MX2

The eleventh issue in 2020 of a monthly motorcycle sport magazine with some of the best interviews, features and Blogs from the heart of MXGP, MotoGP, AMA Motocross/Supercross and WorldSBK as well as tests and reviews of bikes and products from the motorcycling industry. Here are some of the highlights of OTOR #205:

- The Then & the Now: we speak to previous generations of MXGP race winners to ask what they think of the differences in the sport as time marches. Also a look into Hitachi KTM and how Yamaha found MX2 speed

- MotoGP in Portugal: 2020 reaches the chequered flag with a thrilling home performance and discovery of a special new circuit. Blogs and photos inside. Stories with Rossi/Yamaha and Honda

- Blades, Americans & Zach Osborne: more feature articles as Roland rides the latest Honda ‘Blade, we can Zach Osborne at home and the story of Garrett Gerloff

Read it HERE! 

Mattia Guadagnini is the 2020 EMX250 European Championship runner-up after owning nine races in his first season on a 250cc four-stroke machine. He adds the silver medal to the gold he won in 2019 as the FIM World and EMX125 #1 for what was his first major step onto the international stage.

Guadagnini will slot into Claudio de Carli’s side of the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing set-up where he will join the training program around Tony Cairoli and Jorge Prado and their Roman base. The Grand Prix rookie can count MX2 World Champion Tom Vialle and Rene Hofer as teammates in MX2 next year.

Red Bull KTM will continue to field Cairoli, Jeffrey Herlings and Prado on the KTM 450 SX-Fs in the MXGP division.

Mattia Guadagnini: “For me this is a dream come true to join the KTM family, especially the De Carli team as I grew up watching Tony’s races. I always said ‘one day I want to be there also and fight in the world championship’ so the day has come and I’m so happy. I like how they work as a big family, spending lots of time together. Also having Tony and Jorge as direct teammates will be awesome. I can learn a lot and I think I have all I need to work on my goals for the future!”

Claudio De Carli: “Mattia is one of the most interesting young riders in international motocross, he has already reached important milestones and he must continue in his growth to fight with the best riders in the world championship. We are happy to have him in our team and, as always, we will try to give him the best from a technical and training point of view. He gives me the impression of a boy with solid principles and great motivation and I want him to face this first year with us by working with his teammates, without pressure and with the aim of improving in every aspect in his first full season of MX2.”

Photo Copyright: Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 20 November 2020 – With the 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship settled, this is the perfect opportunity to re-live some of the best moments of this intense season with replays of MXGP’s 26min Behind the Gate Magazine!

Over the next weeks, every Friday, we will unlock a brand-new episode, which will be available on MXGP’s official Facebook and YouTube pages.

This week we will take a trip down memory lane to the opening round of the season in Matterley Basin for the MXGP of Great Britain, as we take a look at everything that happened during the races of the British Grand Prix, including some exclusive behind-the-scenes clips too!

Check out the 26 min Magazine from the 2020 MXGP of Great Britain below:

Next season the young Swiss Kevin Brumann (16) will compete on a Yamaha for the iXS MXGP Team in the MX2 category of the FIM Motocross World Championship.

The teenager from the canton of Aargau has already won two Swiss Championship titles in the 85cc and 125cc classes and is no doubt one of the greatest talents in Switzerland. The big dream of Brumann and his motocross enthusiastic family is of course to follow in the footsteps of the two top swiss motocross racers Jeremy Seewer and Arnaud Tonus. For this aim, the youngster from Ehrendingen works hard with his German coach and world-class racer Max Nagl.

The "iXS MXGP Team" is going into its second racing season as a completely independent Official World Championship Team supported by the hostettler group Sursee.

Daniel Zollinger, Team Boss: “Our team will start with two riders in the MX2 World Championship as well as in the two-top series ADAC MX Masters (Germany) and the Swiss MX2 Championship. Kevin is an extremely talented and hard-working boy who I believe will show a lot next year in the strong MX2 World Championship. Our team will do everything with passion and professionalism to support him and make his dreams come true. "

Photo Copyright: iXS MXGP Team

The third CIIE (China International Import Expo) was held on the 5th of November, which also included the sports exhibition for the first time. Thousands of people from all over the world participate in CIIE, including H&H Sports, the official MXGP of China organizer, who were proud to showcase the FIM Motocross World Championship on the CIIE stage.

H&H Sports are dedicated to promoting sports in China, as well as working hard to introduce the public to the incredible sport that is motocross, in order to continue with their mission of pushing the development of motorsports in China.

The director of sports bureau of Shanghai, Mr Bing Xu and the director of Haiwan district, Mrs Hong Yao visited the MXGP exhibits in CIIE, along with the China Education department. Additionally, the booth received plenty of attention online and was featured on social media channels, such as Great sports, for some interviews and more.

H&H Sports, along with Infront Moto Racing are now looking forward to the MXGP of China in 2021.

MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 11 November 2020 – With the 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship done and dusted for another year, there was more than the championships to celebrate, as this year’s MXGP and MX2 title winners, Tim Gajser and Tom Vialle were also presented with another special prize, the Tag Heuer Best Lap Award.

Being partner of the FIM Motocross World Championship, MXGP and Tag Heuer continued to run the Best Lap competition during the 2020 season, which saw riders awarded for the fastest lap time of the day during the MXGP and MX2 races. One rider, per category, who sets the best lap time during each race weekend, received 1 point in the TAG Heuer competition.

The rider that has set the fastest lap at the most rounds throughout the season in MXGP and MX2 classes and has the most points were awarded with this year’s prize. And this time around, the award went to this year’s World Champions, Tim Gajser and Tom Vialle, who took home the luxurious Swiss Tag Heuer watches. 

Gajser finished the season with 7 points, ahead of Jeffrey Herlings who had 3 and Romain Febvre with 2. Meanwhile in MX2, Vialle led with 6 points over Jago Geerts who had 5 and Jed Beaton who finished the season with 2 points.

During the final Gran Prix of the 2020 motocross world championship campaign, it was Gajser and Vialle who set the Tag Heuer Best Laps during the MXGP and MX2 races. Gajser clocked a lap time of 1.44:098 on the 13^th lap of the opening race. While in MX2, Vialle set the fastest lap of the races in the opening heat, where he set a 1.44:447 on the fifth lap of the race.

Find the full Tag Heuer Best Lap standings below:

MOANCO (Principality of Monaco) 11 November 2020 – MXGP are excited to have continued the FOX Holeshot competition than ran throughout the 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship, together with MXGP partner Fox.

The way the competition works is; during both MXGP and MX2 races, the rider who crosses the white line painted on the ground at the exit of the first corner will be awarded 1 point. At the end of the season, the 2 riders, one per category, with the most FOX Holeshot points wins the mega prize!

This season starts were more crucial than ever before, as the level of competition in both categories was at its highest. For the riders, starts are key, as they search for that extra edge over the rest of the field, with the starts being the best way to get ahead early.

During the MXGP of Garda Trentino, final Grand Prix of the 2020 season, it was Ivo Monticelli of Standing Construct GasGas Factory Racing Team who claimed his fourth Fox Holeshot of the season in the opening MXGP race, while in the second heat it was Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Gautier Paulin who got the advantage into the first corner, on his last MXGP race of his career.

While in MX2, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle continue to prove himself as the king of starts, as he secured his 21^st Fox Holeshot on his way to his 14^th race win of the 2020 campaign. In race two though, it was Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing rider Jago Geerts who crossed the white chalk line first, to very briefly lead the race.

With the 2020 season concluded, this also saw the finale of the Fox Holeshot Awards, with this year’s prize going to Jorge Prado of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, who despite missing the last few GP’s still ended the season with 16 points, 10 ahead of Team HRC’s Tim Gajser and Ivo Monticelli who finished the year on 4 points. For Prado this was the third consecutive year that he has won the award, having previously been victorious in 2018 and 2019 while racing in the MX2 category.

This year’s Fox Holeshot Award in the MX2 class went to Tom Vialle, who was unmatched when it came to getting out of the gate, as he racked up 21 Fox Holeshots, while his closest rival in the standings, Jago Geerts finished with 8 and his teammate Ben Watson with 3 points.

Both Vialle and a representative from Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, on behalf of Prado, received their FOX Holeshot cheques during the annual MXGP Awards which was streamed LIVE to audiences worldwide on MXGP’s Facebook page and MXGP-TV.com

Watch the FOX Holeshot Films from the MXGP of Garda Trentino below. 

MXGP FOX Holeshot Film

MX2 FOX Holeshot Film

MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 11 November 2020 – Infront Moto Racing is delighted to share the provisional calendar for the 2021 FIM Motocross World Championship season.

The 2021 season will begin later than usual; the plan is now to kick things off at the beginning of April, in order to give time for the pandemic to ease and for the teams and riders to carry out the testing and preparations that are needed for another intense season of racing. The aim is to keep the calendar with the usual format, though this will be adapted, if needed, to the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2021 racing calendar will feature 20 GP races and will introduce four brand-new venues, for the MXGP of Oman at the Muscat circuit, along with the MXGP of the Netherlands in Oss, the MXGP of Finland in Itti-KymiRing, already presented to feature in the 2020 calendar but then postponed to 2021, and the MXGP of Igora Drive in Russia.

Additionally, the FIM Motocross World Championship will also be returning to some of the favourite venues, including Agueda, Teutschenthal, Orlyonok, Kegums, Jakarta, Semarang, Loket, Lommel, Uddevalla, Afyonkarahisar, St Jean d’Angely, into Xanadu-Arroyomolinos and Neuquen in Patagonia-Argentina.

The season will begin on the 3^rd of April 2021 with the MXGP of Oman, before heading back to Europe for the MXGP of Italy, then followed by the MXGP of Portugal, Netherlands, Germany, Russia and Latvia. Then the series will head to Asia for two rounds in Indonesia, before returning to Czech Republic, Belgium, Sweden and Finland. Then towards the end of August, MXGP will return to Russia for the MXGP of Igora Drive, followed by Turkey, China, France, Spain and ending at the beautiful Patagonia Argentina.

And of course, after a year break, 2021 will also see the awaited return of the worldwide best off road event, the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations, which will head to Imola, Italy on the 26^th of September.

Take a look at the full provisional 2021 FIM Motocross World Championship calendar including the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship as well as the European Motocross Championships stops below:

Click HERE to download the 2021 MXGP Calendar in PDF Format.

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

FIM Europe

Husqvarna Motorcycles and the Nestaan-MX managed Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing MX2 team would like to thank Thomas Kjer Olsen for his dedication and many successes throughout the past four seasons in the FIM Motocross World Championship. Remaining with the brand that has taken him to 29 overall podiums and 5 GP wins, for the next two seasons TKO progresses to the MXGP division with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing.

Since beginning his MX2 World Championship career with Husqvarna Motorcycles in 2017, Thomas has been a regular title contender thanks to his outright speed and consistency. Placing third overall in his 2017 and 2018 campaigns, the 2019 season saw the FC 250 rider carry the series-leader red plate through four rounds, before ultimately going on to claim a runner-up finish in the championship standings.

Two injuries early in the 2020 season frustratingly ruled TKO out of contention for a world title. Racing himself back into shape, he ended the season strongly, with two GP wins and six overall podium results. Returning to his race-winning speed, a new chapter now awaits the Dane with a switch to the MXGP class on the FC 450 machinery of the IceOne Racing managed team.

Robert Jonas – Vice President Motorsports Offroad: “Thomas is a special talent and a hard worker. With Rasmus by his side, TKO developed to be a top rider in MX2 and his results speak for themselves. He’s dedicated to his racing and his move to MXGP is exciting for him and for us. I even believe that the FC 450 will suit his riding style even better and in the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing MXGP division he has everything he needs to continue his successful career. “

Rasmus Jorgensen - Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing MX2 Team Manager: “With TKO moving up to the MXGP class it marks the end the professional partnership between us. We have a great personal friendship and great memories with many accomplishments. Thomas was 2016 EMX250 Champion, then third in the MX2 World Championship in his first season in 2017. He was third again in 2018 and runner-up in 2019. This season was difficult with two injuries, but he’s never given up and ended the season strong in sixth place. I’m extremely proud to have had Thomas as a rider in my first year as the official Team Manager for Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing MX2 Team in 2020. To get to this point together truly is amazing and I will forever look back on the memories with great joy. I want to thank Thomas for his trust, dedication, and commitment over recent years and wish him the best of luck on his journey into the premier class. I’m really looking forward to following from the side lines as he takes on this new chapter in his career. I truly believe he will suit the FC 450 really well and will surprise people next year. I know he will be in great hands within the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing MXGP Team. Thank you, Thomas!”