MXGP

Yamaha Motor Europe is pleased to announce that Ben Watson will take an exciting step up the Yamaha Racing pyramid and will join the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP team for the 2021 MXGP season.

The 23-year-old from Nottinghamshire, England joined Yamaha and the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 Team in 2018, where he celebrated his first podium finish and ranked fourth in the FIM MX2 World Championship in his first term on the YZ250F, the British rider has made great progress.

Proving his potential, Watson bounced back from an injury struck 2019 season to add five more podium successes to his credit, including a first-ever Grand Prix win at this weekend's MXGP of Lommel. Immediately after celebrating his victory on the podium, the young Brit was delighted to learn that he would be drafted in the Factory MXGP team, where he will campaign a YZ450FM in his rookie MXGP season.

Part of a strong strategy to develop the next generation of MXGP champions, the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team will remain a three-rider line-up in 2021. Watson will join Jeremy Seewer as the Swiss rider enters his fourth year with Yamaha and third year as Monster Energy Yamaha Factory rider, while the rider who will fill the third and final slot in the team will be announced in the very near future.

Ben Watson, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Rider: “Firstly, I want to thank each and every member of staff in Kemea. The Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 team gave me everything and more every day for three years. I am so grateful to join the Factory MXGP team and stay with my Yamaha Family. It means so much to me and I cannot wait for this new challenge. I have been lucky enough to work closely and get to know Louis Vosters, Vitaliy Tonkov and some of the other Wilvo team members and I know I will be welcomed with open arms. I truly believe the YZ450FM will be a great bike for my riding style and I am really motivated to show everyone what I can do in MXGP. I know the category is at such a high level, so I am fortunate to join a team with a lot of experience, success and motivation. I really want to learn and show progression, it’s what I work towards every year and with the experience of my teammates in MXGP, I know I will be able to gain a lot of knowledge and continue my development. I am so excited to get started now and jump on this amazing bike to prepare for the new season.”

Louis Vosters, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team Owner: “It’s really nice to have a young rider like Ben in our team especially because he grew up with the Yamaha Family and now, he is ready to step up into the MXGP Factory team. We think Ben has a great potential and we are looking forward to work together in the coming years.”

Alexandre Kowalski, Yamaha Motor Europe Off-Road Racing Manager: “We are really happy to keep Ben inside the Yamaha Family by moving him up to the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP team. It’s just rewards for Ben’s hard work and dedication to training and racing, and his commitment to Yamaha as well. At Yamaha it is our mission to develop riders and make it possible for them to achieve their dreams within the Yamaha family, and like Thibault Benistant stepping up from the MJC Yamaha Official EMX125 team to the Hutten Metaal Yamaha Official EMX250 team and then to the Monster Energy Yamaha.

Photo Copyright: Yamaha Racing

MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 26 October 2020 - TAG Heuer has been the official timekeeper of the FIM Motocross World Championship since 2014 and together with MXGP are running the fastest lap competition across each season.

The way it works is; at each and every round of the MXGP season, the rider that sets the best lap time in each class, MXGP and MX2, will receive 1 point in the TAG Heuer competition. The rider that has set the fastest lap at the most rounds throughout the year in both classes, and has the most points, will be award with the special prize!

For the third and final race of the Belgian triple-header, the MXGP of Lommel introduced a brand-new circuit layout, with the main changes focused on sectors three and four, which made for some fast-paced racing.

In MXGP, the Tag Heuer Best Lap went to Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Romain Febvre, who clocked a lap time of 2.03:815 in the opening MXGP race, on lap three. While in MX2, the fastest rider of the day was the championship leader, Tom Vialle of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, who set the fast lap, a 2.04.147, in the opening lap of race one.

As it stands, Team HRC’s Tim Gajser continues to lead the Tag Heuer Best Lap Award with 4 points, while in MX2, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jago Geerts holds 5 points, and is just one point ahead of Vialle.

Find the details below:

MXGP: Romain Febvre – 2.03:815 – Race 1 Lap 3

MX2: Tom Vialle – 2.04:147 – Race 1 Lap 1

Check out MXGP.com home page for the Top 3 TAG Heuer Best Lap competition’s rankings.

MXGP is super excited to continue with the FOX Holeshot competition, that is running throughout the 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship season, together with MXGP partner FOX.

The way the competition works is; during both MXGP and MX2 races, the rider who crosses the white line painted on the ground at the exit of the first corner will be awarded 1 point. At the end of the season, the 2 riders, one per category, with the most FOX Holeshot points will win the mega prize!

During the MXGP of Lommel, it was the perfect day for Team HRC’s Tim Gajser who claimed both the Fox Holeshots on his way to his first double race win of the season, as he finished the Belgian triple header on top of the box. Meanwhile in MX2, the holeshots were shared between the two championship rivals, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle, who led the way in the opening MX2 race and Jago Geerts of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing who was the first to cross the white chalk line into the first corner in race two.

As it stands, Jorge Prado continues to lead the Fox Holeshot Award with 16 points in MXGP, while in MX2 it’s Vialle who sits atop the standings with 17 holeshots this season.

Watch the FOX Holeshot Films from the MXGP of Lommel below. 

MXGP FOX Holeshot Film

MX2 FOX Holeshot Film

LOMMEL (Belgium) 25 October 2020 – The MXGP of Lommel has concluded the Belgian triple-header here in Lommel, which saw Team HRC’s Tim Gajser and Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing MX2 Ben Watson take to the top of the box as the pair finished the week in the sand, on a high note.

A new track layout was introduced for this weekend’s races which saw some changes to sectors three and four that really sped up the rhythm of the races and made for some interesting battles.

In MXGP, Tim Gajser took two quite different race victories in the races today, as he claimed his first double race win of the season and his third overall victory. Meanwhile Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Romain Febvre occupied the second step of the podium, with two solid second place finishes, which put him ahead of Jeremy Seewer of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing who was the third rider on the podium.

In the opening race, it was Gajser who claimed the Fox Holeshot. He was closely followed by Seewer and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli, who wasted no time to pass into second by the end of the opening lap. Febvre also went through on Seewer on the opening lap, pushing him down to fourth.

Febvre then passed Cairoli and put in some solid laps, as he worked away at the 3.906 second gap between himself and the race leader. A lap later the gap was halved as just 1.716 was in it between the Honda and Kawasaki rider.

Seewer was pushing to go after Cairoli, in the early stages of the race, to claim back third, though eventually lost a bit of ground on the 9-time world champion.

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Arnaud Tonus was having a really solid ride in the opening race, as he went after Jordi Tixier of JT911 for fifth. At one point in the race the factory Yamaha riders, Seewer, Tonus and Gautier Paulin were fourth, fifth and sixth in the race, before Paulin found a way through on his teammate, who came into the goggle lane towards the end of the race and lost a couple of more spots.

Gajser and Febvre kept things close for the first half of the race, though towards the latter stages, the HRC rider showed that he was on another level as he edged out further and by the end finishing the race with a 22.638 second gap. Febvre was second and Cairoli in a solid third. Seewer settled for fourth, while his teammate Paulin finished behind him in fifth.

Marchetti Racing Team KTM’s Brian Bogers and Tixier both had a solid race to finish sixth and seventh.

Race two saw Gajser out in the lead once again, with Tonus, Febvre, Seewer and SR Honda Motoblouz rider Jeremy Van Horebeek also getting a good start. Meanwhile Cairoli had an unlucky beginning to the heat, as he picked himself up in last after crashing in the first couple of corners.

There was also drama for Gajser on the opening lap, as he went down while in first, which allowed Seewer to quickly sneak into the lead. The Swiss led briefly as Febvre pushed hard to get around him and eventually moved into first.

Febvre then edged away from Seewer, while Gajser was making his way back up the order as he caught onto the back of Van Horebeek. It took a couple of laps for Gajser to get around the #89 and when he was eventually able to do so he then went after Tonus who was third at the time.

By lap 5 Gajser was already ahead of Tonus, as he set his sights on Seewer. The Slovenian carved his way around the deep sand in impressive fashion, and two laps later was up in second, as Seewer dropped to third.

With 10 minutes on the clock the gap was 6.168 between Febvre and Gajser, though Gajser was able to take almost two seconds out of the Frenchman by the next lap and then worked away at the gap even further and by lap 11, the Honda rider, was the new race leader.

With three laps to go, Tonus came under fire from Paulin and Van Horebeek, though Van Horebeek did not finish the race due to what looked like a bike issue.

In the end it was Gajser who claimed a double race win, with Febvre second and Seewer third. In terms of the championship, heading into the final three GPs in Italy, Gajser leads by 74 points, while Cairoli is still second on 509 points, as Seewer moves back up into third with 499 points.

Tim Gajser: “I’m very happy, the races were good, the speed was good, and I was enjoying it a lot. The first race I took a really good position because it was raining and track was wet, so it’s way more easier to ride in front and I made a comfortable lead. In the beginning Romain was pushing but then I managed to make a little gap and win the race. The second one, I took another good start, got the FOX holeshot and then the first lap I got a bit sideways and went back to seventh. I took a couple of laps to re-group but then started to ride good again, found some nice smooth lines and came back to the lead and then won, so I’m super happy”. 

“I mean three GPs to go, still six races to go, so I’m 100% focused and will try to give my best and then we will see” he added.

Romain Febvre: “I had a good start and took the lead in the second lap I think. I was really comfortable out there and I was doing some good things but losing in some spots also and I knew it but I was just focused on those sections. I didn’t find a good line where I was slow and I saw that Tim was coming back and I thought for sure he has some good lines and I can see where I’m losing time, two corners after I crashed so could not really follow him but it’s a shame because we were in the lead but we finished second and are on the box”.

Jeremy Seewer: “It’s nice to be back on the podium after a rough week here in Lommel. You know it just really proves a lot out there with the rain, the track, three GPs in a row, with the weather the sand is just more tricky. I did two solid races without any big mistakes. Hats off to Tim he was on another level today, he’s riding really well at the moment and now I’m looking forward to Arco [Trentino] because it’s more my kind of track so looking positive there.”

MXGP - Grand Prix Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 36:25.583; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:22.638; 3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:39.629; 4. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:55.783; 5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +1:00.705; 6. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), +1:09.550; 7. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +1:14.677; 8. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +1:14.890; 9. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Honda), +1:23.600; 10. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +1:43.515;

MXGP - Grand Prix Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 36:31.050; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:18.740; 3. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:23.084; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:30.972; 5. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +0:55.849; 6. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +1:10.025; 7. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), +1:25.726; 8. Brent Van doninck (BEL, Husqvarna), +1:31.433; 9. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +1:36.101; 10. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +1:49.623;

MXGP - GP Top 10 Classification: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 50 points; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 44 p.; 3. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 38 p.; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 34 p.; 5. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 31 p.; 6. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 29 p.; 7. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), 29 p.; 8. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 26 p.; 9. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 26 p.; 10. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 18 p.

MXGP - World Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 583 points; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 509 p.; 3. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 499 p.; 4. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 476 p.; 5. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 465 p.; 6. Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 403 p.; 7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, GAS), 375 p.; 8. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 362 p.; 9. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 289 p.; 10. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 263 p.;

MXGP - Manufacturers Classification: 1. KTM, 658 points; 2. Honda, 620 p.; 3. Yamaha, 565 p.; 4. Kawasaki, 534 p.; 5. GASGAS, 428 p.; 6. Husqvarna, 342 p.;

Main Photo: Tim Gajser

Bottom Photos: 1. Romain Febvre; 2. Jeremy Seewer

In MX2, it was a special day for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Ben Watson who claimed his first overall victory of his career with another race win in the opening race and a fourth in race two. Finishing second overall was Roan Van De Moosdijk of F&H Kawasaki Racing as he made his return to the podium in epic fashion, with his first race win in the MX2 category during heat two. And rounding out the podium was Yamaha SM Action MC Migliori J1 Racing’s Maxime Renaux who had a solid day finishing second and fifth in the races.

The first MX2 race saw Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle claim his 17^thFox Holeshot of the season as he led Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jago Geerts, Thibault Benistant of Hutten Metaal Yamaha Racing and Watson.

Geerts then went down in the early stages of the race and it was Vialle who led Renaux, Benistant and Watson on the first official lap. Watson then went after Benistant for third as he began his charge for the race win, though he had Van de Moosdijk on his rear wheel too.

Pretty quickly Watson was in third, and continued his way forward, while his teammate, Geerts, was having a tough ride down outside the top 20.

On lap 5, Gifting crashed out of 5^th and re-joined the race in 11^th. He then gave it a good effort to pull back as many positions as possible as he fought his way back up to 8^th for another solid top 10 result.

Vialle led the race with a steady gap to Renaux, though the hard-charging Watson was taking quite a bit of time out of the pair, as he caught on to the back of Renaux and eventually passed the Frenchman on lap 10. The Brit then took chunks of time out of Vialle for the next four laps, before getting onto the rear wheel of the KTM rider and then passing him.

Vialle then came under pressure from Renaux, who also managed to move up a position with just three laps to go. Though it was Watson who won the opening race, with Renaux finishing 7.958 seconds behind in second and Vialle third. Meanwhile, Geerts brought it home in 13^th.

The gate then dropped for the second MX2 race of the day and it was Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jago Geerts who claimed the Fox Holeshot, as he led Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle, Van de Moosdijk and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Kjer Olsen.

Diga Procross GasGas Factory Juniors pilot Isak Gifting was having a great race, as he took fourth from Olsen in the early stages of the race and then went after Vialle for third.

Watson had to work hard in the second race, as he started down in 6^th, though he made a couple of good passes to finish 4^th, which got him on the top step of the podium.

The bad luck continued for Geerts in the second race, as he crashed out of the lead on lap three, which allowed Van de Moosdijk to inherit first place. Geerts then managed only a couple more laps before another big crash, dropped him from 4^th to 10^th. He was however able to make a few passed before the end of the race to finish 7^th.

But it was Van de Moosdijk who led the race until the chequered flag dropped on lap 16, after defending his position from the likes of Gifting, Vialle and Olsen who were keen for top positions.

Gifting and Vialle had a couple of good laps battling amongst themselves, though as Olsen and Watson joined in on the fight, it allowed the GasGas rider to get ahead, while Vialle came under pressure from the Dane and the Brit, who were able to find their way through.

Renaux came next as he pushed Vialle down to 6^th and in the end it was Moosdijk who won the race with a 7.808 gap to Gifting and Olsen.

In terms of the championship, Geerts has lost some ground on Vialle who now heads into the final three rounds with a 74-point advantage, with Renaux down in third with 476 points.

Ben Watson: “In race one I felt like I did a good race. My start was good and the first lap I lost one position and I was in fourth for a little while, then it takes me a little while to get into it, I was able to get in my rhythm and keep putting my laps in. I found one spot on track where I was able to pass the guys in and it was working for me and I won good, I was really pleased with this race. Race two was a little bit of a different story. My start was really bad, and I was tight. I mean in the beginning of the race it was ok, but it took me time to come through like I normally can and then when it came towards the end and I could see who was in front of me and who was behind me, it [the overall victory] was going through my head. It was a little bit of a problem for me as I was riding tight but the thing is now that I’ve won a GP and no one can take it away from me and it’s a big weight lifted off me so now I can just focus on moving forward”.

Roan Van De Moosdijk: “Really happy to finally win a race. The first race wasn’t what I had expected, I had really bad arm-pump after ten minutes so that race felt really long. Luckily I could turn it around in the second race and I was right there from the beginning and then the leader made a mistake, I just tried to make quick laps. I already led some laps on Wednesday but now I felt a little bit more comfortable and the last few laps were quite intense but I’m really happy”. 

Maxime Renaux: “The day went pretty good. In the first race I felt good out on track and finished second so that was a pretty good race. The second one was a bit harder I started further at the back and then had push and I felt also tight on the track so it was not the best race of the year but I tried to do my best and give my best to be on the podium and that’s good it’s nice to be back on the box and now I’m looking forward to more of this”.

Tom Vialle: “It was a difficult day. In the morning I was feeling pretty good but in the first race, in the last ten minutes, I was really struggling with the rhythm, especially in the wave section, so I lost a lot of time and finished third. The feeling with the bike and the track was not so good. In the second race, it was more of the same. I was struggling with the track. I didn’t have any flow today, but for the championship it was quite a good day and I’m really happy about that”.

MX2 - Grand Prix Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), 36:15.672; 2. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +0:07.958; 3. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), +0:19.273; 4. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), +0:27.475; 5. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:32.999; 6. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, Kawasaki), +0:38.393; 7. Jed Beaton (AUS, Husqvarna), +0:39.620; 8. Isak Gifting (SWE, GASGAS), +0:49.009; 9. Conrad Mewse (GBR, KTM), +0:49.770; 10. Cyril Genot (BEL, Yamaha), +1:01.312;

MX2 - Grand Prix Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, Kawasaki), 36:37.993; 2. Isak Gifting (SWE, GASGAS), +0:07.808; 3. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:09.050; 4. Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:14.966; 5. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +0:27.676; 6. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), +0:43.561; 7. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:56.281; 8. Jed Beaton (AUS, Husqvarna), +1:05.561; 9. Alvin Östlund (SWE, Honda), +1:16.731; 10. Stephen Rubini (FRA, Honda), +1:21.612;

MX2 - GP Top 10 Classification: 1. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 43 points; 2. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, KAW), 40 p.; 3. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 38 p.; 4. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 36 p.; 5. Isak Gifting (SWE, GAS), 35 p.; 6. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 35 p.; 7. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 28 p.; 8. Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS), 27 p.; 9. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 22 p.; 10. Alvin Östlund (SWE, HON), 21 p.;

MX2 - World Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 651 points; 2. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 577 p.; 3. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 476 p.; 4. Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS), 456 p.; 5. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 446 p.; 6. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 440 p.; 7. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, KAW), 417 p.; 8. Conrad Mewse (GBR, KTM), 307 p.; 9. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, YAM), 279 p.; 10. Mathys Boisrame (FRA, KAW), 234 p.;

MX2 - Manufacturers Classification: 1. Yamaha, 675 points; 2. KTM, 667 p.; 3. Husqvarna, 536 p.; 4. Kawasaki, 499 p.; 5. Honda, 340 p.; 6. GASGAS, 266 p.;

Main Photo: Ben Watson

Bottom Photos: 1. Roan Van De Moosdijk; 2. Maxime Renaux

NEXT STOP

Now the FIM Motocross World Championship heads to Italy, for the final three GP’s in Pietramurata, as we conclude this year’s MXGP championships.

MXGP of Lommel – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1820m

Type of ground: Sand

Temperature: 8°

Weather conditions: cloudy with some showers

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

MXGP of Lommel

LOMMEL (Belgium) 24 October 2020 – Fantic Racing’s Andrea Bonacorsi secured the crown in the EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing class at the final round of the series in Lommel, as he became this year’s European Champion!

The Italian entered today’s races with a 38-point advantage over David Braceras of RFME GasGas MX Junior Team and only needed to finish the races with a solid result in order to seal the deal. Bonacorsi finished the opening race of the day third, which was enough for him to claim the title in race one.

The Fantic Racing rider then had a much tougher second race after getting caught out in a first turn crash, which meant he had to start from way back and 11^th was the best he could do. Unfortunately, he missed out on the podium, though the main focus was that he took home that all-important championship gold plate.

Despite a tough day, Braceras held enough of a gap to finish second in the championship with 282 points, ahead of Meico Vettik of TBS Conversions Racing Team who claimed the bronze medal after a solid day, which saw him also second overall on the podium.

The first race of the day saw WZ Racing’s Max Palsson lead the way as he was closely followed by Vettik and Scott Smulders of No Fear/Jumbo BT Racing Team on the opening lap. Meanwhile, the then championship leader, Bonacorsi, was down in 9^th.

Guillem Farres of RFME GasGas MX Junior Team then crashed out of 6^th and was down outside the top 20, as Smulders dropped out of 3^rd as well and re-joined the race in 12^th.

Bonacorsi though was wasting no time as by the first full lap he was already in 4^th, looking to charge for the leaders as he was keen to wrap up the title in the first heat.

Palsson then extended his race lead over Vettik to 2.002 in the early stages of the race, and the gap remained pretty tight until the end of the race, as the two battled closely together.

Bonacorsi came under fire from the Creymert Racing pilot Haakon Osterhagen for 4^th, though he was able to defend his position, before going after Pietro Razzini for third a few laps later.

It was a tough race for Braceras who had to start the race from outside the top 30 and fight his way through. Eventually the Spaniard finished the race in 16^th, not a result he would have wanted after his previous success here in Lommel over the last couple of rounds.

Osterhagen then lost a bit of ground as he was getting caught by Romeo Karu and Ivano Van Erp of Yamaha Europe EMX125 MJC team, though he was able to maintain his position until the end of the race, while Karu made a mistake and finished in 15^th.

On lap 9, Bonacorsi moved himself in 3^rd, as Vettik gave it another go at passing Palsson though was not successful. He then gave it one last push on the final 3 laps as the gap was just 0.666 seconds, but Palsson was able to keep control and claim his first race win of the season.

The second race started with a little bit of drama in the first turn, which caught out a couple of riders including Karu and the new EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing champion, Bonacorsi. Though it was Van Erp who led the way, with Palsson in second and Valerio Lata of Marchetti Racing Team KTM in third.

Vettik started the second heat outside the top 5, though he was on a charge and quickly caught out to the group as he passed Braceras for 5^th on lap two.

By lap 5 there was a change in the lead, as Van Erp crashed out, which allowed Palsson to make the most of this opportunity to go after another race win.

Farres was then on a charge as he had a nice battle with Quentin Prugnieres of BUD Racing Kawasaki. Eventually, the GasGas rider was able to find a way through into fourth on lap 7.  

With 5 minutes and 2 laps to go, Palsson led the way by an impressive 11.960 seconds, as Osterhagen passed Nikita Kucherov for 7^th and then went after Braceras. Not long after, the Norwegian burst down the inside of Braceras for 6^th, as Kucherov was able to do the same, with the Spaniard getting pushed down to 8^th and then 9^th where he would eventually finish.

With 2 of laps to go, Florian Miot of KTM Diga Junior Racing was pushing hard to pass Farres for third, though got caught out in a crash and did not finish the race.

In the end it was Palsson who was the race winner, with Vettik second once again and Farres having a much stronger ride that time around to cross the line third. 

With two race wins, Palsson claimed his first overall victory of the season as he took to the top step of the podium, while Vettik occupied second with two solid second place finishes in the races and Guillem Farres of RFME GasGas MX Junior Team made his 5^th podium of the 2020 season as he took to third.

Andrea Bonacorsi: “It’s just amazing. I worked really hard for it [the title], with the team, with my family, with my trainer, the gold plate and European champion, so it’s amazing”.

“For sure in Faenza, after the first win, then I had 6 race wins and I realised I could be champion” he added.

David Braceras: “Today I had a crash in the first race and then I was last, and then managed to get to seventeenth. In the second race, I started well but then wanted to stay safe because in the first race I lost a lot of points. I had a little problem with the goggles and wanted to stay safe and finish second in the championship. I’m happy with my position as I worked really hard with my team and my family and trainer, so I’m really happy and would like to thank everyone for all the support and now it’s time to prepare for the 250’s”. 

Meico Vettik: “I’m really happy about the third place in the championship. I had some bad races and some good races, but I’m still happy about my season. Today I had good speed, in the second race I had a small problem with my goggles but still second, so I am happy. Thanks to all my supporters and friends”.

Max Palsson: “I’m super happy for the team and for myself as well. We work really hard. My starts were on point today and it made it a lot easier. The season as a whole though could have been a bit better, at the start of the year I wasn’t fully prepared, but I came back strong”.

Guillem Farres: “Overall it was a good day. In the first race I was around fourth in the first lap then I had a little crash and had to come from the back and finished sixth. In the second race, I had to start from ninth, made my way to third and in the last lap I was battling with Meico [Vettik] for second place but finally I could finish third”.

EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing - Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Max Palsson (SWE, KTM), 30:26.913; 2. Meico Vettik (EST, KTM), +0:01.510; 3. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, Fantic), +0:21.390; 4. Pietro Razzini (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:25.792; 5. Haakon Osterhagen (NOR, KTM), +0:30.573; 6. Guillem Farres (ESP, GASGAS), +0:42.250; 7. Ivano Van Erp (NED, Yamaha), +0:44.203; 8. Florian Miot (FRA, KTM), +0:44.579; 9. Saad Soulimani (FRA, KTM), +0:52.851; 10. Scott Smulders (NED, Husqvarna), +1:00.372.

EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing - Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Max Palsson (SWE, KTM), 29:32.251; 2. Meico Vettik (EST, KTM), +0:10.944; 3. Guillem Farres (ESP, GASGAS), +0:11.832; 4. Quentin Marc Prugnieres (FRA, KTM), +0:23.529; 5. Haakon Osterhagen (NOR, KTM), +0:29.112; 6. Ivano Van Erp (NED, Yamaha), +0:34.357; 7. Nikita Kucherov (RUS, KTM), +0:37.320; 8. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, KTM), +0:42.171; 9. David Braceras (ESP, GASGAS), +0:45.491; 10. Xavier Cazal (FRA, KTM), +0:46.701.

EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing - Overall Top 10 Classification: 1. Max Palsson (SWE, KTM), 50 points; 2. Meico Vettik (EST, KTM), 44 p.; 3. Guillem Farres (ESP, GAS), 35 p.; 4. Haakon Osterhagen (NOR, KTM), 32 p.; 5. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, FAN), 30 p.; 6. Ivano Van Erp (NED, YAM), 29 p.; 7. Quentin Marc Prugnieres (FRA, KTM), 25 p.; 8. Pietro Razzini (ITA, HUS), 24 p.; 9. Nikita Kucherov (RUS, KTM), 22 p.; 10. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, KTM), 17 p.

EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing - Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, FAN), 333 points; 2. David Braceras (ESP, GAS), 282 p.; 3. Meico Vettik (EST, KTM), 268 p.; 4. Max Palsson (SWE, KTM), 263 p.; 5. Pietro Razzini (ITA, HUS), 240 p.; 6. Guillem Farres (ESP, GAS), 211 p.; 7. Andrea Roncoli (ITA, HUS), 194 p.; 8. Quentin Marc Prugnieres (FRA, KTM), 186 p.; 9. Valerio Lata (ITA, KTM), 171 p.; 10. Haakon Osterhagen (NOR, KTM), 167 p.

EMX125 - Manufacturers Classification1. KTM, 391 points; 2. GASGAS, 334 p.; 3. Fantic, 333 p.; 4. Husqvarna, 298 p.; 5. Yamaha, 196 p.

Main Photo: Infront Moto Racing CEO David Luongo, EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Champions, FIM Europe President Martin de Graaff

Bottom Photos: 1. EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Start; 2. Andrea Bonacorsi

TIMETABLE (Local Timing CET)

SUNDAY (change to wintertime): 08:15 MX2 Free/Time Practice, 09:15 MXGP Free/Time Practice, 11:05 MX2 Race 1, 12:05 MXGP Race 1, 14:00 MX2 Race 2, 15:00 MXGP Race 2.

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM Europe

MXGP of Lommel

LOMMEL (Belgium) 24 October 2020 – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing has just announced Jorge Prado will miss the MXGP of Lommel, as he has tested positive for Covid-19.

The 19-year old is in self-isolation in accordance with health and sanitary guidelines.

The rest of the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team have been tested and returned negative results. Jorge’s situation and well-being will be monitored with the hope he can return to MXGP action when fully fit.

Round fifteen of the 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship takes place on Sunday and is followed by the last triple header in Italy to bring the series to a close by November 8^th.

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

MXGP of Lommel

Infront Moto Racing and Milestone are proud to announce the first adrenaline-fueled gameplay video of MXGP 2020, showing Tony Cairoli rolling the British hard pack ground of Matterley Basin on his KTM. Starting from the sixth position in the standings, he climbs the ladder until a fast-paced duel for the first position with his teammate Jeffrey Herlings. MXGP 2020 will be available from December 10^thon PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Xbox One and Windows PC®/STEAM.

In MXGP 2020 players can fully experience the excitement of the current MXGP season, competing with 68 riders from both MXGP and MX2 categories on the 19 circuits of the 2020 season. Starting as a rookie, players can choose their path to glory: joining an official team or creating their own.

To expand limitless the game longevity, the Track Editor is back with some great features added in. Thanks to the new Heightmaps feature, players can replicate the real MX tracks configurations, often built on hills and mountains, adding realism and all the challenges that real riders face during races.

In MXGP 2020 returns one of the most beloved features, the Playground. Players can test their riding skills in the new setting inspired to Norwegian fjords terrains, and this year they can also free ride together with other 3 friends*. And to create more fun in the Playground, the beloved Waypoint mode returns, now allowing races up to 4 players.

MXGP 2020 Multiplayer Mode will be boosted with Dedicated Servers for a lag-free gameplay experience, and Race Director Mode* to create amazing Online tournaments, deciding starting positions, assigning penalties, or choosing the cameras to focus on.

MXGP 2020 will be available from December 10^thon PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Xbox One and Windows PC®/STEAM.

*feature available after Day 1

Watch the first gameplay: HERE