MXGP

Dean Ferris and the British Bike it Yamaha Cosworth team will not enter the 2014 FIM Motocross World Championship together after deciding to dissolve their agreement this week. Steve Dixon, owner and manager of the English based squad that has been present in Grand Prix racing for over two decades, was moved to comment.

“Having been in Grand Prix for 24 years I have worked with a lot of riders and we have had a lot of success year-in year-out and to help people like Carl Nunn, Billy Mackenzie, Andrew McFarlane, Zach Osborne, Mel Pocock, Arnaud Tonus and Dean Ferris achieve notable Grand Prix results as well as develop the YZ250F to a high level.”

“Dean, who is now 23 years old, realised after his great starts and results at the Motocross of Nations that his 250 class career was really only just starting. Since the Nations Dean and I have talked over his future and through experience I have learnt it is never good to retain a rider whose heart is elsewhere, it would only affect team spirit and potentially all the sponsors and partners. I took a few weeks to think about it and I feel happy I have made the right decision to let Dean financially compensate the contract and follow his dream to supercross and the USA. It may be the only shot he gets so I did not want to stand in the way.” 

“We are a strong and well established team that does not rely on one rider to get us through the season, we have a great record of picking riders and releasing their potential. Right now we have exciting times ahead with the development of the fantastic new 2014 YZ250F and getting Max Anstie to be a regular podium finisher. We also have a promising MX2 programme with two younger riders. The 2014 YZ450F Yamaha has been working really well through our testing so I am still tempted to enter the MXGP class!” 

“It was hard at first for Dean to approach me as he did not want to let us or Yamaha down, he was grateful for such a good opportunity in 2013 to show what he was finally capable of. Lastly it is good that all of this has been carried out amicably and professionally and that both us and Dean both go into 2014 happy with our decision.”

In 2014 the FIM World Motocross Championships will celebrate its 67th year of crowning World Motocross Champions. It is a history that makes the Grand Prix series the most traditional and wealthiest Motocross Championship in the World.

Back in 1947 when Bill Nilsson won the 500cc World title on an AJS machine nobody could have imaged how much the World of Motocross would change over time. Era’s of domination by countries like Sweden, Great Britain and Belgium, and now the total control that the Red Bull KTM Factory team with their two World MX1 and MX2 Champions Antonio Cairoli and Jeffrey Herlings.

One brand that has lacked major success in Motocross over the last 15 years is Husqvarna, but that might all change in 2014 as Tyla Rattray and Todd Waters try and give the MX1 effort a good reintroduction into the GP series.

Husqvarna has 15 World Motocross Championships to its name, however their last title came 14 years ago when Alessio Chiodi won the 1999 World 125cc Championship.

Husqvarna began its Motocross success story in 1960 when Nilsson picked up his second World 500cc Championship and it was an era that saw the (then) Swedish brand take control of the FIM World Motocross Championships.

After Nilsson’s victory, the 1962 500cc and 250cc Championships were won by two Swedish riders names Rolf Tibblin and Torsten Hallman. A year later both Tibblin and Hallman won again for the Husky team, and while the CZ factory did fight back a little with World titles to Paul Friedrichs in the 500cc class in 1966, 67 and 68, and Joel Robert and Victor Arbekov in the 250cc championship 
in 1964 and 1965, another Swedish rider Bengt Aberg who returned Husqvarna to the top of the GP podium with a World 500cc Championship in 1969 and 1970. 

Hallman was once again winning with 250cc titles in 1966 and 1967. Despite their best efforts in the early 1970’s Husqvarna didn’t win another World Motocross Championship until 1974 when Finnish legend Heikki Mikkola won the 500cc title from Suzuki mounted Roger De Coster. It had been Suzuki who had dominated both the 500cc and 250cc Championship in the previous seasons with De Coster and Robert.

Mikkola and Husqvarna added the World 250cc Championship in 1976 and in 1979 Swedish rider Hakan Carlqvist won the World 250cc Championship on a Husqvarna.

It wasn’t until 1993 when Belgian rider Jacky Martens won the 500cc World title that Husqvarna felt success on the Grand Prix scene, and then in 1998 and 1999 Alessio Chiodi won the World 125cc Championship riding the Husqvarna factory machine.

Since that 1999 title victory by Chiodi Husqvarna have struggled to come to terms with the power of teams like Rinaldi Yamaha and the Red Bull KTM Factory team, but with a little help from one of their biggest rivals (KTM), it is now looking like Husqvarna might just have the finances and motivation to once again fight for GP victories and possibly a World Motocross Championship.

Photo: Torsten Hallman

FUNCHAL (Portugal), 18 November 2013 - A meeting between Youthstream, the FIM and all the Motocross Manufacturers and Teams engaged in the FIM Motocross World Championship was held in Chavannes-de-Bogis on 31 October 2013.

The meeting was chaired by FIM President Mr Vito Ippolito and attended by:
FIM representatives:
 Executive Director, Sports Ignacio Verneda, Motocross Commission Director Wolfgang Srb and Motocross Coordinator Dirk De Neve.

Youthstream representatives: 
President Giuseppe Luongo, Board Member Ursula Luongo, Youthstream Director David Luongo, Youthstream CEO Didier Henriod, Youthstream CEO Daniele Rizzi and Youthstream Director Nikos Gounaris.

Motorcycle Sport Manufactures’ Association (MSMA): Secretary General, Takanao Tsubouchi.

Teams & Manufacturers: 
Roger Harvey (Honda), Oliver Goehring (Husqvarna), Steve Guttridge and Thierry Suzzoni (Kawasaki), Winfried Kerschhaggl and Stefan Everts (KTM), Sylvain Geboers and Thomas Ramsbacher (Suzuki), Marco Ricciardi (TM) and Laurens Klein Koerkamp (Yamaha).

During this meeting, which took place in a spirit of mutual respect and understanding, Youthstream, the FIM, and the Manufacturer and Teamrepresentatives discussed the 2013 Championship. The 2014 calendar, transport to the overseas events, track standards and actions with regards to sound problems were also on the agenda. They also shared their ideas and viewpoints on the classes, entries and age limit in the MX2 class, race formats, and the sporting and technical rules.

This meeting was followed by a meeting of the Motocross/SuperMoto Grand Prix Commission, which takes the final decisions.

LINKS
Youthstream
FIM

During the last five months, Stanley Leroux’ photographs of the Motocross World Championship have been exhibited at the Canon France showroom in Paris on one meter wide prints, and more recently at the Paris Photo Show, which welcomes over 80 000 visitors every year. The exhibition “Between heaven and earth” depicts the action and emotion of the Motocross World Championship, with pictures across four continents over the last three MXGP seasons. All the exhibited pictures have been taken during MXGP events, to showcase the intensity of the sport at its highest level of competition.

Canon France gave the opportunity to Stanley Leroux to show his best images of the sport in their official showroom, which is opened to the public. The very large prints, of one meter wide for the smallest, and 2.5 meter wide for the largest, let the images speak for themselves and show the visual impact of the Motocross World Championship.

To conclude this five-month exhibition, Stanley Leroux was offered the chance to exhibits his MXGP pictures last weekend at the Paris Photo Show, the major photo event in France which hosts all the main photo brands.

Motocross GP Album 2013, the annual book of the Motocross World Championship by Stanley Leroux, will be released in less than two weeks. This coffee table book features 200 pages of images and interviews, and can be ordered on www.motocrossgpalbum.com

Copyright: Photo: Stanley Leroux

Xavier Boog and Jens Getteman took last weekend off from their ’14 MXGP preparation to witness their fellow Honda rider Marc Marquez claiming the MotoGP world title in sunny Valencia. For both 24MX Honda riders and team manager Steven Lettani this was their very first taste of MotoGP.

Xavier and Jens personally met GP world champions like Stefan Bradl, Alvaro Bautista, Colin Edwards, Loris Capirossi and many other asphalt colleagues.

For many GP racers MX bikes are their second passion. Both Alvaro Bautista and Mattia Pasini have motocross as a part of their training routine. “I try to avoid the big jumps,” explains Bautista, “but motocross is so much fun.”

Photo: Copyright: 24MX Honda Racing