WMX

PANGKAL PINANG (Indonesia), 5 March 2017 - The FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship started this week with race one on Saturday and race two taking place on Sunday where Altherm JCR Yamaha’s Courtney Duncan took the first Red Plate of the season.

On Race 1 Nancy Van de Ven came out on a mission, making minimal errors and leaving her with a 1 minute and 24 second lead across the finish. Team Nine Six Four’s Nicky van Wordragen finished in a well earned second position followed by Anne Borchers from Germany while Team One One Four’s Livia Lancelot and MXFonta Yamaha Racing’s Kiara Fontanesi had issues and were looking to rebound Sunday and that is exactly what they did.

For Sunday’s race 2 New Zealand’s Altherm JCR Yamaha’s Courtney Duncan came out well prepared and it showed, she won the race and after her 5th place on race 1 she grabbed the overall and the red plate. However, she had a short fall in which she later said: “my coach, Josh was by my side and guided me through it all day and we got the job done…I didn’t want to have a second, I really wanted to  have a win here, so I charged back and got the win!”

Nicky Van Wordragen from the Netherlands rode consistent between the two days earning herself second overall. Creymert Racing’s Shana van der Vlist was a top performer in race 1 finishing 4th, but her well earned eighth in race 2 gave her the final spot on the podium. German Anne Borchers was 3rd in race 1 but after a demanding race 2 she slid back one position in the overall classification finishing 4th.

Former champion MXFonta Yamaha Racing’s Kiara Fontanesi had a few mistakes on day one but was determined on Sunday, she finished in a strong second place in race two putting herself 5th overall.

Last year’s World Champion, Team One One Four’s Livia Lancelot had a strong showing in race 2 after problems in race one. Lancelot responded to the challenge and came out 9th overall while Nancy Van de Ven finished 10th overall due to a disqualification on race 2.

WMX Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, Yamaha), 26:31.788; 2. Nicky van Wordragen (NED, Yamaha), +1:24.993; 3. Anne Borchers (GER, Suzuki), -1 lap(s); 4. Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), -1 lap(s); 5. Courtney Duncan (NZL, Yamaha), -1 lap(s); 6. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Suzuki), -1 lap(s); 7. Elaine MacEachern (GBR, Husqvarna), -1 lap(s); 8. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, KTM), -2 lap(s); 9. Genette Vaage (NOR, KTM), -2 lap(s); 10. Virginie Germond (SUI, Yamaha), -2 lap(s)

WMX Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Courtney Duncan (NZL, Yamaha), 26:20.636; 2. Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, Yamaha), +0:19.658; 3. Livia Lancelot (FRA, Kawasaki), +3:47.043; 4. Nicky van Wordragen (NED, Yamaha), -1 lap(s); 5. Genette Vaage (NOR, KTM), -1 lap(s); 6. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Suzuki), -1 lap(s); 7. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, KTM), -1 lap(s); 8. Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), -1 lap(s); 9. Francesca Nocera (ITA, Suzuki), -1 lap(s); 10. Anne Borchers (GER, Suzuki), -1 lap(s)

WMX Overall Top 10: 1. Courtney Duncan (NZL, YAM), 41 points; 2. Nicky van Wordragen (NED, YAM), 40 p.; 3. Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), 31 p.; 4. Anne Borchers (GER, SUZ), 31 p.; 5. Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, YAM), 30 p.; 6. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, SUZ), 30 p.; 7. Genette Vaage (NOR, KTM), 28 p.; 8. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, KTM), 27 p.; 9. Livia Lancelot (FRA, KAW), 26 p.; 10. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, YAM), 25 p.

WMX Championship Top 10: 1. Courtney Duncan (NZL, YAM), 41 points; 2. Nicky van Wordragen (NED, YAM), 40 p.; 3. Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), 31 p.; 4. Anne Borchers (GER, SUZ), 31 p.; 5. Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, YAM), 30 p.; 6. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, SUZ), 30 p.; 7. Genette Vaage (NOR, KTM), 28 p.; 8. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, KTM), 27 p.; 9. Livia Lancelot (FRA, KAW), 26 p.; 10. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, YAM), 25 p.

WMX Manufacturer: 1. Yamaha, 50 points; 2. Suzuki, 35 p.; 3. KTM, 34 p.; 4. Kawasaki, 26 p.; 5. Husqvarna, 18 p

NEXT ROUND

The next round of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship will take place on April 16^th in Pietramurata, Trentino. 

Click here to obtain the complete results.

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

MXGP INDONESIA – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1600m

Type of ground: clay

Temperature: 24°C

Weather conditions: changeable

Weekend Crowd Attendance: 56,000

WMX was 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.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

MXGP of Indonesia

PANGKAL PINANG, (Indonesia), 1 March 2017 - Pangkal Pinang, Indonesia will play host to the second round of the FIM Motocross World Championship this weekend. A new motocross track has been built on Bangka Island to the North of the Country’s capital, Jakarta. It will be the first time that the riders of the MXGP and MX2 world championships will experience this setting on a track made specifically for this event, as the last time MXGP was in Indonesia was back in 1997.

In terms of what to expect from the track, though the rain has been coming down for the past 2 weeks, the track crew says the sandy dirt is handling moisture well. While a new track on its own is a big challenge for the riders and teams, as they will be searching all weekend to find a good bike set up from tires to suspension, the biggest challenge may be the weather.

This weekend also marks the first race of the season for the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship. Defending champion Livia Lancelot looks to come out on top as she finished last year. She will have tough competition for the title in the form of Kiara Fontanesi a multi time champion, Courtney Duncan, Nancy Van De Ven and Larissa Papenmeier who all finished well in 2016.

The beginning of the season is always challenging. One rider who has it figured out via winning at the opening round of the championship in Qatar is Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli. The Italian, an eight-time champion, was feeling confident in Losail and it was shown by his results. Cairoli had two good starts and rode consistently fast lap after lap to dominate the premier class in his 14th season. The thirty-one year old rider will rely on his racing experience to help him adjust to this new track in Indonesia.

The defending MXGP world champion, Team HRC’s Tim Gajser has done well in Asia in the past. Over the last four years he has placed himself on the podium twice in MX2 and just missed it in the MXGP class the last 2 years. Perhaps the new venue will suite him well and get him to the top spot of the podium.

Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Clement Desalle looked comfortable on the bike all last weekend scoring 3rd overall. For Desalle it is all about doing better than the race before, which leaves him content on the podium but satisfied only after taking the win. Desalle stated he is looking forward to racing in Indonesia.

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Romain Febvre is no stranger to doing well in exotic locations. Last year he won in Thailand and after a hard earned 5th in Qatar he is striving to win in Asia once again. Don’t be surprised if you see the former champion outperform the other contenders here in Indonesia.

Evgeny Bobryshev from Team HRC ended up fourth in Qatar. The Russian placed the same in Thailand last year and traditionally performs well overseas. In Qatar he did make a few mistakes, which he hopes he can put behind him and continue his charge toward the front for Indonesia

Asian turf has always been good to the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s rookie Jeffrey Herlings. Herlings was never beaten or for that matter challenged while racing MX2 in Asia. Though this year he will still be recovering from injury which challenged him in Qatar. With that said the competitive Dutchman is one not to count out for a win this weekend.

This weekend also marks a first for Team Suzuki World MXGP’s Arminas Jasikonis who missed Qatar last weekend due to visa issues. Jasikonis looks forward to racing in Indonesia and placing well in his debut.

MXGP Championship Top 10: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 50 points; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 42 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 40 p.; 4. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 32 p.; 5. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 31 p.; 6. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HUS), 31 p.; 7. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 31 p.; 8. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KAW), 24 p.; 9. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 19 p.; 10. Max Anstie (GBR, HUS), 19 p.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass was one of the biggest surprises of Qatar winning his first GP. Asserting himself as a solid title contender, the Latvian hit not only a personal milestone but he became the first racer from Latvia to win a GP. He will look to keep the momentum this weekend.

Many see Indonesia as a chance for Kemea Yamaha Official MX2 Team’s Benoit Paturel to win his first GP of the season. The French rider was on the heels of Jonass in both Qatar races but struggled to find a way around. With a good start and minimal mistakes it is very possible for the Frenchman to stand on the top spot of the podium here in Indonesia.

Julien Lieber from LRT KTM was another surprise in Qatar and looks to build on momentum and minimize mistakes for Indonesia. The Belgian showed moments of brilliance and true speed during the first round.

One to watch is Team Suzuki World MX2’s Jeremy Seewer who had some issues in Qatar. Even so he showed great determination when coming through the field and hopes he can have better luck challenging for the podium this weekend.

Others performing well in Qatar were the youngsters of Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Kjer Olsen and HRC MX2’s Michele Cervellin. Thomas was in the battle for the top five throughout both races and looks to come out of Indonesia with a podium. On the other hand, Cervellin had to battle his way through the field in a valiant effort. The Italian finished fifth in Qatar but with a better start he could be a rider going for the win in Indonesia.

MX2 Championship Top 10: 1. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 50 points; 2. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 44 p.; 3. Julien Lieber (BEL, KTM), 40 p.; 4. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 36 p.; 5. Michele Cervellin (ITA, HON), 28 p.; 6. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 25 p.; 7. Vsevolod Brylyakov (RUS, KAW), 24 p.; 8. Jorge Prado Garcia (ESP, KTM), 24 p.; 9. Darian Sanayei (USA, KAW), 20 p.; 10. Alvin Östlund (SWE, YAM), 19 p.

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

TIMETABLE

Saturday: WMX Free/Time Practice 10:00; MX2 Free Practice 10:45; MXGP Free Practice 11:15; MX2 Time Practice 13:30; MXGP Time Practice 14:00; MX2 Qualifying Race 15:25; MXGP Qualifying Race 16:10; WMX Race 1 17:10.

Sunday: MX2 Warm up 10:15; MXGP Warm up 10:35; WMX Race 2 11:20; MX2 Race 1 12:15; MXGP Race 1 13:15; MX2 Race 2 15:10; MXGP Race 2 16:10.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

MXGP of Indonesia

There is no doubt, last year’s Grand Prix of the Netherlands, held at the Assen TT circuit was more than just a little special. Perfect weather, a huge crowd, great racing and an exciting circuit gave us just what we wanted.

In a sport that has created so much history, around so many beautiful old school, hard pack circuits, a little extra was added last year as one of the best MotoGP facilities in the world enjoyed a little off-road action.

I’ve been lucky enough in my 55 years to visit some pretty impressive motocross events, from Carlsbad and the USGP in the 1980’s, to AMA Supercross events in the 1970’s, 80’s, 90’s and 2000’s. Facilities like Daytona, Indianapolis, Road America, Spa, Namur, Monza, and Le Man. Watched GP riders perform at Unadilla, Budds Creek, Hollister Hills, and Glen Helen, and visited 100’s of GP circuits in Europe and around the rest of the world.

Last year in Assen had something a little different, sure as Romain Febvre said old school is always better and I agree 100%. Maggiora, Trento, Kegums, Matterley Basin, Valkenswaard, or Lommel have something special for the real motocross fan, but what Assen brought to the table was another level.

It was well noticed that wealthy company CEO’s were at Assen. From bankers to boardroom executives, people who had money to spend and were looking for their next hobby. The whole place was just what you would want to show to a future sponsor or event organizer. Unlike some of the rough and tumble of our beloved old school circuits, this was something to be really proud of, if showing another side of the sport, to a non-motocross fan.

The sport took a turn for the better in Assen last year, and to Youthstream and the Assen promotional team, to Greg Atkins who put this circuit together in just a few days, it was time to celebrate. I seriously think we have found a special place for the sport for many years to come.

Money was made by the local promoters who needed to have around 10,000 spectators to break event, but probably had more than 20,000. The whole village of Assen was excited about the MXGP event and welcomed the series with open arms. The local council was excited and involved and the hotels, restaurants and bars also picked up some extra business.

Assen, we look forward to returning in two weeks’ time, and once again celebrate a new era in Grand Prix motocross.