MXGP #113 January 2023 by MXGP MAG

THE BEST PRACTICE OF THE RFME!

#113 JANUARY 2023 OFFICIALLY 2023

P.18SPECIAL FEATURE 2023 Calendar P.38TEAM OF THE MONTH COOL SHOT P.10 MONSTER GIRLS P.34 P.66HALL OF AnttiPyrhonen CONTENT

ccscscs EDITORIAL � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �P�7 COOL SHOTS� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �P�10 SPECIAL FEATURE Calendar � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �P�18 SOCIAL � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �P�32 TEAM OF THE MONTH RFME Team � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �P�38 SPECIAL FEATURE 2023 OAT . � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �P�52 HALL OF FAME AnttiPyrhonen � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � P�66 PADDOCK TALKS � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �P�72 SPECIAL FEATURE 2004 Kawasaki KX250F � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �P�74 QUESTIONS TO THE EDITOR� � � �P�78 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 #113 January 2023 The articles published in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the official position of Infront Moto Racing. Then content of this publication is based on the best knowledge and information available at the time the articles were written. The copying of articles and photos even partially is forbidden unless permission has ben requested from Infront Moto Racing in advance and reference is made to the source (©MXGP). OF FAME Pyrhonen

EDITORIAL

Dear MXGP Friends,

In less than two months, the 2023 MXGP World Championship season will start! We cannot wait to start the engine on the exceptional track of Villa la Angostura in Patagonia, Argentina I have no doubt that the upcoming season will be very exciting and unpredictable All the stars of the championship are now preparing themselves to be ready for the 12th March and the first GP!

January has been a busy month for us, as we were able to publish the last updated calendar of the upcoming 2023 season The comeback of the MXGP of Switzerland is the great news of the month! After several years missing in the calendar, thanks to the tremendous work of the organizing committee of the Swiss Grand Prix leaded by Willy Laederach and all the support of Infront, we have been able to bring back the Motocross World Championship to Switzerland The patriotic Swiss fans of Jeremy Seewer and Valentin Guillod will be able to cheer for them! This Grand Prix will have the particularity to be organized on 3 days The Saturday program will take place as usual, then the Easter Sunday will be a day off and finally the racing on Monday We will put in place some activities in the paddock on Sunday for the fans who are present onsite the 3 days Then Riola Sardo in Sardinia has also been confirmed as the first Grand Prix of the season in Europe, on a track that the whole paddock knows very well as most of them are training right now in Sardinia

December and January are the months we receive the surveys and the reports about the MXGP audience on TV and the different economic impact analysis of the events on the countries, regions, and the

cities where a GP takes place It is always very rewarding to understand how much interest a Grand Prix brings to a region and a country In Europe, most of the time, we talk about more that 20 000 people traveling for the GP weekend and using the facilities, hotels, restaurants of the region, visiting some touristic places and having a great time during the Grand Prix Concerning the TV audience, we reached an impressive 44 millions of unique TV viewers on the different broadcaster which are showing MXGP Worldwide (the data are presented by Nielsen, the world sports data analyst’s leading company) This represents more than 15% increase compared to 2021 season

The fans of MXGP are also young and very dynamic people, our social networks continue to grow with more than 3 million fans on Facebook, 1 2 million followers on Instagram and more than 15 million views on YouTube during the last season with 50% of MXGP audience between 18 and 34 years old! The new MXGP-TV pass for the upcoming season is already available with an Early Bird promotion MXGP-TV will also receive some extra program in the upcoming season, giving more focus on

CEO of Infront Moto Racing

our legends and riders to enlarge our offer other than LIVE sport

On the novelties side for the next year, the freight allowance for the private teams that come to the overseas will increase We clearly witnessed during the last years, especially during the Covid time, a big increase of the costs for the transportation This situation is clearly affecting all of us On another way it is also very clear that the MXGP World Championship has to go worldwide and continue developing our favorite sport in new markets where fans are growing, too It was important to adapt our support to the situation

Therefore, we are sensibly increasing the support for the private teams and riders, this will allow a better and more comfortable participation to the overseas Grand Prix for the teams The beauty of motocross has always been the fact that the man counts more than the bike and we always had great stories of riders coming from the pack and winning races or having great results from a private structure In the upcoming days, more novelties will come and I will be able to present them in my next editorial

The wintertime has also been the occasion to renew some very important historical partnerships On TV, we already renewed some important markets like Motorvision, TVG and USA with CBS SN More will come in the upcoming days

I would like to thank all the MXGP partners, the FIM, FIM Europe, the manufacturers, the media and last but not least all the MXGP fans

I wish you a great 2023 year

EDITORIAL

David Luongo

THE MXGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP HAS TO GO WORLDWIDE AND CONTINUE DEVELOPING OUR FAVOURITE SPORT IN NEW MARKETS WHERE FANS ARE GROWING

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SPECIALFEATURE

A LOOK AT 2023…

The championship shakedown will take place in Patagonia, Argentina, at the amazing racetrack of Villa la Angostura in the province of Neuquén This venue has been something special since its first appearance on the FIM Motocross World Championship calendar back in 2015, after that it won the prestigious MXGP Award for being the “Best Race Track” of the season five times in a row!

In 2016 Tim Gajser, during his rookie season in MXGP, won the GP and with his third win in four races, showed to everybody that he was a true title contender for the MXGP title that year

Villa la Angostura brings back also great memories like the incredible win of the 9-time World Champion

AFTER AN INCREDIBLE 2022 SEASON OF THE FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IT IS NOW TIME TO GET READY FOR THE UPCOMING 2023 SEASON, THAT ONCE AGAIN PROMISES TO BE BIGGER AND BETTER WITH 21 EVENTS DUE TO TAKE PLACE.

Antonio Cairoli in 2019 on his RedBull KTM Factory Racing machine; Cairoli after a terrible qualifying race on Saturday (DNF) managed to take both race wins and of course the overall in front of Tim Gajser and Jeremy Van Horebeek on the privateer Honda SR Motoblouz On the same day, Jorge Prado ruled the MX2 class showing everybody that the MX2 title for 2019 was something serious for the Spanish rider

In 2022 the FIM Motocross World Championship returned overseas for the first time after the pandemic and of course Villa La Angostura was the perfect choice to move outside Europe Villa La Angostura is a resort town on Nahuel Huapi Lake in Patagonia, and it’s known for its Alpine-style wooden buildings, beautiful mountains, lakes and forests that surround the area and for much of the paddock, the MXGP of Patagonia-Argentina is among the top favourites on the racing calendar

After that the MXGP paddock will move back to Europe for the MXGP of Sardegna in Riola Sardo on March the 26th The track of Riola Sardo is part of the MXGP Calendar since 2020 The island of Sardegna is one of the most sport-supporting regions in Italy and year after year is becoming the perfect place to practice any kind of sport during the whole year due to the great weather conditions and the high standards infrastructures The organizers and the local authorities gave the maximum effort to deliver an incredible event and after a great 2020 and a successful 2021 we are sure that this year’s edition will be another good one In 2021 Calvin Vlaanderen showed everybody that sand and warm weather are the perfect recipe for his success; the Dutch got an impressive 1-1 showing that he’s the real king of the island In MX2 was the turn of Tom Vialle in front of the all-season title contender Jago Geerts

For the third GP of the season, we’ll move from the Mediterranean Sea to the Swiss Alps for the MXGP of

Switzerland which is taking place in Frauenfeld The venue held the GP of Switzerland for the first time in 2016 and for 3 years in a row until 2018 where this successful venue welcomed around 30,000 spectators and was watched by more than 50 million viewers worldwide

The former track saw Antonio Cairoli winning the MXGP in 2016, while in 2017 and 2018 the MXGP class was the land of Jeffrey Herlings The last MX2 winner there was Jorge Prado on his RedBull KTM Factory Racing Machine back in 2018 Even if Frauenfeld is not new to the MXGP paddock, surprises are coming for the 2023 edition as the circuit will be completely brand new, creating an added challenge for the riders

The fourth GP of the season will take place in Trentino at the Pietramurata track in the beautiful setting of the Dolomite Mountains of Trentino

The Pietramurata track has one of the best landscapes of all the seasons, with the Dolomite Mountains surrounding the track, every picture taken during the GP weekend looks like something out of a postcard!

During the difficult years of the

pandemic Pietramurata and the local organizer (MX Trentino) hosted a triple header in 2020 and again another one in 2021 with an incredible outcome In 2020 both champions got the title during the MXGP of Pietramurata: Tim Gajser in MXGP while Tom Vialle secured his very first title in MX2 In 2021, it was the time of Maxime Renaux that during the MXGP of Garda got his hands on the MX2 title on his Monster Energy Yamaha Factory machine The venue itself was the setting of some of the best battles between Antonio Cairoli and Tim Gajser, who together with Jeffrey Herlings counted five wins each onsite

After Trentino the FIM Motocross World Championship will move down to the south of Europe as Agueda will host the MXGP of Portugal on 30th April 2023 Agueda is easily recognized by its unique orange clay that is well-known by many, especially because this track has hosted the FIM Motocross World Championship a total of 23 times! When it comes to victories, Antonio Cairoli is the most victorious there, with five victories to his name (2005, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2017)

Last season we saw the first win of the season for Jorge Prado in MXGP with a 1-2 result, while Tom Vialle went 1-1 in MX2

To keep the Mediterranean atmosphere, the paddock will then move to intu Xanadù – Arroyomolinos; located in the Comunidad de Madrid has been hosting the FIM Motocross World Championship since 2020 and from that edition onwards has been a big success Jorge Prado is the home hero there and everywhere you turn, you can see the fans with the red flags with the yellow 61 on it Back in 2020, during his rookie season in MXGP, Jorge got an incredible GP victory The atmosphere at the Spanish Grand Prix is always special, with a very enthusiastic crowd cheering on every home rider as the pass by! This season though it was the turn of rookie Maxime Renaux, who got is first GP win in the premiere class and on the Spanish track while in MX2 Tom Vialle secured his overall victory once again

The MXGP of France in 2023 will return to Villar sous Ecot, the French track hosted already the MXGP of Pays Montbéliard back in 2017, and after 5-years’ stop it is back on the calendar again ready to give great emotions Last time in 2017,

Jeffrey Herlings won in the MXGP category, while Thomas Covington won in MX2, but the main highlight of the weekend was the title of Pauls Jonass on his RedBull KTM Factory Racing machine in MX2; the Latvian got a solid fifth in race one which was enough to be proclaimed MX2 World Champion after fighting all season long with Jorge Prado The French track also hosted a great edition of the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations in 1988 with a winning Team USA made of Jeff Ward, Ricky Johson and Ron Lechien

After the MXGP of France the paddock will move to Latvia in sandy Kegums, which hosted the FIM Motocross World Championship for the first time in 2009 when Antonio Cairoli was the winner in MX1 and Rui Goncalves won the GP in MX2 Back in 2014 the track also hosted a great edition of the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations with Team France winning the Chamberlain Trophy and starting a series of consecutive wins Last season Tim Gajser ruled the MXGP class and Jago Geerts won the MX2 taking the red plate back on his Monster Energy Yamaha machine

The following weekend, it will be the turn of the Liqui Moly MXGP of Germany on the hard pack circuit of Teutschenthal The track is historic and hosted the FIM Motocross World Championship for the 26th time in 2022; on the German track, back in 2021, we saw an incredible battle between Jorge Prado and Jeffrey Herlings, which ultimately ended in tears In 2022 the races in MXGP were exciting, with the battle between Tim Gajser and Jeremy Seewer at the forefront of the action, though Gajser was the winner in the end While in MX2 Thibault Benistant impressed with his performance to take his very first GP victory of his career, ahead of his teammate Jago Geerts

After a week off the FIM Motocross World Championship will then move to Southeast Asia for two races in Indonesia The first race will be in Samota-Sumbawa where the MXGP of Indonesia took place for the first time in 2022 with a great atmosphere Romain Febvre was impressive upon his comeback from injury going 5-3 but just missing out on the podium by

two point, while it was Gajser again on the top step! In MX2, Tom Vialle was able to win and bring back the red plate onto his factory KTM, while Simon Längenfelder finished second overall

For the second GP in Indonesia MXGP will move to Lombok; a beautiful place in the Indonesian archipelago well known for the sandy beaches, swimming and snorkeling areas, culinary attraction, and other tourism destinations like the motor-vehicle-free Gili Islands and Senggigi island, a real earthly paradise The MXGP of Lombok-Indonesia will be held at the Selaparang Airport Field (closed from September 2011) in a completely new track built specifically for the event

After the Indonesian double header, MXGP will come back to Europe for the MXGP of Czech Republic held at the historic Loket track, which has been hosting the FIM Motocross World Championship since 1995 and the hard pack track has seen many champions and rising stars riding there The MXGP of Czech Republic has been hosting the EMX65 and EMX85 for a long time and has been the perfect scenario for young riders to show their potential In 2022 Jeremy Seewer won the MXGP Grand Prix while the Championship leader, Tim Gajser had a difficult weekend; in MX2 was the turn of Jago Geerts that took back the red plate on his Factory Yamaha from Tom Vialle having not his best weekend

The Monster Energy MXGP of Flanders will be next and will again return to the deep sand of Lommel, the home of many of the GP teams and the stomping ground from most of the riders! For many it’s a kind of home race Lommel hosted a successful triple header in 2020 during the pandemic, and in 2021 it was the very first time that Romain Febvre was able to win at the sandy venue, while in MX2 Jago Geerts gave his home fans exactly what they wanted with a victory!

The 2022 edition of the MXGP of Flanders was great and full of surprises: Brian Bogers won in MXGP ahead of Calvin Vlaanderen and Glenn Coldenhoff to complete a full Dutch podium In MX2 it was an affair between Jago Geerts and Kay de Wolf with the Belgian going 2-1 and the Dutchman going 1-2; at the end it was Geerts who took the win in front of his home fans

The MXGP paddock will then move to Scandinavia for the MXGP of Finland which will take place in Hyvinkää for the second time; thinking of the sandy Finnish track from 2022 only great memories can come to our mind Tim Gajser got his 5th World Title on his CRF450RW while on the same day, the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing MXGP Team got and historic result with his three riders on the first three steps of the podium with Glenn Coldenhoff winning followed by Jeremy Seewer and Maxime Renaux In MX2 once again was Tom Vialle the winner on Kay De Wolf and Jago Geerts making the title battle tighter and tighter

A couple of weeks after MXGP will move to Uddevalla, for the MXGP of Sweden Antonio Cairoli and Stefan Everts are the ones with the most victories at the Swedish track with six victories each The 2022 edition saw another win for Jeremy Seewer in front of Tim Gajser and Glenn Coldenhoff In MX2 Jago Geerts took the win once again and kept the red plate on his Yamaha while Tom Vialle was second in front of Simon Längenfelder; the RedBull GasGas Factory Racing making a return to the box for the first time since the MXGP of Indonesia

The MXGP of the Netherlands is a truly awaited comeback for all the MXGP Dutch fans The last time the MXGP calendar had an MXGP of the Netherlands it was in 2021 in Oss; the event was one to remember as the home-hero Jeffrey Herlings won the first race with a fracture on his shoulder after a crash at the beginning of the heat This year the MXGP of the Netherlands will take place in Arnhem, a venue that is not new to the MXGP paddock as it hosts a round of the Dutch Masters of Motocross and it’s home of many riders’ training The city is situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55km southeast from Utrecht The Motorsportpark Gelderland Midden was founded in 2017 and, from that moment several races were organized like Dutch Championship rounds but also some international races and an EMX Youth Event

The weekend of 3rd September will be the turn of the MXGP of Turkiye in Afyon, a venue that has been hosting the FIM Motocross World Championship races since 2018 with

an incredible outcome year after year The 2022 edition was a busy one, as it was the series finale and saw the crowning of the MX2, WMX and EMX Open Champions! In MX2 after a year-long battle Tom Vialle won the MX2 title against Jago Geerts by only four points In the WMX class, it was the time of Nancy Van de Ven, who after finishing second for five times during her career, was finally able to win the WMX World Championship title, while in the EMXOpen class the former GP rider José Butron won the Championship with an overall round victory, too!

Then MXGP will move to Thanh Hoa for the first ever MXGP of Vietnam Thanh Hoa is a province in the north central coast region of Vietnam; 150 km away from Hanoi capital in southwards, 1,560 km from Ho Chi Minh City Thanh Hoa

has a convenient location in terms of traffic with all types of transportation, including: roads, waterway, railway, airway, North-South Expressway, international border gate

With a TBA event on the calendar MXGP will reach the last event of the season that will take place in Matterley Basin, a historic venue inside the FIM Motocross World Championship calendar The track has been inside the MXGP calendar since 2006 and hosted two editions of the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations back in 2006 and 2017 The track saw World Champions like Antonio Cairoli, Jeffrey Herlings, Tim Gajser, Pauls Jonass, Tom Vialle, and Maxime Renaux winning a GP there In 2022 Matterley was the season opener that saw Tim Gajser win in MXGP, while Simon Längenfelder impressed everybody in MX2 winning all of

the races that weekend upon his debut on the RedBull GasGas Factory Racing team

The best and most epic event of the season, the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations will be held in Ernée; a track that is full of stories and has been the place where many historic events took place, such as Stefan Everts’ triple victory in 1 day! The Raymond Demy circuit hosted two unforgettable Monster Energy FIM MXoN, in 2005 and 2015 That time around Team France with Gautier Paulin, Romain Febvre, and Marvin Musquin took the win in front of their home fans and sent them into rapture for their favorite riders On October 21st and 22nd 2023 all eyes will be again on Team France, who will go to Ernèe to repeat the 2015 affair and have back the Chamberlain Trophy

TIM GAJESER 2022 MXGP WORLD CHAMPION TOM VIALLE 2022 MX2 WORLD CHAMPION

“WE SELL WHAT WE RACE, WE RACE WHAT WE SELL”

MXGPSOCIAL

Ep 9 | 26 Minutes Behind the Gate | MXGP of Spain 2022: Let’s look back together at the epic 2022 season of the FIM Motocross World Championship with the replay of the 26-min Behind-the-Gate series featuring behind-thescenes look at the events, including interviews, highlights, and more!

@nancyvdven

Thanks 2022 you’ve been probably the best year of my life

More than a few of my dreams came true this year And the most important one to call myself finally a world champion is a blessing �� We had to say goodbye to people we love this year, but they will never be forgotten Also people I love came back in my life and shared the best memories with me I couldn’t be more thankfull to end this year with the beautiful memories we’ve made Let’s try again to do this again next year, because it was so so good And I want to wish everyone a happy new year and full of love

@ilcentrodelcross

new year everyone wishing you all

for 2023!

SCARTIAMO

TUTTA QUESTA CARTA RIDERSSSS, BUON NATALE A TUTTI @yamahafactorymxgp Happy

the best

@MXGP Happy 2023 from MXGP #MXGP #Motocross

Merry Christmas | MXGP 2022: To celebrate this great time of the year, MXGP wishes you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year by sharing our Christmas video for 2022 Immerse yourself in the Christmas atmosphere! @spelamotaln Merry Christmas from our little family

IN THE WORLD OF #MXGP @mattguada101 @frontoceanbmx @ subrosabrand@redbullitalia @etnies @thepit_wdw @ astroclub y @dominicmxriders merrychristmas Most Impressive Crashes of 2022 | EP 1 | MXGP: The 2022 season had it all - the action, the intensity, the battles and

impressive crashes as well Check out

crashes from

MXGP

MX2 categories that were captured

series! ! @jeffrey_herlings84 Verified 2023 @_familyriders06_ Bon dimanche MXGP France 2022 @antoniocairoli Tanti auguri di buon anno a te e famiglia Che il 2023 ci porti un bel po’ di manetta a tutti

some

all the most impressive

the

and

on camera in this first episode of the

MONSTERGIRLS

MONSTERGIRLS

TEAM OFTHEMONTH

HOMETITLESUPPORT: THE BEST PRACTICE OF THE RFME!

IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, WE HAVE SEEN A BIG INCREASE OF SPANISH RIDERS IN ALL OF THE CLASSES OF THE FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, AS WELL AS THE FIM EUROPE MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP; OF COURSE, THE TWO TITLES OF JORGE PRADO BACK IN 2018 AND 2019 HAVE BEEN A BIG PUSH FOR ALL THE SPANISH “MOVEMENT” BUT THERE IS MUCH MORE BEHIND THAT.

In 2020 the motocross fans and all the MXGP paddock also had the chance to meet a couple of more rising stars: the second place of David Braceras (fresh new signing of F&H Racing Team for MX2 2023 season) and the 6th place of Guillem Farres in the EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Championship were just the beginning of a new generation of successful Spanish riders

Also in 2020, Ruben Fernandez, now part of Team HRC, one of the main factory teams in the paddock and teammate of MXGP World Champion Tim Gajser, impressed everybody with good results A sixth at the MXGP of Limburg battling with all the “factory guys”, managing to finish ninth overall in the MX2

Championship on the SDM Corse Yamaha Racing machine

Spain is now a solid reality also in the WMX class with the likes of Gabriela Seisdedos and Daniela Guillen The duo finished the 2022 season in style with a Women’s Motocross of European Championship’ victory in Talavera de la Reina, which was a perfect end of the season for Team Spain Besides, Daniela had an impressive WMX championship in 2022, with a race win and a second position in the Spanish round in intùXanadu just behind the two-time WMX World Champion Courtney Duncan

Speaking about RFME, the Real Federación Motociclista Española was founded in 1923 in Zaragoza with the main goal to promote motorsports and support Spanish athletes in their top-level careers The big change came in 2018

when the Real Federación Motociclista Española saw the election of the new President Manuel Casado President Casado, a true fan of motorsports and Motocross in particular, together with the help of the experts started a new program to help the young Spanish riders to reach top results, including the MXGP, MX2 and WMX categories

“The results of the Spanish riders have been magnificent in the latest seasons, thanks to the great work of the entire RFME technical staff in our Junior and Women’s Teams Our national coach Paco Rico and the person in charge of the Spanish Championship Jonathan Villa worked really hard and the outcome is visible for everybody We have great stars like Jorge Prado and Rubén Fernandez, who are the inspiration of our young riders, and Daniela Guillen and Gabriela Seisdedos represent Spain in the WMX class, while really talented riders such as David Braceras, Guillem Farrés, Gerard Congost,

Samuel

international level with very good results The RFME is proud of the boost we are giving to the Motocross on the economical side as well as the media side with broadcasters on TV and Social Media; our aim is to continue to work in that way to place our riders in elite of Motocross,” said President Casado

“The work done by the Federation in the last few years is incredible and I think everybody can see that I’ve been a GP rider for more than ten years and I saw all the different generations of riders; I’ve seen many of them arriving at the top but also many others with big potential getting lost in the transition between the EMX and the MXGP and MX2 and this is a big shame,” said José Butron the fresh new EMXOpen European Champion in 2022 “The big work is done in the small classes from the EMX65 to the EMX125, where if you follow the riders properly, you can get good results because this is a crucial part of a rider’s life, I’ve experienced it myself, too When I started riding it was more

Nilsson, Elias Escandel, Oriol Oliver, etc compete at an

difficult, I was doing it all alone with my father and my uncle, so I’m really proud of the Federation, of the big Team they created and how they follow the young talents in all the steps of the FIM Motocross World Championship I’m sure we’ll have great results for Spain in the future”

“I think in 2020 people started to know who Ruben Fernandez was, but the great 2020 season I had and the chance to get inside the HRC family was built in 2019 with the support of the Federation which helped me to be consistent and solid in the EMX250 class,” Ruben Fernandez admits

In 2020 the Federation created this ‘Spanish Team’, the RFME MX Junior Team as a project to follow the young EMX riders from the beginning of their career and keep them all together creating a “family” atmosphere that is fundamental for the young riders since most of them are still kids

At the time the team included a trio of 16-year-old talents - David Braceras, Gerard Congost and Guillem Farres

“Being inside the RFME team has been an experience that I’ll bring forever with me and if I managed to finish second in the EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing back in 2020 is thanks to them and the structure they have,” David Braceras says “In the team, we had all what we need, great bikes, great trainers, great material, and the most important thing, a friendly atmosphere that helped us a lot; having those people behind you, even when you don’t get the results you are looking for, is a big push and support for a rider With the work done by the Federation now, Spain is becoming a point of reference in Motocross and many young kids start to be interested in this incredible sport following the success of Jorge Prado and Ruben Fernandez ”

The RFME team acted an important role for the riders to step into the FIM Motocross World Championship The youth development program

now is also focused on the WMX Championship with the team RFME WMX Team featuring with Daniela and Gabriela as spearheads but with much more coming soon for sure

“Being inside such a professional team is a big push, in 2022 I was able to get results I couldn’t even imagine before, like third overall in the round of Sardegna and second overall in the round of Spain Now Spain starts to be a main actor in Motocross and also the level of our National Championship is increasing year after year,” Daniela Guillen says

For Gabriela has been a big opportunity to race for the RFME team: “I’ve been riding in the WMX class from many years and I always had to face with some difficulties organizing my trips, my training, keeping the bike in the best conditions and all the “behind the scenes” of a motocross rider’s life Once I got the chance to get inside the RFME Team my life changed totally: now I work with technicians, mechanics, trainers, and we have really good bikes, so I can be focus only on my riding; being inside this team with this amazing atmosphere is something not easy to find in the MXGP paddock”

Speaking with all the riders, mechanics and trainers that have been involved in the RFME Team we noticed a light in their eyes when they spoke about the project, and the passion was clearly evident and indicative that this team is really something special Of course, we couldn’t miss a chance to speak with one of the latest Spanish talented riders that have been racing for the RFME team and recently flew across the Atlantic Ocean to catch the opportunity of a lifetime for his career: Guillem Farres

“The RFME team has been and will always be a part of my life When you see it from the outside it looks like is full of ‘noisy people’ but in reality everybody knows exactly what to do: mechanics, trainers, etc are all there to help you and

get the final result This team with that atmosphere is one of a kind and nowhere you can find something so helpful especially when you are so young”

Eventually MXGP Mag spoke with Paco Rico, team managers of both the Junior and the WMX RFME Teams after the deserved victory of Team Spain at the Women’s Motocross of European Nations Paco is just not the team manager, but he is “The Man” to talk to

MXGP Mag: Paco, when and how everything started?

Paco: In 2018! When Manuel Casado became the new president of the Spanish Federation, we saw the chance to make something different and new, so I had the chance to sit down together with José Luis Berenguer, the sport director, and we started this long journey to bring the Spanish riders to the top of the FIM Motocross World Championship

MXGP MAG: How did you decide to organize everything and help the young riders?

Paco: You know, sometimes to do something new it is really important to look back and take inspiration from what has been We started by creating a team to support all the “juniors” like the Federation was doing more or less 20 years ago, the goal of the team was to teach them everything in order to be ready to be chosen by the Factory teams Our work was more on small classes like EMX65, EMX85, and EMX125 which are the most crucial and important for young riders We helped them with all the material they need to perform, we taught them everything around the races and the importance of all the details and we gave them little money prizes based on the results they did to motivate them, so they started to learn how this sport could become their “job” and not a hobby anymore All this was possible with the support of KTM AG and all the other sponsors that were working together with us on this incredible journey ”

MXGP Mag: Is the same for the WMX side of Team?

Paco: To be honest at the beginning we wanted to focus all our effort on the small classes and following also WMX riders was not part of the plan Then seeing the potential of Daniela and Gabriela we decided to extend the team also to them and I think it worked out well Daniela is super talented and I’m sure in the next season will be a true title contender while Gabriela is still discovering her full potential and trust me, she has a big one Now in Spain also the Women’s Motocross starts to be popular, and we have many other promising girls that soon will step up in the WMX class

MXGP MAG: So the main goal is to be like an “academy” for the Spanish riders, right?

Paco: Yes, we want to have more Spanish riders in the MXGP and MX2 classes and I think we are doing a great job; we have been lucky because since 2020 the Comunidad de Madrid is hosting the MXGP of Spain and this has been another important push for Spain in motocross With all the parts of the puzzle together now the results are coming and I hope for more in the future

MXGP Mag: We can now say that there is a Spanish “movement” in the MXGP Paddock.

Paco: Exactly, this was our goal and I think we are in a good way; like that more companies and sponsors will invest in Spanish motocross and in motocross in general and this will be helpful for everybody: it’s like a circle

MXGP Mag: Behind all this work there is also much more.

Paco: We’ve tried to work in all the fields not only on the technical and sport side We have press officers, photographers and videographers working with us and showing what we do everywhere in Europe and in the world, and nowadays this is necessary to get people more interested and involved We want to be professional and cover all the sides of our project in order to have a good outcome and start to make the riders familiar with interviews, press releases, etc

MXGP Mag: What are the hopes for the future?

Paco: My dream is to see one day Jorge Prado and Ruben Fernandez fighting for the MXGP title while in the same weekend David Braceras and Oriol Oliver getting a podium in MX2, Guillem Farres bringing the Spanish flag on top in USA and veterans like José Butrón and Carlos Campano winning international races Even better would be to win the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations; I know that are big dreams, but I’ve always been a dreamer and those are my and our goals

MXGP Mag: Last but not least, tell us more about you and your story, we always see you everywhere but we don’t know so much about your past?

Paco: I’ve been a Spanish motocross rider till 2005, when I stopped I always wanted to help the young riders because I know by myself how difficult is when you are so young, and you travel across Europe with your family to race Everything started with Jorge Zaragoza and Jorge Prado in the EMX65 and EMX85, and even if at the time they were winning a lot, the Federation was not really interested in motocross, so this became a mission for me: find the budget, the bikes and all the best materials to compete in Europe with all the other guys Then through the years we worked with many other riders like Pablo Naert, Mario Lucas, Francisco Bordonado, etc , those years around Europe with one camper, all together have been something special and I’ll bring

it forever with me Now you can find me in the paddock, in the media center, or in the pitlane speaking with somebody with my RFME t-shirt trying to figure out what to do better for my riders thinking about a plan B or C because it is always important to have the fastest solution for every situation I wish that one day this project will continue even without me and the other guys, and I’ll be one of these old guys that come at the race with their nephew with their small camper only to enjoy the atmosphere and support their favorite rider ”

MXGP wishes the best to the RFME Teams for the 2023 season which will compete in EMX125 Presented by FMF racing, EMX250 and WMX categories

SPECIALFEATURE

THE APPROVED

THE 2023 OFFICIALLY APPROVED TEAMS

AS THIS ISSUE OF MXGP MAGAZINE LEAVES THE BUILDING, IT DOES SO WITH ALL OF US KNOWING THAT THE BRAND NEW SEASON OF MXGP IS LITERALLY JUST AROUND THE CORNER, EVEN IF ‘AROUND THE CORNER’ MEANS 12,000KM AWAY. BUT BEFORE WE KICK THINGS OFF IN PATAGONIA ON 11TH/12TH MARCH, LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT THE OFFICIALLY APPROVED TEAM’S (OAT) THAT WILL BE TAKING TO THE GRID IN BOTH MXGP AND MX2.

As the new season dawns, there are one or two changes amongst the OAT’s, with riders either retiring from racing or moving up from MX2 to MXGP or just generally switching teams So, let’s start with MXGP and we will do this in order of where the riders placed in the 2022 world championship standings

Team HRC

Tim Gajser continues his journey with Honda and HRC but for 2023, after riding under the Honda 114 banner, his official teammate will be the exciting young Spaniard Ruben Fernandez, as Mitch Evans moves on to another team Gajser ended the year as a five-time world champion, as Fernandez secured 8th overall in his rookie season

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team

Once again, the Dutch-based team remains unchanged with Jeremy Seewer, Maxime Renaux and the recently married Glenn Coldenhoff All three riders finished the season inside the top five in 2022, with Seewer 2nd, Renaux 4th and The Hoff 5th

Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing

After placing 3rd overall, Jorge Prado remains with Red Bull GASGAS, where his teammate will once again be Mattia Guadagnini Last year, the Italian started the season as an MX2 rider before moving to the premier class after seven rounds

Standing Construct Honda MXGP

It’s an all-new look for Standing Construct this year as the Belgianbased team lines up with support from Honda There is no change to the rider line up though, as the team has retained the services of Flanders (Belgium) GP winner Brian Bogers, who placed 6th overall last year, and Pauls Jonass who came home 9th

Team Gebben Van Venrooy Yamaha Racing

Photo: Honda

For 2023 Calvin Vlaanderen will line up as the sole member of the Gebben Van Venrooy team, but after securing a GP win in Sardinia on his way to 7th overall, ‘CV10’ will be keen to get going again come the first gate drop in Patagonia

Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP

Having won the final race of the year after what had been a difficult 2022 campaign, Romain Febvre will once again line up for the factory Kawasaki team as he hopes to lift his second MXGP title It’s all change for his sidekick though as Ben Watson moves aside for the Australian Mitch Evans, who swaps red for green

SM Action Racing Team YUASA Battery

2023 will be Alberto Forato’s third year in the premier class, and it will be business as usual for the Italian who remains with SM Action His best finish in 2022 was 6th overall in Latvia where he claimed a 4th in the first race It will be interesting to see how a fully fit ‘Alby’ will fare in the new season

MRT Racing Team

For 2023, MRT (Marchetti) returns to MXGP with factory support from Beta Alessandro Lupino remains with the brand and will be keen to put the 2022 campaign behind him where health issues prevented him from doing more than four GP’s Lupino’s teammate will be Britain’s Ben Watson; the former factory Yamaha and Kawasaki rider maintains his factory status with Beta and will be hoping to impress in what will be his third year in MXGP

JM Honda Racing

After a couple of seasons in blue, Brent Van doninck will line up for Jacky Martens JM Honda team where both rider and team owner will be hoping to improve on ‘BVd’s’ 15th from last year The second half of the season saw some impressive rides, with his standout performance being Ernee, Race 1, where he placed 3rd

Photo: Kawasaki

JWR Honda Racing

As a satellite team, you would be mistaken for thinking that JWR was a factory team, such is its presence in the paddock Once again, team owner Johan Westermark aligns with Honda for 2023 in what is a new look for his team, with two new riders under the awning Alvin Östlund and Hardi Roosiorg are the chosen two for this Swedish-owned, Belgian-based team

TEAM SHIP TO CYCLE HONDA MOTOBLOUZ SR

After a string of impressive results last year, Switzerland’s Valentin Guillod joins the French team which is owned and run by former racer Josse Sallefranque Joining the former MX2 GP winner will be Stephen Rubini, who remains with the team, albeit now as a MXGP rider

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

It’s not often we see Red Bull KTM this far down our OAT list, but there is a very good reason for this, of course A pre-season crash left the defending champion Jeffrey Herlings with a broken foot, but what we didn’t know at the time was that The Bullet would miss the entire season as a result of his injury For 2023, the ‘84’ will be the only factory KTM representative in the premier class, where his new boss is none other than 9-time champ, Antonio Cairoli

JK Racing Yamaha

With the demise of iXS Yamaha, Swiss rider Kevin Brumann now finds himself at JK Racing The teenager started 2022 in MX2 before moving to MXGP for the last seven rounds Hopefully he can put the experience gained from those races to good use as he embarks on his rookie season in the premier class

De Baets Yamaha MX-Team

A new private team will join MXGP this year and goes by the name of De Baets Yamaha The Belgian car dealer has long been a fan of Benoit Paturel and will no doubt look forward to supporting the former

Photo: KTM

MX2 bronze medallist and MXoN winner in 2023 Paturel has always performed well in blue, so here’s hoping he can conjure up some of the magic that took him to two race wins in the 250cc class

MX2 Teams

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

With 2022 world champion Tom Vialle heading stateside, Red Bull KTM have a brand new look for 2023, with three riders representing the Austrian brand Andrea Adamo, 8th overall in 2022, heads up the squad and will be joined by Liam Everts (10th) and Sascha Coenen (19th in EMX250) On paper perhaps, maybe not the strongest team, but don’t be fooled KTM have always had a knack of plucking riders from obscurity and turning them into world champions, and ’23 could be another one of those years

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 Team

Just the one change for the factory Yamaha team as Jago Geerts and Thibault Benistant will be joined by 2022 EMX250 Champion, Rick Elzinga, in a three-pronged attack at the MX2 world championship

On paper, Yamaha is perhaps the strongest team heading into the new season after taking 2nd and 5th overall last year, but which of its riders will have the upper hand?