MXGP #99 November 2021 by MXGP MAG

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ALL H 0 P. 7 in NTH .8 O P M T HE SHO T L F O CO ER O D I R P.42ings Herl

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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 #99 November 2021

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� P.7 � � � � The articles published in this � � � �� magazine do not necessarily reflect � � � � � � the official position of Infront Moto �� P.10 � � � � Racing. � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � Then content of this publication is IAL �� R � � � P.18 O � � � � � T based on the best knowledge and � � I � � � � � � � D � � � � � E � � � � information available at the time � S � � OT �� the articles were written. � H 2 � � S � 2 � . � � P L � � � � � � � O � � � � � T CO The copying of articles and �� SHO � � � E � � photos even partially is L � 6 � � � O 3 � . � H P � P � forbidden unless permission � � X U � � FO has ben requested from �� TCH � � � A � � � C Infront Moto Racing in � � � � � G � � � N � I � advance and reference is � � C �� 0 RA � made to the source (©MXGP). � 5 � . � � P � H �� T L N A E I O AM M �� OC F S E F H O T �� F � � � � O � � � R � P.72 RIDEy Herlings � � � � � � � e Jeffr E �� R U � T FEA �� L A CI �� P.86 � E � � � P � � S ds �� E �� r R a w U A EAT OSS �� F L .96 CIA OTOCR P � E � � � P � � S eM �� IOR � � � N � � U � J AME�� F F P.102 O in �� L � � � L � HA Vullem �� d � i � Dav S �� K L TA P.104 � � � K � � C DO RE rna TE 610 U PAD T EA Husqva P.112 � F � � � � L OR 993 CIA T I D SPE Martens 1 HE E y T O Jack ST N O I ST QUE

L A I R O T I D E

David Luongo CEO of Infront Moto Racing

Dear MXGP Friends, Epic! This is the word that comes to my mind to recap last month and the end of the 2021 MXGP World Championship! This season has definitively entered the history of the MXGP as one of the most disputed, spectacular and exciting of its kind. Before MXGP of Spain, Jeffrey Herlings, Romain Febvre and Tim Gajser were separated by just 10 points. More than 20,000 fans went to the track in into-Xanadú Arroyomolinos in Madrid to support Jorge Prado and be spectators of this amazing racing! The organizer of the MXGP of Spain won the Award of Best Organizer of the season and I can say that they really put the level of welcoming the MX fans to a very high level!

THIS SEASON HAS DEFINITIVELY ENTERED THE HISTORY OF THE MXGP Romain and Jeffrey started the last gate drop of the year tied on points, something that has never happened in our sport (after 875 points distributed!). I would like to congratulate Jeffrey Herlings for the win but also Romain Febvre and Tim Gajser for their fantastic season!

The last Grand Prix of the season was also very emotional because it was the end of the MXGP career of Antonio Cairoli. Tony is a fantastic champion, but also a fantastic person. He has been racing in the World But let’s go back to the last sprint of Championship for 18 years and has the season, with 5 races in a row in Italy in 20 days on two very different been part of the development of the MXGP championship and its tracks, Pietramurata and Mantova. entry into the modern era! He won 9 Nobody could really predict what World Titles but the most important would happen! And race after race the pressure and the show continued thing, he has always been a fantastic ambassador for our sport! On behalf to reach new highs. The MXGP of of all the Infront Moto Racing team, I Pietramurata (Trentino 2) has been would like to thank him for all he did probably the most beautiful race for our sport! of the last 30 years with the battle between the 3 top guns of our Maxime Renaux won his very first championship. The Grand Finale in MX2 World Championship after a Mantova with the famous “Winner very strong season and performance, take it all” during the last race will be putting him on the top of the in the minds of everybody forever!

hierarchy of the MX2 category. It will be very interesting to see next season as the level of MX2 is getting compact again with Vialle and Geerts! This fantastic conclusion of the MXGP World Championship is the best reward for all the organizers, partners and workers that never stopped believing and investing in the MXGP despite the Covid-19 crisis and all the challenges that it brought the last 2 years. This last month and all the emotions that our favorite sport created to our fans worldwide is the biggest reward for all of us. The last two years have been very difficult to allow us to deliver a complete championship, but we managed to make 18 Grand Prix and the Monster Energy Motocross of Nations. We are on the right path back to normality! The answer from the public was fantastic. From the MXGP of Germany we were able to host more public and we saw the attendance growing up until the end of the season. I would like to thank the FIM, FIM Europe, all our organizers, our partners, the manufacturers for their great support and all the riders, from the EMX65cc to the MXGP, for the great show they gave to all of us this season! We cannot wait to arrive in February 2022 to start again the engines!

S T O H S L COO

T O H S E L O H X FO

THE WINNERS! 18

MISSED WHAT HAPPENED IN THE LAST SEVERAL ROUNDS OF THE FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP AND THE FOX HOLESHOT COMPETITION? WE’VE GOT A QUICK CATCH-UP FOR YOU IN THIS MONTH’S ISSUE!

put him an impressive 15 points ahead. In MX2, his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammate Tom Vialle did exactly the same in both races on his way to a 1-3 result for the second spot on the box. MXGP of Spain – Arroyomolinos: Let’s start where we left off back in October. The MXGP of Spain saw home hero Jorge Prado continue to assert himself as the king of starts as he added two more Fox Holeshots to his already very impressive tally. Prado made a stellar return to the podium after a tough Grand Prix in France where he struggled with injury. While he was not able to repeat the success of last season to win the Spanish Grand Prix, he was however able to power through to second overall with the support of his home fans!

MXGP of Trentino – Pietramurata: Next was the triple-header in the dolomite mountains of Pietramurata! In MXGP, we saw two new Fox Holeshot winners, as Jeremy Seewer dominated the start in heat one on his way to second place in the race. While in the second race it was JM Honda Racing’s Henry Jacobi who was fast out of the gate and into the first corner to also get his first Fox Holeshot of 2021. In MX2, Tom Vialle continued to declare his dominance with two more Fox Holeshot’s which

MXGP of Pietramurata – Pietramurata: And that was only the start as Vialle added two more Fox Holeshots by the following GP of Pietramurata, while in MXGP Prado secured his 14th Fox Holeshot while Antonio Cairoli pulled a huge Fox Holeshot as he led the race from gate drop to chequered flag. The 9-time World Champion went on to win the second heat and secure his 94th Grand Prix victory in front of his home crowd. MXGP of Garda – Pietramurata: The MXGP of Garda continued to keep us guessing as we saw another shake up in the MXGP title chase. Starts were key to achieving top results as Jeremy Seewer claimed the Fox Holeshot in race one which he ended up 19

winning along with the Grand Prix. But the second Fox Holeshot went to Prado who put his tally at 15. MXGP of Lombardia – Mantova: At the MXGP of Lombardia Vialle added two more Fox Holeshots, while in MXGP Seewer added a third Fox Holeshot plaque of the season to his tally, while Prado secured his 16th edging out even further in the competition. MXGP of Citta di Mantova – Mantova: Then it was time for the season finale! The race where the start was more important than ever, especially in MXGP as there was a three-man race for the title and every advantage counted. While Herlings, Febvre and Gajser tried their best out of the gate, they were beaten by Prado on both occasions. In MX2, the final Fox Holeshot’s of the season were shared by Vialle and Mattia Guadagnini who secured his fourth Fox Holeshot point of the 2021 season.

out of the gate. Throughout the 2021 season, he collected 18 Fox Holeshots, while this year’s championship runner-up Romain Febvre of Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team was second with six ahead of the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings.

MX2 TABLE

This year’s Fox Holeshot Award in the MX2 class went to Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle who for the second year in a row was unmatched in terms of getting out of the gate as he racked up 22 Fox Holeshots. His closest rival was his teammate Mattia Guadagnini who ended his season with four black plaques ahead of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Maxime Renaux who had three points. Both Vialle and Prado, received their FOX Holeshot cheques during the annual MXGP Awards which were presented by Infront Moto Racing CEO David Luongo and FIM/CMS Director Antonio Alia Portella. The Awards were streamed LIVE to audiences worldwide on MXGP’s YouTube channel and www.MXGP-TV.com.

The Results! The Fox Holeshot Award crown in MXGP went to Jorge Prado of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing as the Spaniard showed time and time again that he is unbeatable

WATCH THE VIDEO

Tom Vialle

Matti Guadagnini

Maxime Renaux

Simon Längenfelder

Jago Geer

Thibault Benistant

MXGP TABLE Jorge Prado

Romain Febvre

Jeffrey Herlings

Jeremy Seewer

P U G H N ATC I C A C R

E L A N I F E TH

WE’VE REACHED THE FINAL CHEQUERED FLAG AND CHAMPIONS HAVE BEEN CROWNED! IT’S ALMOST HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THIS INCREDIBLY INTENSE AND YET VERY EXCITING SEASON OF THE FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IS DONE FOR ANOTHER YEAR. AND IT’S SAFE TO SAY THAT THE 2021 SEASON HAS EXCEEDED MANY OF OUR EXPECTATIONS AS WE WERE TREATED TO A FRONT ROW SEAT TO A HISTORIC TITLE FIGHT IN MXGP!

WATCH THE VIDEO

IIt’s been a while since we’ve seen the title fight go down to the final race in the premiere class, especially one that includes three riders who were so close in points. What we witnessed in the rounds leading up to the finale in Città di Mantova were a true test for all three of the title contenders to see who would crack under the immense pressure that they were no doubt feeling. The Spanish Grand Prix was the first to come since our last Racing Catch-Up in October and boy did it deliver! It was one of the first events that we truly got to enjoy having the public back at the races as the grandstands were filled with passionate Spanish fans. There was even an entire stand dedicated to Jorge Prado

which caused enough damage that the factory KTM rider would not be able to carry on.

with every fan gifted some ‘JP61’ memorabilia including flags that created a colourful sea around the venue! The atmosphere was truly incredible and one that was deeply missed by everyone in the paddock. Jorge Prado no doubt was the home favourite as the roar of the crowd followed him around the entire circuit. And he certainly gave his home fans something to cheer about as the Spaniard went 2-3 for second overall, just three points behind the overall winner Jeffrey Herlings. Tim Gajser occupied the third step of the podium, while Romain Febvre missed out on a trip onto the box by just one point. That weekend Herlings went on to extend his championship lead to 12 points over Febvre who went 1-7 after an unlucky second heat, while Gajser was just a further three points behind.

Meanwhile in MX2, Maxime Renaux came one step closer to his maiden world title with his fourth overall victory of the season after going 2-1 in the races. Tom Vialle and Jed Beaton joined him on the podium, while his closest championship rival Jago Geerts lost a bit of ground and was sixth overall after a tough first race where he finished 13th. Herlings was looking in control at the opening GP (MXGP of Trentino) of the triple-header in Pietramurata, as he went 1-1 for only the second time this season. The two race wins over his rivals meant that he extended his lead further and at that point the difference was 24 points. Of course, as we all know now, that would soon change by the MXGP of Pietramurata. Herlings was probably more confident than ever as he entered the 15th round of the series, but by the first gate drop that would change. The Bullet went down in the first turn of race one and unlucky for him another rider rode over his bike

Febvre went on to win the first race (and had the red plate at that point) while Antonio Cairoli gave a show for the home crowd to win the second race and take the overall! It was an important podium for the 9-time World Champion who had struggled since his crash in Riola Sardo and was finding it tough in recent weeks. And after watching race one from his camper, Herlings regrouped for race two to finish fourth, salvaging some vital championship points. By the end of the Grand Prix Herlings was just one point ahead of Febvre, while Gajser was a further two points behind. “It’s pretty devastating,” shared Herlings during the post-race press, adding “the front wheel washed out and I wanted to pick up my bike right away. I didn’t even notice that someone rode over my bike. A lot of things 25

broke like my handlebar and so forth. It was a done deal. It hurts, especially when you worked so hard to get those points and be where you are. Then in a blink of an eye, it’s done. Then you just watch from the side-lines”. While in MX2, we saw a historic moment as Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Rene Hofer made his first trip to the top of the step, which he secured with a race win in the second heat. It was the first time since 1987 that an Austrian won a Grand Prix, which for Hofer was a huge moment. “For sure it’s a day I will never forget,” Hofer explained. “It was just so nice. When I crossed the finish line, I was celebrating with Mattia. It was a really nice feeling, especially in front of the fans. I really hope the Austrian fans at home enjoyed it,” he added. Geerts regrouped to finish second on the box, while we saw Ruben Fernandez make his third appearance to the podium, after getting on the box at the previous GP in Trentino a few days prior. Renaux was fifth overall, after struggling with starts in both races which made it tough for him to fight through the field. The MXGP of Garda was memorable for several reasons, both good and bad. In MX2, we witnessed Renaux secure the MX2 World title with a race and Grand Prix victory, as Yamaha celebrated their first world title in MX2 since Tony Cairoli’s title back in 2007. It was a bittersweet moment for the team as Geerts suffered a DNF in race two and dropped to third in the standings. “It means a lot to me,” said Renaux, adding “We made it; we are the 2021 MX2 World Champions. That’s a great achievement. We had to work a lot for that. The past years and past rounds were really tough for me. Lots of ups and downs, and bad starts. But we were able to have a good race. I am also so happy to get my first world title with a race and GP win. It means a lot to me because it’s grabbing

the title with a win feels a bit better. It was an amazing day for me, one that I will never forget for sure”. In MXGP we saw Jeremy Seewer secure his second ever Grand Prix win in the premier class, while Herlings lost ground to Febvre after two spectacular crashes that proved to be costly in the end. The mistakes from the Dutchman saw Febvre take charge as Gajser edged closer to gold thanks to the 4-1 result that he had over Febvre’s 2-3. By the end of the triple-header in Pietramurata, the red plate had a brand-new owner! Febvre took over the lead by the slimmest margin, putting the red plate on a Kawasaki for the first time since 2014. This was a big moment not only for the Frenchman on a personal level but also the crew at Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team and Kawasaki itself. “It feels good,” explained Febvre in the post-race press conference. “We still have two rounds to go to keep the red plate and turn it to gold. I can smell the taste of the championship,” he added. While the three rounds in Pietramurata were intense (3 GP’s in 10 days) there was not much time for rest as the season finale awaited us! Much of the paddock stayed in Italy, opting for a few quiet days in the beautiful Dolomite mountains of Trentino. And after a couple of days rest, the trip to Mantova began. From what we witnessed in the previous few rounds, the final two GP’s had big expectations, many of which were exceeded time and time again. The MXGP of Lombardia and MXGP of Città di Mantova were special for many reasons, a couple being the crowning of the remaining EMX champions, Maximilian Spies (EMX2t), Valerio Lata (EMX125) and Nicholas Lapucci (EMX250). As well as being one step closer to learning who will take the crown in MXGP and of course the final races of the legendary Antonio Cairoli and as well former GP

winners Shaun Simpson and Kevin Strijbos. The MXGP of Lombardia seemed to have slightly narrowed down the title fight in MXGP, as Tim Gajser was handed a penalty in race one after a similar incident to that of Alessandro Lupino at the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations just a few weeks prior. This was costly for the Slovenian, who lost his grip on the potential of defending his title this season. Herlings and Febvre went on to share race wins, with the Dutchman going 2-1 for the overall while Febvre was forced to settle for second with 1-2 result. Febvre was still in the driving seat of the championship as he held on to the red plate but was just three points ahead of Herlings – which meant we were in for a muchanticipated title showdown! “Every point counts right now, so it’s -3. It’s going to be an all-out war on Wednesday,” said Herlings. “I’m in a good position right now and there’s still one more round to go. Wednesday will be interesting,” added Febvre. While in MX2 Jago Geerts’ overall victory at the MXGP of Lombardia allowed him to close in on Tom Vialle for the silver medal, as just seven points separated them. “I am really happy to win a GP again. The last few races my speed was really good, but I just couldn’t make it happen to win a race. Hopefully I will be able to end the season on a high note. It will be quite exciting, and we will battle until the last lap for sure. I’ll try to win the GP and get the second place in the championship,” shared Geerts at the time. And just a few days later we were back it for the season finale! Huge crowds of fans, not only from Italy but all over the world gathered to witness a historic moment of the FIM Motocross World Championship for two reasons, the title fight between Herlings, Febvre and Gajser, as well as Cairoli’s final Grand Prix race.

With crowds and crowds of fans gathering around the circuit with their #222 memorabilia, the stage was set for what ended up being a day of many emotions. As the gate dropped for the allimportant races, it was Prado who led Febvre with Herlings further behind in race one. Febvre struggled get around Prado which played into the hands of Herlings, who was able to get by both and focus on his own race. Febvre then forced the issue, by which point Gajser was closing in on the Frenchman, too. In the final few laps, Gajser had Febvre in his sights and for the following laps, the pair were faster than the race leader Herlings. At that point Herlings was struggling with arm pump and his lead started to fade with Febvre and Gajser catching up to the race leader. Then it was game on as the trio battled it out for the win, but it was Herlings who was victorious. Race two was the last chance for Herlings or Febvre to go for gold, as they were tied on points! This was historic in itself, as we have not seen something like this for many years, in fact the last time that the premier class title went down to the second race where the riders were tied on points was back in the late 80’s! Prado once again got the Fox Holeshot ahead of Febvre, Herlings and Gajser. Not long after, Febvre slipped into, as Herlings and Gajser followed through, but the Frenchman’s time in the lead was cut short by a hard charging Herlings who was looking to waste no time on getting that fifth world title! Febvre tried to respond but that ended with a mistake and a crash which ultimately cost the Kawasaki rider one last chance to go for the title. Gajser was able to get ahead and push Herlings in the final few laps, but it was not enough as the Bullet went on to celebrate his second MXGP World Championship. He crossed the line as the official champion of 2021 36

and was met by a sea of supporters who were keen to celebrate his success with him! And there was more than the title to celebrate, as Antonio Cairoli crossed the finish line for his final race as a full-time rider the atmosphere was nothing short of amazing. The Italian then made a parade lap to commemorate the moment and to thank his fans that lined the circuit, the same fans that got to witness his victory with Team Italy at the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations, followed by a huge celebration as his closest friends, family, team members and supporters gathered onto the start straight to give him the send-off he deserved. The crowd was huge and very colourful as colour smoke, flags and other #222 memorabilia filled the start straight for what was a moment that will go down in history of MXGP! The celebrations were followed by the GP podium, Championship medal ceremony as well as a special podium moment as both Herlings and Cairoli were handed one-ofa-kind Airoh Helmets that were specially designed to commemorate Herlings’ 5th title and Cairoli’s entire racing career! Herlings also walked away with the unique MXGP Trophy, which was only introduced last season! The incredible champions cup is made up of two main materials, aluminium and carbon fibre base and features 20 stainless steel plaques wrapping around the trophy, which are engraved with all the world champions’ names from 1957 until now in the main class. Herlings added his name to the trophy for the second time. “I haven’t slept for a week, just thinking about scenarios. “If this happened? If that happened? What are we going to do?”. At the end of the day, nothing really happened the way I thought it would” shared Herlings. “We won the championship. It wasn’t an easy one. I think all three of us kept charging until the last race. Especially me and Romain. The pressure was on, and I

did not crack under it. I made the championship happen. I’m happy with it. It was the most difficult one ever,” he added. “It wasn’t enough to get the title. So, I am really disappointed at the moment for sure. The only thing is that I gave my all, so I don’t have regrets for sure. But to finish the season this close is really tough emotionally,” explained Febvre. While Gajser added “It’s not easy to accept but that’s how it is. That’s sport. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Losing makes you stronger. It’s not the end of the world. Tomorrow is going to be tomorrow, and we’ll have another opportunity next year”. Following the race press conferences, we took a special moment to chat to Cairoli, Kevin Strijbos and Shaun Simpson following their retirement announcements from Grand Prix racing. It was a nice moment for each rider to reflect on their racing careers and take any final questions from the media who had followed their racing careers for more than a decade. “It’s amazing how my career went,” Cairoli reflected. “When you’re small, you expect to be world champion one day. One time is already an amazing achievement, so nine is even more special,” he added. “I had made the decision a few weeks prior already, so I already made peace with it” revealed Strijbos, adding “It was a pretty emotional day in the end, but I felt everything was done. My body said stop and I was also tired mentally”. “To reach the top, from where I come from in Scotland, so far away from the centre of Europe. It was already a dream to make it this far, but to win my first GP and actually with these two guys standing next to me on the podium that day in Lierop in 2013 was so unexpected for me. That’s still my most special

moment from MXGP racing,” remembered Simpson. “I have been around here for a long time and met a lot of special people. A lot of people I will miss. A lot of people I probably won’t get to see nearly as much. This paddock has been my life and it’s been really special to spend great memories with the people around here,” he added. Following the last chequered flag, the media activities, interviews, press conferences and the rest, it was time to unwind with the annual MXGP Awards where this years’ champions and winners picked up their prizes (you can read more on that in our special feature!) And after the MXGP Awards party it was time for the after party! The MXGP paddock was rocked for much of Wednesday night as the riders, teams, media, staff and crew celebrated a job well done following a season of hard works and sacrifice. This season was great for many reasons, first and foremost the amazing action that we have had across all the world and European championship categories but to top it all off – having fans back with us has been truly amazing! And additionally, we have been able to welcome back some special guests to the GP’s, especially the final five Italian rounds where we were visited by former MotoGP and WSBK stars Marco Melandri, Andrea Dovizioso, Dani Pedrosa, as well as Enduro World Champion Andrea Verona, Speedway World Champion Artem Laguta, Alpie Skier Luca de Alprandini, among many others! And with the parties over, the focus shifts back onto racing! While the 2022 racing calendar has just been released, the work will begin soon and after a nice small break the crew, riders and teams will be back to work in no time. The 2022 season is going to be a good one!

L A I C O S P G X M Studio Show | MXGP of Città di Mantova 2021: Watch the Studio Show from the MXGP of Città di Mantova 2021 with the exclusive guests Hans Covers, Dylan Wright and Antonio Cairoli!

@cris_careb MXGP of Lombardia #mxgp #mxgp2021 #mxgpmantova #mxgpoflombardia #motocross #mantova #crossodromo #tc222 #cairoli #tonycairoli #athena #athenasportech #goprohero7 #gopro #goprophotography #goproitalia #goproit #goproexperience

EP.2 | Celebrations Moments of 2021 with Santero: Whenever there’s a podium celebration 958 Santero Wines is always with our MXGP and MX2 stars to applaud there important moments! In episode 2 we take a look back on the last several Grand Prix’s including the epic 2021 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations!

@gipsy3marco Angela and Rene’! No words to describe how much they love our sport and how much they are real people! Always available to help everyone in and out of the paddock!! Love them so

@mxgpstore_official

@filippo_bulfoni So proud of you and so happy to have been part of this!! In this year I did a really good experience with you and also with @ fanticfactoryteammaddii🙏 🏻 but now I understand my real goal. I want to thank both of them another time!

Only one race is missing! 🔥 The 2021 @mxgp season is close to end! Keep your eyes peeled on the races of the weekend 👀 #mxgp #mxgpstore #mxshop #onlineshop #mxgpmerchandise #officialmerchandise #mxgirl #motocrossgirl #motocross #motocrossgirls #motocrossladies #mxgirl

@phill_313 People of the paddock’….a few ‘behind the scenes’ photos of friends throughout the year in MXGP

@___ilaila Today Outfit: tacchi e vestitino 🎀.

@dhanisdamon The battle is on tomorrow! Who you got?⚔️

@dwbhdesign Maxime Renaux Mx2 World Champion 🇫🇷🥇 “France is looking for gold this year” “🇮🇹la Francia è in cerca d’oro quest’anno”

@laeviculuslabs Fresh off a crazy triple header in the mountains of Arco di Trentino here is a custom wolf mascotte for @ kaydewolf 🐺 Last slide shows you what it COULD look like irl.

Insane battle: Gajser – Herlings – Febvre – Coldenhoff | MXGP of Pietramurata 2021: The battle in MXGP race two between Jeffrey Herlings, Tim Gajser, Romain Febvre and Glenn Coldenhoff was INSANE! Check out the compilation of the best moments from the race that saw the top four battling within a cople of second of ach other!

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

@_childoftheocean MXGP of Arco 🇮🇹

R E S T L S R I N G MO

H T N RE MO E D I RF TH O

Photo: Yamaha Racing

Y R O E L T … T I S HI T ATING E P RE

WITHOUT DOUBT, THE 2021 FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON WILL FOREVER BE REMEMBERED AS ‘THAT SEASON’ OR LIKE AN EPISODE OF FRIENDS, ‘THE ONE WHERE …’ AFTER WHAT TURNED OUT TO BE THE MOST CAPTIVATING TITLE CHASE IN RECENT HISTORY. AND, WHILST WE DIDN’T WANT IT TO END, THERE COULD ONLY EVER BE ONE WINNER AND THAT WINNER IS NOW A FIVETIME WORLD CHAMPION, SO LET’S TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THE SEASON OF JEFFREY HERLINGS IN A LITTLE MORE DETAIL.

WATCH THE VIDEO

When the gates eventually dropped at the opening round of MXGP in Orlyonok in midJune, defending MXGP world champion Tim Gajser showed he was the rider to beat after a stunning 1-1 performance, but that all changed at the following round at Matterley Basin when Antonio Cairoli took the honours at the MXGP of Great Britain. When Jeffrey Herlings stood on the top step at Round Three in Maggiora, we suspected even then, that this could turn out to be one of those seasons. And it was! From the first three GP’s we had already seen four race winners and three different overall victors and if you were hoping for drama, then the

MXGP of The Netherlands at Oss delivered it in abundance, and at the centre of it was Jeffrey Herlings. Here’s the thing: nothing with ‘JH84’ is ever straight forward, is it? Where he goes, drama never seems to be too far behind, even in the years when he won the title: After winning the MX2 GP in Russia in 2012, he was involved in a car crash on the way back to the airport which left him with facial and rib injuries, but proceeded to line up a week later in Czech Republic only to go 1-1 for the fifth time that season. In 2013, after clinching the title in Loket, he crashed during qualifying in Belgium and was forced to miss two GP’s due to a shoulder injury. 2014 and 2015 he lost titles to femur and hip injuries despite

championship leads of 145 and 139 points. Even in 2016, he had a lead of 169 points with six rounds to go and was forced on to the side lines once again for three rounds, although that time he saw the title race through to the end for a third time. And when he won the MXGP title in 2018, there was a broken collarbone thrown in for good measure as well. Oh, and did we mention 2019 and 2020 and the issues he had there? You get the point! So, where were we? Oh yes! Drama, Holland, Herlings! Going into his home GP at Oss, The Bullet trailed Tim Gajser by just six points and after taking Pole Position in Time Practice, the odds were looking good for a home win; after all, history will show us that from 15 GP’s on home soil, Herlings has lost only once, so when he rocketed out of the start in MXGP Race

One inside the top five, it was almost a given that he would cruise to an easy race win. Now, whilst Herlings did go on to win the race, it wasn’t as straightforward as he’d have liked, after being landed on by Ivo Monticelli’s Kawasaki on the opening lap, and in case you missed it, you can watch the video here - but the fact that he rode through the pain barrier, to come from 4th and win was astonishing! The good news was, after the race he was now just 1 point off the lead; the bad news, he would not line up for the next race, would not have a chance of the Red Plate and would not win another home GP. When the scans revealed a broken left shoulder blade, we all thought it was the end of another tilt at the title. When he spoke to MXGP-TV immediately after the race, here’s what he said: ‘Man, I don’t know why things like this happen; I jumped normal on the first lap and somebody just hit my shoulder. I can’t even 53

move my arm up right now. We will get some X-rays when I’m finished here, I couldn’t hold my arm with the pain. It’s very devastating, hopefully everything is okay, but I can’t believe I even won that thing because every jump it felt horrible!’ I’m a Belieber … After sitting out the MXGP of Czech Republic, Herlings lined up in Lommel in the hope of reducing what was then a 51-point deficit to Tim Gajser. Most riders would prefer to sit out the treachery of Lommel, but not Herlings. The sandman believed a return to action in the sand would be his best shot of picking up good points, in what was very much a damage limitation exercise. After all, what’s the worst that could happen, right? If he tries to ride and makes the injury worse, then it’s game over for another year! And if he doesn’t try, then it’s also game over for another year, so either way, his back was against the wall. An impressive 1-5 for 2nd overall was just the start of the process, but with Romain Febvre picking up the overall win, suddenly we had a title race of the highest order. After Belgium, just 14 points separated the top four riders of Gajser, Febvre, Cairoli and Prado with Herlings twentyeight further back. Next stop, Latvia. By now, the pressure at the top of the championship was starting to build and mistakes were on the rise; even Herlings threw away the overall GP win and four vital points when he fell from 2nd on the final lap of race two, handing more of an advantage to Gajser. However, Latvia came at just the right time, not just for Herlings, but for anybody who was carrying any niggling injuries at that time, as the series headed for a four-week summer break. Next stop, a double-header in Turkey. 54

And this is where the real fight for supremacy began. The racing intensified, the action non-stop and those pesky little mistakes kept on coming. Over the course of both rounds, Prado, Gajser, Cairoli and Febvre all threw away vital points as Herlings took overall victories at both of the Turkish rounds; he gained 34 points on Prado alone and 24 points on Febvre. It was a good job well done in Turkey for the ‘84’ who was now up to 4th in the standings, and 34 points off the lead, which was still Gajser; However, the Slovenian had also increased his lead from thirteen to twenty-eight points over Febvre who was now 2nd in the standings, and gaining real momentum. And then … And then Sardinia happened! Ten days after Afyon, MXGP embarked on what will undoubtedly be the toughest end-of-season run-in in history, with ten races in just over eight weeks which also included the Motocross of Nations. For those who chose not to represent their countries at the MXoN in Mantova, a weekend off might just have proved to be valuable come the end of the campaign. But what happened next was mind blowing! As we entered the paddock at Riola Sardo for round ten of eighteen, we were met with the rumour that the leader in MXGP Tim Gajser, was carrying a suspected broken collarbone, picked up just a few days earlier, and as the premier class riders took to the track for practice, it became very apparent that the rumour was in fact true! Not only that, but in Time Practice, we lost Antonio Cairoli from the title chase after the nine-time champ suffered a huge get-off which would leave him out of the GP; it also ended his hopes of a recordequalling tenth world title.

With Gajser wounded (19-8), and Cairoli missing, Herlings went on a rampage: ‘It was good, I got a 1-1, I was fastest in Time Practice in the morning, so it was the perfect weekend. I just got told I got the Red Plate but that doesn’t mean a thing, but at least I am happy to have it for now at least.’ Suddenly, Herlings found himself as the new Red Plate holder by a single point over Gajser, with Febvre just 3 points further adrift. Prado was also back in the mix and sat just 12 points off the lead … until Germany happened! The first race in Germany saw Herlings lead briefly from Prado but on Lap 3, the Spaniard took control, and throughout the entire race, the top four in the championship occupied the first four positions. As the race drew to a close, Herlings attacked Prado for the lead, and in doing so, the duo broke free from Gajser and Febvre as they chased the 25 points for the race win. As the ‘61’ and the ‘84’ exited the final turn, it was a drag race to the finish line and no sooner had they broken the timing beam 0.143 seconds apart, the pair suddenly found themselves in a tangled mess in the landing zone. TV images showed Prado had jumped - for whatever reason - from one side of the track to the other, collecting Herlings mid-air, and left both riders in a crumpled mess upon landing. The Bullet got up immediately and walked off in a manner that suggested he was not too pleased with the ‘move’ from Prado, who on the other hand, was forced to leave the track on a stretcher; he would not line up for the second race after needing stitches close to his armpit. By the time we left Germany, Gajser was back in Red, Herlings was back in 2nd and Febvre was knocking on the door in 3rd, 58

with 8 points now separating the top three. After the podium ceremony, The Bullet had this to say: ‘Actually, I should be very lucky that I am still racing, just my knee got a big impact; everything is fine with it but there was a big trauma and a lot of fluid on it, but when I was riding there was so much pain, but after that impact, I think it’s not too bad.’ Exciting Times … In France one week later, the atmosphere was electric and the racing delivered once again. After winning the first race Febvre had to be content with the second step of the podium (12) after Herlings went (2-1). The championship leaders Red Plate was back on the KTM, Febvre was up to 2nd and Gajser lost ground as he fell back to 3rd. We were starting to witness three riders at the very top their game, going all-out for the championship. If France was electric then Spain was insane! Whilst Herlings (3-1) landed on the top step, he was once again challenged by Febvre who won race one, but as we saw in Turkey, the Frenchman’s penchant for the odd mistake was there for all to see once more. As for Gajser, his 4-2 meant he was now 15 points off the pace and even though Prado was 65 points adrift, his performance at home helped deliver possibly one of the best GP’s of the year. As we left Spain for Italy, Herlings was now 12 points clear of Febvre and after going 1-1 in Trentino for the first of three GP’s at Arco, the Dutchman suddenly found himself almost a race-win clear of 2nd place, despite some poor starts: ‘It was a tough one, especially the second race but we got it together to go 1-1. This is going to be a very important week, we’ve got 4 more races (rounds) in seventeen days and then the championship is already done,

but I’m feeling good right now and looking forward to the next multiple races here in Italy.’ His lead was now out to 24 points over Febvre. Gajser was now 27 adrift of Herlings and suddenly, it started to look as though the title was more than likely heading back to The Netherlands … Until it Wasn’t … After losing his front end in turn one in the first race of Trentino 2 (Pietramurata), we very much expected some kind of heroic fight back through the field from the championship leader, but as Herlings remounted, it quickly became very apparent that his bike was no longer fit for purpose. No fewer than two riders managed to nail Herlings’ steed as they passed on by, with one ‘hit’ resulting in a broken throttle housing! All of a sudden, the pit boards to Gajser and Febvre read ‘HERLINGS OUT!’ and it was game very much back on … again! When Febvre crossed the finish line as the winner of the race, he was the new virtual championship leader, but by now you know, this season was never as straightforward as that. With no track time since Time Practice some five hours earlier, Herlings somehow mustered up a 4th place finish in race two which meant the Red Plate remained on the front of his KTM for at least one more round, although his lead had now been slashed from twenty-four points to just one, with Gajser a further two behind. Talk about tense! Three Riders, Three Points, Three Rounds … As we headed to the final three rounds, Herlings, like everyone else, knew that the championship had pretty much been reset to zero, at least for three riders on the grid, and if Pietramurata left you in a spin, then the MXGP

of Garda took ‘head spin’ to a whole new level. Suddenly, we saw riders with their own agenda getting in on the action and as Jeremy Seewer cruised to his first race win of the season in the opener, the top three were once again locked together, but not necessarily in championship order. Bad starts, mistakes and a few flying elbows were prevalent and as each lap passed, time was running out; mistakes, crashes and injuries now had to be avoided at all costs, but somehow Herlings did not receive the ‘memo’. After scrapping his way to 3rd in Race One behind Seewer and Febvre, the story of Race Two once again revolved around Herlings. After passing Jorge Prado as early as Lap 2, Herlings then went after Gajser, and just as it appeared that the ‘84’ was gaining on the ‘243’, the Dutchman decided to hit the ‘eject’ button just after the finish line, crashing from 2nd to 7th in the process. With Gajser leading the way and Febvre sat in 3rd, the title chase was once again blown wide open and suddenly Herlings was in danger of taking himself out of the running. When he remounted in 7th, he suddenly found himself seven points off the lead, and 3rd in the championship standings. And if that wasn’t bad enough, after pulling himself back to 4th at the halfway stage of the race, he hit the eject button again, this time on the finish line jump itself and crashed back to 10th! However, by time the chequered flag fell, he had pulled back to 4th, passing Cairoli on the final lap in the penultimate corner, team tactics of some sort clearly at play. Either way, the top three were still separated by three points once again. Herlings had just counted his blessings once more!

WATCH THE VIDEO 62

Three Riders, Three Points, Two Rounds … As a result of all the drama in Garda, Romain Febvre had suddenly emerged as the Red Plate holder for the first time since 2016; it was also the first time since 2014 that the red plate was attached to the front of a Kawasaki in the MXGP class. Whilst that all sounds great, there were still two rounds remaining in Mantova and the top three were still split by three! There was still work to be done. Let’s talk about drama again, shall we? We can if you like since it seems there’s still plenty of it lying around … and a big chunk of it played out in the first race at the penultimate round, the MXGP of Lombardia. Right at the start of the first race, Tim Gajser found himself getting punted out of the track at the first turn ‘au Lupino’ style … and just like the Italian at the MXoN, the ‘243’ re-joined at the second turn a few positions ahead of where he left the track. Meanwhile, at the end of the opening lap, Herlings fell, Seewer landed on his bike and Febvre held all the aces at the head of the field. Wow! Talk about pulling the pin and chucking the grenade. Suddenly, things were looking good for Febvre and Kawasaki, even more so when the dreaded words ‘PENALTY PENDING’ flashed up alongside Gajser’s name on the timing screen before the end of the race. As all of this was playing out, Herlings was methodically working his way from 15th and by half distance, occupied 4th behind Febvre, Gajser and Cairoli. With two laps remaining, The Bullet had eased past the ‘222’ and latched on to Gajser, before passing him on the final lap. He almost caught Febvre as well. Stunning ride from the ‘84’. However, Gajser did collect a penalty and was dropped from 3rd to 8th, effectively ending his 64

championship chances. Never say never though, right? In the second race, it was Herlings who made the quick getaway and after a start-to-finish win ahead of Febvre, he stood on the top step of the podium knowing that there were still three points between him and Febvre, with just one round remaining. Suddenly, and realistically we were down to two, and we only had to wait three days for the outcome. History Repeating … By now, the rest of the world was tuned in to MXGP to witness the final saga; would it be Jeffrey and KTM or would it be Romain and Kawasaki? Add to that the electric atmosphere and the fact that it was Cairoli’s last race as a proracer, you always sensed there would be more of the same at the final round. And there was. After what was a tense opening race where Herlings led Febvre and Gajser home, as if the tension alone between the racers wasn’t enough, the championship leader board going into race two showed Herlings and Febvre were tied on points at the top of the championship. In short, we and they, were getting ready for a 30 minute + 2 laps showdown, a winner takes all affair to decide the outcome of the 2021 world championship. And, do you want to know the irony here? The last time this happened was back in 1988 in the 125cc class when Dave Strijbos (The Netherlands) and Jean-Michel Bayle (France) went into the final race of the year tied on points. On that day it was Bayle and France who took home the trophy. Fast forward 33 years, and once again we have the same situation, with a Dutch and a French rider going into the final race of the year tied on points, only this time it was in the premier class. When the gate dropped for the final time, the top three found themselves up front in the first

three positions, all having displaced Prado on the opening lap. Febvre led from Herlings, but by Lap 2, the Dutchman forced his way past and into the lead. Game on! The scenario going into the final race was simple: whoever had the best position in the final race between Febvre and Herlings would be crowned world champion, and as Herlings led the way, it was down to Febvre to make a challenge for the lead, and to do that he also needed to make the pass on the ‘84’. All was going as we hoped, neither rider taking a risk but keeping each other honest enough to realise the enormity of the situation at hand, and the first rider to blink, to make a mistake would be the one under pressure. That mistake came on Lap 5 when Febvre looped out on the exit of Turn 7. And with that mistake, it was game over! Febvre needed to make two passes to win the title, whereas Herlings just needed to remain upright, stay out of trouble and finish ahead of the Frenchman. Even as Gajser threatened Herlings’ lead, The Bullet had it under control and when he crossed the line at the end of 18 laps, he was crowned world champion for the 5th time and joined a shortlist which consists of Roger DeCoster, Eric Geboers, Gerorges Jobé and Joel Smets. His victory also earned him his 99th career win. Impressive! Perhaps even more impressive was the number of times that Herlings had to fight back from adversity in 2021; Holland, Germany and Pietramurata all spring to mind. To be able to do that takes patience, tenacity, confidence, belief and winning spirit! And Herlings has them all in abundance. So, how does it finally feel to be a five-time world champion and how much of a relief was it to be finally over? ‘I’ll make a good night of sleep tonight finally; the last few days have been tough with a lot of 68

nerves on the line, but we made it happen, so looking forward to a few weeks off now, at least without racing and before we know it, we will start again for next year.’ ‘Before I crossed the line, I was still fighting for the moto win, and at the same time I was constantly thinking ‘don’t crash, don’t crash, don’t throw it away!’ You could see I was riding a bit stiff, but when I crossed the line, I was like ‘oh, we’re there … let’s celebrate. But the first thing I did was put my head down (on the ‘bars) and I just said, ‘finally! It’s finally done!’ With testing for the 2022 season continuing immediately after the final 70

round, you get the feeling that it will be a while before Jeffrey Herlings realises the magnitude of what he has achieved with that fifth title; or maybe he won’t! Maybe it’s just another title to him, and that’s it. Who knows? What we do know though is this: that 2022 was a fantastic season, and one of epic proportions and when the dust finally settles, we will remember that the one who came through at the final round and stood on the podium as MXGP world champion, thoroughly deserved the accolade, and on that note, congratulations Jeffrey Herlings on making another piece of history! See you Behind The Gate in 2022.

Herlings 2021 Season Stats 13 Pole Positions 14 podium finishes 9 Grand Prix wins 3 x 2nd overall 2 x 3rd overall 15 race wins 6 x 2nd place race finish 4 x 3rd place race finish 99 Grand Prix career victories 5 world championship titles

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G N I K R A M : S G D N I R L A L I W R A H P T G A X F M O D N ! E N O E S H A T E S 1 2 20

FOLLOWING THE FINAL CHEQUERED FLAG OF WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST EXCITING SEASON OF THE FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP OF THE LAST SEVERAL DECADES, IT WAS TIME TO CELEBRATE WITH THE ANNUAL MXGP AWARDS OFFERING THE PERFECT MOMENT TO REVEL IN ALL THE INCREDIBLE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE PADDOCK IN 2021.

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As always, the awards were hosted by the voice of MXGP-TV Commentator Paul Malin and MXGP-TV Presenter, Lisa Leyland from the studio in Mantova and was live streamed worldwide on www.MXGP-TV.com and on MXGP’s YouTube channel. Just like in 2020, the MXGP Awards was an intimate affair with this year’s winners invited to enjoy the festivities together. As each guest awaited their turn to head into the TV studio and collect their award, a special ‘green room’ was set up which offered the perfect opportunity for photos, as well as a glass of Santero 958 Sparkling Wine! The evening began with a look back on the season with a video montage of the best moments followed by a special message from Infront Moto Racing’s CEO David Luongo and FIM/CMS Director Antonio Alia Portela who shared a few words about the incredible season that we all have witnessed. David Luongo: “It has been a long journey again this year. Very challenging as when we started the year again many COVID-19 restrictions were in place. But the last couple of months have been very exciting. From the MXGP of Germany we have had public on site and increased the amount of spectators and the intensity of the championship until the final round today. As a promotor, we have been working hard with our team until today to have a full-house crowd and to have racing like this, to have the championship decided on the last day. I think all the fans enjoyed this MXGP season a lot. For us it was important to deliver 18 races along with the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations which took place also here in Mantova. We are very confident that next year we will be back to normal, to start the season earlier and see new countries come back to the MXGP calendar. But this season was just epic, so I want to say a huge congratulations to all the

riders in MXGP and MX2, but the MXGP top three, Jeffrey, Romain and Tim they really went to another level. And also, a thought to Tony Cairoli who ended his Grand Prix career today. He is one of the biggest ambassadors of our MXGP’s history, so it was a very intense season”. Antonio Alia Portela: “It has been an exceptional season in every way. On one hand, the restrictions imposed in certain countries and the evolution of the pandemic in others have caused the calendar to be altered, moreover, the lack of public attendance at some of the events has put many organizers to the limit. The solution has come from Infront Motor Racing, as last year, offering also us double or triple headers. This situation has again tested all the elements that make GPs run effectively, as IMR, the FIM, the FMNs, the Teams, the Sponsors and the Organizers have shown their strength to offer the world one of the best seasons that have lately been lived in MXGP and as every GP has offered a variety of winners, the uncertainty among the MXGP Championship title has remained until the last race. On behalf of the FIM and the CMS I would like to personally thank all those who have made this a historic and unique year, from which rivers of ink will probably be written, to show that the motocross that runs through our veins is more alive than ever and that next year will continue to offer us unforgettable moments through the intense season that has just begun.” The awards began with the prize giving for the winning manufacturers and teams of the MXGP, MX2 and Women’s Motocross World Championships. KTM were the first to celebrate that evening as they collected their prizes for this year’s MXGP Winning Manufacturer along with the winning MXGP team for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing. The awards were accepted by Robert Jonas,

KTM’s Motorsport Offroad Vice President. Next, it was time for Yamaha to collect their MX2 Manufacturer’s award as the brand dominated the competition for the second consecutive year. They were classed as the winners thanks to the efforts of all Yamaha riders including this year’s MX2 World Champion Maxime Renaux and championship runner-up Jago Geerts. Yamaha Motor Europe Off-road Racing Manager, Alexandre Kowalski, accepted the award on behalf of Yamaha, while just moments after Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing Team MX2 Team Owner Hans Corvers was on hand to accept the award for MX2 winning team. Last for the teams and manufacturers celebrations of the evening was for the WMX Winning Manufacturer with the title going to Kawasaki, which was collected by Steve Guttridge, the Racing Manager of Kawasaki Motors Europe. This of course followed with the WMX Winning Team award which was accepted by Bike it MTX Kawasaki Team Owner Steve Dixon. This year, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Mattia Guadagnini was the recipient of the Jan de Groot Award that honours the most promising young talent. Guadagnini had an incredible rookie season in MX2 that saw him hold the red plate, mount the podium a total of six times, win three races and stand on the top step twice! Next to receive their championship winning plates were the European Champions, Valerio Lata (EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing), Nicholas Lapucci (EMX250), Maximillian Spies (EMX2t Presented by FMF Racing) and Davide De Bortoli (EMX Open). Courtney Duncan was also celebrated as the 2021 WMX World Champion, as she successfully defended her title for the second consecutive season to become a three-time Women’s Motocross World Champion.

Then Tom Vialle and Jorge Prado were presented with the Fox Holeshot Award, for their incredible starts this season, that saw Prado claim 18 Fox Holeshots and Vialle rack up an impressive 22. For Prado, this was his fourth consecutive Fox Holeshot Award, while for Vialle it was his second. And then it was time to find out which MXGP rider was the winner of the Best Rider of the Year Sponsored by Athena prize! The newly crowned MXGP World Champion Jeffrey Herlings was declared winner, having received the most fans’ votes in total. The Best Rider of the Year Sponsored by Athena prize was newly introduced for the 2021 season. The rules were simple, throughout the year fans have had the opportunity to vote for the ‘Best Rider of the Year Sponsored by Athena’ in the MXGP category, with the votes tallied at every Grand Prix. A rider of the GP was chosen during each event in 2021 and the rider who received the most points by the end of the season was declared the winner – with Herlings taking that crown! CEO of Athena Erardo Ratzenbeck delivered the cheque to Herlings. Before the final awards were handed to the MXGP and MX2 World Champions, it was time for a special moment of the evening as we paid tribute to the 9-time World Champion Antonio Cairoli who was awarded with the ‘222 Lifetime Number’ which means he will be the only one to ever have that number in MXGP. Before Cairoli accepted this one-of-a-kind award, a special video montage was played which took us back to all the significant moments of his incredible career. Antonio Cairoli: “It’s amazing to reach something like this in this business. I am really happy about my career, I wouldn’t change anything. Winning one title is already something special but making such a journey is really

fantastic and I am really happy even if today didn’t go as I wished”. The MXGP Awards also celebrated the outstanding work of the organisers, who were vital to making this year’s championship happen. And for the second year in a row, the MXGP of Spain’s organiser ‘Last Lap’ were presented with an award, but this time they won the MXGP Best Organiser title for putting on one of the most incredible Grand Prix’s of the season. Diego Muñoz from last lap collected the plate while for Trentino is the Motoclub Arco President Gianfranco Pasqua and for Mantova, Giovanni Pavesi, President of the Motoclub Tazio Nuvolari. While this year there were two MXGP Best Cooperation victors, with the awards going to the organisers of Trentino and Mantova. The triple-header in Pietramurata was one of the highlights of the season as were not only offered an incredible facility but even better racing! While Mantova was the host of the 74th edition of the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations that saw Team Italy climb on the top step, as well as the host of the final two races of this year’s epic MXGP season! The evening then concluded with the awards for the two FIM Motocross World Champions, Jeffrey Herlings and Maxime Renaux who each received their championship plates, along with their personalised champions rings as part of their prizes for this season. These unique silver jewels are custom made to symbolise victory, each engraved with the year and the names of the Champions to further personalise the ring. The rings are designed and produced by the Italian company PR Model which is headed by Mr. Telemaco Cane, a huge fan of motocross himself. The ring presentation was the final step to seal the championships and conclude what has been a very exciting and intense season of racing! Along with the gold plate and championship ring, Herlings also received the MXGP Trophy

which was visible on the studio during the ceremony. The MXGP Championship Trophy was designed to start a new tradition in the FIM Motocross World Championship, paying homage to all the past, present, and future world champions of the premier MXGP class. The MXGP trophy is made up of two main materials, aluminium and carbon fibre base is formed by 6 pieces of anodized aluminium in three different shades: red at the bottom, and black and grey in the middle alongside the MXGP logo. In the grey parts we can find some filigrees inspired by motocross such as the starting gates of the tracks, the teeth on the bike sprockets, and more distinctive elements. The top of the trophy is formed by 16 twisted carbon fibre blades shaped into a cup to resemble the championship logo. The 20 stainless steel plaques wrapping the trophy are engraved with all the world champions’ names from 1957 until now in the main class. And Herlings added his name for the second time! Maxime Renaux, MX2 World Champion: “It’s really been an incredible season. Even those last two races have been really good, two races on the podium. It’s been such a good season and I am really happy for the team, my family and everyone around me. It was a dream season for the team. A world title and second in the standings also, as well as grabbing the manufacturer award. It was something that they were working for a couple of years and now we got it and I am really grateful and so happy for them”. “Once I got that red plate, I said there is no way I am going to give it back. And that’s what I did, so I am really happy about myself. It’s been such a consistent season and it definitely paid off in the end,” he added. And with the awards and celebrations now concluded for the year, it’s time to shift our focus onto the 2022 season which no doubt will deliver some more surprises! 82

Here is the complete list of winners, below: MXGP Manufacturer World Champion: KTM MXGP Winning Team: Red Bull KTM Factory Racing MX2 Manufacturer World Champion: Yamaha MX2 Winning Team: Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 WMX Manufacturer World Champion: Kawasaki WMX Winning Team: Bike it MTX Kawasaki “Jan De Groot” Award (cheque €5.000): Mattia Guadagnini EMX 125 Presented by FMF Racing European Champion: Valerio Lata EMX 250 European Champion: Nicholas Lapucci EMX 2T Presented by FMF Racing European Champion: Maximilian Spies EMX Open European Champion: Davide de Bortoli MXGP Best Cooperation: Organizer of Trentino MXGP Best Cooperation: Organizer of Mantova Women’s World Champion: Courtney Duncan Best Rider of the Year, Sponsored by Athena: Jeffrey Herlings Fox Holeshot Award MXGP and MX2: Jorge Prado & Tom Vialle MXGP Best Organizer: MXGP of Spain MX2 World Champion: Maxime Renaux MXGP World Champion: Jeffrey Herlings

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T U B R E O I D N S U E J I R N E A S E OSS P O EUR TOCR O M E

MXGP ADDED A NEW MEMBER TO THE CLAN, IN THE FORM OF THE EUROPEAN JUNIOR E-MOTOCROSS SERIES, DESIGNED FOR KIDS ON ELECTRIC BIKES! THE BRANDNEW JUNIOR E-MOTOCROSS SERIES WAS INTRODUCED AT THE BEGINNING OF 2021 SEASON IN COLLABORATION BETWEEN INFRONT MOTO RACING AND KTM AG. THOUGH THIS WAS A PROJECT THAT BOTH PARTIES HAD IN THE WORKS FOR SEVERAL YEARS PRIOR.

KTM AG is innovator in the motorcycling industry and all three of their brands, KTM, Husqvarna and GASGAS have been dedicated to investing in the future and developing young riders as well as offering various forms of racing – one way they have done this is by investing in the e-mobility sector. All brands have produced a number of e-powered machines and are continuously working on the development of their electric platform. The goals set out by KTM also reflects the views, values and goals of Infront Moto Racing, who have their own projects and ideas over the years that have helped to develop young riders into the stars of MXGP – taking for example the MXGP Academy, the Junior World Championship as well as the EMX classes that help riders progress through the ranks and into the FIM Motocross World Championship. “Historically, when we introduce a new motorcycle, it must be readyto-race and race proven. With the introduction of the KTM SX-5 back in 2018, it was just a matter of time before talking with David Luongo and the Infront Moto Racing team. The first discussions started back in 2018, and it became a concrete project,” explained Florian Burguet, Vice President KTM Global Marketing. “As promotor of the Motocross World Championship but also the European Championship, Infront Moto Racing is alongside motocross riders from 6 years old right up to 40 and more,” explained Infront Moto Racing CEO David Luongo, adding “It is important to have a vision of the future development and to share this vision with the different stakeholders of the sport. The EV technology has been developing and improving for some years now and is starting to enter the motocross industry. It is important for us that the product will come from the industry as we always share our vision with them. Besides it’s good to focus on young riders and this “access category” is a great tool to bring new kids to our sport,”

explained Infront Moto Racing CEO David Luongo. The five-round series was designed to endorse e-powered motorsports as well as to encourage the younger generation of riders to get involved in motocross by providing the perfect access category into the sport. The electric class gave the potential up and coming riders the taste of the FIM Motocross World Championship, as they got to race parts of the MXGP circuits alongside the Grand Prix rounds in Germany, France and Spain with the inaugural event of the series taking place at the historic Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations in Mantova. “We were positively surprised by the ability of the bikes to handle any kind of tracks or weather conditions,” shared Infront Moto Racing CEO David Luongo. “We have put in place a very good calendar with many different types of tracks and terrains”. “The European Junior e-Motocross series is the culmination of two goals. Firstly, to be the first manufacturer in Europe to be a part of a 100% e-powered motocross series, because we want to continue to be innovative and to show that we truly believe in e-technology. Secondly, to give young, up-andcoming racers, a platform that allows them to compete alongside the biggest names in the motocross world and give them a taste of the future of racing, on some of the very best tracks. We wanted to offer a championship that’s forward focused in many ways, one that gives the competitors an incredible experience, and that also helps develop young racers,” Burguet added. The series not only offered an unforgettable experience for the youngsters and their families, but in addition, at the end of the season, all participants who took part in all five rounds, will be able to enjoy a three-day training camp with either a KTM/Husqvarna/GASGAS Factory team, while the winner will be able to take his or her pick from the range of off-road bikes offered by the brands!

The electric machinery that was used for the series were the KTM SX-E 5, Husqvarna Motorcycles EE 5 and the GASGAS MC-E 5 which delivered the perfect combination of smooth but strong power delivery. This in turn provided a great learning aid for the up-and-coming stars that are aiming to progress into professional racing one day, or for those who are just looking to enjoy the sport. SERIES ROUND-UP: The opening round of the series took place in Mantova during the 74th edition of the most prestigious event of the season, the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations where over 50 riders applied to take part in the event. The youngsters steered their KTM SX-E 5, Husqvarna Motorcycles EE 5 and the GASGAS MC-E 5 models around the hard sand of the Mantova circuit during what was a special introductory event. With no races on the first event, focusing on the educational aspects and providing two practice sessions, each rider took home a participation medal which gave them much more motivation heading into the second round. The mini-series then moved on Teutschenthal, Germany, for the first race, where Timoteï Cez dominated the first race, winning 16.5 seconds ahead of Maurice Heidegger and Eleu Jose, who crossed the line third. In the second race it was Jose who took the win, but it was a close one between him and round one winner, Scharinger. The overall victory went to Jose, as Elias Eder took to the second step of the podium, while Heidegger was third. Round three took place in Lacapelle Marival in France where Jose dominated both sessions, to take his first 1-1 result of the series and extend his championship lead by seven points over Eder, who was second on the podium. At the French round we also saw a new face on the podium as French rider Jordan Cadenel finished third on the box at his home race. Then we moved onto the final two rounds which took place in Arroyomolinos, Spain! The Spanish Grand Prix was one of the most

exciting ones of the season, as the grandstands were filled with thousands of fans, making the races for the youngsters even more exciting. The MXE juniors were put to the test in the final two rounds of the series that took place back-to-back on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday we saw Scharinger back on top as he went 1-1 in the races which not only gave him the overall win, but he also took over the red plate, as he moved into first in the series standings, just one point ahead of Jose. The Spaniard managed a 4-3 result on the day which was not enough for a podium finish as Cez and Cadenel joined Scharinger on the box. The final round on Sunday was the all-important day, as we were ready to crown our first ever Junior e-Motocross Champion. Scharinger and Jose entered the day separated by just one point, but as the gate dropped for race one, it was Cez who led the way until the final two laps where Scharinger was able to fight back and take over the lead to win his third race of the season. His series rival Jose did not have a good race as he finished down in 13th. In the second and final race of the 2021 season, it was Logan Liberal Rodas who took his first win of the season ahead of Scharinger and Eder, as Jose finished fourth. The second race finalised the end result with Tobias Scharinger being declared the series winner and handed his very own gold plate! The young Austrian finished with 183 points, while Eleu Jose was second with 161 followed by Elias Eder on 155 points. Managing Director GASGAS Spain Fabian Simmer and Infront Moto Racing CEO David Luongo were on stage for the final event to give the special Junior e-motocross trophies and gold plates before the final family photo. “When you launch a new championship or a new category, there are always a lot of question marks and we were very happy to see the biggest answer coming from the riders and their families,” explained David Luongo, adding “During most of the races, we had a full gate, and the riders and families took it very seriously”. Infront Moto Racing CEO believes that the category offered a great experience for the kids and their families to have their first touch in motocross and to 92

experience what the sport has to offer. “I believe that the e-motocross will bring new users to our sport and give another technology to our industry. I see more and more races of this kinds for the beginner’s categories. But for sure the traditional engines are the core and the heart of our sport! As promotor of the sport, we are always communicating with the industry and there are many other technologies that are making our sport to evolve,” he added. “As anyone that has been involved in running motocross events and championships knows well, there are many challenges to overcome. Having Infront Moto Racing as the promoter with their excellent track record and all their experience of delivering the best motocross events in the world, this allowed us to integrate the Junior e-Motocross series into the MXGP championship, ensuring riders can be a part of a GP weekend and experience the best tracks, so that

was a key starting point. Obviously, launching a new initiative like this requires a huge team effort, but thankfully all of the challenges we’ve faced have allowed us to work on ways of improving the series for 2022,” explained Burguet. THE FUTURE? But what about the future of this electric mini-series? Well both parties are in agreement when it comes to growing the contest, seeing it develop and expand as the first e-powered motocross series in Europe. “We are fully committed with a multi-year plan and we want to continue to develop the series and to expand it. We were confident that the series would be successful this year, but this first year was primarily about launching a new event, showing riders and their families what our vision was, and ultimately delivering Europe’s first 100% e-powered motocross series” shared Burguet.

“We would like to show that electric powered dirt bikes can be both fun and that the racing can be every bit as exciting as what people are used to. And demonstrating that the performance levels of e-powered bikes are already very high. The change from internal combustion engines to electric power is hugely exciting. Today’s youngsters are the generation that will first embrace e-technology and fly the flag for e-powered dirt bikes. The European Junior e-Motocross Series is a new educational series and a real first in the e-mobility sector” he added. The first ever edition of the European Junior e-Motocross was a huge success, with the class oversubscribed with riders of various ages of various nationalities taking part making for a fantastic event! If you’d like to take part? Details for the 2022 edition will be released in the coming months.

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E M A F F O

DAVID “LE COBRA” VUILLEMIN WALKING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF SOME ‘SOUTHERN GUYS’ SUCH AS YVES DEMARIA OR FREDERIC BOLLEY, DAVID VUILLEMIN WAS ONLY NINE YEARS OLD WHEN HE ENTERED HIS FIRST FRENCH CHAMPIONSHIP IN THE ‘MINIVERT SERIES’. CLAIMING HIS FIRST TITLE IN 1989, HE HAD A SUCCESSFUL CAREER IN EUROPE AND IN THE US, WINNING RACES AND SCORING PODIUMS ON BOTH CONTINENTS IN MOTOCROSS AND SUPERCROSS. Born on the 18th of October 1977, David has always been close to racing as his father Didier raced the Endurance World Championship, so it was logical that he got a bike when he was a kid. He started racing in his native Provence, but then travelled all over France to race the Minivert series on a 60cc. He clinched his first regional title at ten years old, then a national one when he was only eleven years old before moving in 1992 to the 125cc Junior class where he felt more comfortable with his tall size. Improving slowly his results in the French series, he also entered some rounds of the European championships and finally got his best results in Supercross where his riding style was successful; moving like a snake on his bike, he got his nickname “Le Cobra” in the French and European SX series

where he finished as runner up in 1995. The following season was a good one for him, as he discovered the US Supercross scene in wintertime – he won a main event in Seattle – and then claimed titles in the French and European Supercross; considered by many people as a SX specialist, he worked hard in wintertime to improve his style in Motocross. In 1998 he finished as runner up in the 125cc World Championship behind Alessio Chiodi, a few months after he finished in second position in the AMA Supercross on the West Coast. Moving to the 250cc class in 1999, he had a great season winning two GP’s to finish third of the World Championship, claiming the French Elite title before he entered successfully the SX World Championship where he got the title. As Supercross was his priority, he signed with Yamaha US to race there and with some experience 97

behind him, David won four main events in the 250cc class to finish runner up behind Jeremy McGrath, and later won Paris Supercross. 2001 was not a great season in the US due to injuries, but in September at Namur he shocked the World with Yves Demaria and Luigi Seguy when the French team won the MX of Nations on the legendary Belgian track! A few weeks later he again triumphed at Paris Supercross, and 2002 was probably his best season in the US as he won three races to finish again runner-up; David was leading the series mid-season ahead of Ricky Carmichael, but he was forced to miss Daytona after a crash during a photo shoot and finally missed the title! Unable to enter the 2003 Supercross due to a shoulder injury, he just went back for the Motocross series where he finished sixth overall and then he subscribed to #4 as he finished in this position in the MX and SX championship in 2014 and 2015. Later that season he had another taste of podiums as the French squad finished second at the MX of Nations at Ernée.

1977:

32nd in the 125 MX World Championship (Kawasaki)

2nd in the European Supercross Championship

1996:

16th in the 125 MX World Championship (Kawasaki)

French 125 Supercross Champion

European 125 Supercross Champion

1997:

6th in the 125 MX World Championship (Yamaha)

French 125 Supercross Champion

European 125 Supercross Champion

4th in the 125 US Supercross Championship West Coast. Winner of 1 SX

1998:

2nd in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Yamaha). Winner of 4 GP’s

2nd in the 250 Supercross World Championship

French 125 Elite Champion

French 250 Supercross Champion

2nd in the 125 US Supercross Championship West Coast. Winner of 3 SX

1999:

3rd in the 250 MX World Championship (Yamaha).

250 Supercross World Champion

French Open Elite Champion

2nd at the Motocross of Nations with Team France

2000:

2nd in the 250 US Supercross Championship (Yamaha). Winner of 2 SX

Losing his factory deal he moved to a private team and another with no significant results and in 2009 he went back to Europe to race again the World Championship with team Bud Racing. He shared his experience with Gautier Paulin, who raced in the MX2 class in the same team, finishing the season thirteenth in the MX1 class before he stopped his career with another French title. He never stopped sharing his racing experience with younger riders, and this season he had another taste of podiums as coach of Dylan Ferrandis, whom he’s been working for two seasons now.

4th in the 250 US Motocross Championship. Winner of 2 rounds

2001:

5th in the 250 US Motocross Championship (Yamaha). Winner of 1 round

Winner of the Motocross of Nations with Team France

2002:

2nd in the 250 US Supercross Championship (Yamaha). Winner of 3 SX

2003:

6th in the 250 US Motocross Championship (Yamaha)

2004:

4th in the 250 US Supercross Championship (Yamaha)

4th in the 250 US Motocross Championship

2005:

4th in the 250 US Supercross Championship (Yamaha)

4th in the 250 US Motocross Championship

2nd at the Motocross of Nations with Team France

2006:

8th in the 250 US Motocross Championship (Honda)

2007:

5th in the 250 US Supercross Championship (Honda)

2008:

8th in the 250 US Motocross Championship (Suzuki)

Text & Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

2009: 13th in the MX1 Motocross World Championship (Kawasaki)

French Elite MX1 Champion

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S K L A T K C O D PAD

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2021 MXGP Awards celebrated the achievements of the paddock at the final stop in Mantova!

2 Speedway World Champion Artem Laguta enjoying MXGP action in Pietramurata 3 Lisa Leyland grabbed a word with Andrea Dovizioso at the MXGP of Pietramurata 4 Teammates Max Spies and Nicholas Lapucci celebrating a Championship winning season in Mantova! 5 Halloween Throwback with some pumpkin carving fun… 6 Take a bow for the legend! Jeffrey Herlings paying respect to the 9-time World Champ Antonio Cairoli

7 World Cup Alpine Skier Luca de Alprandini visited MXGP to support his friends

8 Thumbs up from Marco Melandri enjoying MXGP in Trentino. 9 Shaun Simpson announced his retirement during an intimate media event in Mantova! 10 Enduro World Champion Andrea Verona joined MXGP for some increadible action in Trentino and Mantova 11 Former MotoGP rider Dani Pedrosa did not want to miss the last MXGP race of the season!

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

JACKY MARTENS 1993 HUSQVARNA TE 610 104

WHEN JACKY MARTENS WON THE 500CC FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN 1993 IT WAS ANOTHER LANDMARK MOMENT IN THE SPORT OF MOTOCROSS, IN A SERIES THAT HAD BEEN RUNNING SINCE 1957. BUT WHY THOUGH? SIMPLE! MARTENS’ VICTORY WAS ON A 4-STROKE DURING A TIME WHEN WE RACED 2-STROKES, BUT MORE SIGNIFICANT, WAS THAT THIS WAS RIGHT AT THE START OF THE RE-EMERGENCE OF THE 4-STROKE ERA AS WE KNOW IT TODAY. SO, IN THIS ISSUE OF MXGP MAGAZINE, THE BIKE WE WILL TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT IS THE 1993 HUSQVARNA TE 610 THAT TOOK JACKY MARTENS TO THAT HISTORIC WORLD TITLE.

which as he recalls, was not so straightforward: Towards the end of the 1980’s a new breed of motorcycle was starting to be re-developed and by the early 1990’s these bikes were already being primed for the big stage, and by that we mean the re-introduction of the 4-stroke motorcycle. Riders such as Walter Bartolini took to the 500cc world championship aboard a Husaberg in 1990 and by 1992, Jacky Martens was lining up on a Husqvarna in the same category. Things were changing, and the majority were slow to catch on, but in the case of Martens, his decision to move to the 4-stroke was borne out of necessity. In 1991, Martens raced to 2nd overall in the 500cc world championship on a KTM, but when the Austrian firm went bankrupt, the search was on for another ride,

‘Because Yamaha and all the other places were full! And in the past, I always chose KTM because I started with it and I wanted to finish with it. In the past I got offers from Yamaha and some other brands but I never accepted them. But then you know, when this happened, then you are with your back to the wall because those doors don’t open anymore. For example, Kees van der Ven went to Honda, but I was lucky because I went to the Castiglione brothers who were really, really in with motocross and they really wanted it.’ As a result of everything that was going on around him, Martens spoke to the Dutch Husqvarna importer and set up a meeting as well as a test with the Castiglione brothers in Italy, and whilst it was

a step away from KTM, it was also one that needed some nurturing, and at the end of the 1991 season, the Belgian headed to Italy for the first test, where first impressions left a lot to be desired: ‘It was a lot of work! Because it was actually an enduro bike. It was made from an enduro bike, with two exhaust pipes. I did a test; we went to Asti, made some tests and I said if you change this, this, this we can make another test and then we see the difference. And then they did, so we make another test. So, then they were surprised and they let some other local motocross riders make also a test and it was a big improvement, and then we start!’ But what exactly were the changes that needed to be addressed the most? ‘The frame; we had to make a different angle on the front fork, and the suspension, the linkage to make it more progressive, and then make the frame on the bottom 105

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narrower, because it was touching the ground in the ruts. So, quite a lot of things. We also needed more power.’ Despite the bike starting life as a TE 610, the gains made in a short amount of time were positive, but the reality was so much different when it came to racing at world level, mostly due to reliability issues. The capacity of the bike in that first 1992 season was restricted to 498cc … ‘but the power was not so bad! The bike made a lot of rpm and we destroyed a lot of cylinder heads and valves and stuff. I did a few crashes because when the valves break on the jumps, it threw me over the handlebars, but then after we got it under control, and then it was good.’ Martens ended the season 11th overall, not exactly what he was hoping for. There was some good news just around the corner though, and it came from the FIM who allowed a capacity rule change when it came to the 4-stroke, and in the case of Martens and Husqvarna, suddenly they were allowed to jump from 498cc to more than 600cc which certainly eased concerns over reliability. Going into the ’93 season there had been more development and when Martens lined up behind the gate, the ‘610’ was pretty much a different bike to the previous year, and almost unrecognisable compared to the standard version: ‘Everything was new with the geometry, and the chassis; also, the wheels and the rims were all different. The frame was not production but modified and so too was the linkage. In the rear we had Factory Öhlins and on the front we had Factory Showa, USD. The fuel tank was made from very thin plastic and at the time we still had to start it using a kickstart. The bike came with a lighter, 4-speed gearbox and the exhaust pipes we used were FP from Belgium; I was also in there working with them using all my experience to help develop it. In the end our bike was running at 633cc. ‘The swingarm was standard but our wheels came with magnesium hubs and Excel ‘275’ rims. The axels were titanium, which was allowed back

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then. The power was really nice and smooth but high revving with around 65bhp. ‘It was lighter than production as well; the total weight was around 103kg which was good. We saved 2kg on the engine alone, but we had many carbon and titanium parts to bring the weight down. We used a magnesium clutch cover and crank cases but when they all broke, we went back to lighter aluminium. ‘The subframe was aluminium with carbon fibre and the airbox and silencer were also carbon fibre. The triple clamps were standard, but machined aluminium and pretty much every single part on the bike was lighter. The brakes were Brembo.’ When the season started there were still one or two reliability issues, but on the whole the bike was proving to be more than capable of competing for the title. At the first round in England at Hawkstone Park the rear shock broke in the second race, and in Austria he was left with a broken nose in the first race before going on to score 6th in the next two races. There was one more DNF in Sweden, round three, but by the next round in Finland at Salo, Martens went 1-2-1 and claimed the overall, some 18 months after embarking on this 4-stroke mission: ‘For sure, this was the best memory I can get because we worked, worked, worked against the watch and every week we were testing; testing because the 4-stroke era, everything was new but in the end, it paid off and from then on (Finland) we had a good base and we just made some small adjustments and it worked out.’ The main change here was switching from ‘normal valves to titanium valves and then the problem was solved, because of the higher rpm …’ A win at the following round in Faenza saw him take over at the top of the world championship standings, but a reality check was just around the corner when he crashed at the start in Teutschenthal, Germany. If Martens, Husqvarna and his British mechanic Graham Kent 108

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Photo:

everything by myself together with R&D and that was a really nice experience.’

were going to make history, it was not going to be easy! As the season passed the halfway stage, there were just two riders in the hunt for the title; Martens and Sweden’s Jorgen Nilsson, and as the entered the final round in Switzerland, they were separated by just 12 points. With Honda going for its tenth straight title in the 500cc class, tactics were at play, and when the rivals arrived at the final round, there was another rider lining up alongside them on the grid in the form of 1992 world champion, Georges Jobé: ‘The final GP, Jobé came in; he tried to push me out in the first race. I was hit by him in the start and then I crashed, but I came 110

from dead last to 2nd. Also, in the second heat again, I was last when he tried to push me out, so again I came from last to 2nd … and the last heat I have a good start, and that was okay. I finished 2nd also (which was good enough for the title). Quite the season finale and something of an emotional journey: ‘Yeah, but I think even if you have three titles those emotions come up and it’s the nicest thing you can experience. Especially when you have a new bike and you don’t know how long it will take … and then at the end of the race you’re thinking ‘don’t break, don’t break’. We started from zero in ’91 and arrived to a good bike at the end of ’93, but in the meantime, there was a lot of things happened, you know? Engine fails, parts breaking; but then on the end, it gives you a special feeling because I did

When Martens crossed the line at the end of Race Three, he became the first 4-stroke world champion since Bengt Åberg in 1970, who was also Husqvarna mounted. It also ended Honda’s reign at the top of the 500cc motocross world championship; Honda would win the following year, but it would also be the last in the 500cc class for the Japanese manufacturer. But for Husqvarna, it was the beginning of a new journey and one that continues today in MXGP and MX2. Martens won nine races during the 1993 campaign and finished 2nd on eleven occasions and 3rd three times. He also stood on the podium eight times, four of those as a winner and four as runner up. He won the 500cc world championship by just 3 points. Photos: Martens/Haudiquert

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

I would like to buy an access to the replays of 2021 and live in 2022, where can I buy? Lucas:

❞

Hi Lucas: , you can buy this access in MXGP-TV, the name of the access is “Super Early Bird 2021 & 2022” for only 99,99€. Buy now HERE -> https:// www.mxgp-tv.com/subscribe. Best Regards MXGP

❝

I Would love to purchase some OGIO items, any suggestion to buy them online? Cristian:

❞

Hi Cristian , You can check www.Athena. eu online store, maybe you can find your favorite one there. Regards MXGP

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Where can I find the new calendar for next year? Kiara

❞

Dear Kiara , the new calendar is available on www.mxgp.com! Best Regards MXGP

❝

I couldn’t go to a GP this season, where can I see immersive content? a Pedro:

❞

Hello Lorenzo: you can watch some Team reports on MXGP-TV by clicking here https://www.mxgp-tv.com/ videos;q=team%20report Thanks MXGP

❝

Hi, where can I find some pictures of the races from Lommel 2021? Igor

❞

Hi Igor you can check out our picture galleries HERE https://www.mxgp.com/ photos?year_filter=2021 Thanks MXGP

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