MXGP #91 March 2021 by MXGP MAG

DOWNLOAD THE

FREE

ON THE APP STORE OR GOOGLE PLAY

S O E D I V + OTOS H P +

Look for the PLAY BUTTON and watch exclusive videos

T N E T N O C

TCH A C CING A R P. 16

ALL H 0 P. 7 isk e

NTH .8 O P M T HE SHO T L F O CO ER O D I R P.42s Jonass Paul

R STE N O M

S P. L R I G

L Jeff

MXGP MAG Chief Editor: Marionna Leiva Photos: MXGP INFRONT MOTO RACING MEDIA World Trade Center II Rte de Pré-Bois 29 1215 Geneva 15 Airport Switzerland MXGP Mag #91 March 2021

ccscscs

�� P.7 Then content of this publication is based on the best knowledge and � � � � � � 8 � . � � information available at the time � P � � � � �� the articles were written. � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � L � � � The copying of articles and �� P.16 ORIA � � � � � T � � I � � � � � photos even partially is � � D � � � � � E � � � � � S � � forbidden unless permission T � � � HO 0 �� has ben requested from S � 3 � . � P L P � Infront Moto Racing in COO �� CH U � � T � advance and reference is � � A C �� 2 � � made to the source (©MXGP). � G 3 � . � � N P � I � � �� RAC � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �� L � � � A � I � � SOC RLS I G �P.36 � � � R � � � H E � ST ONT �� M MON THE �� F O R s �� E D I P.50 R � � nas � � o � � J � s Paul E �� R U EAT �� F L .58 CIA e �� P � � E � � � P � � S m �� o Ga � � e � � d � i � V AME�� F F � P.64 O �� L � � � L � HA eisk �� L � � Jeff S �� K L P.66 TA � � � � K � � � C �� DO RE SX-F �� U PAD T � P.76 EA TM250 � � F � � � � L OR 04 K CIA T I D SPE ownley 20 HE E T T O Ben ST N O I ST QUE ��

AME F F O

The articles published in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the official position of Infront Moto Racing.

L A I R O T I D E

David Luongo CEO of Infront Moto Racing

Dear MXGP Friends,

WE WILL CONTINUE March is usually the opening month of the MXGP season. TO MONITOR THE Unfortunately, we still have some weeks to wait until the gates drop SITUATION EVERY for the first time in 2021. Most of WEEK, DOING OUR the teams are testing in the south BEST TO DELIVER of Italy or in Spain to be ready for the first Grand Prix and the THE MOST COMPLETE first pre-season races are taking AND EXCITING place. It is also the time of the official presentation of most of SEASON POSSIBLE. the teams and the riders with the vaccination that is taking place usual photo shooting. worldwide. It will give the possibility to the MXGP paddock As you probably read, we updated personnel to be protected and the 2021 season calendar will permit to host public during because of the evolution of the international events. Covid-19 pandemic. The opening Grand Prix will take place in the Netherlands at Oss for the first time.

We announced during the week some new partnerships with TV broadcasters like Sport TV in Portugal and Kreator TV in Croatia, opening again the MXGP to new markets. We are also glad to announce that the Junior World Championship will take place in Ukraine in 2023, confirming the strong interest of this country for motocross. Finally, I would like to thank all the partners of MXGP to continue to support our sport, from the FIM to the teams and riders.

Our goal is still to host public to most of our events. We are constantly in contact with the governments, the federations and the organizers to improve our different protocols and to adapt them based on the local rules regarding the virus. We are sure that the situation will improve a lot in the upcoming months with the massive campaign of

Photo: Yamaha Racing

We will continue to monitor the situation every week, doing our best to deliver the most complete and exciting season possible.

S T O H S L COO

photo: Motorcluboss

P U G H N ATC I C A C R

S G N I H T G N I K ! C S I K IN OS F F O

VanderSanden /1985 THE SEASON OPENER OF THE 2021 FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IS LESS THAN TWO MONTHS AWAY, AS THE SERIES PREPARES TO KICK THINGS OFF IN OSS, THE NETHERLANDS. THE RECENT CALENDAR REVISIONS PUSHED THE OPENING ROUND BACK A MONTH LATER MOVING IT FROM OMAN TO A PLACE A LITTLE MORE FAMILIAR. THOUGH THIS YEAR’S DUTCH GRAND PRIX WILL HEAD SOMEWHERE DIFFERENT AS IT WILL SEE THE RETURN OF A FORMER WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP VENUE OF THE 80’S, THAT IS OSS.

The Dutch track, located in the south of the country and less than 50km from Eindhoven, first opened its doors in 1980 and was then better known as ‘Witte Ruysheuve’. The name comes from the three community personnel who worked at the dumping site that the terrain was used as before the track opened. The names of Gerard Wittenberg, Piet Ruijs and Tonnie v.d Heuvel would forever be remembered at this iconic race location. The same year, Motor Club Oss organised their very first race and five years later, in 1985 the track hosted a Motocross World Championship Grand Prix, which saw home rider and former 125cc World Champion, Dave Strijbos victorious.

THE DUTCH AND THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

“It was a really special day for me,” recalled Strijbos. “I was living close to the track and due to this a lot of fans were there to support me. There was a lot of rain that weekend, so the track was really muddy but luckily everything went well for me and I managed to win my home Grand Prix. As a young teenager this was a really special moment, one that I was dreaming of since I started riding a bike,” he added. The club then organised another two GP’s in Oss in 1989 and 1998 which were dominated by American Mike Healey and Italian Alessio Chiodi. Now 23 years later Oss will make a comeback to the FIM Motocross World Championship, with the Dutch GP confirmed at the venue until 2025.

Motocross is an important sport in Holland, with the Nation holding a significant place in the legendary history of the Motocross World Championship, producing some of the best riders in the world, including multiple world champions and becoming known as the capital of the motocross world, alongside neighbouring Belgium. The Dutch have found major success in the FIM Motocross World Championship since the 70’s with Gerrit Wolsink as one of the first Dutch MX Hero’s to break into the world stage. He won a total of 13 GP’s, finishing third in the 500cc class in 1975 and 1977, and then second in 1979. Next was Kees Van Der Ven, who won 18 GP’s and finished second in the 1980 250cc World Championship class behind the great Georges Jobe. He then followed that up with more podium finishes in 1981, ’82 and

‘83, before also placing third in the 125cc category in ’84 and third in the 500cc class in ’87. Dave Strijbos, originally from Oss, was the first Dutchman to finally bring home a Motocross World Championship title in 1986, when he was victorious in the 125cc category. Throughout his career, Strijbos racked up a total of 27 GP victories, often finishing inside the top three in the championship standings (1985, 1987, 1988, 1992 and 1993). Strijbos and John Van Den Berk, who is also from Oss, then led the golden era of motocross, with Van Den Berk becoming a twotime World Champion, taking his first title in 1987 (125cc) and his second in 1988 (250cc), while also finishing on the podium in 1986, 1989 and 1990. Then came Pedro Tragter who was also World Champion in the popular 125cc class in 1993, with consistent finishes in ‘91, ‘92 and ‘94, alongside his title.

As the times progressed new Dutch talents entered the FIM Motocross World Championship, with Jeffrey Herlings quickly becoming the most successful Dutch motocross rider to date, thanks to his 4 World Championship titles (3 in MX2 and 1 in MXGP) along with an impressive 90 Grand Prix victories. Though Herlings is not the only strong rider that Holland has produced in recent years as the likes of Marc de Reuver, Glenn Coldenhoff, Brian Bogers, Roan Van de Moosdijk and Calvin Vlaanderen (just to name a few) have also left their mark in the racing world. While the Dutch have raised some World Champions and plenty of GP winners over the last numerous decades, it wasn’t until 2019 that the Nation finally found success at the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations, taking a historic win on home soil, witnessed by the King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands – which goes to show how important motocross really is in Holland. “Having the Dutch GP is really important,” shared Glenn Coldenhoff. “In the past years we have seen some different Dutch tracks on the calendar and unfortunately some have closed but for our sport it is very important to have a GP in the Netherlands, it gets a lot of media attention and I think Oss is a great track to host the World Championship because it’s a nice natural and old school track,” the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing rider added. “It’s a must to have the MXGP in Holland because it’s the home of many motocross riders and also Holland has four top riders in the MXGP class with Herlings, Coldenhoff, Bogers and Vlaanderen living so close,” explained John Van Den Berk.

Oss is not your typical Dutch sand track as the ground is a little harder. It’s a sand track nonetheless though with a hard base underneath, but not as sandy as previous GP venues such as Lierop or Assen. Oss is an old school natural track, featuring several elevation changes as well as a mixture of fast and slow parts, with the track sure to get bumpy throughout the races. “The recent developments have exceeded our wildest expectations. It was of course always a goal, and perhaps a pipe dream to host a Grand Prix race at the venue, and with the announcement of the 2021 MXGP calendar, the dream has come true,” shared Motor Club Oss. Over the last 40 years the club has worked hard to turn what once was a duping site into a world championship level facility that has hosted various national races, as well as various European and Sidecar GP races. “Now, in the 50th year of the existence of the Motor Club Oss foundation, it has come full circle. The track will host its 11th sidecar motocross GP, and most importantly its very first MXGP world championship round. Therefore, double reason to celebrate” MORE ABOUT THE ORGANISER: Top Events Group The organiser behind the recharged Oss Grand Prix is Top Events Group headed by CEO Ebert Dollevoet, with the group established as experts in events and catering in the Netherlands for more than 15 years. Whether it be a huge stadium concert, a festival like Pinkpop, or a soccer game of one of the big teams like PSV Eindhoven, NAC Breda or FC Den Bosch, they have strived to cater for every event in the most professional manner and deliver great results!

MORE ABOUT OSS Now the organiser will bring the Dutch circuit to the big stage, to

VanderSanden/1989

host the fastest MXGP and MX2 riders, with the track confirmed as the home of the MXGP of the Netherlands on the MXGP Calendar up until 2025. “It feels fantastic to be able to bring a motocross world championship event back to Oss,” Top Events Group CEO Ebert Dollevoet explained, “I live close by the motocross track and have grown up in the area. Over the years I have attended many big races and have keenly followed the achievements of Dutch riders at world championship level. So, for me it’s extra special to host such a big race in Oss,” he added. The idea to host the FIM Motocross World Championship in Oss originated a few years ago, with Top Events Group immediately working on a structured plan to get things started. “When we came upon the idea, we immediately started building a strong base to enable us to organize in a good way, of course, organising such a huge event is complicated, but we have a great team of colleagues and are confident that everything will be organised in a high level,” shared Dollevoet. Now with the event fast approaching the team have been working hard on making sure the venue is in top shape to host the most prestigious motocross race in the world!

With the Top Events Group a specialist in organising some of the top events in the Netherlands, with the MXGP of the Netherlands the crew are hoping to bring a 22

VanderSanden/1998

“Right now, we are working very hard on preparing the track. Oss is already a spectacular circuit, but with Glenn Coldenhoff and Roan van de Moosdijk as consultants, we have worked on improving it even further. We have removed some overgrowth that may have obscured the view, and spectators can now be assured of unobstructed views of almost the entire track,” Dollevoet added.

VanderSanden /2019

state-of-the-art VIP section that will offer the best viewing of the track! What’s more, the VIP section will combine sports and entertainment, with VIP guests being treated to performances by well-known artists, Andre Hazes, Rene le Blanc, Django Wagner and a live DJ, during the race weekend. “Sport and entertainment are perfect companions, and that is why the MXGP Oss festival has been organised,” Dollevoet explained. There will be plenty to keep you entertained throughout the Grand Prix, for both adults and kids, making it the perfect family weekend getaway! THE GP IN OSS For Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Glenn Coldenhoff, the upcoming season opener will be a true home race. “It is very special for me to have a GP in Oss,” shared Coldenhoff. “I was born and raised there, and I have many memories in Oss, so I am really excited to race there! The first race always brings some extra excitement and now that it’s in the Netherlands that makes it extra special,” he added. Oss holds special memories for the likes of Dave Strijbos and John Van Den Berk who both originate from the region. “Oss is my birth city and has great history in motocross for me and Dave Strijbos,” explained Van Den Berk. “We both brought back 3 world titles to Oss and the celebration in Oss was always great. More than 100,000 people came from all over Europe to enjoy the championship as the track was very popular in the 80’s,” he added. “It’s great to have Oss back on the MXGP calendar,” pointed out Strijbos. “Oss is one of the nicest tracks in Holland so for the fans it’s great to come to watch the race. The organisation is working hard on the track and it’s the perfect location to

host an MXGP race, as Oss is in the heart of Dutch Motocross”. This will not be the first time that Glenn will be lining up in Oss to race, with the Dutchman having previously took part in competition at the venue several times. When asked about one stand out race at his home track, Coldenhoff was quick to recall one particular memory… “The best memory for me is the race I rode against my brother. It was an Open Dutch Championship race, which is called Dutch Masters of Motocross nowadays,” he explained. “My brother was at a pretty good level in motocross, he was riding a 250cc 4 stroke and I was riding a 125cc in the MX2 class that weekend… This was his last race that day, before he quit racing and at a certain point in the race, I was behind him, I had to come from way back. Once my brother noticed I was behind him, he started pushing really hard. In the end he finished that race in front of me. The story was published in the local newspaper and of course my brother is often referring to this newspaper (laughing),” he recalled. For Coldenhoff, the MXGP of the Netherlands will be an exciting race, not only for the obvious reason that he will race on home soil, but it will also be his first official outing as a factory Yamaha rider. “I don’t feel pressure really. Of course, I am really hoping there will be a lot of public, including all my family and friends because I can’t wait to have all the fans back at the track. I am missing the atmosphere and support, so it would be amazing to have it back in Oss!” And the atmosphere is what we’re all hoping for as we gear up for what is bound to be another exciting season of the FIM Motocross World Championship – kicking things off in Oss!

Photo: Yamaha Racing

FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

RESULTS

L A I C O S P G X M EP.4 - GoPro Lap of 2020: Let’s re-visit the sandy Kegums circuit from the 2020 MXGP of Riga, on-board with Arminas Jasikonis of Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing, for the official GoPro Lap! MXGP of Great Britain!

@mummys_a_ photographer The game we wait all year for!!!

@jeehyang TBT - Missing photo-/arena days like these! Feels like 100 yrs since I stood at a big event with my camera in my hand ready to shoot 📸

With Hubby riding Motocross when younger MXGP is one of our most played games and we have been loving MXGP 2020! The official videogame of the Motocross Championship!

@mxgpstore_official ❤️ Happy Valentine’s Day motocross lovers! 🤍

Top 10 MX2 Actions of 2020: Re-live some of the best moments from the 2020 seasons of the FIM Motocross World Championship with our Top 10 MX2 Actions!

@getteholemans #throwbackthursday #tbt @nansreynders at the MXON 2015 Ernee #sheisawildone #fullattack #mxfans #mxaddict #mxon2015 #teambelgium #belgianmxfans #livingfortheweekend pic @ ericlaurijssen

@karlushaaaa #mxgpmoments 🥰

@zaaramanfredini Due passioni che si uniscono, pittura e cross. Magico @antoniocairoli

@corentinlhommeau21 My best @mxgp moments with @gautierpaulin in Assen #MXGPMOMENTS

@moto_words A MX’s legend! 10 World Titles! One of the best rider worldwide...ladies and gentlemen: Mr Stefan Everts! Thanks to him I started to follow the motocross races! So, thank you Stefan!!

@gc_mxdrawings_ @kiarafontanesi 🔴 🎀 #KF8 #mxdrawings #drawing #monsterenergy #athenasportech #akrapovic #pbrsprockets #syneco #ortemasportprotection #sidisport #ufoplastics #motocross #mxgp

EP.13 – 26 Minutes Behind the Gate: The final episode is here! We have reached the end of our 2020 Behindthe-Gate series, as we took a look back on some of the best action from last season. To finish things off, we’re heading back to the MXGP of Pietramurata and Garda Trentino, the season finishers in Italy!

P G X M # D OF ORL W E H IN T

@jacmalins 1st of many good times in Lommel 2014

R E S T L S R I N G MO

H T N RE MO E D I RF TH O

D N A P U D E E S L S T I O A T G G O T Y D A E R 37

SINCE WINNING THE 2017 MX2 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, LATVIA’S PAULS JONASS HAS STRUGGLED TO FIND HIS FEET IN THE ULTRA-COMPETITIVE MXGP CLASS, ALTHOUGH THE RESULTS ON PAPER DO NOT EXACTLY TELL THE WHOLE STORY.

His 2019 campaign was hampered early on after recovering from knee surgery during the off-season, and last year he was out of the championship as early as the third round after a practice crash left him hospitalised just before the season restarted after a five-month break. However, his three podiums and 6th overall in 2019 are evidence that there is still more to come from the Standing Construct GASGAS rider. MXGP Magazine caught up with him after a day of cross-country skiing to see how he is feeling coming into the new season. Hi PJ … where are you right now?

Belgium, I will have been gone almost two weeks. I’m in Austria actually; I came for a physical training camp. I did already quite a lot of riding in January, so when the new calendar came out, we decided to take a few days off of the bike. I’m doing cross-country skiing; it’s pretty good actually and it’s something I already did before I started riding again in November, it’s a good workout for the whole body, so I wanted to do it again sometime when there was more time. I’m still here! There is quite a lot of snow, the sun is shining and today it’s nice and warm. What kind of altitude are you at? I’d say probably around 1400m … it’s not too bad. When I did the workout in the first few days I could feel it, but not too crazy. When I get back to

Sweet! Well, let’s talk briefly about last year before moving on to the new season … 2020 started off quite tough; 18th overall in England, 12th overall in Holland … at that stage of the championship, were you concerned at how the season began? You know, the results were not even close to what they should have been, but I felt that the speed and everything else was there; I just had really bad luck. I crashed in every moto (of those first two rounds) and as you know, the MXGP class is so stacked in the beginning of the year, so if you made a mistake you went backwards really quickly. So, because I crashed in every moto, I made it really tough for myself. Overall, I wasn’t really worried and for sure I was not happy about those results, but I knew I could come back stronger

later in the season, but after Holland the season went on pause. Those crashes you mentioned – were they because you made bad starts and your crashes came because you tried too hard to make it happen? Actually, in Valkenswaard I made a good start, but I just wanted to make things happen too quickly because I was feeling really good, but I wanted to prove something too much and I crashed with Arnaud Tonus. Then, in the second race I think I was 4th in the start but then crashed on the first lap again all by myself, trying too hard. I was putting pressure on myself to show good results and I think that’s also why the crashes came. Then Covid-19 hit the world; how did you deal with that process and were you able to continue riding and training in Latvia where other riders 39

maybe couldn’t? Was there more freedom over there? Yeah, for sure. You know for me I would say that was one of the best times I’d had since a long time ago because I was back home in Latvia, riding there and training really hard and feeling really, really well. And in Latvia at that time, okay, there was Covid, but restrictions were really low because there were not so many sick people, so I could still ride and do everything that I wanted to because I have a gym and a track at my home in Latvia. I could be in self isolation and still go riding on my home track which was really cool. But then in June during training I had a really big crash and it cost me a lot. As MXGP announced we were going racing again, you must have been pretty excited about the prospect of having three GP’s at Kegums, but then unfortunately, you picked up an injury which ruled you out for the rest of the season. What was the injury and how long was it before you could start physical training, and more importantly, before you were able to return to the bike? When I crashed in June, we knew already that we would start racing again in August, we just didn’t know where but when I was in hospital in the rehab’ centre we then found out it was gonna start again in Latvia. In the beginning I was still hoping (after the crash) I could start riding earlier, like after maybe one or two months because initially the doctors said things didn’t look so bad. But when they went deeper there were more problems than they thought. I had four compression injuries on the vertebrae, two broken ribs and broken ligaments in the back. Also, those spinous processes in the back, six or seven of those were broken which was quite tough. I was ten days in hospital lying in bed and then 40

after that I spent one month in a rehab centre working hard with the rehabilitation. After that I could go home and do rehab with my physio’s and a little bit of my programme, but still, when I went to the GP in Latvia, I still had to wear the neck brace, so I was still a long way from being ready. Once the season re-started, I already said I didn’t want to go back on the bike when I don’t feel ready, so I only started riding the bike again in November. The season was so compressed that I said to the guys that once the ball starts rolling and the boys are racing, it would take me forever to get back even close to my race speed and the season would already be over, so I didn’t want to take any risks with my back and possibly get injured again. When you are not even close to 100% then more and more injuries can come so I took my time and did all of the necessary rehab to be able to get back on the bike. You said you were back on the bike in November; when did you start your physical training? I was doing the physical training when I was in the rehab centre; I could start walking and I think every day I walked 20-30km because it was the only physical activity I could do really, apart from the rehab work. When I left the rehab centre and got home, then I could slowly start doing other things, like the home trainer, so sometime around the beginning of August, but it was probably only 20% of what I could normally do. Actually, in September I could start to go outside more and do some cycling which was already a big step. Since then, there has been a change of bike and team, and you will line up for Standing Construct GASGAS Factory Racing. How are you finding your new home and how is the new bike?

Yeah … actually I am really happy with the situation, like with the team and everyone involved with the bike. I would say that I haven’t felt so good for a long time, like with all the programme, the people around me and everything. I would say I have a little bit more freedom than what I had in the Husky times maybe, but so far, it’s been going really good! I started riding in November in Belgium until the new year, and after that we went to Spain to do more riding on the hard pack, followed by suspension and engine testing and overall, I’m really happy and it’s been pretty cool. When KTM Group purchased Husqvarna, the negative people said ‘it’s just a white KTM …’ etc, even if the subframe and linkage was different in the beginning, but since then Husqvarna stands alone as its own brand. How does the GASGAS feel to you from that side, does it feel much different to the Husqvarna you rode last year? Yeah, actually, like you said, everyone says all those bikes in the KTM Group are the same, but that’s not true, you know? Every bike has something different, even the different plastics make it feel different; I don’t know why but I feel like I can ride the GASGAS more like a 250cc, it feels lighter for me. I told this to the team after the first time I rode it, I said ‘I feel like I am back on the 250cc,’ and they said ‘that’s good! If you can ride it like you did in 2017 then it will be alright …’ (laughing). When you first rode the GASGAS, did you ride Glenn’s bike or the factory ‘base’ model? I cannot say 100% but when I started riding, I think I had Glenn’s bike but with my suspension (at Husqvarna, PJ raced with WP Suspension and GASGAS use the same brand), and up until now, I didn’t 44

change so much. When we made the suspension test in Belgium it was just to get a base setting because I’d been off the bike for five or six months or something; I was a long time off the bike, I just needed to get back the feeling. Because you missed pretty much the whole season last year, will you race the preseason Italian series and other races before MXGP starts in May? Is this something you feel you will need to do to get that race-fitness back again? For sure I will do LacapelleMarival at the end of April but for the rest we will see. I would like to do more races, maybe some in Holland or Germany; we just need to see what fits best with the calendar. Do you feel you need to do these races to be ‘race-sharp’ or is it more to just get some racing under your belt before the first GP? Not so much to be race sharp, but overall just to be on the gate with 40 guys again; it’s been a long, long time and that first gate drop of the GP you can be so stressed and nervous. That’s what happened with me in 2019, my first 450cc race was the GP in Argentina (after knee surgery during winter 2018). I had such big arm pump already on the first lap (laughing) and it was all because of nerves, so it’s important to get those first nerves away to be ready for the first GP to be more like a normal race. Apart from the new bike and team, you have a new teammate as well; how are you and Brian Bogers getting along? Are you riding and training together or are you pretty much doing your own thing, sticking to your own programmes? We are doing our own programmes, so I haven’t spent so much time with Brian. We did some training together back in Belgium until new year and in Spain we spent that one week together when we

passes, but overall I think the racing and everything was really good and it was an intense calendar. For the riders I think it was a little bit tough, physically and mentally, too.

had the tests, but he is doing his programme in Malaga whereas I was more in Barcelona, but if we need to do more tests then we will do that together. Will you continue working with Harry Everts? He seems to be getting younger every day … Yeah exactly! I cannot understand how he can stay so active all the time; it’s crazy (laughing). But it’s good for me, with the training and just with the normal things, you know? We live in the same village in Belgium, it’s easy for me and it’s good to have someone with so much experience in my corner. Obviously, nobody likes being on the side lines, but you would 48

have had the opportunity to watch MXGP from a different perspective. What did you think to the racing last year? Were there any surprises? As for surprises and who came out on top? Not really, because Tim (Gajser) has been strong the last few years; okay, it was a pity that Jeffrey (Herlings) got injured, and Jorge (Prado) got the Covid thing because it would have been cool to see all the guys battling last year, but that’s racing. Actually, I think I was surprised at how good Tim was in Lommel. As for the triple headers, it was pretty nice to have racing so often, but by the end of the season, I could almost tell what was gonna happen at the third race, you knew which riders were gonna be fast, who was gonna be in the front and where you could make some

How close to 100% do you think you are at this moment and what are the main things you still need to work on in order to be ready for that first gate drop of the season? It’s always difficult to be 100% because you can always improve, but overall I feel really good on the bike, we’ve done a lot of base riding, base training, long moto’s, endurance … there is still time for the season to start so I can still build on the base, get more hours on the bike before working on the intensity to get the speed a little bit higher. But like I said, overall, I am really happy with how everything is going and I think we are on the right way, we just need to continue growing stepby-step. Photos: Adrian Moles/Red Bull content pool

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

E ! H E T : M 0 A 2 G 0 2 O E P D G I MX CIAL V I F OF

THE OFFICIAL MXGP VIDEO GAME IS BACK! THIS TIME ALLOWING MXGP FANS AND GAMERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET THEMSELVES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ACTION AND TAKE PART IN THE 2020 FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP!

The latest instalment of the official MXGP video game launched in December 2020 and becoming one of the first Motocross video games to be launched on the next generation consoles, as the PS5 version hit the market at the end of 2020. The 2020 edition of the game presents the 2020 season of the championship in the most realistic way possible, featuring all 68 riders and OAT teams from both MXGP and MX2 who took part in the series, with their appearance life like. How was this realism achieved you may ask? During the MXGP of the Netherlands in Valkenswaard last season, all MXGP and MX2 riders were invited to take part in a special photoshoot dedicated to the video game. There were plenty of 360 shots taken, with the riders showing off their best poses in the process. The same was done with the bikes, in order to make sure the game mimicked exactly what we all witnessed during the 2020 season. With the riders’ appearances sorted the next thing was the venues. The game features 19 venues from the MXGP racing calendar and at each MXGP event, we usually share a drone shot (you may have seen them on our social channels or on MXGP-TV). These drone shots were provided to Milestone, the creators of the game, in order to allow them to re-create each track as accurately as possible. Another cool feature of the game is the weather. While that may sound pretty simple and self-explanatory, the weather changes and how it affects the track surface is a pretty cool feature to the game, further adding to the realism of the game! But you may be asking yourself, what else is actually new for MXGP 2020? Well… • As already mentioned, MXGP 2020 features the official 2020 FIM Motocross World Championships, featuring 68 riders from MXGP and MX2, along with all 19 circuits that were featured on the official MXGP calendar.

• Heightmap based track editor, which allows players to create their tracks on various terrain types and allowing different altitude variations. • Improved Waypoint Mode in the Playground where players can race against each other. • Dedicated servers for an even more flawless multiplayer experience. And possibly something even more exciting to be introduced in the very near future *spoiler alert* is the race director mode! Race director mode has become very popular over the last year or so, which has allowed gamers to create, race and stream online races using special cameras – we’ve seen it done in Formula 1, MotoGP and more, and this is super exciting for all Motocross fans who want to get in on the action too! Next-Generation Features MXGP 2020 is also available for the PlayStation 5 with the game fully optimised with next-gen features including: • Dynamic resolution up to 4k for increased details and immersion • 60 FPS for a smoother motocross experience • PS5 dual sense support featuring haptic feedback and adaptive triggers support to give real dirt bike feedback to players • Lightning-fast support to start the game with reduced loading times For those new to the game, MXGP 2020 features 8 different game modes: Career, single player, Playground, Championship, race director*, Waypoint, track editor and time attack. Career Mode For players wanting to imagine themselves as a Motocross World Championship rider, career mode will allow you to do just that! You’ll

start off as rookie with the main objective to gain ‘Prestige’ status and complete the 2020 season. You can join one of the OAT teams or create your own. The official teams or sponsors that are willing to hire players will change depending on their prestige. Track Editor MXGP 2020 has added an extra touch of realism to the game by introducing ‘Heightmaps’. This means players can now re-create tracks built on hills and mountains, making for an even more life-like game. In track editor mode, players can choose from 4 different terrain types; plain, quarry, apple orchard or forest and once their track is complete, they can share and download each other’s creations! Improved Waypoint Waypoint is back for MXGP 2020 in its new and improved form! Waypoint gives players the opportunity to create a race within the brand-new Playground that is inspired by the gulf of Geiranger, in Norway. Setting it up is quite easy, all players need to do is chose their starting point, place the waypoints around the map, complete the path and share it online! Bike and Rider Customisation An exciting part of the game is the customisation allowing players to really get creative! There are more than 110 official brands featured – but the best part of all, not only does the game allow you to customise the appearance of the rider and bike, but you can also adjust bike performance with real life replica of the different bike parts. There’s plenty to see and explore in the brand-new MXGP 2020 game as the possibilities are really endless with all the different game modes and customisation tools! Available on PlayStation 5 & PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Steam. Get your copy of the game HERE! Want to know what everyone else thinks of the MXGP 2020 video game? Check out the reviews below! 55

MEDIA REVIEWS ScreenRant PlayStation Country “MXGP 2020 – The Official Motocross Game is a great racing game, just don’t be expecting to win races quickly. All the fun of the real-life sport and then some.”

“MXGP 2020 is an exciting racing game that manages to be just soft enough on its sim qualities to stop it from being entirely foreign to newcomers”

“I absolutely love this game now. The recent updates, moving to pro physics and the track detail has really made this game pop.” “As far as the graphics go, I think MXGP 2020 is stunning and running it a consistent 120fps at 1440p is beautiful!”

God is a Geek PushSquare “MXGP 2020 is the new highpoint for Milestone’s licensed racing series. Hugely reduced load times and more immersive gameplay than ever before help push this year’s entry that extra little bit ahead, though it continues to be let down by its environments and lack of content.”

“MXGP 2020 is made for fans of the series, and even then, it feels as though Milestone are maybe running out of ideas.” USER REVIEWS “The game’s physical level and gameplay is better than the previous ones.”

“MXGP2020 strikes a good balance of realism and arcade handling to give real bike riders enough realism to draw them in but doesn’t go overboard on being a full out Sim to the point of being overly frustrating to learn and possibly more difficult than the real thing.”

L L A H

E M A F F O

JEFF LEISK 500CC VICE WORLD CHAMPION MORE THAN THIRTY YEARS AGO, JEFF LEISK WAS THE FIRST AUSTRALIAN TO COME RACE THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN EUROPE. HE WAS AN EXAMPLE FOR ALL HIS YOUNG COUNTRYMEN, WHO LATER WALKED IN HIS FOOTSTEPS, AND REMAINS THE MOST SUCCESSFUL AUSSIE WITH WINS AND PODIUMS IN EUROPE BUT ALSO IN THE US. Born on 19th November 1964 in Perth, Jeff had the chance to enter his first race when he turned seven years old. His father was a speedway competitor, but Jeff preferred motocross and in 1971 he lined up for the first time in a mini race in his native city. He was only nine years old when he claimed his first Australian title, and then had the opportunity to go training in the USA and also to race some rounds of the Golden States Series. Back home with more experience, he claimed several national titles in Australia and also in New Zealand before moving full time to the USA at the end of 1985. Working hard to be ready for the season, he lost all his chances at San Diego Supercross when another rider landed on him and broke his jaw. It was a tough period for Jeff, who recovered for the Nationals where he scored a top ten result. Moving to Yamaha in 1987 he had a better season with podiums in Supercross at Seattle and a heat win at Hangtown during the Nationals 125cc. In the top six of both the 250cc Supercross and 125cc Motocross championships, he

then signed with American Honda and repeated in 1988 his good results with a sixth position in both the 250cc Supercross and Motocross Championships. The same year he also had a first taste of 500 GP’s when he entered the US Grand Prix in Hollister; winner of the second race and third of the event, he had another opportunity to race a GP in San Marino when HRC asked him to replace injured David Thorpe. He got a race podium and impressed again the MX World when he scored two runner-up positions behind Ron Lechien at the Motocross of Nations in France. Afterwards, he flew back home to add three more Australian titles to his scoreboard! For Jeff all of these results were enough for him to take the decision to finally race the GP’s, as HRC offered him a good ride alongside their factory riders. The 1989 season didn’t start so well for him as he was leading the first heat in Valkenswaard until he ran out of fuel! A great disappointment for the Kiwi who took his revenge by winning the second race, and later won his first GP in Finland where he beat some of the best 59

sand riders such as Van der Ven, Jobe and Geboers. Winning more races in San Marino and Belgium, he also had some up and down moments to finish the season runner up behind David Thorpe. In wintertime he raced a couple of Supercross events, and thanks to his US experience he became the first non-American to win one main event at Paris SX, beating Johnson, Bayle, Kiedrowski and Stanton!

1981:

Australian Champion Lites

1982:

Australian Champion 500

Considered as one of the title’s contender for the 1990 season, he missed this opportunity as he crashed at the opening round in Netherlands, broke a finger in Finland just a week after winning the French GP in Brou, and eventually missed a couple of GP’s as he had surgery to repair his broken finger. He was back for the last two rounds of the series, but he was not enjoying racing anymore and decided to retire at the end of the season.

1983:

New Zealand Champion 500

1984:

Australian Champion Open (Honda)

37th in the 250 Motocross World Championship

1986:

9th in the 125 US Motocross Championship (Honda)

19th in the 250 US Supercross Championship

1987:

5th in the 250 US Supercross Championship (Yamaha)

6th in the 125 US Motocross Championship

Back in Australia, he competed in a variety of events including Flat track, Desert races and Sprint car speedway and stays involved in the sport as general manager of KTM Australia until last year. Text & Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

1988: 6th in the 250 US Supercross 250 Championship (Honda)

6th in the 250 US Motocross Championship

20th in the 500 Motocross World Championship

Australian Champion Lites, Open, 500

1989:

2nd in the 500 Motocross World Championship (Honda). Winner of 2 GP’s

1990:

9th in the 500 Motocross World Championship (Honda). Winner of 1 GP

S K L A T K C O D PAD

2 1 4

3 08 7

Jago Geerts showing off his potato peeling skills as he prepares a posttraining dinner!

2 Antonio Cairoli showing off his best King outfit. 3 Mattia Guadagnini and Antonio Cairoli enjoying a day at the track. 4 Tom Vialle practicing his wheelies before the season starts!

5 Thibault Benistant preparing for his rookie season in MX2… 6 Jeremy Van Horebeek getting to grips with his Beta machine! 7 He’s back! Arminas Jasikonis is back on the bike and rocking a brand-new number for 2021… #7! 8 Glenn Coldenhoff and team putting the work in for the start of the season.

9 A happy rider is a fast rider! Tim Gajser enjoying his training as he prepares to defend his title once again… 10 Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing looking strong for 2021!

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

BEN TOWNLEY 2004 KTM250 SX-F 66

IN 2004 THE FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP HAD A ‘FACELIFT’ AND THE TRADITIONAL RACE CATEGORIES THAT WE HAD COME TO SEE AS THE NORM WERE RE-NAMED, SO INSTEAD OF 125CC AND 250CC CLASSES, WE NOW HAD MX2 AND MX1 RESPECTIVELY. OF COURSE, ALL OF THIS COINCIDED WITH THE POPULARITY OF THE 4-STROKE WHICH HAD BEEN ON THE RISE SINCE 1998, AT LEAST THAT WAS THE CASE IN THE PREMIER CLASS.

When New Zealand’s Ben Townley won his world title in 2004, he would go down in history as the first ever MX2 world champion, and it’s his KTM250 SX-F that we will feature in this issue of MXGP Magazine.

considering that KTM were the last manufacturer to introduce a 4-stroke 250cc to the 125cc/ MX2 class. In fact, when Townley won the title in 2004, he and his CHAMP KTM teammate Marc de Reuver were the only riders racing KTM’s 4-stroke 250cc, purely because they were factory riders for the Austrian marque. Breaking Cover

Since 2004, we have come to see KTM as the front runner in the world motocross championship having amassed twenty out of a possible thirty-four titles in either MX1 (MXGP) or MX2, or a winrate which equates to 58.82%. But it’s in the MX2 class where KTM has had the most success during that time, winning a total of thirteen titles from the seventeen contested since 2004. Not bad

The first time the KTM250 SX-F broke cover was in 2003 when Erik Eggens took to the line, on what was very much a prototype machine. However, its place on the grid was short lived; technical problems even before the first Free Practice session on Saturday of the Spanish GP at Bellpuig (the first GP of the year) meant that the issue was not ‘solved’ until

the final two laps of the Time Practice, which meant Eggens had just two laps to register a time. His out-lap and fast lap put him 5th and whilst everyone was relieved to end the session inside the top five, it was a headache that either Erik or the team needed ahead of the first gate drop of the season. On Sunday, the problems continued and before the Warm Up session it took four mechanics to push-start it. Once it was running, the bike ran like a dream, but between Warm Up and Race One, the gremlins returned and as a result, Eggens could not even make the sighting lap. With frantic activity in the waiting zone, the technicians finally managed to get the bike fired up, but shortly after taking his place behind the gate, the bike appeared to be overheating badly, evidenced by the steam pouring 67

from an overflow pipe whilst the Dutchman sat waiting for the 15 second board to be raised. After the first lap of Race One, Eggens was instructed by his team to retire from the race, and the following day, the team decided to shelve the bike for the remainder of the season; Project 250 SX-F had to wait. At the end of the 2003 season, Ben Townley flew to Munich for a two-day test on the still prototype KTM250 SX-F and despite his fears about the project, was immediately hooked on the new bike, as he recalls: ‘My first impression was ‘WOW!’ and I can still remember that now (17 years on) and I made the decision to race that bike the following season within minutes of that first ride. I’d never ridden a 4-stroke, but it just felt that at that moment and with given the option between 125cc and 250cc, I preferred the torque and the way I could ride that 4-stroke compared to the 125cc, so I instantly felt at home on it. It was my decision and I decided I would race that. But man, it was noisy! It had gear driven cams, and the noise it made was phenomenal (but not in a good way).’ With BT’s fears about the previous reliability issues now quashed, his dad still had concerns, ‘but I enjoyed it so much that I was willing to take that risk, and I knew that the power output of it felt considerably better than what I’d been riding. One of my big concerns more than anything, was just getting the thing started, if I stalled it or if I crashed, as it wasn’t electric start. What was interesting about the bike was that you had a hot-start on one side of the handlebars and on the other side, a decompressor lever so you really had to know what you were doing if you had to get it started. You had to get the kickstart completely to top dead centre to do that.’ ‘Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the new bike was the torque! The amount of torque that that bike had for such a small displacement. It was incredible how you could ride it at low rpm but still be getting such good speed out of it. That’s what suited me. My 125cc’s weren’t built 69

to rev; obviously you did rev them but the way they were built, it was better if you short shifted and when I went to that first generation of that 4-stroke, that was the ultimate way to ride it.’ When his teammate Marc de Reuver picked up an injury and missed seven GP’s, all the attention was put on BT and making sure he had the tools to finish the job: ‘Harry Nolte was the engine builder and we had a good relationship since 2003, but it quickly became evident that there was a lot of attention that had to go on just one rider, or that one bike, the SX-F, so when de Reuver got injured, it ended up being just me. But it needed that kind of attention because the time line on those engines didn’t make any great distance in terms of hours. So, it just took a lot of attention. From memory, there wasn’t anything in particular that was consistently breaking, but it was a very, very new bike and so there were just multiple things happening throughout the year.’ Another area that Townley was able to take advantage of with the torquey engine, was when it came to cornering: ‘That was probably the biggest asset to me in terms of the way I rode; it was easy to carry momentum through the turns, so I didn’t have to work overly hard in terms of corner speed, I was able to use my style and roll through the corners. So again, that suited me really well.’ As the bike was still very much in its infancy, there was also a lot of exhaust pipe testing throughout the year as well, as BT recalls: ‘The exhaust system was something that we were constantly changing throughout the year; the one I have on my championship bike at home has a full-carbon system on the tail and that was the best looking one for sure, but we used so many different configurations that year, testing and working out what was the best configuration for that bike, so 70

that was a lot of development from Akrapovic at the time.’ History in The Making Alongside BT on the prototype machine was his teammate Marc de Reuver, and it was the Dutchman who wrote his own piece of history in the newly formed MX2 class by winning the first race of the year, which was also a first for the KTM250 SX-F and for KTM as a manufacturer. But it was Townley who stood on the top step of the podium with a 2-1 to seal its maiden GP win at Zolder with de Reuver taking 2nd overall. From there, nobody saw which way the Kiwi went, but it didn’t come without its fair share of problems, and the reliability issues from the previous year were never far away. The first of which came at Round Two, in Spain after Townley had won the first race. A broken gearbox was the issue. The second DNF came in Germany, but ‘that was me. I crashed there; a pure mistake, a bad decision on my behalf.’ In France, Round 8, Townley recorded his third DNF of the season when he stalled the bike early on in Race 2, and could not get the bike re-started. At Neeroeteren in Belgium, there was another mechanical failure when ‘the engine let go,’ whilst in Namur, the fuel cap broke in the first race; the fuel tank, like the bike, was also a prototype and this was another one of those teething problems that were bound to be expected during the course of the season. There was another stalled engine in Germany with three rounds to go and yes, BT was unable to re-start the bike there as well, but by then, he was just 4 points away from winning the world championship. Two weeks later in Ireland, Ben Townley was crowned MX2 World Champion, the first winner in the new class and the first rider to do so on a KTM250 SX-F. Everything about the bike was a one-off from the ground up. And there were just two of these bikes on the grid (when de Reuver was not injured). These were money-could-notbuy full factory race bikes. Yes, it might have been difficult to start when it was hot, but as BT said 73

Photo: earlier, after riding the bike for the first time in Munich, it was a risk he was willing to take. And it was one that paid off handsomely. In his title winning season, Townley romped to twentyone race wins and finished 2nd and 3rd two times each, and from all the races he finished, he placed outside the top three just once, when he placed 8th in Race Two at Gallarate in Italy. The six DNF’s almost pale into insignificance. Apart from winning the title, standout moments included going 1-1 to beat his Dutch 74

teammate at Valkenswaard, when at the time ‘de Reuver was considered as the Jeffrey Herlings of that era in terms of his sand riding skills.’ Another great moment came at the British GP at Gore Basin on the Isle of Wight, when he went 1-1 on what was ‘just an exceptional place to race a dirt bike,’ and a weekend that also saw his then housemate Josh Coppins go 2-1 in the MX1 class for not only his first GP win, but also what was a double win for New Zealand. However, perhaps the thing that has resonated the most and yet maybe hardly registered at the time was what winning in 2004 actually

meant to the first ever MX2 World Champion: ‘What was really interesting about the bike, and personally for me at the time was that it was pretty special to have that opportunity to win on that bike for KTM and to be the first 4-stroke to win in that era.’ ‘The other brands were already there with production 250cc’s; Yamaha had been established for a few years (since 2001) and Kawasaki, Honda and Suzuki were in their second year maybe, so it was pretty special to be the first one of that era to do that. At the time you don’t really realise that but I guess over time, I’ve come to appreciate that; it was a changing of the sport at that time.’

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

has there been a new calendar update? Josh

❞

Hi Josh , here you can find the latest version of the 2021 FIM Motocross World Championship calendar: https://www.mxgp. com/news/2021-calendarupdate-fim-motocrossworld-championship Best Regards MXGP

❝

Is there any way I can watch older races? James

❞

Hi James , you can watch older races back by purchasing the MXGP Archive pass on MXGP-TV.com  Here is the link: https://www. mxgp-tv.com/subscribe Regards MXGP

❝

Where can I find cool mx videos?

❝

❞

Pierre

Hello MXGP, where can I find more photos from the races, I love looking at them!

Dear Pierre , you can find many awesome MXGP videos on our YouTube channel HERE: https://www. youtube.com/user/mxgptv Best Regards MXGP

Samanta

❞

❝

Hi, is there an app where you can watch MXGP on TV? Chris

❞

Hello Chris You can watch the races from our website www.mxgp-tv.com, on your laptop, smartphone or tablet and connect the device to your TV and enjoy the races! Thanks MXGP

Hi Samanta that’s great to hear! We have a photo gallery section on MXGP. com where you can find all the awesome photos taken during the race weekends. Thanks MXGP