WMX

RIOLA SARDO (Sardinia) 14 May 2022 – Day one at the MXGP of Sardegna has concluded with exciting qualifying races in both MXGP and MX2 that saw Gebben Van Venrooy Yamaha Racing’s Calvin Vlaanderen and Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jago Geerts win and thus securing pole position for tomorrow’s action.

A tough sandy track, with the added bonus of the sunshine and hot weather made for some challenging conditions, though this did not affect the intensity of the racing as we witnessed some very close battles across all categories.

Alongside the FIM Motocross World Championship races, we also saw the first heats of the WMX and EMX250 categories which were won by Shana Van der Vlist and Hutten Metaal Yamaha Racing’s Rick Elzinga.

In MXGP qualifying race, it was Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado who took the holeshot from Gebben Van Venrooy Yamaha Racing’s Calvin Vlaanderen and Team HRC’s Tim Gajser.

A couple of riders got unlucky in the first corner, this included the MXGP rookie Mattia Guadagnini of Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing who lined-up in the premiere class for the very first time, along with Alberto Forato of SM Action Racing Team YUASA Battery and Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Seewer who went down in the first corner.

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Glenn Coldenhoff started well too, and briefly passed Gajser on the opening lap before getting passed back by the Slovenian.

Standing Construct Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass passed Henry Jacobi of JM Honda Racing for fifth in the early stages of the race, as Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Maxime Renaux got by Ruben Fernandez of Honda 114 Motorsports for eighth.

Prado then looked solid as he went purple in a couple of the sectors and looked to break free of Vlaanderen. Though the Yamaha rider had other ideas and instead pushed the Spaniard for the lead. The pair traded places several times but ultimately it was Vlaanderen who secured the position.

Seewer then crashed again, before crashing once more later on. It was a tough race for the Swiss who finished 18^th.

It looked like Gajser was settled in third place, though he quickly upped his pace and got by Prado on lap eight, as Standing Construct Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Brian Bogers passed Coldenhoff for fourth. Though Coldenhoff responded.

In the final laps of the race, Prado came under immense pressure from Coldenhoff, Bogers and Renaux who were all starting to form a train behind him.  Coldenhoff went by and Renaux was trying to do the same, but the pair came together, and the Spaniard and the Frenchman crashed.

Vlaanderen was able to keep Gajser at bay to claim his first qualifying win of the season, with Gajser second and Coldenhoff third, ahead of Bogers, Jonass, Renaux, Team HRC’s Mitch Evans and Prado, who dropped back to eighth. 

Calvin Vlaanderen: “It was definitely a good day for me, my first qualifying race, so definitely a nice feeling. I tried to save some energy there to be honest, I passed Prado and then I kind of set a good comfortable pace. Then I saw Tim coming the last couple of laps and I had to try and push so he didn’t catch me. Nice feeling for tomorrow and definitely some good memories last year, so we will try to be better than that this year”.

Main Photo: MXGP Start

Bottom Photos: 1. Calvin Vlaanderen; 2. Tim Gajser

MXGP - Qualifying Race – Top 10 Classification: 1. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Yamaha), 24:45.230; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:03.241; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Yamaha), +0:07.535; 4. Brian Bogers (NED, Husqvarna), +0:08.810; 5. Pauls Jonass (LAT, Husqvarna), +0:21.193; 6. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +0:23.441; 7. Mitchell Evans (AUS, Honda), +0:27.577; 8. Jorge Prado (ESP, GASGAS), +0:31.443; 9. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Honda), +0:32.131; 10. Henry Jacobi (GER, Honda), +0:35.805;

In MX2 qualifying race, it was Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Thibault Benistant who led the way with F&H Kawasaki Racing’s Kevin Horgmo second ahead of Conrad Mewse of 426 Motorsports and Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jago Geerts.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle got unlucky as he went down in the first corner and was left buried in the back.

Horgmo was quick to apply the pressure onto Benistant as Geerts got by Mewse for third, then not too long after was on the heels of Horgmo for second. It took Geerts three laps to find his way past his teammate and take over the lead.

Vialle was also making good progress as he got himself inside the top 10 within the first few laps. He made some good passes later in the race too and eventually fought back to fifth.

Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Simon Längenfelder was the next rider to pass Mewse as Hitachi KTM Fuelled by Milwaukee’s Isak Gifting suffered a bike issue which saw him DNF the qualifying heat.

In the closing stages SM Action Racing Team YUASA Battery’s Andrea Adamo was looking solid after finding his way into fifth, though this all ended with the Italian crashing and dropping to 7^th.

In the end, Geerts claimed his fifth qualifying race victory of the season with a very comfortable margin over Benistant, Horgmo, Längenfelder and Vialle.

Jago Geerts: “The qualifying went well. I had a pretty good start and then after a couple laps I took the lead and just felt good on the track. Had a good pace and I'm ready for tomorrow. The weather was really hot here compared to Belgium, so the races will be hard for sure. But yeah, looking forward to tomorrow”.

Main Photo: Jago Geerts

Bottom Photos: 1. Jago Geerts and Thibault Benistant; 2. Kevin Horgmo

MX2 - Qualifying Race – Top 10 Classification: 1. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), 24:46.541; 2. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), +0:06.365; 3. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, Kawasaki), +0:09.963; 4. Simon Längenfelder (GER, GASGAS), +0:11.386; 5. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), +0:15.825; 6. Conrad Mewse (GBR, KTM), +0:26.064; 7. Andrea Adamo (ITA, GASGAS), +0:33.368; 8. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, Kawasaki), +0:45.596; 9. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), +0:47.547; 10. Kevin Brumann (SUI, Yamaha), +0:54.545;

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

FIM Europe

Riola Sardo

RIOLA SARDO (Sardegna) 12 May 2022 – The FIM Motocross World Championship continues this weekend with a back-to-back Grand Prix which will head to the ‘Island of Sport’ as Riola Sardo will host the second edition of the MXGP of Sardegna.

Riola Sardo is a well-known circuit among the riders in the paddock, as it is a regular stop of the famous Internazionali d’Italia and now part of the MXGP calendar for the second year in a row.

The circuit itself is a typical sand track, though very particular, as despite any rain or water the ground dries very quickly. In comparison to other sand tracks on the calendar, such as Lommel, Riola Sardo is not as deep but still presents a big challenge to the riders.

Last year there was plenty to celebrate at the MXGP of Sardegna as it made its debut to the FIM Motocross World Championship. Not only did it host one of the most intense racing weekends on the calendar that saw the MXGP title chase take a huge turn, but it also hosted the finals of the EMX65 and EMX85 Championships.

This weekend, alongside the regular World Championship racing we will see rounds of the EMX250 as well as the Women’s Motocross World Championship.

In MXGP, all eyes will be on the championship leader Tim Gajser of Team HRC who will enter the MXGP of Sardegna as the man to beat. Last year, Gajser arrived in Riola Sardo with a fresh shoulder injury and that weekend he also lost to championship lead to Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings. But this time around things will be different, as currently Gajser is 81 points ahead and has an incredible track record so far, with six out of seven GP victories this season so far and having gone 1-1 at the last three Grand Prix’s consecutively.

By missing the MXGP of Italy due to injury, Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado, lost more vital championship points as he currently sits fourth behind Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Maxime Renaux and Jeremy Seewer who were third and second on the box last weekend. 

Both riders looked strong in Maggiora, but it will be interesting if they can take their success from the hardpack track to the sandy Riola Sardo and repeat their success once again. Last season in MX2, Renaux had some nice battles with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle and ended up on the box, so there is no reason he cannot do that again this time around in MXGP.

Gebben Van Venrooy Yamaha Racing’s Calvin Vlaanderen was impressive during the MXGP of Maggiora as he got his first top four overall result of the season. In the opening heat of the MXGP class, Vlaanderen took his first Fox Holeshot of 2022 and led six laps of the race. The Dutchman eventually drifted back to fourth for his best result of the year so far. And following such a positive weekend, it would be nice to see Vlaanderen build upon that in Riola Sardo, where he actually finished fourth overall too last season with a consistent 4-4 result.

Another rider to watch this weekend is Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP’s Ben Watson who also had his best weekend of the season in Maggiora. The Brit was the second recipient of the Fox Holeshot in the second MXGP race and briefly led too. In the end the Brit was able to bring it home in fourth for sixth overall, which will no doubt be a huge confidence boost. Watson has struggled in the beginning of the season, but hopefully the result last weekend in Italy will be just a stepping-stone for the factory Kawasaki rider onto better things for the rest of the championship.

Home rider, Alberto Forato of SM Action Racing Team YUASA Battery was the top scoring Italian at the MXGP of Italy in Maggiora last weekend, finishing 15^th overall which was probably not his best result this season. But Forato has been consistent this year and often battling at the sharp end, week in week out, therefore a solid result can be expected from him.

In Maggiora we also saw the comeback of Beta SDM Corse Racing Team’s Alessandro Lupino who had several surgeries to clear the infection from appendicitis. In race one Lupino managed 14^th which was his best result but still a very good effort as he rides himself back to strength. This weekend will be tough for the Italian but no doubt a challenge that he will take on with both hands.

Though possibly the biggest news of the weekend is that Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Mattia Guadagnini will step-up to the MXGP class from this weekend as he tests his abilities on the biggest 450cc bike to see if he will be better suited to the more powerful engine. While Riola Sardo is not the easiest track to make an MXGP debut, there is no doubt that Guadagnini will be more motivated than ever to use this weekend as a great learning race.

MXGP of Sardegna – MXGP Top 3:

1. Jeffrey Herlings

2. Jorge Prado

3. Romain Febvre

Main Photo: MXGP Start 2021

Bottom Photos: 1. Tim Gajser 2. Jeremy Seewer

MXGP - World Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 336 points; 2. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 255 p.; 3. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 231 p.; 4. Jorge Prado (ESP, GAS), 220 p.; 5. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, YAM), 199 p.; 6. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 194 p.; 7. Brian Bogers (NED, HUS), 173 p.; 8. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, BET), 166 p.; 9. Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 149 p.; 10. Alberto Forato (ITA, GAS), 132 p.;

In MX2, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jago Geerts enters the eighth round of the series with a slim lead over Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle as just six points separate the pair.

Geerts is among the favourites for the top step this weekend as he enters the race with two back-to-back GP victories from Latvia and Italy and is also back on a sand-based circuit, which we all know is one of his strong points.

But Vialle is also a serious contender having gone 1-1 last year in Riola Sardo after some nice battles with Renaux and Geerts too. While the last two weekends have not been the best for Vialle, this doesn’t mean he is not capable of bouncing back with a victory in Sardinia.

Unfortuntely Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Kay de Wolf who is typically another strong sand rider, is forced to miss the MXGP of Sardegna due to a hand injury. 

During the last race in Italy, a few rides stood out which should be interesting to keep an eye on for this weekend, one of those riders being Stephen Rubini from Ship to Cycle Honda SR Motoblouz. The Frenchman looked impressive in the opening race as he challenged Geerts for the race win and ended his weekend with his first ever MX2 podium, which means he will enter this race full of confidence. Of course the biggest thing will be whether he can deliver the same performance on the sand as he did on the hard pack.

It will also be interesting to see what Hitachi KTM Fuelled by Milwaukee’s Isak Gifting and Kay Karssemakers can show this weekend after some strong results in Maggiora. Gifting finished race one in third last weekend which was one of his best rides this season, but if we also look back on his results last year, where he finished fifth overall, we could see another nice ride from the Swedish rider this weekend.

There’s also Diga Procross KTM Racing Team’s Liam Everts who turned heads at the Italian Grand Prix, finishing in fourth, after battling at the sharp end for the entire race, but then unfortunately failed to match the result in race two. This weekend it would be nice to see Everts deliver two solid results for a strong overall scorecard, especially coming back to a track that he lined-up for one of his first races in MX2 just last season.

Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Simon Längenfelder had a positive weekend in Maggiora with a fourth overall. In the last few has struggled, but last week it looked like Längenfelder made a step in the right direction.

This weekend, F&H Kawasaki Racing’s Kevin Horgmo could be another rider challenging at the sharp end as he proved in Latvia that his sand riding is rather strong, which is no doubt thanks to the hard work put in by the Norwegian and the team coach Marc De Reuver. In Kegums Horgmo scored his first ever MX2 podium and led some laps too.

MXGP of Sardegna – MX2 Top 3:

1. Tom Vialle

2. Maxime Renaux

3. Kay de Wolf

Main Photo: MX2 Start 2021

Bottom Photos: 1. Jago Geerts 2. Kay de Wolf 

MX2 - World Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 291 points; 2. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 285 p.; 3. Simon Längenfelder (GER, GAS), 216 p.; 4. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 211 p.; 5. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, KAW), 211 p.; 6. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KAW), 199 p.; 7. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, GAS), 172 p.; 8. Andrea Adamo (ITA, GAS), 169 p.; 9. Isak Gifting (SWE, KTM), 165 p.; 10. Stephen Rubini (FRA, HON), 158 p.;

TIMETABLE (Local Timing CEST)

SATURDAY: 09:45 WMX Free Practice, 10:15 EMX250 Free Practice, 10:50 MX2 Free Practice, 11:20 MXGP Free Practice, 12:10 WMX Qualifying Practice, 12:45 EMX250 Qualifying Practice, 13:25 MX2 Time Practice, 14:00 MXGP Time Practice, 14:45 WMX Race 1, 15:30 EMX250 Race 1, 16:25 MX2 Qualifying Race, 17:10 MXGP Qualifying Race.

SUNDAY: 09:45 WMX Race 2, 10:20 MX2 Warm-up, 10:45 MXGP Warm-up, 11:30 EMX250 Race 2, 13:15 MX2 Race 1, 14:15 MXGP Race 1, 16:10 MX2 Race 2, 17:10 MXGP Race 2.

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

You can find the complete results HERE.

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

FIM Europe

Riola Sardo

The FIM Motocross World Championship heads to Riola Sardo for the eighth round of the series and the second ever edition of the MXGP of Sardegna!

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

TIMETABLE

MXGP ENTRY LIST

MX2 ENTRY LIST

WMX ENTRY LIST

EMX250 ENTRY LIST

For the second year in row the FIM Motocross World Championship will head to Sardinia, as Riola Sardo is set to host the MXGP of Sardegna next weekend on the 14^th and 15^th of May.

Alongside the regular MXGP and MX2 races, the weekend will also see rounds of the Women’s Motocross World Championship as well as the EMX250 category.

This weekend an opening press conference was organised where the mayor of Riola Sardo Lorenzo Pinna, Sardinia Region Minister of Tourism Gianni Chessa and Fulvio Maiorca, organizer of the MXGP of Sardegna were present to emphasise the great work carried out by Motoclub Le dune and the Ministry of Tourism of Sardegna Region to host a stop of the FIM Motocross World Championship. Thanks to their great cooperation in making the event possible once again.

Infront Moto Racing is looking forward to returning to Riola Sardo to see the second edition of the MXGP in the beautiful island of Sardinia.

AGUEDA (Portugal) 3 April 2022 – The second round of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship saw JK Yamaha Racing’s Lynn Valk dominate both races to secure her first overall victory of the season and take home the red plate.

Before the races even started, defending World Champion Courtney Duncan of Big Van World MTX Kawasaki Racing suffered a huge blow to her title hopes, after a crash in the free practice session left her with an injury and therefore deemed her unfit to take part in the races. This left the door open for Nancy Van De Ven of Ceres 71 Racing and Valk the chance to continue their fight at the top of the standings.

In the first WMX race, it was Sara Andersen with a flying start, as she closely led Larissa Papenmeier of Yamaha Racing 423, Van De Ven and Valk.  

Front the get-go, Andersen pulled a nice gap to the ladies behind her, as Valk slipped past Van De Ven and Papenmeier to move into second. Though Van De Ven was not going to let the fellow Dutch rider get away with it, as she slipped back past her.

As Andersen continued her lead, the battle between Valk and Van De Ven intensified. The pair went at it for much of the race, but on lap eight is when we saw Valk finally find her way into the lead. Andersen dropped from first to third and then a lap later to fourth as Van De Ven and Papenmeier got by also.

Further down the field, Martine Hughes of Honda 114 Motorsports was making great progress after starting the race down in around the top 10. She made some nice passes on the likes of Amadine Verstappen of BUD Racing Kawasaki and Shana van der Vlist to finish the race in fifth.

In the closing stages of the race, it was a Yamaha 1-2-3 as Valk, Van de Ven and Papenmeier led the way. Papenmeier made several attempts on Van De Ven, but the Dutch rider was not backing down.

In the end, Valk secured her second race win of the season ahead of Van De Ven and Papenmeier.

In race two, it was Valk that time around who got a strong jump out of the gate, but by the second corner, Van De Ven got herself into the lead. Van der Vlist started well in third ahead of Hughes and Papenmeier. O’Hare was right there in sixth and was applying the pressure onto the ladies ahead.

It took Valk a lap to finally get by Van De Ven for good and that’s when she started to pull away. Though Van De Ven kept it close for the majority of the race, before losing ground on the leader in the closing stages of the heat.

Behind them, Andersen and O’Hare were having a great battle for fifth, as Hughes dropped back to ninth. She made some nice passes but with five laps to go dropped it once more and did not finish the race. Andersen also did not finish the race, as did Britt Jans-Beken.

In the end, Valk won the race by 4.199 seconds over Van De Ven with van der Vlist third.

In terms of the podium, a 1-1 result gave Valk her first overall victory of the 2022 season, as Van De Ven placed second on the box with two second place finishes ahead of Papenemeier who was third.

Valk now leads the WMX championship standings with 97 points, 6 ahead of Van De Ven and van der Vlist who is third with 68 points.

The next round of the WMX series will take place in Sardegna on the 14^th – 15^th of May.

Lynn Valk: “It was perfect. I took a good start for second and took it a little bit easy as it was easy to make mistakes on the track. I got the lead and could control the race so I’m very happy. It’s amazing, it was a good weekend, the riding was very good, but I couldn’t do it without the people behind me, my brother and dad from home, my mum here, my team, my mechanic. I will enjoy it now and will be back for the next race to do my best!”.

Main Photos: WMX Podium / WMX Start

Bottom Photos: 1. Lynn Valk 2. Nancy Van De Ven

WMX - Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Lynn Valk (NED, Yamaha), 25:34.087; 2. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, Yamaha), +0:07.434; 3. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Yamaha), +0:07.991; 4. Sara Andersen (DEN, KTM), +0:24.765; 5. Martine Hughes (NOR, Honda), +0:29.552; 6. Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), +0:38.935; 7. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:50.039; 8. Britt Jans-Beken (NED, KTM), +0:52.010; 9. Malou Jakobsen (DEN, KTM), +0:55.719; 10. Giorgia Blasigh (ITA, Yamaha), +1:04.742;

WMX - Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Lynn Valk (NED, Yamaha), 24:27.436; 2. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, Yamaha), +0:04.199; 3. Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), +0:13.532; 4. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Yamaha), +0:15.262; 5. Tahlia Jade O'Hare (AUS, Honda), +0:44.916; 6. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:49.742; 7. Malou Jakobsen (DEN, KTM), +1:34.529; 8. Giorgia Blasigh (ITA, Yamaha), +1:42.526; 9. Sandra Keller (SUI, Yamaha), +1:49.879; 10. Mathea Seleboe (NOR, Yamaha), +2:00.834;

WMX - Overall Top 10 Classification: 1. Lynn Valk (NED, YAM), 50 points; 2. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, YAM), 44 p.; 3. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, YAM), 38 p.; 4. Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), 35 p.; 5. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, KAW), 29 p.; 6. Malou Jakobsen (DEN, KTM), 26 p.; 7. Tahlia Jade O'Hare (AUS, HON), 25 p.; 8. Giorgia Blasigh (ITA, YAM), 24 p.; 9. Anne Borchers (GER, FAN), 19 p.; 10. Sara Andersen (DEN, KTM), 19 p.;

WMX – Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Lynn Valk (NED, YAM), 97 points; 2. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, YAM), 91 p.; 3. Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), 68 p.; 4. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, YAM), 63 p.; 5. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, KAW), 63 p.; 6. Martine Hughes (NOR, HON), 52 p.; 7. Malou Jakobsen (DEN, KTM), 49 p.; 8. Sara Andersen (DEN, KTM), 45 p.; 9. Giorgia Blasigh (ITA, YAM), 45 p.; 10. Tahlia Jade O'Hare (AUS, HON), 42 p.;

WMX - Manufacturers Classification: 1. Yamaha, 100 points; 2. KTM, 71 p.; 3. Honda, 68 p.; 4. Kawasaki, 65 p.; 5. Fantic, 35 p.; 6. Husqvarna, 31 p.; 7. GASGAS, 1 p.;

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

You can find the complete results HERE.

MXGP OF PORTUGAL QUICK FACTS:

Circuit length: 1630m

Type of ground: Clay Based

Temperature: 16° C

Weather conditions: Sunny

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

MXGP of Portugal