EMXOPEN

The 2021 season will no doubt be remembered for many reasons, of course the main one being the level of competition that we have witnessed across all the classes of the FIM World and European Championships.

The EMX categories are vital to the FIM Motocross World Championship, as these support classes help to nurture young and up and coming talents into the FIM Motocross World Championship at a professional level. Even the youngest EMX65 riders right through to the EMX250, all have a chance to show their skills on world level tracks, with professional treatment and opportunities.

So, as we gear up for another epic season in 2022, let’s meet the crème-de-la-crème of the 2021 EMX Championships! 

Read the full article in the latest issue of the MXGP Magazine HERE! 

You can find all this plus more in the 101^st issue of MXGP Mag, which you can download for FREE on the Apple Store or Google Play. Read it HERE!

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MANTOVA (Lombardia) 10 November 2021 – The annual MXGP Awards celebrated a historic season of the FIM Motocross World Championship, that saw the title clash in the premier MXGP class go down to the final chequered flag.

Once the final race of the day was finished at the final World Champion of 2021 was decided, it was time to begin the well-earnt celebrations of the entire paddock of what has been the most intense season of racing to date.

The MXGP Awards is a prize giving ceremony that is designed to celebrate all the amazing accomplishments from this season in the MXGP paddock. The awards were hosted by the MXGP-TV’s Commentator Paul Malin and MXGP-TV Presenter, Lisa Leyland from the Studio in Mantova. The entire event was live streamed worldwide on www.MXGP-TV.com, as well as MXGP’s YouTube channel.

The evening kicked-off with a special message from Infront Moto Racing’s CEO David Luongo and FIM/CMS Director Antonio Alia Portela who shared a few words about the incredible season that we all have witnessed in 2021.  

David Luongo: “It has been a long journey again this year. Very challenging as when we started the year again many COVID-19 restrictions were in place. But the last couple of months have been very exciting. From the MXGP of Germany we have had public on site and increased the amount of spectators and the intensity of the championship until the final round today. As a promotor, we have been working hard with our team until today to have a full-house crowd and to have racing like this, to have the championship decided on the last day. I think all of the fans enjoyed this MXGP season a lot. For us it was important to deliver 18 races along with the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations which took place also here in Mantova. We are very confident that next year we will be back to normal, to start the season earlier and see new countries come back to the MXGP calendar. But this season was just epic, so I want to say a huge congratulations to all of the riders in MXGP and MX2, but the MXGP top three, Jeffrey, Romain and Tim they really went to another level. And also, a thought to Tony Cairoli who ended his Grand Prix career today. He is one of the biggest ambassadors of our MXGP’s history so it was a very intense season”.

Antonio Alia Portela: "It has been an exceptional season in every way. On one hand, the restrictions imposed in certain countries and the evolution of the pandemic in others have caused the calendar to be altered, moreover, the lack of public attendance at some of the events has put many organizers to the limit. The solution has come from Infront Motor Racing, as last year, offering also us double or triple headers. This situation has again tested all the elements that make GPs run effectively, as IMR, the FIM, the FMNs, the Teams, the Sponsors and the Organizers have shown their strength to offer the world one of the best seasons that have lately been lived in MXGP and as every GP has offered a variety of winners, the uncertainty among the MXGP Championship title has remained until the last race. On behalf of the FIM and the CMS I would like to personally thank all those who have made this a historic and unique year, from which rivers of ink will probably be written, to show that the motocross that runs through our veins is more alive than ever and that next year will continue to offer us unforgettable moments through the intense season that has just begun." 

The Awards ceremony then continued, as the winning teams and manufacturers were presented with their awards, followed by this year’s champions in the MXGP, MX2, WMX and EMX classes, who each received their prizes. EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Champion, Valerio Lata was the first to pick up his prize, followed by Nicholas Lapucci who secured the EMX250 title yesterday, along with the EMX2t Presented by FMF Racing, EMX Open and Women’s Motocross World Championship winners, Maximilian Spies, Davide De Bortoli and the three-time WMX Champion Courtney Duncan.

This year, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Mattia Guadagnini was the recipient of the Jan de Groot Award that honours the most promising young talent. Guadagnini had an incredible rookie season in MX2 that saw him hold the red plate, mount the podium a total of six times, win three races and stand on the top step twice!

Additionally, Tom Vialle and Jorge Prado were presented with the Fox Holeshot Award, for their incredible starts this season, that saw Prado claim 18 Fox Holeshots and Vialle an impressive 22. For Prado, this was his fourth consecutive Fox Holeshot Award, while for Vialle it was his second.

And then it was time to find out which MXGP rider was the winner of the Best Rider of the Year Sponsored by Athena prize! The newly crowned MXGP World Champion Jeffrey Herlings was declared winner, having received the most fans’ votes in total throughout the 2021 season.

Before the final awards were handed to the MXGP and MX2 World Champions, it was time for a special moment of the evening as we paid tribute to the 9-time World Champion Antonio Cairoli who was awarded with the ‘222 Lifetime Number’ which means he will be the only one to ever have that number in MXGP.

Antonio Cairoli: “It’s amazing to reach something like this in this business. I am really happy about my career, I wouldn’t change anything. Winning one title is already something special but making such a journey is really fantastic and I am really happy even if today didn’t go as I wished”. 

The evening then concluded with the awards for the two FIM Motocross World Champions, Jeffrey Herlings and Maxime Renaux who each received their championship plates, along with their champions rings as part of their prizes for this season.

Here is the complete list of winners, below:

MXGP Manufacturer World Champion: KTM

MXGP Winning Team: Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

MX2 Manufacturer World Champion: Yamaha

MX2 Winning Team: Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2

WMX Manufacturer World Champion: Kawasaki

WMX Winning Team: Bike it MTX Kawasaki

“Jan De Groot” Award (cheque €5.000): Mattia Guadagnini

EMX 125 Presented by FMF Racing European Champion: Valerio Lata

EMX 250 European Champion: Nicholas Lapucci

EMX 2T Presented by FMF Racing European Champion: Maximilian Spies

EMX Open European Champion: Davide de Bortoli

MXGP Best Cooperation: Organizer of Trentino

MXGP Best Cooperation: Organizer of Mantova

Women’s World Champion: Courtney Duncan

Best Rider of the Year, Sponsored by Athena: Jeffrey Herlings

Fox Holeshot Award MXGP and MX2: Jorge Prado & Tom Vialle

MXGP Best Organizer: MXGP of Spain

MX2 World Champion: Maxime Renaux

MXGP World Champion: Jeffrey Herlings

Missed the 2021 MXGP Awards? You can watch a replay by clicking HERE

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

MXGP of Città di Mantova

AFYON (Turkey) 7 September 2021 – With the final races of the EMXOpen Championship decided, Davide De Bortoli celebrated his title victory as Honda SR Motoblouz’s Nicolas Dercourt secured his first overall victory of the season to win the round of Afyon in Turkey.

De Bortoli entered the day’s races knowing that he only needed to finish the opening race in order to secure the gold plate, though this did not mean that the Italian didn’t push for the win in both races despite that.

As the gate dropped for race one it was De Bortoli with the holeshot ahead of Dercourt and Simone Croci. JD Gunnex KTM Racing’s Tomasz Wysocki was right there as well along with Matej Jaros and Krisztian Tompa.

Dercourt then had his hands full with a hard charging Croci who eventually crashed, allowing Wysocki to go through into third.

De Bortoli then extended his lead to 3.804 seconds before going down several laps later which allowed Dercourt and Wysocki to move into first and second. The pair then battled for the win as Wysocki was setting fast laps and searching for a way around the leader.

At one stage De Bortoli was the fastest rider on track but was more than 10 seconds down on the leaders which made it tough for him to fight back for the race victory.

As the race came to a close Wysocki could not get around the hard-charging Dercourt who was victorious in the first race, as De Bortoli celebrated his title win with a third-place finish.

In race two it was Dercourt with a flying start as De Bortoli and Croci followed right behind. De Bortoli was keen to not to waste any time and get a win under his belt as he got around Dercourt on the opening lap.

Croci then began to work away at the gap between him and Dercourt, as the Italian looked for extra championship points. Croci made several attempts to pass the Frenchman though got caught out by Wysocki as he focused on Dercourt.

Wysocki snuck his way into third as him and Croci made contact, which as a result caused Croci to crash. The Pole continued to push hard as he got onto the back wheel of Dercourt and battled with the Frenchman until the end of the race.

In the end it was De Bortoli with the race win, with Dercourt 2.119 seconds behind and Wysocki in third.

With the final round of the EMX Open series done and dusted, we celebrated the winners as Nicolas Dercourt claimed his first overall victory of the season and took to the top step of the podium ahead of Davide De Bortoli and Tomasz Wysocki who finished third overall once again. Though in terms of the championship, it was Davide De Bortoli who finally turned that red plate to gold to secure the EMX Open Championship title ahead of Dercourt who was presented with the silver medal and Croci with the bronze.

Davide De Bortoli: “I am very happy with today. To win this championship is a big satisfaction for me and I would like to thank all the people that helped me, my father, my team and everyone. I would be better to win the championship with a race victory but I am very happy anyway”.

Nicolas Dercourt: “It gives me great pleasure to finish second this season. I was not able to race the way I wanted during the first round in Turkey because I was really sick. It was difficult to get things going during the second race, which made me loose points. This is why I really wanted to come back today with a round victory and with the goal of finishing second in the championship. I am very happy of the overall win, for the team, for the mechanics and everyone that has made this possible and especially for my racing. It makes me confident for what’s to come next. The season is not over for us, which proves that we are improving with the team and going in the right direction”.

Simone Croci: “Yeah, I had a good race on Saturday. Today I was unlucky to crash but the fitness was good, the bike was good, and I am really happy about this. A big thanks to my team, my family and all the sponsors supporting me. I don’t know if I will try again next season, but the championship is very nice. Good riders and good tracks”.

Tomasz Wysocki: “Today was a good day. I really pushed hard. In the second race I crashed in the second lap I think, so the guys passed me. I had to really push to get back. I was able to get past Simone and I tried to go for Nicolas. I pushed a lot after the crash, so I lost my energy. I could not find good lines to pass Nicolas. So yeah, first race I finished second and second race I finished third, just like Saturday. I am happy I could get the podium for my team, but I am a little bit frustrated because I felt like I could go for the win today”.

Main Photo: Infront Moto Racing CEO David Luongo, EMXOpen Championship podium, FIM Europe Delegate Sabin Olariu

Bottom Photos: 1.Davide De Bortoli 2. Nicolas Dercourt 

EMXOpen - Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Nicolas Dercourt (FRA, Honda), 30:31.572; 2. Tomasz Wysocki (POL, KTM), +0:02.561; 3. Davide De Bortoli (ITA, Honda), +0:19.383; 4. Simone Croci (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:20.738; 5. Matej Jaros (CRO, Kawasaki), +1:16.336; 6. Krisztian Tompa (ROU, Husqvarna), +1:16.929; 7. Mustafa Cetin (TUR, Yamaha), -2 lap(s); 8. Batuhan Demiryol (TUR, KTM), -2 lap(s); 9. Mehmet Celik (TUR, KTM), -3 lap(s); 10. Sakir Senkalayci (TUR, KTM), -3 lap(s);

EMXOpen - Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Davide De Bortoli (ITA, Honda), 30:09.919; 2. Nicolas Dercourt (FRA, Honda), +0:02.119; 3. Tomasz Wysocki (POL, KTM), +0:05.360; 4. Simone Croci (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:47.526; 5. Matej Jaros (CRO, Kawasaki), +1:15.997; 6. Krisztian Tompa (ROU, Husqvarna), -1 lap(s); 7. Batuhan Demiryol (TUR, KTM), -2 lap(s); 8. Mehmet Celik (TUR, KTM), -3 lap(s); 9. Sakir Senkalayci (TUR, KTM), -3 lap(s); 10. Murat Basterzi (TUR, KTM), -3 lap(s);

EMXOpen - Overall Top 10 Classification: 1. Nicolas Dercourt (FRA, HON), 47 points; 2. Davide De Bortoli (ITA, HON), 45 p.; 3. Tomasz Wysocki (POL, KTM), 42 p.; 4. Simone Croci (ITA, HUS), 36 p.; 5. Matej Jaros (CRO, KAW), 32 p.; 6. Krisztian Tompa (ROU, HUS), 30 p.; 7. Batuhan Demiryol (TUR, KTM), 27 p.; 8. Mehmet Celik (TUR, KTM), 25 p.; 9. Sakir Senkalayci (TUR, KTM), 23 p.; 10. Murat Basterzi (TUR, KTM), 21 p.;

EMXOpen - Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Davide De Bortoli (ITA, HON), 249 points; 2. Nicolas Dercourt (FRA, HON), 214 p.; 3. Simone Croci (ITA, HUS), 199 p.; 4. Micha-Boy De Waal (NED, HUS), 125 p.; 5. Tomasz Wysocki (POL, KTM), 125 p.; 6. Filippo Zonta (ITA, HON), 88 p.; 7. Andero Lusbo (EST, HUS), 80 p.; 8. Simeo Ubach (ESP, HUS), 78 p.; 9. Matej Jaros (CRO, KAW), 74 p.; 10. Krisztian Tompa (ROU, HUS), 64 p.;

EMXOpen - Manufacturers Classification: 1. Honda, 289 points; 2. Husqvarna, 248 p.; 3. KTM, 199 p.; 4. Kawasaki, 130 p.; 5. Yamaha, 102 p.; 6. GASGAS, 44 p.;

Click here to obtain the complete results

All the photos from the Bitci MXGP of Afyon will be available HERE

BITCI MXGP OF AFYON – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1725m

Type of ground: Hard Pack

Temperature: 24°

Weather conditions: Sunny

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM Europe

Afyon

AFYON (Turkey) 6 September – The racing continues in Turkey as we head into the second Grand Prix taking place at the Afyon circuit with the Bitci MXGP of Afyon.

This will be the ninth round of the 2021 FIM Motocross World Championship as things continued to heat up both the MXGP and MX2 World Championships. The previous Grand Prix, just a day ago, presented some tense battles that saw Red Bull KTM Factory Racing celebrate a double victory with Jeffrey Herlings and Tom Vialle back on the top step of the podium. This time around it will be interesting to see if the pair can repeat their success.

Alongside the MXGP and MX2 categories, the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship as well as the EMX Open riders will once again line up for their races, as Bike IT MTX Kawasaki’s Courtney Duncan will look to pick up more solid points following her win on Saturday and keep her championship rival Kiara Fontanesi at bay.

Meanwhile tomorrow will be a very important day for Davide De Bortoli who will look to secure the EMX Open title as early as the first race, while Nicolas Dercourt and Simon Croci will do their best to make this harder and also pick up as many points as they can themselves as only four points separate them in second and third place in the championship.

In MXGP, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings is closing in on the championship fast following his 1-2 result yesterday which put him back on the top step of the podium. Herlings remains undefeated here as he has won all three GP’s that have taken place in Afyonkarahisar since the first race in 2018 and he will no doubt want to keep this streak going on Wednesday.

Starts will be key for the Bullet, who shared in the post-race press conference that some changes will need to be made to his bike in the hope that it will help him improve his starts which were the main issue during the races yesterday.

While Herlings struggled with the starts, his teammate Jorge Prado did not. Prado took two Fox Holeshot’s yesterday and led both races for the majority of the duration. However, the Spaniard could not bring it home in either one of the races but will give it another go on Wednesday as he looks to close in on Team HRC’s Time Gajser in the championship standings.

Gajser now leads by just 13 points as the championship gets tight. The Slovenian will be looking for a more consistent day, as he struggled in the first race after getting stuck behind Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Glenn Coldenhoff and losing his rhythm to then having a much better second race as he got around Prado and Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Romain Febvre to take the win.

For Febvre the last GP was a missed opportunity as he had the possibility to go for the podium. But rightly so, Febvre opted for a more consistent day going 4-4 and doing a good job of staying out of trouble, which was a struggle for him in the previous GP’s.

Another rider having a consistent day was Antonio Cairoli of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing. The Italian finished both races in fifth place but was involved in some nice battles which created some interesting racing. Unfortunately, Cairoli got caught out in a crash in the second race as he chased Prado for second place, but it was clear that the 9-time World Champion has the speed to challenge for top positions around the hard pack circuit here in Afyon.

Also getting unlucky was Standing Construct GasGas Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass who was looking incredibly strong all day. In the first race the Latvian battled at the sharp end of the field and finished the race in third, while in the second heat he was looking to do the same but was unlucky and had a big crash which resulted in a DNF. The GasGas rider will look to re-group and come back strong for the next race.

Also having some strong races was MRT Racing Team KTM’s Alessandro Lupino who finished the weekend seventh overall, while JM Honda Racing’s Henry Jacobi had a nice battle with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Kjer Olsen and Standing Construct GasGas Factory Racing’s Brian Bogers in the first race to finish ninth while Gebben Van Venrooy Yamaha Racing’s Calvin Vlaanderen and Kevin Strijbos had a nice second heat to finish eighth and ninth.

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Seewer had two consistent rides in seventh while teammates Coldenhoff and Ben Watson struggled and will look to bounce back on Wednesday.

Bitci MXGP of Turkey – MXGP Top 3:

1. Jeffrey Herlings

2. Jorge Prado

3. Tim Gajser

Main Photo: MXGP Start

Bottom Photos: 1. Jeffrey Herlings 2. Romain Febvre

MXGP - World Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 310 points; 2. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 297 p.; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 293 p.; 4. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 284 p.; 5. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 274 p.; 6. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 234 p.; 7. Pauls Jonass (LAT, GAS), 200 p.; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, YAM), 197 p.; 9. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, KTM), 157 p.; 10. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 133 p.;

MXGP - Manufacturers Classification: 1. KTM, 376 points; 2. Honda, 311 p.; 3. Kawasaki, 298 p.; 4. Yamaha, 265 p.; 5. GASGAS, 230 p.; 6. Husqvarna, 145 p.;

In MX2, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle will chase another victory as he looks to bounce back and re-join the title fight. Following his overall win yesterday, the Frenchman is currently 10^th in the series standings, with these next few races crucial if he wants to pick up some solid points.

Meanwhile the current championship leader, Maxime Renaux of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing will look to have a more consistent day on Wednesday. Starts are crucial here in Afyon and something that the Frenchman shared he aims to work on in order to have two good races and maintain a healthy championship lead, which is currently 37-points.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Mattia Guadagnini remains second on the leader board. The Italian was tied on points for the podium with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Jed Beaton on Sunday, so will no doubt push to get back on the box this time around and continue to challenge the leaders as he did during the races yesterday.

For Beaton the upcoming Bitci MXGP of Afyon will be another opportunity to go for a podium and add some more consistent results to his tally. Yesterday the Australian finished both races in third, which was the boost that he needed going into the rest of the season. Meanwhile, his younger teammate Kay De Wolf will look to improve upon his results as a couple of msitakes cost him higher positions.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Rene Hofer was looking strong during the races yesterday and even led the opening heat for a few laps. This upcoming Grand Prix will be another opportunity for Hofer to shine and maybe edge closer to a podium finish.

Meanwhile Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jago Geerts and Thibault Benistant will look to improve on their results as they finished sixth and ninth respectively, not where the pair expect to be. For Geerts points are important, if he wants to stay close to second in the championship and remain in the title fight as Guadagnini has edged out by 15 points.

Bitci MXGP of Turkey – MX2 Top 3:

1. Tom Vialle

2. Maxime Renaux

3. Jed Beaton

Main Photo: MX2 Start

Bottom Photos: 1. Tom Vialle 2. Maxime Renaux

MX2 - World Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 314 points; 2. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, KTM), 277 p.; 3. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 262 p.; 4. Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS), 237 p.; 5. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 229 p.; 6. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 228 p.; 7. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 216 p.; 8. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 210 p.; 9. Mathys Boisrame (FRA, KAW), 204 p.; 10. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 180 p.;

MX2 - Manufacturers Classification: 1. Yamaha, 355 points; 2. KTM, 339 p.; 3. Husqvarna, 266 p.; 4. Kawasaki, 252 p.; 5. Honda, 237 p.; 6. GASGAS, 181 p.;

TIMETABLE (Local Timing GMT+3)

TUESDAY: 09:30 EMX Open Free Practice, 10:00 WMX Free Practice, 11:05 EMX Open Qualifying Practice, 11:45 WMX Qualifying Practice, 13:10 EMX Open Race 1, 14:00 WMX Race 1, 15:10 EMX Open Race 2, 16:05 WMX Race 2.

WEDNESDAY: 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

Afyon

AFYON (Turkey) 4 September 2021 – EMX Open Championship leader Davide De Bortoli secured his first overall victory of the season, as he gets one step closer to wrapping up the EMX Open title with a round to go.

In the first race, it was De Bortoli who took the holeshot from Nicolas Dercourt of Honda SR Motoblouz ahead of JD Gunnex KTM Racing’s Tomasz Wysocki and Simone Croci.

Croci wasted no time to get around Wysocki, while Dercourt was keeping close to De Bortoli for the win. De Bortoli then set the fastest lap of the race as the gap opened up to 2.254 seconds though Dercourt was able to bring that back and get onto the Italian’s back wheel as he searched for a way through.

The pair battled for the win for most of the race as they had a little bit of a gap to Croci and Wysocki who were in their own battle for third. Krisztian Tompa was having a good ride in fifth ahead of Matej Jaros and local rider Mustafa Cetin.

With three laps to go, the gap was at 3.089 and as the race came to a close Dercourt came under fire from a hard-charging Croci who was able to get the Frenchman on the final lap to finish second. Dercourt was forced to settle for third while De Bortoli took the win.

The second race saw Dercourt not line up for the heat which mean he was out of the podium fight and would end up losing vital points in terms of the championship.

As the gate dropped for the second heat, De Bortoli was first out of the start once again, while Croci was right there in second ahead of Wysocki and Tompa.

Sakir Senkalayci dropped two positions on the opening lap which allowed Batuhan Demiryol and Mehmet Celik through.

De Bortoli then edged out by 7.367 as Croci remained second with Wysocki slowly closing the gap to second place. For the rest of the race De Bortoli was fully in control keeping a steady gap to second and third as Corci and Wysocki battled for second.

Eventually, with four laps remaining, Wysokci was able to get around Croci to move into second position, with the Polish rider then setting his sights on chasing down the race leader.

In the end De Bortoli was the race winner, with Wysocki second and Croci third, ahead of Tompa and Jaros who rounded out the top five.

With two race wins, Davide De Bortoli stood on the top step of the podium for the very first time this season, Simone Croci joined him alongside on the second step, while Wysocki celebrated his first podium finish with third overall.

De Bortoli now takes the championship to the final round on Tuesday with a 37-points advantage over Nicolas Dercourt and Simone Croci who is just four points off second place.

Davide De Bortoli: “After an infinity of third place finishes, finally I win here today and for me it’s been a great day because everything went perfect, first in time practice and a win in the first and second race. I am sorry Nicolas Dercourt didn’t start the second race because I would have liked to battle with him for the championship, but I am very happy, and I hope to do another good race on Tuesday. The championship now is almost over but I must keep focused for Tuesday and don’t make any mistakes as I really hope to win the championship”.

Simone Croci: “I had some very good races. In the first race I pushed hard and had some good lap times, I am happy with the result but in the second race I started near Davide, but the track was slippery, and I pushed but Tomasz was very fast. I finished third for second overall. I am happy about the result, and I want to thank my team and my family”.

Tomasz Wysocki: “This is my first podium. In the first race I tried to go with Simone, but I got arm pump, so I had to go slow and save myself for the second race. I was feeling good and didn’t make any mistakes. In the second one I was riding without arm pump, so it was a good race, I had good speed; at the end of the race I passed Simone and finished second for third overall which was good. In the last two laps I could see Davide so I hope on Tuesday to do my best and maybe try to go for the win if I can”.

Main Photo: Davide De Bortoli

Bottom Photos: 1. EMX Open Start 2. Simone Croci

EMXOpen - Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Davide De Bortoli (ITA, Honda), 30:29.774; 2. Simone Croci (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:03.188; 3. Nicolas Dercourt (FRA, Honda), +0:04.732; 4. Tomasz Wysocki (POL, KTM), +0:47.655; 5. Krisztian Tompa (ROU, Husqvarna), +1:25.936; 6. Matej Jaros (CRO, Kawasaki), +1:38.244; 7. Mustafa Cetin (TUR, Yamaha), -2 lap(s); 8. Batuhan Demiryol (TUR, KTM), -2 lap(s); 9. Mehmet Celik (TUR, KTM), -3 lap(s); 10. Sakir Senkalayci (TUR, KTM), -3 lap(s);

EMXOpen - Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Davide De Bortoli (ITA, Honda), 30:25.528; 2. Tomasz Wysocki (POL, KTM), +0:00.911; 3. Simone Croci (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:03.246; 4. Krisztian Tompa (ROU, Husqvarna), +1:30.183; 5. Matej Jaros (CRO, Kawasaki), -1 lap(s); 6. Batuhan Demiryol (TUR, KTM), -2 lap(s); 7. Sakir Senkalayci (TUR, KTM), -3 lap(s); 8. Murat Basterzi (TUR, KTM), -3 lap(s); 9. Mehmet Celik (TUR, KTM), -4 lap(s); 10. Volkan Özgür (TUR, KTM), -4 lap(s);

EMXOpen – Overall Top 10 Classification: 1. Davide De Bortoli (ITA, HON), 50 points; 2. Simone Croci (ITA, HUS), 42 p.; 3. Tomasz Wysocki (POL, KTM), 40 p.; 4. Krisztian Tompa (ROU, HUS), 34 p.; 5. Matej Jaros (CRO, KAW), 31 p.; 6. Batuhan Demiryol (TUR, KTM), 28 p.; 7. Sakir Senkalayci (TUR, KTM), 25 p.; 8. Mehmet Celik (TUR, KTM), 24 p.; 9. Murat Basterzi (TUR, KTM), 23 p.; 10. Volkan Özgür (TUR, KTM), 20 p.;

EMXOpen – Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Davide De Bortoli (ITA, HON), 204 points; 2. Nicolas Dercourt (FRA, HON), 167 p.; 3. Simone Croci (ITA, HUS), 163 p.; 4. Micha-Boy De Waal (NED, HUS), 125 p.; 5. Filippo Zonta (ITA, HON), 88 p.; 6. Tomasz Wysocki (POL, KTM), 83 p.; 7. Andero Lusbo (EST, HUS), 80 p.; 8. Simeo Ubach (ESP, HUS), 78 p.; 9. Jeff Oxelmark (SWE, HON), 52 p.; 10. Gert Krestinov (EST, HON), 50 p.;

EMXOpen - Manufacturers Classification: 1. Honda, 239 points; 2. Husqvarna, 212 p.; 3. KTM, 157 p.; 4. Kawasaki, 98 p.; 5. Yamaha, 88 p.; 6. GASGAS, 44 p.;

Click here to obtain the complete results

All the photos from the Bitci MXGP of Turkey will be available HERE

BITCI MXGP OF TURKEY – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1725m

Type of ground: Hard Pack

Temperature: 27°

Weather conditions: Sunny

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM Europe

Afyon

MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 1 September 2021 – The summer break is officially behind us, as it is time to get back to racing and continue this incredible season of the FIM Motocross World Championship.

MXGP will finally return to Afyonkarahisar after missing out on a Grand Prix in Turkey last season due to COVID-19 related difficulties and in 2021 will make an epic comeback with not one, but two GP’s – the Bitci MXGP of Turkey and Bitci MXGP of Afyon!

Afyon is still new to the World Championship calendar after making its debut in 2018 with Thomas Covington and Jeffrey Herlings the first winners at the hard pack circuit in MX2 and MXGP. The following year Herlings was able to repeat his success to win the Turkish Grand Prix once again, while in MX2 it was Jorge Prado who was the winner.

Racing alongside the MXGP and MX2 categories will be the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship riders for round three of the series. After some very interesting couple of races Shana Van Der Vlist leads the WMX Championship standings ahead of Courtney Duncan who is just two points adrift. After a strong performance in Lommel, Lynn Valk has moved to third in the championship also. For Kiara Fontanesi this will be the first opportunity to race in Afyon as she missed out on the Turkish round in 2019. The Italian will no doubt be keen to fight for vital championship points as she looks to stay within contention of the title.

The races in Turkey will be the perfect opportunity for Duncan to get back in the driving seat as she chases her third consecutive world title. The circuit in Afyon holds special memories for the Kiwi who went 1-1 last time around in 2019 to secure her first WMX World Championship, so no doubt Duncan will enter these next two rounds with a nice confidence boost from the fond memories.

Meanwhile the EMX Open category will also be present for the final two rounds of the series as Davide De Bortoli will aim to seal the deal and claim his first EMX title, while Nicolas Dercourt and Micha-Boy De Waal will be looking to close the gap and fight for the championship.

There is no doubt that the paddock has used the summer break to re-charge their batteries, in some cases re-group or continue with the momentum that they have been carrying during the previous few races as we enter the second half of the 2021 season.

Team HRC’s Tim Gajser will return to the action fresh and ready to continue his title defence as he continues the lead the MXGP championship just 13-points ahead of Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Romain Febvre. Febvre has had some impressive moments this season, but mistakes and crashes have been very costly for the Frenchman who will need to be more consistent if he wants to remain in the title chase as Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado is breathing down his neck just a further two points behind.

For Prado the second half of this season will be vital as he will want to remain in this title fight until the last round, something he was deprived of last season.

For Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Jeffrey Herlings the summer break came at the perfect time as he was nursing a nasty shoulder injury. His shock return in Lommel was somewhat spectacular, followed by a couple of strong races in Latvia, despite the last lap crash. Now Herlings will chase a third victory in Afyon, after his previous wins in 2018 and 2019 as he will continue to fight for vital championship points and not let this title challenge slip away again.

Glenn Coldenhoff of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing was another podium finisher in Turkey last time around in 2019, as he went 3-2 for second overall and will aim for another podium finish this time, no doubt. Coldenhoff has just one podium finish to his name this season but has led 24 laps, though is yet to claim a race win. The Dutchman struggled in Lommel and Latvia, tracks that he is usually strong at, though hopefully with his illness and bad luck behind him, we will see the Yamaha rider bounce back for some top results.

Looking to bounce back in the second half of the championship will also be his teammate Jeremy Seewer who is currently sixth in the standings. Seewer finished second last season but has struggled in the begin of the year. He did however get back on the podium in Czech Republic where he was third overall, so has been moving in a positive direction.

Pauls Jonass of Standing Construct GasGas Factory Racing is somebody to look out for this coming weekend as the Latvian has shown some good speed and even secured a podium during the MXGP of Flanders-Belgium. While his home Grand Prix did not go to plan, the Turkish Grand Prix is a race we could see him on the podium as he previously got on the box in 2019.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Arminas Jasikonis and Thomas Kjer Olsen will line-up in Turkey keen to put together a solid weekend after some struggles in Latvia. Jasikonis did not take part in the races due to a qualifying practice crash, while Olsen had a DNF in race one, though the second race he was able to finish in eighth position. Now with a couple of weeks off, the pair will be refreshed and ready to chase more positive results.

2019 MXGP of Turkey – MXGP Top 3:

1.Jeffrey Herlings

2.Glenn Coldenhoff

3.Pauls Jonass

Main Photo: MXGP Start from 2019

Bottom Photos: 1. Tim Gajser 2. Jeffrey Herlings

MXGP - World Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 270 points; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 257 p.; 3. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 255 p.; 4. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 252 p.; 5. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 227 p.; 6. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 206 p.; 7. Pauls Jonass (LAT, GAS), 180 p.; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, YAM), 174 p.; 9. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, KTM), 134 p.; 10. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 130 p.;

MXGP - Manufacturers Classification: 1. KTM, 329 points; 2. Honda, 271 p.; 3. Kawasaki, 262 p.; 4. Yamaha, 237 p.; 5. GASGAS, 201 p.; 6. Husqvarna, 128 p.;

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Maxime Renaux will enter the Turkish double-header as the MX2 Championship leader. In Latvia, the Frenchman secured the perfect score, going 1-1 for the first time in MX2 to win the Latvian Grand Prix and extend his series lead to 34 points over Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Mattia Guadagnini who remains second after a couple of tough races.

Though Guadagnini cannot afford to relax as he has Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jago Geerts just two points behind him, as the Belgian will push to get back into title contention in the second half of this 2021 season.

Honda 114 Motorsports’ Ruben Fernandez is not far behind in fourth. The Spaniard started the season well with a couple of podiums and he even led the championship after the second round in Matterley Basin. Since then, the results have been a little tougher, with the Latvian Grand Prix proving most difficult. No doubt these last few weeks have given Fernandez some time to re-group and he will come back and be ready to fight at the top end of the field once again.

The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing duo of Jed Beaton and Kay De Wolf are another pair to keep an eye out for, with both riders proving that they can fight at the front on various terrains.

Meanwhile F&H Kawasaki Racing’s Mathys Boisrame is among the riders who could perform well this weekend. There is no secret that Boisrame is a strong hard pack rider, along with the likes for Fernandez, Renaux and Thibault Benistant, so it’s likely that we will see them all fight for a podium spot on Sunday.

Fellow F&H Kawasaki rider Mikkel Haarup has also been building momentum over the last couple of GP’s, get himself some top 10 finishes, including 7^th overall in Latvia which was his best overall result of the season. It will be interesting to see what the Dane can do in Turkey. His teammate Roan Van De Moosdijk was one of the podium finishers last time around in Turkey, though unfortunately will not line-up in Afyon as he continues to recover from injury.

Tom Vialle of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing will be fighting fit again in Turkey after a tough start to his title defence campaign after a practice crash which put him out for several GP’s. Viall has been budling momentum since getting back to racing and we saw him fighting inside the top five before the break. Now with four more weeks of recovery and training under his belt, it will be interesting to see if Vialle will return to his winning ways in Turkey.

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Thibault Benistant has had a positive rookie season thus far. The Frenchman has been on the podium just once but has been constantly fighting with the top guys and has even won a race. His race win in Maggiora was a big confidence boost and the podium in Loket, another hard pack track, just goes to show that he has the speed on the hard surface. With Afyon being another hard pack track, we could see Benistant shine once again and fight for his second MX2 podium.

2019 MXGP of Turkey – MX2 Top 3:

1.Jorge Prado

2.Jago Geerts

3.Roan Van De Moosdijk

Main Photo: MX2 Start from 2019

Bottom Photos: 1. Maxime Renaux 2. Tom Vialle

MX2 - World Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 271 points; 2. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, KTM), 237 p.; 3. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 235 p.; 4. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 214 p.; 5. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 204 p.; 6. Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS), 197 p.; 7. Mathys Boisrame (FRA, KAW), 192 p.; 8. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 184 p.; 9. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 184 p.; 10. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GAS), 137 p.;

MX2 - Manufacturers Classification: 1. Yamaha, 312 points; 2. KTM, 292 p.; 3. Kawasaki, 227 p.; 4. Husqvarna, 226 p.; 5. Honda, 214 p.; 6. GASGAS, 163 p.;

TIMETABLE (Local Timing GMT+3)

SATURDAY: 09:30 EMX Open Free Practice, 10:00 WMX Free Practice, 11:05 EMX Open Qualifying Practice, 11:45 WMX Qualifying Practice, 13:10 EMX Open Race 1, 14:00 WMX Race 1, 15:10 EMX Open Race 2, 16:05 WMX 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

Afyon

The FIM Motocross World Championship is back after the summer break as we head to Turkey for round eight of the 2021 season.

Timetable and Entry lists for the Bitci MXGP of Turkey are available for download at the links below:

TIMETABLE 

MXGP ENTRY LIST

MX2 ENTRY LIST

Additional Classes

WMX ENTRY LIST

EMXOPEN ENTRY LIST