When Youthstream decided to add the European Championships to the schedule of the FIM World Motocross Championships it seemed a great idea to give the young talent the chance to race on the same circuits the MXGP and MX2 riders had ridden, but is also gave them the chance to race under Grand Prix conditions. Rough tracks, big crowds and high pressure.
Several of the current MXGP and MX2 champions have shown promise in recent European Championships, including Gautier Paulin (2007 MX2 European champion) and Joel Roelants (2005 and 2006 125cc European Champion) who won their respective euro titles.
Of course a little later when young sensations like Jeffrey Herlings, Ken Roczen, Max Anstie and Christophe Charlier came out of the European Championships there was no surprise the younger European Championship riders looked more positively at the chance to fight for a title without the big four still around.
Current Red Bull KTM Factory rider Jordi Tixier was one of the first to take up the challenge, winning the 2010 EMX125cc Championship, a year later Romain Febvre won the EMX250 title before signing with the Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory team in 2014. Both are considered of the brightest stars in the MX2 World Championship.
2012 champions Mel Pocock (EMX250) and Tim Gajser (EMX125) already have solid rides in the Grand Prix scene, Pocock with Bike It Yamaha and Gajser with the Gariboldi Honda team. Gajser who scored fifth place overall in the last round of the FIM MX2 World Championship is an amazing 10th overall in this year’s series points. Many expect him to move up the rankings as the season moves on and his experience continues to grow.
Valentin Guillod the 2013 EMX250 Champion showed what he is capable of by actually leading a moto at least years Monster Energy Motocross of Nations, and it was no surprise when the Dutch Team Standing Construct KTM picked him up for the MX2 class in 2014. His performances in 2014 have seen him holding down 11th place in the series points and in Brazil he finished sixth overall.
2013 EMX125 champion Pauls Jonass is another who has made the step to the EMX250 class. He now rider for Marchetti Racing KTM Team and will once again be a major candidate for another European title in 2014.
Dutch rider Davy Pootjes, the 2012 EMX85 champion, and Great Britain’s Conrad Mewse, the 2013 EMX85 Champion are seen as riders who will rise to the next level when they make the move to the MX2 class and finally the MXGP class. It might be a little while before we see these guys running with the big boys, but everyone in the sport of Motocross is awaiting their arrival.
All in all, the whole European Championship scene has grown to mammoth proportions and as the series grows so too do the riders who race them. The future is bright for our Grand Prix series.
