MXGP

LOMMEL (Belgium), 1 August 2016 – Using the European Championship to dip your toes into racing the FIM Motocross World Championship just got voided. Not really, it still is the best way to test MXGP’s waters, but the word ‘dip’ isn’t at all accurate with the ninth round of the premier Amateur series, the EMX250, and the sixth and seventh rounds of European Championships EMX300 and EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing, taking place in Lommel, the gnarliest track in the world. It is more like diving in the deep end.

At the conclusion of what was an epic weekend, champions have been crowned in all three classes. Sahkar KTM’s Jago Geerts won the EMX125 Championship Presented by FMF Racing after winning both races this weekend, while Bodo Schmidt Motorsports Thomas Kjer Olsen wrapped up the EMX250 title in Race 1 with five races left to go in the series, although the EMX250 round of Belgium was won by Team Suzuki World MX2’s Bas Vaessen who, like Jago, won both races.

As for the European Championship EMX300 Presented by FMF Racing, it went down to the wire with Mike Kras taking the title by 7-points over the round winner, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Yentel Martens.

Lommel favors the sand specialist and no class made it more obvious than the EMX300 Presented by FMF Racing with nine riders out of the top ten being Belgian and Dutch. Yesterday, in Race 1, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Racing’s Yentel Martens obliterated everyone for his third race win of the season. Wild card entry, Michael Hool was second ahead of the championship leader, Mike Kras, who was third.

It was an early start to the day for the beasty sounding 300cc two-strokes with the gates dropping for their second race of the weekend at 08:30am this morning. When they did, it was Kras who made his intentions clear with a holeshot ahead of Kevin Van Geldorp, Dietger Damiaens and Kay Ebben. The Race 1 winnner, and local star, Yentel Martens was also right there and didn’t waste any time in moving to the front of the pack.

Martens knows the sand of Lommel like the back of his hand, and in all honesty, the way he was riding this weekend he could have won it with one arm tied behind his back. The tall and lanky Belgian totally dominated both races for his first double moto victory of the season.

This weekend was never going to be about winning the battle for the Red Plate holder, Mike Kras; it was all about winning the war, which is what he did. The Dutchman was crowned champion, with two consistent performances for second overall.

Holland’s Michael Hool gave everyone but Martens and Kras a riding lesson today. He tied with fellow Dutchman, Kras, on 42 points but had to settle for third overall since Kras had the better result in the final race. Dietger Damiaens wrapped up his season with his first ever top five finish despite his bike blowing more smoke than a steam train as a result of an issue with the radiator. The Belgian finished fourth in Race 2 ahead of fellow Belgian Mike Vanderstraeten.

It was a less than ideal finish to the championship for GL12 Yamaha’s Brad Anderson who was a massive title contender only two rounds to go. The stocky Brit ended up facedown in the sand a couple of times this weekend, which was reflected in his result. He finished sixth in the race and in the overall for the round of Belgium.

EMX300 Presented by FMF Racing Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Yentel Martens (BEL, Husqvarna), 30:16.134; 2. Michael Hool (NED, KTM), +0:27.964; 3. Mike Kras (NED, KTM), +0:45.526; 4. Stefan Hage (NED, KTM), +0:58.810; 5. Dietger Damiaens (BEL, KTM), +1:07.106; 6. Dani de Vries (NED, Yamaha), +1:19.456; 7. Brad Anderson (GBR, Yamaha), +1:32.067; 8. Patrick Vos (NED, KTM), +1:52.855; 9. Kevin Van Geldorp (NED, Yamaha), +2:10.432; 10. Mathias Plessers (BEL, KTM), -1 lap(s).

EMX300 Presented by FMF Racing Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Yentel Martens (BEL, Husqvarna), 30:20.147; 2. Mike Kras (NED, KTM), +0:17.715; 3. Michael Hool (NED, KTM), +0:34.998; 4. Dietger Damiaens (BEL, KTM), +0:43.100; 5. Mike Vanderstraeten (BEL, TM), +1:00.176; 6. Brad Anderson (GBR, Yamaha), +1:08.852; 7. Stefan Hage (NED, KTM), +1:21.026; 8. Mathias Plessers (BEL, KTM), +1:27.036; 9. Kevin Van Geldorp (NED, Yamaha), +1:41.215; 10. Patrick Vos (NED, KTM), +1:44.701.

EMX300 Presented by FMF Racing Overall Top Ten: 1. Yentel Martens (BEL, HUS), 50 points; 2. Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 42 p.; 3. Michael Hool (NED, KTM), 42 p.; 4. Dietger Damiaens (BEL, KTM), 34 p.; 5. Stefan Hage (NED, KTM), 32 p.; 6. Brad Anderson (GBR, YAM), 29 p.; 7. Mathias Plessers (BEL, KTM), 24 p.; 8. Kevin Van Geldorp (NED, YAM), 24 p.; 9. Patrick Vos (NED, KTM), 24 p.; 10. Dani de Vries (NED, YAM), 19 p.

EMX300 Presented by FMF Racing Championship Top Ten: 1. Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 264 points; 2. Yentel Martens (BEL, HUS), 257 p.; 3. Brad Anderson (GBR, YAM), 203 p.; 4. Matthew Moffat (GBR, KTM), 150 p.; 5. Dietger Damiaens (BEL, KTM), 135 p.; 6. Patrick Vos (NED, KTM), 113 p.; 7. Francisco Utrilla Antonio (ESP, YAM), 110 p.; 8. Mathias Plessers (BEL, KTM), 107 p.; 9. Lewis Gregory (GBR, YAM), 104 p.; 10. Joshua van der Linden (NED, YAM), 101 p.

EMX300 Presented by FMF Racing Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 271 points; 2. Husqvarna, 257 p.; 3. Yamaha, 244 p.; 4. TM, 106 p.; 5. Honda, 37 p.; 6. CZ, 15 p.

When the gates dropped it was the Monster Energy Bud Racing Kawasaki’s Darian Sanayei took the holeshot ahead of Wilvo Standing Construct Yamaha’s Karlis Sabulis, Bodo Schmidt Motorsports Thomas Kjer Olsen & Team Suzuki World MX2’s Bas Vaessen.

Coming from America he would have had to put in some hard yards to learn to ride sand this deep, as everyone who watched the 2012 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations which took place right here, would know. Within a couple of laps, Sabulis, Kjer Olsen & Vaessen broke away. It was a bit of a brawl in the first two laps until Vaessen got to the front and cut loose.

As we learned at Mantova, Vaessen, who is training under the watchful eye of Stefan Everts, knows a thing or two about riding sand. He won in the shallow sand of Lombardia, and looked to be in his element today as he cruised his way to a massive victory.

Kjer Olsen is a beast. His Husqvarna looked like a 65cc in the deep sand as the tall Dane used his long legs to muscle his bike over the deep holes on his way to second place.

Sanayei got back to third after Sabulis ran out of steam. Speaking of steam Miro Sihvonen put in an epic ride and challenged Sanayei for third before his bike started puffing. Sihvonen nursed his bike to fourth ahead of Belgium’s own Kevin Wouts.

In the second moto, the kiwi kid who finished second place in the EMX125 championship last year, KTM Factory Junior’s Josiah Natzke, got off to a ripper of a start ahead of the usual front runners, Kjer Olsen and Sanayei. Kjer Olsen launched into the lead before the end of lap two and ran away with it.

In the sand, mistakes are costly because of the amount of momentum that is lost. Natzke learned that pretty quickly when a little swapper slowed him down enough for Sanayei, Vaessen and Sihvonen to pass him on the same straight. Speaking of Vaessen, he was outside of the top ten around turn one, but the Dutch youngster has got some serious skills in the sand, and he didn’t waste any time in showing them off on his way to second place.

Vaessen’s win it or bin it riding style saw him bite the dust at the half way mark when he folded the front end on a sweeping turn. The Suzuki star lost a spot but bounced back immediately and within two laps he passed Sihvonen to take back second place.

Sihvonen was no match for Vaessen, so he didn’t have much to worry about with Wouts and Sanayei making up the top five, a further 13 seconds back. Fast forward the race, and with 2 minutes plus two laps to go, Vaessen was right on the new champ. A small mistake by Kjer Olsen and Vaessen pounced.

The Dutchman carried that flow all the way home for his first double moto victory of his career. Kjer Olsen came home in second ahead of Sihvonen, Sanayei and Wouts in that order.

Team Suzuki World MX2’s Bas Vaessen was the clear-cut winner this weekend. Bodo Schmidt Motorsports Thomas Kjer Olsen is yet to finish off of the podium and maintained his streak with second, ahead of KTM Diga Junior Racing’s Miro Sihvonen who landed on the box for the first time this year, in third.

EMX250 Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Bas Vaessen (NED, Suzuki), 30:16.450; 2. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:09.823; 3. Darian Sanayei (USA, Kawasaki), +0:13.313; 4. Miro Sihvonen (FIN, KTM), +0:17.885; 5. Kevin Wouts (BEL, KTM), +0:51.260; 6. Josiah Natzke (NZL, KTM), +1:00.468; 7. Anton Gole (SWE, Husqvarna), +1:02.611; 8. Ken Bengtson (SWE, Yamaha), +1:03.186; 9. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +1:07.625; 10. Erki Kahro (EST, KTM), +1:12.075.

EMX250 Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Bas Vaessen (NED, Suzuki), 29:45.450; 2. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:01.813; 3. Miro Sihvonen (FIN, KTM), +0:25.929; 4. Darian Sanayei (USA, Kawasaki), +0:27.299; 5. Kevin Wouts (BEL, KTM), +0:30.245; 6. Anton Lundgren (SWE, Husqvarna), +0:40.358; 7. Anton Gole (SWE, Husqvarna), +0:53.688; 8. Ken Bengtson (SWE, Yamaha), +0:57.540; 9. Erki Kahro (EST, KTM), +1:01.894; 10. Josiah Natzke (NZL, KTM), +1:19.178.

EMX250 Overall Top Ten: 1. Bas Vaessen (NED, SUZ), 50 points; 2. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 44 p.; 3. Miro Sihvonen (FIN, KTM), 38 p.; 4. Darian Sanayei (USA, KAW), 38 p.; 5. Kevin Wouts (BEL, KTM), 32 p.; 6. Anton Gole (SWE, HUS), 28 p.; 7. Ken Bengtson (SWE, YAM), 26 p.; 8. Josiah Natzke (NZL, KTM), 26 p.; 9. Erki Kahro (EST, KTM), 23 p.; 10. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 18 p.

EMX250 Championship Top Ten: 1. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 404 points; 2. Darian Sanayei (USA, KAW), 323 p.; 3. Bas Vaessen (NED, SUZ), 286 p.; 4. Anton Gole (SWE, HUS), 236 p.; 5. Kevin Wouts (BEL, KTM), 217 p.; 6. Jorge Prado Garcia (ESP, KTM), 210 p.; 7. Miro Sihvonen (FIN, KTM), 201 p.; 8. Nicolas Dercourt (FRA, KTM), 197 p.; 9. Hunter Lawrence (AUS, KAW), 167 p.; 10. Mike Stender (GER, SUZ), 130 p.

EMX250 Manufacturers: 1. Husqvarna, 421 points; 2. Kawasaki, 359 p.; 3. KTM, 340 p.; 4. Suzuki, 312 p.; 5. Yamaha, 233 p.; 6. Honda, 175 p.

Sahkar KTM’s Jago Geerts got off to a blistering hot start to the weekend yesterday afternoon with a massive win in the opening race ahead of IceOne Husqvarna Racing’s Mikkel Haarup and HSF Logistics Motorsports Raivo Dankers.

In Race 2 this morning, KTM De Carli Racing’s Gianluca Facchetti took the holeshot ahead of two of Holland’s hottest young riders Raivo Dankers and DP19 Yamaha’s Roan Van de Moosedijk. Yamaha MJC’s Zachary Pichon was also in the mix and was the first to make a charge when found a nice line and took fourth away from Van de Moosedijk.

The Frenchman hooked a few gears and upped his pace, maybe a little too much as he went hot up the inside of Dankers, who was all over Fachetti and ended up nailing the little Italian. Fachetti stayed up but at the cost of two places, while Pichon hit the deck hard. Dankers and Van de Moosdijk took over second and third while Fachetti struggled to regroup and eventually dropped back to tenth.

The Dutch sensations went bar to bar for second place in the laps that followed while the likes of IceOne Husqvarna’s Mikkel Haarup and Monster Energy Bud Racing’s duo of Brian Moreau and Kim Savaste were on the move from outside the top ten.

Moreau and Savaste soon found themselves scrapping over fourth while Haarup had come from miles back to challenge Dankers for third before throwing it all away with a high side.

With only 2 minutes to go, Van de Moosedijk hit the wall. Dankers, Moreau, Savaste and Haarup all capitalized on it, and with two laps to go the real race was on. It was a nail biting end to the day as Moreau and Savaste ganged up on Dankers who ended up being knocked back to fourth.

On the final lap, Savaste dropped the hammer and passed his teammate for second. Moreau tried to respond, but didn’t come up with the goods. Haarup finished a close fourth while Dankers put in another superb result with fifth.

After a grueling day in the sand Sahkar KTM’s Jago Geerts was in a league of his own and won both races by massive margins for the win here at his home round. Monster Energy Bud Racing Kawasaki’s Kim Savaste and IceOne Husqvarna’s Mikkel Haarup both made the box for the first time in their 125cc racing careers.

EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Jago Geerts (BEL, KTM), 29:57.690; 2. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:18.406; 3. Raivo Dankers (NED, KTM), +0:34.303; 4. Kim Savaste (FIN, Kawasaki), +0:35.702; 5. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, Yamaha), +0:48.515; 6. Brian Strubhart Moreau (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:54.739; 7. Zachary Pichon (FRA, Yamaha), +0:59.732; 8. Gianluca Facchetti (ITA, KTM), +1:00.771; 9. Szymon Staszkiewicz (POL, KTM), +1:02.261; 10. Sander Agard-Michelsen (NOR, TM), +1:04.975.

EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Jago Geerts (BEL, KTM), 30:01.114; 2. Kim Savaste (FIN, Kawasaki), +0:24.322; 3. Brian Strubhart Moreau (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:27.251; 4. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:27.350; 5. Raivo Dankers (NED, KTM), +0:30.816; 6. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, Yamaha), +0:48.948; 7. Sander Agard-Michelsen (NOR, TM), +0:53.795; 8. Pierre Goupillon (FRA, KTM), +0:54.182; 9. Szymon Staszkiewicz (POL, KTM), +1:00.421; 10. Gianluca Facchetti (ITA, KTM), +1:35.411.

EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Overall Top Ten: 1. Jago Geerts (BEL, KTM), 50 points; 2. Kim Savaste (FIN, KAW), 40 p.; 3. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, HUS), 40 p.; 4. Raivo Dankers (NED, KTM), 36 p.; 5. Brian Strubhart Moreau (FRA, KAW), 35 p.; 6. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, YAM), 31 p.; 7. Sander Agard-Michelsen (NOR, TM), 25 p.; 8. Szymon Staszkiewicz (POL, KTM), 24 p.; 9. Gianluca Facchetti (ITA, KTM), 24 p.; 10. Taylor Hammal (GBR, KTM), 17 p.

EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Championship Top Ten: 1. Jago Geerts (BEL, KTM), 307 points; 2. Stephen Rubini (FRA, KTM), 248 p.; 3. Pierre Goupillon (FRA, KTM), 207 p.; 4. Gianluca Facchetti (ITA, KTM), 186 p.; 5. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, YAM), 183 p.; 6. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, HUS), 171 p.; 7. Zachary Pichon (FRA, YAM), 149 p.; 8. Kim Savaste (FIN, KAW), 144 p.; 9. Brian Strubhart Moreau (FRA, KAW), 144 p.; 10. Szymon Staszkiewicz (POL, KTM), 116 p.

EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 350 points; 2. Yamaha, 241 p.; 3. Kawasaki, 197 p.; 4. Husqvarna, 186 p.; 5. TM, 119 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: 1675m

Type of ground: Sand

Temperature: 24°C

Weather conditions: changeable with some showers

Weekend Crowd Attendance: 25,000

MXGP 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

FIAT Professional MXGP of Belgium

LOMMEL (Belgium), 31 July 2016 – During the Fiat Professional MXGP of Belgium, Youthstream President Mr. Giuseppe Luongo and FIM Europe President Dr. Wolfgang Srb had a very productive meeting with the President of Motorsportclub Teutschenthal Mr. Joachim Jahnke and the Deputy President of Motorsportclub Teutschenthal Mr. Günter Scholz.

Youthstream is very delighted to announce that Teutschenthal will host the 2017 MXGP of Germany which will take place on the 14^th of May 2017.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

FIM Europe

Photo: From left to right: FIM Europe President W.Srb, President of Motorsportclub Teutschenthal J.Jahnke, Youthstream President G.Luongo and Deputy President of Motorsportclub Teutschenthal G.Scholz

LOMMEL (Belgium) 31 July 2016 – The fourteenth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship wrote a story of drama and excitement as the brutal track conditions put the best of MXGP to the ultimate test here at the Fiat Professional MXGP of Belgium, in Lommel, where Team Suzuki World MXGP’s Kevin Strijbos and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Anstie topped the box for the first time this year.

The experienced riders finally got the upper hand on the younger stars this weekend with Team Suzuki World MXGP’s Kevin Strijbos, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Nagl and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli making up the podium.

Belgian fans eat, sleep and breathe motocross, so for Kevin Strijbos to take his first grand prix victory in nine years here on home soil was definitely something special, not only for him, but for his Belgian based team, Team Suzuki World MXGP, which is now owned and managed by Stefan Everts. 

It’s official. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Nagl has an epic dirt-bike riding skillset! The German star rocked up to Lommel today, fresh off of a double moto victory on the hardest of clay at Loket, and won the first race and almost the overall. Unfortunately he stacked it in the second race, and that cost him the win. Regardless, it looks like there is some wind behind his sails and he could be the one to watch over the next four rounds.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli has a killer style in the sand and is typically THE guy to beat, but today he looked a little rusty in Race 1. Despite a slow, at least by Cairoli's standards, start to the day, he seemed to come to grips with the track in Race 2, which landed him on the third step of the podium. “I’m not so happy because normally on this type of track I can ride better”, he said, “in the first race the feeling was not there and I made some little mistakes and fell back to sixth.”

While Tony Cairoli may have felt like he had a rough day, he wasn’t the only one. Lommel got the better of Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Clement Desalle who crashed out of a podium finish and had to settle for eighth, while the defending champ Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Romain Febvre had a day to forget with a bunch of spills dropping him down to fifteenth overall. Luckily for the guys in blue, Jeremy Van Horebeek put in two solid rides for fourth.

Most riders have a love-hate relationship with Lommel. When you’re feeling good on a track this gnarly, there is no better feeling in the world than timing the sand waves to perfection, but to the contrary, when you have a rough day, it’s the last place you want to be. Ask Honda Gariboldi’s Tim Gajser. The nineteen-year-old Slovenian has been flawless this year, but even the best fall down some times, which is what happened to Gajser in Race 1 where he finished fifteenth.

It wasn’t all doom and gloom for the current championship leader though; he bounced back with a vengeance as the winner of Race 2.

MXGP Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), 34:19.494; 2. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +0:09.152; 3. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:13.700; 4. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:16.852; 5. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:18.247; 6. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:18.848; 7. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:38.021; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:40.038; 9. Tanel Leok (EST, KTM), +0:43.251; 10. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:55.033.

MXGP Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 34:41.636; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:13.289; 3. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:36.471; 4. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:40.503; 5. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:47.864; 6. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:53.330; 7. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), +1:00.924; 8. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, Suzuki), +1:04.634; 9. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +1:08.197; 10. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +1:16.375.

MXGP Overall Top Ten: 1. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 40 points; 2. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 39 p.; 3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 37 p.; 4. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 32 p.; 5. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 31 p.; 6. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 31 p.; 7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 29 p.; 8. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 29 p.; 9. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 26 p.; 10. Tanel Leok (EST, KTM), 22 p.

MXGP Championship Top Ten: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 607 points; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 504 p.; 3. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 490 p.; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 464 p.; 5. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 445 p.; 6. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 417 p.; 7. Valentin Guillod (SUI, YAM), 292 p.; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 277 p.; 9. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 273 p.; 10. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 264 p.

MXGP Manufacturers: 1. Honda, 620 points; 2. Yamaha, 556 p.; 3. KTM, 522 p.; 4. Husqvarna, 505 p.; 5. Kawasaki, 374 p.; 6. Suzuki, 302 p.

The absence of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings left a handful of riders in MX2 licking their chops at the thought of a potential grand prix victory. Most bench racers would have put their chips on Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Anstie for the win since he has won the grand prix here for the last two years. Anstie said, “I wasn’t sure I could make it happen this weekend. Everyone was telling me I should win, I crashed in the qualifying race, and I didn’t sleep last night”. Nevertheless, the Brit went 1-1 for his first victory of the season, yet his third GP win at this track.  “I do love it here” he said, “I was pushing hard and I’m glad to get this result for my team.” His team is based right around the corner, literally, and his win marks the first ever for Husqvarna here in Lommel.

Team Suzuki World MX2’s Jeremy Seewer has put to bed his previous struggles in the sand. The Swiss rider hit a career milestone with his first ever qualifying race win. Never in his wildest dreams would he have thought he would do it at Lommel, the craziest sand track in the world. Anyway, he did it, and backed up that outstanding achievement with two second place finishes for second overall.

No-one actually LOVES Lommel except Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Petar Petrov who seems to step it up here every year. Petrov managed to lead a few laps today which was exciting for him, maybe a little too exciting, “I’m not used to leading” he said, “so I tightened up a bit.” The Bulgarian took home his first piece of silverware this season with a 2 – 6 finish.   

HSF Logistics Motorsports’ Brian Bogers was lightning quick all weekend. The Dutchman set the fastest lap of the day in MX2, which was in Race 1 where he led a few laps before crashing. He finished fourth overall with a 5 – 4 result.

If anyone spiced things up, it was Kemea Yamaha MX Official Team’s Benoit Paturel. Like Seewer, Paturel is not really known for his sand skills, but he seems to be heading in the right direction. Paturel went 3 – 7 for fifth overall. He is now only 10 points shy of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass in third.

MX2 Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), 36:12.881; 2. Petar Petrov (BUL, Kawasaki), +0:11.777; 3. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +0:15.189; 4. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:20.081; 5. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), +0:20.819; 6. Davy Pootjes (NED, KTM), +0:42.291; 7. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, KTM), +0:46.331; 8. Samuele Bernardini (ITA, TM), +0:52.785; 9. Michele Cervellin (ITA, Honda), +0:54.990; 10. Alvin Östlund (SWE, Yamaha), +1:04.456.

MX2 Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), 35:16.537; 2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:09.198; 3. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:16.432; 4. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), +0:17.172; 5. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, KTM), +0:49.525; 6. Petar Petrov (BUL, Kawasaki), +1:04.026; 7. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +1:06.321; 8. Lars van Berkel (NED, Husqvarna), +1:33.680; 9. Ivo Monticelli (ITA, KTM), +1:36.713; 10. Michele Cervellin (ITA, Honda), +1:40.398.

MX2 Overall Top Ten: 1. Max Anstie (GBR, HUS), 50 points; 2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 40 p.; 3. Petar Petrov (BUL, KAW), 37 p.; 4. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), 34 p.; 5. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 34 p.; 6. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, KTM), 30 p.; 7. Michele Cervellin (ITA, HON), 23 p.; 8. Lars van Berkel (NED, HUS), 21 p.; 9. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, KAW), 20 p.; 10. Alvin Östlund (SWE, YAM), 19 p.

MX2 Championship Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 597 points; 2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 510 p.; 3. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 403 p.; 4. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 393 p.; 5. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, KAW), 378 p.; 6. Max Anstie (GBR, HUS), 366 p.; 7. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, YAM), 320 p.; 8. Petar Petrov (BUL, KAW), 319 p.; 9. Samuele Bernardini (ITA, TM), 294 p.; 10. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), 280 p.

MX2 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 660 points; 2. Kawasaki, 527 p.; 3. Suzuki, 510 p.; 4. Yamaha, 484 p.; 5. Husqvarna, 456 p.; 6. TM, 294 p.; 7. Honda, 264 p.

Click here to obtain the complete result

All the photos of the FIAT Professional MXGP of Belgium will be available HERE

FIAT Professional MXGP of Belgium – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1675m

Type of ground: Sand

Temperature: 24°C

Weather conditions: changeable with some showers

Weekend Crowd Attendance: 25,000

MXGP 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.

NEXT ROUND

The next round of the FIM Motocross World Championship will take place next week, 6th and 7th August in Switzerland, Frauenfeld – Gachnahg for the MXGP of Switzerland presented by iXS.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

FIAT Professional MXGP of Belgium

Watch the official GoPro Lap of Lommel. Riders: Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing's Jeremy Van Horebeek & Monster Energy DRT Kawasaki's Tommy Searle.

LOMMEL (Belgium), 30 July 2016 – “Lommel…it’s like survival of the fittest” were the words that came out of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Van Horebeek’s mouth before the gates had even dropped for the Qualifying Race here at the fourteenth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship, the Fiat Professional MXGP of Belgium, which was won by Honda Gariboldi’s Tim Gajser in the end, ahead of the home turf titan Jeremy Van Horebeek.

As one of the most iconic tracks in the world, notorious for its sand surface, it also put the best to the test in the MX2 Qualifier which saw Team Suzuki World MX2’s Jeremy Seewer take his first ever Qualifying Race win.

Meanwhile in the European Championships, Lommel’s own Yentel Martens had his Rockstar Energy Husqvarna absolutely nailed today at the sixth and final round of the European Championship EMX300 series Presented by FMF Racing. The tall Belgian, son of former world champion Jacky Martens, obliterated the field for his third race win of the season. The championship leader, Mike Kras, finished third and now has a 10-point lead heading into the final race, which will take place tomorrow morning.

The European Championship EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing also took to Lommel today where Sahkar KTM’s Jago Geerts strengthened his grip on the title with yet another race win. Geerts now has a 34-point lead over Silver Action KTM’s Stephen Rubini, who is in second place and is not racing this weekend due to injury.

Until Honda Gariboldi’s Tim Gajser came along it would have seemed impossible for a nineteen-year-old rookie to dominate the premier class in the sea-deep sand of Lommel. Gajser announced his partnership with Monster Energy yesterday, and who better to represent the brand than the most flamboyant and energetic rider on the track who for the eighth time this year, unleashed the beast, pulled a holeshot, and checked out for yet another qualifying heat victory.

Fellow Monster Energy athletes, Jeremy Van Horebeek and Romain Febvre, had their Monster Energy Yamaha Factory machines singing on the opening lap, in second and third, before Febvre chucked his away and dropped off the radar.

The defending champ had a couple more spills and only came home in twenty-first. Van Horebeek, on the other hand, remained strong. He looked good today. He set the fastest lap in Timed Practice and stayed cool in the qualifier for second place.

Behind the number 89, Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Clement Desalle and Team Suzuki World MXGP’s Kevin Strijbos had a decent scrap for third with Strijbos eventually winning that battle after charging hard up the inside of Desalle for the spot with only five minutes to go.

The winner of the most recent round of MXGP, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Nagl, rounded out the top five after taking a few laps to find his mojo. In the end, he had the sand dialed and finished right on the rear wheel of Desalle.

With 100cc less than everyone else, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli was outside of the top ten around turn one, but as the track got rougher, he excelled and managed to fight his way back to sixth. Last years’ MXGP of Belgium winner, Wilvo Virus Performance KTM’s Shaun Simpson also put in a good performance for seventh.

MXGP Qualifying Race Top Ten: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 25:28.215; 2. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:05.417; 3. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:10.291; 4. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:19.063; 5. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), +0:19.689; 6. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:21.256; 7. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +0:23.132; 8. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, Suzuki), +0:28.968; 9. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:32.312; 10. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:32.590.

After topping the charts in Timed Practice, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Anstie got off to a perfect start as he led the way around turn one with Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Dylan Ferrandis on the right of him and Team Suzuki World MX2’s Jeremy Seewer on the left. That was already an epic start to the weekend for the thousands of fans that have come out to watch here in Lommel, since Anstie, Ferrandis and Seewer are the hottest picks to win in the absence of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s sand masters’ Jeffrey Herlings and Pauls Jonass.

Countless hours playing in the sand-pit with the king, Stefan Everts, have paid off for Seewer who passed Ferrandis like he was standing still almost straight away before Ferrandis put himself out of contention for the win when he folded the front end on lap two. On lap three, Anstie decided to join the club of dirt samplers when he threw away the lead with a massive crash on a wide sweeping turn.

With Anstie down, Seewer jumped into the drivers seat and led a freight train of sand specialists, namely, Petar Petrov, Brian Bogers, Brent Van Doninck and Calvin Vlaanderen.

Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Petar Petrov was in beast mode. He hammered it around the outside of HSF Logistics Motorsports KTM’s Brian Bogers for second and managed to challenge Seewer for the lead. A few mistakes stopped him from making a move, but the Bulgarian who resides just up the road here in Lommel was pumped to finish second, “I wish there was points for qualifying,” he laughed, “but it’s tomorrow that counts.”

Bogers is always a force to be reckoned with in the sand, a statement that was backed up with his third place finish. Meanwhile, Kemea Yamaha MX Official Team’s Brent Van Doninck made an impressive return to the championship, after a two-month hiatus, with his fourth place finish ahead of HSF Logistics Motorsport KTM’s Calvin Vlaanderen who was equally as good, in fifth.

Ferrandis and Anstie recovered from their slip ups for sixth and seventh, in that order.

MX2 Qualifying Race Top Ten: 1. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), 25:38.485; 2. Petar Petrov (BUL, Kawasaki), +0:07.915; 3. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), +0:14.815; 4. Brent Van doninck (BEL, Yamaha), +0:19.182; 5. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, KTM), +0:27.456; 6. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:33.488; 7. Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:35.997; 8. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +0:37.963; 9. Conrad Mewse (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:43.262; 10. Michele Cervellin (ITA, Honda), +0:46.581

Click here to obtain the complete result

All the photos of the FIAT Professional MXGP of Belgium will be available HERE

FIAT Professional MXGP of Belgium – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1675m

Type of ground: Sand

Temperature: 22°C

Weather conditions: changeable

TIMETABLE

Sunday: EMX300 Race 2 08:30; EMX250 Race 1 09:30; MX2 Warm up 10:10; MXGP Warm up 10:30; EMX150 Race 2 11:10; EMX125 Race 2 12:05; MX2 Race 1 13:15; MXGP Race 1 14:15; EMX250 Race 2 15:10; MX2 Race 2 16:10; MXGP Race 2 17:10.

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. Click here for the complete list of countries and cooperating MXGP broadcasting networks.

LINKS

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FIAT Professional MXGP of Belgium

Watch the Qualifying Race Highlights from the Fiat Professional MXGP of Belgium here:

MXGP Qualifying Race Highlights

MX2 Qualifying Race Highlights

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LOMMEL (Belgium), 30 July 2016 - Following the Qualifying Race press conference here in Lommel at the Fiat Professional MXGP of Belgium, Honda have announced their team for the Monster Energy SMX Riders’ and Manufacturers’ Cup, the first ever stadium motocross race, which will take place at the VELTINS-Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, on October 8^th.

HRC representatives Mr. Tetsuhiro Kuwata and Mr. Shuhei Nakamoto and HRC’s General Manager Mr. Roger Harvey joined Youthstream President Mr. Giuseppe Luongo and FIM Europe President Dr. Wolfgang Srb on stage, where Mr. Harvey in introduced the team, “The team needs no introduction,” he laughed, “Tim Gajser, the kid leading the MXGP world championship, Gautier Paulin and Evgeny Bobryshev will be our official team. I’m really looking forward to it, I think it will be a very good event, a very popular event, and Honda are looking forward to backing it up.”

Mr. Giuseppe Luongo said, “I would like to thank HRC and Honda for confirming their attendance. They took their time to make their decision to attend this event, they were the last to confirm their attendance, but are the first to announce their team. It’s exciting to have them confirmed because it’s Honda, one of the biggest manufacturers in the world and when they decide to do something, they go big.

Everything is looking good at the VELTINS-Arena, it is sure to be a fantastic show.”

Dr. Wolfgang Srb concluded the presentation, “Thanks to Honda for being the first to announce their team.” He said, “it’s also an honor to have the HRC representatives all the way from Japan here with us. I think this event will be the start of something very big, so thanks to everyone involved.”

LINKS

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Monster Energy SMX Riders' Cup

Watch the first GoPro lap of Lommel with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna's Yentel Martens: 

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