he got second wind as he picked up the pace, but a mistake with a few laps to go put him out of contention for the race win as Spies crossed the finish line to take his first race win. Anderson was second and Nedved third with Tuani making a recovery up to fourth.

The second race saw Nedved out in front into the first corner, though Spies was quick to jump into first place. Anderson then took third from Putnam, as Tuani moved into fourth place.

Anderson then made a swift move into second place, as Tuani made the most of this opportunity himself, to catch Nedved off-guard and get himself into third.

Tuani then set his sights on Anderson, passing the Brit on lap three. As he then looked for an opportunity to close in on his teammate for the win.

Spies led the way until the end of the race, edging out lap by lap, but towards the later stages of the race Tuani was able to get the gap down to 2.238 seconds as Spies won, Tuani was second and Anderson third.

The podium saw Spies take his first EMX victory, with Anderson finishing second overall and Tuani third. This is exactly how the championship standings look right now, with Spies leading on 50 points, with Anderson second with 41 and Tuani with 40.

Maximilian Spies: “Finally I feel confident again after the injury I had in the last race of 2020 season in Trentino and now finally I feel confident and fast again. In race one I had a nice fight with Anderson, he’s really experienced so fighting with him was hard but in the end, I was able to pass him, get my speed and go for the win. Race two was easier and I was able to win without too much pressure. Now I’ll focus only on the EMX2T Presented by FMF racing Championship. I’m really looking forward to racing in Lommel and I hope to win again also there”.

Brad Anderson: “It has been a really difficult weekend, I struggled with the track for all day, luckily we’ll be in Lommel next week and I’m really looking forward to go there and fight in the sand with those guys. I want to thank all my sponsors and Verde Substance KTM for the support”.

Federico Tuani: “Overall it was a good day for me because I’m on the podium. In the first race I got the holeshot but then I had a big crash, and it was not easy to re-group because I was last and in the end, I was able to finish fourth. In race two I was feeling more confident and after a good race I was able to finish second. I’m happy to go to Lommel next week because I really love the track and I hope to fight soon with the fastest guys. I want to thank my family, my sponsors, and my team for helping me to make it possible”.

Main Photo: EMX2t Presented by FMF Racing Start

Bottom Photos: 1. Maximilian Spies 2. Brad Anderson

EMX2T Presented by FMF Racing - Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Maximilian Spies (GER, Fantic), 30:15.842; 2. Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), +0:11.171; 3. Jonas Nedved (CZE, KTM), +0:34.120; 4. Federico Tuani (ITA, Fantic), +0:50.576; 5. Ben Putnam (GBR, Husqvarna), +1:16.609; 6. Mats Vendelbo (DEN, KTM), +1:24.027; 7. Pablo Caspani (ITA, Husqvarna), +1:25.539; 8. Twan Wagenaar (NED, KTM), -1 lap(s); 9. Carl Massury (GER, Yamaha), -1 lap(s); 10. Thomas Haas (GER, Husqvarna), -1 lap(s);

EMX2T Presented by FMF Racing - Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Maximilian Spies (GER, Fantic), 29:06.759; 2. Federico Tuani (ITA, Fantic), +0:02.238; 3. Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), +0:08.920; 4. Jonas Nedved (CZE, KTM), +0:24.314; 5. Ben Putnam (GBR, Husqvarna), +1:15.538; 6. Mats Vendelbo (DEN, KTM), +1:25.404; 7. Pablo Caspani (ITA, Husqvarna), +1:25.949; 8. Twan Wagenaar (NED, KTM), +2:04.943; 9. Thomas Haas (GER, Husqvarna), -1 lap(s); 10. Juan Munar (ESP, Yamaha), -1 lap(s);

EMX2T Presented by FMF Racing – Overall Top 10 Classification: 1. Maximilian Spies (GER, FAN), 50 points; 2. Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 42 p.; 3. Federico Tuani (ITA, FAN), 40 p.; 4. Jonas Nedved (CZE, KTM), 38 p.; 5. Ben Putnam (GBR, HUS), 32 p.; 6. Mats Vendelbo (DEN, KTM), 30 p.; 7. Pablo Caspani (ITA, HUS), 28 p.; 8. Twan Wagenaar (NED, KTM), 26 p.; 9. Thomas Haas (GER, HUS), 23 p.; 10. Carl Massury (GER, YAM), 22 p.;

EMX2T Presented by FMF Racing - Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Maximilian Spies (GER, FAN), 50 points; 2. Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 42 p.; 3. Federico Tuani (ITA, FAN), 40 p.; 4. Jonas Nedved (CZE, KTM), 38 p.; 5. Ben Putnam (GBR, HUS), 32 p.; 6. Mats Vendelbo (DEN, KTM), 30 p.; 7. Pablo Caspani (ITA, HUS), 28 p.; 8. Twan Wagenaar (NED, KTM), 26 p.; 9. Thomas Haas (GER, HUS), 23 p.; 10. Carl Massury (GER, YAM), 22 p.;

EMX2T Presented by FMF Racing - Manufacturers Classification: 1. Fantic, 50 points; 2. KTM, 42 p.; 3. Husqvarna, 32 p.; 4. Yamaha, 23 p.; 5. Honda, 11 p.;

Click here to obtain the complete results

All the photos from the MXGP of the Czech Republic will be available HERE

MXGP OF CZECH REPUBLIC – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1586m

Type of ground: Hard pack

Temperature: 27°

Weather conditions: Sunny

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Loket

MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 1^st December 2020 – To celebrate this special time of year, MXGP is very proud to present the official 2020 MXGP Advent Race Calendar!

With Christmas fast approaching and MXGP are here to help you count down the days to the most magical time of the year with 24 of the best and most epic races of the 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship Calendar, the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship and European Championships!

For the next 24 days, MXGP-TV will unlock a new race every day, which will be available to watch on MXGP’s YouTube channel, starting with day 1, today! 

We kick things off with the opening MX2 race from the MXGP of Great Britain, that saw Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle claim the first Fox Holeshot of the season, though a small mistake later in the race allowed Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jago Geerts benefit from that, as he was able to close in and take over the lead, to secure his first race win of the season!

Click HERE to watch the full race, or check it out below.

Don’t miss out on the moment a brand-new race in unlocked for our 2020 Advent Race Calendar and make sure you subscribe to the MXGP YouTube channel! Click HERE to subscribe.

PIETRAMURATA (Italy) 7 November 2020 – The European round of Garda Trentino has concluded and with it we saw the final stage of the EMX2t Presented by FMF Racing and EMX Open Championships, which saw Karel Kutsar claim the EMX Open title in the second race of the day.

Meanwhile in EMX2t Presented by FMF Racing, with the Brad Anderson of Verde Substance KTM crowned champion at the previous round here in Italy, all was left was the battle for second and third in the championship, which made for some very interesting racing.

Today’s EMX2t Presented by FMF Racing races saw Nicholas Lapucci of Fantic Racing dominated the races once again, as he was victorious in both heats with quite an impressive margin, over the newly crowned 2020 EMX2t Presented by FMF Racing Champion, Brad Anderson of Verde Substance KTM. With two second place finishes, Anderson ended the season with his 5^th podium of the series. While, JK Yamaha Racing’s Manuel Iacopi was the third rider on the podium today, with some nice battles in the races with Anderson, which saw him finish 4^th and 3^rd in heats one and two.  

With Anderson securing his third EMX title at the previous round of Pietramurata, this shifted the focus onto who would occupy second and third in the championship standings. Two 5^th place finishes, were enough for Husqvarna Junior Racing Maddii’s Federico Tuani to claim the silver medal, after races that saw him battle with Kade Tinkler-Walker and his teammate, Eugenio Barbaglia. Tuani completed the season with 3 podiums, with his best result in Faenza during the opening round of the championship, where he finished 2^nd overall.

Though it was the fight for the third spot that was the main focus in the second race, as there was nothing in between Walker and Loris Freidig. Walker rode a strong race and had some nice battles to claim 5^th, while Freidig had a much tougher time and only finished the race in 13^th. Eventually, Walker secured third in the standings with a 7-point advantage over the Swiss.

Looking back on the season, Anderson dominated the first three rounds in Faenza, as he took 5 race wins and 3 overall victories. His lowest point scoring results came here in Pietramurata, as he finished the two rounds second overall, behind Lapucci, who dominated the last two stages of the championship, winning all 4 races. Apart from Anderson and Lapucci, the only other rider, to win a race, during the 2020 campaign, was Freidig, who was victorious during the first race at the round of Italy.

Brad Anderson: “It’s been great. The worst position this season was second place and I’ve been really consistent, I’ve had a good fight behind me. As I said, I struggled a little bit on this track, but Nicholas [Lapucci] was going really well, but I was happy to finish with two second places and finish the season off. The races were pretty tough. I didn’t get the best starts, I struggled to get past one rider and then me and Manuel had a good battle, then I made a move and he caught back up, it was a good little battle, but as I said I’m just please to finish second overall and take this championship”.

Federico Tuani: “It was a really good season for me, I finish 2nd in the championship; my goal at the beginning of the season was to finish in the top 5 so I got a result over my expectation. Today I wasn’t so happy about my riding, I had two bad starts, in the first race I finished fourth and in the second I finish fifth, but anyway I want to thank all my team for the support that they gave me for all this fantastic season”.

Kade Tinkler-Walker: “I didn’t think about that [championship points], I wanted to do my own thing and I didn’t care who I had behind or in front. I had Barbaglia pushing hard but I tried to be focused and especially with my bike I had to take a good start because If I don’t get a good start after it’s quite difficult for me to regroup and at least I’m happy about today. It’s awesome, I really like the championship and I’ll do it again next year. My goal for next year is to have fun; I really enjoyed the battles and fighting with the other guys”.

Nicholas Lapucci: “It was another perfect day for me, I’m really happy about my riding and the bike. The team did an incredible job. We came here without knowing anything and at the end we got the best results for me and for Fantic as well. We took four victories and for that I want to say thanks to everybody that helped me getting these incredible results”.

Manuel Iacopi: “Today was a really good day for me. You know this season has been really hard for me because I had a really bad crash in Faenza, and I couldn’t’ fight for the championship. At the end I’m quite happy about the 6th position, I want to thank my team, my family and all the sponsors that support me this season”.

EMX2T Presented by FMF Racing - Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Nicholas Lapucci (ITA, Fantic), 29:09.002; 2. Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), +0:24.588; 3. Kade Tinkler-Walker (CAN, Suzuki), +0:28.366; 4. Manuel Iacopi (ITA, Yamaha), +0:28.760; 5. Federico Tuani (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:40.323; 6. Loris Freidig (SUI, Yamaha), +0:40.948; 7. Eugenio Barbaglia (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:45.696; 8. Emanuele Alberio (ITA, KTM), +0:46.259; 9. Martin Michelis (EST, KTM), +0:54.480; 10. Paolo Ermini (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:55.830

EMX2T Presented by FMF Racing - Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Nicholas Lapucci (ITA, Fantic), 29:35.389; 2. Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), +0:12.792; 3. Manuel Iacopi (ITA, Yamaha), +0:16.207; 4. Eugenio Barbaglia (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:26.144; 5. Federico Tuani (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:27.580; 6. Kade Tinkler-Walker (CAN, Suzuki), +0:44.162; 7. Emanuele Alberio (ITA, KTM), +0:48.799; 8. Paolo Ermini (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:54.574; 9. Mario Tamai (ITA, KTM), +0:56.291; 10. Martin Michelis (EST, KTM), +1:15.469;

EMX2T Presented by FMF Racing - Overall Top 10 Classification: 1. Nicholas Lapucci (ITA, FAN), 50 points; 2. Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 44 p.; 3. Manuel Iacopi (ITA, YAM), 38 p.; 4. Kade Tinkler-Walker (CAN, SUZ), 35 p.; 5. Eugenio Barbaglia (ITA, HUS), 32 p.; 6. Federico Tuani (ITA, HUS), 32 p.; 7. Emanuele Alberio (ITA, KTM), 27 p.; 8. Paolo Ermini (ITA, HUS), 24 p.; 9. Martin Michelis (EST, KTM), 23 p.; 10. Loris Freidig (SUI, YAM), 23 p.;

EMX2T Presented by FMF Racing - Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 235 points; 2. Federico Tuani (ITA, HUS), 167 p.; 3. Kade Tinkler-Walker (CAN, SUZ), 154 p.; 4. Loris Freidig (SUI, YAM), 147 p.; 5. Eugenio Barbaglia (ITA, HUS), 143 p.; 6. Manuel Iacopi (ITA, YAM), 140 p.; 7. Mario Tamai (ITA, KTM), 131 p.; 8. Emanuele Alberio (ITA, KTM), 131 p.; 9. Marco Lolli (ITA, YAM), 117 p.; 10. Martin Michelis (EST, KTM), 105 p.

EMX2T Presented by FMF Racing - Manufacturers Classification: 1. KTM, 235 points; 2. Yamaha, 190 p.; 3. Husqvarna, 186 p.; 4. Suzuki, 154 p.; 5. Fantic, 100 p.

Main Photo: FIM Europe Motocross Commission Chairman Eddie Herd, EMX2t Presented by FMF Racing Champions, Infront Moto Racing CEO David Luongo

Bottom Photos: 1. Brad Anderson; 2. Nicholas Lapucci 

Today’s EMX Open action saw Karel Kutsar become the very first European Champion in the brand-new category, as he claimed his maiden EMX title. It was a tough day for the Estonian, who rode tight all day to place 5^th and 10^th in the races, to miss out on the podium. Though this didn’t matter, as he took to the podium anyways, to pick up his championship winning gold plate and medal.

Entering today’s races, Kim Savaste of 137 Motorsports KTM was the main championship rival, but unfortunately, we did not see the rider from Finland line-up for the races, due to an injury this morning. With no points scored, this pushed Savaste down to third in the standings, while Toms Macuks moved into the silver medal scoring position.

Macuks had two strong races, finishing 2^nd and 3^rd, despite a small get-off in the second heat that lost him a position or two. These results also handed the Latvian his 5^th podium of the season, which was a positive way to end the season.

While Kutsar claimed the title, it was Jimmy Clochet who stood on the top step of the podium, after a race win in the opening heat and a second in race two. Clochet had a much tougher second heat, after getting another good start, the Frenchman had an off on one of the corners, then fought back to second, to crash in the same spot once again. He could only manage to fight back to P2, while Cornelius Tøndel of JWR Honda took the race win in the second heat.

Finishing the day second overall was Macuks, while Martin Michek was the third rider to make it onto the box. It was Michek’s first visit to the EMX Open podium this season, and it was a 4^th in race one and a 5^th in race two that helped him on his way to a trophy scoring overall.

Looking back on the first season of the all-new EMX Open, things started in Latvia, for the first triple header of the season. That time around it was Macuks who was victorious on home soil, as he won both races and became the early championship leader. Though this didn’t last long, as during the second round he didn’t score any points, as Savaste and Kutsar took a race win each, though it was Kutsar who was the overall winner.

The Estonian then became the new series leader by the second round, and he held on to the red plate until today’s final round when he swapped the red plate for a gold one. He held on to the red plate through his consistent results, as the champion ended the season with 4 podiums, 2 race wins and one overall victory. In terms of overall victories, Macuks and Clochet were the most successful riders, with two overall victories each, while Kutsar and Savaste were on one each, as they took to the top of the box during the round of Riga and Kegums.

Karel Kutsar: “It felt a bit impossible and now, I am a champion. Maybe when I get home, I will understand what this means but it feels really good to be a champion. I felt the pressure a little bit today, I tried to not to make mistakes and finally I did it and I get the title”.

Toms Macuks: “Of course, I lost points in the second race in Kegums as I got zero points, after that I was catching up with the top guys and I’m happy to finish second in the championship. The starts weren’t so good for me today. In both races I was in like eighth or seventh place and in the second race I could push very hard and made a mistake, crashed and after that I tried to push until the end and then finished third”.

Jimmy Clochet: “I had good feeling all day. In the second race I took the holeshot and crashed two times in the same corner, so yeah that was a difficult race, but I pushed really hard to come back to second for another overall. It was a difficult second race but I’m happy about it and happy about the overall”.

Martin Michek: “Of course I am happy with that because I had some difficult moments a few months ago and I am really happy to sit here today and for sure on the podium. Last year I did some EMX races and I won an overall, but that was another world and now the level is much higher because the guys are much stronger. So, I’m really happy that I finish third overall and I hope I will be back next year with a stronger body”.

EMXOpen - Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Jimmy Clochet (FRA, Kawasaki), 30:27.920; 2. Toms Macuks (LAT, KTM), +0:13.743; 3. John Adamson (GBR, KTM), +0:17.862; 4. Martin Michek (CZE, KTM), +0:26.050; 5. Karel Kutsar (EST, KTM), +0:31.442; 6. Dan Thornhill (GBR, Honda), +0:46.543; 7. Petr Rathousky (CZE, KTM), +1:03.834; 8. Stefan Ekerold (GER, Suzuki), +1:05.844; 9. Davide De Bortoli (ITA, Honda), +1:09.384; 10. Petr Michalec (CZE, Honda), +1:10.944.

EMXOpen - Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Cornelius Toendel (NOR, Honda), 29:14.052; 2. Jimmy Clochet (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:01.970; 3. Toms Macuks (LAT, KTM), +0:04.117; 4. Davide De Bortoli (ITA, Honda), +0:16.402; 5. Martin Michek (CZE, KTM), +0:17.064; 6. Dan Thornhill (GBR, Honda), +0:41.913; 7. Stefan Ekerold (GER, Suzuki), +0:49.182; 8. Domantas Jazdauskas (LTU, Husqvarna), +0:54.584; 9. Mathias Gryning (DEN, Yamaha), +0:59.718; 10. Karel Kutsar (EST, KTM), +1:02.344.

EMXOpen - Overall Top 10 Classification: 1. Jimmy Clochet (FRA, KAW), 47 points; 2. Toms Macuks (LAT, KTM), 42 p.; 3. Martin Michek (CZE, KTM), 34 p.; 4. Davide De Bortoli (ITA, HON), 30 p.; 5. Dan Thornhill (GBR, HON), 30 p.; 6. Stefan Ekerold (GER, SUZ), 27 p.; 7. Karel Kutsar (EST, KTM), 27 p.; 8. Cornelius Toendel (NOR, HON), 25 p.; 9. Petr Michalec (CZE, HON), 21 p.; 10. Domantas Jazdauskas (LTU, HUS), 20 p.

EMXOpen - Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Karel Kutsar (EST, KTM), 230 points; 2. Toms Macuks (LAT, KTM), 216 p.; 3. Kim Savaste (FIN, KTM), 192 p.; 4. Stefan Ekerold (GER, SUZ), 161 p.; 5. Cornelius Toendel (NOR, HON), 134 p.; 6. Jimmy Clochet (FRA, KAW), 130 p.; 7. Domantas Jazdauskas (LTU, HUS), 113 p.; 8. Davide De Bortoli (ITA, HON), 101 p.; 9. Miro Sihvonen (FIN, HUS), 101 p.; 10. Andero Lusbo (EST, HUS), 93 p.

EMXOpen - Manufacturers Classification: 1. KTM, 277 points; 2. Husqvarna, 165 p.; 3. Suzuki, 161 p.; 4. Honda, 158 p.; 5. Kawasaki, 130 p.; 6. Yamaha, 97 p.

Main Photo: EMXOpen Start

Bottom Photos: 1. Karel Kutsar; 2. FIM Europe Motocross Commission Chairman Eddie Herd; EMXOpen Champions; Infront Moto Racing CEO David Luongo

TIMETABLE (Local Timing CET)

SUNDAY: 08:15 MX2 Free/Time Practice, 09:15 MXGP Free/Time Practice, 11:05 MX2 Race 1, 12:05 MXGP Race 1, 14:00 MX2 Race 2, 15:00 MXGP Race 2.

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

FIM Europe

MXGP of Garda Trentino