MXGP

This weekend, the MXGP of Italy will see the first of three race events to take place in Faenza, Italy, at the Montecoralli Motocross World Circuit.

The first Italian Grand Prix will welcome back the FIM Motocross World Championship, alongside the EMX125 and EMX2t Championships both Presented by FMF Racing that will run on Saturday, while the MX2 and MXGP pilots will take to the track on Sunday.

You can download the timetable of the event HERE while you can find the full entry lists here below

MXGP Entry List

MX2 Entry List

EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing

EMX2T Presented by FMF Racing

The Latvian triple-header earlier this month welcomed back the FIM Motocross World Championship with open arms!

Following a long 5-month wait, the MXGP and MX2 riders lined up once again, for an epic trio of races in Kegums, for the MXGP of Latvia, MXGP of Riga and the MXGP of Kegums.

Re-live all the Best Actions from Latvia, featuring all the best race moments, including the hard-fought victories, awesome battles and crazy crashes, all neatly packed into one amazing video.

Check out the Best Actions from Latvia!

The eighth issue in 2020 of a monthly motorcycle sport magazine with some of the best interviews, features and Blogs from the heart of MotoGP, MXGP, AMA Motocross/Supercross and WorldSBK as well as tests and reviews of bikes and products from the motorcycling industry. Here are some of the highlights of OTOR #202: MXGP Latvia Launcher; photos, reaction and more from the end of a five-month malaise in MXGP and three furious races in Latvia, Leok reaches 500, interviews & perspective. Handling speed; it’s a blurring but invigorating force on the asphalt but can the same be said for the dirt? MXGP stars talk about their feelings, fears & management of speed. The First Connection; just how important is the right handlebar and position for off-road racing, and are riders reluctant to change? We asked Rockstar Energy Husqvarna MX2 to explain. MotoGP Red Bull Ring; MotoGP doesn’t (and in some cases cannot) pull on the brakes with a captivating if interrupted double in Austria. Images, Blogs and views inside 

Read it HERE!

For Marcus Pereira de Freitas the general manager for the HRC effort in MXGP, the Latvian triple header was a really up and down affair. With his lead rider Tim Gajser producing amazing speed, it seemed a Grand Prix victory was just around the corner, however many things are needed to have success in motocross and unfortunately, many things went wrong at the Kegums circuit in Latvia.

In the opening round Gajser was without question the man and should have won the Grand Prix, however mistakes cost the team a win. For Pereira de Freitas, it was a good springboard to making good progress in the championship points.

“It is great to finally be back at the races again and to see that both riders have been working hard in the break. Tim looked extremely good, just like he did in the first two rounds of the season, so it was almost like we had never been away. Unfortunately, a small mistake cost him the overall, but he rode extremely well and we’re very happy with his holeshot and that he closed the gap in the championship battle to just four points. There will hopefully be a lot more rounds to come, but this was a very good first step back for Team HRC in the MXGPs.”

The second round in Latvia on the Wednesday was a drama, as Gajser crashed and failed to finish one of the two races. All the hard work of that opening day at Kegums was thrown away with yet another error.

“Difficult day for the team in the second round in Latvia, as it seemed like the little things went against us. We know how important the starts are here and we weren’t able to get out of the gate well enough to challenge for the wins. Being down the field means there is more chance for riders to make mistakes as they try to come through and unfortunately after Tim’s crash, his bike was a little too bent up in order to be able to continue safely. He did bounce back for race two, but we know there is more to come.”

Unfortunately, there was more to come, but it wasn’t a positive outcome, instead more high drama, collisions and bike problems. Gajser again failed to finish a race and HRC now go to Italy in a weeks’ time with a lot of work to do to catch Jeffrey Herlings in the championship points.

“It has been a tough return to racing for this week in Latvia. Three races in seven days isn’t easy but I think everyone in the team coped well and there was a lot of good moments. Unfortunately, it ended in a disappointing way for Tim, but he showed his speed in every race and in that first race he looked so fast and comfortable. Now though, we must make sure to keep working and making sure everything is ready for the next round of the MXGP championship.”

So now onto Faenza and another triple header, but this time on hard pack, a circuit that should suit Gajser and give Pereira de Freitas a much bigger smile than the one he left Latvia with.

Photo Copyright: Honda Pro Racing

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Antonio Cairoli has long been a legend of the sport, probably from the moment he took his third or fourth World Motocross Championship titles in 2009 or 2010, some ten years ago. It was then that he become the greatest Grand Prix rider from Italy, passing another legend Alessio Chiodi, who had won three World 125cc championships at the backend of the 1990s.

Still, the championships kept coming, winning in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and finally his last one in 2017. It wasn’t just championships though, the Italian was also racking up Grand Prix victories, and during the triple Grand Prix extravaganza in Latvia, he won his 90^th GP, putting him just 11 GP wins away from Stefan Everts at the very top of the all-time GP winners list.

The opening round in Latvia wasn’t easy for Cairoli. Bad starts and a twisted knee caused him more problems than the competition, but still, as the Italian legend does time and time again, he fought through the pain and collected as many points as possible.

“Today was very tough,” Cairoli would say after the Sunday opening. “To restart everything after five months meant it would be tricky because we didn’t know the race pace, but I knew I had trained well and could do good. The only problem was my starts and we saw it at this track where it is difficult to come through the pack. I felt really good to come back to 7th in the first race and was happy. I was determined to do better in the second and was thinking about going for victory to be honest. I had a better start but had trouble again on the first corner and was hit by another rider. I twisted my knee again. I was not feeling 100% at the beginning and was taking it easy but made another mistake and was outside the top thirty. After that I tried to re-group and bring it home. This is not the result we wanted but I saw a lot of people had troubles this first race. We won’t panic too much but we want to be further forward. I want to get behind the gate again and prove that I can get there. It is so important lately to be at the front at the start of races. We need to work a bit more on this direction.”

No doubt, a shock to many in attendance, Cairoli turned it around, got the starts and won his 90^th Grand Prix. Looking as good as ever in the opening race the KTM rider made the youthful MXGP performers chase his dust and stand below him on the podium.

“I’m really happy to be back on the podium and with a win. Last Sunday wasn’t my day and I was dealing with another injury to my knee. I didn’t know what to expect. I went to the hospital to get some fluid and anti-inflammatory treatment. It was pretty sore and swollen. In the first race I stayed out of trouble, made my rhythm, kept smooth and tried to keep my feet up. I was really happy with how it went. In the second race I made another good start but Jeffrey and Jasikonis were riding really fast. I just tried to follow, and I knew my condition was ok, if I could be with them then I could push even more at the end. At one point in the waves I saw the yellow flags and Jeffrey on the floor. He picked up and started very fast in front of me and I was a bit shocked and had to brake. I lost the front wheel. I had a gap over the others so held my position and watched what would happen. I’m really happy with the result and the improvement over last weekend – especially with the starts – so now I’m looking forward to the next Sunday. Hopefully the knee can be a bit stronger and ready for the battles we all want to see.”

The final of the three Latvian events and despite not winning, Cairoli felt he was on the pace of the leading riders, but a crash in the first race set his goals a little lower.

“Another OK weekend but I feel it was possible to win again today. I paid for the mistake and crash at the start of the first race because I had to come from far back and could only make 9th. It should have been more. The second race was better even if I was not riding so free because I hit my back on a landing towards the end of the first race. I tried to stay as close as possible to the front. I tried to catch Jeffrey, but I was a bit tired from the first race. Not too good, not too bad. Let’s see what we can do when we race again.”

Now onto Italy, and a bunch of home Grand Prix’s for Cairoli. Everyone knows how much he loves racing at home, you can be sure it will bring the best out of the nine-time World champion.

Photo Copyright: Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 

MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 21 August 2020 – Infront Moto Racing would like to announce an update on the upcoming editions of the FIM Junior Motocross World Championship.

Originally scheduled to take place on the 8th – 9th of August in Megalopolis, Greece, the 2020 edition of the event has been postponed to summer 2021 with the event date to be announced. Additionally, Moto Club Vantaa, Finland were due to host the FIM Junior Motocross World Championship event next year but will now instead host the world’s fastest youth riders in 2022, an important year for the FMNR (Finnish Motorcycle Federation) as it will celebrate their 100^th anniversary and what a better occasion to mark that moment than hosting the prestigious 2022 FIM Junior Motocross World Championship.

ARIS AC in collaboration with ALMA AC will hold the 2021 event in Megalopolis, Greece, as ARIS-Megalopolis, located in the southern part in the country, will welcome back its first world championship event since the 2011 when the MX3 World Championship and the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship took place.

While in 2022, Moto Club Vantaa will host the racing weekend in Finland. The circuit located 18km from Helsinki, will provide all the teams and spectators with a fantastic hard-pack circuit along with great on-site facilities. 

With the FIM Junior World Championship and Junior World Cup organised for young 65cc, 85cc and 125cc riders, Infront Moto Racing now looks forward to two amazing events in Greece next summer and Finland the following year as we see the return of the highly anticipated youth event.

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Jeffrey Herlings picked up his 89^th Grand Prix victory last Sunday and has increased his championship points lead over defending champion Tim Gajser to a massive 46 points.

While his results during the three days were not typical of his past performances, scoring 4-4-3-3-4-1 for the three rounds, he is in a good position to go on and try and claim his fifth World Motocross Championship title.

The first Sunday in Latvia, the Dutchman struggled with bad starts, bad luck and finally his fitness. Having not ridden a lot leading into the Latvian triple headers, due to a head injury, it showed as he fought through the energy sapping heat of Kegums.

“I just had a bad start first race,” Herlings said. “I was 12^th or something, and some guys passed me early, then I passed a lot of guys, but wasted so much energy and got fourth. The second race somebody crashed, and I was stuck behind them and was nearly last. I was 25^th and got to fourth, but I was wasted, and I felt like I wasn’t in the shape I should have been. I didn’t ride at this intensity in a long time, and we lost five points in the championship. The track isn’t sandy, I think it was rough and pretty good, but still the possibilities were limited. After the morning warm-up we changes some things and it was better, but I just need to get race fit. The last five minutes I was empty.

The midweek GP on Wednesday and it looked like Herlings was going to pick up his third Grand Prix in 2020, to add to his victories in England and Holland earlier in the year, although once again, crashes and bad luck failed to make it an easy day for the KTM rider.

“First race there was a pile-up and I ran into it,” Herlings said. “I managed to make my way up to third and I was behind Febvre, I just couldn’t pass him. The second race I was third and I was waiting for that. I passed Tony on the second lap and I was leading, and my front wheel washed away with two laps to go. We did a good thing for the championship and I just wanted to be top of the box on the last Sunday. I threw away an overall and that hurt”.

And finally, the final Sunday saw Herlings get that all important 89^th Grand Prix victory, something that meant a lot to him, and also pushed his championship lead to 46 points. A small smile on the face of the former MXGP champion showed despite the hardships of MXGP, he felt confident for the future rounds.

“I was a little lucky,” Herlings said. “But in my career, I have been very unlucky, so we will see. The championship isn’t over yet, but I have a big lead in the points. I have been struggling with my starts, and I know its is my own fault. The bike is great, so it isn’t the bike and I think I am doing something wrong. Second race I had a top three start and I won. If I struggle with the start it is hard to come through. I just need to study some things.”

So now onto the following sequence of races, as the Dutchman knows, anything is possible now and despite not really riding to his full potential, he has put himself in a very strong position.

KEGUMS (Latvia) 17 August 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 series, 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!

During the MXGP of Kegums, the third and final GP of the Latvian triple-header, saw Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle set the fastest lap time of the day in MX2, with a 2.02:082 on the opening lap of race one, while in MXGP it was Tim Gajser of Team HRC who clocked in a lap time of 2.00:466 in race one, lap one.

As it stands Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jago Geerts leads the Tag Heuer Fastest Lap Award in MX2, with two points, while in MXGP Tim Gajser and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings are tied on two points each.

Find the details below:

MXGP:  Tim Gajser 2.00:466 Race 1 Lap 1

MX2: Tom Vialle 2.02:082 Race 1 Lap 1

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

MXGP is back and are super excited to see the return of the FOX Holeshot competition, that will run 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 Kegums, the first FOX Holeshot of the day went to Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Ben Watson who led the rest of the MX2 field into the first turn on the opening race of the day. Meanwhile in race two in was his team-mate Jago Geerts who was fast out of the gate and claimed his second FOX Holeshot of this season.

In MXGP, Ivo Monticelli of Standing Construct GasGas MXGP added another FOX Holeshot to his growing tally, as he claimed the award in race one. In race two, it was Team HRC’s Tim Gajser who was the first MXGP rider to reach turn one, thus claiming his second FOX Holeshot of 2020.

Watch the FOX Holeshot Films HERE below.

MXGP FOX Holeshot Film

MX2 FOX Holeshot Film