MX2

MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 24^th June 2020 – Motocross riders are athletes who quite literally train for a living and with the 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship on hold due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, many of the riders were unable to ride their bikes for a couple of months.

Although they have spent all this time at home, this doesn’t mean that the riders have spent their time doing nothing… In fact, for most riders, training has remained a constant minus the actual riding part of course as many tracks all over Europe were closed. Now though it seems like there’s a glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel, as the riders have been able to get back out on their bikes and start working towards the rest of the season.

To get an insight on what the world’s fastest riders have been up to in the past few months, we caught up with a few of them, including their coaches and team managers to get some insider information on how they have been keeping fit!

Check out the full feature in the 82^nd issue of the MXGP Magazine HERE!

Don’t forget you can download the latest issue of MXGP Mag 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.

Photo Copyright: Rick Heusschen

As good weather sweeps through Europe motocross riders are doing their hard work and making sure they are ready for the big return to MXGP and MX2.

World MXGP champion Tim Gajser is back in action after racing a national championship race last week, and the Slovenian was excited to be back and seeing a big crowd in attendance for his return. Slovenia is on complete control of the coronavirus and it meant motocross returned in a big way.

“To be on the gate again after a couple of months, it was just the Slovenian championship, but the feeling was the same and we raced. I had a decent day, won the first race and then had problems with the bike in the second race. I had a DNF, but it was great to get on a race and get that feeling back, I enjoyed it a lot. It was amazing, and actually I didn’t know so many people would come, in the end I also did a signing session and it was really good.”

Meanwhile, the MXGP red plate owner Jeffrey Herlings has been riding at home in Holland and enjoying the great weather washing through Europe at the moment. The rider known as “The Bullet” just loves riding his KTM again.

“I am riding now five or six weeks, but we did take two or three months off, because as you know living in Holland everything was closed, tracks, events, everything. Now we are back it is weird not knowing when you really need to be ready and when you need to be in sharp. I mean the goal is still to be World champion. For now we don’t have a plan until a final calendar comes out. I know it is hard to make a calendar with everything that is happening in the World, but hopefully the next calendar is the one that is going to happen.”

Unfortunate news today was the fact Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider Pauls Jonass has had an accident and will need some time to recover. The Latvian will more than likely miss his home GP in August.

"Motocross sometimes puts you down. Unfortunately, I got injured in a practice crash while training for the forthcoming MXGP season restart, resulting in three broken ribs and five broken spinous processes. Doctors have recommended an extended period of rehabilitation before returning to riding. Hope to be back on bike asap!"

Whatever happens from now and until the MXGP and MX2 championships are running again, we all hope everyone good health and see you guys at the races again sooner rather than later.

Photo Copyright: Ray Archer

During the ongoing pause in the various FIM Motocross World Championships due to the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and following on from the initial video in the series (click HERE to see part 1) the FIM and MXGP Promoter Infront Moto Racing are pleased to share the second film that provides an in-depth insight into rider safety equipment.

KTM factory rider and the FIM Motocross World Champion MX2 , Jorge Prado explains in great detail about each piece of equipment – paying special attention to relevant areas from head to toe and the important function of the individual items whilst also revealing his own safety tips. Watch and learn from one of the World’s best MXGP riders and understand the importance he puts on being safe whilst out on track.

New global initiative unites the sporting community to encourage policymakers to safely re-open sporting events and fan participation as soon as possible

MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 18 June 2020 - Today #Sport4Recovery, a global campaign to encourage policymakers to safely re-open organised sport, was launched by a group of governing bodies and other stakeholders from across different sport. In addition to communicating with policymakers, the campaign aims to work with the scientific community to highlight the importance of sport for mental and physical health recovery as well as to mobilise athletes and sports fans.

Sarah Lewis, Secretary General of the International Ski Federation (FIS) and the Association of the International Olympic Winter Sports Federations (AIOWF) said: "We believe that sport can serve as a role model for other sectors of society in demonstrating and promoting the organisation of safe and controlled activities and we welcome sports organisations and stakeholders involved in sport around the world to join our movement. After all, organised sport is already staged according to controlled procedures and comprehensive health and safety protocols to ensure the wellbeing of all involved."

“With the cessation of organised sport comes tremendous uncertainty presently for our sector, including the grassroots and youth development level, which has been shaped and grown over decades and provides a key societal function as well as an important economic impact contribution globally, nationally and in local communities," added Patrick Comninos, CEO of the Basketball Champions League.

Therefore, we the undersigned, call on governments to:

1.Recognise the importance of organised sport given its societal, physical and mental health benefits, especially as we emerge from months of lockdown that has restricted the ability of athletes to participate in their livelihoods and fans the opportunity to watch sport.

2.Work with sports governing bodies and other stakeholders to develop and approve detailed protocols to enable the timely re-opening of venues, training and competition.

3.Protect the sports sector from further massive economic and structural damage by actively supporting the development of a sustainable pathway to re-open when it is safe for everyone involved.

4.Ease national and international travel and accommodation regulations for top athletes, teams and officials, in line with health and safety protocols.

5.Consider the needs of each individual sport; support for women’s sports both at the grassroots and top level; and the importance of sport for the disabled.

And in line with the safety principles that are being established for other sectors:

6.Enable spectators to attend live sporting events.

7.Allow amateur sports clubs and facilities to open.

8.Begin to ease national and international travel and accommodation regulations for spectators and fans.

“After months of lockdown, sport is the perfect outlet to help people recover,” said Roberto Re, Leadership and Mental Coach. “Be it watching sports or participating in physical activity, sport encourages physical and mental fulfilment. As countries across the world open up, it is imperative that we create an environment that provides reassurance, particularly for children, that fun and excitement is returning to life. We can and should provide a sense of normalcy after months of uncertainty and for many, boredom”.

“I am fully endorsing #Sport4Recovery and can’t wait to come together safely post-lockdown and for all of us to be at our very best - physically, mentally and emotionally. Opening up organised sports is just the boost we all need, not only athletes, but also fans and passionate about sports, that everyday practice their favourite sport,” commented Filippo Tortu, 100 metres Italian recordholder and finalist at 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha.

#Sport4Recovery is fully committed to working with governments and health authorities to ensure this is done safely - in accordance with the necessary measures such as testing for top athletes, social distancing, defined hygiene measures, as well as monitoring and tracking protocols sanctioned by government authorities.

The founding underwriters of the #Sport4Recovery manifesto are (in alphabetical order): Alliance of European Hockey Clubs (E.H.C.), Basketball Champions League, Basketball Champions League Americas, European Volleyball Federation (CEV), French Swimming Federation, International Basketball Federation (FIBA), International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), International Motorcycling Federation (FIM), International Ski Federation (FIS), Italian Athletics Federation (FIDAL), Italian Golf Federation (FIG), Italian Ice Sports Association (FISG), Infront, Le Five, Lega Serie A, MXGP, and Sporsora.

For more information, please visit www.sport4recovery.org    

Media Contact: info@sport4recovery.org

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

Sport4Recovery

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing are pleased to announce a two-year contract extension with FIM MX2 Motocross World Championship rookie Rene Hofer. The 18-year old Austrian will steer the works KTM 250 SX-F for the 2021 and 2022 Grand Prix seasons.

Hofer was drafted into the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team for 2020 after showing promise through the EMX European Championship ranks with the KTM 125 SX and the KTM 250 SX-F in the EMX125 and EMX250 divisions. Rene impressed with his maturity, work ethic and strong mentality and brought those characteristics into the beginning of the 2020 Grand Prix campaign where he captured two top five finishes in four races before the season was halted.

So far Hofer has shown encouraging signs of continuing KTM’s powerful lineage in the MX2 class. The manufacturer has owned the category 12 times in the last 16 years; including every season since 2008, with the exception of 2015. Eight different racers have earned the #1 plate while riding the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 250 SX-F. 2019 rookie and teammate Tom Vialle is the current series leader. Hofer is the first Austrian to represent Red Bull KTM in the principal MX2/MXGP Grand Prix competitions since Robert Jonas at the turn of the century.      

Rene Hofer: “I’ve been with KTM for about a decade now and every time I step into the company, I feel like I’m in the right place. It’s only my first year with the factory team but it already feels like home and it’s a pleasure to work and spend time with the guys and achieve our goals together. All I can say is that I am super-excited about what the next two years will bring and I will enjoy every minute of it. From my side, I will obviously put in maximum effort and I know everybody in the team will do the same. Working together with an Austrian brand will hopefully have a positive effect on Austrian motorsport as well. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to live my dream but I can’t forget to give-it-up to all the people who helped me get here, especially my family.”

Robert Jonas, Vice President KTM Motorsports Offroad: “Rene came into the factory team pretty close under the microscope, but we were thrilled to see how he responded to winter training and preparation and then how he adjusted to the speed of MX2 right away. He made a few good wildcard appearances in 2019 so he was able to see a little bit of what was in store for 2020 and then adapted well to the demands of being a factory rider. His career keeps progressing and we’re excited to continue that journey together. Hopefully the FIM World Championship can begin again soon and both Rene and Tom can continue to learn and develop

Photo Copyright: Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

Finally, we had some motocross actions last weekend when MXGP World champion Tim Gajser made his return to racing at a local race in his country of Slovenia. The HRC rider posted some videos on his social media and as can be expected, many gathered to see the World Champion in action.

Of course, Gajser is excited to be back and speaking a little while ago, the HRC rider mentioned about the fact the MXGP riders will need to change their whole strategy as the FIM Motocross World Championship returns, running a number of Grand Prix’s back to back to make sure we can get the 2020 completed.

“I think it is good (normally) to have at least one weekend of break,” Gajser said. “Because the season is long, and we have 20 races. We start in March and end in September (normally), so we have three GPs in a row and then a weekend off, and it is good to have a weekend off to recharge the batteries. Right now, with this unusual situation, when we come back we will need to do many races in a row, I know that will be physically and mentally very tough, but we all want to race, so we will handle this.”

Of course, all around Europe training tracks are opening, and MXGP and MX2 riders can prepare for what is looking more and more like an August start. Former Grand Prix rider Marc De Reuver is happy that his F&H Kawasaki riders can now all train together.

“All training track in Holland open this week,” De Reuver said. “So, all my riders can train together. I have been spending some time in Belgium with some riders and Holland with other riders, but now we can all train together and that is great news. I remember when we first went into lockdown and I was sitting on the sofa and I was like, this is rather good you know. Get some rest, but then I realized I have no life without motocross. I am happy we are back training and it is a little like we are back to normal. My feeling is we will also find a way to go back to racing.”

The motocross world is without question excited as the lockdown period gets closer and closer to being completely over and we can not only get back into our normal lives, but also get the sport back on its feet and the wonderful sport of motocross can be run.

Riders like Jeffrey Herlings, Antonio Cairoli, Clement Desalle, Gautier Paulin and many more are preparing to battle each other again, and we all know that all will be doing their best to make sure when that first Grand Prix will be run again, they will all be prepared as well as possible.

MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 12^th June 2020 – Infront Moto Racing regrets to inform that the 2020 MXGP of China has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The much-anticipated Chinese Grand Prix will however make a return to the MXGP racing calendar next season, with the Chinese Federation (CAMF) and H&H Sports Protection Group LTD committed to host the fantastic event from 2021.  

Additionally, the MXGP of Russia will be moved from the 2^nd of August to a later date in October/November, with a confirmed scheduling of the event to be announced based on the evolution of the pandemic and the possibility of travel.

Infront Moto Racing, along with the FIM and the FIM Europe, is working closely with the local governments, national federations and the local organisers on a daily basis to have a final calendar in the coming weeks to continue the awaited 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship.

Infront Moto Racing’s goal is to hold with 10-12 events set to take place in Europe between the middle of August and the end of October, including the best off road event of the year, the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations which is held in Ernèe, France on September the 26^th and 27^th. Then moving further into the schedule between November and beginning of December and following the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 MXGP Calendar will feature the farther stops including selected overseas events. 

The European rounds of the MXGP/MX2 World Championships and the European Championships will be announced by the end of June. We thank you all for your patience and we look forward to making a return to racing the 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship very soon.

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

FIM Europe

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

It looks like that slowly we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. The last days have been positive in many countries especially in Europe, where the new Covid19 cases are going down drastically. Some countries have already decided to slowly re-open their industries, restaurants and public areas with some restrictions, but it is very promising for the upcoming months. We all hope that the worst is behind us now.

On top of that, the beginning of summertime will see the opening of the beaches, lakes and seaside areas, and the next step should be to allow public events to take place again. MXGP should follow the same dynamic and we are still very confident to be able to run the championship from August. For sure the most important thing is to be able to travel, organize and host safely all the MXGP family and fans at the different Grand Prix.

As you have probably read in the MX press, Infront Moto Racing and the FIM are working closely to possibly adjust some regulations exceptionally for 2020 season. One of them is related to the Grand Prix program during the weekend. For European situated Grand Prix only, the MX2 and MXGP program will be delivered only for Sunday, which means that Free Practice, Time Practice and Races will take place on 1 day. The fans coming for the weekend will not miss races on Saturday, as the whole Saturday program will be dedicated to the European classes or the WMX classes. All the races from all the categories will be live on MXGP-TV.com as usual. Those changes will help the teams, mechanics and staff to have more time to work on the bike between the GP, as we will face some back to back racing weekend for some weeks. This change is not valid for overseas GP as we don’t have European classes.

Regarding the biggest and most important event of the season, the Monster Energy Motocross of Nations in Ernée – France, the preparations are going ahead, the organizer published some beautiful pictures regarding some changes made on the track and we can be sure that everything will be done to host in the best way possible the MX fans from the world. We are in discussion with FIM to adapt the regulations for 2020 season to assure a great show! More will come in the coming weeks about the changes.

Finally, on our social media networks you can find the latest news regarding MXGP, but also a lot of nice videos about the current training programs of the riders, some archives of the past Grand Prix and our weekly MXGP Studio show from home.

We are getting closer to the new beginning and we will all be ready to start our engines!

David Luongo

CEO of Infront Moto Racing 

MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 11 June 2020 - With the current pause in the FIM Motocross World Championships due to the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the FIM and MXGP Promoter Infront Moto Racing have taken the opportunity to create a series of informative videos that shares important information and provides a unique behind the scenes insight to the sport. The short films showcase the role of the FIM Motocross Commission and the national federations, plus illustrate how FIM volunteers can progress to becoming FIM Officials with the correct training and experience. Whilst often unseen, the team of technical and administrative staff play a key part in ensuring the safety of riders, and in maintaining the integrity of fairness of the championship. Watch and learn as the riders go through the relevant processes before being allowed to head out on track.

David Luongo – Infront Moto Racing CEO: “Safety has always been our top priority and through the past years, the FIM MXGP Motocross World Championship has always been a pioneer in this subject. Alongside our colleagues at the FIM and the national federations, our staff take safety as their main focus, starting from the track design and preparation of the event and ensuring that all the administration and technical procedures are completed correct. The second video will provide an in-depth insight into rider safety equipment. We have been pleased to collaborate with the FIM to produce these informative films.”

Antonio Alia Portela – Director of the FIM Motocross Commission (CMS): “As we all prepare to go racing again in the coming months, we felt it was a good moment to show the work of the FIM, the national federations, Infront Moto Racing staff, FIM Officials and volunteers and the important role that they play in delivering our sport at the highest level. Safety has become a critical focus for the FIM in more recent years and especially in motocross where the riders are pushing themselves to the limit. We are sure that riders both amateur and professional can learn something from these short films. We would like to thank our promoter Infront Moto Racing for producing and supporting us with these educational videos.”

If you have any issue to open the video please click HERE: youtu.be/YV8LmcdAjEQ

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM