As we count down the days to the start of our second season of bar-banging FIM Motocross World Championship action, we’re excited that we’ll soon get to see our four super-talented racers fly the GASGAS flag. Handling business in the MXGP class, and looking for a little redemption, will be Pauls Jonass alongside our second 450-class newcomer Brian Bogers. In MX2, things will be taken care of by the hard-charging Isak Gifting and our young German hot-shot Simon Langenfelder.
Representing GASGAS Motorcycles in the MXGP division, the Standing Construct GASGAS Factory Racing team has enlisted an all-new rider line-up for 2021. Former MX2 World Champion Pauls Jonass is joined by Dutchman Brian Bogers, and we’re confident this formidable pairing is capable of strong results throughout the upcoming season.
Despite missing much of the 2020 season due to injury, Pauls has made a quick transition to our MC 450F and has spent the winter busting out the laps in Spain in readiness for the 2021 MXGP World Championship. Feeling confident in both himself and with his new bike, the Latvian looks to return to his 2019 speed, which saw him climb onto the overall MXGP podium three times en route to finishing sixth in the final series standings.
The highly capable Brian Bogers put together an impressive 2020 MXGP World Championship season, which didn’t go unnoticed. Now, with the Dutchman armed with a full factory GASGAS MC 450F, we’re confident of supporting Brian reach the next level and believe he’ll be knocking on the door of the top five throughout the 2021 series.
In the MX2 class, Isak Gifting returns to the DIGA Procross GASGAS Factory Racing team for his first full season of world championship competition. He’ll be joined by Simon Langenfelder, another super-talented racer who frustratingly had his 2020 campaign cut short due to injury.
Since joining the DIGA Procross GASGAS Factory Racing team as a fill-in rider last year, Isak Gifting has certainly impressed on the MC 250F. The super-Swede claimed a couple of MX2 moto podiums, ending the season with a strong run of results. Carrying that momentum into the winter months, the 20-year-old has enjoyed his first off-season as part of an official team and has fully embraced the opportunity to better himself ahead of the 2021 season. With the modest goal of achieving consistent top-10 results, Isak has the speed to challenge for the podium on a weekly basis.
Simon Langenfelder returns for his second season of racing in the MX2 World Championship aboard GASGAS machinery. The young German showed huge potential in 2020 with his season highlighted by a fifth-place moto finish at round two, before placing ninth overall at the MXGP of Riga just two rounds later. Spending much of the off-season focused on his riding technique and improving his overall speed, Simon is now poised to break into the top 10 on a regular basis in 2021.
Scheduled to start on June 13 in Russia, the 2021 FIM Motocross World Championship consists of 19 rounds across the globe. Our racers will face the harshest of conditions, tough competitors, and experience bar-to-bar racing at each event with the champions crowned in Indonesia on December 5.
Pauls Jonass: “A new team for me this year and I’m really excited to be racing on a GASGAS! The Standing Construct team have had a lot of success in the past and they’re really professional, so I’m aiming to achieve strong results with them this season. Everything has been great so far and I feel like I fit in the team really well. I returned to riding in November and since then I’ve just been building and building and I’m in a really good place now with the bike and my fitness. If we can continue like this then my top-five speed will return, and I believe that I can push for the podium again. It’s not going to be easy but with how I’m feeling and with the progress we have made, it’s an achievable goal. We have a little bit of time until round one so until then we will keep working and learning. The goal for the year is to remain injury-free and be in the battle consistently every weekend. If we can do that then it will put us in a good place at the end of the season.”
Brian Bogers: “It’s been an easy transition for me going into the Standing Construct team. They are really organized, very professional and great people to work with. They already had a very good base setting for the bike, so I’ve not needed to do a lot of testing because the bike is already amazing. We did make some small changes for comfort mostly, so it’s been great to just ride and focus on my training both on and off the bike. With the calendar changes we have made a different training schedule in the lead up to round one but either way, I’ll be ready for the opening round. I have a really good team behind me, and they have given me the confidence to reach the next level so I will be pushing for stronger results in 2021.”
Isak Gifting: “I’m really excited for this year having spent a full off-season with the team, preparing for the season ahead. It was something new for me and I know that all the work that we have done will really help me when we start racing. We’ve spent a lot of time testing suspension settings and the bike is a really big improvement on last year. It was good last year but now, after spending all winter refining the bike, I feel the best I ever have on it. There is a little bit of pressure on me this season as the team and myself know that I can be on the podium, but I’m keeping my feet on the ground. The goals for this year are to be regularly inside the top 10, podium more often, and be more consistent. I think that on sand tracks I can push for wins. I’m realistic and know that it won’t be easy but with the progress that I’ve made with my preparation over the winter, and the improvements to the bike, I believe that I can achieve my goals this season.”
Simon Langenfelder: “It’s been a really productive winter for me. I recovered from my injury and then began testing with the team in December. We have some new parts on the bike for this season, so we spent some time finding the best set-up and we made some really good progress. The bike is improved a lot compared to last year. We’ve also ridden in a lot of different countries on many different surfaces, to test the bike in different conditions and it’s been really positive. On a personal level, I’ve worked on my technique as well. I’m using the clutch a lot less now, so this has helped with my momentum in corners. I’ve also focused on improving my fitness as well. I scored a couple of top-10 results in 2020 so my focus is on being a consistent top-10 rider in each and every race this year, and I feel like I can push for top fives as well. I’m excited to start the season. I feel really good on the bike and my fitness has never been better. I’m looking forward to a great season of racing.”
Robert Jonas – VP Motorsports Offroad: “Starting our second season of MXGP racing is a really exciting time for GASGAS. Last year, we achieved a lot of success including a GP win. This year, we believe that our riders can challenge for more wins and be at the front of the field in both classes. We have an all-new rider line-up in the MXGP class for 2021, and led by former world champion Pauls Jonass we're really looking forward to seeing what they can do on the MC 450F. Alongside Pauls, Brian Bogers showed incredible consistency and scored some really good results in 2020 – we feel that we can help guide Brian to even better things in 2021. In MX2, we have two very exciting riders, Isak Gifting and Simon Langenfelder. Isak was a revelation after he filled in for the team last season after Simon got injured, and he scored our first podium results in MX2. His all-action riding style fits the GASGAS brand perfectly and I can’t wait to see him race this year. Simon returns to the team for his second season in MX2. He showed a lot of potential last year with many outstanding results before his injury, so he’ll be one to watch. Overall, GASGAS are in a very good place to challenge for more success in 2021. We believe in the riders and believe that they can take GASGAS to the very top in MXGP.”
Photo Copyright: GASGAS Factory Racing
