MXGP

MXLarge: Obviously we saw what happened on Saturday and I have to admit, while I am not a racer and I respect all the guys who race our sport and my opinion means nothing, I was surprised that they didn't race, and watching the qualifier, it seemed like while the conditions were not great, we have seen a lot worse and racers racing. What is your opinion and how disappointed were you when you saw what happened?

Luongo: Thank you Geoff.  Your opinion does matter as you have been in the MXGP world for many years, and while you may not have ridden Motocross you have certainly a lot of experience! 

I would like to talk about the facts, and as a professional and the promoter of the Motocross World Championship we have to do all our best to be neutral, to not put emotions in the middle, to base our opinion on facts and keep the main goal as our target, and that is to make the best for the Motocross World and European Championships.  And to do this we have to always take into consideration the interests of all the major stake holders who permit MXGP to be on the top of the world and to continue to grow.  

In all of our decisions we always have to take in consideration the balance between all the parties: manufacturers, teams, riders, sponsors, local organisers, industries, media, FIM, IMR, all the employees, workers, volunteers and I leave at the end (not at all because they are the least important but because they are the most important) the fans, who allow us all to live with Motocross, because without them there would be no off-road market, there would be no races, no salaries for the riders, teams, IMR, etc, etc, and there would be no dream to keep dreaming. So, keeping this in mind we can come to the facts of Saturday in Ernée for the MXGP qualifying race.

It rained the whole week preceding the MXGP of France in Ernée and the local organiser and IMR staff worked very hard under the rain to set everything up to have a perfect track on Saturday morning.  On Saturday morning the conditions were perfect, then in the afternoon before the end of the EMX250 race it started raining heavily, the track got muddy, but the condition was fine. The EMX125 race went well considering it was a muddy race, the same for the MX2 qualifying.  

Then, before the start of the MXGP qualifying race some riders started to argue and say they would not start the qualifying race because the track was not well prepared and that it was dangerous.  Now, when you analyse this, isn’t it odd that the riders who acted strongly were the first 7 riders (plus another 1 or 2 extra) from the morning’s time-practise results and following the Regulations: if we don’t have a qualifying race the riders line up for the Sunday’s races with the results of the time-practise. Strange huh?  And quite frankly if I were to put myself in the position of one of these top riders, and if I could avoid having to race in the mud for about 25 minutes with the difficulties that in a muddy race brings and where many things can happen possibly creating not a good gate pick for Sunday’s racing when I already had a good result in the morning’s time-practise, in a selfish consideration I can understand them, but if decisions for an entire World Championship were taken on selfishness and actions based on ego the Championship would have died a long time ago, so that is why there are entities such as the International Motorcycle Federation and promoters who are able to evaluate the whole situation and take decisions that will be beneficial for the continuity and growth of the Championship, and up until now I think facts can prove that we are going in the right direction.

Coming back to Saturday at Ernée, you will see there was not a French rider (among many other Nationalities) who didn’t want to start the qualifying race, so I would like to know if the race was a Swiss MXGP or the MXGP of Spain, or somewhere else, would those same riders have refused to ride in front of their own crowd?  And I would like to point out the following: 1. The track was not dangerous, because kids of 14/15 years raced on it with 125 2 stroke bikes without a problem, so the very professional guys of MXGP could have raced; 2. The organisers, IMR staff and FIM staff worked like crazy (more than 14 hours per day and night) to have the track at its best, and this was shown on Saturday morning and also the conditions of the track on Sunday after the such bad weather were good due to the hard work previously made; 3. On the starting gate some riders used bad words and insulted high officials which is not acceptable, and what is also unacceptable is when some riders tried to oblige other riders (who wanted to continue with the normal procedure and respect the Regulations) to not race.

I think you can imagine the frustration of the local organiser’s staff, FIM staff, IMR staff, all the volunteers who had worked hard under the rain and in the mud, and the more than 10,000 people who had remained under the rain for 3 or 4 hours watching all the other races waiting for MXGP, then when it was the moment to have the top riders out to race they didn’t want to race. This doesn’t show a lot of respect for the others who had worked hard and who had paid their tickets, I strongly believe that in life if somebody wants to be respected then they first have to show their respect toward others. For us, the riders are the stars, they are the ones who make everyone dream, but in the work, they are part of the job, and they need to respect all the other parties if they want to be respected.

I am even more disappointed because a lot of things have been said in the media and social media, and to try to justify their position those riders have added more allegations to the story, like IMR and FIM never listen to them, and they are not respected.  I would like to know when have they asked for a meeting with IMR and/or FIM and they have not been received?  When a rider has asked a question to an official, when have they been badly rejected without being listened to or without being able to discuss a matter?  

Just to let you know, a while ago we had a system in place where the top riders of MX2 and MXGP would meet on the Friday afternoon and Saturday after the qualifying races with the Youthstream (at that time it was still Youthstream) and FIM sporting directors to discuss the track, and this went on for some months but slowly no riders came anymore, so the Youthstream and FIM sporting directors stayed there for 30 minutes waiting in case a rider came but nobody turned up, so after a while this stopped.  We strongly believe in the importance of dialogue, and we believe the riders’ input can be of value, so clearly, we are very open to try again with the riders’ meetings if that is their wish, and of course we would appreciate it if they would come to these meetings.

Quite frankly, if their true issue is to be able to talk, this was and will be no problem at all because we are happy to discuss with them, in fact we encourage dialogue, we will listen to them and when they have good ideas we are more than happy to go in their direction, and when their ideas are not good for the whole Championship we will tell them that we don’t agree and why.  But what is unacceptable is the way, the place, the time and their arguments they used, because if they have concerns about the track, the starting grid in front of all the media and fans is not the right place or time, and using their arguments about the track being dangerous were not founded because all the races that went ahead proved this.  We love all our riders, they are the heart and soul of our Championships, we don’t want them to get hurt, over the years we have worked on bringing more and more safety to our events in terms of obstacles, slowing down the track speed, track preparation and maintenance, protection around the track, the displacement of dangerous objects such as trees and rocks, effective marshalls, better medical services just to name a few.  We are partners in the same game, we shouldn’t be acting against one another but working together to find solutions.

MXLarge: Obviously you have spoken to David (Luongo) about the situation. What was his opinion on what happened, and did he feel there was any way to resolve it with the riders?

Luongo: For sure, we were in constant contact, and it was clear from our side and from FIM’s side that there were some riders that didn’t want to start the qualifying race.  Some of the riders involved in the Saturday’s issues were interviewed on Sunday after the races and they said they didn’t refuse to start but that they asked for some work to be done on the starting straight. These two things are very different, because if they had asked for some work to be done for sure we would have said yes and we would have done it but refusing to start is a completely different story.  Anyway, all this is a very good lesson for everyone so we can avoid this happening in the future.

MXLarge: We saw the big crash in the opening MXGP moto, which seemed to come from riders on the outside trying to cut across to the inside, which causes a lot of riders going down. What did you think when you saw this happen?

Luongo: Clearly when top riders are on the worst position of the starting grid the start evidently becomes more complicated because strong riders are pushing to the interior and the situation automatically becomes complex, everyone knows the start of a Motocross race is always full of action and a little mistake of one can cause entanglement for many, so when there is a change in the ‘normal’ line-up of the riders it will certainly create some confusion.

MXLarge: I saw on social media riders like Stefan Everts, Marnicq Bervoets and some of the riders who raced the qualifier were disappointed in the actions of the riders who didn’t race. Some felt the crowd were left empty handed and others felt the conditions were actually not that bad.

Luongo: Not only Stefan and Marniqu, but we also received calls and messages from many current stars and stars from the past who were very disappointed with the action from these riders to not take part in the qualifying race.  But now it’s done, we all must take the lessons and move forward keeping the well-being of the Championship in mind for everyone’s benefit.

MXlarge: We have had this situation in the past of course, with problems with dust in Mexico from memory and also the situation in Sun City back 20 years ago, when the riders didn't race (I can't even remember what that was for). Motocross is dangerous and bikes seem to be getting faster and faster. I know Infront try and slow a lot of the tracks down to prevent hi-speed injuries and track preparation is a lot better than back in the 1970s or 1980s.  A lot of this year’s injuries have come from practice crashes, or races outside MXGP, including Herlings and Febvre. What are the main goals of Infront in rider safety and looking forward where can we prevent injuries or rider concern?

Luongo: You know that in general motorsports have some level of danger, and all together we must try to limit that danger to the minimum.  Manufacturers are producing bikes with electronics that make them much safer compared to years ago.  FIM and we have continued to improve tracks and medical services on and off the tracks and there are great improvements compared to the past.  We have to continue to always make things better.  The Medical Mobile Clinic (which is fully financed by IMR) is like a little hospital on-site with the possibility to make scans, X-rays, ultrasounds, etc. FIM is working hard with the local medical staff to have it better and better.  We have all done a lot, but we still need to continue to improve.  The main problem are the practise tracks and local races where the maintenance of the racetracks, the medical system and the Marshalls around the track are in most cases extremely poor compared to MXGP, or sometimes these safety measures are not even in place, but this is the choice of the riders and teams where they want to go.

MXLarge: We understand some of the riders don't like the Saturday qualification, but of course the fans enjoy them. If I watch the triple crown in AMA supercross, with three main events, I love that a lot more than seeing the guys race just one main event and as a fan, I prefer to see them race as often as possible. Are there any possibilities for a change in the format, or are you satisfied that it is the best formula for success of our riders and the best for the crowds?

Luongo: This was not the issue for the riders who didn’t want to start on Saturday in Ernée, but in answer to your question about the importance of Saturdays’ qualifying races, you know already last year for the first time F1 (which is by far the biggest motorsport in the world), took an idea from us by making 3 events with the qualifying race on Saturday because they need more spectators and more attraction for the Saturday, which is exactly what our local organisers need.  F1 repeated this again this year with the idea to have more in the future.  This is very important to attract spectators for the Saturday, and Saturday at Ernée was proof exactly of what I am saying, there were many spectators enjoying an entire weekend of racing, staying on-site which is crucial for all of the World Championship’s local organisers.  This also helps the European Championship riders to race in front of a lot of spectators, because once the spectators are there for the whole programme they enjoy the European Championship racing too, because as you see they are fantastic races, and this will help these young riders to evolve into MXGP, this system is already proven to work very well.  Practically all the top riders in MXGP today come from the EMX125 and EMX250 European Championships, but sadly some have maybe forgotten those years.

MXLarge: It has been a tough couple of years, and I know that Infront have really put the paddock first in continuing to run races, despite heavy loss financially. Do you feel as though people forget quickly and are you disappointed with this?

Luongo: Concerning the actual situation, thank goodness it’s better than the last 2 years, but it is still very complicated.  Over the last 2 years to save the Championships, and most importantly to save the salaries of all those involved in our Championships including the riders, we have worked like crazy to run the 2020 and 2021 Championships over a short and very compact period wherever we found possibilities between the various waves of the pandemic, and we managed to produce very credible Championships with 18 event in 2020 and 19  events in 2021.  

This was extremely heavy for us, because on one side there was not the income and on top of that we had to practically assume all the costs not only for our own normal working costs, but also for the costs of the local organisers because without spectators it was impossible for them to run the events, and it’s very simple: without local organisers there would be no events, and with no events there would be no Championships and without Championships there would be no salaries for anyone.  

I am extremely proud and happy about the work we have done and for the support of the local organisers, local Federations and FIM, and I am also grateful to Infront for giving us the trust to be able to do our work and now we need some good years ahead of us to slowly recover this.  In addition, the pandemic which is still active in some countries (we had to cancel the 2022 MXGP of China because it’s still closed) is causing big inflation of between 6% to 8% all around the world and we are seeing a huge increase in price for all the energy and raw material which in turn are causing the costs of travel and logistics to skyrocket, for example the freight for the overseas events compared to 2019 has doubled, also all the transportation by land is also much more expensive, as are many services and goods.  

On top of all this, for 3 months there is the war in Ukraine and the sanctions from Occident to Russia (resulting in the cancellation of the MXGP of Russia) causing prices to grow, instability on the market and making the future very uncertain.  So, I believe these are the real problems which need to be resolved, and need to be resolved considering (as I said before) all the stakeholders because in a situation like this teams, organizers, promoters, risk to not be able to survive, and we are working very hard to find solutions because our goal remains to continue to improve the Championships, and to be a true World Championship means to race in the whole world and not to cut costs and have 6 races between BENELUX, France, Italy and Germany.  We need to be creative, we need to stick together, but what we need most (and we will) is to find solutions. 

Do you understand? This is what disappointed our and the FIM staff the most, because after 2 very tough years with all we have done to keep these Championships alive at a high level, and with all the problems that we are still having to face to keep these Championships healthy  it is frustrating that some riders say that we don’t talk with them and we don’t listen to them.  Everyone in the paddock can come talk with our managers and directors and with FIM managers and directors, but if nobody comes to talk, we think all is OK…. And really, we are more than happy to listen to the riders about the safety on the track and how to improve the track, when they come with constructive ideas which are good for everyone, and also when they are all in accordance, because on many occasions there are riders who push to have the track good for themself and at the end of the day we would need to make 30 different tracks.

MXLarge: Are there possible penalties in the future if this happens again or is it more important to get together and make solutions for the betterment of the sport?

Luongo: The next step is to open dialogue. We believe more in dialogue and partnership than penalties.  If everyone remains in good will then it will be beneficial for everyone.  We have taken experience and make sure all parties realise our door is always open to dialogue, but clearly a situation like this will be unacceptable in the future.

MXLarge: Obviously the riders make the show, and they deserve respect for that. Do you feel there was anything Infront could have done to make the situation better, or was it totally on the riders making an error in judgement? Some mentioned the start straight was too muddy and could have been cleaned up a little.

Luongo: I really don’t think this is a big issue, it has been built up, but it is obviously in the interest of everyone to resolve this problem. For sure we will have a very open discussion with the riders who feel they are not listened to, and as always, we will find a solution, and we will also explain to them our vision. The true issues where we all have to concentrate 100% of all our efforts and energy is to go on over this difficult moment in history and find a way to continue to grow and continue to have great Motocross European and World Championships.

MXLarge: Do you think a rider’s union might be a good idea, where a handful of riders have regular meetings with Infront about their concerns, rather than a rushed decision like we had on the weekend. Some of the riders who didn't race mentioned their concerned for not being listened to. What is your opinion in this?

Luongo: I think I covered this question in my reply above, and for sure we are open to meetings with a group of riders at every race (as were in place years ago), but it would be good if riders attend these meetings otherwise, they will end up disappearing again. As I have also already said, I really believe dialogue and respect is important, and with this if there are problems they will be resolved.  But again, the real dilemma is how to manage all together the uncertainty of the coming years and we will succeed only if we stick together.  

MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 6 June 2022 – MXGP is excited to continue the Fox Holeshot competition for the 2022 season of the FIM Motocross World Championship, together with MXGP partner Fox.

How does the competition work?

Every Grand Prix race, during both MXGP and MX2 races, the rider who crosses the white line painted on the ground at the exit of the first corner secures the Fox Holeshot and receives one point. At the end of the season, the two riders, one per category, with the most Fox Holeshot points will win the mega prize!

At the Monster Energy MXGP of France, Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado once again dominated both of the starts and added two more Fox Holeshots to his growing tally, on his way to a second overall on the podium.

Meanwhile in MX2, Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Simon Längenfelder grabbed the Fox Holeshot in race one, while home hero Tom Vialle of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing was the recipient of the Fox Holeshot plate in race two on his way to an overall victory in front of the awesome French crowd!

As it stands, Jorge Prado and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle lead the Fox Holeshot Classifications with eleven and six points. The Fox Holeshot competition will continue next weekend at the Liqui Moly MXGP of Germany!

MXGP Fox Holeshot Classifications

MX2 Fox Holeshot Classifications

Watch the Fox Holeshot Films from the Monster Energy MXGP of France below.

MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 6 June 2022 – For the 2022 season of the FIM Motocross World Championship, we see the return of a very exciting competition, that is the Best Rider of the Year Sponsored by Athena.

Throughout the season fans have the opportunity to cast their votes race-by-race and decide who becomes the ‘Best Rider of the Year Sponsored by Athena’ in MXGP at the end of this year’s championship.

Votes are tallied at every Grand Prix, with the ‘Best Rider of the GP’ being chosen during each event of 2022. The rider who is voted the most times as the best rider, will walk away with the ultimate prize and be presented with the special award for ‘Best Rider of the Year Sponsored by Athena’!

How to vote:

Every Grand Prix Sunday a dedicated post is shared on MXGP’s official Instagram page under which fans can comment who their favourite rider of the weekend is. This competition is only for MXGP riders and the voting closes at 10pm on Sunday.

The comments are then counted and the rider with the most votes is chosen as the best rider of that GP. 

At the Monster Energy MXGP of France, Jeremy Seewer of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing put on a show-stopping performance to claim his first overall win of the 2020 season and as a result of his efforts was voted as the Best Rider at the Monster Energy MXGP of France with 50% of the fans votes, while in second was Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado with 20% while third came Team HRC’s Tim Gajser with 7.8%.

Tim Gajser continues to lead the competition with eighth points. The Best Rider of the Year Sponsored by Athena will continue next weekend at the Liqui Moly MXGP of Germany.  

2022 Best Rider of the Year Sponsored by Athena Standings

ERNÈE (France) 5 June 2022 – The tenth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship saw intense battles that had the French crowd on the edge of their seats, with local hero Tom Vialle of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing giving his home crowd exactly what they wanted as he secured the Grand Prix win in MX2. While in MXGP, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Seewer celebrated a hard-fought victory, his first of the season.

The French crowd was incredible and got behind their home riders, cheering them on at every corner of the racetrack which made for an incredible atmosphere. And with the predicted rain staying away for the races, the venue was in good condition for some awesome racing.

In MXGP race one, it was Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado who grabbed the Fox Holeshot as he led JM Honda Racing’s Henry Jacobi, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Seewer and Millionair Racing’s Giuseppe Tropepe.

Meanwhile a number of riders got caught up in a first-turn pile-up which included Team HRC’s Tim Gajser and Mitch Evans, along with Gebben Van Venrooy Yamaha Racing’s Calvin Vlaanderen, Standing Construct Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass and Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Glenn Coldenhoff, among others.

Prado led the way, as Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Maxime Renaux got himself into 22^nd on the opening lap, while Gajser worked is way up to 15^th.

Prado set the fastest lap of the race and was looking to escape the grips of Seewer, as Jacobi remained in third.

Gajser made some more passes as he passed JT911 KTM’s Jordi Tixier and then Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP’s Ben Watson to get himself inside the top 10, and as he pushed to continue with such progress, made a big mistake which took him off line and almost left him down on the ground. He then focused on Honda 114 Motorsports’ Ruben Fernandez who was just ahead in seventh.

Back with the leaders though and the gap between Prado and Seewer began to come down considerably as the duo were separated by less than a second. The Swiss continued to apply the pressure for a number of laps, before being able to find his way through with just two laps to go.

In that time, Riley Racing’s Brent Van doninck also managed to pass Jacobi for third, while Gajser got around Fernandez and Beta SDM Corse’s Jeremy Van Horebeek for fifth.

Seewer won the race, with Prado second and Van doninck third.

In the second race, it was again Prado with the Fox Holeshot but this time he had Fantic Factory Team Maddii’s Nicholas Lapucci behind him, as well as Seewer, Benoit Paturel of Ship to Cycle Honda SR Motoblouz and Coldenhoff, who started much better that time around.

Gajser started down in 13^th as Fernandez took fourth from Seewer, as Lapucci dropped down the order which put Paturel into second and Coldenhoff into third.

Pretty quickly, Coldenhoff took second from Paturel who crashed down hard not long after, which allowed Seewer into third.

Fernandez then had Renaux on his case as Gajser looked to join the battle after passing Watson for sixth.

Coldenhoff set the fastest lap of the race as he put up a fight to Prado, with Seewer pushing behind them. The trio battled closely for quite a while, as Renaux made a mistake and got passed by Gajser. The Honda rider then passed Fernandez in the same manner and was up in fourth.

Prado, Coldenhoff and Seewer fought each other intensely and on lap 10 Coldenhoff was able to find an opportunity to strike and get around Prado to become the new race leader. Seewer was looking to do the same as Gajser close in on the leaders too and joined the battle for the win.

Prado went wide, which allowed Seewer and Gajser to get even closer, but Gajser made a mistake and crashed, thus losing ground to the leaders.

Similarly, to race one, Prado got passed by Seewer with three laps to go and then focused on Coldenhoff, but Coldenhoff was able to keep a cool head and stay mistake free to secure the race victory, his first since 2020. He crossed the line ahead of Seewer, Prado, Gajser and Fernandez.

A win and a second gave Seewer the overall victory ahead of Prado and Coldenhoff who was tied on points with Gajser who once again missed the podium. Though the Team HRC rider leads the championship standings by 73 points over Renaux, while Seewer remains third though is just six points ahead of Prado in fourth.

Jeremy Seewer: “[Today was] Amazing. I mean, I started from the outside completely and mentally this was not easy, but we made it happen. It wasn’t only the track, but we also found a little progress in the whole set-up. I felt already yesterday a lot better than previous weeks, as I struggled with a few things for quite some weeks. But now, I’m back. I feel confident. I'm really happy with the GP win, I had to wait way too long. I felt ready way more early this year, but a few things came in between. Still a long season and many races to come. So, I'm looking forward to them”.

Jorge Prado: “Today the starts were good. Even from the outside, I could manage to block the other guys from the inside. I was riding quite ok, and I felt good in both races. The last laps were not the best, but I need to work on that. I felt good. So, I'm very happy with that. Last weekend, it was a pity to not get on the podium at the home GP, so, I’m happy I could bounce back and be here at least in second position. And I need to work a little bit on my physical side, obviously with the injury, I lost a bit. But hopefully soon, I will be back 100%. It’s very vital until the end of the race and I know I have it in the beginning, I just need to find a way to keep it until the end. So yeah, quite happy about today”.

Glenn Coldenhoff: “It's definitely quite nice. You know, I crashed four times in one lap in the first race, I don’t know what I was doing. But yeah, it was very tough picking myself up every time and fighting back. The speed was good, I had really good lap times which gave me confidence for the second race. But with a 12^th in race one I was not expecting a podium… but made it happen with a 12 and a one, which is of course, great, but I think I need to work a bit on my consistency. But the form is there, I feel very comfortable on my Yamaha and the team is putting in quite a lot of effort every time so I’m thankful for them”.

Tim Gajser: “It was a difficult GP. Starting from the outside in both races, so I kind of messed up on the start. First one I went down and had to come through from the back and even making some mistakes and crashing towards the end. Then at the second one, as well, the start was not the best, I was around 15^th, but I caught up to the front guys, was able to make a pass but then made a little mistake again. I mean, I'm quite happy with the speed, just need to be more consistent. I'm also happy that I physically feel way better than previous GPs, like Sardinia and also Spain was really difficult for me. But anyway, I'm really looking forward to going to Germany”.

Main Photo: MXGP Start

Bottom Photos: 1. Jeremy Seewer 2. Jorge Prado

MXGP - Grand Prix Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), 34:57.531; 2. Jorge Prado (ESP, GASGAS), +0:05.336; 3. Brent Van doninck (BEL, Yamaha), +0:14.105; 4. Henry Jacobi (GER, Honda), +0:20.293; 5. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:23.459; 6. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Beta), +0:29.766; 7. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Honda), +0:37.291; 8. Ben Watson (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:40.679; 9. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +0:46.524; 10. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +0:48.357;

MXGP - Grand Prix Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Yamaha), 34:11.133; 2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:01.786; 3. Jorge Prado (ESP, GASGAS), +0:06.128; 4. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:07.313; 5. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Honda), +0:19.403; 6. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +0:21.686; 7. Pauls Jonass (LAT, Husqvarna), +0:31.538; 8. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Beta), +0:34.791; 9. Ben Watson (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:36.742; 10. Mitchell Evans (AUS, Honda), +1:00.231;

MXGP - GP Top 10 Classification: 1. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 47 points; 2. Jorge Prado (ESP, GAS), 42 p.; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, YAM), 34 p.; 4. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 34 p.; 5. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 30 p.; 6. Brent Van doninck (BEL, YAM), 29 p.; 7. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, BET), 28 p.; 8. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 27 p.; 9. Ben Watson (GBR, KAW), 25 p.; 10. Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 24 p.;

MXGP - World Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 438 points; 2. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 365 p.; 3. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 339 p.; 4. Jorge Prado (ESP, GAS), 332 p.; 5. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, YAM), 306 p.; 6. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 272 p.; 7. Brian Bogers (NED, HUS), 243 p.; 8. Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 220 p.; 9. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, BET), 217 p.; 10. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, YAM), 200 p.;

MXGP - Manufacturers Classification: 1. Honda, 445 points; 2. Yamaha, 443 p.; 3. GASGAS, 360 p.; 4. Husqvarna, 324 p.; 5. Beta, 217 p.; 6. Kawasaki, 198 p.; 7. KTM, 190 p.; 8. Fantic, 11 p.; 9. Suzuki, 10 p.;

In the opening MX2 race of the day, the Fox Holeshot went to Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Simon Längenfelder though F&H Kawasaki Racing’s Kevin Horgmo moved swiftly into the lead. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle was right there in third as Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Thibault Benistant was buried at the back of the field after problems in the start.

Vialle then got himself into second by lap two and then took just another lap before he was able to get around Horgmo for the lead. But he wasn’t able to run away with it as Horgmo, Längenfelder and Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jago Geerts were right there behind him, as the four riders battled intensely for the win.

As Horgmo and Längenfelder continued to challenge each other, Geerts was able to benefit from this as he got around both and went from fourth to second within a few moments.

Further down the order, Benistant was able to get himself into 10^th, as Ship to Cycle Honda SR Motoblouz rider Stephen Rubini passed Hitachi KTM Fuelled by Milwaukee’s Isak Gifting for fifth. It’s where he ultimately finished the race.

As Geerts looked to close in on Vialle, he crashed but managed to pick himself up quickly without losing any positions though this allowed Vialle to open up a steady gap. But again, Geerts was on a charge and was able to take some time out of Vialle but could not get close enough by the chequered flag.

In the end, Vialle won the race ahead of Geerts, Längenfelder, Horgmo and Rubini.

In the second heat, the Fox Holeshot went to Vialle, but Benistant was able to find his way into the lead immediately as JM Honda Racing’s Petr Polak followed ahead of Horgmo and Guillen Farres.

Geerts was able to find his way into third early on as Gifting crashed out of seventh place and Längenfelder parked Big Van World MTX Kawasaki’s Mikkel Haarup for eighth. Horgmo dropped back on the opening lap but was ready to fight back as he got around SM Action Racing Team YUASA Battery’s Andrea Adamo for sixth.

Rubini was running well inside the top five during the first couple of laps before crashing and dropping back to outside the top 20.

Benistant was looking comfortable in the lead as Geerts found his way up to second with a couple of fastest laps of the race, while Vialle dropped to third. Vialle then crashed and lost grip on the leaders, as it became a two-man show at the front with two teammates battling each other for the win.

Diga Procross KTM Racing’s Liam Everts was also looking solid in the opening stages before dropping three spots within a lap as Horgmo, Adamo and Längenfelder went by.

Despite his best efforts, Geerts could not find his opportunity to make a pass on Benistant who was being urged on by his home crowd. After numerous attempts, Benistant was able to keep Geerts at bay and secure the race win. Geerts was second ahead of Vialle, Horgmo and Längenfelder.

A win and a third gave Vialle the overall victory, while Geerts was forced to settle for second with a consistent 2-2 result ahead of Benistant who celebrated on the third step of the podium.

As it stands, Vialle is now 11 points ahead of Geerts in the championship standings with Längenfelder down in third.

Tom Vialle: “It was really amazing. The weekend was good, yesterday was pretty tough in the qualifying race and I had seventh position for today. For the start I was pretty safe because the inside was quite good. In the first race I was struggling a little bit, I wasn’t riding fully like myself but I could hear the public and they pushed me a lot to win the first race. And then in the second race, Thibault, Jago and me were pushing quite hard and I had a small crash, so I knew straight away that, that was done because we were riding really fast and I couldn’t catch them again. I didn’t know that I won the GP, but I was really happy when I found out”.

Jago Geerts: “I'm happy about today with the two second places. Yesterday, I didn’t even know if I could ride today, but the physio worked hard on my shoulder and he did a good job and I felt pretty good today. I had good speed and finished second, so I can be happy with this”.

Thibault Benistant: “It was a little bit tough in the first one with the small issue in the first corner, so I started completely last and had to fight really hard to come back. But I pushed until the end because I knew it was a good race, everything is possible. I just gave everything and in the second race I really wanted to make it up to the fans and prove a little bit myself. I was just riding really free and I was feeling good. I pushed and I was able to take the win”.

Top Photo: Tom Vialle

Bottom Photos: 1. Jago Geerts 2. Thibault Benistant

MX2 - Grand Prix Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 35:05.601; 2. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:01.451; 3. Simon Längenfelder (GER, GASGAS), +0:20.877; 4. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, Kawasaki), +0:30.875; 5. Stephen Rubini (FRA, Honda), +0:36.804; 6. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), +0:40.889; 7. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, Kawasaki), +0:43.714; 8. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), +0:47.257; 9. Isak Gifting (SWE, KTM), +0:55.892; 10. Andrea Adamo (ITA, GASGAS), +0:58.158;

MX2 - Grand Prix Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), 34:01.927; 2. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:01.655; 3. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), +0:24.933; 4. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, Kawasaki), +0:26.728; 5. Simon Längenfelder (GER, GASGAS), +0:35.451; 6. Andrea Adamo (ITA, GASGAS), +0:54.400; 7. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), +1:22.819; 8. Jan Pancar (SLO, KTM), +1:26.609; 9. Tom Guyon (FRA, KTM), +1:31.603; 10. Kay Karssemakers (NED, KTM), +1:53.495;

MX2 - GP Top 10 Classification: 1. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 45 points; 2. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 44 p.; 3. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 38 p.; 4. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KAW), 36 p.; 5. Simon Längenfelder (GER, GAS), 36 p.; 6. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 29 p.; 7. Andrea Adamo (ITA, GAS), 26 p.; 8. Jan Pancar (SLO, KTM), 23 p.; 9. Isak Gifting (SWE, KTM), 22 p.; 10. Tom Guyon (FRA, KTM), 21 p.;

MX2 - World Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 427 points; 2. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 416 p.; 3. Simon Längenfelder (GER, GAS), 323 p.; 4. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KAW), 295 p.; 5. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, KAW), 281 p.; 6. Andrea Adamo (ITA, GAS), 253 p.; 7. Isak Gifting (SWE, KTM), 232 p.; 8. Stephen Rubini (FRA, HON), 223 p.; 9. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 221 p.; 10. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 211 p.;

MX2 - Manufacturers Classification: 1. KTM, 447 points; 2. Yamaha, 445 p.; 3. GASGAS, 373 p.; 4. Kawasaki, 351 p.; 5. Honda, 272 p.; 6. Husqvarna, 236 p.; 7. Suzuki, 4 p.;

The next round of the FIM Motocross World Championship heads to Teutschenthal, next weekend, for the Liqui Moly MXGP of Germany!

All the photos from the Monster Energy MXGP of France will be available HERE.

You can find the complete results HERE.

MONSTER ENERGY MXGP OF FRANCE FACTS:

Circuit length: 1520m

Type of ground: Clay

Temperature: 20° C

Weather conditions: Cloudy

Weekend Crowd Attendance: 39,000

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

Ernèe

ERNÈE (France) 4 June 2022 – Qualifying day of the Monster Energy MXGP of France proved to be a good one for German’s Henry Jacobi of JM Honda Racing and Simon Längenfelder of Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing who topped the qualifying in MXGP and MX2.

Despite moments of heavy rain, the riders battled on and gave the fans a preview of what can be expected for tomorrow’s races.

Alongside the main MXGP and MX2 action, we also witnessed the first races of the EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing and EMX250 which were won by Fantic Factory Team Maddii’s Cas Valk and Yago Martinez.

Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Mattia Guadagnini crashed in free practice and will not be able to line up for the rest of the event.

The MXGP qualifying heat got under way with Fantic Factory Team Maddi’s Nicholas Lapucci grabbing the holeshot ahead of JM Honda Racing’s Henry Jacobi and Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Maxime Renaux.

Jacobi was not wasting precious time, as he took over the lead early on, while Renaux slipped back to fifth, which allowed Standing Construct Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Brian Bogers and Beta SDM Corse’s Jeremy Van Horebeek into third and fourth.

Renaux made a mistake, as Jacobi stretched his lead to 8.834 seconds, while Van Horebeek and Benoit Paturel of Ship to Cycle Honda SR Motoblouz moved up to third and fourth.

Further down the order, Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP’s Ben Watson got passed by F&H Kawasaki Racing’s Jed Beaton. The Aussie eventually finished in 9^th, while Watson did not finish the heat.

At the halfway stage, Renaux was looking to fight back as he got around Paturel and set his sights on Van Horebeek. The two came together as Renaux looked for a way to pass, which resulted in the Frenchman going down.

The race leader, Jacobi also ran into some trouble of his own as he tipped over in the closing stages, though with a lead of more than 30 seconds was safe and managed to bring it home in P1. He was victorious ahead of Van Horebeek, Brent Van doninck of Riley Racing while Renaux finished fourth ahead of Paturel.

Henry Jacobi: “I got a good start and then I thought it was not too difficult actually, and maybe I was the only one that saw everything good because I was first after half a lap. You had to be careful on some parts and I tried to manage the race. I was also a bit surprised after halfway when I saw on my pit board that I had such a big gap, but I was just enjoying being up front, because I’m not used to it”.

Main Photo: MXGP Start

Bottom Photos: 1. Henry Jacobi 2. Jeremy Van Horebeek

MXGP - Qualifying Race – Top 10 Classification: 1. Henry Jacobi (GER, Honda), 26:44.373; 2. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Beta), +0:16.425; 3. Brent Van doninck (BEL, Yamaha), +0:20.259; 4. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +0:26.112; 5. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Honda), +0:38.044; 6. Nicholas Lapucci (ITA, Fantic), +0:40.677; 7. Brian Bogers (NED, Husqvarna), +1:02.353; 8. Giuseppe Tropepe (ITA, Husqvarna), +1:05.718; 9. Jed Beaton (AUS, Kawasaki), +1:09.219; 10. Alvin Östlund (SWE, Yamaha), +1:11.277;

In MX2 qualifying, it was Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Simon Längenfelder who took the holeshot ahead of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Thibault Benistant, Petr Polak of JM Honda Racing, Tom Vialle of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and Isak Gifting from Hitachi KTM Fuelled by Milwaukee.

Meanwhile, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jago Geerts had trouble in the start as he, along with a few other riders, crashed in the first turn. Geerts did not carry on with the race but there are no details on whether he was hurt as a result of the incident.

Back at the front, Längenfelder had clear track as he led the way ahead of Vialle who managed to get himself into second ahead of Benistant. Vialle set the fastest lap of the race as he looked to close in on the leader, though Längenfelder was able to stay mistake free and in control as he battled the muddy conditions.

Gifting dropped out of seventh, as Diga Procross KTM Racing’s Liam Everts found his way up to fourth ahead of Polak, F&H Kawasaki’s Kevin Horgmo and Ship to Cycle Honda SR Motoblouz’s Stephen Rubini.

Längenfelder extended his gap over the course of the following laps which made it impossible for the rest of the field to catch him and in the end, he went on to secure his second qualifying in MX2 this season. Vialle finished second ahead of Benistant, Horgmo and Rubini, as Everts dropped back to sixth.

Simon Längenfelder: “It was a good race. I had a good start and was lucky to be out in front from the beginning, it made the race a lot easier I would say. We are lucky that we didn’t have rain [during the race] and the track was muddy, but it was ok. I could hold on to first place and get a nice gap in the end and could ride it to the finish”.

Photos: 1. Simon Längenfelder; 2. Tom Vialle 

MX2 - Qualifying Race – Top 10 Classification: 1. Simon Längenfelder (GER, GASGAS), 26:35.590; 2. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), +0:25.572; 3. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), +1:18.464; 4. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, Kawasaki), +1:40.732; 5. Stephen Rubini (FRA, Honda), +2:01.277; 6. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), +2:02.540; 7. Hakon Fredriksen (NOR, Honda), +2:29.951; 8. Petr Polak (CZE, Honda), +2:33.408; 9. Kay Karssemakers (NED, KTM), -1 lap(s); 10. Kevin Brumann (SUI, Yamaha), -1 lap(s);

Due to challenging track conditions for the young MXE rider, the Junior e-Motocross race one was postponed and therefore there has been a change in the timetable for tomorrow to accommodate both of the MXE races. Take a look at the updated timetable below;

TIMETABLE (Local Time CEST)

SUNDAY: 09:00 MXE Race 1, 09:45 EMX125 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, 15:05 MXE Race 2, 16:10 MX2 Race 2, 17:10 MXGP Race 2.

All the photos from the Monster Energy MXGP of France will be available HERE.

You can find the complete results HERE.

MONSTER ENERGY MXGP OF FRANCE FACTS:

Circuit length: 1520m

Type of ground: Clay

Temperature: 24° C

Weather conditions: Partly cloudy with rain

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

Ernèe