MXGP #77 January 2020

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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

David Luongo CEO of Youthstream

Dear MXGP Friends, 2020 just started some days ago and we are now less than two months to the moment the MXGP engines will start for the first Grand Prix of the season in Matterley Basin, Great Britain.

The upcoming season will probably be one of the most unpredictable in History. Tim Gajser will have the target to keep his World Title against a fantastic group of Top Guns composed by Antonio Cairoli, Jeffrey Herlings, Romain Febvre, Clement Desalle, who will have the motivation at the highest level after a difficult 2019 season. However, we cannot forget about Glenn Coldenhoff, Jeremy Seewer, Gautier Paulin and many more, who will be thirsty for victory.

For sure my feelings are going to Jorge Prado, who suffered an injury during the winter preparation and will probably miss the first Grand Prix. This reminds us that motocross is a very difficult and technical sport and we hope he will have a safe and fast recovery.

Then, one of the greatest news of the wintertime has probably been the announcement of GasGas becoming an Official Factory Team from 2020 to participate in MXGP. They are

THE UPCOMING SEASON WILL PROBABLY BE ONE OF THE MOST UNPREDICTABLE IN HISTORY coming with a very strong and competitive line up and they will probably compete for the win. One of their riders will be Glenn Coldenhoff who had a fantastic second part of season in 2019. He rode with style and confidence to win some Grand Prix and was part of the wining Dutch team at the 2019 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations in Assen, which is up to now his best career achievement. We can be sure that he will look for more success in 2020, as the leader of the newcomer GasGas. This announcement is showing once again the huge potential and success of MXGP as a global championship to promote our favorite sport.

Some days ago, Youthstream published the provisional list of the 2020 Officially Approved Teams (OAT). Those MXGP and MX2 teams are entering the full

season and representing the highest level of professionality and preparation. The MXGP category will have 38 riders representing 25 different teams competing for the World Championship and MX2 will see 38 riders regrouped into 29 different teams coming from all around the globe. With the addition of GasGas, MXGP will have 6 Manufacturers (KTM, Husqvarna, Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki and GasGas) who are entering with full factory support. This is very promising for the upcoming season.

The ticket sales for most of the 2020 Grand Prix’s are already open and available on www. mxgp.com in the calendar section or in the Tickets section.

Most of them have an early bird promotion until some months before the race, so you will be able to get discounts on your orders. And last but not least the MXGP-TV package for 2020 season is also available. The OTT channel will allow you to watch all the races of the weekend, including the MXGP and MX2 qualifying races on Saturday, all the support races (European Championship and WMX), and of course the MXGP and MX2 races on Sunday. This means more than 8 hours of LIVE show per Grand Prix for the motocross lovers.

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The OAT list is a breakdown of the teams that have entered for the 2020 season of racing, along with the riders who will represent them. With 45 teams set to compete next year, it’s looking like the MXGP and MX2 championships will once again showcase some of the best race action that we have seen.

The 2020 season will see quite a few changes as riders progress through the ranks and make their rookie debuts in the premier classes.

EARLIER IN DECEMBER YOUTHSTREAM ANNOUNCED THE PROVISIONAL OAT (OFFICIALLY APPROVED TEAMS) LIST FOR THE 2020 FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP.

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F&H Kawasaki MX2 Racing Team is the perfect example as their 2020 line-up will feature the 2019 EMX250 Champion, Roan van de Moosdijk and his teammate Mikkel Haarup. The two

young talents are set to make their season debut in the MX2 class, alongside Mathys Boisrame who finished 9th in the MX2 championship standings last season.

Also making a debut in the MX2 class is the newest addition to the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing squad, the Austrian, Rene Hofer.

The 17-year-old impressed many with his three wildcard MX2 appearances in 2019 and it will be interesting to see what he can do as he completes the MX2 KTM factory presence alongside Tom Vialle, who had a very successful first year, finishing 4th in the MX2 World Championship.

Brining some fresh blood and Aussie spirit to the MX2 class, is Livia Lancelot with her Aussie Honda 114 squad.

In 2020, 21-year-old Nathan Crawford and 18-year-old Bailey Malkiewicz are set to take

on their first year in the FIM Motocross World Championship, in the hope of following in the footsteps of other successful young Aussie riders, the likes of Hunter Lawrence and Mitchell Evans.

Mitch Evans finished 11th in the MX2 Championship last season and in 2020 will be hoping to improve on this, as he starts his season, officially part of the factory Team HRC alongside the 3-time World Champion, Tim Gajser who will return to defend his title.

While some are looking forward to their rookie season and the learning experience that comes with it, others are coming into the 2020 season, with one thing on their mind, the championship.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Kjer Olsen has been one of the main protagonists in the MX2 championship for the

past couple of years and the upcoming season will be no different as he sets his sights on his maiden world championship title. His teammate Jed Beaton, who finished 12th in the standings in 2019, will be back in 2020 with the aim of improving on the previous season.

One of the main challengers for the MX2 World title is the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 squad made up of the two young riders, Jago Geerts and Ben Watson. Both riders have challenged for race wins and podiums on more than several occasions, so there is no doubt that the they will be pushing for more in 2020.

And while there are many changes to the MX2 Championship, the MXGP class is set to see plenty of fresh faces too. The two-time MX2 World Champion, Jorge Prado made an impressive debut on the 450cc KTM at the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations and in 2020 is set to make the transition to MXGP for his rookie year.

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him back in terms of winter preparation, there is no doubt that when he is back to full fitness, the young Spaniard will mix things up with the guys at the front of the field. Of course, he will be part of the Red Bull KTM Factory squad once again, alongside the 9-time World Champion, Antonio Cairoli who will be keen to make up for lost time, following a tough season in 2019.

Jeffrey Herlings will also be returning to MXGP following numerous injuries in 2019, which saw him side-lined for the majority of the season. The past few seasons have been unlucky for the 4-time World Champion, as bad luck has prevented him from challenging for the championship.

Also moving up to the premiere class, is Adam Sterry who helped Team GB to a podium finish at the Motocross of Nations in Assen, as he moves to JD Gunnex KTM Racing for 2020.

While the German rider, Henry Jacobi moves to Yamaha SM Action M.C Migliori for his rookie MXGP season.

Making a much anticipated return to Europe and MXGP is the American, Thomas Covington who will contest in the MXGP class with his new team, Team Gebben Van Venrooy Yamaha Racing, as he makes the move to blue in 2020. He will be joined by his new team-mate Calvin Vlaanderen who assisted the Dutch team to a historic win at the MXoN and is hoping for a good rookie season in MXGP.

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and Ivo Moticelli representing the team with GasGas full factory support. Coldenhoff had a really strong second half to the 2019 season, going on to win races and Grand Prix’s as well as the MXoN in Assen and being part of the Dutch winning team.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Racing will return in 2020 with their riders, Latvian, Pauls Jonass and Lithuanian, Arminas Jasikonis. Jonass finished 6th in the championship standings, with Jasikonis just behind him in 7th. Both riders will once again contest at the top end of the fully stacked field of riders in MXGP. Arnaud Tonus and Gautier Paulin of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Racing will also be one of the main contenders for the world title, as they both finished within the top 5 in the 2019 overall standings.

And while many riders are changing teams, there are some that are running their own.

In 2020, Kevin Strijbos will debut his very own KSRTmx HENS Team, while Shaun Simpson will head back to his privateer roots with his SS24 KTM MXGP team. Another rider with his own team is Nathan Renkens who will race under his NR83 Team for the MX2 Championship.

Also changing colours for the new year is Romain Febvre as he joins the Kawasaki family, alongside Clement Desalle at Monster Energy Kawasaki Factory Racing.

The 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship will kick-off in Europe on the 29th February – 1st March in Matterley Basin for the MXGP of Great Britain, then the championship will head to Valkenswaard for the MXGP of the Netherlands before we head to South America for the first fly-away event for the MXGP of Patagonia Argentina in Neuquen.

One of the biggest changes announced for the upcoming season is that GasGas will contest in MXGP as Standing Construct squad becomes Standing Construct GasGas Factory Racing, with Glen Coldenhoff

With 45 teams, a large group of talented riders and a packed race schedule, the 2020 MXGP season will once again showcase some of the best action as we prepare to crown our 2020 World Champions!

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MONSTER ENERGY FIM MOTOCROSS OF NATIONS

RESULTS

2019 DIGITAL ACHIEVEMENTS MXGP TWITTER PAGE MXGP-TV YOUTUBE CHANNEL 72,000 FOLLOWERS 6,000 VIDEOS UPLOADED 200,000 SUBSCRIBERS 19 MILLION VIEWS IN 2019 ONLY MXGP INSTAGRAM PAGE 900,000 FOLLOWERS 8.2 MILLION LIKES TO OUR POSTS #MXGP HASHTAG USED 433,000 TIMES MXGP FACEBOOK PAGE 2.9 MILLION FANS LIKE THE PAGE 138 MILLION PEOPLE REACH MXGP POSTS 20

MXGP MAG 2 MILLION READS 28 MILLION IMPRESSIONS

MXGP-TV.COM 15 MILLION PAGE VIEWS 1.5 MILLION UNIQUE USERS

L A I C O S P G X M

@jkracingmx Our Santa left the workshop today to bring you some fun for the holidaysđ&#x;Ž…đ&#x;?ź MERRY CHRISTMAS

@getteholemans Flashback #fb #mxgpassen #livingfortheweekend #mxmadness #dirtbikelife #dirtbikefan #fun #friends #party

@antoniocairoli Tantissimi auguri a tutti dalla #tc222 family! #gofastaeatpasta #happynewyear

@astudillo49

Relive the 2019 Motocross World Championship Season with some of the most impressive crashes of the year in MXGP and MX2 classes. Pure Adrenaline in a unique video!

@danielleback_ Throwback to another amazing event with my @ monsterenergygirls family! đ&#x;’š Can’t wait for the motorsport season to be back and crazy as ever in 2020

MXGP wishes you a Merry Christmas and a fantastic 2020!

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We were a small team of 5 people. @kfasnacht33, @rich. jarvis.663, @jjmx369_469, @ marcioastudillo and I with the help of @ktmsklep.pl.

Most of us got sick on this trip but we managed to make it work! đ&#x;˜‚

@olsen.19 @ethan_hill_84 @irfan.soudagar95 One with the 2019 MXGP world champion @tiga243 from @ hondaracingcorporation @ mxgp .

@Maggiora Park While waiting for Christmas Eve, we at Maggiora Park want to give you an epic memory! Do you remember which round this is and who is N°1 who won “standing alone�? #mxgp #MaggioraRisesAgain

Spinning a few laps on the Playstation đ&#x;¤™ #progreenmx #bikewash #offroad #moto #motox #motocross #dirtbike #rider

Cheers to the New Year. @ jedbeaton14 and I are not much for champagne, so we drank @rockstarenergy all night insteadđ&#x;˜…đ&#x;Ľ‚It’s time to get back to work, let’s make 2020 countđ&#x;¤˜đ&#x;?ť

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The End of an Era

BELGIAN MOTOCROSS LEGEND JACKY MARTENS HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN RACING FOR MORE THAN 40 YEARS AND IN ALL OF THAT TIME, HE HAS ONLY EVER BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH TWO BRANDS; KTM AND HUSQVARNA. HOWEVER, AT THE RECENT EICMA TRADE SHOW IN ITALY LAST NOVEMBER, THE NEWS OFFICIALLY BROKE THAT JM RACING WOULD BE SUPPORTED BY HONDA IN A MOVE THAT SEES THE FORMER 500CC WORLD CHAMPION SWITCHING FROM THE MX2 CLASS TO MXGP IN THE HOPE OF FURTHER STRENGTHENING HONDA’S PRESENCE IN THE PREMIER CLASS. MXGP MAGAZINE RECENTLY CAUGHT UP WITH JACKY AS HE EMBARKS ON HIS NEW CHALLENGE, SOMETHING WHICH HE IS FACING HEAD-ON WITH RENEWED VIGOUR AND ENTHUSIASM. .

Around the mid-point of last season, rumours were rife about a possible shake-up within Husqvarna for the 2020 MX2 season and beyond, which would not only see a new team manager but a new team owner as well. Nothing wrong with that except that the team owner was Jacky Martens, a lifelong member and avid supporter of the KTM/ Husqvarna brand. As an amateur racer, his first race was on a 125cc KTM and as a pro, he lifted the 500cc world championship racing for Husqvarna and when he retired from racing at the end of 1997, his move into team ownership saw him remain with the Austrian brand for another twenty-one years, winning the MX3 world championship with 35

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Sven Breugelmans in 2005 and 2008 along the way.

When KTM acquired Husqvarna in 2013 it was clear that there would soon be another brand in the MXGP Paddock and when it was announced that Martens would be running the MX2 team it was met with nothing put positivity, a ‘coming home’ of sorts, and since that first season in 2014, the Martens-led team has finished 2nd overall in the championship once, and third on three occasions, amassing a total of 46 podiums during that time, including 9 GP wins.

Despite the problems that may have arose behind closed doors though, Martens has always maintained a dignified silence and continues to do so to this day, saying only that ‘I left Husqvarna, they made a different decision and I was a little bit surprised; maybe I was a little bit too blind but it is how it is and now I look forward; with this big change a big door opens’ and all he is focussed on now is getting on with his latest challenge in MXGP with Honda, and with a whole new outlook.

‘I have two new riders, Julien Lieber and Benoit Paturel, I have all new mechanics, some of them from a few years ago who wanted to step back in and my trainer Joel Roelants is also back in the team, so I have a real good feeling, and now after the last few weeks it looks really promising. I still have the motivation; I really like the sport and I’d really like to use my experience to get the riders on the podium.’

High on Life Listening to Jacky speak it’s clear that there is a new spark, a twinkle in his eyes that might have been lost in recent years, or maybe the spark never left but is just brighter because of this new challenge alone, or being with a new brand or maybe even being back in the premier class, because after all, that is where he preferred to race, that’s the class in which he made his name; or maybe, just maybe it might be a bit of everything. Whatever it is that

has got his juices flowing again, it’s got him buzzing and his energy is infectious.

‘When I stopped racing I had the factory KTM 500 team and then also the MX3 team and up until I started a few years ago with the 250’s, I was always with the 500cc because I like it, and it was always my idea in the last five years to go MXGP but it was not possible because I had to do the MX2 class, but for me the MXGP class is the king class.’

But after a lifetime of representing the same brand, surely the switch has been a daunting prospect, what with having to work on a new bike, a 450cc instead of a 250cc, having a blank canvas with no technical data, effectively having to start again from scratch? You’d think so, but nothing seems to faze him at the moment, nothing! If anything, Jacky already feels that he is ‘on a good level’ and is more than impressed with the work he and the team has done so far on the new Honda CRF450R. Before we get into that though, it’s worth pointing something out. At the top of the article it was mentioned that Martens had only ever been associated with one brand, but after a bit of digging it would appear that the Belgian legend does, in actual fact, have previous Honda connections, even if it was many moons ago and even if it didn’t quite go to plan: ‘I started riding on a Kriedler 50cc in Holland in 1974 because the age limit to ride there was 12 years-old, whereas in Belgium the limit was 15. My first race was at Lommel on a KTM 125cc; it should have been on a 1974 Honda Elsinore CR125M but it was stolen four weeks before I was due to race it. The Elsinore was my 2nd bike which I used for practicing on and also to get used to riding a 125cc because the Kriedler was too expensive to race and practice with. I never got to race the Honda Elsinore.’

Back to the present day though and there will be no shortage of Honda’s to get his teeth into and so far, he likes what he sees:

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‘I was never with a Japanese bike and I am really surprised at how good it is at the moment; it’s the first time I work on a Japanese bike and for me it’s a real privilege, like, yeah, that’s my thing. I have a real good contact with Honda already, and you know for me, I never check the magazines but I was really enthusiastic and wanted to know how the bikes are, and all the tests that have been done in all the magazines, the Honda was always the first. That was also for me a little bit like ‘woah’! I may be in the right place at the right time and really, I get so much oxygen right now. Even the riders say at the moment ‘woah, don’t change anything, for us it’s really, really good, the best we ever had’.

‘Okay, we are still two or three months to go before the first GP and we still do our job, we will keep on doing tests and making some changes and we will see how far we will come. From my side, the team will normally need one year minimum to adapt to the new bike, but for me this is actually like my thing. The bike is so good, you can almost read what it wants to do and that is so nice if you can do that. For me that’s a little bit like ‘woah!

That’s it, it’s nice to do.’

Family Connections Whilst it’s clear to see Jacky’s enthusiasm for his latest chapter as a team owner on full display, part of the reason why he is already on a good level is because of his son, Yentel, who has been able to help fast-track the team’s development of the Honda due to his own sponsorship deal with Honda to race the beach races that take place during the winter months: ‘I was lucky because my son, Yentel, had already the deal with a team in France to do the beach races for Honda France, so he got some bikes earlier, and we did a test with him; he was always my test rider and so from then on, we started working on the bike, and so when Julien and Benoit jumped on the bike, it was already from the beginning a bike with a good base, with a good feeling. They were so enthusiastic, always smiling.

I still have more ideas, but I also have to take care to not be too excited because this can sometimes get you in trouble. Sometimes you have to 39

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walk before you can run, but for now, everything is good.’

Indeed it is, but this collaboration, at present, is only set to last for one year but that was before Martens knew what he was getting in to ‘… because I didn’t know how it would go, but now we have more information about the bike I already want to go more because it’s so nice; I have a good feeling with everything and the change I’ve made with Honda is the right change. Like we say, the right place at the right time. The last few years we have seen a lot of Japanese bikes at the GP’s, I think they all work on this project and the production Honda is already very good from the shop and that makes my life easier.

It’s better to have a good base from the beginning and that is what I have now, and I am lucky that the bike is so good at the moment from the shop.

For sure to do MXGP there is still a lot of work, but if it is a hell of a job and a lot more work then that’s different again.’

Fitting In So, how will the new JM Racing Team fit in to Honda’s MXGP plans exactly?

Well, like everything in life there is a pecking order, and in MXGP, at the top of the list when it comes to Honda support is Team HRC, who won the title in 2019 with Tim Gajser. After that, there was only one other Honda team in the premier class and that was SR Motoblouz with Jeremy Van Horebeek at the ‘bars, so it’s clear what this relationship is all about. It’s about Honda’s presence behind the start gate, and with race trucks and a good structure already in place, as well as the technical knowledge of someone like Jacky, it was a no brainer for Honda to bring him into the fray. But, what level of support will JM Racing receive though since HRC is the official factory team in MXGP? ‘I am responsible for doing all my own development and that’s what I like, but I will also give information to Honda; it’s the start of a new collaboration. I am new to Honda, but Honda is also new to me, and I just want to work on the relationship and share technical information. I’m really happy how it is now, I have my good mechanics, I have my own infrastructure, I can

make everything from suspension to engines, from clamps to anything and we will see how it goes, but everything will be homemade, in-house.’

As for the race team itself, perhaps the most intriguing of the new signings is Benoit Paturel, a former MX2 rider who placed 3rd overall in the 2016 world championship before topping his year off nicely as a winning member of the French MXoN team at Maggiora. After placing 5th overall in 2017, his final year in the MX2 category, the likeable Frenchman has struggled to deliver in the premier class due to team issues as well as a spell on the side lines with the Epstein Barr virus, and Jacky has nothing but admiration for the former world number three, but is also under no illusions about what’s at stake: ‘The good thing with Benoit is he knows that this is his last chance! I don’t know what he did the last couple of years but four years ago I wanted to have him on my team in MX2 but we never had the possibility to get him because at that moment, Yamaha invested so much money and my team couldn’t match it, but that’s no problem. Every year we have been on the podium – we always seemed to find the right solution to have a rider that we can work with to make it happen.’

‘But Benoit, when he was at Kemea Yamaha I always said “hello” to him and to Hans Corvers, I have a lot of respect for both of them, but then suddenly at one moment, he didn’t have a bike and last year he got sick with a virus and this year (2019) he was not on the bike. So, we started talking, but then I signed Julien and I also wanted another rider, but that didn’t work as I wanted it to.’

‘At that time, Benoit was only going to be our test rider because I always liked him, he’s a good person and a good rider but he needs time to adapt again to the speed, and when he has the possibility to be a test rider then why not? I mean, when one rider gets injured, and I hope not, but it sometimes happens, then normally Benoit can replace him; he could also race the French championship, so it was a good combination. But then the second rider, we didn’t have the same 41

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ideas, so we stopped with the talks and because of that, Benoit jumped into that position, so yeah, he was lucky!’

After so much time away from racing and not being on the bike, there is no hiding place in the MXGP class and both Benoit and Jacky know it, so now they are both putting their faith into Joel Roelants to bring his physical condition up to scratch, because when Benny was sick with the virus, ‘… he didn’t do anything, so at the moment he is not fit anymore.

He has to reduce some weight but with Joel, he knows exactly what to do and we know exactly what we have to do with the bike, and I think we will make it and I believe in Benoit. He was good in the MX2 class but for sure he will need to adapt to the technique required for MXGP; you cannot just open the throttle and use the clutch because then you are destroyed in four laps. You have to really work with your knees, with your legs, with your pressure on the foot pegs and all of those things and there I can help him. For me it’s a challenge but I believe in him, otherwise I wouldn’t have made this choice.’

As for Julien Lieber, when his time at Kawasaki came to an end, injured or not, Martens knew he wanted him on his team, and so far, he has nothing but admiration for the ‘33’.

‘With Julien, I like really working with him and he is very professional. We have good communication and if he wants to change something, we immediately solve it and we help him with it. If he asks for something, we never say we can’t do it. Every time we solve it and we help, we help and we help.’

‘At the moment he is really happy with how the bike is; he says it’s a dream, how easy the bike is handling and how more powerful it is and when the rider is happy, I’m happy and everyone is happy, and that is the main feeling you need to get results. The bike has a real good base for him, he likes it; he says ‘I don’t know what to change, it’s good’, his speed is good and when he goes on the track, he is fast. I want to focus and get the riders at the front and

hopefully we can reach the podium, because as you know, the MXGP class is not that easy; one time the rider can be 2nd and the next time he can be 7th, everybody knows it, but I hope with my experience we can make a step to be always around the top five, and when we have a top five average then I think we make a big step in a very short time.’

The Loyalty Program With The Boss back in charge and his riders in position, none of this would ever have been possible without loyal partners, some of whom have been on board with Jacky since day one and they continue to remain loyal to him as he enters this new phase in his managerial career; had they not, then this project might have struggled to get off the ground.

‘All the sponsors are very enthusiastic, all the technical sponsors and clothing sponsors followed me, but some I had to let go because of their global contracts from last year, which is disappointing, especially when you have such good relationships with them, but many did follow me to this new team which is also very nice.’

Even the return of some of his previous mechanics speaks volumes about how highly regarded Jacky is within the industry, and there is a real ‘feel good’ factor floating around the Lommel-based workshop as 2019 draws to a close on a positive note.

You get a real sense that everybody wants this collaboration to succeed from JM himself, to the riders, the sponsors and last but by no means least, the mechanics.

‘My intention is to build a bike, to prepare a bike for the rider but the set-up has to be right. If I see my riders on my own bike on the track and I say ‘oh, that’s nice!’ then I’m okay and I get a good feeling; but when I see a bike that is not as I want, it’s a feeling that I don’t want. I like communication, I have experience, I don’t say I have the best experience, but I have experience. I teach many suspension mechanics, I teach many engine mechanics and I share a lot of knowledge and know-how, and that is also what I like.’

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‘When I have a motivated mechanic then I will teach him everything. Until a few years ago, all my mechanics did their own suspension, their own engine, they all had the possibility to learn, helping on the Dyno, and that was nice. That is where I get the good feeling from, to see that everybody is growing.

And if they grow, I grow as well.

The team has to grow, it’s not that I am there saying you have to do this and you have to do that; this is not how it works, but if everybody is ‘in’ the project together, you will achieve more by going in the same direction.’

With time ticking by, there is still much work to be done in order to be ready for the new season, but for now everything seems to 44

be heading in the right direction.

Julien Lieber would like to pick up from where he left off last year before he was forced out of the series due to injury and Benoit Paturel knows he has a race against the clock if he is to get somewhere close to being ready, come the first GP at Matterley Basin at the beginning of March; he also knows he has a boss who respects him as a rider and as a person and that patience will also be a key factor in getting him back to the form we all know he is capable of. The test program will continue through the winter at Red Sand in Spain with international fixtures at Lacapelle Marival and Hawkstone Park, with a further possible outing at the first Dutch Championship round if it’s needed.

With so many unknowns at this point though, what is Jacky’s ambition for this new project?

‘The first thing is I want to win the starts and with these two riders, Julien is always a good starter and that’s one of the reasons why I am happy to have him with us. You need good starts, and when Lieber has a good start and I can build him a forgiving, easy-to-ride bike, then I think I can make a big step with him, because many times, and we saw it in Germany before he crashed, he was riding so nice with no mistakes and if we can focus on this, then it should be good.’

With the interview over, we wish him well and hope for him that it all works out for the best, to which Jacky replies, ‘I hope so, we will see! You know, you can’t look into the crystal ball but also, you can’t believe how much I enjoy it now; the ‘trail’ is off. I am more free. Free Jacky.

Really, it’s true, that’s how I feel, I feel really free.’

Photos: B. Swijgers

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

O T S E G A !

S S S ME RIDER E H T

PIT BOARDS HAVE BEEN USED BY MECHANICS FOR MANY YEARS, NOT ONLY IN MOTOCROSS BUT OTHER MAJOR MOTORSPORTS TOO, INCLUDING F1 AND MOTOGP. MECHANIC BOARDS ARE USED AS A WAY FOR THE MECHANIC AND PIT CREW TO ‘TALK’ WITH THE RIDER, PROVIDING THEM WITH INFORMATION THAT MAY HELP THEM DURING A RACE. PIT BOARDS ARE THE ONLY FORM OF COMMUNICATION, AS HELMET INTERCOM SYSTEMS, THAT ARE POPULAR IN F1, ARE NOT USED IN MOTOCROSS.

During the race season, the pitlane for most becomes their home away from home as the most vital moments of the weekend are spent there. The downstairs area is reserved for team mechanics and pit crew, meanwhile the upstairs area is usually where other team members, family and friends watch the racing. The pitlane area can be extremely busy, at times tense but always a very focused place, as each team work to support their rider in the best way possible, whether that is to support and motivate through cheering, mechanical help or strategical help through communication using mechanic boards.

Pit boards are used by mechanics, that’s why they are often referred to as mechanic boards. The mechanic tends to be one of the closest people to the rider. They are the person that knows both the bike and the rider better than most, so they know exactly what the rider wants to know and what information helps them during a race. They can see exactly when the rider starts getting tired and when they need that extra bit of motivation to keep them going.

The type of information that is usually featured on a pit board is there to provide the rider with

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intelligence that will help them.

From the pitlane, the mechanic can see more than the rider, they can see the bigger picture which is beneficial to the rider as they can use each bit of information to their advantage.

At every MXGP event, each team bay in pitlane is equipped with TV screens that show lap-times, sector times, duration of the race, positions and more. This sort of information is then passed on to the rider which gives them a better idea of where they are in the race, the gap between them and the rider in front or the rider behind them.

Lap times and sector timing is great, as it helps the rider to understand which parts of the track they are stronger in and which areas they need to work on as well as giving them motivation to push if they are getting close to a rider ahead, or a rider behind is gaining on them.

While pit boards are used strategically, they are also widely used for motivation. With the mechanic and pit lane crew being able to see almost everything from the pitlane, they can see when their rider begins to fade and needs the motivation to keep pushing, that is when you see some of the popular phrases like “push”, “u can” , “focus” and the all favourite “ur faster”, which is used by many and the best way to let your rider know that they should make a move and pass the person in front of them and keep fighting.

Communication during a race is vital, and it it’s down to the person in charge of the pit board to be able to provide their rider with the best possible information that will be most helpful to them. It gives the rider better understanding of where they are at and where they need to be.

And while the use of mechanic boards have been around for years, they are just as important today and will continue to be for many more years to come.

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L L A H

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E M A F F O

JOHN BANKS TWICE RUNNER UP IN THE 500CC MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, JOHN BANKS WAS ONE OF THE BEST BRITISH RIDERS IN THE 60’S AND 70’S. HE WAS ONE OF THE MOST PROLIFIC AMBASSADORS OF THE BRITISH MOTORCYCLE INDUSTRY, DOING MOST OF HIS PROFESSIONAL CAREER ON BSA AND CCM. Born on 16th April 1944 and son of a successful builder, John Banks started racing after buying a Greeves to Dave Bickers, the European champion, and showed enough potential to get some support from the DOT motorcycle company. He was only nineteen years old when he entered his first GP and impressed everyone as he finished third at the 1963 Swiss Grand Prix. However, he had to wait three more years to get a ride in the BSA factory team, alongside Jeff Smith, the reigning 500cc World Champion. Racing only a few rounds of the championship in 1967, he was the revelation of the 1968 season.

With a strong physical condition, John was successful on the heavy four-stroke machinery against the light CZ and Husqvarna. He won his first individual moto in Finland when he beat Pauls Friedrichs and was the most successful rider during the second part of the season as he claimed five podium results during the last five rounds including his first GP wins in France and Netherlands!

At that period only seven of the thirteen rounds were selected for the final classification, and even if he scored more points than all his rivals, he would finish runner up only one point behind Paul

Friedrichs.

British champion for the first time in his career, he was the best ‘four stroke’ representative in the World Championship as he placed his BSA in the top six between two CZ and three Husqvarna. He began the 1969 season with podium results in the opening GP in Austria and at round 3 in the Netherlands, and won the fifth and sixth round in Czech Republic and Russia to take the leadership of the championship with a little advantage over Bengt Aberg and his Husqvarna. However, to compete against the powerful two strokes, BSA had to take some risks and John suffered technical issues during four of the last six rounds and missed again the World title.

Forced to miss the 1970 GP’s due to a knee injury, Banks came back racing later and won his third consecutive title in UK. To prepare the following season he went to USA and raced the Trans AMA, where he finished runner up behind teammate Dave Nicoll.

In 1971, still loyal to BSA factory, he would not be rewarded for his loyalty, as the factory ceased operations at mid season and forced him to find a Husqvarna to finish the season in Europe, and 53

a CZ for the Trans AMA and the 1972 GP campaign. His riding style suited more the four stroke engines, so he accepted an offer from Eric Cheney who provided him a BSA B50, becoming the only rider using such engine in the 1973 World Championship. He scored several top five results and impressed everyone during the USGP after finishing third and fourth.

John Banks joined Alan Clews, who developed a CCM (Clews Competition Motorcycles) on a BSA base, but success eluded him, often because his punishing riding style simply broke the bike! He got his last significant results in 1974 and 1977, including a second position behind Heikki Mikkola during the second moto of the British Grand Prix and a podium result at the Motocross of Nations with the British team in Cognac (France). After this last great performance, he retired with four British titles, four Grand Prix wins, several British distinctions (East Anglian Sports Personality of the tear, four BBC Grandstand Trophy titles) and last but not least two “vice champion’ titles in the prestigious 500cc World Championship. Before retiring from racing in 1973 he opened a garage in his native town of Bury St Edmunds and became a Honda dealer and developed a multi franchise dealer group that is still very active in Suffolk.

Text:P. Haudiquert

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1963:

15th in the 250 World Championship (DOT)

1967:

12th in the 500 World Championship (BSA)

1968:

2nd in the 500 World Championship (BSA).

Winner of 2 GPs

500 British Champion

1969:

2nd in the 500 World Championship (BSA).

Winner of 2 GPs

500 British Champion

1970:

2nd in the Trans AMA (BSA)

500 British Champion

1971: 7th in the 500 World Championship (BSA- Husqvarna)

11th in the Trans AMA (CZ)

1972:

13th in the 500 World Championship (CZ)

1973: 11th in the 500 World Championship (BSA Cheney)

500 British Champion

1974:

15th in the 500 World Championship (CCM)

1976:

27th in the 500 World Championship (CCM)

1977:

11th in the 500 World Championship (CCM)

3rd at the MX of Nations with team Great Britain

S K L A T K C O D PAD

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1

How many Santa’s can you spot in this picture? Fun moment from the annual #TC222 Christmas ride!

2 Jorge Prado is enjoying his early gifts from Santa as he recovers from his recent injury.

3 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing boys, Jeffrey Herlings, Glen Coldenhoff, Tom Vialle and Tony Cairoli, suited and booted for the KTM Christmas Party!

4 Ho ho ho! Santa Claus aka Thomas-Kjer Olsen enjoying a can of Rockstar after a hard day of delivering presents!

5 WMX rider, Nancy van de Ven getting the winter training in sunny Spain!

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6 Briand Bogers joins Marchetti Racing Team KTM for 2020!

7 Team Maddii Racing Husqvarna boys enjoying a Christmas ride.

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8 No time to rest. Kevin Strijbos pictured on his first day on his Suzuki.

9 Alessandro Lupino pictured with his wife and daughter meeting Santa Claus!

10 Back to business. Henry Jacobi working off his Christmas dinner at the track!

11 Happy 70th Birthday ZDENEK DVORAK, Organizer of the MXGP of Czech Republic!

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

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JOEL SMETS 1995 HUSABERG 600

WITH FIVE MOTOCROSS WORLD TITLES AND FIFTY-SEVEN GRAND PRIX VICTORIES UNDER HIS BELT, BELGIUM LEGEND JOEL SMETS SITS AMONGST THE TOP FIVE RIDERS ON THE ALL-TIME WIN-LIST, MAKING HIM ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL RIDERS THIS SPORT HAS EVER SEEN. A LATE STARTER TO RACING, SMETS LINED UP FOR HIS FIRST RACE AGED 17 IN 1986 BUT IT WASN’T LONG BEFORE HE WAS MIXING WITH THE WORLD’S ELITE.

After placing 3rd overall in the 500cc world championship class in 1993 with a GP win in Germany, he followed this up with his first GP race win in 1994 en-route to back-to-back bronze medals, before clinching his first world title in 1995, aged 26. And, as luck would have it, it’s Joel’s 1995 Husaberg 600 that we will be taking a closer look at in this issue of MXGP Magazine.

COMPLICATED HISTORY When ‘The Flemish Lion’ clinched his first world championship in 1995 he became Belgium’s eleventh

different world champion, but what was special about this win was the fact that he did it on the little-known brand of motorcycle called a Husaberg; but before we talk in depth about Smets’ title winning bike, let’s talk about how this bike first came to fruition.

As avid motorcycle fans we have all heard of Husqvarna, and whilst the brand has seen an upturn in its fortunes over the past few years, it wasn’t always the case. The 1980’s times were hard for the then Swedish brand, and at the end of 1987, Husqvarna was sold to the Italian motorcycle company Cagiva. However, when production was shifted from Sweden to Italy, not everybody was on board and as a result, a whole host of Husqvarna engineers, designers

and test personnel decided to remain up north. Heading this group of ‘Husky’ diehards was a man by the name of Thomas Gustavsson, who was Husqvarna through-andthrough, and in January 1988 he registered Husaberg Motor AB as an official motorcycle brand, and from a woodshed on the shores of Lake Vättern in a town called Husabergs Udde, the first motorcycles were eventually rolled out.

Originally, the idea was to build enduro bikes but Gustavsson also realised he needed to expand in other areas, and after Joel Smets placed 4th overall in the FIM 500cc Motocross World Championship in 1992 on a private Honda, the proud Swede knew he’d found his man to help put Husaberg on the map. With little budget upfront, the lure of riding a 600cc four-stroke had Smets all fired up and in 1993, the Belgian 59

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raced to 3rd overall in the championship, and whilst there were no race wins during the season, Smets was able to claim the first podium places of his blossoming career, including a maiden GP win in Germany at Teutschenthal.

However, by the time the 1994 season came around, Smets took to the grid on a Vertemati, another unknown brand out of Italy, but what was this bike and how did this deal come about?

According to Smets, ‘Vertemati was the Italian Husaberg importer and in 1993 Vertemati was already running the team, but my bike was still a Husaberg. And then at the end of ‘93 Vertemati were a little bit upset with the lack of support from Sweden, so they decided to build their own bike, based on the Husaberg but re-named Vertemati. Essentially it was the same team as 1993 where I rode a Husaberg, which was a full Swedish bike prepared by Vertemati, but the ’94 Vertemati was a handmade, hand-welded frame; the cranks cases and stuff were all hand-made, the swingarm was handmade from one massive piece of aluminium. Actually the handwelded frame was based on the same geometric measurements as a Honda CR500, because the CR500 was a nice handling bike; okay, suspension was not always easy to set up but the handling was great, so these brothers they just took the measurements off the CR500 and made their frames, swingarm and even the linkage, with a way more progressive link than the Husaberg had and yeah, I won my first moto’s on the Vertemati. To be honest, it was a great bike; the crankcases, crankshaft, cylinder … I think the cylinder might have been a Husaberg standard thing but then the cam shafts and stuff like that were really artisan, a real piece of work, like homemade, like real old school; real artists with a real passion for engines and stuff, and

yeah, that bike was a real nice handling bike with really good power.’

As a result of this prototype bike, Smets still managed 3rd overall in the championship but it was a relationship that would last for just one year.

BACK TO BASICS For 1995, Smets was back on a Husaberg; a real one, and not a genetically modified one at that: ‘In ‘95 we split with Vertemati because me and Ludo Van der Veken, my tall mechanic, we wanted to stick more with the factory; for the future we thought it was the better choice to make. So, for ‘95, we were running our team from Belgium with full support from Sweden.

From the geometry side, the ’95 bike was the same as the standard bikes from Husaberg, we only had to make them stronger because the frames were a little bit weak; Vertemati would always say ‘Joel, this is no steel, this is chocolate!’ but somehow they were right because those frames were not prepared to take the obstacles we used in racing, like the big tabletops and stuff like that. The bikes were originally designed for enduro. But from that side, we already had to work hard in ’93, so we had some experience from ‘93 because that was again based on a standard Husaberg bike.’

‘But, that standard geometry from the Husaberg always suited me really, really well but, as I already said, we really had to make the frame a lot stronger and we had to work on the filter; it was bit of an issue because the top of the frame was a steel tube with the filter let’s say on the top of the tube, and the air was going through the frame to the carburettor and it was a small filter. In Lommel after 15 minutes the bike would be struggling to breathe. So, we had to find a solution for that 61

and also for the linkage we had to work on that to get it ready to race – already that race slogan for KTM actually comes from Husaberg; Husaberg was ready to race, but actually it wasn’t really.’

With the handling set-up dialled in, the engine needed a bit of work to make it easier to race and one of the things that did not feature on the ’95 Husaberg was the hydraulic clutch that Vertemati managed to incorporate on to the ’94 bike, something that was a real cause of concern for Smets: ‘I was often struggling with the starts in ‘94, with the feel and the release; it was not like a KTM is now let’s say – now the KTM clutch feels like a cable clutch – so I messed up quite some races or sometimes stalled the bike …’ which inevitably cost him championship points, so as a result the team decided to revert back to what they knew, and a cable clutch was reinstalled.’

As for the power delivery, Smets’ mechanic Ludo went to work on the engine to make it more ride-able as the ’94 (Vertemati) had quite a brutal power delivery, it was more aggressive with a lot more torque, something that Smets actually quite liked; ‘The 600cc didn’t rev to 15,000 rpm but it didn’t need to for me because I really liked that torquey, low-down feel about it, and so the ’94 and ‘95 were both very similar. Ludo managed to smoothen out the ’95 bike, he made the power curve less aggressive and more linear and I could really put the power to the ground.’

IN SHORT In a nutshell then, the bike underwent some transformations to turn it from a Vertemati and back to a Husaberg and whilst there were some standard elements,

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there was still a bit of trickery attached as well: ‘We had a normal cable clutch in ‘95 which was pretty much standard, and standard crankcases. The only thing different was the body work, because of the filter; we had to make a bigger filter, we had a handmade, custom-made aluminium fuel tank, kevlar radiator shrouds and carbon fibre rear fender but as soon as it was a bit muddy … BOOM! Fender gone, because it was cracking. But it was really nice, and really light. Apart from that, it was pretty standard, even the geometry measurements.

I think it was something still left over from Husqvarna and Thomas Gustavsson, like even for the special tests in Enduro it was handling really well. I was always really surprised when people asked ‘how could you turn that quick with that tractor?’ but I always felt like it was … ok, it was 600cc and it was a big bike but because of the sound; it ‘sounds’ heavy but that bike was not much more heavy than a 450, let’s say between 110-115kg and they are not much less than that now. How I could play with the torque of the bike, it was exactly that which made the handling easy for me. I used that torque both ways, on acceleration and on braking and I used it to my advantage. Like off-camber corners, you can ask Harry Everts when we went to the ‘95 MXdN at Sverpec; that was a track with off-cambers. I could jump down those hills, on the gas and then shut it off, maybe a bit of rear brake – but not much – shift down, and then I could just play with the throttle holding a nice tight, inside line and then suddenly just open up the throttle and go! Harry was like ‘ooh! How do you do that?’ but for me it was just standard.’

According to Joel’s mechanic Ludo Van der Veken, the 1995 Husaberg was actually quite radical, as he recalls:

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‘This was the most unique project with Joel. The bike was completely different from the standard version and was fully adapted for motocross by us because at that time, Husaberg concentrated mostly on enduro.

The big difference compared to now is that we had the freedom from the factory to build this bike ourselves, with the cooperation of Husaberg, of course, but 80% of the bike was built in Belgium. For instance, I made the moulds to produce the radiator scoops which were made from Kevlar, and the seatbase mould so we could make this part from carbon fibre. We are very proud of this bike.’

FIRST TIMER As for the season itself, things couldn’t have started any better as Smets recorded a doublerace win at the opening round in Portugal and it was clear from the get-go that the title would be between two riders; Joel Smets and Trampas ‘Chad’ Parker. After a DNF in the first race at round two, Smets had to flex his muscles to let his pursuers know that he was ‘in it to win it’ this time around, and if one race in particular stood out for the Belgian, it came as early as the third round at Wohlen in Switzerland where he and Parker went head-tohead: ‘I had a really good fight with ‘Chad’ in Wohlen, where I won the second moto after a real good, race-long fight with him.

It was still the first half of the season so it wasn’t like it was a title-winning moment let’s say, but I had shown my strength and he knew he would have to fight hard if he was to win the title, so of course, I took a little mental advantage.’

By the time the final round came around at Reutlingen, Germany, Smets had a slender 19-point lead over Parker, but there were still 40 points on the table (back then, first place was awarded 20 points

for the race win, 17 for 2nd 15 for 3rd and so-on with only 15 riders collecting points in each race). And if he didn’t need already reminding of Parker’s presence in the title fight, at the penultimate round in Holland, it was Parker who won an epic second race thriller that would see the title race go to the final round of the season which left Smets feeling a little nervy throughout the final week of the season: ‘In Rhenen, Chad was winning; he beat me on the finish line, but you already knew from the beginning of the season I was not gonna win it two races before the end, and it was my first championship, so it was the first time I was really in the running all year long, and leading the championship, or sometimes not leading the championship; I’d never had that experience before. It was an exciting year and a stressful year; I can tell you, that last week going into Reutlingen, I didn’t sleep a lot, eh? Ok, it’s not affecting you too much because the adrenaline and stuff, you have so much energy but I hadn’t slept a lot, because you’re on the edge of winning your first world championship, something which you’ve always dreamed of your whole life, and 19 points is a lot and not a lot; there were still 40 on the table.’

As it turned out, Smets was able to wrap up the title in the first race, but not in the way you would usually expect: ‘The funny thing about this, and it’s not about the bike and not a lot of people know this, but Didi Lacher, and you should ask him about this one day, but there was always a little bit of an ‘unwritten law’ that when it was the championship decider, you were not gonna mix it up with those guys going for the championship; you would just let them get on with it. In Reutlingen, Didi was always really strong in Germany, I took a decent start in the first 65

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moto, I got into the lead but I could feel Didi behind me, and I thought, man! Didi is behind me, and yeah, there was no need to take risks at this point because Chad was back in 5th place and then suddenly I felt like Didi wasn’t pushing anymore. He was following, and I wasn’t pulling away from him, nobody else was really pushing and I said ‘wow!

That’s a pretty fair kid, not really making me nervous, and when I went into the final lap and I knew that Chad was still far behind in 5th or 6th or something, the last corner before the finish line I stopped and let Didi win the moto, in front of his fans!’

‘Also, he didn’t expect it because I was about to win the championship; to see all my fans there, there were thousands of people from Belgium there waiting for me at the finish line and then suddenly, one corner before the finish line I stopped? Even now, I still have a hard time to realise how I did that actually, how I came up with the idea to do that because everything you’ve been dreaming of for so long, to cross the line as world champion (with a win) … and actually, in the second moto I did the same thing with Dirk Geukens because he was riding for Husaberg Germany. Again, I was leading and also one corner before the end, Didi was a bit further back and couldn’t win the overall, because if it had been about the overall it would have been different probably.

But, one corner before the end, Dirk was in 2nd and I had to wait a little bit because I had pulled away a bit, but I let him go and win the moto. I still won the overall, I think Didi and Dirk were still 2nd and 3rd in the overall on the day, but I gave away two moto wins on that day, on that ‘95 bike, with good brakes … to let them by!’

CROWNING GLORY Two weeks after his first world championship Smets lined up for Belgium at the Motocross 67

was not fair to start the day like that.’ des Nations at Sverpec in Slovakia, where he helped his team to its first victory in fifteen years, but something happened that day that has never happened to him since, and it had something to do with a faulty start gate, as he explains: ‘The fastest I have ever gone on a motorcycle was at the MXdN in Sverpec. There was a problem with the gate; in the first moto my gate didn’t drop, it only dropped halfway, and so by the time I had gone around the gate, 39 riders had gone.

I was mad, so I flicked the throttle and halfway through the start straight I signalled to everybody to go look at the gate because I felt so set-up, mad, pissed off, because it was not fair. We were there to win that thing and we felt strong and we really thought that this 68

‘When the race director went to the gate and saw that the chain that connects to the pin was broken, and my pin was still in, they could see that this was not the riders fault but a mechanical failure of the gate.

And do you remember where the finish line was before you go up the big uphill? Well, from the start, starting 40th, in that half a lap, three quarters of a lap, I had caught up to 11th.

I was passing riders inside, outside, no matter where! That was the fastest I have ever been on a motorcycle, to be honest. So, then the race was red-flagged, and then on the re-start, and after half a lap, I came around 12th, one place lower than when I started last!

Anyway, I didn’t win a moto but Belgium won the Nations; on the old school tracks, with off-cambers, or when the track had the right kind of moisture,

it was so good. Maybe you should ask Gert Jan van Doorn, he was normally already quite good on those types of tracks but I nailed it around the outside of him and he said ‘how is it possible, I thought you were going into the fence …’ and that was the fastest I have ever been on a bike, but I couldn’t do it afterwards.’

On his way to the world championship in 1995, Joel Smets took nine race wins and won five GP’s, the most he had ever accomplished in a season at that point of his career. Adding the Nations win was a bonus. During his time with Husaberg, the Belgian claimed three world title in four years in 1995, ’97 and ’98 making this his most successful period with the same brand of motorcycle.

He would go on to win twice more for KTM in 2000 and 2003.

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

A YEAR OF MILESTONES FOR MXGP DIGITAL PLATFORMS!

THE 2019 FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SHOWCASED ANOTHER FANTASTIC SEASON OF RACING HIGHLIGHTED BY THE PHENOMENAL PERFORMANCE OF THE SLOVENIAN TIM GAJSER AS HE CLINCHED THE MXGP WORLD TITLE AND THE YOUNG SPANIARD, JORGE PRADO WINNING IN MX2. THEN WE FINISHED THE YEAR OFF ON A HIGH WITH THE MONSTER ENERGY FIM MOTOCROSS OF NATIONS IN ASSEN, WHERE THE WORLD WITNESSED TEAM NETHERLANDS WIN FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME IN THE HISTORY OF THE EVENT.

And while 2019 has been a big year for racing, it has also been significant from a media perspective.

In the world of MXGP we have reached some incredible milestones across our social channels and have continued to increase our worldwide fanbase.

Our YouTube channel has surpassed the incredible 200,000 subscriber landmark, with 19 million views adding to the impressive 94 million views altogether since the channel was started back in April 2013. The channel now features over 6,000 videos including, race highlights, best moments, impressive crashes, rider interviews, welcome messages from all the wonderful places that we have visited this season and much more.

Meanwhile our Instagram is now made up of over 900,000 motocross fans which has increased by over 219,000 in 2019 alone. Our Instagram page has become the perfect ‘go-to’ for our fans to get a look at all the latest from every MXGP event, including results, rider catch-ups and behind-the-scenes look on our stories as well as other exclusive content.

This year, we have received over 8.2 million likes on our posts, 19,000 comments and over 239 million impressions. We have also been posting and increasing number of videos, offering our followers a multimedia hub with all the best MXGP has to offer. This season, we have also been lucky to witness all of the best moments of MXGP in the eyes of our fans with our #MXGP hashtag being used over 433,000 times.

As the MXGP has travelled far and wide this year which included two events in Indonesia, China 71

and Argentina, there has been an increase in fans from Asia and South America. When it comes to majority, the United States places first followed by Italy and Indonesia in third, making up the MXGP community on Instagram.

While both YouTube and Instagram have reached some important milestone, our Facebook page has been right there alongside them.

Our Facebook community is now made up of 2.9 million fans from all over the world and this year we have posted over 2,000 times, with our posts reaching over 138 million people.

Last but certainly not least, our Twitter has also played a valuable part in our overall social media presence in providing our fans with all the latest news in the industry.

We now have over 72,000 followers, who have engaged with us over 68,000 times this year. As well as bringing all the latest news, we have also been providing live race updates from every Grand Prix for

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fans on-the-go who may not be available to tune in to MXGP-TV. Our very own digital monthly magazine, the ‘MXGP Mag’ is now up to its 76th issue since the first issue was published in 2013. We have reached 2 million reads, with over 28 million impressions. Each issue features exclusive content like the MXGP Hall of Fame, Vintage Bikes, Paddock Talks, Social Media content and more which is available to read online or using the Issuu app.

Meanwhile MXGP.com now features anything an MXGP fan may need from the 2020 Calendar to the MXGP Live timing as well as all the latest news, venue profiles, online ticketing, our official guides, a link to our MXGP-TV streaming service and much more!

Both platforms, MXGP.com and MXGP-TV.com have received over 15 million page views, have 1.5 million unique users and have been visited by fans from 210 countries!

MXGP is very glad for all the achievements this year and that is all thanks to our ever-growing number passionate fans! With 2019 nearly over, we would like to thank all of you that have engaged with us and we are excited to another exciting year in 2020, so make sure you follow us across our social channels, subscribe to MXGPTV on YouTube and make sure you register NOW to MXGP-TV.com for early bird special offer and never miss a moment from the 2020 Motocross World Championship!

FOLLOW MXGP Facebook: http://www.facebook. com/mxgp Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ mxgp Instagram: http://www.instagram. com/mxgp Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/ mxgptv

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

Hi!! When will the tickets of the MXGP of Argentina go on sale?

Fausto

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Hi Fausto , Hey Fausto! Thanks for your message. Tickets for the MXGP of Patagonia, Argentina will be available soon. Keep an eye out for updates on our social media channels.

Regards MXGP

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Hello MXGP. If we don’t buy tickets online can we purchase on the gate?

Jenny

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Hi Jenny , Hi Jenny! You can purchase tickets online at www.mxgp. com or yes you can buy tickets at the gate. If you buy online now though, you can make the most of our early-bird offers!

Regards MXGP

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Hello. I want to ask how I subscribe to MXGP tv?

Davide

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Hello where can I find the 2020 season calendar?

Dear Davide , Hello Davide, thanks for your message! Subscribing to MXGPTV is super easy. All you need to do is follow this link https:// tickets.mxgp-tv.com/en/2396mxgp-tv/?ref= and add the 2020 Season Pass to your cart and checkout! You will also need to create an account so you can log-in and enjoy MXGP-TV! Best Regards MXGP

Fabio

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Hi Fabio the full calendar is available on mxgp.com below the countdown clock.

MXGP

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Hi. Where can I find full list of 2020 teams?

Jeffrey

Hi Jeffrey Hi Jeffrey. You can find the provisional list of Officially Approved Teams right here (just follow this link: https:// www.mxgp.com/motocross/ news/2020-provisional-oat-list ) Thanks MXGP

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