MX2

KEGUMS (Latvia), 27 April 2016 – If motocross tracks were desserts, Kegums would be a popular choice on the menu.  The fluffy caramel sand track of Kegums is one of the coolest looking venues on the calendar. It hosted the FIM Motocross World Championship for the first time back in 2009, where Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli won the premier class while Rui Goncalves won in MX2, and has hosted a round ever since with the most memorable event being the 2014 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations.

This weekend, Kegums will do the honors in hosting the sixth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship as well as the second rounds of the European Championships EMX250 and EMX300 presented by FMF Racing, and the opening round of the European Championship EMX125 presented by FMF Racing.

Honda Gariboldi’s Tim Gajser is surfing a massive wave of confidence at the moment. What the nineteen-year-old Slovenian has already achieved inside the premier class is nothing short of impressive as he tops the statistic charts in all categories except one. He has the most qualifying race wins, 2, he has led the most laps, a whopping 93 to Febvre’s 32, he has won the most races, 5, and in turn has won of the most grand prix overalls. The only thing the he doesn’t have is the MXGP red plate, which belongs to Romain Febvre.

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Romain Febvre has shown a lot of character and a lot of heart since his debut in the premier class last year. In fact, right here in Latvia was one of those stand out moments when he went down at turn-one and struggled to get his bike re-fired. More than half a lap down, the gritty Frenchman didn’t stress, he just did what he does best and twisted that throttle! He managed to get back to eighth in that race which was remarkable, and in amidst the traffic he had to weave on his way there he set the fastest lap of the race by more than 1 second. Obviously, he won the second race and still managed to finish on the podium in third.

Both he and Gajser are riding on a ridiculous amount of confidence; neither of the two are racing for anything less than a win which is making for some top-notch action out on track. And judging by the current pattern, we are likely to see these two running up front again this weekend.

Although it is MXGP, the worlds premier motocross championship, and if we’ve learned anything over the years, it is that anything can happen. Ask Glenn Coldenhoff! If you don’t remember, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s young Dutchman was the winner of the MXGP of Latvia in 2015. It was a significant day for him last year where he took his first race win and landed on the top step of the box in the MXGP class for the first time in his career. This season, he’s been knocking on the door of the top five but it hasn’t quite opened. Maybe he’ll just bust it down and pull a win out of the bag just like he did last year?

While the spotlight is shining on the young guns, Gajser and Febvre, Desalle is quietly ticking away on the road to recovery. Since having his arm operated on after he broke it two weeks before the season opener, the MX Panda has been circulating at all the rounds so far in effort to bank some points, which in his mind could be crucial in the championship chase at the end of the season. He is right, there are still thirteen rounds left and he has already nailed a top five finish. There was a weekend off between the last round, in Mexico, and this round, so there’s a good chance Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Clement Desalle could be the dark horse in the battle fore the top step.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Nagl has drawn the consistency card and is betting on that. He knows better than anyone that ‘to finish first, first you have to finish’ and it is pretty much the only difference between he and the young blood, whereas they are prepared to lay everything on the line, Nagl has ‘been there done that’ and it hasn’t worked out for him the past. His speed is incredible, that was proven when he took his first race win of the season in Argentina, and that was without having to ride on the edge. There have only been three race winners in the MXGP class this year and the small statured German is one of them. Let’s see if he can add to that tally this weekend.

Team Suzuki World MXGP will have a full line-up this weekend with Ben Townley back in action after being struck by a mystery virus. He will rejoin his teammate Kevin Strijbos who was fourth overall here in Kegums last year.

2015 MXGP of Latvia MXGP Top 3

1. Glenn Coldenhoff

2. Gautier Paulin

3. Romain Febvre

MXGP Championship Top Ten: 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 219 points; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 216 p.; 3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 171 p.; 4. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 170 p.; 5. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 165 p.; 6. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 162 p.; 7. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 127 p.; 8. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 122 p.; 9. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 104 p.; 10. Tommy Searle (GBR, KAW), 98 p.

Well. It’s kind of a no-brainer. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings will be near impossible to beat in the sand. As always, Jeffrey’s biggest rival is himself although he seems to be far more mature and settled this year.

When Herlings was sidelined with injury, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Anstie killed it around Kegums last year and went 1 – 1 for the overall. Max likes the sand, it’s no secret! In fact as a youngster he used to beat Herlings in the Dutch championship. Somehow Herlings knows something no one else does about riding sand, but if anyone is determine to find out, it’s probably Anstie.

Leading the rabid pack that follows Herlings week in, week out, is Team Suzuki World MX2’s Jeremy Seewer. The Swiss star has a lot of great people around him who know how to win races. So far he is soaking the advice up like a sponge and it is paying off as he sits second in the championship, 58 down on Herlings but 26 up on Pauls Jonass in third.

Speaking of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass, he’ll be the star this weekend as the hometown hero. Jonass loves the track at Kegums and he should be on the pace. What we’ve come to learn from the Latvian is that he either gets a good result or he cartwheels so spectacularly that if he was a gymnast, he’d be an Olympic medalist. With that said, if he can stay out of trouble, he should be on the box for the thousands of fans that will rock out to support him.

For any aspiring rider, standing on the podium in the world championship is what they live and breathe for. The feeling is unbeatable and it is now something Monster Energy DRT Kawasaki’s Vsevelod Brylyakov is familiar with. Now that the young Russian has had a taste, he’s bound to be hungry for more and will be out to prove that he is not a one hit wonder.

Last but not least, Monster Energy Kawsaki Racing Team’s Dylan Ferrandis has recovered from his shoulder operation he had a couple of days after Thailand in early March and will be back on the grid this weekend ready to rip.

2015 MXGP of Latvia MX2 Top 3

1. Max Anstie

2. Pauls Jonass

3. Harri Kullas

MX2 Championship Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 250 points; 2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 192 p.; 3. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 166 p.; 4. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, YAM), 163 p.; 5. Petar Petrov (BUL, KAW), 132 p.; 6. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 126 p.; 7. Vsevolod Brylyakov (RUS, KAW), 121 p.; 8. Samuele Bernardini (ITA, TM), 117 p.; 9. Alvin Östlund (SWE, YAM), 89 p.; 10. Max Anstie (GBR, HUS), 82 p.

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

TIMETABLE

Saturday: EMX300 Free/Timed Practice 07:10; EMX125 Group1 Free/Timed Practice 07:45; EMX125 Group 2 Free/Timed Practice 08:20; EMX250 Group 1 Free/Timed Practice 08:55; EMX250 Group 2 Free/Timed Practice 09:30; MX2 Free Practice 10:15; MXGP Free Practice 10:45; EMX125 Last chance Qualifying Race 11:50; EMX250 Last chance Qualifying Race 12:30; EMX300 Race 1 13:20; MX2 Time Practice 14:00; MXGP Time Practice 14:35; EMX125 Race 1 15:20; MX2 Qualifying Race 16:10; MXGP Qualifying Race 17:00; EMX250 Race 1 17:40.

Sunday: EMX300 Warm-up 08:15; EMX125 Warm-up 08:30; EMX250 Warm-up 08:45; MX2 Warm up 09:00; MXGP Warm up 09:20; EMX300 Race 2 09:50; EMX125 Race 2 10:40; 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 Latvia

MONACO, (Principality of Monaco), 26 April 2016 - FM Racing will remain a partner of MXGP for the 2016 season. With the renewal of the contract, FM Racing will have advertising boards on the track as well as a racing service area in the paddock at all the European rounds of MXGP. They will also have an area in the paddock village at all the Italian rounds where they will sell FM Racing merchandise.

FM Racing is an Italian based company that specializes in motocross and enduro apparel, Gunner handlebars, spare parts, replica plastics and custom adhesives and graphics, and Youthstream is more than thrilled to have them onboard as a partner of MXGP for yet another year.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

FM Racing

Red Bull KTM Factory rider Jeffrey Herlings is on a roll, now doubt about it. Is there anything this amazing talent can’t achieve in his career.

The quickest MX2 rider in the world, and many people are saying the best motocross period. His season to date has seen him lose just one race, a fourth place finish in the opening race of the pre-season. Since that fourth place finish he has reeled off 28 moto wins (combining pre-season and GP season) and he is still counting.

Apart from that one blemish in the pre-season, he has been undefeated, no other riders has come close to that, and in some of these races Herlings has beaten the best MXGP riders in the world.

Previous to this most recent run of victories, the best for Herlings in his career was going undefeated in the first six GP’s of the 2013 season, before losing a moto to Jose Butron in Brazil.

Herlings goes into the sixth round of this year’s MX2 championship, set for Kegums in Latvia, riding on the crest of a wave that many say is the best they have seen the Dutchman ride.

His race craft is improving, and instead of charging to the front and wanting to win by minutes, he is happy to take his time and win by seconds.

Q: You seemed a lot calmer in the last couple of GP’s in Argentina and Mexico. You’re taking your time now.

Herlings: The thing is I lost the championship being too aggressive, like my crashes in Germany and Sweden last year. I was pushing too much at the beginning when the track is watered. Of course they have to water for the dust, but then you cannot push. Everyone is really excited at the beginning and then the slow it down a little. I did what I had to do, pulled a good start, then made a pass for the lead and took a gap. It doesn’t matter how much you win by if it’s a second or a minute it doesn’t matter.

Q: It has been a good season until now, a lot of moto and GP wins. You love to join the legends of the sport and break records. What records can you break?

Herlings: My long term goal was to get over 101 moto wins and get more than 10 titles. Being on 52 GP wins and over 100 moto wins, it’s been a successful, but had I not crashed I would maybe have my fifth title this year. Now I think it is going to be difficult to win 10 world championships, I don’t think it can happen, we will do our best to try and get there.

Q: You lost a championship in Mexico, how did it feel coming back and getting the moto win?

Herlings: It was a mixed feeling going back to that track. Losing the championship there was a bummer and I gave it my all. At least I did not race with a broken femur this time. After losing my championship two years ago, I going there, and dominating, is just amazing. Second moto I came out with the win, number 52 already and 49 to go. 

The Entry lists for the MXGP of Latvia, which will be held in Kegums on Saturday 30^th April and Sunday 1^st May are now official.

In addition to the MXGP and MX2 classes, the first round of the European Championship EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing and the second round of the European Championships EMX250 and EMX300 Presented by FMF Racing will also be taking place.

Please find here below the official entry lists

MXGP Entry List

MX2 Entry List

EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Entry List

EMX250 Entry List

EMX300 Presented by FMF Racing Entry List

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Christophe Charlier is making slow progress in his 2016 assault on the MXGP championship. The Frenchman who is presently 13^th in the championship points with 72 points might not be among the contenders, but he is working hard to try and get into the top ten in the elite class.

Last weekend in Mexico, Charlier scored 17 points, but he is still working on improving his race fitness after am early season injury.

“I crashed in the qualifying race and had a bad gate pick for the final moto’s. I tried not to let that affect me and focused on consistently putting in fast laps. I’m still working on my physical condition but I can honestly say I’m getting closer to where I want to be in every race. We are now going back home in Belgium for a few weeks and my plan is to work as hard as I can for the following GP in Latvia. The feeling is good, I enjoy my time racing the FC 450 and I’m positive the results will soon start coming our way.”

The previous week in Argentina Charlier felt like he was making good progress, and his haul of 20 points proved that.

“Physically I was feeling a bit closer to where I want to be and the pain from my injuries was almost non-existent. For me the Grand Prix in Argentina was even tougher than the previous one in The Netherlands. The most important thing is that I now start enjoying myself again on the bike and I know this will slowly pay off in terms of results. My goal is to keep building on my physical conditioning so that I can be able to keep pushing until the end of each moto. But everything keeps getting better as the season goes on. I’m feeling super positive going to Mexico now. The track there is hard-packed and that suits my riding style a lot more.”

Despite his somewhat lack of being comfortable in sand, Charlier fought hard at Valkenswaard and was able to build on his opening two rounds in Qatar and Thailand.

“We had done a lot of work with the team since Thailand and it paid off. I also had the chance to do some races in the sand in preparation for this GP and it helped a lot. Sand is not my strongest point but I fought really hard today and I think the results prove we’ve made some steps in the right direction. I had a big crash in the first moto, which didn’t allow me to fight for a place inside the top 15. Then in the second moto I got a good start and rode to 10th at the finish. Another positive to take away from this round was that I managed to improve on my starts. I was inside the top 12 after the start in both moto’s. I’m really looking forward to the following rounds, and the hard-packed tracks so I can show what I’m capable of.”

Now onto Kegums in Latvia, for rounds six of the MXGP championship and a circuit where the Husqvarna factory rider hopes to improve his championship position.

One hundred and twenty-eighth issue of this bi-weekly motorcycle sport magazine, tackling the latest races and issues in MXGP MotoGP, AMA Motocross/Supercross and World Superbike as well as general motorcycling and accessories with the best blogs and photographs. In OTOR 128: Full MXGP, MotoGP & SX recaps; fantastic imagery from Austin, Leon and St Louis with Blogs from the heart of the paddock in the latest batch of races to fall before the new OTOR. First contact: The ProTaper effect; looking at how the works Rockstar IceOne Husky MXGP team test, rate and use components like handlebars and what ProTaper bring to the mix. Reloading the gun: Tommy Searle; exclusive chat with the UK’s most successful MXGP athlete and whether resurrection is on the cards in 2016 and the journey back to the spotlight. Power of One: Michele Rinaldi; Italy’s first ever MX World Champ and Yamaha honcho explains his approach to life & work & how he has enjoyed many spoils through the decades in MXGP.

Check it out HERE

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 Leon - Mexico, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Nagl claimed both Fox Holeshots in MXGP class.

Meanwhile in MX2 Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Anstie and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings took the Fox Holeshot in race one and race two respectively.

Watch MXGP of Leon ‘Fox Holeshot’ fims here below.

MXGP FOX Holeshot Film

MX2 FOX Holeshot Film

MONACO (Principality of Monaco), 18 April 2016 - MXGP is pleased to welcome onboard BIHR, a European distributor of aftermarket motorcycle parts and accessories, for both rider and machine. BIHR will be a partner of MXGP for the 2016 season and will have visibility in and around the track and paddock at each and every round of the FIM Motocross World Championship.

Bihr was founded in 1975 by Cyrille Bihr and since has expanded to pan almost all of Europe.

With sales offices in France, Belgium, Netherlands and Switzerland under the BIHR brand, in Scandinavia under the DUELLS brand and in Spain and Portugal under the VICMA brand, Bihr offers proximity services to motorcycle professionals.

Bihr supplies over 100.000 products of more than 300 brands exclusively through their network of professional dealers and resellers.

More than 11.000 dealers already take advantage of Bihr’s one-stop-shop offer, excellent availability, fast and free delivery options, and ease of doing business.

Passion for motorcycling is one of the core values at Bihr and they love sharing it with all of their partners!

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

BIHR

The gates dropped at round five of the FIM Motocross World Championship, the MXGP of Leon in Mexico. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings set the fastest lap time for the weekend in MX2 while Honda Gariboldi's Tim Gajser set the fastest time over the weekend in MXGP.

Both riders have added one point to their TAG Heuer fastest lap score sheets. 

If you don’t know about this competition, the way it works is; he who sets the fastest lap time in each MXGP or MX2 over the weekend at each round of MXGP this year will be awarded 1 point towards the TAG Heuer sponsored ‘fastest lap’ competition. At the end of the season, the rider who has the most points will be awarded an elegant gift of prestige, a TAG Heuer watch.

If you scroll down on the main page at MXGP.com you will see the TAG HEUER Fastest Lap results grid, which is situated directly underneath the FOX Holeshot results grid.