MXGP

2022 MXGP World Champion Tim Gajser heads into this weekend’s MXGP of Turkiye with confidence that the Afyon Motor Sports Center in the interesting town of Afyonkarahisar will again hand him victory. The Team HRC rider won this event in 2022 and while injuries have cost him any chance of defending his MXGP title, he still wants to finish the season with success.

The 26 year old, who is currently 17^th in the MXGP championship points has since his return to racing finished with 7^th, 15^th, 6^th 10^th and 5^th placed finishes and while that is nowhere near his performances from 2022, when he dominated many of the GPs, the classy and always friendly Gajser is looking at making a splash this weekend, a circuit he has enjoyed before and a country he enjoys being in.

“The MXGP of Turkiye is a track I really like, and I’ve won at before,” Gajser said. “So that is definitely in my thoughts as I head there again this year. We’ve made some good progress since I’ve returned to racing and while the overall results haven’t been there, I still feel good about where we are. Now I really want to finish this season off strongly and I fully believe that can happen this weekend, where I’ll be aiming for the podium positions.”

Two weeks ago, in the deep sand of Motorportpark Gelderland Midden the Slovenian picked up his most impressive performance since his return to racing, although not seeing the defending MXGP champion either winning or on the podium just doesn’t seem right, not for us the fans and not for Gajser himself.

“Overall, even though it is my best points haul since I returned from injury, I wanted higher and to challenge with the podium guys so I’m not 100% happy to only finish fifth. My riding was good today and we improved a lot and worked on some things that will definitely help in the future so it was positive and really, I shouldn’t be too hard on myself. I felt I could have got a couple of extra points in the second moto and came close to the pass for fourth but couldn’t quite make it happen. It is another step up though and for that I am looking forward to Turkiye which is a track I’ve done well on before and should be good after a weekend off. “

With just three rounds remaining in Turkiye, Italy and Great Britain, you can expect to see Gajser standing amongst the top three and if that doesn’t happen, then rest assured his winter will be an intense one and one where he will want to gain the speed and confidence to regain a MXGP Championship.

Photo Credit: Bavo Swijgers

AFYON (Türkiye) 30 August 2023 - The 2023 FIM Motocross World Championship lands in Türkiye for the seventeenth round of the season. The Grand Prix of Türkiye will be held in Afyonkarahisar as it has been every season since 2018 (except for 2020). 

The MXGP of Türkiye will host MXGP for the 5th time in its history on a track where Jeffrey Herlings won 3 times in the MXGP class and Team HRC's Tim Gajser won once last year in 2022 on his road to the 2022 MXGP World Title. The MXGP Red Plate Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado also won in 2018 in MX2 which shows that he will be racing on conquered land to inch closer to the MXGP World Title.

Along with MXGP and MX2, the EMX250 and WMX will compete this weekend in their penultimate and final round respectively this season. In EMX250, Hutten Metaal Yamaha Racing Team’s Andrea Bonacorsi is still the Red Plate with 3 Round wins and 100% podiums.  Bonacorsi could be crowned this weekend in Turkiye as with two rounds left to go, BT Racing Team’s Kay Karssemakers is second trailing by 54 points which means that if the gap does not go down under 50 points after the Turkish round, Bonacorsi would be crowned before the last round in Great Britain.

The final round of WMX will also be taking place in Afyon where Big Van World MTX Kawasaki’s Courtney Duncan will fight to keep her Red Plate and win the WMX World Championship. However, Duncan will have to stay strong as her two closest rivals will not let her have a field day. RFME GASGAS WMX Team’s Daniela Guillen and Lotte Van Drunen are respectively only 16 and 23 points behind and can still possibly win the Title and will do everything to reverse the situation and that will offer an electrifying finish.

The 2022 MXGP of Türkiye was held in Afyon, marking the last round of the season and it was Tim Gajserwho came out victorious in front Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team’s Jeremy Seewer and Kawasaki Racing Team’s Romain Febvre.

With every GPs passing, the leader of the Championship Jorge Prado gets closer to the title thanks to his consistency. Prado won his 13th race wins in The Netherlands and climbed on his 15th podium, showing once more his tenacity. The Red Plate, with Tim Gajser, are the only riders competing this weekend who have won in Afyon previously which will be a welcomed fact for the Spaniard to win his 3rd Grand Prix of the season.

Solid 2nd in the Championship, Romain Febvre, has won his 6th Grand Prix in The Netherlands increasing his impressive stats for this season. Fresh from signing another deal with Kawasaki Racing Team for next year and being selected for Team France at the MXoN in Ernée on 6-7-8 October, the Frenchman has an incredible momentum and this will definitely help him to fight for GP wins until the end of the campaign.

Jeremy Seewer got a great back-to-back podium in The Netherlands after his Grand Prix victory in Sweden. He also solidified his 3rd place in the Championship. The Swiss rider can expect a successful end of the season after showing great speed recently and keeping his fast starts on point with 11 FOX Holeshots so far, levelled with Prado. 

4th in the Championship is Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team’s Glenn Coldenhoff who bounced back from Sweden with a good 4th place as he narrowly missed on the podium. Coldenhoff showed that he is resourceful with 5 podiums this season although he is still working towards an important Grand Prix win. 

Team HRC’s Rubén Fernández had a tough weekend in The Netherlands with an 11th overall although the Spaniard was not lucky as he crashed on the start straight in the first race to then having to change his goggles and lost precious time. He recovered back to 17th place while he finished well into the top 10 in race 2, showing a much better speed. He is well established in 5th in the Championship and has won 1 Grand Prix this season, proving he has all it takes to win again.

Team Gebben Van Venroy Yamaha Racing’s Calvin Vlaanderen is 6th in the standings after showing consistency throughout the whole season and has a race win to his name. His home GP in The Netherland didn’t go as planned as he crashed after a duel with SM Action Racing Team Yuasa Battery MXGP’s Alberto Forato in the first race. He didn’t get injured but did not feel good enough to start in Race 2. He is expected to get back to action in Turkiye. 

The return of the MXGP of The Netherlands was supposed to be a great communion between the Dutch fans and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings. It started from the best of manners with Herlings topping the Free Practice but he unfortunately sustained an injury during the session and had to retire from the Grand Prix.

Alberto Forato, is 8th in the Championship and may well get to 7th with Herlings not present. Forato got 7th in the last two outings and will want to get a first podium before the end of the season, starting with the MXGP of Türkiye. The Italian has been very consistent this season and is on course to have his career’s best season in MXGP. 

Ship to Cycle Honda SR Motoblouz’s Valentin Guillod is 9th in the Championship with many top 10s this season. Guillod got 14th in The Netherlands as he tries to get back to his usual form after coming back from injury in Sweden. The Swiss rider has shown a lot of potential this season and is well worthy of a final top 10 finish. It will be hard to keep his 9th place in the championship with the return of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team’s Maxime Renaux who is getting better and better since coming back from injury.

With two 6th place finishes over the las two GPs, Maxime Renaux is getting back into his flow after few months and proved that he is one rider to watch over this end of the campaign. The Frenchman will need and want to get back to 100% soon after getting selected for the MXoN with Team France.

Tim Gajser is 17th in the Championship after missing most of the season but got his best result of the season in The Netherlands with a 5th overall. With 4 top 10s out of the last 5 Grand Prix the Slovenian is getting very close to a podium finish and will certainly be one to watch in Afyon after having won in Türkiye last season. 

The MXGP of Turkiye will also the opportunity for Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing’s Mattia Guadagnini to make his return after few months out due to an injury sustained in France. The young Italian will use this Grand Prix and the rest of the season to get his flow and race rhythm back.

Main Photo: MXGP Start Turkiye 2022

Bottom Photos: 1. Tim Gajser; 2. Jorge Prado

Championship Standings

1. Jorge Prado (ESP, GAS), 821 points;
2. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 729 p.;
3. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 652 p.;
4. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, YAM), 600 p.;
5. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 542 p.;
6. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, YAM), 498 p.;
7. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 456 p.;
8. Alberto Forato (ITA, KTM), 414 p.;
9. Valentin Guillod (SUI, HON), 295 p.;
10. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 260 p.;
11. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 224 p.;

2022 MXGP of Türkiye – MXGP Top 3:

1. Tim Gajser
2. Jeremy Seewer
3. Romain Febvre

The 2022 MXGP of Türkiye in MX2, saw one of the most dramatic and gripping finale between Tom Vialle and Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 Team’s Jago Geerts in a winner takes-it-all scenario. It was Vialle who took the MX2 crown in the end in an eventful second race scenario. Geerts would finish 2^nd of the Grand Prix and 2^nd in the Championship while Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Roan Van de Moosdijk rounded the podium.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Andrea Adamo still leads the Championship by 72 points. The Red Plate comes to Türkiye on a back of a good 5th place overall considering that he fell in race 2 to go 2-5. Adamo also showed that he can ride very well on sand this season which is very positive for the future. The Italian could get closer to the title if he puts on a great performance in Afyon.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Liam Everts won in The Netherlands his second Grand Prix of the season and reduced the gap with his teammate and leader Adamo. The Netherlands also marked the 3rd podium in a row for the Belgian who is confirming this season and showed that he has all the skills to win. The last 3 Grand Prix will be intense if he wants to overturn this gap in the Championship. Everts will also be representing Team Belgian at the MXoN in October which may add to his confidence.

Jago Geerts surprised everyone when he returned to the competition in The Netherlands after injuring himself again in Finland. The Belgian with 6 GP wins this season did not take long to get back at it and got the 4th overall. Geerts is 102 points behind Adamo and while it is mathematically possible to lift up the MX2 crown, it will be really complicated. Being picked for the Belgium Team for the MXoN, the Belgian will want to use these last Grand Prix to get back to his best, starting with Türkiye.

4th in the Championship, Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing’s Simon Laengenfelder is on a roll as he got his 6th podium in a row in Arnhem with the 3rd overall. Laengenfelder is a force to reckon with as he gets consistency at the highest level. The German rider seems really happy with his riding and performances. With his current form, we can anticipate another strong performance from Laengenfelder in Afyon.

Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Lucas Coenen gained two places in the Championship as he is now 5th. L.Coenen finished 2nd in Arnhem and got another strong weekend and his 3rd Podium of the season. The young Belgian showed incredible speed this season and when everything goes right, he always has chances of podiums. L.Coenen has also been picked for Team Belgian for the MXoN which is another achievement for the rookie and which will give him an extra boost to perform to his best until the end of the series.

While Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Kay de Wolf is still out and in recovery, his teammate Roan Van De Moosdijk who is 7th in the Championship came back from injury on his home GP and finish at an encouraging 8th place. This is a positive result before going to Afyon to ride towards a podium finish like he did last year and get back to his level.

Now 8th, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 Team’s Thibault Benistant is still recovering while F&H Kawasaki Racing Team’s Kevin Horgmo who is 9th, may gain some places in the Championship after Türkiye. The Norwegian managed to finish 6th overall in Arnhem and has performed very well so far although he is still racing after his first podium of the season which could come in Afyon if he can get two solid races.

Main Photo: MX2 Start Turkiye 2022

Bottom Photos: 1. Andrea Adamo; 2. Jago Geerts

Championship Standings

1. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 705 points;
2. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 633 p.;
3. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 603 p.;
4. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GAS), 595 p.;
5. Lucas Coenen (BEL, HUS), 511 p.;
6. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 501 p.;
7. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, HUS), 462 p.;
8. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 462 p.;
9. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KAW), 460 p.;
10. Rick Elzinga (NED, YAM), 325 p.;

2022 MXGP of Türkiye – MX2 Top 3:

1. Tom Vialle
2. Jago Geerts
3. Roan Van De Moosdijk
    

TIMETABLE (Local Time / GMT+3 )

SATURDAY: 09:30 WMX Free Practice, 10:00 EMX250 Free Practice, 10:30 MX2 Free Practice, 11:00 MXGP Free Practice, 12:25 WMX Qualifying Practice, 13:05 EMX250 Qualifying Practice, 13:45 MX2 Time Practice, 14:20 MXGP Time Practice, 15:05 WMX Race 1, 15:45 EMX250 Race 1, 16:35 MX2 RAM Qualifying Race, 17:25 MXGP RAM Qualifying Race

SUNDAY: 09:45 WMX Race 2, 10:25 MX2 Warm-up, 10:45 MXGP Warm-up, 11:30 EMX250 Race 2, 13:15 MX2 Race 1, 14:15 MXGP Race 1, 16:10 MX2 Race 2, 17:10 MXGP Race 2.

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

FIM Europe

Afyonkarahisar

Team South Africa has announced their rider line up for the 2023 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations that will take place in Ernée on the 6th, 7th and 8th of October

With a formidable lineup of riders, the team is poised to showcase their skill and determination on the international motocross stage.

MXGP - Cameraon Durow

MX2 - Camden Mc Lellan

MX Open - Jesse Wright

Reserve - Tristan Purdon

The Motocross of Nations is one of the most prestigious motocross events in the world, and this year it will take place in Ernée, France on October 7th and 8th. Team Manager Daniel Zollinger‘s preparations are already in full swing, and the Motocross Commission of the Swiss Federation FMS has selected the three riders who will represent the red and white colors of Switzerland.

In 2015, an MXoN was already held on the beautiful track of Moto Club Ernée (F), and Team Switzerland has fond memories of it. Jeremy Seewer, Valentin Guillod, and Andy Baumgartner finished fifth in the Nations classification at that time.

For 2023, the following riders have been nominated by the commission:

Jeremy Seewer: Jeremy Seewer is Switzerland‘s strongest motocross rider for years, and this season as well, the 29-year-old is in an excellent position as the third in the MXGP World Championship standings. With two Grand Prix victories in the ongoing season, it‘s only natural that Jeremy will represent his country in the MXGP class.

Valentin Guillod: Valentin Guillod is experiencing a career upswing this season. The Honda rider has worked his way back into the top ten of the MXGP class with strong performances and will carry his form into the “Nations.“ The experienced rider achieved the best individual placement for the team in a race at the 2015 MXoN in Ernée, finishing 9th, and is known for his strength on hard surfaces.

Arnaud Tonus: Arnaud Tonus is back in the Swiss selection! The friendly Yamaha rider is focusing on the Swiss Championship in 2023 and recently won the title in the Open class in Malters (LU). The 32-year-old, like his teammates, has extensive MXoN experience and is ready to fight for his country‘s flag.

Similar to 2022, it is not yet determined which of the three riders will compete in which class, with the excepti- on of Jeremy Seewer who is set for the MXGP class. This will be decided in the coming weeks or just before the event. With Kevin Brumann and Mike Gwerder, two young reserve riders are ready in case there are any changes before the event.

Team Manager Daniel Zollinger is currently working meticulously behind the scenes, taking care of sponsors and ensuring a successful team presence. Regular updates and information will be provided on our social media channels.

Photo Credit: SevenOnePictures

MONACO (Principailty of Monaco) 28 August 2023 – The 17th round of the 2023 FIM Motocross World Championship arrives in Afyon for the MXGP of Türkiye.

Checkout the Timetable and Entry Lists for the MXGP of The Netherlands below:

TIMETABLE

MXGP ENTRY LIST

MX2 ENTRY LIST

EMX250 ENTRY LIST

WMX ENTRY LIST

While the MXGP championship seems set to land in the hands of Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing rider Jorge Prado, the battle for Grand Prix victories and race wins is still wide open. Two men who are showing the most speed are Prado and his biggest rival in the Championship, Romain Febvre of Kawasaki Racing Team.

Prado, who holds the red plate and has done since the opening round of the championship in Argentina some six months ago is looking forward to getting back to some hard pack circuits and possibly winning the MXGP World Title with a victory or two.

“I am excited to go to Turkey,” Prado said. “Back to the hard pack. I am riding also good in the sand, but I just can’t make it happen. I want to keep the momentum going into these last three rounds in Türkiye, Maggiora and Great Britain. I am excited, the championship is looking very good. We are almost there, but hopefully we stay on two weeks until the end of the season. We don’t have the gold plate yet, just a couple more races. Such a tough season, many races and hard to stay consistent and also with your energy. I have won a race at nearly every Grand Prix. Always on the podium.”

As for Febvre, he is probably in the best form of his career and only setbacks have stopped him taking the championship down to the final GP of the season, as he did in 2021 against Jeffrey Herlings and Tim Gajser. Minor injuries have set him back, and he didn’t mind reminding us about the rough road he has had to his current form.

“Many guys compare the years before and the years after,” Febvre said. “But there are many things that play in a rider’s career, or his season. Many things have changed, working with Kevin (Strijbos) we are doing a really good job and he brings me something I was looking for. The bike works well, and it is all working together. Physically I am in good shape, and I am getting good starts. If you miss the start and you are 10th, the race can be different. I had good years, and many things happen, like in practice and most of the guys know what happens in the races, but not what happens outside the racing. I can have a bad week and win the Grand Prix. I am happy in my position and second in the championship, but I missed a round, I knocked myself out in a race, I had a shoulder injury nobody knew about and for me, this year has been awesome.”

So now, the final three rounds of the 2023 MXGP Championship, first in Türkiye, before going into Italy and Great Britain. While it is the Spaniard with the championship points lead and Febvre with the momentum of one victory after another, both will stand tall at the end of the season and both can be proud of their achievements. 

Photo Credit: GASGAS

Kawasaki Motors Ltd. is pleased to confirm that Romain Febvre will remain with the KRT MXGP project next season for the fifth consecutive year.

Since he joined the team four years ago Romain Febvre has consistently delivered success, including a world championship silver medal in 2021, and is currently in outstanding form with six Grand Prix victories and one further podium from the most recent seven rounds of the world's premier off-road series, the FIM MXGP Motocross World Championship. The 31 year old is currently second in the series points standings despite an unfortunate start collision during Qualifying for the Spanish GP in May which prevented him from contesting that round of the series.
 
Throughout the season the Frenchman and his 2023 KX450-SR have gelled into a formidable partnership thanks to the hard work and collaboration of rider and the staff of Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP in cooperation with engineers and staff in Japan at KMC. With the confirmation of Febvre for the coming season, all parties now have an even stronger base to prepare during the coming winter test period for another assault on the FIM MXGP Motocross World Championship.
 
Romain Febvre: “I’m delighted to continue with Kawasaki; that was of course my first choice! We worked hard last winter to develop the brand-new KX450-SR from the KX450 production machine and we have shown with all these podiums how competitive the bike is. I want to keep that package for next season. I feel so comfortable on the bike and we have already won six GPs together. I know the bike and the team members; we have a great connection together and to stay on the same bike with the same people is for sure the best way to prepare for another title assault next year.”
 
Shigemi Tanaka, General Manager of Marketing and Sales Division KMC: “Our desire to win is matched by a mission to continue to evolve and refine the Kawasaki KX range of motocross machines for customers worldwide. Romain has helped KRT and the Kawasaki factory engineers develop an awesome MXGP winning machine while exploring technology that transfers directly to machines that enthusiasts can purchase. The prospect of achieving the MXGP World Championship title is a tempting thought and the combination of KRT, KMC and Romain Febvre for 2024 has all the hallmarks of a winning team!”
 
Antti Pyrhonen, KRT Manager: “It’s great news to continue working with Romain; it was clear from both sides that we wanted to continue this successful cooperation. We are very happy with Romain's performances and results, as well as his approach towards the team and racing. He always gives 100% effort at every training and testing session. At every race he represents exactly the values that we all love and share! From Romain’s side it’s very obvious that he is gelling with the bike, and with the team. We have already reached a very high level but we always keep our feet on the ground; we know that no year will be easy as we’re racing at the highest level of motocross so we’ll never stop working hard and, as always, need to be ready for any challenge.”
 
Steve Guttridge, KME Race Planning Manager: “Romain has played a major role in our Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP project over the past few seasons and is known to be fiercely competitive every time he gets behind the gate! Now already into the second year of the new factory team project plus this season’s flurry of GP wins is a clear result of the massively hard work from both the KMC and KRT staff who dedicate their full commitment to competing at the highest level with Romain, our technical partners and the all new KX450-SR bike for this season. We are delighted to continue on the MXGP journey with Romain and we hope Kawasaki fans will be treated to even greater success in 2024 as he pursues our dream to win the premier off-road World Championship.”

Photo Credit: Kawasaki

Team France has announced their rider line up for the 2023 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations that will take place in Ernée on the 6^th, 7^th and 8^th of October

The Home Team will display a thrilling and very competitive line-up to take the crown on home soil in France! 

MXGP - Romain Febvre

MX2 - Tom Vialle

MX Open - Maxime Renaux

Behind The Gate Episode 16 – Swede Dreams is out! 

THE SERIES EMBARKS FOR THE TECHNICAL TRACK OF UDDEVALLA AND THE UNPREDICTABLE MXGP OF SWEDEN BATTERED BY WEATHER CONDITIONS

The racing in MXGP gets intense with the conditions dictating the tempo of the riders where bravery is rewarded with a grid full of talents such as Prado, Herlings, Gajser, Febvre, Seewer and the returning Renaux! Focus on the successful comeback of 2017 MX2 World Champion Pauls Jonass after a string of injuries this season that kept him out of racing and prevented him to battle at the top of the Championship.

In MX2, while the fight still goes on for the title, the Norwegian Kevin Horgmo rides in a GP that feels like home and gets a precious victory in RAM Qualifying Race. The support from the home fans gives him extra confidence as he gets tantalisingly close to a podium in a heart-breaking moment!

Get the best of the MXGP of Sweden with the BTG Series that dives into the incredibly tough racings in Uddevalla! 

Behind The Gate – Episode 16| Watch one of the most unpredictable Grand Prix of the season!

Sixteenth Episode out! Get Ready to Watch the Best of MXGP! JUST CLICK HERE!

It’s time for Acerbis Best Lap! The MXGP of The Netherlands came back to the Calendar and for the first time took place at Arnhem for the sixteenth round of 2023 FIM Motocross World Championship.

The typical Dutch sand track offered an amazing show and was challenging for the riders. In the end it was Kawasaki Racing Team's Romain Febvre who set the fastest time in MXGP on Race 1 Lap 6. It was the third best time of the season for the Frenchman. Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing's Jorge Prado still lead the competition with six fastest time this season in front of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings with four.

In MX2 it was another Kawasaki rider with Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing's Lucas Coenen who finished second on the podium who set the best time in Race 2 Lap 3. It was the second best time for L.Coenen while Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 Team’s Jago Geerts keeps leading the competition with 5 best laps in front of Red Bull KTM Factiory Racing Andrea Adamo with 3.

Here below you have the details of Uddevalla's best times:

MXGP: Romain Febvre on Race 1 Lap 6 with 1:47.874

MX2: Lucas Coenen on Race 2 Lap 3 with 1:48.970
 

In order to remind fans of what the competition consists of; at the end of each event, the fastest rider in MXGP and MX2 will obtain a point. The rider with the most points in each class at the conclusion of the Championship will receive a prize from ACERBIS, which will be awarded at the MXGP Awards.

Scroll Down the main page at MXGP.com to see Acerbis Best Lap leader board situated directly underneath the FOX Holeshot results grid.