MX2

Infront Moto Racing is saddened to share that the former president of Motorsportclub Teutschenthal, Joachim Jahnke, has passed away earlier this morning, following a strong fight against cancer.

Mr Jahnke was a much beloved member of the motocross community and very passionate about the sport being alwasy very proud to bring the FIM Motocross World Championship to the Teutschenthal circuit and putting a lot of efforts to make the MXGP of Germany one of the most appreciated events of the MXGP Calendar every time. 

Everyone at Infront Moto Racing would like to express their deepest condolences to Mr Joachim Jahnke’s family, friends and peers at this difficult time.

With the restart of the 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship just a few weeks away, GASGAS Factory Racing’s official MXGP and MX2 riders are busy completing their preparations ahead of a return to MXGP competition, armed with the new GASGAS MC 450F and MC 250F factory machines.

Robert Jonas, VP Motorsports Offroad: “This is another milestone for GASGAS Motorcycles. Knowing that Glenn, Ivo, Jeremy and Simon will be heading back into MXGP and MX2 competition on the new GASGAS MC 450F and MC 250F factory machines is a proud and important moment for all involved. Following GASGAS’ return to top-flight motocross earlier this year, introducing these new bikes was a key next step for us. Knowing just how much both Standing Construct GASGAS Factory Racing and DIGA Procross GASGAS Factory Juniors are looking forward to getting back to racing, for them to be able to complete their final weeks of preparations and then head into what will be a busy few months of MXGP racing with their new GASGAS Factory Racing machines is really exciting. We’re really looking forward to seeing these new bikes out on track and to all of our riders continuing their 2020 MXGP and MX2 seasons.”

With more than four months having passed since round two of the 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship, GASGAS Factory Racing’s official teams – Standing Construct GASGAS Factory Racing and DIGA Procross GASGAS Factory Juniors – are prepared for the much-anticipated and imminent restart of the MXGP series. Glenn Coldenhoff, Ivo Monticelli, Jeremy Sydow and Simon Längenfelder will all compete on the new GASGAS MC 450F and MC 250F factory machines.

In the MXGP category both Glenn Coldenhoff and Ivo Monticelli are well prepared for their return to the highly competitive class. With Monticelli looking to put a frustrating start to his 2020 season behind him, Coldenhoff will resume his quest for a place inside the championship’s top five.

For MX2 class riders Jeremy Sydow and Simon Längenfelder, the upcoming MXGP of Latvia will not only allow the young duo to return to world championship competition on the new MC 250F but also to continue the impressive run of form they each displayed during the opening two GPs. The new GASGAS MC 450F and MC 250F will take to the track for the first time on July 26 at the Dutch International event being held at the Arnhem circuit.

Glenn Coldenhoff: “This new bike is something I’ve really been looking forward to. It looks great and it’s really cool that we will return to racing with a new bike. Obviously, the last few months haven’t been like everyone expected but this is a special moment for us all. I’m feeling really good and my feeling with the new bike is great. I just want to get behind the gate again now and start racing.”

Simon Längenfelder: “This new bike just makes everything better for me. Riding it feels so good, I can’t wait to be back racing again. Over the next few weeks I will continue working hard, so I am in the best shape to compete on my new GASGAS.”

Photo Copyright: GasGas / Bavo Swijgers

MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 13 July 2020 - Infront Moto Racing is delighted to announce that SEL – Sport & Events Logistics has signed a partnership renewal as the official carrier and travel agent of the FIM Motocross World Championship for 2021, 2022 and 2023 seasons.

SEL will continue to manage the FIM Motocross World Championships logistics, handling motorcycles and equipment for teams, suppliers and authorised personnel as well as technical equipment for television production and timing and scoring services. Additionally, they will continue to provide travel services including air ticket services, hotel reservations and on-site transfers.

David Luongo, Infront Moto Racing CEO: "We are delighted by the renewal of our partnership with SEL. They have been working with us since many years and they also participate to the MXGP World Championship development, success and its expansion to the world. Thank to their great professionalism and passion for Motocross, they always have been very reactive for helping Infront Moto Racing to manage all the demands about the freight operations and the traveling for all our staff and the teams related to the MXGP. Finally the management team of SEL is totally passionated by motocross which for sure bring our relationship to be even more enthusiastic "

Pier Carlo Bottero, SEL CEO: “We are honoured and enthusiastic about the renewal of the contract with Infront Moto Racing for the next 3 years. Our goal is to further consolidate this splendid collaboration that has lasted for more than a decade. It is a pleasure to continue working alongside the organiser, the teams and all the stakeholders involved. To take care of the transportation of motorbikes and people all over the world with the same punctuality and efficiency as ever.”

SEL is an Italian company that has provided sports logistic services internationally for over 20 years. Since 2009, SEL has been the official carrier of MXGP and in 2015 also became the official travel agent for all non-EU races of the world championship.

They are also an active travel partner for most of the races in Europe, supporting dozens of teams, riders, suppliers, sponsors and organisers. Operating each time a machine of over 250 people that moves across 4 continents.

SEL's experience originates in the motorsports sector where they have assisted and still continue to assist several world championships. With their skill and know-how, they have been able to support wider and more complex multisport events such as the Universiade.

Learn more about SEL at https://www.sel.it/en/

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SEL

When news broke last week about the new calendar, the whole MXGP paddock celebrated. After four months of sitting around waiting to come out of lockdown, we are going racing again. Despite what been a very strange 2020, once we all arrive in Kegums, Latvia in early August for our first ever triple header GP, most people will have forgotten their time locked away in their houses and start to look forward to a better second half of this year.

Former Grand Prix racer and now team manager of the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory team, Antti Pyrhonen can’t wait to get to Latvia and see the best motocross riders in the world perform three times in one week.

“It is a good way to start,” Pyrhonen said. “Latvia is a great organizer, great track and it is good to have these triple headers, back to back GPs. We haven’t done it before, and it is exciting to start like that. I look forward to it and for sure it is something big, Sunday, Wednesday, Sunday and it will be spectacular. It depends how tough it will be, Lommel is always heavy, but in October the weather is cooler, and the guys can do it. Anyway, it is just one day this year and they train at Lommel anyway two or three days in the week. Maybe Lommel in the middle of summer would have been difficult, but October will be okay."

Scottish rider Shaun Simpson of the SS24 KTM team hasn’t raced a bike since the Grand Prix of Valkenswaard five months ago, and has been tucked away in his homeland, knows that racing and running a team isn’t easy, but he is also looking forward to the different formats and style of racing.

“I mean it is interesting,” Simpson said. “Obviously, I look now from two perspectives, a rider’s perspective and a team owner’s perspective. From the rider’s perspective, this year has so many differences already. We started a normal season and now some time off, and it won’t be a normal again and I find that really exciting. The Sunday only races, the time practices, going from the two-day format to the one-day format. It’s been said I ride better on the Saturday than on the Sunday, maybe the one-day format will suit me. Three races at one track, hopefully they will change the direction of the track in Lommel and Latvia or make the layouts different. I am excited about it. It will be different spending a whole week in Latvia and a whole week in Lommel. It might be a good idea to try these new things, the Sunday format. I am just glad we are going back to racing."

Another former GP rider and also a team manager now Rasmus Jorgensen of the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory MX2 effort knows that racing mean pleasure and also knows the riders will be tested to the limit in the deep sand of Kegums and Lommel.

“I am extremely happy we have something of a realistic calendar,” Jorgensen said. “At least a start date. I think we can expect some changes along the way, but starting with three races in Latvia is nice for everybody. Obviously Lommel and Latvia are physical tracks, but also in Italy we have two close together and in Italy in September it can be very warm, so it will be an advantage for the guys with a good base and who can recover well.”

So now, like everyone else who loves motocross, these three men will be working hard with their riders and mechanics to make sure when they arrive for the first ever triple GP, they are well prepared for the toughness of what this event will bring.

MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 8 July 2020 - Infront Moto Racing regrets to inform that the 2020 FIM Europe’s Motocross of European Nations and Women’s Motocross of European Nations has been postponed to 2021.

Originally scheduled to take place in Riola Sardo, Sardinia this fall 2020, the new change comes in order to accommodate the recent modifications to the FIM Motocross World Championship calendar and to comply with the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

The unique event welcomes some of the best talents from all over Europe, as riders from each country battle for pride and glory for their nation. Last year’s event saw Team Italy defend their 2018 title as they became champions once again, meanwhile in the WMX division it was Team Holland who went on to take their first WMXoEN victory in Gdansk, Poland!

We look forward to a fantastic edition of the Motocross of European Nations in 2021 and look forward to welcoming you all safely next season. More info on the 2021 event will be shared at a later date.

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Dear MXGP Friends,

First of all, I hope all of you, your family and friends are in good health.

Racing, Racing, Finally Racing!

This was the title of our press release published on Friday 3^rd of July about the latest calendar updates.

The last couples of weeks have been very challenging for all of us. The Covid-19 pandemic caused terrible damages in our civilizations, economy, way of life, and it directly hit all kinds of sports, entertainment, events; all the activities that were linked with big group gatherings.

For sure MXGP has suffered a lot during the last months, and all our team, at Infront Moto Racing, did its best to save and present a decent championship that would validate the 2020 MXGP season.

Here we are, engaged and ready to start our engines and get the MXGP underway again.

My first thoughts will go to all our organizers, that put in a fantastic amount of energy to try to save, secure and organize their GP during a time where it would have been much easier to just let it go. Some of them didn’t succeed for this year, not because of their fault, but simply because the local situation and all the governmental restrictions were impossible to support and to permit a race to take place.

I am thinking about Maggiora, France, Loket, Teutschental, the two races in Indonesia, China, Finland, Sweden. All those organizers that were not able to run their GP this year already gave their guarantee that MXGP will be back for the 2021 season. This collaboration is the best proof that once again the MXGP family is united.

Another big news is the change of location regarding the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations from Ernèe (France) to Matterley Basin (UK). Sadly, despite all their efforts and motivation the MotoClub d’Ernee didn’t manage to assure the organization of the event mainly due to the government restrictions regarding the public attendance and all the measures to take onsite regarding the event. Hopefully, Steve Dixon, managed to work on the authorization and the permit to plan the organization of the MXoN back in UK at the same date. The people that already ordered their tickets for Ernèe will get the choice of a refund or voucher to assist to the event in UK. The event still needs to be confirmed but we are on the right tracks.

Here again, taking into consideration the very special year we are living, we will soon announce a change of regulations that would allow the MXoN to be part of the MXGP World Championship season which means that the riders will score points for the World Championship. On another hand, Ernee’s organizer confirmed their intention to host the Monster Energy Motocross of Nations back in France in 2023.

Finally, I would like to thank all the organizers that managed to keep their Grand Prix and sometimes even to do more than one race. The new calendar will bring us to start again the MXGP season in Latvia, for a series of 3 back-to-back GP’s in one week. The championship will take place mainly in Europe with some locations hosting a double or triple GP and some new venues like Faenza and Mantova that are back on the calendar.

To allow such rhythm, we will update the regulations for 2020 only for the program of Grand Prix. The European Championship and WMX program will take place on Saturday and the MXGP and MX2 World Championship program will be done on Sunday. It will consist of a combined Free practice and Time practice in the morning and the 2 heats during the afternoon. All the races and the Time practice for MX2 and MXGP will be live on MXGP-TV.com that will become for most of the fans the best way with the different TV broadcasters to follow the season.

I would like also to thank the FIM and all the National Federations that were always in line and collaborative with us to find solutions to this situation.

As you can understand from the above lines, the last months have been very challenging for our whole motorsports’ economy, but in such difficult time, we never forgot the most important target, the one that makes us live out our passion for decades now. The development of Motocross, and the protection of all the jobs that are linked to this championship. We believe that this calendar will allow us to reach both objectives, and for the ones that will not be able to attend to the Grand Prix, we will put all our efforts to make you live the event on the social networks, MXGP-TV.com and all our digital platform.

Finally we will be back racing again soon!

David Luongo, CEO of Infront Moto Racing 

Read the features incuded in the MXGP Mag HERE

MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 6^th July 2020 – Good news race fans, the 83^rd issue of the MXGP Magazine is now online.

The July issue features Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Arminas Jasikonis on the cover with a special interview inside! Additionally, our Racing Catch-Up will review some of the best motocross riders in the history of the sport, taking a look at what it takes to make a champion.

While the Hall of Fame section will take a look at the former motocross racer, Jaroslav Falta, who was one of the top riders of the early 1970’s, and our Vintage Bike section will feature Alessandro Puzar’s 1995 Honda CR125!

Click HERE to read the eighty-third issue of MXGP Mag or download it for FREE on Apple Store or Google Play.

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

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FIM

MXGP Mag

MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 3^rd July 2020 – It is with great pleasure that Infront Moto Racing can finally reveal the updated 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship calendar, as the series will make its much-anticipated return following a four month break due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

During the last four months, Infront Moto Racing alongside the FIM, National Federations and Organisers have been continuously in contact and weekly discussions with local governments have taken place, in order to determine the best way to re-start the FIM Motocross World Championships and the Motocross European Championships. The common goal has remained to preserve the maximum number of events in order to make a credible Championship, supporting all the stakeholders with the aim of saving the jobs of everyone in our sport.

Now even if the situation has not yet become completely clear with regards to COVID-19 our sport starts to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and with the calendar announced today MXGP will concentrate very intense Championships in 3 months managing to run all the classes with a very good number of events and ensuring an exciting racing. 

The season will resume with a triple race in Kegums for the MXGP of Latvia, Riga and Kegums, with the first event scheduled on the 8-9 of August, followed by a mid-week special on the 11-12 of August, and the final Latvian stop concluding on the 15-16 of August. The Latvian circuit will undergo changes for each event, providing the riders with 3 completely different racetracks. As it stands, in Latvia there will be a total of 1,000 spectators permitted, with a promise that if the situation improves, we could see this number increasing.

The updated calendar will unfortunately see the cancellation of the MXGP of Czech Republic, the MXGP of Sweden and MXGP of Finland from the 2020 MXGP calendar with all being postponed to 2021. While this year we will have to miss the Finnish Grand Prix, Infront Moto Racing and Lahti Events Ltd. are pleased to confirm the continuing agreement that will foresee the MXGP in Finland next season in 2021 and present there until 2023, meaning a one year extension compared to its initial set term.

The MXGP of Germany, previously as TBA, as well as the MXGP of Indonesia and Asia scheduled to be held in November have been also postponed to 2021 while the MXGP of Emilia Romagna changed the venue hosting a double-race in Faenza – MXGP of Italy and MXGP of Emilia Romagna – and an additional race in Mantova for the MXGP of Lombardia have been included together with a triple race in Lommel, Belgium as the Monster Energy MXGP of Flanders, MXGP of Limburg and MXGP of Lommel. The 2020 MXGP Calendar then foresees the MXGP of Trentino scheduled at a later date and the MXGP of Patagonia-Argentina as penultimate and final event respectively. The MXGP of Russia and the MXGP of Portugal are part of the FIM Motocross World Championship calendar as TBC for the moment depending on the ongoing national conditions.

Unfortunately, the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations in Ernée, France has been postponed to 2023 due to the high restrictions for COVID-19 which forbid mass public gatherings in France. Infront Moto Racing are now working with Steve Dixon to bring the 2020 Monster Energy FIM MXoN to Matterley Basin (UK); the event, which is nearly 3 months away will conform to the outdoor event guidance regulations.

From September onwards, at almost every event we can have spectator number limits in place, but we hope that by then the situation will be much better, and we will have the possibility to welcome larger crowds. Every country has different protocols concerning the COVID-19 restrictions, therefore prior to each event we will inform all the stakeholders, media and fans concerning the specific restrictions they will need to follow.

With many events running consecutively one after the other, in order to provide the riders with a better recovery period, the MXGP and MX2 race action will be concentrated into one day, with free/timed practice taking place in the morning and the main races starting from 12h00 into the afternoon. Whereas the day before each event the European Championship and/or the Women’s World Championship will be run. 

At the Monster Energy FIM MXoN the participants will take points for the MXGP and MX2 World Championships, Infront Moto Racing and FIM are working on the regulations keeping in mind the format, the principle and the soul of the MXoN to be maintained. 

As always, fans will be able to follow all the race action of each MXGP, MX2, European and Women’s Championship race on the MXGP-TV.com, with more information on the new packages to be given shortly, and also via all our TV broadcasters.

It has been an extremely demanding task to put together this new calendar and Infront Moto racing would not have been able to do so without the support of the manufacturers, partners, riders, teams and fans and we would like to thank you all for your patience, understanding and support throughout this period. Now we look forward to making a return to racing and continuing the much-anticipated 2020 season.

Click HERE to download the updated Calendar

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FIM Europe

A handful of leading Grand Prix riders spend last weekend getting back up to speed in races throughout Europe. MXGP world champion and Team HRC racer Tim Gajser rode in his second Slovenian championship race this year and went 1-1 for victory, while Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Arminas Jasikonis got to race at home in Lithuania, also finishing 1-1 against the local boys, and in the Czech Republic Haas Racing KTM rider Max Nagl won the MXGP class and Red Bull KTM Factory rider Tom Vialle was victorious in MX2.

“It went very well,” Vialle said. “The track was really nice, and it felt great to be racing again after so many months. I was riding well from free practice and was first onto the gate. I led the whole first race and the bike was working well. I had a good fight with Jago Geerts in the second race but managed to lead every lap until the finish. I’m really happy and now we stay in Czech Republic this week and attempt the second round, next weekend.”

As for Nagl, it was a nice return to racing after a long lay-off not only because of the coronavirus, but also due to a major injury. As always, the positive German rider was excited to be racing again, in a career that has given him so much over the last decade or more.

“Happy with my first race after a long break,” Nagl said. “Also, really proud with Kevin Brumann he was on the gas today. Big thanks to all my partners, family and Haas Racing team for their good support and nice welcome to Sabrina Nagl at KTM Germany.”

As expected Jasikonis was in total command against his countrymen. The Lithuanian is a household name in his homeland, so it was a great experience for his fans to see him in action.

‘’I tried to give the spectators a good show,” Jasikonis said. “In the second race I tried to lap everybody but after a few fast laps I came behind the back markers and decided to slow down a little bit. I had a good feeling on my Husqvarna FC450, and my pace was good. It was a nice day and I appreciate the chance that I could race in front of my home fans.”

Monster Energy Yamaha rider Jago Geerts also rode in the Czech Republic round, but after a solid first race, the DNFed the second race with mechanical problems. The Belgian will race again in the Czech Republic this weekend.

"In the first race I needed too much time to find a good rhythm," Geerts said. "The second race was much better. I took a good start and quickly found a good rhythm. Unfortunately, I couldn't really battle for the lead because of a mechanical problem. Although it is only a preparation race, you always want to get a good result. Hopefully, next weekend will be better."

Now, this weekend the second round of the Czech Republic championship will see more Grand Prix riders trying their hand and preparing for the return of the MXGP and MX2 championships.