RACING CATCH UP

from MXGP #107 July 2022

HALL OF FAME

A TRIP OVERSEAS & FUN IN LOKET AND LOMMEL

IT’S BEEN A BUSY FEW WEEKS FOR THE FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP AS WE’RE WELL AND TRULY INTO THE SUMMER SEASON AND PROBABLY THE BUSIEST AND MOST CRUCIAL TIME IN THE SERIES AS WE EDGE CLOSER TO CROWNING THIS YEAR’S CHAMPIONS. Since the last issue of the MXGP Mag, we have visited Indonesia, Czech Republic and Belgium and as the name suggests, we’re going the give you a catch-up on all the action that went down at each of these events� Get ready, it’s a wild ride!

A TRIP OVERSEAS

Let’s kick things off with the MXGP of Indonesia! It was a long trip that required several flights and roughly two to three days of travelling, but in the end the trip across the world was so worth it after the warm welcome that the paddock received upon arrival in Lombok� The riders, teams, staff and journalists were met with beautiful traditional dances and musical performances which reminded everyone just how much they had missed the Indonesian Grand Prix

during the last two years�

And that was just the beginning as the festivities continued throughout the weekend, starting off with the official welcome at the Regent Office and the Regent Palace on Friday’s media day� Beautifully choreographed dances and theatrical performances took place, followed by welcoming speeches by the Governor of West Nusa Tenggara DrZulkieflimansyah SE M�Sc and Ministry of Youth & Sports Mr Zainudin Amali, as well as Infront Moto Racing’s CEO David Luongo and FIM/CMS Director Antonio Alia Portela�

The paddock then took a trip to the Regent Palace which included a parade that was met by thousands upon thousands of passionate fans who were eager to take photos with everybody from MXGP, from riders to journalists and staff, and really showed their appreciation and made everybody feel very welcome to the island of Sumbawa! As always, Friday’s media day was sealed with the family photo in front of the beautiful Regent Palace and then it was time to get down to business�

The track in Samota-Sumbawa received raving reviews from the riders and teams who were impressed by the preparation and layout of the brand-new venue that was specifically built for the MXGP of Indonesia� It was hilly and technical circuit and included a variety of terrains with big jumps that really got the crowd going� It was a circuit that had everything and from the moment everybody arrived on site, to the day they left – impressions and feedback didn’t change!

On race day, celebrations didn’t stop as the morning began with a special opening ceremony that included more welcoming speeches and performances along with an impressive air show that wowed not only the forty thousand fans that lined the circuit but also everybody from the paddock� In terms of the racing, we saw Tim Gajser and Tom Vialle deliver the perfect scorecard of 1-1 as they dominated the rest of the field to stand tall on the top step of the podium� The victory for Vialle was an important one as he was able to clinch back the red plate from his title rival Jago Geerts�

Joining the pair on the box was Jorge Prado and Ruben Fernandez in MXGP, with Fernandez celebrating his second podium of the season� In MX2 meanwhile, Simon Längenfelder and Thibault Benistant finished second and third�

BACK TO EUROPE & BACK TO LOKET! A couple of weeks later, the action returned to Europe as we all packed our bags and headed for Loket, a beautiful town around 130km from Prague� The MXGP of Czech Republic was intense and very busy as not only did it host the 13th round of the series but also saw the EMX85 and 65 finals, along with the one-round EMX2t Championship and the final two events of the Junior e-Motocross series – which meant we finally got to crown some champions

As always, Friday is a busy media day, not only for the top stars but also for the EMX youngsters who started off with a TV graphic photo shoot and ended it with a family photo on the podium as all the title hopefuls gathered for the annual photo opportunity�

Loket is an old school track that has been part of the FIM Motocross World Championships since 1995 and as per tradition, the typical firework display on Saturday evening kicked off what was another incredible edition of the Czech Republic Grand Prix�

The racing delivered, as did the support of the huge crowd of fans – which is crucial to any successful race weekend as it always gives the riders that extra edge� In MXGP, Jeremy Seewer continued to show his strong form as he went on to win the qualifying race, the opening heat and the Grand Prix, while his teammate Maxime Renaux challenged him for the race win in the second race to mark what was an incredible return to racing after his back injury� Renaux finished second on the box with Gajser taking it steady throughout the weekend to bag himself some good points and celebrate with the duo on the third step in front of many Slovenian fans�

In MX2, it was the weekend of Jago Geerts who bounced back with an overall victory that saw the red plate change for the eighth time this season, after a tough weekend for Vialle who struggled to finish on the box� Meanwhile Benistant continued to impress with qualifying and race two victories that saw him claim his third podium on the bounce, while also Längenfelder celebrated a back-to-back podium finish�

In between the Grand Prix racing, we saw impressive performances from the youngsters as Vitezslav Marek and Ricardo Bauer stormed to victory in the EMX85 and EMX65 categories, while record-breaking entries signed off the Junior e-Motocross series that saw Timoteï Cez take home the number 1 trophy and gold plate after a remarkable season that saw him win three of the five rounds on his electric motor!

Then in the EMX2t category, Toms Macuks claimed gold with a 1-2 result

NEW TRACK LAYOUT, SAME OLE’ LOMMEL… From the hard-pack terrain of Loket, we headed for the sand, as excitement began to build for one of the toughest Grand Prix’s of the season – the MXGP of Flanders�

Lommel is a familiar stomping ground for the majority of the riders in the FIM Motocross World Championship, with many of the top teams based close by, some even within walking distance of the venue!

While many riders know Lommel inside out, this season the organisers threw a spanner in the works by changing the layout of the well-known track! A new first corner which headed right instead of left was introduced and the track was ridden in the opposite direction with some sand also being moved which brought characteristics of the ‘original’ Lommel that once was�

As always, the MXGP of Flanders is hard to predict as it’s not always easy to know who will bring their A game and who will get caught out by the brutal ruts and in our case – the very hot weather that tested even the strongest and best prepared sand riders�

Racing aside, there were plenty of offtrack activities that made the weekend much more exciting! Huge hospitality structures filled the paddock, including the impressive Just 1 Racing set up as they launched their newest collection, the Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP truck hospitality, the Yamaha hospitality that showcased their championship winning bikes at the entrance, the Liam Everts & S72 Gin hospitality plus much more!

On Friday, the riders took part in the annual family photo on the podium, along with the Yamaha Family photo which included their MXGP and MX2 stars along with the up and coming EMX riders�

On Saturday it was a day of announcements and celebrations as Jeffrey Herlings and Tim Gajser were presented with their very own replica MXGP trophies in order to celebrate their titles in 2020 and 2021, followed by the annual KTM Summer Party, that did not take place last year but really made up for it this year as KTM

Factory Racing announced their rider line-up for 2023, which will include Andrea Adamo and Liam Everts�

And it was not the only announcement to be made, as on the same evening, Belgium announced the three riders that would represent the Belgian flag at this year’s Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations! The Team will be headed by Jago Geerts (MXGP), Liam Everts (MX2) and Jeremy Van Horebeek (Open)�

For Van Horebeek this Motocross of Nations will be his last as he shared his plans to retire at the end of the season, also making this his very last Belgian Grand Prix!

A few familiar faces were present for the weekend which included Antonio Cairoli and his family, Clement Desalle, Thomas Kjer Olsen and Bas Vaessen who were all on-site to enjoy the races with the fans – and boy did the action deliver! The EMX riders were the first to take to the track and the first to celebrate their podiums as Belgian Lucas Coenen impressed his local supporters with a 1-1 result in the EMX250 class, while in the EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing the win went to Latvian Janis Reisulis who was confident even before the races that he was going for the win and nothing less�

Doing it for the girls in the EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing category was Lotte Van Drunen who once again showed that she is a force to be reckoned with� Van Drunen put on a show stopping performance in the second heat, as the youngster claimed her very first top 10 finish!

In MXGP, all eyes were on Jeremy Seewer as he back up his victory in Czech Republic with another qualifying race win on Saturday� It all looked like it could be Seewer’s weekend once again, but in Lommel, nothing is guaranteed, and such was the case this time around�

The fight for the top step of the podium was incredibly close and probably changed five or six times throughout the course of the second race� The fight for the GP win was between three Dutchies, Glenn Coldenhoff, Brian Bogers and Calvin Vlaanderen, with

the victor only being decided after the chequered flag had fallen – and it was Bogers who came away with the big trophy�

It was a huge win for Bogers who did it with a race victory in the opening heat and third in race two to finish the weekend on 45 points, ahead of Calvin Vlaanderen who had 44 points to his name while race two winner Glenn Coldenhoff, despite feeling ill all weekend took home 43 points and rounded out the all Dutch podium on Belgian soil which was a huge statement and confirmed that the Dutch are among the best sand riders in the world!

For Bogers it was not only his first podium since the birth of Brian Jr but it was also his first ever Grand Prix victory!

“I don’t even know what to say…” said Bogers� “What can you say on the top of the podium? It’s just amazing and I can’t believe it� It was really tough, but we made it” he added�

In MX2, it was a dream weekend for Jago Geerts who ended his home Grand Prix with a win in front of a huge crowd of Belgian fans! But the victory was not handed to him, in fact it was one that almost went to Kay de Wolf, who went on to win the first race but just came short in the second one, as Geerts was determined to deliver and impressive performance and take as many championship points over his rival Tom Vialle� For Vialle the Belgian Grand Prix started off with a DNF in qualifying, though ended with a third on the box, despite a tough 7th and a 4th in the races� The trip to the podium was a surprise for Vialle who had no clue he was third, as initially it looked like Längenfelder was on course for his third podium in a row, but the heat and the demanding conditions took it’s tool on the young German who crashed within touching distance of the finish line and struggled to get going�

After 14 rounds, Gajser is 122 points ahead Seewer and Prado, while in MX2, Geerts has a 23-point lead over Vialle and Längenfelder as we enter the last four rounds of the 2022 Championships! Let’s see what the next race shave in store for our title hopefuls…

FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS

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MXGP SOCIAL

@sonnie_silva

Amazing time at @ mxgp in Belgium #mxgpbelgium #mxgp #monsterenergy #monsterenergygirls #motocross #yamaha #race #motocrossrace

@martinplesnik

When somebody asks you “How was the Lommel GP?” Toughest GP

@femkefatale

Great times at the @mxgp with @monsterenergy Thanks @depaepenoa dor this shot

@lxon.hkn222

@tiga243 at @ mxgpofflanders #mxgpbelgium #mxgp #mxgpflandersbelgium Message for TKO | MXGP of Spain 2022: The entire MXGP paddock is still thinking of you TKO We’re all sending you all the best wishes, stay strong and we hope to see you back with us soon

Qualifying Highlights | MXGP of Spain 2022: Don’t miss all the best battles of the MXGP and MX2 Qualofying Races of the day in the News Highlights!

@pirellimx

The Sunday Shoey is back! @calvinvlaanderen returns to the podium with P2 at Lommel

Race 2 winner @ glenncoldenhoff �� finishes P3 and @tiga243 continues to carry the red plate

@mxfotograafleon

Great Weekend MXGP Flanders Lommel

#mxgp #lommel #belgium #flanders #greatweekend #weekend #mx #motocross #gp

@msc_teutschenthal

Club-Ausfahrt zum MXGP Loket #crew #vereinsleben #mscteutschenthal #talkessel #mxgp Dunlop EP�4 | A tour of the Dunlop truck | MXGP 2022: Take a look at the Dunlop truck which travels to every MXGP race on the calendar, offering tyre support for the teams and riders in the paddock!