Jeremy Seewer is a man of many talents who knows how to get the most from his Yamaha – whether it’s his Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP YZF450FM race bike or a one of Yamaha’s high quality Grand Pianos. As a schoolkid Seewer spent many hours studying the piano, and sat in front of the famous tuning fork logo whilst perfecting his musical skills. Little did he know at the time that his fame would be associated with another kind of Yamaha!
Founded in 1887 by Torakusu Yamaha, the original Nippon Gakki Company – later to become Yamaha Corporation – became famous for its high quality pianos and reed organs. In 1955 Genichi Kawakami, then the 4th President of Nippon Gakki, took the momentous decision to diversify, and Yamaha Motor Company was founded. Driven by the same total commitment to innovation, technology and craftmanship, both companies strive for excellence in their mission to deliver Kando* to their customers: Two Yamahas, One Passion!
Despite the obvious differences between dirt-bikes and pianos and their typical environments, for once Jeremy Seewer enjoyed both at the track to respectively prepare for the 2020 MXGP season and to practice his piano skills thanks to Yamaha Corporation.
The arrival of a grand piano at the Cireddu Valley Motocross Park in Southern Sardinia caused a few raised eyebrows amongst those gathered at the side of the track to watch the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP riders preparing for the 2020 season. Much to the amusement of teammates Gautier Paulin and Arnaud Tonus, Jeremy Seewer immediately parked his Yamaha YZF450FM and made the most of the rare opportunity to practice his piano skills on a Yamaha grand piano, while his teammates continued riding.
"My parents were very keen for me to learn the piano when I was younger. I always enjoyed it, but I loved more to be outside on my bicycle, bike or whatever. Now I kind of regret that I stopped with it. I eventually got to a point where my whole life became focused on racing motocross, although I will always remember how to play. It is kind of like riding a bike, you don’t forget completely. I am actually dreaming of having a Yamaha Grand Piano inside my house in the future, maybe Yamaha could sort this out for," he concluded, with a smile.
*Kando is a Japanese word for the simultaneous feelings of deep satisfaction and intense excitement that we experience when we encounter something of exceptional value.
MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 6th February 2020 – The 78th issue of the MXGP Magazine is now available! This month features the new Monster Energy Kawasaki MXGP rider, Romain Febvre, as the Frenchman talks about his 2020 comeback, his new team and his goals for this year.
The February issue also includes the 2020 Season Preview, as well as a special feature on the VIP GOLD SKYBOX ticketing and the newly returned MXGP of Finland!
Furthermore, you can read about Dave Strijbos’ Cagiva 1986 WMX125 in our Vintage section as well as the former Motocross World Championship rider, turned Team Manager, Marnicq Bervoets, in the MX Hall of Fame!
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.
The MXGP of Spain is back on the 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship calendar, and what a better way to enjoy it than with the MXGP VIP GOLD SKYBOX pass!
Get ready for an unforgettable weekend of racing as the world’s best riders head to intu Xanadú in Arroyomolinos on the 18th and 19th of April for the newly returned MXGP of Spain!
The MXGP VIP Gold Skybox pass will make the weekend even more special and unique, offering fans the opportunity to get even closer to the action and enjoy the racing in style!
With VIP Gold Skybox fans will have access to the most exclusive areas of the MXGP venue, including paddock access, where you can get even closer to the teams and leading brands in the industry, as well as get the chance to meet your heroes and take part in exclusive activities and competitions. You also get access to the VIP Gold Skybox Restaurant, where you will have the opportunity to enjoy amazing food and the finest Italian wines, thanks to our friends at 958 Santero Wines, and enjoy the racing with the best views of the track from the designated VIP area!
And to top it all off, fans can enjoy a front-row seat at the pre-race rituals from our famous and VIP exclusive Skybox Terrace! Located just behind the start-line, the Skybox Terrace is the most sought-after location giving guests a behind-the-scenes look of what it’s like on the start grid before each race, as well as the best view of the race starts!
You will not get this experience anywhere else, so join us at intu-Xanadú for the MXGP of Spain and do it in style with our VIP pass!
Get ahead of the action and purchase your exclusive VIP GOLD SKYBOX pass HERE!
Are you ready for 2020? You better be! Because there is less than ONE month to go, before we start one of the most exciting seasons of the FIM Motocross World Championship!
And HERE is your prime opportunity to be prepared for an unforgettable season of racing with MXGP-TV. Subscribe now and enjoy the FULL season of racing LIVE & OnDemand, including all the MX2 and MXGP races, the EMX125 & EMX2T Presented by FMF Racing, EMX250 and the brand new EMX Open battles as well as the Women’s Motocross World Championship and the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations !
You really don’t want to miss it, as this year is bound to be exciting with the best riders and teams up for the challenge to claim the MXGP and MX2 World Championship titles. And it won’t be easy, as we’ve got some strong contenders for 2020, including the likes of Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Clement Desalle and Romain Febvre, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Seewer, Arnaud Tonus and Gautier Paulin and not forgetting Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s, Jorge Prado who is set to make things interesting during his rookie season in MXGP.
But of course, the series will also see the return of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli and Jeffrey Herlings, two riders who are sure to put up a challenge to the defending MXGP World Champion, Tim Gajser, of Team HRC.
Meanwhile 2020 will also see GasGas make their MXGP debut, providing factory support to the team that will now be known as Standing Construct GasGas MXGP, with their leading man, Glenn Coldenhoff, looking to carry on with his 2019 momentum and mix it up out front in 2020.
While things are hotting up in MXGP, the MX2 class will see a brand-new champion be crowned at the end of the season but who will it be? Could the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory MX2 rider, Thomas Kjer Olsen make it finally happen in 2020 or will either Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Ben Watson and Jago Geerts or Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Tom Vialle among othersbeat him to it? The only way to know is to watch the racing and see for yourself!
Don’t miss out on all the best race action from around the world as the FIM Motocross World Championship kicks off for another year, starting with the MXGP of Great Britain at Matterley Basin on February the 29th and March the 1st.
Click HERE and purchase your 2020 MXGP-TV season pass NOW!
MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 3rd Feburary 2020 – Youthstream and 958 Santero are excited to announce that they will continue to celebrate podiums together, during the 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship season.
958 Santero Wines have stood side-by-side with champions at many MXGP and MX2 podium ceremonies and has since become a huge part of the momentous celebration as winners commemorate their triumphs by showering their team, fans and photographers in the Italian sparkling wine.
Founded in 1958, the Santero winery is located in Piedmont, Italy, at the heart of the wine growing region. Their history stretches back to half a century, marked by the passion for the vineyard, expert management and love for wine and sparkling wine.
Today, the production department continues to take great care throughout each phase of production; from the harvest of the grape, to the bottling phase, to produce the finest wine with a modern appearance but an age-old heart.
In 2020, 958 Santero will continue to be the sparkling wine of choice for MXGP and will also provide their wide range of labels to our exclusive ‘Skybox Restaurant”, giving our MXGP VIP GOLD SKYBOX guests the opportunity to sample the wonderful range of the Italian wines, while they enjoy the action-packed racing.
The Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team will field one of the strongest rider line ups for the 2020 MXGP season. Between the three riders, Jeremy Seewer, Gautier Paulin and Arnaud Tonus, they have accumulated around 95 pieces of Grand Prix silverware as a result of more than 35 Grand Prix race wins and 18 Grand Prix victories throughout their careers. Their road to the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP team has been at least 10 years in the making, and each rider's story features struggles as well as success.
Tonus’ return to racing has been impressive. After a couple of years racing in the USA, Tonus returned to Europe and ‘home’ to the Yamaha family in 2017, where he was the cat among the pigeons in the 2017 FIM MXGP World Championship. He lined up with the number ‘4’ stuck firmly to his YZ450F and managed to make his first podium appearance in the premier class at round five, which he followed up with his maiden Qualifying Heat win in Russia, and an exhilarating GP race win in front of his home crowd in Switzerland.
In 2018 Tonus injured both shoulders in two different off-season incidents, and was forced to undergo a double shoulder reconstruction which side-lined him for the entire 2018 MXGP season. After taking a heart-wrenching full year off, the talented Swiss rider reasserted himself in the 2019 FIM MXGP World Championship with a startling six podium finishes to finish fifth overall.
"The last few years have been really tough for me," declared Tonus. "I've dealt with a lot of injuries and suffering, both physically and mentally. At one point I almost thought about stopping my career because I was just over it. It's pretty amazing to see it from where I was to where I'm at right now. I'm super, super thankful."
Paulin is easily one of the most famed riders on the gate. The 29-year-old Frenchman already has an incredible list of achievements that includes 12 Grand Prix wins. He has stood on the podium 56 times. In that time, he has won 19 races. In addition to his individual achievements, the French phenomenon has had the honour of representing his nation at the prestigious Monster Energy Motocross of Nations on ten occasions, each time playing a vital role in the teams' success, that includes five gold medals, in 2014, '15, '16, '17, and ’18, and two silver medals, in 2009, and '11.
In 2011 he stepped up to the premier class formerly known as 'MX1' and now named 'MXGP', where he won the opening round in Fermo, Italy, onboard a Yamaha YZ450FM, and took the same bike to victory at the 2011 Motocross of Nations in Saint Jean d'Angely, France, where he was the captain of the 'Home Team'.
After moving on to face new challenges in racing from 2012 through to 2018, Paulin made his return to Yamaha in 2019 with a satellite team and instantly stunned on his production YZ450F, aboard which he celebrated four podium finishes and fell a slender 8-points short of the bronze medal.
His immediate success meant that he was fast-tracked into the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP team for 2020, where he believes that even a one percent improvement in the bike can be the difference between winning and losing.
"I know what I want and, actually, I can really have what I want right now," explained Paulin. "Being back with the factory team is a big step and it brings with it that extra one percent, which in racing is big because we're all at 100 percent. Being on the top step of the MXGP class means being involved every single minute of your life, to be the best."
And last but by no means least is the 2019 MXGP runner-up, Seewer. Over the past four years, the young Swiss rider has been the ‘bridesmaid’ but never the bride.
Throughout his Grand Prix racing career, he has led 127 laps, won 15 races, including qualifying races, celebrated five Grand Prix victories and 32 podiums. After finishing eighth in his rookie season in the premier class, the ‘91’ was drafted into the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team where he was able to ride the works version of his trusted YZ450F.
His enormous improvement since lining up on the YZ450FM was evidenced by his six podium appearances on his way to finishing second overall in the 2019 FIM Motocross World Championship, which raises the age-old question; what will it take to go one better?
"After being vice-world champion, of course, there is only one more thing to achieve," says Seewer. "It's super tough out there to win. There are so many guys who are world champions, so many guys winning Grands Prix, so it's a huge amount of work and a big story behind to actually become a world champion. I visualise what it would be like to be on the top, to be world champion. And I think it must be one of the most amazing feelings, just to be the best at what you do."
KTM Diga Junior Racing spin-off Globe powered by Diga Racing enters the EMX125 series with a bang. The recently founded Belgian team has signed the talented young Frenchman Florian Miot. Florian, 16, is the younger brother of Matheo Miot.
In spite of strong results last season the French and Italian 125cc champion found himself without a team at the end of 2019. However Florian continued to train in preparation for the 2020 season. Back on KTM “FloFlo” is faster than ever. He dominated the Berck beach race in October by winning all three motos.
The youngest of the Miot brothers already made his marks internationally too. He grabbed a first podium in his rookie EMX125 year, 2018 and won the Motocross of European Nations with Team France in 2017. Stronger and more experienced “FloFlo” and the Globe powered by Diga Racing outfit are looking forward to go racing together.
Florian Miot: “I’m really happy and relieved that we have made this deal with Globe powered by Diga Racing. We knew the people involved and it’s great to be surrounded by professional people in a relaxed atmosphere. I learned a lot about racing in the last two seasons in EMX125 and I want to take all this knowledge into this new challenge!”
Dirk Saelen: “We’re pleased to have Florian (Miot) on board as the first rider for Globe by Diga Racing. This new team structure will focus on logistical and technical support for EMX riders. It’s awesome to hit the ground running with a talented and dedicated young rider like Florian. He already trained on the KTM so we’re convinced he’ll adapt easily to his new environment.”
Florian Miot will make his Globe powered by Diga Racing debut with the EMX125 Presented by FMf racing series on February the 29th in Matterley Basin, England.
Team BUD Racing Kawasaki will again be behind the World Championship starting gate this season with four riders in four different classes, continuing their traditional blend of experience and youth.
After a successful return to MX2 last year the team has renewed its confidence in Mitchell Harrison as the youthful American starts his second season in Europe. Last year he had to learn both new tracks and Motocross World Championship in general after his previous career in the USA and he will line up at Matterley Basin – first of the 20 GPs on March 1st – with more experience. At selected GPs he will be joined by Pierre Goupillon, back with the team after a first collaboration in 2018; the main goal of the young French rider will be the European EMX250 Championship.
Belgian Amandine Verstappen, the reigning French women’s champion. Is a newcomer to the team. Amandine will race her KX250 Kawasaki for the first time in Great Britain at the opening round of the WMX world series. Having recorded her maiden GP victory last year she will also defend the French Championship.
In the long tradition of Marvin Musquin, Dylan Ferrandis and Brian Moreau, who each started their careers with BUD, it’s now Quentin Prugnières that the team has signed on a long-term deal. The French Hopefuls champion last year, the youngster from the island of la Reunion will contest the French Junior and European 125 championships.
All this investment would not be possible without the team’s loyal partners, especially Kawasaki who has backed the team since 2007! Alongside their long-term sponsors BUD is proud to welcome new partners Champion lubricants, PRO and Boomerang.
2020 also saw the return of Thierry Van Den Bosch as trainer to all of the riders; the multiple Supermoto world champion is back in motocross after a successful experience in road racing. “I’ve been working with Pierre Goupillon since November and everything is going well; we knew each other already as I had worked with him previously in the French national team and we have been working together intensely for two weeks each month. Mitchell arrived in Europe two weeks ago; he had to rest before coming back to Europe due to a minor injury but now we start our racing programme, we’ll have three more weeks to prepare for the first GP in Matterley Basin where our four musketeers will all be on track as the MX2, EMX125 and WMX championships each kick off there.”
The first issue in 2020 of a monthly motorcycle sport magazine with some of the best interviews, features and Blogs from the heart of MXGP, MotoGP, AMA Motocross/Supercross and WorldSBK as well as tests and reviews of bikes and products from the motorcycling industry. Here are some of the highlights of OTOR #195 and the opening publication this year: MXGP: Prado, Febvre, Watson & the Spanish GP; exclusive stories with three protagonists of 2020 MXGP chatting recovery, rivalry, last chances and new chapters. Plus a look at the newest GP on the slate. So spin around to this: Helmets; a revealing journey to the ground-breaking facility of MIPS in Sweden explains why riders should think carefully before their next purchase. MotoGP: Four essential 2020 Qs & the MM93 shoulder; pressing questions for 2020 MotoGP as the first test nears, and we take a trip to Cervera and the champion’s hometown for an injury update. Supercross: Is this Barcia’s year? A revealing interview with the Yamaha star on how adversity, support and experience could finally come together to allow the #51 to make a 450SX title play.
MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 29th January 2020 – Youthstream is delighted to announce that long-running partnership with PROGRIP and MXGP will continue for the 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship season.
Following many great years of working together, PROGRIP and MXGP are excited to continue growing together for another race season as they help motocross to new heights on the world stage.
The Progrip product range is not limited to the production of the best grips in the industry, as the company name would suggest, but they also produce a wide array of goods that includes their very own line of racewear, goggles, helmets, protection and other accessories.
With over forty years of experience, their extensive knowledge, attention to quality and detail and the use of the finest raw materials is the reason why today, the products are loved and used by many of the World Championship teams and riders.
This season you can expect to see the 9-time World Champion, Antonio Cairoli, as well as Clement Desalle, MXGP World Champion Romain Febvre and MX2 rider Jago Geerts all using Propgrip products.
The brand will also be supporting Women’s World Championship rider, Shana Van der Vlist, as well as the entire Team Maddii Racing, MX-Team SDM Corse and Ghidinelli Racing SSD SRL squads, among many others.
