EMXOPEN

MATTERLEY BASIN (Great Britain) 26 February 2022 – The qualifying races have concluded the first day of action at the season opener of the FIM Motocross World Championship in Matterley Basin with two impressive riders from Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Maxime Renaux and Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Simon Längenfelder.

The conditions were perfect here for the first day of the MXGP of Great Britain with fantastic track conditions, sunshine throughout and great support from the British crowd which was topped off with great races too.

Before heading into the qualifying races of MXGP and MX2, the European classes took to the track for their first races of the weekend.

In the EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing class we witnessed some intense battles and big crashes, especially that of Karlis Alberts Reisulis of Yamaha Europe EMX125 MJC. The Latvian was leading much of the race and was looking in control until a big off caused him to lose a lot of valuable time that he had against his opponents. Eventually Ferruccio Zanchi also of Yamaha Europe EMX125 MJC was able to make a pass stick and take over the lead. Reisulis tried to fight back but had another big crash and did not finish the race. Zanchi went on to claim the first victory of the season.

Meanwhile in EMX Open, former Grand Prix rider Jose Butron put on an incredible performance as he took the win ahead of Michael Ivanov and Michael Sandner. The defending champion, Davide De Bortoli finished down in fifth ahead of Brits Dan Thornhill, Liam Knight, Brad Anderson and Tom Grimshaw, who had some nice battles up until the end of the race.  

In the MXGP qualifying race, it was Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Seewer with the holeshot but his new teammate and MXGP rookie, Maxime Renaux, was able to slip past and take over the lead. Team HRC’s Tim Gajser move into second too, with Seewer leading his other teammate, Glenn Coldenhoff.

Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado was able to find a way past Coldenhoff to move into fourth. Honda 114 Motorsports’ Ruben Fernandez was also running well just behind the #292.

Much of the qualifying race was a battle between Renaux and Gajser, with the Slovenian making several attempts to get by the young Frenchman. But his attempts never came to fruition as Renaux was able to hold off the four-time world champion.

While things seemed to be going well for one rookie, it was not the same for another one as Mathys Boisrame who was filling in for the injured Jeffrey Herlings of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing had a big crash in the qualifying race and did not finish the session. There is no update yet whether he will start the races tomorrow.

As the race progressed, it looked like Prado was within striking distance of Seewer, but the Yamaha rider was quick to respond, and Prado lost ground.

With two laps to go, Gajser was still not giving up on Renaux, as Fernandez was able to get by Coldenhoff for fifth place.

In the end, Renaux went on to win his first ever qualifying race in MXGP, with Gajser second, Seewer third, Prado fourth and Fernandez rounding out the top five.

Maxime Renaux: “It’s really good to start my MXGP rookie season like that. I managed to lead all the laps of the race even with Tim behind me pushing hard to catch me. I tried to manage the lead and don’t make any mistakes. I wasn’t expecting to do so good but I knew I had good potential, I wasn’t really sure about the start because the 450 is a new bike so I didn’t know what to expect from the starts. I feel confident even with the power increase and for sure tomorrow will be really important to make a good start, get the front row and make the same thing I did today”.

Main Photo: Maxime Renaux

Bottom Photos: 1. MXGP Start 2. Tim Gajser

MXGP - Qualifying Race – Top 10 Classification: 1. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), 26:32.552; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:01.473; 3. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:04.516; 4. Jorge Prado (ESP, GASGAS), +0:25.089; 5. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Honda), +0:35.281; 6. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Yamaha), +0:39.687; 7. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Beta), +0:40.771; 8. Alberto Forato (ITA, GASGAS), +0:41.665; 9. Jed Beaton (AUS, Kawasaki), +0:43.124; 10. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Yamaha), +0:49.963;

In the MX2 qualifying race it was Simon Längenfelder with the holeshot ahead of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle and Kay De Wolf of Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing.

While the majority of the field were clean into the first corner, unfortunately one of the riders that was caught out was Liam Everts of DIGA PROCROSS KTM Racing. He did not continue with the race.

Längenfelder continued to control the field, as Vialle was looking to get by De Wolf for second. Further down the field was Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jago Geerts and Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Roan Van de Moosdijk, who was making his debut on Husqvarna inside the top five.

Geerts then set the fastest lap of the race as Längenfelder started to get comfortable in the lead. De Wolf then crashed out of second and dropped down to fifth. He quickly started to come under pressure from Andrea Adamo of SM Action GasGas YUASA Battery, but was able to hold the position.

Längenfelder went on to win his first ever MX2 qualifying race with a 2.555 second advantage over Vialle and Geerts. Moosdijk finished fourth and De Wolf fifth.

Simon Längenfelder: “I had a really good start and after I managed to lead every single lap of the race. I did only a small mistake that you could see from MXGP-TV, but despite that I managed to do all properly. Being in the De Carli team is a big change for me also moving to Italy but I have to say that having so many great people around me in the team is amazing and I’m so happy to be in this team”.

Conrad Mewse: “It was a difficult and steady qualifying for me because I didn’t have a good start and I couldn’t do the passes that I wanted in the first lap. I had some problems with my goggle lens with the sun. In the end I managed to finish 8th that is not so bad, and I will try to keep some energy for tomorrow. Starting from the 8th gate is good for me and tomorrow for sure I’ll go for two solid starts and be there with the guys in front”.

Main Photo: Simon Längenfelder

Bottom Photos: 1. Jago Geerts 2. Tom Vialle

MX2 - Qualifying Race – Top 10 Classification: 1. Simon Längenfelder (GER, GASGAS), 26:35.758; 2. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), +0:02.555; 3. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:12.684; 4. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, Husqvarna), +0:21.277; 5. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:22.368; 6. Andrea Adamo (ITA, GASGAS), +0:24.493; 7. Hakon Fredriksen (NOR, Honda), +0:29.671; 8. Conrad Mewse (GBR, KTM), +0:34.613; 9. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, Kawasaki), +0:35.989; 10. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, GASGAS), +0:42.258;

With a great first day of racing, it’s all looking even better for tomorrow as we look forward to the second EMX races and the main action from MXGP and MX2 as we will see the first podiums of the 2022 season.

All the photos from the MXGP of Great Britain will be available HERE.

You can find the complete results HERE.

MXGP OF GREAT BRITAIN QUICK FACTS:

Circuit length: 2120m

Type of ground: Hard Pack

Temperature: 10° C

Weather conditions: Sunny

TIMETABLE (Local Timing GMT)

SUNDAY: 08:45 EMX Open Race 2, 09:25 MX2 Warm-up, 09:45 MXGP Warm-up, 10:30 EMX125 Race 2, 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

MXGP of Great Britain

MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 14 February 2022 – The FIM Motocross World Championship is just days away from the 2022 season opener taking place in Matterley Basin!

Take a look at the scheduled timetable and complete entry list for the MXGP, MX2, EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing EMX Open classes.

TIMETABLE

MXGP ENTRY LIST

MX2 ENTRY LIST

ADDITIONAL CLASSES:

EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Entry List

EMXOpen Entry List

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!

Users who have already downloaded other issues on their iOS device can automatically download the new issue by opening the News Stand and clicking on the cover of the MXGP Mag. Whereas those readers using an Android device will be able to download the magazine for free thanks to this app: http://bit.ly/IssuuOnAndroid.

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