MX2

Youthstream presents the official logo for the 2017 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations that will take place at one of the most popular motocross tracks in the world, for riders and fans alike, Matterley Basin, Winchester, England.

As per usual, the official Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations logo incorporates the flag’s colors of the hosting nation; therefore the 2017 MXoN logo includes the Union Jack, which is the official flag of the United Kingdom, a sovereign state of Northern Europe which includes England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. 

Yamaha Motor Europe are proud to confirm an extension to the official line-up in the premier division of the FIM Motocross World Championship  MXGP with the Wilvo Yamaha Official MXGP team stepping into the fray with YZ450Fs and riders Shaun Simpson and Arnaud Tonus slated for the next two years.

The Dutch set-up transfers out of the MX2 class after two successful seasons in which they toasted Grand Prix victory with Valentin Guillod, enjoyed podium prominence thanks to the efforts of Julien Lieber and Aleksandr Tonkov (the Russian with two trophies in 2016) and nurture the career path of Sweden’s Alvin Östlund. After a management reshuffle and under the keen eye and willingness of Louis Vosters, the team will start development on their YZ450F racebikes and with the expertise of 28 year old Simpson (three times British Champion, the top rider from the UK in MXGP in the last five years and three times MXGP winner) and 25 year old Tonus (former MX2 GP victor and back from two years competing in AMA SX & MX250) central to their renewed challenge at the peak of motocross racing.

"I'm really looking forward to us moving up to the MXGP class and I'm very happy with our line-up with Shaun and Arnaud," said Vosters. "They both have great potential and I hope they will surprise us next year. Regarding Yamaha their strategy and way to work is very professional and positive so it's nice to be part of the family. Arnaud should be on the bike for the first time at the end of next week and we're already looking ahead to the Geneva SX and then the opening pre-season races."

Simpson’s first Grand Prix triumph came with a tuned production YZ450F at Lierop for the final round of the 2013 FIM World Championship for what is still regarded as one of the unlikeliest wins in recent memory and the last time a ‘privateer’ stood atop an MXGP podium. The Scot has ‘previous history’ with Arnaud Tonus as the friendly duo were part of a British Monster Energy backed Yamaha team in 2012, with Simpson on the YZ450F and Tonus on the YZ250F in MX2. The Swiss was vying for the 2014 MX2 World Championship until suffering a shoulder injury and then chased his American dream before a timely return to the FIM series.

Shaun Simpson: "The last time I rode a Yamaha was pretty memorable for me and I still think it was one of the best bikes I’ve ridden in terms of feeling and comfort," says Simpson, claimer of two MXGPs in the past two seasons and who finished fourth in the world in 2015. "I can only look at the next two years with optimism: I'm happy. Louis has built a good team and support structure and knows the importance of the rider in the whole set-up. Arnaud is a great guy and we’ve worked together before: I’m sure the atmosphere of the team and the way to work will be on-point. Yamaha have more than proved their competitiveness in the last couple of years and it has been impressive to see how they have grown and invested back into MXGP; it feels like a good time to be 'Blue' again."

Arnaud Tonus: "It's a different class for me and even a different championship now with twenty GPs," said Tonus. "I'm happy to be back and of course I have my base over here so things are easier from that side. It will be a long season with a lot of competition on the 450 and so a big challenge but I'm really pleased to be with Yamaha again and Louis was very motivated to make this deal happen. I hope we can have good preparation and a decent winter of work. I'll be based between Belgium and Switzerland where I have a nice facility for practice. We're talking at the moment but I think the Geneva Supercross will be my first race on the Yamaha so we've got that to look forward to and I hope to get on the bike in the next two weeks."

Erik Eggens, Yamaha Motor Europe Motocross Racing Manager "We're really pleased to have the Wilvo team boosting our ranks in the MXGP category and it fills another important part of Yamaha Motor Europe's structure through top level motocross racing and for development of the entire YZ range," commented Yamaha Motor Europe MX Manager Erik Eggens. "The team will bring their usual passion and professionalism to the premier class and the combination of Shaun's experience and excellent sand skills plus Arnaud's talent and positive name in the sport means we have two really great additions to the Yamaha athlete roster. It might be the off-season now but we're excited to start working together already in the coming weeks and months for 2017 and beyond."

Copyright: Photos: Yamaha Racing

MONACO (Principality of Monaco), 20 October 2016 – Youthstream and the FFM, the French Motorcycle Federation, wish to announce a new date for the final round of the 2017 FIM Motocross World Championship. The MXGP of Pays de Montbeliard, which will take place at the exact same venue that saw the former MXGP World Champion, Romain Febvre, win his first ever MXGP round over all, Villars sous Ecot, will now take place on the weekend of September 17^th. This is one week earlier than the date that was originally prevised.

See here below the updated calendar.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

FIM Europe

The last time San Marino held a round of the FIM Motocross World Championship was back in 2000 where Italian, Thomas Traversini won the 125cc grand prix. Now, seventeen years on, Youthstream is pleased to confirm that the fifth smallest country in the world, yet one of the most interesting, will host the thirteenth round of the world’s premier motocross series, MXGP, in 2017.

Youthstream Vice President Mr. Luigi Zompetti recently met with the Secretary of Tourism and Sport Mr. Teodoro Lonferini and the Federmoto President Mr. Amedeo Michelotti at Palazzo Begni at San Marino where all parties signed the contract that will see the MXGP of San Marino take place in Baldasserona on the 8^th and 9^th of July, 2017.

MONACO (Principality of Monaco), 14 October 2016 – In 2017 the FIM Motocross World Championship will be bigger and better than ever with twenty rounds scheduled to take place in seventeen different countries across four different continents. Youthstream is pleased to announce that the world’s premier motocross series, MXGP, will return to Russia for the first time since 2012, with the MXGP of Russia set to take place at Orlyonok, the same track and location that hosted the 2016 FIM Junior Motocross World Championship back in August.

In addition, the motocross Grand Prix will return to some of the old favorite venues such as Agueda, Portugal, Baldasserona, San Marino, Uddevalla, Sweden and Ernée, France, the venue that rocked this world back in 2015 when France won the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations on home turf. With French motocross booming, France will also host a second grand prix, and it will be the final round of the 2017 season, at Villars sous Ecot.

Besides Pangkal Pinang, Indonesia will host the second round of the FIM Motocross World Championship for the first time.

See here below the full 2017 FIM Motocross World Championship calendar as well as the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship, FIM Veteran’s Motocross World Cup, the FIM Junior Motocross World Championship and the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations dates.

In addition the full calendars of Honda EMX150, EMX125, EMX250 and EMX300 Championships are available here below.

 LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

FIM Europe

The Fox Holeshot is quite possibly the most rewarding achievement of each race, other than getting to the checkered flag first, and is definitely an important aspect in making a main event as easy as possible. At the first ever Monster Energy SMX Riders’ and Manufacturers’ Cup, which took place inside the VELTINS-Arena, Germany, Fox Head Europe put €1000 on the line for each of the three races.

The MXGP World Champion Tim Gajser had a €2000 payday thanks to his two holehots on his Honda CRF450RW, while the FIM Supercross World Champion, Ryan Dungey added €1000 to his purse with a holeshot on his KTM450SX-F in the final race of the evening.

Monster Energy SMX Riders’ Cup FOX Holeshot Film_Race 1

Monster Energy SMX Riders’ Cup FOX Holeshot Film_Race 2

Monster Energy SMX Riders’ Cup FOX Holeshot Film_Race 3

The Monster Energy Supermotocross Riders Cup turned out to be a very interesting event with the best supercross riders in the world going head to head with best motocross riders in the world, around a motocross circuit indoors.

As many people expected the Red Bull KTM Factory team took out the victory, with Ryan Dungey, Marvin Musquin, Jeffrey Herlings and Jorge Prado. AMA Supercross champion Dungey was more than happy with his first race back in several months.

“It was nice to be back,” Dungey said. “My first race since my injury. We have had two or three weeks at the supercross track. It’s nice, but every time you go to the gate its nerve racking, but once we did that first one and Gajser was riding well and we had a good pace and by the time we got into the third one the personal reward was looking good and I was more focusing on the team aspect, that was first. Winning individually was second most important thing, and it was nice to get that one out of the way and it was nice from the boys at KTM, they all came up from Austria. It was a unique race and I am sure there was good coverage on television and the track developed much more different than I thought. I was proud of Marvin and Herlings and little Prado.”

Jeffrey Herlings looks super-fast all weekend and probably the fastest rider on the track, but crashes caused him to finish less than he might have expected.

“It is kind of a MXoN race,” Herlings said. “Coming here I knew I had the strongest team, which wasn’t the case at the Nations. I mean riding with these guys and working with Roger, who is the man of motocross. It was great all the KTM crew here and we gave them a 1-2-3 and the manufactures Cup, so that is pretty amazing. First moto I was struggling and tried to pass Romain and we both went down. Second moto I holeshot and I thought ok here we go, but then I went down and came from last to fifth. The last moto I figured we have to make it happen. I was mid pack and made it to the front. I am looking forward to next season and having more battles going on.

World MXGP champion and Honda rider Tim Gasjer was also super quick around the indoor motocross circuit, and despite picking up a slight injury enjoyed his evening.

“Track looked nice,” Gajser said. “I liked it, not too technical, but I liked it a lot. I think, we MXGP guys also know how to ride indoors, but for sure it was tighter, and they (the American riders) have more experience riding in a stadium, but I knew we would fight hard for sure. It’s nice having the names like Dungey, Musquin, Osborne and those guys who race in America. I think it’s the same, he is good, and a good guy, and a quick racer and fast and everything, but as a rider you go and do your own thing and you don’t think about somebody else. We never do that, because it will mess with your head.”

No doubt all three riders will look forward to coming back to the SMX Cup and continues what looks like being a long tradition to this event.

PIC: R. Archer

MONACO (Principality of Monaco), 10 October 2016 - Recently in front of all the biggest industry names in both disciplines of motorcycle sport, on-road and off-road, KTM cut the ribbon on its all new Motorsport Building in Munderfing, Austria.

The new Motorsport Building covers an area of 18,000 m2. It is located directly behind KTM’s Engine Factory in Munderfing and is flanked by the new KTM Logistic Center and the WP Group. The ground floor offers an area of 110 x 60 meters, enough space for workshops in the categories Motocross, Enduro, Rally, and MotoGP, including truck parking bays. The first floor has over 2000 m2 of storage space, while the upper floor has 50 modern offices for 180 employees. About half of the KTM Motorsport employees can thus benefit from the perfect infrastructure during daily operation, and provide the basis for the company’s unique commitment to global motorsport.

Since KTM’s first World Championship title in 1974 by Gennadij Moiseev (Motocross 250), the brand has up to now earned 269 more world championship titles, 15 consecutive Dakar Rally victories, and in the last two seasons has taken the final big title in offroad motorsports, first place in the Supercross World Championship. Now, after an early victory in the 2016 Moto3 World Championship, KTM in 2017 enters Moto2, the intermediary category of road racing, and the premiere class, MotoGP.

Pit Beirer (KTM Motorsport Director): "It is a great honor for us to be here in the new KTM Motorsport Building, and in the presence of the most important worldwide promoters, sponsors, team managers, the entire board of the KTM Group, WP and Pankl board members, chief designer Gerald Kiska, and of course, our factory riders and motorsport employees. A new building was inevitable after the integration of 'Husqvarna' three years ago, and the decision to go into the MotoGP class. For this concept, it was a matter of great concern to us that the entire KTM Motorsport family could strive for further success under one roof. A special thanks to the team from Architekturbüro Hofbauer from Wels for the brilliant planning. With Stefan Pierer as a great thinker and leader of the KTM Group, and with the passion of our employees, we will be able to pursue further major goals together and celebrate our future successes.”

Stefan Pierer (CEO KTM Group): “Motorsport is nothing without strong promoters and loyal sponsors, so we are particularly pleased to welcome them all here on this special day. In 1992 KTM Racing was still a single small workshop, and successfully tackled Rally and Motocross alongside the initial niche of Enduro under the strong leadership of Heinz Kinigadner. Meanwhile, since Pit Beirer took over our motorsport in 2006, the team has grown to more than 300 employees worldwide and employs more than 60 factory riders. READY TO RACE and motor racing are a way of thinking that keeps the company fresh and drives our more than 3000 employees in Mattighofen and Munderfing every day. Five percent of our annual sales flows into our motorsport and makes KTM Europe’s biggest sport motorcycle manufacturer with the ambitious goal of being on the podium all over the world in the coming years.”

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

FIM Europe

KTM

Photo: From left to right: Marc Coma, Wolfgang Srb, Stefan Pierer, Pit Beirer, Giuseppe Luongo & Carmelo Ezpeleta

Copyright: KTM Racing/Redinger L.

Following the yesterday’s press conference here at the VELTINS-Arena, Germany, where the first ever Monster Energy SMX Riders’ and Manufacturers’ Cup has just taken place, Youthstream Director Mr. David Luongo was joined on the podium by Mr. Xavier Audouard from Paris-Bercy Lille SX and two of France’s fastest Frenchmen, Marvin Musquin and Jordi Tixier, to announce that Youthstream will assist in the promotion of the highly acclaimed Paris-Bercy Lille Supercross that will take place on the 12^th and 13^th of November.

“In the future we plan to collaborate more and more, so we are very keen to help with this event. Lille is a great event, it’s an historical event in France and France is a very good market for motocross, and it has been for a long time. Our world, motocross and supercross, is not a big world so when everyone can work together we can make it better. I feel this is a good spirit to have, and on behalf of Youthstream we will be proud to help out with the promotion of the event.” Mr. Luongo said.

Mr. Audoard shared his tanks and also announced that Monster Energy DRT Kawasaki’s Tommy Searle will be racing, as will Arnaud Tonus and of course, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Marvin Musquin and Monster Energy Kawaski Racing Team’s Jordi Tixier.