MXGP #68 April 2019 by MXGP MAG

#68 APRIL 2019

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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 #68 April 2019 The articles published in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the official position of Youthstream.

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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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Then content of this publication is based on the best knowledge and information available at the time the articles were written.

L A I R O T I D E

DEAR MXGP FRIENDS

Dear MXGP Friends, This month I would like to talk about a very important issue, which is riders’ safety. Since Youthstream promotes Motocross events our main goal is always the riders’ safety and naturally the safety of all involved. Over the years we have made a lot of improvements compared to how Motocross tracks were before which had trees or other obstacles. Our philosophy from the beginning was ‘safety of the riders is much more important than a tree’, although we believe we can talk about safety while respecting the nature, so every time we cut a tree for the safety we plant 2 or 3 trees in the paddock.

areas around the track. This is a big step forward in terms of riders’ safety and for others involved. The second improvement concerning riders’ safety is the goggle-lane. Possibly some may not understand the importance of a goggle-lane for riders’ safety, however this means a lot because in bad weather conditions it’s common for riders (more that 50%) to remove their goggles because they are covered

I would now like to introduce you to the latest improvements; for the first time we are using air-fence made especially for Motocross tracks, the entire pit lane since the race in Valkenswaard is protected by air-fence, and shortly it will be used in other

WWW.MECHANIX.COM #mechanix

“OUR MAIN GOAL IS ALWAYS THE RIDERS’ SAFETY AND NATURALLY THE SAFETY OF ALL INVOLVED.”

in mud and the rider can’t see anymore, and if the riders wanted to change their goggles by entering into the pit-lane they would lose more than 1 minute so often they continue the race without goggles putting their eyes in serious danger. Therefore a goggle-lane has been created close to the pitlane, which is a dedicated area to be used only for changing goggles, and we have calculated that riders stopping in this area will lose a maximum of 10 seconds which is very beneficial for the rider: 1st for his health and also for the results because if you consider a rider without goggles in bad weather conditions would lose about 4 or

5 seconds per lap and it would be impossible for him to follow another rider, so by being able to change goggles it will permit the rider to finish the race saving or improving his results while preserving his eyes. This weekend we are at the unique site of Trentino, again the forecast is announcing good weather conditions and we are all ready for another exciting Grand Prix.our main goal is always the riders’ safety and naturally the safety of all involved Giuseppe Luongo President of Youthstream Group

S T O H S L COO

T O H S E L O H X â&#x20AC;&#x2030;FO

FIRST ADVANTAGE

MXGP and MX2 have now crossed off 3 stops on the 2019 calendar from round 1 in Patagonia Argentina to rounds 2 and 3 in Great Britain and the Netherlands. The first Fox Holeshots of 2019 in Patagonia were recapped in the last edition of MXGP Mag with Julien Lieber taking both in MXGP and Red Bull KTMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tom Vialle and Jorge Prado at one a piece. Within the following two rounds of racing 8 Fox Holeshots have been tallied and the first to cross the chalk have been awarded with both the early and ever so important advantage but also the black Fox Holeshot plates.

MXGP MXGP OF GREAT BRITAIN While the first round of the Fox Holeshot MXGP competition was taken by Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Julien Lieber, the 2018 overall competition winner, Antonio Cairoli from Red Bull KTM Factory Racing returned to his former ways at the British circuit of Matterley Basin. Without the same poor gate positioning he had in Patagonia, Cairoli lined up in the eighth gate from the far inside during race 1 at Matterley. The pick lined him up well for the apex of turn one and Holeshot after he rocketed out of the gate nearly two bike lengths ahead of Team HRC’s Tim Gajser.

For MXGP Race 2 he picked the same gate and had the same result edging out Monster Energy Wilvo Yamaha MXGP’s Gautier Paulin and Gajser by a slightly closer margin of about one bike length. The pair of strong starts tied him with Lieber but gave him the lead as the most recent rider to Holeshot before the series continued onto Valkenswaard and the MXGP of the Netherlands. MXGP OF THE NETHERLANDS Back in his usually leading position Cairoli’s Qualifying race win gave him the first pick for Sunday’s pair of races. Lined up in the far left gate Cairoli took a good jump in race 1 to fade right as the field entered the start’s chicane. With the Holeshot line set between the start’s left and right turns Cairoli took his 3rd black plate.

Race 2 again had Cairoli lined up in the 1st gate where he led both Gajser and Standing Construct KTM’s Ivo Monticelli across the chalk. With the 4 Fox Holeshots of 6 possible Cairoli has used the advantage for his 3 overall wins.

MX2 MXGP OF GREAT BRITAIN MX2’s Fox Holeshot count coming into Matterley Basin was split at 1 each between Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado and his teammate Tom Vialle. The British GP was interesting though with no Prado on the line the chances for others to Holeshot were better than ever. However, Tom Vialle carried the flag for Prado and Red Bull KTM as he flew out of the first corner leading DIGA Procross Husqvarna’s Dylan Walsh and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Kjer Olsen. 17

This same result came in race 2 as the young Frenchman kept his KTM’s power to the ground. Vialle crossed the chalk line by less than half a bike length over Walsh to earn his 3rd black plate of 2019.

Prado’s pair of holeshots over first Olsen and later F&H Racing Kawasaki’s Henry Jacobi again tied him with Vialle at three a piece but Prado now leads the standings prior to Trentino since the most recent holeshot is used as the tie breaker.

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MXGP OF THE NETHERLANDS The Dutch edition of the Fox Holeshot saw the return of Prado and accordingly the standings changed with the Spaniard’s perfect starting technique. Starting in the far left and first inside gate, just like his MXGP teammate Cairoli, Prado took both race holeshots in almost identical fashion with the only difference being who was second behind him.

MX2 TABLE Jorge Prado

Tom Vialle

MXGP TABLE Antonio Cairoli

Julien Lieber

P U G H N ATC I C A C R

Y T N E L P , N W O D ! E E O R G H O T T E R O M 21

AFTER A BRIEF INTERMISSION TO RECOVER FROM THE MXGP OF PATAGONIA, ARGENTINA, THE BEST MOTOCROSS RIDERS IN THE WORLD RETURNED TO ACTION FOR THE FIRST OF ‘THREEIN-A-ROW’ STARTING WITH THE MXGP OF GREAT BRITAIN AT MATTERLEY BASIN BEFORE HEADING ON TO VALKENSWARD AND TRENTINO. IN THIS ISSUE WE WILL JUST COVER THE BRITISH AND DUTCH RACES BUT AS ALWAYS, THERE WERE PLENTY OF TALKING POINTS ARISING FROM EACH ROUND, SO LET’S START WITH MATTERLEY BASIN.

The now legendary circuit was first introduced to us in 2006 but despite its relatively young age, the venue had already hosted two Motocross of Nations events as well as eight rounds of the FIM World Motocross Championship leading into Round Two of 2019. Situated outside the medieval city of Winchester in the county of Hampshire close to the south coast of England, the venue always attracts a fair amount of visiting race fans who have never been to the UK before because of the history attached to the local area as well its close proximity to

the country’s capital, London. The standout attraction is no doubt Winchester Cathedral, which was built in 1079 and it remains as the longest Gothic Cathedral in Europe. With the opening GP of the season taking place in South America, the MXGP of Great Britain played host to the first round in Europe but when the date was originally released to the public, it raised more than a few eyebrows, with the British weather being the main reason for concern. However, after two weeks of constant rain, the weather forecast leading into the final week always looked promising and had we not known that

we were racing there at the end of March, we would have automatically assumed that we were in the early throes of summer. We had blue skies, hardly any clouds and the temperature hovered around the 20˚ mark all weekend long. Added to that was a modest crowd that was ready for its fix of MXGP after a long winter after suffering the effects of racing withdrawal symptoms. With the circuit primed and ready-to-go the big news was that the MX2 championship leader Jorge Prado would not be lining up behind the gate after suffering a shoulder injury just after Argentina and with that in mind, the focus quickly shifted to those who could be taking home the Red Plate in his absence. Of

course, there was no shortage of contenders with Thomas Olsen being the obvious choice, with Mitch Evans coming in hot on his heels after his third overall in Argentina. Calvin Vlaanderen, Ben Watson, Conrad Mewse, Adam Sterry and Jago Geerts were also ready to stake their claim in England. After the Qualifying Race it was clear there was another candidate in the form of Henry Jacobi but when the gate dropped for Race One it was Prado’s teammate Tom Vialle who grabbed his second Fox Holeshot of the season but after a lap up front, TKO made his way to the front and was never challenged. Jacobi made his move from third to second when he passed Vialle four laps later, having already passed the quick-starting Dylan Walsh on the opening lap. When the flag went out at the end of the race, the 23

top three were Olsen, Jacobi and Vialle whilst Watson made life difficult for himself after a poor start. Conrad Mewse looked solid and was on for a fourth place finish until a technical issue on the final uphill, three hundred metres from the finish line cost him two positions as Watson and Michele Cervellin went by to take fourth and fifth respectively. In Race Two, Vialle led again from the start in what was almost a carbon copy of the previous race, with TKO taking the lead on lap two. This time however, Vialle was able to hang on to second until three laps to go when Vlaanderen made his move into second, which is where he would stay until the flag. After a mistake early on that cost Jacobi third place, the German never gave up the fight and his pass on Vialle on the final lap ensured him his best career finish of second overall as well as his second ever podium after Trentino in 2018 where he was third. As for Vialle, in just his second ever MX2 grand prix, the French teenager stood proudly on the third step of the podium after posting 3-4 finishes, moving up to fourth in the championship. TKO’s 1-1 earned him the Red Plate whilst Prado dropped to sixth in the title chase. The highlight or ‘lo-light’ as we should refer to it in MXGP was the crash of Tim Gajser in Race One. The Slovenian had passed Antonio Cairoli for the lead on the opening lap, but three laps later the HRC rider had a monumental crash on an uphill wave-section that left all those who witnessed it aghast! Miraculously, as he stopped performing the acrobatics he was back on his feet, grabbed his beatup machine and went on to claim

third at the flag for what might turn out to be twenty valuable points. Oh, and in case you were wondering, the judges awarded him top marks for the perfect dismount! Gautier Paulin took second for his first top three finish of the season. Race Two saw the same three riders round out the top three but in a slightly different order; Gajser once again passed TC222 on the opening lap but this time stayed upright to take the win. Cairoli came in second for the overall and Paulin’s 2-3 secured him a spot on the podium in third. It was great to see Arminas Jasikonis take a top five finish with fourth in the second outing which was good enough for sixth overall for the Lithuanian, for the second time this season. Other notable performances came from Clement Desalle (4th overall) who suffered a series of crashes in Qualifying and Race Two on the opening lap, being forced to race with a badly damaged left hand. Matterley was also the scene of the opening rounds of EMX250 and EMX2T, the new 2-stroke series where riders are now racing 250’s as opposed to 300’s. Alberto Forato went 1-1 on his Maddii Racing Husqvarna and Brad Anderson got off to a perfect start in front of his fans as he went 1-1 in the 2-stroke class on his Verde Substance KTM. From there we hit the overnight train to The Netherlands for Round Four at Valkenswaard where this year we were blessed with twenty degree weather, an improvement of around twentytwo degrees from the previous year. Who remembers the snow, the frost and the sub-zero

conditions of last year? There was none of that this year though and again, despite two weeks of rain in the lead up to the event, the track was remarkably dry all weekend long, thus making the racing fast and furious. Prado returned from his brief injury hiatus and simply dominated MX2 to climb back to fourth in the standings. TKO rode solid for a 2-2 to increase his points lead from sixteen points to twenty-three over Jacobi but the performance of the day came from Jago Geerts. The young Belgian stalked Olsen for the last seven laps of Race Two and despite getting close to the Dane on several occasions, was never quite able to make the pass. However, that was until the final lap! Exiting the final turn, TKO hit the double before opting to scrub the following jump, as he tried to keep his wheels low to the ground to maximise his drive towards the finish line jump. But Geerts had other ideas, and where Olsen scrubbed, Geerts launched high and far, cleared the Dane by a bike length before out-dragging him to the line, to take second by a margin of 0.157 which netted him his first podium of the year in third. Alberto Forato, the EMX250 championship leader, also impressed with seventh overall as a wildcard. In MXGP, Cairoli added a seventh Valkenswaard victory to his impressive tally to take his GP win count to eighty-eight and remains undefeated in all but one race this year. Tim Gajser looked to be the main challenger once again but another huge crash in Race One whilst third behind Max Anstie and TC222 left him having to fight back from twelfth to get

back to seventh. As for Anstie, he led after a Cairoli mistake on the opening lap, but the Brit sampled the Dutch dirt on lap eight. Cairoli took over to win from Clement Desalle and Gautier Paulin with Jasikonis fourth after fighting through the pack in convincing fashion. Race Two was a little more static with the top three finishing as they started; Cairoli, Gajser and Van Horebeek. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;AJâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; once again turned on the charm to come from outside the top ten to another fourth place and is showing signs of being a real menace to the usual big guns over the next few races, starting with Trentino. One of the big surprises of the weekend was the emergence of Ivo Monticelli; the Italian who signed to Standing Construct in the off-season pulled a couple of decent starts and had it not been for a crash in Race One when he tagged the rear wheel of the Jerry Man, would have undoubtedly placed inside the top ten, and had he not fallen from second position on the opening lap of Race Two, could have had a similar result. Plenty of positives to look forward to there then, especially as he is more of a hard-pack rider, and tracks donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t come much harder than Trentino, which just happens to be the next round! WMX lined up for their first round of the year as well, although the class was missing its defending 6-time world champ Kiara Fontanesi due to illness and even at the time of the event, it was unclear as to when or if we would see her lining up at all this year. Instead, Larissa Papenmeier provided a covering role as her

new teammate at FONTAMX Syneco Yamaha and the German terrier looked like she has already adapted to her new machine during the off-season. With Nancy van der Ven finishing as runner up to Fontanesi last year, the Dutch starlet was one of the favourites coming in to the season opener along with Courtney Duncan who had something of a winter clear-out whilst back home in New Zealand during the winter break. After years with Yamaha, the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Kiwi Girlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; rolled into Europe two weeks

before the first round having just signed with Bike It DRT Kawasaki and with little time to prepare was considered an outside favourite. Duncan won Race One from a rejuvenated Amandine Verstappen and Larissa Papenmeier as van der Ven faltered early on, recovering to fourth. Race Two provided the real drama though and it involved a spectacular crash on the finish line jump from Duncan as she sat up front with four laps to go. Astonishingly, she was able to pick herself up and re-join the race

to take an eventual seventh to claim fourth overall, finishing five points behind Verstappen who’s 2-2 was enough for the Belgian Yamaha rider to clinch her first ever WMX victory. Van der Ven and Papenmeier rounded out the podium. The next stop for WMX is Portugal on May 18/19. Finally, the opening round of EMX125 saw the usual frantic, crazy, unedited and raw racing that we have come to expect from the future generation of MXGP stars. After winning three rounds last year, the clear favourite was Mattia Guadagnini and after Race One it looked like he would ‘walk it’ without any doubt at all. However, after a poor start in Race Two, the Italian was unable to find the same kind

of consistency from Saturday’s opening race and struggled to fourth which fortunately for him was good enough to clinch the overall from surprise second place finisher, Jorgen-Matthias Talviku who had never even got close to the podium in his rookie season last year. Some hard riding and a 2-3 ensured that he earned his place on the podium and he will no doubt be looking for more as the season unfolds. Joining them on the box was Tom Guyon who took third overall thanks to a 7-1 combination, although the French ace was unlucky not to take the overall after falling from second in Race One. Another rider to look out for seems to be Joel Rizzi from Wales in the United Kingdom; the KTM rider took a solid third in Race One but a technical issue ruled him out of the race at half distance. Rizzi ran second after another great start, but was

unable to realise his dream of a EMX125 podium. Maybe he will get his opportunity in Trentino at Round Two. Pietramurata will mark the third GP in a row for the MXGP regulars and another type of terrain for them to overcome. In Argentina the track was volcanic ash, followed by the dirt of Matterley and the sand of Valkenswaard. So far Cairoli has only lost one race from six starts in MXGP and whilst Trentino might not be one of his favourite tracks he will certainly look forward to racing at home once more. But nothing is a foregone conclusion in this sport so we will have to see how this one pans out and you can read all about it in the next issue. So, until then …

WATCH THE VIDEO

FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

STANDINGS MXGP CHAMP. STANDINGS 1. A. Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 2. T. Gajser (SLO, HON), 3. C. Desalle (BEL, KAW), 4. G. Paulin (FRA, YAM), 5. J. Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 6. A. Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 7. J. Seewer (SUI, YAM), 8. S. Simpson (GBR, KTM), 9. J. Lieber (BEL, KAW), 10. M. Anstie (GBR, KTM),

MX2 CHAMP. STANDINGS 147 p. 125 p. 103 p. 102 p. 102 p. 92 p. 78 p. 64 p. 62 p. 56 p.

1. T. Olsen (DEN, HUS) 2. H. Jacobi (GER, KAW) 3. C. Vlaanderen (NED, HON) 4. J. Prado (ESP, KTM) 5. B. Watson (GBR, YAM) 6. T. Vialle (FRA, KTM) 7. J. Geerts (BEL, YAM) 8. D. Pootjes (NED, HUS) 9. A. Sterry (GBR, KAW) 10. M. Evans (AUS, HON)

MXGP MANUFACTURERS

MX2 MANUFACTURERS

1. KTM 2. Honda 3. Yamaha 4. Kawasaki 5. Husqvarna

1. KTM 2. Husqvarna 3. Kawasaki 4. Honda 5. Yamaha

147 p. 127 p. 113 p. 103 p. 92 p..

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E L R A U I T C A E E SP F

E K I B X P E U FIMRLD C O E L W T TI 39

YOUTHSTREAM PROUDLY ANNOUNCED A BRANDNEW EVENT AND VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF RACING DURING THE MXGP OF THE NETHERLANDS IN VALKENSWAARD LAST WEEKEND.

Together with the FIM and E-Bicycle manufacturers Youthstream will host the first ever FIM E-XBike World Cup during the 2019 MXGP of Italy in Imola this August. A press conference at the media center of Valkenswaard to MXGP’s collection of international and national media presented the all new e-bicycle race taking place on the 1,550-meter Imola MXGP circuit following Saturday’s MXGP Qualifying on the 17th of August. Youthstream President Mr. Giuseppe Luongo’s enthusiasm for the new event was clear as he spoke saying, “We are very excited to start this new project with the FIM, we thank FIM and in particular their President, Mr. Jorge Viegas, for the trust and for this opportunity to develop this new sport, it will be both challenging and very interesting. Our goal is to develop the FIM E-X Bike World Cup for all customers and riders who want to enjoy racing on an extreme circuit in front of a massive crowd and with a great media coverage.” Then first ever e-bicycle event with the back of the FIM will have a one race format include a mass start with combined categories of both male and female riders racing for 30 minutes plus 1 lap but scored separately. The racing will be opened to anyone with an electric bicycle similar in concept to that of a traditional bicycle or running event giving a wide variety of consumers the opportunity to become competitors with a strong level of media and worldwide coverage. The new event is being developed and promoted with the full support of Youthstream as CEO Mr. David Luongo explained, “Youthstream will put all its TV and Media resources to promote as much as possible this new competition. The first FIM E-XBike World Cup will be broadcasted live on our OTT Platforms, MXGP-TV. com, and our Facebook MXGP Page that has more than 2.5 Million followers.”

Jorge Viegas, the newly elected President of the FIM, took part in the conference as well during his first MXGP visit and enthusiastically said, “I am very happy that the FIM is starting to provide competitions for electric bicycles. The first ever FIM E-XBike World Cup will allow a new generation of riders to take part in these exciting races. Thanks to the support of our promoters Youthstream and Infront, the Italian Federation and the Imola circuit, the FIM will be able to offer the public who come to the MXGP in Italy the opportunity to discover a new type of competition. For the FIM it is a reoccurring story because the first motorcycles were based on a bicycle frame, with the addition of a motor. In recent years the electric technology has evolved considerably, and we are convinced that the FIM E-X Bike World Cup will offer the manufacturers a great platform for further development. An E-bike round table meeting will also be organized in Belgium at Metet MX circuit the 9thof June in conjunction with another E-Bike/ Pedelec race organized under the authority of the FMB.” Continuing the tradition of progressing racing and two wheeled sports Youthstream is excited to work with both the FIM and the manufactures to promote this new era. While still a work in progress the future possibilities are endless with 2020 possibly even hosting a series of races to create a championship if all goes well. The announcement of the new race also provided MXGP with the first visit of FIM’s new President Jorge Viegas who shared his excitement for motocross following the E-XBike presentation inviting media to join him again for another conference introducing the FIM and their commitment to the Motocross World Championship during the Monster Energy MXGP of Lombardia. More information on the 2019 FIM E-XBike World Cup including new developments, rules, and structure will on follow MXGP.com along the newly dedicated Facebook, Instagram, YouTube pages.

L A I C O S P G X M Monster Energy Wilvo Yamaha Official MXGP is the featured MXGP team from the MXGP of the Netherlands at Valkenswaard. We talk with riders Gautier Paulin and Arnaud Tonus about the 2019 season. Team manager Luis Vosters speaks about the team and new workshop as well!

@amy_dargan: They said #MXGP March in the U.K. was a terrible idea ...ohhhhhh boy were they wrong So so good to be a fan for a day đ&#x;&#x2DC;? with @ samreynolds26 back where it all began. @e_sprogis #MXGPNetherlands 2019 #PJ41

@KTM_Racing 88 in the career and 3 wins from 3 this season. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no stopping the #222 at the moment and the hard-pack of Arco di Trento and home track advantage lies next #mxgp #motocross

@gautschi10 Good job @gautierpaulin with 3th overall at @mxgp in Matterley Basin! First @ixs_official @ixsmx_ MXGP Podium! đ&#x;&#x2019;Şđ&#x;&#x2019;Ş #wilvo #yamaha #factory #mxgp #ixs #wilvoyamaha #wilvoyamahamxgp #motocross #mx #england #matterleybasin #monsterenergy #podium

@JAPANDGERMAN Wow 33 years old and still schooling the young guns Cairoli is a true legend. Will be fun when Jeff returns to action #mxgp

@twin_air Thank you @fhracingteam, @henryjacobi29, @ adamsterry811 & @ roanvdmoosdijk39 đ&#x;&#x2018;&#x152;đ&#x;?ź @ mxgp #MXGP #MX2 #Motocross #F&HRacing #TwinAir #AirFilter

@kemea_yamaha @benwatsonmx showing one of his biggest fans around on the matterley basin track đ&#x;&#x201C;¸ @shotbybavo #yamaharevsyourheart #mxgp

@kawasakimxgp Sharing a podium with the family! @mx_panda @mxgp @kawasakiracingteammxgp #family #podium #mxgp #krt #kawasaki đ&#x;&#x201C;ˇHaudik57

@FIM_live The brand-new #FIM #EXBike World Cup will be launched during the 2019 #MXGP of Italy in Imola this August!

@marinamari4 #mxgpnetherlands #honda #ktm #husqvarna #valkenswaard #supporting @filippofoche

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a school day so here is your daily moto math lesson! Class dismissed... This weekendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s field trip, MXGP of the Netherlands #MXGP #Motocross #MXGPNetherlands

@rachelsimpson24 đ&#x;&#x201C;?Holland. My 1st Motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day and Angusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2nd GP, 3rd Race and 4th country heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s visited - heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s already an old hand at this! Kind of wish @ shaunsimpson24 came 5th, that would have slotted in quite nicely đ&#x;¤&#x201D; (happy with 9th overall!) #familytravels #mxgp

P G X M # D OF ORL W HE IN T

R E S T L S R I N G MO

H T N RE MO E D I RF TH O

! E C N K A E D E B S â&#x20AC;&#x2122; E T R LE N HO A V J.

For those who don’t know, after 13 years of racing GP’s Van Horebeek was left without a ride at the end of the 2018 MXGP season which he finished 9th overall on the year. Van Horebeek’s GP career officially started at the 2006 Grand Prix of Belgium in Namur when he rode his first MX2 event taken 27th. 3 years after his first GP the Belgian took his first ever and only MX2 win at the Grand Prix of Catalunya. 27 EXPERIENCED AND VETERAN MXGP RIDERS ENTERED INTO THE PREMIERE CATEGORY OF THE 2019 FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP PRIOR TO THIS YEAR’S SEASON OPENER IN PATAGONIA ARGENTINA BUT THE LATE 28TH EXPERIENCED ENTRY IS OUR FEATURED RIDER THIS MONTH. THE #89 HONDA SR MOTOBLOUZ RIDER JEREMY VAN HOREBEEK MIGHT HAVE RECEIVED A LATE DATE TO THE PARTY OF MXGP BUT HE HAS PROVEN TO KNOW HOW TO DANCE BETTER THAN EVER BEFORE.

Van Horebeek started riding in his youth for fun with his father but as he grew older his potential became clear while racing in the 85cc French Championships as well as the 125cc European class. Following his MX2 51

years the “Jerryman” transition to the premier 450cc categ¬ory in 2013 with Kawasaki Racing. In his first year he finished 7th in the championship capping off the year as part of the 2014 Monster Energy Motocross of Nations winning Team Belgium. His second year of MXGP would be his first with Yamaha Factory Racing and proved to be a breakout season. Van Horebeek took his first and only MXGP overall win during the 2014 MXGP of the Czech Republic in Loket. In addition to the win in Loket his season also included 11 other podium finishes good enough for 2nd Vice MXGP Champion. “My second season in MXGP in 2014 was great, I was on the podium almost every weekend, I had a lot of success, it was nice being so young and after only one year in the class.” - Jeremy Van Horebeek Since his stunning 2014 season Van Horebeek stayed with the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP team until the end of 2018. Throughout the following 4 seasons he fought for podiums and finished each season within the top ten. With the lack of a contract or suitable offers on the table for 2019 Jeremy’s determination and love for the sport only got him so far. That was however until he got the chance to race the annual Le Touquet Beach race for the French Honda SR Motoblouz team where he coined the phrase “Let’s Dance” as reference to has marathon of a dance as he moved side to side aboard the Honda along the beach. “At first it was really tough to swallow, they were difficult days and stressful nights. I honestly was thinking that this was it, that I was done in racing because nothing else was coming. It was about one month before Le Touquet that 53

Josse spoke to me and he asked me if I wanted to do the Le Touquet, not knowing anything about MXGP, so it was just for the Le Touquet. I said “yes” because I enjoy riding, it’s my life. After Le Touquet everything was so good, everybody was so happy that they asked me to ride it again in 2020 and I agreed if they could help me to do the full season of MXGP. A few days later the called me and said let’s do it!” Now entered as the 28th rider it was only two short weeks later that Jeremy was on track for round 1 of the 2019 MXGP season at the Argentinean circuit of 54

Neuquen in Patagonia. While Jeremy had ridden the Honda for the Le Touquet, conditions and demands in MXGP where entirely different leaving the team well behind in testing and preparation. “Le Touquet is one thing but it is not what I was born for, I was born to race motocross. We had no time to test, I had two days on the bike before it shipped out and then all I could do is some trainings on a pedal bike,” JVH remembers. As the weekend progressed in Argentina the speed of the Belgian turned head after head all the way up to when he crossed the finish line achieving a triumphant and emotion packed podium result.

“I was really happy about that day, I thought it could be possible, but it turned out even better. It was an emotional day because everybody thought I was done but I knew deep down that I wasn’t done.” As the season now progresses past the MXGPs of Great Britain, the Netherlands, and Trentino this weekend, Van Horebeek has continued to ride at the highest level. Following the 4th round of MXGP in Trentino the #89 will have the opportunity to train, test and prepare his Honda for longer than ever before, meaning that when racing returns “Jerre” may have a whole new set of dance moves!

L L A H

E M A F F O

SVEN ‘MX3’ BREUGELMANS BELGIAN SVEN BREUGELMANS HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL RIDER IN THE SHORT HISTORY OF THE MX3 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, AS HE CLAIMED TWO WORLD TITLES AND TWO SILVER MEDALS IN THIS CLASS AFTER SEVERAL SEASONS RACING THE 125 AND MOTOCROSS GP CATEGORIES.

Born on the 12 of August 1979 in Turnhout, Belgium, Sven Breugelmans entered for the first time a World Championship event when he was 19 years old, scoring his first points at Indaiatuba, Brazil, in 1999. He collected several points during that first season, and slowly but surely improved his classification during the following years with a first “highlight” in 2000 when he crossed the finish line of the first 125 race at Grobbendonk in second position! He had for the first time the honours of a GP podium in 2001, when he finished second at Genk – again in his native country – behind Grant Langston. Twelfth of the 125 World championship, his best ever performance so far, Sven signed for 2002 his first pro contract with team Suzuki and was supposed to race the new Motocross GP class – former 250 – as team mate of Mickael Pichon but he broke his leg during a pre season event and finally missed the entire season due to several surgeries. His 2003 campaign was also ruined by injuries, but luckily for him he got a call from former World Champion Jacky Martens to join his team for 2004, representing KTM in the new MX3 World Championship. Scoring points in nine of the twelve races and collecting two podiums in Slovenia and Austria, he was in 2005 the main rival of reigning World Champion Yves Demaria. Neither Sven or Yves scores any point in three of the first four heats in France and Italy, but then they dominate their rivals winning eighteen of the twenty-four motos! Winner of his first ever Grand Prix in Rhenen (Netherlands) he collected three other wins that season and finally beat Demaria by a little margin – sixteen points – to get his first title.

Demaria. In 2006 they won eight of the fourteen GP’s and Sven lost his title when he had to retire in one race in Slovenia, as his rival finally beats him by thirteen points. The scenario was similar the following season, apart the fact that they were not anymore racing for the same team; Sven was leading the series after his double win in Markelo but finally couldn’t resist to the rush of the Frenchman who got the title and announced his retirement after the final race. Twice runner up Sven was the favourite of the 2008 campaign, but he found on his way Christian Beggi and suffered a wrist injury at mid season. He had to wait the penultimate heat in Germany to secure his second World title; can we say that he was lucky, as he couldn’t race the last moto due to a technical failure during the sighting lap?

Moving to a private team in 2009 as KTM retired from the MX3 class Sven started the season with a win in Great Britain, but then had to undergo for another surgery to his wrist and will never be back in the World Championship. He was forced to retire from professional racing, but continues to ‘race for fun’ and won twice the Vintage Enduropale at le Touquet in 2017 and 2018. Text and Photos: Pascal Haudiquert & KTM

The next seasons can be reduced once more to a duel between Breugelmans and

1979

1999: 32nd in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Kawasaki)

2000 23rd in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Suzuki) 2001 12th in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha) 2003 33rd in the Motocross GP World Championship (Suzuki) 2004

4th in the MX3 Motocross World Championship Championship (KTM)

28th in the MX1 Motocross World Championship Championship (KTM)

2005

MX3 Motocross World Champion (KTM). Winner of 4 GP

2006

2nd in the MX3 Motocross World Championship Championship (KTM). Winner of 2 GP

2007

2nd in the MX3 Motocross World Championship Championship (KTM). Winner of 4 GP

2008

MX3 Motocross World Champion (KTM). Winner of 5 GP

2009

29th in the MX3 Motocross World Championship Championship (KTM)

S K L A T K C O D PAD

5 6

3 1

Official presentation of the MXGP of Turkey took place last month in Afyonkarahisar.

2 Fox Racing held the first ever live FOX 74 Show at the paddock of the MXGP of Great Britain! 3 Thomas Covington just couldn’t stay away and flew over from the US to visit the MXGP paddock in Matterley Basin. 4 World SBK rider Alex Lowes was at the MXGP of Great Britain supporting fellow Brits such as Tommy Searle! 5 Monster Energy drift driver Luke Woodham entertained the fans by rallying his truck around Matterley Basin! 6 Dunlop, Maxxis, and Pirelli’s trucks are rolling tyres to every round of MXGP in 2019! 7 Alpinestars Protects in style with this awesome racing service setup! 8 Kiara Fontanesi, though not racing, was all smiles at the first WMX round of 2019. 9 Maxxis’ new force with their racing service setup for MXGP in 2019!

E L R A U I T C A E E SP F

DONNY SCHMITâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S 1990 SUZUKI RM125

The team he raced for was Bieffe Suzuki and he was an instant success and became a household name overnight on both sides of The Atlantic when he won the world championship at his first attempt, and it’s this bike that we will feature in this issue of MXGP Magazine.

AMERICAN RACER DONNY SCHMIT LEFT THE COMFORT OF HIS HOMELAND AT THE END OF 1989 AFTER RECEIVING AN OFFER TO RACE THE FIM MOTOCROSS 125CC WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, DESPITE ONLY FINISHING FOURTH OVERALL IN THE AMA OUTDOOR NATIONALS.

The benchmark for the 1990 Suzuki was the previous model which in 1989 was ridden by Alessandro Puzar, who claimed second overall with Michele Rinaldi, with Dave Strijbos and Stefan Everts, a 125cc rookie who raced for Sylvain Geboers, placing 15th overall. In ’89, Strijbos never placed outside the top three in eight races but suffered a knee injury which ruled him out of the series. Trampas Parker may have won the title for KTM but Puzar took more race wins, taking ten to Parker’s

eight, so the bike already had good pedigree. For 1990, Schmit was paired alongside the young Everts and the two claimed first and third overall in the final standings. There were no major changes from ’89 to ’90 just a few revisions to enhance performance, but the chassis and the engine was production based, which meant the engine cases and the transmission were production but the crankcases were factory thus lending a works flavour to the motorcycle. Other items that came directly from Japan were the crankshaft, piston, cylinder, cylinder head, exhaust pipe, silencer and power-valve were all works items. The gearbox came equipped with six gears and whilst it was productionbased, the gears were stronger with a smoother selection process which back then, this technology would have made its way into the following 63

years production bikes. The ignition was Factory PIA.

AS THE SEASON WENT ON IT WAS CLEAR THAT SCHMIT WAS THE MAN TO BEAT, AND BOTH HE AND MACHINE PROVED TO BE A RELIABLE COMBINATION.

Holding everything up was factory Showa suspension; upside down units at the front with a stroke of 310mm whilst the rear stroke was 325mm and with a factory linkage. The swingarm was also a factory item. As for the wheels, Excel rims were married to production aluminium hubs. The carburettor was a 35mm Mikuni and the reed valves were works, straight out of the factory. The stopping power was provided by Nissin, with standard discs front and rear. As for the power of the bike, according to Sylvain Geboers, the team manager at that time, ‘we had good power at that

time, we knew at that time we had excellent bikes and both Donny and Stefan used the same characteristics, the same engine. I can’t tell you the amount of horsepower because at that time we were new to Suzuki and we were never told; we needed to gain that trust and confidence with the factory.’ Bizarrely, the championship was decided over nine rounds as opposed to the twelve originally scheduled. The first two rounds in Brazil and Argentina were both cancelled in advance which meant the opening round was Montevarchi in Italy where Donny went 1-1 to take the overall win at his first ever GP. The cancellation of those rounds might have been a blessing in disguise for Schmit as Sylvain recalls: ‘Donny hurt his wrist in a pre-season international race and for the first two rounds he used a brace to race.’ As the season went on it was clear that Schmit was 65

the man to beat, and both he and machine proved to be a reliable combination. There was just one DNF and it was because Donny overjumped at Laubus-Esbach and the rear brake pedal got bent underneath the footpeg, something Geboers remembers well as it happened right in front of him: ‘We couldn’t get it free but when he did, Donny re-joined the race but we had to pull him out because he was riding 66

a little crazy with too many risks. We took him out to protect himself because he was going to hurt himself.’ Going into the final GP in Portugal at Agueda, Schmit held a 31-point lead over fellow American Bob Moore and the title was won in the first race with a win; Moore did not score in either race and the title was sealed with a 1-1 and Schmit’s fourth GP win.

In total, Donny Schmit won eleven races from eighteen starts with his overall victories coming in Montevarchi (Italy), Ernee (France), Wohlen (Switzerland) and Agueda (Portugal). All of those victories were with doublerace wins. His three other race wins came in Germany at Laubus Esbach, Hatherton (England) and Killinchy (Northern Ireland), and he was by far the most dominant rider of the season.

E L R A U I T C A E E SP F

L A B 9 1 0 S 2 P S M â&#x20AC;&#x2122; E P IR PRINT DU

THE 21ST EDITION OF THE ANNUAL BAL DU PRINTEMPS (SPRING BALL) TOOK PLACE ON THE 21ST MARCH AT THE GENEVA’S HOTEL PRESIDENT WILSON WITH THE THEME OF GREECE – KALISPERA.

The prestigious and high-class event was organized by the International Foundation for Research in Paraplegia (IRP) as a fundraiser. Started more than almost 2 decades ago, the IRP Foundation has organized several fundraising activities with goal of helping to finance the best and most cuttingedge research projects in the world. The projects IRP supports are also vetted then selected by a Scientific Committee of international experts whose main goal is to overcome paraplegia one step at a time. Youthstream has partnered with IRP for the past 4 years in the effort to raise funds with important and life changing work done as a result. The goal is to provide funds for both basic and clinical research in the field of paraplegia to contribute to and improve the lives of people affected by injuries to the spinal cord. IRP organizes numerous activities and initiatives throughout the year including projects aimed at raising funds for financing projects in the field of paraplegia, identifying the most promising research teams and projects, in both Switzerland and abroad, encouraging young scientists to focus their work on research towards paraplegia, promoting the exchange of information and cooperation between researchers, increasing public awareness of the progress of research and its applications, working with institutions, especially universities, pursuing the same goals, and providing support for other activities related to paraplegia, which would otherwise be neglected. This year’s charity event gathered 520 guests and managed to fundraise more than 300,000 Swiss Franc. This sum will finance neuroscience research projects that have been selected by the IRP Scientific Committee in Switzerland and around the world, in particular the STIMO clinical study – Stimulation of the spinal cord of paraplegic patients, led by Professors Grégoire Courtine and Jocelyne Bloch.

The highlight of the evening in Geneva was Mr. David Mzee, one of the first patients to participate in the STIMO study, who arrived to the Hotel President Wilson standing, as testimony of his incredible experience that allows him today to walk on his own. This edition of the Bal du Printemps was held under the patronage of the Greek Embassy in Switzerland and including live singing from Mrs. Nana Mouskouri. The evening featured an amazing dinner prepared by Chef Michel Roth prior to the main Auction Sale led by Eric Valdieu and a concert by Tom Leeb, with the band Noneïm. The extremely successful Bal du Printemps and fundraiser will return to hold its 22nd edition in Geneva next year on Saturday the 21st of March.

S N R O O I T T I S E ED E U QO TH T ❝

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Hello, I would like the Italian MXGP of Trentino schedule please? Mke Arr:

Hi MXGP, Guys, a few weeks ago, i could enjoy mxgp Argentina with Fox Sports, but what about the other events … i don’t know where i can watch them... could you help me? Thanks, John

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Hi Mke Arr: , Hi, thanks for the message! The timetable for the MXGP of Trentino can be viewed on MXGP.com in the news section and also if you click the race on the calendar. Regards MXGP

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: Hi I’m wondering if u could give me some information on how to get to the MXoN from the UK if we fly is it possible 2 get a hotel near the track and will there be busses running to and from track? Jonathan

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Hi Jonathan, Hi thanks for the message. You can either check some interesting links on the calendar section by clicking on the event (MXoN) or you could contact directly. Regards MXGP

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Where can we watch the MXGP of Trentino? Franco

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Dear Franco, You can check the TV Coverage of the event on www.mxgp.com or you can follow all the races LIVE on Saturday and Sunday on www.mxgp-tv.com Best Regards MXGP

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Hi MXGP, Hello, I have a question. I saw on the internet that you can buy tickets for Saturday and Sunday. Can you also just buy tickets for Sunday only? Can you please confirm? Charissa

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Hi Charissa Yes, at the ticket booth you’ll be able to buy either weekend tickets valid for the whole weekend, or Saturday only or Sunday only tickets. See you at the races! Thanks MXGP

Hi John Hi, You can always check the TV Coverage of each event on www. mxgp.com, we publish it every Friday with all the information separated per countries. In any case, you can always follow all the races LIVE on Saturday and Sunday on our streaming platform www.mxgp-tv.com Thanks MXGP