WMX

intu-Xanadù - ARROYOMOLINOS (Spain) 28 May 2022 – A hot day in Arroyomolinos concludes Saturday’s action at the MXGP of Spain, with Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Glenn Coldenhoff and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle taking control of the MXGP and MX2 qualifying races.

Despite temperatures well into the 30’s, both Coldenhoff and Vialle were able to keep their cool to secure pole position on the gate, ready for tomorrow’s races.

Alongside the MXGP and MX2 qualifying heats, we also witnessed the first races of the WMX and EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing, which were won by Big Van World MTX Kawasaki’s Courtney Duncan who made her return to racing after injury, while Fantic Factory Team Maddii’s Alexis Fueri was victorious in the 125cc category and will hope to repeat his success tomorrow for a strong overall result.

As the gate dropped for MXGP qualifying race, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Seewer took the lead early on with a flying start ahead of Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Mattia Guadagnini who was in the mix among the leaders which also included Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado and Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Glenn Coldenhoff.

In the opening lap, Standing Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass made some good moves as he got himself into third just behind Coldenhoff and Seewer.

By the beginning of the second lap, Coldenhoff was already in the lead, as Jonass had a moment and was passed by Prado and then had Team HRC’s Tim Gajser chasing him. Gajser made a mistake on a take-off of a jump which saw him land heavy off the track and crash of the result. The Slovenian got going fairly quickly, though was already down in 19^th.

Prado then got around Seewer for second as he set his sights on Coldenhoff for the win on home soil.

Jonass then crashed out of fourth as he tipped over in one of the corners. The Latvian dropped to ninth as Coldenhoff continued to lead Prado, Seewer and Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Maxime Renaux, along with Team HRC’s Mitch Evans.

Prado brought the gap down between him and Coldenhoff to less than a second as it looked like he was going to make a move, but the Dutchman was able to respond immediately to give himself some breathing room.

On lap eight, Renaux got by Seewer for third as Gajser made his way into 12^th in the closing stages and then into 11^th by the chequered flag.

Coldenhoff went on to claim his second qualifying race win of the season, crossing the line 4.095 seconds ahead of Prado, Renaux and Guadagnini who made some nice passes in the closing stages.

Glenn Coldenhoff: “I felt good straight away from this morning. The track is less tricky than last year which allows us to use more lines this time around but still it is easy to make a mistake. I pushed hard in the beginning of the race, I think I started in fourth or third and made my way up to first quite quickly and then rode my own rhythm and I look forward to tomorrow”.

Main Photo: Glenn Coldenhoff

Bottom Photos: 1. Jorge Prado 2. Maxime Renaux

MXGP - Qualifying Race – Top 10 Classification: 1. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Yamaha), 24:45.077; 2. Jorge Prado (ESP, GASGAS), +0:04.095; 3. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +0:11.130; 4. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, GASGAS), +0:15.536; 5. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:18.858; 6. Mitchell Evans (AUS, Honda), +0:21.524; 7. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Honda), +0:22.729; 8. Brian Bogers (NED, Husqvarna), +0:26.160; 9. Pauls Jonass (LAT, Husqvarna), +0:30.758; 10. Alberto Forato (ITA, GASGAS), +0:32.963;

In MX2 qualifying race, it was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle who led the way from early on in the heat as Guillem Farres of Rath’s Motorsports got off to a stellar start after getting around Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Thibault Benistant and Jago Geerts.

While trying to push for the lead, Farres crashed and dropped down the order, as Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Simon Längenfelder was looking to stick with the top three.

Vialle led the way as Mike Gwerder of WZ Racing Team was running well in fifth, all while F&H Kawasaki Racing’s Kevin Horgmo pushed Jorgen-Matthias Talviku from Sahkar Racing for sixth. The Norwegian was quick to make the pass shortly after.

Team Ship to Cycle Honda SR Motoblouz rider Stephen Rubini then crashed out of ninth as further up the field Längenfelder began to close in on Benistant. The Frenchman had no room for error as Horgmo was right behind too after getting by Talviku and Gwerder.

Benistant was looking to respond to Längenfelder’s threat, though the German was able to read it well and find the perfect opportunity to pass him for third. Geerts was still in second and pushing Vialle who remained unbothered.

In the closing stages we saw Big Van World MTX Kawasaki’s Mikkel Haarup push Benistant for fifth, though the Frenchman was not going to let another position slip by and held on until the end.

Despite maintaining a close gap for much of the race, even with mistakes, Vialle was able to keep Geerts behind him to win the race, as Längenfelder crossed the line in third ahead of Horgmo and Benistant.

Tom Vialle: “I felt great all day, I was first in free practice and got pole position in time practice which was nice. Then I had a good start, Jago again was pushing from behind. But I managed to control the race which was nice. I felt good today and let’s see tomorrow, I hope for a good start and good races”.

Main Photo: Tom Vialle

Bottom Photos: 1. Jago Geerts 2. Simon Längenfelder

MX2 - Qualifying Race – Top 10 Classification: 1. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 24:43.071; 2. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:04.399; 3. Simon Längenfelder (GER, GASGAS), +0:26.789; 4. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, Kawasaki), +0:38.432; 5. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), +0:39.640; 6. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, Kawasaki), +0:40.931; 7. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), +0:46.367; 8. Andrea Adamo (ITA, GASGAS), +0:55.392; 9. Isak Gifting (SWE, KTM), +0:58.590; 10. Mike Gwerder (SUI, KTM), +1:00.532;

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

You can find the complete results HERE.

MXGP SPAIN QUICK FACTS:

Circuit length: 1660m

Type of ground: Hard-pack

Temperature: 33° C

Weather conditions: Sunny

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

intu Xanadú - Arroyomolinos

MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 25 May 2022 – After a weekend off, the FIM Motocross World Championship continues this weekend with the ninth round of the series which returns to intu Xanadú – Arroyomolinos for the MXGP of Spain!

The hard-pack circuit in Arroyomolinos, close to the Spanish capital of Madrid, was first introduced to the MXGP calendar in 2020, when despite the pandemic, still delivered a fantastic Grand Prix.

Among the first winners of the GP in intu Xanadú – Arroyomolinos was Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle in MXGP and MX2. Meanwhile last season, it was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings and Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Maxime Renaux who claimed victories.

This season will be the third consecutive time that MXGP will be hosted in Arroyomolinos, and a huge crowd of Spanish fans is expected. Last season the fan support made for an incredible atmosphere, as the roar of the crowd could be felt and heard throughout each area of the circuit, especially the grandstands!

This time around we will also see rounds of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship and the EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing, along with the opener of the Junior e-Motocross series.

Heading into the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend, there is no doubt about who the favourite to win will be. Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado will be the rider to watch as he will be looking to give his fans a show and something to cheer about as he will have his eyes set on the win.

Prado made his return to racing in Sardinia, after a shoulder injury sustained in practice. The MXGP of Sardegna was one of the toughest GPs of the year, thus far, and he still managed to finish on the podium, which was a surprise for him and maybe a few others. Not because he is not capable, but because riding with an injury is never easy!

Meanwhile Team HRC’s Tim Gajser will be looking to bounce back from a tough time in Riola Sardo, after sickness took a toll on him and made for a very hard weekend. The Slovenian could manage a 2-12 result and miss the podium for the first time this season though still continues to lead the championship standings by 81-points over Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Maxime Renaux and Jeremy Seewer.

The duo had a tough weekend in Sardinia, while their teammate Glenn Coldenhoff secured his first podium of the 2022 season to finish third overall. Though Renaux and Seewer are known to be strong in the hard-pack circuits and Renaux won in Spain last season in MX2, so both could be podium threats for the weekend.

Though the stand-out rider from the previous GP is no doubt Gebben Van Venrooy Yamaha Racing’s Calvin Vlaanderen. Vlaanderen went on dominate the weekend entirely, going fastest in time practice, winning the qualifying heat as well as both of the races. It was a dream weekend as he claimed his first overall victory in the premier MXGP category, and such a result will no doubt fill him with a lot of confidence going into the rest of the season which will hopefully be exciting for him.

Another noteworthy performance came from Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Mattia Guadagnini, who made the shock move to the MXGP class. After a slow start to his season in MX2 and after not delivering the results he had hope for, it was time for a change of scenery and pace as he moved up to the ‘big boys’ class. Guadagnini put on a strong performance in Riola Sardo where he finished 8^th overall, which is a very good starting point and a result to build upon.

Of course, this weekend, all eyes will be on the local riders, not only Prado but also Honda 114 Motorsports Ruben Fernandez who has delivered a string of strong results too and a podium in Latvia. And like any rider, he will be keen on giving his best in front of the home crowd. Another local name comes from KMP Honda Racing’s Jorge Zaragoza who will also line-up in Spain.

Main Photo: Jorge Prado MXGP of Spain 2021

Bottom Photos: 1. Tim Gajser 2. Ruben Fernandez

MXGP - World Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 367 points; 2. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 288 p.; 3. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 264 p.; 4. Jorge Prado (ESP, GAS), 260 p.; 5. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, YAM), 234 p.; 6. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 213 p.; 7. Brian Bogers (NED, HUS), 205 p.; 8. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, BET), 189 p.; 9. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, YAM), 178 p.; 10. Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 172 p.;

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle was the previous round winner at the MXGP of Sardegna on a sand track, which was a big achievement for the Frenchman, who is not typically a sand rider, unlike his title rival Jago Geerts of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing.

Vialle and Geerts battled closely throughout the GP, which is just the perfect representation of what the championship fight looks like, with the pair only separated by six points as Geerts holds the red plate. The Spanish GP is on a hard-pack track, but both riders have proven this year that they can win on various terrains so it’s not so easy to say who will have the upper hand. Vialle has previously won in Arroyomolinos, while Geerts is still chasing his first victory there which could come this weekend.

A couple of weeks ago, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Thibault Benistant joined the pair on the box in Riola Sardo. Benistant delivered two very solid results, finishing 3-3 in the races. Typically, Benistant is a much stronger hard-pack rider which will be a positive thing heading into this weekend’s races, making a back-to-back podium a possibility.

F&H Kawasaki Racing’s Kevin Horgmo finished fourth overall in Sardinia after a couple of costly mistakes, which was also the story for Hitachi KTM Fuelled by Milwaukee’s Isak Gifting who were the top podium contenders on the sand. It will be interesting to see how they can bounce back this weekend on a different circuit.

A rider who could be strong this weekend is Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Simon Längenfelder as he starts to prepare for his home round which is coming in just a couple of weeks. Since his impressive victory in Matterley Basin, we are yet to see the German on the podium, though he has been not too far off on several occasions and the Spanish GP could be an opportunity for him to get back to fighting at the sharp end.

426 Motorsports’ Conrad Mewse is set to miss the MXGP of Spain after sustaining an injury at the national championship in Britain, though the extent of his injury is yet to be confirmed.

Local riders to look out for this weekend includes a couple of names that are familiar to the EMX250 Championship, including WZ Racing Team’s Oriol Oliver, Yago Martinez, Raths Motorsport’s David Braceras and Eric Tomas who will test out their abilities in the MX2 class on home soil.

Main Photo: MX2 Start MXGP of Spain 2021

Bottom Photos: 1. Tom Vialle; 2. Jago Geerts 

MX2 - World Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 338 points; 2. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 332 p.; 3. Simon Längenfelder (GER, GAS), 245 p.; 4. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, KAW), 239 p.; 5. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KAW), 233 p.; 6. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 211 p.; 7. Andrea Adamo (ITA, GAS), 198 p.; 8. Isak Gifting (SWE, KTM), 193 p.; 9. Stephen Rubini (FRA, HON), 175 p.; 10. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, GAS), 172 p.;

TIMETABLE (Local Timing CEST)

SATURDAY: 08:50 WMX Free Practice, 09:15 EMX125 Free Practice, 09:45 MXE Free/Time Practice, 10:05 WMX Qualifying Practice, 10:50 MX2 Free Practice, 11:20 MXGP Free Practice, 12:10 EMX125 Qualifying Practice, 12:55 MXE Race 1, 13:25 MX2 Time Practice, 14:00 MXGP Time Practice, 14:45 WMX Race 1, 15:30 EMX125 Race 1, 16:25 MX2 Qualifying Race, 17:10 MXGP Qualifying Race.

SUNDAY: 09:40 EMX125 Race 2, 10:25 MX2 Warm-up, 10:45 MXGP Warm-up, 11:15 WMX Race 2, 13:15 MX2 Race 1, 14:15 MXGP Race 1, 16:10 MX2 Race 2, 17:10 MXGP Race 2.

Don’t miss your chance to watch the best riders in Spain this weekend. Get your tickets HERE!

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

You can find the complete results HERE.

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

FIM Europe

intu Xanadú - Arroyomolinos

The FIM Motocross World Championship continues this weekend with the ninth round in intu Xanadú – Arroyomolinos for the MXGP of Spain!

Check out the timetable and entry lists for the event below:

TIMETABLE

MXGP Entry List

MX2 Entry List

WMX Entry List

EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Entry List

RIOLA SARDO (Sardinia) 15 May 2022 – The third round of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship has concluded in Riola Sardo, with Shana van der Vlist securing the overall round of Sardegna victory and celebrating her first trip to the top of the box in 2022.

The WMX racing saw plenty of action, with intense battles between championship rivals Nancy Van De Ven of Ceres 71 Racing and JK Yamaha Racing’s Lynn Valk, who ultimately got very unlucky with a DNF in race two and lost the red plate.

In the first WMX race of the weekend, it was Nancy Van De Ven of Ceres 71 Racing who grabbed the holeshot as she briefly led JK Yamaha Racing’s Lynn Valk and Shana van der Vlist. Though Valk was quick to find her way into the lead as Van De Ven dropped to third as van der Vlist found her way through too.

Amadine Verstappen also started well in fourth ahead of Daniela Guillen, Larissa Papenmeier of Yamaha Racing 243 and Tahlia Jade O’Hare of Honda 114 Motorsports.

van der Vlist then set the fastest lap of the race as she looked to close in on Valk, while Van De Ven began to lose ground to the two ladies ahead. The Yamaha rider then crashed on lap four and dropped back to 10^th, though was determined to take back as many points as possible as she got herself into eighth shortly after.

On lap five, van der Vlist took the lead from Valk and then got her head down and managed to pull away as she looked unaffected by the heat and the sandy conditions.

Britt Jans-Beken was also making some moves as she got herself up two positions in less than half a lap to fifth. In the latter stages of the race, she found herself in a close battle for fourth with Verstappen and Papenmeier, though crashed and dropped back to seventh.

In the end, van der Vlist won with a 22.087 second advantage over Valk and Guillen, Papenmeier and Verstappen.

In the second heat, it was once again Van De Ven with the holeshot ahead of van der Vlist and Verstappen. Meanwhile, Valk started down in around 10^th.

In the opening stages, van der Vlist quickly found her way into second as she focused on the leader ahead, all while Verstappen dropped back to fifth.

A few moments later Valk and Verstappen made contact as Verstappen went down big. The Kawasaki rider received medical attention immediately as Valk was forced to DNF due to bike damage from the collision and as a result lost valuable championship points and the red plate.

Guillen was running strong in third, on her way to her first WMX podium ever. As van der Vlist was setting herself up for making a pass on Van De Ven. The KTM rider made several attempts as we watched the pair battle it out in the closing stages of the race, though Van De Ven was able to keep her cool and win her second race of the season. van der Vlist was second ahead of Guillen, Martine Hughes of Honda114 Motorsports and Jans-Beken.

With a 1-2 score, van der Vlist took her first overall victory of the season, with Van De Ven second on the box with a 6-1 scorecard ahead of Guillen who went 3-3 to secure her first WMX podium.

Valk’s DNF in race two proved to be costly as she now drops to second in the standings while Van De Ven leads with a 12-point advantage. While van der Vlist is third.

The next round of the Women’s Motocross World Championship will take place in intu Xanadú – Arroyomolinos for the round of Spain on the 28^th and 29^th of May.

Shana van der Vlist: “It was the best race of the season and also for me the best track. I’m really happy that I could make up some points and I’m looking forward to the next race”.

Main Photo: WMX Podium

Bottom Photos: 1. Shana van der Vlist 2. Daniela Guillen

WMX - Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), 25:08.335; 2. Lynn Valk (NED, Yamaha), +0:22.087; 3. Daniela Guillen (ESP, KTM), +0:29.265; 4. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Yamaha), +0:33.337; 5. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:37.791; 6. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, Yamaha), +0:47.650; 7. Britt Jans-Beken (NED, KTM), +1:00.942; 8. Sara Andersen (DEN, KTM), +1:02.351; 9. Mathea Seleboe (NOR, Yamaha), +1:02.474; 10. Martine Hughes (NOR, Honda), +1:37.607;

WMX - Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, Yamaha), 25:30.163; 2. Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), +0:01.069; 3. Daniela Guillen (ESP, KTM), +0:23.277; 4. Martine Hughes (NOR, Honda), +0:31.182; 5. Britt Jans-Beken (NED, KTM), +0:48.488; 6. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Yamaha), +1:08.241; 7. Tahlia Jade O'Hare (AUS, Honda), +1:13.355; 8. Giorgia Blasigh (ITA, Yamaha), +1:33.698; 9. Sara Andersen (DEN, KTM), +1:36.957; 10. Danee Gelissen (NED, KTM), +2:03.032;

WMX - Overall Top 10 Classification: 1. Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), 47 points; 2. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, YAM), 40 p.; 3. Daniela Guillen (ESP, KTM), 40 p.; 4. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, YAM), 33 p.; 5. Britt Jans-Beken (NED, KTM), 30 p.; 6. Martine Hughes (NOR, HON), 29 p.; 7. Sara Andersen (DEN, KTM), 25 p.; 8. Giorgia Blasigh (ITA, YAM), 23 p.; 9. Mathea Seleboe (NOR, YAM), 22 p.; 10. Lynn Valk (NED, YAM), 22 p.;

WMX – Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, YAM), 131 points; 2. Lynn Valk (NED, YAM), 119 p.; 3. Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), 115 p.; 4. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, YAM), 96 p.; 5. Martine Hughes (NOR, HON), 81 p.; 6. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, KAW), 79 p.; 7. Sara Andersen (DEN, KTM), 70 p.; 8. Giorgia Blasigh (ITA, YAM), 68 p.; 9. Britt Jans-Beken (NED, KTM), 60 p.; 10. Malou Jakobsen (DEN, KTM), 57 p.;

WMX - Manufacturers Classification: 1. Yamaha, 147 points; 2. KTM, 118 p.; 3. Honda, 97 p.; 4. Kawasaki, 81 p.; 5. Fantic, 35 p.; 6. Husqvarna, 32 p.; 7. GASGAS, 7 p.;

All the photos from the MXGP of Sardegna will be available HERE.

You can find the complete results HERE.

MXGP SARDEGNA QUICK FACTS:

Circuit length: 1750m

Type of ground: Sand

Temperature: 26° C

Weather conditions: Sunny

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

Riola Sardo