MX2

(AGUEDA) Portugal, 2 July 2017 - The MXGP of Portugal has crowned many round winners today and the first riders to stand atop of the podium in Agueda were those of the European Championship classes of EMX250 and EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing. In EMX250 the overall was taken by the American BUD Racing Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Tristan Charboneau and in EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing it was Gianluca Facchetti.

BUD Racing Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Tristan Charboneau started the weekend by qualifying with the fastest time to earn the first gate pick. The gate choice proved valuable as he would strong in both races. Charboneau led every lap of the weekend to put in the perfect result and in dominant fashion.

The Italian rider, Yamaha SM Action’s Simone Furlotti, also had identical race results as he finished 2nd in each. In Saturday’s race 1, Furlotti started 4th but had a strong mid race passing 2 riders in 2 laps. Race 2 he again first crossed the finish 4th but his charge came early in the race making his 2 passes on lap 2 and 3.

With his consistent result and 2nd overall, Furlotti takes the points lead from Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Morgan Lesiardo. Lesiardo in fact had a weekend he would prefer to forget with a 13th and 12th taking 10th overall.

Charboneau’s American teammate, BUD Racing Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Marshal Weltin was comfortable on the Agueda circuit putting in two 3rd place finishes for 3rd overall. In race 1 he would chase his teammate for two laps while in second until being passed on lap 3 and again on lap 7 before fighting his way back into 3rd. Although in race 2 he didn’t see the same luck, off of the start, he battled his way forward passing several to get into third.

Honda Redmoto’s Mathys Boisrame struggled in the heat last weekend but made a strong recovery this time around to take fourth overall with 4-4 scores. The Frenchman, still dealing with exhaustion of last week, eventually fell off the pace after strong racing took him up to 3rd during race 1 and 2nd in race 2 before falling back to 4^th.

F&H Racing Team's Ruben Fernandez was in a heated battle with Boisrame the majority of race 2, swapping between positions 3 and 4, he eventually finished 1 spot behind Boisrame with a fifth. Combining his 5th with 9th in race 1 he scored 28 points and took 5th overall.

EMX250 Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Tristan Charboneau (USA, Kawasaki), 29:03.102; 2. Simone Furlotti (ITA, Yamaha), +0:04.502; 3. Marshal Weltin (USA, Kawasaki), +0:14.604; 4. Mathys Boisrame (FRA, Honda), +0:23.723; 5. Nicholas Lapucci (ITA, KTM), +0:27.053; 6. Pierre Goupillon (FRA, KTM), +0:29.553; 7. Jago Geerts (BEL, KTM), +0:29.933; 8. Alberto Forato (ITA, Honda), +0:31.531; 9. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Kawasaki), +0:40.614; 10. Todd Kellett (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:45.673.

EMX250 Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Tristan Charboneau (USA, Kawasaki), 30:50.128; 2. Simone Furlotti (ITA, Yamaha), +0:04.459; 3. Marshal Weltin (USA, Kawasaki), +0:21.508; 4. Mathys Boisrame (FRA, Honda), +0:22.561; 5. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Kawasaki), +0:23.127; 6. Alberto Forato (ITA, Honda), +0:27.438; 7. Jago Geerts (BEL, KTM), +0:32.880; 8. Pierre Goupillon (FRA, KTM), +0:41.285; 9. Karlis Sabulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:46.203; 10. Adrien Malaval (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:52.291.

EMX250 Overall Top 10: 1. Tristan Charboneau (USA, KAW), 50 points; 2. Simone Furlotti (ITA, YAM), 44 p.; 3. Marshal Weltin (USA, KAW), 40 p.; 4. Mathys Boisrame (FRA, HON), 36 p.; 5. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, KAW), 28 p.; 6. Alberto Forato (ITA, HON), 28 p.; 7. Jago Geerts (BEL, KTM), 28 p.; 8. Pierre Goupillon (FRA, KTM), 28 p.; 9. Mike Stender (GER, SUZ), 18 p.; 10. Morgan Lesiardo (ITA, KAW), 17 p.

EMX250 Championship Top 10: 1. Simone Furlotti (ITA, YAM), 235 points; 2. Morgan Lesiardo (ITA, KAW), 227 p.; 3. Alberto Forato (ITA, HON), 180 p.; 4. Jago Geerts (BEL, KTM), 171 p.; 5. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, KAW), 162 p.; 6. Ken Bengtson (SWE, YAM), 152 p.; 7. Marshal Weltin (USA, KAW), 143 p.; 8. Miro Sihvonen (FIN, KTM), 126 p.; 9. Mathys Boisrame (FRA, HON), 124 p.; 10. Tristan Charboneau (USA, KAW), 114 p.

EMX250 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 287 points; 2. Kawasaki, 281 p.; 3. Yamaha, 280 p.; 4. Honda, 238 p.; 5. Husqvarna, 135 p.; 6. Suzuki, 114 p.

Gianluca Facchetti stood atop the podium for the first time in his European Racing career today. Facchetti took the overall after charging hard in race 1 to finish 3rd even after crashing twice, once while attempting to pass for the lead. During race 2 he moved into the lead after only a few laps but then he made a mistake missing a corner and dropping back to second. By the end Facchetti found his way back into the lead scoring one point over second.

BUD Racing Monster Energy’s Brian Strubhart Moreau battled with Facchetti throughout race 2 after grabbing the holeshot. After being passed by Facchetti, Moreau rode consistent and even made it back by the Italian before eventually finishing 2nd in race 2 and the overall. Moreau maintains the red plate before heading to Lommel in 1 month.

Last weeks winner IceOne Racing Husqvarna’s Mikkel Haarup started the weekend the same as he finished the last when he won race 1. In race 2 however Haarup instead finished fourth after having to battle his way back from 6th due to a mistake whilst running 3rd. His 1-4 took the 3rd spot on the podium.

One rider who struggled in the previous round in Lombardia is Creymert Racing’s Kevin Horgmo. Horgmo went 5th and 36th in Italy but came back on a mission this weekend. He battled at the front of race 1 leading 5 laps before eventually dropping to 4th. In race 2 he started 3rd then dropped a position before taking it back with 4-3 scores he took 4th overall.

The last spot among the top 5 was taken by the Italian Emilio Scuteri. Scuteri took a 7th and a 6th scoring 29 championship points for 5th which ties his best race finish and gives him his best overall result of the season.

EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, Husqvarna), 30:50.065; 2. Brian Strubhart Moreau (FRA, KTM), +0:09.654; 3. Gianluca Facchetti (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:15.404; 4. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KTM), +0:17.647; 5. Isak Gifting (SWE, KTM), +0:18.523; 6. Andrea Zanotti (SMR, KTM), +0:19.497; 7. Emilio Scuteri (ITA, KTM), +0:20.866; 8. Paolo Lugana (ITA, TM), +0:45.633; 9. Tim Edberg (SWE, Yamaha), +0:48.663; 10. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), +0:52.163

EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Gianluca Facchetti (ITA, Husqvarna), 29:48.849; 2. Brian Strubhart Moreau (FRA, KTM), +0:04.914; 3. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KTM), +0:07.532; 4. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:21.090; 5. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), +0:31.427; 6. Emilio Scuteri (ITA, KTM), +0:32.168; 7. Raivo Dankers (NED, KTM), +0:35.048; 8. Sergi Notario (ESP, KTM), +0:40.945; 9. Petr Polak (CZE, KTM), +0:45.204; 10. Yann Crnjanski (FRA, KTM), +0:48.073

EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Overall Top 10: 1. Gianluca Facchetti (ITA, HUS), 45 points; 2. Brian Strubhart Moreau (FRA, KTM), 44 p.; 3. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, HUS), 43 p.; 4. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KTM), 38 p.; 5. Emilio Scuteri (ITA, KTM), 29 p.; 6. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 27 p.; 7. Andrea Zanotti (SMR, KTM), 22 p.; 8. Tim Edberg (SWE, YAM), 20 p.; 9. Sergi Notario (ESP, KTM), 19 p.; 10. Paolo Lugana (ITA, TM), 19 p.

EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Championship Top 10: 1. Brian Strubhart Moreau (FRA, KTM), 208 points; 2. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, HUS), 190 p.; 3. Gianluca Facchetti (ITA, HUS), 189 p.; 4. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KTM), 172 p.; 5. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 121 p.; 6. Sergi Notario (ESP, KTM), 114 p.; 7. Isak Gifting (SWE, KTM), 101 p.; 8. Paolo Lugana (ITA, TM), 100 p.; 9. Tim Edberg (SWE, YAM), 75 p.; 10. Emilio Scuteri (ITA, KTM), 75 p.

EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Manufacturers: 1. Husqvarna, 235 points; 2. KTM, 223 p.; 3. TM, 117 p.; 4. Yamaha, 110 p.; 5. Kawasaki, 10 p.; 6. Suzuki, 9 p.

Click here to obtain the complete results

All the photos of the MXGP of Portugal will be available here

MXGP of Portugal – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1630m

Type of ground: clay based

Temperature: 31°C

Weather conditions: sunny

Weekend Crowd Attendance: 20,000

MXGP was available across the board in high definition and was also globally available to view live and in HD on MXGP-TV.com. Here below the MXGP-TV LIVE Program and by clicking here you can check the complete list of countries and cooperating MXGP broadcasting networks.

NEXT ROUND

The next round of the European Championship EMX250 will be held during the MXGP of Switzerland on August, the 13^th while the EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing will take place in Lommel, Belgium on August, the 6^th.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM Europe

MXGP of Portugal

(AGUEDA) Portugal, 2 July 2017 - The FIM World Motocross Championship’s 12th Round is in the books and it was a challenging one. For the second week in a row racers had to deal with high temperatures but this time it was on a tricky and slick surface. Lap after lap of bar to bar racing led to Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli and Suzuki World MX2’s Jeremy Seewer claiming victories via second race tiebreakers.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli is proved he is one of the fittest riders out on the track for the second time in two weeks. Cairoli took the Fox Holeshot in race 1 but was eventually passed for the lead by his Red Bull KTM Teammate Jeffrey Herlings. Herlings was keen to make a statement after coming up short in Ottobiano and did so in the opening race. However race 2 was all Cairoli, the 8 time champion took the lead early and gapped Herlings, giving himself the opportunity to focus on the task at hand.

Cairoli won race 2 taking the overall, grabbing the 5th GP win in Portugal of his career but the first on a KTM. In the press conference Cairoli said, “I feel good, this is the first time I have won on a KTM in Agueda. I have won many GPs here but lately I struggled. It’s a nice track with a new layout and also the surface is different so I am happy about the win. I’m happy about the championship at the moment and I’m looking forward to every race.”

Herlings made a charge though, even putting in the fastest the lap of the race on his way to his third 2nd place finish in the last 3 races. Herlings in the press conference stated: “It’s frustrating but Tony was really good and I think at the beginning there were just too many guys in between us. At one point I started to catch him but I made some small mistakes. Second race I just couldn’t close the gap. I’m still happy scoring 47 points in the Championship.”

Suzuki World MXGP’s Arminas Jasikonis put in the best weekend of his career so far, first winning Saturday’s Qualifying then following it up with his first ever overall podium. The young Lithuanian is also the first rider for his country to podium in the history of the Motocross World Championship. Jasikonis in the press conference said: “A year ago I was only dreaming about a podium and now I have one, the hard work really pays off. The race was really good you know, I’m better in the sand but now I’ve proved I can do well on the hard pack as well.”

2015 MXGP World Champion, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Romain Febvre, is turning his season into the right direction with a 4th overall in Portugal. Febvre has struggled this year but had a good start in race one scored him 5th. It was a different story in race 2 as he was 11th on lap one he put his head down and by the final laps found himself just behind Team HRC’s Tim Gajser in 5th.

Febvre not only passed Gajser but he made a pass on Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Nagl one lap later. The pass on Nagl tied the two in points after Nagl’s 5th in race 1, but the better race 2 took the better overall result of 4th for Febvre.

Meanwhile Gajser continued to improve his result after returning from injury, aside from 8th and 6th for 6th overall the Slovenian also took the race 2 Fox Holeshot.

Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Clement Desalle had a hard fought battle in race one against Romain Febvre where in the end Febvre prevailed. Race 2 started with a crash for Desalle but he managed to come from near last to finish 10th for 8th overall.

MXGP Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 35:13.457; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:01.280; 3. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, Suzuki), +0:29.696; 4. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), +0:35.385; 5. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:43.826; 6. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:46.739; 7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:48.261; 8. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:49.745; 9. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +0:50.982; 10. Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), +1:01.698.

MXGP Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 35:28.572; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:01.768; 3. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, Suzuki), +0:38.744; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:44.893; 5. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), +0:46.220; 6. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:48.694; 7. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +0:54.499; 8. Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:56.119; 9. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +1:00.122; 10. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +1:01.602.

MXGP Overall Top Ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 47 points; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 47 p.; 3. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, SUZ), 40 p.; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 34 p.; 5. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 34 p.; 6. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 28 p.; 7. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 26 p.; 8. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 26 p.; 9. Max Anstie (GBR, HUS), 24 p.; 10. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 22 p.

MXGP Championship Top Ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 478 points; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 387 p.; 3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HUS), 383 p.; 4. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 382 p.; 5. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 310 p.; 6. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 309 p.; 7. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 289 p.; 8. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 267 p.; 9. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 267 p.; 10. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 253 p.

MXGP Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 514 points; 2. Husqvarna, 428 p.; 3. Yamaha, 411 p.; 4. Honda, 388 p.; 5. Kawasaki, 387 p.; 6. Suzuki, 273 p.

MX2 was the first overall decided by the second race tiebreaker and Suzuki World MX2’s Jeremy Seewer edged out Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass. In a season that has become a battle of not only race wins but strategy and mental fortitude Jonass leads the way but Seewer is looking to shift the momentum and has done so the last two races.

Seewer had a less than perfect start in race 1 but he did a remarkable job coming from 6th to finish second. The deciding moment of the overall surprisingly came on the final lap of race 1 when Seewer made the pass for second. The second place allowed him to take the overall from Jonass in race 2. Seewer in the press conference said: “It wasn’t the easiest weekend because it’s a special track, we had to change the bike a lot from yesterday to today. The team did really a good work and I’m happy about that. In the second race it came down to between me and Pauls and he left the door open so I took the spot and the win.”

Jonass was impressive in both races starting with his pass for the race 1 lead on Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing's Thomas Covington. Jonass took the lead on 10 of 17 and held it until the finish. Covington on the other hand was the rider who was passed by Seewer on the final lap. Jonass in the race press conference said: “We didn’t gain anything, we didn’t lose anything in the championship this weekend. I’m pretty happy with how the weekend ended, I didn’t have the best feeling but still scored 47 points which is good for the championship.”

Race 2 it was again the same three up front early with a Fox Holeshot for Covington and an improved 3rd place start for Seewer. Jonass wasted no time getting by Covington and by the second half of the opening lap was in the lead. Seewer first set his sights on Covington who he passed on lap 5. It wasn’t until 7 laps later that Seewer found the back wheel of Jonass and when he did Seewer made a smart pass to make sure Jonass couldn’t retaliate. Seewer take race 2 and the overall followed by Jonass and Covington. Covington in the press conference said. “It’s good to be on the podium again, I’ve been inconsistent in the past with one good race then one bad so it’s good to see that coming along. I never found the rhythm but it’s good to be on the podium and put the American flag up there on the 4th of July weekend.”

Behind the top three overall finishers was Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Kjer Olsen and Kemea Yamaha’s Official MX Team’s Benoit Paturel. Olsen had a solid race 1 where he battled in the top 5 and came out fourth but 34 seconds off the leaders. Olsen's race 2 kicked off with a 8th place start but ended with fifth after progressing the #19 forward.

Paturel made the weekend hard on himself after crashing in qualifying gave him horrible gate picks for today. The Frenchman is known for bad starts and lining up from the far outside didn’t help as he was 13th on lap 1 of race 1 and 14 on the first lap of race 2. Luckily for Benoit he is well versed in battling through the field as he did so again today finishing 6th and 4th for 5th overall.

LRT KTM’s Julien Lieber took 5th in race one after fighting for position with Olsen and others but would not finish race 2 result in 14th overall and only 16 championship points.

MX2 Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 34:12.844; 2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:01.767; 3. Thomas Covington (USA, Husqvarna), +0:02.700; 4. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:34.420; 5. Julien Lieber (BEL, KTM), +0:38.345; 6. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +0:40.144; 7. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), +0:44.133; 8. Ben Watson (GBR, KTM), +0:51.100; 9. Brent Van doninck (BEL, Yamaha), +0:53.761; 10. Anthony Rodriguez (VEN, Honda), +0:58.934.

MX2 Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), 34:25.343; 2. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:03.900; 3. Thomas Covington (USA, Husqvarna), +0:23.396; 4. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +0:27.102; 5. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:39.413; 6. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), +0:48.293; 7. Brent Van doninck (BEL, Yamaha), +0:52.955; 8. Anthony Rodriguez (VEN, Honda), +0:57.398; 9. Michele Cervellin (ITA, Honda), +1:04.117; 10. David Herbreteau (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:05.952.

MX2 Overall Top Ten: 1. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 47 points; 2. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 47 p.; 3. Thomas Covington (USA, HUS), 40 p.; 4. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 34 p.; 5. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 33 p.; 6. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), 29 p.; 7. Brent Van doninck (BEL, YAM), 26 p.; 8. Anthony Rodriguez (VEN, HON), 24 p.; 9. David Herbreteau (FRA, KAW), 20 p.; 10. Iker Larranaga Olano (ESP, HUS), 20 p.

MX2 Championship Top Ten: 1. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 501 points; 2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 463 p.; 3. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 377 p.; 4. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 363 p.; 5. Julien Lieber (BEL, KTM), 355 p.; 6. Thomas Covington (USA, HUS), 303 p.; 7. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), 241 p.; 8. Jorge Prado Garcia (ESP, KTM), 233 p.; 9. Brent Van doninck (BEL, YAM), 221 p.; 10. Hunter Lawrence (AUS, SUZ), 199 p.; 11. Michele Cervellin (ITA, HON), 187 p.

MX2 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 550 points; 2. Suzuki, 478 p.; 3. Husqvarna, 451 p.; 4. Yamaha, 410 p.; 5. Kawasaki, 282 p.; 6. Honda, 196 p.; 7. TM, 124 p.

Click here to obtain the complete results

All the photos of the MXGP of Portugal will be available here

MXGP of Portugal – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1630m

Type of ground: clay based

Temperature: 32°C

Weather conditions: sunny

Weekend Crowd Attendance: 20,000

MXGP was available across the board in high definition and was also globally available to view live and in HD on MXGP-TV.com. Here below the MXGP-TV LIVE Program and by clicking here you can check the complete list of countries and cooperating MXGP broadcasting networks.

NEXT ROUND

The next round of the FIM Motocross World Championship will take place in Loket, Czech Republic on July, the 23^rd.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

MXGP of Portugal

Andrea Adamo romped to a commanding victory at the first round of the Honda 150 European Championship, which was held at the German venue of Teutschenthal in May. The rising star has refined his craft since then and consequently continued his perfect run at the Grand Prix of Portugal.

The momentum that was gained in that session helped Adamo tremendously in the first race, as he rocketed out of the gate aboard his CRF150R and exited turn one inside of the top two. A Dutchman, Kjeld Stuurman, grabbed the holeshot, but gave way to Adamo and Anton Nordstrom Graaf after just half a lap. A titanic battle ensued at that point, as Nordstrom Graff took advantage of a mistake that Adamo made and controlled the lead for a brief period. Adamo muscled back past his rival less than a lap later though.

Adamo, the current series leader, controlled the race from that point on and added another twenty-five points to his championship total. Nordstrom Graaf dealt with some pressure from Luis Outeiro, but was able to secure the runner-up position at the chequered flag. Outeiro was a factor right from the start, much to the delight of the Portuguese fans in attendance, and logged some of the fastest laps of the race. ‘47’ just could not make a move stick on the two riders ahead of him though, so was forced to settle for third place.

Kjeld Stuurman held on for fourth, which was a season-best finish, after that great start. Rasmus Moen finished fifth, just ahead of Nikolay Malinov and Toa Kishi. Kishi showed a lot of potential earlier in the day, as he secured the second-fastest time in qualifying.

The Honda 150 European Championship riders will now reflect on the knowledge that they acquired on the first day in Agueda and prepare to apply that in the second moto tomorrow, which will take place at 08:45 (local time).

Andrea Adamo: 'The track was really difficult, but I had a good start and then a perfect race. Thanks to all of my family and sponsors. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow!'

Gordon Crockard, Honda Europe Off-Road Manager: 'What I was most impressed with today was the Japanese rider, Toa Kishi, who was actually second in qualification. We also have a new rider here from Japan, Shiaru Honda, who is a guest of ours for three rounds. The results were similar to Teutschenthal, which I think is good. The kids are actually maximising their potential. Overall, I think that everyone rode very well. They all got to the finish without any mad crashes. It is great to see that there are three different nationalities at the front! Adamo is obviously looking the strongest, but maybe Luis Outeiro could challenge for the win if he gets the start? Luis had great support from the Portuguese fans, so it would be great to see him challenge for the victory.'

(AGUEDA) Portugal, 1 July 2017- The MXGP of Portugal is off and running in Agueda after today’s racing. Team Suzuki World MXGP’s Arminas Jasikonis took his first win of any kind in the FIM Motocross World Championship today, qualifying pole in MXGP, while in MX2 Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Covington took his 3rd qualifying race win of the season.

Aside from MXGP and MX2 the European Championship classes of Honda EMX150, EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing, and EMX250 were taking place too. In Honda European 150 Championship Andrea Adamo took his 3rd straight race win making him undefeated this season while Anton Nordström Graaf, and Luis Outeiro rounded out the podium. EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing was filled with battles but IceOne Husqvarna Racing’s Mikkel Haarup won his 3rd race in a row ahead of points leader and BUD Racing Monster Energy rider Brian Strubhart Moreau. The last race of the day was EMX250 Race 1, where BUD Racing Monster Energy Kawasaki Teammates Tristan Charboneau and Marshal Weltin went 1st and 3rd split by Team SM Action’s Simone Furlotti.

Team Suzuki World MXGP’s Arminas Jasikonis has been showing flashes of brilliance since Valkenswaard but today he was able to accomplish a Qualifying race win. The win marks the first in his career but also the first win for a Lithuanian in MXGP. Jasikonis moved into the lead on the opening lap and held it for the remainder of the race. In the press conference Jasikonis said: “The start wasn’t great but eventually on top of the hill I took the lead. My decision was to ride calm and not to make many mistakes, I found good lines and winning this qualifying was really amazing for me as it was the first ever. For tomorrow I wish to improve my start and then enjoying my riding”.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Nagl was fast the entire qualifying race even putting in the races fastest lap time of 1:50.576 on his way to a second place finish. Nagl made a charge in the final stages of the race but Jasikonis responded eventually finishing 6 seconds ahead.

The fastest rider in MXGP’s time practice was Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Romain Febvre. Febvre started the qualifying outside the top 5 but he used his speed to get into it by the first official lap. From 4th he battled to third and then lose the position but on the last lap capitalized on another rider’s mistake. Finally finishing 3rd, Febvre is well set for a chance to win tomorrow.

Points leader and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli struggled after the start losing positions as he tried to find a rhythm on the slick surface. From 6th Cairoli got in a groove and started working his way forward eventually finding his way onto the back wheel of Nagl for second. In a last ditch effort Cairoli fell while trying to pass Nagl on the final lap, his mistake would cost him one position finishing 4th.

Team HRC’s Tim Gajser had a strong first three laps running 3rd but a mistake took him off track, quite literally, he lost 2 positions dropping to 5th which is also where he finished. Gajser qualifying race is good enough for the 5th gate pick Sunday on a start in which the inside gates are preferable.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings worked his way forward from a mid pack start to finish just outside the top five in 6th place.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Anstie came into qualifying confident after a 3rd overall at Lombardia, but finished 12th today. Anstie in the press conference said: “It’s a difficult track. I rode strong at the end and had a good battle at the end right to the finish, I would like to be battling further up tomorrow but it was a good race, a fun race, it doesn’t matter where you are your always in a good battle with someone."

8Biano Racing Husqvarna’s Rui Goncalves qualified 20th at his home GP and in the press conference said: “It’s since 2013 I haven’t raced here and it’s pretty nice to be here riding at home. Today I tried to push hard and be in the front but it didn’t happen so for tomorrow I will need to find some good lines and a good rhythm.”

MXGP Qualifying Race Top Ten: 1. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, Suzuki), 24:04.032; 2. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), +0:06.018; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:10.033; 4. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:11.122; 5. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:14.978; 6. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:20.141; 7. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:26.464; 8. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:31.059; 9. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:32.402; 10. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:32.898.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Covington feels at home on the hard pack surface and it shows. The American moved into the lead early in qualifying and he didn’t look back. Covington takes pole for the second weekend in a row and the third time this season. In the press conference he said, “I felt really good today from the start of free practice. I had a good start just behind Jonass, he ended up making a mistake and I got by, after that I pushed and got a gap and then it was smooth sailing from there.”

MX2's consistent points leader Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass put in yet another strong performance today. Jonass grabbed the holeshot and led the first few laps before a slight bobble let Covington by. Jonass will look to grab yet another Fox Holeshot tomorrow on a track where the start is crucial to a good result.

HSF Logistics Motorsport’ Brian Bogers was continually apply pressure to second place whether it was Covington or later Jonass. Bogers finished third and looked comfortable on the Agueda circuit for tomorrow looking to score his second podium of the season.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Kjer Olsen is maintaining his seasons top five form, finishing 4th in today’s qualification TKO is a searching for another podium if not a win on red clay of Portugal.

Team Suzuki World MX2’s Jeremy Seewer is the main threat to Jonass and his title hopes. The Swiss rider finished 5th today but is known to consistently out perform his qualifying result come Sunday.

HRC's MX2 rider Anthony Rodriguez was in a five way battle for 7th throughout qualifying, swapping between 8th and 7th with Hitachi KTM UK’s Ben Watson, Rodriguez took 8th a welcomed improvement from his prior weekend’s last gate pick. Rodriguez in the press conference said: “This week I had some more preparation, I was already more focused and comfortable on the bike. Me and Watson had a crazy battle the whole race, and I thought it was pretty fun, I enjoyed it.”

MX2 Qualifying Race Top Ten: 1. Thomas Covington (USA, Husqvarna), 24:17.202; 2. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:03.632; 3. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), +0:05.109; 4. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:06.817; 5. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:08.505; 6. Julien Lieber (BEL, KTM), +0:28.202; 7. Ben Watson (GBR, KTM), +0:33.592; 8. Anthony Rodriguez (VEN, Honda), +0:35.389; 9. Alvin Östlund (SWE, Yamaha), +0:36.901; 10. Henry Jacobi (GER, Husqvarna), +0:37.443

Click here to obtain the complete results

All the photos of the MXGP of Portugal will be available here

MXGP of Portugal – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1630m

Type of ground: clay based

Temperature: 26°C

Weather conditions: sunny

MXGP will be available across the board in high definition and is also globally available to view live and in HD on MXGP-TV.com. Here below the MXGP-TV LIVE Program and by clicking here you can check the complete list of countries and cooperating MXGP broadcasting networks.

TIMETABLE

Sunday: EMX150 Race 2 08:45; EMX125 Race 2 09:45; MX2 Warm up 10:25, MXGP Warm up 10:45; EMX250 Race 2 11:30; MX2 Race 1 13:15; MXGP Race 1 14:15; MX2 Race 2 16:10; MXGP Race 2 17:10

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

MXGP of Portugal

The VIP Hospitality of the MXGP of Portugal together with the voice of Jeff Emig hosted the Shift MX18 Launch preview where Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing's Gautier Paulin were invited. 

Gautier Paulin after his first year with Shift expressed his satisfaction and commitment towards the company. 

The official launch will be held on July the 6th. Stay tuned!

The 2017 MXGP of Portugal started off today with a media event and autograph signing session. The event was hosted in the center of Agueda under the umbrellas of the Umberella Sky Project, an annual umbrella festival held in the Agueda City streets through the month of July.

Beneath the colorful umbrellas Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings, Wilvo Yamaha MXGP’s Arnaud Tonus, Kemea Yamaha Official MX Team’s Benoit Paturel, Alvin Ostlund and Brent Van Doninck, Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Morgan Lesiardo and Stephen Rubini, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Nagl and Conrad Mewse, HRC MX2’s Michele Cervellin, 8Biano Husqvarna Racing’s local Hero Rui Goncalves, Marchetti Racing’s Team Jose Butron, Suzuki World MXGP’s Arminas Jasikonis, Suzuki World MX2’s Hunter Lawrence, and F&H Racing’s David Herbreteau, Magne Klingsheim and Ruben Fernandez signed autographs and met with the local fans.

The signing session sets the tone for the vibrant and colorful weekend of racing yet to come.

Success comes to those who refuse to give up, to those with goals so big that obstacles and set-backs only serve as motivation. From the top step of the podium to the operating table, Wilvo Yamaha Official MXGP’s Shaun Simpson’s season thus far sums up the never ending emotional and physical rollercoaster of being a top motorcycle rider. The gritty Scot put on a mud-riding masterclass at the MXGP of Indonesia, round two of the FIM Motocross World Championship, for his first grand prix win since the MXGP of The Netherlands, 2015. A string of mediocre results – by his standards – followed by a massive turn around in Latvia – at round seven - where he knocked on the door of a podium finish in race one, before being stopped mid-stride when he broke his hand in race two.

Motocross riders are a fearless bunch and almost as soon as he awoke from the operating table – where he had the third metacarpal of his right hand surgically repaired - he was eager to get back on the bike, “like most motocross riders, it only takes a few days off of the bike before I started stressing out and thinking I’ve got to get back on the bike.” He said.

Almost immediately after receiving the thumbs up from the doctor, the twenty-eight-year-old was back in the saddle, “I couldn’t wait to get back on the bike, and as soon as I did, I felt really comfortable. It sounds a bit strange, but I would say we left Latvia with quite a good feeling, mainly because we went into Latvia after doing a lot testing on the bike and it was working so good. I guess that gave me the mental boost I needed for when I got back on the bike, that I knew straight away that the bike was good and where it needs to be. I wasn’t right up to speed and hitting all of my marks right away, but for the most part, I felt really good and closer to 100% than I expected.”

Injuries aside, the MXGP series is cutthroat this year with the talent pool being deeper than ever. But just how hard is it? “Honestly, I think it just comes down to the start.” He elaborated, “For example, other than in Indonesia where I won, Latvia was one of my easiest races this year purely because I got a decent start and one or two guys got caught up with each other on the first lap and I was able to capitalize on that. I settled into a nice rhythm and pulled a nice gap with Herlings, and if I remember correctly, Desalle and Bobryshev. It seems like if you come out of the first turn somewhere between fifth and fifteenth that it’s a bit of a war. Even guys like Van Horebeek, for Example, he’s one of the most consistent guys in the championship and is usually inside the top five, but got a rough start in Latvia and got taken down and ended up finishing in like fourteenth or something like that. So I would say it just comes down to the start and how solid and clean your first few laps are, if you can get that out of the way, you can just get comfortable and go with the flow.”

“It’s crazy, and hard to see from the sideline. It’s not that the guys leading the championship are a lot quicker than everyone else, they are just putting themselves in a good place off of the start and are at the front. Their lap times are a bit quicker, but that is because they are up front and getting laps in. Some have clear track, and it’s definitely less scrappy up front.”

The riders are doing some super-human stuff during the Timed Practice session, how crazy is it out there? “Yeah, you can see even in the Timed Practice session that there isn’t a lot separating these guys, and I feel more than ever that everyone – not just a few guys – but every single rider is capable of going balls out for one lap. I used to feel like – on a good day – I was one of the best guys at putting down a single lap time, but these day,” he took a deep breath, “in Latvia for example, I felt the best I have felt for a long time. I put in a couple of good laps that I was happy with and it was still only ninth fastest! Okay, only 0.7 off of first, but it was still only ninth… That was surreal really. To think I don’t think I can find a place where I can go much quicker. I have never ever felt that before. So for me, I was just happy with that position.”

“I am watching guys just hanging it out, riding within an inch of their life just to get a good time in the practice session. It’s never been like that before. I guess it does give you a mental boost going into the race, but is it that important? I don’t believe so, especially now with the metal gate and stuff like that. It’s strange one, my view has shifted over the years.”

People tend to hail the ‘factory’ teams, is it really that much of a disadvantage to be a privateer out there? “This year I couldn’t say I am at any disadvantage at all because the team is so professional. We are doing everything we can in every aspect to achieve what we need to, and actually on a factory team in some areas you can’t do what we are doing. I have always argued that ‘factory’ isn’t everything it’s cracked up to be other than access to resources and information but I can honestly say that I am not disadvantaged being with Wilvo and the guys there.”

“In saying that, I have felt I was at a disadvantage in the past, at times.” He opened up, “at the end of the day, the biggest issue in the past was only during the week, like working on my own bike and having to develop the bike on my own, but when it comes down to racing in the weekend and out on the track, there is not a lot in it. We are starting at the same gate and going for the same result. Having said that, having a good support network behind you like I have from my team and from Yamaha, the bike, the team, the infrastructure, the hospitality, everything.”

“Family is a word that gets thrown around a lot in motocross with no meaning behind it, I don’t even want to say it because it sounds so cliché, but I feel like I am a part of a family and I can honestly say I have not really felt that in the past, but with Yamaha it really feels that way. Everyone says the word ‘family’ like we are all supposed to be happy, it’s not just that but also the competition within the network is close but healthy. We have MX2 riders and MXGP riders under the same tent at times and we all ride together and push each other to be better, and I think that is what makes Yamaha feel a bit different to other teams.”

As one of the more experienced riders in the team, how hard is it to stay motivated? “What motivates me is being able to stay in the game for the whole season. We are at the halfway mark now and people start dropping out with injuries, unfortunately. I, myself, being one of them this year, it’s crazy to think that I have been out for 5 nearly 6 weeks and there is still half of the season left. There are other guys falling by the wayside now, the field is getting thinner and that’s when you can start picking up points. You just need to keep pushing and grinding away while the others start losing motivation. I normally start getting stronger late in the season, like last year I finally got a race win and Assen, so it’s just things like that that keep me motivated to maintain my intensity and keep pushing on.”

Only days after this interview Shaun made his return to racing at the Fiat Professional FULLBACK MXGP of Lombardia, round eleven of the FIM Motocross World Championship. His ‘come-back’ lasted 18-Laps, and those laps were in the practice sessions. The YZ450F mounted rider was the victim of a first turn pile up at the start of the Qualifying Race on Saturday June 24^th, which resulted in a broken arm. He immediately returned back to his base in Belgium and was on the operating table once again come Sunday morning. “Down but not out,” He text the team while his mechanic Valentin Touchet drove him to the hospital. “One team. One goal. I’ll be back stronger!” 

Copyright: Photo: Yamaha Racing