MXGP #43 April 2017

#43_APRIL 2017

r e b e i L n e i l Ju

e l b a k a e r Unb MXGP3, The Official Video Game - coming up soon!

RACING CATCH UP

RIDER OF THE MONTH Julian Lieber

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INDEX

COOL SHOT

MONSTER GIRLS

HALL OF FAME Dave Strijbos

MXGP MAG: Chief Editor: Marionna Leiva Photos: Youthstream YOUTHSTREAM Media World Trade Center II Rte de Pré-Bois 29 1215 Geneva 15 Airport Switzerland MXGP Mag #43 April 2017 The articles published in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the official position of Youthstream.

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 Youthstream in advance and reference is made to the source (©Youthstream).

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EDITORIAL Giuseppe Luongo President of Youthstream Group

Dear MXGP Friends, After Qatar, Indonesia, Argentina and Mexico MXGP is starting to reveal which riders are likely to run for the Championship win, but with 15 rounds still to go and all on very different track surfaces and weather conditions, we still have a lot of surprises in store. We have seen in the first 4 races that Gajser and Cairoli are a step ahead of all the others, and in the up-and-coming events those two outstanding champions will offer us a remarkable show. Tim proves to be more consistent than last year; he is extremely fast and has everything under control, he’s not making the young-man’s mistakes like he did sometimes last year. He knows how to take the lead, control the race and when necessary he has some reserve to accelerate. Tony has returned to being the Tony of the Golden Years, now he has found the right set-up and combination with the 450cc and is very fast and very solid, without a doubt he will be contending for the title. But as I said above there is a big vari-

ety of tracks still to come, and the next 2 are not an exception with the next race in Trentino being on very hard pack and then the famous sand of Valkenswaard. To be worthy of the MXGP crown a champion must be fast and efficient on all types of tracks and in all types of conditions. It’s MXGP, it’s the World Championship.

Paulin looks at home on his new Husqvarna and his speed and results are coming up. We miss Herlings amongst the top; with his very difficult start to the season due to the injury he obtained at an international race just before the start of the MXGP season and with not enough time to recover before immediately entering the very high level of MXGP competition, he has admitted to be struggling a bit. But everyone who knows Jeffrey knows he just needs a little more time and a good start to build his confidence back, then for sure we are bound to see the Jeffrey we know well.

Febvre has also had a tough start to the Championship due to several crashes, his results are not what are expected but surely in

the next races we’ll be seeing him shine again.

What’s great to see is that the top 5 in the MXGP World Championship are riding 5 different brands. But certainly, one of the most important facts is that the overall level of competition is very high - about 10 riders within 1 second! This shows how important a good start is, because with so many riders so close together a bad start very much jeopardises the final results; if you start in in 15th position with 14 riders in front of you going about the same speed, it makes it almost impossible to pass and get on the podium – even if your name is Cairoli, Gajser or Herlings!

Like every year Argentina was an amazing Grand Prix, and this year even better; great track, great organization, great welcome, breath-taking landscape, everything about this event makes it exceptional. The local organizer, the Argentinian Federation and the Argentinian government, take this event very seriously and they are proud to have MXGP in their country, just as we are proud to go MXGP MAG 2017 MXGP.COM

to such an extraordinary country. The Argentinian Minister of Tourism was present from Friday and stayed for the whole event taking part in all the various activities. In Argentina Motocross is growing a lot, there are a lot of riders and a lot of Motocross addicts, and thanks to MXGP Motocross continues to develop there and all over the world.

Mexico improves each year, it’s a complex Grand Prix event due to the weather conditions and the altitude, but the World Championship is also this; the World Championship means to race all over the planet because our sport needs to grow and to expand throughout the globe.

The venue of Leon in Mexico has an altitude of 1,800m and the soil is a kind of clay which becomes very sticky when wet, and very hard when dry, so to have good racing conditions on the Sunday on this type of soil it has to be ripped and watered all week long, creating a wet Sat-

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urday and a Sunday with good conditions. Therefore, in order to have the best race conditions for the Sunday’s race unfortunately Saturday had to be wet.

There are other complications; the track becomes easily very dry due to the altitude (the sun is stronger and it can get very windy up there) so a lot of attention must be made when watering because being a hard track it can become quickly very slippery and problematic. Not many know of the complexities local organizers and promoters have to face and some riders complained because the track was wet on Saturday and dry on Sunday in Mexico, basically their statements are correct, but there are reasons for this, and this is the way to act for this type of track.

In any case, the organizers and promoters are doing all their best and one thing is for sure: the track is the same for every rider, we don’t make one track for one rider and another track for another rider. World Cham-

pionship tracks vary a great deal from one to the other, and over a long season with 19 races, riders will have to face wet tracks, hard tracks, sandy tracks, soft tracks, dry tracks, sticky tracks, slippery tracks, etc., etc. In fact, excuses for poor results cannot be found in the track because the track is the same for everyone and professional riders need to be prepared for every type of track.

MX2 is developing into a competitive championship, and Seewer, Jonass, Lieber, Paturel, Covington amongst many others are offering us great racing and a fantastic show, promising us an exciting season which will unfold in a similar way.

The circus now returns to Europe, and welcoming us for Easter next weekend is the scenic Italian Provence of Trentino, and for the following weekend MXGP will move on to the historical Valkenswaard in the Netherlands. See you there!

COOL SHOTS

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COOL SHOTS

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COOL SHOTS

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HOLESHOT

EARLY DAYS FOR THE FASTEST FOXES So, the early season ‘fly away’ GP’s are done and MXGP heads back to Europe for round five at Trentino but you can’t deny that there’s been some frantic action already, and it all begins with the start!

MX2 After two rounds of action in Qatar and Indonesia four different riders had claimed the FOX HOLESHOT in the first four moto’s of the year; Jonass, Covington, Pootjes and Seewer had all claimed one ‘Black Plate’ each. However, that all changed in Patagonia where the young Spanish hotshot Jorge Prado became the first MX2 rider to ‘cross the stripe’ twice on the same day and whilst we were not that surprised by his antics, the real surprise with JP61 was that it took so long! Last year he showed us that he is lightning fast at the drop of the gate but up until Patagonia Prado seemed to be lacking that edge … just, having

narrowly missed out by about half-a-knobbly in Qatar to his teammate Jonass in Race 1. His two Black Plates were significant in that JP61 became the first rider to ‘do the double’ in 2017 and as a result catapulted him to the top of the FOX HOLESHOT standings. Along with that, the teenager turned those starts into a 3-3 for 2nd overall.

Two weeks later in Leon the Red Bull KTM’s were on fire again, only this time it was Pauls Jonass and not Prado who was first over the line in Race 1 to record his second FOX HOLESHOT of the season. The Latvian though was unable to turn it into a victory as a very in-form Jeremy Seewer took the lead at turn two; the Suzuki World MX2 rider didn’t even look back to his rivals as he said ‘adios amigos’ before disappearing into the distance for victory, his second of the season.

Thomas Covington who guided his Rockstar Energy Husqvarna over the line for what was his second Black Plate of the season, and despite losing the lead early on to Jonass, the Husky ace found his way back up front on Lap 7 and crossed the Monster Energy finish line ten laps later as the race winner. That win was his third career victory and along with it he collected his second GP win as well, and it all started with a win in the Qualifying Race on Saturday – his first ever Pole Position; TC64 obviously likes Leon, or maybe Leon likes him!

MXGP After the cancellation of MXGP Race 2 in Indonesia the premier class had only crossed the FOX HOLESHOT line three times this year with

In Race 2 it was the American

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Romain Febvre taking two Black Plates to Antonio Cairoli’s one. For Febvre it was two-in-a-row with ‘holey’s’ in Qatar Race 2 and Indonesia Race 1 and by the time we reached Patagonia RF461 was hoping for more black gold. However, nobody had counted on the quick reactions of Glenn Coldenhoff, who crossed the FOX HOLESHOT line in both races, equalling his 2016 tally of Black Plates.

Grabbing a holeshot though doesn’t always translate to race wins and it was one of those days for the Red Bull KTM rider with a 14-0 scorecard! Both wins went to an impressive looking Tim Gajser.

At Leon in Mexico altitude no doubt played its part with

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riders having to start in first gear as opposed to second. Coldenhoff once again grabbed a holeshot, but only in the Qualifying Race. When it mattered though it was Gajser who guided his HRC Honda over the line to collect his first Black Plate of the year before disappearing off into the distance for his third win in a row. In Race 2 it was the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna of Gautier Paulin, who collected his first FOX HOLESHOT of the season, edging out his teammate Max Nagl by about half-a-bike length. Last year Paulin registered three Fox Holeshots for Honda, whereas Nagl raced to nine, just behind Cairoli in the final 2016 standings, so are we about to see Husky step up as we head

back to Europe? One thing is for certain though and that is that the dirt in Trentino will have no bearing as to who gets out of the gate first. The mesh decides!

MX2 Table Covington 2 Paul’s Jonass 2 Jorge Prado 2

MXGP Table Coldenhoff 2 Febvre 2 Paulin 1

RACING CATCH UP

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‘HOLA’ FROM ARGENTINA AND MEXICO With racing in the books we want to give you insight into what happens off the track, from media events to local history and experiences. This is our racing catch up for the MXGP of Patagonia-Argentina and the MXGP of Leon-Mexico.

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The MXGP of Patagonia Argentina in Neuquén started out with two events to kick off the weekend on Friday. First was the media event held at the historic Correntoso River & Lakeside Hotel, which is the oldest in the Neuquén province and one of the most famous of the area. In its 100th year of existence, the hotel welcomed Youthstream CEO Daniele Rizzi, FIM/CMS Director Tony Skillington, Argentina Minister of Tourism Gustavo Santos, Neuquén Minister of Tourism Jose Brillo, Villa La Angostura Mayor Guillermo Carusso and President of Neuquén Tur Marisa Focarasso, together with the MXGP and MX2 Riders.

To start a lunch was provided

with a host of local dishes and meats, followed with a Tango performance by local dancers, the dancers then interacted with riders and their families inviting them to dance.

The event continued with a warm welcome from Argentina Minister of Tourism Gustavo Santos and the other officials, who stated their pleasure in having such an important and international event like MXGP in Patagonia followed by a speech from Youthstream CEO Daniele Rizzi and FIM/CMS Director Tony Skillington, who expressed their appreciation to be back in Villa La Angostura for the third time.

Nahuel Huapi Lake via a chartered boat.

Later Friday afternoon another event was held in the city center of Villa La Angostura, where riders were introduced to fans following live music on stage.

Afterwards an autograph session took place with the riders and the many enthusiastic and loving Argentinian fans.

The setting for the MXGP of Patagonia-Argentina is one of the most beautiful of the series, with a track that is a favorite among the riders. The town of Villa La Angostura is filled with boutique shops, villas and amazing hotels. The nearby ski resort and lakes To finish the media event riders make it a very popular tourist where able to tour the tranquil destination.

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At the end of the weekend Tim Gajser and Pauls Jonass were victorious. The generous Neuquén government surprised them by gifting both a paid vacation to the region at a time of their choosing. The Neuquén region’s government, people, amenities, and beauty will not soon be forgotten.

Up Next Leon-Mexico The 4th round of the FIM Motocross World Championship took to the dirt at the MXGP of Leon-Mexico in the only time this year that the riders of the MXGP and MX2 world championships were in Central America under the Mexican heat. Hosting MXGP and MX2 for the 4th year in a row Leon provided another year of bar to bar racing.

The GP started with a media event and autograph session.

The Event was held in the center of Leon at “The Expiatory Church

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of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” also known simply as “The Expiatory”. The historical and beautiful church’s construction began on June 8, 1921, and concluded on March 20, 2012, with the visit of Pope Benedict XVI. The MXGP community was first welcomed by a performance by “Estudiantina” in a show typical of the Guanajuato region and its culture. Riders and the media were also offered traditional welcome drinks such as Horchata. The performance and offering was followed by words from Juan Suberville the President of RALLYMEX, Gloria Cano, Director of Tourism for Leon, Jorge Cabrejos the Representative for the Secretary of Tourism, Fernando Olivera, Tony Skillington, FIM/CMS Director, and Didier Henriod, Youthstream’s Director.

an improving economy. The historic city has a gorgeous center and many high quality restaurants.

Leon’s elevation is near 1,800 meters above sea level which proved challenging for the riders and teams. On average bikes lose about 10% horsepower per 1,000 meters above sea level. This left teams working hard throughout the weekend to maintain power. In the end Team HRC’s Tim Gajser figured it out for MXGP and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Thomas Covington won MX2.

The fans in Leon were also treated to several autograph sessions and activities throughout the weekend where they showed their love for the MXGP series and the racers alike with 35,000 attending over the weekend witLeon is noticeably improving year nessing the Gajser and Covingafter year with more tourism and ton win.

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FIM Motocross World Championship

Standings MXGP CHAMP. STANDINGS

MX2 CHAMP. STANDINGS

1. T. Gajser (SLO, HON) , 156 points 2. A.Cairoli (ITA, KTM) , 136 p.

3. C. Desalle (BEL, KAW), 119 p.

4. J. VanHorebeek(BEL,YAM), 116 p 5. G. Paulin (FRA, HUS),112p 6. E. Bobryshev (RUS, HON) 111p.

7. R. Febvre (FRA YAM), 89p.

8. K. Strijbos (BEL, SUZ) , 78 p.

9. M. Nagl (GER, HUS), 73 p.

10. S. Simpson (GBR,YAM), 70 p.

1. J. Seewer (SUI, SUZ),153 points 2. P. Jonass (LAT, KTM), 145 p.

3. B. Paturel (FRA, YAM) , 139 p.

4. J.Lieber (BEL, KTM) ,139 p.

5. T. Olsen (DEN, HUS), 127 p.

6. B. Vandoninck (BEL, YAM), 102 p.

7. M. Cervellin (ITA, HON), 84p.

8. T. Covington (USA, HUS),83 p.

9. V. Brylyakov (RUS, KAW) , 81p.

10. S. Bernardini (ITA, TM), 80 p.

MXGP MANUFACTUERS 1. Honda 2. KTM 3. Yamaha 4. Husqvarna 5. Kawasaki 6. Suzuki

156 points 140 points 137 points 120 points 119 points 78 points

Start of the SeasonViews: 482,365 Users: 232,659 Page Views: 1,335,880

Top 3 Countries Italy: 22% The Netherlands: 12% Argentina: 11%

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MX2 MANUFACTUERS 1. KTM 2. Suzuki 3. Yamaha 4. Husqvarna 5. Kawasaki 6. Honda 7. TM

184 points 153 points 147 points 142 points 109 points 84 points 80 points

Insight

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SPECIAL FEATURE

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XGP3 – The Official otocross Videogame 29

SPECIAL FEATURE

Ready to hit the gas and experience the thrills of Motocross like never before in MXGP3?

The new Milestone title will be available from the 30th of May 2017 on PlayStation®4, Xbox One® and PC/STEAM™.

The latest and most hotly awaited edition of the game for Motocross fans, MXGP3 - The Official Motocross Videogame promises all gamers incredibly realistic and extreme races! More than Real wasn’t just a random claim - it was a promise which has been kept thanks to a series of new features that have enthused all the game’s players and fans.

Let’s take a look, step-by-step: New graphics engine: Surely one of the most interesting new features, which signifies a real generational turning point, is represented by the new Unreal® Engine 4 suite which will take the game

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experience to a new surprising level of freedom and customization: the extremely high levels of realism achieved are not just aesthetic, but have a notable effect on the physics, that is, on the riding model; making it necessary to take the right action to tackle bends, ruts and bumps without ending up sprawled out on the ground!

Dynamic weather conditions: Finally, we will be able to enjoy variable weather, which will radically affect your tyres’ grip on the ground and, therefore, the behaviour of the bike itself. The riders’ visibility will also be heavily influenced, as they will find themselves in extreme races in mud, dust and sudden downpours!

Career mode and enhanced customization: We couldn’t help but include one of our best loved game modes in this edition: Career,

where every player can create a rider and the bike of their dreams to attempt to climb to the top of the category. You will start from the bottom and climb your way up until you are racing against greats like Tony Cairoli and Tim Gajser, to then catch the eye of the most famous manufacturers and earn credits, victory after victory, proving yourself on all 18 official tracks of the MXGP World Championship, including MXoN, both in offline and online game modes.

2-stroke bikes: In response to the community of MXGP3 fans the new game will also include a widely beloved feature: 2-stroke bikes.

The custom rider will have 10 different 2-stroke bikes available to use in all game modes.

These bikes were created using dedicated physics and ad hoc audio. The aim? To provide the most faithful, realistic simulation possible.

RIDER OF THE MONTH

Julien Lieber: Unbreakable 32

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SPECIAL FEATURE

Julien Lieber is among the best MX2 riders in the world, not only is he a 2017 title contender and a privateer, but he is also MXGP Mag’s featured rider of the month.

For Julien getting to where he is at hasn’t been easy and the challenges he has faced are as unique as his story.

Born June 15th, 1994, in Malmedy, Belgium the now LRT KTM rider received his first motorcycle at 5 years old and began racing only a year after. At the age of 10, Julien met 5-time world champion Georges Jobe and in seeing his talent Georges began training Julien and his brother Cedric. Georges then encouraged the pair to race bigger races starting with the 85cc European Motocross Championship. After

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growing out of the class Julien raced the European 250 championship and in 2010 he finished 8th.

2011 marked the beginning of Julien’s first MX2 season, which he would contest as a KTM privateer. The following two seasons he found himself aboard a Rockstar Energy Suzuki finishing the championship 22nd in 2012 and 23rd in 2013 respectively.

In 2014 Julien would once again ride a KTM but this time it was for the Standing Construct KTM team. The 2014 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations was a highlight for Julien finishing 2nd with team Belgium and in the 2014 MX2 championship he would finish 11th. In 2015 Julien stayed with the

Standing Construct team but the team would change brand to Yamaha. Julien once again showed his talent and performed well, finishing on the third step of the podium with team Belgium at the 2015 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations and 6th in the FIM MX2 World championship points.

After the 2015 season Julien decided to address hip pain he had been struggling with and have surgery. Julien had two surgeries, one on each hip. After recovering from the surgery Julien resumed training, but when riding a stationary bike encountered the pain again. Julien then revisited his doctors and they found more problems all stemming from a bone issue he’d had since birth. It was

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SPECIAL FEATURE

decided to perform another pair of operations costing Julien an extra 5 months of recovery.

The operations and recovery time proved challenging for Julien not only physically but mentally as well. “Even walking was painful, it was tough I wasn’t sure if I would be able to ride ever again. I did everything I could to get back to where I was,” Julien Lieber remembers.

Through it all Julien found a way to make everything workout and for 2017 teamed up with trainer and 3-time World Champion Yves Demaria. When asked about Julien and his injury Yves said, “His injury was really serious because he could have been handicapped for life after an issue like this. But he made the right decision to have surgery and stayed off of the bike for a year. The most dif-

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ficult part was to recover the confidence and think that he could be champion.”

So far in 2017 Julien has been on the podium three of the four first rounds, exceeding even his own expectations.

The results have given Julien renewed confidence along with some pressure to continue to perform. One of Julien’s biggest goals is to fight his way back into the eyes of the factory teams, as he will move up to the MXGP class in 2018: “The goal is to find a top team for next year and that’s why I want to be fighting in the front of the MX2 class.”

Though Julien wants to be part of a factory team next year he is happy with his privateer team and the flexibility it provides: “It is fun because all the people are doing it just for me. I can choose whatever I want for the bike or the gear, and it’s like a family and

my direct family helps me a lot. Of course, a factory team would be better. In the beginning, I wanted to go into a good team, but I had no choice and we went privateer. We did it late, but we made it. We had some sponsors from before, who stayed with us, and KTM helps us a lot. Now everything is going well.”

The Lieber family is heavily involved and devoted to the success of his LRT KTM. With LRT standing for Lieber Racing Team, his father as a main sponsor and brother Cedric with him at every race, it truly is a family effort.

In conclusion, Julien is many things, a racer, a Belgian, a points’ contender and a hard worker, but more than anything with his mental and physical toughness alongside the support of his family and friends, Julien Lieber is proving to be unbreakable.

MXGP SOCIAL

TWITTER, FACEB IN THE WORLD OF #MXGP @MaggioraPark Great news! Maggiora and Ottobiano are joining forces! See U at #Ottobiano next June for the #MXGP of Italy!

@HondaRacingCRF Double podium and red plate holder. Not a bad weekend for team HRC MXGP in Argentina! #crf #Honda #HondaProRacing #ridered @GautierPaulin #MXGP Argentina 4th overall with solid races. My bike have worked so well! I keep working

@Ninjachill222 MXGP Of León Mexico today.

This race is the only reason I have been here for 4 years now haha #motocross @ride100percent @JeremySeewer takes the MX2 overall in Indonesia! #ride100percent #MXGP

New promo video before every event only on Facebook!

Pauls Jonass & Jorge Prado Best Moments Watch the #DontCrackunderPressure Action video from the MXGP of Patagonia Argentina

@DirtRiderMag The #mxgp track of Argentina is truly one of the best, anywhere in the world. @lisaleylandTV It’s a tough job but someone’s gotta to do! Argentina, Patagonia...Simply breathtaking. #MXGP @motomatters Watched a bit of @mxgp today. That Tim Gajser is quit good, isn’t he? #of @CDuncan151 2nd to 6th in @mxgp seperated by only a few seconds on the last lap, doesn’t get much more exciting than that!

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2017 FIM Snowocross World Championship was taking place in Sweden on April, the 1st. Watch our Welcome message HERE

BOOK, INSTAGRAM, YOUTUBE

@thomasc64 My crew @husqvarnamxgpjm @vaclavlavicka @joelroelants @mx_racing65 @mitchcbdg6464 #gear2win

@dsanayei I’ve never heard of a great champion that got it easy. Greatness gives no free passes -Cody Garbrandt @haudik57 Give some bottles to three happy riders and here is the result! @thomasc64 @jeremyseewer91 @jlieber33 @mxgp #mxgpmexico #mxgp #motocross #mediacross!

@jcjillcox #MXGPMexico We just landed back Home in Italy!! GREAT job in Mexico T! Back to euro races now > our two Homeraces are next!! thnx @rayarcherphoto for the picture!

@paulsjonass41 5th and 2nd for 4th place overal. Had a crash in warm up and had to put 8 stiches in my elbow because I had a deep flesh wound.

IN THE WORLD OF #MXGP 39

MONSTER GIRLS

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HALL OF FAME

Dave Strijbos ‘The youngest’

In the 80’s there was no age regulation in the 125cc class, and even though some very experienced riders raced their entire career in this category, some young kids shined and had strong performances. Winning his first Grand Prix when he was only sixteen years old, Dutchman Dave Strijbos was only eighteen when he became the youngest 125cc World Champion in 1986! Both records stayed on the FIM books for 25 years until Ken Roczen won his first GP at the age of 15 and then became World Champion when he was only 17 years old.

Born on the 8th of November 1967 in Venlo, the Netherlands, Dave Strijbos got his first bike when he was eight years old and entered his first race in 1978 at Apeldoorn on a 50cc. Three years later he was crowned Dutch National Champion in the 50cc big wheels’ class and moved in the junior class on a 125cc Suzuki. After only three races he went in the senior class and less than two years after his first race in the 125cc class, he entered the

FIM World Championship!

Racing the 1984 World Championship for the Dutch Honda Venko team run by Jan De Groot, Dave Strijbos impressed the world when he won the national GP in Stevensbeek, in what was only his second Grand Prix! Only sixteen years old, the young blond haired kid was impressive on his powerful Honda and even if it was a learning season for him, everyone understood that this young rider would have a great future.

In 1985 he was the main rival of Finn Pekka Vehkonen on his factory Cagiva and was leading the series when he made an unfortunate mistake at the German round in Holzgerlingen; using his reserve bike on Sunday morning during the warm up, the Dutch teenager was disqualified from the race following a protest from the Italian factory. Winning four GP’s Dave remained a title contender but in Argentina he had a flat tire twice and finally lost the title to Vehkonen by only nine points. Impressed

by the performance of Strijbos, Cagiva made him an offer to join Vehkonen and Italian Massimo Contini on the factory team managed by Dutch engineer Jan Witteveen.

1986 was a Dutch season, as Dave and former neighbor John Van den Berk battled all season long for the title; the factory Cagiva was more powerful than all the Japanese bikes and got nearly every holeshot that season, and winning again four GP’s Strijbos beat Van den Berk to claim his first World title and become the first ever Dutch World Champion. That year Cagiva placed its three factory riders on the top four of the series, but with a second overall Van den Berk was the only one able to disrupt the Cagiva domination.

The 1987 season was a kind of remake of 1986, but Van den Berk was an even stronger rival; Strijbos had an impressive beginning of season, winning eight of the first nine motos, but his Cagiva later failed in three heats and the consistent VDB finally beat his long-time rival

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by sixteen points! With Van den Berk moving into the 250cc class in 1988 Strijbos lost one opponent but found another one: Jean Michel Bayle. The young Frenchman was a true rival and even if Dave won seven of the eleven rounds before the final race in Switzerland, the two rivals came to Geneve extremely close in the points with Dave leading JMB by seven points. The atmosphere was incredible on the ‘Bout du Monde’ track, and when the young Frenchman won the first race his rival lost his advantage in the series as he finished only fourth; with the same number of points (378, almost 150 more than Pedro Tragter who was third in the standings), the last race decided who would be the champion … and it was JMB! As Cagiva didn’t enter the Motocross championship, Dave

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moved to Suzuki in 1989, but a knee injury ruined his season.

Moving in the 250cc class at the end of the season with a private Kawasaki team, Dave had another injury during the Czech GP and could only win one moto that season. Switching back to Suzuki in 1991 he wasn’t really successful (7th in the standings) and decided to come back to the 125cc class where he won again some GP’s to finish twice on the podium for second in 1992 be-

hind Greg Albertijn and a third in 1993 behind Pedro Tragter and Yves Demaria.

After two more attempts in the 125cc class he retired from racing at the end of 1995 but remains passionate of the sport and regularly visits the MXGP World Championship with an eternal smile on his face.

Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

1984: 6th in the 125 MX Championship (Honda). Winner of 1 GP 1985: 2nd in the 125 MX (Honda). Winner of 4 GP 1986: 125 Motocross World Champion (Cagiva). Winner of 4 GP 1987: 2nd in the 125 MX (Cagiva). Winner of 5 GP 1988: 2nd in the 125 MX (Cagiva). Winner of 7 GP 1989: 7th in the 125 MX (Suzuki). Winner of 1 GP 1990: 7th in the 250 MX (Kawasaki). Winner of 1 GP 1991: 7th in the 250 MX (Suzuki).

1992: 2nd in the 125 MX (Honda). Winner of 2 GP 1993: 3rd in the 125 MX (Honda). Winner of 1 GP 1994: 4th in the 125 MX (Suzuki). Winner of 1 GP 1995: 8th in the 125 MX (Suzuki)

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SPECIAL FEATURE

Around the World and onto Europe Around the World and onto Europe The MXGP series has taken us around the world so far in 2017; here is a recap of what we’ve seen so far and what still lies ahead in Europe.

winning the Qualifying race on Saturday and both of Sunday’s races in style. In MXGP we saw a first for Antonio Cairoli winning in Losail a feat he had yet not accomplished until 2017. With the two KTM riders winning 5 of 6 races over the For 2017 it all started in Qa- weekend, it was clear that the tar at the Losail Circuit under team was well prepared. the lights. Near the growing country capital of Doha we After Qatar we headed to Insaw the riders take to racing donesia for the first time in 20 for the first time this year. We years, a country with one of saw dominance in both class- the largest motorcycle markets es, starting with MX2 Red Bull in the world. From the capital KTM Factory Racing’s Pauls of Jakarta we traveled to the Jonass, who came out on fire beautiful Bangka Island. The

track was unique and a new challenge to the teams and riders. The fans in Indonesia were one of the best part of the event, as they were welcoming and infatuated with MXGP. Racing started on Sunday with MX2 where Team Suzuki World MX2’s Jeremy Seewer would win race 1. TM Racing Factory Team’s Samuele Bernardini obtained his first career win in race 2, which was red flagged due to the difficult weather conditions, but it was Seewer who obtained the overall victory with Bernardini second and

Julien Lieber third. In MXGP Wilvo Yamaha MXGP’s Shaun Simpson was the overall winner after winning race 1, with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Glenn Condenhoff and Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Clement Desalle completing the top 3.

In addition, the first round of the 2017 FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship took also place in Indonesia, where we saw Courtney Duncan going back home with the red plate on his Yamaha.

From Indonesia, we traveled to the beautiful MXGP of Patagonia-Argentina held in Neuquén.

On a rider favorite track, we saw dominance once again in both classes. In MXGP it was the reigning champion of Tim Gajser who won Qualifying on Saturday and Race 1 and 2 Sunday. In MX2 it was the Red

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Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Pauls Jonass who went 1-1-1 for the second time this season. In MXGP Tim Gajser took the Red Plate from Cairoli and in MX2 Seewer would take the plate from the double podium finisher of Julien Lieber.

Once we left Argentina the focus shifted to the MXGP of Leon-Mexico. In the high elevation and heat MX2 Qualifying began with the American Thomas Covington winning and for MXGP it was Gajser once again. Sunday started with an MX2 race win by Jeremy Seewer and a fourth place for the top Qualifier Covington. For MX2 race 2 Covington would be up front and win the race, while Seewer battled over third position eventually finishing 4th. Covington won the overall after his 4-1

out weighed Seewer’s 1-4 finish. In MXGP it was the second perfect race weekend in a row for Gajser.

With both Seewer and Gajser holding the red plate we now head to Europe. The first round of the European portion will be held in Trentino, Italy, and from there we will travel to Valkenswaard, The Netherlands, Kegums, Latvia, and 12 other beautiful venues. The MXGP series will undoubtedly have much more action and bar to bar racing as we head throughout Europe and deeper into the season. Will we see the points lead extend for Seewer and Gajser or will we see domination from Jonass or Cairoli once again? The only way to find out is to move onward and drop the gates, so be sure not to miss any of the action.

PADDOCK TALKS

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Paddock Talks 01/Even at the races fans love playing MXGP2, the Official Video Game.

02/When in Argentina you can’t miss out on seeing a traditional tango performance.

03/Riders visited the oldest hotel in Patagonia at the media event for the Patagonia-Argentina GP. 04/The beautiful IPONE girls of Argentina.

05/Max Nagl gets his starts dialed in on the practice track.

06/The NeuquĂŠn Government gave the two winners a paid trip to visit the region whenever they want!

07/The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team decided to make some guacamole of their own recipe in Leon!

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Paddock Talks 08/“The Expiatory” a beautiful church in Leon hosted the MXGP of Leon-Mexico media event.

09/The autograph signing session in Leon had a beautiful background.

10/Monster Energy, Bikinis, and MXGP, the perfect combination!

11/Monster Energy shows how to properly host an autograph signing.

12/Gautier Paulin signing posters for the fans in Mexico.

13/The Red Bull KTM crew signed autographs under the Mexican sun.

14/Darian Sanayei was happy to be a guest on the Live Studio show after a solid performance in Neuquén.

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André Malherbe

1980 Honda CR500

winning Honda 500cc maIn 1979 Great Britain’s brands that were hell bent chine from 1980.

Graham Noyce became the on producing 4-stroke mafirst rider to win a motochines.

With Graham Noyce winning cross world championship the 500cc title in 1979 the for the now powerful JapaTimes had changed though bar at Honda had been well nese manufacturer Honda, and from 1971 the Japaand truly raised. America’s by winning the 500cc world nese were on top with Suzuki Brad Lackey came ‘close’ to championship. In 1980, his leading the way with Roger winning the title in 1978 but teammate André Malherbe DeCoster’s 1971 title sparkhis deficit of 85 points was of Belgium claimed the same ing the riot, and from 1971a ‘best of the rest’ shot at crown and became part of an 1978 the new 2-stroke mathe crown. Until Lackey’s era dominated by HRC where chinery claimed the 500cc The 125cc in the chamEuropean Championship puts a spotlight on the next visit to the usually championship Honda lostclass the world title every year but one, in podium hadn’t been pionship TWICE In from 1974.Champions Yamaha hadand taken two big name injust motocross. fact both of the there 2015 FIM Motocross World too much in the way of suc1979 – 1992. back-to-back titles in 1977vice-world champions Romain Febvre, Gautier Paulin, Tim Gajser and Pauls Jonass cess on the world scene for ’78 and Honda wanted a have all won those the EMX125 championship their paths to motocross supremacy.

Honda,on although like with all Reaching dizzying piece of the action. the Japanese brands at that heights wasn’t always easy time, they had entered the and for this issue of MXGP Honda’s first GP win becampaign during years of Magazine we will take a look longed to Pierre Karsmakers dominance by the European at André Malherbe’s title in 1975, with Lackey adding

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one more in 1977 followed by his three GP wins in 1978 on his way to 2nd overall.

Malherbe and Noyce added 4 more in 1979, two apiece, so by the time 1980 rolled around, Honda had notched up 9 GP wins in the premier class. Things were looking good.

However, Lackey left Honda at the end of 1978 leaving Noyce as the main man on the team and the rider who had experience with Honda having placed 7th in the same season. Part of the problem in 1978 was Honda’s reliability but after a solid winter Honda produced a bike capable of winning in the hands of Noyce. His new teammate Malherbe placed 3rd overall.

Like 1979 the 1980 was completely factory, despite its very production-like appearance. The bike was air cooled and was still blessed with a formidable amount of power. It was more than a handful to ride, and the only difference between the bikes of Noyce and Malherbe was the gearbox. The defending champion favoured a 4-speed, whereas Malherbe opted for the 5-speed and this was purely down to differing riding styles between the two riders.

Noyce was a hard charger and a bit of a late braker who chose to wind open the throttle and drift his way through the turns. Malherbe on the other hand entered the turns a bit slower, held a tighter line, rolled on the throttle and short-shifted his way on the way out in a much more controlled manner, so where hard-packed circuits like Sittendorf in Austria proved difficult for Noyce to ride, Malherbe thrived on them due to the nature of his riding style.

Tyres also played a part in the success and for the most part Honda ran Pirelli, but because there was no official trye contract in place at that time, the team had the option to run whatever was best for the conditions, meaning Dunlop or Bridgestone for the harder conditions and the Pirelli Sandcross everywhere else. The wheel sizes were 21” front and 18” rear.

Initially, the Honda was not blessed with great handling but there were some improvements to the suspension by the turn of the 80’s.

The conventional Showa forks were top notch but the Twin Shock Showa units had to be shelved as neither rider could get on with them, despite repeated attempts at trying to get them to work. In

the end Noyce favoured White Power shocks whilst Malherbe ran Öhlins units and the combination of front and rear was exceptional. The rear tracked well and the overall stability meant that attacking jumps was less risky.

Another reason for the improved handling was down to the introduction of a steeper steering angle in 1979 and by making it steeper enabled the bike to turn that bit sharper.

However, according to Heikki Pentilla, Malherbe’s mechanic the rear end handling was a constant problem: ‘1980 was the last year of the Twin Shock for Honda before they introduced the Pro-Link in 1981, because Yamaha already had the Mono-Link and Kawasaki had the Uni-Trak system, so I think this was the main reason why I think Honda fell back a little bit there, maybe because they were developing the Pro-Link. It wasn’t ready for 1980 and by then the Twin Shock was a little bit outdated already.’

With Honda being relative newcomers to the world championship at that time, both Malherbe and Noyce’s bikes arrived exactly the same from the factory. There was no mapping and the refinement and attention to de-

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tail came down to the two individuals themselves, hence the differing opinions over the gearbox, and from that side there was no need to ‘test’ each other’s bikes to see if one was better in some way than the other. According to Heikki Pentilla the two riders were like chalk and cheese when it came to setting up their machines: ‘I would say that Malherbe was a lot more sensitive for the settings and also in testing. Graham was much more rough, he didn’t really care and wait until everything was good enough for him, he was happy with whatever he had and just rode strong, but André needed to feel that everything was perfect, also in how the bike looked, how the stickers were on the bike and how clean it was. He was a perfectionist. His suspension setting

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was also a little bit softer than Graham’s because of his riding style.’

The 1980 Honda threw out a lot of power; the complete engine was made from Magnesium and so too were the crankcases and Keihin carburettor; but was it a 500?

As with all things factory it’s difficult to know for sure, but the chances are that it wasn’t, although according to Pentilla and Noyce it was probably as close to 500cc as it could have been, maybe around 495cc which would have made sense since a production Honda at that time was rumoured to have been 480cc.

There’s no doubt about it that Graham Noyce’s victory in 1979 was the catalyst for Honda to remain interested in racing GP’s at the highest level, and this was cemented

further by Malherbe’s victory in 1980. When Malherbe won again the following season, it was three-in-a-row for Honda, motocross was gaining popularity, people were buying production bikes like never before, more money was made available for R&D and in many ways helped to create the perfect platform to push motocross and the development of the sport to another level.

André Malherbe went on to win three world titles 1980, 1981 and 1984 and won twenty-seven grand prix victories for Honda. *Thanks to Graham Noyce and Heikki Pentilla, Malherbe’s mechanic from 1981-1984 who had first-hand knowledge of the 1980 CR500 from winter testing at the end of the 1980 season.

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QUESTIONS TO THE EDITOR

QUESTIONS TO THE EDITOR Dear MXGP, I was wondering if there was the 26 min Magazine available from the 2017 FIM Snowcross World Championship.

Thanks, Magnus Dear Magnus, Thank you for the interest in the SNX Championship.

You’ll be able to watch the 26 min Magazine from the 2017 FIM Snowcross World Championship on www.

MXGP-TV.com as well as on MXGP-TV Youtube Page at the following link: https:// www.youtube.com/user/ mxgptv Best Regards MXGP Hi MXGP, I’m interested in purchasing 2 VIP tickets for the MXGP of Trentino. How can I do?

Thanks, Francis Hi Francis Thank you for your message.

Please follow this link to either have more details or purchase the package for your favourite event: https://www.gootickets. com/en/2363-MXGPVIP/ Regards MXGP

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Hi MXGP, Is there any LIVE timing during the races?

Thanks, Françoise Hi Françoise At the link below you’re able to check the LIVE timing for all races http://results.mxgp.com/ mxgp/livestandings.aspx Regards MXGP Hi MXGP, Is Chromecast working for MXGP-TV? Thanks, Marie Hi Marie I confirm with Chromecast you will be able to watch MXGP-TV on your TV Regards MXGP

Hi MXGP, It’s the first time I have purchased the MXGP-TV package and I was wondering how I could watch the LIVE. Thanks, Marco Hi Marco Please log in to www.mxgp-tv. com and then you can easily click on the main window you have on MXGP-TV home page to watch the races LIVE. LIVE timings are shown on the right side of the home page.

Regards MXGP

MXGP MAG 2013 MXGP.COM

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