MX2

When you think Lommel, you think sand specialists. Riders like Antonio Cairoli and Jeffrey Herlings. Both men have had their moment at the treacherous circuit, considered by many as the roughest and toughest circuit in the world.

I remember my first visit to Lommel, it was in 1997, and to be honest, I wasn’t that impressed. Mind you, it was raining, and Lommel, while a circuit with a great history, isn’t the most picturesque circuit on the calendar.

On that wet day in August it was Avo Leok who won. The uncle of Tanel Leok only ever won a single GP in his career, but beating home the likes of Kurt Nicoll and Peter Johansson was a special effort.

Since that 1997 visit Lommel hadn’t really been a regular stop on the Grand Prix calendar. Due to the involvement of the legendary Namur circuit, and stops in places like Neeroteren, Nismes, Genk, and so many others it seemed that Lommel was a little forgotten, and was generally just a training facility for the GP riders.

It wasn’t until five times motocross world champion Eric Geboers got involved and decided to bring the circuit back to the Grand Prix scene, and of course the fact Namur was closed due to the greenies getting the better hand of the local government.

Funnily enough probably the greatest sand rider of all time, Stefan Everts only won one Grand Prix at Lommel. That coming in the 1994 250 Grand Prix. He had a handful of victories from the Namur circuit, and a good selection from other Belgian circuits, but in his racing era Lommel wasn’t often on the Grand Prix calendar, at least not for the 125 or 250 class where he selected to race.

When Lommel returned to the Grand Prix schedule in 2008 it was Spanish rider Jonathan Barragan who put his name on the winners list with an MX1 overall, while Gert Krestinov shocked the world to win the MX2 overall.

Names like Marvin Musquin (2009 MX2), Ken Roczen (2010 MX2) and Ken De Dycker (2009 MX1), joined Barragan and Krestinov as GP winners, but it was the performances of Antonio Cairoli in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014 that stand out. Cairoli won three GPs and the MXoN overall with 1-1 results and showed he owned the circuit in that era.

Jeffrey Herlings took wins in 2011 and scored 1-2 results in the 2012 MXoN, but injures have seen him miss the last two years, with Max Anstie making the most of that, to win in both 2014 and 2015, scoring 1-2-1-1 in the process. Shaun Simpson added his name to the Lommel winners list with 1-1 in MXGP in 2015.

This year of course we have Herlings coming back from injury, and Antonio Cairoli out of form. Shaun Simpson is also out of touch, so will we see a new Lommel winner? Maybe red plate owner Tim Gajser or defending MXGP champion Romain Febvre? Or can Anstie once again show his liking for the Belgian sand?

One hundred and thirty-fifth issue of this bi-weekly motorcycle sport magazine, tackling the latest races and issues in MotoGP, MXGP, AMA Motocross/Supercross and World Superbike as well as general motorcycling and accessories with the best blogs and photographs. In OTOR 135: MXGP & AMA MX; views, news an ace photography from MXGP in Czech Republic and AMA MX in Washougal as the summer gets busy at the top level of motocross. In the right gear: Fly; a look at what a Grand Prix motocrosser wears and needs on the bike and how Fly Racing are helping Wilvo Virus Performance KTM in MXGP. The Lowes-down; Sam Lowes is one of a trio of eye-catching riders going for the Moto2 title. Read an exclusive chat with the Gresini athlete on his rise in MotoGP. Herlings uncovered; the first serious spanner has been thrown at Jeffrey Herlings in 2016 but otherwise the KTM man has been exceptional. We get personal with 84. 

Read it HERE

The official Timetable as well and the Entry lists for the Fiat Professional MXGP of Belgium which will take place in Lommel the upcoming weekend are online.

Together with the MXGP and MX2 classes, the European Championships EMX250, EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing, the Honda EMX150 and the last round of the European championship EMX300 Presented by FMF Racing will be taking place.

Click HERE to download the official Timetable of the event

Please find here below the Official Entry Lists.

MXGP Entry List

MX2 Entry List

EMX300 Presented by FMF Racing Entry List

EMX250 Entry List

EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Entry List

Honda EMX150 Entry List

The Fox Holeshot award runs across the entire MXGP season. The way it works is 1 point is awarded for each race holeshot. He who has the most points in MXGP at the end of the season will win the grand prize of €10,000 while he with the most points in MX2 will win the grand prize of €5,000.

At the MXGP of Czech Republic which was held in Loket on July the 24^th  Team HRC’s Gautier Paulin and Honda Gariboldi’s Tim Gajser took the FOX holeshots in Race 1 and Race 2 respectively.

Meanwhile in MX2 RedBull KTM Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass took the FOX Holeshot in race 1 while HSF Logistics Motorsport Team’s Brian Bogers took the FOX holeshot in race 2 for the first time in his MX2 career.

Watch the MXGP of Czech Republic ‘Fox Holeshot’ films here below.        

MXGP of Czech Republic FOX Holeshot MXGP Film

MXGP of Czech Republic FOX Holeshot MX2 Film

Watch all the news highlights from the MX2 and MXGP races here at the MXGP of Czech Republic in the videos below.

LOKET (Czech Republic), 24 July 2016 - Hold onto your seat folks! This season isn’t slowing down any time soon, in fact, if anything, it’s just heating up as the acclaimed riders of MXGP feel they have a point to prove, while the young guns continue to keep their throttles twisted with only one thing on their minds, winning races.

A classic old school versus new school battle bought the ancient hills of Loket to life this weekend for the thirteenth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship, the MXGP of Czech Republic. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Nagl finally found that edge he’s been so desperately looking for and used it to defeat the rookie sensation, Honda Gariboldi’s Tim Gajser, in both races for his first grand prix victory of the year. Meanwhile in MX2, Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Dylan Ferrandis hit a career milestone with his first ever double moto victory.

Max Nagl, welcome back to the party! Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Nagl’s performance today was nothing short of breath taking. It was truly special to witness him ride with so much hunger and intensity, and for it to pay forward with a double moto victory and his first grand prix win of the year. Also as a result, the German star has leap-frogged Romain Febvre in the championship standings and is now third, 16 points shy of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli in second.

Honda Gariboldi’s Tim Gajser must have been the author of the quote, “if you don’t live life on the edge, you’re taking up too much room.” He is just unbelievable. Even with a 92-point lead in the championship he still continues to push the envelope, which was his undoing at the end of the day with a small spill costing him the win in Race 2 which would have landed him on the top step of the podium for the eighth time this year. Take nothing away from the rookie though, he still managed to extend his championship lead and has maintained his perfect podium streak, thirteen from thirteen.

When it comes to challenging and technical hard-pack tracks, very few riders get around them better than the defending champ, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Romain Febvre. Starts were Febvre’s downfall today, he may need to sharpen his holeshot game if he wants top the box again this season, but then again in his defense, he has just recovered from a concussion, so it could be down to that. What is most important is that he is still running the pace, which is something he can be extremely proud of.

Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Clement Desalle tied on 34 points with Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Van Horebeek. Don’t underestimate the speed of the Belgians, they’re still running a fierce pace, it’s just finding those extra few milliseconds that will make the difference in their overall results. 

You never know how a rider will transition to the bigger machine. For the likes of Febvre and Gajser, it was a piece of cake, whereas for the former MX2 World Champion, Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Jordi Tixier, it’s not been as smooth. Nevertheless, the Team Green rookie is plugging away and has progressed at every round. This weekend the Frenchman nailed his best MXGP result yet, sixth overall.

MXGP Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), 33:51.727; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:04.803; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:15.311; 4. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:17.471; 5. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:28.074; 6. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:30.841; 7. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:31.398; 8. Jordi Tixier (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:35.081; 9. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:55.807; 10. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Honda), +0:57.863

MXGP Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), 34:33.696; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:02.770; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:15.354; 4. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:21.748; 5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:29.557; 6. Jordi Tixier (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:35.818; 7. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:38.013; 8. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:49.530; 9. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:55.739; 10. Valentin Guillod (SUI, Yamaha), +0:59.716

MXGP Overall Top Ten: 1. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 50 points; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 44 p.; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 40 p.; 4. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 34 p.; 5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 34 p.; 6. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KAW), 28 p.; 7. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 27 p.; 8. Tommy Searle (GBR, KAW), 24 p.; 9. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 23 p.; 10. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 20 p.

MXGP Championship Top Ten: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 576 points; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 467 p.; 3. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 451 p.; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 448 p.; 5. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 419 p.; 6. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 385 p.; 7. Valentin Guillod (SUI, YAM), 286 p.; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 248 p.; 9. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 244 p.; 10. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 225 p.

MXGP Manufacturers: 1. Honda, 584 points; 2. Yamaha, 522 p.; 3. KTM, 478 p.; 4. Husqvarna, 466 p.; 5. Kawasaki, 344 p.; 6. Suzuki, 262 p.

With Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s main star Jeffrey Herlings opting to sit this weekend out after he broke his collar-bone at a local race three weeks ago, it was up to his Red Bull KTM teammate Paul Jonass to step up to the plate and fly the flag high for the orange army. The young Latvian got off to a blistering start this weekend with an emphatic win in the Qualifying Race yesterday which gave him the first pick at the gate in the main events today.

Jonass chose the inside gate in Race 1 and used that advantage to claim his fifth Fox Holeshot of the season. He led the opening lap with Ferrandis hot on his tail before it all came undone when he cased the step down and crashed spectacularly. Jonass has proven he’s some kind of superman because amazingly he is OK.

As the only rider that has beaten ‘The Bullet’ this year Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Dylan Ferrandis was easily the favourite to win the grand prix this weekend. In fact, even if Herlings was here, he still would have had a decent amount of fans picking him for the win based on his hard-pack skill. Ferrandis rode silky smooth for the win in race one but had to work a little harder in race two with a fired up Max Anstie breathing down his neck. Despite the intense challenge, Ferrandis managed to stay cool and rode it home for his first ever double moto victory.

Team Suzuki World MX2’s Jeremy Seewer did what he needed to do. He kept it on two wheels and didn’t do anything silly which landed him on the second step of the podium. “I’m disappointed with my day, Max and Dylan had a little bit more than me today, so that was disappointing but I am looking forward to the sand next weekend.” He said.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Anstie finally came out of his shell this weekend and managed to string together two solid results for his second podium appearance this season. If it wasn’t in Anstie’s pedigree to crash, he could have topped the box today; after all he did set the fastest lap time in the final race before crashing on the penultimate lap when he caught his handlebar on Ferrandis while trying to pass. “I had to try,” Anstie said, “it’s just the way it goes but I am really happy with the weekend, it was a really good race, it’s good to put in a solid result.”

Kemea Yamaha MX Official Team’s Benoit Paturel didn’t get off to the best of starts but is one of the most promising young talents on the line and managed to carve his way through the field in both races to go 4 – 5 for fourth overall while Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Petar Petrov rounded out the top five.

MX2 Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), 34:36.392; 2. Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:03.834; 3. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:13.228; 4. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +0:26.934; 5. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), +0:30.045; 6. Petar Petrov (BUL, Kawasaki), +0:31.779; 7. Adam Sterry (GBR, KTM), +0:35.178; 8. Davy Pootjes (NED, KTM), +0:42.328; 9. Conrad Mewse (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:50.567; 10. Samuele Bernardini (ITA, TM), +0:53.306.

MX2 Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), 35:02.295; 2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:04.477; 3. Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:20.509; 4. Thomas Covington (USA, Husqvarna), +0:21.619; 5. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +0:22.607; 6. Samuele Bernardini (ITA, TM), +0:43.943; 7. Petar Petrov (BUL, Kawasaki), +0:47.368; 8. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), +0:47.844; 9. Conrad Mewse (GBR, Husqvarna), +1:11.432; 10. Ivo Monticelli (ITA, KTM), +1:16.457.

MX2 Overall Top Ten: 1. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, KAW), 50 points; 2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 42 p.; 3. Max Anstie (GBR, HUS), 42 p.; 4. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 34 p.; 5. Petar Petrov (BUL, KAW), 29 p.; 6. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), 29 p.; 7. Samuele Bernardini (ITA, TM), 26 p.; 8. Thomas Covington (USA, HUS), 24 p.; 9. Conrad Mewse (GBR, HUS), 24 p.; 10. Adam Sterry (GBR, KTM), 18 p.

MX2 Championship Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 597 points; 2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 470 p.; 3. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 403 p.; 4. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 359 p.; 5. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, KAW), 358 p.; 6. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, YAM), 320 p.; 7. Max Anstie (GBR, HUS), 316 p.; 8. Petar Petrov (BUL, KAW), 282 p.; 9. Samuele Bernardini (ITA, TM), 279 p.; 10. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), 246 p.

MX2 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 626 points; 2. Kawasaki, 485 p.; 3. Suzuki, 470 p.; 4. Yamaha, 450 p.; 5. Husqvarna, 406 p.; 6. TM, 279 p.; 7. Honda, 241 p.

Click here to obtain the complete result

All the photos of the MXGP of Czech Republic will be available HERE

MXGP OF CZECH REPUBLIC – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1586m

Type of ground: Hard Pack

Temperature: 26°C

Weather conditions: cloudy with showers

Weekend Crowd Attendance: 25,000

MXGP was available across the board in high definition and is also globally available to view live and in HD on MXGP-TV.com. Click here for 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 Lommel for the FIAT Professional MXGP of Belgium on July, the 31^st.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

MXGP of Czech Republic

LOKET (Czech Republic), 24 July 2016 - People can’t imagine how impressive it is to see 65cc and 85cc bikes ripping around a grand prix circuit. It’s nothing short of awesome and with the European Championship EMX65 and EMX85 finals taking place at the MXGP of Czech Republic, in Loket, today, the world has been gifted a sneak peek at the future of motocross.

Following in the footsteps of MX2’s vice world champion Pauls Jonass; another young Latvian has burst on the scene in the tiny form of Edvards Bidzans. Bidzans was pinned on his KTM65 today. He won the final moto and was crowned European Champion in the 65cc class.

The 85cc class was swept clean by Austrian Rene Hofer who won both races by miles for the EMX85 crown.

Joining the premier classes, MXGP and MX2, and the young guns in the EMX65 and 85 divisions, the fifth round of the European Championship EMX300 Presented by FMF Racing took place where Mike Kras, the red plate holder, has strengthened his grip on the championship with his first overall victory of the season.

In the European Championship EMX65 yesterday, young Dutchman Ivano Van Erp was on rails. He pulled a massive ‘holey’ and cleaned up for a convincing win in the opening race. Dane Mads Fredsoe also put in a good ride for second ahead of Latvian Edvards Bidzans, who finished third.

While Edvards Bidzans didn’t win the first race yesterday, he did set the world on fire with his super sick riding style, and amazing skill set, as one of the only riders to clear the finish-line jump. Bidzan proved what a good start can do in Race 2 when he took the holeshot and checked out for a huge race win, even though he did stall the bike at one point.

The battle for second was pretty epic. Belgian Yoran Moens was tapped-out for the majority of the race but a little mistake knocked him back to third with Dutchman Sem De Lange capitalizing.

No one was riding harder than Matteo Russi who crashed out of fourth but bounced back to pass Hungarian Laszlo Tecsi with three laps to go. The raw determination of Russi was obvious as he charged after the Belgian star, Moens.

With two laps to go Russi launched the step up and passed Moens for third in impressive style. The Italian’s speed made for a nail-biting finish with only a hair splitting him and the kid who finished second, De Lange. Moens held on for fourth ahead of Tecsi who fell on the last lap but managed to hold onto fifth.

After his win in Race 2, paired with his third place in Race 1, the young Latvian Edvards Bidzans struck gold this weekend and was crowned the 2016 European Champion in the EMX65 class. Italian Matteo Russi will go home as the vice-European Champion while Sem De Lange, from The Netherlands, rounded off the podium.

EMX65 Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Ivano Van Erp (NED, KTM), 17:29.150; 2. Mads Fredsoe (DEN, KTM), +0:04.442; 3. Edvards Bidzans (LAT, KTM), +0:07.372; 4. Matteo Luigi Russi (ITA, KTM), +0:12.121; 5. Valerio Lata (ITA, KTM), +0:13.534; 6. Pablo Gutierrez (ESP, KTM), +0:39.765; 7. Simone Pavan (ITA, KTM), +0:45.463; 8. Bence Pergel (HUN, KTM), +0:46.050; 9. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, KTM), +0:46.822; 10. Sem de Lange (NED, Kawasaki), +0:52.926

EMX65 Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Edvards Bidzans (LAT, KTM), 18:00.758; 2. Sem de Lange (NED, Kawasaki), +0:10.839; 3. Matteo Luigi Russi (ITA, KTM), +0:10.894; 4. Yoran Moens (BEL, KTM), +0:15.525; 5. Laszlo Mark Tecsi (HUN, KTM), +0:22.041; 6. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, KTM), +0:26.930; 7. Pablo Gutierrez (ESP, KTM), +0:29.163; 8. Gianni Barbier (FRA, KTM), +0:29.655; 9. Noel Zanocz (HUN, KTM), +0:30.145; 10. Bence Pergel (HUN, KTM), +0:30.679

EMX65 Overall Top Ten: 1. Edvards Bidzans (LAT, KTM), 45 points; 2. Matteo Luigi Russi (ITA, KTM), 38 p.; 3. Sem de Lange (NED, KAW), 33 p.; 4. Mads Fredsoe (DEN, KTM), 30 p.; 5. Pablo Gutierrez (ESP, KTM), 29 p.; 6. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, KTM), 27 p.; 7. Laszlo Mark Tecsi (HUN, KTM), 25 p.; 8. Ivano Van Erp (NED, KTM), 25 p.; 9. Bence Pergel (HUN, KTM), 24 p.; 10. Yoran Moens (BEL, KTM), 22 p.

EMX65 Championship Top Ten: 1. Edvards Bidzans (LAT, KTM), 45 points; 2. Matteo Luigi Russi (ITA, KTM), 38 p.; 3. Sem de Lange (NED, KAW), 33 p.; 4. Mads Fredsoe (DEN, KTM), 30 p.; 5. Pablo Gutierrez (ESP, KTM), 29 p.; 6. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, KTM), 27 p.; 7. Laszlo Mark Tecsi (HUN, KTM), 25 p.; 8. Ivano Van Erp (NED, KTM), 25 p.; 9. Bence Pergel (HUN, KTM), 24 p.; 10. Yoran Moens (BEL, KTM), 22 p.

EMX65 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 50 points; 2. Kawasaki, 33 p.; 3. Husqvarna, 6 p.

There’s nothing like a bunch of kids wringing the life out of their 85cc bikes. Yesterday, Austrian Rene Hofer took a spectacular win over Sweden’s Anton Nagy and Spaniard Oriol Oliver, while in Race 2 today, it was Eddie Jay Wade who got the jump but spun out before the end of lap one which handed the lead to Anton Nagy who had Hungarian Adam Kovacs on his case. Kovacs pulled up on Nagy to pass for the lead, which was eventually handed to him after Nagy landed in the biggest hole on the track and was bucked over the bars.

Meanwhile, the race one winner Rene Hofer started to pick up the pace and came around for lap three in second place ahead of Alessandro Facca, Oriol Oliver and Tom Guyon. It wasn’t long before Hofer dropped the hammer and charged it up the inside of Kovacs to take the lead and from there, never looked back.

Kovacs sat second for the entire race with a comfortable gap over Facca and Oliver, who were having an intense battle for third. In an odd turn of events, Kovacs either had a bike problem or he was spent because he faded back to fourth on the final lap. Meanwhile the battle between Facca and Oliver raged on as Oliver threw everything but the kitchen sink at Facca.

Facca managed to hold on for second forcing Oliver to settle for third ahead of a disappointed Adam Kovacs. Tom Guyon was fifth.

At the end of the weekend, Rene Hofer was rewarded the gold plate as the clear winner of the 2016 EMX85 Championship, while Oriol Oliver and Alessandro Facca rounded out the top three for this season, in that order.

EMX85 Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 24:31.550; 2. Anton Nagy (SWE, KTM), +0:04.559; 3. Oriol Oliver (ESP, Kawasaki), +0:05.431; 4. Lewis Hall (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:05.598; 5. Tom Guyon (FRA, TM), +0:09.377; 6. Alessandro Facca (ITA, KTM), +0:11.559; 7. Maksim Kraev (RUS, KTM), +0:17.362; 8. Svyatoslav Pronenko (RUS, KTM), +0:26.810; 9. Maks Mausser (SLO, KTM), +0:27.649; 10. Eddie Jay Wade (ESP, Husqvarna), +0:37.510.

EMX85 Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 24:29.669; 2. Alessandro Facca (ITA, KTM), +0:06.731; 3. Oriol Oliver (ESP, Kawasaki), +0:08.197; 4. Adam Zsolt Kovacs (HUN, KTM), +0:13.650; 5. Tom Guyon (FRA, TM), +0:17.073; 6. Emil Jonrup (SWE, KTM), +0:17.868; 7. Maksim Kraev (RUS, KTM), +0:32.901; 8. Lewis Hall (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:36.797; 9. Maks Mausser (SLO, KTM), +0:38.459; 10. Gerard Congost (ESP, Kawasaki), +0:51.841.

EMX85 Overall Top Ten: 1. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 50 points; 2. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KAW), 40 p.; 3. Alessandro Facca (ITA, KTM), 37 p.; 4. Tom Guyon (FRA, TM), 32 p.; 5. Lewis Hall (GBR, KAW), 31 p.; 6. Maksim Kraev (RUS, KTM), 28 p.; 7. Adam Zsolt Kovacs (HUN, KTM), 24 p.; 8. Maks Mausser (SLO, KTM), 24 p.; 9. Svyatoslav Pronenko (RUS, KTM), 22 p.; 10. Anton Nagy (SWE, KTM), 22 p.

EMX85 Championship Top Ten: 1. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 50 points; 2. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KAW), 40 p.; 3. Alessandro Facca (ITA, KTM), 37 p.; 4. Tom Guyon (FRA, TM), 32 p.; 5. Lewis Hall (GBR, KAW), 31 p.; 6. Maksim Kraev (RUS, KTM), 28 p.; 7. Adam Zsolt Kovacs (HUN, KTM), 24 p.; 8. Maks Mausser (SLO, KTM), 24 p.; 9. Svyatoslav Pronenko (RUS, KTM), 22 p.; 10. Anton Nagy (SWE, KTM), 22 p.

EMX85 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 50 points; 2. Kawasaki, 40 p.; 3. TM, 32 p.; 4. Husqvarna, 14 p.

Over the last few years the EMX300 Presented by FMF Racing class has picked up some serious momentum. Fans love it because it helps motocross stay true to its roots, and seriously, who can resist the sweet smell of pre-mix? Racers love it because it gives talented riders the opportunity to race on the world stage, which helps the likes of the championship leader, Mike Kras, one rider without a big team behind him, the chance to prove he’s got the goods, which is exactly what he did this weekend with his first overall victory of the season.

In Race 1 yesterday, GL12 Yamaha’s duo of Brad Anderson and Lewis Gregory were on another level. Both Yamaha boys came from behind to finish first and second in that order, ahead of Mike Kras who was third.

Race 2, today, might have been the most action-packed EMX300 Presented by FMF Racing race of the season. It had everything, drama, excitement, devastation and heartbreak. The championship leader Mike Kras managed to extend his points lead this weekend with an emphatic victory in Race 2 which landed him on the top step of the podium for the first time this season. It wasn’t an easy feat for the Dutchman who took a while to pass the Czech superstar Petr Bartos, for the lead, but managed to make it happen when it mattered most.

Kras took the checkers and now leads the championship by 15 points with only one round to go, “This was a very important race to win,” he said, “now I don’t need to win at the last round in Lommel, I just need to stay on two wheels.”

The local legend, Petr Bartos, was the super spoiler this weekend and held Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Yentel Martens off for second place in the race and second overall. A mega frustrated Martens, who finished third in the race and third overall, said, “I gave everything I had, but it just wasn’t enough, anyway I will fight for the championship to the end.”

It was a devastating end to the season for the runner-up in Race 1, GL12 Yamaha’s Lewis Gregory, who crashed out of the race on the opening lap, while his GL12 Yamaha teammate, and Race 1 winner, Brad Anderson also faced a heart-breaking loss after scrapping his way from outside the top 20, into fourth and on the heels of the leaders, only to have his bike let-go with 3 laps to go. A first place and a DNF left him in sixth overall, but you have to tip your cap to the Brit; he was absolutely hauling this weekend.

The drama didn’t stop there. Thomas Marini and Matt Moffatt collided on lap one. Both riders went down. Moffatt managed to bounce back for fifth, behind another Czech hotshot, Vaclav Kovar who finished fourth after crashing on lap three.

EMX300 Presented by FMF Racing Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Brad Anderson (GBR, Yamaha), 29:24.624; 2. Lewis Gregory (GBR, Yamaha), +0:01.883; 3. Mike Kras (NED, KTM), +0:12.216; 4. Kenny Vandueren (BEL, KTM), +0:18.274; 5. Petr Bartos (CZE, KTM), +0:19.565; 6. Yentel Martens (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:25.456; 7. Matthew Moffat (GBR, KTM), +0:26.477; 8. Thomas Marini (SMR, Husqvarna), +0:28.717; 9. Vaclav Kovar (CZE, KTM), +0:29.936; 10. Aaron Pipon (GBR, Yamaha), +0:34.548.

EMX300 Presented by FMF Racing Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 29:53.465; 2. Petr Bartos (CZE, KTM), +0:02.176; 3. Yentel Martens (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:05.186; 4. Vaclav Kovar (CZE, KTM), +0:05.312; 5. Matthew Moffat (GBR, KTM), +0:47.491; 6. Dani de Vries (NED, Yamaha), +0:49.735; 7. Nolan Cordens (BEL, KTM), +1:13.230; 8. Patrick Vos (NED, KTM), +1:25.315; 9. Dietger Damiaens (BEL, KTM), +1:28.839; 10. Dominik Prochazka (CZE, CZ), +1:30.934.

EMX300 Presented by FMF Racing Overall Top Ten: 1. Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 45 points; 2. Petr Bartos (CZE, KTM), 38 p.; 3. Yentel Martens (BEL, HUS), 35 p.; 4. Vaclav Kovar (CZE, KTM), 30 p.; 5. Matthew Moffat (GBR, KTM), 30 p.; 6. Brad Anderson (GBR, YAM), 25 p.; 7. Dani de Vries (NED, YAM), 24 p.; 8. Dietger Damiaens (BEL, KTM), 22 p.; 9. Lewis Gregory (GBR, YAM), 22 p.; 10. Kenny Vandueren (BEL, KTM), 18 p.

EMX300 Presented by FMF Racing Championship Top Ten: 1. Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 222 points; 2. Yentel Martens (BEL, HUS), 207 p.; 3. Brad Anderson (GBR, YAM), 174 p.; 4. Matthew Moffat (GBR, KTM), 134 p.; 5. Francisco Utrilla Antonio (ESP, YAM), 110 p.; 6. Lewis Gregory (GBR, YAM), 104 p.; 7. Dietger Damiaens (BEL, KTM), 101 p.; 8. Patrick Vos (NED, KTM), 89 p.; 9. Aaron Pipon (GBR, YAM), 89 p.; 10. Joshua van der Linden (NED, YAM), 87 p.

EMX300 Presented by FMF Racing Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 227 points; 2. Yamaha, 214 p.; 3. Husqvarna, 207 p.; 4. TM, 90 p.; 5. Honda, 37 p.; 6. CZ, 15 p.

Click here to obtain the complete result

All the photos of the MXGP of Czech Republic will be available HERE

MXGP OF CZECH REPUBLIC – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1586m

Type of ground: Hard Pack

Temperature: 24°C

Weather conditions: cloudy

MXGP was available across the board in high definition and is also globally available to view live and in HD on MXGP-TV.com. Click here for the complete list of countries and cooperating MXGP broadcasting networks.

NEXT ROUND

The next round of the European Championship EMX300 will be held in Lommel, Belgium in one-week time.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM Europe

MXGP of Czech Republic

Watch the official GoPro lap of Loket, MXGP of Czech Republic, with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna's Christophe Charlier and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Pauls Jonass here: