MX2

Here we are! One of the most awaited moments of the week: MXGP in collaboration with Monster Energy has the pleasure to interview a Monster Girl at every GP. The feature will go up the week after the event.

At the MXGP of Qatar we had the pleasure to catch up with the italian Monster Girl: Federica. Here what we asked:

How do you like Qatar?

It is amazing, I got to experience so much of the local culture and met so many people. The race at night was also special as I have never experienced it before.

What do you think of Motocross?

It is one of my favourites, I love anything to do with bikes, Moto GP, WSB and MX. MX is so good to watch as it is so fast and exciting. I also love the indoor SX!

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Work out, see friends, have partys and have fun!

To get to know more about your favorite Monster Girl, check out our Monster Girls section on http://www.mxgp.com or click HERE, and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Youtube.

Copyright: Photo: Monster Energy

Gaerne will be sponsor in the 2017 season of SUZUKI World MXGP Team managed by Stefan Everts, the 10 time World Champion Belgian rider, who still holds this record.

“Another circle is completed,” the Belgian champion points out. “When I first rode with Suzuki I wore Gaerne boots, and now I come back to both brands! It’s a weird coincidence but nothing happens by chance. So, this collaboration will be for sure a great support in the next seasons.”

After signing the contract, Stefan Everts visited the production department and was very impressed by the precision and attention put in shaping boots: "Gaerne is an excellent company that manufactures each single item with great passion. Gaerne is one of the best boots in the world as far as safety and technology are concerned. This is the real made in Italy!”

Marta Gazzola, Marketing Manager in Gaerne, does not hide her satisfaction for the signed agreement: "Stefan is the greatest champion ever. In his role as team manager, he’s doing his job with as much professionalism and commitment as when he raced. Suzuki World MXGP Team managed by Stefan Everts are a guarantee of success and have ambitious goals that they’ll reach without any difficulty.”

Kevin Strijbos and Arminas Jasikonis wear Gaerne SG.12 boots. This model has been designed by Gaerne Research and Development Department thanks to a close collaborating with champions and athletes, on the basis of the revolutionary patent Dsps - Dual Stage Pivot System. The new design features a slimmer shape in the toe area for an improved feel of the shift lever. The toe cap is made of steel, and - by adjusting the interchangeable aluminium buckles - a rider can make the opening wider. On the inner side, the boot is covered with two special rubber inserts that make you feel the exceptional grip of the bike, as well as offering a heat resistant padding against your inner leg. The sole uses the “Dual Composit” anti-shock rubber to enhance an excellent grip on the footrests. 

Special 2017 MXGP issue of this free bi-weekly motorcycle sport magazine with a full wrap of the Grand Prix of Qatar and the opening spectacle of the FIM Motocross World Championship with reaction, news, Blogs and feature stories from the paddock in Losail. Inside: Full spread of Ray Archer photographs, the talking points from round one, a talk with Louis Vosters from Wilvo Yamaha on running an MXGP team and how riders cope with nerves at the first Grand Prix. 

Read it HERE

MONACO (Principality of Monaco), 1 March 2017 – Athena has renewed and boosted its collaboration with Youthstream in the role of official partner of the FIM Motocross World Championship and the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations. In 2017, the company from Vicenza will once more be alongside Youthstream with a view to supporting the national and international development of motocross.

Based in Alonte, the Italian group is in constant expansion both at home and abroad, and is the world leader in the design, development and production of ECU (engine control units) with the GET trademark, and in the manufacture of kits containing extra-high-quality mechanical spare parts such as gaskets, cylinders, pistons, connecting rods and chains.

“This year we have renewed and boosted our commitment with Youthstream, because we believe that this partnership is an essential strategic choice”, said Erardo Ratzenbeck, Vice-President of Athena Spa. “Athena is expanding in a number of sectors, but motocross remains one of our priority business areas, a market in which we are seeking to consolidate and strengthen our position”.

“Youthstream is very pleased to announce the renewal of its partnership with Athena. Athena and its associated brands have been next to the FIM MXGP World Championship for many years now, and they have participated in the growing of its popularity by providing fantastic material to most of the teams and riders involved in our different championships,” said David Luongo, Vice-President, Head of Operations of Youthstream Group SAM.

As official sponsor, the Athena and GET logos will be visible in a strategic position on the banners at the side of the track during all the races in the FIM Motocross World Championship, and during the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations, which will be taking place at Matterley Basin in Winchester, England. The agreement also provides for the Athena logo to be displayed on the official webpage of MXGP (www.mxgp.com) and on the backdrop used when the prizes are awarded.

The partnership officially began with the first MXGP race in Qatar last weekend.

Youthstream Group LDA is the company that exclusively manages worldwide television, promotional and marketing rights to the FIM Motocross World Championship, Motocross of Nations, Women’s Motocross World Championship, Veteran Motocross World Cup, FIM Junior Motocross World Championship, FIM SnowCross World Championship, European Motocross Championship and European Motocross of Nations.

Athena Spa is an international group with three divisions and ten factories in Italy and worldwide. Athena Industries: produces mechanical components for industrial applications and endothermic engines. Athena Parts: produces and distributes mechanical spare parts (gaskets, cylinder and piston kits) and electronic systems (with the GET trademark) for the offroad, motorbike, scooter, maxi scooter and automotive sectors. Athena Evolution: exclusive distributor in Italy for leading brands in the sector, such as GoPro, Ogio, Skullcandy, VR|46, TomTom, Ninebot by Segway and Razor.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

Athena

PANGKAL PINANG, (Indonesia), 1 March 2017 - Pangkal Pinang, Indonesia will play host to the second round of the FIM Motocross World Championship this weekend. A new motocross track has been built on Bangka Island to the North of the Country’s capital, Jakarta. It will be the first time that the riders of the MXGP and MX2 world championships will experience this setting on a track made specifically for this event, as the last time MXGP was in Indonesia was back in 1997.

In terms of what to expect from the track, though the rain has been coming down for the past 2 weeks, the track crew says the sandy dirt is handling moisture well. While a new track on its own is a big challenge for the riders and teams, as they will be searching all weekend to find a good bike set up from tires to suspension, the biggest challenge may be the weather.

This weekend also marks the first race of the season for the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship. Defending champion Livia Lancelot looks to come out on top as she finished last year. She will have tough competition for the title in the form of Kiara Fontanesi a multi time champion, Courtney Duncan, Nancy Van De Ven and Larissa Papenmeier who all finished well in 2016.

The beginning of the season is always challenging. One rider who has it figured out via winning at the opening round of the championship in Qatar is Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli. The Italian, an eight-time champion, was feeling confident in Losail and it was shown by his results. Cairoli had two good starts and rode consistently fast lap after lap to dominate the premier class in his 14th season. The thirty-one year old rider will rely on his racing experience to help him adjust to this new track in Indonesia.

The defending MXGP world champion, Team HRC’s Tim Gajser has done well in Asia in the past. Over the last four years he has placed himself on the podium twice in MX2 and just missed it in the MXGP class the last 2 years. Perhaps the new venue will suite him well and get him to the top spot of the podium.

Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Clement Desalle looked comfortable on the bike all last weekend scoring 3rd overall. For Desalle it is all about doing better than the race before, which leaves him content on the podium but satisfied only after taking the win. Desalle stated he is looking forward to racing in Indonesia.

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Romain Febvre is no stranger to doing well in exotic locations. Last year he won in Thailand and after a hard earned 5th in Qatar he is striving to win in Asia once again. Don’t be surprised if you see the former champion outperform the other contenders here in Indonesia.

Evgeny Bobryshev from Team HRC ended up fourth in Qatar. The Russian placed the same in Thailand last year and traditionally performs well overseas. In Qatar he did make a few mistakes, which he hopes he can put behind him and continue his charge toward the front for Indonesia

Asian turf has always been good to the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s rookie Jeffrey Herlings. Herlings was never beaten or for that matter challenged while racing MX2 in Asia. Though this year he will still be recovering from injury which challenged him in Qatar. With that said the competitive Dutchman is one not to count out for a win this weekend.

This weekend also marks a first for Team Suzuki World MXGP’s Arminas Jasikonis who missed Qatar last weekend due to visa issues. Jasikonis looks forward to racing in Indonesia and placing well in his debut.

MXGP Championship Top 10: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 50 points; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 42 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 40 p.; 4. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 32 p.; 5. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 31 p.; 6. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HUS), 31 p.; 7. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 31 p.; 8. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KAW), 24 p.; 9. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 19 p.; 10. Max Anstie (GBR, HUS), 19 p.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass was one of the biggest surprises of Qatar winning his first GP. Asserting himself as a solid title contender, the Latvian hit not only a personal milestone but he became the first racer from Latvia to win a GP. He will look to keep the momentum this weekend.

Many see Indonesia as a chance for Kemea Yamaha Official MX2 Team’s Benoit Paturel to win his first GP of the season. The French rider was on the heels of Jonass in both Qatar races but struggled to find a way around. With a good start and minimal mistakes it is very possible for the Frenchman to stand on the top spot of the podium here in Indonesia.

Julien Lieber from LRT KTM was another surprise in Qatar and looks to build on momentum and minimize mistakes for Indonesia. The Belgian showed moments of brilliance and true speed during the first round.

One to watch is Team Suzuki World MX2’s Jeremy Seewer who had some issues in Qatar. Even so he showed great determination when coming through the field and hopes he can have better luck challenging for the podium this weekend.

Others performing well in Qatar were the youngsters of Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Kjer Olsen and HRC MX2’s Michele Cervellin. Thomas was in the battle for the top five throughout both races and looks to come out of Indonesia with a podium. On the other hand, Cervellin had to battle his way through the field in a valiant effort. The Italian finished fifth in Qatar but with a better start he could be a rider going for the win in Indonesia.

MX2 Championship Top 10: 1. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 50 points; 2. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 44 p.; 3. Julien Lieber (BEL, KTM), 40 p.; 4. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 36 p.; 5. Michele Cervellin (ITA, HON), 28 p.; 6. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 25 p.; 7. Vsevolod Brylyakov (RUS, KAW), 24 p.; 8. Jorge Prado Garcia (ESP, KTM), 24 p.; 9. Darian Sanayei (USA, KAW), 20 p.; 10. Alvin Östlund (SWE, YAM), 19 p.

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

TIMETABLE

Saturday: WMX Free/Time Practice 10:00; MX2 Free Practice 10:45; MXGP Free Practice 11:15; MX2 Time Practice 13:30; MXGP Time Practice 14:00; MX2 Qualifying Race 15:25; MXGP Qualifying Race 16:10; WMX Race 1 17:10.

Sunday: MX2 Warm up 10:15; MXGP Warm up 10:35; WMX Race 2 11:20; MX2 Race 1 12:15; MXGP Race 1 13:15; MX2 Race 2 15:10; MXGP Race 2 16:10.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

MXGP of Indonesia

The two American riders in the FIM Motocross World Championships, Thomas Covington and Darian Sanayei might have entered last weekend’s opening round of the MX2 world championship with different goals, and in the end it was the younger and less experienced Sanayei who got off to a very solid start.

Sanayei came into the Qatar event with a positive pre-season, and came out of the weekend with a top ten finish. For a rider starting his MX2 rookie season, it was a great performance.

“Overall it was not so bad,” Sanayei said. “We had some ups and downs but I got an eighth in the qualifying race which was pretty good. Saturday I just didn’t feel so good. In the first race I did something wrong at the start and I had to come back from the back of the pack to tenth. I tried to ride smooth and not push too hard. In the second race, I had a really good jump off the gate but I did something wrong again and hit a neutral, so my starts are something I’ve got to work on for the next weekend. My speed was a little bit slower in the second race, but with a ninth overall that’s not so bad for a first GP as the season will be long.”

Covington, the winningest rider in the MX2 class until last weekend had a lot more pressure than his fellow American, and it showed. Sixteenth overall wasn’t what Covington had hoped for, but a crash in the second moto dropped him out of the top ten.

“It’s been an up and down weekend for us,” Covington said. “In moto one I believe I showed the speed is there. I got a decent start and was racing within the first six riders, but a small fall dropped me to 13th. Then I started pushing hard again and managed to cross the line in eighth place. My holeshot in moto two was a good confidence booster. Midway through the moto, I was running in fifth, I had a crash and then couldn’t start the bike. I know I can do a lot better and I’m really looking forward to the coming races. Next week we’re racing for the first time in Indonesia and the goal will be to battle for the top in MX2.”

So bring on the Grand Prix of Indonesia, an event that will put all the GP riders against each other on a circuit nobody has seen. It will be more than ever a level playing field, and let’s hope the two young American riders come out of the weekend with positive results.

Copyright: Photo: Husqvarna Racing

Further reinforcing their presence in the FIM Motocross World Championship, Husqvarna Motorcycles is officially represented by three riders in the MX2 class.

Featuring a strong mix of former GP winner Thomas Covington with up-and-coming youngsters Conrad Mewse and Thomas Kjer-Olsen, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s MX2 team are focused on battling for podium results in the 250cc class. Managed by former World Champion Jacky Martens, Husqvarna Motorcycles’ trio of MX2 class riders are fired up for success ahead of the upcoming series. 

The career of American David Bailey was not a very long one, but in just five seasons he achieved amazing results, winning four US titles and went undefeated with Team USA at the Motocross of Nations from 1982 to 1986. He also won two US Grand Prix and was twice a member of the winning team at the Trophy of Nations (a Team race with 250cc bikes). David Bailey still remains one of the greatest US champions.

Read the complete feature from the MXGP Mag HERE

MXGP is back in Indonesia and is pleased to annoucne the official Timetable and Entry Lists for the event.

The Timetable and Entry Lists for the MXGP of Indonesia are available to be downloaded in PDF format at the links below: 

TIMETABLE

MXGP Entry List

MX2 Entry List

WMX Entry List

TAG Heuer has been the official timekeeper of the FIM Motocross World Championship since 2014 and together with MXGP are running a fastest lap competition across the season, with the #DontCrackUnderpressure spirit.

The way it works is: at each and every round of the MXGP season, the rider that sets the best lap time in each class, MXGP and MX2, will receive 1 point in the TAG Heuer competition. The rider that has set the fastest lap at the most rounds throughout the season in MXGP and MX2 classes, and has the most points, will be awarded.

The gates dropped at the first round of the 2017 FIM Motocross World Championship at Losail, Qatar where Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli and LRT KTM’s Julien Lieber set the fastest lap time for the weekend in MXGP and MX2 respectively.

Check out MXGP.com home page for the the Top 3 TAG Heuer Best Lap competition’s ranking.