MXGP

The 2017 FIM Motocross World Championship series is complete and all eyes are now on the 2018 season. MXGP-TV is excited to release the 2018 season package Early Bird offer. You can NOW buy the season package which includes LIVE & ON DEMAND races from every round of the 2018 FIM Motocross World Championship MXGP season as well as the Women's Motocross World Championship, all the European Championships and the Veterans World Cup plus the most awaited event of 2018, the 72^nd edition of the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations.

The Early Bird offer will also give the chance to watch the terrific 2017 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations Presented by Fiat Professional on demand, don’t miss the incredible performances of Team France, Team Netherlands and Team Great Britain which could get on the podium after 20 years.

Purchase NOW the Early Bird Package for the 2018 Season and Watch in addition the 2017 MXoN on Demand!

The 2017 season was full of action and ultra competitive, in 2018 it is sure to be the same as the tracks on the calendar will be new, gnarly, and the massive crowds will be awesome.

Don’t miss out on the early bird offer! Click HERE and Holeshot into 2018.

Husqvarna Motorcycles are pleased to announce that the Jacky Martens run JM Racing team will continue as Husqvarna Motorcycles’ official MX2 representatives in the FIM Motocross World Championship following the agreement of a new two-year deal, which will run to the end of the 2019 season.

Enjoying a stellar season in the 2017 FIM Motocross World Championship, the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing MX2 team saw their riders claim six individual race wins while securing GP victories in Leon, Mexico, Latvia and France. At the end of a long and challenging 19-round-long series team riders Thomas Kjer-Olsen and Thomas Covington finished third and fourth respectively in the 2017 MX2 World Championship. 

Remaining aboard the team’s ultra-competitive FC 250 machine for the coming season, both Kjer-Olsen and Covington have their eyes set on battling for the MX2 World Championship title in 2018. Set to kick off on March 4 in Argentina, the 2018 FIM Motocross World Championship will include 19 rounds and will end with the GP in Imola in Italy on September 30, 2018. 

Diego Clement – Head of Motorsport at Husqvarna Motorcycles: “Husqvarna Motorcycles are thrilled to continue their working relationship with Jacky and his crew. Under Jacky’s guidance, the results achieved by the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing riders have been hugely positive this season in the MX2 World Championship and we’re looking forward to more of the same in the years ahead. The way the team operates gives us nothing but confidence for the coming seasons, assuring that Husqvarna will be professionally represented and with the best chance of success in the MX2 series.” 

Jacky Martens – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing MX2 team manager: “It’s a great honour for us to be the official Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing MX2 team, with this new agreement further extending our great working relationship with Husqvarna Motorcycles. This season has been filled with many highlights, with our riders producing many winning results and showing their fighting spirit until the end of a long and demanding championship. With Kjer-Olsen wrapping up the season third in the MX2 World Championship standings and Covington following in fourth, we can’t wait to see our two riders battling for more winning results next season. With these two riders in our team we firmly believe we will be strong contenders for the MX2 title in 2018.”

Copyright: Photo: Husqvarna Racing

The Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations Presented by Fiat Professional was intense not only for racing reason.The atmosphere was intense and some of the best Monster Girls were present for the likes of the MXGP Paddock.

Do you have any background in motorcycles?

Grace: Yes my boyfriend races in MotoGP and I have spent a lot of time there so I am well used to the paddock! It is still so much fun at the MXON and MXGP, the fans are crazy but amazing.

Which country were you rooting for? 

Grace: United Kingdom of course! I always support the host country – the result was amazing.

At the Monster Energy FIM MXoN Presented by Fiat Professional we had the chance to catch up with three of the most popular girls in MXGP. Here what we asked:

How was it to be a part of the biggest Motocross event of the year?

Barbara: One word, amazing!!! The weather could have been better but the fans couldn’t! The racing was awesome so lucky to be involved. 

Do you enjoy spending time with your fellow Monster Energy girls?

Barbara: I love them, they are my family. We have so much fun together.  

What is your favorite part of the Motocross of Nations?

Alena: I have two! The startline and the podium! When all of the riders are lined up at the gate it is so exciting. Even better is when the fans rush to watch the podium. It is amazing to see!

To get to know more about your favorite Monster Girl, check out our Monster Girls section on http://www.mxgp.com or click HERE, and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Youtube.

MATTERLEY BASIN (Great Britain), 02 October 2017 - Intense bar-to-bar action in front of a loud and colourful crowd at the biggest event of the year - the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations Presented by Fiat Professional - made for an exhilarating 2017 YZ125 bLU cRU Cup SuperFinale which saw Sweden's Arvid Lüning top the box ahead of two extremely talented Italians Francesco Bassi and Kevin Cristino.

The spectacular Matterley Basin circuit had for vastly different racing conditions in Race 2 compared to Saturday’s Race 1. When the gates dropped for the second and final race of the weekend, Francesco Bassi carved through the track on his YZ125 to lead yesterday's race winner Jorgen-Matthias Talviku around the first turn. The Italian was fast on the opening lap, but chose to be smart instead of taking unnecessary risks and let Talviku go by on lap two.

Talviku's technical ability was a cut above this weekend and the Estonian was nothing short of impressive as he used a tender touch on the throttle and his great balance and body position to pull a 15 second lead in the first two laps.

The circuit demanded a lot of strength and a great eye for a smoother line. Lüning got off to yet another mid-pack start, the Swede had his work cut out for him as he sliced and diced his way through the field.

With 5-minutes to go, Talviku caught an edge while jumping into the wave section. He landed sideways and fell from the lead. Bassi and Lüning capitalised on Talviku's mistake which meant the race win & eventual class win was in sight for both riders. The talented duo of youngsters threw their hearts and souls on the table in a gripping fight for the victory, which eventually went to Lüning after he crept up the inside of Bassi in a difficult section of the track.

Bassi held onto second place while the Race 1 winner Talviku found himself up against the challenging track conditions. The final few laps were a battle of survival. Frenchman, Pierre Moine was a rider that stood out. The sixteen-year-old used his extraordinary balance and ability to read changing conditions to finish third ahead of Mirko Dal Bosco and yesterday's second place finisher Kevin Cristino. Talviku was ninth at the flag.

As the only rider to finish inside the top-three in both races with a third place finish in the first race yesterday followed by a win in the second race this morning, sixteen-year-old Swede Arvid Luning took the honors and topped the podium. Sixteen-year-old Italian Francesco Bassi proved how versatile he is with a fourth place on the drier track in Race 1 followed by a second place finish on the tricky soil of Race 2, while his young compatriot Kevin Cristino - aged fourteen-years-old - was stronger in Race 1 where he finished second place, but fought hard for fifth place in the final race to stand on the third step of the podium. Joining the talented trio up on stage was fourteen-year-old Spaniard Carles Rosell who received the 'Youngest Rider Award', and Hanna Leipold who received the award for 'Best Performing Distributor' on behalf of Yamaha Motor Finland.

After a wild and challenging, yet extremely fun and rewarding weekend, five riders have been selected to attend the bLU cRU Master Class in Italy at the end of this month. The top-three finishers, sixteen-year-old Swede Arvid Lüning, sixteen-year-old Italian Francesco Bassi and his fourteen-year-old compatriot Kevin Cristino will be joined by the two kids that made the wild-card selection; Race 1 winner fifteen-year-old Estonian Jorgen-Matthias Talviku and sixteen-year-old Frenchman Pierre Moine.

The five riders that made the bLU cRU Master Class cut will join fifteen talented young road-racers who have been competing in the R3 bLU cRU Challenge - Yamaha's tarmac-based youth development series that coincides with the World Superbike Championship - will attend a three-day event run by a group of highly acclaimed bLU cRU ambassadors, designed to inspire and educate young aspiring motorsport athletes by offering them exclusive knowledge, insight and training tips from some of their heroes. Of the five finalists that make it to the bLU cRU Master Class, one promising rider that has proven he has the desire, talent and attitude to be something great will be selected as the 2017 YZ125 bLU cRU Cup winner. He will be rewarded with a professional contract to race a GYTR kitted YZ125 in the 2018 EMX125 Championship, and a place on the MJC Yamaha Official EMX125 team.

After the event a press conference was held with the top three finishers, Youthstream Vice President David Luongo, and Yamaha Motor Europe Marketing Division Manager Paolo Pavesio. Both Mr. Pavesio and Mr. Luongo spoke about the importance of having such events as they contribute to the pyramid system of motocross which Youthstream promotes giving young talented riders the opportunity to be in the spotlight of major events and progress their career within the motocross realm. Mr. Pavesio concluded the press conference by presenting a plate from Yamaha to Mr. Luongo and Youthstream as a token of appreciation for the past and dedication to the future.

Race 1 Top 10 results: 1. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, Yamaha), 22:16.748; 2. Kevin Cristino (ITA, Yamaha), +0:20.966; 3. Arvid Lüning (SWE, Yamaha), +0:24.667; 4. Francesco Bassi (ITA, Yamaha), +0:26.792; 5. Mirko Dal Bosco (ITA, Yamaha), +0:42.810; 6. Pierre Moine (FRA, Yamaha), +0:46.787; 7. Adrian Aminne-Karlsson (SWE, Yamaha), +0:50.337; 8. Jeroen Bussink (NED, Yamaha), +1:13.272; 9. Pablo Caspani (ITA, Yamaha), +1:18.016; 10. Soren Rasmussen (DEN, Yamaha), +1:42.257

Race 2 Top 10 results: 1. Arvid Lüning (SWE, Yamaha), 25:52.641; 2. Francesco Bassi (ITA, Yamaha), +0:39.998; 3. Pierre Moine (FRA, Yamaha), +1:14.204; 4. Mirko Dal Bosco (ITA, Yamaha), +1:36.015; 5. Kevin Cristino (ITA, Yamaha), +2:40.351; 6. Adrian Aminne-Karlsson (SWE, Yamaha), +3:02.168; 7. Pablo Caspani (ITA, Yamaha), +3:03.486; 8. Santeri Keranen (FIN, Yamaha), +3:27.339; 9. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, Yamaha), +4:13.706; 10. Jasse Jukarainen (FIN, Yamaha), +4:59.060

Superfinale Overall Top 10: 1. Arvid Lüning (SWE, YAM), 45 points; 2. Francesco Bassi (ITA, YAM), 40 p.; 3. Kevin Cristino (ITA, YAM), 38 p.; 4. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, YAM), 37 p.; 5. Pierre Moine (FRA, YAM), 35 p.; 6. Mirko Dal Bosco (ITA, YAM), 34 p.; 7. Adrian Aminne-Karlsson (SWE, YAM), 29 p.; 8. Pablo Caspani (ITA, YAM), 26 p.; 9. Jasse Jukarainen (FIN, YAM), 21 p.; 10. Jeroen Bussink (NED, YAM), 21 p.

Click here for the complete results.

All the photos from the YZ125 bLU cRU Cup will be available HERE

Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations presented by Fiat Professional – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1950

Type of ground: Hard pack

Temperature: 17° C

Weather conditions: changeable

Weekend Crowd Attendance: 72,000

The 2017 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations presented by Fiat Professional was available across the board in high definition and is also globally available to view live and in HD on MXGP-TV.com. Click here for the complete list of countries and cooperating MXGP broadcasting networks.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM Europe

Monster Energy FIM MXoN Presented by FIAT Professional

The 2017 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations presented by Fiat Professional officially opened with the MX Legends Parade lap and the opening ceremonies with the British National anthem all in front of the enthusiastic and anxious crowd, creating an amazing atmosphere that is unique to this once in a year event.

The MX Legends Parade takes the some of the best riders from the past and gives them a chance to ride the Motocross of Nations circuit. Several riders participated in the lap and showed their pride with full replica bikes and gear with some even wearing the original era gear and on bikes of their era. Participating in the event was Paul Malin, Ricky Carmichael, Jeff Emig, David Thorpe, James Dobb, Neil Hudson,Yves Demaria 
Graham Noyce, Sebastien Tortelli, Joel Smetz, Doug Dubach, Carl Nunn, and Mervyn Anstie.

MATTERLEY BASIN (Great Britain), 01 October 2017 - The 71st edition of the unique Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations presented by Fiat Professional is in the books and it was one of the best in recent history. The grassy english hillsides of Matterley Basin was full with thousands upon thousands of diehard motocross fans yelling, jumping, and cheering, all for the world’s best motocross riders.

This weekend was the pinnacle of what a Motocross of Nations event should be with enthusiastic, dedicated, and patriotic riders fighting for their nations glory and pride. The fans resembled the riders in enthusiasm, dedication, and patriotism doing everything in their power to motivate their motocross idols. All of which brought the atmosphere of the emotional and action packed event to an epic level.

Team France of Gautier Paulin, Christophe Charlier, and Romain Febvre were up against strong competition today but handled the challenge with perfection winning their Fourth MXoN in a row. The team was however challenged by the Netherlands returning team of Glenn Coldenhoff, Brian Bogers, and Jeffrey Herlings which for the second year in a row finished second. The final spot on the podium went to, for the first time in 20 years, Team Great Britain made up by Max Anstie, Tommy Searle, and Dean Wilson.

Team France first won the Motocross of Nations in 2001 at Namur, Belgium but they wouldn’t win it again until 2014 in Kegums, Latvia when Gautier Paulin, Dylan Ferrandis and Steven Frossard had an impressive win. Since 2014, France is yet to be beaten, and their win streak continued in masterful fashion today at the Matterley Basin circuit.

The Netherlands Jeffrey Herlings is known as the bullet but it was his teammate, Glenn Coldenhoff, who shot out the starting gate and took the Race 1 FOX Holeshot by less than half a wheel over Max Anstie.

By the second corner Anstie was in the lead and by the conclusion of lap 1 the #4 of Coldenhoff had been shuffled back to 4th. Team Italy’s Antonio Cairoli was in 4th the first few corners but when trying to pass Paulin he tipped over and would remount in 12th. The two riders who passed Coldenhoff on the opening lap where Team France’s Gautier Paulin and Team Switzerlands Arnaud Tonus. Behind Coldenhoff was Slovenia’s Tim Gajser and Australia’s Hunter Lawrence on his 250.

On the third lap Gajser passed Coldenhoff and 4 laps later Tonus. Meanwhile Paulin was keeping Anstie honest at the front but many were on the young Australian rider of Hunter Lawerence who was not only holding his own against the more powerful 450’s but he was out riding many first passing Coldenhoff halfway through the race.

Back at the front Gajser made a pass on Paulin for second look easy as railed an inside line past the Frenchman. Paulin’s teammate Christophe Charlier started the race in 20th but was working his way forward eventually getting up to 14th.

Team USA struggled in the opening race as Cole Seely faced a bike issue and would not finish the race while his teammate Zach Osborne started and finished in tenth. On the final lap Hunter Lawrence found his way by Arnaud Tonus for 4th position as Max Anstie won the race followed by Tim Gajser, and Gautier Paulin.

MXoN Race 1 top ten: 1. Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), 36:10.357; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:06.251; 3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:09.398; 4. Hunter Lawrence (AUS, Suzuki), +0:41.407; 5. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +0:44.978; 6. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:55.596; 7. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +1:00.247; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +1:08.634; 9. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +1:19.761; 10. Zachary Osborne (USA, Husqvarna), +1:31.126

Nations top ten: France, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Australia, Estonia, Slovenia, Sweden, Great Britain, Italy

When the gate dropped in the second race of the day the “Bullet”, Jeffrey Herlings, propeled himself to a several bike length holeshot. Just as in Saturday’s Qualifying France’s Romain Febvre followed into the second corner as both Estonia’s Tanel Leok and Australia’s Kirk Gibbs had good starts crossing the line 3rd and 4th.

Team USA again had struggles as Thomas Covington fell and got back up in 35th before falling again a lap or so later. The leader Jeffrey Herlings hit neutral on a jumps and fell hand the lead and advantage to Febvre.

The MX2 riders of Hunter Lawrence and Christophe Charlier battled but then Zach Osborne split the pair and took a position back from Lawrence who had passed him earlier in the race. 2 laps later Lawrence again passed Osborne and his teammate Gibbs while up front Herlings charged down the inside of Romain Febvre to retake the lead. Only a couple laps later Lawrence took 3rd position away from Alessandro Lupino.

Lawrence then fell just after the start straight and before the mechanics area allowing Lupino back by. Lupino didn’t stay in the third spot for long though as Zach Osborne passed him on with one lap to go.

At the finish line Herlings won over Febvre and Osborne with Lupino taking fourth and Kirk Gibbs 5th while Hunter Lawrence came across in 8th taking the MX2 Overall win just behind Charlier and Team Great Britain’s Dean Wilson. Hunter Lawrence not only took the MX2 overall but was also awarded the Ricky Carmichael Award for the best young rider.

MXoN Race 2 top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 37:59.364; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:13.730; 3. Zachary Osborne (USA, Husqvarna), +1:38.876; 4. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Honda), +1:40.149; 5. Kirk Gibbs (AUS, KTM), +1:44.122; 6. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Husqvarna), +1:49.117; 7. Dean Wilson (GBR, Husqvarna), +2:01.064; 8. Hunter Lawrence (AUS, Suzuki), +2:02.897; 9. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), +2:07.211; 10. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +2:28.124.

Nations top ten: France, The Netherlands, Australia, Switzerland, Great Britain, Belgium, Italy, Estonia, Sweden, USA.

As the final race of the day started the hometown hero and team Great Britain rider Max Anstie took the final Fox Holeshot. Once again Romain Febvre crossed the Holeshot chalk in second followed by team Belgium’s Jeremy Van Horebeek.

In lap 2 Jeffrey Herlings found his way by Van Horebeek when the Belgian bobbled and missed the rut. Herlings was then third but up front Max Anstie fell out of the lead on the same jump that Herlings crashed on in race 2 while leading.

Romain Febvre then inherited the top spot as has teammate Gautier Paulin was left to battle with Switzerland’s Arnaud Tonus over 5th. Paulin eventually took the spot only to have Tim Gajser pass him at the halfway point.

Back up front it was a heated three way battle for the lead as Anstie tried to retake 1st position from Romain Febvre. Febvre made a mistake on the finish line jump coming up just short after threw away his goggles. Anstie flew back by into the lead as Febvre tried to retaliate down the start straight.

One lap later the exact same scenario unfolded for Febvre but with Herlings and as the Dutchman jumped passed Febvre waved to his team for new goggles. As he came down the start he took a face full of roost from Herlings and immediately after pulled into pit lane to take new goggles. Febvre rejoined the race in the same position which left it, in third as Herlings tried to real in Anstie.

Anstie and the British crowd boisterously backing him proved to be too much for Herlings and the rest of the competition as he took his second race win of the day to take the MXGP overall win while Herlings took the Open Overall victory.

MXoN Race 3 top ten: 1. Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), 37:59.163; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:01.108; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +1:00.011; 4. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +1:20.559; 5. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +1:27.401; 6. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Husqvarna), +1:36.967; 7. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +1:44.854; 8. Dean Wilson (GBR, Husqvarna), +1:51.593; 9. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +2:02.765; 10. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +2:07.648

Nations top ten: France, The Netherlands, Great Britain, Belgium, Switzerland, Australia, Italy, Estonia, USA, Sweden

At the after race press conference where the Top 3 Teams plus the MX2 Overall Hunter Lawrence are invited Gautier Paulin stated: “The Motocross of Nations is something that you need to live to know how it is, because motocross is an individual sport and you don’t have the same feeling when you ride the MXGP season or similar, racing here you can talk about lines and other stuff. Winning the Motocross of Nations mean a lot to be me but it also means a lot to be able to share it with all the fans and with the French Federation.”

Team Netherlands’ Jeffrey Herlings and Open Overall winner continued: “I think I did a good job and so did my teammates, I am very proud of them and the whole organization to make this happen. We rode pretty good but it’s a little disappointing because I worked hard and I really wanted to go 1-1 but I couldn’t.”

Team Great Britain’s Max Anstie “It was unbelievable, it was awesome. I tried to race as fast as I could and the guys rode amazing, this week has been stressful, probably the most stress of all of our lives but we’ve made the best of we’ve kept solid and it’s an amazing feeling to be on the podium."

Click here for the complete results.

All the photos from the 2017 Edition of the Monster Energy FIM MXoN Presented by Fiat Professional will be available HERE

Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations presented by Fiat Professional – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1950

Type of ground: Hard pack

Temperature: 17° C

Weather conditions: changeable

Weekend Crowd Attendance: 72,000

The 2017 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations presented by Fiat Professional was available across the board in high definition and is also globally available to view live and in HD on MXGP-TV.com. Click here for the complete list of countries and cooperating MXGP broadcasting networks.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

Monster Energy FIM MXoN Presented by FIAT Professional

MATTERLEY BASIN (Great Britain), 1 October 2017 – Youthstream and the FIM are very proud to announce that Airoh, one of the world’s leading helmet manufacturers, will provide top range helmets for the marshals at the 2017 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations presented by Fiat Professional and at all the FIM Motocross World Championship events in 2018.

David Luongo, Youthstream Vice-President, Head of Operations said: ”The safety has always been the first priority of Youthstream and we want to thank Airoh, which is part of the MXGP family for such a long time to help the FIM and us by providing those helmets for the Flag Marshalls during the Monster Energy Motocross of Nations presented by Fiat Professional and for the future MXGP season.”

Tony Skillington, FIM/CMS Director stated: “The FIM and the Motocross Commission have been debating intensively on how to improve the protection of the Flag Marshals, who play such an important role in the safety of the riders who compete in the FIM Motocross World Championships. In cooperation with Youthstream, the Italian helmet manufacturer Airoh has decided to join forces in this project. Airoh will gracefully provide 60 helmets to be used by the Flag Marshalls at the 2017 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations presented by Fiat Professional this weekend, as well as at the FIM World Championship events in 2018. We are very proud to be associated with such a renowned brand, which also equips so many high profile riders. We hope that this initiative will be seen as a must have in the care and the protection of the Flag Marshals.”

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

Airoh

MATTERLEY BASIN (Great Britain), 01 October 2017 - This morning at the 2017 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations presented by Fiat Professional a press conference was held to announce the exciting new venues for the MXGP Calendar and the 2018 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations. Youthstream President Giuseppe Luongo, FIM President Vito Ippolito, Red Bud Co-Owner Amy Ritchie and Vice President of H&H Protection Group George Zhou were on stage to take part in this awaited announcement.

Perhaps the most exciting is the announcement that the 2018 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations will be held at the popular Red Bud Circuit in the United States. The track is known as one of the best and most American tracks in the country as it annually hosts professional racing around the patriotic 4th of July holiday. Located in Buchanan, Michigan the Red Bud circuit will bring the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations into the heart of America.

The 2018 FIM Motocross World Championship season will also see several new venues that emphasize the true worldwide MXGP championship which includes the MXGP of Spain at the new venue of Red Sand in Castellón and a new stop at the Afyon Motorsport Center in Turkey for both 2018 and 2019 with the full support of Turkish Motorcyling Federation (TMF).

Also a second round in Indonesia has been announced thanks to the increase of the interest of MXGP from the country, thus in 2018 MXGP will be back in Indonesia at the Pangkal Pinang site and in Semarang, on the North coast of Java Island 460 Kilometers from the country’s capital, Jakarta.

Not only were the 2018 MXGP venues presented but a stop in China for 2019 is foreseen as well. The 2 MXGP events in Indonesia along with the addition of the MXGP of China in 2019 will pair perfectly with the growing interest of MXGP in Asia.

Also it was announced that the MXGP of Portugal in Agueda and the MXGP of Czech Republic in Loket have been renewed.

Youthstream President Giuseppe Luongo stated: “MXGP continues to explode worldwide.  The 2017 season was no less than exceptional from all points of view and there are increasingly more and more countries interested in our sport, which is evident through MXGP’s social media where every day there are new countries showing enthusiasm towards MXGP.  Youthstream is delighted to welcome Turkey and a 2nd MXGP in Indonesia to the MXGP circus in 2018, and it is great to be having Red Sand as the Spanish venue and to have renewed agreements with Loket and Portugal.  The Motocross of Nations 2018 will be heading back to USA at the distinguished site of Red Bud. On top of that, 2019 will see China added to the list of MXGP destinations. MXGP organizers are committed to organize great and unique events and all together we are working hard to see Motocross flourish around the globe. We extend our sincere thanks to all MXGP organizers for the trust they give us.”

FIM President Vito Ippolito continued: “It is really a pleasure from the FIM side to see how motocross is growing, also outside of Europe and traditional countries, in particular Asia is a part of the world with more opportunity. It is a good to see that there are many countries interested in motocross within Asia but also that Youthstream is doing a very good job to establish GP’s in Asia.”

Red Bud Co-Owner Amy Ritchie said: “Red Bud is looking forward to hosting the world, we are really excited to see Youthstream and MXSports working together and it is going to be a great environment and a great team.”

Vice President of H&H Sports Protection Group George Zhou concluded: “We are proud to finalize our contract with Youthstream, behind this there is of course a lot of work to do but we think that we will have a successful result and we believe that the next growing market will be Asia especially China.”

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

Riveting racing under threatening grey skies at the spectacular venue of Matterley Basin - Winchester, England - saw fifteen-year-old Estonian talent Jorgen-Matthias Talviku win the first race at the 2017 YZ125 bLU cRU Cup Superfinale.

33 of Europe's fastest YZ125 riders were able to flaunt their skills on the world stage in front of an enormous and highly animated crowd at the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations Presented by Fiat Professional today. The riders, aged between 12 and 16 years-old, put on a fantastic show as they went bar-to-bar for a place in the bLU cRU Master Class - an exclusive event that will take place in Italy at the end of October.

The kids' first race of the weekend took place after the premier classes, MXGP, MX2 and Open, had finished their practice sessions and Qualifying Races. As a result, the track was rippled with ruts, rough and rugged, which made line selection an added challenge.

After setting the third fastest time in the first practice session, young Italian Kevin Cristino took the holeshot ahead of the lightening quick Estonian, Jorgen-Matthias Talviku. Talviku ran a hot pace all day long. He was inside the top-two in both practice sessions and didn't waste any time proving his promise by blitzing past Cristino and leading every lap of the race to win by 20 seconds over Cristino.

Chasing Talviku & Cristino was another talented Italian and a familiar face from last year's YZ125 bLU cRU Cup, Francesco Bassi. Bassi finished eighth in the SuperFinale last year & didn't make the cut for the Master Class. This year, he has come back bigger, stronger and faster and he made sure that was obvious as he stormed his way to fourth place in the first race of the weekend.

One rider that made it to the Master Class - after finishing fourth place in the YZ125 bLU cRU Cup SuperFinale last year - was Sweden's Arvid Lüning. Lüning's fabulous style and excellent throttle control was impressive today. The sixteen-year-old Swede topped the charts in the final practice before charging back from a poor start for an impressive third-place finish after squeezing out Mirko Del Bosco and Bassi on the final lap.

With the YZ125 bLU cRU Cup SuperFinale taking place at the biggest and best motocross event in the world - the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations Presented by Fiat Professional - it offers the 33 talented youngsters an opportunity of a life-time. Upon completion of today's racing, five riders - the top-3 and two wild-cards - are one step closer to the bLU cRU Master Class - a three-day event run by two highly acclaimed bLU cRU ambassadors, designed to inspire and educate young aspiring motocross riders by offering them exclusive knowledge, insight and training tips from some their heroes. Of the five finalists that make it to the bLU cRU Master Class, one promising rider that has proven he has the desire, talent and attitude to be something great will be selected as the 2017 YZ125 bLU cRU Cup winner. He will be rewarded with a professional contract to race a GYTR kitted YZ125 in the 2018 EMX125 Championship, and a place on the MJC Yamaha Official EMX125 team.

To view the full results click here

Race 2 will take place tomorrow - Sunday 1st October - at 9:20am GMT-0 and can be watched live on www.mxgp-tv.com.

MATTERLEY BASIN (Great Britain), 30 September 2017 - The 71st edition of the Monster Energy Motocross of Nations presented by Fiat Professional is off and running today in spectacular fashion. The action packed Qualifying races initiated the biggest and best motocross race of the year held on the picturesque hillsides of Matterley Basin, Winchester. Tens of thousand of fans filled the background creating an amazing atmosphere for a Saturday as it will surely increase tomorrow.

Qualifying in the top spot was the three time defending champions, Team France scoring 4pts with Gautier Paulin, Christophe Charlier, and Romain Febvre, then just as last year’s final result Team Netherlands, Glenn Coldenhoff, Brian Bogers, and Jeffrey Herlings followed scoring 4 points as well but the true surprise was Team Australia as Dean Ferris, Hunter Lawrence, and Kirk Gibbs qualified 3rd with a total of 6 points.

The first Qualifying Race of the day was that of the MXGP class with the vibrant crowd roaring in the background. When the gate dropped Team Germany’s Max Nagl took the holeshot but it wasn’t long before he was passed by Team Slovenia’s Tim Gajser.

Following the moves of Gajser and making their way past Nagl was Team France’s Gautier Paulin, Team Italy’s Antonio Cairoli, Great Britain’s Max Anstie, along with a handful of other riders. For Nagl the race didn’t get any better as he would continue to drop positions then fall and pull out of the race.

Back at the front Gajser was in a race of his own leading by a substantial margin. In second was the Frenchman Gautier Paulin but behind Paulin was an epic battle between Max Anstie and Antonio Cairoli. The pair of Anstie and Cairoli duked it out for the majority of the race with Cairoli leading the way more often than not. Anstie on lap 8 of 10 took the spot from Cairoli with an amazing move around the outside coming into a turn. However Cairoli responded shortly after taking the spot back and while Anstie remounted a charge he collided with a lapped rider over a jump.

At the finish it was Slovenia’s Tim Gajser ahead of France’s Paulin, Italy’s Cairoli, Great Britain’s Max Anstie (who recovered quickly from his fall), Belgium’s Jeremy Van Horebeek, and Russia’s Evgeny Bobryshev. Team USA’s Cole Seely finished 9th in his first Motocross of Nations race of any type.

Tim Gajser in the press conference said: “The track is really good, I’m enjoying it. I had a really good start, I was second and made a quick pass to get into the lead, made it happen and controlled the race. I’m really happy that tomorrow we will be in the final.”

MXGP Qualifying Heat top ten: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 27:02.312; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:05.416; 3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:06.841; 4. Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:21.486; 5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:31.752; 6. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:35.494; 7. Dean Ferris (AUS, Yamaha), +0:38.418; 8. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +0:39.206; 9. Cole Seely (USA, Honda), +0:42.268; 10. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:42.872.

Following the MXGP Qualifying Race was the ultra competitive MX2 version. Team Australia’s Hunter Lawerence started the race perfectly as he took the early lead and holeshot after his 2nd gate choice. Just behind Lawrence was Team Netherland’s Brian Bogers and Team Spain’s Jorge Prado Garcia.

From the 37th gate pick team USA’s Zach Osborne would come out of the first corner around 16th but by the end of the first official lap he made his way to 6th. Meanwhile Team France’s Christophe Charlier registered 5th on the first lap and did well to maintain his position only loses three spots by the finish including on to Osborne.

Osborne wasn’t in 5th for long though as he passed Great Britain’s Tommy Searle on the same lap as Charlier. Osborne continued his charge and caught up to the #35 of Jorge Prado who he cooly passed on his way through the uphill roller section. One lap later Osborne made it by Bogers for second but was still 11 seconds behind Lawrence who led.

For the next 5 laps Osborne chipped away at the lead eventually catching Lawrence but when he tried to pass the Australian responded and held the position, not letting off the throttle. The pace of Osborne proved to be too much for Lawrence in the end however as the American took the lead for the race win on the last lap.

Osborne in the press conference said: “It was tough, we had 37th gate pick and I didn’t make the very best start with that pick. I think I was maybe like 25th or 23rd when we came out of the first corner and I made some passes on the first lap. Even when I got into second I didn’t think it was possible to catch him but I just started to put my head down and he started to make some mistakes and I won."

MX2 Qualifying Heat top ten: 1. Zachary Osborne (USA, Husqvarna), 27:26.409; 2. Hunter Lawrence (AUS, Suzuki), +0:01.129; 3. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), +0:24.169; 4. Jorge Prado Garcia (ESP, KTM), +0:25.359; 5. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:27.304; 6. Darian Sanayei (PUR, Kawasaki), +0:30.267; 7. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:43.731; 8. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:46.334; 9. Valentin Guillod (SUI, Honda), +1:12.973; 10. Harri Kullas (EST, Husqvarna), +1:13.996

The open class was last chance that the teams would have to qualify directly into the final tomorrow. Taking an impressive holeshot was the rider new to a 450, Team Switzerland’s Jeremy Seewer.

Seewer lost the lead quickly though when Team Netherland’s Jeffrey Herlings went flying by and Team France’s Romain Febvre shortly followed suit. Behind Seewer was a motivated Team Australia’s Kirk Gibbs, Team USA’s Thomas Covington, and Team Great Britain’s Dean Wilson.

While Herlings pulled away with the lead Romain Febvre kept him honest and showed he wasn’t far off the pace. As Seewer and the rest of the field lost touch with the top two, Dean Wilson was applying pressure to another 450 rookie, Thomas Covington.

Team Belgium’s Kevin Strijbos started the race around 10th but was making his way forward to catch the battle of Covington and Wilson. Wilson looked to have made the move on Covington on lap 5 but Covington held his own a rallied back. Later however Wilson made his way through and so too did Strijbos.

At the finish Jeffrey Herlings, who took the win nearly 29 seconds ahead of second place, Romain Febvre stated: “Obviously we did a pretty good job with qualifying second, it’s a shame we didn’t win qualifying but still it is all about tomorrow. I think my teammates did a good job, I think Glenn was a bit off today but you know tomorrow if he gets a good start he can regroup himself and Brian did a really good job and rode to the maximum. There is a lot of good guys in all three of the classes so it is going to be tough and I was happy about my riding today.”

OPEN Qualifying Heat top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 26:40.776; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:28.669; 3. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:35.853; 4. Kirk Gibbs (AUS, KTM), +0:43.400; 5. Dean Wilson (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:45.274; 6. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:59.581; 7. Thomas Covington (USA, Husqvarna), +1:05.754; 8. Graeme Irwin (IRL, Suzuki), +1:09.555; 9. Tanel Leok (EST, Husqvarna), +1:12.723; 10. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Honda), +1:27.188

Click here for the complete results.

All the photos from the 2017 Edition of the Monster Energy FIM MXoN Presented by Fiat Professional will be available HERE

Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations presented by Fiat Professional – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1950

Type of ground: Hard pack

Temperature: 16° C

Weather conditions: changeable

The Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations presented by Fiat Professional will be available across the board in high definition and is also globally available to view live and in HD on MXGP-TV.com. Click here for the complete list of countries and cooperating MXGP broadcasting networks.

TIMETABLE

Sunday: Warm-up B-Final 8:30; Race 2 YZ125 bLU cRU 09:20; Warm-up MXoN Group 1 9:50; Warm-up MXoN Group 2 10:20; B-Final 11:00; MXoN Race 1 (MXGP+MX2) 13:10; MXoN Race 2 (MX2+Open) 14:40; MXoN Race 3 (Open+MXGP) 16:08.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

Monster Energy FIM MXoN Presented by FIAT Professional