MXGP

This weekend there is an awesome prize up for grabs thanks to the team at Moto-Master! All you have to do to go in the draw to WIN:

• A complete set of Moto-Master brake discs and pads
• MXGP2 The Official MXGP Videogame
• Access to www.mxgp-tv.com

Is NAME 3 riders that use Moto-Master brakes, one KTM rider, one Husqvarna, one Yamaha rider and one Kawasaki rider.

Click here to PLAY & WIN! 

VALKENSWAARD (The Netherlands), 24 March 2016 – Touch down! We’re back on European soil for the third round of the FIM Motocross World Championship, which will take place in Valkenswaard, The Netherlands this Easter weekend, Sunday 27^th and Monday 28^th of March.

The racing this weekend is expected to be off the hook for a number of reasons. The first and most obvious reason is, it is the first round of MXGP that will take place on European soil and with it being in Valkenswaard, only 20 kilometers from the border of Belgium and the world renowned circuit of Lommel, a location known to many as the motocross mecca of the world, it should be rammed with motocross mad fans.

Orange will undoubtedly be the color of choice as it is the national color of The Netherlands and ironically three of the countries fastest motocross riders, Jeffrey Herlings, Glenn Coldenhoff and Davy Pootjes are all racing for the orange army, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing.

In addition, the sugar buzz from all that Easter inspired chocolate will have the always animated and enthusiastic crowd of Valkenswaard pumped up to support the second round of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship where the Kiwi who shook the world at round one with a double moto victory on her WMX debut, Courtney Duncan mentored and supported by the Lizzard, former FIM Motocross vice World Champion Josh Coppins, will be back to see if she can do the same again. Also the first round of the European Championships EMX250 will take place as well as the first of the two-stroke series’ European Championship EMX300 presented by FMF.

There is never any guarantee who is going to top the box in MXGP these days. Once upon a time Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli was the steady bet for the win, especially in the sand, but last year it was his undoing after he crashed during race one and broke his hand. The dominator of the grand prix thereafter was Team HRC’s Gautier Paulin who was on rails all weekend long and rode to an easy double victory for his first and only MXGP win of the year. Devastatingly, Paulin’s dream of another MXGP of Europe victory has gone up in smoke after a training accident in Lommel a couple of weeks ago has forced him out with a back injury.

On a more positive note, Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Clement Desalle should be back on the pace this weekend if all has gone to plan, and also the eight time FIM Motocross World Champ, Cairoli, should be a little further down the road in terms of his return to 100% fitness and strength. We will be able to ask him directly as he will be LIVE on the Studio Show with Paul Malin and Lisa Leyland on Sunday 27^th March on www.mxgp-tv.com at 11:30 CET.

Meanwhile, the defending champ Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Romain Febvre hasn’t wasted anytime reclaiming the red plate and if we include the results of last years championship, the fiery Frenchman hasn’t missed the podium in the last fifteen rounds of MXGP. Last year though, the MXGP of Europe in Valkenswaard was his worst result of the year where he finished seventh, but to counter that, the year before he finished second in MX2 behind none other than Jeffrey Herlings. This weekend he will head in with a six point lead over the new rookie sensation, Tim Gajser.

As for the flashy teenage wunderkind Honda Gariboldi’s Tim Gajser, he also had a shocker at Valkenswaard last year where he had one of the most horrific crashes of the season in Qualifying, and then ended up in the pond during race one and had a few other drama’s in race two. This year, a few people questioned how Gajser would gel with the 450, and at the tender age of 19 probably thought it was a dramatic move to jump up to the premier class. Regardless of what the bench racers were revving up about, Gajser has already proven he can handle the bigger bike with his dominating performance at the season opener in Qatar where he went 1 – 1 for the overall, and then again in Thailand where he rode a mature race for 3 – 4 and second overall.

Meanwhile, in 2014 a podium finish at the MXGP of Thailand sent Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Van Horebeek on a podium streak where he racked up eleven podium finishes on the bounce. Can he do it again? We are about to find out.

Team HRC’s Evgeny Bobryshev is another rider who has curbed back his bull-dog natured riding style and now takes a calmer and more methodical approach to his racing. After trying to conserve energy in the stifling heat of Thailand, Bobby will be over the moon to be back in cooler temperatures and on the sand where he finished fourth last year.

As for the local speedster, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Glenn Coldenhoff has entered his second full season in the MXGP class. The kid known to his fans as ‘The Hoff’ has already proven he’s capable of winning grand prix’ as he won the MXGP of Latvia fair and square last year. The circuit here in Valkenswaard is very familiar territory for the young gun on orange and he will definitely be looking to do something special for his fans here this weekend.

MXGP Championship Top Ten: 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 92 points; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 86 p.; 3. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 74 p.; 4. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 68 p.; 5. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 64 p.; 6. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 57 p.; 7. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 48 p.; 8. Tommy Searle (GBR, KAW), 47 p.; 9. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 44 p.; 10. Ben Townley (NZL, SUZ), 42 p.

2015 MXGP of Europe MXGP Top 3

1. Gautier Paulin

2. Max Nagl

3. Clement Desalle

Pressure is no stranger to Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings who will line up this weekend with arguably the entire crowd behind him as he tries to win his 50^th grand prix for both himself and his devoted fans. Valkenswaard is his back yard and since he was old enough to race MX2, 15 years old, he is yet to be beaten on this circuit. This exact track and location was also his first ever grand prix victory, back in 2010, and if he wins again this year it will not only be his 50^th overall win of his career, it will be his seventh consecutive grand prix win at the circuit of Valkenswaard.

One of the most down to earth kids in the paddock has had a fantastic start to the season despite being ill at round one. Team Suzuki World MX2’s Jeremy Seewer will line up this weekend fresh off of his career best finish, second place at the MXGP of Thailand. Seewer doesn’t have the hottest track record around Valkenswaard but you can bet your boots that since the legend Stefan Everts has taken the reigns at factory Suzuki that he has taught his MX2 racing Swiss superstar a thing or two about how to be quick in the sand.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass is no stranger to sand circuits and has gone on record to say he prefers the softer terrain to the harder packed tracks. Last year Jonass fell to bits in Holland after his impressive start to the season, but he did manage to bounce back and ended up finishing second overall in the championship. Surely if all goes to plan, the number 41 of Jonass will be on fire.

Meanwhile the Yamaha boys of MX2, Wilvo Standing Construct Yamaha Official MX2 Team’s Aleksandr Tonkov and Kemea Yamaha Official MX Team’s Benoit Paturel were on the cable in Thailand. Tonkov in particular could be a key player this weekend as it was his best race of the year last season. Another rider to look out for in the sand is Team Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Petar Petrov who is currently fifth in the championship standings.

As for the other Dutchman, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Davy Pootjes, he put on quite a show for his fans at the MXGP of The Netherlands in Assen last year when he pulled a FOX holeshot and led a couple of laps. The young star on the rise has a promising future ahead of him and clearly loves riding with the crowd behind him. This weekend will be his first race back since breaking his collarbone at the season opener in Qatar, but he should be on form and excited to put in some super fast laps.

MX2 Championship Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 100 points; 2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 74 p.; 3. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, YAM), 70 p.; 4. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 68 p.; 5. Petar Petrov (BUL, KAW), 56 p.; 6. Samuele Bernardini (ITA, TM), 47 p.; 7. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 46 p.; 8. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, KAW), 44 p.; 9. Brent Van doninck (BEL, YAM), 44 p.; 10. Vsevolod Brylyakov (RUS, KAW), 38 p.

2015 MXGP of Europe MX2 Top 3

1. Jeffrey Herlings

2. Jordi Tixier

3. Aleksandr Tonkov

All the photos of the MXGP of Europe will be available here

TIMETABLE

Sunday: EMX250 Group1 07:45; EMX250 Group 2 08:20; EMX250 Group 3 09:00; WMX Free Practice 09:45; MX2 Free Practice 10:15; MXGP Free Practice 10:45; WMX Time Practice 11:15; EMX250 Last chance Qualifying Race 1 11:50; EMX250 Last chance Qualifying Race 2 12:30; EMX300 Free/Timed practice 13:10; MX2 Time Practice 14:00; MXGP Time Practice 14:35; WMX Race 1 15:20; MX2 Qualifying Race 16:10; MXGP Qualifying Race 17:00; EMX250 Race 1 17:40; EMX300 Race 1 18:20.

Monday: EMX300 Warm-up 08:15; WMX Warm-up 08:30; EMX250 Warm-up 08:45; MX2 Warm up 09:00; MXGP Warm up 09:20; EMX300 Race 2 09:50; WMX Race 2 10:40; 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 Europe

Tommy Searle is building to something that I think will lead to a podium in the MXGP class quickly. The British rider who spent two years struggling with injuries has looked sharp in the opening two rounds of the FIM Motocross World Championships, and heads to Valkenswaard with a lot of confidence.

A win last weekend in his national championship continued his trend of improvement in 2016, and the Steve Dixon Kawasaki rider doesn’t mind the deep sand in Holland.

“I know I am capable of doing it and I have always been a confident person. Even in the last couple of years, with all the injuries, it has been tough, but then actually doing it something has to click. Winning last weekend was good, and the track was good preparation for Valkenswaard.”

In Thailand a few weeks ago Searle really just wanted to survive. Having injured himself at both the 2014 and 2014 versions of the event he knew he didn’t want to spend another night in hospital in Thailand. Still thought sickness and some bad luck didn’t make his Thailand adventure as good as it could have been.

“I was sick, which didn’t help, but I still got a sixth in the first moto, I was happy with that. In the second moto I was racing for ninth place and was expecting to move forward, but the fuel inlet pipe came out from the tank and I got fuel in my face; I knew that if I didn’t stop the bike would have run out of fuel. So I had to stop and put in back on; I lost five places but overall I guess I have to be happy to go back to Europe safe, even though it would have been better to get another top ten result. It was hot, but in the second race I was so scared with the fuel that I didn’t push too hard. It was a difficult day.”

The previous week in Qatar Searle looked comfortable, but also careful. Coming back from two years of hell meant the talented 26-year-old wasn’t taking any risks, so early in the season.

“It is nice to leave the race healthy and that makes me very happy. In each session I learnt more, rode smooth, made no mistakes and I had good lap times. I was one of the fastest riders so there’s nothing to worry about and step by step I think I can get up to the front. I had injuries each of the last two seasons so it’s important for me to get some races under my belt. The track was bumpy; you have to be sensible here with the darkness but overall it was a good weekend.”

Now onto Valkenswaard, a circuit he hasn’t raced on in four years due to injuries. Back in 2013 he finished in ninth place in his MXGP debut at the circuit. Can he finally put together a solid weekend at Valkenswaard, like he did in 2012 when he finished third in the MX2 class?

Take a look at the latest issue of Motocross Illustrated. Stories about Jeffrey Herlings, Max Anstie, Aleksandr Tonkov, the MXGP of Thailand and the AMA Supercross. Also a bunch of cool images from the best photographers in the world. Check it out right here.

The Grand Prix of Europe, set for the famous Dutch circuit of Valkenswaard this weekend will have a massive participation from the local riders.

The Dutch crowd will really have something to cheer about this year with one of the strongest field of Dutch riders in some time. While Holland is known as a country with a lot of motocross heritage victories have fallen mainly on the shoulder of Jeffrey Herlings in recent years, with some support from Glenn Coldenhoff.

Last year’s EMX250 championship win by Nick Kouwenberg, plus the improvement of Davy Pootjes gives the Dutch a strong look in 2016.

Herlings of course will once again lead the parade, and with a couple of history making moment, it is expected even the often quiet Dutch might make some noise.

“It’s no secret I have a good feeling at Valkenswaard,” Herlings said recently. “I have won there on six occasions and will be going for number seven this year. Also a chance for my 50^th Grand Prix victory. Valkenswaard is close to my home, and there are always a lot of public, so I think this year will once again be a great weekend.”

Despite winning the EMX250 championship Kouwenberg missed out on something he dearly wanted in 2015, a win in Valkenswaard. He will want to return to Valkenswaard this year, and take that victory. Last year it didn’t go to plan around the Dutch facility.

“Valkenswaard I wanted to win, but I had a small crash and we had problems with the suspension, so it didn’t work out for the win and we made second place. I made a nice pass in the last lap to go from third to second and that is what I most remember. I wanted so badly to win.”

Kouwenberg will have a lot of company from his fellow countrymen, with around 15 Dutch riders racing in the EMX250 class in Valkenswaard. A similar number of local riders will race in the EMX300 class.

Coldenhoff who picked up a minor injury in Thailand, which mean he had to miss the opening round of his National championship will come into Valkenswaard as a bit of a question mark. Last year he finished in ninth place overall, and in 2014 didn’t even race his home event.

Pootjes is a similar situation, having injured himself in Qatar, the younger Red Bull KTM Factory rider is good in the sand, and might just surprise a lot of people in the MX2 class.

PHOTO: KTM

The newly formed 24MX Lucas Oil Honda team will make its MXGP debut at Valkenswaard with Steven Lenoir. The British MX2 champion was drafted in after the injuries of their permanent riders Ken De Dycker and Matiss Karro.

In a freak coincidence 24MX Lucas Oil Honda lost both riders just one week ahead of the MXGP season opener in Qatar. With back-to-back overseas events, the time was too short to bring in suitable replacements for Ken and Matiss on such short notice.

Frenchman Steven Lenoir will be making his MXGP debut in Holland. The 24-year old former EMX250 champion has been focusing on racing the British scene lately. After four seasons in the UK Steven has amassed British MX2 and MX2 Nationals titles and a string of podiums. Lenoir made a successful transition to the 450 bike this winter, he underlined his potential with podiums in French international races earlier this season. Furthermore Lenoir is known for his ability to provide valuable technical feedback, as such he's also test rider for Bos suspension.

Steven Lenoir: “This is a pretty cool opportunity to return to GP racing! I feel strong for the moment and racing on the 450 bike is something that fits my style. As far as racing the world championship goes it’s been a while but I think that all those years racing in England have helped me to become the rider I am today. I have definitely improved, matured and I’m more rounded I would say. First of all I want to enjoy this experience and make the best of the occasion without any kind of pressure. I have to say thanks to my team boss Paul Hobbs (Team Dyer and Butler) for allowing me to race in GPs and to 24MX Lucas Oil Honda for their kind invitation!”

Marc Boone: “We’re looking forward to go racing now. The last couple of weeks have been very difficult but we’re pleased to get behind the gate with Steven (Lenoir). With Steven we have an exciting young rider on our bike and although he doesn’t have a lot of experience on the 450 we immediately noticed his professionalism and his hunger. However all of this would not have been possible without the understanding of his team boss. Therefore I’d like to thank Mr. Hobbs. We also talked to Tanel Leok. Unfortunately a deal with him fell apart at the very last minute. It's a shame but it's one of those things that come with the territory."

Copyright: Photo: 24MX Honda Racing

MONACO (Principality of Monaco), 21 March 2016 - Youthstream and Milestone are pleased to announce the Real Events 2015 Game Mode for MXGP2. The game will be available on April 7^th 2016 for PlayStation®4, Xbox One®, the all-in-one games and entertainment system and Windows PC®/STEAM™.

In MXGP2 19 Real Events, 18 for GP and 1 for MXoN, will be available. The player can relive the moments that have characterized the 2015 edition of the Championship. Players can change the destiny of Ryan Villopoto against Antonio Cairoli during the MXGP of Qatar after a starting trouble, overtake Gautier Paulin, be in the boots of Shaun Simpson during the MXGP of Belgium and much more.

Check the video on the official Youtube Channel by clicking HERE

The full list of Real Events includes:

MXGP2 – The Official Motocross Videogame is developed by Milestone S.r.l., Italy’s leading videogame developer for consoles and PC, and the world’s foremost developer of videogames dedicated to the world of motorcycling.

Follow us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/MXGPVideogame, on the official YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/MXGPVideogame, check out #MXGPVideogame, or visit the site www.mxgpvideogame.com.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

Milestone

Dylan Ferrandis of the Monster Energy Kawasaki MX2 Racing Team underwent successful surgery last week to repair the damage to his right shoulder sustained during the MXGP of Thailand.

After finishing runner-up in the opening GP of the season in Qatar and posting the fastest lap during the timed practice session in Thailand the young Frenchman had an unfortunate crash during the qualifying race. He crashed onto his right shoulder in the waves section and was unable to contest the points-scoring races the next day; he flew back to France and, following a number of medical examinations, underwent surgery in Lyon last week. During his recuperation Dylan is working in close cooperation with his doctor as he maintains his physical condition training to ensure he will be ready to race his KX250F-SR Kawasaki competitively as soon as his doctor gives him the green light for a comeback.

Dylan Ferrandis: “It’s always difficult to accept an injury, especially so early in the season after such a great start to the series. I was feeling good physically after training hard this winter; maybe I felt better than at any time in my career. The bike was already very competitive, and the team was also working hard to make even more advances. Now I can only work again hard to prepare my comeback; I can't wait to get back on the bike, but I want to be fully prepared before my return to racing."

Steve Guttridge (Kawasaki Motors Europe Racing Manager): "Such injuries can unfortunately be part of this tough sport! It's a cruel blow both for the team, who have worked so hard to provide a competitive race bike this winter, and of course for Dylan, who had already shown his speed and potential to win on the KX250F-SR in Qatar. For sure he was going to mount a strong challenge for the title this season. We believe the operation went very well; Dylan is already recovering and starting his physical training again in order to come back even stronger than before so we all wish him the best for a speedy return."

Jean Jacques Luisetti (Team Owner): “Of course we are very disappointed with this injury, as we saw that Dylan was one of the fastest riders in the championship during the first GP. It’s just a question of time now, but he will recover very soon. We’ll focus during the coming GPs on Petar Petrov and Hunter Lawrence who have both show great potential since the beginning of the season, and we’ll prepare for Dylan’s comeback. Dylan will meet the fans this weekend at the Marseilles Motorcycles Exhibition that we organise in partnership with Monster Energy.”

The FIM Motocross World Championship and the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship series are ready for their European debut next weekend 27^th and 28^th March in Valkenswaard.

The MXGP, MX2 and WMX Entry Lists for the MXGP of Europe are official and available here below.

MXGP Entry List

MX2 Entry List

WMX Entry List

The next round of the MXGP and MX2 championships will be played out at a very popular venue. The eurocircuit in Valkenswaard is considered one of our crown jewels on the GP scene and while Valkenswaard might not be considered one of the real old school Grand Prix circuits of the 1960′s it still has a long relationship with the FIM Motocross World Championships.

Back in 1974 Sylvain Geboers topped the 250cc Grand Prix. Geboers would end the 1974 season in 11th place, and that victory in Holland would be the great rider’s last big win on the International scene.

It would be 18 years before the 250cc class would return to Valkenswaard and in this new era Stefan Everts would show good speed around the twisty, tough sand track. A young Everts (the new World 125cc champion) had moved to the 250cc class in 1992 and shocked the world with victory around Valkenswaard.

He would then add victories at the eurocircuit in 1994, 1995, 1996, and 2004. Other riders to win in the 250cc class at Valkenswaard were Greg Albertyn in 1993, Marnicq Bervoets twice in 1997 and 1999, Sebastien Tortelli in 1998, Frederic Bolley in 2000, and Mickael Pichon in 2002.

In 2003 Pichon won the MX1/MotocrossGP class after a hard battle with Stefan Everts. The two collided mid-race, breaking the front spokes on Everts bike. It was a time when Pichon rode at his best ever, taking the first three GPs of the season easily and looking likely to win the title (which eventually went to Everts)

In the 500cc class the first GP at Valkenswaard was held in 1980 and Belgian rider Andre Vromans won. The 500cc class didn’t venture to Valkenswaard as often as the 250cc class, and there would only be a handful of Open class winners around the Valkenswaard circuit, those being Dave Thorpe in 1985, Dirk Geukens in 1989, Billy Liles in 1990, Marnicq Bervoets in 2000, Joel Smets in 2002. Smets won his first Valkenswaard Grand Prix leading home Bervoets and Everts. Smets would add a 650cc win in Valkenswaard in 2003.

In the 125cc/MX2 class the history of Valkenswaard is mixed, in 1981 Marc Valkeneers won with 3-1 results, Harry Everts was second with 3-2 results, but the news of the day was the 1-DNF result by Eric Geboers.

The DNF by Geboers would cost him the title as Everts won with a 15-point cushion 211pts to 197pts. In 1987 the Dutch golden boy Dave Strijbos would claim victory with 1-1 results, while two other Dutchman Pedro Tragter and John Van Den Berk finished second and third. It was the golden era of Motocross in Holland.

South African Grant Langston won in the 125cc class in 2000, while Steve Ramon won the 125cc class in 2002 and 2003. In 2004 Ben Townley dominated the Dutch GP, going 1-1 for victory.

Valkenswaard missed two years on the Grand Prix series, and when it returned in 2007 it was Josh Coppins and Antonio Cairoli who would win in the MX1 and MX2 class, giving Yamaha a double victory.

In 2008 Ken De Dycker took a 1-1 victory in the MX1 class and Tyla Rattray produced a win in the MX2 class. Jonathan Barragan would score a shock victory in the MX1 class in 2009 and Marvin Musquin would win the MX2.

The King of Valkenswaard, Jeffrey Herlings began his amazing domination of the MX2 class in Valkenswaard with wins in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015, and on each occasion scoring 1-1 victories. This year he goes for victory number seven!!

Another KTM hero Cairoli would do a similar thing, winning the MX1 class in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 giving him his sixth GP victory at Valkenswaard (five in MXGP and one in MX2).