MX2

FUNCHAL (Portugal), 02 September 2014 - Youthstream presents the twelfth issue of MXGP Mag which features a review of MXGP Belgium as well as a slight insight on the final two rounds of the 2014 MXGP calendar which are set to take place in Brazil and Mexico. It also features an exclusive interview with one of MX2’s hottest prospects Tim Gajser, coverage of the FIM Junior Motocross World Championship, a re-cap of the Motocross of European Nations, a pump up for the 2014 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations and a special feature on Torsten Hallman.

Click here to read the twelfth 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 twelfth 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

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

MXGP Mag

FUNCHAL (Portugal), 26 August 2014 - Youthstream and Milestone are proud to announce that the PS4 version of ‘MXGP - The Official Motocross Videogame’ is now available for pre-order.

The pre-order content that will be available from Day 1* includes a set of 4 helmets either FOX or UFO. Characterized by high quality and beloved by the official MXGP fans these new DLCs guarantee a realistic and thrilling experience, but this is just the beginning. The helmets will be available on each game mode, online and offline, allowing you an up-to-date outfit.

There is plenty of news to present for the PS4™ version:

• New Features: 18 tracks of which 4 are brand new, for a full MXGP experience: Italy – Arco di Trento; Bulgaria – Sevlievo ; Czech Republic – Loket; Europe – Lierop
• Red Plate: As in reality, the rider who is leading the championship points standings has his own number plate with a different background color (red).
• PS4 exclusive feature, the changing of light on the controller depends on the bike’s engine RPM
• Improvements
• Deformable terrain with real time graphics
• More detailed models of motorcycles. Size of the texture four times greater than PS3 version.
• 3D character models improved
• New Lighting environmental system (powered by Yebis 2.)
• Improved audio with wider 3d sound positioning
• More riders on the track at the same time

Based on one of the most adrenaline filled and challenging championships ever, dust, emotion, realism, authenticity, amazing jumps and the fight for first position are the key elements of the new videogame. A lot of new features have been included into the game that will inspire motocross lovers, but not only them. By playing, new generations of riders/players are brought to life, characterized by Milestones latest masterpiece. The aim?  Win the MXGP World Championship race by race.

MXGP – The Official Motocross Videogame features all the riders, teams, bikes and rules from the official MXGP 2013 calendar including a redesigned career mode for living the feelings of Motocross.

Developed by Milestone Studio, one of the most recognized racing videogame developers and publishers for consoles and Windows® PC, MXGP, The Official Motocross Videogame will be available this fall on PlayStation®4.

The game is already available on Xbox 360® (59.99€), PlayStation®3 (59.99€), PlayStation®Vita (39.99€) and Windows PC® (39.99€). PC players will also be able to download it from Steam by clicking here.

Follow us on Facebook, on the official Youtube Channel or check the  #mxgpvideogame hashtag.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

Milestone

Team Portugal have just announced the line up they will be sending to Latvia at the end of September for the 2014 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations. The team, managed by Pedro Castro, will be none other than MXGP star Rui Gonçalves who will join fellow countrymen Paulo Alberto and former MX3 star Hugo Basaula. 

In a normal world, a world without a slightly skewed sense of humour, Jeffrey Herlings would have arrived to the Czech Republic late on the evening of July 25^th, perhaps driven straight to the track to make sure he had his usual dinner in the Red Bull hospitality, reacquainted himself with the race bike that he calls an extension of himself and settled down to rest before having a very serious go at winning his third MX2 world title the following day. As it was, Herlings lay infirm in Holland with a titanium rod in his leg after perhaps placing his own version of the commentators curse on his head with his post race TV interview in Finland two weeks earlier when he uttered this unbelievably portent phrase,

“I had some problems this year, some injuries and stuff so it’s great to hopefully finish off the title already in Loket, the dream was to win it in Lommel but better to take it as early as possible if I don’t get injured by Loket or something or don’t have some strange things happen.”

The merits and risks of fun are not something that we will discuss here, Jeffrey lives his life as he chooses as only he has to live with the consequences of his actions, for us what is left is to enjoy an MX2 title race that has been blown wide apart and then shrunk back down to centre on three very different riders from France.

Click HERE to read on...

Steve Dixon the owner and manager of the Bike It Yamaha Cosworth team is very much a passionate guy. There are not too many privateer teams inside the Grand Prix paddock that have had the success Dixon’s team has had in Grand Prix racing.

Of course nearly two weeks ago Dixon rider Max Anstie scored his first ever Grand Prix victory with a win at the Grand Prix of Belgium. Held at the toughest circuit in the world (Lommel) Anstie had a stunning victory and sent champagne spraying into the Belgian air as Dixon and Anstie celebrated on the podium.

We talk to Dixon about the troubles of 2014 and the victory in Lommel.

Q: Steve, can you name the riders who have had success in the MX2 class with you?

Dixon: From memory we have given Paul Malin, Carl Nunn, Billy Mackenzie, Andrew McFarlane, Zach Osborne, Dean Ferris and Max Anstie all having their first ever GP victory in the MX2 class, and for many of those guys their first ever GP win in any class.

Q: What has been the problem with the bike this year, because you have had a lot of mechanical failures and that isn’t really your style.

Dixon: We are known for producing good 250’s and we started the 2014 season with the 2013 bike, because the 14 bikes arrived late. I mean the standard Yamaha 250 is an awesome bike and for the customer it’s great, but we have to race against full factory bikes from KTM, and Kawasaki and Yamaha, so we need to do stuff to the bike to get to that level. To develop a bike it takes time and the season started early and was overseas and that cost us time. It’s just been an up-hill slog and it takes time to get the bike like we had it last year, and now we are achieving that. We have had issues, but that is because we are testing at the races, and it’s not my style to push the bike back to the paddock, but it is what it is, and we had our other team rider racing on a slightly less tuned bike than Max and he hasn’t had any problems.

Q: How has Max been about all the failures?

Dixon: After some failures we sat down with Max and he said let us just build for 2015. He said he wanted a bike like he had for the first three races this year, and he said he knows if he has a good bike he can compete at the top and go for wins, and be where we were at the start of the season. We are still a long way from where we want to be, but as everyone saw in Lommel, the bike was great. To finish on a normal bike in Lommel is something special and we are still ironing out some gremlins.

Q: Max seems like a pretty chilled out guy at the races despite all the problems.

Dixon: I must say this, to all the teams, Max has been fantastic this year, and if he had a failure he was always the true professional. He hasn’t thrown the bike down or anything like that. He has shown me that he is working as a team and he knows everyone is working hard to help get the situation right.

Q: What happened on the start-line when he couldn’t start the bike?

Dixon: Basically after the sighting lap Max had an issue with the feeling of the throttle on the sighting lap and he was revving it and flooded the engine. You have to start an engine in a special way after flooding it, and you will see mechanics can start a bike straight away, but because the gate is going to drop the rider gets flustered, which is understandable.

Q: You got the GP win anyway, what is that like?

Dixon: There is no better feeling. I mean my first GP win with Paul Malin will always be special, but to win after all the trouble we have had was just brilliant. Max deserves this type of success, so I was really happy for him.

CNC Doors KTM’s Steven Clarke of Great Britain knows a little about winning championships. Having won the European 85cc junior world championship nearly a decade ago, and now the 2014 EMX250 championship Clarke is becoming something of an expert in winning away from home.

Last weekend in Lommel another young British rider in Albie Wilkie won the Honda European Championship EMX150 and secured himself a ride for the Honda Jtech team in the 2015 European EMX250 category.

With Bike It Yamaha Yamaha Cosworth rider Max Anstie going 1-2 and winning the overall in the MX2 class, it was a day of celebration for the British fans and riders alike.

For Clarke it was a no brainer to race the EMX 250 championship in 2014 after sampling the series in 2013 and finding it to his liking.

“I did two rounds of the EMX 250 championship in 2013 and finished eighth in one round, and second in the other. After those results I said to my dad I wanted to race the full EMX250 championship in 2014. The original plan was to do it with my British based team, but that didn’t work out and we came out with the family and my mechanic and just went for it. We went to Bulgaria and finished in fourth place overall, then led the championship from round two until the end. We got some help from Standing Construct KTM and that helped. We all put in a lot of hard work and it was a good finish in the championship. I wasn’t nervous coming into Lommel, I have a lot of experience compared to my rivals, and I kept a cool head and kept it on two wheels. I took it to the last moto and I didn’t really know if I had won the title, at least not until I saw my dad cartwheeling across the track after the finish line.”

For Wilkie it was a dream come true as he finished just two points ahead of rival Jere Haavisto in the series points, and claimed not only the 150cc championship, but also a ride for the 2015 season. The Eastwood Honda rider was solid all series and very much deserved his success.

“It didn’t go to plan on Saturday, but to come off with the championship victory, and to get that ride for 2015 is really exciting. I had never ridden Lommel before and it was the toughest circuit I have ever ridden in my career. On the smaller bikes on those big bumps was tough.”

It seems the British riders enjoyed the experience of Lommel and with two euro champions in 2014 anything is possible for the Brits in 2015 as they all look at trying to continue the success of one of the proudest motocross nations in the world.

LOMMEL (Belgium), 03 August 2014 – Just when you thought the championship couldn’t get any crazier. It did. Rubber stamping the fact that in motocross anything can happen, MXGP of Belgium, round fifteen of the FIM Motocross World Championship in the fathomless sand of Lommel resulted in the perfect storm for BikeIT Yamaha Cosworth’s MX2 star Max Anstie as he claimed his first ever MX2 race and Grand Prix victory, and an actual storm for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli as he pressed on, despite the ominous dark clouds morphing into a full blown thunderstorm which drenched the circuit half way through the final race of the day, for his ninth round victory of the year.

MXGP

Recognized for his unique technique and mastered sandcraft, all bets were on Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli today, which turned out to be as safe as expected. Although the Italian said the track was a lot choppier and less rollier than normal, it didn’t slow him down any as he eased his way to his sixth double victory of the season. TC222 said in the press conference, “I want to say it’s nice to win my 72^nd Grand Prix in the land of the best rider, number 72 Stefan Everts”

While a lot of random stuff was happening today, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Ken De Dycker’s 4 – 2 result for second overall takes the cake as the most random. It’s no secret the big Belgian has been struggling all season long with an injury that hasn’t healed well, he has made the decision to sit out the last two rounds of the championship. With today’s round of racing being his final round of the FIM Motocross World Championship this year, the KTM rider couldn’t ask for a better way to end what has been a season to forget. “I didn’t expect this, I expected maybe a top five or like six or something so this is amazing. I have had a problem with my wrist the whole year but I kept fighting and kept training and it finally paid off,” De Dycker said.

Meanwhile it was expected to see Hitachi Construction Machinery UK KTM’s Shaun Simpson on the box as he’s proven to be quite the sand specialist over the years. Today Simpson threw together a 3 – 3 result for third overall but also made himself one of the most talked about as he was one of only a few riders to consistently jump the quad into the rhythm section. “It was nice to show today that Lierop last year wasn’t a fluke and I can ride the sand well, and it was nice in the second race to follow Tony for a few laps because he is riding great in the sand every time.”

The first rider to impressively bust out the quad card during the race was Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Gautier Paulin. No one would have guessed the extremely fluid and flamboyant Frenchman has missed seven of the last nine rounds of the MXGP championship as he chased down and caught the seven-time world champion in race one relatively easily, given his circumstances. While time ran out for Paulin to make a move on Cairoli for the lead, he managed to take second in race one which he backed up with a fourth in race two leaving himself, Simpson and De Dycker all tied on forty points. Due to the overall result being decided based on the best finish in the final race, Paulin was forced to settle for fourth.

Rounding out the top five, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World’s Kevin Strijbos couldn’t find his flow today. While he tried to push the issue and charge forward, things weren’t working out for the Belgian which saw him back off and take home some solid championship points.

MXGP Race 1 top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 34:22.254; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:03.902; 3. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +0:04.930; 4. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:16.506; 5. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:21.324; 6. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), +0:26.489; 7. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:45.874; 8. Tyla Rattray (RSA, Husqvarna), +0:47.105; 9. Dean Ferris (AUS, Husqvarna), +0:48.268; 10. Marc de Reuver (NED, Honda), +1:06.632.

MXGP Race 2 top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 34:46.942; 2. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:08.481; 3. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +0:19.123; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:25.772; 5. Marc de Reuver (NED, Honda), +0:32.921; 6. Steven Frossard (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:35.867; 7. Dean Ferris (AUS, Husqvarna), +0:40.127; 8. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:46.294; 9. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +1:01.185; 10. Tyla Rattray (RSA, Husqvarna), +1:08.384.

MXGP Overall top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 50 points; 2. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 40 p.; 3. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 40 p.; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, KAW), 40 p.; 5. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 29 p.; 6. Marc de Reuver (NED, HON), 27 p.; 7. Dean Ferris (AUS, HUS), 26 p.; 8. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 26 p.; 9. Tyla Rattray (RSA, HUS), 24 p.; 10. Steven Frossard (FRA, KAW), 23 p.

MXGP World Championship Classification Top Ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 669 points; 2. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 588 p.; 3. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 498 p.; 4. Clement Desalle (BEL, SUZ), 484 p.; 5. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 365 p.; 6. Steven Frossard (FRA, KAW), 356 p.; 7. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HON), 307 p.; 8. Gautier Paulin (FRA, KAW), 275 p.; 9. Davide Guarneri (ITA, TM), 245 p.; 10. David Philippaerts (ITA, YAM), 234 p.

MXGP Manufacturer: 1. KTM, 669 points; 2. Suzuki, 616 p.; 3. Yamaha, 592 p.; 4. Kawasaki, 550 p.; 5. Honda, 457 p.; 6. Husqvarna, 307 p.; 7. TM, 286 p.

MX2

Everything that could go wrong in one season has for BikeIT Yamaha Cosworth’s Max Anstie as he has been up against the eight ball all season long as his team continues to develop his bike. Heading into every race the question that surrounds Max is never over his ability, but rather his bike and will it last entire duration of a race. While it was a little touch’n’go in both moto’s with the Brit not going out for either sighting laps due to problems with the bike, it miraculously fired up at the last minute on both occasions and withstood the demands of what is known as the toughest track in the world, rewarding him with his first ever MX2 race and Grand Prix win. The charismatic young Brit went on to say, “Before the second race I was thinking this is what I live for right here, I was nervous but we got it done. It was a very difficult race; this track is obviously the most difficult, for the bike and physically. But we did it and I am over the moon!”

Again plaudits to Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jordi Tixier who once again stepped up to the plate. Despite not being one of the favorites to win in the sand, Tixier silenced his critics for the second Grand Prix in a row with a convincing victory in race two which he added to his third from race one for second overall. “This Grand Prix was really good for me, already yesterday I had a really good feeling on the track so it was good for me.”

CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy’s Dylan Ferrandis raised the second French flag on the podium with his second place in race one and third in race two for third overall. While the Frenchman admitted he had considered not racing today because he woke up with a lot of shoulder pain after crashing hard on the second turn in the qualifying heat yesterday, the youngster gritted his teeth and got on with the job at hand to land his third podium finish of the season.

Three out of four is not bad for the French with Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Romain Febvre being the third Frenchman to finish inside the top four. Despite chucking in a couple of hard charges in both moto’s, Febvre didn’t have any answers for the top three today meaning he would have to leave Lommel today content with fourth.

It’s one for the ‘experience bank’ for Honda Gariboldi’s Tim Gajser as he put in a pretty respectable ride given he’s a rookie and gnarlieness Lommel takes motocross racing to the extreme, the youngster did a pretty good job logging his fifth top five finish of the season.

As for Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe’s Glenn Coldenhoff, the Dutchman admitted he wasn’t quite ready to come back this weekend. Nevertheless he managed to come away with seventh overall.

MX2 Race 1 top ten: 1. Max Anstie (GBR, Yamaha), 34:00.529; 2. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:16.077; 3. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +0:17.169; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:31.690; 5. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:54.482; 6. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Suzuki), +0:56.421; 7. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, Husqvarna), +1:01.447; 8. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +1:06.292; 9. Valentin Guillod (SUI, KTM), +1:15.713; 10. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +1:20.785.

MX2 Race 2 top ten: 1. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 35:28.225; 2. Max Anstie (GBR, Yamaha), +0:12.447; 3. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:20.711; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:28.187; 5. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +0:40.276; 6. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:47.124; 7. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, Husqvarna), +0:50.563; 8. Valentin Guillod (SUI, KTM), +1:12.744; 9. Petar Petrov (BUL, Yamaha), +1:20.275; 10. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Suzuki), +1:22.513.

MX2 Overall top ten: 1. Max Anstie (GBR, YAM), 47 points; 2. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 45 p.; 3. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, KAW), 42 p.; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, HUS), 36 p.; 5. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 28 p.; 6. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, HUS), 28 p.; 7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, SUZ), 26 p.; 8. Valentin Guillod (SUI, KTM), 25 p.; 9. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 25 p.; 10. Petar Petrov (BUL, YAM), 22 p.

MX2 World Championship Classification Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 594 points; 2. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 537 p.; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, HUS), 489 p.; 4. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, KAW), 467 p.; 5. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 448 p.; 6. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, KAW), 389 p.; 7. Valentin Guillod (SUI, KTM), 379 p.; 8. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, HUS), 363 p.; 9. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 337 p.; 10. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 301 p.

MX2 Manufacturer: 1. KTM, 714 points; 2. Kawasaki, 572 p.; 3. Husqvarna, 505 p.; 4. Honda, 458 p.; 5. Yamaha, 436 p.; 6. Suzuki, 433 p.; 7. TM, 6 p.

Click here to obtain the complete results

All the photos of the MXGP of Belgium are available here

MXGP was available across the board in high definition, and is also globally available to view live and in HD on www.MXGP-TV.com. Click here for the complete list of countries and cooperating MXGP broadcasting networks, viewing times can be viewed by clicking on the logo of your chosen broadcasting network.

MXGP BELGIUM – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1675

Type of ground: sand

Temperature: 24°

Weather conditions: sunny and stormy

Crowd attendance: 21000

NEXT MXGP

The next round of MXGP will take place in five weeks time, on September 07 in State of Goias, Brazil.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

MXGP of Belgium