MXGP

Infront Moto Racing CEO David Luongo was welcomed by the President of FFM (Fédération Française de Motocyclisme) Sébastien Poirier on Wednesday 10th February.

The meeting was held together with the Directeur Général Vincent Chaumet-Riffaud and Directeur des Sports et de la Réglementation, Hubert Marque, to begin discussions of organising future FIM Motocross World Championship events, along with the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations.

The goal is to hold an MXGP event in France every year, while bringing the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations to the country on a regular basis. In addition, the possibility of organising the Junior Motocross World Championship in France, in the near future, was also discussed.

To finalise the meeting, Jean-Marie Boissonnot, President of the Angérien Moto-Club and Francis Faure, secretary of the structure, were welcomed to discuss organisational arrangements for the 2021 edition of the MXGP of France, scheduled to take place in Saint Jean d'Angely on the 10^th and 11^th of October.

Infront Moto Racing is delighted to maintain the good cooperation together with the FFM for the upcoming years. 

Photo: President of FFM (Fédération Française de Motocyclisme) Sébastien Poirier & Infront Moto Racing CEO David Luongo

MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 10 February 2021 – Infront Moto Racing would like to inform on the updates to the provisional 2021 calendar of the FIM Motocross World Championship.

Due to the current situation worldwide in regard to the COVID-19 pandemic, the racing calendar will see the FIM Motocross World Championship kickstart later than originally planned, with the first Grand Prix scheduled for the 23^rd of May in Oss with the MXGP of the Netherlands.

While we had originally planned to begin the year in with the MXGP of Oman on April 3^rd, the Omani Grand Prix has been postponed to 2022, while the MXGP of Italy, MXGP of Portugal and the MXGP of Germany will be moved from April/May to October.

Other changes include two new venues that will host the two Indonesian rounds. The MXGP of Asia will head to the picturesque Borobudur on the 4^th of July, while the MXGP of Indonesia will take place in Bali on the 11^th of July.

Furthermore, the MXGP of China has been re-scheduled on November the 7th, with a venue to be announced as well as the MXGP of Argentina set to be held on November the 21^st in an exciting new track to be announced.

The goal for the 2021 season is to finally welcome back spectators and to be able to do so in a safe and responsible way; certain changes had to be made following the current evolution of the pandemic.

While several of the Grand Prix’s have moved around, other events including the FIM SNX World Championship, scheduled on the 9^th and 10^th April in Rovaniemi in Finland, along with the FIM Junior Motocross World Championship held on the 31^st July and 1^st August in Megalopolis in Greece, as well as the FIM-E Motocross of European Nations, scheduled for the 18^th and 19^th of September in Riola Sardo in Italy, will all go ahead as planned.

Additionally, we are excited to welcome back the highly anticipated Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations in 2021, taking place on the 26^th of September. While originally the best off road event of the season was due to be held in Imola, the Italian venue will not host the MXoN this year, with a new location to be announced shortly.

We thank you all for your continued support and understand, as MXGP remain committed to bringing you another wonderful season of racing!

Click HERE to download the 2021 Updated Calendar

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

FIM Europe

Being a mechanic for a world class team or rider is not an easy task. These are the guys who put in hours upon hours of graft in order to spin the spanners for some of the top riders in the FIM Motocross World Championship.

Towards the end of the 2020 season, we sat down with several mechanics for the top teams in the paddock to learn more about their pre-race rituals, strategies, must-have tools and what a typical day for a mechanic looks like…

‘CIPPA’ aka LUIGI ROSSINI

IN 2020 MECHANIC FOR: Henry Jacobi, Team SM Action -M.C. Migliori – J1 Racing

IN 2021 MECHANIC FOR: Jeremy Seewer, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing MXGP

NATIONALITY: Italian

WHAT ARE THE MUST HAVE ITEMS IN YOUR BACKPACK BEFORE TO TAKE TO THE LINE?

“No doubt, water. The riders always want to have a drink… After that I always take some paper to clean the goggles, the 8mm and 10mm t-wrench and some other basic tools to quickly fix something if needed”.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE OR MOST USED TOOL?

“The torque wrench, like this I’m sure that every part of the bike is ok”.

HOW IMPORTANT IS THE PREPERATION OF THE RACE TRUCK BEFORE THE START OF THE RACES?

“This is really important. I take care of this to be sure that I have everything that I need and don’t waste time looking for the spare parts. I prepare the track based on the track that we are going to, if it’s sand or hard pack; I also check the forecast to have an idea of what I’ll need when I’ll be onsite”.

YOU USE A LOT OF KEY WORDS ON THE PIT-BOARD, IS THERE A STRATEGY BEHIND THEM?

“The most important thing is to know the rider really well, the better feeling you have with the rider, the better you will know what the correct thing is to write and the good moment to help him. For example, for Henry it was his first year on the 450 and the first lap he usually rode breathless, so I just used to remind him to breathe and calm down. Another thing that is really important is to tell the rider about the sectors. Normally on Friday we do a track walk together and like this we know exactly where we need to improve or where he is making mistakes”.

WHAT IS YOUR ‘NORMAL DAY’ ROUTINE VS YOUR ‘RACE DAY’ ROUTINE?

“On race day, I start the day by checking the bike, but most of the job is done before in the factory where I built the bike. At the races I do only the basic things, like checking the clutch, the brakes and that everything is okay, in case the rider had a crash in the qualifying session or something”.

“On a normal day, the rhythm is quieter. I split the bike completely and change all the parts that need to be changed. I rebuild the engine and everything that is needed to have the bike ready for the next race. It is also important to prepare the bike based on the track, if it is sand or hard pack or whatever”.

BEING A MECHANIS IS MORE THAN JUST LOOKING AFTER THE BIKE. WOULD YOU AGREE THAT SOMETIMES YOU NEED TO ALSO SUPPORT YOUR RIDER FROM A PSYCHOLOGICAL SIDE?

“The psychological side is even more important than the mechanic side. Over the years I have understood that it is really important to know exactly what you have to say to the rider, which makes a difference. Only with years of experience you learn how important it is to say the right thing at the right moment. It is also really important to have a good feeling with your rider, not too much, as there must be a limit between the roles. When a rider makes a mistake, for example, it is important that you tell him that, even if you have to be tough about it”.

DID YOU HAVE ANY PRE-RACE RITUALS WITH HENRY?

“We didn’t do anything special, only when we are alone behind the gate, I always tried to give him good advice, to calm him down and tell him to get the best results that he can”.

In the latest issue of MXGP Magazine, we caught up with a few of the MXGP mechanics to learn more about what it takes to work with some of the best riders in the world! Read the full feature HERE.

MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 8 February 2021 – Infront Moto Racing is pleased to announce the renewal of contract with TV Galicia for another two years, which will see the FIM Motocross World Championship broadcasted in Spain.

Following the success of the previous partnership with the Spanish channel TV Galicia where they followed the 2020 season of the series, the contract has now been extended for a further two years, which is a great news for galician fans who want to tune in to enjoy the action LIVE.

The 2020 campaign also welcomed back the MXGP of Spain at the brand-new intu Xanadú – Arroyomolinos, which proved to be a real success as Spaniard Jorge Prado dominated the MXGP category to win on home soil in incredible fashion going 1-1 to take the top spot on the podium.

The Spanish Grand Prix will return in 2021 with the racing set to be even bigger and better, as the world’s fastest riders take on the challenge of the hard-pack venue.

About TV Galicia:

Televisión de Galicia, the public media network of Galicia, broadcasts 24 hours a day on two digital terrestrial channels and two satellite channels to Europe and America. The network reaches more than 4 million people in northwest Spain (covering Galicia and surrounding areas) and northern Portugal.

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

TV Galicia

Last season Team HRC’s Tim Gajser started off the 2020 season by going eight-one at the MXGP of Great Britain on 29th February / 1st March. This year, due to the late finish of 2020 campaign, the first race will drop the gate over a month later, so we caught up with the reigning MXGP champion to see how his preparations for 2021 have been going:

How has your off-season gone? What has your training schedule been?

My off-season so far has been good. I was training hard in December and then I had a few weeks off. Now, I am in Sardinia and I will stay here for month or so, training hard on and off the bike. The plan is to do the three Italian races and then head to Oman, and I can’t wait to get started racing again.

Does it feel different that than previous years, with the later finish from the previous season and the later start to the 2021 season?

In some ways it feels different because usually in January I’m in Sardinia but this year I spent it all pretty much at home. Then the GPs usually start late February or beginning of March so this year all feels a bit delayed. I’m sure once we start racing, it will all feel natural again though.

Did the travel restrictions change any of your plans at all?

With the all the rules about staying at home, there wasn’t a lot of choice to go anywhere or do things. When I had the three weeks off, we didn’t go on holiday, and instead friends came round and we just hung out. Otherwise, it was just a relaxed, chilled time because everything is closed. I took a lot of time to recharge the batteries and it felt good to have the break but now I’m hungry to begin.

Is it easier this year, than last year, because you are riding the same title-winning Honda CRF450RW, so there isn’t as much testing?

The bike is quite similar to last year, with a few changes so it feels close to what I won the 2020 world championship with. A few small things but overall, very similar so I still feel very comfortable with it.

What was the reaction in Slovenia after you won the 2020 championship?

The reaction was huge again. It was a bit different though because I couldn’t go anywhere to do interviews or collect awards or the welcome party that we’ve done before. So it was different but still a good reaction and it makes me feel extremely proud.

Slovenia had a good year for sports, is motocross getting good coverage compared with other sports?

Slovenia has many good sports people in a wide variety of activities but I think motocross is growing in my country, with many young children and people wanting to start riding a bike so I’m very happy that the coverage is inspiring others to take up the sport.

Last year was full of ups and downs, how difficult was it mentally to keep focused and maintain such a high level of performance?

Last year was a difficult year for everyone. A lot of new things happened to us with the schedule and the testing and the travel, but as a racer we always need to find the motivation to train hard, to keep putting in the effort and to be focused 100%. It was tough but overall, it turned out really well and I’m pleased with the effort that the whole team put in, in order to achieve the title.

Everyone says that defending a title is harder, it seemed that way last year, but do you think 2021 will be even more difficult?

Defending a title is always difficult, but winning the first time is very difficult too! You have to be on your ‘A game’ every week, try to be consistent, to stay injury-free and I think 2021 will be another good year of racing with a lot of top riders in the class. There are a lot of title winners in the class and I think it will be an interesting season with a lot of battles.

How are you preparing for the MXGP season? Are you assuming the season will go ahead as normal? Or are you just planning on riding 20 rounds, wherever they are, on whatever race track?

My preparation is going pretty normal right now, a little bit delayed as I said before but I’m continuing as usual and I hope we can race the season in the current schedule.

Is it tough to train with the same intensity, right now, as the global situation is still very unclear?

We all know why we train, why we train so hard and that’s because we are all trying to win so I’ve never needed extra motivation or for someone to push me. I have always found the motivation and I know how to do it and it’s been a good off-season and I’m looking forward to going racing.

Would you mind if they went back to the one-day format?

At the beginning when we started with the one-day format last year, I struggled with it and I didn’t feel so comfortable but now I feel it doesn’t matter to me, I can adapt to either.

What about if they did the back-to-back-to-back races again? Sunday-Wednesday-Sunday

Even doing three races in a week, if it is what needs to be done to save the season then I’m completely fine with it. It actually worked quite well as a system last year to do so many races in a short time so we know it is possible, but hopefully whatever happens, fans can come back and watch the racing and cheer us on and visit us in the pits.  I do miss those interactions with my supporters and I hope that they can come to the races. It makes the whole atmosphere a lot better.

Is there anything you learnt last year, that will help you in this year, in terms of dealing with unknowns?

I learnt a lot last year, with all the changes that happened about how you need to be flexible; you need to adapt and just get on with what is ahead of you. There is no point complaining or wishing that things were different; you have to go out there and perform and trust that everyone has done their job and I know with Team HRC I can do that. We did a lot of races in a short period with very few days off for everyone, but we kept it fun and we kept the levels high and we worked through any problems that came up. It makes me confident for this year that I can cope, should things change.

Dear MXGP Friends,

We are entering into February with a lot of hopes.

We witnessed during the last couple of weeks an acceleration of the vaccination campaigns worldwide, and in Europe, the number of people that received the first dose of the vaccine is growing faster every day.

This situation is giving us a lot of confidence that the worst is now behind us. But despite all those efforts and improvements, the situation remains complicated.

There are still a lot of restrictions in the countries especially for the sport and entertainment industry. As I mentioned many times in the past, the essence of sport is to share emotions with between the athletes and the fans and last year was a heartbreaker for all of us to not be able to host you during the season.

For 2021, the target to host public is still in our main goals. For this reason, in the upcoming days, we will communicate on the calendar of the 2021 season and it will probably receive some adjustments to start the season a bit later and to give us more flexibility in order to finally organize Grand Prix with public.

As always, I would like to underline the fantastic cooperation we have with all the organizers of the Grand Prix that put together with us and the FIM all their efforts to make it happen. We are still very confident that we will be able to run the full championship in its classical format, but as last year, if the situation would remain complicated, we would be ready to adapt ourselves and the format to deliver the best championship possible for all the stakeholders.

At a moment when most of the teams are entering into the preparation mode for the start of the season, Infront Moto Racing published the 2021 Officially Approved Team (OAT). We are very proud to announce 22 MXGP OAT that will participate to the full season with 36 riders and 23 OAT with a total of 37 riders in the MX2 class. This is an impressive number, and show the resilience and strength of the stakeholders of the MXGP World Championship.

Then, we started to receive the first feedback from the users of the MXGP TV new platform, and they are very positive. We cannot wait to experience it during our live production for the first Grand Prix. I invite all of you to visit the channel on www.mxgp-tv.com as it is still an early bird package for the full season access.

Finally, during the winter break, don’t hesitate to follow our different social networks platforms to receive the last news about riders, teams, line up, and industry novelties.

I wish you a good month!

David Luongo

CEO of Infront Moto Racing

MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 5 February 2021 – Infront Moto Racing is pleased to share the 90^th issue of the MXGP Magazine, which you can read online now!

The second issue of 2021 features Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s newest recruit, Mattia Guadagnini on the cover, including a special feature about the EMX Champion inside!

The 90^th edition also includes the Racing Catch-up which takes a look at the 2021 Provisional OAT (Officially Approved Teams) list and the riders who will represent them, along with a special feature giving you an insight into the life of an MXGP Mechanic.

Additionally, this month’s Hall of Fame will dive deeper into Daryl King’s racing career, as well as more throwback moments in our vintage bike section featuring Mickäel Pichon’s 2002 Suzuki RM250 WS02!

You can find all this plus more in the 90^th issue of MXGP Mag, by clicking HERE, or you can download it for FREE on the Apple Store or Google Play.

Users who have already downloaded other issues on their iOS device can automatically download the new 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 app: http://bit.ly/IssuuOnAndroid.

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

MXGP Mag

The Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP team is pleased to officially reveal its new look ahead of the 2021 MXGP season. The team made up of already acclaimed premier class riders Jeremy Seewer and Glenn Coldenhoff, with the addition of young rookie Ben Watson, is pleased to continue the partnership with world renowned clothing and protection brand Alpinestars for the upcoming season. 

After celebrating a maiden MXGP race and Grand Prix win in 2020, four times FIM Motocross World Championship runner-up Seewer is going for gold. Heading into the new season in much better form than at the start of 2020 where he suffered a hefty chest infection, the 26-year-old has fully reset and is fit and ready to achieve more career milestones in 2021. 

Determined to add to his incredible list of achievements, including 38 podiums and six Grand Prix wins, the ‘91’ is also focused on maintaining his astonishing record of consistency. Throughout his eight years as a professional racer, the reigning world number two has not missed a single Grand Prix - the 2021 MXGP season opener will mark his 129th consecutive Grand Prix start.

Joining Seewer in pursuit of the MXGP world title, Coldenhoff is an exciting new addition to the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory team. Hailing from Oss, The Netherlands, the 29-year-old will be the Dutch-based team's first Dutch rider. Throughout his illustrious career, the ‘259’ has established himself as a regular front runner with 19 podium finishes to his credit, which includes five Grand Prix wins. 

After a stand-out end to his MX2 career, where he celebrated six podium finishes and won two Grand Prix rounds, Watson was drafted into the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP team for his rookie premier class season. The 23-year-old has shown encouraging signs of progress throughout the off-season, where he has quickly adjusted to the YZ450FM. Towering at 186cm tall, the Brit is well suited to the bigger bike and is aiming for a positive first season inside the premier class. 

Boasting a perfect mix of youth and experience, the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP team is excited to arm its trio of riders each with a Factory YZ450FM. Since the launch of its 2021 livery, the team has travelled to Sardinia where the riders have started an intensive training program ahead of the team’s first pre-season race, which is scheduled to take place on February 28th in Riola Sardo. 

Jeremy Seewer: “I’ve had a great winter, one of the best off-seasons of my career. I’ve just been spending time at home in Switzerland, preparing physically and enjoying time on the mountains and on the ski’s and stuff like that. I’ve been really calm and relaxed, spending a lot of time with my family and have recovered well from last season and my training sessions. I like it like this, it calms me down and gives me a lot of energy. We are just taking things step by step; we really have time on our side with the season starting a lot later this year. There is no hurry at all, and I enjoy this process. I have a really good feeling about this year, we made some good improvements with the team and I have the best team of people around me, so things are really going good. As for my goals… I am back-to-back vice World Champion so of course I want to win.”

Glenn Coldenhoff: “Winter prep is going pretty good. Just started testing in January and we arrived in Sardinia yesterday for two weeks of training. We have good weather and great facilities over here. I don’t feel quite ready just yet, but I don’t think we have to be already because of the late start to the season. We still have a lot of time. The goal is to ride a strong and consistent season with as many podiums as possible. Hopefully this will lead to a great overall result at the end of the year.”

Ben Watson: “So far my winter preparation has been going well. I haven’t done a lot on the bike as of yet, but we are now in Sardinia and the plan is to have some good riding and physical training here. I spent two weeks in the south of France on the bike and felt comfortable with the new changes. I want to keep going in this direction and try to improve over the course of the next few weeks to slowly get ready for the 2021 season. Of course, it’s early to say I am ready for the new season right now, but with how things are going, and if we can keep to the plan then I will be 100% ready and excited to go for the new season very soon. I have some goals, not necessarily results based. I want to head into the new season with an open book and just take every opportunity with both hands. I have a lot to learn but at the same time I know my own potential and what I can do. It’s going to be an exciting year.”

Photo Credit: Yamaha Racing

The first 2021 issue of OTOR, a monthly motorcycle sport magazine with some of the best interviews, features and Blogs from the heart of MXGP, MotoGP, AMA Motocross/Supercross and WorldSBK as well as tests and reviews of bikes and products from the motorcycling industry, is now online! Here are some of the highlights of OTOR #207: 

• MXGP: Coldenhoff & Jonass: Why did Glenn Coldenhoff leave a winning bike and manufacturer for 2021 and is 2019 MXGP Rookie of the year Pauls Jonas really a forgotten man?
• Houston: Lifting off: Extra Blogs, photos and perspective from the three-round salvo for 2021 AMA Supercross with three different winners and parity obliterated
• KTM in MotoGP/Braking/MV Agusta: We travel to Austria to find out how the RC16 got so fast in 2020, talk to Brembo about how and why they dominate the MotoGP grid and get fast with a Super Veloce

Read it HERE!

When it comes to the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team, there is no doubt, the health of their rider Jeffrey Herlings is of the utmost importance. After his crash at the Faenza circuit in Italy in 2020, there were grave fears his career was over. Fortunately, after visiting the local medical centre, it was found that he had just bruised his back and damaged nothing badly.

So, with the 2020 MXGP championship gone, Herlings decided to repair an ongoing injury to his ankle/foot and come into 2021 fully fit and ready to win his fifth World Motocross Championship, something only seven men had done in the sports history.

Dirk Gruebel and Ruben Tureluren are two men who know Herlings well. Gruebel the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team manager and Tureluren is Herlings practice mechanic and his very good friend. Both were by Herlings’ side when he had that accident in Faenza, and both are confident he will come into 2021 as a completely different rider to the one we saw in 2019 and 2020, when he was carrying a painful foot injury.

With the foot now completely recovered from a 2020 operation, the excitement within the KTM camp is very much looking at a stand-out 2021 season and one Gruebel is looking forward to.

“His foot looks way better than before,” Gruebel said. “The pain is pretty much gone. He often looked tense on the bike (in 2019 and 2020), like he was riding in protection mode. When your mind is not free because a part of your body hurts, in his case the lower leg, it is difficult. That is also part of the reason he crashed in Faenza, because he didn’t have his balance. I hope he can find his balance back and he can ride pain free, because then you will see a different Jeffrey. In protection mode he is a very different rider than when he can ride free. I am very positive about 2021 with how his body is now”.

Tureluren, like Gruebel feels that the best thing to come out of the 2020 season was the fact Herlings got the time to fix his foot and that he can now grind away in the winter and come into 2021 better prepared than he has been since the 2018 season, a season he dominated.

“He has no trouble with the foot now,” Tureluren said. “We have been grinding away since Christmas time, cycling or out on the mountain bike, we just know that it’s part of the game and we missed two years of base because of injuries, and we know it is time to start and not go nuts and just work on that base, so we have a solid platform to work off.”

And, while we all watched Herlings riding under a less than comfortable situation, and still win some GPs at the start of 2020 and lead the championship by 60 points when he got injured in Italy, what we might get in 2021 is a similar performance to that 2018 season, when he completely dominated and claimed his fourth World title.

“That was our only goal after his crash in Faenza,” Tureluren said. “To get that foot better. We knew we needed another operation. We got improvements after the operation and again late in 2020 we did another treatment and the doctors approved that and then we got more improvement. A lot of physio work and we are also working closely with the athletic performance centre from Red Bull in Austria and we are doing everything we can, and the foot is better and that means Jeffrey has a better position on the bike. We need to make it to all the races and if that happens, it won’t go down to the wire. I tell him, be at all the races and there is no question and that might sound smug, but that is what I believe and what I tell him.”

And so, as we head into 2021, with a defending champion in Tim Gajser, and a 100% fit Jeffrey Herlings, both going for a fifth World motocross championship and a chance to join only a handful of legends with five-time champions, I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for the new season to begin and see if one of these guys can get the job done and move even closer to the top of the all-time motocross champions list. Already amongst the legends, but the journey to greatness is not over.