MXGP #118 2023

NEWORANGE ARMY

CONTENT

P.20RACING CATCH UP

MONSTER GIRLS P.40

P.44 TEAM OF THE MONTH COOL SHOT P.10

P.62

HALL OF

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 #118 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).

Dear MXGP Friends,

We have just passed the equator of the 2023 season, and four more Grand Prix have been completed since the last edition of the magazine!

In MX2, the injury of Jago Geerts opened the field for 5 riders to fight for the title, Andrea Adamo is still leading after Lombok, in second position Thibault Benistant is just 24 points away and then Kay De Wolf, Stefan Everts and Roan Van de Moosdijk are in 71 points! Jago on his side made his return in Germany and he is pushing to come back on the top of the classification, being 4th with 441 points, just 47 points away from Adamo. The MNC MXGP of Sumbawa will remain in the history of the sport as the first victory for Lucas Coenen in MX2 at 16 years old! The MX2 class is really amazing this year and all of them have a chance to be crown World Champion!

In MXGP Jeffrey Herlings, after his victory in Latvia, was closing the gap on Jorge Prado, but the Dutch rider suffered an injury in Germany that will keep him away from racing for some weeks. Jorge Prado took the victory in Teutschenthal and increased his gap on top of the lead. In Indonesia Romain Febvre brought his Kawasaki on the first step of the podium in Sumbawa and Lombok,

winning for the first time since months. Romain Febvre is stepping on the second position of the MXGP classification with 103 points behind Jorge Prado.

MXGP was back to Indonesia for a double Grand Prix for the first time since Covid times, and once again the welcome from the authorities, the local people and all the motocross fans from the country was unforgettable. The overseas Grand Prix have a very important part in the MXGP World Championship. Since the time Youthstream and now Infront Moto Racing is managing the rights of the championship back in 1996, it has been in our objectives to grow the sport in new countries that are in demand of such events. South America and Asia are places where Motocross has a great future. Argentina was amazing and the two GP in Sumbawa and Lombok

confirmed that Indonesia is also a country of motorsport enthusiasts!

Most of the time, outside Europe, the Grand Prix are part of a global strategy from the governments to grow the interest of people into the sports, to improve their infrastructure and to bring coverage and popularity to their regions and country. On top of that, Indonesia is one of the largest and most dynamic countries when we talk about motorcycle market, and the motorsport development goes automatically with the passion of bike customers. We will continue to enlarge the diversity of Overseas Grand Prix based on this logic. I really want to thank the Indonesian fans, the organizer, the region of West Nusa Tenggara and the Indonesian authorities that supported two great Grand Prix back to back in the most beautiful area of the country.

Now we are back in Europe, for the very typical and historical Grand Prix of Czech Republic in Loket. During this weekend, more than 280 riders will participate in the different categories, as we will have the final of the EMX65cc and EMX85cc European Championship, the EMX 2 Stroke Cup and the MXE with the MX2 and MXGP!

It will be a weekend full of action !

See you in Loket!

David Luongo CEO of Infront Moto Racing

THE OVERSEAS GRAND PRIX HAVE A VERY IMPORTANT PART IN THE MXGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP.

COOLSHOTS

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FOXHOLESHOT

COMPLETELY RELAUNCHED COMPETITION

A

IN MOTOCROSS, MORE THAN IN OTHER SPORTS, NOTHING IS EVER A FOREGONE CONCLUSION. INDEED, THE LEADER OF THE RACE HAS NO GUARANTEE OF WINNING UNTIL THE LAST CORNER. THAT’S EVEN LESS THE CASE WHEN IT’S TIME TO LEAVE THE GATE AND ENTER THE FIRST BEND IN THE LEAD. THAT’S WHY THE FOX HOLESHOT IS A MUCH MORE COMPLICATED ACHIEVEMENT OF WHAT IT LOOKS.

Prado under threat

In MXGP, all the certainties of yesterday have turned into questions today. The first of these concerns Jorge Prado’s domination in the Fox Holeshot. Indeed, at the end of the Trentino Grand Prix, the Spaniard seemed to have a comfortable lead on this exercise. But then, three rounds later, he was caught by Jeremy Seewer, who was keen to make up for his rather mixed start to the season. So, at the Grand Prix in Latvia in Kegums, the GasGas rider had to work hard to regain his lead in the competition. The result: two races and two white lines crossed first for Prado, who was once again expected to dominate the discipline. But Glenn Coldenhoff and Jeremy Seewer, both Yamaha riders, were determined to prove the speed of their bikes. At Teutschenthal, Seewer took the first black plate; his 7th of the season, which placed him just one point behind JP61 before the trip to Indonesia. Coldenhoff followed in his teammate’s footsteps in the 2nd German round.

Romain Febvre, like at home

At the arrival on the island of Sumbawa, all the eyes were turned towards the two leaders of the exercise, but that wasn’t the place to look. One man made the show all by himself, winning the Grand Prix and crossing the white line first twice in a row: it was Romain Febvre. The Frenchman shone like never before on Indonesian soil and the following week on the island of Lombok, although he couldn’t snatch another Fox Holeshot, he nevertheless confirmed that he was back to his best by winning this 11th round of the season. Valentin Guillod, one of the men in form now, took the Holeshot in the first race, while Glenn Coldenhoff added a third black plate to his record this season at the start of the second. So, at the time of returning to the old continent, any good master of the discipline that he may be, Jorge Prado is more threatened than ever by Jeremy Seewer. It remains to be seen how the Galician will manage the pressure of the competition in the next Grand Prix, as he has never really suffered from competition since 2017.

All bets are off

In MX2 it is not easy to predict the outcome of the season, both in terms of the World Championship title and the Winner of the Fox Holeshot. Indeed, 11 riders have acquired at least one black plate, for as many rounds already completed: that’s one new rider per Grand Prix. For a time, Jago Geerts’ leadership seemed almost acquired, at least until the Grand Prix of Trentino. But in the following GPs, it was Simon Laengenfelder who was rather comfortable in the Holeshot exercise, especially at Agueda and Arroyomolinos. In Villars-sous-Ecot, Geerts had to deal with an injury which completely revived the debates. Roan Van de Moosdijk and Lucas Coenen honored the Fox brand at the Latvian Grand Prix, and then, in exceptional form, Liam Everts completed a remarkable hat-trick of victories at the German Grand Prix, taking both Holeshots and winning the first GP of his young career. Achievements to which Geerts had to react when he landed in Indonesia. This was partially the case as he managed to take the black plate in Race 1 at Sumbawa, and Red Bull KTM rider Sacha Cohen took second one. A week later, the number 93 distinguished himself this time in Race 2, while his teammate Rick Elzinga was the best starter in the first run. Is this a sign that the Belgian Yamaha rider is feeling better and that he’s back on track? Only time will tell.

RACINGCATCHUP

CHALLENGING ROAD-TRIP

JUNE WILL UNDOUBTEDLY REMAIN THE MOST UNFORGETTABLE MOMENT OF THE SEASON FOR THE MXGP AND MX2 RIDERS. AT LEAST FOR THOSE WHO TOOK PART IN THE TRIP TO INDONESIA. THE WELCOME THEY RECEIVED ON THE ISLANDS OF SUMBAWA AND LOMBOK WAS LIKE NOTHING THEY HAD EXPERIENCED BEFORE. BUT BEFORE THAT, THE LATVIAN AND GERMAN STAGES WERE FULL OF SURPRISES.

On arrival in Kegums, the weather wasn’t exactly ideal. And yet, the skies seemed azure for the Red Bull KTM team whose leader, Jeffrey Herlings, had just achieved a historic performance in Spain: breaking the record for the number of Grand Prix victories, held until then by the legend Stefan Everts. Unfortunately, some ‘technical’ misadventures at the French GP broke the dynamics of the Dutchman, as he continued to pick up precious points in the 2023 World Championship standings and gradually instilled doubt in the head of the solid leader at the start of the season, Jorge Prado. Thus, the number 84 continued his winning ways in Latvia, and in style. A double victory - his second of the season - for a 103rd Grand Prix in his record books, while taking 9 points off Jorge Prado before heading to Germany. And we can even say a triple victory, with his

first win coming in the RAM Qualifying Race. It must be said that it came down to very little between Herlings and Prado, and the intensity of this qualifying race sums up pretty well the degree of rivalry between these two men. For the time being, it was the Dutchman who won, less than a second ahead of the Spaniard. Ruben Fernandez crossed the finish line third... 16 seconds later. Victory could only go to one of the two in this 8th Round of the World Championship, but in what order?

In race one Jeffrey Herlings made a mistake which cost him a few seconds at the start of the heat, but he didn’t give up and after a few laps, the Dutchman was once again sticking on the train of the Spaniard, whom he finally managed to overtake on lap 14, to finish 7 seconds ahead with the best time recorded on the track. Behind this titanic clash, Ruben Fernandez rode a very good race to take 3rd place, ahead of Glenn Coldenhoff and Calvin Vlaanderen. Romain Febvre got off to a poor start and finished 6th, ahead of Jeremy

Seewer, Alberto Forato, Brian Bogers and Alessandro Lupino, who completed the top 10.

The second race was contested in difficult conditions after the rain had passed. After a good start, Romain Febvre took control of the race on lap 4, getting the better of Jorge Prado. Herlings followed him. At a good distance from the Kawasaki rider, he waited for the most opportune time, 4 laps from the finish, to start an overtaking movement which Febvre could not respond to. The Frenchman finished 2nd, 4 seconds behind the KTM rider, but nearly 15 seconds ahead of Jorge Prado. On the GP podium, the roles were reversed between Febvre and Prado, who took the 2nd place ahead of number 3 from Kawasaki.

In MX2, Kay de Wolf opened his Grand Prix victory counter. Of course, the Nestaan Husqvarna rider had already won GP rounds, but he had never stood on the highest step of an MX2 podium. Now it’s done, with a 1-1-1 record, like his compatriot in the top category, and as a bonus the red plate as leader of the MX2 World Championship, despite

being snatched by Andrea Adamo in qualifying race. At Kegums the young man demonstrated that the Dutch riders’ fondness for sandy tracks was far from a myth. From the RAM Qualifying Race, with his teammate Roan Van de Moosdijk, he made sure to send a clear message to his rivals: this weekend will be his. And even though Thibault Benistant tried to put up some resistance in Race 1, the French rider had to give in to the Dutchman’s onslaught on lap 7 and was unable to retake the lead after that. Roan Van de Moosdijk tried to play his own card at the start of the race, but he was relegated to 3rd position and finished almost 30 seconds behind his teammate, ahead of Liam Everts and Andrea Adamo.

In the following race Thibault Benistant crashed due to the challenging conditions of the track due to the weather, and lost any hope of victory that weekend. Lucas Coenen took the lead, ahead of teammates Kay de Wolf and Roan Van de Moosdijk. One by one, the Husqvarna boys made mistakes which had no effect on the already established Top 3, but which ultimately benefited number 74, who was delighted to take 50 new points and win the Latvian round. Andrea Adamo crossed the finish line in 4th place, ahead of Kevin

Horgmo. Thibault Benistant, Mikkel Haarup, Liam Everts, Oriol Oliver and Isak Gifting occupied places 5 to 10. Before heading off to Germany, Kay de Wolf was able to savor the first Grand Prix of her career, winning ahead of Roan Van de Moosdijk and Thibault Benistant.

From happiness to nightmare

As they were setting down in Teutschenthal, two hours South-West of Berlin, a question was running through the minds of the most astute MXGP observers: would this weekend see Jeffrey Herlings take the lead of the championship? The answer came quickly. A comfortable victory of the RAM Qualifying Race for Jorge Prado left the Red Bull KTM rider almost 10 seconds behind him. Only Jeremy Seewer, on his factory Yamaha, tried to thwart the Spaniard’s plans, without much success. Worse. While leading in Race 1, Herlings crashed heavily with 3 laps to go. Quickly in third position behind Jeremy Seewer and Jorge Prado, the Dutch rider had done the hard part by overtaking the Spaniard and then the Swiss rider in the second half of the race. However, the German track proved to be refractory to any inattention, and Herlings paid the price. He nevertheless crossed the finish line in 20th place, while suffering, but was unable to take part in Race 2 due to a suspected injury in his neck. This incident opened the door to victory for Jorge Prado, ahead of Jeremy Seewer and Ruben Fernandez. Glenn Coldenhoff and Alberto Forato finished respectively 4th and 5th, while Romain Febvre, who suffered a crash at the start of the race, took 6th place. Calvin Vlaanderen, Valentin Guillod, Mitch Evans and German Tom Koch took the last 4 places in the Top 10.

In Race 2, Glenn Coldenhoff distinguished himself by making the best start. However, Jorge Prado followed well behind the Dutchman, as did Romain Febvre, Ruben Fernandez and Valentin Guillod. Jeremy Seewer crashed out in the first meters, making Alberto Forato and Alessandro Lupino collateral victims. But the Swiss rider managed to climb back into the Top 5 by the end of the race, passing the Kawasaki of Mitch Evans with three laps to go. The other Kawasaki rider, Romain Febvre, also crashed, for the second time that weekend. The Frenchman quickly passed Evans, and halfway through the race, he made light work of Ruben Fernandez to move up to 3rd place. In front, Jorge Prado finally attacked in the final laps after having stayed in Glenn Coldenhoff’s slipstream for more than 25 minutes and - no doubt - pushed the Dutchman under

pressure into a fault. This enabled him to take the lead of the race and claim his second win of the day. With JH84 out, Prado secured his second win of the season, going 1-1-1. But above all, after this 9th round, the Spaniard was 67 points clear of his main rival, still 2nd while pending a potential date of return...

In the other category, Jago Geerts’ return from injury seemed to be the event of the weekend, after missing the GP of Kegums, but the Belgian was finally eclipsed by one of his compatriots: Liam Everts. The son of legend Stefan Everts won the first Grand Prix of his career in Germany, ahead of Andrea Adamo and Thibault Benistant. And yet, a third Belgian could have made the difference, as Lucas Coenen came within a whisker of the double. In the first race, Sacha’s twin, who started 3rd behind Roan Van de Moosdijkwinner of Saturday’s qualifying race - and Liam Everts, surprised everyone by quickly taking the lead and widening a considerable gap over the competition. Seven seconds ahead of Liam Everts, but 17 ahead of Andrea Adamo, who took a fine 3rd place. The Italian took advantage of the only fault committed by Roan Van de Moosdijk, to settle in the Top 3. Thibault Benistant did the same and took 4th position ahead of the Nestaan Husqvarna Rider. For his part, Jago Geerts grabbed 13th place.

In Race 2, Lucas Coenen quickly moved into the lead, ahead of Liam Everts and Jago Geerts, before Andrea Adamo and Thibault Benistant got the better of the Yamaha rider to move into 3rd and 4th place a few laps later. Halfway through, the leader of the race thought it was a bad joke when his bike definitely stalled in a corner, giving the lead to Liam Everts. With almost 10 seconds over his teammate Andrea Adamo at the end of the race, the number 72 was never troubled again. He won ahead of the Italian and Thibault Benistant. Mikkel Haarup took a good 4th place, in a duel with Roan Van de Moosdijk who finished 5th. Jan Pancar, Jago Geerts, Isak Gifting, Marcel Stauffer and Kay de Wolf, who was suffering from a foot injury, took part in the Top 10. Andrea Adamo took over the leadership of the MX2 world championship, 13 points ahead of Thibault Benistant and 17 points over Kay de Wolf.

Overseas

The next two rounds took the MXGP and MX2 troops to South-East Asia, to two of the 17,000 islands that make up Indonesia. And not the least welcoming. Sumbawa may not be the best known of the archipelago, but it is one of the best examples of Indonesian generosity, so often praised by explorers of this part of the world. And on Friday, the Welcome Event confirmed this. A ceremo-

ny beginning with traditional dances at the Regent office, followed by speeches by the organizers and the island’s governors. But the best was yet to come. The entire delegation was invited to parade through the city’s main thoroughfares to meet the locals, in horse-drawn carriages pulled by amazing little horses, or on bicycles to get as close as possible to local traditions. A princely welcome, not to say royal. So many handshakes, so many smiles, so many shouts of joy… 10 minutes of enchantment to get to the Palace and be welcomed once again by a conquered crowd. After the official photo, it was time for an impromptu autograph session and a few selfies. But as the sun began to set, everyone was reminded that there was a competition the following day.

In the absence of Jeffrey Herlings, Jorge Prado was the most expected rider to be at the top. We especially saw Romain Febvre authoritative and aggressive on his bike, the number 3 tamed his opponents in the RAM Qualifying Race, which he won 2 seconds ahead of Jeremy Seewer and 4 ahead of Glenn Coldenhoff. On Sunday, he put an end to his bad luck and won his first Grand Prix of the season. More importantly, he tasted the joys of victory again almost two years after his last success on the world circuit; it was in Belgium in August 2021. In Race 1, the Frenchman took the lead from the first corner, chased by Jorge Prado, Mitch Evans, Jeremy Seewer and Glenn Coldenhoff. His Australian teammate, no doubt still lacking competition, was soon demoted from the top 3, to the benefit of the Yamaha Seewer-Coldenhoff duo. Despite a gap of nearly 6 seconds over the championship leader, Romain Febvre remained under pressure and the track played a nasty trick on him. On lap 13, the rider lost control of his Kawasaki, and with it a handful of seconds. That was all JP61 needed to take 1st place and the race victory. The native of Epinal, in France, ended with a 2nd position ahead of Jeremy Seewer. Glenn Coldenhoff and Ruben Fernandez finished just off the top three.

In Race 2, like a taste of deja vu, it was Romain Febvre who took the Fox Holeshot. Behind him, Valentin Guillod got off to an excellent start, ahead of Jorge Prado, Ruben Fernandez and Calvin Vlaanderen. However, the HRC rider was unlucky to fall in the 4th corner, dragging Benoit Paturel down with him. Both men left outside the top 10. But it was in front that everything was decided, particularly with Valentin

Guillod losing ground and Prado, Vlaanderen and Seewer overtaking him halfway through. At the same time, Glenn Coldenhoff also tried to play his card and catch Calvin Vlaanderen and Jeremy Seewer. But in the end, the number 259 crashed hitting the rear of the Gebben Van Venrooy Yamaha rider. He eventually remained on 5th place. Jeremy Seewer and Jorge Prado were riding really close, but finally the Swiss rider was able to overtake the GasGas rider to finish 2nd behind Romain Febvre. Calvin Vlaanderen took 4th place. Ruben Fernandez finally came back from his troubles to take 6th place. Mitch Evans, Alberto Forato, Valentin Guillod and Alvin Ostlund took places 7-10. In any case, Romain Febvre was back to winning ways, and this augured well for the Frenchman before the second round of the Indonesian tour.

In MX2, the spectrum of the missed rendezvous at Teutschental did not haunt the mind of Lucas Coenen for long. 1-1-1 for the Belgian rider, who therefore displayed all his speed from the RAM Qualifying Race. In the first heat, it was Jago Geerts who made the best start ahead of Liam Everts and Lucas Coenen. A 100% Belgian leading trio, which quickly turned into a duo, Geerts falling in the lap 2. Then, Liam Everts took the lead ahead of Lucas Coenen. Rick Elzinga tried to follow, in vain. He knocked himself out of the top 5 halfway through the race, overtaken by Laengenfelder, Adamo and Geerts. So, Coenen decided to act in the final laps. Attentive to the way of riding of his compatriot and rival, he tried several times on the inside of the young Red Bull driver, before managing to overtake him with two laps to go. Liam Everts couldn’t do anything and left him the race win. At the same time, Simon Laengenfelder made a mistake that cost him the 3rd place. Andrea Adamo overtook him and climbed to third ahead of the German and Jago Geerts.

In the 2nd race, it was the other Coenen, Sacha, who took the lead in the 1st corner, but he lost it during the first downhill. Jago Geerts, Simon Laengenfelder and Kevin Horgmo made the show behind. From lap 2, Geerts took 2nd position, overtaking Sacha Coenen. Championship leader Andrea Adamo fell in the opening minutes and was outside the Top 15. Liam Everts also crashed in a corner, but was able to restart 6th, eventually taking 2nd place behind Lucas Coenen, who already had more than 10 seconds advantage. Later, Simon Laengenfelder also saw Indonesian soil up close. The Red Bull GasGas rider was outside the top 10. The end of the race was difficult, especially for Jago Geerts who was under pressure from Thibault Benistant, but the number 93 firmly

held on to 3rd place to offer a Belgian triplet on the podium. Coenen-Everts-Geerts, the same three guys at the top of the Sumbawa GP standings. 16-year-old Lucas Coenen granted himself the right to dream bigger.

The prolonged magic

Three days off it’s never much, but when you get them in certain places then, quality easily replaces quantity. Seeing the photos posted by most riders on their social media, this theory could easily be verified. And to help them return to competition smoothly, the local organizer had planned new festivities. Therefore, a dinner was organized two days before the RAM Qualifying Race, for which the red carpet was literally rolled out, with photographers, local orchestra, and welcoming committee in traditional dress. Enough to overshadow the most prestigious festivals on the planet. A few speeches were made later, and it was finally from the plates that the best came, with a buffet of a thousand flavors. And to digest, what better than a dance? Some riders and team members were invited to wiggle on the track by a troupe of Indonesian dancers and they clearly got into the game.

The party over, Motocross resumed its rights. On the site of the former Lombok airport, converted into a circuit, Jorge Prado was the first to show himself, by finishing the RAM Qualifying Race ahead of Ruben Fernandez and Romain Febvre; the three men being separated by only 4 seconds. The rest of the competition was going to be tighter. On Sunday, Romain Febvre had the best start in Race 1, ahead of Ruben Fernandez, Jeremy Seewer, Jorge Prado and Valentin Guillod. Seewer quickly fell after being overtaken by Jorge Prado. He restarted 5th behind his teammate Glenn Coldenhoff. Overtaken by Paturel and Vlaanderen, the other Swiss, Valentin Guillod managed to return to 6th position behind Coldenhoff, who set the fastest lap on the track. Before halfway, Ruben Fernandez crashed while he was in 2nd place. The Spaniard was 4th behind Prado and Coldenhoff, before almost going off the road, which Jeremy Seewer took advantage of. He eventually finished 5th. With 3 laps to go, Romain Febvre, 6 seconds ahead of Jorge Prado, saw the Galician coming back to his wheel, and in the following lap, the championship leader made a strong attack. JP61 crossed the finish line first ahead of Febvre, Coldenhoff, Seewer and Fernandez.

In the second heat, Valentin Guillod took

his first Fox Holeshot of the season, but it was Jorge Prado who immediately took the lead ahead of Romain Febvre. The Kawasaki rider lost two places in the first waves section, but only temporarily. At the end of the first lap, while chasing Prado, the Frenchman left the track on a jump, he lost a few seconds but did not lose places. A few laps later, the number 3 came back into the GasGas rider’s draft and took the lead of the race. Behind, Glenn Coldenhoff managed to stop his teammate Jeremy Seewer at the end of the race, to take 3rd position. The Swiss and Ruben Fernandez shared the last two places in the Top5. Anyway, back-to-back victories for Romain Febvre, who has made Indonesia his land of conquest.

On its side, the MX2 class comes down to one name: Jago Geerts. The Belgian has let his opponents know that his left wrist injury is a distant memory. He flew through the RAM Qualifying Race, finishing 4 seconds ahead of Husqvarna rider Roan Van de Moosdijk and 8 seconds ahead of Simon Laengenfelder. Race 1 was not that different. Despite the Fox Holeshot obtained by his teammate Rick Elzinga, the number 93 quickly took the lead, leaving a nice gap between him and the rest of the pack. Behind, Andrea Adamo tried to follow in 2nd position. The battle was played out between Roan Van de Moosdijk and Simon Laengenfelder, to grab 3rd place. The Dutchman got the last word. Kay de Wolf followed his teammate, leaving the German rider to close the Top 5.

At the start of the second race, Jago crossed the Fox Holeshot line first, but Simon Laengenfelder responded strongly, immediately taking the lead of the race. Regardless, the Belgian immediately reacted and regained leadership in the first lap. Behind him, Roan Van de Moosdijk also overtook Simon Laengenfelder, from lap 2. Andrea Adamo tried to follow, but the Italian fell and was 6th behind Lucas Coenen. In the second part of the heat, the KTM rider worked hard to catch up and then overtake Lucas Coenen, Roan Van de Moosdijk and Liam Everts. A feat that allowed him to grab 3rd place, but it was Jago Geerts, fist in the air, who won this second round ahead of Simon Laengenfelder. Liam Everts and Lucas Coenen finished respectively 4th and 5th. In the Grand Prix standings, Jago Geerts edged out Andrea Adamo and Simon Laengenfelder, but the Italian remained leader of the standings, ahead of Thibault Benistant and Kay de Wolf. Is this a sign that the Yamaha Belgian rider can still dream of the red plate again? We are not there yet...

@MXGPOfficial reached 200K Followers. Thank you!

MXGP is very happy to share that the official MXGP TikTok page has reached 200,000 followers in just a few months which is remarkable. The page has also accumulated 2.7 million likes!

@MXGPOfficial TikTok has seen a quick rise in 2023 which is down to the exclusive content, behind-thescenes and action clips that give fans a closer and immersive look into the world of MXGP. TikTok gives fans a well-round and real perspective of what is happening during Grand Prix weekends from a different angle on top of highlights, celebrations and much more.

Infront Moto Racing is delighted to keep expanding MXGP’s presence across the most influential social media platforms to touch new audiences and introduce this fabulous and thrilling sport of motocross! Fans are making this sport exceptional and we are here to offer you the best of MXGP.

Not following MXGP on TikTok? You can do it HERE!

THANKS to all our Amazing Fans!

MXGPSOCIAL

@liam_everts72

P1 GP WIN !!!!

What a day two holeshots and a race win super happy thanks to the hole team for the great work! We did this together @ktmfactoryracing

@yamahafactorymx2

@mxgp

@romainfebvre

Ride good all weekend long and almost made prefect Sunday (small crash first moto).

Good points at championship and I will give everything I’ve to keep championship alive!

@mattguada101 tough times never last, only tough people last #bodemidemi

A hard fought podium for @jagogeerts93in Sumbawa. Riding with fever he got third overall going 5-3 in the motos. @thibaultbenistant198 finished fifth overall and closes in on the championship lead being only 5 points behind.

Back on TOP with Jeremy Seewer | MXGP 2023: Let’s follow Jeremy Seewer’s journey to the top step of the MXGP podium at the MXGP of France 2023!

@glenncoldenhoff

Went 4-2 for 2nd overall

Slowly getting there again

Thanks team

@tiga243

Back for MXGP of LoketCzech Republic CAN’T WAIT

@jorgeprado61

If this year they asked me how I would have liked to get to the GP of Spain I would definitely have signed this.

Hope we can enjoy an awesome weekend. I will do everything in my power to make it so

@rubenfernandez70

How nice to be back on the podium and even more so when he’s at home. By far the best fans, grateful to each and every one of you

GoPro Lap | MNC MXGP of Sumbawa Indonesia 2023: Jump on board with home hero Delvintor Alfarizi for a lap around MXGP of Sumbawa-Indoensia track!

News Highlights | MNC MXGP of Lombok Indonesia 2023: Watch all the best actions of the MXGP and MX2 classes in the News Highlights of the day!

@s72forever Best Father’s Day ever!! Thanks “liamski”

MONSTERGIRLS

MONSTERGIRLS

TEAM OFTHEMONTH

TITLENEW ORANGE ARMY

THERE IS NO DENYING, THAT FOR THE PAST FIFTEEN YEARS, KTM HAS BEEN THE BRAND TO BEAT IN THE FIM MX2 MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, WINNING 13 OF THE LAST 15 WORLD TITLES ON OFFER SINCE 2008.

During that same period, the Austrian marque also went 1-2 in the overall standings no fewer than five times, and even recorded a 1-2-3 back in 2013 as well. In short, KTM has become very accustomed to winning, and winning big! But what happens when its star player for the past few years, Tom Vialle, vacates the class for a move across the pond and the team is forced to bring in new blood? This was the dilemma that KTM was faced with heading into the 2023 season, but as we head into the second half of the campaign, things aren’t looking too bad for the new orange army.

Coming into the 2023 season the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing MX2 Team underwent a major facelift with no fewer than 8 personnel

changes, which included three new riders making up its entire racing effort: Andrea Adamo, Liam Everts and Sacha Coenen, and a new team manager in the form of Antonio Cairoli.

In years past, KTM would enter a new season with riders who had either won or placed top three in races, finished on the podium or even won GP’s and world titles, but prior to the opening round in Argentina, only one of KTMs new riders had finished on the podium, when Andrea Adamo placed 2nd overall in Mantova, round two in 2022. Outside of that, Liam Everts had won a couple of EMX125 races and an overall, with Sacha Coenen taking a single race win in Germany in 2021 in EMX125. KTM though has a proven track record in turning relative unknowns into world beater’s, the last of which was Tom Vialle, who KTM plucked

from obscurity and went on to win two titles in four years.

Since that opening round in Argentina, this young team has gone from strength to strength. Adamo came away with his second career podium, a 2nd overall thanks to a brace of 3rd place finishes. In Switzerland, round three, he placed 2nd again, and in Trentino, round four, the ‘80’ finally graced the top step of the podium to win his first grand prix with a consistent 2-2. Joining him on the podium that day was his teammate Liam Everts, who took 2nd overall with a 3-3. Four rounds in and the new kids on the block had brought home a 1-2 for KTM and the new team manager, Antonio Cairoli.

Speaking about his new role, and Adamo’s first win, the Sicilian recently commented ‘it’s a new experience for me and I have a lot of things to learn on the management side, but I can learn quickly. For Adamo to win in Trentino was really fantastic

and it showed he can really handle the pressure, and that’s a good sign for the championship because (as a rider) you need to deal a lot with this kind of things. Also, for myself, to have another Sicilian guy on the line is something special because it never happened before. He’s doing good and hopefully he can keep this momentum.’

Momentum

From the first four GP’s, Adamo had landed on the podium no fewer than three times, including that memorable victory on home soil at Trentino, and with podiums in Spain and France it was clear that consistency was playing a pivotal role in how the Sicilian’s season was shaping up. And when points leader Jago Geerts fell in the RAM Qualifying Race in France, Adamo was suddenly just one point behind the Belgian, as we headed to Latvia. Suddenly, the role that the point-scoring qualifying races was on full display, and after a disappointing 8th place finish, those 3 points earned were enough to give Adamo his first

Red Plate in MX2. By the end of the weekend though, it was in the hands of Kay De Wolf, the number ‘80’ acknowledging that he wasn’t quite prepared for this scenario.

Since then, whilst it’s not been easy, Adamo has been able to navigate his Red Plate path with a bit more conviction and as we left Lombok, he had increased his lead over Thibault Benistant to 26 points. With a one week break before we resume in Loket, Czech Republic, Adamo will be hoping to maintain his consistency and momentum in order to keep his title hopes on track, something which team manager Cairoli knows will not be easy:

‘So far, he’s doing good, of course when you have the Red Plate it’s never easy, everybody is on you and you can make some small mistakes, but overall, we are happy.’

Out of the Shadows

It’s not just Andrea who is having a great season. Enter Liam Everts. When your grandfather is Harry Everts - a four-time world champion, and your father is the G.O.A.T Stefan Everts with 10 world titles, then growing up wanting to be a racer with the name EVERTS on the back of your race jersey is never going to be easy.

A bronze medal in the EMX85cc European Championship in 2018 behind Camden McLellan and Kay De Wolf was Liam’s first real step on the ladder, and this was followed by 6th overall in the EMX125 championship a year later. By 2020 the ‘72’ was ready for a shot at the EMX125 title, and at the opening round in Matterley Basin, he went 1-1 for his first race wins and overall victory. Injury soon afterwards scuppered his title chances and since then, he was forced to work his way up from the bottom rung of the ladder once more, from EMX250 to where he is now in MX2.

In 2021 he placed 7th in EMX250 with a podium (3rd) at Oss in Holland, and when he moved to MX2 in 2022, a 4th in Spain was

his best finish. And yet, because he wasn’t winning races, taking overall victories or standing on the podium, many were quick to suggest that he was biting off more than he could chew, that he wasn’t going to make it and that the burden of the Everts name was maybe just a bit too heavy for him to handle. So, when Red Bull KTM brought him in to the fray for this season, there were a few raised eyebrows to say the least.

But this kid has grown up with this situation all his life, and not once has it seemed like it fazed him. Maybe at the start of this season you might be able to accuse him of wanting it too badly, or tyring too hard - both scenario’s forcing him to make mistakes, but since Portugal, we have really seen him grow into his role as a factory rider. His first podium in Trentino meant he could breathe a huge sigh of relief and upon reflection remembers that ‘I was more happy than Andrea actually! I was so happy; it was such a big weight lifted off my shoulders and it was something very nice and something I will never forget.’

When he landed his second podium (3rd) in France, it helped consolidate that he was worthy of his place on the team, and that he wasn’t there ‘because he was the son of …!’ So, when he won the German GP with a race win in the final race of the day, history had been made once more.

‘It’s very nice to win that first one, I didn’t expect it to come in Teutschenthal; I’ve had a bit of an up and down relationship there. It was nice to get that race win out of the way too; I didn’t expect it, I just got into that situation and in race one actually, I was in 1st for a little while too, and Lucas was behind, but I just sort of cramped up because I’m not used to being in that situation. And then in race two, I think I executed it perfectly. Andrea was close, about four seconds back, and I knew the next three laps would be crucial after Lucas had the bike failure, and that’s what I did. I just managed the gap from that point.’

Did it help that he had had a couple of podiums going into Germany?

‘For sure, because getting that podium (in Trentino), which last year was close but just not making it on a few occasions, getting that out of the way was a big relief already and clicking that off, to know I could do it. And then doing it again in Villars, the next one then was actually winning a GP.’

‘I was not actually so focussed on doing that, was just going racing and getting more experience, seeing every race how it comes just going, going, going and then all of a sudden it came very quick. It was very relieving, especially with the pressure of being a third generation, so it’s nice that it’s lifted.’

And there it is! The mention of being ‘third generation’ has obviously been at the forefront of his mind for so long, but it’s how he has dealt with it that is actually more telling. Even the thought of being world champion this year is not something that is on his radar now he has won a GP. When asked if his goal had shifted, is it possible he could be challenging for the title, is that the goal now?

His response was matter of fact: ‘No! Not at all. I just go at it and, I mean, I’m not saying my job is done; I’m a winners’ type and every weekend I want to go out and win, but that was not my goal coming into the season and it’s not my goal now. If I would even get close to that then that’s only a bonus. I’m just focussing on each weekend as it comes and I’m not looking at that at all.’

As for Cairoli, he acknowledges the history and all that goes with it, and he can see that he has a mature head on young shoulders:

‘Liam has a lot of pressure on him, but finally he started showing up and is going really good. He is a really grown-up kid, he knows what he wants and he does things a lot by himself and if it works, he knows what he wants and his mind is clear. Of course, it helps to have such a big package of help in the background, and if he is smart, he will just take what he needs.’

Making Gains

As for the third rider on the squad, the numbers don’t tell the whole story. It’s very easy to look at Sacha Coenen’s 15th place in the standings and come to the conclusion he’s not cut out for MX2. Add to that his twin brother Lucas has already won a GP in his rookie season and as always, the Negative Nancy’s are quick to stick the boot in. The reality is so much different though. Sacha missed the first four GP’s due to a collarbone injury a week before the opening round in Argentina. When you line up at round five and everybody is already at ‘race speed’ it takes time

to find your feet and bring yourself up to that same level. Add to that, it’s his rookie season in MX2 and he’s just 16 yearsold. He’s also not the biggest rider on the grid, in fact he’s maybe one of the smallest.

As a rider though, he is exciting to watch and certainly not scared to find the limit, but that also comes with its downsides where mistakes can be made. There is maybe also the addition of pressure of being in a factory team at such a young age. As for how he deals with that going forward, you only need to look at Joel Smets (5 world titles) and team manager Tony Cairoli (9 titles) for that extra support, if needed. When asked about what advice he’d offered to Sacha to help deal with all those issues, Cairoli recently replied:

Sacha is really young, and we really need to keep him calm a lot of times because he wants to show what his potential is

actually, but he is still a little bit too young and too skinny for the bike. We try to help as much as possible, but he’s not an easy guy to fix on the bike, but he is doing really well lately and pretty soon he will be where he deserves to be.’

‘To be honest, (his brother) Lucas is on another level at the moment with the mental and strength and everything, and that’s what we tell Sacha; your time will come. Not everybody arrives learned, as we say in Italy. We know that Sacha’s skills are good, and he has a lot of technique and he is special for the sport. He is amazing and he trains hard, but it will take some time for him to be at the front. He just needs to stay away from injuries, that’s our advice, and enjoy the racing.’

Before the start of the season, Red bull KTM took a huge gamble with three new riders

who were maybe not on the radar, but as we saw with Tom Vialle, that’s exactly the way they like it. And so far, that gamble is paying off. As we head to round twelve in Czech Republic, Andrea Adamo enjoys a 26-point lead over his closest rival but more importantly, the Red Plate no longer seems to be the distraction that it was in Latvia.

Liam Everts sits in 5th and between him and Adamo, the ‘80’ and the ‘72’ have picked up 11 podiums, including two wins. If you’d have told Tony Cairoli that at the start of the season, he’d have taken that with both hands. But make no mistake, KTM is here to win; not just races and podiums, but world titles as well, and with Adamo leading, the new orange army is still very much in the hunt to add another title to its already impressive CV.

SPECIALFEATURE

FEATURE

THE INDONESIANOUTSTANDINGADVENTURE

THE INDONESIAN INTEREST FOR MOTOCROSS HAS INCREASED HUGELY OVER THE PAST YEARS AND THE FACT THAT THERE IS A DOUBLE HEADER IN INDONESIA IN THE 2023 FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IS NOT COINCIDENTAL AND HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH THE GROWING PASSION FOR THIS WONDERFUL AND SPECTACULAR SPORT.

Indonesia is known for being one of the biggest bike-crazed nations in the world and 2017 in Pangkal Pinang marked the return of MXGP in the country after 20 years. This comeback really triggered a spike of interest for the MXGP series. Since then, there have been double header Grand Prix in 2018 and 2019, and a Grand Prix in 2022. This year in 2023, MXGP went to Sumbawa for the second year in a row after an immense success in 2022, and headed to Lombok a week later to continue to satisfy the huge Indonesian fan base that grew to be one of the biggest following countries in MXGP. Excitingly, this love story is bound to continue for a while as MXGP has signed a contract until 2027 to comeback to the Southeast Asian country for the greater enjoyment of all the Indonesian fans.

Since 2017, the Championship series has travelled quite a bit around the Indonesian Archipelago of 277 million people. In 2018, it was Pangkal Pinang and Semarang in Central Java that hosted a round each, while in 2019 it was in Palembang in Sumatra and Semarang in Java. Throughout the years, the whole MXGP Family received the warmest welcome in every Indonesian venue that it visited. The way Indonesian people approach these events are very humbling with their kindness, respect and excitement.

Indonesia is the biggest Asian market for the bike industry, as over the past 10 years, 6 million bikes have been sold on average annually which speaks volume about the importance of this country for every Motorcycle brands. Indonesian live for motorcycle that is the nation’s prime vehicle for daily transport. The MXGP following respects the same trend with Indonesia being in the top five countries of every digital platform. Indonesia is one of the main following countries on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook, as we have a loyal and passionate community following us. For example, the milestone of 1.6 million Facebook followers from Indonesia, out of a total of 3.1 million, speaks for itself, while Indonseia accounts for 20% of all videos viewed on the MXGPTV YouTube channel, placing it as the top following country together with USA. Besides these facts, local hero Delvintor Alfarizi and his team Astra Honda is taking part in the MX2 World Championship since the beginning of the 2023 season which is an additional point that shows the increasingly tight link between Indonesia and motocross. In that context, it is easy to understand the great link between MXGP and Indonesia, on top of the

incredible receptions experienced in all the Indonesian rounds.

The two rounds in Indonesia were also broadcasted LIVE by the Indonesian channels Champions TV, Moji and Vidio, which are covering the whole season until 2025, as well as broadcasting Behind The Gate. The large national coverage allowed the huge Indonesian following to watch the MXGP Series LIVE.

The island of Sumbawa was the first destination of the exciting double Indonesian round and hosted an MXGP event for the second time in its history. The presence of MXGP in the island is being proudly shown throughout the whole island, found down to stickers on moped throughout the island. The MNC MXGP of Sumbawa – Indonesia is the only international sports event on the island and all locals wait this moment for months. The grand opening ceremony showed this excitement with a traditional Indonesian dancing performance for the whole MXGP paddock and officials at the Regent Palace followed by speeches from Infront Moto Racing CEO David Luongo and FIM/CMS Director Antonio Alia Portela who have been welcomed by the Governor of West Nusa Tenggara Dr. H. Zulkieflimansyah S.E. M.SC, Major of the city of Sumbawa Drs H. Muhammad Abdullah and Mr.Ridwansyah Head of Public Works Department West Nusa Tenggara Province.

Following the welcome speeches, traditional horses and carriages, known as the CIDOMO, drove the MXGP riders and their team around town for a very memorable procession. Along with CIDOMO, traditional Indonesian bicycle were at the disposition of riders and guests to parade amongst the crowd. Thousands of people came to get a glimpse at riders and cheer as they passed by. The excitement demonstrated by locals is one of the most impressive things to witness, as these types of media event could go on for hours and hours and will still keep the same energy. The group photo in front of the temple of the Regent Palace was the opportunity for locals to come in contact with the riders in a wonderful atmosphere and many, many, many selfies and picture taken by children and parents with the athletes. Riders and the paddock in general could

measure the impact of the MXGP presence every day spent in the stunning Island of Sumbawa.

The MXGP collective was lucky this season with back-to-back Indonesian Grand Prix. The second round headed to the beautiful island of Lombok, as the whole MXGP paddock hopped from Sumbawa to Lombok for more delightful racings at the Selaparang circuit in the vibrant city of Mataram. The island of Lombok is already very famous for MotoGP and Superbike with the Mandalika Circuit in the south of Lombok, which shows that the passion for motorsports is already tested and huge given the array of bike advertising throughout the island. Surfing on that wave, a new sponsorship specifically for the MNC MXGP of Lombok-Indonesia marked the arrival of MXGP in Lombok with TDR High Performance Technology. The partnership with TDR reinforced the commitment to support the growth of motorsports in the region. In that context, motocross is now adding another successful motorsport that is followed by millions in the country.

The MNC MXGP of Lombok –Indonesia was launched on the Thursday evening with a Gala Dinner that was held at the Sangkareang Park Mataram, where riders, teams and the whole MXGP paddock were welcomed to the venue by traditional dancing and instrumental music from Lombok while they were ushered to their tables by traditionally clothed and elegant on locals.

Speeches ensued by the special guests David Luongo, Antonio Alia Portela and West Nusa Tenggara Governor Dr. H. Zulkieflimansyah, who were invited on the great stage to share their excitement to have MXGP in the stunning, warm and welcoming island of Lombok. Then, Mayor City of Mataram Mohan Roliskana gifted David Luongo and Antonio Alia Portela traditional handcrafted symbolic presents from West Nusa Tenggara in a gesture aimed at further bonding the future of MXGP in Indonesia.

The evening followed with a dinner where guests could eat and discover

delicious local food and delicacies while live music and traditional dancing were performed in front of everyone present as well as the hundreds of curious locals gathering around the event. The high-quality entertainment was captivating and traditional dancers even invited some lucky MXGP guests to experience and take part in the performance in a great and joyful atmosphere.

The enthusiasm was splendid from start to finish by the Indonesian fans, organizers and the whole island of Lombok and was even more palpable during the racing days on Saturday and Sunday. On the Sunday morning before the races, everyone present witnessed something really typical of Lombok which was the traditional dance and music performances on the starting grid during the Opening Ceremony.

The two Grand Prix welcomed a huge amount of national and local media during the weekends. While historically there has always been a big number of media following,

with two rounds over two weeks, the media showed up in even more numbers than usual which shows again the importance of MXGP in the country. Both events were overall also immense successes in term of attendance with a whopping 50,000 and 65,000 fans joining in Sumbawa ad Lombok respectively that is, if needed, another clue to what motocross means to Indonesia.

In both Sumbawa and Lombok, festivals were organised onsite along with the racing events. These festivals were another reason for locals to reach the MXGP events, as the dedicated areas were located next to the Paddock in both places with proper facilities put in place to welcome music shows all weekends long along with markets. Thousands of people reached the venues to also experienced these astonishingly joyful atmospheres. Needless to say, with thousands of people coming by scooters and motorcycles, the scenes of fields filled with a sea of

bikes were completely fitting with the motocross’ passion displayed by locals. These formidable festivals added to the sense of celebration of having international events in the region.

All in all, the doubleheader in Indonesia on the islands of Sumabawa and Lombok was an immense success that further cemented the strong and friendly relationship between MXGP and the whole of Indonesia. The welcomes and hospitalities of every local went above and beyond what we could expect which speaks volumes about the Indonesian approachable attitude towards the people who visit their regions and country. The reach of motocross throughout the whole nation is really tangible and with that incredible passion for the sport, the whole MXGP family can rest assured that it will always be embraced and welcomed by millions of fervent fans in Indonesia.

SECTIONNAME HALLOFFAME

TITLE

JOHAN BOONEN

BELGIUM HAS BEEN ONE OF THE LEADING COUNTRIES IN OUR MOTOCROSS WORLD IN THE 90’S, AND DURING FOURTEEN SEASONS JOHAN BOONEN CONTESTED THE 500CC WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, AND ONLY THE 500CC! WINNER OF TWO GP’S IN HIS CAREER AND FIVE TIMES IN THE TOP TEN OF THE SERIES WITH A FIFTH AS BEST RESULT IN 1993, JOHAN REMAINS INVOLVED IN THE SPORT AND THIS MONTH HE WILL BE THE ‘BOSS’ OF THE FLEMISH GP AT LOMMEL, WHERE HE HAS ALWAYS BEEN LIVING.

Born on 22nd February 1969 in Lommel, a place that at that time was not as famous as it is now, Johan has always been involved in motorsport, as his father was himself a motocross rider in the national Belgian series. Consequently, it was pretty natural that Johan jumped on a bike and entered his first race when he was 8 years old, and then he made little progress year by year to finally fight for a title in 1987. He lost the 250cc national title for a few points against Rik Claus, and then jumped on a 500cc bike to enter a marathon enduro. Since that race, he would never rider another bike than a 500cc!

Nephew of Jaak Van Velthoven, who was one of the top 500cc riders in the 70’s (thirteen wins at the Trophy and MX of Nations with team Belgian, and 5 GP wins), Johan could get some good pieces of advice from him and also some support, as Jaak was the KTM importer for Benelux. Johan

only 19 years old when he entered his first ever Grand Prix at Ruskeasanta, Finland, scoring three points that weekend. He did a few more GP’s in 1989, and the following year he was able to do a full season, scoring points in eight of the twelve rounds. Improving his results year by year in what was the most competitive class at that period, he obtained his first moto podium at Payerne (Switzerland) in 1991 and had a great 1992 season as he entered for the first time the top ten of the 500cc World Championship with a sixth overall, winning three motos and doing for the first time the twelve rounds of the series.

His best ever season was the one in 1993, as he improved his GP result with a fifth position and claimed the Belgian title. And for sure the best moment of his career was early that season at Sittendorf, Austria, when he won his first GP by finishing second of the three heats. Injured in 1994, he was back on a European bike in 1995 but struggled with

too many mechanical failures all season long. Fortunately, he was exempted of any problem at the tenth round of the season, which took place on the legendary track of Namur, at the Citadelle. Johan had been at this track with his father in many occasions to support his heroes, and in that occasion he did his best performance of the season winning the first moto and finishing runner up behind Joel Smets in the second race to win his second and last Grand Prix!

After finishing seventh in 1995, he continued racing GP’s and International races during six more seasons, scoring regularly top ten results until his retirement at the end of 2001. Afterwards he started being more involved in business and he started with the famous ‘Stop and Go’ shop at Lommel, then created DT1 Filters and became the organiser of the Grand Prix at Lommel. In fact, between Johan and the track of Lommel there’s a long history, as his grandfather bought a piece of land in the middle of nowhere to offer Johan some facilities for training. Today this track has a worldwide reputation, and since 2018 Johan is also the manager of the Belgian team at the Motocross of Nations, doing all these activities with the same passion!

1988: 40th in the 500 World Championship (KTM)

1989: 42nd in the 500 World Championship (KTM)

1990: 23rd in the 500 World Championship (KTM)

1991: 11th in the 500 World Championship (KTM)

1992: 6th in the 500 World Championship (Kawasaki)

1993: 5th in the 500 World Championship (Kawasaki). Win 1 GP

500 Belgian champion

1994: 15th in the 500 World Championship (Kawasaki)

1995: 7th in the 500 World Championship (Husqvarna). Win 1 GP

1996: 11th in the 500 World Championship (Husqvarna)

1997: 10th in the 500 World Championship (KTM)

1998: 10th in the 500 World Championship (Husqvarna)

1999: 20th in the 500 World Championship (Husqvarna)

2000: 25th in the 500 World Championship (KTM)

2001: 15th in the 500 World Championship (KTM)

Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

T ’S TIME TO GET

GNARLY!

joy of the wind in their face. Well, the all-new 2023 KTM 450 SX-F was engineered for something else entirely. So, if you’re serious about kicking ass,

PADDOCKTALKS

1 Jorge Prado and Simon Langenfelder on the back of the Cidomo, traditional horses and carriages during the openin event of the MNC MXGP of SumbawaIndonesia

2 Historical celebratory moment between the three generations of Everts on the podium after Liam Everts first MX2 Grand Prix victory in Germany.

3 Great Family photo with riders and officials at the entrance of the temple of the Regent Palace in Sumbawa directly after the incredible parade of the Friday Opening Ceremony

4 The tribute of Liam Everts in Germany to Rene Hoffer left too early. Reminding Hoffer’s first victory of Hoffer in Teutschenthal

5 Antonio Cairoli enjoying a boat trip with his family in between the Indonesian rounds of Sumbawa and Lombok

6 Alberto Forato enjoyed the beautiful and famous waterfalls of the island of Lombok.

7 Akira Watanabe paid a visit at the MNC MXGP of Sumbawa – Indonesia. Watanabe is the only Japanese rider to have won a FIM Motocross World Championship. It was in 1978 in 125cc.

8 Husqvarna Factory Racing and Nestaan-MX extended their successful partnership and ensured that Nestaan will continue t oact as Husqvarna Motorcycles’ official factory team.

9 Valenting Guillod and Emil Weckman posing with welcoming hosts during the Diner Gala in Mataram, Lombok

10 Jorge Prado visited the MotoGP & Superbike Circuit of Mandalika before heading to the Selaparang Circuit for the MNC MXGP of Lombok – Indonesia.

11 Antonio Cairoli, Lucas Coenen, Sacha Coenen and Andrea Adamo trying out the indonesia coconut water before the MNC MXGP of Lombok – Indonesia.

SPECIALFEATURE

TIM GAJSER 2015 HONDA CRF250R

IT’S NOT VERY OFTEN THAT MXGP MAGAZINE GETS TO WRITE A FEATURE ON A ‘VINTAGE’ BIKE OF HISTORICAL INTEREST WHEN ITS RIDER IS STILL COMPETING IN THE FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, BUT THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT WE HAVE THIS TIME AROUND. TIM GAJSER HAS WON EVERYTHING FROM EMX65/EMX85 TITLES, TO EMX125 AND JUNIOR WORLD TITLES TO MX2 AND MXGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, AND HE IS STILL GOING STRONG.

At the end of 2013 Tim signed with Giacomo Gariboldi Honda and placed 5th overall, and the following year he went on to win the MX2 title, and it’s his 2015 Honda CRF250R that we will feature in this issue of MXGP Magazine.

Prior to his move to Gariboldi Honda, the 2013 season saw Tim Gajser originally line up to contest the EMX250 championship for Marchetti Racing KTM, but after an 8th in the opening round - when EMX250 was just a one race per round series - Gajser switched to MX2 to gain experience in readiness for a potential shot at world championship glory. Tim competed in all but six rounds on

his way to 20th overall, his best finish was a 6th in race one at Bastogne in Belgium, and from there, it didn’t appear to be too many options going forward. Before the season was over though, Tim’s future had been secured, as he explains:

‘I did the Nations in Germany at the end of 2013 with KTMthat was my last race on that bike. Also, there we signed the contract with Gariboldi, so I think the following week we went down to Milan, Italy, where they had a workshop and we collected the bike.

In the beginning I rode with the 450cc from David Philippaerts, who was riding in MX1, so they gave me that one because I still had one race of the Slovenian Championship to do, so I did training, in the beginning let’s say on the 450cc and then

somewhere in the middle of November the new Honda 250cc came out. I got the 250cc for training during the winter.’

Casting his mind back to his first impressions of the Honda CRF250R, Tim remembers: ‘Wow, it’s already like 10 years ago, but I rode KTM for almost all the years until 2014 when I tried for the first time the Honda. So, it was actually the first time trying it at the end of 2013 let’s say, when I got the bikes. I immediately felt super good, especially the handling - I think Honda is one of the best - but back then, we know that Hondas were not the strongest bikes, so it was lacking a little bit of power, but about the handling, it was one of the best bikes I’d ever ridden.’

According to Massimo Castelli, who was chief mechanic at that time, explains that the 2014 CRF250 that Tim rode ‘was almost a complete standard bike, with some special parts. We had standard frame, standard linkage,

standard sub-frame and standard swingarm.’

‘And then we had factory wheels, factory triple clamps - some parts like that. And also a few special parts for the engine, but not HRC.’

In 2014, Gajser rode to 5th in the MX2 world championship, took 6 podiums and collected 2 race wins from the last four races of the season.

For 2015 though, there were some upgrades and a bit of extra support came via HRC, but was it a full HRC bike? Castelli recalls:

‘He was HRC, but not full HRC. The base was like a standard bike, I mean the frame was a standard frame, not HRC, but we had more special parts, more HRC parts for the engine and also a different linkage. So, we had more support from HRC. The cases and the cylinder were standard, and also the gearbox was standard. We had special crank shaft and special cylinder head, with special valves and special piston, and special camshaft. That’s the spec we used.’

‘Suspension was factory, factory Kayaba, because that time we used KYB, so the fork and shock was full factory. The fork was 46mm but it was really, really factory from Japan. Not a kit or anything like that. The linkage was HRC.’

‘The swingarm was standard. For the rear shock we had more possibilities to adjust, as we had three adjusters at the top, not just the one. We had an adjuster in the bottom and then the shaft was bigger. And then of course, the material was completely different, the material of the body was made in one piece by machine.’ HRC also supplied titanium foot pegs.

The gearbox came with 5 gears and the clutch was supplied by Rekluse. As for brakes, Castelli remembers: ‘we used factory Nissin, and the callipers were really factory like we use now, special hand made from one aluminium piece. Factory discs from Nissin - the front was

260mm with factory material. Front and back completely factory Nissin. The rear disc was 220mm, same as standard. Just the material was very light. The disc pads were the normal ones from standard.’

Another change was the exhaust; in 2014 the team had been running Termignoni but for 2015, Yoshimura came on board, changing the characteristic of the bike even further. As for electronics, according to Castelli, ‘this was complete HRC CDI and everything. We had one Japanese guy working all the mapping and everything, it was a full factory electronics system.’

When asked about how much the bikes’ performance improved over his 2014 bike, Castelli reckoned ‘around 25-30% - I remember the engine wasn’t a lot much powerful but it revved a lot compared to the standard one - more overrev - and also because Tim at that time used a lot the revs to the engine, stay a lot with the gearing, so we needed the engine to continue pulling and stay up, up, up.’

As for Gajser, switching from the ’14 to the ’15 was a notable difference, as he recalls:

‘Definitely there was a difference; we changed some parts, changed a little bit the chassis to make the bike handle better. Changed the exhaust pipe, which was a big difference - but the rest I don’t remember that well, but I know that the bike was better. I would be lying to say how much percentage it was better. Compared to the factory KTM or Kawasaki or Yamaha bikes of Dixon, then we were let’s say a step behind power-wise, and we all know in 250’s the power is really important. So, let’s say I had to risk quite many times to stay with the guys, to win some races, but overall, with HRC, with all the support we got from HRC, they made a difference between ’14 and ’15.’

‘I know that we had a good set up, I was feeling comfortable and the bike was handling really good.’

As for the season, a 4-7 in the season opener in Qatar placed him 4th overall, and after taking a 3rd in race one a week later in Thailand, Tim was unable to line up for race two having become dehydrated and needed an IV infusion. By round four though, TIGA was on song and went toe-to-toe with Jeffrey Herlings to win at Trentino with a 2-1. It was his first grand prix victory.

Seventeenth, fifth and a DNS at the next three rounds left him 8th in the standings after seven rounds, but they say it’s how you bounce back that matters, and the next four rounds saw Tim visit the podium at every single one. The highlight being three wins-in-a-row in Italy, Germany and Sweden.

With four rounds to go, the title chase was between Tim and Pauls Jonass and when Tim took the win in Assen with two rounds remaining, he also left there as the championship leader.

When he arrived in the USA for the final round at Glen Helen, the Slovenian held an eighteen-point lead. His 6-4 was enough to clinch the MX2 world Championship, his first of five.

‘Winning the title was really important and a big goal was achieved, I was dreaming about that since I was a little kid. I had my goals - I mean, everybody has goals - and one of them was to become a world champion in motocross,

so it was a big moment for me, also for Honda because let’s say in 2014, when we started together with Honda, HRC started to support again a little bit more in the MX2 class, so it was also big for Honda, for HRC, for Giacomo obviously and for all Slovenia, you know?’

Aside from winning the title which was obviously huge, what were the other standout moments from Tim’s season?

‘Arco (Trentino) was a really good GP and really nice memories of my fi rst victory, my fi rst overall victory in MX2 class, and to do it in front of the Slovenian fans - Arco is always stacked with Slovenian fans and everything. Back then there were not so many like there is now but still, the place to do it was really nice. Also, Team Gariboldi, they had the workshop just a couple hours from the track, so all the sponsors, all the members and the family from Giacomo were there, so it was a special moment.’

‘Also, Assen! I remember going to Assen and back then I was really struggling in the sand you know, I didn’t train let’s say on the sand, just maybe one training before the GP (laughing). We always did that, and I know that Saturday was a big mess! I crashed so many times, I even think I didn’t fi nish top 10 in the qualifi cation race, or something like that. But then Sunday, I remember waking up and had a really good feeling and then both moto’s I think I started around 7th or 5th, and I came through the pack, and I think I won the fi rst moto and the second moto maybe I was 2nd, and then I won the GP as well. So that was a bit of a surprise. Even for me!’

When Tim Gajser crossed the line to clinch his fi rst world title in America, it was Honda’s fi rst world title in the 125cc/ MX2 class since Alessandro Puzar in 1995. It was also the fi rst MX2 title for Honda as well, and has not replicated in the class since.

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

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