WMX

The first races from the opening round of the European Championships EMX250 & EMX300 took place yesterday, as did the first race of the second round of the FIM Women's Motocross World Championship. Watch all the highlights in the videos below: 

EMX250 Race One Highlights

EMX300 Race One Highlights

WMX Race One Highlights

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

Watch all the highlights from the first round of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship: 

WMX round of Qatar Race 1 Highlights

WMX round of Qatar Race 2 Highlights

LOSAIL (Qatar), 28 February 2016 – A lovely summer night race made for a memorable opener to the 2016 FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship for WMX rookie, fresh out of New Zealand, Courtney Duncan who stole the show out on the impressive man made circuit of Losail, Qatar to win the round with a massive double race victory.

The opening race of the season is always gnarly and this time it was no different. When the gates dropped, the defending world champion MXFontaRacing Syneco Honda’s Kiara Fontanesi pulled across on the vice world champion Team One One Four’s Livia Lancelot which forced them both to lose a fraction of a second and hand the young Dutch speedster Nancy Van De Ven the holeshot.

Just as she did last year, Van De Ven led the opening lap ahead of Lancelot, Fontanesi and WMX’s newest rookie sensation Courtney Duncan. On the opening lap none of the girls were prepared to give an inch as Lancelot forced a pass up the inside of Van De Ven to take the lead. A few corners later, the rookie from New Zealand, Duncan, carried more momentum into the waves and took second.

As the Kiwi started breaking down the walls of Lancelot, Fontanesi over shot a 180 degree turn and crashed which left Van De Ven with a bit of breathing room in third.

Meanwhile last years WMX round of Qatar dominator, Lancelot, had her work cut out for her as Duncan hounded her like a hungry honey badger. With 10 minutes to go, Duncan seized the opportunity to pass Lancelot, took the lead and didn’t look back.

At the checkers, it was Duncan who had stretched out a lead of 27 seconds to win the opening race of the year. Meanwhile Lancelot kept a cool head for second while Van De Ven had a comfortable gap in third over Larissa Papenmeier and KTM Silver Actions’ Amandine Verstappen.

When the gates dropped for WMX Race 2 it was Nancy Van de Ven who took yet another holeshot. Race one winner Courtney Duncan was around third place heading into the first turn but wasted no time in pushing past Livia Lancelot, who was in second and Van de Ven to take the lead.

Van de Ven, who was the winner of the final WMX round last year in the Czech Republic, was running a hot pace but couldn’t match that of Lancelot. Although Lancelot made light work of the Dutch lady, it was a little more difficult for the defending champion, Kiara Fontanesi who took more than half of the race to break the youngster down.

Meanwhile New Zealand’s Duncan, who is under the guidance of FIM Motocross World Championship legend Josh Coppins, was in a league of her own as she cruised her way to a double race victory. Lancelot came home in a lonely second while Fontanesi did the same in third. Van De Ven and Larissa Papenmeier rounded out the top five.

With the first two races of the season in the bag, New Zealand’s Courtney Duncan dominated for a perfect score on her WMX racing debut. Last year’s runner up, riding for her own team Team One One Four Kawasaki, Livia Lancelot finished a convincing second place while Nancy Van De Ven rounded off the podium.

WMX Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Courtney Duncan (NZL, Yamaha), 25:39.039; 2. Livia Lancelot (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:27.377; 3. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, Yamaha), +0:41.292; 4. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Suzuki), +0:49.822; 5. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, KTM), +1:14.578; 6. Natalie Kane (IRL, KTM), +1:22.373; 7. Genette Vaage (NOR, KTM), +1:24.655; 8. Britt Van Der Werff (NED, Suzuki), +1:36.855; 9. Justine Charroux (FRA, Yamaha), +2:06.537; 10. Virginie Germond (SUI, Suzuki), +2:07.762.

WMX Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Courtney Duncan (NZL, Yamaha), 25:46.879; 2. Livia Lancelot (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:28.037; 3. Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, Honda), +0:48.139; 4. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, Yamaha), +1:00.122; 5. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Suzuki), +1:37.023; 6. Natalie Kane (IRL, KTM), +1:54.701; 7. Britt Van Der Werff (NED, Suzuki), +1:58.400; 8. Justine Charroux (FRA, Yamaha), +2:04.932; 9. Anne Borchers (GER, Suzuki), +2:07.702; 10. Stacey Fisher (GBR, KTM), -1 lap(s).

WMX Overall: 1. Courtney Duncan (NZL, YAM), 50 points; 2. Livia Lancelot (FRA, KAW), 44 p.; 3. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, YAM), 38 p.; 4. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, SUZ), 34 p.; 5. Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, HON), 30 p.; 6. Natalie Kane (IRL, KTM), 30 p.; 7. Britt Van Der Werff (NED, SUZ), 27 p.; 8. Justine Charroux (FRA, YAM), 25 p.; 9. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, KTM), 23 p.; 10. Anne Borchers (GER, SUZ), 21 p.

WMX Manufacturer: 1. Yamaha, 50 points; 2. Kawasaki, 44 p.; 3. Suzuki, 34 p.; 4. KTM, 31 p.; 5. Honda, 30 p.; 6. Husqvarna, 6 p.

Click here to obtain the complete results.

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

MXGP QATAR – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1595m

Type of ground: hard pack

Temperature: 24°C

Weather conditions: sunny

Crowd Attendance: 10,000

MXGP 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.

The next round of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship will take place in Valkenswaard, The Netherlands on March 27^th and 28^th.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

MXGP of Qatar

For the third time in her career Livia Lancelot enters her third season contesting the FIM World Ladies Motocross Championship in her own structure, Team 114 Kawasaki

After podiums in each of the last two years, the 28 year old chases a second world title to that she won in 2008. We met her in Doha for a pre-season interview.

Livia, how do you feel before this opening round of the Women's World Championship?
I feel good; we worked well this winter and I had more time to prepare the season as this winter I didn’t go practising in California. We spent more time in France, and so we could do a lot of testing with engines and suspension. I've been working for two years now with Bruno Losito as physical trainer; we know each other and we did some good job this winter. I just had a little break after the Valence international, as I had a pretty big crash; I had a headache for a few days and some pain in the vertebrae but now it’s OK.

You had your birthday a few days ago; are you still motivated for racing?
I turned 28 but, as strange as it could seem for some people, I’m still improving every year! In fact when I started to race there was no French championship and no world championship so racing as a professional was not a goal for me. I really started working hard only the last couple of years, and now I know my body perfectly and, as I said, I’ve only been working with a trainer for the last two years.

You narrowly missed your second title last year; are you chasing it this year?
For sure the goal is once more to get the title, but it’s not my last season and, as I did in the past, I will take the series race by race. I’d like to get the red plate as soon as possible and keep it; I worked for that this winter but we’ll see after the last race where we will be. 

Is it sometimes difficult to run a team and also race for the title?
No, because I have very good people around me. For sure when I decided to run my team I didn’t really imagine all the work that you have to do during the week - when you must order the part or organize the trips - but I like to be my own boss. I was lucky when I started to have so many great partners such as Kawasaki, Fox and Bihr who followed me, and it seems that everyone is happy as we have more and more support through the years. This season my new team mate Yvana Demaria will just race two GPs – France and Switzerland – so I will just have to be focus on myself during most of the season.

You won in Qatar last year, how is your feeling with this GP?
Qatar is different than the other races. I did not always perform well there but I like this Grand Prix. It’s cool to ride under the spotlights, and I like the track. The first year they had some huge jumps, but they worked on the track and it’s better now. It’s the first GP; last year I won it, and we’ll again try to do our best!

LOSAIL (Qatar), 23 February 2016 – Forget about old-fashioned charm, at least for the season opener, as the curtains on the long awaited 2016 MXGP season are set to be raised for the fourth year in succession at the circuit of Losail in Qatar this weekend. Just like previous years the race will take place on Saturday evening on a man-made circuit at the floodlit venue and all races including qualifying on Friday will be available to watch LIVE and OnDemand on www.mxgp-tv.com.

One of the best things about motocross is the fact that the track conditions constantly change. Over the last three years we have seen the soil that makes up the track in Losail pack-down, dry out and become a lot edgier. This caught a lot of riders out last year with the track being unpredictable in places and the night air adding unexpected moisture to the surface despite the incredibly dry climate. Although the track has been left more or less the same, this year we look forward to seeing if it shapes up differently again and which riders will gel with it and excel.

Over the last three years we have seen three breathtaking and unpredictable rounds of epic racing here in Losail, which has left us on the edge of our seats with a different winner each time in the premier class. Back in 2013, when MXGP first let loose on the hard packed soil of Qatar, it was Clement Desalle who was victorious. The following year Gautier Paulin rose to the occasion to claim the first red plate on offer, while last year it was well and truly dominated by Max Nagl who was completely untouchable.

This year, once again, making a prediction for the season dominator is similar to picking winning lottery numbers. It’s a gamble. With that said, the rider to mention first is of course the defending MXGP world champion, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team’s Romain Febvre who put together a downright spectacular rookie season last year. The young Frenchman, who recently turned twenty-four years old on December 31^st, didn’t set the world on fire in his debut appearance in the MXGP class here in Losail where he went 6-7 for sixth overall, but in his defense he had spent a good chunk of the winter period injured.

This weekend ‘461’ will also be lining up fresh off of an injury. He did take to Social Media and say that he is OK and will be back on the bike in no time. Meanwhile, another hotshot lining up fresh off of an injury is the eight time FIM Motocross World Champion Antonio Cairoli who will be hungrier than ever to reclaim the title. Cairoli recently bruised some ribs but on a brighter note it has been announced that TC222 has extended his contract with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing to 2018, which only leads us to believe he is on a solid mission to surpass Stefan Everts’ tally of 10 FIM Motocross World Championship titles and become the most successful motocross rider in the world. That could all start with a solid performance at the opener this weekend at a venue where the Sicilian has never won.

And then there is Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Nagl who flew in completely under the radar last year and ended up being the surprise performer when he waxed everyone in both races where he completely dominated. After his performance of last year, Nagl, who remains on the same team, should be a solid bet for the win.

Another two riders worthy of mention are Team HRC’s Gautier Paulin and Evgeny Bobryshev. Paulin, in particular, has never been off the box here in Qatar over the last three years, and is looking to come out stronger than ever after spending the winter in the United States of America with arguably the highest acclaimed trainer, Aldon Baker.

Clement Desalle’s transition to Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team is another one to look out for. However, he had to undergo surgery a couple of weeks ago on his left arm, so he is a question mark for this weekend.

Meanwhile, Bobryshev has been showing some excellent pre-season form over the last three weeks, as has Wilvo Virus Performance KTM’s Shaun Simpson and Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team’s Jeremy Van Horebeek; all three riders look like they could be in for a slice of podium pie.

Over in the yellow corner, the most successful rider in the history of the FIM Motocross World Championship, Stefan Everts has taken the reins at Suzuki World MXGP and has recruited to of the most seasoned riders in the class, Kevin Strijbos and the former MX2 World Champion Ben Townley. Strijbos, who goes by the name of ‘The Kid’, is one of those riders that is yet to live up to the expectation set upon him, while Townley is fresh out of retirement after having a long run of injuries which saw him temporarily hang up his boots. Both riders feel as though they have unfinished business and are out to get it done this year.

Last but not least, the young guns. Honda Gariboldi’s 2015 FIM MX2 World Champion Tim Gajser will be the youngest rider in the class as he makes his MXGP debut while Kemea Yamaha Official MX Team’s Valentin Guillod has been forced up by the age rule. Nevertheless, both riders are super flamboyant and quick on 450’s and shouldn’t have too much of an issue finding their place in the premier class. Another young gun to keep an eye on is Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s newest recruit Glenn Coldenhoff, while Monster Energy DRT Kawasaki’s Tommy Searle is looking pretty fierce these days too.

On a duller note, we will be missing Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jordi Tixier who has both arms injured, while 24MX Lucas Oil Honda’s Ken De Dycker broke his femur a few days ago also. We’d like to wish these two riders a full and speedy recovery.

2015 MXGP of Qatar MXGP Top 3

1. Max Nagl

2.  Clement Desalle

3. Gautier Paulin

Since the defending MX2 champion Tim Gajser has jumped up to the premier class, most bets will once again be on ‘The Bullet’ Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings. Although Herlings has developed a nasty track record of getting injured, we have seen him bounce back time and time again to the blistering pace he had before each of his injuries. Judging by his pre-season form, and also the fact he is unbeaten around the circuit here in Losail, this weekend should be his to lose.

Meanwhile, his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammate Pauls Jonass has his heart set on going one better than the second place he got last year while Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Dylan Ferrandis, like Herlings, will be looking to get through a season injury-free with any hope of topping the box. It’s worth mentioning that Ferrandis is the only rider to beat Herlings around this Losail Circuit.

Wilvo Standing Construct Yamaha Factory Racing have hired Aleksandr Tonkov to get the job done for the guys in blue while Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing has taken on renowned grand prix winner Max Anstie.

Ferrandis, Tonkov and Anstie all missed the end of the season last year, so should be extra fired up to make a point this weekend. Meanwhile Suzuki World MX2’s Jeremy Seewer started gaining some solid momentum near the end of the season in 2015 as did Kemea Yamaha Official MX Team’s Benoit Paturel and of course the American, MXGP of Mexico winner, now riding for Rockstar Energy Factory Husqvarna, Thomas Covington.

Whichever way you look at it the Losail International Circuit should prove once again to be a tough opener to the MXGP season so make sure you follow all the action starting with LIVE qualifying on Friday night. You won’t want to miss it.

2015 MXGP of Qatar MX2 Top 3

1. Jeffrey Herlings

2. Julien Lieber

3. Dylan Ferrandis

Losail will also host the first round of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship this weekend. Yamaha MX Fonta racing’s Kiara Fontanesi, who made history claiming his 4^th World title in a row in 2015, is determined to claim what it would be her first ever victory in Qatar. However, Team One One Four’s Livia Lancelot, who was last year’s winner in Qatar, will do her best to challenge the reigning champion.

All the eyes are also set on New Zealand’s sensation Courtney Duncan, Natalie Kane, who finished second in Qatar in 2014, and 2015 MXGP of Czech Republic winner’s Nancy Van De Ven.

2015 MXGP of Qatar WMX Top 3

1. Livia Lancelot

2. Kiara Fontanesi

3. Meghan Rutledge

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

TIMETABLE

Friday: WMX Free Practice 14:45; MX2 Free Practice 15:15; MXGP Free Practice 15:45; WMX Time Practice 16:15; MX2 Time Practice 17:15; MXGP Time Practice 18:00; MX2 Qualifying Race 20:00; MXGP Qualifying Race 20:50.

Saturday: WMX Warm up 14:00; MX2 Warm up 14:30; MXGP Warm up 15:00; WMX Race 1 16:15; MX2 Race 1 17:15; MXGP Race 1 18:15; WMX Race 2 19:10; MX2 Race 2 20:10; MXGP Race 2 21:10.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

MXGP of Qatar

The entry lists for the first Gran Prix of the 2016 FIM Motocross World Championship, which will take place at Losail International Circuit, Qatar, on the 27^th February are online.


The official Entry lists can be downloaded here below.

MXGP Entry List 

MX2 Entry List 

WMX Entry List