RACING CATCH UP

from MXGP #102 February 2022

RIDER OF THE MONTH

2022 OAT’S READY TO ROCK IN GB!

JUST LIKE EVERY YEAR, THE OFF-SEASON/PRE-SEASON MADNESS PRESENTS US WITH A SHINY NEW OAT (OFFICIALLY APPROVED TEAMS) LIST THAT ALWAYS FEATURES SOME EXCITING UPDATES AND MOVES – AND THIS YEAR SEES SOME MAJOR CHANGES ACROSS SOME OF THE TEAMS! So, as we gear up for another awesome season of the FIM Motocross World Championship, which is set to kick-off in Matterley Basin on the 19-20 of February, let’s take a look at the biggest moves and changes we are set to see on the grid in Great Britain�

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing MXGP

Let’s start with the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing MXGP squad� Jeremy Seewer is set to stay with the team until at least the end of 2023 after signing an extension earlier in 2021, with 2022 making it his fifth season on Yamaha� The Swiss struggled in the beginning of last year due to various reasons, but was becoming more

competitive towards the end of the season, especially in Pietramurata, where we saw him claim his career second MXGP Grand Prix victory� There’s no doubt that Seewer will be looking to start his 2022 campaign on the best note possible, in order to be in with a chance of fighting for the title�

Meanwhile, Glenn Coldenhoff will enter his second year with factory Yamaha this season and will be another serious podium threat� Having had the time now to adjust to the new machine and the team, the Dutchman will be looking to bring his A game and back some more podiums and victories after his two visits to the box in 2021�

The biggest change to the team this season will be the newest member to the squad, that is the 2021 MX2 World Champion, Maxime Renaux� After securing his maiden world title in MX2 last season, Renaux made the decision to get a head start on his MXGP career and make the move up earlier than maybe some expected� But it was a decision he was already considering midway through the season last year� It will be interesting to see what the rookie will have to show for on the YZ450FM but coming into Matterley Basin, a GP that he won last season with the added bonus of some very positive pre-season races under his belt, Renaux could be a top five or even podium threat�

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

In the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing squad there is not much change in terms of the line-up with Jeffrey Herlings and Tom Vialle looking to go for the MXGP and MX2 titles this season� Last season we saw Herlings finally secure his fifth world title after a very disputed fight between him, Romain Febvre and Tim Gajser, meanwhile an injury early in the season took Vialle out of the running to defend his 2020 championship – but he did bounce back to claim the bronze medal�

Of course, now the team have had a big shake up, with Herlings’ very recent heel injury that might see him miss Matterley Basin and there’s still no defined timeframe of when we could see him back� This is not the start the Bullet would have hoped for, as he had his eyes set on defending that title – which will be a little harder now�

The biggest change for the team will be the new 2023 SX-F machines that they will run and the change of managing status, as Joel Smets is set to take over the role of Team Manager while Dirk Gruebel will become the team’s Technical Director�

And of course it goes without saying that the team, and all the motocross community, were all shocked by the sudden passing of KTM’s brightest young stars, Rene Hofer, who won his first ever Grand Prix just last season� He was a big part of the squad and will be greatly missed by the entire Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

But coming into 2022, there is no doubt that Herlings and Vialle have their eyes set on the top spot in both MXGP and MX2�

Team HRC

For 2022, Team HRC’s Tim Gajser and Mitch Evans are set to be back and better than ever� After failing to defend his title in 2021, Gajser will look to get back on top and claim the number 1 spot� His season last year started well, with the Slovenian winning the opening GP and maintaining the series lead for much of the season until a crash in Czech Republic and an expected injury during practice that saw him loose a load of points and the red plate� And with the woes of last season behind him, Gajser is bound to fight back in Matterley Basin� It is a track that he likes, a lot, and has podiumed at for the last three years in a row, but this time he will be aiming for that top spot, that’s for sure�

Meanwhile his teammate, Mitch Evans is finally making his return to racing after a whole year off� The Aussie injured his wrist in Spain during the 2020 season and complications with the recovery meant that his 2021 season was a no go� 2022 will be another opportunity for Evans to bounce back and show what he can do�

Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP

The Kawasaki Racing Team in MXGP is one of the teams that have seen some of the biggest changes in the paddock with the factory Kawasaki effort now being headed by Ice One Racing’s Antti Pyrohnen as Team Manager and Kimi Raikkonen as Team Principal/Owner� This season Ice One will celebrate what will be their 10th year making the move from Husqvarna to Kawasaki�

Romain Febvre will remain with the manufacturer and will lead the team with Brit Ben Watson alongside him� Febvre is currently out with injury and might not line up in Matterley Basin as he will take this time to get back to strength and bounce back after narrowly missing the title last season� Meanwhile Watson will look to keep making progress in the highly competitive MXGP class for what will be his second season in premiere category and of course with the opening round being his home Grand Prix, the support of the British crowd will give him the extra boost needed to get this season off to the best start possible and who knows, we could see him up there with the front runners fighting for a podium spot�

F&H Kawasaki Racing Team

F&H Kawasaki Racing Team are the second of the Kawasaki teams on the OAT list, with a fresh-new rider line-up made up of Aussie Jed Beaton and Norwegian Kevin Horgmo�

After what was a pretty successful MX2 career, Beaton will be making the move up to MXGP and will no doubt be looking to learn as much as he can to make for a strong rookie season� For Beaton this will also be a nice comeback to the F&H team that he was part of in 2018�

Meanwhile, his teammate for 2022 Kevin Horgmo is no doubt delighted to be back in the FIM Motocross World Championship after making a move back down to EMX250 last year� Last season Horgmo was a real title threat but ultimately finished in second position thus giving him a way back into MX2�

Both riders will be put through their paces with Marc de Reuver continuing to take the role of the riders coach and with his strong knowledge and experience from being a Grand Prix rider himself, the pair will be in top shape this year�

Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing

The Husqvarna Factory Racing MX2 squad is looking impressive for the new season with Kay De

Wolf among the up-and-coming stars in MX2� The Dutchman had a strong year last season, picking up four podiums, so there’s no doubt that he will be aiming for more in 2022�

Meanwhile, his brand-new teammate and fellow countryman Roan van De Moosdijk will look for a strong debut on the factory team after making the move over from Kawasaki�

Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing

While there has been a shake-up in the number of factory teams by the KTM AG in the paddock, this has seen a big move by Claudio de Carli’s factory squad that will now make the move to red becoming Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing� His son, Davide De Carly will continue his role as Co-Team Manager helping to bring the teams up and coming stars and nurture them into champions – which is exactly what the team is known for!

While the team are moving to a new manufacturer within the KTM family, they’ve also got a new addition in the form of Simon Längenfelder, who will compete alongside Mattia Guadagnini in MX2� The goal for both will no doubt be podium finishes, especially Guadagnini who had a stellar rookie season in 2022� For the Italian, the opening round in Great Britain could give him the extra confidence boost that he needs, after he secured his first MX2 podium there last season�

With the retirement of Antonio Cairoli in 2021, Jorge Prado will now be the only MXGP rider for Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing as the Spaniard can be expected to be fighting for race wins and podiums once again� It will be interesting to see whether his famous starts remain unmatched by the rest of the field or whether he will hold on to that advantage� We’ll find out in Matterley Basin�

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2

There is set to be no big changes in the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory

MX2 with Hans Covers as Team Owner and Michele Lavetti taking over the role as Team Manager for 2022� Jago Geerts is set to fight for his very first world title in MX2 once again, having fallen short of the gold medal in the last few years, but this could be his year to fight back and finally get on the top spot�

Meanwhile, his teammate Thibault Benistant will enter his second season in the category, though later than expected due to injury� Benistant season was cut short last year due to knee problems, and it looks like he is set to miss Matterley Basin, too�

Standing Construct Husqvarna Factory Racing

The Standing Construct crew are among the few teams making the change to a different manufacturer for 2022, as they will move from GasGas to Husqvarna – to become Standing Construct Husqvarna Factory Racing, the official factory Husqvarna team in MXGP� This will be the only change for the team as Pauls Jonass and Brian Bogers are set to represent the team once again under the guidance of Tim Mathys�

DIGA PROCROSS KTM RACING

Another team changing colours is DIGA PROCROSS KTM RACING – previously GasGas� Now the squad will consist of Thomas Kjer Olsen, who had some impressive moments last season during his first year in MXGP, while Liam Everts is set to make the move up to MX2 for his first full season in the category� No doubt both riders will have big expectations entering the first round and it will be interesting to see what they can deliver�

BETA-SDM Corse MX Team

For the BETA-SDM Corse MX Team or Beta more specifically, this season is probably going to be an important one� After making their debut in the FIM Motocross World Championship in 2021, the team and manufacturer have had a year to develop the machine thanks to Jeremy Van Horebeek, who will remain part of the squad in 2022�

Joining him though will be Italian Alessandro Lupino, who will offer more insight that could see Beta become even more competitive this season�

Honda 114 Motorsports

For Honda 114 Motorsports the main changes for 2022 include Ruben Fernandez making the move to MXGP full-time, after a decision to test out his abilities in the premiere class during the final two races of last year� After making a good impression, Fernandez has decided to stick with MXGP and see what he can do during his full rookie year�

Meanwhile, Hakon Fredriksen, who made a name for himself in the EMX250 category will be the newest MX2 rider for the squad and could be in for some strong finishes�

Team Gebben Van Venrooy Yamaha Racing

The Team Gebben Van Venrooy Yamaha Racing squad will be represented by Calvin Vlaanderen and Arminas Jasikonis in 2022, as Vlaanderen will remain with the team for a third season in a row� Meanwhile, Lithuanian Jasikonis will be looking to get back on form after a tough season in 2021 while recovering from a serious brain injury�

JM Honda Racing

JM Honda Racing is another team that will welcome a new addition with Henry Jacobi and Peter Polak being joined by Ivo Monticelli� Monticelli will make the move from Kawasaki to Honda and be looking to put his bad luck behind him and have a clean and injury free season�

SM Action Racing Team YUASA Battery

The SM Action Racing Team YUASA Battery squad will remain the same for the FIM Motocross World Championship, not counting any changes for the EMX line-up� Alberto Forato and Andrea Adamo will contest in MXGP and MX2 once again and will be chasing top results�

The Hitachi KTM fuelled by Milwaukee will introduce a fresh line-up for the 2022 season with Isak Gifting and Kay Karssemakers as the two riders in MX2 – it will be good to see the pair achieve some top results for the team�

DRT Kawasaki

The British team of Steven Dixon will welcome Mikkel Haarup in 2022 as the Dane will race alongside Taylor Hammal who will give it another go in MX2 after his 2021 season was scrapped due to injury� No doubt the pair will look to put on their best performance at the teams home Grand Prix in Matterley Basin – which is organised by the team owner himself!

Team Fantic Racing

Once again, the Team Fantic Racing squad will feature an impressive EMX line-up but more importantly the manufacturer will enter the FIM Motocross World Championship with Nicholas Lapucci, who was victorious in the EMX250 category last season�

But for now, it’s heads down and focus for the opening round of the FIM Motocross World Championship in Matterley Basin as we gear up to start another fantastic season of racing!

MXGP hosted a virtual chat with some of the riders including; Jeffrey Herlings, Romain Febvre, Tim Gajser, Jeremy Seewer, Jorge Prado, Jed Beaton, Kevin Horgmo and Kay De Wolf where they spoke about their off-season, 2022 and much more� You can watch the replay by clicking HERE!

These are just some of the main changes within some of the top players in MXGP and MX2 and you can find the full 2022 OAT List below:

WATCH THE VIDEO

MXGP SOCIAL

@cagiva_lovers_

Max Manzo - Cagiva wmx 500

@motoclubernee

Monster Energy MXGP of France 2022 New poster ! Information & Tickets : www�motoclubernee�com EP� 10 | 26 Minutes Behind the Gate | MXGP of Sardegna 2021: Join us in remembering a historic 2021 season of the FIM Motocross World Championship with the replay of the 26-min Behind-the-Gate series featuring behind-thescenes look at the events, including interviews, highlights and more! �� In episode ten, we take a look at the MXGP of Sardegna at the Riola Sardo circuit which saw a shake-up in the MXGP Championship standings!

Countdown to 2022 | EP�1 | Intense Battles | MXGP: Are you ready for the new season of MXGP? Join us in counting down the days to round one with episode one of Countdown to 2022 as we take a look at some of the best battles 2021 including the likes of Jeffrey Herlings, Antonio Cairoli, Tim Gajser, Romain Febvre, Jorge Prado and Jeremy Seewer� Can 2022 top it? We’ll find out soon! What are you most looking forward to seeing in the new season?

@mrmotorsportmanagement

Yesterday visit on the @ mxgp headquarters here in #monaco !!! Got a beautiful present from my friend Daniele!! Thanks Mate so much appreciated!! #mrmotorsportmanagement

roberto.distefano_

Live fast #mx1 #mxgp #yamaha #yzf450 #crossodromoorbassano

@francesc_biset_studio

3/3 Mx2 @ktmfactoryracing rider @tomvialle28 training at @cdg_mx_retreat and ready for start the new @ mxgp season in three weeks

@antoniocairoli

Oggi è un giorno speciale per il nostro numero preferito 2/2/22 che ne dite? Fatemi sapere

@avalon1613

Waken up to some amazing T-Shirts from the @jmr_ foundation_

What this foundation is all about it amazing and truly an inspiration�

The smile on my face says it all� MX2 | 2021 Crazy Crashes: The 2021 season had it all - the action, the intensity, the battles and some impressive crashes�� Check out all the craziest crashes from the MX2 category that were captured on camera!