MX2

Watch all the race highlights from the first round of the 2016 FIM Motocross World Championship, MXGP of Qatar, here:

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing's Romain Febvre & Honda Gariboldi's Tim Gajser take us on a GoPro Lap of Losail, Qatar. Watch: 

LOSAIL (Qatar), 27 February 2016 - The official guide to the 2016 FIM Motocross World Championship is now available for download in PDF format. The guide contains all the essential information about the FIM MXGP & MX2 World Championships, which includes: entry lists, track details, rider and team profiles, statistics, TV broadcasters, as well as all of MXGP, EMX and MXoN’s rules and regulations.

The official guide also offers a brief summary of the FIM Motocross World Championship and looks at the history of the FIM Motocross of Nations. It also includes rider profiles of the defending European Champions and theFIM Women’s Motocross World Champion.

Click here to download the Guide in PDF format.

LINKS

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FIM

2016 Official Guide

LOSAIL (Qatar), 26 February 2016 - The FCA Group brand dedicated to commercial vehicles is supporting the FIM Motocross World Championship for the 2016 season as Official Partner. This partnership is based on values like determination and dynamism which are shared by the world of sports and Fiat Professional. The year will be packed with totally new products and major challenges for the brand.

For Fiat Professional 2016 is kicking off with a new partnership with the FIM Motocross World Championships (MXGP) that will be starting on the Losail Circuit in Qatar. The Championship will be taking place from February to September on 18 circuits in Europe, the United States, Qatar, Thailand, Argentina and Mexico. Every race draws tens of millions of spectators worldwide who watch the coverage on major media outlets. As a result of this partnership, the public will see a Fiat Professional vehicle during competitions by the starting grid.

This prestigious collaboration based on genuinely shared values opens a very important year for the continuously evolving brand. Several totally new products are about to the launched to make the line-up even more complete. The first is the Fullback pick-up truck which debuted at the Dubai Motor Show in November. Available starting from next May throughout the EMEA region, the vehicle pushes the brand towards new goals, hence the name Fullback, which expresses sports values by making reference to a basic role in American football or rugby: the last line of defence, but the first to rush. An attitude which is perfectly in line with the spirit of the brand and of the new pick-up truck.

The new Fullback will be the hero product of the FIM Motocross World Championship official fleet and will have the chance to showcase all its qualities in terms of configuration, dimensions and engines. The Fiat Professional pick-up truck is modelled on the real needs of professional customers, but it is also characterised by an outstanding versatility, that make it ready for all uses, not just for work, and a perfect expression of the Fiat Professional philosophy.

It will be joined by the genuine trendsetter Fiat Ducato, which will be perfectly at home at a global event like the FIM Motocross World Championship. The Fiat Professional best-seller will be showcasing all its versatility, as people-carrier, for transporting cargo and as a mobile workshop at the service of everyone at the circuits.

The connection with the world of sports – and specifically with motocross – well represents the approach, chosen by the brand to take on future challenges, based on consolidated know-how and great organisation but above all grounded in values such as authority, proximity and reliability, which are the key to successful customer relations. Not by chance, the partnership with the FIM Motocross World Championship is based on the same sharing of values.

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FIAT Professional

Watch the MXGP of Qatar Qualifying Race Highlights from MXGP and MX2:

MXGP Qualifying Race Highlights

MX2 Qualifying Race Highlights

Watch the MXGP of Qatar Studio Show which was filmed LIVE today where hosts Paul Malin & Lisa Leyland spoke to two of the biggest names in the paddock Jeffrey Herlings and Stefan Everts.Herlings talks crashes, injuries and ‘the bling lifestyle’ as well as the prospect of winning his 50^th grand prix at home in Valkenswaard at the end of March, while Everts talks about his new role at Suzuki, the riders he has onboard and a bit about his racing career. Watch it here:

LOSAIL (Qatar), 26 February 2016 - Every year the FIM Motocross World Championship opener is one of the most exciting races of the season. It’s like the cards in the deck are shuffled and a new hand is dealt. Who has the best hand? Right now, it’s Team HRC’s Evgeny Bobryshev and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings who have at least one ace in their hand after lighting up the spectacular night skies here in Losail when they won their respective qualifying races.

When the gates slammed to the ground for the first time this season, the holeshot king Jose Butron was back as he hauled out of the gate on his Marchetti Racing Team KTM to claim a narrow holeshot over Team HRC’s Evgeny Bobryshev. Although there was almost nothing in it over the holeshot line, the Russian, Bobryshev, had the inside line through turn one and led the way out of it.

Behind them the rookie, Honda Gariboldi’s Tim Gajser was on rails as he put a text book pass on Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli, who couldn’t have wished for a better start after only finishing 16^th in Timed Practice which meant he didn’t have the greatest gate pick.

Chasing the eight-time FIM Motocross World Champ in the early stages of the race was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s newest recruit Glenn Coldenhoff who was being hounded by the defending MXGP World Champion Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Romain Febvre. As ‘Bobby’ started to edge away, Butron rode a wide line in second, which allowed a freight train of riders to bunch up.

Febvre was the first to pounce as he threw together a different combo over the bomb hole and slung past Coldenhoff and surprisingly Cairoli too. In doing so, the champ opened the door for Coldenhoff who invited himself in and dropped ‘TC222’ back to sixth.

Meanwhile, up front the Honda boys had their factory FMF pipes burning hot as they ran away from the insane battle behind them as the challenge for third had everyone on the edge of their seats when Febvre, Coldenhoff, Cairoli, Butron and Wilvo Virus Performance KTM’s Shaun Simpson went bar to bar, quite literally.

Butron ended up fading back to thirteenth while the defending champ closed in on the rookie and 2015 FIM MX2 World Champion, Gajser. Febvre made a solid charge on Gajser who managed to hold off the wrath and made an incredible MXGP debut as he followed Bobryshev home for second. Febvre rounded out the top three with Cairoli and Coldenhoff making up the top five.

As for Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Clement Desalle, after missing Timed Practice, he nursed his healing arm around for two laps before pulling off. He will have the last gate pick tomorrow for race day, if he decides to start.

MXGP Qualifying Race Top Ten: 1. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), 24:54.670; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:01.814; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:06.734; 4. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:16.642; 5. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:19.578; 6. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Honda), +0:24.719; 7. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), +0:26.985; 8. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +0:28.083; 9. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:29.186; 10. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:30.329;

He’s not known for his blistering starts, but Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings got his season off to the perfect start as he ripped out of the gate to claim the holeshot and the first Qualifying heat win of the year. Meanwhile Team Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Dylan Ferrandis, who set the fastest time in Timed Practice kept The Bullet in sight but didn’t have enough juice to take the win.

With Herlings and Ferrandis in a league of their own, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Covington was living up to his solid reputation here in Qatar, at least until his bike stopped on the final corner two laps in. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass then inherited third off of the American and set himself free from the dynamite battle between Team Suzuki World MX2’s Jeremy Seewer, Kemea Yamaha Official MX team’s Benoit Paturel and Wilvo Standing Construct Yamaha Official MX2 Team’s Aleksandr Tonkov.

As the race approached half way, Paturel appeared to be sick of eating roost sandwiches as he doggedly pursued Seewer for fourth. Likewise, Team Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Petar Petrov was also in a hasty mood as he burst on to the scene to take fifth from Tonkov.

At the checkered flag, it was Herlings who lit the candles for the first time this year ahead of Ferrandis and Jonass. Seewer managed to keep Paturel at bay for fourth while Petrov rounded out the top five.

MX2 Qualifying Race Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 24:51.763; 2. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:01.783; 3. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:35.137; 4. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:38.236; 5. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +0:39.310; 6. Petar Petrov (BUL, Kawasaki), +0:42.207; 7. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, Yamaha), +0:49.764; 8. Vsevolod Brylyakov (RUS, Kawasaki), +0:51.811; 9. Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:54.116; 10. Davy Pootjes (NED, KTM), +1:02.236

Click here to obtain the complete results.

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

MXGP QATAR – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1595m

Type of ground: hard pack

Temperature: 24°C

Weather conditions: sunny

MXGP will be 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.

TIMETABLE

Saturday: WMX Warm up 14:00; MX2 Warm up 14:30; MXGP Warm up 15:00; WMX Race 1 16:15; MX2 Race 1 17:15; MXGP Race 1 18:15; WMX Race 2 19:10; MX2 Race 2 20:10; MXGP Race 2 21:10.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

MXGP of Qatar

Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Clement Desalle WILL be racing this weekend at the MXGP of Qatar despite having his radius plated two weeks ago. We spoke to him to see how he’s feeling: