MXGP Mag #13 October 2014

#13_OCTOBER 2014

Star light

The MXGP awards TM Red Bull K

Perfect to a fault

t s e d u o L e h T

e c n e l i S e c n a r F m Tea

RACING CATCH UP

TEAM OF THE MONTH Team France

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INDEX

COOL SHOT

MONSTER GIRLS

HALL OF FAME Jeff Emig

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 #13 October 2014 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).

MXGP MAG 2014 MXGP.COM

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EDITORIAL

Giuseppe Luongo President of Youthstream Group Dear MXGP Friends, Another thrilling season has come to an end, both MXGP and MX2 classes were exciting and the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations was outstanding; the racing, organization and fans were exceptional, our compliments go to the French team who well deserved their victory over the other 33 Nations present. Again this year’s MXoN in Latvia was confirmation of the high level of MXGP riders who dominated the races winning each class and finally took home the Chamberlain trophy.

Many people have asked us what’s the secret behind the impressive development of

MXGP and the growth of all the riders, there is no secret; it’s based on hard work, vision and investment from all partners, the plan was sown some years ago and finally we are beginning to see its fruit.

A pyramid was created with a base of the European 65cc, 85cc, 125cc 2 stroke, 150cc 4 stroke and 250cc 4 stroke Championships, then the 125cc, 150cc and 250cc were included into the GP event programs in Europe so that riders aged between 13 and 18 years would race on the same demanding race tracks to get used to these tracks and conditions in front of the same crowds so that they would be physically and mentally ready to one day compete

on a high level on these tracks when they enter into the MX2 class. The age limit of 23 years in the MX2 class allows mature riders to go to MXGP and leave places in the MX2 class for European riders who are ready to come up. The MX2 and MXGP riders ride on the 2 days with a total riding time of 2 hours and 40 minutes per rider, then we leave the track to develop during the weekend; we just flatten the starting straight, first corner and the ruts in the jumps for safety reasons. We then try to have the largest variety of tracks on the calendar to go to tracks that are flat, hard and similar to a big outdoor Supercross like in Doha and Brazil, to the deep sand at Lommel and Valkenswaard, to the light sand in Latvia, Thai-

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MX2; an MXGP rider must be professional and amongst the very best in the world. MXGP is the diamond point of our pyramid. FIM and the CONUs are very happy about this development and together we would like to use the same system for Latin America and Asia where We believe the combination a continental championship of investing a lot into young for young riders will be held riders, into making the motogether with MXGP in those tocross tracks very technical continents using the same and demanding and allowing formula as Europe to increase the European and GP riders to race on this track for a long the level of riders in those period during the weekend will continents to bring one day to MXGP. continue to bring up the level of the GP riders, and then, for Now a few words about the sure the most important key 2015 season, it will be a hisis that the individual talent of torical year for the Motocross each rider will make the difWorld Championship; for the ference. Qualification for the MXGP class is done via all the first time the best American European Championships and rider, Ryan Villopoto, will come land and Sweden, to the hard of Arco, to the clay of Matterley Basin and Mexico and to the very traditional tracks like Maggiora, Teutschenthal, St Jean d’Angèly, Loket and Talavera.

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to compete in MXGP challenging Tony Cairoli for the most prestigious title in the world.

But all throughout this year’s Championship and the MXoN we saw that there are many other riders who can compete for the victory, like Gautier Paulin, Jeremy Van Horebeek, Maximilian Nagl, Clement Desalle, Evgeny Bobryshev, Kevin Strijbos and Tommy Searle, there have never been so many rivals for one crown. 7 manufacturers, 18 different and very technical tracks, 12 MXGP events in Europe and 6 in North America, South America, Middle East and Asia, more than 4,000 hours broadcasted on TV all over the world; this is the essence of the 2015 MXGP season, we can’t wait to be there!

COOL SHOTS

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COOL SHOTS

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COOL SHOTS

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FOX HOLESHOT

AWARD MXoN

It’s the biggest race of the year and so it was fitting that the Fox Holeshot should be the toughest of the year. With a tight and technical 180° right hander funnelling the 40 riders together into turn one, it was hugely important for the riders to get the perfect drop to be in with a chance of taking the 1000 Euro prize on offer for the holeshot winner in each of the three races.

It’s always a bit different at the

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nations with two classes of bikes racing against each other and teams have to make tough decisions about the start gate picks.

Based on Saturday’s combined results the 1st rider of each team goes in order from gate 1 to 20 for the Sunday pick and then the second rider of each team lines up on gate 21 to 40. So who do you put inside and who takes the wider outside line? The traditional thinking is that the weaker starter or the man racing the 250cc ma-

chine takes the inside gate, which has a shorter distance to travel point to point, but with the tight turn one for 2014 a poor inside start could mean a rider getting squeezed back into the pack as the field piles in at greater speeds from the outside gates.

For race 1 the far inside went to Team France’s Gautier Paulin on the MXGP machine, with Tommy Searle and Glenn Coldenhoff on MX2 bikes to his left. But it was

350cc machine at gate 10 that beat the lot of them. Aleksandr Tonkov of Team Russia normally rides a 250cc Husqvarna and in his first race on the 350cc machine he got the start of his life, squeezing Matiss Karro of the home team Latvia to his left he pulled wide as he tore down the start straight to go into turn one dead level with the Honda of Team Germany’s Max Nagl.

It was Tonkov’s momentum from the wider line that gave him the speed to go around the outside of Nagl and steal the first of the Fox holeshots from under the Germans nose. He would go on to lead the race for the first 5 laps and show the best riders in the world a clean pair of heels.

left in order to get a better line to turn one than his team mate Paulin managed. It proved that the French team had been paying attention as despite Searle getting the initial jump on the Frenchman, Frossard was able to squeeze in front and close the door on the Team GB rider as they both dove for the apex of turn one. At that point they were both behind the number 69 of Tyler Megdalia from Canada but the Fox athlete was unable to get the bike stopped in time and Frossard turned the Monster Energy Kawasaki on a dime to get on the power to blast to a clear Fox holeshot ahead of Team Sweden’s Frederic Noren.

Gautier Paulin choosing the same number 2 gate as Frossard in race two that left the inside line clear for Jeremy Van Horebeek to slide into the far right gate and try to make it work for Team Belgium. It almost did but for the man 6 gates over, the number 21 of Dennis Ullrich, a man who has proven he has holeshot speed throughout the 2014 MXGP season. With high elbows and fierce determination the lanky German cut across the front of both Van Horebeek and Tanel Leok at the apex to slide wide and fast to the outside of the corner and nab the final Fox holeshot by half a tyres width.

3 gripping races and 3 differThe finale of race 3 at the Motoent Fox Holeshot award winners Race 2, the second for the MX2 cross of nations is something you rocking the perfect start and first riders and the first foray for the have to see to believe, the pressure turn combinations at the devilishly Open class, was another first turn to perform reaches heights that tricky Motocross of Nations track dogfight and this time it was Searle can’t be repeated at any other race of Zelta Zirgs, a fitting and suitably who took the very inside gate as as the top teams vie for their final epic end to a fantastic season of Frossard elected to go one to the chance of glory. With Team France’s racing.

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RACING CATCH UP

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T

THE REST OF THE BEST AT THE

MXON 2014 The Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations.

The one event every motocross enthusiast lives for. The moment, after a season riddled with tapped out bench racing, that finally reveals which nation actually houses the world’s fastest motocross riders.

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Latvia, for the first time in the history of the Nations, played host to the 68th edition of the most prestigious event in our sport. The track known locally as the Zelta Zirgs circuit is more or less sand, but it has a wickedly hard and choppy base.

The speeds are relatively high for sand and that makes the unpredictability of the surface a little trickier than your average circuit and with a 180 degree right handed first turn, getting around turn one on two wheels, though essential to the result, was never going to be easy.

While for some teams it was a hard pill to swallow, you have to hand it to Team France. They were, hands down, the best team on the day. The taste of

champagne would have never been quite so sweet for the trio of tricolours, Gautier Paulin, Steven Frossard and Dylan Ferrandis, who fired back at the harsh criticism they received in the days’ leading up to the race with performances that were nothing short of inspiring.

triumphed in Namur, Belgium in 2001 Yves Demaria, Luigi Seguy and David Vuillemin.

While KTM has long been the dominant manufacturer on the European scene, the Nations this year belonged to Monster Energy Kawasaki with of course much of their success attributed to the team of flying Led by Gautier Paulin’s impec- Frenchmen, but there were cable 1 – 1 performance, Stealso a couple of Brits racing ven Frossard, who has recently for Team Green, the MX2 overbecome more inclined to be a all winner Tommy Searle gave one race wonder, silenced his Kawasaki a clean sweep of the doubters with a impressive and three classes and his Open consistent 2 – 4 result, which class teammate Dean Wilson combined with Dylan Ferranhad a Nations best ride to dis’ hard fought 9 – 9 landed Team France on the top step of the podium for only the second time ever to go into the history books alongside the 3 men who

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3rd place in race 2. Team Australia’s Chad Reed and Team Switzerland’s Arnaud Tonus also added to the green haze that was cast over Kegums that weekend. Although Reedy struggled to get going in race one and cartwheeled spectacularly to a DNF in race two.

a long time since anybody has seen that level of aggression in Tony’s riding and maybe it’s because we haven’t seen him thrash an MX2 bike since way back in 2008. Whatever the cause, it was a pleasure and a privilege to witness, even though it only lasted to the halfway point of the first race when Pitting MX2 bikes against MXGP he was unceremoniously thrown and Open machines on a track to halt after catching his foot on like Kegums was always going a rut and knee planting his way to be a big ask and it was obvi- into the face of one of the sandy ous how hard the riders had to waves so hard it switched his work their 250’s in the taxing GoPro camera off. sand to keep up with the bigger beasts. Nowhere was that more apparent than with the efforts of Team Italy’s eight time FIM Motocross World Champion Antonio Cairoli. Watching Tony, like a true champion and Tony kill his works KTM 250SXdespite being in a significant F as he held that thing wide amount of pain, did line up for open around the entire circuit the second MX2 race, but the was breathtaking. It has been

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plaudits for best MX2 performance have to go to Tommy Searle and his extraordinary start in race two where he managed to put the 450’s to shame on his CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy KXF250 and come out of turn one inside the top three!

What of team USA? Eli Tomac flew the flag high for the stars and stripes when he literally tore the circuit of Kegums to shreds on his mission to the front of the pack after hitting the deck at turn one in the final moto. During that race Tomac set a blistering pace that made it evident that the kid from Colorado is really one of those once in a lifetime kind of talents. It was just unfortunate that a late race stall just before the finish line with three laps to go ruined his chances of a potential race win.

Praise where praise is due and Team Russia’s Aleksandr Tonkov was also turning heads with his first ever outing on a ‘big’ bike.

Riding the Husqvarna FC350 Tonkov was hugely impressive over the weekend, setting the fastest time in practice and leading laps in both the qualifying heat and race one. While Tonkov has often this year failed to convert raw speed into race pace, he seemed much more at home with the front end of the bigger bike and matched the leaders pace lap for lap throughout his two races.

Team Sweden’s Filip Bengtsson and Fredrik Noren also put in notable performances in their first races with Noren coming home in a remarkable fifth in race 2 and Bengtsson sixth in the first outing. Unfortunately, the final moto for the two

Swede’s didn’t go as smoothly, with both riders taking a close inspection of the Latvian dirt and subsequently struggling to finish inside the top fifteen.

With every up comes a down and another stroke of heartbreak was slapped onto Team Great Britain. Heading into the final race of the day, Team GB trailed France by just eight points and a long awaited podium finish was well within their reach before it all broke in two as MXGP star Shaun Simpson rolled to a stand still with no drive to the rear wheel. His chain was gone and with it any chance of Team GB holding onto that a podium place.

As Dungey moved his way up the pack, picking off riders on his way to 12th, Dean Wilson kept British hopes alive with an audacious pass on Tonkov, but

as Dungey passed the last of the Latvians, Matiss Karro to move into 11th, it was all over for Team GB as the USA kept their podium streak alive on a tie break.

The Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations always provides a wealth of emotion with its nationalistic racing, with soaring peaks often crashing into dark lows as results shift like a gamblers deck. No matter what the result we always look forward to the next year where each nation once again arrives confident that they can win. And next year will be a big one, mark your calendars now for we go to France where the defending champions will look to retain the coveted Chamberlain Trophy in race that is sure redefine the history of the Nations.

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MONSTER ENERGY FIM MOTOCROSS OF NATIONS

NUMBERS

219 Journalists

63.000 Spectators

NATIONS CLASSIFICATION

NATIONS CLASSIFICATION

1. France, 17 points

6. Italy, 73 points Guarneri, Cairoli, Philippaerts

Paulin, Frossard, Ferrandis

7. Switzerland, 74 p.

2. Belgium, 27 p.

Guillod, Seewer, Tonus

Van Horebeek, Lieber, Strijbos

8. Russia, 75 p.

3. USA, 33 p.

Tonkov, Brylyakov, Mikhaylov

Dungey, Martin, Tomac

9. Estonia, 77 p.

4. Great Britain, 33 p.

Krestinov, Kullas, Leok

Simpson, Searle, Wilson

10. The Netherlands, 80 p.

5. Germany, 72 p.

Nagl, Jacobi, Ullrich

Klein Kromhof, Coldenhoff, De Reuver

MXGP OVERALL

MX2 OVERALL

OPEN OVERALL

1. Searle (GBR)

12 points

1. Frossard (FRA)

6 points

2. Van Horebeek(BEL) 6 points

2. Coldenhoff (NED)

15 points

2. Wilson (GBR)

8 points

3. Tonkov (RUS)

11 points

3. Ferrandis (FRA)

18 points

3. Tomac (USA)

9 points

4. Dungey (USA)

13 points

4. Martin (USA)

24 points

4. Strijbos (BEL)

10 points

5. Nagl (GER)

15 points

5. Lieber (BEL)

26 points

5. Leok (EST)

14 points

1. Paulin (FRA)

2 points

MXGP YOUTUBE CHANNEL Most watched videos during the MXoN: 22,1% MXoN 2014 Jeremy Martin Crash 6,1% MXoN 2014 Highlights 5,9% MXoN 2014 MXGP Qualifying Highlights 5,9% MXoN 2014 Start Crash with Chad Reed 5,7% FIM Motocross World Championship and 2013 MXoN Best Moments 54,2% Other

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MILLION hits in the MXGP Youtube channel

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MXGP SOCIAL

TWITTER, FACEB IN THE WORLD OF #MXGP

@MonsterEnergySA‬ ‬‬ ‪#WhenWorldsCollide‬‬ 63,000 gathered to watch the best battle it out as Team France wins ‪#MXoN‬‬!

@conwayMX‬‬ ‬‬ ‪Congrats ‪@gautierpaulin‬‬ what a weekend!!! ‪#teamfrance‬‬ ‪#mxon‬‬ clementinederothiacob @benallen147‬ I think it’s awesome that I the last 3 years we’ve had 3 different winners at the ‪#MXoN‬‬ ‪#mx‬‬ ‪#Motocross‬‬‬

@HarriKullas151‬ ‬‬ ‬‬ Happy to take picture with my childhood idol ‪@crtwotwo‬‬!! ‪#mxon‬‬‬

@BlackbirdDecals‬ ‪#MXoN‬‬ ‪#congrats‬‬ and thanks to ‪#french‬‬ team to bring ‪#special‬‬ ‪#blackbirdracing‬‬ ‪#french‬‬ ‪#livery‬‬ on top‬‬

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@gracedva‬ ‬ I knew it! My favorite, the champion ‪@GautierPaulin‬‬ the best of all! ‪#MXoN‬‬ ‪#TeamFrance‬‬ ‪#thewinner‬‬ ‪#lovemx‬‬ @foxheadinc‬ ‬‬‬‬‬ Congratulations Team USA on the 3rd place finish at this years ‪#MXON‬‬!

@Reedy341‬‬‬‬ ‪@alpinestars‬‬ dominated the MXON yesterday having 6 out of the 9 riders on the podium wearing Alpinestars boots!‬‬ Log in to MXGP Facebook and tell us how you liked the 68th edition of the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations. Send us your favourite moment from the biggest showcase of Motocross!

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@linda_saldaka Victory! @dylanferrandis @ stevenfrossard @gautierpaulin #MXoN

@scouller92 The only picture I took from the #MXoN in Latvia this weekend! Team GB fan and the Belgiand with their Tandem Bike!

@matthewtrace #Motocross #MXoN #blindingweekend

@jordandavies289 Please take me back #MXoN #teamgb

@jordanrichardwright #TeamFrance wins! #MXoN #Latvia #KegumsMonsterEnergy #holiday

IN THE WORLD OF #MXGP 27

TEAM OF THE MONTH

V

VIVE LA FRANCE!

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In the weeks leading up to the 68th running of the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations there were many who doubted and even more who criticised the selection of two of the three French team.

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No one seemed to have too much of a problem with Gautier Paulin resuming his duties in the MXGP class for l’équipe Française, but taking his two Monster Energy Kawasaki stable mates, Steven Frossard and Dylan Ferrandis, as the Open and MX2 riders respectively was considered by a large proportion of fans to be very short sighted.

How wrong we were to doubt the ideas of French team manager Olivier Robert, from the time when he whittled down the short list to his final 3 at the GP of Finland, it is clear that he knew what he was doing. The unofficial team spokesmen Gautier Paulin was forthright in his defence of the choice as well, knowing full well that he did not get a real say in it but trusting in the

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French Federation to do what was best with the budget and riders available.

This win was built not on defiance or on a desire to prove anyone wrong, but on the strength of the idea that the Motocross of Nations is about racing as a team.

ka the three riders began to race each other, they crafted a ‘Joker Lane’ onto the circuit and proceeded to hammer down motos like they were going out of fashion. This was where the foundation of their success was born.

By the time the team pitched up at the Zelta Zirgs track (all 1 week before race day the 3 under the same awning noneriders began the start of their theless) Gautier Paulin was ‘Nations bootcamp’ in Latvia. positively beaming with anticAs far as male bonding sesipation of what the team could sions go this one was pretty potentially do. He couldn’t tell much ideal. Let loose to do people fast enough how good what they pleased on some of the energy was in the team the best tracks that Latvia had and how each rider brought to offer the 3 riders got to kick something different to the back, ride their dirt bikes how table, but a lot of riders say and when they wanted and things like that in the media learn how to think as a unit. hustle and bustle before the At the sandy practice track of race and many people were EMX125 rider Thomas Sileistill not ready to jump on the

French bandwagon.

Once more I’ll say it, how wrong we were. The final French finishing total of 17 points was 11 clear of Belgium, the 2013 winners. 11 points difference in the Motocross of Nations is a lifetime.

Their worst results was a brace of 9th places for Ferrandis, they could have counted all of their 6 race scores and still won! That sort of domination is almost unthinkable but France managed it.

At times this year Frossard has shown that he is still the rider who finished runner up in the MXGP World Championship in 2011 to Cairoli, and Ferrandis has flashed and flurried his way to some epic race finishes, but neither has ridden better than they did at

the Motocross of Nations. If you ever wondered how important this event is to the riders that take part, look at France in 2014, the only real ‘Team’ in the race.

It was the world’s loudest silencing, and what seemed to be the world’s sweetest victory as Team France, the most heavily criticized and scrutinized team, obliterated thirty-three nations to win the 2014 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations.

At MXGP of France in St. Jean d’Angley back in early June, France’s line-up was announced. Gautier Paulin will race MXGP with Steven Frossard in Open and Dylan Ferrandis in MX2. All three

are Monster Energy Kawasaki riders. “Wait what?” people were outraged, “What about the world champions?” they said, “Marvin Musquin, Christophe Pourcel and Jordi Tixier”. It came as a shock to most that all three French riders with at least one MX2 world title to their name had been disregarded.

Team Manager Oliver Robert was frowned upon, fingers were pointed and names were called. Nevertheless, through thick and thin Robert stood behind his decision, “In France the talent pool is deep,” Robert lashed back, “Our selection is the best, and I believe these guys can win”. While the fans and media remained skeptical, when the gates dropped in front of

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a boisterous, enthusiastic and highly animated public figure of 63,000 race fans, almost all that was said had been forgotten.

Team France did it. They were the liveliest team on the day and arguably in the best spirits. Gautier Paulin’s performance couldn’t be faulted. He was on another level as he put together a perfect weekend, running away with a victory in all three of his races if qualifying is included. Steven Frossard surprisingly managed to put in two super consistent rides for a 2 – 4, something he has struggled to do all year, while the MX2 rider, Dylan Ferrandis, whose selection caused more or less the most controversy, was a solid addition to the team

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and proved to be a real team player when he graciously took outside gate in both his races so his teammates Paulin and Frossard could have the best shot at winning. Ferrandis slugged his way from well back to bring home two impressive ninths.

the year before, Germany won with 25 points and the year before that, USA won with 26. So it’s clear. Team France weren’t lucky. They deserved to win.

Before France had even demolished 2014 edition of the Monster Energy FIM MoWith the team tactic being tocross of Nations, 2015’s right on the money, Team Nations was already heading France took one of the most for Ernée, France. Now with convincing victories we have France set to line up there seen at the Nations in the last as the defending champions, decade, yet it was only their things are about to get wild second ever in the 68 years and we can already start the event has been running. At counting our chickens before the end of the day, 17 points they hatch that next years was the score, a whopping 11 MXoN WILL go down in history! points clear of Team Belgium in second who had racked up 28. To put it in perspective, last year, 2013, Belgium won MXoN with a tally of 27 points,

MONSTER GIRLS

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MONSTER GIRLS

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Red Bull KTM, Perfect to a fault

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SPECIAL FEATURE

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SPECIAL FEATURE

Let us begin at the beginning with our two reigning champions and one all conquering manufacturer.

gle minded purpose: to put their two World Champions on the top step of the championship come seasons end.

Jeffrey Herlings, thwarted by injury at the tail end of 2013 and energised to the extreme to make it the perfect season in 2014.

Antonio Cairoli, carrying the remnants of an ankle injury into the opening round of the year and a sense of riding himself into his usual energetic and dominant form.

Fast-forwarding past the first 15 rounds brings us to the ones that really matter, the title deciders. This year, for the first time since 2010 in Campo Grande, Brazil, we were going to have World Champions crowned away from European soil as the title chases in both classes came down to the wire at the year ending fly away races.

The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing dream team that has nurtured and dominated MXGP and MX2 for the last 5 years began 2014 with the same sin-

MXGP has consistently given us the closest battles for the lead this year, be it Clement Desalle, Gautier Paulin or Max Nagl, there has always been a

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thorn in the side of the Cairoli charge, and yet with 100 points still up for grabs at the start of race 1 at the MXGP of the State of Goias there was little doubt that the 7 time world champion would make it 8 by the chequered flag.

It is remarkably true that he actually doesn’t look at the overall championship positions during the season, that’s not to say that he is surprised every time that he gets the red plate handed to him on the podium, more that he knows that if he can go and do what he loves, which is winning races, then the championship will come to him at the end.

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It’s perfectly summed up by his long term girlfriend and constant companion Jill Cox: “I can tell you now 100% sure that he is never looking at the points, maybe he knows what is going on but that is just from a journalist telling him or asking him a question about it, but for him he is really not looking at the championship.”

Can the same be said about anyone else? The man who this year finished as runner up in MXGP Jeremy Van Horebeek, despite the pain from a qualifying crash, did what he had to do in Brazil to secure the spot with one round to go, the fight for 5th overall between Shaun Simpson and Steven Frossard raged until the end of the last moto in Mexico with neither rider wanting to miss out on the

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placing. The only other riders who don’t seem to care about how the championship looks are those who can win but have lost too much ground to Cairoli through injury, Gautier Paulin, his challenge ended in the sands of Valkenswaard, and Max Nagl, ruled out by a freak training crash early in the year.

For Cairoli, winning during the year is what gives him pleasure and everything else is just something to deal with, as Stefan Everts says: “In many situations where you should become a bit nervous Tony Cairoli stays as cool as ice”. And yet as he took to the line for MXGP race 1 in Brazil there was a nervous tension on the face of the Italian that we have rarely seen.

With his closest rival nursing his badly damaged ankle all Cairoli

had to do was finish the race to ensure the title, there was no pressure to win or to engage in bar bashing with any rivals left standing.

When the gate dropped, the KTM didn’t explode out of the blocks like we have come to expect, and as the pack rounded the first turn Cairoli found himself back in 14th position, behind Van Horebeek. To put this into context, in no single start this year has Cairoli been outside of the top 10, not one, he won the overall Fox holeshot award by a country mile based on the epic prowess of his starts on the KTM350 machine, and yet here he was, languishing at the tail end of the pack.

With the slightly smaller field of GP regulars that set off from

the start in Brazil, perhaps KTM were playing the safe line, why risk a first turn crash when the goal is simply to gain a few points not to win the race? It was a plan of action that so very nearly backfired half way around lap one. As the track disappeared from view into the woods at the far end of the circuit the TM of Davide Guarneri lay stricken on the outside of a turn. Partially obscured by a cloud of fine dust spayed up in the crash, almost every rider managed to avoid the bike except for one, Cairoli. As he flew round the burm at top speed he was unsighted by riders ahead of him and at the last minute grabbed a handful of brake in an effort to slow his pace before the inevitable impact. It was just enough, the KTM slipped and slid and shed

enough speed to allow Caroli to ride over the fallen machine and carry on, but it was a nasty wake up call as to the perils of riding the first lap mid pack.

It has been a tougher year for Cairoli than you might appreciate, with, above all, the tragic loss of his father coming as a huge blow both to his focus and his emotional health, but long before that he was already struggling to find his balance.

The broken leg that he sustained in his last preseason race hampered his on-going quest for speed and with it his ultimate enjoyment of riding the motorcycle. For a racer to have won 15 motos on his way to Brazil to not be satisfied with his performance is a hard thing to comprehend but Cairoli, like all those who make up the real

elite of Motocross, is always in search of perfection. For the Sicilian that came only once in 2014, for 3 epic laps at the start of the second moto in the hard sands of Finland Cairoli found what he was looking for and pulled away from the field at over 2 seconds per lap.

If Cairoli can have, in his own words, a bad year riding wise and still manage to wrap up the title with 3 motos to spare then what does that mean for the competition when he is racing at his best?

In Brazil however he really wasn’t at his best, sitting buried in the roost of Gautier Paulin for lap after lap with little forward progress the nerves were beginning to show in the KTM pit as the TV cameras moved in to cover the expected celebra-

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tion. They needn’t have worried, Tony is an old hand when it come to bringing a championship home and he did what he needed to do to cross the line with a lighter heart as a palpable sense of relief flooded the already celebrating team. This was a title hard won over a long and dramatic season that had lain heavy on the champ for quite some time. Once relieved of the burden of gaining the necessary points Cairoli slowly morphed back into his relaxed approachable self and by the first day of practice at the Motocross of Nations in Latvia he had recovered some of his kid at Christmas time love of motocross racing.

If retaining the MXGP title was a stressful affair for the orange brigade then mastering the fate of the MX2 crown must have caused quite a few coronaries

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in the final 2 months between Herling’s disastrous accident and the final showdown between the teammates in Mexico.

At the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic not many people would have put money on Jordi Tixer stepping up to the plate and taking on the challenge of the title, most believed it that its fate still lay in the hands of the defending double World Champion, but by the time Lommel had sloped its way past, there were few that would openly deny Tixier’s chances. The French rider took upon himself with remarkable humility the task of upholding KTM honours in the final 4 rounds of the season, that was his only goal at first, to step up to the plate and deliver the wins that the team and the fans expected. With the monkey well and truly off his back after a forthright and deserved win

on the devilishly tricky Loket dirt, he slowly began to look past the race wins to the growing possibility of a championship showdown.

The weekend in Mexcio was a defining moment in the history of the MX2 class and one that will stay in the minds of all who were there to witness it. Herlings made his comeback, with a leg that needed a complex melding of metal and carbon fibre just to work, and Tixier revealed that a personal tragedy had struck close to home over the previous weekend with an accident that left his brother paralysed from the waist down.

Nerves were way past the edge from Friday as everyone, including the two riders, waited with bated breath to see how it would play out.

Tixier’s stunning performance

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in race 1, holding off constant pressure from Romain Febvre for the full 18 laps, allowed the Frenchman a little space to breath. Coupled with the serious lack of speed for the hobbling Herlings it seemed that all Tixier had to do was bring it home in the top 3 of the second moto to snatch the title from the Dutchman. Then, Tonkov happened. Well to be totally fair, Jordi Tixier missed a gear heading up the face of a tabletop at the end of lap 1, that meant he jumped short from 1st place and the man in 2nd had nowhere to go. It was pure coincidence that it was Aleksandr Tonkov on the Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna, the man who spent warm up leading Herlings around the track to show him the take off speeds for the jumps. As the Russian’s arm

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was dragged into the back of the KTM machine no one could quite believe what they were seeing, from taking the holeshot Tixer was scrambling to just stay in the race and as Tonkov reached up to hit the kill switch on the KTM Herlings swept past to take the advantage.

What followed was a true champions ride. Tixer, informed of the points situation by his mechanic Wayne Banks in pit lane, did what he had to do regardless of the risks, passing everyone ahead of him, and in the case of Julian Lieber literally barging the other riders out of the way, to get into 3rd place which gave him the championship lead and with it his first taste of champion’s champagne.

Jordi Tixier held the red plate

of the championship leader for a grand total of 5 laps in the 2014 season, but they were the only ones that counted, the record books will show that he scored the most points over the course of the season and that is what determines the champion once the racing is done. Tixier will now head to pastures new as he moves to CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy for 2015 and takes the number 1 plate with him to the green machine, light as it might be now, that plate will be a heavy burden in the season to come and the Jordi Tixier that ended the 2014 season may just be the man to bear it.

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MXGP ACADEMY

MXGP Academy’s

Learn to pin it this winter!

Summer is quickly fading into memory as the days get shorter, the nights get colder and those few opportunities that remain to enjoy a weekend of motocross fun in the sun are dwindling away. With most of the competitive motocross season wrapped up you may already be plotting your plan of attack for the 2015 season and if you aren’t we

highly recommended that you do.

MXGP Academy training camps are set to start in December with a program While you could sit there designed to guide aspiring scratching your head and beat- motocross stars of all abiling your brain trying to figure ities towards realizing and out sure-fire ways to pick up achieving their dreams by at least five seconds a lap over giving them the tools required the winter, but may we sugto be successful. gest an easier way? How about putting your faith in the MXGP The camps will be held in the Academy winter program. south of Spain where tem-

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peratures are considerably better than in the rest Europe during the winter months.

There riders will have access to multiple tracks with varying soil conditions where they will train with two-time motocross world champion and Youthstream talent scout John Van Den Berk. With the help of John, riders will learn new skills and techniques from jumping, cornering, and starts through to braking, passing, body position, line selection and throttle control which will be analyzed and evaluated via the timing and video recording services on site. Along with their on bike training riders will receive personalized fitness plans designed and demonstrated by physical conditioning ex-

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pert Jan Postema, these plans are entirely motocross specific and are a fundamental element to the of future every aspiring motocrossers.

You can book into the MXGP Academy winter camp as often as you want and, if you are learning so much that you don’t want to stop, you will have the option to stay on for extra days to continue honing the skills that you have begun to develop during the camp.

So what are you waiting for?

Get ready to put your best foot forward, and have a rolling start into the 2015 season! For more information and to sign up for one of the MXGP-Academy’s winter camps contact secretariat@mxgp-academy.com

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HALL OF FAME

Jeff Emig, the talented kid With four US Motocross and Supercross titles to his name and being an integral part of the American team at the Motocross of Nations for seven years, including four wins, Jeff Emig was truly one of the main US super stars of the 1990’s!

Born on December 1st 1970, Jeff Emig grew up in a racing family driven by the aspirations of his father Gary, who soon got him riding his first motocross bike. A member of the legendary Team Green Kawasaki effort, Jeff was one of the most talented kids from the Midwest and when he was seventeen he turned Pro with a bang, leading the majority of his first race at Washougal!

It was 1991 when Jeff got his first overall podium in a series, after a great battle with Jeremy McGrath who would turn out to be his main rival during his career.

Jeff won four Supercross races in the West coast series, and finished runner to McGrath just three points shy of the title!

Jeff was already a great Supercross talent but he was even stronger when it came to the outdoors and that’s where he collected his first National title in 1992. It was also that year that he discovered the Motocross of Nations, dominating the 125cc class and helping team USA to clinch its 12th consecutive win!

For the next year it was time for a change and he moved onto the blue colours of Yamaha. This time in Supercross he had an epic battle with Mike Larocco and at the mid point of the season he found himself more than 60 points behind his rival before recovering for an epic showdown as he clinched the title at the last race of the season. Emig had been racing the main 250cc class in Supercross but would stay in the 125cc class for the outdoor series for two more seasons; narrowly missing the title in 1993 by nine points, but again being a member of the winning Team USA at the Motocross of Nations. For 1994

he had to deal with injuries before taking the full time step up to the 250cc class.

In that first full season in the 250cc class he proved it was the right choice to race the bigger bike outdoors as well, as he finished both the Supercross and the outdoor series on the podium.

With a third overall in Supercross and the runner up spot in the outdoors he was once more the main rival to Jeremy McGrath, but the Californian racer always loomed large over Emig’s own racing successes. Moving back to Kawasaki in 1996, Jeff struggled at the beginning of the season but finally stopped the winning streak of McGrath in St Louis. He finished second in the SX series to McGrath, but Jeff ruled the outdoors to clinch his second US title in the open air and also claimed his third win at the Motocross of Nations.

That success meant he was a renewed rider at the start of the 1997 Supercross season where he went on to win both the Su-

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percross and Motocross titles to assert himself as the best rider in the world, and coupled with his charisma and attitude Jeff was also one of the most popular athletes around. Then it started to get more difficult.

The US team only scored a disappointing eighth position at the 1997 MXoN after sixteen consecutive podiums – including fourteen wins – and in 1998 Jeff was unable to defend his titles in America; scoring only one top five result during the first part of the SX season he ended the winter racing with an injury. Motocross was little better and the best he could muster was fifth position. The last real highpoint in his career was at the US Open in 1999, where, just a few weeks after leaving Team Kawasaki to build his own private team on a Yamaha, he got an unexpected win and scooped the $100.000 winners prize! Shortly afterwards there started a series of bad injuries that effectively stopped his racing career; first he broke both wrists while training in

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the winter at the end of 1999, and later in 2000 once he had recovered he had another big crash and broke both his legs and his back in a practice session. It was too much for Jeff, who stopped racing a few days before turning thirty.

For some riders it’s impossible to leave the racing world behind and Jeff is one of them. After spending some down time enjoying his retirement, Emig, with the help and support of long time friends and sponsors, came to realise he needed a focus in his life and turned his attention to television, becoming a highly respected commentator for the American series.

Now he has started to spread to

Europe, joining Paul Malin in the booth at the 2014 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations.

At the race in Latvia he was honoured for his achievements and commitment to the sport with a ‘Lifetime career award’ but that may be premature as Jeff is still striving even now to better himself and as a TV journalist he has the same enthusiasm and passion for racing that he has always had.

If he had one wish for the future it would be that team USA would win again, preferably before the MXoN returns to the USA in 2017!

Text and Picutres: Pascal Haudiquert

1992 125 AMA National Motocross Champion (Yamaha) 1996 250 AMA National Motocross Champion (Kawasaki) 1997 250 AMA Supercross Champion (Kawasaki) 1997 250 AMA National Motocross Champion (Kawasaki) Member of the US winning team at the Motocross of Nations in 1992, 1993 and 1996 Member of the US team at the Motocross of Nations in 1994 (2nd), 1995 (2nd) and 1997 (8th) Winner of 36 AMA races in his career (29 in Motocross and 7 in Supercross)

SPECIAL FEATURE

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Star light: the MXGP awards 59

SPECIAL FEATURE

As dusk began to settle and from a layer of calm of over Kegums after the intensity of the qualifying races of the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations, the Skybox and start straight were being transformed into a theatre and stage for the annual Youthstream awards.

Hosted by MXGP commentator Paul Malin and television presenter Amy Dargan, the awards brought together the great and the good from the motocross world to celebrate a fantastic year for the sport. FIM president Vito Ippolito and the president of Youthstream Giuseppe Luongo were on hand to present awards and trophies to mark the

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achievements of the international paddock.

It was a golden evening for the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team as Antonio Cairoli accepted his award for his 8th World Title, Jordi Tixier took his first gold plate for his maiden MX2 championship and the tem scooped both the MX2 and MXGP manufacturers titles.

The KTM motosports manager Pit Beirer was on hand to enjoy the success of his teams and also to accept along with Heinz Kinigadner a cheque for the Wings for Life foundation into spinal cord rehabilitation.

There was more to come for the Austrian team as MX2 championship runner up

Jeffrey Herlings joined Cairoli on stage to receive their prizes for wining the Tag Heuer fastest lap awards, with 17 race fastest laps in MX2 and MXGP between them they truly deserved the stunning Tag Heuer watches that rewarded their efforts.

The most poignant moment of the night was the announcement of the lifetime achievement award for Jeff Emig. Emig, a 3 time Motocross of Nations winner with Team USA, had no clue that he was due any sort of accolade despite his glittering career and it was quite a sight to see the charismatic commentator almost lost for words.

Across the 17 rounds of the

MXGP World Championship there have been a few really stand out venues that deserved recognition for the efforts and commitment that they have shown hosting the biggest motocross races in the world. Qatar, with its unique infrastructure and stunning floodlit track, was awarded the prize for as the best organiser, the MXGP of State of Goias received the award for the best infrastructure, the Matterley Basin circuit once again scooped the best track award, Maggiora in Italy, a scene of epic celebrations in June when Antonio Cairoli scored a memorable double moto win, was congratulated on its fantastic cooperation that made sure this years visit was special. Leon

in Mexico, the final race and the setting for the epic MX2 title showdown, was awarded the prize of best promotion as thanks to the efforts of the organiser the bar has been raised for others to follow when it comes to getting the word out to the national public about the spectacle visiting a World Championship Motocross event.

Each and every rider who won a World Championship or European title was called to the stage to rapturous applause to celebrate and enjoy a moment of adoration from the 200 strong crowd that filled the start line. It was a fitting end to a masterful season of racing for the motocross world.

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SPECIAL FEATURE

MXGP Manufacturer World Champion: KTM MX2 Manufacturer World Champion: KTM WMX Manufacturer World Champion: Kawasaki MXGP Winning Team: Red Bull KTM Factory Racing MX2 Winning Team: Red Bull KTM Factory Racing WMX Winning Team: Yamaha MXFonta Racing Mechanic of the Year: Joel De Busser, Gaetan Bertaut and Romain Coiffard – Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing Lifetime Career Award: Jeff Emig Steve Bruhn Award Journalist of the year: Lorenzo Resta Photographer of the year: Stanley Leroux - MXGP Album “Jan De Groot” Award: Brian Hsu (GER) Motocross MXGP Best Cooperation: Maggiora, MXGP of Italy Motocross MXGP Best Race Track: Matterley Basin, MXGP of Great Britain Motocross MXGP Best Media Centre: Lommel, MXGP of Belgium Motocross MXGP Best Paddock: Lommel, MXGP of Belgium Motocross MXGP Best Promotion: León, MXGP of León Motocross MXGP Best Infrastructure: Trindade, MXGP of State of Goias EMX65 European Champion: Nikita Kucherov (RUS) EMX85 European Champion: Jago Geerts (BEL) EMX125 European Champion: Brian Hsu (GER) EMX150 Honda European Champion: Albie Wilkie (GBR) EMX250 European Champion: Steven Clarke (GBR) EMX300 European Champion: Samuele Bernardini (ITA) 65cc Junior World Champion: Jett Lawrence (AUS) 85cc Junior World Champion: Kim Savaste (FIN) 125cc Junior World Champion: Brian Hsu (GER) Veterans’ World Cup Winner: Martin Zerava (CZE) Women’s World Champion: Kiara Fontanesi Motocross MXGP Best Organizer: Losail, MXGP of Qatar MXGP Tag Heuer Best Lap: Antonio Cairoli MX2 Tag Heuer Best Lap: Jeffrey Herlings Motocross MXGP Best Organizer: Losail, MXGP of Qatar MX2 World Champion: Jordi Tixier (FRA) MXGP World Champion: Antonio Cairoli (ITA)

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QUESTIONS TO THE EDITOR

QUESTIONS TO THE EDITOR Hello, I would like to watch the MXoN replays. Where I can find them?

Thanks, Dario Fortes Dear Dario, You will find full race replays of the Monster Energy FIM motocross of Nations by logging in on www.MXGP-TV.com.

All the best, Youthstream Hello MXGP, I want to purchase the MXoN pass on MXGP-TV.com but I have a question before. Can I use the same pass on a different computer?

Thanks, Ashley Flower Dear Ashley The purchase goes to your MXGP-TV account and not to your IP address. Therefore, of course you can log in to the account from any computer or other device, and watch the replays of the races. Enjoy it!.

Regards Youthstream

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Hello MXGP, I was wondering where I can find the nations results from the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations?

Thanks, Deisy Stevanovichi Dear Deisy, You can find full results of individual riders as well as the national teams by following this link: http:// mxgp.com/results/standings Best Regards Youthstream Hi MXGP, I would love to have Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations podium photo in high resolution. I want to make my brother a birthday surprise and frame it for his room.

Thanks, Livia Angelidi Dear Livia, That sounds like a great birthday gift! We will be happy to contribute to it!

Please contact us by contact@youthstream-media. com so we can discuss more.

Best Regards Youthstream

Hi MXGP, I would like to know who won the Antonio Cairoli’s helmet becoming the 200.000 fan.

Thanks, Felipe Ambrossi Dear Felipe, Thanks for your e-mail.

The 200.000 fans on MXGP Facebook happened to be the American citizen from Florida, Paul Rivero. Stay tuned for more competitions like this during the off season time!

Best Regards Youthstream

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PADDOCK TALKS

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Paddock Talks 01/Roger De Coster remembering good old times.

02/Mr Paolo Sesti, president of the Italian Motorcycling Federation, gave a special racing shirt to Antonio Cairoli to represent Italy at the MXoN. 03/Team USA with Mr Giuseppe Luongo during the MXoN. 04/Mr Giuseppe Luongo, Youthstream President, Mr Vito Ippolito, FIM President, Mrs Solvita Ă boltina, Speaker of Latvian Parliament, and Dr Wolfgang Srb, FIM Europe President, hosted the opening ceremony of the 68th edition of the Motocross of Nations.

05/Mr Nasser Khalifa Al Attiya, President of the QMMF, and Mr Thierry Huron, director of TAG HEUER, during the MXGP Awards.

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Paddock Talks

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06/Alpinestars was present in the paddock with their beautiful hospitality.

07/Hundreds of media travelled to Kegums to cover the best offroad event of the year, the MXoN. 08/Dr Wolfgang Srb, FIM Europe President, was awarded by Mr Tony Skillington in recognition of his long and successful career as FIM/CMS director.

09/The crowd enjoyed a lot the traditional teams presentation on Saturday after the qualifying races.

10/The British fans travelled to Kegums to support their riders at the MXoN. 11/At the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations we meet with 4 riders that have already tasted victory in the greatest motocross event of the year.

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