MX2

Courtney Duncan will race again in Switzerland, and returns to Europe this week from an extended recovery in her native New Zealand after a May crash in Germany sent the FIM Women's Motocross World Championship red plate leader out of competition with injuries to her wrist and ankle. 

Duncan went in for surgery back home and sat out for the WMX rounds in France and Lombardia. Despite three moto victories in her first four WMX starts, she readily admits that the 2016 points race is now beyond her grasp.

"I'm not worried about where I finish up in the championship now, that's been ruined for me. It's all about setting myself up for next season," Duncan said.

In February Duncan won both motos handily in Qatar, her first Grand Prix start. The 20-year old from Palmerston on New Zealand's South Island rides a YZ250F for Altherm JCR Yamaha Racing Team and is managed by motocross champion Josh Coppins. 

In her second Grand Prix at Valkenswaard Duncan placed fourth in Saturday's first moto following a crash in deep, wet sand, but followed up in the second race on Sunday with a 25-second victory gap over former World Champion Livia Lancelot of France to hold on to her championship points lead and the WMX leader's red plate.

In Germany Duncan finished 12th in the first moto but was forced to retire from the GP overnight after the injuries to her ankle and thumb. Lancelot took over the leader's plate and after successful outings France and Italy now leads the competition with 221 points. Duncan has fallen to eighth overall with 102 points and two more weekends of WMX Championship racing in Switzerland and Assen.

Coppins said Duncan followed up in New Zealand with surgery and light training, but has stayed off the motorcycle for nearly two months in recovery.

"Courtney had a pin inserted in her thumb to rejoin the ligament and was in a brace for six weeks. She hasn't had any physio, it's been just rest and stay in the brace, so we expect some pain when she begins riding," Coppins said.

Duncan said the long wait to resume on-bike training "feels like forever."

"I can't wait to get back on the bike again. My fitness is pretty good because I've been in the gym and cycling a lot over the past six weeks. I've got two and a half weeks before the GP in Switzerland, but I should be all good to go," Duncan said.

One hundred and thirty-fourth 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 134: Eyes on the Prize: 100%; Marc Blanchard has been responsible for the impressive look of goggle brand 100% but Ludo Boinnard has also been the rod behind impressive growth. We ask how…The Big Stage: Maggiora Park; you cannot get more epic than the circuit of Maggiora for the Motocross of Nations so we talked to co-owner Paolo Schneider about the remarkable four-year regeneration of the site. Ballet of Black Rubber: Jorge Lorenzo; A revealing and personal interview with the current MotoGP World Champion where he talks focus, growing in the paddock and even little ‘99s’…Blogs, Races & Tests; inside words from AMA MX at Southwick, WorldSBK at Laguna and Roland rides and gives his verdict on Yamaha’s ‘stripped back’ R1 with the MT-10

Belgium and Holland are two countries that demand respect in the world of motocross. Both with a long list of world champions, and both with circuits that have helped make the FIM Motocross World Championships what it is today.

With six rounds remaining in the 2016 FIM Motocross World Championships a lot of the attention will go to the final two rounds in America, set for Charlotte and Glen Helen, although for many European fans it is two other circuits that stand tall in the list of wanting to attend.

The deep sand of Lommel in Belgium, and Assen in Holland, couldn’t be further apart, as far as historical value goes. One with a rich history, reaching back to the 1981, and build right in the middle of world motocross territory, that of course being Lommel, and the other, the sand just as deep, but a cleaner white substance, and built once a year inside the hallowed turf of the Assen TT circuit.

The Lommel circuit situated in the middle of an industrial area in Belgium, while the Assen TT circuit is built in the countryside, on the outskirts of the village of Assen.

While Lommel has a long history with Grand Prix racing, Assen joined the party last year, in what many people felt was the GP of the year. A large spectator turn-out, a great atmosphere and perfect weather meant the race in the north of Holland would seem like it had begun its own long term relationship with MXGP, even being offered the MXoN in either 2018 or 2019.

Soon after the 2015 Assen event Youthstream president Giuseppe Luongo was quick to reflect that Assen meant for the MXGP series and the sport of motocross in general.

“I think we saw what is possible with a very professional and up to date facility,” Luongo said. “It is important to keep the tradition of circuits like Lommel, but it is also important to move forward into the present and Assen is very much a major part of that growth.”

The Motocross of Nations is where Lommel played a major part of its legacy in the sport, back in 1981, when Team USA arrived and controlled the home team of Belgium, and the 13 year winning streak by the American’s was begun.

So for those who love a little history, but can also enjoy the modern day motocross event, these two events pretty much service your needs. Lommel, giving that old school feel, and Assen very much catering for the VIP type crowd. Both a reflection of where the MXGP series has gone in recent years.

Now in 2016 the two races are just a month apart, and while Jeffrey Herlings looks forward to both races, as he is expected to dominate, in his beloved sand, the fans of motocross will also turn their attention to these two events, as they close out the European leg of the 2016 MXGP championship.

MONACO (Principality of Monaco), 05 July 2016 - Youthstream is proud to announce that the thirty-fourth issue of the MXGP Mag is now online where we caught up with the new MX2 star on the block Kemea Yamaha Official MX Team’s Benoit Paturel. We also have a special feature on the four-time FIM Women’s Motocross World Champion Kiara Fontanesi and a vintage feature on the Bill Nilsson’s 1960 world championship winning Husqvarna Albin 500.

We also cover all the talking points from the last three rounds of MXGP, and the influence parents can have on their young talented children, as well as all the usual articles such as the Fox Holeshots and the hall of fame, Rene Baeten.

Click here to read the thirty-fourth issue of MXGP Mag or download it for FREE on Apple Store or Google Play. The iOs and Android versions contain exclusive videos and several photo galleries, and once the MXGP Mag has been downloaded, the reader does not need to be connected on the Internet to go through the content.

Those users who have already downloaded the other issues on their iOs device can automatically download the thirty-fourth issue by opening the News Stand and clicking on the cover of the MXGP Mag. Whereas those readers using an Android device will be able to download the magazine for free thanks to this new app: http://bit.ly/IssuuOnAndroid

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MONACO (Principality of Monaco), 05 July 2016 – The provisional calendar for the 2017 FIM Motocross World Championship is announced complete with some awesome new venues such as Pangkal Pinang, Indonesia and Baldasserona, San Marino. Uddevalla will also make a welcomed return after being missed this year, while the MXGP of France will return to Ernée, the venue that has a grip on the hearts of thousands of fans after hosting one of the best ever editions of the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations, 2015.

Check here below the complete 2017 provisional calendar.

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MONACO (Principality of Monaco), 1 July 2016 – The 2017 FIM Junior Motocross World Championship will officially take place in Tartu, a small province of Estonia. Tartu is best known for its tranquility, although many refer to it as Estonia’s premier university town which attracts a lot of youthful energy.  Recently, FIM Race Director Ingo Partsch and Youthstream Representative Patricia Maskarova joined General Secretary of EMF Mrs. Helen Urbanik, Clerk of the Course Mr. Marko Saareke and the event organizers Mr. Lauri Roosiorg and Mr. Janek Kaha for the first inspection of the track, paddock and location.

The track itself is a natural terrain circuit to the length of 1720 meters. It is wide and flowing. It also has a permanent watering system in place and has access to bulldozers and other types of machinery for track maintenance. A few small alterations have been requested but otherwise Tartu has been deemed a high standard track well worth the FIM Junior Motocross World Championship. It also will have no problem in accommodating the thousands of fans expected to come out and support and encourage the world’s fastest junior motocross riders, who are also expected to come in big numbers.

As a result of the inspection, all of the authorities that attended the inspection are very satisfied.

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Team Suzuki World MXGP’s Ben Townley will be out of action for the last six rounds of the 2016 FIM Motocross World Championship after suffering a crash while testing earlier this week that required a hospital visit for internal injuries.

The luckless New Zealander went down during further testing work at Mantova in Italy on Tuesday and was hospitalised on his return to Hasselt, Belgium with damage to his intestines that required scans, checks and close observation. Such is the nature of the injury that the projected recovery time means that it is extremely unlikely that the former World Champion will race his RM-Z450 in anger in Grand Prix again this season.

With Kevin Strijbos convalescing from a wrist injury the team is currently searching for a replacement for Townley that can join then Belgian in the gate for the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic towards the end of July and then also for rounds in Belgium, Switzerland, Holland and the USA.

“We feel terrible for Ben who has worked hard and done everything we could have asked to be competitive at this level. He has experienced some incredibly bad luck this year,” said Team Principal Stefan Everts. “We felt we were getting to a point where we could have a strong end to the season but now the most important thing is that Ben can make a full recovery and he has all our support and best wishes in this respect.”

Red Bull KTM Factory rider Jeffrey Herlings continues to show he is the man in the MX2 class and while it seems it will be his last season in the 250cc class, he isn’t thinking too much into the future and MXGP.

With six rounds to go and a lead of 169 points over second placed man Jeremy Seewer, the Flying Dutchman is confident of taking his third MX2 championship and leaving the class with a lot of confidence.

“It is definitely on my mind moving up to the MXGP class,” Herlings said. “But the most important is to win the MX2 championship this year, win it as soon as possible and stay out of trouble and then start focusing on the big boy class. I mean I will be racing guys I have raced the last few years and for sure the competition is really strong in the MXGP class.”

Last weekend in Mantova, Italy the KTM rider put together yet another 1-1 result, and clearly showed he is remaining in the same frame of mind as he was at the very first round in Qatar. While Mantova is known as a sand circuit, it isn’t as familiar as some of his favorite locals like Lommel and Assen.

“Mantova isn’t really like a sand track, it’s not like Lommel or Assen. In the qualification race my gate didn’t fall and we had to restart and I wasn’t focused and was like 15^th or 20^th, then I caught Dylan and was closing. He went down and made life easy. I was still struggling with my injury but we have three weeks off after this round, so I have time for it to repair.

Sunday though roughed up a little more and become a little more like his home circuits. It is in these conditions that Herlings comes into his own.

“Sunday, I enjoyed being there. The track is a little like Holland; I mean we had a Dutch guy on the podium with me. I still had some pain on my heal from the fracture, I need to take some time off, at least that is what the doctor has told me. The first moto I was around 10^th and got the lead quickly and won easily. The second moto I took the lead on the second lap and rode training speed and the track suited me. I will let the body heal up and focus on Loket and Lommel and we have around 170-point lead, so we are happy.”

And with one eye on the MXGP class, his second moto lap times showed that he will be more than capable of running up front in 2017.

“It is strange that my speed is so good, but we have been riding so much, and I got bored of riding during the weeks, but now we are racing a lot, GP after GP. I did better lap times than the MXGP guys and that is something to show for the future.”

Now a rest for his weary body and prepare for the hard-pack of Loket in Czech Republic. Will it be another 1-1, or can some of the competition rise to the occasion and shock the world?