MXGP

There is no doubt about it, the opening round of the FIM Motocross World Championship has a lot of questions to be answered, and a long list of riders capable of answering them. For the past half a decade we had ventured to Qatar for the opening Grand Prix, and while many of us will miss that venue and experience, visiting Argentina for the start of the season isn’t a bad improvement.

Patagonia is known worldwide for its beauty, and while everyone inside the GP paddock is looking forward to the snow-capped mountains and amazing forests, it’s the racing that brings us to this magnificent part of the world.

With the pre-season races behind us it is clear two men are in form. Defending MXGP champion Antonio Cairoli is without question the man to beat in 2018.

His speed looks as good or better than ever, and we all know his race craft is second to none, very possibly the smartest motocross rider in history. Age doesn’t seem to have slowed the Sicilian, and when he arrives in Argentina, you know his had eyes for the top step of the podium.

His Red Bull KTM Factory Racing  team-mate, Jeffrey Herlings is also in super form, he looks more than capable of matching Cairoli when it comes to Argentina.

But it won’t just be the two orange army riders who are capable of winning. No, this MXGP class is stacked with talent, from Romain Febvre, to MXoN hero, Max Anstie, not to mention Gautier Paulin, Clement Desalle, Shaun Simpson, Jeremy Seewer, Arnaud Tonus, Jeremy Van Horebeek, and many more.

If you think the MXGP class is going to be tough, then how about the MX2 youngsters. Just like in the MXGP class it is KTM who look the favourites, with defending MX2 champion, Pauls Jonass as the man to beat, but expect the unexpected with the 250cc boys, because anything is possible.

The Aussies, Hunter Lawrence and Jed Beaton are in good form, in fact Lawrence has beaten Jonass on both occasions they have raced. British riders Ben Watson, Adam Sterry and Conrad Mewse are also in good form, and no doubt the young Spaniard, Jorge Prado is looking to add to his 2017 GP victories.

Husqvarna are also coming with two tough, and now experienced riders in Thomas Kjer Olsen and Thomas Covington. The American winning the final GP of the season, and Olsen also with a GP victory to his name in 2017. Both will be harder and stronger in 2018.

HRC signing Calvin Vlaanderen has shown good speed in the pre-season, so can he possibly pull off a surprise in Argentina?

Whatever happens, the world will be watching on March 4, and whoever walks away with the GP overall will arrive back in Europe with a target on his back. Bring on Argentina!!

Copyright: Photo: KTM

Team HRC’s Tim Gajser was injured yesterday following a crash during a Motocross race in Mantova, Italy

After a first assessment of his condition locally, the 21-year-old Slovenian rider was transported to the nearby Carlo Poma hospital to perform a series of evaluations and scans, which gave a clearer picture of his condition. Gajser was conscious, he interacted with the medical staff and showed full body movement; results from MRI scans to head and cervical spine were clear.

Gajser underwent a surgical operation to repair two fractures in his jaw bone. More updates on Gajser’s recovery will follow through MXGP and HRC’s official channels very shortly as soon as more information becomes available. 

Copyright: Photo: Honda Racing

Youthstream is happy to announce that ticket sales are now open for the 2018 MXGP of MXGP of France in Saint Jean d'Angely scheduled for the 9th and 10th of June. Saint Jean d'Angely stop is the only French GP of the 2018 calendar and will likely be one of the biggest.

The French motocross fans always come out in large numbers to see MXGP and produce some of the best atmosphere. With the combination of world class riders and the wild, dedicated, and enthusiastic French fans, the 2018 MXGP of France will be hard to top!

Click the following link to get more details and purchase the tickets: https://saintjeandangely.motocross-tickets.com/23141-mxgp-of-saint-jean-d-ang--ly/

For many of the MXGP and MX2 riders, the chance to race the MXGP of Patagonia - Argentina is a dream come true. The brilliantly build circuit, and the massive turn-out of fans makes it one of the highlights of the Grand Prix season, and while it usually early in the season, this year it will open the 2018 championship

British rider Adam Sterry made his Grand Prix debut at the Patagonian track, and his memories are fond of the circuit hidden in the Argentinian nature.

“I have raced Argentina a few times now,” Sterry said. “I did my first Grand Prix there, so that was good. Its one of my favourite tracks. It’s a long way away, but it’s really worth going to, the track, the crowd. I think it’s better as the first round and I can’t wait to get the season started.”

Arnaud Tonus loves to travel as much as anyone and the whole experience of racing in a different country and the excitement of visiting a different culture makes his Argentine trip a pleasant one.

“I am really looking forward to it,” Tonus said. “Also, the human experience. The land and the trip, it was special for me, so it’s a plus. Mentally we have two days we have to be sharp in mind, but we have Thursday and Friday we can enjoy the country. It’s also a pretty cool track, and you can do nice whips there and it’s nice to get rid of some of the pressure and enjoying what you do.

Thomas Kjer Olsen knows that the long trip to Argentina will bring happy memories him.

“I like going there (to Argentina),” Olsen said. “Argentina is a really nice track, so I am looking forward to it. We will try and ride a little more in Belgium, and then I go home quickly to Denmark before the two pre-season races, then it’s pretty much Argentina. There isn’t a lot more time for preparation. We have done a lot of hours on the bike and I feel strong and it’s a little like the settle down moment, the hard work is done

Jeffrey Herlings, the three times MX2 world champion enjoys the layout of the circuit and will no doubt be hoping to add to his success in Argentina.

“Obviously I love the track,” Herlings said. “I also had some bad luck, won a race in 2015 and Pauls Jonass landed on me in the other race, 2016 I won and 2017 was one of the worst races ever. I like the fans there and the track and I like starting the season outside of Europe. It is a nice calm start to the season. It’s going to be a long season. I want to be there for the long run, for the championship. I will try and be consistent in Argentina, and of course it would be nice to win, but to get the championship, you need to get on the podium or top five. If I come out of Argentina with a top five it will be way better than how I started 2017.”

So now with a little over two weeks before the Grand Prix riders start their assault on 2018, many are already placing importance on a good start to the season, in the beautiful country of Argentina. 

MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 16 February 2018 - Youthstream is very pleased to announce that a new agreement has been reached with Portuguese Television Channel SPORT TV. The new 3 year agreement will be to broadcast the entire MXGP season plus the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations LIVE as well as MXGP’s 26 min Mag.

Youthstream and SPORT TV have partnered in the past and with the addition of the MXGP of Portugal in 2017 plus its return in 2018 both sides are excited to collaborate once again.

SPORT TV is the leading sports channel in Portugal and is transmitted by subscription cable and satellite, entirely dedicated to national and international sports events. Its first broadcast was in September 1998. SPORT TV develops a concept which is pioneer in Portugal and carried out by a specialised, young and dynamic team, that intends to offer the most varied and quality programming to meet the interests of the Portuguese viewer.

SPORT TV has five sports premium channels in Portugal focused on broadcasting “live and exclusive” major sports events and a free-to-air channel in the pay-tv platforms, covering all the relevant sports news in Portugal and in the World, with daily news programmes live from its studios. SPORT TV has won some of the most prestigious trophies in TV journalism for its programmes and ranks 1st in pay-tv channels. On a regular basis, Sport TV is the most viewed of all Portuguese channels.

David Luongo, Youthstream Vice President and Head of Operations: “Youthstream wants to thank Sport TV, and we are glad to be back on the Portuguese market with the broadcasting of the most prestigious 2 wheels off road Motorsport in the World, the MXGP World Championship for the next 3 years. The Portuguese fans will have the opportunity to follow the full FIM Motocross World Championship.”

Nuno Ferreira, Director of SPORT TV: "It is for us a great pride to have MXGP back in Portugal for 2018. The competition completes our offer with the most prestigious motorsports. We are certain that the renowned cooperation will be a great success!”

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

SPORT TV

Youthstream is proud to release the updated entry lists for the first round of the 2018 FIM Motocross World Championship at the beloved track of the MXGP of Patagonia Argentina which is set to take place in Neuquen on the 3rd and 4th March.

The new entry list features 72 riders between the respective classes including an impressive 12 of which coming from the host country of Argentina.

What was already expected to be an epic weekend of racing will now become even more competitive with the additional entries. To see all those who will be lining up in Argentina you can download the MXGP & MX2 Entry Lists here below in PDF version:

MXGP Entry List

MX2 Entry List

TIMETABLE

Husqvarna Motorcycles are proud to release the official pre-season video of the 2018 Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing MXGP team, featuring official team riders Gautier Paulin and Max Anstie. 

Watch the video here: Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing MXGP Video

Following a solid debut season aboard FC 450 machinery in which he secured third in the 2017 MXGP World Championship standings, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Gautier Paulin is looking to climb even higher up the ranks in the 2018 series. 

Kicking off the new season with top three race results in pre-season events in Italy and England, Max Anstie will be a strong asset to the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing squad alongside teammate Paulin, in the rapidly approaching 2018 World Championship. 

The 2018 FIM Motocross World Championship will kick off with the MXGP of Patagonia - Argentina in Nequen, on March 3/4, 2018. 

Copyright: Photos: Husqvarna Racing

The FIM MXGP Motocross World Championship will kick off in Argentina at the beginning of March and the Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team is ready in its new livery to push for victory in 2018.
After a five month break everyone is now preparing to jet out to South America where the 2018 MXGP World Championship will be launched on March 3^rd and 4^th at Neuquén in the Patagonia region of Argentina. The factory KX450-SR race machines of Clément Desalle and Julien Lieber are ready to be shipped in a few days.

Forced to sit out the final two GPs last season due to injury, Clément Desalle narrowly missed a top three world ranking after a strong season, but his second year with the Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team was a good one with two GP victories and several podiums. In the wake of their experience working together through the last two years the Belgian rider and the team, aided by the strong partnership with the Japanese engineers and those at the Kawasaki Motors Corporation in the USA, have established a close relationship to set up the bike perfectly for the rider and everyone in the team is confident that the 2018 set-up will deliver even more success.

“We worked mainly on details concerning both the engine and the chassis with KHI, KMC and our technical partners,” explained team manager François Lemariey. “The relationship with Japan grows stronger every year, and we are pleased to see that the engineers give us more and more support. Clément is very happy with the result; he had a strong winter and we are optimistic for the season.”
 
The Belgian leader narrowly missed a top three series ranking last year, but he recovered quickly from the broken vertebra which brought his season to a premature close and was already able to start his preparation in November. New teammate Julien Lieber had to wait a little longer before testing his new bike as the young hopeful recovered from a knee injury; back on the bike in January, Julien has skipped the pre-season races to focus on the MXGP season and will make his debut for Kawasaki in Argentina.
It will be the first time that the MXGP series has started in South America; the championship will visit nineteen venues in fifteen countries on three continents between March and the final round at Imola in northern Italy on September 29^th/30^th.

Clément Desalle: “I had a very good winter preparation with no injuries and have been able to train in good conditions in southern Spain. I was back on the bike in November and we had enough time to work with the team on the bike; there are no big changes but a lot of delicate fine-tuning, mainly to the chassis. I’m very happy with the results and have a very good feeling with the KX450-SR. I’m totally focus on the Motocross World Championship, and I’m happy to start the season in Argentina as it’s a nice country and a nice track; the goal this season will be to perform well in each round.”

Julien Lieber: “I’ve been back on a bike for three weeks and the feeling with the KX450-SR is better day after day. The first week I used a production bike as I had a four months break due to my knee surgery. It was the best way to ease back into riding and after that week I jumped on the factory bike; I must say that the first sessions were not easy as this bike is so much more powerful, but we worked with the team on the settings to adapt the bike to my riding style and we have found a very good set-up. It was not my first experience on a 450 as I did some sand races a couple of years ago and I really love this class. We skipped the pre-season races as I was not ready to go racing so soon after returning to riding, but I’m confident for Argentina; it was better to focus on our tests and my training.”

Steve Guttridge: “The start of an MXGP season is always filled with anticipation and excitement. For Kawasaki we add to this the confidence that KRT will approach the 2018 Championship with two well-respected and strong riders in Clement Desalle and Julien Lieber. It's always tough in the premier class but we are sure KRT will push for success on the factory KX450-SR and deliver good times to Kawasaki fans around the world.”

Copyright: Photos: Kawasaki Racing

MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 15 February 2018 – Youthstream gladly announces that Polisport will again be on board for the 2018 MXGP season after renewing their agreement. Polisport is a master in the production of after-market plastic parts and accessories.

As a partner of the 2018 MXGP series Polisport’s bike stand and bike mat will be featured in the MXGP podium ceremonies. They will also have various advertising boards positioned around the many tracks, giving the brand television coverage, as well as worldwide recognition.

The company based in Portugal is only a short distance from the Portuguese GP in Agueda and is excited for the return of racing to its backyard. Polisport was founded in 1978 and with their first products being replica plastics for motorcycles. This has been the foundation of the business since and now, Polisport is the leading supplier for the top motorcycle brands in the industry, as well as a partner with the best teams in MXGP, such as Kawasaki Racing Team.

The inspiration to form a company focused on off-road bikes came from the heart, as the founder and current CEO – Pedro Araújo - was an avid off-road rider. Since its opening Polisport has made a solid name for itself producing top of the line after market plastics for motocross, enduro and supermoto bikes. Their products include full replica plastic kits, headlights, hand guards, body protectors, along with some of the most innovative accessories on the market. 

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

Polisport

Youthstream announces that Ticket sales are now OPEN for the 2018 MXGP of Turkey in Afyon scheduled for the 2nd and 3rd of September. The stop in Afyon will be the first return of MXGP to Turkey

in recent years and the new venue is an amazing sports complex with various recreation facilities all in a touristic area.

The MXGP of Turkey will certainly be one GP not to miss on the 2018 calendar.

Click the following link to get more details and purchase the tickets: https://turkey.motocross-tickets.com/23901-mxgp-of-turkey/en/