MXGP #33 June 2016

#33_JUNE 2016

’s h t i m S f f Je 40 B A S B 4 196

i l o r i a C o i n o t n A

M O R F K C A B K N I R B E TH

RACING CATCH UP

RIDER OF THE MONTH Antonio Cairoli

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INDEX

COOL SHOT

MONSTER GIRLS

HALL OF FAME Jeff Smith

MXGP MAG: Chief Editor: Marionna Leiva Photos: Youthstream YOUTHSTREAM Media World Trade Center II Rte de Pré-Bois 29 1215 Geneva 15 Airport Switzerland MXGP Mag #33 June 2016 The articles published in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the official position of Youthstream.

Then content of this publication is based on the best knowledge and information available at the time the articles were written.

The copying of articles and photos even partially is forbidden unless permission has ben requested from Youthstream in advance and reference is made to the source (©Youthstream).

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EDITORIAL Giuseppe Luongo President of Youthstream Group

Dear MXGP Friends, If you are a regular MXGP Mag reader you will have seen each months’ Hall of Fame where distinguished former Motocross riders are commemorated, now with MXGP Mag’s 33rd issue we have created a new section dedicated to the most famous vintage motocross motorcycles. For those aged more than sixty it will bring back memories of special moments and many dreams from their young age, and for the younger readers it will bring them on a trip back in time discovering these

beautiful machines. Together we will re-discover the historical Monark, BSA, Lito, Husqvarna 4 strokes, and of course the CZ, Maico, KTM, Husqvarna 2 strokes, the vintage Japanese motorcycles, the Italian bikes from the golden era of the 125s, and more. MXGP Mag has become an excellent tool for those in the Motocross industry and fans to stay tuned to the whole world of Motocross. Together with all its partners, Youthstream continues to expand MXGP by using all the opportunities new technology offers which permit our sport to grow and reach

the maximum number of people around the world on all types of devices, but we also want to keep the roots of Motocross strong and continue celebrating all the great champions and bikes that have helped our sport evolve throughout many years and become a sport with millions of fans, both young and old, and a sport with thousands of families that live and thrive from it.

Again we applaud Jeffrey Herlings for his outstanding performances; victory after victory he is working solidly and consistently towards his third title, he is successfully

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re-building his confidence after 2 tough years tarnished by injuries in order to be fully ready for the arduous competition that awaits him when he moves up to the MXGP class. At the MXGP of Germany in Teutschenthal he raced with a high fever and still came out triumphant, his will-power and talent overcomes any illness or set-back that arises. Same goes for Romain Febvre, last weekend in Spain he made 2 incredible races despite an injury to his arm and the fact he was on a lot of painkillers. Tim Gajser continues to impress everyone by collecting spectacular victories and he is starting to show signs as being the best candidature for the MXGP title, but the season is still long

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with 50% of the championship laying ahead, and Febvre and Cairoli are not that far behind and both show to be in the race for the Championship win. From now until the end of the season the races will be increasingly nerve-wracking and it’s not

going to be an easy-ride for anyone because Paulin and Desalle have returned from their injuries and show to be on a good level, and Nagl, Bobryshev and Van Horebeek have consistent excellent results making them distinct contenders for the title.

COOL SHOTS

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COOL SHOTS

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COOL SHOTS

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DOIN’ THE FOX TROT Take one look at the MX2 world championship standings and there is a clear leader in the form of Jeffrey Herlings. But when it comes to the Fox Holeshot competition however it is a different story altogether. In fact, going into Latvia, Round 6, it couldn’t have been closer with ‘The Bullet’, Max Anstie and Pauls Jonass all pegged level with three apiece.

again the Ginger Ninja, Anstie who managed to braaap his Rockstar Energy Husqvarna over the Fox Holeshot line for the fourth time this season to take control of the leader board. But that all changed a couple of hours later when Herlings Red Bull KTM grew a pair of wings to tie Anstie at the top of the table once more. Still tied then after six rounds.

Latvia With the second 180˚ hairpin first turn of the season, albeit much tighter than the one in Thailand, great reactions and horsepower were the key ingredients, and if mixed correctly then a nice slice or two of Fox Holeshot pie was the ultimate prize.

In MX2 Race 1 it was once

Germany When the MXGP Juggernaut crashed through the gates of Teutschenthal one week later, the second GP in a run of three, Jeff and Max were ready to take it to Level 5, except they forgot to factor in a couple of other protagonists. In MX2 Race 1, the first downhill start straight of the year into

HOLESHOT

the uphill sweeping left clearly favoured injury-returnee Dylan ‘The Mullet’ Ferrandis and the Monster Energy Kawasaki pilot collected his second ‘Plaque Noir’ of the year, his first one earned in Race Two in Qatar before he popped his shoulder out in Thailand.

In MX2 Race 2 it was Herlings’ Red Bull KTM teammate Pauls Jonass who powered clear to collect his fourth of the season to draw level with Anstie’s Husky and his stable mate Herlings. Unfortunately for the Latvian however, he threw it away in turn two when the front wheel slipped from underneath him, going from hero to zero in the blink of an eye. But at least he was still a contender for the Fox Holeshot title that

rewards the best MX2 starter with €5,000. Hang on a minute, we are not even at the halfway stage; a bit premature to mention the five grand purse, don’t you think?

Trentino Round 8 travelled south to Italy and the circuit of Pietramurata, Trentino, the first really rocky, hard-packed circuit on the calendar. Well, it couldn’t be anything else what with that giant piece of rock towering above the race track, otherwise known as The Dolomites for what is truly one of the best backdrops for a motocross track anywhere in the world. Anyway, back to the serious business of the Fox Holeshot and what is a tricky left-right combination of first corners. With the big-hitters lined up in the middle of the gate Dylan Ferrandis charged to his second Fox holey in two weeks to move himself on to three, one behind Herlings, Anstie and Jonass, and

what an important Fox Holeshot it was too, as the French ace converted it into a win, handing Herlings his first race defeat of the season in what was an absolute epic encounter that had everybody on the tips of their toes.

Different story for MX2 Race 2 though; now, who was it that crossed the line first? Hmmm, not Jeffrey, errrr definitely not Max Anstie. Jonass? Nope, not him either, nor Ferrandis. In fact they are the only four riders lucky enough to have crossed the line for some Holey Pie, until Race 2 in Trentino, so will the real Roberts Justs please stand up, please stand up, please stand up … Oh, he did already! The HSF Logistics Motorsport rider claimed his first ever Fox Holeshot Black Plate in fine style and became only the fifth rider to add his name to the short list of Black Plate picker uppers. Next stop, Talavera de la Reina, Spain.

Spain Rounding out what has been a great month of action in MX2 the natural hillside circuit of Talavera de la Reina should have had the usual players hustling for more Black Plate glory.

However, the five previous winners hadn’t read the script and instead it was Honda Gariboldi’s new boy David Herbreteau who decided to stand up and be counted! Not once, but TWICE which means that as we head to France three riders are once again tied at the top of the Fox Holehot standings. Crucially for Honda they are up and running in this years competition.

Top 6 after 9 rounds Herlings 4 Jonass 4 Anstie 4 Ferrandis 3 Herbreteau 2 Justs 1

MXGP In the five rounds of action in the premier class prior to Latvia, three riders shared the Fox Den; Max Nagl, Tim Gajser and Antonio Cairoli had all picked up two Fox Holeshots each, while behind them Valentin Guillod, Kei Yamamoto, Gautier Paulin and Evgeny ‘E-Bob’ Bobryshev were all tied with one.

When it finally came down to it, it was the Red Bull KTM of Antonio Cairoli who grabbed the first Fox Holeshot of the afternoon to move clear at the top of the Black Plate standings, but would you ‘Adam and Eve’ it, you’ll never guess what happened next, go on guess, I won’t look …

Max Nagl only went pulled the second holey out of the bag to draw level with TC222 E-Bob did the hard work in and as MXGP headed off to Timed Practice when he set Teutschenthal, the two title the fastest time to give himself rivals and protagonists had the inside gate for the 180˚ inched clear of Tim Gajser to right-handed first turn for the lead by one quick getaway.

Qualifying Race, but after tangling with Tommy Searle and Germany Gajser, ruled himself out of In Germany, Round 7, and potential Fox Holeshot glory as possibly the fastest start he was forced to start on the straight / first turn combioutside of the gate. nations of the season, and

as the MXGP riders charged downhill into Turn 1 in Race 1, it looked as if Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Christophe Charlier was about to stake his claim on his first Fox Holeshot Black Plate … but as he neared the ‘stripe’ the Frenchman bobbled and handed Cairoli his 4th of the season, and as the race unfolded the fans were treated to one of the best races in MXGP as The Rookie, Tim Gajser finally got the chance to go toe-totoe with the eight-time champ.

After launching his Honda Gariboldi machine past TC222 briefly, Cairoli responded and hustled his way back into the lead, eventually picking up his FIRST race win of the year.

And if we were in any doubt, Cairoli nailed his second Fox

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Holeshot of the day on what was a memorable occasion for the Sicilian; a Qualifying Race win, two Fox Holeshots and two race wins, and his first overall victory in almost a year, just in time for Trentino.

Trentino Once again we were spoilt rotten with some fantastic racing in MXGP and the atmosphere was electrically charged as Cairoli looked to draw upon his home advantage, but having said that, Gajser had a full-house of his yellow and red army faithful out in full force to support him too.

In MXGP Race 1 Cairoli rocketed out of the gate and if he looked over his shoulder two weeks later as we arrived in Spain, he would have seen the rest of the pack still trying to make it through Turn 1, he was THAT far clear, and so Fox Holeshot number SIX had just landed in the bag, con-

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verting it nicely into a third race win in a row.

‘silverware’ but on BOTH occasions the ‘222’ was out-foxed by Germany’s Max In Race 2 it was the HonNagl on his Rockstar Energy da Gariboldi machine of Tim Factory Husqvarna. Despite Gajser that crossed the line leading briefly Nagl was no a bike-length clear of Cairoli, match in the end for Gajsraising the roof off of Pietra- er who cruised to his second murata, metaphorically speak- emphatic double-moto win ing of course, for his third Fox of the year. In terms of the Holeshot of 2016, although Fox Holeshot contest though, you’d have forgiven his lack Nagl is now just one rapid of smile when he collected the clutch-drop behind Cairoli. Up Black Plate at the post-race next, the long start straight presentation after he threw of Saint Jean d’Angeley in away a golden opportunity to France. Ooh la la! collect 25 points to pull further away from Febvre in the After 9 Rounds title chase. As it turned out, Antonio Cairoli 6 it was Febvre who took the Max Nagl 5 win in Race 2 to stay within Tim Gajser 3 4 points of the Slovenian as Valentin Guillod 1 we headed into the two-week Kei Yamamoto 1 break before arriving at Tala- Gautier Paulin 1 vera de la Reina for Round 9. Evgeny Bobryshev 1 Spain After collecting three Black Plates from the last four races Cairoli should have been a shoe-in for more black

RACING CATCH UP

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THE COMING OF AGE Who’s next? Picking a winner of the MXGP world championship this year has not got a lot easier than it was at the start of the season, although there have been some moments that have stood out across the month of May which could give a very slight indication as to how the cookie is going to crumble.

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Honda Gariboldi’s Tim Gajser After the season opener, the MXGP of Qatar, we realized that the nineteen-year old Slovenian sensation was destined for greatness when he didn’t just win round one, he tore everyone to shreds with a double moto victory on his MXGP debut. The biggest question that loomed thereafter was if his utter domination was a fluke or not, and if the big bad four-fiddy would eventually bite him in the butt.

Well, with four rounds in the bag since the last issue of MXGP Mag, we can safely say that those hanging questions have been answered. Gajser now leads the championship by 24 points over the defending champion Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Romain

Febvre, he has led 148 laps from 319, he has won 5 qualifying races, 8 main events, 5 grand prix’ and has been on the podium at every single round this year. His statistics are almost as mind blowing as his performance at round five of the FIM Motocross World Championship, which took place in Latvia, where he high-sided massively through the waves, then stalled the engine.

Once the Slovenian had refired his CRF450, his all new, smoother and calmer approach to racing was turfed out the window, the MX2 version of Tim Gajser was back and he just hammered the throttle like there was no tomorrow on his mission from outside of the top twenty. It

was insane. The kid was riding so fast you caught yourself blinking really slowly to check if you were awake as he put in the comeback performance of the season to pass Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Nagl on the last lap for fourth which combined with his flawless ride for the win in race one, landed him on the top step of the box for the fourth time this season.

At the following round in Germany, Gajser achieved world domination with his reee-diculous mid-race scrubs. He captivated the attention of the entire world, even famous riders in the United States, the place where riders learn to scrub before they learn to corner, were giving him the nod.

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‘Tiga,’s silver medal in Germany was enough to reclaim the championship lead and he took the red plate to Italy where he was followed by a sea of crazy Slovenian fans all dressed in the traditional GT243 fan-club colors, yellow and red. It may seem far-fetched, but there were almost more Slovenians at the MXGP of Trentino than Italians. It was off the hook awesome to see how passionate his fans were and how they added to the atmosphere.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli Antonio Cairoli is arguably the only guy racing the FIM Motocross World Championship this year that can be called a legend. He has eight FIM Mo-

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tocross World Championships to his name and is still touted as the most technically gifted rider on the line.

While the 30-year-old Sicilian hadn’t won a grand prix in almost an entire year, he managed to make a welcomed return to the top step of the box at round seven, the MXGP of Germany. Not only did he silence the critics that had deemed him ‘too old’ or past his ‘best before’ date, he completely tied them up and binned them with a double moto victory. The last time he doubled up on wins for an overall was back in August 2014 at the MXGP of Belgium in the sand of Lommel.

The MXGP of Germany was a nice little confidence boost for the Italian especially since he beat Gajser straight up, as he WAS passed by ‘Tiga’ but

passed him right back and ran away for his first race victory since June last year.

The next round of the championship was in front of his devoted home fans in Italy at the stunning venue of Pietramurata. As one of the most popular riders in the world, TC222 was completely swamped by fans and media wanting to get a piece of him and Italians being Italians, overly passionate, particularly about sports, they expected nothing less than a win.

Even though he had topped the box only 1 week before, a win was a big expectation to lay upon him especially since he hadn’t gone back to back with grand prix wins in more than one year. Astonishingly, TC222 hit the headlines with a massive win in front of his mental

fans, and put himself back in the hunt for the title, at least for another week, because the MXGP of Spain played to a different tune.

“Back from the brink and back again” is the title MXGP Mag has given Tony’s 2016 championship story thus far. He has returned from injury, built up strength, fitness and speed and in turn made a long awaited return to the top step of the podium. But after two amazing and unforgettable weekends with two MXGP overalls, he wrapped up the first half of the season with a disaster of a day in Spain where he only finished seventh overall.

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Romain Febvre It has been a roller coaster of a year for the defending champ Romain Febvre who seems to be clutching at straws as he

tries to defend the crown. Febvre was quick to snatch the red plate back in 2016 after losing it at round one, but has since had Gajser chipping away at his lead and he now trails the new rookie on the block by 24 points.

While Gajser gained momentum, Febvre faced adversity.

In Latvia, a struggle with bike settings in race one resulted in a fifth place finish, but the Frenchman managed to bounce back strong in race two with an impressive race win. Despite winning race two, he still lost 2 points to Gajser which meant he only had a 1 point advantage heading into the seventh round of the championship in Germany.

Any pressure Febvre was already feeling was amplified at the MXGP of Germany since he had no cushion in the champi-

onship points and all it took was a small encounter with Jeremy Van Horebeek for the champ to lose grip of the red plate. “The championship is between three guys, Tim, Tony and myself, we need to push really hard and I need to push really hard at the start of the race to catch the time I lose from a bad start.”

After relinquishing the championship lead and missing the podium in Teutschenthal, Germany, Febvre was forced to dig deep in Italy. “All I am missing is the start,” he said, “so we are working on the bike to get good starts.” In race one, the 461 got off to a mega start, but Murphy’s Law would have it, he crashed at turn two and had to battle from dead last. It was a problematic race for the defending champ, but his heart and mindset will never let him quit and he overcame another crash for fifth.

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One of the most repeated statements in motocross is “races are won and lost in the start.” Bang goes that theory!

Both Gajser and Febvre have put in some seriously awesome comeback performances this year. For Febvre it was race two in Italy when he came from outside the top ten to take one of the sickest victories this season.

Things appeared to be on the rise once again as the champ took 4 points back on Gajser in Italy and only trailed by 4 heading into Spain, the place where he took his first ever podium in the premier class.

Gajser put in one of the best

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rides ever to take his second double moto victory of this season, while everything crumbled in the blue camp with a freak accident in Qualifying seeing Febvre dislocate his shoulder, an injury that almost always comes with further complications such as ligament and muscle damage.

As a result of his injury, he struggled to hold on and only managed to finish sixth overall with a massive blow to his championship points being repercussion.

year. In addition, Team HRC’s Evgeny Bobryshev managed to land on the podium for the second time this year in Germany while his Team HRC teammate Gautier Paulin was equally as impressive in achieving third place in Spain after missing more than half of the season due to a back problem and broken ribs.

MX2

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings is pretty much the best in the business on the 250cc bikes. While the hunt for Other notable moments his third MX2 world title is 99% In MXGP, Rockstar Energy undisputed, it hasn’t been as Husqvarna Factory Racing’s easy as you would have thought Max Nagl turned up the heat over the last few rounds. Nevin Spain and if it wasn’t for the ertheless, he still has a perflawless performance of Tim fect score in terms of GP wins Gajser, he would have stood and has only lost one race this on the top step of the box this year.

When Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Dylan Ferrandis made his return to MX2 in Latvia, it didn’t look likely he would have anything for The Bullet anytime soon. Scratch that though! In Germany he already looked a little better but it was actually Suzuki World MX2’s Jeremy Seewer who stole the headlines and made life difficult for Herlings. It didn’t matter too much, it was an awesome race, but he didn’t win and as the saying goes, it doesn’t matter if you win by an inch or you win by a mile, a win is a win.

geous Frenchman took a shot of confidence that weekend.

At the most recent round in Spain, Ferrandis lined up with a new butt-patch “The Mullet”.

It was rather funny because everyone knows that Jeffrey’s nickname is “The Bullet”, so it instigated “The Mullet” vs “The Bullet” saga. While “The Mullet” Ferrandis, on the other hand, may have got one mark on the did manage to win by an inch in board with his win in the qualifiTrentino which put some fuel in the er, it wasn’t points in the chamtanks of bench racers world wide. pionship and didn’t count for a Herlings bounced back with a total lot. On race day The Mullet had domination in the second race for absolutely nothing for The Bullet the overall but still, the couraas he destroyed everyone for

an easy victory, his ninth of the season.

Wrapping it up We’re officially over the halfway mark as we head into the MXGP of France, the same grand prix where last years eventual champion Romain Febvre took his first ever GP win. It is also home turf for the defending champ, which means there will be an abundance of chainsaws and hooters going for the Yamaha man as he tries to claim back valuable championship points, and the same for Team HRC’s Gautier Paulin. Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Dylan Ferrandis will also have an enormous following out there, which will be epic to see, especially if he can bang bars with Herlings once again.

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FIM Motocross World Championship

Standings MXGP CHAMP. STANDINGS

MX2 CHAMP. STANDINGS

1. T. Gajser (SLO, HON), 385 points 2. R. Febvre (FRA YAM), 361 p.

3. A.Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 338 p.

4. M. Nagl (GER, HUS), 317 p 5. E. Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 295 p.

6. J. VanHorebeek(BEL,YAM)274 p.

7. S. Simpson (GBR,KTM) , 210 p.

8. K. Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 204 p.

9. V. Guillod (FRA,YAM), 180 p.

10. G. Coldenhoff(NED, KTM), 156

1. J.Herlings (NED, KTM),447 points 2. J. Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 325 p.

3. P. Jonass (LAT, KTM), 300 p.

4. B. Paturel (FRA, YAM),251 p.

5. A. Tonkov (RUS, HUS), 240 p.

6. P. Petrov (BUL, KAW), 210 p.

7. M. Anstie (GBR, HUS) , 205 p.

8. S. Bernardini (ITA, TM),204 p.

9. D. Ferrandis (FRA, KAW), 200 p.

10. V. Brylyakov (RUS, KAW), 197 p.

MXGP MANUFACTUERS 1. Honda 2. Yamaha 3. KTM 4. Husqvarna 5. Suzuki 6. Kawasaki

393 371 345 328 227 208

points points points points points points

MX2 MANUFACTUERS 1. KTM 2. Kawasaki 3. Suzuki 4. Yamaha 5. Husqvarna 6. TM 7. Honda

447 327 325 313 261 204 174

points points points points points points points

MXGP FACEBOOK PAGE INSIGHTS TOTAL LIKES: 362,938 NEW LIKES FROM LAST MONTH:+71,733 MONTHLY GROWTH: +22.5 WEEKLY GROWTH +5.2%

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MXGP SOCIAL

TWITTER, FACEB IN THE WORLD OF #MXGP @stephen_smith35 @adamsterry811 was looking good in practice yesterday after securing a career best@ mxgp result

@guynicholls7 ‬‬ @mxgp Great venue,great GP

@lionsy44 Can’t wait for the British round of @mxgp this year only 5 weeks away here is a video clip of last year’s

@kawasakiracing ‬‬ Great @mxgp moto victory for @dylan22f at Trentino GP !‬‬ @hondaproracing ‬‬ Huge support for tiga243 at the @mxgp of Trentino! @ Arco di Trento - Circuito Ciclamino @alistairstaward ‬‬ Cannot wait for Matterley Basin next month! And Maggiora for the MXoN! @mxgp ‬‬

@monika_mx Looks like I’ve found a way to revise and watch the @ mxgp , using @PaulMalin11 ‘s commentary to practice for my shorthand exam ‬

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@ darrenJboyd Extremely excited to hear that @CRtwotwo is racing @ mxgp at #MatterlyBasin this year.@PaulMalin11 any other US based riders coming over? @matheiudoom @mxgp nice race i’m verry glad that #22 had a big race he is back!!

Simpson, Febvre, Paulin & Cairoli crash at MXGP of Spain

**LIKE & SHARE** Like & Share this post and you could WIN 2 x VIP passes to the Monster Energy SMX Riders’ Cup + 1 night accommodation at a hotel near the VELTINS-Arena!

We will draw the winner when we hit 400K LIKES on Facebook.

Watch Jeremy Van Horebeek’s massive crash at the MXGP of Germany

BOOK, INSTAGRAM, YOUTUBE

@sf_259 On a pas le meme age mais la meme passion đ&#x;˜‚ Voir son fils de 6 mois rester bloquer devant du mx il n’y a rien de plus beau a mes yeu

@76atilla @shaunsimpson24 @ steveturnerracing @ mxgp#motocross #mxgp #mxgptrentino

@andreatremo #mxgp #arcoditrento #gpitalia #monsterenergy

@twin_air @tiga243 fans taking a selfie with the MXGP Redplate holder! @teamhondagariboldiracing

@checcopanei179 We sing in the rain...#braap con @ michelefanton@fantomas #mxgp #motocross #mondiale#solocosebelle #giornata #risate e#moto

@instefan I got the kings signed number plate at the mxgp last weekend. @antoniocairoli is my favourite on and of the track cheers for this present champ!!

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RIDER OF THE MONTH

Antonio Cairoli, BACK FROM THE BRINK

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SPECIAL FEATURE

Despite what happens from this point forward, Antonio Cairoli will always be remembered as one of the true legends of the sport. With no less than 8 world titles in the bag, the popular Sicilian was already a legend back in 2005 when he became only the 5th Italian to claim an FIM Motocross World Championship after Rinaldi, Puzar, Chiodi and Bartolini. David Philippaerts is the only other Italian to win a world title, claiming his MX1 title in 2008 after Cairoli had already clinched his first. Remove Cairoli from that list and the other 5 riders have 8 titles between them!

After what was an injury-hit and disappointing campaign last year, 2015, where he was forced to surrender his crown to ‘The Rookie’ Romain Febvre, Cairoli has struggled to

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find the kind of form that took him close to the all-time record of ten titles currently owned

by Stefan Everts, but despite his slight misfire of a season he still sits third in points, and with 3 race wins in the last 4 moto’s and victories at the last two MXGP rounds leading into the MXGP of Spain, Cairoli has come out fighting in an effort to claim his ninth crown! And it’s this kind of fight, the kind that world champions are made of that has blown the 2016 MXGP title chase wide open, and the reason why Antonio Cairoli is our ‘Rider of The Month’.

History lesson With world titles oozing from every pore, Cairoli knows how to ‘get the job done’. From winning his first GP in MX2 at Namur in 2004 he has amassed the second highest GP win total of

76, second only to the legend that is Stefan Everts. He also has a staggering 152 race wins across MX2, MX1 and MXGP. He’s had it ‘easy’ in some years, more difficult in others but when he’s had to dig in, he’s always come up with the goods.

Cast your minds back to his first MX2 title in 2005, a season that typifies Cairoli’s dogged determination for instance. He started the season 5th at Zolder, took the lead at round three at Agueda, Portugal. He then lost the lead to Andrew McFarlane at round seven in the sands of Matchams Park, England, before regaining the lead at the very next round in Italy. But the lead was short lived due to his petulance in France where he was disqualified from the results and fell 31 points behind McFarlane. It took another

five rounds to claw back the Red Plate at round fourteen at Gaildorf, before clinching the title with a round to spare at Lierop. It was an incredible season and a great way to win his first world championship.

More importantly it showed him that nothing is handed to you on a silver platter.

It was a similar situation in 2012 where he arrived in Sweden 47 points clear of Clement Desalle. By the time he left, Cairoli was 3 points down on the Belgian after posting TWO no scores; one because he ran off line whilst in 5th and into deep mud, unable to rejoin the race. The second was due to a stone jamming the chain and rear wheel solid, again whilst in 5th position. What happened after that was nothing short of

remarkable, dropping just three points on his way to winning the next seven rounds. To say he came out swinging would be an understatement!

His toughest fight perhaps came last year, 2015. Billed potentially as the best season ever in MXGP with the arrival of the America’s Ryan Villopoto, the pre-season hype never really transpired out on track.

Well, it did, but not in the way we expected. Instead what happened was that by round four, the American was out as Max Nagl took control. By round nine, Cairoli too would fall by the wayside, and despite plugging away for another three rounds, his push at the title was over. It was the first time he was unable to fight for the title due to injury, the first time since 2008.

It also ended his run of what could have been 7-in-a-row. He would not win a world title for the first time in seven years.

Nagl, the championship leader would also be ruled out with an injury at round ten.

Step up Romain Febvre, the new boy to MXGP. As the season developed he turned into a winning machine, and was the real dark horse of the class and eventual MXGP world champion.

All eyes were on the Frenchman at the start of this season, but BOOM! Out of nowhere came another rookie in the form of MX2 world champion, Tim Gajser. All of a sudden the premier class was shook to its core.

Where were Cairoli, Desalle, Paulin, Nagl, Van Horebeek and the rest of the big hitters?

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From Cairoli’s side, he was still dealing with the aftermath of his arm injury from 2015, but his two fifth place overall’s at the first two rounds already had the media scratching their heads in a way that suggested that TC222 was perhaps on his way out, as the new kids Gajser and Febvre did all the winning; Gajser had won four to Febvre’s two GPs from the first six rounds. Cairoli had gone 5-5-42-6-2; SIX rounds without a GP or race win. He may have posted six top-three race finishes but he was already 47 points down by the time he left Latvia.

Resilient When we reached Germany, Round 7, many predicted much of the same, with Gajser the new Red Plate holder and Febvre doing the winning, but

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instead what we got was Cairoli holding his nerve to post a 1-1 for the overall. His first race encounter with Gajser was just epic, with the Slovenian chasing down the 8-time champ in what would be the MXGP Rookie’s first real head-to-head shootout with TC222. When Gajser pounced for the lead he assumed he would ease away, as he’d done on so many occasions already this year.

But Cairoli isn’t like everybody else and responded immediately, putting Gajser in his place, as the rookie that he is. Despite hanging in there, Gajser’s challenge eventually faded and he was left scratching his head at what to do about the problem that Cairoli is. It was great to watch the dynamic shift in Cairoli’s favor, and his win in race

one was his first since France, Race 1, 2015, a staggering 342 days. His double-moto win was his first since Belgium, Lommel on August 31st 2014, while his overall victory in Germany was his first GP win since Matterley Basin in 2015 (349 days).

Crucially though TC222 showed the world he was ready to take the fight to the new kids on the block.

At Trentino one week later, Cairoli’s 1-2 saw him claim his second MXGP victory of the season but it was what was happening around him that caught the eye of the observer. Suddenly the balance of power had shifted and as Cairoli’s experience and patience started to shine through, so too did the youthful inexperience of Gajser and Febvre, both seemingly rattled by

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Cairoli’s sudden presence. While Cairoli was busy racking up wins, his rivals were scratching for podiums.

From the three GPs leading into Spain – Latvia, Germany, Trentino the points earned by the top three reads like this: Cairoli 139 Gajser 119 (-20) Febvre 112 (-27) From the last two GPs leading into Spain – Germany, Trentino Cairoli 97 Gajser 76 (-21) Febvre 71 (-26) What we had seen over the last two GPs was Cairoli slowly riding himself back into contention, dropping just 3 points to close the gap to 25 to Gajser, the leader of MXGP. We have also

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seen a personal battle breaking out between Gajser and Febvre – remember RF461s ‘love-tap’ on Gajser in the Qualifying Race in Germany? It seems for now at least, that those two are hellbent on beating each other, and if they aren’t taking each other out, they’re taking themselves out as their sudden spate of crashes in Germany and Italy have shown; think Gajser in Latvia in Race 2, and Febvre in Race 1 Trentino as he fought back from a first turn crash.

Meanwhile Cairoli, now back up to full speed and armed with a Red Bull KTM 450SX-F that suddenly appears to be getting him out of the gate, is just slowly chipping away at their lead, and you can bet that before long, the ‘King of Cool’ TC222 in all his wisdom will be waiting for one, if not both to slip up some time soon. He will not rely on that alone though as his recent

points-haul shows.

In his last appearance of the month in Spain however, Cairoli was forced to take a step back as Gajser once again fired on all cylinders to claim his 5th MXGP victory of the season while TC222 languished in 7th.

The Sicilian though has tracks coming up that he has won in the past, which should, from his side at least, hopefully get him back on track.

But one thing is for sure and that is that TC222 is back from the brink and back in the hunt for title number nine, and while we can’t predict who will be world champion just yet, you can bet that we are in for one heck of a second half of a season!

Antonio Cairoli, for now, take-abow!

MONSTER GIRLS

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MONSTER GIRLS

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Photo: MEYER

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Photo: T. White

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HALL OF FAME

Jeff Smith’s Sir

Double world champion in the prestigious 500cc class, Jeff Smith had a very successful career in the 50’s and 60’s with many GP victories, seven wins at the Motocross of Nations, eleven British titles – two in trials and nine in motocross – eight ISDE gold medals and one Scottish Six Days trial. He was one of the most eclectic off-road riders and claimed most of his success with BSA.

Born on the 13th of February 1934 in Colne, England, Jeff grew up during the Second World War and had a few opportunities to start riding an old Triumph two stroke when he was nine years old. Due to the war it was not easy to get gas, so Jeff could only ride in the back of the house from time to time, when his father gave him some gas. And when the war stopped he bought a 125cc BSA two stroke, and Jeff became such a good trial rider that the factory called him to become a works rider in 1952.

So it’s in trial that Jeff got his

MXoN!

first trophies, with British titles in 1953 and 1954. Working in the factory during the week, racing trials but also scrambles, Jeff got an opportunity to race his first Motocross GP during the 1954 campaign as member of the BSA factory team. Nobody was expecting him to win his first ever Grand Prix but he did it, beating all his rivals in Holland to claim a sensational victory. “Fortunately it rained like mad, so it was really more a trial than a motocross!

When I came back home, the head of BSA racing told me that perhaps they should let me race more scrambles and motocross events,” he said a few years later.

Moving definitively to motocross in 1955 he won his home British GP, claimed his first British title and entered a full GP campaign.

it was the ‘Swedish’ era in the 500cc class, as riders (Sven Lundin, Bill Nilsson, Rolf Tibblin) and manufacturers (Monark, Husqvarna, Lito) dominated the 500cc world championship from 1959 to 1963. Runner up in ‘62 and third in ‘63, Jeff entered the ‘64 series with a BSA Goldstar B40 (in fact a 350cc punched out to 420cc) and was immediately the main rival of Tibblin. It was an epic season; Jeff won seven of the thirteen rounds, never missed the podium and got the title with a narrow margin in the last race of the season! As Tibblin did in the past, Jeff Smith claimed a second consecutive title in ‘65 on his factory BSA, the last one for the legendary four stroke engines as two stroke engine technology went on to dominate the next decades.

It took nearly a decade for Jeff to become world champion, as he had to wait till 1964. Always faithful to BSA, who gave him his chance, he made steady progress each season, winning one, then two and three GP’s per year to finally join the top three in 1960;

“I was thirty when I got my first title and I have to say that I thought I was never going to win the world championship but obviously experience and an excellent machine came together at just the right moment” he reminds. In ‘65 he was so dominant that he was

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already champion at mid season, and BSA asked him to race with a stock model the last rounds of the series. Just scoring one point with this bike, he entered a new challenge with the British manufacturer to try to get a third consecutive title in ‘66; BSA assigned a team of engineers to develop a new bike able to fight with the two strokes CZ or Husqvarna, but all season long Jeff struggled with technical failures.

“In fact it took four years for that bike to become successful, and we were really developing the machine at the Grand Prix events,” commented Jeff who got a third and then a second position in the ‘66 and ‘67 seasons. He retired in the mid 70’s, after racing the brand new Trans AMA series in the USA, and continues his career in the US as consultant for Can Am who produced off road bikes in the 70’s. Jeff had a strong reputation, as he was not ‘the’ master to preserve the mechanic at one period when the four strokes were pushed closer and closer to their mechanical limits to compete with the lighter and more powerful two stroke machines.

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Very popular all over Europe and recognized as one of the most technical rider, Jeff Smith was also during his career a vital member of the British team at the Motocross of Nations. On the podium at ten editions between ‘56 and ‘69

including seven wins, two second and one third position, he won more MXoN than anyone and has achieved fantastic results during his long career.

Text: Pascal Haudiquert

1953: British Trial champion 1954: 3rd in the European 500 MX Championship. Winner of 1 GP

British Trial champion 1955: 7th in the European 500 MX Championship. Winner of 1 GP 1956: 11th in the European 500 MX Championship

Winner at the MX of Nations 1957: 4th in the 500 MX World Championship. Winner of 1 GP

Winner at the MX of Nations 1958: 6th in the 500 MX World Championship 1959: 6th in the 500 MX World Championship. Winner of 1 GP

Winner at the MX of Nations 1960: 2nd in the European 250 MX Championship. Winner of 2 GP

Winner at the MX of Nations 1961: 3rd in the European 250 MX Championship. Winner of 2 GP 1962: 2nd in the 250 MX World Championship. Winner of 3 GP

7th in the 500 MX World Championship. Winner of 1 GP 1963: 3rd in the 500 MX World Championship. Winner of 3 GP 1964: 500 MX World Champion. Winner of 7 GP

Winner at the MX of Nations 1965: 500 MX World Champion. Winner of 6 GP

Winner at the MX of Nations 1966: 3rd in the 500 MX World Championship. Winner of 1 GP 1967: 2nd in the 500 MX World Championship. Winner of 1 GP

Winner at the MX of Nations 1968: 11th in the 500 MX World Championship 1969: 25th in the 500 MX World Championship 1970: 3rd in the US Trans Ama 500

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MXGP2 – THE OFFICIAL MOTOCROSS VIDEOGAME

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The Official Motocross Videogame is the most beloved motocross videogame ever made by the Italian development company Milestone. Since its release - 7th April 2016 – the game has received several updates and contents to make the experience one of the most complete ever made thanks to 4 exclusive DLCs: Cairoli and Villopoto, Beto Carrero, Agueda and Bastogne.

DLC CAIROLI AND VILLOPOTO: The two DLC’s include amazing contents from one of the two riders that have made their

appearance during the 2015 season. The contents are: Airoh Aviator Helmet, AXO Motion 3 Racewear, Sidi Crossfire TC222 Limited Edition Boots, Thor Verge Helmet, Thor Core Orbit Racewear and Alpinestars Tech10 Boots. The Two DLC’s are now available for €1,99 each.

BETO CARRERO: This DLC offers the chance to race on the official Beto Carrero track from the Past Season for a top fueled experience.

The content is now available for €3,99.

AGUEDA AND BASTOGNE: This DLC adds the historical tracks of Agueda and Bastogne. It will be playable on all the game modes with the exception of the Career Mode.

It will make the chance to relive the adrenaline from the past for a “dirty old fashioned” experience possible. DLC is now available for €6,99.

The Official Championship.

All the riders and teams from 2015 season. Customization and 4 exclusive DLC already available in your hands. What Else?

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Monster Energy SMX Rider’s Cup buzz

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Have you heard the word?

While the motocross season normally wraps up with memories made at the event known as the summit of the year, the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations, this year the curtains will be drawn with an epic indoor race inside the world renowned VELTINS-Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, on the 8th of October.

The Monster Energy SMX Riders’ and Manufactur-

ers’ Cup is an all-new concept where the best motocross riders in the world will race a motocross style race inside a stadium for a massive cash prize. The race is invite only as it is also a battle between the manufacturers, which means that it’s up to the manufacturers KTM, Husqvarna, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Honda and TM to select their fastest riders.

Ten-time FIM Motocross World Champion and the

new team owner and manager of Suzuki World MXGP Stefan Everts said, “For Suzuki this is a good opportunity for our promotion and we know that Youthstream is pushing very hard to promote our sport as good as possible.

I think that is why it is so important for Suzuki to be there and to support this event.” He said, “I think it will take new interest, it’s a completely new concept, which makes people curi-

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ous and it’s cool to see the manufacturers cup coming back. From Suzuki’s side, we support this event and we will do our best to bring out the best riders for the best show and to win!”

In addition, Team Manager of the Rockstar Husqvarna Factory Racing set up Antti Pyrhönen said, “Everybody is really excited for this event. I think the idea is great and for sure the event will be fantastic” “It’s in a central location in Europe, in Germany, it’s close to Belgium and Holland as well. I think this is a big step for the future of our sport. All of the infrastructure will be even better than what we already have now in the normal MXGP paddock and

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all the job that Youthstream is doing with the promotion and marketing, all the work that the manufacturers are doing, and all the work that the riders are putting in will make this a great show, and it’s a great opportunity to bring in more fans to see our sport and it’s and hopefully bring more partners,” added Youthstream’s president Mr Giuseppe Luongo.

The VELTINS-Arena is only a 1.5-hour drive from Lommel, Belgium, the area named as the motocross capital of the world. It is also in close proximity to Dortmund and Düsseldorf in Germany and is also not very far from Valkenswaard, The Netherlands, another popular motocross

venue.

The stadium is home to the football team FC Schalke 04, and is an amazing venue. It is relatively new, built in 2001, and can seat around 60,000 people.

What also works in favor of the VELTINS-Arena is the fact that it has a fully retractable roof that can be closed at any time over the course of the night, even with public inside, which means the track will be prime and the fans will be comfortable.

How the racing works: • Each manufacturer, KTM, Honda, Husqvarna, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki and TM, will have a team of four riders.

Three main riders and one ‘Joker’. The Joker

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•

•

• •

• •

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can replace any rider on the team at any time.

The riders can ride any bike they want between 245cc to 450cc, regardless of their age. It also doesn’t matter if the engine is 4-stroke or 2-stroke.

Each team will have ONE team captain, and that rider will race the ‘Superpole’, which is the qualifying race for the team.

The Superpole is a 2-Lap sprint. Only 7 riders enter, 1 from each brand.

Prize money for the individual overall winner: 1st: €50,000 2nd: €30,000 3rd: €20,000 The best placed MX2 rider will receive €10,000.

The riders points system is the same as it is at the MXGP MAG 2016 MXGP.COM

•

•

•

•

MXON: 1st: 1 point, 2nd: 2 points, 3rd: 3 points, 4th 4 points, 5th 5 points, 6th 6 points, 7th 7 points…

Prize money for the winning manufacturer: 1st: €50,000 2nd: €30,000 3rd: €20,000 The manufacturers cup points system is also like that of the MXON: 1 point for 1st, 2 points for 2nd, 3 points for 3rd etc.

There will be 9 scores from each team on the board. The 7 best scores are counted. The worst 2 results are dropped.

There are three riders per team. Three races will be raced. The team with the lowest score at the end of the event will win.

In addition to the main

events, there will be two youth classes in the form of the SMX125cc and a YZ125 cup which is also an invitational race for Yamaha riders, arranged by Yamaha and the national federations across Europe.

Because the riders and the manufacturers that are competing for the Monster Energy SMX Cup have the chance to race for a massive cash prize, the racing is bound to be intense and action packed, which combined with music and other forms of mega entertainment will make for an awesome night out.

Photo: T. White

Jeff Smith’s 1964

BSA B40

and switched his attentions to as a 350cc and was bored and Jeff Smith was born in Colne, motocross GP’s and in 1964 in Lancashire, England and stroked to 420cc capacity. At became Great Britain’s first stumbled upon motocross the time, BSA and the 4-stroke ever world champion, riding a almost by accident, having market were being pushed to British-built BSA. dabbled first in the discipline the limit of their capabilities of trials riding where he won with the threat of the JapBut how different was his two national championship anese 2-Strokes that were factory bike compared to the titles. Riding for BSA he had gaining traction being faster ridden just a handful of (scam- rest of the bikes he was up and much lighter. So, pushing against? bles) motocross races when the motor out to 420cc was The 125cc class in the European Championship usually puts a spotlight on the next his bosses at BSA asked him the only way to go.

TheofBSA originally a World Champions and to ride GP as In part big namethe in Dutch motocross. fact both the B40 2015was FIM Motocross street bike but it was also an of the factory team in 1954. kind of intuition came vice-world champions Romain Febvre, Gautier Paulin, Tim GajserBut andthis Pauls Jonass engine that BSA supplied to And it did not take long for about as a result of another have allget won the EMX125 championship on their paths to Smith motocross supremacy. the military.

Considering him to noticed in the momodel that BSA produced, the was racing in the FIM 500cc tocross world, winning his C15, as Jeff Smith recalls: Motocross World Championfirst GP on his debut. After a ‘The C15 was a push rod 250. ship BSA did not actually make Basically it was a motocross couple of years in The Army, a 500cc engine. Instead, the he returned to the BSA facengine specifically made for B40 factory bike started life tory where he also worked, racing in the 250cc class. It

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was obviously much lighter, and we realised we could put a 250cc into places on the track where you could never put the bigger Goldstar, which Arthur Lampkin and I were using at the time. So, around 1960, ’61, ’62 when we raced the 250cc world championship, I think we experimented by putting the 420cc engine into one of the 250cc frames to start with, and then we did whatever we needed to do, to strengthen the frames, or to change them to accommodate the 420. From there we started thinking in terms of making a much lighter, but not so powerful machine for the 500cc class, and the B40 was a derivative to some extent of the 250cc; it was a 350cc made basically out of the 250cc crank case, and so that was immediately a much lighter engine than a Goldstar, and so we started playing with the engine and pushed it out to 420cc and that’s the machine that I used in the 1964 500cc World Championship.’

During this iconic era of motorcycling, experimentation was commonplace, none more so than for BSA whose background was in the military.

BSA stands for ‘Birmingham Small Arms’ and the factory on Armoury Road, had unrestricted access to all kinds of different materials. Motorcycles back then, particularly 4-Strokes were extremely heavy, so if anything could be

done to make them lighter, then it was greatly welcomed.

And Jeff’s 1964 B40 was the epitome of that.

Magnesium was used for fun it seemed, with the lightweight material being used on a multitude of parts; hubs, crankcases and fork legs would normally have been made from aluminium, but on the B40 those were all Magnesium items. Titanium nuts and bolts were used all-round; the steering head and column were also made from Titanium and believe it or not, so too were the front and rear spindles. The swinging arm pivot though was aluminium. There was also talk of BSA experimenting with Titanium handlebars. Was this true Jeff?

with BSA opting to run a 20” as opposed to the standard 21”. The Paddock gossip came up with all kinds of conspiracy theories but the reality was much more simple. The smaller wheel and therefore smaller tyre that accompanied the wheel were just lighter. There was certainly no advantage in terms of its handling over the bumps, but if there was, Smith didn’t notice.

The rear suspension was provided by Girling, but according to Jeff there was nothing overly special about them, other than they were hand-built which meant when he would go testing at Hawkstone Park in Shropshire, the guys from Girling would show up with up to fifteen sets of dampers, and they would test and test until ‘Yes I did actually; I raced with they found something that they Titanium handlebars and had a were happy with. Of course, nasty accident in Czechoslova- being hand built, they could kia in the grand prix there, and pull the dampers apart during one half of the handlebar fell the tests to change some of off, or broke because welding the elements and make more with Titanium in those days adjustments. was not well understood and where the crossbar had been The front forks were BSA’s welded on, it had notched and own in-house design, except the notch turned into a crack for the Magnesium fork legs. and so the handlebar broke off. They also benefitted from a Fortunately I didn’t crash but system not too dissimilar to the I certainly should have done as Girling shock absorbers, and the left hand side of the hanso the B40 had a very good dlebar fell off. But yeah, I rode damping system. with Titanium handlebars but never again after that.’

The engine was extremeThere was much speculation over the front wheel as well,

ly lightweight too, being an all-alloy motor with a chrome bore, and Magnesium crank-

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Photo: Jeff Smith Collection

cases. The cylinder head was sand-cast instead of die-cast and the fuel tank was also a larger capacity alloy item, specifically designed with the two forty-five minute race duration in mind.

The side panels were all made out of fibreglass which at the time was unheard of. It was also another lightweight material.

Overall the bike would have been around 15-20lbs lighter than the production version known as The Victor, a bike that was built in 1965 as a result of Smith’s 1964 success.

While the bike played a major role in helping Smith to the

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1964 world championship, there was another very telling factor a well. In an age where reliability issues were commonplace, Jeff was best known for his good engine management skills, and where many other riders suffered as a result and lost vital world championship points due to mechanical breakdowns, rarely was it Jeff Smith.

and one 3rd due to a puncture, therefore never finishing off the podium, the title still went down to the final race of the season in Spain. Smith won the first race while Tibblin suffered a DNF after he broke his front wheel. With Smith placing 2nd in Race Two after it was enough to be declared World Champion, winning by 2 points over Tibblin.

In 1964 Jeff Smith’s biggest rival was Rolf Tibblin of Sweden who had won the 500cc world championship on the previous two occasions in 1962/63 on his Husqvarna and so intense was the battle for supremacy in ’64 that even with seven wins out of fourteen, six 2nd place finishes

Jeff Smith went on to win the 500cc world championship the following year in 1965. It was the last time a British-built motorcycle would ever win a motocross world championship. It was also the last time a 4-stroke would win a world title before Jacky Martens won the 500cc title in 1993.

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MXGP ACADEMY

EMX125 young gun gunning

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The European Championship EMX125 presented

by FMF Racing is definitely the most carefully watched European Championship out of the bunch.

It’s the proving ground for the world’s fastest youth, and has caught the attention of some of the biggest names in the bizzo. Antonio Cairoli, David Philippaerts and Mikaël Pichon are just a few of the many former world champions that have been spotted in pit-lane while the under 17 year-olds are out ripping, among a huge number of other industry names.

to Italy and Spain. Sahkar Racing KTM’s Jago Geerts leads, after the first three rounds, by 27 points over KTM Silver Action’s Stephen Rubini, Pierre Goupillon, KTM De Carli Racing’s Gianluca Fachetti, DP19 Yamaha Racing’s Roan Van de Moosedijk and Team Yamaha MJC’s Zachary Pichon, with the five kids that are chasing the Belgian, Geerts, only separated by 7 points. So what do you know about this super deep crop of talent? We’ll shine a light on the top six riders in the championship so far.

Eight rounds make up the 2016 series, which started in Latvia at the beginning of May and has since been

Sahkar Racing KTM’s Jago Geerts burst onto the European scene back in 2014 when he won the European

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Championship in the 85cc class. In 2015 he didn’t do the full season due to an injury at the start of the year, instead he entered at round four and by round six he was already proving to be a force to be reckoned with. At the penultimate round, round seven of eight, the Belgian talent uncorked his first bottle of fizz when he stood on the second step of the podium at the European round of Belgium in the unforgiving sand of Lommel. After a rough start to the season, that was the icing on the cake with the cherry on top being his win at the final round at Assen, The Netherlands.

This year, Jago has been

more or less unrivaled in the first three races this season and has already made a solid start to his EMX125 championship campaign. The young Belgian star on the rise absolutely obliterated everyone at the opening round in Latvia with a 1 – 1 for the overall, and was looking to do the same at round two in Trentino when he won the first race, but stacked it in the second. Despite taking a tumble, he managed to get back to ninth, which was enough to land on the box. At the most recent round in Spain, he had another spill in the first race and only finished fifth but bounced back in race two for the win and

second overall.

Meanwhile, the second fastest rider in the class, since he is sitting second in the championship standings, is KTM Silver Action’s Stephen Rubini. The young Frenchman topped the box for the first time in his career at the second round of the series, which took place at the stunning track and location of Pietramurata.

Proving that his win wasn’t a fluke and that he is a genuine title contender, the youngster almost won round three with a 1 – 1 performance, but after winning the first moto, he was devastatingly dropped

back to eleventh in race two after being docked ten places for jumping on waved yellows. Rubini didn’t lose a place in the championship standings but did lose a bunch of points to fellow Frenchman Pierre Goupillon, who is only 1 point behind him.

More crucially though, he had Geerts in his sights; at the start of the weekend in Spain the gap between first and second was 21 points and had Rubini’s second race win counted he would now sit just 9 points behind Geerts. So, no passing on waved yellows, kids!

The more talent that gets the right advice, the right

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nurturing and the right support, the less chance that someone will fall by the wayside. One rider that has one of the best support networks is KTM De Carli Racing’s Gianluca Facchetti, who is trained and mentored by the eight-time FIM Motocross World Champion Antonio Cairoli and rides for the same guy that has nurtured Tony all the way through his mega successful career, Claudio De Carli.

Facchetti was a bit of a playground legend back in his 85cc days, full to the brim with energy and bursting at the seams with talent. While the little dude racing didn’t get off to the best of starts this sea-

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son, he has since emerged as one of the front runners and managed to win his first ever round of the European Championship in Spain last weekend. Facchetti was twelfth in the championship after the first round and has already launched himself up to fourth and is only five points shy of KTM Silver Action’s Stephen Rubini in second.

Another rider with a great support system is DP19 Yamaha Racing’s young Dutch prodigy Roan Van De Moosedijk who is riding under the watchful eye of the 2008 FIM Motocross World Champion David Philippaerts. Throughout

the years there has been a lot of hype surrounding the small statured Dutchman who starred in the film ‘Living for the weekend’, the first motocross film to hit the cinema in Europe and also made by the same guys that produced ‘Tony Cairoli: The Movie’.

Last but not least, Team MJC Yamaha’s Zachary Pichon is also one to watch as the son of two-time world champion Mikaël Pichon. Mikaël has never pushed Zachary to race, it’s just something he has started to take seriously on his own, but of course it will always be handy to have the right guidance right from the start and who better to guide you than a parent.

PADDOCK TALKS

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01

Paddock Talks 01/ Riders of the YZ125 Cup visited the Spanish Grand Prix.

02/There was such an awesome crowd at Pietramurata for the MXGP of Trentino supporting the Slovenian Tim Gajser.

03/ MotoGP star Alvaro Bautista did not want to miss the MXGP of Spain which was taking place at his home town of Talavera de la Reina.

04/ Formula1’s Kimi Räikkönen is a keen motocross fan, he even owns one of the best teams!

05/Aleksandr Tonkov having fun playing MXGP2 The Official Motocross Videogame 06/The Fiat Professional Fullback is chick magnet.

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04 05

06

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Paddock Talks

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07/Everyone is loving the new play station game MXGP2.

08/ How cool would it be if our school took us to the MXGP? These school kids know!

09/Blast from the past, Maggiora ’86.

10/ Football star Sami Hyypiä enjoying a little bit of MXGP. 11/ Tony Cairoli with Frecciarossa representatives.

12/Simone Zecchina knows how to make a good pizza.

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QUESTIONS TO THE EDITOR

QUESTIONS TO THE EDITOR Hey guys, Will you guys be giving away tickets for the MXGP of Charlotte, September 2nd & 3rd in North Carolina?

Thanks, Casey Dear Casey, It is possible. The best thing to do is keep an eye on our Social Media platforms Facebook, Twitter & Instagram and our website www.mxgp.com. That’s where we run our competitions.

Best Regards MXGP Hi MXGP-TV, I bought tickets for Matterley Basin online, when will I receive them?

Thanks, Gary Hi Gary Thanks for your purchase, you should print your e-ticket and present it at the entrance of the event.

Regards MXGP

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Hi MXGP, When will ticket sales start for the MXGP of Belgium in Lommel?

Thanks, Emily Hello Emily, Online ticket sales will start shortly. Keep an eye on www. mxgp.com All the best, MXGP Hi MXGP Will you have a race in Mexico City?

Thanks, Oliver Hi Oliver Not yet, the closest one for you is the MXGP of Leon. It has already taken place on the 17th of April.

Regards MXGP

Hi MXGP I’m trying to sign-up at www. mxgp-tv.com to watch some live racing but I have been waiting a long time to receive the e-mail so I can activate my account. I have tried with two different e-mails and the same thing has happened. Can you help?

Thanks, Tommy Hello Tommy, Sure! If you e-mail contact@youthstream-media. org our help team will help you. Thanks for signing up!

Best Regards MXGP

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