MX2

When you are born in Lommel, can you do another sport than Motocross? Jacky Martens is one of those kids who dreamt to become a champion and he did it even if he had to wait many years before celebrating his 500cc World title at the age if thirty. 

Born on the 3rd of July 1963, Jacky did his first race when he was 16 and had to wait several years before winning his first international race during the 1983 Cup de l'Avenir. 

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The well-established KTM Diga Junior Racing squad is proud to announce an exciting three rider lineup for the 2018 EMX series. EMX250 star Miro Sihvonen and Tomas Kohut will campaign the highly competitive KTM 250 SX-F, while emerging EMX125 rider Emil Weckman looks forward to his first full season on the KTM 125 SX.

After a rollercoaster injury-marred 2017 that saw the team claim one EMX250 round with Miro Sihvonen and strong international results with Tomas Kohut the Belgian team decided to streamline their organisation. Even though the Dirk Saelen-managed crew maintains a strong focus on developing and guiding talented young motocross riders KTM Diga Junior Racing will support fewer riders than before. Placing the bar higher to concentrate on high potential talent is the next logical step. 

Sihvonen, who just turned 19, hit the ground running this year. The fast Finn dominated the opening round of the ADAC Youngster Cup and rode to a podium in Trentino  and an impressive double moto win in Valkenswaard before he injured his shoulder in the ADAC Youngster Cup race of Jauer. Miro has learned a lot from his breakthrough season and aims to come back strong next year! Without a doubt the leading KTM Diga Junior Racing rider should be a strong title contender in the MX2 feeder class.

Two severe pre-season knee injuries knocked Tomas Kohut,18, completely off course. However the affable Slovakian returned strong without standout results in international races and flashes of speed in the few EMX250 rounds he competed in. For 2018 Tomas wants to establish himself as a top-10 regular.

Multi-year signing Emil Weckman, who just happened to turn sixteen today, completes KTM Diga Junior Racing’s lineup. The double EMX150 champion is one of the brightest up and coming riders in Europe. Admittedly the young Finn had a complicated first EMX125 season switching classes and was forced to move from a different team to KTM Diga Junior Racing during the season. The energetic and enthusiastic teenager put his head down and started to make headway near the end of the season when he adapted well to the KTM 125 SX. Weckman eventually might be joined by a second 125 rider as the team considers running a strong second EMX125 contender. Riders who think they have what it takes can reach the team here.

Dirk Saelen, KTM Diga Junior Racing team manager: “We’re thrilled to continue working with three talented young guys who have a great potential. Each of them has had his own challenges this season but we strongly believe in them and every elite athlete has experienced his or her sheer amount of adversity. Especially in motocross that seems to be what fuels any great performance!
We also know how quickly things can change. This season Miro Sihvonen left Valkenswaard with the red plate and a 20-point lead over the second. In the end Miro finished 11th due to injury. For sure his goal is to fight for the top-three overall. Tomas Kohut was very unlucky in the sense that he couldn’t carry the pre-season momentum with him once he started riding again. We know what he’s capable of and we can’t wait to help bring out the best from his riding. Last but not least we’re very excited to start our longerm partnership with Emil Weckman and his family. Emil already showed us what he’s made of on a few occasions. Not only does he have great skills on the bike Emil is also a fierce competitor who never gives up. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Weckman regularly inside the top-5 next year.  On one hand our riders grab the limelight and we’re really pleased to have Miro (Sihvonen), Emil (Weckman) and Tomas (Kohut) with us again. On the other hand none of this would be possible without the loyal support of our sponsors, volunteers and of course our team staff. Their dedication and commitment speaks volumes about the quality of their work. Perhaps this is my biggest pride in a season where it was tough to reach our sporting goals. Regardless of what happened on track everyone put in a first-class effort. Thank you!”

Copyright: Photos: Eric Laurijssen

RedSand, the host of the 2018 MXGP of La Comunitat Valenciana taking place the 24th and 25th March 2018, is beginning to take shape and on Monday the track crew went to work moving soil and making the layout for the GP.

The current layout will be modified and rebuilt until January in an attempt to find the best combination of turns, jumps, technical areas, etc.

RedSand’s main goal is to have a complete track with lap times around the 2 minute mark. The circuit is set to open this November to the public and it will also be the first chance for riders to arrive and start their preseason testing.

After a challenging yet highly rewarding season of WMX racing where she claimed her fifth FIM Women's Motocross World Title and etched her name into the history books as the most successful female motocross rider in the world, MX Fonta Yamaha Official WMX's Kiara Fontanesi has been invited out to Japan to test her skills against some of the quickest men in the country.

This weekend, October 22nd, the 23-year-old Italian will be racing her Yamaha YZ250F in the IA2 class at the ninth round of the All Japan Motocross Championship where she will go head to head with the best 250cc riders in Japan, including Yamaha Factory Racing Team's latest Japanese prodigy Yusuke Watanabe.  The event will take place at the Sportsland Sugo circuit in Miyagi Prefecture.

As a legend of WMX, this is not the first time that the Italian starlet will go up against the men. She was the only female to race a round of the FIM MX2 World Championship this year, which took place in the brutal sand of Valkenswaard, The Netherlands, back in April. While she didn't score points at the MX2 Grand Prix of Europe, she did complete every lap of the race and felt that the experience was priceless.

Kiara landed in Japan 10 days ago and was privileged to test the Sportsland Sugo circuit ahead of racing this weekend. With poor conditions due to rain, the Italian is relieved to be racing her own Yamaha YZ250F, the same one that she races in the FIM Women's Motocross World Championship. She has done three days of testing on the Sportsland Sugo circuit where she felt she made some significant changes to her set up, one of which, was the addition of a Factory Dunlop rear tyre.

In between the days of testing, she has attended various media events in Tokyo, and was also a guest at the MotoGP of Japan which took place at the Twin Ring Motegi Circuit last weekend.  

Kiara Fontanesi: "I really want to thank Yamaha and the race organizers for this amazing opportunity. I love being here, the people are incredible, they are all so friendly and extremely helpful. Since landing last Tuesday, I have been able to ride three times. It has been raining a lot, so the track has been really muddy, but I feel like we have made some big improvements on my bike and my lap-times have got a lot better. I was able to test a factory Dunlop tyre and that made a big difference. In between riding I have had many events to attend, one was the MotoGP in Motegi. On Friday we will have a press day at the track and then it's on to the race weekend which I am really looking forward to."

Erik Eggens: "After spending a year with another manufacturer and then returning to Yamaha in 2017 where she has just won her fifth FIM Women's Motocross World title, it is a great honor for Kiara to have been invited out to Japan by Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. This is a fantastic opportunity for her to race in the Japanese championship against some of the fastest boys in Japan, where she will be able to learn the level of racing in another championship and area of the world. It's a great experience, I think the crowd in Sugo will be amazing and hopefully some cool results will come from it."

Copyright: Photo: Yamaha Racing

It is amazing to think how powerful the Red Bull KTM Factory team was in 2017. Two world motocross championships, a bunch of GP victories and worldwide success.

Of course Antonio Cairoli with his ninth world title was the lead rider for the orange army. His sixth championship with KTM after winning three with Yamaha, the Italian legend can look back on this season with great pride.

“It was an important championship for me because we didn't start as the favourite,” Cairoli said after his win. “And for everybody who was ‘talking’ [doubting and criticizing] this was for them. I know what it takes to make a solid and consistent championship. We made it and I’m really happy about this. It was an amazing season, one of my best. It is amazing that I can still improve myself after almost fifteen years in the world championship. I’m proud of this and I think we can still work to be a bit better in some cases but right now I want to enjoy this title. It is the first with the KTM 450 SX-F for me, which is very special. The rest were with the 350 and when I was injured, we were never really in a position where we could test [the 450] a lot. This year I felt very good with the bike and we improved a lot in the winter.”

Pit Beirer the Motorsport Director at KTM, a former GP winner knows what it takes to challenge for a world title.

“Again, Cairoli and KTM combination gives us a special moment in our long motocross racing history,” Beirer said. “This is a product of a lot of work by a lot of people. Tony’s season was fantastic to watch with many highlights and proves he is still the reference for the class and all the kids that one day want to reach the top of this sport. Jeffrey also fought back well and it is hard to think how 2017 could have gone much better for us. 2018 will soon be on our minds but the whole crew really deserve to enjoy this one.”

Red Bull KTM team manager, Claudio De Carli is something of a father figure to Cairoli has been there since day one, and like everyone at KTM, knew this time would come.

“Tony won a lot of titles in a row and it is unusual to get the championship back after two years. The KTM 350 SX-F was essentially made for him and his style but when we took the 450 Tony was pretty much injured and we couldn't develop the bike as much as we wanted. When he was fit the technical side also went very well; the whole package came together and works so well now. He’s had a fantastic year. I remember him saying that he wanted the title at the end of last year and we all wanted to push for the same thing, but I also wanted to keep his feet on the ground. We found a good way. Every title has its own story but this one was special and emotional because of the comeback. He is an incredible rider. Everyone said he was too old and he was finished … but it was not like that. I want to thank each and every member of the team and the factory who have helped and to Pit and Robert for their support, trust and a great opportunity to be part of this KTM story.”

Now the current king of the MXGP class, moves into 2018 with another goal. To join Stefan Everts as a 10 times world motocross champion. It’s a goal that the Italian doesn’t really look at, he just wants to keep winning and the rest will take care of itself.

Copyright: Photo: Ray Archer

With the 2017 at a close, riders and teams are looking forward to 2018 and the crew at the I-Fly JK Yamaha team are no exception. The team has recently and proudly introduced the rider line up for 2018.

Leading the campaign for the season will be Ivo Monticelli, who will move into the MXGP class racing the entire season including the overseas rounds following his 2017 MX2 season which he finished 28th in the standings.

Sweden’s Tim Edberg has joined the team and will contest the EMX250 championship in his rookie attempt in the class. Young Hungarian, Adam Kovács, will move from his 85cc Yamaha to the bigger YZ125 machine while competing in the EMX125 championship.

2017 EMX150 5th place finisher was the young female, Lynn Falk, who will now compete for the Yamaha team in the WMX World Championship 2018. Completing the EMX lineup will be Manuel Iacopi who returns to EMX300 aboard the same machine which helped him to finish 8th in the championship during 2017.

The final rider to be announced after a fresh deal was put together in the past few days is Swede, Anton Gole. Gole finished out the 2017 MX2 season aboard a TM Racing bike finishing 22nd overall, he will again race MX2 in 2018.

Copyright: Photo: I-FLY JK Racing

Antonio Cairoli's two-wheeled 2017 season could not have closed any better; after winning his ninth Motocross World title and marrying his life partner Jill, the Sicilian climbed onto a powerful RC16, made available by KTM, for an interesting test at Valencia's Spanish circuit. Assisted by the Austrian test team and advised by Finnish ace Mika Kallio, Tony went to the track five times, putting in 22 laps, during which he first had to familiarise himself with the inverted 1 up, 5 down, gearbox before setting off on a series of rolled laps, trying to find his limit on the 200+ hp beast. Reaching over 300 kilometers per hour, Cairoli far exceeded even the highest expectations of him, leaving everyone present astonished at how easily he adapted to such an extraordinarily powerful and demanding machine. Ten years after his first and only appearance on a road bike, TC222 has once again proved to be an unmatched midfielder.

Antonio Cairoli: “I am grateful to KTM for the fantastic opportunity it has given me today and I would like to especially thank the guys in the test team who did a great job for me. Trying a MotoGP bike was always going to be hugely exciting and the adrenaline rush was enormous! I was surprised at how much the Grand Prix motorbike has evolved in ten years and how much has been improved in how it can corner. The brakes and acceleration are impressive and it's hard to find the limit on such a perfect bike. On the last run I started to have some serious fun after spending a few laps adapting myself, especially to the gearbox which is backwards compared to any other bike. Having Mika Kallio ride in front of me was very important as I could follow his lines, allowing me to improve lap after lap, finding the best trajectories. Riding at more than 300 km / h is really exciting, but it is very different to motocross as in MotoGP the lines are well established and don’t really change during a race….completely opposite to how the lines develop in motocross throughout the course of a race, anyway I hope to have again soon another opportunity to ride this fantastic bike."

Copyright: Photos: TC222 Media

For 12-16-year-old aspiring motocross stars, the chance of being an Official Yamaha Rider complete with a professional team and support system sounds like the best thing ever. 33 of  Europe’s fastest young YZ125 riders took one giant step towards that dream being made a reality when they lined up at the biggest motocross event of the year, the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations Presented by Fiat Professional, for the 2017 YZ125 bLU cRU Cup SuperFinale.

From the 33 entries, five riders - the top-three finishers + two wild cards - made the cut for the bLU cRU Masterclass which will take place in 2 weeks’ time, near Rome, where one lucky rider will be rewarded with a place on the MJC Yamaha Official EMX125 team where he will be supplied with a GYTR kitted YZ125 to race the 2018 EMX125 Championship. Here is a clip that captures some of the best moments from the 2017 YZ125 bLU cRU Cup SuperFinale that took place on the weekend of October 1^st: 

Copyright: Photo: Yamaha Racing

It has been announced that the 2017 EMX 250 Champion Morgan Lesiardo will ride the 2018 MX2 Motocross World Championship aboard a Marchetti Racing Team KTM 250 SX-F. The 18 year old, born in Cantù, Italy comes off a successful 2017 where he won the EMX 250 title and raced multiple MX2 rounds. In addition to his EMX 250 success he also has 2 European Supercross titles and in 2015 he was part of Team Italy when they won the MXoEN taking place in Pietramurata, Trentino.

Morgan Lesiardo: "2017 was for me a special year with a lot of mixed feelings. It was amazing to win in EMX250 but now I need to think of the MX2 championship and I’m sure Marchetti can provide me good conditions to do my best next year. I have already tried the bike and I’m sure I will find a good feeling with the KTM bike. I’m very optimistic for my first full season in the MX2 World Championship."

Marchetti (Team manager): "I’m really happy to continue in MX2 with an Italian rider. Morgan has all the ability to reach a good position next year. He showed good stamina and willingness to make better even in difficult moments. As usual our task is to support him."

Copyright: Photo: Marchetti Racing

Valentin Guillod has inked a deal with the Belgian based Standing Construct KTM team that makes a return to the MXGP paddock for the 2018 season after a one year break.

The Swiss rider has a history with the team as he competed in the MX2 World Championship for them and had together with Standing Construct some of his biggest success by winning three GPs and several podiums in the MX2 class.

Valentin Guillod: "I’m really happy to agree a deal to come back to the Standing Construct team next season. I know all the people in the team and since we have worked together in the past it is a bit like coming home for me. Together we have had some great results and the professional approach of the team combined with the Factory support of KTM will give me a good base to get back to the top of MXGP. I will live close to the workshop in Belgium and will spend the winter practicing in the sand to be ready for the 2018 MXGP World Championship."

Tim Mathys / Standing Construct KTM: "When we decided to make a comeback with the team in MXGP it was clear that we would like to have Valentin again in our team. We had a successful collaboration in the past and besides being very talented he is also a very nice person to work with. With the experiences we have enjoyed in the past we know what to work on and for sure we will give him all chances to show again what he’s capable of."