MXGP #71 July 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

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L A I R O T I D E

Giuseppe Luongo President of Youthstream Group

Dear MXGP Friends, This year MXGP is rich of surprises; Gajser, who wins race after race and Grand Prix after Grand Prix, seems to be unbeatable, Cairoli, who unfortunately has crash after crash, has injured his shoulder and had to stay out for the MXGP of Germany permitting Gajser to collect a very good point advantage over him, and the incredible but sadly short-lived return of Herlings at the MXGP of Russia and Latvia the excitement could not be better.

After an injury everyone normally needs a few races to get back into the rhythm before to be able to fight for a victory, but not Herlings, who looked like he was getting his pace in Russia, went on to Latvia to win the qualifying race on Saturday and went into Sunday’s first race with calm then opened gas and passed rider after rider to take the lead and win with a fractured ankle.

Sadly, Herlings couldn’t start the 2nd race due to the fractured bone, but he left everyone astonished by his performance and looking forward to his speedy recovery.

Febvre has made an excellent come-back after his injury, too, and is again a regular contender for the podium, it’s great having him

”THE SWISS ARNAUD TONUS HAS BEEN CONSISTENTLY ON THE PODIUM, WE HOPE THIS STREAK CONTINUES FOR HIM AS IT’S GREAT HAVING A VARIETY OF NATIONAL FLAGS FLYING ABOVE THE PODIUM.” back to mix things up a bit. Since Portugal, so that’s 5 Grand Prix events in a row, the Swiss Arnaud Tonus has been consistently on the podium, we hope this streak continues for him as it’s great having a variety of National flags flying above the podium.

Now MXGP heads to Asia for 2 races in Indonesia, the conditions will completely change for our

champions, they will have to be competing not only against each other but also against the hot and humid climate, jet-lag, different foods, different culture and different types of track layout and soil, so it will be interesting to see which riders will be coming back home with a bags full of points.

It’s great for the Asian fans to be able to go to an event and see for real their heroes, and for fans in the rest of the world, it’s a great chance to following the Saturday and Sunday races on MXGP-TV.com, just remember in Europe it will be early in the morning, so don’t miss it!

I wish all the European and American fans a July full of relaxing summer holidays, fans from the southern hemisphere great winter breaks and to fans from all over the world a tremendous month of MXGP racing!

S T O H S L COO

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T O H S E L O H X  FO

FOX HOLESHOT JUNE 14

Last month has seen the 2019 FIM World Motocross Championship exploring the eastern reaches of Europe, starting at stunning Orlyonok on the Black Sea coast for the PATRON MXGP of Russia.

The hard-packed surface making for a spectacular weekend as the sunhats came out for the first time since Patagonia.

10 for the season, and posting a statement of intent for the rest of the month.

There was a maiden Fox Holeshot winner in MX2 Race 1. Darian Sanayei is continuing to fight the effects of the Epstein-Barr virus, but the Bike-It DRT Kawasaki team provided the American with a missile out of the gate, and the #57 finally capped a number of highly competitive starts to take the early lead. With that he became only the 2nd non-Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider to get his hands on a Black Plate since Roan Van De Moosdijk for F&H Racing Team in Agueda, Portugal, earlier this season.

Race 2 saw a return to form for the championship leader. You could have driven a bus between the #61 and the rest of the MX2 field as they passed over the Fox Holeshot line. Prado already up to

One week later on the hard sand of Kegums, early summer heat was again the theme at the MXGP of Latvia. Prado peerless throughout; he took a pair of Fox Holeshots nudging that total up to 12 and helping to cement a dominant display. The KTM ace even with time to help prop up F&H Racing Team’s Adam Sterry into the first corner in Race 2, in fact that was the closest anyone got to touching him all day.

12 became 14 for ‘Mr Holeshot’ at the MXGP of Germany. Gone in the wind of Teutschenthal by the time the chasing pack were through the first corner in both races. Prado claimed 26 of 40 Fox Holeshots last season and he is on his way to better that remarkable performance in 2019 after claiming the last 5 Black

Plates in a row. KTM team-mate Tom Vialle is still his nearest challenger with 4, but none since Race 2 in muddy Mantova.

Sanayei and F&H Racing’s Roan Van Der Moosdijk, as a wildcard in Portugal, have one apiece.

Nothing yet for Honda, Yamaha or Husqvarna.

While it was business as usual in MX2, the MXGP championship landscape has seen seismic changes over the last 3 races.

Romain Febvre, inspired by a first Fox Holeshot of the season on home soil at the MXGP of France, made it 2 in a row in the opening race at Orlyonok, continuing a blue theme with Yamaha’s 4th consecutive Black Plate for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team. Glenn Coldenhoff snapped that streak in Race 2, with a first Fox Holeshot of 2019 for Standing Construct KTM.

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Kegums was notable for a remarkable showing from defending champion Jeffrey Herlings. The Bullet, living up to his name in Race 1, was first over the Fox Holeshot line. He took a race win at only his 2nd GP of the season, despite a spill on the sighting lap resulting in Arminas Jasikonis running over his rightboot and breaking another bone in his ankle. The flying Dutchman with his wings clipped for the foreseeable future. Arnaud Tonus took the holeshot in Race 2, his 3rd of 2019, for the Monster Energy Wilvo Yamaha Official MXGP Team.

By the time the paddock arrived in sunny Teutschenthal for the

MXGP of Germany, Tim Gajser had won 7 of the last 8 races, but was without a Black Plate since Arco. However, the Team HRC rider has never been more comfortable on his factory Honda and grabbed a lovely pair of Black Plates to take his tally to 3 for the season.

MXGP TABLE Antonio Cairoli

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Tim Gajser

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Arnaud Tonus

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MX2 TABLE Antonio Cairoli still leads the way with 8 Fox Holeshots in the standings, but with the Sicilian currently out of action after dislocating his shoulder in Latvia, his lead now down to 5 over Gajser and Tonus. Febvre and Julien Lieber for Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team the only other riders to claim more than one this season.

Jorge Prado Tom Vialle

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P U G H N ATC I C A C R

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Y N N U F A S ’ E T I M A G D L O 19

AFTER THE LONG FIVE-WEEK BREAK AFTER THE MXGP OF TRENTINO, MXGP RETURNED WITH A BANG, AND FOR THE SECOND TIME THIS SEASON WE WOULD BE ON THE ROAD TO ANOTHER ‘THREE-IN-A-ROW’, STARTING IN MANTOVA FOR THE MONSTER ENERGY MXGP OF LOMBARDIA.

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MOTOCROSS! It’s a funny old sport. One minute you can be at the very top of your game and the next you can be left bewildered by a sudden turn of events, or a catalogue of errors.

Just ask Antonio Cairoli, or more to the point, just ask Tim Gajser whose sudden turn around has shocked even the most die-hard motocross fans from all corners of the globe. After imploding in the mud of Mantova, the Slovenian bounced back with a vengeance in Portugal and France to trail Cairoli by just 10 points heading into Russia, and if you’d even dared to hint that Gajser would score 53 points more than Cairoli over a six-race

period, you would have been laughed out of the building. But this is exactly what happened, and if you are TC222, it is no laughing matter. However, before we get into all of that, let’s gradually ease ourselves into the next three races where MXGP travelled to Russia, Latvia and Germany; and just like Lombardia, Portugal and France, this set of races was another three-in-a-row affair, for the third time this year.

The Orlyonok Race Track has been on the calendar since 2016 when it first hosted the FIM Junior World Championship, but for MXGP it has only been on the agenda since 2017 so this year’s visit was the third consecutive trip ‘overseas’ to this venue for what was Round eight of eighteen. Getting there

sounds further than it actually is, but when you drive two hours to your departure airport and then factor in that you need to arrive two hours in advance for a three hour flight to Moscow … you are already looking at a seven hour journey. Add to that your clearance through immigration, followed by a two hour transit time and two hour flight to our final destination Krasnodar, you’ve already killed the best part of twelve hours! Of course, not everyone has a two-hour drive to the departure airport or allows another two hours for transit or delays, but you catch our drift, right? The two-hour drive from the airport to the circuit though is worth the wait, as you pass a mixture of old and new, whether it be buildings, roads, shopping precincts or whatever; there is certainly a lot that catches your eye as you pass on through.

As you get to within twenty minutes of the circuit you catch your first glimpse of the beautiful stretch of water, otherwise known as The Black Sea, and it really was beautiful on the day we arrived with clear blue skies and temperatures hitting more than thirty degrees. Actually, the horizon had us all captivated from the moment we arrived, right up until the time we had to leave. Sadly, we were there for a specific reason though, and it wasn’t spelt V.A.C.A.T.I.O.N. I believe that children are our future … (Whitney Houston, singer) Across the road from the circuit is the Russian Children’s Centre ‘Orlyonok’ which is a federal state all-year round children’s camp for kids aged between 11 and 16 and as far as ‘camps’ go, this one could not be positioned any better, which just happens to be on the eastern shore of The Black Sea. Over the course of the year, as many as 20,000 children get to experience this facility; 21

even Vsevolod Brylyakov stayed there as a kid with his eyes set on becoming a professional motocross racer.

slip-up’s, especially if they were seriously considering a run at the title.

Return Of The Champ

We have to drive through the camp in order to get to the official opening ceremony on Friday before the event, and honestly, these kids have everything they need to enrich their whole outlook on life; the first thing they learn is how to have FUN! They have access to the beach, they can do water sports in The Black Sea, they can dance, appear in a stage show, or a play, learn to sing! We witnessed it first-hand and you could see what it means to them to perform for US, the travelling community that is MXGP. Every year they do something different for us, and for them to stand alongside their hero’s or receive an autographed poster means the world to them, and in return, they get to melt our hearts again, and again and again!

Ever since our first visit the MXGP fraternity has experienced a very special Opening Ceremony, which has been carried out by the very children that are in attendance at the time of our arrival. Flag bearers, traditional singers and dancers put on a fascinating show, all of them bursting with enthusiasm in front of their multi-national audience. Of course, there are the usual speeches from the event organisers and other local dignitaries but this year the event took place in a newly built, state of the art theatre as opposed to the outdoor venue of the ‘square’.

The overall result was stunning and this ceremony eclipsed both of the previous ones, and that is saying something.

With the pleasantries out of the way, the riders and teams switched their focus back to the job at hand and the business of going racing. After a one week hiatus, the realisation of being back at work, for the first of another three-in-a-row for the third time this season meant that no-one could afford any 28

When Stefan Everts retired as a ten-time world champion at the end of 2006 it meant that there would be no defending champion lining up behind the gate in the premier class to defend the title. Fast forward to 2019, and we had a similar scenario for the first time in thirteen years when defending champion Jeffrey Herlings was ruled out of the season opener due to injury, so it was a refreshing change to welcome ‘The Bullet’ back to action in Russia.

After the media interest had died down on Friday it looked like JH84 was not too far off the pace, but his 3rd in Free Practice was followed up with sixteenth in Time Practice, and furthermore, any other aspirations he might have had going into the Qualifying Race were dealt an even further blow when the Red Bull KTM rider fell on the opening lap whilst inside the top five. He eventually qualified in sixteenth!

However, when all was said and done, JH84 placed 4th overall, which after the race he said: ‘I will take that, for now!’ Elsewhere in MXGP, Antonio Cairoli still held a slender 10-point advantage over Team HRC’s Gajser, who arrived in Russia having just won the previous two GP’s without loss! By the time we left for Europe, ‘TIGA’ had taken a third consecutive 1-1 to Cairoli’s 2-17, and had taken control of the championship lead for the first time since Valkenswaard 2017! Gajser also left there with a 13-point advantage over the nine-time champ. As Cairoli languished in 8th overall, in part due to a crash in the Qualifying Race, Gajser was joined on the podium by Arnaud Tonus (Monster Energy Wilvo Yamaha) and Jeremy Seewer (Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP),

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for what was the first ever double-Swiss podium in the premier class.

In MX2 Jorge Prado was looking to cement his ever increasing lead, and in Russia the results for the podium were a little static with the top three in the championship went 1-2-3 and by that we mean Prado (1-1), TKO (2-2) and Geerts (3-3). However, upon closer inspection, the first race saw Prado get ‘punted’ wide at the first turn, rounding out in 10th, which meant a much more methodical approach to the front. The Red Bull KTM rider eventually passed Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Thomas Olsen with 2 laps to go as Jago Geerts came home for 3rd – just 2.7 seconds separated the top three. Race Two was more straight forward for the series leader, as he pulled his 10th Fox Holeshot of the season and brought it home for his 13th win of the campaign.

We also had some EMX action as well; in EXM2T Britain’s Todd Kellett romped to his first career EMX race win in the Race One ad followed it up with a 2nd in Race Two to take his first overall win of his career as well. Brad Anderson made it a British 1-2 overall with his 3-1 tally and regained the Red Plate from Mike Kras in the process, with the gap between them being 8-points; the Dutchman could only muster a 4-4. Third overall was Andero Lusbo who went 2-3.

In EMX250, in what is turning out to be a fascinating championship, Roan Van De Moosdijk stood on the top step of the EMX250 podium for the first time this year as he brought his French form to Russia with a 1-2. Stephen Rubini was 2nd overall with a 3-1 but it was Rene Hofer who joined them on the podium after posting 2-3 results. The championship leader going in to Round four was Alberto Forato but the Italian could only manage a 14-4 and 8th overall, and as a result saw his Red Plate removed from his

Husky and placed on to the front of Rubini’s Honda. The pointsgap was slender with Rubini leaving Orlyonok 2-points clear of Forato, with Van De Moosdijk 19 points further back. This series looks like it will go down to the final round, with three riders contesting the win.

KICKING ON TO KEGUMS Less than one week later and MXGP was already back in the Paddock and when we arrived on Thursday, temperatures were hitting 35˚ so it was clear that this one was going to be tough.

Added to the high temperatures we had humidity and a sand track that, from previous experience, told us it was going to be a rough ride. On Friday some of the riders headed back in to Riga, the country’s capital and largest city in the Baltic States, which are made up Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, where they were greeted by the media for another Media Opportunity and rider’s signing session. As always, it was very well attended but as always, the focus quickly shifted to the championship.

As in Russia we were joined by EMX2T and EMX250 and so track conditions were expected to get pretty choppy fairly quickly.

There was a newcomer to the EMX2T class in the form of Ken Bengtsson, the Swede who has struggled with injury since the back end of last year. Two years ago he was a front-runner in EMX250 but after coming back from a scaphoid injury decided it was best to re-enter the fray on a two-stroke. Plus, he’s been riding one since his return to action at home in the domestic series so for him it was the obvious choice.

Immediately he had the title challengers on their toes; Mike Kras was surprised that Bengtsson qualified on Pole whereas most were more surprised that Brad Anderson could only manage 6th, some two and a half seconds back.

Race One was won by the 33

newcomer, Bengtsson, with a 6-second margin over Kras as Todd Kellett, Andero Lusbo and Anderson rounded out the top five. ‘Ando’ was not feeling himself; he struggled his way through the day feeling lethargic and by the time the race was over, he held a 2-point advantage over Kras. As Bengtsson celebrated a double victory he became the first Swede to stand on the top step of the EMX podium since Tim Edberg won a round of the Honda CRF150 Championship in Germany 2015.

Prior to that the last Swedish winner was Alvin Ostlund when he won the Belgian round of EMX125 at Lommel on August 3rd 2014, so hearing the Swedish national anthem was a pleasant and refreshing change. With Kras going 2-2 for 2nd overall, the Baltic State fans enjoyed Andero Lusbo’s moment on the podium, his first of the season; no place better than ‘home’ to do that. Anderson’s 5-4 was only good enough for 5th overall and he lost the Red Plate to Kras as a result and the two will next head to Imola, Italy separated by just 2-points.

In EMX250 we saw a ‘comingof-age’ performance from Roan Van De Moosdijk as he guided his Kawasaki to a perfect 1-1 for the first time in his EMX career.

Behind him, Jeremy Sydow; the German in his second race back after a scaphoid injury suffered at Matterley Basin, started 2nd and stayed there as the two title rivals coming in to this fifth round, floundered mid-pack after poor starts. However, it was Forato who managed to get back to 3rd after his last lap pass on Raivo Dankers ensured another couple of vital points in the title chase.

Rubini was 5th.

Heading into Race Two, Forato held a 2-point gain over Rubini but just as they did in Race One, the two riders suffered from poor starts again; at the end of Lap 1, Forato and Rubini were 14th and 16th respectively, however, this time it was the Frenchman who surged to 3rd – one place 34

higher than Forato. The podium was Van De Moosdijk (1-1), from Forato (3-4) and Jeremy Sydow (2-5) who secured his first ever EMX podium in any class.

As the EMX250 riders prepared to head for Germany the championship standings showed that Forato was back in ‘Red’ albeit tied on the same points as Rubini; the Italian’s race-win count bears more weight than round wins, but with Van De Moosdijk picking up the double win, suddenly he found himself in the title hunt, just seven points further back.

GAJSER PULLS A ‘ONEEIGHTY’ There are two ways in which you can read this particular title: ‘Gajser pulls a one-eighty’ but either way, both are true.

After being 40-points down on Cairoli after Mantova just three rounds before, Gajser had turned things around to win the next three GP’s and all six races.

Cairoli by comparison, after hitting the start gate in France had gone 7-8-11 at the same events. In Latvia there would be more drama and it was possibly the most enthralling GP of the season so far, Trentino aside.

Herlings was back to winning ways in Qualifying, edging out Arminas Jasikonis who was loving being back on ‘home’ turf, or as close to home as he could be at least. However, what happened next was just pure drama; you could never have written it nor predicted it!

Halfway around the sighting lap, Herlings came up short on a small tabletop and tipped off the side of his bike, but before he had chance to pick himself up, Jasikonis was already midflight. The Lithuanian managed to avoid landing on him, but clipped his already damaged ankle as he passed by.

Frantic efforts by Herlings’ crew to straighten out his bike moments before the gate-drop

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were seen by MXGP TV viewers, but none of us knew if JH84 was hurt or not. The Bullet went on to win after passing Arnaud Tonus and Cairoli, who followed him home in 2nd and 3rd respectively. Championship leader Gajser looked solid in 5th until Lap 8 when he literally ‘pulled a one-eighty’ off the back of his Honda at the end of the wave-section. Fortunately, he was able to remount, but ‘Rubber Tim’ bounced back again to claim 6th. His championship lead had been cut to eight though.

Race Two was another classic, and it started with the announcement just before the riders lined up with a post on Herlings’ Instagram account saying he would not be lining up after breaking his ankle when he crashed on the sighting lap before the first race! Cairoli then fell on the opening lap whilst 5th and left the track with a dislocated shoulder. Suddenly, there were no Red Bull KTM’s in the race.

Seewer led Tonus, who was looking at a GP win and even when Gajser passed the ‘4’ for 2nd on Lap 6, and Seewer on lap 12, Tonus still led the overall.

But his lead was shrinking. With 5 laps to go, Romain Febvre put Tonus into 4th, but the Swiss rider still led the GC; that was until RF461 parked his teammate Seewer on the final lap for 2nd in the race.

As the riders came over the Monster Energy Finish Line, Gajser was pumped just have come away with a race win, Febvre thought he had won the GP and Seewer thought he’d made a podium. The results showed that Gajser, Febvre and Tonus all tied for the overall, but the second race result was the decider, with Gajser taking his fourth straight GP (6-1) from Febvre (4-2) and Tonus (2-4). With Cairoli not picking up points, Gajser left Latvia with a 33-point buffer over the Sicilian.

In MX2, Prado led every lap in both races to claim his 24th GP win and eighth win of the season as Monster Energy Kemea Yamaha’s Jago Geerts came from behind in both races to pass Thomas Olsen in the latter stages of both outings for 2nd overall.

The Dane was hoping for a hattrick of wins at Kegums but had to be content with 3rd overall this time around, although he still remained 2nd overall in the championship.

GIMME FIVE The MXGP of Germany marked the end of another three-in-arow, thankfully, for the final time this season, and once again the weather was touching 30˚ when we arrived at Teutschenthal for Round Ten. The GP also marked the start of the second half of the season.

Joining MX2, MXGP and EMX250 was the EMX125 class presented

by FMF Racing, which we’d not seen since France. The standout performer so far has been Mattia Guadagnini who had won five out of the eight races coming into Germany. He had also won three overall rounds and took second last time out in France.

In Race One, the Italian took the holeshot and led every one of the fifteen laps on offer to increase his lead in the standings to 30 over his closest rival Tom Guyon, who crossed the line 2nd. Mike Gwerder was 3rd, the Swiss rider taking his first top three finish in the competition.

Race Two though was a different story, as Guadagnini suffered from a poor start outside the top ten. A fall on Lap 3 when he collided with another rider left him stuck in gear and 13th was all he could manage when he hit the line. Guyon who won Race Two, suddenly finds himself just thirteen points adrift with two rounds remaining. The podium in Germany was Guyon (2-1), Simon Laengenfelder (4-2) and Mike Gwerder (3-3), the Swiss also picking up his first ever podium, but for the first time this 37

season there was no Guadagnini on the box, except only to collect his championship leader’s Red Plate.

In EMX250 the title fight continued as the top three riders looked to settle their differences.

The ‘form man’ was Van De Moosdijk, having just won the last two rounds in Russia and Latvia and it was him who led until three laps to go in Race One when Rubini caught him napping. Forato tried on several occasions to split the two ahead of him but his own mistakes cost him and a distant 3rd was all he had for his rivals.

The second race started the same as the first with ‘RVDM’ taking an early lead from Rubini, but the French rider managed to get up front on Lap 3 and stay there to the flag from his Dutch rival. Forato struggled off the start and came back to 3rd which meant the podium was Rubini (1-1), RVDM (2-2) and Forato (3-3). With two rounds to go in Belgium and Sweden, Rubini has a 10-point buffer over Forato with RVDM just three behind.

As for MX2, Prado took his Fox Holeshot tally to fourteen as he collected both Black Plates at the end of two more wins. The Spaniard now holds a 44-point advantage over TKO, who failed to make the podium for only the second time this season. Prado’s teammate brought his KTM home in 2nd in Race One for his best ever race finish with home hero and circuit ambassador Henry Jacobi picking up 3rd.

Race Two saw Vialle in 2nd again only to lose two places when he tipped over in a slow corner, allowing Olsen and Geerts to go by. On the same lap, Olsen then fell from 2nd to 6th and the following lap Vialle re-inherited 2nd when Geerts suffered a mechanical DNF. In the second half of the race he eventually lost out to fellow countryman Mathys Boisrame, the Honda Redmoto Assomoto rider capitalising on a 5th place start to claim his first 38

top three race finish in MX2. The main talking point of the race involved the two F&H Racing teammates Adam Sterry and Henry Jacobi. With four laps to go, Jacobi made a move on Sterry past PIT LANE as he went from one side of the track to the other, hooking up with Sterry’s bike before dragging both rider and machine down the track for a few metres. Of course, Sterry was outraged and when the two stopped after the race they became involved in a heated discussion that ended with the German landing a quick punch to the side of the Welshman’s helmet. No matter the reason, there is no place for this kind of behaviour in our series; it’s not tolerated in any other sports so let’s leave it out of ours as well.

The MX2 podium in Germany was Prado (1-1), Vialle (2-3) and Boisrame (7-2).

Let’s round out with MXGP then, shall we?

As we arrived in Germany you could not help but notice that there were one or two absentees, and Cairoli was another rider that would not make the trip from Kegums to Teutschenthal. After taking his fourth Qualifying Race win on Saturday, Tim Gajser was looking forward to a successful GP – and that’s exactly what he got! Despite a slight slip whilst leading Race One, Gajser turned two Fox holeshots into two more race wins on Sunday to open his lead on the absent Cairoli to 83 points.

A strong showing again from Yamaha saw four riders from 2nd to 5th but it was Tonus who edged out the two Monster Energy Factory Yamaha’s of Seewer and Febvre as Gautier Paulin took 5th.

Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Julien Lieber was not so fortunate though, and just two laps after taking second from Tonus, the Belgian suffered a big get off which left him unable to continue. More on that shortly though.

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In Race Two, Pauls Jonass took his Rockstar Energy Husky to a well deserved 2nd behind Tiga Tim but the drama for the final podium place again went down to the final lap, just as it did in Latvia. Tonus had been caught by Max Anstie in 3rd and the Standing Construct KTM rider brought Paulin with him. Gajser and Tonus were in the top two spots, but we didn’t know if it would be Jonass or Paulin that would be joining them, until three corners to go when Paulin dived down the inside of Anstie for 4th. His pass was crucial and it was GP21 that took to the 3rd step of the box, joining his teammate Tonus in what was a first doublepodium for Monster Energy Wilvo Yamaha. Gajser took his fifth straight win, Tonus enjoyed his fifth straight podium and it was good to see Paulin back on the box for the first time in five attempts, since Lombardia.

Unfortunately, there is occasionally a downside to our wonderful sport and over the last three rounds we have since a rise in the number of casualties that will miss part or most of the season as a result. Evgeny Bobryshev (broken leg), Clement Desalle (broken leg), Alessandro Lupino (vertebrae injuries to D12 – L1 – L2 and fractured sternum when he was landed on by another rider). In Latvia we lost Cairoli (dislocated shoulder), Jeffrey Herlings (fractured ankle) and Petar Petrov (cracked bone in his wrist). In Germany it was Julien Lieber (fractured elbow), Ben Watson (broken hand) and Mitch Evans also took a hard hit in MX2 Race One. Of course, it goes without saying that we wish all of them a speedy and successful recovery and hope to see them out on track again soon.

Our next stop will be the two overseas rounds in Indonesia. We will tell you all about it when we get back. In the meantime, enjoy the sun!

WATCH THE VIDEO 41

FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

STANDINGS MXGP CHAMP. STANDINGS 1. T. Gajser (SLO, HON) 2. A. Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 3. J. Seewer (SUI, YAM) , 4. A. Tonus (SUI, HUS), 5. G. Paulin (FRA, YAM) 6. A. Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 7. J. Van Horebeek (BEL, HON) , 8. G. Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 9. P. Jonass (LAT, HUS), 10. C. Desalle (BEL, KAW) ,

MX2 CHAMP. STANDINGS 441 p.

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

MXGP MANUFACTURERS

MX2 MANUFACTURERS

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

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

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L A I C O S P G X M

@champthebullterrier Last weekend at the @mxgp of @msc_teutschenthal đ&#x;’Şđ&#x;?ź happy Friday everyone đ&#x;Ľł

@nadine_krumbholz Thanks again to @ assomotor_team for the possibility to be in the grid again, @mxgpTeutschenthal! of course I was very happy for @mathysboisrame172 to see him on the podium! Well done boy đ&#x;˜˜

@KTM_Racing Great turn-out of fans at the #MXGPGermany last weekend and very cool to have a special 1-2 in #MX2 around one of the trickier tracks of the #motocross #mxgp season so far #ktm

With another 1-1 performance, Gajser extended his series points in Germany while the pair of Monster Energy Wilvo Yamaha Official MXGP’s Arnaud Tonus and Gautier Paulin made history being for the first time on the podium together and tied on championship points.

Best Actions of the MXGP of Germany HERE

@ruslanruslan8886 Nice Weekend in Teutschenthal đ&#x;‡Šđ&#x;‡Ş MXGP #mxgp #kastenwagen #fahrrad#germany #motocross

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MXGP went behind the scenes at Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing during the PATRON MXGP of Russia. Watch the Team report HERE

@mariliis_mets What a wknd đ&#x;’Ť #mxgp #kegums

@yamaharacingcom It’s been a long road back to the podium for @ arnaudtonus, but he’s done it! Third overall at the @ mxgp of Portugal this weekend @therealmb237 Big thanks @mxgp @fimlive for the chance to participate in the MXGP Academy đ&#x;˜‡âœŠđ&#x;?˝đ&#x;¤™đ&#x;?˝ @maxmotolv Perfect weekend in @ mxgplatvia in Kegums race track! We were on double duty this year as we represented both @ akrapovic exhaust systems and @scottsports equipment

@pablodjpaika: A week ago! #MXGP

@edzha_karklins #mxgplatvia #mxgp

@rusistrusis Good job done at MXGP Latvia! Great race in close up. đ&#x;‘?đ&#x;?ź #mxgp #mxgplatvia #kegums

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

The MXGP of Latvia witnessed one of the most intense and unpredictable races of the 2019 FIM Motocross World Championship Season!

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H T N RE MO E D I RF TH O

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: S U N O ” T T I D M U I A L N O R N A S ’ E R E H T “ 53

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IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE, LOOKING AT THE WAY ARNAUD TONUS MOVES AROUND THE PADDOCK NOW, THAT THIS IS THE SAME MAN THAT 3 ROUNDS INTO THE SEASON WENT 13-20 AT HIS MONSTER ENERGY WILVO YAMAHA OFFICIAL MXGP TEAM’S HOME EVENT IN VALKENSWAARD TO SIT 15TH IN THE MXGP CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS. FAST-FORWARD TO THE EVE OF THE MXGP OF GERMANY AND THE 28-YEAR-OLD HAS STOOD ON THE PODIUM IN THE LAST 4 GP’S, FEELS HE BELONGS THERE, AND KNOWS THIS CAN BE THE START OF SOMETHING VERY SPECIAL.

Shoulder surgery saw Tonus sit out the 2018 season entirely, resulting in an understandable rustiness in the early part of this year. But a strong 4th overall in Trentino seems to have made something click in Yamaha’s #4.

“Definitely, on the fitness side, I’m feeling a lot better,” says Arnaud.

“But I think it also comes from the mental side. I feel more free, and more happy overall, and I feel like you can see that on the bike. But I’ve been working on that aspect for many years, and feel like I’ve understood some stuff, and it kind of clicked, so I’m very happy.”

It clicked to such an extent that at the previous 2 GPs in Russia and Latvia, a first win since the 2017 MXGP of Switzerland was very much on the cards. Chasing 55

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down leader Tim Gajser’s HRC Honda in Race 2 in Orlyonok, only for a dart for glory down the inside resulting in contact with a track marker, and having to make do with 2nd place. Tonus again on the money in the opening race in Latvia; moving into an early lead, Jeffrey Herlings, complete with another broken bone in his foot, taking until 2 laps from home to deny the Swiss rider that longawaited victory.

“Riding at that pace is new to me in that class. I had some really good seasons on the 250s where I was battling for the wins and I had a (MXGP) race win in Switzerland 2 years ago. But consistently like this, that takes some learning.

Riding with Jeffrey (Herlings) or Tim (Gajser), these are guys that have a lot of experience at this level.”

“For sure, I’m learning every weekend, and I also try to manage my energy in a different way to try to be solid at the end of a race.

When you’re at the back, you’re not calculating so much, just trying to get back to the front. Up front, there’s more of a mental game.”

The mental game is never more evident than at the start gate, in fact Tonus got 3 Fox Holeshots to his name this season, all coming during that 4-podium streak. Yes, there have been improvements to the bike, but Wilvo are not alone in that. Perhaps the most important change has come between the ears: “I think the fact that I know I belong at the front also makes a difference for the start, because you know you can ride with those guys. From the outside you think ‘oh, there’s a click’, but there’s so many things to make this happen.

It probably took years, but it’s just nice that it happens right now. I enjoy it a lot better.”

A 3rd holeshot of the season at Kegums in Race 2 then saw Tonus in position to think about taking a first GP victory. Alas, a late charge from Tim Gajser and Romain Febvre left him 4th in that race, tied on points with both, but only

on the bottom step of the podium due to a lesser result in that 2nd race. Had he tightened up with the top step in sight?

“I think I did, to be honest with you. In the first race I was really focusing on what I was doing. Not really calculating anything. But the 2nd race I started 2nd behind Jeremy (Seewer), and I thought if I stay here, I might win the overall.

I was more in a control mode.

Tim came back and passed me, and then Romain at the end. So, I was probably controlling a bit too much, and I lost some positions, and I lost the overall.”

“I still have some stuff to learn about myself, so I can improve, but I’m already super happy to be up there. At the moment, it’s even hard to realise, from where I come from, to now talking about leading a race and battling for a GP win.

It’s amazing.”

But this has been a journey long in the making. Arnaud was born in Geneva, Switzerland, to a family already immersed in motocross, and was given every opportunity to discover his own passion for the sport by a supportive family.

“My dad was a racer. He was riding motocross for 20 years, also at a good level. He was a multi-time Swiss champion and also rode some GPs, so I was pretty much born on the track. From when I was just born, I was on the side of the track, so that’s how I grew up. I really fell in love with the sport. My dad saw that I enjoyed riding and that’s why he took me to the races, I was always asking for it. Loved it.

I was really lucky to have my day behind me with some experience, he taught me a lot of technique and how to ride a bike.”

“In a way it was funny because he knew the risks that it took to ride a dirt bike. He wanted me to go fast, but he was also the guy that calmed me. Every time I saw him on the track, he was the one telling me to calm down. It was funny, but I was pretty lucky to have him by my side, and also my mum.

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They supported me a lot during my career.”

Like most boys his age, Tonus participated in a number of sports.

But dabbling in swimming, cycling, running, and of course skiing (well, he is from Switzerland), was only ever a means to an end. “To be honest, motocross took such a big part of my life, that the rest around motocross was more to make me a better rider than to do something else. I had only this on my mind, it’s crazy to think back now, even as a kid, I always had that mentality that I wanted to be a professional rider.

It’s hard to realise now, that I could be here as a kid, looking at those guys and dreaming about it.”

Rapid progression through the Swiss Junior ranks saw Tonus join the FIM MX2 World Championship as a fresh-faced 17-year-old in time for the 2009 season. A steep learning curve followed, but after placing 5th in the 2011 standings injuries started to hit, setting the tone for the following 3 seasons.

The Swiss rider just finished 3 races in 2013, which was a real low-point, but a harbinger of things were still to come.

“I think we have some stuff to learn as athletes, sometimes you have to go through those tough times to learn it. I don’t think you can skip these types of moments, but you might be humble enough to learn through those hard times.

Sometimes there’s ego involved and you think you know, you might not take the responsibility of what’s going on with the injuries.It took me a little bit to realise that I had some stuff to learn, and face myself, and be humble, and really look at what I could do better. Whatever you go through, take it as an opportunity to grow and to learn.”

And learn he did. By the 2014 season Tonus was a genuine title contender. In fact, he was going toe to toe with Jeffrey Herlings in a battle for the MX2 championship with just 7 GPs to go, when injury struck once again.

“That was hard to swallow, I remember it. I had had injures 59

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before that one, but I was really tight in the championship with Jeffrey Herlings at the time.

But I hurt myself, it was here in Teutschenthal actually, I hurt my shoulder. It was so tough because I thought it was going well and I could fight for the title until the end, but I made a mistake and hurt myself, and after that Jeffrey got injured and then Jordi Tixier was world champion that year. So, it was even tougher to swallow, because I felt like I would have been right there.”

Arnaud missed a vital 5 rounds of that year’s championship ending up 6th, 161 points behind Jordi Tixier. That boat had sailed, but another was ready to depart destination USA. A tough decision for a 23-year old to leave his friends and family behind and seek his destiny on the other side of the Atlantic, but one he was always going to make, chasing; “The dream. I feel like I always wanted to go to America.”

“It was an adventure. I also had some tough times, but I’m happy I did it. I really lived the dream, and even if they were mostly hard times, if I’m honest, I’m really happy I did it. The experience of riding supercross in front of 80.000 people was very special.”

However, that injury curse refused to go away. A virus wiping out most of his 2015 campaign in the 250cc class of the AMA Motocross championship, while more injuries restricted his performance when on track. 9th place in the 2016 edition Tonus’ high point, and after that it was time to pack his bags and head back to Europe.

“I would have liked to stay out longer for 2 years, especially the way it happened. I was sick most of the time and injured. It was tough.”

Here Tonus’ luck appeared to change as he got snapped up by Louis Vosters to partner Shaun Simpson at Wilvo Yamaha Race Team for his debut campaign in MXGP. He obtained a, 2nd place in the opening race, at the 5th

round of the season in Trentino there was a signal of intent, but the opening race later that year at the MXGP of Switzerland announced Arnaud at the top level.

“Looking back, it felt like it wasn’t real because I really had the energy from the crowd. I could really feel them all around the track and it was unbelievable. You could almost feel that they were surprised, they were giving me so much.”

“It felt like 2 hours, that race, to be honest, super-long, but at the end I made it happen. I remember, I finished the race and all you could see was hands clapping all around me. It felt unreal. It’s such a great memory and an unbelievable atmosphere. It was very special.”

But Tonus never even had the chance to let that success sink in before disaster struck once more.

A crash and a broken rib in Race 2 stopping his momentum in its tracks, leaving him on the sidelines until the final round of the season in France.

Despite that, the future looked bright. A maiden MXGP season in the bank along with a first race win and a host of other promising results. 2018 was shaping up to be a great year, but a winter of hard work on the bike would count for nothing after a crash at the Master of Motocross International at LaCapelle Marival in February of that year, resulting in a dislocated left-shoulder. To the outside world post-surgery news was all positive, but the reality left Arnaud in a much darker place.

“The injury was way worse than whatever I communicated. I said it was at least 6 months, but the doctor was not sure how it would heal. There was really a lot of damage. It wasn’t only a dislocation, all the tendons were torn and he had to repair pretty much the whole shoulder. He didn’t know how it was going to react.”

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also work on the right-shoulder too, which had also dislocated multiple times in the past. This is where Arnaud hit his lowest ebb; in the beginning, getting back behind the gate felt impossibly far away.

“At one point I wasn’t even thinking about racing any more, so my mind was just focused on healing my shoulder. My shoulder was that bad, that I simply hoping to recover.

Afterwards, when I saw it started to get better and better, then I got back to the mentality of belonging there. But, during the first part of the injury, I was not even willing to ride anymore.”

“I was back on the bike after 6 months but I was really not able to race, so I made the decision to wait until the following year and taking the riding more as a therapy, rebuilding my strength. Rather than rushing and coming back to the track, it didn’t make sense, I’d missed more than half a year.

The goal was really recovery, even though I was on the bike I was far from 100%. It took about 10 months before I started to feel good on the bike.”

10 months earlier and Tonus was finding things very tough; yes, thoughts of giving up his passion did enter his mind. There’s a certain steel behind that trademark Tonus smile, but he couldn’t have done this all alone.

“On top of mental aspect, which is very tough to accept, the pain was unbelievable, so all of this was not making me think about riding. I’m glad I did though. At one point, I didn’t really know why, I continued.

I felt like I couldn’t finish like this and I was also really lucky and happy that Yamaha supported me through that time because I had no contract at the end of the year, and Louis (Vosters) was really pushing to keep going with me. He believed in me and I’m so thankful for what he did, and also for Yamaha. They really supported me through a hard time. I’m happy that it’s paying off right now.”

It is very hard to over-egg the role of Louis Vosters in all of this. The 63

that he stays consistent, and then I think there are no limits.”

Team Manager at Monster Energy Wilvo Yamaha Official MXGP Team, who has recently retired from his day-job with Wilvo to concentrate his considerable energies on running the team for the foreseeable future, has stuck

by Tonus through thick and thin, mostly thin. That faith and belief never shaken, while others around him had their doubts. A faith that is now paying off handsomely.

“This is great. It feels like a dream,” explains Louis. “I always believed in Arnaud and his riding skills., What’s happening now, it feels great, and it’s like a dream. I’m happy, really happy. I think in the coming years Arnaud can achieve anything, he can win the world title. But for sure, it’s important 64

Tonus also, understandably, had a rosy outlook on the future, but that positive mind-set was tested at the MXGP of Germany. A minor prang when well-positioned in Saturday’s Qualifying Race resulted in a bent bike and a 14th gate pick for Sunday’s races.

However, even that couldn’t prevent his charge to yet another podium, helped by that newfound zing out of the gate.

The result a 2-3 for Tonus, behind an utterly dominant Tim Gajser, making it now 5 podiums on the bounce with the added bonus of team-mate Gautier Paulin joining him on the bottom step.

The pair now joint 4th in the championship standings, just 1 point behind 3rd placed Jeremy

Seewer, as the Yamahas go from strength to strength. Arnaud sees no point in restricting himself to set goals now.

“I think that there’s no limit, and I can still improve and be better, that’s how I see things. I don’t really set goals or stuff like that, I just don’t put any limit, and ride as hard as I can, and really try to give myself fully. Taking it race by race, even moment by moment, really living in what I’m doing right now fully and I think that’s what it takes to ride at this level.

It takes so much focus, so much precision, that if you project yourself, you might lose those small details that make you win races.”

Arnaud Tonus with an almost predatory look behind that smile, his stature and bearing unrecognisable from just 3 short months ago, his movements precise and confident. The mind focused on the moment. His time to shine is now.

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

K A E R B R E M M U X S M E R FO

WITH THE FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP HEADING OFF TO ASIA FOR AN INDONESIAN DOUBLE-HEADER, THE EUROPEAN MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP CAN ENJOY A WELL-EARNED BREAK BEFORE RETURNING TO THE HEAT OF ACTION AT THE MXGP OF CZECH REPUBLIC AT THE END OF JULY. THIS, THEN, THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY TO SIT BACK AND REFLECT ON THE ACTION THUS FAR IN 2019.

EMX250: Van de Moosdijk forces 3-way title fight The 2019 European 250cc Motocross Championship took to the gate for its seasonopener at Matterley Basin in late March bathed in unseasonal sunshine where we could see Alberto Forato immediately enjoying his offseason switch to team Maddii Racing Husqvarna. Leading from start to finish in both races of the EMX250 class to lay down the gauntlet to the rest for the campaign, and then repeating the trick at the 2nd round of the season in Arco. Stephen Rubini, riding for his former team Honda Redmoto Assomotor, was on the 2nd step of the podium at both GPs, with F&H Racing’s Roan Van de Moosdijk yet to find his form.

After a welcome break Saint Jean d’Angely was a setting scene for the 3rd of an 8-round season. Race 1 saw Red Plate man Forato lose his seat, but not his head, to come home in 4th place behind a French 1-2-3 headed

by Rubini. The 2nd race saw the two men at the head of the championship suffering poor starts, but setting about their

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charge through the field with relish. Forato was thrillingly thrust his way to 3rd on the final lap, while Rubini got as far as 6th, enough to clinch a maiden GP win in EMX250 ahead of the Italian.

Van de Moosdijk won that 2nd race in France, kickstarting his season and never looking back. The lightning-fast track in Orlyonok that hosted their 4th round of the year saw the Dutchman clinch his first overall victory of the season, just ahead of Rubini’s Honda.

The Frenchman did enough to take hold of the Red Plate, too, with Forato’s Husky sluggish out of gate in both races, leading to a 15-4 finish and a 2-point deficit in the standings.

Kegums saw the Dutch F&H rider very much in his element in Latvian sand. Van de Moosdijk obtained a pair of dominant victories seeing him move to within 7-points of the top of the championship.

Rubini struggled after a bad start in the 1st race, but saved face with 3rd in race 2. Forato, meanwhile, rode a solid 3rd in the opener before producing a pulsating comeback in the decider. The 19-year-old was

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24th on the opening lap before charging through the pack to 4th at the death. The Italian pulled level with his Honda rival in the championship standings, but took back that Red Plate due to having won more races.

The 6th round of the season took the riders to Teutschenthal in late June with Rubini determined to bounce back and doing exactly that, despite the best efforts of Van de Moosdijk. The Kawasaki rider was dicing for the lead all weekend, but had to make do with 2nd in both.

Forato’s Husky lost the Red Plate to the Honda rider once again, and the Italian trails by 10 points with 2 rounds left of the 2019 season.

However, Van de Moosdijk is only 3-points further back and will be hoping for another 1-1 when they head to Lommel in early August. A 3-way title battle should still be raging by the time the 2019 EMX250 championship arrives in Sweden for their season decider at the end of the summer.

EMX125 presented by FMF: Guadagnini feeling Guyon heat The EMX125 championship, presented by FMF, had to wait until sandy Valkenswaard to get underway. 100 competitors took to the gate, but it was Mattia Guadagnini that enjoyed the best start. After seeing his championship hopes dashed by a collar-bone injury in 2018, the Maddii Racing Husqvarna rider won the opening race of the 2019 season. While a poor getaway restricted the Italian to 4th in race 2, that was still enough to see him take the overall victory. Team VRT’s Tom Guyon won the 2nd race to announce himself as a potential rival to Guadagnini for this year’s title.

Guadagnini only turning 17 early in the season, he is already showing maturity beyond his years on the bike; seemingly on a different planet on a drying track in Trentino and negotiating the slop in Mantova with aplomb, a 4-race winning streak saw his Husqvarna take firm control of the championship.

Guyon got a strong 2nd best in Arco, but couldn’t get to grips with the heavy conditions in Lombardia to slip 35-points adrift in the standings.

Tom’s KTM was back on the money in France. Inspired by a vociferous home support Guyon took 3 laps to take the lead in race 1, leaving the chasing pack eating his roost for the rest of the weekend. In fact, even Guadagnini couldn’t live with the pace with his Maddi machine slowing out of the gate in race 1, leaving him with a grind up to 4th place and a distant 2nd in race 2.

Worse was to come in Germany for the Red Plate holder, despite a superb opening race. Guadagnini out of sight by the time Guyon fought his way up to 2nd place, but a poor start in the 2nd race left his Husky in midfield before a couple of prangs halted further progress.

The Italian had to ride the rest of the race with a bent bike and stuck in a single gear in the latter stages to finish in 13th. A delighted Guyon, meanwhile, had cruised into the lead on the opening lap never to be headed.

A title race that looked all but over now full of renewed meaning after Guyon cut Guadagnini’s championship lead to just 13 points going into the last 2 rounds of the season in Belgium and Sweden. KINI KTM Junior Pro Team’s Mike Gwerder is distant 3rd in the standings, 69 points off the pace.

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THE CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE BETWEEN MIKE KRAS AND BRAD ANDERSON BEAUTIFULLY POISED GOING INTO THE FINAL TWO ROUNDS OF THE SEASON, WITH THE FORMER LEADING THE WAY BY A MERE 2-POINTS.

EMX2T presented by FMF: Kras turns the screw The EMX2T championship, presented by FMF, replacing the old EMX300 class for 2019, made its MXGP debut at Matterley Basin with defending champion Brad Anderson in determined mood. The Verde Substance KTM rider left looking like Joseph Merrick’s twin brother after a faceplant at Hawkstone Park a month earlier, but making a remarkable recovery to win both races on home turf and kickstart his campaign for a hat-trick of titles in fine style.

Eternal rival Mike Kras lost plenty of ground in as his Team Ecomaxx Fuels bike grounded to a halt in race 2, following a strong 2nd place in the opener.

However, the Dutchman was able to claw something back at the 2nd round of the season in the muddy madness of Mantova.

A 1-2 there was enough for the overall victory while the 2-time defending champion endured a nightmare opening race. The Briton did hit back with a superb ride in race 2 though, to take a 14-point lead to the next round of the season in Portugal.

The hard pack of Agueda was suiting Kras down to the ground,

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as the #55 took control of the championship Red Plate with a perfect pair of victories, while Anderson was sluggish out of the gate. Those positions reversed a few weeks later in Russia though.

Now it was Kras’ turn to struggle, as the defending champion inched into an 8-point advantage in the standings. Todd Kellett enjoyed the lightningfast track though, taking the first overall victory of his career for Yamaha.

Kras fancied his chances at the 5th round of the year. The sand of Kegums was very much his thing, but he would only manage a 2-2 there, enough to wrestle back the Red Plate from a strangely flat Anderson, but not the overall victory.

That honour belonged to Ken Bengtson, a Swedish wildcard dominating in Latvia for Husqvarna.

The championship battle between Mike Kras and Brad Anderson beautifully poised going into the final two rounds of the season, with the former leading the way by a mere 2-points. The riders due to return to the MXGP paddock at Imola, before heading east for their season finale in Turkey at the beginning of September.

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E M A F F O

JULIEN BILL, THE SWISS PRIDE WHEN THE FIM LAUNCHED THE FIRST EVER MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN 1957, SWITZERLAND WAS ONE OF THE HOSTS OF THE SERIES. HOWEVER, THE COUNTRY HAD TO WAIT FIFTY-FOUR MORE YEARS BEFORE CELEBRATING ITS FIRST EVER – AND STILL UNIQUE – WORLD CHAMPION WHEN JULIEN BILL CLINCHED THE MX3 WORLD TITLE IN 2011.

BBorn on 2nd May 1983, Julien Bill had no connexion in his family with the sport when he received a little bike as a present when he was four years old. Two years later, even if he couldn’t touch the ground on his bike, ‘Little Bill’ entered his first race on a 60cc and went back home happy enough as he didn’t finish last! He never gave up and he collected the first one of many Swiss titles when he turned 10; later in the 80cc class he proved that he was one of the most promising kids in the country when he claimed two titles in a row and a third position in the 1997 European championship.

He had a first taste of GP’s when he tried to qualify for the 1999 French GP and scored his first points two years later at the prestigious Belgian GP in Namur while competing also in the European series. He learned the tracks and the job that had to be done during two more seasons before moving to the MX1 class in 2004 and showed such a promising potential that he joined the KTM team to compete in the MX3 World Championship.

After a tough and busy winter alongside Yves Demaria in the team of Jacky Martens, he fought all season long for podiums and finally ended the championship in third.

Back in the MX1 class in 2006 he regularly scored top ten results, but got injured in Loket and didn’t finish the season.

In 2007 Bill joined the Honda Martin team and although he struggled during the first part of the season, he obtained a couple of top six finishes later and got his first MX1 moto podium in Namur, definitively one of his favourite tracks!

The 2008 season was his best one in the main class with a final thirteenth position and several top eight finishes. However, at the end of the campaign he had to take a tough decision when he got an offer from the Aprilia factory. He jumped on the revolutionary RXV450 and received the “factory status” but he never got the results he was expecting during the following two seasons on the Italian prototype machine.

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In fact, Julien Bill had no options for 2011 when he decided to race the last round of the 2010 MX3 World Championship in his native Switzerland. Bill decided to be back on a KTM for that race in Geneva and he won both heats. The Swiss rider could finally enjoy his first ever GP win in front of his friends, fans and family. That experience made him click and after spending all winter to find partners and sponsors, together with his father he built a private program to enter the 2011 season.Julien Bill was the winner of the first GP in Greece, but Milko Potisek won the following round in Bulgaria. The French Honda rider became a strong opponent, but thanks to the two consecutive double wins in Finland and Italy, Bill took an advantage over his rivals and continued his winning streak, winning all the rounds except the one in Bulgaria!

Coming to the last round of the series in France with a little gap – twenty four points – over his main rivals, Julien Bill secured the title with another heat win in the first moto and concludes the season with his seventh GP win. Being the first ever Swiss rider to clinch a Motocross World title, Julien chose another challenge for what it would be his last racing season in 2012, riding two classes in his national championship. In fact, it was another successful year as he won both the MX2 and MX1 Swiss series! It was his last season, as a bad hand injury forced him to retire from racing.

Text & Photos: P. Haudiquert

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1993:

Swiss 65 Champion (Kawasaki)

1996:

Swiss 80 Champion (Honda)

1997:

Swiss 80 Champion (Honda)

3rd in the 80 European Championship

1998:

Swiss 125 National Champion (Honda)

1999:

Swiss 125 National Champion (Honda)

2001:

Swiss 125 Elite Champion (KTM)

27th in the 125 European Championship

28th in the 125 World Championship

2002:

30th in the 125 World Championship (KTM)

2003:

41th in the 125 World Championship (KTM)

2004:

23rd in the MX1 World Championship (KTM)

35th in the MX3 World Championship

2005: 3rd in the MX3 Motocross World Championship (KTM)

Swiss Elite Champion

2006:

15th in the MX1 World Championship (Yamaha)

2007:

15th in the MX1 World Championship (Honda)

2008:

13th in the MX1 World Championship (Honda)

2009:

17th in the MX1 World Championship (Aprilia)

2010:

34th in the MX1 World Championship (Aprilia).

19th in the MX3 World Championship (KTM).

Winner of 1GP

2011:

MX3 World Champion (Honda). Winner of 7GP

2012:

MX2 and MX1 Swiss Champion

S K L A T K C O D PAD 2

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1

The fans are always great at Teutschenthal, Germany.

2 The Turkish delegation presented the MXGP of Turkey in Germany.

3 Finland will host an MXGP Grand Prix in 2020 at the brand new KymiRing motor circuit.

4 The FOX 74 show was set up at the paddock of the German Grand Prix.

5 Happy 50th birthday Marnicq Bervoets!

6 Lisa caught up with Jeffrey at his first appearance in Russia.

7 The MXGP Academy had a session organized during the Patron MXGP of Russia.

8 Welcome to Orlyonok!

9 Tonkov connection in Russia!

10 Riders, media and all the MXGP paddock remembers Adriano Dondi, who has recently left us.

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Photo: Laporte Private Collection

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

DANNY LAPORTE 1982 YAMAHA OW57

DANNY LAPORTE WAS AN AMERICAN RACER WHO GAVE UP EVERYTHING HE KNEW IN THE USA IN THE HOPE OF ONE DAY WINNING A MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP. HAVING BEEN DENIED VARIOUS OPPORTUNITIES BECAUSE OF OTHER TEAM COMMITMENTS, LAPORTE’S CHANCE FINALLY CAME IN 1982, BUT IN ORDER TO DO THIS HE NEEDED TO SWITCH FROM AMERICAN HONDA TO A FULL FACTORY YAMAHA RIDE IN EUROPE, AND AFTER HELPING TEAM USA TO ITS FIRST EVER MXON WIN IN 1981 THINGS STARTED TO FALL INTO PLACE. WHEN ALL WAS SAID AND DONE, THE RIDER FROM LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, WAS CROWNED THE 1982 FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPION AND IT’S HIS 250CC YAMAHA OW57 THAT

for world champion Neil Hudson, who vacated the class for the 500cc category.

WE WILL FEATURE IN THIS ISSUE OF MXGP MAGAZINE. As a racer in the USA, Danny Laporte had just won one AMA title before his move across ‘the pond’ winning the 500cc motocross championship in 1979 whilst racing for Suzuki, and after a handful of wildcard appearances at the USGP at Carlsbad between 1978 and 1981, including a 2nd overall in ‘81 whilst Honda mounted under the gaze of Roger De Coster, Laporte put in one last request to try his hand overseas.

De Coster knew of Danny’s desire to race the world championship and after the 1981 season came to a successful end at The Nations, ironically, Laporte was told there were no vacancies at Honda for the world championship for the following season, but after a chat with former Yamaha world champion Heikki Mikkola, Danny Laporte was signed up for a spot in the 250cc class, as a replacement

With the first tests carried in the autumn of 1981, Laporte went to work with his Yamaha: ‘I had never raced a Yamaha prior to joining at the end of ’81 and I never tested Neil Hudson’s (world championship) bike either. The first time I tested the Yamaha OW was in La-Fares-les-Oliviers in the south of France. In the beginning I had a few issues with the steering but in no time at all we got it dialled in, and I felt like I could do anything with that bike.

It was lighter than the Honda, not as much horsepower but it was a better, controllable power; not as powerful on top as the Honda, but it produced more bottom and mid which I like for the sand tracks!’

In its production form as a YZ250, the Yamaha had been upgraded from air-cooled to water-cooled but it wasn’t the only manufacturer playing around with

this new technology at that time.

Honda was already racing watercooled bikes in 1981 and Suzuki had been racing with watercooled engines since midway through 1979 with Harry Everts in the 125cc class. So it was strange that Yamaha opted for older technology over new; or was it?

Lars Isaksson was entrusted as Laporte’s mechanic and he acknowledged the challenge that his rider had in adapting to the OW57: For Danny, coming from the water-cooled Honda to an aircooled Yamaha was quite a step, but the bike was very, very light because it didn’t have the watercooling; it was really trimmed up and a really good bike to ride. We did very few changes to it as well because he was happy with it right from the beginning, but mainly it was the carburettor settings that we had to change quite regularly because it was air-cooled. It was very sensitive on the carburettor because the compression was high to get the maximum power out of it.’

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Photo: RacerX

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Photo: RacerX As for the rest of the bike, it was as factory as you could get, right from the ground up as Lars Isaksson explains: ‘The factory magnesium hubs were married to Excel Takasago rims and the chassis was a factory, hand made steel frame so nothing from production would fit it. The swingarm was factory and made from aluminium. The whole engine was full factory, including the piston and the ignition and the carburettor was a magnesium Mikuni 38mm with factory reed valves. The cases

were also magnesium. The clutch and 5-speed gearbox were also factory. The exhaust pipe and silencer were factory Yamaha and the front fork was 43mm Kayaba conventional type. The rear shock was Ohlins. The forks were factory (production was 41mm) and were much lighter in weight than the production forks; the triple clamps were Aluminium. Overall the factory bike was maybe 5kg lighter than production, but we were always right on the legal FIM limit back then.’

With the new season on the horizon Danny and his teammate, Britain’s Dave Watson, entered the usual pre-season events, such as Beaucaire for the final shakedown tests, and the more he rode it, the more ‘The Door’ liked what he was riding:

‘Getting closer to the season, the bike just kept fitting my style more and more; I could launch the bike off a jump on a rutted sand track and not worry how or where I landed. I could head into a turn so fast and pitch the bike into a berm and leap out of it with ease; I think the air-cooled OW bike was so light compared to the water-cooled bikes like Jobe’s, which was a big advantage. The water-cooled bikes had a bit more power and maintained that power but it was not worth the difference in weight savings over air-cooled bikes.’

When the first GP finally came around at Payerne in Switzerland, it was understandable that the newcomer to the world championship was nervous and as a result he failed to score points in the first race – points in 1982 were only awarded down to 10th, and he was already doubting his ability and the faith that Yamaha put in him: ‘This is where I felt that the team was worried they made a bad investment! I had a bad start in the first moto, with too many 83

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fast guys to pass; I was stuck, not relaxed, and let all the fast guys get away. I was a little psyched out! I had no confidence, yet.’

He rectified that by placing 2nd in Race Two. The second GP in Spain wasn’t much better and the best he could do was post 9-10. However, Round Three was a different story, and after placing 2nd again in the first race, he was struck down with his first, and only technical issue of the season in Race Two, as his mechanic Lars explains: ‘The only technical problem we had was at the GP in Belgium at Borgloon; the reed valve broke, and it was the only technical failure we had that year. Danny can confirm that; he was pissed off. I will never forget it; it was really stupid! On the way out to the start line the reed valve broke so he never even started the second heat.’

Danny was shorter with his response: Borgloon was a nice track but difficult. My reed cage screws holding the reeds came loose; actually I was feeling like I could win one moto that day.’

Photo: Laporte Private Collection

Everything changed at Round Four at Holice, Czechoslovakia, and he made the podium for the first time, finishing 2nd overall; he even sealed it with a race win in the second outing, and from there Laporte never finished off the podium during the rest of the twelve-round season. The highlights came when he won three GP’s in a row in France, Great Britain and The Netherlands, and lost out for a fourth straight win in a tie-break with Georges Jobe in Russia, but by then he was already leading the world championship.

Going into the final race of the season at Vimmerby, Sweden, on August 29th Laporte held an eleven point lead over Jobe and faced the biggest test of his career, and of course he was nervous: ‘I thought of every scenario all week long as you can imagine! But in the

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Photo: DICK MILLER

for each other the whole way through: But not wanting to take any chances, Isaksson also called on the help of a friend, just in case: end I knew my speed and it was just up to me not to screw it up.’

Lars Isaksson could see Danny was nervous and it didn’t help that his Japanese engineer, Mr. Sakurada, was also just as nervous, so the Swede stepped in to calm the situation: ‘Danny was so nervous and our Japanese engineer, Mr. Sakurada, was even worse, so I had to ask him to leave our tent because they were both like really, really nervous. So, I said to myself ‘I have to separate these two guys, because otherwise it doesn’t work!’

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‘Torleif Hansen was a Yamaha rider then and I knew him a long time, we grew up together, and I said ‘Torleif, whatever we do, we’ve got to help Danny today to become world champion’ and he said ‘yes, no problem.’

In the final race, Laporte took 2nd to Jobe’s 3rd and the title was his, and unlike Brad Lackey, who took ten years to become the first American to win a world motocross championship just 3 weeks earlier, Laporte achieved this feat in his first season. He had taken the challenge to Jobe and won, and the two shared a fantastic rivalry and respect

‘I had so much respect for Georges; I learned a lot quickly from him and how he operated, which raised my level. For him the GP’s were his world; it encompassed everything.

Winning the title was what I wanted my entire life and honestly, I remember being back home in Ketchum, Idaho at the time alone, saying to myself, ‘am I living in a dream? Was I really world champion? It was an amazing feeling!’

In that 1982 season, Danny Laporte won a total of seven races, took seven 2nd place finishes and two 3rd places on his way to the title. He also took three GP wins as well as two-seconds and two-thirds and beat Georges Jobe by 13 points.

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

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How can you watch the FIM Junior Motocross World Championship?

John

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Hi John , tthe Junior Motocross World Championship will be covered by the MXGP Crew onsite and they’ll produce a 22 min Behind the Gate Magazine which is going to be online after the event as well as the news highlights that will be published the Sunday night after the event.

Besides you can follow the event on all MXGP Social Media.

Regards MXGP

❝

Can someone please tell me how to buy a ticket to the MXGP of Indonesia?

Ahmad

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Hi Ahmad, Please take note the tickets for the MXGP of Indonesia can be purchased onsite at the event, for more information please follow this page: https://www. mxgp.com/tracks/palembang Regards MXGP

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Hi, if I buy an MXGP live streaming, can I see it from any device? and switch it to another for the next time? as I never know if I can have my IPAD with me, my phone or if I can see it from the computer Edoardo

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for the MXGP of Sweden when can the public enter the pits for photos and autographs from riders? Is it on the Saturday and at what time?

Mario

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Dear Mario, Purchasing a paddock ticket onsite you can enter the MXGP paddock both on Saturday and Sunday anytime. It’ll be plenty of signing session.

Best Regards MXGP

❝

Who was last year’s EMX125 champion?

Leon

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Hi Leon Hi Leon, Last year’s EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Champion is Thibault Benistant Thanks MXGP

Hi Edoardo you can watch mxgp-tv on any device, not simultaneously, but you can switch from one to another anytimeThanks MXGP