MXGP

Red Bull KTM Factory rider Jeffrey Herlings showed why he is considered the best sand rider in the world last weekend in Lommel, going 1-1-1- for the Saturday and Sunday, and adding that sand victory to his sand win in Latvia a couple of months ago.

Due to sickness, he couldn’t score a win in Ottobiano, but you can be sure he will be looking to take another sand victory in Assen in a month time.

With his older and more experienced team-mate Antonio Cairoli leading the MXGP points it is now down to personal pride for GP victories and Herlings knew winning in Lommel was important.

“I mean a lot of people are saying I am the fastest guy in the sand,” Herlings said. “And a lot of people also say that about Cairoli, so he also wanted to prove a point. But this weekend I beat him in three races, passed him in all of them, so no excuses for that one. In Italy (Ottobiano) I had bad luck, I was sick all weekend. Saturday in Italy I broke a wheel and Sunday in Italy I was really sick, I don’t like excuses, and he beat me there. He also wins the championship, so he wins the big thing."

Having spent a big part of his life practicing around the Lommel circuit was a big advantage for the Dutchman, and he knew his sand experience would help him out in the end.

“It was important to win for me, because we messed up a bit in Ottobiano, and he got the better of me and I won here in Lommel, so it feels great. I guess it’s like my home track, so an advantage for me. I won Saturday, won both races on Sunday and a good start in the second moto, which is also good for my confidence. The season is done in six weeks and I am second in the championships. It would be great if we can finish one and two for KTM in the points standings.”

Both Cairoli and Herlings fought hard last weekend, with some tactics from both to unsettle the other. In the end Herlings came out on top of the mind games.

“I like it when we play cat and mouse and I have studied Tony for a long time and I know he wouldn’t clean me out. We are both smart enough to not do anything stupid. We didn’t do it at high speed. I am happy I got the better of him this weekend. In seven days, we are at another Grand Prix and we start again.”

So now onto Switzerland, where once again the eight times world champion will go up against the three times world champion. Will it be Cairoli or Herlings in Switzerland?

Copyright: Photo: Ray Archer

Julien Lieber will join fellow Belgian Clement Desalle in the Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team when he moves to the MXGP premier class of the FIM Motocross World Championship next season.

Lieber had a great weekend in his home GP at Lommel last weekend; he claimed his fifth MX2 podium of the season, was selected as a member of the Belgian team for the upcoming Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations and signed a contract to race the factory Kawasaki KX450-SR next season! It was the main highlight so far of a wonderful season during which he has made a sensational comeback as a privateer in the MX2 series after one complete year out of action. Already considered one of the most promising Belgian hopefuls after ranking sixth in the 2015 World Championship and standing on the podium with Team Belgium at the MXoN, Julien spent last year in numerous hospitals and recuperation centres after surgery to both hips. Back on a bike this season he surprised many people when he took the red plate as MX2 series leader in Indonesia, and later confirmed that he was back to his best form with five podiums so far. Racing this year in his own private team, Julien who turned 23 years old in June, already has some experience of the 450 as he entered the French beach series in this class five years ago; he will line up next season alongside Clement Desalle, and will start working with the team immediately after the Motocross of Nations in October.
 
Julien Lieber: “Coming back to racing this season, one of my goals was to get a top ride for the MXGP class, and I’m so happy to have achieved that. Joining the main class with such a professional team is like a dream, and for sure I will do my best to get strong results. There’s a lot of top riders in the MXGP but I already trained and raced on a 450 a couple of years ago and I think that this class will suit my riding style; I’ve ridden a 250 for seven years now, so it really is the right moment to move up and you can’t do it in a more professional team than the Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team. I’m also happy to be teammate with Clément; we already have a good relationship and I’m sure we’ll work closely together.”
 
Steve Guttridge: “I’m glad to see Julien joining us; there are a lot of young riders coming from MX2 and it will be very interesting. Julien has a lot of talent on a bike, rides really well and I’m sure he will move to the 450 really well. I think that our two guys will work well together in training and that’s important for the team ambiance; it’s a long season, everyone has to work together for the same goal and I think with these two guys we have a good combination. We want to go for the title next season; we all know that Clement is more than capable of that. He is so professional and can be on the podium every weekend and that’s the way to win this championship. The team is so professional now. They have a bunch of guys all working in harmony for the same goal; the riders trust in what they say during testing and the build up to the race weekend. The set-up is perfect and then it’s up to the riders to do the job during the weekend.”
 
Thierry Chizat Suzzoni: “First of all I want to thank Jordi Tixier for his commitment across these two seasons with us. We noticed Julien this season, coming back strongly after one season out of racing due to surgery; he made huge progress with Yves (Demaria) at his side and we’re happy to have him join the team in the MXGP class. We will work closely with him so he can adapt well to the 450, and for sure Clement will also help him. Clement knows the bike and the team perfectly; he worked hard last winter with the team to develop the bike even further and now he is very confident when he’s on his bike and has been getting strong results every weekend. We’re already working for 2018, and as soon as Julien joins us we will start testing with him.”

Copyright: Photo: Kawasaki Racing

The MXGP of Switzerland Presented by iXS is set to take place this weekend, 13th August at the venue of Frauenfeld – Gachnang. 

Together with MXGP and MX2 also the European classes EMX250, EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing and the final round of the EMX300 Presented by FMF Racing will be held.

Timetable and Entry Lists for the event are avilabel to be downloaded at the links below in PDF format. 

TIMETABLE

MXGP Entry List

MX2 Entry LIst

EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Entry List

EMX250 Entry List

EMX300 Presented by FMF Racing Entry List

MONACO (Principality of Monaco), 8 August 2017 – MXGP is gearing up for Switzerland! For the second year Youthstream announces that sponsor iXS will be presenting the Swiss round of MXGP taking place this weekend in Frauenfeld – Gachnang.

iXS is a Swiss company that manufactures motorcycle gear, protective gear and sportswear for all forms of motorcycling and bicycling. The iXS brand is part of the internationally active Hostettler Group. Starting out as a simple bicycle and motorcycle workshop in Wolhusen, Luzerne, as a Swiss family owned company in 1906, and since has grown into a diverse company. The iXS motorcycle gear brand was created in 1979 with the motto "designed and born in Switzerland."

iXS is also the proud gear sponsor of Team Suzuki World MX2 with riders such as Swiss native Jeremy Seewer who sits second in the FIM MX2 World Championship.

Youthstream is proud to team up with Swiss company and looks forward to this weekend and the MXGP of Switzerland presented by iXS.

Timetable of the Event will be available by clicking HERE

Ticket can be purchased by clicking HERE and click HERE for the VIP tickets sales.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

MXGP of Switzerland Presented by iXS

iXS

The team representing France at the 2017 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations in Matterly Basin this October was announced today.

The French Motorcycle Federation has chosen 4 riders to complete its team. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Gautier Paulin will lead the team as captain and the MXGP rider while Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s Romain Febvre will ride Open. In the MX2 class Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha’s Dylan Ferrandis will take the rains as Kemea Yamaha Official MX Team’s Benoit Paturel will serve as the replacement rider.

TAG Heuer has been the official timekeeper of the FIM Motocross World Championship since 2014 and together with MXGP are running a fastest lap competition across the season, with the #DontCrackUnderpressure spirit.

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

At the Fiat Professional MXGP of Belgium which was held in Lommel this weekend Red Bull KTM Factory Racing duo of Antonio Cairoli and GP Winner Jorge Prado set the TAG Heuer fastest lap in MXGP and MX2 respectively.

Please find here below the details for both riders:

Antonio Cairoli:  2.01:898 at Race 2 Lap 2

Jeremy Seewer:  2.04:197 at Race 1 Lap 2

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

The Fox Holeshot award runs across the entire MXGP season. The way it works is 1 point is awarded for each race holeshot. He, who has the most points in MXGP at the end of the season will win the grand prize of €10,000 while he with the most points in MX2 will win the grand prize of €5,000.

At the 14th round of the 2017 FIM Motocross World Championship which took place if Lommel on August, the 6th Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli took the FOX Holeshot in both races while in MX2 Class it was Suzuki World MX2’s Jeremy Seewer and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas who took the FOX Holeshots in race 1 and race 2 respectively

Watch the Fiat Professional MXGP of Belgium ‘Fox Holeshot’ films here below.    

Fiat Professional MXGP of Belgium FOX Holeshot MXGP Film

Fiat Professional MXGP of Belgium FOX Holeshot MX2 Film

(LOMMEL) Belgium, 6 August 2017 – Andrea Adamo was eager for redemption entering the second race at the Fiat Professional MXGP of Belgium, held in the bottomless sand of Lommel, following the bitter disappointment that he suffered in the first encounter. The final race took place this morning beneath sunny skies and in front of a capacity crowd.

Lynn Valk gave the Dutch fans, who have made the short trip across the border, a lot to cheer about when the CRF150R riders charged up the start straight, as she led a complete lap for the first time. Adamo was focussed on claiming the lead though and pushed past Valk on the second lap. Managing the race was then a priority and he did that brilliantly, so the experience that was gained on the first day of racing was seemingly put to good use.

A handful of battles raged on behind Adamo, as both Anton Nordstrom-Graaf and Luis Outeiro charged forward after bad starts. The pair actually shadowed each other for much of the race, in what was also a tussle for the overall victory, so most were focussed on that. Outeiro eventually disposed of Rasmus Moen to secure second in the race, but missed out on the overall victory by just a single point. Moen was having the ride of his life, which undoubtedly garnered some attention, but also lost a position to Nordstrom-Graaf in the closing stages.

After starting fifth, Nordstrom-Graaf did enough to finish in third and consequently claimed his second overall victory in succession. The Swede stood alongside Luis Outeiro and Kjeld Stuurman, who had another consistent outing in the second moto, on the podium. Moen narrowly missed out on a spot inside of the top three, but was undoubtedly satisfied with such a strong showing in the second race. Adamo salvaged enough points, thanks to that victory in the second moto, to finish fifth overall.

Nordstrom-Graaf now holds an advantage of just two measly points over Outeiro in the series standings, with Adamo four points further back. The title fight in the Honda 150 European Championship is heating up as attention turns to the MXGP of Sweden.

Anton Nordstrom Graaf: “It feels awesome to win the overall. I am big for the bike, but that helped me in these deep conditions. This track is really difficult, but I was really fast in the corners. It was unbelievable.”

Gordon Crockard, Honda Europe Off-Road Manager: “A great race! I was much happier with the conditions today, as the track was good and the racing was fair. Andrea Adamo took a much-deserved win and kept his championship hopes alive. Anton Nordstrom-Graaf had some difficulties at the start, which meant that he had to come from the back again, but he did very well and came through in the early stages. That helped him take the overall win and also the series lead, so he has the red plate heading into his home event. I am sure he is very happy about that!

Lynn Valk led in the beginning and that was very positive to see. I was pleased for Outeiro as well, as he showed a lot of consistency and speed. Overall, it is tight in the points now. It was nice to see Andrea get the win that he deserved.”

Honda European 150 Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Anton Nordström Graaf (SWE, Honda), 27:03.242; 2. Luis Outeiro (POR, Honda), +0:10.971; 3. Kjeld Stuurman (NED, Honda), +0:39.547; 4. Lynn Valk (NED, Honda), +1:13.046; 5. Nikolay Malinov (BUL, Honda), +1:49.569; 6. Rasmus Moen (SWE, Honda), +2:10.305; 7. Ryan Mawhinney (GBR, Honda), +2:38.299; 8. Boaz Bijtjes (NED, Honda), +3:09.608; 9. Ruben Ferreira (POR, Honda), +3:25.146; 10. Senne Hermans (BEL, Honda), -1 lap(s).

Honda European 150 Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Andrea Adamo (ITA, Honda), 26:12.645; 2. Luis Outeiro (POR, Honda), +0:15.977; 3. Anton Nordström Graaf (SWE, Honda), +0:17.210; 4. Rasmus Moen (SWE, Honda), +0:17.275; 5. Kjeld Stuurman (NED, Honda), +0:29.159; 6. Nikolay Malinov (BUL, Honda), +0:53.426; 7. Ryan Mawhinney (GBR, Honda), +0:57.320; 8. Toa Kishi (JPN, Honda), +1:01.100; 9. Lynn Valk (NED, Honda), +1:40.766; 10. Senne Hermans (BEL, Honda), +1:52.220.

Honda European 150 Overall Top 10: 1. Anton Nordström Graaf (SWE, HON), 45 points; 2. Luis Outeiro (POR, HON), 44 p.; 3. Kjeld Stuurman (NED, HON), 36 p.; 4. Rasmus Moen (SWE, HON), 33 p.; 5. Andrea Adamo (ITA, HON), 31 p.; 6. Nikolay Malinov (BUL, HON), 31 p.; 7. Lynn Valk (NED, HON), 30 p.; 8. Ryan Mawhinney (GBR, HON), 28 p.; 9. Senne Hermans (BEL, HON), 22 p.; 10. Boaz Bijtjes (NED, HON), 22 p.

Honda European 150 Championship Top 10: 1. Anton Nordström Graaf (SWE, HON), 132 points; 2. Luis Outeiro (POR, HON), 130 p.; 3. Andrea Adamo (ITA, HON), 126 p.; 4. Kjeld Stuurman (NED, HON), 98 p.; 5. Lynn Valk (NED, HON), 92 p.; 6. Rasmus Moen (SWE, HON), 88 p.; 7. Nikolay Malinov (BUL, KTM), 75 p.; 8. Toa Kishi (JPN, HON), 63 p.; 9. Ryan Mawhinney (GBR, HON), 63 p.; 10. Senne Hermans (BEL, HON), 53 p.

Click here to obtain the complete results

All the photos of the Fiat Professional MXGP of Belgium will be available here

Fiat Professional MXGP of Belgium – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1880m

Type of ground: sand

Temperature: 23°C

Weather conditions: sunny

Weekend Crowd Attendance: 30,000

MXGP will be available across the board in high definition and is also globally available to view live and in HD on MXGP-TV.com. Here below the MXGP-TV LIVE Program and by clicking here you can check the complete list of countries and cooperating MXGP broadcasting networks.

NEXT ROUND

The next round of the Honda 150 European Championship will take place in Uddevalla, Sweden on August, the 20^th.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM Europe

Fiat Professional MXGP of Belgium

Author: Honda 150 European Championship