MXGP Mag #21 June 2015 by MXGP MAG

#21_JUNE 2015

ki a s a w a K rgy DRT

e n E r e t s Mon

P U Y A W F L A H N I A T N U O M E H T KTM Factory Juniors: Encouraging Excellence

RACING CATCH UP

TEAM OF THE MONTH Monster Energy DRT Kawasaki

07 10 17 20 30 32 42 46 50 54 62 68 70

INDEX

COOL SHOT

MONSTER GIRLS

MXGP ACADEMY KTM Factory Juniors

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 #21 June 2015 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

the top 3 - maybe this year can be the right one for him. Cairoli: As always he is What an MXGP season!?! the master of strategy and After eight rounds the Championship is even more is managing extremely well when it’s the right moment unpredictable than in the to win and when it’s the beginning and six riders moment to not take risks, he still have a good chance of winning. Only a few months keeps closing his gap from the 1st place. Paulin: After ago most people were fohis complicated start to the cused on Cairoli and Vilseason he has come back lopoto, now the current classification shows a com- very strong and is proving that he and his bike are pletely different scenario. ready for the Graal. BobryNagl: Grand Prix by Grand Prix confirms his red plate shev: He is going really fast this year and is remaining with excellent results evconstant. And finally the ery weekend showing his great surprise, Febvre, who high level of competition at the last MXGP in France and great game plan. Deproved to be the man of the salle: Up until his injury in France he has always been moment, despite being his first year in the MXGP class very fast, almost always in Dear MXGP Friends,

he shows he is 100% ready, he’s very fast, technical and doesn’t have any reverence towards the more experienced top guys. Febvre is the perfect proof of the pyramid that has been created with the European Championships, MX2 and then MXGP. In 2011 he won the European 250cc class, in 2012 he was 13th in the MX2 class after missing some GPs due to an injury, in 2013 he finished 12th in the MX2 class after missing 4 Grand Prix events due to injury, in 2014 he finished 3rd in the MX2 winning his first Grand Prix event, and this year after eight Grand Prix events he’s third in the prime class

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winning his first MXGP in France in front of his home crowd, and he is a serious contender for the title. Many of the main actors in the MX2 and MXGP classes have come through the European Championship school: Paulin – 2007 EMX250 Champion, Herlings - 2009 EMX250 2nd position, Tixier - 2010 EMX125 Champion, Ferrandis - 2011 EMX250 2nd position, Gajser - 2012 EMX125 Champion, Pocock - 2012 EMX250 Champion, Guillod - 2013 EMX250 Champion, Seewer - 2013 EMX250 2nd position, Jonass - 2013 EMX125 Champion, Bogers - 2014

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by 30% and the social media fans have also tripled compared to last year. Some people always consider the glass half empty, we always consider it half full, and working together with FIM, organizers, teams, sponsors, media and fans, we try to make the glass even fuller, and today we see that we are all heading in the right direction. We want to thank all the partners and fans who have supported MXGP and the European Championships over Our sport is really thriving. the past years and who have The level of competition is helped improve our fantastic soaring in every class, the level of the riders has never sport. Believe me, we have not yet arrived; it’s just the been so high as it is today, beginning of the new Motothe media coverage is outstanding, the number of fans cross era on the Olympus of major sports. at the events has increased EMX250 2nd position and Hsu 2014 EMX125 Champion. Look at who’s on top of the 125cc and 250cc European Championships today and surely you will see the future MX2 and MXGP Champions. This system is working so well, and now many other continents are talking with Youthstream to create something similar for their Continental Championships.

COOL SHOTS

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COOL SHOTS

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COOL SHOTS

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HOLESHOT

FOX HOLESHOT MXGP of FRANCE

There have not been that many times in the last 2 years when a double MX2 race win from Red Bull KTMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jeffrey Herlings has been such a surprise, and yet his form in the last 3 rounds of the 2015 World championship has been on the edge of erratic when compared with what he, and everyone else, expects of him, so for the Dutchman to walk away with a full compliment of silverware from the MXGP of France and at the same time bag two more black Fox holeshot plates and the lead in the contest was a more than impressive feat. Gate pick is always a tough one to gauge, especially on a new

track such as Villars sous Ecot. On Friday there was a consensus that the tight right hand first turn would favour the inside pick, but perhaps the sweeping nature of the turn would allow for some creativity with breaking points.

it pinned and launched his small frame deep into turn one hoping to turn on the outside burm and keep his slim lead. Herlings however turned his Red Bull KTM inside the flying Frenchman and got on the gas to the exit earlier to blast over the line first and take his 3rd point On Sunday in France Jeffrey of the year. Race 2 saw a carbon Herlings proved that if you time copy, but this time it was FOX holeeverything right, gate drop, gear shot championship leader Alekchange, braking marker and turn sandr Tonkov who hit the apex first in point then it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t matter and sailed towards the outside of which gate of the first 20 you pick, the track ahead of Herlings. Once the Fox holeshot can be yours. more the KTM kept his line tight and clear to sneak over the line In both races he was not first to a wheel ahead of his good friend the first apex. In race 1 David and tie with him on 4 points in the Herbreteau, riding as a wild card Holeshot championship. There is for Monster Energy Kawasaki, kept little to choose between the factory

KTM and Husqvarna, but in France nothing was going to stop Herlings from taking both points for himself. “All last night I’d been studying the starts and I was just like “Now I need to show I am a champion, now is the moment to pull two holeshots” and that’s what I did today which was incredible because I came from all the way outside almost from the top as well.”

At the Grand Prix of Spain, Tony Cairoli switched from his long serving and trusted 350 SX-F to the more aggressive and powerful 450 SX-F, stating that the flatter and faster tracks that were being served up in the 2015 season meant he had to push beyond where he was comfortable with on the smaller bike. Since that moment he has gone from a 20% holeshot hit rate in the first 5 GPs For Herlings, the relief in France to a 50% success rate in the last was palpable, one week earlier in 3. The points leader Max Nagl is Great Britain he had been so close still the thorn in the Italians side yet so far from the holeshot, losing on the start line but the statistics out to Max Anstie in race one as are proof that the change has been the Englishman took his debut Fox worthwhile on the run down to turn black plate of 2015, and to his team one. mate Pauls Jonass in race two as the young Latvian notched up his Matterley Basin was the longest second point of the campaign. This start line drag of the year and the need, nay desire, for Herlings to line that a rider choose into turn take the holeshot seems to have one had a huge bearing on their sprung from his last few GP perdrive up the short straight to turn formances where he has been two and the FOX holeshot line. In unable to charge through the pack race 1, Cairoli had no challengers, as he has done so well in previholding his KTM to a tight inside ous seasons, and he now knows line and blasting clear of Nagl that even for a rider of his caliber, and Simpson to cross the line 2 getting the Fox Holeshot is the only bike lengths clear. Race two saw way to guarantee you are in with a a totally unconnected but somechance of the race win. how prescient move by Nagl that

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opened the door for Simpson to take his second score of the season. Nagl, starting this time inside Cairoli, planted his Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna squarely in the middle of turn one, and as he was the first one there the riders behind had two choices, run wide outside and maintain corner speed, or cut inside square it up and blast for the line. Cairoli was forced into option 1 and Shaun Simpson with a more inside gate, took the second route and with it the Fox holeshot point. By France the home GP fire had fizzled a little bit for Simpson and he wasn’t a factor at the front into turn one. The spoils were shared evenly between Cairoli, race one FOX holeshot winner and subsequent race winner, and Nagl, race 2 FOX holeshot winner and second place finisher. Nagl is doing what he needs to right now as he defends his lead in the MXGP World Championship, and by maintaining his control in the FOX holeshot standings he is wetting himself up perfectly for the results that will keep him at the top for the season.

RACING CATCH UP

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THE CONSTANT CLIMB

Three more enthralling rounds of MXGP made up the month of May. However, the word enthralling doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t quite cover just how amazing each of the three rounds has been. All have attracted huge, highly animated crowds and have produced some of the best MXGP and MX2 racing the FIM Motocross World Championship has ever seen.

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TALAVERA DE LA REINA, MXGP of SPAIN While Spain typically tells tales of castles and knights on the weekend of May 10th the talk at the table of tapas, tortillas and paella, this year was all about the two racers who proved to be the most hungry for the crown in MXGP and MX2. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli added an extra 100cc to his SX-F weaponry which proved to be the right move with the Italian eight time FIM Motocross World Champion coming away with his first Grand Prix victory since August 2014. Not only did Tony change bike, going from his usual KTM350SX-F to the KTM450SX-F, he also changed his entire kit color scheme,

toning down the trademark fluro for something a little less dramatic. While the sudden changes in Tony’s MXGP assault generated a ton of interest, the biggest buzz of the event was actually the performance of Standing Construct Yamaha Yamalube’s Valentin Guillod. There is a saying that lingers in motocross circles “jumps for show, corners for dough”, which roughly translated means “whips are the show but it’s corner speed that wins races.” Guillod became the newest knight in shining armor for Spanish fans as he carved his way to his first ever race and overall victory without sacrificing any of the show. Relentless in the way he attacked the track; the Swiss man

threw down some seriously epic scrubs that day while launching jumps like no other and in doing so managed to win the Spanish Grand Prix ahead of the regular box topper Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings. Speaking of Herlings, The Bullet could count his lucky stars that weekend after walking away from one of the gnarliest highside turn catapult crashes we’ve seen. (CLICK TO WATCH).

Despite having one side of his bike bent into a very unorthodox position, the Dutchman adjusted and charged his way from last, all the way to sixth to finish second overall on the day.

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MATTERLEY BASIN, MXGP of Great Britain The seventh (already? That came around fast!) Grand Prix of the year took place at one of the most loved tracks and venues on the calendar, Matterley Basin. Built in the steep dip of rolling fields near Winchester, England, the track is one of a few on the calendar that can be seen in its entirety from almost any spectating area. That alone makes it a fan favorite which was evident this year with the crowd that mobbed the venue being way bigger, louder and more enthusiastic than ever before. The racers love it for its great flow, tacky soil, fun jumps and width. Matterley Basin has everything, and at the MXGP of Great Britain it delivered all

that was expected and more, to go down in history as one of the best ever editions of the British Grand Prix. Speaking of the super charged crowd, a lot of the contagious energy was spread by the stellar performances of the British riders, Monster Energy DRT Kawasaki’s Max Anstie and Hitachi Construction Machinery Revo KTM’s Shaun Simpson. Both Brits ride for British teams which only added to the excitement when they were out leading their respective categories. Anstie sent the packed fields into frenzy when he snagged the FOX holeshot in the opening MX2 race and led it right up to the penultimate lap. Steve Dixon, organizer of the British

Grand Prix and owner of Monster Energy DRT Kawasaki said, “Max said that leading that race for all that time and the adrenaline and the crowd was actually better than his win Lommel, he said his win in Lommel didn’t feel anything like leading those laps at Matterley in front of his home crowd”. At the end of one of the most gripping races the MX2 has seen since the days of Tommy Searle versus Jeffrey Herlings, Anstie was dropped back to third by the relentless pace of Herlings and Guillod, with the Red Bull KTM rider pouncing on the Kawasaki and Yamaha men with 3 laps to go before breaking away for the moto win. A home victory for Anstie went

up in smoke with a bad start in race two, but nevertheless the crowd remained revved up and engaged by the amazing performance of Valentin Guillod who managed to hang tough in the lead for the entire 30min + 2 lap duration despite having a ferocious Jeffrey Herlings on his tail. Herlings did make a couple of passes during the race but neither stuck, with Guillod rebounding immediately to take the race win for his second consecutive Grand Prix win.

the most successful Grand Prix race winner on British soil with six Grand Prix overall wins. Another hot topic following Matterley was the class act of Yamaha Factory Racing Yamalube’s Romain Febvre who claimed his first ever MXGP race win in race two to uncork his second bottle of bubbles this year on the third step of the podium behind Mr Consistent, Clement Desalle.

bikes tear up a hillside. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing one of your nations own on the podium at your home Grand Prix, let alone on top of the box for the first time in their ever blossoming careers. Thanks to the new kid on the block, Yamaha Factory Racing Yamalube’s Romain Febvre, the fans got exactly what they came for. It was a hair-raising moment for most people at VILLARS SOUS ECOT, MXGP of the venue to watch the over France whelmed twenty-three-yearFrance is known for its ever old Frenchman stand top of the Meanwhile in MXGP Shaun passionate, ride to the end, box. His fans were so excited Simpson also put in a mega die hard motocross fans, and they toppled over the fences to performance and snatched a with France being the current run to the podium and cheer point to add to his FOX holeshot Chamberlain Cup holders as the for their newest hero and used tally, but it was Red Bull KTM reigning Monster Energy FIM the proud moment to sing the Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli Motocross of Nations champiFrench national anthem at the who took the bragging rights for ons, the French have never been top of their lungs, that’s somethe MXGP of Great Britain once more excited to head out into the thing that really brought out the again, and in doing so became great outdoors and watch dirt goosebumps!

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While Febvre’s emphatic win in MXGP was THE moment of the weekend, some other cool things happened, too. Things didn’t go to plan for the other superstar Frenchman Team HRC Honda’s Gautier Paulin who had a mechanical failure while challenging for the lead in the opening race and a terrible start in race two. Nevertheless his teammate Evgeny Bobryshev flew the flag high for the guys in red finishing second overall and both Bobby and Gautier won the hearts of fans when they went out on a buggy armed with T-Shirt guns so they could fire freebies into the crowd.

trackside ridges in MX2 epic as the defending MX2 world champion Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jordi Tixier and the winner of the last two Grand Prix Standing Construct Yamaha Yamalube’s Valentin Guillod shared the lead in the first moto. Tixier said, “I don’t know about you guys, but for me this was definitely the best crowd we have had. When I took the lead in race one I couldn’t hear anything, just the people, it was amazing!” By the flag Both Guillod and Tixier ended up being dropped back a spot after a regrouped Herlings took the lead in the final stages of the race.

Villars sous Ecot is not far from Switzerland, which meant for Swiss fans, MXGP of France was as close to a home Grand Prix as they were going to get. This made the surge of noise coming from the

In race two it would appear Herlings was back to his old tricks, controlling the race from start to finish, although that could have been made easier with Guillod crashing spectacularly on the

opening lap. Even so, it seems like it has been an eternity since we could call MX2 unpredictable, but thanks to the sudden burst in speed from Guillod and also Honda Gariboldi’s Tim Gajser who chased Herlings all the way home for second and second overall in France, MX2 has now become just as riveting as MXGP. With the year flying by, the next round of MXGP will mark the halfway point of the season. So far, so good! Popularity is constantly increasing which can be attributed to a lot of things. The racing has never been as compelling as it is now, and the venues have also played their part in making this season as great as it is. So, let’s raise a toast to the second half of the season being just as good as the first!

FIM Motocross World Championship

Standings MXGP CHAMP. STANDINGS

MX2 CHAMP. STANDINGS

1. M. Nagl (GER, HUS) , 332 points 2. A.Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 313 p. 3. C. Desalle (BEL, SUZ) , 291 p. 4. R. Febvre (FRA YAM) , 282 p. 5. G. Paulin (FRA, HON), 252 p. 6. E. Bobryshev (RUS, HON) 247 p. 7. S. Simpson (GBR,KTM) , 169 p. 8. T. Waters (AUS, HUS), 138 p. 9. G. Coldenhoff(NED, SUZ) , 133 p. 10. K. De Dycker (BEL, KTM), 133 p.

1. J.Herlings (NED, KTM),358 points 2. V. Guillod (SUI, YAM), 246 p. 3. P. Jonass (LAT, KTM), 245 p. 4. J. Tixier (FRA, KAW) , 229 p. 5. A. Tonkov (RUS, HUS) , 218 p. 6. T. Gajser (SLO, HON), 209 p. 7. J. Seewer (SUI, SUZ) , 208 p. 8. D. Ferrandis (FRA, KAW), 205 p. 9. J. Lieber (BEL, YAM), 184 p. 10.M. Anstie (GBR, KAW), 183 p.

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

339 points 330 points 319 points 289 points 287 points 229 points 70 points

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

380 329 282 242 221 208

points points points points points points

MXGPTV Youtube Channel

20Million

Views on MXGPTV Youtube Channel

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MXGP SOCIAL

TWITTER, FACEB IN THE WORLD OF #MXGP @cruto_87 ‬ It was awesome! Little hard for riders (they said..) but a lot of fun!!! And 46000pers during all the week-end! Thx a lot @mxgp to come here @AjTaylor124 ‬ Haven’t enjoyed @mxgp #mx2 this much in a long time. Good to see some actual racing up front for a change. @Ashlea Malcomson Well the MXGP at MXGP Matterley Basin was absolutely insane, came home with some new fav riders. Cant wait for next year!! @richardmxbrown ‬‬ ‬‬ @mxgp @RFebvre461 is really stepping up a gear now! @stevemilne40 @mxgp @Antoniocairoli wore them all down - race by race : #truechamp 1st year watching MXGP

@joejohnknight88 ‬ ‬‬ @JHerlings84 herlings was on fire at @mxgp of G.B that first race where he show everyone why his call “the bullet‬‬ @untcomplete Thought the @MonsterEnergyUK girls were far better turned out @mxgp than the rockstar girls!! #JustSaying

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@chloehill28 The most amazing weekend @mxgp best way to start the summer with loads of laughs, beer, friends and dodgy tan lines You can WIN some awesome prizes this year by participating in the GET, ATHENA Photo Competition. All you have to do to go into the draw to win one of three sweet prizes is: 1.Find any ATHENA or GET Logo at any round of MXGP this year. 2.Take a photo of it. 3.Upload it to the Athena GET Photo Competition app on MXGP’s Facebook page with the hashtag #MXGP #Athenalive. Logo’s can be found on the rider’s gear, on the bikes, on the team trucks, and around the paddock of MXGP on various other banners and advertising panels. The prizes up for grabs are: •Two VIP passes to any 2016 MXGP round of your choice •Go Pro prize pack •Ogio Prize The picture VOTED the best, will win. Sound easy enough? Find an Athena or GET logo, snap a pic and upload it to Facebook. Click HERE To go to the competition page.

The MX2 season has just got super intense. At the MXGP of Great Britain there was an epic last lap battle between Max Anstie, Valentin Guillod & Jeffrey Herlings.

Some would say MXGP of Great Britain, Matterley Basin, England was one of the best events of the season in terms of racing. WATCH this and see what you think?

BOOK, INSTAGRAM, YOUTUBE

@Charl Bowles My little champ made it onto the podium with Cairolli and Villopoto this weekend

@cisportltd Congratulations to @ romainfebvre earning his first career @mxgp Overall Victory!

@tommorgan129 Me and the little one re-watching @mxgp at matterley this evening @ rapidmotouk #mxbaby

@DjellalSamira Ipone crew and @krtmx2 @jorditixier@thomascovington #PetarPetrov at @ mxgp France last week. Thanks @Romaric_Photos

@jasonbarrowmx The French certainly like their @mxgp

IN THE WORLD OF #MXGP 31

TEAM OF THE MONTH

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Monster Energy DRT Kawasaki:

half way up the mountain Monster Energy DRT Kawasaki, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not the version of the teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name that many expected to appear on the entry lists at the start of 2015. A change of manufacturer, the return of a title sponsor from 2013 and a return to running riders in just the MX2 class made for some pretty drastic changes that few in the paddock saw coming.

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The team’s main rider, Max Anstie, and the team themselves had often said during the 2014 season how committed they were to their project as the Bikeit Yamaha Cosworth team, the very same team that took a stunning overall victory in the sand of Lommel last August. And then things changed and changed fast, the long association with Yamaha was over with some sore feelings on both sides, but a new door opened ahead of the team with Kawasaki as team owner Steve Dixon explains. Steve Dixon Last year was obviously a difficult year, we were doing good at the beginning of the season with the older bike, we knew there wasn’t enough time to have the 2014 bike as good as the 13 bike, so we wanted to go racing to win, I know it was a bit controversial because it’s not what man-

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ufacturers do, but it goes on in road racing and Formula 1 and stuff like that, but you shouldn’t go racing with a bike until it’s better than the bike you are racing with, and the Yamaha was so new. We basically podiumed at the first 3 races, had a problem at the first one, but basically Max podiumed and then we were forced on to the 14 bike and we were developing at the races and that was hard. From a fantastic team that had built a good reputation with great results with Dean (Ferris) and anyone that came on it, Michael Lieb came over and got a 2nd, it was really hard for us to take it on the chin that we were looked on as if we were a joke for breaking down, but we had to take it on the chin. We didn’t drop our standards so we had to deal with the difficulties, we built an extremely competitive bike and what Max wanted is a bike that would take him to

a podium like it was at the first 3 and clearly a safe tuned bike wasn’t at that stage taking it forward. It was a hard year for all involved in the team and it put a lot of pressure on their relationships, there are only so many times when you can burn the midnight oil night after night without something reaching breaking point, but Steve Dixon feels like out of that strife a more solid unit has been formed in the team. Steve Dixon So Max grew up a lot, he got involved in the bike, especially this year with tyres, with testing and he now is educated and gives good feedback, he realises that making a change on a sprocket is making the best of the bike on the day whereas before he sort of thought that maybe if we were having to change the sprocket we weren’t prepared, and I think that

mentality is what we have been working on and now he is a very good test rider, he comes in and he speaks to us. I keep trying to educate him, obviously I work a lot with Cosworth, who are heavily involved with Formula 1 in all different respects, and those guys have the best of everything and they are the pinnacle of the sport, so if we think we are better than them and we can’t learn from them then I shouldn’t be in a managerial owners position, those guys are smart, they don’t make snap decisions, they think of 10 steps down the line before they take the first step and I try to follow that approach, as does Ben with the engines. We try to think out the engines before we create a problem and I think that can be seen in our transfer to Kawasaki and immediately being up there on the button. We’ve only had one problem this year in Valkenswaard and that’s it and as everyone knows Max is quite hard

on his machinery regardless, so we are pretty happy where we’ve come with this. As a Yamaha team they had moved up over the last few years to as close to full factory as they needed to be, the close tie ins that the team has with Cosworth has always meant that they had pursued a different development path to the Rinaldi Yamaha squad, but now they are back to square one with the colour change to green for 2015. Steve Dixon At the moment we have a British deal through Kawasaki UK so it’s like snakes and ladders, we got to the top (at Yamaha) and were hitting the ceiling and so now we’ve had to, I would say, go down a few rungs as obviously other teams get more monetary support. For me I am not interested in factory support, it doesn’t make any difference, I feel that what we

build in our workshop and the abilities that we have with Ohlins and Cosworth and ourselves our machining that we do, there is not much that we can’t do that any factory can do and the beauty of it is that we can respond on a Monday after racing on a Sunday, our main aim is the more financial support we get the better we will get. For the main rider of the Team, Max Anstie, the news of the bike switch was pretty unexpected, and his first reaction was not too positive. Max Anstie I was like, oh bloody hell! (laughs) It came a bit out of the blue, I was set on Yamaha, I was comfortable on it, we had done a lot of work on it, we’d had a lot of issues but we had worked through them and we would have had a brilliant year this year had we been on Yamaha for it. But I understand the other side of it,

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it is a business and we had to go in that direction. But yes I was set on two years on Dixon Yamaha and obviously that has changed but I am not saying that is a bad thing, I actually do think this year we have progressed in the right direction, okay it was only natural for me to be doubtful after last year, I was worried a bit. It’s not that changing bikes was a big problem for Anstie, it’s more that his career up until 2014 has been a litany of moving teams and changing machinery in the search for a winning combination and with Yamaha and the Dixon crew the red headed GP winner thought that for the first time in his career he had it all nicely settled. However,

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at least in terms of personnel he does have a good basis for his first 2nd year with the same team. Max Anstie It’s nice in a way that I know the people, I know how everything works, it’s easy in that respect but again it’s a change of bike. You know I’ve not stayed on the same make of bike for 2 years since I turned professional and I turned pro in 2009 and I rode for Jason Lawrence, he was my first boss on KTM, and then Star racing Yamaha, and then back to Europe to CLS, then Garibaldi Honda, then Suzuki, the Dixon Yamaha, now Dixon Kawasaki, so okay I know how to test and develop a bike, that’s alright, but I mean I’ve always been striving for the next thing and the next

thing in my career. At times I hated it and I would think “I want to be out front” but I’ve learnt a lot with different teams, different people, it’s been nice. Okay right I could say “I wish I had stayed on this team or stayed with Factory KTM when I was in America or done this or done that and I could have been a World Champion already”. Yes you can say what if and whatever but I feel like I have had to keep the faith and I feel almost humbled by the experience because I feel like it has made me a better person off the track and it’s made me smarter on the track and ride harder and faster. At the end of the day I am right here racing and that’s all that matters right now, today is the only thing that matters,

I’ve got as good a chance as anyone to get on the podium for the rest of the year and I’ve got a really good opportunity and I am in a really good position for next year, and when I am World Champion and winning races that’s what will make it so special. The hard times always make the good time so good. For Steve Dixon his involvement in Motocross extends beyond the usual team owner role, he has, for the best part of the last decade, promoted and run the British Grand Prix at Matterley Basin, an event that has become a fan and rider favourite on the calendar, with that experience has the event become any easier to run? Steve Dixon I don’t know if it gets any easier because every year you try and improve ev-

erything whether it’s road, planning behind the scenes, the circuit, the soil, the way things come in, the way you collect rubbish, you are forever trying to improve, so every year is a learning curve. Obviously with continuity and the same people that becomes easier as you get people you trust, so that’s the key to building this event but it’s just me and my son’s and Leah’s help and there is a core group and two weeks before hand we all get stuck into it. If I am providing the service of a Grand Prix then I want to please everyone, whether it’s having the media overlooking the track, the riders enjoying it, the paddock and the public enjoying it, I want everyone to come and have a good experience. You know if you take your car in to get it serviced you expect a good job, if people come into

the GP they expect a good standard and I want to set that standard. We try to set an example and for me it’s still about the passion of trying to create a Grand Prix that has got stability. I’ve now run more GPs than anyone in Britain in the last 20 years, this is my 5th in a row here, the nations and then another one, so 7 at Matterley and then one at Matchams park, there’s not been that many for a long long time, back in the 80’s with Hawkstone and that. MXGP television commentator Paul Malin rode for Steve Dixon from 1993 to 1999, won the Motocross of Nations with him in 1994 and he even got the teams first GP win in 1995. For those 7 years he and Steve drove to almost every race together and Paul has a hundred stories from his time riding and working with Steve. Those mem-

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ories come from a time when motocross was perhaps less polished and a bit more ‘crazy’ than it is now but they do also hint of the timeless importance of a strong bond between a rider and his mechanic, something that Steve is keen to resurrect Steve Dixon This year I have actually tried to get back to the times of myself and Paul, where a rider and a mechanic were bonded, and my priority this year with Max is that Jordan is with him practicing all the time, even if it’s a day before a Grand Prix. I have the right people to carry on and do stuff for Jordan so he I concentrate on the riding and making sure that Max the bike and Jordan are

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one. They don’t just meet up, they are friends, they talk, they practice together and then I’ll fly Jordan out. We don’t have a practice mechanic, what we have is a mechanic and that’s Max’s mechanic and if anything needs doing back at the workshop for his bike then I have the right guys to do it. Maybe I shouldn’t give my secrets away, myself and Paul we had a fantastic relationship for 8 years and the bond, he used to live down with me and he was best man at my wedding, that’s the sort of bond that you need with a rider and that’s what I am trying to recreate, that they are a unit with the bike and I feel that Max is benefiting from that.

Of course Anstie has some experience of riding the green bike, his first season as a professional rider in Europe in 2011 was with what is now the Monster Energy Kawasaki team, but was known then as Team Floride Monster Energy Pro Circuit, or CLS for short. Max Anstie My practice bike that I train on is really similar to the one I would have had back then I feel like but I don’t know I’ve gone away and come back, I feel a bit stronger, feel a bit more settled now. I got some pictures out of me the other day when I was on the CLS bike and I was so weak and tiny and ok I was 18 at the time, but there are big 18 year old kids and I wasn’t one of them. I was the little one and I thought “why did

I ride like that” because I was so weak and small, I looked like I had nothing on me, but I’m getting there now, getting bigger and stronger so that’s good. I’m happy with the path that I have lead, I feel like it’s making me a better rider at the moment, and that this year we can be solid for the rest of the year and next year we’ve got a good shot, and it’s got to be to go for the world title, one more shot. If there is one thing the Monster Energy DRT Kawasaki crew are well known for it’s the large amount of late nights, (and Haribo) in the pits. In the first few GPs, Thailand and Argentina especially, they were all there until the early hours

every morning making sure that the bike was as good as it could be for Max (and up until his horrific injury in the week after Thailand Mel Pocock) to ride and that is something that both Steve and Max clearly appreciate Steve Dixon Anyone that knows me knows I’m a workaholic. People say “how can you do both, surely it’s one or the other” and I say “no, I just work twice as hard”. I have a fantastic crew of loyal people in my team now, Ben’s (Popperwell, chief mechanic) has been there 14 years since he was 16, Jordan (Vaughn, Anstie’s mechanic) has been there since he was 16, 6 years, Nico has been there 8 years, so you know we have

the right people in the right job and that makes things easy. I don’t have to worry that they are going to turn up at a race and things are going to be wrong, they have learned my way and rightly or wrongly I believe it’s a good way because I’ve been going as one of the longest teams, 26 years this year, and that makes my job a lot easier. Max Anstie I’ve got a good group of people, Jordan, Ben, the boys are good, it’s nice to speak the same language and relate to everyone and not to be too far away from them, and you need that when everyone is putting in everything they can to one rider now to go racing, it’s a shame about Mel because we were holding the team

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down and now it’s like everyone is here just for me to go racing which is nice. No one wants mechanicals, no one wants me to crash or something to go wrong but this is motor racing, stuff can happen, whether it’s myself making a mistake or something randomly happening on the bike, I have learned to accept those sorts of things and go in with an open mind and just go racing.

he is clearly a happier man than the teenager who was struggling to find his place and his confidence in the 2012 and 2013 seasons. But does he ever regret the path he has taken to get to this area of relative zen?

Max Anstie I’ve thought a lot about that, yes, I agree that some decisions that have been made weren’t great but then they weren’t in my control, whereas now I feel like I’ve become From how he talks about a better person, so no, I feel his team and how he acts like the path that was chosen with them in the garage and for me or the path that I was over the race weekend it’s on has made me who I am clear that Max has found a now and I feel like I am a very place where he finally feels solid person in everyday life. confident in himself. More I do my own thing; I work mymay have gone mechaniself with the team. I am really cally wrong in the last 18 lucky because last week (in months than in the previous Matterly Basin) was an amaz4 years of his career, but ing race and I had my mum he knows that those things there, I had my dad there were outside the scope of and I had my gran there, my his and, more often than friends there, and it was brilnot, the team’s control. And liant, the first time ever that

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it’s been like that and everyone was calm and relaxed and letting me do my thing. 2014 was a fight for honour for the Dixon racing team crew: from the first race stall in Qatar while leading, to the podium in Thailand and the head to head with Herlings, from the many mechanical gremlins and smoking machines, to the winners champagne on the toughest track of the year. 2015 has begun infinitely brighter, and though overall podiums are not yet recorded in the history books, it’s clear that the end of the long tunnel is well within sight and that the team have passed through a dark period in their history with heads held high and their eyes firmly on a shared end goal.

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Cool down to go fast, Cryotherapy in MXGP

For 4 years the Centre Medical Mobile has had a presence in the MXGP paddock, a reassuring and specialist clinic that is there to support and enhance the facilities provided by each Grand Prixâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s local medical team under the guidance of the FIM chief medical officer. With state of the art radiology and ultrasound diagnostic equipment the highly con-

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spicuous bright red centre has been a valuable boon to the MXGP World Championship since it first came on the scene at Valkenswaard in 2012. Its presence came from a collaboration between Youthstream, the teams themselves and the FIM in a response to the need for a permanent and stable medical assistance unit at the European rounds of the MXGP World Championship.

Since then the centre has continually evolved, providing enhanced physiotherapy services in collaboration with Donjoy in 2014 and now in 2015 delivering state of the art recovery services in the form of the latest highly sought after Cryotherapy sauna. Cryotherapy has been making waves in professional sport rehabilitation and recovery since it first made the head-

lines in 2011 for its use by the Welsh international rugby squad, a moment that aligned perfectly with their rise in form in that year’s 6 nations competition. Like many new processes there has been some scepticism about the merits of the therapy and its uses in aiding muscle recovery. However, in the last 4 years considerable research has been done that points to sincere and clear advantages

in athlete recovery that can be gained by using it. What is “it” then? Well the entire process is designed to aid muscle recovery by rapidly cooling tissue after strenuous exercise by immersing the athlete almost entirely in a “steam” of liquid nitrogen. First the user must strip down to their underwear and don special gloves and socks to protect their extremities,

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Photo: Haudiquert

something Olympic sprinter Justin Gatlin once forgot to do and as a result suffered frostbite to his toes. They then stand immersed in the gas at a temperature of -150 degrees celcius (half way to absolute zero) for a period of 2 to 3 minutes before emerging, it’s a process that can be used up to 3 times a day and the benefits include reduced muscle soreness in the days and hours following periods of extreme exercise, reduced inflammation of joints and ligaments and around injuries, and perhaps most significantly a surprising sense of well being. “There are proven benefits, and we have been working with this in other sports as well like cycling and tennis. It has also been very active

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in the Sporting Centre for excellence in Paris,” commented Centre Medical Mobile co-owner and manager Louis Ramel. “As well as the physical effects then it also produces a sense of euphoria and can help with articulatory pain.” In MXGP this is a service that is available to all riders at a small cost of 45 Euros per session but overall it demonstrates the Centre Medical Mobile’s commitment to providing the most up to date treatments and services for the elite athletes of MXGP. The addition of the Cryotherapy unit is just the first stage in a wider 1.8 million Euro investment by the centre which will include a full MRI scanner at the end

of the season in September. Motocross, as everyone who has ever ridden it or simply flipped off their BMX when younger, is a very painful sport to compete in. Riders wear minimal protection compared to road racers in order to keep the flexibility that they need to control the bikes at speed and even a small knock at relatively low speed can lead to a restriction in movement. Any process that can aid a riders recovery and flexibility in the days and weeks following an injury, however slight, is a boon to the sport and the investment into the Centre Medical Mobile is sure to benefit all the racers in the paddock for many years to come.

MONSTER GIRLS

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MONSTER GIRLS

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Thinking about Teutschenthal?

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So far the 2015 MXGP series has been epic. We’ve already had so many incredible rounds of MXGP which are only about to get better as we move through the calendar. One of the rounds that is expected to be more awesome than ever is the MXGP of Germany, which will take place at the world-renowned ‘Talkessel’ circuit in Teutschenthal on the weekend of June 21st. The gnarly hard packed surface of Teutschenthal, known for its deep ruts, elevation and overall choppiness, made its claim to fame when it hosted the groundbreaking 2013 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations. Since then, the spectator friendly circuit, which is essentially old school motocross with a modern flare, has attracted some of the best

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crowds of the season. With Germany being the home of some of the world’s fastest and most talented motocross riders, Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Nagl and the jet set Ken Roczen are two names that spring to mind, there is sure to be a hyperactive atmosphere. While Kenny has taken on challenges elsewhere, Max is the current points leader in the worlds premier motocross championship, MXGP. Can the German, who has won the most grand prix this year, add a home soil victory to his stellar 2015 resume? Be there to find out! As always there will be loads food and merchandise stands on site where you can fill your belly with the typical race day, food such as burgers and chips

or you could even indulge in a bit of German worst. If you want to go all out on your German grand prix experience you can also stop by at the notorious beer tent. In geographical terms, the circuit is situated in the Saxony region of Germany, south of Berlin. The closest airport is Leipzig-Halle Airport. To drive to the circuit from Leipzig-Halle Airport, take the E49 motorway North and then at junction 11 take the B80 West and look for the exit ‘Teutschenthal’. GPS address is: Poststrasse, D-06179 Teutschenthal, Germany. GPS Co-ordinates are: 51°27’32.12”N, 11°47’42.01”E See you all there!

KTM Factory Juniors:

Encouraging Ex

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MXGP ACADEMY

xcellence

Motocross is one of the most physically demanding sports in the world. The riders are great athletes, well trained and well prepared to perform at their peak both physically and mentally for at least seven months of the year. If a rider is in his or her best possible shape, it’s down to the bike and when the bike is at 100% it is down to the rider. KTM, the Austrian bike brand that has taken the world by storm, are always looking at

new and exciting ways of winning titles, and after a couple of years of brainstorming with the legend ten times FIM Motocross World Champion Stefan Everts, between them they birthed the KTM Factory Juniors team. The team is the result of KTM’s constant quest to develop new world champions who will one day fill the shoes of their current big names, Antonio Cairoli and Jeffrey Herlings. The team has selected three

very different young riders from three very different areas of the world to take on the world’s number one amateur motocross series, the European Championship EMX125. Those riders are Jorge Prado Garcia, the fourteen-year-old Spaniard hotly tipped to be the next big thing, Conrad Mewse the 2013 FIM Junior Motocross 85cc World Champion from Great Britain and Josiah Natzke a sixteen year-old motocross sensation from down under in New Zealand.

KTM realises that professional success starts in the amateur ranks, which is why they have decided to give this new program a whirl. The season has been so far so good, with Jorge Prado leading the series while his Kiwi teammate Josiah Natzke sits in third, and all three riders shoing race winning speed. MXGP Mag caught up with Stefan Everts, the guy responsible for the program and the development of the riders, to pick his brain and have some insight as to what goes on under the orange awning.

more structured program for the kids, give them some better coaching and put them in the right direction in terms of how to work and what they should do. I also like scouting for talent to try and find the right rider to bring through to our MX2 program and have the next champion ready to follow in the footsteps of our previous champions.

What exactly is your role? My role in this? I have put it together for KTM as far as the bikes go and the sponsors and the riders. Some of the riders were already on a KTM contract like Mewse and PraWhat inspired the formation of do but Natzke is something I a factory junior team? personally pushed for to have This junior team came along him over after I saw him ride finally last winter. It was an last year I wanted to give him a idea for a couple of years and I chance for him to do the chamtalked to KTM about it because pionship here. This all came tothey were supporting a lot of gether, so now I work with the kids and I wanted to make a guys as a coach together with

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my father. I work with them on their riding and in other areas. Do you work with them fulltime? I almost work with them full time; but I also work with Pauls Jonass. We have one main mechanic who takes care of all the bikes and my Dad, Harry Everts, is also an important guy in this set up. He helps out and coaches them, too. Do you give them advice on physical training as well as on the bike side of things? No, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do the physical training; they have their own physical trainers. I follow up their riding programs and I advise them on what to do for riding, like which days to ride and which races to race when they are not at the European Championship events. I also try to coach them mentally like as a mentor.

Are all three living in Belgium? No, Conrad has been going back and forth between Belgium and the UK. He spent a lot of the winter in Belgium but more recently he has been back in England which is good for him because too much time away from home is also not good. With Jorge Prado, his whole entire family moved to Belgium for him to race. They moved three years ago and put Jorge in a Dutch speaking school which he goes to full time together with his sister, they are in the same class, so they had to learn Flemish which was also not easy. As for Josiah Natzke he lives not too far from the workshop but he will go back to New Zealand straight after the last race, which is at the end of August. What are the differences between the three riders in terms of personality?

They are all different characters, but that comes from their different nationalities like Jorge being from Spain and Conrad from England and Josiah from New Zealand. They are all good kids to work with. I have to work with each kid differently. Everyone has their own strengths and weakness. All three riders are very close in speed, do think this is beneficial for the team or does it make things a little difficult? All the guys are close in speed and while we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have all three out on track at the same time, we try to do it as much as we can because when they are riding together they work well and really push each other and that is really good. It is a big plus for all three of the guys, if you can have a teammate who can always push you to a new level. At this age especially, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pretty difficult. You need com-

petition and I think that is a big advantage for the riders we have on our team. Sometimes we get to have all three out on the track at once, so I do stuff like put them out one at a time and they have to catch and push each other. This is also fun to work like this, we canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do it like this all the time, but when we can we do it. Every rider has good and bad days, any of the three riders can win, but only one can be the best, how is the atmosphere? Sometimes they are disappointed in the result but for the most part the atmosphere is good, we always make a big effort to keep the team like a family. We will always eat lunch and dinner together even with the mechanics, the entire team, and I insist we do this. I want them to understand that on the track they can be rivals

but they also need to know they can still learn so much from each other and it’s really good for them to display good sportsmanship off the bike. So would you say one of the goals of the team is to teach these kids how to be as professional as possible inside the sport? Yes, if there are things they are doing which I think shouldn’t happen I will definitely tell them, but I haven’t had to say anything so far. It has always been a good atmosphere. Are you happy with how everything is going and how the results are? Yes, I am. I am very happy. There are some things I have seen. Like Conrad could have done better in the first races but he was struggling a bit with his starts and I could see where the problem was coming

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from but it was not such an easy thing to change, but I noticed at the EMX125 round of England something clicked for Conrad and he started getting the starts and he showed his true potential on the track.

Yes, Jorge has been extremely impressive! For example if we look at Conrad’s jump to the EMX125 it appeared to be not so easy…

With Josiah he has had some very good races but I did expect Valkenswaard to be a really tough one so I was happy but not happy. I want Josiah to learn how to show his true potential every race, which he hasn’t been able to do yet.

Yes, it was very tough for Conrad and to be honest I expected it to be the same for Jorge. I thought it would be a very difficult season or especially in the beginning but from the first race he has been at the top. Even at the season opener for the Dutch championship he surprised everyone, so it’s looking very positive for him.

And then with Jorge, he has been doing better than myself and everyone expected. He is only fourteen and he is so small, no muscle and not so strong yet but he has trained really hard in the winter and what he can already do on the bike, it is just impressive.

Would you pick Jorge to be one of the next big names out of Europe? What he has proved this year, yes, he seems to be a step ahead of everyone. Not just our KTM Junior team, but also all of the young riders he is ahead. The good thing

for him is he will continue to grow and he will get even faster. Do you work differently with the junior riders in comparison to the MX2 riders like Jeffrey Herlings and Pauls Jonass? Yes, with the youngsters you need to be a bit more careful, they are still growing and you need to be careful with that. You can’t go too much. We need to keep it fun for them still but moving in the right direction with the right structure. With someone like Pauls, at eighteen years old, it’s his job now, he needs to learn to perform at his best every time he goes out on the track. In your own words what are the advantages of being a KTM Factory Juniors rider?

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The program we have developed is really good and it is a good opportunity for these kids. They have good bikes but I have to say they don’t have anything extra special in the bikes. We keep stock suspension and we haven’t spent a crazy amount of money on the bikes, we really want to leave it up to the boys to really learn to race and build up their experience and skills. That’s interesting, so no trick Factory only parts, everything on those bikes can be purchased by the public? Yes, everything can be bought by anyone. They have just SXS parts inside them. When you have the support of KTM, why would you have the team on stock material? I think it’s important that

the kids don’t have ‘factory’ bikes, because it also is good to show the paddock that it’s not about putting so much money into the bike. It comes down to the rider and it’s up to him on the bike to ride it well. When he’s out there he needs to show what he knows, his true speed and fitness. We’re sure that will come as a surprise to most of the paddock, but it is great to see that KTM wants what is best for the sport and what is best for the youth. On behalf of most of the paddock, the KTM Factory Juniors team has been very impressive! We look forward to seeing big things from the three kids who evidently have very bright futures ahead of them.

H 62 Photo: MEYER

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HALL OF FAME

Heinz ‘Ketchup’ Kinigadner

The first Austrian rider to claim a Motocross World title was Heinz Kinigadner and in that moment he became a national hero and to this day remains one of Austria’s most famous national athletes, even now, 31 years after that title, he is still deeply involved in off road motorsport in both Motocross and in rally raid. Heinz has always been one of the best ambassadors for KTM and still travels around the world to attend motorcycle events and to promote the Wings for Life Foundation. Born in Tyrol on the 28th of January 1960, Heinz and his two brothers Klaus and Hans, with the support of his parents who were enthusiastic fans of motorsport, started

their off-road careers chasing each other on their own tuned mopeds across the fields. “Before I was even eight years old, we planned that my elder brother Hans would be 500cc world champion, me as the middle one the 250cc title and Klaus the youngest the 125cc. Even though I’ve been the only one who finished the plan, we were all successful racers. In 1980, we won all four titles in Austria. I won the 125cc and 500cc, Hans was 250cc champion and Klaus in the 75cc class. Without my brothers I would have never become so successful. We didn’t grow up in a great area for motocross. With my brothers behind me, we pushed ourselves till we

crashed. We rode all day until we couldn’t ride any more. We often pushed each other off the track.” Heinz was far and away the most successful of the family on the World stage. He started his GP career on a factory Puch in 1981 and after a strong season and a fifth overall in the 250cc World Championship, Heinz signed with Yamaha and won his first GP moto in 1982. Yet he didn’t finish the season after picking up a knee injury that curtailed his form. Then came what would turn out to be a defining moment in his career and life as he was approached by KTM and signed with the national

company for the next season. He went on to claim his first World title in 1984 after a great battle with Jacky Vimond. The Frenchman was his main rival and led the series before the final round in 1985, but Heinz finally got his second consecutive title after an epic GP in Germany before moving up to the 500cc class. However, he never really succeeded on the biggest bike with a single GP win coming his way in 3 years before he retired in 1988 to help his father in the family business. But Heinz without a bike was

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not Heinz, and after a few years without racing Heinz convinced KTM to follow him into a huge new challenge: the world of cross country rallies and ultimately the 1992 Paris Dakar. “I remember starting to push KTM towards this race and almost everybody inside the company at the time thought I was crazy because they said the bike was not built for such long distance rallies but from the beginning I really saw the potential of the Dakar. It happens at a time of the year where there is no other motorsport, that motorcycle riders are thinking about what to do

and that the coverage showed pictures and images that you couldn’t really see or find anywhere else“ explained ‘Kini’ who brought a new manufacturer and a breath of fresh air to the rallies with his incredible talent and spectacular riding style. Over the next few years he raced all over the planet, helping KTM to become a major motorcycling force. Even if he never won the Dakar as a competitor his wins in the Pharaohs rally, the Paris Moscow Peking and the Dubai rally gave great exposure to the brand

outside their traditional off road markets. Heinz can be rightly proud of what he began and of the fifteen consecutive wins for KTM in the Dakar that began with Fabrizio Meoni in 2001 and has continued through the eras of Roma, Despres and now Coma to the point where the Red Bull KTM team is the absolute reference in off road rallying and has driven other manufacturers to step up their game to try and claim their own slice of success. Though racing in general was kind to him, life was not always easy for Heinz, who lost his mother when he was young and was unfortunate when his brother and later his son Hannes were both

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paralysed in accidents. With his fighting spirit Heinz with his good friend Dieter Mateschitz, the owner of Red Bull, set up the Wings for Life Foundation to seek a cure for spinal cord injuries and do the sort of research that was not even considered before the organisation began

To this day Heinz is involved in the KTM Sport Motorcycle Corporation and with his charisma and his legendary enthusiasm he is one of the best ambassadors of the sport and is proof that when racing ends, it is simply the start of the next exciting chapter of life. Text and pictures: Hausiquet

1980: 37th in the 250 World Championship (Puch) 1981: 5th in the 250 World Championship (Puch) 1982: 9th in the 250 World Championship (Yamaha). 1983: 11th in the 250 World Championship (KTM). 1984: 250 Motocross World Champion (KTM). Winner of 3 GP. 1985: 250 Motocross World Champion (KTM). Winner of 3 GP 1986: 13th in the 500 World Championship (KTM). 1987: 7th in the 500 World Championship (KTM). Winner of 1 GP 1994: Winner of the Pharaons rally 1995: Winner of the Paris Moscow Peking, Dubai rally 1996: Winner of the Dubai rally 1999: Winner of the Dubai rally

PADDOCK TALKS

Paddock Talks 01/MotoGP rider Alvaro Bautista gives MXGP the thumbs up! 02/MotoGP’s Jack Miller chats to our lovely Lisa Leyland. 03/The Skybox restaurant just got even better. 04/Bobby is not just a hard core racer, he’s a dad to a beautiful little girl. 05/We have a great logistics team working behind the scenes. 06/Our partners, the FIM. 07/MotoGP’s Yonny Hernández watching the races from Skybox at the Spanish MXGP. 08/The three times FIM WMX World Champion Kiara Fontanesi and her Yamaha FontaMXracing teammate Giorgia Montini.

03 08

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Paddock Talks

09/Paul Harrington, FOX Global CEO, Mark Finley, FOX International MX manager, Matthieu Bazil, FOX Europe CEO, and Philippe Casadesus, FOX Europe MX Sales Manager, visited the British MXGP. 10/Former FIM Motocross World Champion Dave Thorpe all smiles at his home grand prix. 11/Moto3’s Danny Kent doesn’t mind a pre-grid interview, even at MXGP! 12/The Malaysian delegation shakes hands with Youthstream President Mr. Giuseppe Luongo. 13/We caught up with the number one French rider in MXGP, Yamaha Factory Racing Yamalube’s Romain Febvre for a Pit Chat.

QUESTIONS TO THE EDITOR

QUESTIONS TO THE EDITOR Hi MXGP, Will there be any 2015 game or update pack for tracks and riders? Thanks, John Hi John, Yes, there will be a 2015 game with all the tracks and riders from this season. At the moment the game is scheduled to be released in the new year. All the best, MXGP Hey guys, When will Ryan Villopoto be back? Thanks, Lyryall Hello Lyryall, With a spinal injury it is hard to put a time frame on when he can start riding again. We will be waiting for the news from Monster Energy Kawasaki. As soon as we know, we will share it immediately. Regards MXGP

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Hey guys, Does anyone have any news on the MXGP rider from the crash that caused the race to be red flagged? Thanks, Gillian Hi Gillian, Yes, the rider was Davide Guarneri. He suffered a concussion but no further injuries. He will be back on the line soon.. Best Regards MXGP Hey MXGP, I missed MXGP of France MX2 Race 1 last weekend. Is there any chance to watch it? Thanks, Sebastian Hi Sebastian, You can always watch the Replays of each race on MXGP-TV.com. Login to MXGP-TV.com and go to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;2015 Eventsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;; there you will be able to find the Playlist of the MXGP of France including all the races Replays. Best Regards MXGP

Hello MXGP, I wanted to get an MXGP T-shirt, is there somewhere I can buy one online? Thanks, Robert Hello Robert, Yes, our entire range of merchandise is available online at www.mxgp-store. com. Regards MXGP

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