TEAM OF THE MONTHCOOL SHOT P. 10

TEAM OF THE MONTH

TITLE HOME SUPPORT: 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 Nilsson, Elias Escandel, Oriol Oliver, etc� compete at an 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

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�

THE 2023 OFFICIALLY APPROVED TEAMS

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

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.

Photo: Kawasaki 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�

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: Yamaha 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?

Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing

With his former teammate Mattia Guadagnini moving to MXGP, GASGAS will need to rely on Simon Laengenfelder as the major bread winner for the red corner of Austria� The reality here though is that ‘SL516’ was never placed outside the top three in the points chase last year, so you get the feeling he and the team will be just fine�

F&H Kawasaki MX2 Racing Team

After running Jed Beaton (MXGP) and Kevin Horgmo (MX2) in 2022, F&H Kawasaki’s focus will shift to MX2

where Horgmo (4th) will be joined by Spain’s David Braceras, who moves up from EMX250�

Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing

There will be three MX2 teams fielding three riders in 2023 and Nestaan Husqvarna is one of those teams� Last year’s duo of Kay de Wolf and Roan Van De Moosdijk remain and they will be joined by last year’s EMX250 sensation, Lucas Coenen, who won seven of the last eight races on his way to 2nd overall�

Big Van World MTX Kawasaki

No changes here for Steve Dixon’s team as he continues his collaboration with Denmark’s Mikkel Haarup� The ‘11’ claimed four podiums on his way to 7th overall in 2022�

TEM JP253 KTM Racing Team

Last year, Jan Pancar had quite a few standout performances with 8 top ten finishes in the second half the season, which is pretty impressive for a rider who runs his own team as a privateer� For 2023 he will continue to dance to his own tune as the sole rider on his team�

KTM UK

As MXGP Magazine goes to print, we continue to await the PR as to who the official title sponsor will be for KTM UK� What we do know though, is that Isak Gifting and Kay Karssemakers will remain, so no change in the rider line up at least�

Fantic Factory Team Maddii

After returning to the paddock as a 2-stroke outfit a few years ago, the Fantic programme entered MXGP last year with Nicolas Lapucci riding a 450cc� Whilst the team will continue with its 2-stroke agenda, it also welcomes Tom Guyon to MX2, whose best race finish in 2022 came at his home GP at Saint Jean d’Angely where he placed 3rd in race two�

Riley Racing

After a tough season in ’22, which saw him crash out of the GP of Czech Republic as a MXGP wild card, Hakon Fredriksen will shift his attentions back to MX2 with Riley Racing� He will be joined by Joel Rizzi, who had his best season in MX2 last year, scoring regular points in the last few GP’s of the year for Riley Racing�

JM Honda Racing

For the second consecutive season Jacky Martens will field a rider in MX2, as South Africa’s Camden Mc Lellan joins the team for what will be his rookie season in the class� The former EMX85cc Champion scored points as a wild card at Loket in 2022, and narrowly missed the bronze medal in EMX250�

TEAM SHIP TO CYCLE HONDA MOTOBLOUZ SR

With Stephen Rubini moving into MXGP, this French team will rely on former EMX150 champion Emil Weckman to deliver the goods� Injury kept him off the gird last year until the final two rounds, where he scored points in all four races�

RACESTORE KTM RACING TEAM

Moving in to MX2 full time for 2023 is Spain’s Jago Martinez� Last year Jago managed a race win and a podium (3rd) on his way to 10th overall in the EMX250 class�

SM ACTION RACING TEAM YUASA BATTERY

Another rider moving up from EMX250 for 2023 is Cornelius Toendel� The Norwegian was a challenger the championship last year before eventually finishing 3rd� He swaps his 2-stroke Fantic for a GASGAS 250cc 4-stroke, which given his size, might just suit him more than his previous steed�

Team VHR KTM

Opting for just one rider in MX2 this year, VHR will push its weight behind Scotty Verhaeghe� The French rider placed 15th in EMX250 after missing the first four rounds of the season in 2022� A new team in the paddock, JM Racing Astra will provide an opportunity for Muhammad Delvintor Alfariz� The Indonesian rider has experienced MX2 as a wildcard in the past, and will no doubt look forward to his two home GP’s at Sumbawa (June 25) and Lombok (July 2)� In terms of logistics, Astra comes from Honda Astra in Indonesia and will operate under the Jacky Martens awning, hence the JM Racing in the team description, and it’s foreseen that Alfariz will contest only the European and Indonesian rounds�

Team Leoparden Racing

Another privateer outfit, with Leopold Ambjörnson as its sole rider� From the eight rounds that he contested, Leopold scored in both races at six of those events, with his best finish being at the penultimate round at Saint Jean d’Angely where he placed 15th in race two�

The opening round of the 2023 FIM Motocross World Championship kicks off on the weekend of 11th/12th March with the MXGP of Patagonia-Argentina where you can watch all of the action LIVE on www�mxgp-tv�com