MX2

KEGUMS (Latvia)12 August 2020 – Another day of Grand Prix races has concluded here in Kegums, for round four of the 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship.

This time around, we were all treated to an amazing mid-week showdown courtesy of the MXGP and MX2 riders. Both of the races from each class saw plenty of extreme battles that kept us all on our toes, as we continued the trip in Latvia with the second of three back-to-back GPs for the MXGP of Riga.

Antonio Cairoli of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and Jago Geerts from Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing were the winners of the MXGP of Riga, though their wins didn’t come easy.

Race one of the MXGP class saw drama straight from the get go as a group of riders got caught out in a first turn crash including Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Arminas Jasikonis as well as Calvin Vlaanderen and Alessandro Lupino of Gebben Van Venrooy Yamaha Racing, plus Jeffrey Herlings of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, among others.

Though at the front it was the other Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Jorge Prado who claimed the FOX Holeshot in the opening race, followed by team-mate Antonio Cairoli and Jeremy Van Horebeek of Honda SR Motoblouz who had a fantastic start.

Team HRC’s Tim Gajser was also down the order in the opening laps and was showing down in 22^nd position, not where the defending world champion would have hoped to be.

At the front though, Cairoli wasted no time to move into the lead as he passed Prado, who then had issue of his own as he had to pull into the pits to change his damaged front wheel and later re-joined the race a lap down from the leaders, and finished the race 29^th.

With a problem in the start, Herlings was wasting no time in the opening race, finding his way around a group of riders. Jasikonis was also left with a lot of work ahead of him having to pick off riders in order to salvage some points in the first race.

By lap 7, the Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team riders Romain Febvre and Clement Desalle were in a battle of their own, with Febvre eventually finding a way past his team-mate and Standing Construct GasGas Factory rider Ivo Monticelli to move into 6^th.

Meanwhile for Gajser the race was a tough one, he managed to get up to the top 15^, though not long after that had a dramatic crash which saw him out of the opening MXGP race.

Herlings and Jasikonis were making a great come-back through the field, with Herlings catching up to Van Horebeek who was holding on to a fantastic second place behind Cairoli who was in control of the race. On lap 14 though, Van Horebeek came under immense pressure from Febvre and Herlings, losing two positions on a single lap.

With one lap to go it was Cairoli, Febvre, Herlings and Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Seewer which is how they finished the race, with Van Horebeek eventually crossing the line in P5, with Desalle in 6^th, Standing Construct GasGas Factory rider Glenn Coldenhoff in 7^th and Jasikonis making a good comeback to 8^th.

In race two, it was Ivo Monticelli flying out of the gate and went on to claim the second FOX Holeshot of the MXGP of Riga. Cairoli had another fantastic start and was up in 2^nd, closely followed by Mitch Evans of Team HRC, with Herlings and Jasikonis right there as well.

As the riders made their way around the Kegums circuit, Febvre and Gajser made contact in one of the corners, which saw Febvre go down while Gajser just about managed to stay up. The crash really put a dent in Febvre’s podium hopes for this mid-week race.

Eager to make up for the first race, Herlings wasted no time as he moved up into P2 and chased after the 9-time world champion. Jasikonis also joined in on the party and was right there ready to challenge for the win.

It didn’t take long for Herlings to catch and pass Cairoli, who then came under fire from the #27 of Jasikonis who then went after the race leader.

Meanwhile Desalle was also moving up the order as he passed Monticelli for 6^th place, while his team-mate Romain Febvre, was up in 17^th.

Towards the later stages Cairoli caught onto the back of Jasikonis, who managed to keep the #222 behind him, before the race took a dramatic toll, which saw Herlings go down with just 2 laps to go.

As Cairoli came around the corner, he could not avoid the fallen race leader, and as a result went down himself, allowing Jasikonis to become the new race leader with a little bit of breathing room.

Though he couldn’t rest for long as with a lap and a bit to go, Seewer was on his back, with Herlings right there as well. In the end it was Jasikonis who claimed his career first race win, followed by Seewer and Herlings who finished 3^rd.  Cairoli finished 4^th while Tim Gajser made his way back up to 5^th.

Overall it was Antonio Cairoli who claimed his 90^th career Grand Prix win with 43 points, while Seewer place 2^nd overall with 40 points, with Herlings matching him for points and occupying the third step of the podium.

Antonio Cairoli: “I’m really happy to be back on the podium and win of course as last Sunday wasn’t my day for sure, I was thinking after the second race that I injured my knee again, I went to the doctor yesterday to get some fluid out and to put some anti inflammation because it was very swollen. In the first race today, I stayed out of trouble and I could find a good rhythm and ride smooth so that’s what we did and I’m very happy. In the second race I once again had a good start, then Jeffrey and Jasikonis were riding very fast so they passed me, I tried to follow and maybe hold my position in the race, I knew if I don’t make a mistake I can push a little bit. Then at one point, on the last laps I just saw the yellow flags, there was Jeffrey on the ground, and I got caught in that too. I had a gap on the next guy, so I though okay let’s just stay there and see what happens. But I was already happy about today with improvements on last weekend, so I’m already looking forward to the next race.  

Jeremy Seewer: “We had some great racing also on Sunday and I feel super happy because I finished strong, I had some good battles with some tough guys, and I recovered after bad starts. I feel great but on the other hand in both second races I was quite close to the win and today I have the chance to win the GP but overall I’m happy with the results, I made no big mistakes, the track is rough so it’s easy to make mistakes, I feel good, my bike is working well, I’m happy for things that are getting better so really I’m ready for the next race on Sunday”.

Jeffrey Herlings: “In the first race there was a bike in front of me and I rode into him then had to re-group and had to come from last like I did in the second race last weekend, I managed to work my way up to third and I just didn’t manage to pass Febvre. Then in the second race I had a really good start, I think third, that was actually what I was waiting for after the terrible starts. I was much better and managed to pass Tony in the second or third lap and leading until two laps to go, then my front wheel washed away, it’s a mistake, it’s weird because I never normally make those mistakes, but we still managed to finished third. I already apologised to Tony but I apologise again because he might have crashed because of me but I got on the podium and we still lead the championship so hopefully this Sunday we can be on top of the box”.

MXGP - Grand Prix Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 34:29.922; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:04.620; 3. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:05.673; 4. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:07.124; 5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Honda), +0:12.248; 6. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:14.327; 7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, GASGAS), +0:18.408; 8. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, Husqvarna), +0:19.625; 9. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +0:25.257; 10. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), +0:38.414.

MXGP - Grand Prix Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, Husqvarna), 34:12.449; 2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:01.125; 3. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:02.108; 4. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:21.521; 5. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:25.447; 6. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:30.133; 7. Ivo Monticelli (ITA, GASGAS), +0:32.726; 8. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:34.095; 9. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Yamaha), +0:35.204; 10. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +0:36.397.

MXGP – Overall Top 10 Classification: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 43 points; 2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 40 p.; 3. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 40 p.; 4. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 38 p.; 5. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 32 p.; 6. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 30 p.; 7. Ivo Monticelli (ITA, GAS), 24 p.; 8. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 23 p.; 9. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 23 p.; 10. Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 21 p.

MXGP – Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 170 points; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 142 p.; 3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 129 p.; 4. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 121 p.; 5. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 120 p.; 6. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, GAS), 117 p.; 7. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 110 p.; 8. Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 101 p.; 9. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 82 p.; 10. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 73 p.

MXGP – Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 175 points; 2. Honda, 165 p.; 3. Yamaha, 144 p.; 4. Kawasaki, 137 p.; 5. GASGAS, 131 p.; 6. Husqvarna, 124 p.

Main Photo: Antonio Cairoli

Bottom Photos: 1. Jeremy Seewer; 2. Jeffrey Herlings

In MX2, the races were just as thrilling as in the premier class. In the opening race it was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing who carried on his FOX Holeshot streak as he got another flying start here in Kegums. He was closely followed by Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 rider Jago Geerts, as well as the two F&K Kawasaki Racing Team riders Roan Van de Moosdijk and Mathys Boisrame.

Then in the early stages of the race bad luck struck the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory machine of Ben Watson who was forced out of the race with a technical issue. Drama also struck Ruben Fernandez of Team SDM Corse Yamaha who went down and re-joined the race in last place.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory MX2 rider Thomas Kjer Olsen was having a much better start to the races and was running in 5^th, trying to catch Boisrame who was just ahead of him.

By lap 7, Geerts extended his lead to 3 seconds over Vialle, who had Moosdijk and Boisrame breathing down his neck as they aimed for higher positions. The three riders were then in a battle of their own. By the following lap Van de Moosdijk had managed to pass Vialle and then another lap later it was Boisrame’s turn who also passed the KTM rider and moved into P3.

As Olsen closed down on Vialle, fellow Dane Mikkel Haarup from F&H Kawasaki Racing was also closing in on Maxime Renaux of SM Action MC Migliori – J1 Racing. He was later able to pass the Yamaha rider and moved up into 6^th which meant that the F&H squad had all three of their riders well in the top 10.

With just a few laps to go, Olsen put a charge on Vialle, and tried to pass the Frenchman at the end of pitlane but just missed out, which meant he had to settle for 5^th in the race.

In the end it was Jago Geerts who won the opening MX2 race, followed by Van de Moosdijk, Boisrame and Vialle.

In the second race, it was the race one winner, Jago Geerts who claimed his first FOX Holeshot of the season as he crossed the white chalk line on turn one first. Van de Moosdijk was right there in second with Vialle in third. Meanwhile it was another strong start for Boisrame, as well as Nathan Crawford of Honda 114 Motorsport who was in 5^th.

Boisrame wasted no time and was all over the back of Vialle, while Olsen got caught up in more drama and was riding back to the pits following a crash.

Boisrame made a swift move on Vialle, and then set his sights on his team-mate Van de Moosdijk just ahead of him. The two F&H Kawasaki riders battled with one another for most of the races, as Boisrame was held up by his team-mate at one point in the race, as he was clearly keen to push for more.

While Watson was making his way back up the board in P14, Boisrame continued to look for a way to pass his team-mate which allowed Vialle to step it up a gear and catch up to the two Kawasaki.

With 8 minutes + 2 laps to go, it was Geerts who continued to lead. Van de Moosdijk was in P2 with Boisrame not letting off right behind him. Then there was Vialle, who was being followed by Renaux and the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory machine of Jed Beaton who was having a much better race that time around.

Fernandez was also there in 7^th, with Haarup, Rene Hofer of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and Hitachi KTM fuelled by Milwaukee rider Conrad Mewse was there in 9^th.

As Watson continued to climb positions, his team-mate Geerts had made a mistake that lost him a load of time allowing Van de Moosdijk to get close to the leader.

In the end Van de Moosdijk ran out of time and was forced to settle for 2^nd, as Geerts took a double race win, and Boisrame finished third.

Overall it was Jago Geerts with a great comeback to claim 2 race wins, 1 FOX Holeshot and the top step of the podium, meanwhile we all experienced a ‘Deja Vu’ moment with Van de Moosdijk finishing 2^nd, with his team-mate Boisrame as the third rider on the podium.

Jago Geerts: “It was a really good day for me, had two really good starts and got my first FOX Holeshot of the year so I’m really happy with that. My riding was good all day and now I’m looking forward to Sunday to get a little closer to the championship. But we will see, I just take it race by race and we will go again on Sunday”.

Roan Van de Moosdijk: “It’s been a great day, even better than Sunday. I had two good starts because I had pole position and then in the first race I could control the whole race. Then in the second race I had some nice battles with my team-mate, those were nice and then I was able to catch the leader a little bit at the end so that was a great feeling, unfortunately just a few seconds too short on the win but we will try it again on Sunday. My rhythm now, I’m really happy with it”.

Mathys Boisrame: “I started not so good in the second race, but I pulled. I tried to pass my team-mate but it was difficult, I tried but then I made a big mistake and after I started to feel a little bit tired but I’m satisfied with my third position on the podium”.

MX2 - Grand Prix Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), 34:34.944; 2. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, Kawasaki), +0:06.931; 3. Mathys Boisrame (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:15.342; 4. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), +0:18.595; 5. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:19.252; 6. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, Kawasaki), +0:30.541; 7. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +0:31.462; 8. Jed Beaton (AUS, Husqvarna), +0:39.086; 9. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GASGAS), +0:55.019; 10. Stephen Rubini (FRA, Honda), +0:56.005.

MX2 - Grand Prix Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), 34:33.523; 2. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, Kawasaki), +0:09.759; 3. Mathys Boisrame (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:22.991; 4. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), +0:26.744; 5. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +0:28.558; 6. Jed Beaton (AUS, Husqvarna), +0:29.115; 7. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Yamaha), +0:41.580; 8. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, Kawasaki), +0:44.459; 9. Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:47.093; 10. Alvin Östlund (SWE, Honda), +1:04.442.

MX2 – Overall Top 10 Classification: 1. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 50 points; 2. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, KAW), 44 p.; 3. Mathys Boisrame (FRA, KAW), 40 p.; 4. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 36 p.; 5. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 30 p.; 6. Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS), 28 p.; 7. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, KAW), 28 p.; 8. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, YAM), 23 p.; 9. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GAS), 21 p.; 10. Alvin Östlund (SWE, HON), 19 p.

MX2 – Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 170 points; 2. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 162 p.; 3. Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS), 123 p.; 4. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 116 p.; 5. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, KAW), 115 p.; 6. Mathys Boisrame (FRA, KAW), 110 p.; 7. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, KAW), 92 p.; 8. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 91 p.; 9. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 89 p.; 10. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 73 p.

MX2 Manufacturers: 1. Yamaha, 183 points; 2. KTM, 173 p.; 3. Kawasaki, 149 p.; 4. Husqvarna, 132 p.; 5. Honda, 77 p.; 6. GASGAS, 59 p.

Main Photo: Jago Geerts

Bottom Photos: 1. Roan Van De Moosdijk; 2. Mathys Boisrame

NEXT MXGP

Round 5 of the FIM Motocross World Championship is taking place on Sunday 16th August as the MXGP of Kegums

Click here to obtain the complete results

All the photos from the MXGP of Riga will be available HERE

MXGP of Riga – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1780m

Type of ground: Hard Sand

Temperature: 20°

Weather conditions: cloudy

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

MXGP of Riga

KEGUMS (Latvia) 11 August 2020 – Rounds three and two of the EMX250 and the EMX Open Championships have concluded today at the round of Riga, as Thibault Benistant of Hutten Metaal Yamaha Racing claimed his second round victory in the 250 class and Karel Kutsar clinched the overall in the EMX Open and became the new championship leader.

It was a perfect day for Thibault Benistant who once again put his Hutten Metaal Yamaha machine at the front of the field going on to claim both race victories, the overall and extend his championship lead to 24 points.

The opening EMX250 race started with drama on the first turn, which saw Jorgen-Matthias Talviku of ASA United Husqvarna getting caught up in that as well. Though at the front of the field it was Tom Guyon who was fastest out of the gate, closely followed by Benistant, Meico Vettik and the second Hutten Metaal Yamaha Racing rider Gianluca Facchetti.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory’s Kay de Wolf didn’t have the best opening race with a big crash that saw him finish in 14^th position in the race.

Guyon then led the race until lap 10, when Benistant was finally able to find a way past, with Vettik keeping control of the 3^rd place position throughout the race.

But before that we saw a nice battle between Facchetti, Maximilian Spies and Tim Edberg, with Edberg eventually finding his past both riders to claim P5, though that’s not where he finished race.

Meanwhile previous round race 2 winner, Husqvarna Junior Racing Maddii rider Mattia Guadagnini was pushing hard, after not the best start the Italian had to may his way through the field from outside the top 10. He eventually finished the race in 4^th position which was a great comeback for the rider.

Isak Gifting, previous round podium finisher also had a tough race 1 here in Latvia. After starting outside the top 20, he spent the entire race picking off riders, in order to salvage valuable points. By the end of the race he crossed the line in P12, not where he wanted to be.

In race two, it was Benistant with the holeshot but Bastian Boegh Damm from WZ Racing moved quickly into the lead and even led for a brief 3 laps before being passed by Benistant who was on a mission to add yet another overall victory to his championship tally.

Joel Rizzi of PAR Homes RFX Husqvarna also got a good start and was running in the top 5, all while Guyon had a dramatic fall, flipping his bike before a jump in the second lap, which put him out for the rest of the race.

Boegh Damm then managed to hold on to second for a couple of laps, before being caught by Isak Gifting, who was obviously keen to make a comeback from a poor first race result. Throughout the race Boegh Damm continued to fall down the order, eventually finishing in 8^th place.

Gianluca Facchetti also had a good start in the second race, holding on to third for a couple of laps, before eventually making a few mistakes which saw him drop down the order to finish in P12.

It was a bad race for Guadagnini who crossed the line on the opening lap in P34 having to put in a lot of work in order to collect some valuable championship points.

Towards the end of the race Edberg and de Wolf had a nice battle for P4, with the young Dutch rider able to fend off Edberg despite his challenges.

In the end it was Benistant who took another race win in Kegums, with a comfortable 07.259 lead over Gifting in P2 and Hakon Fredriksen of Yamaha SM Action MC Migliori J1 Racing who had a fantastic ride to finish 3^rd.

Overall, it was Thibault Benistant who claimed yet another round victory with a perfect score in both races, meanwhile second overall was Meico Vettik, who claimed his first career podium in the EMX class, and last but not least, on the third step of the podium was Isak Gifting who turned things around in the second race for a strong finish.

Thibault Benistant: “I’m really happy with today’s races. I’m really happy about winning the two races and to keep the red plate so big thanks to all my team”

Meico Vettik: “The first race the start was good, and I held the third position. The second race wasn’t so good in the start, but I did good in the end”.

Isak Gifting: “It feels amazing actually. I’ve been struggling all day with my riding. In the first race I got stuck in the first corner and I felt really disappointed, so I had to regroup, physically I felt great, I could push all the race and also I think I got some good lap times, I just tried to with the flow so I’m looking forward to the next one to challenge Benistant”

EMX250 - Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), 30:36.973; 2. Tom Guyon (FRA, KTM), +0:11.612; 3. Meico Vettik (EST, KTM), +0:20.515; 4. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:24.836; 5. Lorenzo Locurcio (VEN, Kawasaki), +0:31.357; 6. Maximilian Spies (GER, Husqvarna), +0:37.601; 7. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), +0:40.914; 8. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Husqvarna), +0:45.080; 9. Tim Edberg (SWE, Yamaha), +0:23.998; 10. Hakon Fredriksen (NOR, Yamaha), +0:47.751.

EMX250 - Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), 31:07.585; 2. Isak Gifting (SWE, KTM), +0:07.259; 3. Hakon Fredriksen (NOR, Yamaha), +0:13.403; 4. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:16.449; 5. Tim Edberg (SWE, Yamaha), +0:23.699; 6. Meico Vettik (EST, KTM), +0:32.173; 7. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, Husqvarna), +0:32.693; 8. Bastian Boegh Damm (DEN, KTM), +0:36.312; 9. Maximilian Spies (GER, Husqvarna), +0:39.209; 10. Tomass Sileika (LAT, KTM), +0:40.940.

EMX250 - Overall Top 10 Classification: 1. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 50 points; 2. Meico Vettik (EST, KTM), 35 p.; 3. Isak Gifting (SWE, KTM), 31 p.; 4. Hakon Fredriksen (NOR, YAM), 31 p.; 5. Tim Edberg (SWE, YAM), 28 p.; 6. Maximilian Spies (GER, HUS), 27 p.; 7. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 25 p.; 8. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, HUS), 25 p.; 9. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 24 p.; 10. Tom Guyon (FRA, KTM), 22 p.

EMX250 – Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 129 points; 2. Isak Gifting (SWE, KTM), 105 p.; 3. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, HUS), 93 p.; 4. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 83 p.; 5. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, HUS), 77 p.; 6. Bastian Boegh Damm (DEN, KTM), 63 p.; 7. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 63 p.; 8. Tim Edberg (SWE, YAM), 61 p.; 9. Tom Guyon (FRA, KTM), 58 p.; 10. Meico Vettik (EST, KTM), 50 p.

EMX250 Manufacturers: 1. Yamaha, 134 points; 2. KTM, 134 p.; 3. Husqvarna, 117 p.; 4. Kawasaki, 36 p.

Main Photo: EMX250 Start

Bottom Photos: 1. Thibault Benistant; EMX250 Podium

In the EMX Open class, Karel Kutsar was finally able to take the overall victory with a 2^nd and a win in race 2, which also handed him the early championship lead. Previous round winner, Toms Macuks had a disappointing weekend, unable to make up for it in the second race as he crashed out in the start and was forced to DNF, costing valuable points.

While the weekend was looking much better for Stefan Ekerold who’s 3-4 result was enough to secure him the final step of the podium alongside Kutsar and Savaste.

In the first EMX Open race, it was Kim Savaste of 137 KTM Motorsports who was the rider in the lead as the group reached the first corner. Also getting a good start was the JWR Racing rider Cornelius Toendel and PAR Homes RFX Husqvarna rider Nathan Dixon.

Despite a good start, Toendel found himself in trouble early on in the race as he crashed out of second. The rest of the race didn’t go so well for the Honda rider either, as he finished in P17.

As Savaste continued to lead, the top three including Karel Kutsar and Toms Macuks of Rodeo Racing Team had already opened up a nice gap between themselves and the rider in 4^th position, Karlis Kajels.

Savaste consistently led every single lap of the race, though he was coming under immense pressure in the second half of the race, as Kustar and Macuks were both on his tail, looking to steal P1. He did however manage to keep those two off his back and ended up with a win in the opening race.

With the top three locked in battle, the race for who would come next was on. On lap 10 it was then Miro Sihvonen, Ekerold, Andero Lusbo, Dixon, Kalejs, Eugenio Barbaglia and Greg Smets who were the riders who occupied 4^th to 10^th positions and were all pretty close together to make for an interesting race.

With a few laps to go of the race, back markers really started to play a role, as Macuks charged for Savaste, who was trying to get around the lapped riders. Despite his best efforts, Macuks was unable to pass Savaste, who went on to win the race.

In race two, it was Toendel who was in the lead, followed by Kalejs, Kutsar, Ekerold and Domantas Jazdauskas who were in the top 5. As Toendel continued to pull away, Kutsar was wasting no time and was already up in second on the opening lap.

Race 1 winner Savaste didn’t have the best of starts and was fighting back from P9 ahead of Dixon who was 10^th at the time.

A couple of laps later and Kutsar was on Toendel for the win, with the two locked in a nice battle. At one point, just 0.3 seconds separated the two, with Kutsar eventually finding his way into the lead on lap 5.

At the same time Kalejs, Lusbo and Jazdauskas were locked in battle for P5, with Dixon quickly catching up to the group as well. Dixon nicely made his way past Jazdauskas and Kajels to move up into 6^th.

By lap 10, Kutsar had an impressive 11 seconds on Toendel, who with just two laps to go crashed out of the race, eventually crossing the line in 21^st and missing out on points once again.

In the end it was Kutsar who claimed the race win, followed by Savaste in 2^nd and Ekerold in 3^rd.

In terms of podium, it was Karel Kutsar who finally claimed the top step of the podium and was joined by the race 1 winner Kim Savaste and Stefan Ekerold who also moved up to 3^rd in the championship standings.

Karel Kutsar: “I’m really happy, finally I can hold the red plate in my hand, that’s my dream and now it’s in my hand and I’m really happy about that”.

Kim Savaste: “The start was terrible in the second one and of course I’m disappointed about the second race but we still have one race to go in Latvia, so I’m really looking forward to it and we will see how it goes then”.

Stefan Ekerold: “Yes it’s cool for me, it’s nice to have this event on, its been a long time since we’ve gone racing so it’s really cool. I’m just happy to be progressing every race so I’m looking forward to Saturday and I would like to thank all my sponsors in Germany and my family and everyone that supports me”.

EMXOpen - Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Kim Savaste (FIN, KTM), 30:14.084; 2. Karel Kutsar (EST, KTM), +0:04.332; 3. Miro Sihvonen (FIN, Husqvarna), +0:48.130; 4. Stefan Ekerold (GER, Suzuki), +0:56.290; 5. Andero Lusbo (EST, Husqvarna), +1:05.646; 6. Nathan Dixon (GBR, Husqvarna), +1:11.667; 7. Karlis Kalejs (LAT, Husqvarna), +1:16.847; 8. Juuso Matikainen (FIN, Husqvarna), +1:20.528; 9. Eugenio Barbaglia (ITA, Husqvarna), +1:30.858; 10. Domantas Jazdauskas (LTU, Husqvarna), +1:31.164.

EMXOpen - Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Karel Kutsar (EST, KTM), 29:30.803; 2. Kim Savaste (FIN, KTM), +0:05.842; 3. Stefan Ekerold (GER, Suzuki), +0:15.605; 4. Andero Lusbo (EST, Husqvarna), +0:36.551; 5. Nathan Dixon (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:40.976; 6. Greg Smets (BEL, KTM), +0:44.120; 7. Karlis Kalejs (LAT, Husqvarna), +0:47.860; 8. Juuso Matikainen (FIN, Husqvarna), +0:50.516; 9. Miro Sihvonen (FIN, Husqvarna), +0:54.716; 10. Rene Rannikko (FIN, Husqvarna), +1:13.437.

EMXOpen - Overall Top 10 Classification: 1. Karel Kutsar (EST, KTM), 47 points; 2. Kim Savaste (FIN, KTM), 47 p.; 3. Stefan Ekerold (GER, SUZ), 38 p.; 4. Andero Lusbo (EST, HUS), 34 p.; 5. Miro Sihvonen (FIN, HUS), 32 p.; 6. Nathan Dixon (GBR, HUS), 31 p.; 7. Karlis Kalejs (LAT, HUS), 28 p.; 8. Juuso Matikainen (FIN, HUS), 26 p.; 9. Greg Smets (BEL, KTM), 23 p.; 10. Domantas Jazdauskas (LTU, HUS), 21 p.

EMXOpen - Overall Top 10 Classification: 1. Karel Kutsar (EST, KTM), 91 points; 2. Kim Savaste (FIN, KTM), 77 p.; 3. Stefan Ekerold (GER, SUZ), 73 p.; 4. Andero Lusbo (EST, HUS), 70 p.; 5. Miro Sihvonen (FIN, HUS), 63 p.; 6. Juuso Matikainen (FIN, HUS), 54 p.; 7. Karlis Kalejs (LAT, HUS), 53 p.; 8. Toms Macuks (LAT, KTM), 50 p.; 9. Domantas Jazdauskas (LTU, HUS), 50 p.; 10. Greg Smets (BEL, KTM), 44 p.

EMXOpen – Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 100 points; 2. Husqvarna, 76 p.; 3. Suzuki, 73 p.; 4. Yamaha, 31 p.; 5. Honda, 4 p.

Main Photo: Karel Kutsar

Bottom Photos: 1. EMX Open Start; 2. Kim Savaste

Click here to obtain the complete results

All the photos from the MXGP of Riga will be available HERE

MXGP of Riga – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1780m

Type of ground: Hard Sand

Temperature: 23°

Weather conditions: Sunny

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM Europe

MXGP of Riga

One thing the MXGP of Latvia once again shows us is that the Dutch love the sand, and while Kegums wasn’t soft sand like in Lommel, it was sandy enough to hand the Dutchies a GP victory in MXGP and a podium finish in MX2.

Standing Construct GasGas MXGP rider Glenn Coldenhoff proved he is still a major challenger for the 2020 MXGP championship and picked up his second GP overall in Latvia and the first ever GP victory for his factory GasGas team.

“It’s been a great day,” Coldenhoff said. “After qualifying we made some adjustments to my bike’s suspension and it really paid off in the races. The Standing Construct team have worked hard during lockdown to keep improving our bikes on the starts and it clearly showed today. I started second in race one, nearly had the holeshot and then I took the lead on the third lap. After a few laps there was a big rock in the rut I was in, which I hit, and it knocked me off balance just before the waves section. I re-joined the race quickly and made another charge towards the end, but it was too late. I finished in 2nd place, which was really good after a not so great qualifying. Race two, another great start taking the holeshot! It was a tough race though, especially during the final laps, but I’m really happy to have won for myself and the team, especially as it’s only the 3rd MXGP for GASGAS. It’s just awesome. It’s nice to be back in MXGP, I really like the one-day format and I can’t wait for Wednesday.”

F&H Kawasaki rider Roan van de Moosdijk looked good at Kegums from the moment he entered the track for practice on Sunday morning and his podium finish was classy.

“The day started good with second to Mathys in qualification on the very last lap,” Van de Moosdijk said. “I had two good starts and stayed calm and consistent; I just rode my own race each time. They left the track after yesterday’s European races and such a long dry spell; it was really tough with strange lines and bumps but we found some good solutions on the suspension and I knew for sure that some guys would make mistakes. Second is the best GP result of my career and I’d like to dedicate this success to my grandpa who sadly passed away last week. Now we have tomorrow to recover and then on Tuesday we will prepare for the next GP the following day. “

While Jeffrey Herlings of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing didn’t finish inside the top three on Sunday, he did remain the red plate owner in the MXGP class and you can be sure he will leave Kegums with either a top three in the class, or a GP overall. He did stand on the podium as the red plate man in MXGP.

“It wasn’t a great day” Herlings said. “Today could have been better. Some bad starts, and in the first race I was a bit too slow at the beginning. I came back from last to 4th but wasted too much energy pushing through to the front. I’m definitely not satisfied but we’ve started racing again now and I know what to do for when we go again in three days. I need more bike time, as my fitness and race tempo need to improve.”

So, while the sport enjoys many great riders from many even greater countries, lets enjoy the Dutch for the time being as they continue to marvel in the sand of Kegums. Can one of the three podium guys from the small country tucked in the North of Europe pick up another Dutch GP win on Wednesday?

We’ve got a mid-week treat for you! The 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship continues on this week with the MXGP of Riga, the second of three events taking place in Kegums, Latvia!

Don’t miss the epic action from beautiful Latvia and enjoy all the races LIVE and OnDemand with www.MXGP-TV.com!

The mid-week race will begin with the EMX250 and EMX Open races as Thibault Benistant and local hero Toms Macuks will be looking for more podium glory, while in MXGP and MX2 Standing Construct GasGas Factory rider Glenn Coldenhoff and Red Bull KTM Factory’s Tom Vialle will be hoping to continue their winning streak at the sandy Kegums circuit.

Enjoy all the races LIVE, with EMX250 and EMX Open races on Tuesday and MX2 and MXGP races on Wednesday, including the timed practice session in the morning, with commentary from MXGP’s very own Paul Malin.

You can also watch the exclusive LIVE Studio Show hosted by Paul Malin and MXGP-TV presenter Lisa Leyland with special guests Alvin Ostlund of Honda Racing Assomotor, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing MX2 Team Manager Rasmus Jorgensen on Tuesday at 11 am (EEST).

The Studio Show will also be available LIVE on the MXGP Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/mxgp/

MXGP of Riga MXGP-TV Schedule

TAG Heuer has been the official timekeeper of the FIM Motocross World Championship since 2014 and together with MXGP are running the fastest lap competition across each season.

The way it works is; at each and every round of the MXGP season, the rider that sets the best lap time in each class, MXGP and MX2, will receive 1 point in the TAG Heuer competition. The rider that has set the fastest lap at the most rounds throughout the year in both classes, and has the most points, will be award with the special prize!

This weekend at the MXGP of Latvia it was Ruben Fernandez of Team SDM Corse Yamaha who set the fastest lap time in the second MX2 race, with a 1.59:673. In MXGP it was the overall winner Standing Construct GasGas MXGP’s Glenn Coldenhoff who set a flying lap in the first MXGP race with a 1.57:880.

Find the details below:

MXGP:  Glenn Coldenhoff 1.57:880 Race 1 Lap 2

MX2: Ruben Fernandez 1.59:673 Race 2 Lap 5

Check out MXGP.com home page for the Top 3 TAG Heuer Best Lap competition’s rankings.

KEGUMS (Latvia) 10 August 2020 – The FIM Motocross World Championship continues its run in Latvia, as the second event, the MXGP of Riga will take place at the Kegums track this coming Tuesday and Wednesday.

Last weekend, the MXGP made its come-back with the first international gate-drop in 5-month time! There was plenty to get excited about, as we saw the best riders back to battle for GP wins and more importantly the world title.

Before the racing kicks-off on Tuesday, the riders of the MXGP, MX2, EMX250 and EMX Open classes were invited to take the official European and World Championship riders photo, which saw riders that are participating at the three Latvian riders pictured together in one big ‘year book’ style photo, at a safe distance together with Infront Moto Racing CEO David Luongo, FIM/CMS Director Antonio Alia Portela and FIM Europe Motocross Commission Chairman Eddie Herd. 

Though with the photo opportunity done and dusted now it’s time to focus on the action coming up in the next two days, starting with the European Championship on Tuesday.

In the EMX250 Hutten Metaal Yamaha Racing’s Thibault Benistant will be looking to add yet another victory to the one he picked up on Saturday for round two of the series. Meanwhile, Husqvarna Junior Racing Maddii rider Mattia Guadagnini will without a doubt be hoping to carry on his form into the second Latvian event, and even push for the overall. Additionally, Isak Gifting had a good run in Kegums on Saturday, taking well to the track and not letting the heat affect him too much. He finished the second race in P2, clearly showing that he has the potential to even go for the win, which we could see this time around.

In the EMX Open class local hero Toms Macuks will once again line-up at Kegums with a much better idea of where he stands. Coming into the first Latvian race he was unsure of where his speed matched up, but with two race wins, it’s clear that we will more than likely see him battling at the front once again. While Karel Kutsar and Andero Lusbo will be looking to land on the podium once again and try to take the win from Macuks.

1. EMX250 Riders Photo; 2. EMXOpen Riders Photo

In MXGP, the overall winner of the MXGP of Latvia, Glenn Coldenhoff of Standing Construct GasGas Factory will no doubt be coming into the MXGP of Riga with a great confidence boost, as he made history together with his team becoming the first GasGas rider to win a race, as well as a GP.

Having led both of the races on Sunday, and successfully fended off Team HRC’s Tim Gajser, as well as Jeremy Seewer from Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing, Coldenhoff could do it again this time around on Wednesday.

Though Jeremy Seewer will not make it easy. In both races he was looking strong, especially in race two as he pushed Coldenhoff during the end of the races. The GasGas and Yamaha riders were locked in a end-of-race showdown as Seewer gave one last push to try pass Coldenhoff for the win, but came up short and was forced to settle for second. With a 5-2 result, he missed out on a podium by a mere 2 points, so expecting the Swiss rider on the podium this Wednesday would not be a bad shout.

Team HRC’s Tim Gajser had a solid weekend and despite the mistakes he made in the second MXGP race, for example when he went down pushing to catch Coldenhoff, he still made it on the podium with a second overall. In both races Gajser had good starts and was looking strong, but perhaps pushed too hard in the end. Though he did prove that he is seriously strong in the sand, which puts him among the top podium contenders.

Then there’s the Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing’s Romain Febvre who made a fantastic 2020 season debut on the factory Kawasaki team. Due to injury the Frenchman was forced to miss the first two MXGP rounds in Great Britain and the Netherlands, but the last 5 months clearly gave him enough time to recover and get prepared for a fantastic comeback, which is exactly what this was.

A consistent 3-3 put him on his 38^th career podium here in Latvia, and if he can carry this consistency into the next two races for the MXGP of Riga, he could make it two, or even three weekends on the bounce in Kegums!

His team-mate Clement Desalle also had some good battles within the top 10, though the tough conditions made it harder for the Kawasaki rider to break into the top 5. He finished the races 12-10 for 10^th overall.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Jeffrey Herlings didn’t have the weekend he had hoped for, with a big crash in the time practice then followed by more bad luck and mistakes in the races, one thing that was clear is that he was pushing extremely hard. Though he missed out on the opportunity to challenge for the win, two consistent rides in 4th meant that he still got to hold on to the championship leaders’ plate. Now with two days to re-group, it will be interesting to see if we will see the ‘Bullet’ back to his usual ways for the MXGP of Riga.

Arminas Jasikonis of Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing also made the most of the home support by the Lithuanian fans who made the trip across the border to cheer on the #27. Despite not the best jump out of the gate in the opening race and his eager move in the second race that saw him hit the gate, he was still able to somehow pull off two pretty decent starts that put him well inside the top 10.

He had some good battles with Seewer, Herlings, Jorge Prado of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and Clement Desalle from Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team in the races. He consistently finished in P6 in race one and two which is also where he ended up overall. And with the first MXGP gate-drop out of the way for the Lithuanian, it is possible that we will see him progress to higher positions during the next two events.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Jorge Prado also had a strong ride at the MXGP of Latvia. It is important to remember that this is Prado’s MXGP rookie season, which started off with two pretty serious injuries. Now with a less than two months of riding in his back pocket, an 8^th and a 7^th in the hard sand of Kegums is quite impressive.

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory rider Gautier Paulin didn’t have the best race weekend in Kegums for the first event. Two tough races with a 9-11 put him 8^th overall, certainly not where the Frenchman was probably aiming to finish. Though with 5 months off, getting back that race intensity could take time for all of the riders, so it will be interesting to see what he can do this time around.

Lastly, JM Honda Racing’s Benoit Paturel had a good return to racing with a top 10 overall, having finished race one in 14^th and race two in 8^th. This was a good improvement for the Frenchman who previously finished 16^th overall in both Matterley Basin and Valkenswaard.

2020 MXGP of Latvia Top 3:

1.Glenn Coldenhoff

2.Tim Gajser

3.Romain Febvre

MXGP - World Championship Classification: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 130 points; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 126 p.; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, GAS), 103 p.; 4. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 86 p.; 5. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 83 p.; 6. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 80 p.; 7. Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 80 p.; 8. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 80 p.; 9. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 74 p.; 10. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 50 p.

Main Photo: MXGP Riders Photo

Bottom Photos: 1. Glenn Coldenhoff; 2. Romain Febvre

In MX2 the racing was just as exciting as in MXGP, with some intense battles within the top 10. Now with the first race out of the way, it will be interesting to see which riders will stay consistent or even surprise us on Wednesday.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle had a near perfect day with a 1-2 results finishing on the top step of the podium, while also getting to keep the red plate. He was pushing hard in both of the races and admitted that the conditions were tough, but with a few days rest in between the GP’s here in Latvia, seeing him again on the podium is likely.

While one KTM rider had a near perfect weekend, the same couldn’t be said for Hofer who had a good result in the first race with a P5 and then suffered a DNF in the second race with a broken wheel which meant he couldn’t carry on the race. With this behind him, he will without a doubt be looking to do better this week and if he can stay out of trouble, it is likely that we will see him battling well within the top 5 as he has done before.

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing rider Jago Geerts is another rider who had a really tough weekend. It was clear that Geerts had the speed, though he may have been pushing a tad too hard which is why he found himself in trouble on numerous occasions in race one. Having crashed out a few times, the best he could manage was P16, though he turned things around for race two which he won, he is definitely one of the guys to beat for sure.

Geerts finished 6^th overall at the first Latvian event, with his team-mate Ben Watson having a bit more of a consistent weekend with a 6^th and 5^th which put him P5 overall. In both races Watson battled in the top 5, though at times silly mistakes cost him valuable time. Despite that, he is still a strong contender this season to challenge for top positions.

Though having an absolutely fantastic weekend was the F&H Kawasaki Racing squad who ended the day off with a double podium. Roan Van de Moosdijk and Mathys Boisrame had two strong rides to occupy the second and third steps of the podium. At the beginning of the season the whole squad, including Mikkel Haarup, have been a real threat, so they will no doubt be up there again for the MXGP of Riga.

Then there is Ruben Fernandez of SDM Corse Race Team who impressed many with his performance. He pushed in both races, finishing 3^rd in the opening race and 7^th in the second, despite a huge crash as he fended off Boisrame. For Fernandez the speed was clearly there and it was obvious that he took to the Kegums circuit well so it could be a matter of time until we see him on the podium, as this time around he was 4 points off on Sunday.

Maxime Renaux of S.M Action – M.C Migliori – J1 Racing finished 7^th overall at the MXGP of Latvia, while the two Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory riders Jed Beaton and Thomas Kjer Olsen had a tough weekend finishing 8^th and 9^th overall, probably not where they had hoped.

Beaton was looking good in Timed Practice as he clocked the 3^rd fastest lap time, though that didn’t transcribe into the races as he finished 15^th and 6^th. Now with time to recharge his batteries and put the bad luck of the first event behind him, it will be good to see if he can come into Wednesday’s races with positive results.

2020 MXGP of Latvia Top 3:

1.Tom Vialle

2.Roan Van de Moosdijk

3.Mathys Boisrame

MX2 - World Championship Classification: 1. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 134 points; 2. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 112 p.; 3. Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS), 95 p.; 4. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 86 p.; 5. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 79 p.; 6. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 73 p.; 7. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, KAW), 71 p.; 8. Mathys Boisrame (FRA, KAW), 70 p.; 9. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 69 p.; 10. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, KAW), 64 p.

Main Photo: MX2 Riders Photo

Bottom Photos: 1. Tom Vialle; 2. Roan Van de Moosdijk

See the action unfold this week and make sure you tune-in and watch the MXGP of Latvia LIVE on MXGP-TV.com!

TIMETABLE (Local Timing EEST/GMT+3)

TUESDAY: 09:00 EMXOpen Free Practice, 09:30 Free Practice, 10:35 EMXOpen Qualifying practice, 11:10 EMX250 Qualifying practice, 13:00 EMXOpen Race 1, 13:50 EMX250 Race 1, 15:00 EMXOpen Race 2, 15:55 EMX250 Race 2.

WEDNESDAY: 09:15 MX2 Free/Time Practice, 10:15 MXGP Free/Time Practice, 12:05 MX2 Race 1, 13:05 MXGP Race 1, 15:00 MX2 Race 2, 16:00 MXGP Race 2.

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

MXGP of Riga

KEGUMS (Latvia) 10 August 2020 – MXGP is back again this Tuesday and Wednesday for the second of three events taking place here in Kegums, Latvia, with the MXGP of Riga!

Once again, the fastest European EMX250 and EMX Open along with the MXGP and MX2 World Championship riders will take to the "Zelta Zirgs" circuit here in Kegums, as they battle for top positions.

If the races from last weekend for the MXGP of Latvia are anything to go by, then we’re all in store for some more EPIC action during both race days. In MXGP it was Standing Construct GasGas Factory’s Glenn Coldenhoff who was the overall winner, meanwhile in MX2 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Tom Vialle extended his championship lead with an overall GP victory – who will win this time around? Only way to know is to tune in and watch the races LIVE!

Once again Baltic fans will be able to enjoy the action LIVE with Best4Sport TV who will once again be at the track, ready to deliver full race coverage of both days, including the Free/Time Practice and ending with the main MXGP and MX2 races, and of course along with the EMX250 and EMX Open action which will be shown on Tuesday.

Additionally, TV3 Sport 2 in Baltics will also show the MXGP races one and two LIVE on Wednesday for the Baltic countries, including Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, who will be able to enjoy the best action from Kegums from the comfort of their home!

As always, the entire event including the MX2 and MXGP Free/Timed Practice along with all the races from EMX Open, EMX250, MX2 and MXGP will also be streamed LIVE worldwide from Kegums on MXGP’s own online TV service, MXGP-TV.com.

BALTICS (Estonia – Latvia - Lithuania)

TV 3 Sports 2

Wednesday 12 August – MXGP Race 1 – 13:00 local time LIVE 

Wednesday 12 August – MXGP Race 2 – 16:00 local time LIVE 

Best 4 SPORT TV 

Tuesday 11 August – EMX Open Race 1 – 13:05 local time LIVE 

Tuesday 11 August – EMX 250 Race 1 – 13:55 local time LIVE 

Tuesday 11 August – EMX Open Race 2 – 15:05 local time LIVE 

Tuesday 11 August – EMX 250 Race 2 – 16:00 local time LIVE 

Wednesday 12 August – MX2 Race 1 – 12:00 CET local time LIVE 

Wednesday 12 August – MXGP Race 1 – 13:00 CET local time LIVE 

Wednesday 12 August – MX2 Race 2 – 15:00 CET local time LIVE 

Wednesday 12 August – MXGP Race 2 – 16:00 CET local time LIVE 

USA - CANADA

CBS Sports Network

Wednesday 12 August – MX2 Race 2 – 02:30 pm ET Delayed 

Wednesday 12 August – MXGP Race 2 – 03:30 pm ET Delayed 

EUROPE

EUROSPORT 2

Wednesday 12 August – MX2 Race 1 – 11:00 CET LIVE

Wednesday 12 August – MXGP Race 1 – 12:00 CET LIVE 

Wednesday 12 August – MX2 Race 2 – 21:00 CET Delayed

Wednesday 12 August – MXGP Race 2 – 21:30 CET Delayed

BELGIUM 

PLAY SPORTS 1

Wednesday 12 August – MXGP Race 1 – 12:00 CET LIVE 

Wednesday 12 August – MXGP Race 2 – 15:00 CET LIVE 

FINLAND

CMORE MAX

Wednesday 12 August August – MXGP Race 2 – 16:00 local time LIVE

 CMORE Sport1

Wednesday 12 August August – MXGP Race 2 – 19:30 local time Delayed

FRANCE

AUTOMOTO LA CHAINE  

Wednesday 12 August – MXGP Race 1 – 12:00 CET LIVE 

Wednesday 12 August – MX2 Race 1 – 13:00 CET Delayed

Wednesday 12 August – MX2 Race 2 – 14:00 CET LIVE 

Wednesday 12 August – MXGP Race 2 – 15:00 CET LIVE 

EUROSPORT 2

Wednesday 12 August – MX2 Race 1 – 11:00 CET LIVE

Wednesday 12 August – MXGP Race 1 – 12:00 CET LIVE 

Wednesday 12 August – MX2 Race 2 – 23:00 CET Delayed

Wednesday 12 August – MXGP Race 2 – 23:30 CET Delayed

ITALY

RAI SPORT 

Wednesday 12 August – MXGP Race 1 – 12:00 CET LIVE

Wednesday 12 August – MXGP Race 2 – 15:00 CET LIVE 

RAI SPORT WEB

Wednesday 12 August – MXGP Race 1 – 12:00 CET LIVE

Wednesday 12 August – MXGP Race 2 – 15:00 CET LIVE 

EUROSPORT 2

Wednesday 12 August – MX2 Race 1 – 11:00 CET LIVE

Wednesday 12 August – MXGP Race 1 – 12:00 CET LIVE 

Wednesday 12 August – MX2 Race 2 – 21:00 CET Delayed

Wednesday 12 August – MXGP Race 2 – 21:30 CET Delayed

NETHERLANDS

NOS

Wednesday 12 August – MXGP Race 1 – 12:00 CET Livestreaming 

Wednesday 12 August – MXGP Race 2 – 15:00 CET Livestreaming 

PORTUGAL

Sport TV 3

Wednesday 12 August – MX2 Race 1 – 10:00 GMT+1 LIVE

Wednesday 12 August – MXGP Race 1 – 11:00 GMT+1 LIVE 

Wednesday 12 August – MX2 Race 2 – 13:00 GMT+1 LIVE 

Wednesday 12 August – MXGP Race 2 – 14:00 GMT+1 LIVE 

SLOVENIA 

Sport TV1

Wednesday 12 August – MX2 Race 1 – 11:00 CET LIVE

Wednesday 12 August – MXGP Race 1 – 12:00 CET LIVE 

Wednesday 12 August – MX2 Race 2 – 14:00 CET LIVE 

Wednesday 12 August – MXGP Race 2 – 15:00 CET LIVE 

SPAIN

TV Galicia

Wednesday 12 August – MXGP Race 1 – 13:00 CET LIVE 

Wednesday 12 August – MXGP Race 2 – 15:00 CET LIVE 

ASIA

FOX SPORT SEA

Thursday 13 August – MX2 Race 1 – 13:15 Delayed HKT Time

Thursday 13 August – MXGP Race 1 – 14:15 Delayed HKT Time

Thursday 13 August – MX2 Race 2 – 15:15 Delayed HKT Time

Thursday 13 August – MXGP Race 2 – 16:15 Delayed HKT Time

FOX SPORTS 3 SEA 

Wednesday 12 August – MX2 Race 1 – 17:00 LIVE HKT Time

Wednesday 12 August – MXGP Race 1 – 18:00 LIVE HKT Time

Wednesday 12 August – MX2 Race 2 – 20:00 LIVE HKT Time

Wednesday 12 August – MXGP Race 2 – 21:00 LIVE HKT Time

STAR SPORTS 2 CHINA

Wednesday 12 August – MX2 Race 1 – 17:00 LIVE HKT Time

Wednesday 12 August – MXGP Race 1 – 18:00 LIVE HKT Time

Wednesday 12 August – MX2 Race 2 – 20:00 LIVE HKT Time

Wednesday 12 August – MXGP Race 2 – 21:00 LIVE HKT Time

FOX SPORTS INDONESIA

Wednesday 12 August – MX2 Race 1 – 13:15 Delayed HKT Time

Wednesday 12 August – MXGP Race 1 – 14:15 Delayed HKT Time

Wednesday 12 August – MX2 Race 2 – 15:15 Delayed HKT Time

Wednesday 12 August – MXGP Race 2 – 16:15 Delayed HKT Time

BRAZIL 

Bandsports

Wednesday 12 August – MXGP Race 1 – 07:00 LIVE

Wednesday 12 August – MXGP Race 2 – 10:00 LIVE

Like always, the entire event including the MX2 and MXGP Free/Timed Practice along with all the races from EMX Open, EMX250, MX2 and MXGP will also be streamed LIVE worldwide from Kegums on MXGP’s own online TV service, MXGP-TV.com, and as usual fans can also watch the 26min Behind the Gate special feature via our TV partners or MXGP-TV which will be online next Tuesday 18th August.

26 min Behind the Gate partners:

USA – Canada: Motortrend // MAV TV 

Croatia: Kreator TV 

Finland: MTV 

France: Automoto la Chaine 

Portugal: Sport TV 

Slovenia: Sport TV 

Spain: Movistar 

Latin America: FOX Sports

Brazil: Bandsports

Asia: FOX Sports 

Africa: Sport connect

MXGP of Riga LIVE MXGP-TV Schedule

TIMETABLE (Local Timing EEST/GMT+3)

TUESDAY: 09:00 EMXOpen Free Practice, 09:30 Free Practice, 10:35 EMXOpen Qualifying practice, 11:10 EMX250 Qualifying practice, 13:00 EMXOpen Race 1, 13:50 EMX250 Race 1, 15:00 EMXOpen Race 2, 15:55 EMX250 Race 2.

WEDNESDAY: 09:15 MX2 Free/Time Practice, 10:15 MXGP Free/Time Practice, 12:05 MX2 Race 1, 13:05 MXGP Race 1, 15:00 MX2 Race 2, 16:00 MXGP Race 2.

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

MXGP of Riga