RACING CATCH UP

RETURN OF THE FAVOURITES

IT’S BEEN A BUSY FEW WEEKS SINCE THE LAST EDITION OF THE MXGP MAGAZINE. WE’VE TRAVELLED TO ARGENTINA, WHICH WAS A BIG TRIP BUT ONE THAT WAS CERTAINLY WORTH THE LONG-HAUL FLIGHT! THEN WE RETURNED TO AGUEDA FOR THE PORTUGUESE GP FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2019 AND WERE SURPRISED WITH A BRAND-NEW TRACK LAYOUT IN TRENTINO – SO TO SUM IT UP, THE LAST FEW WEEKS HAVE BEEN A TREAT… AND SO HAS THE RACING! Argentina is back!

Let’s start at the MXGP of PatagoniaArgentina� For the first time since the start of the pandemic, we were able to gain back some normality and make an overseas trip to the stunning Villa La Angostura� Despite the numerous flights and hours of driving that was needed to arrive onsite, in the end it was so worth it�

The Argentinian GP delivered, as it always does, with a crowd of 39,000 fans keeping the atmosphere at a maximum even before the weekend started, right to the chequered flag on Sunday evening, reminding the whole paddock why the Argentinian Grand Prix is among the best on the racing calendar�

We started our weekend with Friday’s media activities, which included the opening press conference that officially welcomed back MXGP to Argentina� Among those in attendance was Infront Moto Racing’s CEO David Luongo, FIM/CMS Director Antonio Alia Portela, the organiser of the Argentinian GP, David Eli, as well as local politicians Neuquén Governor Omar Gutierrez, Mayor of Villa La Angostura Fabio Stefani, Neuquén Minister of Tourism Sandro Badilla and Neuquén Minister of Sports Alejandra Piedecasas and Track Designer Lucas de La Fuente who shared their excitement and support for the event taking place this weekend� The day then continued with the riders autograph session in the city centre of Villa La Angostura and the only word that springs to mind is – WOW! The riders were met by a huge enthusiastic crowd of MXGP fans who were eager to get their signed posters and take all the selfies that they could, not only with the riders but also the team members, girlfriends and other paddock personnel�

After that it was back to business as we kicked things off with the official GoPro Lap with Ruben Fernandez, which received a lot of fan attention, as the Spaniard made his way around the circuit, stopping at one of the tabletops to really get the crowd going� And then it was time for the qualifying races� In MXGP the win went to Standing Construct Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass who surprised many with his performance as he fought through the pack and was right where he needed to be when the front runners made mistakes� It was a surprise because just a couple of weeks earlier the Latvian struggled with an open wound from a tendinitis surgery that had him struggling in the off-season�

Meanwhile in MX2, Jago Geerts from Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing was the victor as he secured first gate pick for Sunday’s races ahead of Tom Vialle and Kay de Wolf who looked on form and a threat for the Belgian who was looking at making back-to-back victories�

The main action saw plenty of thrills as Tim Gajser ended his day going 2-1 with a third consecutive GP victory and his 90th career podium ahead of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Maxime Renaux who not only scored his first ever MXGP race victory in the opening heat, but also celebrated his second podium in MXGP on just his third race in the premier class� Third on the box was Jorge Prado who admitted that he was having an off weekend after a 4-4 result in the races�

Meanwhile in MX2, Tom Vialle conquered Geerts and made his comeback to the top step with a 2-1 result over Geerts’ 1-2� Another big celebration came from the Big Van World MTX Kawasaki camp as Mikkel Haarup celebrated his first podium since 2020, with a 4-3 scorecard!

While there were plenty to celebrate in Argentina, there was also some moments that proved to be costly for both championships that took out

some of the big names� In MXGP, Brian Bogers dislocated his shoulder in the qualifying which put him out of the races, along with some big crashes from Jeremy Seewer and Thomas Kjer Olsen which also jeopardized their weekends and the following weekends too� And in MX2, Gianluca Facchetti was among the injured, as Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing suffered the biggest blows, with their two riders Kay de Wolf and Roan van de Moosdijk crashing out, which left Moosdijk injured as well�

More surprises in Portugal

After a brief break, we all made our way back to Agueda for the MXGP of Portugal where the orange/red clay venue had more nice surprises in store�

The Friday started off with a media event and this time the MXGP paddock, which included the likes of Calvin Vlaanderen, Mikkel Haarup, Lynn Valk, Alberto Forato, Andrea Adamo, Jeremy Sydow, Nicholas Lapucci and Hakon Osterhagen (among others), took a tour of the Triangle’s factory, who are the leading producer of high-tech aluminium bicycle frames� The riders and team personnel travelled to Triangle’s in a very special “Vouguinha”, in reference to the historic locomotive of the Vouga Line, which made for a fun and exciting experience�

After the media activities were completed, again the focus shifted to the racing� In qualifying, Glenn Coldenhoff bounced back from some tough GP’s with a qualifying race victory as he won ahead of Jorge Prado and Brian Bogers� Bogers’ performance was another stand-out if you remember that he dislocating his shoulder a mere two weeks ago�

In MX2, Geerts led every lap of the qualifying race as he secured his third consecutive pole winning ahead of Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Mattia Guadagnini who is yet to show some exciting results this year� Third was F&H Kawasaki Racing’s Kevin Horgmo who is week-by-week edging closer to his first podium in MX2� As the gate dropped for Sunday’s racing, in MXGP we witnessed a near-perfect performance from Jorge Prado who went 1-2 to secure his first overall win since Loket 2021 and break Gajser’s winning streak� It was a big win for Prado who had struggled in Argentina and was eager to make his comeback to the top step of the box and admitted that the victory could be a turning point�

But Prado’s win was not the only big headline of the weekend as Brian Bogers made his return to the box for the very first time since Russia 2017 (in MX2), making it also his first podium in the premier class - “It’s amazing� I mean, I am speechless but the way to here was so difficult” admitted Bogers�

In MX2, Vialle won his second back-to-back GP with again a near perfect score going 1-2� Vialle won the opening race but was chased down by Haarup who had his own time in the lead after taking the Fox Holeshot, but nerves kicked-in and he made the mature decision to follow and learn from the Frenchman who had much more experience of leading races� Meanwhile, Geerts crashed and only managed to get back to ninth, but his race victory in the second heat was what helped him to third overall� In the second heat, it was Horgmo that time around with the fastest reaction out of the gate as he briefly led the way – this was interesting as it was the first time in recent years that Kawasaki dominated both starts in MX2, that were usually won by KTM� For Haarup, the Portuguese GP saw him climb one step higher on the podium as he finished second with plenty of attention as we headed into Trentino to see if he could continue his successful streak�

Alongside the MXGP and MX2 races, we also saw rounds of the WMX and EMX250� Starting with the Women, the series saw a massive shake-up as a crash in practice ruled out defending World Champion Courtney Duncan� This opened the door for the other ladies to take centre stage and continue on their quest for the title� Lynn Valk of JK Yamaha Racing had two immaculate races that saw her claim both race victories, claim the number one

trophy and clinch the red plate from Nancy Van de Ven who was the leader up until that point� In EMX250, Yamaha continued their dominance with Rick Elzinga’s double race win ahead of Lucas Coenen and Cornelius Toendel who joined him on the podium, as the Dutchman extended his championship lead�

New track layout and new challenges in Trentino…

The fifth round of the series in Pietramurata saw some explosive action as the riders took on a new reversed track layout, with parts of the track, including the addition of the 180-degree start, which were adapted to fit the new direction�

In qualifying, we saw Team HRC’s Mitch Evans back at the sharp end, as he battled for top positions in the qualifying race, that eventually his teammate won� Prado slipped by too while Evans held onto third – which was a dream scenario for Honda to have two riders inside the top three�

A fresh track layout made for a level playing field as those who lined-up for the MXGP of Trentino, rode the track for the very first time! Gajser and Vialle rose to the occasion, securing their first perfect score, respectively, to win the MXGP of Trentino!

Those wins did not come easy� For Vialle, he was urged on by Haarup in race one and then de Wolf in race two� Though the Frenchman did not back down or put a foot wrong, as he raced his way to getting back the red plate, after Geerts went out of the second race� For Geerts it was a devastating weekend as his front wheel got jammed after a crash in MX2 race two, which ultimately took him out of the race and cost him the championship lead� With Vialle guaranteed the win and a spot on the podium, the two riders that joined him were de Wolf and Haarup – for Haarup this was his third podium in a row�

In MXGP, Gajser had a big job on his hands too� In race one, he fought through the field to catch Glenn Coldenhoff who led the way and in fact led the way for around 10 of the 19 laps before the Slovenian was able to get through�

Some other standout performances came from the likes of Alberto Forato and Calvin Vlaanderen, who ultimately got unlucky with crashes, but prior to that showed great speed� In race one, Vlaanderen worked his way up to sixth while in race two, Forato chased down Prado for fourth before crashing too� Prado even admitted in the post-race press conference that the speed Forato was showing, could have been good enough for a podium finish if everything else came together�

The EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing and EMX Open classes also took on the challenge of the Pietramurata circuit� In the 125cc category, Fantic Factory Team Maddii’s Alexis Fueri was unmatched, despite best efforts from his teammate Cas Valk and the likes of Karlis Alberts Reisulis and Julius Mikula, as he went 1-1 to celebrate his first victories in the European Championship along with the red plate� In EMX Open, Giuseppe Tropepe won on home soil ahead of series leader Michael Sandner as Jose Butron struggled with crashes in the starts and could only salvage 11th overall�

Racing aside, what made the MXGP of Trentino even more special today was the incredible fan support that created a stunning atmosphere in Pietramurata� The Gajser’s corner was the standout today as the crowd of fans created a roar that shook the entire circuit lap by lap and especially at the podium as they joined Gajser in singing the Slovenian national anthem� Having the fans back at such a scale was the reminder that everyone needed at how amazing it is to have supporter’s trackside once again!

The last few weeks have been fun, to say the least, but now the paddock will take some much needed and earned time off to re-charge batteries before the MXGP of Latvia in Kegums – let’s see what the next few races brings us and we’ll let you know in the next Racing Catch-Up!

FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS

MXGP SOCIAL

@mxdose

Back at it again���we love it #mxdose #photography #mxgp #trentino #mx2 #motocross #mx #motocrossdose #motocrossphotography

@trak_industries

Take it to the line @ rynopower @the�mackey�122 #RynoPower #ChargeLife #TRAK #TRAKindustries

@mxgpstore_official

Everything is ready for the MXGP of Trentino make sure to place your order NOW!

@galfer_brakes

DOUBLE WIN FOR LYNN VALK IN PORTUGAL

The Dutch rider of the JK Racing Yamaha team won both races at the WMX GP of Portugal and now leads the overall standings by six points�

News Highlights | MXGP of Patagonia Argentina 2022: Re-live all the best moments of the weekend in the News Highlights! Opening Event | MXGP of Portugal: Re-live all the emotions of the opening event at the Triangles Factory!

@smacks_7

Trip to #PortugalMxGp ��

Inicio de viaje complicado con nieve en la carretera��, estampa invernal que dejó paso más tarde a horas de sol sin una sola nube pero con algo d viento fresco��� Campamento montado��, bandera nacional y hoguera para combatir el frió ��y sobretodo motos, muchas motos�

@vmsimoes

PortugalMXGP �� Day 2: Finish

� #tentmonsterenergy #sundayrace #mxlifestyle

@oman_automobile_ association

The @fimlive @mxgp World Championship for Motocross is to take place in Oman for the first time ever on September 9-10, 2022 jointly organized by OAA and Trade8 International�

@cagiva_lovers_

un buongiorno dal nostro caro Corrado

@restaurantealconada

Que suerte la nuestra con lo que nos gusta en Alconada el deporte� Hoy ha venido a visitarnos @ rubenfernandez70 el piloto mundialista de MXGP� Es grande dentro y fuera del circuito� Gracias por tu visita campeón�

@lucasbylofotografia

#mxgpacademy #mxgpargentina #mxgp

MXGP 2022 Season so far featuring Tim Gajser and Maxime Renaux | MXGP of Portugal 2022: The 2022 season has already been full of surprises��� Take a look at the season re-cap so far, with MXGP championship leader Tim Gajser and MXGP rookie Maxime Renaux who give their take on the first few races!

IN THE WORLD OF #MXGP