MXGP #105 May 2022

#105 MAY 2022

E P I C E : R S T S C E T E C C F U C R R T U E S G S N N P I O C C R E A G R O FSTANDIANCTORY TH F A N R A V Q S U H

T N E T N O C

TCH A C CING A R P. 22

UP

ALL H 6 P. 9 bson i

TH N 10 .

O P HE qMvarna HOT T S F L us COO AM O uct H E r t T s P.50ding Con Stan

R STE N O M

4

S P. L R I G

46

G Jim

MXGP MAG Chief Editor: Marionna Leiva Photos: MXGP INFRONT MOTO RACING MEDIA World Trade Center II Rte de Pré-Bois 29 1215 Geneva 15 Airport Switzerland MXGP Mag #105 May 2022

ccscscs

��� P.7 Then content of this publication is based on the best knowledge and � � � � � � � 0 � 1 � information available at the time . � � � P ���� ����� � � � the articles were written. � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �

� � L � � � The copying of articles and �������� P.18 ORIA � � � � � T � � I � � � � � photos even partially is � � D � � � � � E � �

� � � S � � forbidden unless permission T � � � HO 2 ����� � has ben requested from S � 2 � . � � P L � � � � � Infront Moto Racing in COO �������� OT �� � � � H � � advance and reference is � S � LE ����� 4 � � made to the source (©MXGP). � O 4 � . �

H P � H UP �������� FOX � � � C � � T � � CA �������� � G � � � N � I � � � RAC �������� � � � � �P.50 � � � � � � � � � � � � �

� H � IAL ONTrna ���������� M SOC E a F THuct Husqv O M r P.72 TEA ing Const � � � � � � � d Stan E ���������������� R U EAT �������������� F L .96 CIA ta �������� P � E � � � P � � S ura �������� � � ram � t � � e � i � P AME��������������� F F P.102 O ���������� � � � � L � � � L � HA ibson �������� � � � � � G � � Jim S ���� K L .104 TA P � � � K � � � C � DO RE da RC500 U PAD T EA RC Hon P.110 � F � � � �

L OR CIA 88 H T I D SPE eboers 19 HE E G T O Eric ST N O I ST QUE ������� ��������

AME F F O

The articles published in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the official position of Infront Moto Racing.

5

L A I R O T I D E

David Luongo CEO of Infront Moto Racing

Dear MXGP Friends, As I am writing this, the first third of the season is already behind us…

Tim Gajser is building a strong season race after race and he is showing a very impressive speed and regularity from the beginning of the year. Two victories over the last three Grand Prix, in Latvia and in Italy – Maggiora, are giving him a gap of 81 points on Maxime Renaux. Maxime is also making a very strong season for his rookie year in the MXGP class.

VLAANDEREN IMPRESSED EVERYBODY BY WINNING THE MXGP CLASS IN SARDEGNA The championship podium is completed by Jeremy Seewer at the moment and Jorge Prado is just next to them. Vlaanderen impressed everybody by winning the MXGP class in Sardegna in front of all the factory riders.

In MX2 class, the battle for the title is very open between Geerts and Vialle, they gave

to the fans a fantastic race in Sardegna winning a race each and Geerts is leading only by 6 points the overall classification.

Längenfelder completes the top 3 in the standings.

Next stop will be Spain, the home soil of Jorge Prado and where thousands of fans will come to support him.

I would like to thank FIM, FIM Europe, all our organizers, the MXGP partners, the teams and the riders, for their collaboration.

See you in Spain!

S T O H S L COO

10

11

S T O H S L COO

12

13

S T O H S L COO

14

15

17

T O H S E L O H X FO

NEW ENTRIES TO THE COMPETITION! 18

ROUND EIGHTH OF THE FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP HAS CONCLUDED WITH THE MXGP OF SARDEGNA IN THE SANDY DUNES OF RIOLA SARDO JUST A WEEK OR SO AGO, AND SINCE WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME BEFORE THE NEXT RACE IN INTU XANADÚ – ARROYOMOLINOS FOR THE MXGP OF SPAIN, THIS IS THE PERFECTION OCCASION TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE FOX HOLESHOT COMPETITION SINCE THE LAST ISSUE OF THE MAGAZINE…

of the season so far – further proving how fundamental a good start can be to an overall result!

MXGP of Latvia – Kegums: At the end of April, we headed back to Kegums for the Latvian Grand Prix which once again threw a couple of nice surprises into the mix. In terms of the Fox Holeshot competition, we saw Jorge Prado claim his 106th career Fox Holeshot in the opening MXGP race, while in MX2 it was his teammate Simon Längenfelder who secured his fourth black plate of the season.

The second races were where things got exciting, as riders fought to secure their spot on the podium, making a good start was crucial to back-up a strong performance in the first heat. And a Fox Holeshot for home hero Pauls Jonass and F&H Kawasaki’s

Kevin Horgmo was exactly what solidified their ticket for the podium! It was a big celebration for Jonass who sent the Latvian fans wild as he took to the second step of the podium, meanwhile Horgmo had a big moment of his own, as he mounted the MX2 podium for the very first time in his career!

MXGP of Italy – Maggiora: From the hard sand, we moved on to the hard-pack hillside venue of Maggiora for this year’s Italian Grand Prix. And as always, the MXGP of Italy did not disappoint as we saw four different Fox Holeshot winners across the MXGP and MX2 categories which made for some interesting racing.

In MXGP, Calvin Vlaanderen claimed his first Fox Holeshot of the season, as did Ben Watson, on their way to their best results

In MX2, home hero Mattia Guadagnini was the leading rider in race one as he claimed his first Fox Holeshot of 2022, as did Kay Karssemakers in race two, on his way to his first top 10 finish in the category.

MXGP of Sardegna – Riola Sardo: To finish off our string of GP’s was probably one of the toughest and most demanding Grand Prix’s of the season so far, with the hot weather and sandy dunes of Riola Sardo testing even the fittest riders on the grid. In MXGP, the Fox Holeshot’s went to Tim Gajser in race one, as he pushed through sickness to finish second in the race. Meanwhile in the second heat, Jorge Prado claimed his seventh Fox Holeshot of the 2022 season on his way to a podium finish as he made his return from shoulder injury.

19

In MX2, Thibault Benistant had his starts dialled, as he took both Fox Holeshot’s on his way to two solid 3rd place finishes for third on the box.

As we enter round nine of the FIM Motocross World Championship shortly at the MXGP of Spain, Jorge Prado and Tom Vialle lead the Fox Holeshot Classifications in MXGP and MX2, with seven and five points each.

Let’s see what the news few races have in store for us and we will catch you up on all of it, in the next issue of MXGP Magazine ;)

20

the meanwhile check out the Fox Holeshot Classifications below…

MXGP Jorge Prado

7

Henry Jacobi

3

Tim Gajser

1

Glenn Coldenhoff

1

Pauls Jonass

1

MX2 Tom Vialle

5

Simon Lanfenfelder

4

Kevin Horgmo

2

Thibault Benistant

2

Mikkel Haarup

1

WATCH THE VIDEO

21

P U G H N ATC I C A C R

22

D N A T A E W S , D MUARS TE 23

AFTER THE MXGP OF TRENTINO, THE RIDERS AND TEAMS TOOK A ONE-WEEK BREAK BEFORE RETURNING TO ACTION AT KEGUMS FOR THE MXGP OF LATVIA, AND WITH ANOTHER WEEKEND OFF AFTER A BRIEF SPELL IN THE LARGEST OF THE BALTIC STATES, WE WERE BACK IN ITALY FOR THE FIRST OF TWO-ROUNDS IN CONSECUTIVE WEEKENDS; THE MXGP OF ITALY AT MAGGIORA PARK AND THE MXGP OF SARDEGNA AT RIOLA SARDO. IN SHORT, THREE ROUNDS IN FOUR WEEKS, SO LET’S HEAD BACK UP NORTH TO RE-CAP WHAT HAPPENED IN LATVIA.

24

After the MXGP of Trentino, the riders and teams took a one-week break before returning to action at Kegums for the MXGP of Latvia, and with another weekend off after a brief spell in the largest of the Baltic States, we were back in Italy for the first of tworounds in consecutive weekends; the MXGP of Italy at Maggiora Park and the MXGP of Sardegna at Riola Sardo.

In short, three rounds in four weeks, so let’s head back up north to re-cap what happened in Latvia.

The Zelta Zirgs circuit in Latvia played host to Round six of the FIM Motocross World Championship and as well as MXGP and MX2, we were blessed with the EMX Open and EMX125 categories as well, with both competing at the third round of their respective championship campaigns.

MJC backed machine.

Band of Brothers With drier than usual conditions on Saturday, the action was fast and furious in both categories, with the most intense racing coming from the EMX125 class, presented by FMF Racing. Heading into round three, Alexis Fueri arrived as the new red plate holder, with just 8 points separating him from his Fantic Factory Team Maddii stable mate, Cas Valk. Anyone who has ever ridden Kegums will know how crucial the start and first turn are, and as the riders emerged past pit lane, it was Fueri who led the way as his teammate languished in around 15th.

After an impressive opening lap, Valk had charged to 7th but with Fueri leading the way, the points gap was opening up in the Frenchman’s favour; that was until lap three when Fueri crashed spectacularly over the finish line jump. Battered and bruised he would not re-join the race, handing the lead to the Latvian, Karlis Reisulis on the Yamaha Europe EMX125

With the fans cheering his every move as he led, the focus quickly shifted to the rider in 3rd who had emerged at the end of the opening lap in 6th. The rider in question was another Latvian, and the younger 14 year-old brother of the race leader, Janis Reisulis. On lap six, the Husqvarna rider was up to 2nd position and set about his brother, who still held a comfortable lead. The atmosphere was insane, and when the lead changed hands with four laps to go, the noise was off the scale. To be a Latvian, in Latvia, and witnessing the ‘Battle of The Brothers’ would have been fantastic, so when they crossed the line 1st and 2nd, it was a moment to remember, for sure. Valk secured 3rd with Ivano Van Erp and Ferruccio Zanchi rounding out the top five.

Race Two on Sunday morning saw different circuit conditions after a brief spell of overnight rain, but despite nature’s watering system, the track was almost perfect. This time it was Cas Valk who took the holeshot, before going on to win for the second

time this season. Behind him though was a different story. All three Yamaha teammates of Zanchi, Van Erp and Karlis Reisulis battled over 2nd whilst Fueri found himself having to dig-in after a poor start. He eventually made it back to 7th, despite feeling a bit second-hand.

Ahead of him, the battle for the podium was frantic and the overall win changed hands several times before the end of the race. When the flag fell after 14 laps, it was Valk who took to the top step to record his second overall win of the season with a 3-1.

The other two positions were taken

by Latvian’s, but it was Karlis Reisulis (2nd) who got the better of brother Janis (3rd) by just a single point. With round four taking place in Spain at the end of May, the 125cc riders have just over a month off before they do battle again. Valk regained the red plate and now holds a 23-point advantage over Fueri. Karlis Reisulis sits in 3rd, just six adrift of the Fantic rider with Janis Reisulis and Ivano Van Erp snapping at his heels.

Wide Open There must have been something in the water in Kegums because the racing in the EMX Open class was just as manic as that of the 125cc class, 25

and there was a bit of drama thrown in as well, which involved those fighting for the championship lead.

After two rounds of racing, Austria’s Michael Sandner held a commanding 24-point margin over his closest challenger, Jose Butron and as you can imagine, after just four races, the rest of the chasing pack were tightly bunched as well.

When the gate dropped for race one, JD Gunnex KTM’s Butron found himself leading the way, closely shadowed by the ‘Round of Trentino’ winner, Giuseppe Tropepe. As for the championship leader Sandner, the ‘766’ completed just one full lap of the Zelta Zirgs before crashing off the back off his bike on lap two. Normally, he would have re-mounted, but unfortunately for him, he was run over

by Erki Kahro almost immediately and was unable to finish the race. With Sandner out, his points lead was now under threat.

By the fourth lap, the lead had changed hands, as Tropepe eased past Butron, and as the Italian pulled away, the Millionaire Racing Team rider looked set for his second race win of the campaign, until he jumped on ‘waved yellows’. Whilst he may have crossed the line as the race winner, he was quickly dropped 10 places for his actions, handing the 25 points back to Butron, who now led the championship by a single point over Sandner. Former MX2 grand prix winner Gert Krestinov claimed 2nd with Jere Haavisto taking 3rd.

In race two, Tropepe made sure he obeyed the flags and eventually cruised to the race win; we say eventually, because he first had to find his way past a very stubborn Haavisto, who was racing the Open class for the first time this season as a wild card rider, but after going 3-2 for 2nd overall, maybe we will him see line up again in Italy at Maggiora, who knows? The race finished with Sandner (3rd) crossing the line ahead of Butron (4th) but it was the Spaniard who claimed the overall victory with his 1-4 finishes. Sandner though had the last laugh, as he left Latvia clutching the red plate by one-point. Next stop, Maggiora.

MX2 Advantage Geerts

26

After losing his 16-point advantage in Trentino, Jago Geerts arrived in Latvia 14-points behind the new red plate holder, Tom Vialle, and after winning the qualifying race on Saturday for the fourth time in five GP’s, it was clear that the Monster Energy Yamaha rider only had one thing on his mind; winning! Or at least pulling back a few of those lost points in Italy.

When the gates dropped for the first MX2 race, it was Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Simon Laengenfelder who bagged his fourth Fox holeshot of the season, and the German would continue to lead for the next five laps, until he was passed by Geerts. A few corners later the ‘516’ was also passed

by F&H Kawasaki’s Kevin Horgmo, who continued to latch on to the rear wheel of the Belgian. Tom Vialle gated inside the top ten, but by the end of the race, the Red Bull KTM could only manage 5th, and as a result of that placing, saw his championship lead cut by nine points, but the performance of the race had to be Horgmo’s, as the Norwegian claimed his best ever finish in MX2, with a fine 2nd place, just five seconds behind the winner, Geerts. Thibault Benistant also showed he is making good progress since returning to action in Portugal after his knee surgery in the off-season, with the former EMX125 and EMX250 champion claiming a solid 3rd place.

In the second race we saw Horgmo claim his 2nd Fox holeshot of the season, and after being buoyed by his result from race one, the ‘24’ was reluctant to relinquish his lead; in fact, it took eventual race-winner Geerts, twelve laps to break down the Norwegian’s defences. In the end, Horgmo had to settle for 4th, but coupled with his 2nd from race one, Horgmo finally realised a dream of making the podium at world level with 2nd overall. In doing so, Horgmo became the first Norwegian to stand on the podium in either MX2 or MXGP since Kenneth Gundersen took to the third step on the 2nd of April 2006 at Zolder in Belgium - a gap of 5867 days, or 16 years and 23 days.

With Geerts taking a double-race win, the Belgian claimed his second overall win of the season, and with Vialle going 5-3 for 3rd overall, the two title contenders left Latvia tied on points. However, with six race wins to

27

28

Vialle’s four, the red plate was back on the front of the Yamaha. It was going to be an interesting season from here, especially when you consider the three-way battle for 3rd in the standings, which had Laengenfelder, De Wolf and Haarup all tied on points as well after Kegums. Heading to Maggiora, the stakes were getting higher.

MXGP Podium Joy for Jonass As good as the racing had been on Saturday with EMX Open, EMX125 and the MX2 qualifying race, the mood quickly changed after the MXGP qualifying race when the paddock had learned that DIGA Procross KTM rider, Thomas Kjer Olsen had been swiftly taken to hospital following a crash, where the Dane fell from his motorcycle on lap four. We would later learn that he was placed into an induced coma for a period of time until the medical staff could see signs of improvement.

Fortunately, a few days later we received the news that TKO was making good progress and that he was awake and responsive, but the recovery process will take some time, and of course we wish him all the very best and hope to see him out on track again, when he is fit enough to do so.

After taking his first Pole Position of the season, Red Bull GasGas rider Jorge Prado gave himself the perfect opportunity to line up on the inside gate, pull a couple of his renowned starts and make everybody else work hard at chasing him down. Prior to Latvia, Tim Gajser’s lead over the Spaniard was 33 points, so taking good starts would have been half the battle in reducing that deficit. And guess who pulled the first Fox holeshot of the day? Yep! JP61. For the first ten laps of the race, the top three positions of Prado, Pauls Jonass and Gajser remained unchanged, until the ‘243’ demoted the ‘41’ to third on the very next lap. The HRC rider then pounced on Prado to seize the lead next time around, and from there, Gajser looked like he was in cruise mode.

As the race entered its final lap, Gajser held a ‘comfortable’ advantage over Prado, and by that we mean no more than a couple of seconds, but as the two riders neared the end of the lap, the Spaniard had gained more ground on the Slovenian. By the time they hit the penultimate jump on the run towards the finish line, the gap was a couple of bike lengths, but by the time they landed, Prado caught Gajser mid-air and went down, allowing

29

‘Tiga’ to take the win from a rejuvenated Jonass and a very efficient Ruben Fernandez. Prado re-mounted for 12th.

The second race saw crowd favourite Pauls Jonass take the Fox holeshot for the first time since MXGP Race 1 in Turkey, 2019. And what a moment it was for the Standing Construct Husqvarna rider; the crowd cheered his every move every time he passed by them. On lap 7, Gajser eventually forced his way past, but the ‘41’ kept the championship leader in his sights until he crossed the line in 2nd position for the second time of the day. The result ensured he stood on the second step of the podium and the atmosphere was electric. With two Latvian riders on the EMX125 podium, and now Jonass in MXGP, it quite a memorable day for the home support.

Joining Gajser and Jonass on the podium was Fernandez (3-4); the Honda 114 Motorsports rider would have been 3-3 had it not been for Glenn Coldenhoff’s late charge that saw the ‘259’ pip the ‘70’ by 0.089s. Still, it was the first podium for Fernandez in MXGP and a very proud moment for both he and the team.

As we left Latvia for Italy two weeks later, Gajser had doubled his lead over Prado from 33 to 66 points. Things were looking very good for the fourtime champ!

Muddy Mayhem in Maggiora Round 4 was every rider’s worst nightmare; perfect, dry conditions on day one for race one, followed by overnight rain and a mudder for race two. The Maggiora Park race track could not have been any different. In fact, due to the amount of rain that fell during Saturday evening, and continued to fall in the first few laps of the first race, less than a handful of riders even ventured out on to the circuit for their warm up laps, but two riders that had a quick, one-lap look were the two riders locked together in the title chase; Michael Sandner and Jose Butron.

After winning the first race on Saturday, Jose Butron was the virtual championship leader by 6 points heading into race two, after Sandner placed 4th. Between them, were a couple of Italians in the form of Gi-

30

useppe Tropepe and Stefano Pezzuto.

If a good start to the race was ever needed, it was now! And that’s exactly what Simone Croci did, by forcing himself into the lead before the first uphill. Sandner ended the opening lap in 5th with Butron 13th, although he was further back than that through the first few turns. By lap 4, there had been no change for the Austrian Sandner, but Butron on the other hand was now just three positions behind him. Sandner then fell, but remounted directly in front of Butron, albeit with a fair amount of time between them. And then it happened; the ‘766’ of Sandner ran into technical difficulties on the first uphill with five laps remaining, resulting in a DNF, and as Butron crossed the line in 5th, he became the new red plate holder with a lead of 21 points over Sandner.

Stefano Pezzuto took the overall victory with a 3-2 score for the weekend, with Butron 2nd with 1-5 positions, whilst Simone Croci’s 8-1 ensured he found his way on to the podium for the first time since the penultimate round in Turkey last year; it was also his first EMX race win. Just two rounds remain in Finland and Turkey, and with Finland not taking place for another three months, both Butron and Sandner will be hoping to stay out of trouble until then; neither rider can afford any slip up’s from here on out.

EMX250 Fantic Fantastic After two rounds of action in Lombardia and Portugal, Rick Elzinga was proving to be the dominant figure in the EMX250 class, having picked up three race wins from his first four rides, but with an average start and poor opening lap of race one, the Hutten Metaal Yamaha rider found himself with a lot of work to do from 12th.

Meanwhile, his title rival Cornelius Toendel swept to the first holehot of the day, and from there, the Fantic Factory Maddii rider was never really challenged. Lucas Coenen kept the Norwegian honest for a few laps at the start of the race, but the Jumbo Husqvarna BT Racing rider decided to settle for solid points by the time the chequered flag fell after 17 laps of racing.

31

32

33

Toendel’s teammate Haakon Osterhagen took 3rd, but needed to pass Yago Martinez in order to get there, on the eighth lap.

Martinez took 4th ahead of fellow Spaniard David Braceras, but for the championship leader, it was race-long battle just to be able to salvage 7th at the flag, and suddenly his 16 point advantage over Toendel had shrunk to just 5 points, heading into race two.

Facing a tricky racetrack, a good start was definitely high on the priority list and by the time the riders had reached the second corner, both Fantic riders occupied the first two places, with Osterhagen leading the way. Elzinga rounded out the opening lap in 7th, but by lap 2, his race was over; a rare technical issue forced him to retire from the race. There was a good start for Eddie Wade, who occupied 3rd for the first two laps, but with the likes of Andrea Bonacorsi, David Braceras and Camden Mc Lellan getting the better of him, the former 85cc FIM Junior World Champion had to settle for 7th - it was still the 9mm Energy Drink Bud Racing Kawasaki riders best result of the season though.

When the riders crossed the line after 14 laps of racing, it was Osterhagen who was victorious for the first time in EMX250, with Toendel and Bonacorsi rounding out the top three. For Bonacorsi though, there was disappointment; his 8-3 was not enough to secure a spot on the podium, although after an injury-hit start to the season, the former EMX125 champion was getting closer.

The overall classification saw Fantic Factory Maddii dominate, with Toendel and Osterhagen taking 1st and 2nd overall, with David Braceras and Team VRT KTM Veritise picking up 3rd - his first podium in EMX250, and his first since 2020 when he won ‘Lommel 2’, the round of Limburg in EMX125, and with Elzinga’s DNF, there was a new red plate holder and it would line up in Sardinia on the front of Cornelius Toendel’s Fantic. Fantastic!

MX2 ‘Muddiora’ After securing his first Pole Position since Germany 2021 (14 rounds), Tom Vialle went into the main races, brimming with confidence. However, after overnight rain left the Maggiora Park race track in a heavily-muddied state, the focus for all riders was a good start; especially since the first MX2 race was run after the EMXOpen and EMX250 second races. By now, the circuit was starting to dry; on the one hand, this 34

35

36

37

38

was good for the riders, but on the other, there were only one or two lines starting to form.

The first Fox holeshot was claimed by Mattia Guadagnini much to the approval of the partisan crowd who witnessed the ‘101’ claim the overall victory in 2021, as well as the championship leader’s red plate. Things were not so rosy for him on this occasion though, because by the time he reached turn three, the Red Bull GASGAS rider found himself on the floor, taking Tom Vialle and a few more riders with him.

The main beneficiary of this was Jago Geerts; the Belgian calmly avoided the melee and took over the lead, where he remained until the chequered flag. Stephen Rubini took over 2nd position at the end of the first lap when he eased past quick-starting Kay Karssemakers, and the Frenchman would cross the line in 2nd, his highest ever finish in MX2 on the SHIP TO CYCLE Honda SR Motoblouz machine. After starting in 5th, Hitachi KTM’s fuelled by Milwaukee rider Isak Gifting came home in 3rd ahead of an impressive Liam Everts (DIGA Procross KTM) and Vialle’s Red Bull KTM. In the second race, it was Karssemakers who bagged the Fox holeshot; even more impressive was that he did so from the outside gates. By the second turn however, the Dutch rider had already been pushed back to 2nd and by the end of the race, the teenager eventually placed 9th for his first top ten overall GP finish.

Vialle crossed the line to win for the fifth time this season ahead of Geerts, who left his charge at the ‘28’ a little too late to lay claim to a possible 25 point-haul, but his 1-2 gave him the overall victory ahead of Vialle (5-1) and Rubini (2-6) who was up and down the top ten like a yoyo.

For Rubini it was the first time he’d made the podium in MX2, and his first podium since he won the EMX250 round in Sweden back in 2019.

MXGP Gajser’s Milestone Coming into Italy, the big news was there would be no Jorge Prado lining up behind the gate in Maggiora after a small crash during a training session a few days beforehand, sustaining a dislocated shoulder in the incident, and with Gajser already 66 points ahead of the Spaniard,

39

40

41

who sat 2nd in the overall standings, the ‘243’ was suddenly in a very commanding position.

After claiming his second Pole Position of the season with the qualifying race win on Saturday, Maxime Renaux was ready to challenge for the GP victory on Sunday, but after overnight rain, the Maggiora Park circuit was left in quite a muddy state. With EMX support races before the morning warm up session, the track was quickly drying out, but with just one or two main lines forming, starts were going to be key, and mistakes needed to be kept to a minimum in order to land ‘on the box’ in Italy.

Calvin Vlaanderen rocketed to his first Fox holeshot in MXGP and continued to lead for the first six laps from Renaux, who had passed Gajser for 2nd on the opening lap. By the seventh lap though, Renaux was the new leader, and a lap later ‘CV10’ found himself pushed back to 3rd as Gajser came past in turn two.

After stalking Renaux for five laps, Gajser’s main passing line - in turn two - came to fruition, and when the moment came on lap 12, the Slovenian grabbed the opportunity to pass Renaux for the lead with both hands.

Jeremy Seewer also launched an attack on his teammate, and with 4 laps remaining, Seewer was up to 2nd, where he stayed until the chequered flag fell. Renaux took 3rd from Vlaanderen and Jonass.

Race two saw a first Fox holeshot for Kawasaki Racing Team’s Ben Watson, but having not led a GP race since 2020 in his final MX2 grand prix in Trentino, the nerves, along with the tricky conditions got the better of him, and by lap two he was pushed back into 2nd as Pauls Jonass came past. The following lap Watson was in 4th, but found himself back in 3rd when Jonass made a mistake, which cost the Latvian two places. Maxime Renaux eventually moved past the Kawasaki to take 3rd but for Watson, 4th position was as good as a win, and a confidence booster ahead of Riola Sardo, Sardinia.

With Gajser, Seewer and Renaux taking the top three positions in the race, the podium mirrored that result, and the same three riders claimed the

42

same positions on the podium. For Gajser another milestone had been reached; it was GP win number 39, drawing him level with the late Eric Geboers in 6th on the all-time win list.

Next stop, Sardinia.

Sardinia Sardinia is an Italian island situated in the Mediterranean Sea, off the South West coast of Italy. With around 2000km of coastline, sandy beaches and an array of mountainous terrain, it really is a place of natural beauty, and for only the second time in MXGP history, we returned to the Riola Sardo circuit on the west coast of the island.

Last year’s stop was memorable for many reasons: Tim Gjaser arrived with a broken collarbone and hoped to retain his championship lead. Jeffrey Herlings had other ideas, and with his 1-1, snatched the Red Plate from the Honda, if only for a week. In MX2, Tom Vialle won convincingly with a 1-1, making it a double win for the Red Bull KTM squad. How would the racing evolve this time around though?

Also, on the bill in a supporting role, was the third round of WMX as well as the fourth round of EMX250.

WMX Heartbreak and Ecstasy Heading into round three, Lynn Valk arrived as the new championship leader after taking the overall victory in Portugal, six weeks earlier, and with three very accomplished sand riders from Holland eyeing up the podium, it was going to be interesting to see which of the riders in question would view it from the top step. When Daniela Guillen of Spain took Pole Position though, you sensed there might be upset in the air; and there was.

With her pre-race nerves settled with the third fastest time in time practice, Lynn Valk took control of race one before the end of the opening lap, but by lap five, Shana van der Vlist had pounced and took over the lead. The first drama came when Nancy Van De Ven disappeared into pit lane on the fourth lap with a technical issue, costing around twenty-five seconds.

When she re-joined the race in 10th, she had to dig deep, even riding around the bike issue, in order to make it back 6th. How crucial were those points? As it turned out, very!

43

44

When the flag went out at the end of the race, van der Vlist was victorious for the first time this season ahead of Valk, who’d extended her lead over Van De Ven to 13 points, with Guillen rounding out the top three; her first ever top three race finish for the RFME WMX Team. Larissa Papenmeier and Amandine Verstappen crossed the line in 4th and 5th respectively.

Race two, and what a difference a day can make. If you follow WMX and EMX then you know that race one is on Saturday with race two on Sunday, and in that time, a lot can happen. When the gates dropped for race two, Van De Ven emerged out front with van der Vlist in 2nd and Guillen 3rd. Valk was just inside the top ten, but had advanced to 5th before the end of the lap, when two corners from the start of lap two, she collided with Verstappen which left the Belgian down and out, and needing medical attention trackside. In a strange twist of fate, Valk then came to a halt in the very next turn with what turned out to be a technical problem with her bike.

And that was the heartbreak right there!

All she could do was watch from the side lines, and when Van De Ven crossed the line to win the race, she also took the championship lead as well, and will head to Spain with a 12-point advantage over Valk. And that was the ecstasy, for the ‘85’.

As for the overall, Sardinia belonged to Shana van der Vlist (1-2) who celebrated her second career victory over Van De Ven (6-1) and rider of the day, Daniela Guillen (3-3). With her performance at Riola, all Spanish eyes will surely be on Guillen, so no pressure then for the ‘255’.

EMX250 Tightening Up The time practice session in Riola was dominated by two teams, the same two that led the championship, but it was Hutten Metaal Yamaha that claimed the top three positions with Rick Elzinga, Dave Kooiker and Andrea Bonacorsi fending off the advances of Haakon Osterhagen and Cornelius Toendel of Fantic Factory Team Maddii.

In the first race, Rick Elzinga wasted no time in getting to the front of the field, but by lap 6, he’d been caught by Kooiker who went on to take control for the next seven laps. Toendel meanwhile, was up to 3rd, but as he tried to keep

45

46

47

Elzinga in his sights, started to lose pace, and by lap 11, had been overpowered by the hard-charging Lucas Coenen. There were more changes to come though; after a poor start, Bonacorsi, who was 9th on lap 2, suddenly found a good rhythm and was clinical on his way towards the front, passing the likes of David Braceras, Mike Gwerder, Quentin Prugnieres and Cas Valk on his way to 5th. The Italian wasn’t done there though, and in the last three laps, surged past Toendel, Coenen and Kooiker to take 2nd. An impressive ride for the former EMX125 champion. Elzinga took the win from Bonacorsi and Kooiker, with Coenen 4th and Prugnieres.

Before race two, Elzinga had hinted that he rode ‘tight’ in the first outing and was looking to be more relaxed second time around, but so too was Lucas Coenen, who rocketed to the front and set an impressive pace. As the Belgian opened up a sizeable lead, Bonacorsi was quickly into 2nd, but it took another nine laps before the Italian could close down, and pass the Jumbo Husqvarna BT rider. With five laps to go, Bonacorsi seized his chance, but Coenen kept him honest, right the way to the flag.

Elzinga crossed the line in 3rd. The podium in Riola belonged to Bonacorsi (2-1), who took his first rostrum of the season, his first race win of the year and overall victory all in the same day. It was also his first EMX250 overall win as well. Elzinga was 2nd overall (1-3) with Coenen 3rd (42), but after going (7-4) for 5th overall, Cornelius Toendel saw his championship lead shrink from seventeen points to four, as EMX250 heads to France, and round five.

MX2 Vialle and Geerts Switch it Up When it comes to racing in the sand, you don’t need to look any further than Jago Geerts, Tom Vialle and Kay De Wolf in MX2, but with the Nestaan Husqvarna rider missing due to picking up a hand injury whilst cycling - the ‘74’ collided with a car the day before he was due to leave for Riola - all eyes were therefore on the ‘93’ and the ‘28’.

Ahead of the race it was a pleasant surprise to see the first ever MX2 World Champion, Ben Townley make an appearance in Sardinia, for his first visit to MXGP since 2016 when he raced for Stefan Everts’ Suzuki team. The New Zealander had flown in on Wednesday for a motorcycle launch in Spain and decided to make a last-minute dash to Sardinia to get his MXGP fix. He would not be disappointed with what was 48

49

50

51

52

about to unfold!

The first race was pretty straightforward for Geerts, who passed Thibault Benistant on the opening lap to take over the lead; the ‘198’ collected his first Fox holeshot of the season in fine style, but no sooner had he been pushed back to 2nd, a mistake on lap two allowed Vialle an easy route through to 2nd position.

Vialle was in impressive form, moving from 10th to 2nd in the space of two laps, and set his sights on Geerts for the lead. Despite getting close, Geerts held on for his eighth win of the year, adding a further three points to his slender championship lead. Benistant came home in 3rd, ahead of Mikkel Haarup, Kevin Horgmo and Simon Laengenfelder; the German riding solo in MX2 as Mattia Guadagnini had been moved to MXGP for the rest of the season.

With temperatures reaching 30˚, the Riola circuit was a real physical and mental test for the riders, and with a short break between races, some riders struggled to fully recover, but there were no such problems for the two fastest MX2 riders in the world.

Benistant claimed his second Fox holeshot of the day but by turn five, Vialle had showed him an elbow to take over the lead. This time it was Geerts who gated poorly, but after a busy first lap, had moved from 8th to 3rd, passing Benistant for 2nd on lap two. From there, Vialle and Geerts were evenly matched, their pace relentless as they left everyone else in their wake. It’s almost like they were transfixed on each other, zoning out to ignore everything else around them. Impressive stuff.

Vialle got his revenge from race one to take his fourth GP win of the season, with both riders finishing on equal points to keep the gap at the top to just 6 points. Benistant was on the podium (33), his first of the season with 3rd overall.

Horgmo and Adamo rounded out the top five.

Vlaanderen Makes History in Sardinia Under bright blue skies and with temperatures nudging 30˚ the MXGP of Sardinia was always going to be a real test of man and machine, with a whole lot of endurance thrown in for good measure.

Circuit conditions were brutal, the deep sand energy-sapping, giving the riders no room to let-up. And this was only

53

Saturday.

The qualifying race saw a ‘surprise’ victory for Calvin Vlaanderen, but were we surprised, really? After all, the Gebben Van Venrooy Yamaha rider has shown time and time again that he has great riding skills in the sand, and at this venue last year, his 4-4 secured him 4th overall, behind Herlings, Prado and Febvre. Either way, it was a stunning performance to secure his first ever Pole Position in the MXGP class. With Gajser placing 2nd, the MXGP fraternity was preparing for another ‘Gajser Show’, as he looked to strengthen his grip at the top of the championship.

When the gates dropped for MXGP race one, it was the ‘243’ who raced to his second Fox holeshot of the season, closely followed by Jorge Prado, the Spaniard still recovering from a dislocated shoulder. Pauls Jonass, Brent Van doninck and Henry Jacobi rounded out the top five. With the first three positions remaining unchanged for the first eight laps, you’d be mistaken that the opening race was something of a procession, but that statement could not have been any further from the truth. Whilst ‘Tiga’ was keeping Prado at bay, Jeremy Seewer and Calvin Vlaanderen were making good progress from just inside the top ten, and by the halfway point had latched on to the rear wheel of Jonass.

On lap 9, both the ‘91’ and the ‘10’ were past the Latvian, and now occupied 3rd and 4th. As riders started to fade in the heat, Vlaanderen pounced on Seewer to take over 3rd, and over the next five laps gave chase to Prado, and for a while it looked as though there was too much of a gap to bridge to gain any more positions. Suddenly, all of that changed and from out of nowhere, the Yamaha rider was pulling three seconds per lap on Prado.

On lap 15 of 18, Vlaanderen eased past Prado into 2nd, but any hopes of a first ever win in MXGP seemed doomed as Gjaser still held a comfortable advantage, but with a lap and a half to go, Vlaanderen found himself challenging for the lead. When the ‘10’ passed the ‘243’ the crowd erupted, and it was now down to the Yamaha rider to keep his emotions in check, which is always easier said than done.

54

But this was a different Calvin Vlaanderen. His performance was measured, composed and out of this world fantastic, and when he crossed the line after 18 laps, the South African had finally realised a long-held dream, of becoming a MXGP race winner. To do it here, in these conditions, beating the riders he did was mind-blowing. It was Vlaanderen’s first race win since his victory in MX2 race two at Uddevalla, Sweden on August 25th 2019.

In his post-race TV interview, he said ‘this was just the beginning!’

Gajser crossed the line almost seven seconds adrift with Prado another five seconds behind the HRC rider. Race two was going to be interesting, to say the least.

After decimating the competition in the first outing, many questions were now being raised ahead of race two: How much energy did Vlaanderen use chasing that win? Did he have anything left in the tank? How depleted were the energy levels of everybody else? Who would go the distance this time around?

With Prado taking his seventh Fox holeshot of the season, the GASGAS rider got his head down and set about putting some distance between he and his rivals, and with Gajser back in 6th and Renaux and Seewer 8th and 9th, there was a good opportunity to claw back some last points.

The two factory Yamaha’s were the least of his concern though, as this time around, Vlaanderen sat in 3rd behind Jonass. As the ‘10’ eased past the ‘41’, he now had clear track ahead of him and set about the race leader, and just as he did in race one, was eating into Prado’s lead by a couple of seconds per lap. Whilst this happening, Gajser was struggling to advance beyond 6th, and when he tried to make a move on Jonass for 5th on lap 8, the championship leader misjudged the situation, jumped off line through a turn and lost the front end when he landed. He re-mounted in 12th, and that was as good it as it got for the four-time champ. Something had to be amiss, and it later transpired that Gajser was battling the effects of sickness throughout the weekend, which explains why he was perhaps below par. So far, Riola has not been a

55

56

happy hunting ground for Tiga.

Back up front, Vlaanderen had closed the gap to Prado and just before the halfway mark, the Yamaha rider was the new leader, and just as he did in race one, got his head down and never looked back. His riding was smooth and clinical. He was on a different planet to everyone else. He was in the zone. By the end of the race, he had pulled sixteen seconds clear and when he crossed the line, Vlaanderen was now a two-time race winner in MXGP and he could now add Grand Prix winner to his resumé. It was beyond impressive.

Coldenhoff claimed 2nd in the race from Prado, with Renaux and Brian Bogers filling the top five places. As for the overall, well, we know who the winner was; Calvin Vlaanderen and Gebben Van Venrooy Yamaha. It was also the first perfect weekend - Pole Position and two race wins - for a Yamaha rider since Romain Febvre did the same in Loket on 28/29 July 2019.

The last time a satellite Yamaha rider/ team went 1-1 in the premier class though was on June 20th 2010 when Ken DeDycker went 1-1 at the German Grand Prix in Teutschenthal, for Ricci Racing Yamaha. Whilst there have been other satellite wins since without going 1-1 from Shaun Simpson 2013 / 2017 - it was the first double-race GP win in twelve years for a non-factory Yamaha team.

Joining Vlaanderen on the podium were Jorge Prado (3-3) and Glenn Coldenhoff (8-2), the Dutch rider on the podium for the first time this season. Gajser ended the day 7th overall, and despite his troubles, lost only 2 points from his championship lead; he now holds a 79- point advantage over Renaux. They say you win your championships on your worst days, not your best! Tiga will be hoping there will no more days like this from here on out.

From here, MXGP looked forward to a weekend off before resuming again in Spain on May 29th. As always, be sure to follow all the action LIVE on www. mxgp-tv.com otherwise, we look forward to seeing you there.

57

FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

RESULTS

Digital Platforms Evolution

4.6 million digital fans worldwide 3.1 Million Likes on Facebook 1.1

Million Followers on Instagram

283K Subscribers with 130 Million Views 87K Followers on Twitter 36K Followers on Tik Tok

58

59

L A I C O S P G X M

@mujeresfierreras_ La joven neerlandesa 🇳🇱 se llevó su primera victoria general en Mundial de Motocross Femenino, que disputó el tercer evento anual en suelo italiano.

@team_vrt_officiel Last (but not least) Name ➡️ Pepito aka Thierry Position ➡️ Truck driver and cook Age ➡️ 59 News Highlights | MXGP of Latvia 2022: Re-live all the best moments of the 2022 MXGP of Latvia in the News Highlights of the day!

@mx1onboard 🎙@calvinvlaanderen: “No sé qué decir, son años y años de trabajo duro, esto es lo que soñaba al llegar a MXGP.” @francesco.morittu MXGP Sardegna - Riola Sardo 2022 © Francesco Morittu ImagIn-Action Foto: F. Morittu

@5xcinque Racing in Italy for two consecutive weekends! It was a pleasure for us, 5XCinque, to have spent some time with the @jmhondaracing team.

Team Report | Standing Construct Husqvarna Factory Racing: Learn more about the Standing Construct Husqvarna Factory Racing team in our Team Report featuring Brian Bogers and Pauls Jonass!

60

@mxlineapparel Un onore e un piacere essere nelle foto ufficiali di @mxgp ! Ma un grazie va a @massimozanzani e @ufoplastofficial per la fiducia data nella nostra collaborazione ! Le maglie ufficiali

@btracingteam Wow! What a great moto2 for @lucascoenen93 !

Awesome to see him in leading position, and finishing second for 3th overall. Another podium🔥

@susannapetromilli empre sicuri! #sardegna #sardiniaforyou #sardegnaofficial #lecodibarbagia #sicurezza #riola #crossodromo #sabbia #correre

@cristina_cridj Mondiale MxGp 2022, Riola Sardo 📌🏁

Team Report | SDM Corse Beta MX Team | MXGP of Italy: Take a look at the Team Report with Beta SDM Corse MX Team and their riders Alessandro Lupino and Jeremy Van Horebeek!

P G X M # D OF ORL W E H IN T

@maria.chob Last @mxgp of the season in Italy🇮🇹 Thank you Sardinia and thank you @monsterenergy for the memories!

61

R E S T L S R I N G MO

62

63

R E S T L S R I N G MO

64

65

H T N O M A M E E T F TH O

: T S C S E E F C R C E E U L P S T I E T R H O T F E P I C E R 67

WHERE IT ALL STARTED…

STANDING CONSTRUCT HUSQVARNA FACTORY RACING SINCE LAUNCHING A DECADE AGO HAVE BECOME A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH IN THE MXGP PADDOCK, AS OVER THE YEARS THE TEAM HAS PRODUCED A NUMBER OF PODIUM FINISHERS AND GRAND PRIX WINNERS. WHAT IS CLEAR IS THAT THE TEAM HAVE A GOOD RECIPE FOR SUCCESS, WHICH WE WILL LOOK AT MORE CLOSELY OVER THE COURSE OF THIS ARTICLE AS WE SAT DOWN WITH TEAM OWNER AND MANAGER TIM MATHYS, TEAM COORDINATOR WIM VAN HOOF AS WELL AS THEIR TWO RIDERS PAULS JONASS AND BRIAN BOGERS TO FIND OUT MORE.

68

It all started back in 2012 when Standing Construct entered the paddock. Already in their second year of running, they celebrated their first MX2 podium at the MXGP of Germany in Lausitzring as Glenn Coldenhoff placed third overall, followed that up with another third in Belgium and then the first GP victory at the British Grand Prix in Matterley Basin.

For the 2014 season, Valentin Guillod joined the team as Standing Construct continued on KTM. The 2014 season brough the squad more

podium success, as Guillod mounted the podium twice, with third overall in Leon and second overall at the MXGP of Czech Republic.

Fast forward to 2015, the team switched from orange to blue as they became Standing Construct Yamalube Yamaha with a two-rider line-up, as Guillod continued with the team and Julien Lieber became the newest addition.

Across both riders, the team made an impressive seven podium appearances, six of them came from Guillod which included two overall victories in Czech Republic and Spain.

In 2016, the team took another step as they joined forces with Wilvo to form the Wilvo Standing Construct Yamaha Team with Aleksandr Tonkov and Julien Lieber as their

two representatives in MX2.

This time around the team managed just two podiums with Tonkov in Thailand and Patagonia to finish 10th overall in the standings with the Russian.

forward to the end of the year with an epic victory for Team Netherlands and Coldenhoff, who went 1-1 at the Monster Energy FIM MXoN in Assen claiming Holland’s first ever Chamberlain Trophy in front of their King!

In 2017, the team did not compete after failing to land a fitting deal, though with a passion like that of Tim Mathys and Wim van Hoof and the rest of the team, just a year later they were back in business! The 2018 squad included Kevin Strijbos and saw the return of Valentin Guillod to the team.

“Every season had some special moments,” said Tim Mathys, the Team Owner and Manager of Standing Construct Husqvarna Factory Racing, “for sure in 2019 we had a difficult start with Glenn, but we kept believing in him and finally finished the World Championship 3rd, won GP’s and won the MXoN, it definitely is a season I’ll never forget,” he added.

Despite a tough start, 2019 was among the top seasons for Standing Construct, who by the end of the campaign were a force to be reckoned with. Coldenhoff secured five podiums, including two overall victories in Sweden and Italy (Imola), which put him third in the championship standings. And then fast

With a strong season in the books, it was time for a new and very exciting challenge for the team as they helped to introduce a brand-new manufacturer into the FIM Motocross World Championship. The news was huge, as it was revealed that GASGAS would enter MXGP with Standing Construct as 69

71

the team was given official factory status to form Standing Construct GASGAS Factory Racing with an MXGP rider line-up which included Glenn Coldenhoff and Ivo Monticelli!

Just a few GP’s in, the team and GASGAS celebrated their first race and GP victory in MXGP, with Coldenhoff going 2-1 for the overall in Latvia. Another podium followed in Mantova, with some top five results from their second rider, Monticelli.

In 2021, we saw a switch-up with Pauls Jonass and Brian Bogers joining the squad for its second season with GASGAS. Jonass was signed off the back of a serious back injury which ruled him out for 2020, but the team were confident in the Latvian as a podium contender for the future… And they were not wrong.

While the team only had one podium that year, it did come from Jonass who put on an impressive performance in the deep sand of Lommel to finish the weekend third on the box, giving a glimpse of what could be expected for the upcoming season.

While the team were ready to continue to strive for bigger and better things with the Factory GASGAS, this goal had to change as a transformation within the KTM AG commercial strategy shook up the MXGP paddock.

“In 2020 and 2021 we were doing the Factory program for GASGAS. We won the first GP for the brand and the plan was to continue on GASGAS for many years. Due to a change in the commercial strategy of the Factory, we became for 2022 the Husqvarna Factory team but our way of working with them stayed the same,” shared Tim Mathys.

RECIPE FOR SUCCESS?

72

73

74

Since 2012, the team have made around 23 podium appearances, with five of them being overall victories. So far this season, the team have two podiums under their belt, with more on the way no doubt.

But to answer the question which we asked at the beginning of this feature, which is ‘what is their recipe for success?’ we asked Tim Mathys and Wim van Hoof directly and it’s a mixture of three things – perfect collaboration between Tim and Wim, support for their riders and giving them all the tools to develop, along with a hard-working team!

MXGP: Standing Construct have been very competitive since entering the paddock in 2012, what do you think makes the team so successful?

Tim: “We listen to the riders.

We think it is important to take every remark or every request of a rider seriously and we always try to give the rider what he asks for or at least let him experience himself if what he wants is better or not. That applies to the bike, the engine, suspension, etc… but also, what concerns training programs, organisation, planning and so on… We always speak with the riders and decide together which way we go. We have always had a team that works very independent and for example the fact that we always have prepared our engines ourselves gives us the possibility to make the bikes like the rider wants” Wim: “We have really motivated people and all the people that do their job in the team know exactly what they’re doing on the high level. That’s point one. The second thing is we have a really smart team owner, Tim, who is a really good businessman in Standing Construct company, but also on the riders and crew. I learned a lot from him, especially because I am here since the beginning.”

75

Tim and Wim started working together since the very beginning, combining their two varying ways of looking at things which have helped them to build a strong team with a shared common goal.

“Without Wim the team would have never been the team as it is,” added Tim. “Every podium, every holeshot and all the success is a big part Wim’s achievement. We work together now for more than ten years, and I think we complement each other perfectly. The combination of Wim’s technical knowledge, professional way of organizing the team and my education and experience in management makes us together with our extremely motivated mechanics and truck driver the team we are.

Compared to most other teams, we are a very small group of people, but I dare to say that besides Wim and myself also Dave, Bart, Niek and Carlo are very competent in what they are doing and are super motivated to do good.

That is what makes us the team we are,” he explained.

With strong team and work ethic among the entire crew and an incredible support system, the team have proven to have the ability to take a rider and put him on the podium.

“Our strong point is that we take a rider, and we build up with that rider, we make the rider stronger, we go from top 10 with that rider to the podium, that’s our goal,” Wim explained.

“We don’t choose a rider that is on the podium, we put riders on the podium. It’s our thing between us,” he added.

And support is a big part of rider growth. Not only is the team open to listening to their riders and trying out changes suggested by them, whether they could be right or wrong,

76

it’s also the support during the good and the bad days that are vital for building confidence.

“I enjoy being in the team, just all the crew around, it’s like a family and I never actually felt so good in a team. Everyone is supporting each other and also for me it’s nice because they’re there in the good and bad days, and that’s really important,” said Pauls Jonass, “It’s the best team I’ve ever been in and hopefully we can stay together for a few more years,” he added.

A strong support system from the team has been vital for Jonass the last couple of years, first entering the team off the back of a serious injury and then entering the 2022 FIM Motocross World Championship with a very tough off-season. Then struggles with tendonitis saw him opt for surgery, with the stitches coming open during a race in Mantova but things began to change as we arrived in Argentina.

“It was tough for me, and the team was supporting me anyway. In the off-season they were supporting me, and they tried to help me as much as possible,” explained Pauls. “I want to be on top and in the best shape at the top level, riding and fighting for podiums every single race, but you know, when you get injured in off season and you cannot practice for a long time, it’s tough to see everyone else practising and you’re just home on the couch healing the injury. It was not easy, but the team made it much easier, because the support on the bad days is more important than the good days and that was the key,” he added.

2022 SO FAR… So as already mentioned, the start of the season was filled with ups and downs for the team. Jonass did not line-up

77

78

in Great Britain as he received surgery for tendonitis, as Bogers delivered a solid 10th overall which was a good result to build upon for the rest of the season.

Then moving onto Mantova, Jonass was back and fighting alongside his teammate, though only for one race in which he scored 11 points (P10) and then was rushed to the hospital to have his surgery wound cleaned, as it had come open in the race.

Though a much more positive moment for the team was watching Bogers fight it out for a podium spot after finishing third in race two. Unfortunately, the Dutchman missed the box by just five points, but it no doubt gave him and the team the motivation heading into the following races.

Though unfortunately they suffered another bittersweet moment by the following race in Patagonia-Argentina. While Jonass stormed his way to a qualifying race victory, his teammate Bogers was left on the ground with a dislocated shoulder which put him out of the GP entirely. Jonass went on to go 6-4 in the races, after losing the lead on lap 12 of the opening heat, to finish the weekend fourth overall.

Just two weeks later, we were back in Europe for the return of the Portuguese Grand Prix in Agueda. And it did not disappoint! Despite a dislocated shoulder just a couple of weeks earlier, Bogers brought his A game, first with third in the qualifying race and then with second and fourth in the races which finally put him on the podium for the very first time in MXGP and his first podium since Orlyonok 2017! Meanwhile Jonass delivered a top five overall result.

“It felt amazing,” said Brian, “it was so tough to get here, because the level is so high. And one year I broke my foot, then the results went only down and maybe even I had like a kind of depression; to

79

get out from there for me was very difficult and I had to work really hard for this show to be up on the podium. Yeah, I got a little emotional”.

“We know that Brian is fast.

Last year in practice, Brian was always fast. On the practice days with the other good riders like Glenn, he was faster, even than Jeffrey. So, we knew we could do it, we just had to bring it into the GP,” Wim explained, “and then we saw that Brian in the race was a little too stressed.

You see in the beginning of the race he was really good and then he’d go down and come back in the end of the race. So, we had to solve these things,” he added.

Jens Hendrickx worked with Brian over the course of the year to help him improve his physical fitness, which in turn allowed him to make different decision for his bike set-up which have clearly paid off this season.

“Brian has made a big step this season. He changed his training program and finally believes himself in his abilities,” Tim concluded.

Then moving on to Trentino, Jonass was down with an illness which saw him score only four points in Pietramurata, while Bogers delivered yet another solid top 10 result.

But Latvia was where Jonass finally had his moment to shine this season as he went on to have the home GP of his dreams! A home GP can be stressful for any rider and as Pauls confirmed, the home GP always comes with many emotions that come from the desire of wanting to give your fans something to cheer about.

And he certainly delivered on the hope of many Latvians who finally got to witness a home rider on the MXGP podium in Kegums. Jonass had a strong qualifying in second, and so did 80

81

82

Bogers who finished fourth. But in the races, it was Jonass who excelled as he went 2-2, after challenging Tim Gajser for the race win, for second overall.

“It was really cool,” said Pauls, “I didn’t expect that I will be battling for a podium at my home GP because I’ve had some struggles… It’s a nice confidence boost. Before I had good training and now, I’m finally starting to get back into shape, let’s say not 100%, but Latvia also gave a confidence boost that I can do that. And in front of the fans, the atmosphere and the feeling, it was just unbelievable,” he added.

Then things moved on to Maggiora for the team, as the series entered the seventh round where despite running at the front, both riders ultimately delivered a 6th and 12th overall result. And then again Sardegna was a struggle for everyone and again the team managed two top 10 overall results 6th (Bogers) and 12th (Jonass) which they will no doubt be looking to improve upon by the following round.

Looking at the progress that the team has made, with both riders who needed the extra nurturing to bring back their confidence after tough injuries, it’s clear that this team has plenty of potential going into the second half of the season. Over the course of this 2022 campaign, both have proven that they can be front runners and mingle among the likes of Tim Gajser and Jorge Prado, as well as challenge them for victories and podiums.

Therefore, there is no doubt that more of these ‘958 Santero Wines moments’ are on the way for Standing Construct Husqvarna Factory Racing.

Of course, it’s also worth to mention that this year is a big year for both Pauls and Brian, with Pauls getting married and Brian preparing for a special arrival with his girlfriend Angel,

83

as a baby boy is due quite soon!

“No one really knew” said Pauls, as he spoke about the news of his nuptials getting out. The Latvian tied the knot with his long-time girlfriend before the Latvian GP which made for an even more special trip to the podium.

“I’m really, really excited!” said Brian about his pending arrival. And when questioned whether he would support his son racing, he replied “In the beginning when we found out that it was a boy, I said no, but then after sometime I said, if he wants to try, he can try,” he concluded.

The very last question we gave all the interviewees was…

84

MXGP: What is the goal for the rest of the season?

get out my first MXGP win by the end of the season.”

Wim: “First of all to stay up. I think that’s a really important thing and I hope for the sport that everybody can stay healthy. But the goal is for sure this and continue like we are doing now and I think if we can continue on the results that we have already or can finish the season like this, maybe a bit better. We don’t expect the big thing every weekend but if we see that they do the best, then we’re already happy.”

Brian: “Well, at the beginning of the season, I wanted to be inside the top 10 as many times as possible. But now, if I finish outside the top five, it’s a little bit disappointing.

But still if you finish sixth or seventh that’s still good but on the other side, I know I can be more in front. So, there are expectations, but I just want to enjoy riding and do by best”.

Tim: “I am pretty confident both of our guys will be more on the box this season.”

Pauls: “I just want to be a podium contender every single GP and the goal is to

With 11 rounds still remaining, it will be interesting to see how Pauls and Brian continue from their fairly strong first half of the season and whether we will see both riders realise their goals and give us plenty more podium moments!

E L R A U I T C A E E SP F

P R S

: A T A A R F U O N M A E I A L C R A N T T PIE AISSA LAR I N U E C R CTA E P S CK RA

THE 2021 MXGP SEASON HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING OF THE LAST DECADES WITH THE BATTLE FOR THE TITLES THAT CONCLUDED ONLY AT THE LAST ROUNDS. MAXIME RENAUX BECAME THE 2021 MX2 WORLD CHAMPION DURING THE MXGP OF GARDA, WHILE JEFFREY HERLINGS GOT HIS 5TH TITLE AT THE END OF THE MXGP OF CITTÀ DI MANTOVA.

Speaking about the 2021 season we cannot forget the triple headers we witnessed during 2020 and 2021, both years Trentino hosted the brand new triple header events, which were incredibly successful.

While in 2022 the MXGP of Trentino marked round 5 of the FIM Motocross World Championship, and during the weekend in Pietramurata we took the chance to discover more about this typical track surrounded by the beautiful mountains of Trentino and learn more about its history as well as the people that work every day on the circuit to keep it as one of the best in Italy and in the world.

First of all, we need to speak about the biggest news of this 2022 season: the track change; in fact, the track of Pietramurata saw a change of direction this year in order to improve the safety and encourage some interesting racing. The first corner, that before was well known to be really fast for current MXGP and MX2 bikes, was changed with a new spectacular 180-degree turn, making a good jump out of the gate more and more fundamental. Then another important topic of the weekend in Trentino was the triple behind the pitlane, and for this reason we couldn’t miss the chance to get some quotes from the riders; MXGP and MX2 have been enthusiastic about it and this is what Maxime Renaux, Monster Energy Yamaha MXGP Team rider and 2021 MX2 World Champion, said in the postrace press conference: “Being here with a 450cc for the first time has been exciting and challenging at the same time for me; the change of the layout helped me a bit because all the riders need to understand which was the best line, and we started all from the same level. The track crew worked really hard and already in the qualifying race on Saturday afternoon I was feeling comfortable on the new track even more than last year with the 250cc.

During the first race I was really close to Jeremy Seewer in the first 3-4 laps and being able to see him

88

doing the triple was something really special”.

“The change is a big news also for us, but we wanted to try something new and offer more safety in the start and even more show to the public onsite; we had to work a lot to fix the jumps and the corners with the new layout,” said Gianfranco Pasqua, president of the Motoclub Ciclamino. “We took also the chance to change the soil to complete the renewal of the track; we are quite happy of the outcome, and everybody was happy about it, riders included. Last but not least, the start was more safe”.

The track of Pietramurata was created between the ‘50s and ’60s when the area was well known by all the motocross fans that used to go there to practice their favorite sport. At the time proper tracks were not in existence because it was more of a natural motocross trail in the wood.

In the ’70s motocross started to get more and more popular in Italy becoming one of the most followed motorsports, and Pietramurata became a landmark for all the motocross enthusiasts in Italy and in 1978 was the year when a GP of the Motocross World Championship took place for the first time in Pietramurata. After this big success the track maintained the status and lived his golden era among all the ’80s; after this great period the track became less popular and was almost abandoned at the beginning of 2000.

After being abandoned, the area was destined for other uses and was looking that the time of Pietramurata track was over, but in 2010 the commitment of the local Motoclub Ciclamino changed and a group of young motocross enthusiasts decided that was the time for Pietramurata to shine again. The Motoclub Arco started to work nonstop in order to restore the track and the area around to make it able to host international events, and in 2013 the FIM Motocross World Championship was back in Pietramurata after

Photo: Pascal Haudiquert

89

90

more than 20 years of break including the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021 where we saw many MXGP and MX2 World titles claimed on this track.

The first winner of the new era was Antonio Cairoli; Cairoli got 5 GP wins there in the top class (MX1/MXGP); Jeffrey Herlings got 5 GP wins there (3 in MX2 and 2 in MXGP) and Tim Gajser also got 5 GP wins (1 MX2 and 4 in MXGP) with his most recent win this year during the MXGP of Trentino.

In the WMX class the most successful rider has been the Italian Kiara Fontanesi.

Going back in time to the first FIM Motocross World Championship winner here was Massimo Contini on Cagiva WMX 125cc in 1987 and from that first Italian winner through all those years, there has been six different Italian winners here across the various class of the FIM Motocross World Championship and in the FIM Europe Motocross Championship with some of them winning more than one time.

After being a track of the FIM Motocross World Championship, Pietramurata hosted many other international events in the past years such the FIM Junior Motocross World Championship won by Mattia Guadagnini on his home soil, while back in 2015 the Motocross of European Nations took place in Pietramurata with Team Italy of Ivo Monticelli, Morgan Lesiardo and Filippo Zonta winning the competition in front of the Italian fans.

Through the years the work of the local administrations has been always helpful and supported the Motoclub Arco: “After two years of restrictions, due to the Covid 19 pandemic and all problems connected, we are finally happy to be back at normality in a track that is hosting the Motocross World Championship continuously since 2013,” said Roberto Failoni artisan, commerce, sport and tourism councilor of Trento province. “This year, like many times in the past, the MXGP of Trentino attracted fans from all over the world that create a unique atmosphere. The 2022 Motocross World Championship is getting really though and the MXGP and MX2

91

92

riders found an incredible track in Pietramurata to give their best in front of the fans as well as the organization that has been flawless like all the events we organize in our region” To understand better what there is behind the MXGP of Trentino we spoke with the president of the Motoclub Ciclamino Mr. Gianfranco Pasqua.

MXGP Mag: What is behind the Motoclub Arco and how much effort you and your team did through the years to make Pietramurata one of the best tracks of the Motocross World Championship?

Gianfranco: The work behind this event is very difficult; we tried to put the track under the spotlight and we couldn’t imagine to have such a successful event, finally we are proud of what we did with the support of Infront Moto Racing. Nowadays, with the work done, the track is a point of reference in Italy for all the motocross fans.

MXGP Mag: How important is the track for the region and as well how much help has the region given to the Motoclub Arco in those years?

Gianfranco: At the beginning it was not easy because we had to know each other; as you know Trentino is a green region and it was not easy to make them understand the importance of Motocross. Then they realize how much work we did and they started to see the results also in terms of people coming to the races and visiting the area around the track; as you all know Trentino also became an official sponsor, first of the MXGP of Trentino and then of the whole Championship. After the big success of these years, we extended our deal with the region and of course this happened with help and support of Infront Moto Racing.

MXGP Mag: The track is well known also by the motocross riders that come here to practice during the year; how is important to have amateur riders in order to maintain the track alive during the year?

93

94

Gianfranco: For an amateur rider being able to ride in a track of the FIM Motocross World Championship is something special; during the years we have many riders even coming from abroad to ride here and enjoy the area around Lake Garda. At the end I have to say that we are lucky to have a long season of races and keep the track always in the best conditions.

“After so many years that the FIM Motocross World Championship is taking place here in Pietramurata, the venue has become a well-known motocross track all over the world,” said Silvio Rigatti President of Garda Dolomiti S.p.A. “Many people arrive every year to see the best riders in the world battling in this spectacular track.

Through the years we put so much effort in promoting sports; the work has been a joint effort between Infront Moto Racing, Motoclub Ciclamino, the Province of Trento, Trentino Marketing and APT Garda, and if we have events like that is because everybody worked really hard for those results and we want to continue together for so many years again.”

Besides Silvio Rigatti continued “Having a track like that in our region make us feel proud because all the young motocross riders in the area have the chance to ride on the same track as the World Champions”.

The track of Pietramurata has been a kind of school track for many Italian riders that now are competing at the top level of the FIM Motocross World Championship and FIM Europe Motocross Championship. Alberto Forato, rider of the SM Action Racing Team YUASA Battery and one of the most talented Italian young riders, has been training at this track from many years and also here got an incredible win in the EMX250 class back in 2019: “I still remember when I was a kid and I was going to train with the 85cc; with all the other guys we were trying to do the Monster Energy jump but most of the time we broke the wheels and the rear shock, so when I was finally able to do it for the first time, it was like winning a championship. In this track I have really nice memories, like the win in 2019 and many other good results; I like to come here for

95

training because it is a fast and technical track, but of course being here for the races with the fans and the public is really something special.

The new layout has been a big change but after the free practice I understood the lines to follow during the race and everything was easier” Andrea Bonacorsi, rider of the Hutten Metaal Yamaha Racing Team, and currently fourth in the EMX250 class and former winner of the 2020 EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Championship, has been going to Pietramurata for more than 10 years to train and spend time in the area: “Being here is always nice for me; I started when I was just a kid with the 65cc till today, I’m here in the EMX250 class with my Yamaha YZF250. I love this track because if you want to be competitive, you

need to keep a good line in order to maintain a correct speed in all the sectors. The new layout has been a big improvement in my opinion with a better start and incredible races on Saturday and Sunday; finally, I have to say that this track is one of my favorites because I feel like I grew up here and is also less than 1 hour from my home, so it’s really my home GP,” Speaking about Pietramurata, we cannot avoid mentioning all the fans that every year attend the MXGP of Trentino to support their favorite riders and watch the races in this incredible location. Riders like Tim Gajser and Antonio Cairoli have a dedicated turn and there have always been many fans along the track supporting them from many years.

The Slovenian rider from the Team

HRC has become a home rider at Pietramurata and his fans are really supportive every year:“ The race here has become my home race because is not so far from my home; having so many fans and supporters pushing me to give more than 100% and I’m really happy to be able to get a 1-1 in this track. I can also say that here I got some incredible memories like the MXGP title in 2020 and my first GP win in MX2 back in 2015, so every year I’m really happy to come back”.

MXGP of Trentino 2022 has been an incredible success for everybody, the new layout, the fans and the incredible weather made the weekend unforgettable, and we are sure that in the future we’ll see many other riders claiming victories in this amazing track.

97

E E M M A A N F N F O I T L L AC SE H

98

TITLE JIM GIBSON JIM GIBSON HAD ONE OF THE SHORTEST PRO ATHLETE CAREER’S IN THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN RIDERS, BUT EVEN IF HE ONLY RACED SIX SEASONS, HE REMAINS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR SPORT AS ONE OF THE RIDERS ABLE TO WIN THE SAME YEAR THE TROPHY AND MOTOCROSS OF NATIONS WITH TEAM USA. AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, HE ENTERED THE 125CC WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP DURING HIS LAST SEASON AND FINISHED ON THE FINAL PODIUM OF THE SERIES. Born on 12th April 1958 in California, Jim Gibson was a gymnast when he was really young, and bought his first bike later with his own money when he was a teenager. He started racing as a novice in 1977, that season he won six races in a row, and within eighteen months since he started racing, he earned himself a full factory ride!

During his first two seasons as a pro rider, he got some good results in motocross with two top ten finishes in the 250cc series, with a tenth in 1978 and a seventh in 1979.

But it was when he moved to team American Honda in 1980 that he started to get really good results in motocross and supercross with top five results, working with Cliff White as mechanic.

The 1982 season was for sure the best of his career as he finished fourth in the 250cc Supercross series and third in the 125cc Motocross Championship.

That season Roger De Coster offered him an opportunity to discover Europe, as he picked him up for the American Team for the Nations alongside Magoo Chandler, David Bailey and Jimmy O’Mara. On 5th September Gibson raced the Trophy on a 250cc Honda at Gaildorf and was strong enough to bring one good result to his winning team. One week later in Wohlen he also ended the weekend as member of the MX of Nations after an incredible performance of team mate Magoo Chandler, who won two heats at the Trophy and two at the MX! His career plan, at this moment, was to go back racing in the US. But when one of his former mechanics in the US became Team Manager in Europe for Yamaha, he 99

called Jim and offered him a ride in the 125cc World Championship. Not so many American riders had interest racing in another continent, but Jim had a different mentality and thought that it would be good for him to discover a new culture and new countries. Based in the Netherlands near the workshop, he started the season pretty well with a podium at the first GP in the Netherlands, second between Eric Geboers and Michele Rinaldi.

At the third round in Italy, which he admitted was his favourite country, he was back on the podium, but he lost contact with Eric and Michele during the Belgian GP, where he only scored six points.

Runner up at the French GP in Vitrolles, he was missing some consistency to fight for the World Title as he retired in one heat at the Czech GP and then only scored six points in Germany. With another DNF in Sweden, he definitively lost all chances to beat Eric or Michele, but he ended the season with great results with a win at the Finish round and a second position in the final one in Czech Republic.

Third in the championship, Jim was supposed to continue racing in Europe in 1984 as he had a two-year-deal with Yamaha. However, the company broke his contract, and even if he had an offer from Cagiva in Europe and Honda in USA, he decided to retire at the age of 25 to study the bible. Winner of one GP, five times on a GP podium, eighteen times on a US MX/SX podium, winner at the Trophy and Motocross of Nations, bronze medallist in the 125cc World Championship, Jim made a real break with the sport during fifteen years before he came back with his own Motocross school in 1999.

Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert 100

1978:

10th in the 250 US Motocross Championship (Yamaha)

1979:

7th in the 125 US Motocross Championship (Suzuki) 25th in the 250 US Supercross Championship

1980:

5th in the 500 US Motocross Championship (Honda) 6th in the 250 US Supercross Championship 27th in the 500 Motocross World Championship

1981:

4th in the 250 US Supercross Championship (Honda) 4th in the 125 US Motocross Championship 19th in the 125 Motocross World Championship

1982:

4th in the 250 US Supercross Championship (Honda) 3rd in the 125 US Motocross Championship Winner at the MX of Nations with Team USA Winner at the Trophy of Nations with Team USA

1983:

3rd in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha). Win 1 GP 26th in the 250 US Supercross Championship

102

103

S K L A T K C O D PAD

1

2

4

3

8

7

104

5

6

1

MXGP Academy at the MXGP of Latvia!

2

MXGP Academy riders getting to meet Paul Malin and Lisa Leyland in the Studio Show!

3

Amo uscire dal Comune Charity Visits MXGP of Italy in Maggiora

4

Dirk Gruebel, Stefan Everts and Harry Everts chatting on the start line at the MXGP of Sardegna

5

Brian Bogers and his pregnant girlfriend Angel, all smiles in Sardinia!

6

Lisa Leyland interviewed the two 2004 MX2 title contenders, Ben Townley and Stephen Sword.

7

50th Birthday Celebrations for KTM’s Dirk Gruebel at the MXGP of Italy

8

Alessandro Lupino and Antonio Cairoli signed autographs in Maggiora!

9

Thumbs up! A successful opening press conference at the MXGP of Sardegna.

10 The Monster Energy Riot is back!

Thibault Benistant, Jeremy Seewer, Maxime Renaux and Glenn Coldenhoff enjoyed the fun at the Italian GP!

9 10

105

Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

E L R A U I T C A E E SP F

ERIC GEBOERS 1988 HRC HONDA RC500 106

ERIC GEBOERS WAS ONE OF THE SPORTS ALLTIME GREATS; NOT ONLY DID HE WIN FIVE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS BETWEEN 1982 AND 1990, BUT THE BELGIAN WAS ALSO THE FIRST RIDER TO WIN A TITLE IN 125CC, 250CC AND 500CC CATEGORIES. HIS FIRST OF TWO 500CC TITLES WAS WON IN 1988 AND HAVING ALREADY WRAPPED UP THE 125CC AND 250CC CHAMPIONSHIPS, ‘LITTLE ERIC’ BECAME KNOWN AS MR. 875 AND IT’S HIS 1988 TITLE WINNING HONDA THAT WE WILL FEATURE IN THIS ISSUE OF MXGP MAGAZINE.

first impressions left a lot to be desired, as Pentilla recalls:

Eric started his career with Suzuki and after winning the 125cc world championship in consecutive years in 1982 and 1983, the decision was made to skip the 250cc class in favour of a move into the premier 500cc class for the 1984 season, only it would be with Honda and not Suzuki. In his rookie season he placed 5th overall, despite missing the last three rounds due to injury, but his impact was immediate. Not only did he win the first race of the season in Austria, but he also won a GP along the way.

After finishing 3rd overall in the following two seasons (‘85, ’86) Eric was looking forward to having another run at the 500cc title in 1987, but Japan had other

ideas; HRC wanted to focus on the 250cc class because ever since the inception of the 250cc class in 1962, Honda had never won this title. Reluctantly, Eric agreed but only on the basis that whether he won the title or not, he would return to the premier class for the following (1988) season. And that’s how it panned out. Suddenly, Eric was back on a 500cc.

Joining him as mechanic was Jukka Pentilla, who guided Eric to his first two 125cc titles, as well as his 250cc title in ’87, but he returned home to Finland when Suzuki pulled out of GP’s at the end of the 1983 season.

The dream team was back together again.

Testing started soon after the 1987 season had finished, with the first tests taking place in the south of France, although

‘Eric wasn’t too happy about it because already in ’87 there was the production bike rule in the USA, so the ’86 bike was really the last factory bike, and of course the ’88 looked awful because it was so much production-based. Having said that, the bike was actually pretty good though. When Eric and David (Thorpe) tried the bike, actually they liked it, so I had a feeling that they were surprised at how well the bike would do, even if it looked so much like a production bike. The tank and all the plastics were production.’

As far as set-up, according to his mechanic, Jukka, ‘Eric had a low power set-up on the engine side, a low compression head and small exhaust port manifold, where the pipe connects to the cylinder. His exhaust port was not as big as it should have been; there was a small step all around, like 2.5mm, to make 107

108

the power smooth. When you see the bike, with that exhaust manifold you think ‘this is no good’ but the power was good. He also preferred a 4-speed gearbox, whereas Thorpe used a 5-speed ‘box.’

The cylinder and head came directly from HRC and so too did the piston, with a crankshaft where you could choose three different weights. The engine also had a shorter connection rod (con rod), so the cylinder was lower than standard. It looked standard to the naked eye, but the cylinder was actually lower. All the external hard parts, including the exhaust pipe and silencer were also HRC. As for the Keihin carburettor, Eric preferred the 38mm as opposed to the 40mm that Thorpe used, the difference being that the 40mm gave Thorpe more top end power, but Eric liked that ‘Cadillac’ feeling, and as Pentilla remembers, ‘Eric also had good throttle control, and he was a long time in 3rd gear also!’ The carb’ jets were all hand-drilled for accuracy as well. The ignition was Kokusan.

The chassis was production but for strength and stability Jukka handwelded some extra struts, and married to a HRC swingarm and linkage, the overall handling was greatly improved.

The same could not be said for the front forks though, as the ’88 season saw Eric have to run the new Showa USD units as opposed to conventional, or ‘the good ones’ as Pentilla likes to refer to them; ‘The riders didn’t like the upside-down forks at all, and at the beginning of the season, we still had a problem with the forks, because Eric liked the old type much better. I always felt that a small rider had more problems with the upside-down fork than the bigger guys like David. The forks were SHOWA factory, and fortunately we had some very good engineers at that time to help with set-up.’ The triple clamps were also factory. However, it would take more time than they all hoped to find that optimum solution.

The season didn’t get off to the best start, with Eric struggling to 14 - 6 at round one in Austria, followed by 5 - 9 in Switzerland, but by round three in Sweden, a 4th in race one was followed

109

up with a win in race two, triggering a run of six race wins in a row. Suddenly, his title chase was up and running. So, what was the problem in those early rounds? Jukka Pentilla picks up the story: ‘The season didn’t start too well because he had problems with his knee getting swollen, and also the problems with the front fork set-up. I remember it took some time for him to get better, later in the season. But then the knee was getting better, we found a good front fork set-up and I don’t know, he just found some confidence, finally. All of a sudden, he just started to go.’

By the time the eighth round had been run in England, Geboers was within nine points of his teammate, Thorpe, and by the time the next round came around in Holland, it was all change at the top. Thorpe was injured and Eric suddenly found himself leading after racing to victory at the Dutch 110

grand prix. When he placed 2nd overall in San Marino, round 10, Geboers arrived at his home GP at Namur, Belgium, knowing he could be world champion; not only could he win at home, but he could also do so at the most iconic venue in the world.

The race results (5-6) were disappointing by his standards, but as Pentilla explains, ‘Eric was nervous and a little bit counting the points too much, you know?

He tried to be too sure, not make mistakes and you know how it is when you start riding like that. He was too cautious.

Thinking too much; that was the situation.’

However, despite battling nerves, when Eric finally crossed the line in 6th place in race two, he was crowned 500cc world champion, and was now a four-time world champion, but what was it like being a part of it, seeing it everything from within?

‘The excitement was building race by race, and people

were really starting to talk about the possibility of Eric becoming the first rider to do that,’ commented Pentilla, before continuing, ‘it was a big thing. In Belgian sport, the newspapers and everything, it was a big thing for people who followed motocross so much.

Honda was happy and they also made a big thing out of it.’

Coming into the 1988 season, Eric had accumulated three world titles and 28 grand prix victories. By the end of the season, he was a four-time world champion with 32 wins, and over the next two campaigns (’89, ’90) he added another 7 grand prix wins, with six of those being won in 1990, his final year as a racer and one which saw him crowned 500cc world champion for a second time.

Like 1988, Eric won his fifth and final world championship at home at Namur, and rounded off his glittering career by winning his final race, the USGP at Glen Helen.

That win was his 39th career victory.

S N R O O I T T I S E ED E U QO TH T ❝

Hi MXGP, I just saw that you did some news highlights, is there any in Spanish, too?

Oliver

❞

Hi Oliver , you can check out our news highlights on Monday after each GP in Spanish on YouTube by clicking here: https://www. youtube.com/c/motocross Best Regards MXGP

❝ ❞

How much does it cost to watch the MXGP of Germany on MXGP-TV ?

Hugues

Hi Hugues , To watch a GP, you have to subscribe on MXGPTV and get your GP Pass for only 10,99€! Find more information here: https:// www.mxgp-tv.com/subscribe Regards MXGP

112

❝

I want to know if there will be Monster Energy stand in MXGP of France in Ernée?

❞

Ciccio

Dear Ciccio , of course Monster Energy will be there for the whole weekend!

Best Regards MXGP

❝

where can I buy one ticket to gIwhere can I watch the old studio show, I want to see Tom Vialle!

Hello Adam: you can watch all the old studio show with Tom Vialle on MXGPTV, follow the link bellow : https://www.mxgp-tv.com/ player/vod/2022-mxgp-oflatvia-studio-show;entryId=0_ sjpefvbp;q=tom%20vialle* Thanks MXGP

❞

❝

Hi, I have a child who rides an electric motorbike, I would like to register him in the junior e-motocross series in our country, Czech Republic, how can I do?

Barbara

❞

Hi Barbara you can register by clicking on this link: https://www. junioremotocross.com/ and we hope to see you in Loket! Thanks MXGP

113