FIMVETERANS

At the MXGP of The Netherlands in Assen on the weekend of August 29^th, the FIM Veterans World Cup will take place which will include some of the greats such as Mats Nilsson and Darryl King. MX2 Star Tim Gajser’s father Bogomir Gajser is also entered to race. Here below the official entry list.

On behalf of MXGP, our FIM Motocross World Champions would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year with the video below!

Last weekend at MXGP of Sweden the FIM Veterans Motocross World Cup took place. There's nothing like a bit of retro riding to help us reminisce over the 'golden era'. Although motocross, along with everything else in the world such as cars, televisions, mobile phones, the list goes on, has evolved in ways no one could have ever imagined, the heroes of yesterday will always be admired for the way they manned those lethal weapons back then, and there is an even greater appreciation for those who still aren't scared to let it rip today.

For the full race report 'The old go for gold' from the FIM Veterans Motocross World Cup in Uddevalla, Sweden, click here.

Johnny O'mara

Meanwhile, we also managed to catch up with the legend of the 1986 FIM Motocross of Nations, in Maggiora, Italy - the man himself Johnny O'mara.

Born and raised in Southern California, his upbringing was constantly focused around dirt bikes with his father being a keen desert rider, so it was only natural Johnny would be inclined to swing his leg over one. While joyous family outings on motorcycles were great it didn’t feed Johnny’s hunger for success and at the age of ten the eager beaver began dabbling in local the motocross scene.

Lining up next to the nearest milk crate, a petite-framed Johnny O’Mara would climb aboard his 100cc motorcycle in an effort to bring home some amateur race glory. Although the road up to and through the amateur ranks wasn’t easy Johnny had one quality a lot of other motocross talents didn’t have – a fierce work ethic.

The saying “Hard work will beat talent when talent doesn’t work hard” is one that Johnny swears by. “I am definitely one that would say with physical training you can never do enough. I believe your body is the only thing that can make you win. They say it’s a lot about the motorcycle, but I don’t agree, I say its more about your body because if you have a weak body you are not going to be able to ride fast on a motorcycle. It’s a combination but it starts with your body.”

To read the rest of this interview click here.

Check out all the race two highlights in the videos below from the FIM Veterans Motocross World Cup and European Championship EMX250 and EMX300 today in Uddevalla, Sweden.

VMX Race 2 Highlights

EMX250 Race 2 Highlights

EMX300 Race 2 Highlights

UDDEVALLA (Sweden), 06 July 2014 – There’s nothing like a bit of modernized retro racing which is what is delivered with the one and only round of the FIM Veterans Motocross World Cup taking place this weekend at Uddevalla, Sweden. While the local hero and defending champion Mats Nilsson came into the weekend as the hot favorite, the Swede ended up handing over the red plate this weekend losing out to Czech Martin Zerava and New Zealander Darryll King respectively.

Race one

With a full gate of forty over forties, the gates dropped yesterday afternoon with four riders taking charge. It was Sweden’s own Mats Nilsson who took the early lead but soon lost it when the speedy Spaniard Francisco Garcia Vico blitzed past him a few turns later. While the initial action belonged to Nilsson and Garcia Vico, the duo soon had bigger problems with Kiwi Darryll King and Czech Martin Zerava also creeping in.

While the four switched positions like kids switch Pokémon cards, they eventually dropped Garcia Vico around mid race to make it a three-way for the win.

Entering the closing stages of the race, Zerava had had enough of playing games and dropped the hammer to take over the lead. After inching out ever so slightly the Czech’s hard work soon came undone when he crashed and dropped back a few seconds on King and Nilsson.

With one lap to go, King was riding sharp up front covering the insides in defense of the first moto win. Meanwhile Zerava had re-grouped and managed to use the advantage of lapped traffic to pass Nilsson with half a lap to go. While the race remained tight right through to the finish, the Kiwi, King held on for race one glory leaving Zerava and Nilsson to settle in second and third. Garcia Vico and Austrian Christoph Lackner rounded out the top five.

Race two

Elbows up and knees out, the final race of the FIM Veterans World Cup took place this morning with the Czech Martin Zerava out to redeem himself after his slip up late in the race yesterday.

Redeem himself is exactly what he did when he got off to a cracking start and embraced the ‘pin it to win it’ method to convincingly win the second race and take his first ever VMX World Cup victory.

Meanwhile the defending champ Mats Nilsson, who may have been feeling the heat this weekend as he lined up with compression top as his race shirt, followed Zerava around turn one with the Spaniard Francisco Garcia Vico and Italian Michele Del Bosco hot on his heels.  Race one winner, all the way from New Zealand, Darryll King, clearly didn’t get the jump off the gate surfacing around eighth place early on, in lap one.

While Nilsson rode an effortless second place with Garcia Vico looking comfortable in third, King began his charge. After putting a wheel in on Del Bosco for a good couple of laps yet not being able to shift the Italian from his path, King known to his fans as ‘DK’ soon drove Del Bosco wide and made a pass that would stick.

After moving into fourth, King knuckled down yet it was too little too late for the Kiwi as time ran out and he was forced to be content with fourth in race two making him the bridesmaid this year in the VMX World Cup.

With the waving of the checkered flag, the race two results read Zerava, Nilsson, Garcia Vico, King with local man Stefan Norström rounding out the top five.

With the combination of results from both races this weekend, Czech Martin Zerava went two-one to claim the 2014 FIM Veterans Motocross World Cup.  While after winning race one and salvaging fourth place in race two, the 2012 VMX World Cup holder Darryll King stood on the second step of the podium with the local legend Mats Nilsson rounding out the top three. Spaniard Francisco Garcia Vico only just missed out on the podium finishing fourth while Swedish Stefan Norström took home fifth.

VMX Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Darryll King (NZL, Yamaha), 24:27.941; 2. Martin Zerava (CZE, Suzuki), +0:01.159; 3. Mats Nilsson (SWE, Yamaha), +0:01.958; 4. Francisco Garcia Vico (ESP, Honda), +0:32.763; 5. Christoph Lackner (AUT, KTM), +0:37.296; 6. Stefan Norström (SWE, Yamaha), +0:46.492; 7. Brian Wheeler (GBR, Kawasaki), +1:09.263; 8. Sebastien Haenni (SUI, Yamaha), +1:19.428; 9. Sebastien Midali (FRA, Honda), +1:22.318; 10. Pascal Bal (BEL, KTM), +1:26.718.

VMX Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Martin Zerava (CZE, Suzuki), 23:58.744; 2. Mats Nilsson (SWE, Yamaha), +0:06.362; 3. Francisco Garcia Vico (ESP, Honda), +0:07.573; 4. Darryll King (NZL, Yamaha), +0:08.682; 5. Stefan Norström (SWE, Yamaha), +0:24.610; 6. Fredrik Werner (SWE, Honda), +0:34.982; 7. Brian Wheeler (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:36.121; 8. Christoph Lackner (AUT, KTM), +0:40.393; 9. Phil Mercer (GBR, KTM), +0:42.209; 10. Leons Kozlovskis (LAT, Suzuki), +1:01.353

VMX Overall Top Ten: 1. Martin Zerava (CZE, SUZ), 47 points; 2. Darryll King (NZL, YAM), 43 p.; 3. Mats Nilsson (SWE, YAM), 42 p.; 4. Francisco Garcia Vico (ESP, HON), 38 p.; 5. Stefan Norström (SWE, YAM), 31 p.; 6. Christoph Lackner (AUT, KTM), 29 p.; 7. Brian Wheeler (GBR, KAW), 28 p.; 8. Fredrik Werner (SWE, HON), 25 p.; 9. Phil Mercer (GBR, KTM), 21 p.; 10. Pascal Bal (BEL, KTM), 21 p.

VMX Championship Standings Top Ten: 1. Martin Zerava (CZE, SUZ), 47 points; 2. Darryll King (NZL, YAM), 43 p.; 3. Mats Nilsson (SWE, YAM), 42 p.; 4. Francisco Garcia Vico (ESP, HON), 38 p.; 5. Stefan Norström (SWE, YAM), 31 p.; 6. Christoph Lackner (AUT, KTM), 29 p.; 7. Brian Wheeler (GBR, KAW), 28 p.; 8. Fredrik Werner (SWE, HON), 25 p.; 9. Phil Mercer (GBR, KTM), 21 p.; 10. Sebastien Midali (FRA, HON), 21 p.

VMX Manufacturers: 1. Suzuki, 47 points; 2. Yamaha, 47 p.; 3. Honda, 38 p.; 4. KTM, 29 p.; 5. Kawasaki, 28 p.; 6. Husqvarna, 3 p.

Click here to obtain the complete results.

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

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

MXGP SWEEDEN – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1530

Type of ground: Hard Pack

Temperature: 24°

Weather conditions: cloudy

TIMETABLE

SUNDAY: MX2 Race 1 13:15; MXGP Race 1 14:15; MX2 Race 2 16:10; MXGP Race 2 17:10.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

MXGP of Sweden

UDDEVALLA (Sweden), 05 July 2014 – We didn’t expect a summery MXGP of Sweden, but it turned out to be nice and toasty, blanketed with blue skies and a handful of clouds. With multiple changes to the track which has taken on a change of direction so the circuit now runs ‘backwards’, compared to recent years, a few new sections of rollers and a different position for the start and finish lines, round twelve of the FIM Motocross World Championship commenced with Rockstar Energy Suzuki World’s Clement Desalle and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings heading into tomorrow on pole.

Meanwhile rounds five of the European Championships EMX250 and EMX300 also let it rip here around Uddevalla with race one glory going, for the first time this season, to Wilvo Forkrent KTM’s Adam Sterry in the EMX250 while TM Racing Team’s Samuele Bernardini cleared out for a convincing win in the EMX300.

As for the FIM Veterans Motocross World Cup, the 2012 VMX World Cup victor Darryll King edged out Martin Zerava and Mats Nilsson for the win in race one.

MXGP

Lining up for the MXGP qualifying heat, the riders were faced with what appeared to be a wide sweeping first turn, yet a tricky one as the surface doesn’t hold a lot of traction and the turn gets narrower on the exit. Anyway, the gates dropped and the throttles were wound open, all with hopes of getting there and making it through safe and up front.

Leading the way Rockstar Energy Suzuki World’s duo of Clement Desalle and Kevin Strijbos went one-two around turn one with Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Steven Frossard, Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Dean Ferris and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli all up in the mix, too.

While Desalle put his diesel style of riding to good use, remaining steady and consistent to take his second pole position of the year, his teammate Strijbos looked eager for the win. While Strijbos charged hard, coming in on Desalle from all angles, it wasn’t enough at the checkers and he had to settle for second.

Meanwhile, Frossard pushed hard the entire race, too, eating roost off the rear wheels of the two Suzuki’s that led. Also within striking distance Cairoli looked content with fourth pick of the gate not doing anything drastic to move into the top three, eventually finishing fourth behind the Frenchman Frossard.

Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Van Horebeek didn’t quite come to grips with the surface during the race and finished in a distant fifth, while Ferris, who was initially racing up front, made a few mistakes and lost his rhythm to come home in tenth.

MXGP Qualifying Race top ten: 1. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 24:26.947; 2. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:00.821; 3. Steven Frossard (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:03.824; 4. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:11.713; 5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:24.809; 6. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +0:28.079; 7. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:28.791; 8. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), +0:29.349; 9. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:31.296; 10. Dean Ferris (AUS, Husqvarna), +0:39.493.

MX2

It appears MXGP of Sweden just kick started ‘silly-season’ with loads of riders in talks with possible teams for next year. All were looking hungry, riding with a ton of aggression in attempt to make a statement that they could be the next big challenger in 2015.

When the gates dropped for the MX2 qualifying heat race, many people had to squint as they tried to decipher the number of the rider that led. To the surprise of most it was Sahkar Racing’s Harri Kullas who took a massive holeshot and went on to lead the best part of the first few laps.

Chasing Kullas around turn one, Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe’s young star Jeremy Seewer, followed by the classes normal hot starter KTM Silver Actions Jose Butron and the champ Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings.

With Kullas up front, the young Fin had the weight of the world on his shoulders and actually did a stellar job at holding off the train of stars that followed and even went as far as to pass Herlings back a couple of times while struggling to maintain the lead. Despite the enormous display of heart and effort, Kullas eventually dropped back but still rode amazing to come home in sixth.

Meanwhile when Herlings took over the lead on lap four, it was goodnight nurse to the rest of the competition, leaving the crowd hooked on the battle for second which not only welcomed a feud for second pick at the gate but also a fight of pride as three of MX2’s fastest Frenchmen duked it out.

It was a nail biting race as Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jordi Tixier only just managed to hold off CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy’s Dylan Ferrandis who was pushing mega hard all the way to the finish. Meanwhile, Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Romain Febvre was also in the mix and came home in a close fourth.

Rounding out the top five with a very impressive performance, the promising young Swiss rider Jeremy Seewer wrapped up his best qualifying race finish of the season.

MX2 Qualifying Race top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 24:29.561; 2. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +0:12.183; 3. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:13.259; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:24.296; 5. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:28.335; 6. Harri Kullas (FIN, KTM), +0:34.067; 7. Valentin Guillod (SUI, KTM), +0:35.253; 8. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, Husqvarna), +0:42.675; 9. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), +0:43.163; 10. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:46.046.

Click here to obtain the complete results.

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

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

MXGP SWEDEN – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1530

Type of ground: Hard Pack

Temperature: 26°

Weather conditions: cloudy

TIMETABLE

SUNDAY: VMX Warm-up 08:20; EMX300 Warm-up 08:40; EMX250 Warm-up 09:00; MX2 Warm-up 09:15; MXGP Warm-up 09:40; VMX Race 2 10:25; EMX300 Race 2 11:10; EMX250 Race 2 12:00; MX2 Race 1 13:15; MXGP Race 1 14:15; MX2 Race 2 16:10; MXGP Race 2 17:10.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

MXGP of Sweden

UDDEVALLA (Sweden), 04 July 2014 – Youthstream is very pleased to announce the provisional calendars of the 2015 FIM Motocross World Championships, 2015 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations and 2015 FIM Snowcross World Championship.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

FUNCHAL (Portugal), 02 July 2014 - A solid fixture on the FIM Motocross World Championship calendar, this season’s round twelve is all set to take place in Uddevalla, Sweden. This weekend will mark the fourteenth consecutive year Uddevalla has hosted a round of the motocross world championship and while the circuit itself is familiar to many, a handful of changes in the terms of layout and composition are to be expected.

Joining MXGP and MX2 this weekend, rounds five of the European Championship EMX250 and EMX300 will take place with CNC doors KTM’s Steven Clarke looking to maintain his healthy thirty-two-point lead in the EMX250 over fellow Brit Hitachi Construction Machinery UK KTM’s Ben Watson, while in the EMX300 TM Racing Team’s Samuele Bernardini will be looking to extend his sixteen point advantage over Team Maddii Racing’s Marco Maddii.

With Sweden being the home of the most successful veteran motocrossers in history, Mats Nilsson, who has a whopping eleven race wins under his belt and three VMX World Cup titles, Uddevalla is the perfect place to host the one and only round of the 2014 FIM Veteran Motocross World Cup. While Nilsson will be aiming to defend his crown and add another notch to his belt, he’s going to be up against some stiff competition with the likes of Spanish legend Javi Garcia Vico, who openly admits he lines up for nothing less than first, as well as the 2012 FIM VMX World Champion, all the way from New Zealand, Darryll King. Both King and Garcia Vico have been big names in the FIM Motocross World Championship for many years and it’s always a pleasure for the fans to see even after all this time, the passion to race is still there and so are those skills that once blew everyone away.

MXGP

Rockstar Energy Suzuki World’s Clement Desalle is quietly gnawing away at the lead of the reining world champ Antonio Cairoli with a mare twenty-five points separating the two. Twenty-five points is the difference of one good race versus one bad race, and while nine times out of ten, such a scenario is unlikely, we have come to learn that in motocross, anything can happen.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli, at this very circuit in Uddevalla, has felt the full effect of the statement ‘anything can happen’. In an odd turn of events back in 2012, Tony didn’t score a single point in both races. Funnily enough, on that same weekend Desalle went 1 – 1 for a perfect score. Luckily for Tony, he managed to put that weekend, which could be named the worst weekend of his career, behind him when he bounced back with a double victory last year.

It’s coming. Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Van Horebeek has only five more shots at standing top of the box, as does fellow Belgian Rockstar Energy Suzuki World’s Kevin Strijbos. Strijbos put in a solid display of speed and endurance last weekend at the local Belgian Championship defeating his countryman Van Horebeek as well as the king of MX2 Jeffrey Herlings, for the victory and a smidge of extra confidence coming into this weekend.

Meanwhile, no one will be underestimating the race strength of Team HRC’s Max Nagl who bounced back in awe-inspiring fashion at the last round of MXGP when he won race one despite having eight weeks off the bike. The German inspiration will be looking put himself and Honda back on the box again this weekend as he fights for a place on a factory team for season 2015.

Surprise of the weekend will be the return of last year’s star of the MX2 ranks, Australian Dean Ferris. Ferris will be standing in for Tyla Rattray at Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna Factory Racing’s, which should raise some eyebrows as he has previously gone on the record to say he prefers the MXGP bikes to the smaller MX2 machines.

MXGP World Championship Classification Top Ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 477 points; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, SUZ), 452 p.; 3. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 440 p.; 4. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 350 p.; 5. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 242 p.; 6. Steven Frossard (FRA, KAW), 237 p.; 7. Gautier Paulin (FRA, KAW), 205 p.; 8. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HON), 205 p.; 9. David Philippaerts (ITA, YAM), 185 p.; 10. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 184 p.

2013 MX1 Podium

1. Antonio Cairoli     

2. Ken de Dycker

3. Clement Desalle

2013 MX1 POLEMAN: Steven Frossard

MX2

“Domination means everything” were the words that were posted on Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings social media accounts this week. The photo accompanying the caption was of his forty-two red plates all lined up in rows of seven. The nineteen year old Dutch sensation will go into this round as the hot favorite to expand that count to forty-three.

Meanwhile teammate of ‘The Bullet’, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jordi Tixier has finally taken over third in the championship standings and with CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy’s Arnaud Tonus out with a broken shoulder, the Frenchman should be on track to take back that number two spot he is desperately trying to defend.

Honda’s hottest prospect, Tim Gajser onboard a Honda Gariboldi supported CRF250R appeared to have stepped it up at the last round of MX2 in Teutschenthal. The Slovenian is really starting to hook gears which has many excited for what his future may bring.

The super Swiss flying the flag for Standing Construct KTM, Valentin Guillod is still on the hunt for his first ever MX2 podium overall. The talented youngster has proved his speed is there with two qualifying race pole positions already under his belt, yet the result on race day has not yet come to pass. Maybe this weekend we will see the likeable Swiss, with his countryman out of the running, fly the flag high for Switzerland.

Meanhile young Russian Aleksandr Tonkov has been struggling to keep his Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing FC250 rubber side down this season, he did manage to wrap up fifth overall in Teutschenthal which could be a sign better results are on the way.

MX2 World Championship Classification Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 494 points; 2. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, KAW), 389 p.; 3. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 369 p.; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, HUS), 358 p.; 5. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, KAW), 343 p.; 6. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 313 p.; 7. Valentin Guillod (SUI, KTM), 256 p.; 8. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, HUS), 256 p.; 9. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 238 p.; 10. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 211 p.

2013 MX2 Podium

1. Jeffrey Herlings                 

2. Christophe Charlier

3. Jordi Tixier

2013 MX2 POLEMAN: Jeffrey Herlings

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

TIMETABLE

SATURDAY: EMX300 Free/Timed Practice 08:00; EMX250 Group 1 Free/Timed Practice 08:35; EMX250 Group 2 Free/Timed Practice 09:10; VMX Free Practice 09:45; MX2 Free Practice 10:15; MXGP Free Practice 10:45; VMX Time Practice 11:15; EMX250 Last chance qualifying race 12:20; EMX300 Race 1 13:20; MX2 Time practice 14:00; MXGP Time practice 14:35; VMX Race 1 15:20; MX2 Qualifying race 16:10; MXGP Qualifying race 17:00; EMX250 Race 1 17:40.

SUNDAY: VMX Warm-up 08:20; EMX300 Warm-up 08:40; EMX250 Warm-up 09:00; MX2 Warm-up 09:15; MXGP Warm-up 09:40; VMX Race 2 10:25; EMX300 Race 2 11:10; EMX250 Race 2 12:00; MX2 Race 1 13:15; MXGP Race 1 14:15; MX2 Race 2 16:10; MXGP Race 2 17:10.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

MXGP of Sweden