MXGP

MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 23^rd January 2020 – Youthstream is very pleased to announce the brand-new venue of intu Xanadú in Arroyomolinos (Comunidad de Madrid) will host the MXGP of Spain on the 18^th – 19^th April 2020!

After a one-year break from the MXGP calendar, the Spanish Grand Prix is back and confirmed as part of the FIM Motocross World Championship for the next three years. In 2020, the MXGP of Spain will head to the hard pack track at intu Xanadú, located just 22 km from the centre of Madrid.

This will be the first time that the MXGP will land in Madrid and that has been made possible thanks to the support offered by the Community of Madrid, the Vice Ministry of Sports, the Royal Spanish Motorcycle Federation and the Madrid Motorcycle Federation.

The last time that the FIM Motocross World Championship visited Spain was in 2018, held at the popular training facility for many of the MXGP riders, Red Sand where the GP was dominated by Antonio Cairoli in MXGP and the Latvian, Pauls Jonass in MX2.

The 2020 Spanish Grand Prix will offer the opportunity for the local fans to celebrate their MX2 World Champion for the very first time as MXGP rookie as it will host the fifth round of the series.

By the time of the Spanish MXGP, Prado is expected to arrive in Madrid fully recovered and highly motivated with the support of his home fans. “In my calendar it is already marked as one of the most important dates of the year” said the young Spaniard.

Alongside the MX2 and MXGP classes, the EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing and the WMX riders will also be joining the premier categories for the occasion, as fans will be treated to an action-packed weekend.

UPDATED 2020 FIM Motocross Calendar can be viewed here below

Click HERE to download the updated 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship Calendar!

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

FIM Europe

Defending MXGP champion Tim Gajser will once again be leading the way for Team HRC as they look to repeat their efforts and win the 2020 FIM world motocross title. This year he’ll be under the awning with a new team mate as his #243 bike will be lining up next to Mitch Evans’ #43 machine for his first season in the MXGP class, on what is a brand new Honda CRF450RW.

For Gajser, it’ll be a chance to win his fourth world title after successes in 2015, 2016 and 2019 and he’ll be hoping he can replicate the form that saw him win last year’s championship by over 200 points and included a record breaking seven wins in a row for Honda in the middle period of the season. Now though, the focus is on the first round at Matterley Basin which is a track that he enjoys in what will be the first MXGP gate drops for the newest edition of the Honda CRF450RW.

Joining him in what is once again an extremely competitive MXGP class is rookie Evans who moves up from the MX2 world championship which he rode in 2019. Despite being just 21 years old, many experts believe that Evans is much more suited to the more powerful 450cc machines, which is something he proved when he won his first outing on the larger capacity bike at Sugo for the Japanese national championship. Now though, the Australian youngster wants to show that as quickly as possible in the MXGP class as he hopes to settle into this 2020 campaign.

Their machine for the season is a completely new Honda CRF450RW, which has been developed to cope with the multitude of conditions that an MXGP rider has to negotiate during these 20 gruelling rounds of the 2020 FIM world championship. First up though, is the three rounds of the Italian series, before the MXGP opener at Matterley Basin, Great Britain on March 1^st.

Click on the links to download more photos of Tim Gajser // Mitch Evans and the new Honda CRF450RW

Tim Gajser: I am very excited for the start of this 2020 season. Of course I won the MXGP championship last year but now I will try my best to defend the title, for myself and for Team HRC. We have been working very hard over the off season to get ready for the first round and with this new Honda CRF450RW, we believe we are in a very good position to be able to go out and win races just like I did in 2019. It will be tough as there are a lot of fast riders in the class but I feel as though I am still improving as a rider and knowing that Honda are continually trying to improve my bike is a massive confidence boost too. They did an amazing job on this new machine and I felt good straight away in testing, it really suits my style and I already feel stronger on it than this time last year. It will be a long season with 20 rounds, however I am ready to put in the necessary work and with Matterley Basin being a track I really enjoy, I believe I can start out strongly.

Mitch Evans: It was a dream come true to sign with Team HRC at the end of last year, and even though I’ll be riding in a new class on a brand new bike, I feel ready to show everyone what I am capable of. I know it won’t be easy because the MXGP class is filled with top riders, but with the help of everyone in the team I believe I am ready to go out there and get some good results. My off season has gone well and when I jumped on this brand new Honda CRF450RW, I felt good right away. Each time I get on the machine I feel like I am improving and when I’m riding with Tim, I have the perfect gauge to see just how well I am doing. He has been a great team mate so far but I know the results are down to me and that’s what I am concentrating on when the season begins at the MXGP of Great Britain on March 1st.

Marcus Pereira de Freitas, HRC General Manager – MXGP: We have been working very hard this winter to make sure that Team HRC is ready for the 2020 world motocross championships. We once again line up with Tim Gajser, who is defending his MXGP championship, but then we have a new rider in Mitch Evans and we also have a completely new Honda CRF450RW that we have been developing in order to go racing for this year.
As always Tim has been great to work with, helping with the testing of the new bike and just being a total professional in everything that he does. He gelled with the new machine really quickly and just like last year, he is coming into the new season in a really good frame of mind.
Mitch has also fitted into the team quickly, and has adapted well to riding a 450cc machine after riding in the MX2 class last year. He has good fitness and has shown a lot of promise in the testing sessions that we’ve had so we are all excited to see what he can do in a race environment.
It won’t be easy for either rider but everyone in Team HRC is fully committed to helping them achieve their goals and we are confident that 2020 can be another good year for Honda.

Copyright: Photo: Honda Racing

Following the official announcement of Yamaha Motor Europe's reformed Racing Strategy back in August 2019, the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP and Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 teams are all set for an exciting 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship season.

Spearheading Yamaha’s attack in the premier class, MXGP, the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP team will line up last season’s front runners Jeremy Seewer, Gautier Paulin and Arnaud Tonus on YZ450FM machinery.

Seewer made enormous progress in his riding and race craft in 2019, where he celebrated six podium performances on his way to finishing second overall in the MXGP World Championship. The talented 25-year-old is excited to remain on his tested and proven works YZ450FM for yet another season where the ultimate goal is to turn last years’ silver medal into gold.

Also looking to build on last season’s success where they quickly accumulated 10 podium finishes in the first 12 rounds, and with the help of Yamaha’s leading-edge YZ450FM, Paulin and Tonus are determined to add to their podium tallies in 2020. Paulin narrowly missed the bronze medal by a slender 8-points in 2019, while his slick and stylish teammate, Tonus, rounded out the top-five.  

The re-establishment of the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 team bolsters Yamaha's 2020 Racing Strategy with the team lining up two title contenders in the form of Jago Geerts and Ben Watson. As one of only three race winners in 2019, reigning bronze medalist Geerts will line up for the new season on Yamaha’s cutting edge YZ250FM as a title favourite, while Watson will be out for redemption after an injury-struck 2019.

For the first time, Yamaha Motor Europe N.V. has aligned its Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP and MX2 team livery, with Yamaha Motor USA’s Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing team. The alignment highlights Yamaha Racing’s worldwide partnership with Monster Energy and works to boost Yamaha Racing’s global image.

The 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship will consist of 20 rounds starting March 1st at the spectacular Matterley Basin venue in Winchester, England.

Alexandre Kowalski, Yamaha Motor Europe MX Racing Manager: "This year we have expanded our efforts and will enter the FIM Motocross World Championship with two Factory teams, one in MXGP and one in MX2. It is the first time in many years that we will run two set-ups, which is really exciting for everyone involved. We are really happy to have last year’s MXGP runner-up, Jeremy Seewer, inside the Yamaha Family for a third year. He is still really young and has already made incredible progress over the past three years. He will headline the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP team and will be strengthened by teammates Arnaud Tonus and Gautier Paulin, two riders that celebrated many podium finishes in 2019. In MX2, we are definitely excited to see how Jago Geerts get on as a very young rider that is capable of challenging the top step of the podium. He will be challenged by his teammate Ben Watson, a rider that will be entering his last year in MX2 as he will reach the age limit this season and is determined to make his last year a good one. It’s nice to go into the season looking good, with the global 2020 Monster Energy Yamaha Factory team livery, and feeling good too! We look forward to round one of the MXGP and MX2 World Championships that will kick off at Matterley Basin in England on March 1st."

Copyright: Photos: Yamaha Racing

Britain’s leading rider in the FIM Motocross World Championship, Shaun Simpson, is giving his MXGP followers and fans a unique chance to be part of his new SS24 KTM MXGP team and 2020 racing season with a refined programme around his ‘Simpson Army’ fan club.

The 31 year old has constructed his own squad for the twenty-round MXGP campaign and eight-race British Championship with KTM backing and support from a collection of new and loyal sponsors. 

Simpson will be showing off his new colours and set-up at both events and is now in the final phases of tests and logistics to launch his team. The ‘Simpson Army’ – set up in 2015 as a fan club – is part of his work to raise awareness, bring his supporters even closer to his racing activities and generate the last pieces of revenue needed for the exhaustive term ahead.

‘Recruits’ can choose from six levels to be part of the Army and the benefits range from being included in an exclusive newsletter and on the rider’s website at the lower entry levels, up to t-shirts, caps, hoodies, access to a special WhatsApp group with Shaun for riding tips and news and race shirts and British Championship tickets and hospitality at the highest point. Curious fans can find the full details and easily sign-up through www.shaunsimpson.com/simpson-army/

“2020 feels like one of the key years of my career because we are taking on the best of the best with a set-up that we know and we trust,” the Scot said. “It has been a manic off-season getting everything in place, and we have been trying to take care of every detail. I’ve been happy to run the Simpson Army in the past and it’s been a good way to try and give something back for the support from fans. We wanted to step it up for 2020 because we have more control over what we can provide, and I think it is more personal and interactive than any other type of funding. We’ve raised a good total to be able to enter and compete in the races this year but we’re still looking for that last 15-20% to rightfully take our place in the MXGP paddock. I hope to see many fans at Matterley and hopefully people will want to join-up!”

Photo: SS24 KTM MXGP team

Husqvarna Motorcycles are pleased to release official imagery of Pauls Jonass and Arminas Jasikonis – the 2020 Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing MXGP team. 

Currently on a pre-season training camp in Sardinia, Jonass and Jasikonis are readying themselves for the MXGP of Great Britain and the opening round of the 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship, on March 1.

Antti Pyrhönen - Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing MXGP Team Manager: “Things are going really great with Pauls and Arminas ahead of the start of the new season. Both know it is a hugely important year – they each learned a lot last season and start 2020 focused on achieving higher goals. The team did a lot of good work at the end of last year, so we came into 2020 with a very positive view of what we needed to continue working on. 2019 ended on a real high after the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations, and after some short holidays both Pauls and Arminas were back at work, training hard. We did a lot of testing in Belgium, Holland and Germany so made some very positive improvements before the end of the year. We’ve all been in Sardinia training since the start of January and things are going very well – both riders are putting in quality hard work and are really happy. Everyone is feeling good and looking forward to getting back racing.”

Copyright: Photos: Husqvarna Racing

When the British Grand Prix was placed on the 2020 calendar as the first round of the MXGP championship everyone in the sport got excited. The FIM Motocross World Championship hasn’t started in Europe since 2012 at the Valkenswaard circuit, and riders, fans and teams are all looking towards Matterley Basin with hopes of something very special.

Of course, Steve Dixon, who runs the circuit as local organizer, will continue what has been a really enjoyable run at one of the most popular tracks in the World. Dixon started his promotional journey in 2005, some 15 years ago, and knows that the importance of a Grand Prix in Great Britain helps to attract more people to motocross.

“As a promoter I did 2005 at Matchems,” Dixon said. “Then 2006 at Matterley Basin, followed by 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 and this year. We also did the MXoN in 2006 and 2017. So, this will be my 12^th Grand Prix as a promoter. We have had more GPs at Matterley Basin than anywhere else in the last 30 years in the UK. Consistently running year after year, and apart from maybe the 1980s when they had a lot at Hawkstone Park and Farleigh Castle, we have run more than anyone else.

British motocross legend Dave Thorpe can’t wait to visit Matterley Basin again. A regular with his own teams or just as a fan, the three time World 500cc motocross champion can see this years’ British GP pull some surprises for the local riders.

Thorpe said. “The British Grand Prix is always special. The atmosphere is always good and with Matterley Basin being early in the season, people tend to come and watch the early races, rather than the bits in the middle. It will undoubtably have a good atmosphere.”

Thorpe also remembers back to his golden days, when he dominated the World scene, and also brought his British fans to their feet with spectacular performances. Thorpe, riding an HRC factory bike battled the likes of Eric Geboers, Georges Jobe and Andre Malherbe on the way to victories at his home GP.

“Obviously,” Thorpe said. “The one everyone remembers is Farleigh Castle in 1985, when I had a good race with Andre (Malherbe) and then the second race when I went down in the start and came back to get to the front, to battle with Andre and we had a great race. The memories for me was the crowd running from one side of the track to the other. It was generally like being in a football stadium, with the roar of the crowd. So that fits in my mind, but another one on a personal level, was Hawkstone Park in 1984. In 84, whilst I had won a race in Sweden, I was still a relative new comer at winning a Grand Prix. I went to Hawkstone as a real underdog against all the sand specialists, and it was an extremely hot day, so the fitness really helped me. I came away from there with a double win, and the following week in Belgium I won both races and I also won both races in Italy, and that kind of set me up for 1985 and 1986, where I went into the winter training and really confident.”

Now, when the fans start arriving for this year’s British Grand Prix, you know both Dixon and Thorpe will be standing on the hillside circuit, watching and enjoying just as much as anyone else. Don’t miss this year’s event, as the likes of Jeffrey Herlings, Antonio Cairoli and Tim Gajser try and recreate that same atmosphere that Thorpe created in his golden era.

MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 17 January 2020 – Youthstream is pleased to announce that after a long and very successful partnership with Sidi Sport, both parties will continue working together after agreeing to another multi-year deal.

Sidi Sport and MXGP have worked together for many years, striving for a common goal of growing motocross all over the world, which Sidi have contributed towards, by providing their valuable support to the FIM Motocross World Championship riders.

In 2020, you can expect to see Red Bull KTM Factory riders, Antonio Cairoli and Jorge Prado wearing brand-new Sidi Atojo SRS boots, alongside Alessandro Lupino, Julien Lieber, Stephen Rubini and Alvin Ostlund, just to name a few. In addition, the brand is also supporting the WMX, EMX250 and EMX125 riders with their fantastic products.

The all-new Atojo SRS boot was introduced in EICMA in late 2019 and developed with the help of the nine-time World Champion, Antonio Cairoli. The name of the boot is dedicated to their three World Championship riders, Alessandro Lupino (A), Tony Cairoli (TO) and Jorge Prado (JO) that make up the name Atojo. The boot was designed to be light, sleek and give the rider excellent bike control.

Not only are Sidi boots worn by the best, the company strives to be the best, combining innovation with a half-century of experience, to produce its most advanced footwear designs that combine comfort without sacrificing safety and protection.

To view the entire Sidi range and to find out more about Sidi Sport and their work, follow this link: www.sidi.com

Main Photo - from left to right: Sidi Sport’s Co-Owner Rosella Signori & Youthstream CEO David Luongo

Bottom photos: 1. Antonio Cairoli; 2. Jorge Prado

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

SIDI

MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 15 January 2020 – Youthstream is pleased to announce that Parts Europe will continue their great collaboration with the FIM Motocross World Championship for another three years.

The partnership with Parts Europe has been a long running collaboration, that started many years ago and will once again see Parts Europe continue to promote its house brands, including THOR and Moose Racing. The continued partnership is a sign of good relationship between Youthstream and Parts Europe, as well as being mutually beneficial for both parties as it helps in not only the promotion of the events but also provides a worldwide stage on which the brands can be displayed.

Parts Europe is a wholesale distributor of aftermarket replacement parts and accessories for the powersports industry in addition to gear and apparel for all segments of motorcycles, ATV/UTV, personal watercraft and snowmobiles, which they deliver to the whole of Europe, the Middle East and South Africa.

WE SUPPORT THE SPORT® – The corporate slogan embodies Parts Europe’s high commitment to motorsports industry.

In house brand THOR was created by Swedish motocross legend, Torsten Hallman, in 1968 and now 50 years later is a leader in off road racing apparel and is partner of top MXGP Athletes. THOR’s newest partnerships: The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team. The team will consist of the current heavy hitter, nine-time FIM Motocross World MXGP champion, Antonio Cairoli and the double FIM MX2 world Champion prodigy Jorge Prado.

Not enough with that: Continuing to grow their winning program, the Standing Construct team has made the switch to Factory GasGas motorcycles and will retain teammates Glen Coldenhoff and Italian native Ivo Monticelli. Coldenhoff is coming off a fantastic 2019 MXGP season and an extremely difficult 1-1 win at the Assen Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations that mirrored his Red Bud performance the previous year.

One of the other house brands of Parts Europe, Moose Racing, has been dedicated to providing riders and racers with the highest quality and best performing products since 1986. Moose Racing produces thousands of items ranging from racewear to casual apparel and boots to the finest of hard parts and accessories. The diverse and extensive product line ensures that every rider's needs are met. An exciting new partnership has been formed between MOOSE Racing and the Yamaha Gebben Van Venrooy team from Rogat, NL this year: Alessandro Lupino, a former junior world champ and now MXGP regular and will be joined by two MXGP rookies, namely Thomas Covington and Calvin Vlaanderen, who between them have amassed a string of MX2 podiums and 5 MX2 wins. The three riders will all sport the full color range of Sahara, M1 and Qualifier Moose Racing apparel in the 2020 MXGP World Championship.

Parts Europe will support the Team as exclusive distribution partner which will see a selection of Moose Racing hard parts and accessories adorned on the teams 450 machines.

Both, Youthstream and Parts Europe are very excited to continue this wonderful relationship for another three years.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

Parts Europe

Moose

THOR

Photos:

Antonio Cairoli: Copyright Stefano Taglioni

Calvin Vlaanderen: Copyright Eric Laurijssen

H&H Sports, the organiser of the Just1 MXGP of China Presented by Hehui Investment Group has been awarded by the CAMF (Federation of Automobile and Motorcycle Sports of People’s Republic of China).

The MXGP of China organiser received two awards, one of which was for the ‘2019 Top 3 Events’ after it successfully hosted the MXGP in China. The award was to celebrate the fantastic job on the organisation of the event, while also helping the development of motorsport in China and getting it to a higher level. During the MXGP race days, 25000 audience from all of China came to Shanghai International MX circuit to watch the very first MXGP in Shanghai, making for a very successful event.

At the same time, H&H Sports was invited to participate in the 2019 Shanghai “Splendid Pioneer for City of Fashion Award” ceremony, and they were awarded one of the “2019 Fashion Event & exhibition”.

The Ceremony was organised by Shanghai government, to show appreciation to the contributions made to Shanghai’s “Fashion Center” development. It is a great honour for H&H sports to be awarded this prize.

Ni Ming, the Vice President of H&H Sports speaking at the awards ceremony: “I would say thanks to our Government, federation, society, clubs, fans, and of course our team. The MXGP of China would not be success without the help from all of you. Next year, we would keep work hard, and bring another fantastic GP to you in September 2020”.

It is with immense sadness MXGP heard about the passing away of Portuguese rider Paulo Gonçalves during the 7^th stage of the Dakar yesterday morning.

Paulo Gonçalves was a great sportsman, taking part of his 13^th Dakar at the age of 40, always a big fan of Motocross and friends to many in the MXGP Paddock.

The MXGP World extends sincere condolences to his family and his close people.

Copyright: Photo: Dakar Rally