MXGP

TALAVERA DE LA REINA (Spain), 28 May 2016 – Motocross is the heart and soul of dirt-bike riding and a track like Talavera de la Reina is something that brings it all home as it embodies everything that grass-roots motocross riders love; rolling hills, steep drops, decent climbs, natural jumps, choppy bumps and gnarly ruts. All of these elements were made extra challenging today at the ninth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship after a brief but heavy downpour had the riders on eggshells with the clay track throwing up slick spots, tacky ruts and square edged bumps.

Like a boss, Honda Gariboldi’s rookie sensation Tim Gajser got off to a good start, which is essential in these kind of conditions, and checked out for his fifth qualifying heat win of the year, while it was a similar story for Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Dylan Ferrandis who took the holeshot in MX2 and led every lap for his second pole position of the season.

Also ripping up the sticky clay, Bodo Schmidt Motorsports’ Thomas Kjer Olsen extended his championship lead in the European Championship EMX250 class with a race win here at the fifth round, while the third rounds of the European Championship EMX125 presented by FMF Racing and EMX300 presented by FMF Racing saw KTM Silver Action’s Stephen Rubini and Mike Kras take wins in their respective classes.

It’s almost ridiculous how much craziness is happening in MXGP this year and it all started here with the local hero Marchetti Racing KTM’s Jose Butron gunning it for a near holeshot but was edged out by Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Nagl and Honda Gariboldi’s Tim Gajser.

It’s never good news for the main protagonists in the MXGP class when Tim Gajser is that far up front around turn one and he showed us why with a flawless performance for his fifth Qualifying Race win of the season.

Monster Energy DRT Kawasaki’s Tommy Searle tagged Team Suzuki World MXGP’s Kevin Strijbos halfway down the start straight; Searle stayed up while Strijbos went down hard and didn’t rejoin the race.

After being passed heading into turn three by Gajser, Nagl stayed out of trouble in second while Butron had the fans fired up in third. Kemea Yamaha Official MX Team’s Valentin Guillod was the MX2 grand prix winner here in Talavera de la Reina last year and was looking just as good on the bigger machine today in fourth.

In a dramatic turn of events, around lap three, Wilvo Virus Performance KTM’s Shaun Simpson bobbled in the battle for fifth with Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Romain Febvre and Team HRC’s Gautier Paulin. Febvre ran into the back of the Brit, lost balance and fell right into the flight path of Paulin who was fully committed to a rut. Paulin nailed his fellow Frenchman pretty hard and got tangled. As they tried to break free from each other, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli came out of nowhere and smashed into Febvre who was already on the ground. Febvre got back on his bike but went straight back to the pits while Simpson was later seen pushing his bike back with a broken chain.

Back to the battle up front, Butron dropped back as Team HRC’s Evgeny Bobryshev found some nice lines and managed to pass Guillod for third. Guillod rode the best he has ridden all season for fourth ahead of Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Clement Desalle.

Credit to both Cairoli and Paulin who faced their fair share of hardships during the race and bounced back to sixth and eighth respectively. And also for you crazy fun-fact lovers, Tim Gajser and Max Nagl BOTH set the fastest lap of the race with the exact same lap time, 1:55.774, set on exactly the same lap!

MXGP Qualifying Race Top Ten: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 25:26.125; 2. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), +0:08.939; 3. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:15.887; 4. Valentin Guillod (SUI, Yamaha), +0:16.187; 5. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:21.306; 6. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:22.984; 7. Jake Nicholls (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:23.310; 8. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Honda), +0:25.113; 9. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:26.777; 10. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:33.230.

Starts are always important, but even more so on a hilly clay circuit that has been attacked by rain. When the MX2 gates dropped, Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Dylan Ferrandis got off to a killer start and led his fellow Frenchman, Kemea Yamaha official MX Team’s Benoit Paturel, around turn one. Ferrandis clearly doesn’t mind a bit of moisture on a clay-track since he dominated the Qualifying Race in the mud of Trentino, and he went on to do the same again today.

In the initial stages things seemed abnormally calm. Normally in MX2 all heck breaks loose on the opening laps, but everyone seemed to have their heads screwed on this time out as they searched for tidy and dry lines.

While not a lot was happening, Ferrandis livened things up with a ugly high-side in the same part of the track where Jeffrey Herlings threw it away spectacularly last year. He did save it though, it only allowed Paturel to close in, but he soon got things back under control and managed to lead every lap.

Around the halfway mark, Paturel was caught and passed by Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass who looked good up on the pegs through the deep mud ruts, very Stefan Everts-esque. Meanwhile, nobody ever expects Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings to ‘back it down’ but it seems he may have learned his lesson over the last few seasons as he rode pretty chilled after being squeezed on the start and only emerging out of turn one in about twentieth.

With two laps to go, that calmness we spoke of earlier in the race was biffed out the window and the brain in your lunchbox style of MX2 racing we’ve come to know and love was back.

Out of nowhere Herlings had everyone in his sight, including Ferrandis. Paturel definitely wasn’t daunted by the challenge of the red plate holder and made life difficult for him before he scrubbed past to take third.

On the final lap, The Bullet was all over his teammate for second while Paturel remained in striking distance. As the duo of KTM riders approached a back-marker with only a handful of corners to go, the two forked, Jonass went inside and Herlings went outside. The back-marker obviously saw Jonass first and swerved right, right into the path of Herlings who was nudged off the track. Wham-bam and thank you mam, Paturel took back third and held onto it.

Herlings finished fourth in frustration ahead of Wilvo Standing Construct Yamaha Official MX2 Team’s Aleksandr Tonkov and the young Italian Michele Cervellin who put in his best performance of the season for sixth.

MX2 Qualifying Race Top Ten: 1. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), 24:22.900; 2. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:02.563; 3. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +0:03.117; 4. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:03.584; 5. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, Yamaha), +0:22.840; 6. Michele Cervellin (ITA, Honda), +0:30.015; 7. Alvin Östlund (SWE, Yamaha), +0:33.187; 8. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), +0:33.568; 9. Adam Sterry (GBR, KTM), +0:39.970; 10. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:41.229.

Click here to obtain the complete results

All the photos of the MXGP of Spain will be available HERE

MXGP OF SPAIN – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1620m

Type of ground: Hard pack

Temperature: 22°C

Weather conditions: changeable

TIMETABLE

Sunday: EMX300 Race 2 08:45; EMX125 Race 2 09:50; MX2 Warm up 10:30; MXGP Warm up 10:50; EMX250 Race 2 11:30; MX2 Race 1 13:15; MXGP Race 1 14:15; MX2 Race 2 16:10; MXGP Race 2 17:10.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

MXGP of Spain

Watch the Qualifying Race highlights from in MXGP and MX2 here at the MXGP of Spain:

MXGP Qualifying Race Highlights 

MX2 Qualifying Race Highlights

TALAVERA DE LA REINA (Spain), 28 May 2016 - Youthstream is pleased to announce that Fiat Professional will be the title sponsor of the MXGP of Great Britain, which is set to take place at the spectacular circuit of Matterley Basin, in Winchester, the United Kingdom on the 18^th and 19^th of June.

Fiat Professional partnered with MXGP earlier this season and has since developed a strong and successful relationship. The MXGP of Great Britain will now be titled FULLBACK MXGP of Great Britain where Fiat Professional will receive extra coverage for optimum advertising of their fantastic vehicles.

Youthstream’s president Mr Giuseppe Luongo said: “Over the last years MXGP has seen significant growth and it has become global with presence in every continent. We are extremely proud that an internationally renowned company like FIAT Professional has chosen MXGP as their partner to promote their brand, and in particular the FULLBACK which is naturally well associated to Motocross. We thank FIAT Professional for their trust in us, and we believe that together we will continue to improve MXGP and FIAT Professional’s market.”

Domenico Gostoli, head of Fiat Professional in EMEA says: “ For us this is more than just a sponsorship. Fullback is a milestone of our role in the market and thanks to the motocross we can underline the sports soul of the brand and the off road value of our pick-up”

At each and every European round of the FIM Motocross World Championship Fiat Professional have an exhibition area where their products can be viewed. There is also at least one MXGP branded Fiat Professional FULLBACK, which has received an awesome response from the public and MXGP personnel. In addition, Fiat Professional is running a photo contest, ‘Motocross and Camper’, where two lucky winners can win 4 x Paddock passes to the MXGP of France, Great Britain and Lombardia-Italy and a ‘Living Area’ pass which allow them to camp in the same area that the riders camp inside a Camper based on Fiat Ducato.

The ‘Motocross and Camper’ competition is still active for anyone interested in going in the draw to win 4 x Paddock passes and a Living Area pass for the MXGP of France, the FULLBACK MXGP of Great Britain or the FULLBACK MXGP of Lombardia-Italy. For more information visit www.fiatcampermxgp.com

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

FIAT Professional

Talavera de la Reina is a little municipality located approximately 110km South West of Spain’s capital Madrid. It is an area that has a laid-back appeal, which is typically quiet and mellow, but tonight it was bought to life with some of the worlds fastest motocross riders venturing out into the city to meet and greet their fans.

Hundreds of devoted fans came out to the beautiful Jardines Prado for an autograph from their favorite riders, which included, of course, Marchetti Racing KTM’s Spaniard Jose Butron, as well as the younger Spanish talents, KTM Junior Team’s Jorge Prado and Honda Gariboldi’s Jorge Zaragoza. The world champions, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Romain Febvre and Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jordi Tixier also rocked out, as did Tixier’s Monster Energy Kawasaki teammates Clement Desalle, Petar Petrov and Hunter Lawrence, and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s duo of Max Nagl and Max Anstie, Wilvo Virus Performance KTM’s Shaun Simpson, Monster Energy DRT Kawasaki’s Vsevelod Brylyakov, Wilvo Standing Construct Yamaha’s duo of Aleksandr Tonkov and Alvin Ostlund and Kemea Yamaha’s Valentin Guillod.

Spanish people are some of the most passionate in the world, so there is always an awesome vibe at these types of events, which makes for an awesome atmosphere in and around the paddock here in Talavera de la Reina for the MXGP of Spain, round nine of the FIM Motocross World Championship, round five of the European Championship EMX250 and the third rounds of the European Championship EMX125 presented by FMF Racing and EMX300 presented by FMF Racing. 

TALAVERA DE LA REINA (Spain), 26 May 2016 – If you like massive scrubs, big whips and close racing, tune into the MXGP of Spain this weekend which will take place at the natural terrain, hilly venue of Talavera de la Reina. Honda Gariboldi’s flamboyant rookie sensation Tim Gajser leads the defending champion Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Romain Febvre by 4 points in the premier class, but the action doesn’t stop there! Fans will also be watching the eight-time champ Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli as he returns to speed while the likes of Rockstar Energy Factory Racing’s Max Nagl and Team HRC’s duo of Gautier Paulin and Evgeny Bobryshev could also be in good shape for some silverware.

Meanwhile things are heating up in MX2 with Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Dylan Ferrandis matching the pace of the once named untouchable Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings. 

Check the guides below to find out where you can watch the MXGP of Spain, or as always, anyone anywhere in the world can tune into www.mxgp-tv.com on Saturday and Sunday to watch all of the action, including the Qualifying Races, LIVE.

Also, don’t forget to check out the 26mn Magazine ‘Behind the Gate’, which is a filmed production that covers all the action, both on and off the track, with highlights from racing in MXGP and MX2, a GoPro on-board lap of the track, as well as the inside scoop from inside the paddock at each round of the FIM Motocross World Championship. The Behind the Gate 26mn Magazine covering MXGP of Spain will be screened on Wednesday June 1st at 08:30 (CET) on Eurosport 2.

EUROPE

EUROSPORT 2

Wednesday 01 June – 08:30 CET – Behind the Gate 26mn magazine

MOTORS TV

Sunday 29 May  – MX2 Race 1 – 13:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 29 May  – MXGP Race 1 – 14:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 29 May  – MX2 Race 2 – 16:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 29 May  – MXGP Race 2 – 17:00 CET – LIVE

BELGIUM

PLAY SPORTS

Sunday 29 May  – MX2 Race 2 – 16:00 CET - Live

Sunday 29 May  – MXGP Race 2 – 17:00 CET - Live

SPORZA

Sunday 29 May  –  20mn Races highlights – 00:30 CET

BULGARIA

BNT

Sunday 29 May  – MX2 Race 1 – 13:00 – CET - Live

Sunday 29 May  – MX2 Race 2 – 16:00 - CET – Live

FRANCE

EUROSPORT 2

Wednesday 01 June – 08:30 CET – Behind the Gate 26mn magazine

L’EQUIPE 21

Sunday 29 May  – MX2 Race 1 – 13:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 29 May  – MXGP Race 1 – 14:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 29 May  – MXGP Race 2 – 17:00 CET – LIVE

ITALY 

PREMIUM SPORTS 2

Sunday 29 May  – MX2 Race 1 – 13:10 – CET - Live

Sunday 29 May  – MXGP Race 1 – 14:10 CET - Live

Sunday 29 May  – MX2 Race 2 – 16:10 CET - Live

Sunday 29 May  – MXGP Race 2 – 17:10 CET - Live

ITALIA 2  

Sunday 29 May  – MXGP Race 1 & Race 2 – 00:55 CET - Delayed

SLOVENIA 

Sport TV

Sunday 29 May  – MX2 Race 1 – 13:00 - CET - Live

Sunday 29 May  – MXGP Race 1 – 14:00 - CET - Live

Sunday 29 May  – MX2 Race 2 – 16:00 - CET - Live

Sunday 29 May  – MXGP Race 2 – 17:00 - CET - Live

BRAZIL 

BANDSPORTS

Sunday 29 May  – MXGP Race 1 – 14:00 - CET - Live

Sunday 29 May  – MXGP Race 2 – 17:00 - CET - Live

USA- CANADA

CBS Sports Network

Sunday 30 May – MX2 Race 2 – 03.00 am EST (00.00am PST)

Sunday 29 May - MXGP Race 2 - 05.00 pm EST (02:00pm PST)

MIDDLE EAST - AFRICA 

BeIn Sports 

Sunday 29 May  – MX2 Race 1 – 13:00 - CET - Live

Sunday 29 May  – MXGP Race 1 – 14:00 - CET - Live

Sunday 29 May  – MX2 Race 2 – 16:00 - CET - Live

Sunday 29 May  – MXGP Race 2 – 17:00 - CET - Live

ASIA

FOX SPORTS 3  

Sunday 29 May  – MXGP Race 1 – 22:00 HKT – Live 

Sunday 29 May  – MXGP Race 2 – 23:00 HKT – Live

CHINA

FOX China

Sunday 29 May  – MXGP Race 1 – 22:00 HKT – Live 

Sunday 29 May  – MXGP Race 2 – 23:00 HKT – Live

THAILAND 

TRUE VISION

Sunday 29 May  – MX2 Race 1 – 18:00 - HKG- Live

Sunday 29 May  – MXGP Race 1 – 19:00 - HKG - Live

Sunday 29 May  – MX2 Race 2 – 21:00 - HKG - Live

Sunday 29 May  – MXGP Race 2 – 22:00 - HKG - Live

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.

All the photos of the MXGP of Spain will be available HERE

TIMETABLE

Saturday: EMX300 Free/Timed Practice 07:45; EMX250 Free/Timed Practice 08:20; EMX125 Group 1 Free/Timed Practice 08:55; EMX125 Group2 Free/Timed Practice 09:30; MX2 Free Practice 10:15; MXGP Free Practice 10:45; EMX300 Race 1 11:50; EMX125 Last chance Qualifying Race 12:35; EMX250 Race 1 13:20; MX2 Time Practice 14:00; MXGP Time Practice 14:35; MX2 Qualifying Race 16:10; MXGP Qualifying Race 17:00; EMX125 Race 1 17:40.

Sunday: EMX300 Race 2 08:55; EMX125 Race 2 09:50; MX2 Warm up 10:30; MXGP Warm up 10:50; EMX250 Race 2 11:30; MX2 Race 1 13:15; MXGP Race 1 14:15; MX2 Race 2 16:10; MXGP Race 2 17:10.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

MXGP of Spain

So, we have hit 351,000 LIKES on Facebook! To celebrate we will reward one lucky fan who took part in our most recent LIKE & SHARE competition on Facebook with 2 x VIP SKYBOX Gold Passes to the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations as well as 2 x Nights Accommodation at a hotel in the vicinity of Maggiora. We will announce the winner later this evening.

Thanks to you guys, we are making some awesome achievements on our Social Media platforms Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & Youtube, to celebrate 400K LIKES on Facebook we will be giving away:

2 x VIP SKYBOX Gold passes

1 x Night accommodation

At the Monster Energy SMX Riders’ and Manufacturers’ Cup which will take place on Saturday night, October 8^th inside the VELTINS-Arena, Germany. 

Click HERE to ENTER!

This weekend during the MXGP of Spain which will take place in Talavera de la Reina we run a competition where you could WIN massive Polisport prizes, a copy of MXGP2, The Official MXGP Videogame and a 2016 season pass to www.mxgp-tv.com.

All you have to do is to guess the MXGP of Spain’s top-three overall in MXGP class.

Click HERE to play the quiz on MXGP Facebook page and follow this link to enter the contest from a mobile phone: https://polisportcompetitionspain.pgtb.me/9dPHsl

TALAVERA DE LA REINA (Spain), 25 May 2016 – Holy smokes, we are about to hit the half-way mark in the 2016 FIM Motocross World Championship series with round nine of eighteen taking place this weekend on the old-school circuit of Talavera de la Reina, Spain.

So far we have no clues as to who will win the premier class. The rookie, Honda Gariboldi’s Tim Gajser leads by 4 points over the defending champion Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Romain Febvre, while both will have to keep an eye on the eight-time FIM Motocross World Champ Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli as he quietly chips away at their points in third.

Since we are living in the day and age of the ‘scrub’, Talavera de la Reina is really something to look forward to. The track itself is pretty much as close to natural terrain as it gets. It has plenty of decent hills, the type that riders can scrub really hard over, while the rest of the jumps are pretty much table tops which are cool to get sideways on. As for the surface, it’s clay which packs down really hard and generally allows the riders to get creative with their lines which in combination with the impressiveness of the jumps, always makes for awesome racing.

Talavera de la Reina first hosted a round of the FIM Motocross World Championship back in 1994 where American Donny Scmidt was the winner on a Yamaha YZ 250cc, while its most recent round was last year where Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli won in MXGP and Kemea Yamaha Racing’s Valentin Guillod won his first ever grand prix in the MX2 class.

This year is the tenth time that Talavera de la Reina will host the MXGP of Spain and in addition it will also host the fifth round of the European Championship EMX250 series as well as the third rounds of the European Championships EMX300 Presented by FMF Racing and EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli is the most recent winner of the MXGP of Spain. Although Tony has many accolades and multiple GP wins, last years win here in Talavera wasn’t just any old win. After an average start to the season last year, at least by his standards, TC222 decided to switch up everything.  His usual KTM 350SX-F got parked in the shed and he whipped out the big bad 450. He also benched his trademark fluro colors and wore red AXO racewear with white Sidi boots. Anyway, it’s not about the bike as Lance Armstrong once said, nor is it about his kit. Tony managed to win on his 450cc debut and still rides the 450 to this day.

Summer is on its way and so too is the real Antonio Cairoli who has built some solid momentum and confidence after winning the last two grand prix’.

If Honda Gariboldi’s Tim Gajser impressed you with his sick scrubs in Germany, you better hold your jaw in place because it’s bound to drop at the circuit renowned for its scrub enticing hills. Putting his insane whips aside, Tiga will also be running the red plate for the third time this year as he leads the championship, 4 points clear of Romain Febvre.

The MXGP of Spain in Talavera de la Reina was the first sign of big things to come for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Romain Febvre who hit a career milestone here when he landed on the podium for the first time in the premier class. While that was astonishing for the kid who was still under the radar at the time, what is more mind blowing is the fact that that podium finish led to a streak of 16 consecutive podium appearances. The defending champion broke that podium run at the fourth round this season in Patagonia Argentina.

The Frenchman’s most recent grand prix win was back in March in the sand of Valkenswaard, The Netherlands, which could fool you into thinking he’s a better sand rider, yet most people that know him as a rider would say he is definitely one of the strongest riders in the world on hard and slick surfaces which will make him a huge threat for the win this weekend.

Team Suzuki World MXGP’s duo of Kevin Strijbos and Ben Townley are two seasoned riders who should enjoy the old school flow to the circuit of Talavera. So too will Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Nagl who landed on the second step last year.

The current vice world champion, Gautier Paulin, and world number 3, Evgeny Bobryshev, will both be looking to light some candles on their Team HRC’s Honda’s as well.

As for the local hero Marchetti Racing KTM’s Jose Butron, he has been knocking on the door of the top ten all season long. It will cool to see him crack it this weekend for his fans.

2015 MXGP of Spain MXGP Top 3

1. Antonio Cairoli

2. Max Nagl

3. Romain Febvre

MXGP Championship Top Ten: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 335 points; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 331 p.; 3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 310 p.; 4. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 273 p.; 5. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 264 p.; 6. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 247 p.; 7. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 204 p.; 8. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 189 p.; 9. Valentin Guillod (SUI, YAM), 153 p.; 10. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 146 p.

There is a solid fan base of people hoping that Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Dylan Ferrandis will pin a challenge on Jeffrey Herlings once again this weekend. Since his return Ferrandis has by far exceeded expectations in terms of how quickly he has returned to speed, let alone the same speed of Jeffrey Herlings. Last year the Frenchman pulled out of the MXGP of Spain after tweaking his knee, but in saying that, the track also got the better of Herlings, who scarily high-sided into the face of a jump. Herlings came away unscathed, but the crash was ugly.

The Bullet, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings has won here once, back in 2014, but he only finished second last year after having a biggie which you can watch on our Youtube channel by clicking HERE.

While Herlings is labeled the king of sand and Talavera couldn’t be further from a sand circuit, it just makes smoking everyone on the hard-pack a sweeter feeling, which is what he’ll be aiming to do.

Team Suzuki World MX2’s Jeremy Seewer broke his podium streak last weekend after having a few spills. Nevertheless he is still sits second in the championship, 37 points up on Pauls Jonass.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass is also not a huge fan of clay, but the Latvian wonder child knows that it is his weakness and after being the surprise of the season last year when he finished as the vice world champion, it’s apparent he is a pretty fast learner.

One rider that is fond of a hard surface TM Racing Factory Team’s Samuele Bernardini who was on fire a couple of weeks ago in Italy. If the Italian star on the rise can keep his focus sharp, he could be in for his first ever podium finish this season.

Last but not least, there will be a bunch of Spanish fans out supporting their young talent Honda Gariboldi’s Jorge Zaragoza who will also be a special guest on the LIVE Studio Show which can be viewed for FREE on www.mxgp-tv.com

2015 MXGP of Spain MX2 Top 3

1. Valentin Guillod

2. Jeffrey Herlings

3. Jordi Tixier

MX2 Championship Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 397 points; 2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 297 p.; 3. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 260 p.; 4. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 211 p.; 5. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, YAM), 210 p.; 6. Petar Petrov (BUL, KAW), 202 p.; 7. Max Anstie (GBR, HUS), 183 p.; 8. Vsevolod Brylyakov (RUS, KAW), 182 p.; 9. Samuele Bernardini (ITA, TM), 179 p.; 10. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, KAW), 162 p.

All the photos of the MXGP of Spain will be available HERE

TIMETABLE

Saturday: EMX300 Free/Timed Practice 07:45; EMX250 Free/Timed Practice 08:20; EMX125 Group 1 Free/Timed Practice 08:55; EMX125 Group2 Free/Timed Practice 09:30; MX2 Free Practice 10:15; MXGP Free Practice 10:45; EMX300 Race 1 11:50; EMX125 Last chance Qualifying Race 12:35; EMX250 Race 1 13:20; MX2 Time Practice 14:00; MXGP Time Practice 14:35; MX2 Qualifying Race 16:10; MXGP Qualifying Race 17:00; EMX125 Race 1 17:40.

Sunday: EMX300 Race 2 08:55; EMX125 Race 2 09:50; MX2 Warm up 10:30; MXGP Warm up 10:50; EMX250 Race 2 11:30; MX2 Race 1 13:15; MXGP Race 1 14:15; MX2 Race 2 16:10; MXGP Race 2 17:10.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

MXGP of Spain

The biggest talking point in this year’s MXGP class has without question been the battle of the big three, MX2 world champion and red plate owner Tim Gajser, defending MXGP champion Romain Febvre, and of course eight times world champion Antonio Cairoli.

It’s been a long time, more than a decade that we have had three world champions of this level racing for a championship, and for sure it has added to an already exciting series. Of course the last time was back in 2005, when MX2 champion Ben Townley went up against duel champion Mickael Pichon, multiple champion Joel Smets, and the greatest of all time Stefan Everts (who also had eight world titles to his name).

We asked three riders their opinion of the top three. Jeffrey Herlings the king of the MX2 class and Red Bull KTM team-mate to Cairoli, and MXGP riders Shaun Simpson and Ken De Dycker.

Herlings who might move up to the MXGP class in 2017 finds it pretty exciting to watch the top three in the MXGP class battle.

“It is really cool to watch,” Herlings said. “Those guys are so fast. If you see Gajser he is one of the fastest in the class, maybe even the fastest, but he is making small mistakes, which lost him a lot of points, like in the second moto when he crashed while leading. I mean that might affect him at the end of the season, especially with somebody like Cairoli, who has made a lot of points in the last two rounds and is a great starter. He is only 25 points back now and he is so consistent and he is older and doesn’t make mistakes, he has a lot of experience. I think the MXGP class will go down to the wire in Glen Helen. It is mouthwatering to watch.

Leading MXGP rider Shaun Simpson is also impressed with the top three, and feels as though his fellow KTM rider Cairoli might have something for the two young guns.

“From Tim Gajsers point of view,” Simpson said. “He looks really comfortable on his bike, and he is willing to hang it out and he runs on the edge at times, and it works in his favor, and he rides his bike really well. That has taken him to the next level. Romain wants to be on the same level as Tim, and his bike is also working well, but Romain gets a little more on the edge than let’s say Jeremy Van Horebeek. Jeremy is more of a consistent member of the team, he just works away at a pace he is happy with, and always good for between third and fifth. His consistency is really good. I think the two front guys, they are a bit younger, they haven’t had any big crashes, or injuries. You can see the change in Jeffrey Herlings, there is a little extra added thing, where if he gets out of shape a little and backs it off and gets back on the right line. Whereas Tim and Romain, I wouldn’t say they are riding fearless, but they are riding on so much confidence, it makes them exceptional. With Tony, his set-up is still being figured out, but when you figure out your set-up, you still need to do hours to work out what your bike is going to do in every situation. I believe they have found something and give it another two or three weeks and he might be the third member of the exceptional group. He will just go on in leaps and bounds with this consistency and confidence, that the set-up is bringing him.”

Ken De Dycker who is currently out injured, but is a good friend of Cairoli knows that his Italian friend will be making life difficult for Gajser and Febvre.

“It has been impressive how Gajser stepped up so much,” De Dycker said. “Also so consistent, and then you have Romain, those two are probably the fastest, but I know Tony still has it and he will be there every race. They had a lot of work do to with his injury and also worked on the bike with a few things, so he will get better and better each week.”

This coming weekend will give more answers to the questions we look. Can the young guns fight back and stop the current victory streak of Cairoli (won in Germany and Italy), or will the biggest name on the start gate prove to be too consistent and too smart for the youngsters?