MXGP

With injuries to their three riders during the past year, the team had a tough season after a promising start with Grand Prix podiums, a European series win and a GP win just before Dylan Ferrandis was injured. As Dylan moves to USA, the team has built a new line up alongside Petar Petrov, who will enter his third season with the Monster Energy Kawasaki MX2; it will be his final MX2 campaign as he will turn 23 next year. Alongside the experienced Bulgarian, who started racing the GPs six years ago, the team has reached agreement with two young talented riders: Britain's Adam Sterry (20 years old) and French teenager Stephen Rubini (17 years old).
 
On the podium of the EMX250 in 2015, Adam Sterry moved to the MX2 world series this season, but unfortunately was injured during the opening round in Qatar. Scoring regular top ten results after his comeback, he ended the season by winning the British MX2 title and will soon start testing on Kawasaki machinery. Stephen Rubini will have to wait a few more weeks, as the talented Frenchman is still recovering from a wrist injury which ended his season. Before this incident, Stephen was the most successful rider in the EMX125 series, working closely with former Kawasaki world champion Michael Maschio.
 
The team will not only have new riders next season, but also new staff members as Michael Maschio and French technician Fred Lavergne joined Jean Jacques Luisetti at the new workshop, located in southern France. Fred has already been working for several weeks on the development of the new KX250F Kawasaki, while Michael will take care of the riders' training programme during the week and will follow all the races as sport manager.
 
Adam Sterry: “It’s special to join a factory team such as Kawasaki, and it will be my first time on green bikes. Every weekend I saw the results from the team, and when I got their offer I had no questions about the team and knew that it would be good. It’s a dream team, and that’s been a dream since I was a kid! To get this opportunity is really special; finally my hard work is paying off and I can’t wait to ride the Kawasaki.”
 
Stephen Rubini: “I’m so happy to move to MX2 GP next year, and to reach this agreement with Monster Energy Kawasaki. I had a good season in the European 125, and I couldn’t miss the opportunity to move straight to the world championship even if the level is much higher than in the European series. I’ve been working with Michael Maschio for several months; he will be alongside us next season and I will have all the tools to get good results.”
 
Petar Petrov: “A few days ago I started doing some exercises and cycling, of course slowly at first as I follow the advices of my doctor. I will visit him in two weeks, and of course my goal is to be back riding and testing as soon as possible. But we all know that it normally takes three months to recover from a shoulder injury, so I will be really happy if I can start riding at the beginning of November..”
 
Jean Jacques Luisetti (Team owner): “I’m really pleased to welcome to the team two young riders who have already shown their potential this season. Stephen was impressive in the 125 European series, and Adam got some strong results during his first GP season and also in UK where he claimed the title; I’m sure that with the experience of Petar we have a very strong and promising line-up. The team just moved to southern France in a brand new workshop, where I will be on site most of the time as I want to be regularly with my staff. I was working that way in my previous business and it was successful. Of course I’m also very pleased to have Fred Lavergne as technical manager and Michael Maschio as sport manager back in the team. We have known each other for many years and I’m sure that 2017 will be a successful season; thanks to Kawasaki, Monster Energy and all our sponsors for their great support through the years.”
 
Michael Maschio (Sport manager): “I was back this year alongside Stephen Rubini in the sport, and during the season we started talking with Jean Jacques about the future. I always had a great relationship with him, and I will soon start working part time for the team as sport manager for the riders. I will also help the team to develop the bikes, as I never stopped training and it’s great to be back in the Kawasaki family where I spent most of my career.”

Copyright: Photo: Stanley Leroux / Pascal Haudiquert

Former star of the UEFA Champions League Sami Hyypiä is a sporting hero that has a huge interest in motocross. You often see the football icon lurking around the MXGP paddock, which is why we decided to have a word with him and see what he thinks about the all new Monster Energy SMX Riders’ and Manufacturers Cup’ that will be taking place inside one of the most spectacular football stadiums in the world, the VELTINS-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany on October 8th.

Following this interview it became evident why Sami Hyypiä is the official Ambassador of the star-studded Monster Energy SMX Riders’ Cup.

MXGP: Motocross inside a football stadium! That must be exciting for you as a football star, what are you looking forward to most at the Monster Energy SMX Riders’ Cup?

I’m looking forward to the Monster Energy SMX Riders' Cup a lot because it’s a new interesting concept, the race will be held at the football stadium! I’ve been to many races in the MXGP series and it is always amazing to see great racing. I think it will be even better with the American riders coming here to Europe and competing against the MXGP stars.

MXGP: What do you like about motocross?

I’ve always been a motorsport fan. My interest for motocross started when I was a child; my neighbor was riding motocross. I went to see him training and racing, but I didn’t get to ride the mx bike myself. My neighbor stopped riding for a while, but he bought a bike again and started to ride, then one summer I tried his bike in Finland and it felt so good that I wanted to buy one too. Now motocross is a great hobby for me, of course it’s a way to stay fit too. I’ve met a lot of amazing people in motocross and I love the atmosphere. That’s a credit to all of you who are involved with motocross.

MXGP: What are your thoughts about having a motocross race inside the VELTINS-Arena?

To have the event at the VELTINS-Arena is superb cause it’s a great venue for something like this. I’ve played there for Bayer Leverkusen and for my country, and have been there as a coach of Bayer Leverkusen. I hope the stadium will be full on the 8th of October.

All the fans are able to see the whole track and they wont miss any action during the race. It will be awesome.

MXGP: Do you know many footballers or other athletes that ride motorcycles or enjoy motocross?

I think there are many footballers and athletes who are motorsport fans, but actually to ride a motorcycle is another matter. For example in football the contract will not allow you to do any other sport, and riding a motorcycle is anyway a bit dangerous. Over the years I’ve met a lot of other athletes at the MXGP races and it’s always nice to chat with them. 

MXGP: Who do you think will win? Who do you want to win?

I hope that Husqvarna will win and I think they have a good chance to do that as well. But all the manufactures have great riders competing, racing will be amazing and I know the best will win!

MXGP: What do you admire about motocross athletes?

I think motocross is one of the toughest sports in the world. Physically you need to be very fit to compete at the top level and mentally its also very demanding. It amazes me every time when I come to see motocross how easy the riders make it look. To realize how difficult it really is, you would need to jump on the bike and have a go!

Thanks for the chat Sami, we look forward to seeing you there!

CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR TICKETS TO THE MONSTER ENERGY SMX RIDERS’ CUP, VELTINS-Arena OCTOBER 8th

Team Suzuki World MX2 has already confirmed Jeremy Seewer to stay for the 2017 MX2 season, but now General Manager Stefan Everts and the Swiss have signed a deal for the 2018 and 2019 MXGP seasons. 

Seewer, who turns 23 next year, will have to move up to the MXGP class due to the age limit in MX2, but both Suzuki and Seewer are excited for the future. 

Seewer had a very successful season this year. He started off with his first podium at the second GP of the season in very warm and tough conditions in Thailand. With 10 podiums in 18 rounds, he has proven to be a very consistent rider. Not missing one GP outing, Seewer put the crown on his season finishing as MX2 Vice-World Champion two weeks ago in Glen Helen, California. 

Since Everts took over the team, he has been working closely together with the riders and assisting them in every way he can. “For me it actually was a pleasure to know and work with Stefan for my first year now. And I knew, I would decide about my future after working together with him. It all worked out great this season, we want to go in the same direction, I feel good in the team so it was clear for me that I wanted to stay with them and that my future was with Suzuki,” said Seewer. 

Everts commented: “Working with Jeremy has been a pleasure, we have a good feeling and a good spirit between us. We have the same goal and same ambition. I’m very pleased that we could come to an agreement with Jeremy for the ’18 and ’19 MXGP seasons. It’s an important phase of my planning for what I want to achieve with the Suzuki Factory Team.” 

‘The Legend’ has always stressed the importance of finding young talent and assisting them on their road to the MXGP class. And he is happy that he can take this road together with ‘91’. “Jeremy has a very good image and he is a fantastic ambassador for Suzuki. He is something we like to be connected with,” Everts added. 

But first, Team Suzuki World MX2 and Jeremy Seewer will tackle the 2017 MX2 season next year with some high hopes after the fruitful season this year. After the Monster Energy FIM MXoN presented by FIAT professional last weekend, #91 will represent Suzuki at the Monster Energy SMX Riders' Cup on October 8th in the VELTINS-Arena at Schalke, Germany. After that he will take some well-deserved time off to recover and slowly work again on his physical fitness to start-up his winter training.

Copyright: Photo: Suzuki Racing

During the Monster Energy FIM MXoN Presnted by FIAT professional which took in Maggiora, Italy, José Antonio Butron renewed the agreement with Team Marchetti to compete the 2017 Motocross World Championship aboard his KTM 450 SX-F.

15th in MXGP class in 2016, Butron’s goal is to reach the top 10 for the upcoming season. He stated : « 2017 will be the third year with Marchetti and it shows the good relationship we have. Besides I’ve been always satisfied about the bike and all the work behind. For the next season I wish to improve more details and hopefully reach the Top 10 »

Elio Marchetti, Team Manager : « It’s very important for us to continue with José Butron. We trust each other a lot. José has the power to reach good positions and our job is to do our best to make it happen »

Confirmed for 2017 also the young Alessandro Facca, 85cc italian champion, who next year will compete the italian championship and the European championship EMX125. 

Copyright: Photo: Marchetti Racing

MONACO (Principality of Monaco), 29 September 2016 - Following the events at last weekend’s Monster Energy Motocross of Nations presented by FIAT Professional in Maggiora, Italy, in which both Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Jason Anderson and Max Nagl were sidelined from racing, Youthstream and Husqvarna Motorcycles wish to announce a significant change to the Husqvarna rider line-up for the upcoming Monster Energy SMX Rider’s Cup which will be held inside the famous VELTINS-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany on October 8th.

Due to injuries sustained by Jason Anderson and Max Nagl, Christophe Charlier and Thomas Covington will compete alongside Husqvarna’s team captain Zach Osborne at the Monster Energy SMX Riders’ Cup; Osborne and Charlier will aboard the FC 450 machinery with Covington racing on a FC 250.

Now back in the States after he was released from his brief hospital stay in Italy, Jason Anderson underwent minor surgery to stabilize the fracture in his right foot, which he sustained when he crashed during the qualifying race on Saturday. In order to ensure no further problems Jason will require a period of rest that will rule him out of both the Monster Energy SMX Rider’s Cup and the Monster Cup in Las Vegas. Thankfully, Jason suffered only a mild concussion as a result of the incident right after his MXoN race victory.

Meanwhile Max Nagl is well on the road to recovery but unable to race after his qualifying race crash at the Monster Energy FIM MXoN presented by FIAT Professional; the German will spend the upcoming weeks resting and undergoing physiotherapy before returning to pre-season training and testing.

Robert Jonas, Vice-President Husqvarna Motorsport: “Despite the unfortunate injuries to two of our main riders, we can say that we’re still very happy about our rider lineup for the SMX Riders and Manufacturers Cup. We fully trust and support the event and are looking forward to a great night of racing. We believe it can be the first step towards further growth of our sport. We look forward to the competition and meanwhile we wish a very quick and full recovery to both Max and Jason.”

LINKS

Youthstream

Monster Energy SMX Riders' Cup

Copyright: Photo: Youthstream & Husqvarna Motorcycles 

The year-long fight for the YZ125Cup in national championships across Europe has come to a close, and the 30* riders chosen for the SuperFinale at the VELTINS-Arena will start packing their bags for their big trip to Germany. October 8th is less than two weeks away and soon the gate will drop! 

The hopeful riders will line up for a full evening of races on Saturday, October 8th to find out which six motocross stars of the future will qualify for shot at a 2017 professional contract and a new 2017 YZ125 GYTR. An additional two riders will be chosen by off-road experts from among the YZ125Cup riders at the VELTINS-Arena to attend the Masterclass with former MXGP World Champion David Philippaerts.

The YZ125Cup will be broadcast live via satellite on sports television channels across Europe and on www.MXGP-TV.com, so friends and family back home can tune in and watch their hometown heroes race for the podium during the Monster Energy SMX Riders' Cup live from Germany.

The eight finalists will meet again in Italy at the end of October and sit shoulder to shoulder with experts from Yamaha's top professional MXGP teams, where they will learn from the insiders about what it takes to get to the top of the off-road world. Lectures and demonstrations from chief mechanics, Yamaha engineers, personal trainers, medical staff and riders will pass on the valuable knowledge earned at World Championships over the years, all to prepare one top YZ125Cup rider for the 2017 EMX125 Championship in an official Yamaha team.

On-track training with Philippaerts will include tips and techniques for professional motocross, with off-track lessons in proper nutrition, physical preparation and a GYTR kit parts workshop to show how professionals and weekend warriors alike get to the top of the podium on the wide line of Yamaha off-road motorcycles.

When the dust from the YZ125Cup settles at the VELTINS-Arena on the big night, the action will continue with the 2016 Monster Energy SMX Race. A new format in European motocross with top Yamaha motocross stars Romain Febvre, Benoit Paturel and Brent Van doninck on an indoor dirt track.

The following riders from around Europe have qualified for the 2016 YZ125Cup SuperFinale at the VELTINS-Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.

(*) = to be confirmed

Belgium - Matthew Lefevere

FInland - Adam Holm, Santeri Keränen, Joonas Näppi (Wildcard)

France - Anthony Calistri, Calvin Fonvielle, Alexis Colignon*

Germany - Ben Gosepath, Theo Braun

Greece - Skordas Stylianos, Dimitrios Touratzidis*

Italy - Nicolo Folli, Lorenzo Rossi, Francesco Bassi 

Netherlands - Max Schwarte, Jeroen Bussink

Norway - Råg Rindal, Eriksen Eskil 

Portugal - Bruno Charrua

Spain - Gervasio Cañas, Hugo Arriazu, Ivan Lacuesta

Sweden - Tim Edberg, Arvid Luning, Rasmus Holm, Hugo Johannson

Switzerland - Jan Müller, Janik Vogel, Flavio Wolf 

UK - Tom Grimshaw

Having been forced to miss the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations Presented by FIAT Professional due to injury, Tim Gajser will return to racing action for the Monster Energy SMX Riders’ Cup on 8 October, and will compete the weekend after at the Monster Energy Cup as originally planned.

Tim Gajser: “We were speaking in Glen Helen about testing the new bike before Maggiora, and with Honda and HRC we worked together to make the test happen in Slovenia on my track last week. I really like the new bike and the test on Wednesday was going well and we’d decided that I was going to race it at the MX of Nations. But then in the whoops I made a little mistake and got sideways and crashed. Actually the crash wasn’t so big, but I hit the ground really hard with the whole right side of my body. I had a lot of bad bruising and some damage to the muscles in my shoulder and my hip. Because of that, we received medical advice that we couldn’t go to Maggiora in order to try and be ready instead to come back for SMX and Monster Cup because they were the main goals. It was a tough decision to have to miss the Nations, but in the end I think we made the right choice because in the week since the crash already I’ve had some rest and my body is starting to recover. This week I’ve started cycling again and working back towards fitness for SMX. Because a lot of the injury was muscular I think I will still feel some pain there next weekend, but I’m sure it will be ok. 

So I'm very happy to confirm that I will compete at the Monster Energy SMX Riders' Cup and at the Monster Cup, and I will ride the 2017 Honda CRF at both events too, so I’m very excited to get behind the gate again!”

MONACO (Principality of Monaco), 28 September 2016 - Youthstream is pleased to announce the 2017 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations will be held in Great Britain at the spectacular venue of Matterley Basin in Winchester. 

Concerning the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations to be held in USA, Youthstream is exploring possibilities for this event to be held in 2019 and discussions are under way to bring this unique event to a venue that is desired by the fans and the Motocross community. 

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

MONACO (Principality of Monaco), 27 September 2016 - Mr Giuseppe Luongo, Youthstream President, and Mr Bud Felkamp, President of the Glen Helen Raceway, had a meeting at the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations in Maggiora and in common agreement they have decided to not organize the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations in Glen Helen in 2017.  

Glen Helen Raceway and Youthstream have worked in close cooperation over the last 2 years and both entities have invested serious funds for the organization of the MXGP of USA but despite the quality of the organization, the excellent racing and the massive media coverage the fan attendance was much lower than expected and also much lower than what this event deserves.  

For such a prestigious event which deserves and needs an outstanding fan participation the risk is too high, and this is the main reason why it has been decided in common agreement to not organize the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations in 2017 in Glen Helen. If the situation changes in the future both parties would be keen to work together again.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

MAGGIORA (Italy), 26 September 2016 – During the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations presented by Fiat Professional, Youthstream President Mr. Giuseppe Luongo and FIM Europe President Dr. Wolfgang Srb were joined on stage by KNMV CEO Patrice Assendelft, KMNV Head Coach Mr. Marcel Hartman and MXGP Acedemy trainer’s Martin Van Genderen to introduce the new MXGP Rookie project.

As a result of the close partnership with Youthstream, the FIM Europe and the KMNV (Royal Dutch Motocross Federation), the MXGP Academy is taking on a new project where they aim to educate young motocross riders in countries that are new to the sport of motocross such as Qatar, Thailand and Malaysia. The project will be trialed in November 2016, and if it is successful it will be implemented at the start of 2017 with a four-year vision.

Five young riders, one from Belgium, one from Germany and three from The Netherlands, will be trained full time by people that specialize in Sports Psychology, Physical Training and Nutrition, for four months in Arnhem, The Netherlands, at the High Performance Centre Papendal. These riders will live with 375 other athletes from 12 different sporting disciplines, and they will also travel to Spain with Marcel Hartmen, the Manager of Team The Netherlands and member of the KMNV, throughout the winter where they can ride at a variety of different tracks.

Youthstream President Mr. Giuseppe Luongo, “The MXGP Academy Rookie project is another extremely important step in helping young talent grow with the possibility of one day becoming a professional MXGP rider competing in the most prestigious motocross championship in the world. This project is the first of its kind in our sport and we would like to thank FIM-Europe, KNMV and the High Performance Center Papendal who together with Youthstream have driven and financed this activity. The goal is to build on this program and bring youth from all over the world to help them enter the world of professional Motocross without denying any schooling.”

FIM Europe President Dr. Wolfgang Srb, “I am very excited that we are close to the start of this promising project, after months of hard work, preparation and evaluation. FIM Europe does not only believe in sport as our core business but also, as an important pillar in education. Papendal is the perfect location and the partners give full support; KNMV with a vast experience in sport and training of young riders, the MXGP Academy with a strong record of training and promoting young talents, Youthstream as the leading promoter of motocross worldwide and FIM Europe as the biggest and most active Continental Union of FIM.”

Head Coach KMNV Mr. Marcel Hartman said, “This really is a unique motocross project where riders can make big steps in their individual development.”

All MXGP Rookies still go to school, so besides the motocross program they will continue their school education at the same time. Tailor made school programs with personal coaching and online lessons will be offered in association with their schools back home and the educational staff at Papendal.

Last but not least the KNMV supports the program with the services of life skill coach Mr. Henry Flierhuis who will assist the MXGP Rookies to develop their social skills. The following riders will join the MXGP Rookies trial: Marcel Conijn (NL), Raivo Dankers (NL), Raf Meuwissen (NL), Wannes Van De Voorde (BEL) and Marnique Appelt (GER).

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM Europe