MXGP #59 July 2018

RACING CATCH UP

RIDER OF THE MONTH Kalvin Vlaanderen

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INDEX

COOL SHOT

MONSTER GIRLS

HALL OF FAME Sebatian Tortelli

MXGP MAG: Chief Editor: Marionna Leiva Photos: Youthstream YOUTHSTREAM Media World Trade Center II Rte de Pré-Bois 29 1215 Geneva 15 Airport Switzerland MXGP Mag #59 July 2018 The articles published in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the official position of Youthstream.

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

The copying of articles and photos even partially is forbidden unless permission has ben requested from Youthstream in advance and reference is made to the source (©Youthstream).

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EDITORIAL Giuseppe Luongo President of Youthstream Group Dear MXGP Friends, In June we had 3 of the most prestigious events on the 2018 calendar: Great Britain, France and Lombardia (Italy), all were very successful and there was a massive turn-out of fans especially in France and Lombardia.

Motocross fans are revelling in a season packed with action in both classes; with Herlings’ unfortunate injury, which put him out of action for the MXGP of Lombardia where Cairoli managed to pull-off a double victory, now only 12 points separate Cairoli from Herlings in the Championship standings, so the next races will be even more thrilling. Indonesia will be particularly hot and humid with possible rain and Herlings will most likely not be at his 100% as he’s only had the time to recover but possibly not be as fit as he would like, but we all know

his strength and will-power to do the maximum and he will be trying to lose the least number of points possible. And Cairoli, on the other hand, with his experience knows he has a chance to recover more points, but the overall Championship will be played by the one who makes the least mistakes. If they both push to win the next two races they might make crucial mistakes which could cost them the title, but with half a championship to go the winner will be the one who obtains the maximum without going over the limit, while we will continue to assist a superb championship which will hopefully be open until the last race in Imola (Italy).

Remember some years ago when Villopoto was racing in MXGP, everyone concentrated on the duel Cairoli/ Villopoto, and even they were focused on that, they both made several mistakes and Febvre overtook them

and won the Championship.

Therefore the Championship is still open and still long and the roles of Desalle, Febvre, Paulin and Gajser are very important.

Meanwhile, in the MX2 class the fight for the victory is tightening up between Jonass and Prado, and the variety of the tracks and climate will make things interesting where on some Jonass is faster and on others it’s Prado, leaving the Championship wide open.

Now we are in Indonesia with 2 back to back events, where we are expecting a huge number of fans present, and naturally all the fans from all over the world can watch via our worldwide live TV coverage and also via www.MXGP-TV.com where everyone can watch live the qualifying races on Saturday and all the action on Sunday.

We hope you enjoy July’s exotic destinations.

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COOL SHOTS

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COOL SHOTS

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COOL SHOTS

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The Fox Ho 14

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HOLESHOT

oleshot Advantage 15

We at MXGP are just days away from taking the journey to Indonesia after eclipsing the halfway point of the 2018 season. So far 11 weeks of racing is recorded along with 22 Fox Holeshots in each the MXGP and MX2 classes.

HOLESHOT

the footage of the start back, it was the season into a race win. Race 2 Covington tried to replicate his earPrado who claimed another black lier success but struggled as Pauls plate.

Jonass edged out his teammate Prado for his 4th holeshot of the When the second MX2 gate year only to throw the lead away dropped on Sunday Prado was at the front again and this time nearly a few corners later which allowed 2 bike lengths ahead of STC Husq- Prado to take the win. varna Racing’s Henry Jacobi and Since our last version of the Fox Holeshot report we jumped across Jonass. Prado’s strong starts put Fiat Professional MXGP of Lombardia him in a great position to battle the pond to Matter-ley Basin for the MXGP of Great Britain, back to for the win, which was eventu-ally From the deep wet soil and uphill right turn of France the series taken by Jonass. mainland Europe for the MXGP of made the trek to the flat 180 left France at Saint Jean D’Angely and hand first turn of the sandy Ottobion to Italy for the Fiat Professional MXGP of France Seeing the KTM’s of Prado or Jon- ano circuit. With the first gate drop MXGP of Lombar-dia. ass pulling in the Fox Holshots was we wit-nessed a good jump from getting frustrating for many but es- both Covington and Prado but the MX2 pecially Rockstar Energy Husqvar- Spaniard crossed the line on the MXGP of Great Britain na Factory Racing’s Thomas Covexit of the turn first. Covington’s Before the MXGP of Great Britain the Austrian manufacturers, ington who was on equally capable runner up start allowed him to KTM and Husqvarna, held the most equipment. Covington took a strong chase Prado be-fore pushing past holeshots with 15 of 16. Most of the start in Saturday’s qual-ifying and and taking the race win. success can be attributed to Red later stated how he and his team Bull KTM Factory Racing and more had been working the entire week For the second and most recent specifically Jorge Prado. on getting the holeshot even statMX2 race it was more of the same ing that it would show in Sunday’s with Prado’s perfect-ed technique racing.

The downhill start of Matterley beating out Covington and his Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Basin had no effect on the Austrian Covington hit the nail on the head Racing teammate Thomas Kjer success as the gate dropped for race one both Prado and his team- by flying to the race 1 holeshot well Olsen. Prado’s 13th Fox Holeshot mate Jonass rounded the first cor- ahead of Jacobi and Prado. Taking of the season gave him enough of a ner and crossed the chalk side by full advantage of the start Coving- lead to take the race 2 win and the side ahead of the field. After playing ton turned his first Fox Holeshot of overall from Covington.

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MXGP MXGP of Great Britain Not unlike the MX2 category it has been a dominant Fox Holeshot season for KTM in the MXGP class.

Helped by the fact that the 2 fastest racers in the championship are both aboard Red Bull KTM Factory Racing machines.

ning made the starting straight the most notable section. With fans lining the fence alongside the straight Jeffrey Herlings sur-prised many with his use of his first gate pick when he lined up to the furthest outside gate.

When the gate dropped the gamble of Herlings paid off as he rode the Clearly the inspiration behind Pra- harder packed edge of the start do’s MX2 holeshot success is his straight and flew into one of the older KTM teammate Antonio Cairo- biggest and most impressive Fox li. In race 1 at Matterley Basin the Holeshots of the season.

3 Red Bull KTM riders were among the first 4 to cross the holeshot line However, Race 2 was another story as Herlings messed up his timing with Cairoli leading Glenn Coldenhoff, Team HRC’s Tim Gajser, and and was around 6th while Cairoli title competitor Jeffrey Herlings. led Wilvo Yamaha Official MXGP’s Jeremy Seewer over the line by Race 2’s holeshot also went to over a bike length. The start though Cairoli even after an amazing jump not perfect was manageable for of the grid from Gajser who lost Herlings who charged for-ward to traction in the first turn. Cairoli catch and pass Cairoli for the win. barely crossed the line for his 10th black plate over the Slovenian who Fiat Professional MXGP of Lombardia dropped another handful of spots When we arrived to Ottobiano for on the straight just after. the 11th round of the season Cairoli knew the biggest thing standing MXGP of France between himself and the win was The uphill right first turn of Saint a poor start with Herlings at home Jean D’ Angely always provides interesting starts but this year the re-covering from a training injuovernight rain from Saturday eve- ry. Focused on the Fox Holeshot

Cairoli charged to the first turn and banked of the outside wall while looking over at Monster Energy Yamaha Facto-ry MXGP’s Romain Febvre whom he had just beat to the Fox Holeshot line. Cairoli went on to take the race win for the full 25 championship points.

Attempting the same result in race 2 Cairoli was beat out by another MXGP veteran, Standing Construct KTM’s Kevin Strijbos and Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Clement Desalle. While Cairoli lost the holeshot to Strijbos, he still took the race win and cut 50 points out of Herlings championship lead.

MXGP: Antonio Cairoli 12 Jeffrey Herlings 4 Gautier Paulin 2 MX2: Jorge Prado 13 Pauls Jonass 4 Thomas Covington 1

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RACING CATCH UP

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UNPREDICATABLE

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As MXGP entered the month of June it heralded the toughest period so far in the 2018 FIM Motocross World Championship season as it would be the first time this year that riders, team’s and associated press would hit the road for three consecutive GP’s. Up first was the wonderful, sprawling hillside circuit of Matterley Basin in southern England, followed by the rocky slopes of Saint Jean d’Angély on the west coast of France before heading south to northern Italy and the sand plains of Ottobiano.

Racing, like everyday life, can sometimes be unpredictable and that is exactly what we got with the three rounds of MXGP in June. Here’s how it went down, in a nutshell.

Great Britain Unlike the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations in October 2017 the MXGP of Great Britain at Matterley Basin was blessed with glorious

sunshine; the circuit looked immaculate and the fans were about to witness one of the battles in recent history between to of the sport’s biggest names. On the busiest weekend so far that also saw three support groups, the action was always frantic and would be remembered as one of the best GP’s of 2018.

KTM of Pichon and when the checkered flag fell, it was Zerava who claimed a double-race win and his third World Cup title. After Timed Practice it looked like a foregone conclusion, but it just goes to show how quickly things can change.

Congratulations to Martin Zerava though on another magnificent performance.

In the VMX World Cup, Martin Zerava returned as the defending champion and with former two-time world champion Mickaël Pichon taking to the grid, ‘all bets were off’ was the phrase being thrown around as Pichon took Timed Practice by storm by more than one-second over Zerava. However, when the gates dropped Pichon languished just inside the top ten as Zerava made a break for it at the front before taking the win in Race One. In Race Two, both riders started up-front but the 450 Suzuki proved too much for the 2-stroke 250

In the EMX300 class, presented by FMF Racing, there was even more drama and even more unpredictability.

Coming into the British round, Mike Kras led Brad Anderson by eight points, and as the two riders battled for the lead in Race One, at one stage it looked as though the Dutchman would edge out the Brit and extend his lead further. However, motocross can be cruel sometimes and with three and a half laps to go, Kras suffered an untimely DNF that saw him lose his lead.

Going into Race Two, the gap between Ando and Kras was

seventeen points, so all was not lost in terms of the championship, especially with three rounds still remaining, but on a beautiful summer’s day, lightening struck for the second time and Kras suffered his second DNF of the weekend. Ando won the round, Andero Lusbo won Race Two and Greg Smets found himself back on the podium after his ‘blip’ in Russia. As for Kras, he slipped to third in the points chase, eleven points behind Smets who is up to second, and thirty-seven behind Anderson.

In EMX250 Matterley marked the fifth round of eleven and after an ‘up-and-down’ season that had seen Steven Clarke climb the podium in Russia with second overall, his results elsewhere in the series saw him take sixth, twenty-fifth and sixteenth overall. There is nothing like racing a ‘home’ round though and the Honda rider put in two solid rides to go 1-2 for the overall and his

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second home win; his first was back in 2016. Joining him ‘on the box’ was fellow Brit Josh Spinks and French rider Pierre Goupillon and if anybody had have predicted THAT podium before the weekend, then they would have made a serious amount of money in the process.

though for Hunter Lawrence; the Aussie, who was making his return from injury went 0-14 in what was a difficult day at the office for the MX2 Class winner at the MXoN in October.

MXGP Max Anstie returned to his playground to collect a limited edition FOX kit ahead of MX2 his home GP but like LawAfter sharing the points with rence in MX2, there would be his teammate at the previous no shouting from the roofround in Germany, defending tops this time around in what champion and points leadhas been a difficult season er Pauls Jonass was back to for the Husky rider. Howevwinning ways as he took both er, the crowd did not leave wins and pushed his lead up to on Sunday evening without twenty-eight points over Jorge witnessing an epic battle Prado, to record his fifth win between Jeffrey Herlings and of the season. Prado went 2-2 Antonio Cairoli. To say sparks for second overall whilst it was flew is an understatement! a return visit to the podium in Cairoli led Race One for all consecutive rounds for Team but two laps and had he not HRC’s Calvin Vlaanderen. His made a slight bobble at the 3-3 earned him third overall end of the wave-section just and the South African looked might have gone on to win the like he’d finally unlocked all opener. But his bobble alof his potential. There was no lowed Herlings to close, and fairy tale return to The Basin two corners later The Bullet

made a sublime pass around the outside of TC222 to take the lead, much to the delight of all who witnessed it. The nine-time champ responded immediately though and regained the lead, but it was short-lived after a ‘50/50’ racing incident that saw both riders clash leaving TC on the deck.

Race Two was a similar affair, but this time, after stalking his prey for the entire race, Herlings struck at the start of the final lap through turn one, only this time Cairoli could not return the compliment. The win was Herlings’ seventh overall of the season and left Cairoli scratching his head as the points lead went out to fifty-four points, and we hadn’t even reached the halfway stage of the series.

Amidst all the drama we also an overdue but welcome return to the podium for Romain Febvre, his first in TEN races since Assen 2017, and he wasn’t even 100% fit!

FRANCE At Saint Jean d’Angély we welcomed back the EMX125 class, presented by FMF Racing, and so far this year there has been one stand-out performer in the form of Austrian rider, Rene Hofer. In ‘moto’ terms, he has only finished outside the top three on one occasion and had never finished off the podium in the opening four rounds.

Nobody saw THAT one coming either! His only grace was that Benistant placed sixth so his lead is still very much intact with thirty points separating the top two riders in the class.

The overall winner was Maddii Racing’s Matthia Guadagnini for the second round running.

The next time we will see them in action will be in the deep sand of Lommel in Belgium.

In Race One, French Yamaha rider Thibault Benistant earned an emphatic race win, his second of the season and as he turned in’ for the night, the KTM rider no doubt slept easy as his championship lead was forty-five points over Benistant, but with heavy overnight rain, the 125 riders were faced with a vastly different and very challenging, muddy race track. After climbing to fifth by Lap Two, Hofer was ahead of Benistant until he fell spectacularly out of the race on the penultimate downhill and could not restart his bike due to a mud-clogged silencer.

EMX250 So far in 2018 the championship leaders Red Plate has been attached to two different brands of motorcycle. After Round One, it was fixed to the front of Pierre Goupillon’s Kawasaki but since then, it has been fixed to either Mel Pocock’s or Martin Barr’s Husqvarna! Both rider’s had taken a win at some point but neither had taken an overall victory, yet they were sat first and second in points by the time we reached France.

One rider who HAD won a round or two though was Ma-

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thys Boisrame who arrived at his home round third in points just nine points behind Martin Barr and after winning Race One, the Frenchman was the new series leader by four points over Pocock after Barr spent the whole race in various skirmishes whilst his teammate placed sixth. A fourth place finish in Race Two was enough to ensure a third overall win for Boisrame and when he left for Italy found himself sitting on a thirteen point lead. Joining Boisrame on the podium were Brian Moreau, last year’s EMX125 champion who took second overall and his first EMX250 podium in his rookie season, and Roan Van De Moosdijk; the Dutch Yamaha rider also made his EMX250 podium.

MX2 Whenever Pauls Jonass had failed to make the podium this year he placed fifth overall, in Trentino and Portugal and unfortunately for him it was

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fifth overall again in France as his teammate Prado went 3-1 for his fourth win of the season. Thomas Covington won Race One and had he not messed up his start in Race Two then maybe we would have seen a different outcome to the GP result. Instead he tied the overall with Prado for second overall. Third was Kjer Olsen, the Dane making his first return to the box since his win in Latvia. When the trucks were packed up for Lombardia, the realisation was that Prado had cut the lead points lead to Jonass from twenty-eight to sixteen.

much firmer underneath. What happened next was quite astonishing; timed to perfection he cut across his rivals at Turn One to claim the FOX holeshot for the fourth time this year.

From there he never looked back and went on to win comfortably from Clement Desalle.

This was crucial in that it gave Herlings a five-point haul over TC222 as opposed to three, the difference between first and second place.

Race Two saw Cairoli get out front and with Herlings buried inside the top ten, the ‘222’ knew he had to pull the pin and go! And he did, until Lap 9, MXGP when Herlings passed Tim GaWith his lead now over the fif- jser for second. With four laps ty-point mark, Herlings arrived to go the ‘84’ passed the ‘222’ in France full of confidence and with it claimed his sixand it showed once again in teenth race win of the season, his riding. After overnight rain his eighth overall win and his left the start straight much seventy-fifth career victory! heavier than usual, The Bullet Much more than that though, took a chance by going to the Herlings’ lead had increased to extreme left side of the start sixty-two points over Cairoli. gate where the ground was Who would have predicted that

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pressive square that dates back to 1492 for a meetand-greet signing session.

Lombardia One particular rider and one What happened next could not that the fans all wanted to have been scripted any better see was Antonio Cairoli who in terms of the championship was joined by his good friend chase if you’re a TC fan, or Marco Melandri from World worse if you’re a Bullet fan.

SBK, and after a good thirty But more on that in a moment! minutes or so of signing, the The FIAT Professional MXGP of riders departed with their Lombardia marked the start of sights set on the latest round of MXGP. the second half of the season and to get us all in the Right! Let’s get back to what mood was the Media event in we were saying a moment a the town of Vigevano, some go … what happened next? twenty-five kilometres away from the track. The town itself With his sixty-two point lead tucked safely in his pockis famous for the ‘Castello et, we all expected another Sforzesco’ or to you and I, showdown between TC and the Sforza Castle which was Herlings around Ottobiano, built in the fifteenth century, especially after they practibut on this occasion it played cally waged war there twelve host to a handful of some of months prior. But the news on the best motocross riders in Wednesday that Herlings had the world. broken his collarbone whilst After a brief tour of the training just days before the castle and its grounds, the GP in Lombardia shocked the riders, followed by various motocross fraternity. Well, media representatives made some at least. Some will say their way to the neighbourit was unfortunate, that it ing Piazza Ducale, the imat the start of the season?

was just one of those things, whereas others will say that it was just Jeffrey being Jeffrey, pushing the envelope even harder, pushing his own confidence to another level, riding and training at 100% as always, even when he doesn’t need to. But that is Jeffrey. He only knows one way, and unfortunately, whether it was pilot error or not, whether he was training at 100% or not is now irrelevant. He crashed, and he snapped … again, and he has handed his rivals a lifeline in the title race, no one more so than TC222. Of course, he took the opportunity with both hands, but not before he had to suffer a difficult Qualifying Race on Saturday.

With Cairoli doing what he HAD to do, his 1-1 in Ottobiano sees the championship lead cut to just TWELVE POINTS and in Indonesia we could possibly see the Red Plate change hands from Herlings to Cairoli for the second time this season. This will all de-

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third. The gap between the two KTM’s heading to Indonesia has now been cut from 28 points at the start of the MXGP June Trilogy, to just NINE. Could you have predicted that?

for the first time since Germany and in Race One it was an overdue and much needed win for home girl Kiara Fontanesi.

The Yamaha’s of Courtney Duncan and Nancy Van De Ven followed her over the line. In Race Two it was Van De Ven who EMX250 once again produced stole the show by sealing her a weekend of ‘firsts’ as Roan fist overall win of the year with Van De Moosdijk claimed his her first race win of the year first ever EMX250 overall win as well. Duncan placed second with a 3-3, just one week afahead of Fontanesi, but had to ter claiming his first podium in be content with third overall Rounding out though, it was good to see both Husqvarna’s the class. New Zealand’s Dylan behind Van De Ven and FontaWalsh scored his first ever EMX nesi. With Larissa Papenmeier of Gautier Paulin and Max race win as well as his best taking fourth overall, Duncan Anstie on the podium in Lomever finish with second overhas extended her lead to twenbardia, something that put a ty-one points over Fontanesi smile back on the face of Antti all, but major props must go to fourteen year-old Jett Lawwho is now second. Van De Ven Pyrhönen. rence, who stole the show with is tied with the Italian in third his second race performance whilst ‘L-Pap’ drops to fourth, In MX2 there was even more drama as Jorge Prado proved with his first EMX250 race win just two points further back. and third overall. He kept a cool that he has mastered the head despite the 30˚ tempera- With back-to-back rounds of heat. After following Thomtures and who knows, maybe MXGP up next in Indonesia, the as Covington over the line in Race One, the young Spaniard we will see a lot more of him up flight cases are packed, the front in the remaining rounds of bikes are on their way and we dominated Race Two to take the series. will be reporting back to duty his fifth GP win of the seaagain soon. Until then, Ciao son. Covington was second Finally, WMX returned to action Tutti …! and Jonass with a 3-3 was pend on how impatient Jeffrey is to resume training, how keen he is to get on the bike before Indonesia. Does he even need to? Can he not climb back on in Free Practice on Saturday to minimise the risk of further injury? He could, but he probably won’t.

Either way, Indonesia will be one of the most anticipated rounds this year.

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FIM Motocross World Championship

Standings MXGP CHAMP. STANDINGS

MX2 CHAMP. STANDINGS

1. J.Herlings (NED, KTM), 486points 2. A.Cairoli (ITA, KTM) , 474p.

3. C. Desalle (BEL, KAW) ,374 p 4. R. Febvre (FRA YAM) ,354 p.

5. G. Paulin (FRA, HUS), 334 p.

6. T. Gajser (SLO, HON) 332 p.

7. G.Coldenhoff (NED, KTM) 289 p.

8. J. Seewer (SUI, YAM),255 p 9. J. VanHorebeek (BEL,YAM),240.

10. M. Nagl (GER, TM), 203p.

1. P. Jonass (LAT, KTM),474 points 2. J. Prado (ESP, KTM) , 465 p.

3. T. Olsen (DEN, HUS), 366 p.

4. B. Watson (GBR, YAM),339 p.

5. C. Vlaanderen(RSA, HON),286.

6. T. Covington (USA, HUS), 254 p.

7. J. Geerts (BEL, YAM) , 246 p.

8 J. Beaton (AUS, KAW) ,216 p.

9. M. Cervelli (ITA, HON) , 206 p.

10. H. Jacobi, (GER, HUS) , 200 p.

MXGP MANUFACTUERS 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

5.

6.

KTM Kawasaki Yamaha Husqvarna Honda TM Suzuki

547 393 379 352 347 203 183

points points points points points points points

MX2 MANUFACTUERS 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

KTM Husqvarna Yamaha Honda Kawasaki TM

2018 MXGP-TV Mid Season Performances

- 456,802 Users - 1,288,727 Views - 3,382,500 Page Views Top 3 Countries - Italy 32% - The Netherlands 21% - United States 28%

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536 448 373 354 265 119

points points points points points points

JUST1 Racing: Remolding the Helme 36 Photo: MEYER

MXGP MAG 2018 2017 2013 MXGP.COM

Special Feature

et Industry 37

In many sports it is common to have familiar faces and brands throughout the years and at the professional level of world motocross racing the same can be said, from former riders now team managers to well established corporations. One of the newest brands in the paddock and on the track is JUST1 Racing, breaking traditions with innovative and high quality products.

Just1 is a helmet manufacturer based in Pistoia, Italy, but with a worldwide presence after only a few years on the market. The relatively new brand was launched in 2011

by Tony Amoriello and since has been molding the future of helmet design. Amoriello started the company with the goal of not just making

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helmets but making a better version of any of the helmets on the market.

With a background in the industry and an avid off-road enthusiast Amoriello has spent countless hours working with some of the best riders in MXGP and the world of motorcycling. The company already has several world titles to its name throughout various disciplines including both the 2016 MXGP and 2015 MX2 FIM Motocross World title with Tim Gajser and the 2013 MX3 title with K lemen Gercar.

Working to understand the demands of the rider and crafting products along the way to meet such demands is of the upmost importance to JUST1 as Amoriello de-

scribes, “In the past I was working for a Motorcycle manufacturer and I was responsible for the teams and sponsored riders. The riders often complained to me about their helmets, sometimes it was the fitting, sometimes the weight, or the ventilation system or the view. I decided to start this new project by myself, trying to make a helmet that can combine all of the features that the riders had been asking for. Nowadays my riders are very happy with the product.�

The brand was born to be an Italian made and designed product but was limited by manufacturing resources which lead to a joint partnership with H&H Sports Protection Group. The union allowed JUST1 to face a big

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market demand, create more new helmets with the highest levels of manufacturing technology allowing nearly and design to make into reality.

helmets on the way or new plans such as having a head to toe line up and even venturing into the on-road market.

In addition to top of the line helmets JUST1 is continuing to grow its portfolio of products now offering goggles and in 2019 the brand will enter the off road gear market with top of line riding apparel. Currently under development with riders such as MX2’s Michele Cervellin, MXGP’s K lemen Gercar and ENGP’s Alex Salvini the design was showcased at the GP’s of Great Britain, France, and Lombardia.

Innovation continues to be at the heart of JUST1 whether it is in improvement of their current line up with two new

Since its inception JUST1 has been highly involved in the MXGP World Championship as Amoriello explains, “For us in order to successes it is mandatory to be at the races, here is where we were born, where we develop and where we grow. The partnership with Youthstream and MXGP was established since the beginning, when it was only myself, and we started advertising the brand and developing our products and our business inside the GP’s.”

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The next goals for JUST1 are not only include new prod-

uct lines but also growing in geographical markets such as the United States. Currently holding a strong share of the market in Europe and South America products are now specifically being designed with the US riders in mind continuing upon their original concept of not only meeting the demands of the athletes but doing it better than anyone else.

With JUST1 Racing’s short but impressive track record of high quality products and top performance the sky is the limit. Big years are ahead for the company worldwide as its heart beats strong in Tuscany. For more information on JUST1 or to see their lineup of products visit www. just1racing.com

RIDER OF THE MONTH

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Calvin Vlaanderen, On a Roll

SPECIAL FEATURE

Every month we try to feature a prominent but different rider within the World Motocross Championship in our magazine but often figuring out which rider to feature isn’t always a clear choice. We strive to look for those who are not only at the top of the game but also those who come from unique and interesting backgrounds.

This month we found the combination of all three attributes in the new Team HRC MX2 rider, Calvin Vlaanderen.

Calvin was born the 24th of June 1996 in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. By the age of 2 him and his family moved to the capital city of Cape Town and only a year later he was riding his first bike, a Pee Wee 50.

Vlaanderen reminisced about his beginnings in the sport: “When I was three years old my dad broke the training wheels off of my bicycle and told me ‘when you can ride without training wheels I will get you a 50 motorbike’

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(laughing). On the next day I was riding around without the training wheels. My dad got me the Pee Wee and there was a park next to our house and we just learned to ride in the park.

We never thought it would be something so serious like where I am today. I just started off with some club races in Cape Town.”

Vlaanderen started to compete in the South African championship on 50cc’s and took his first title in 2003 and four years later claimed the 85cc Junior South African National Champion. As Calvin’s potential was starting to show it became clear that if he wanted to make a career out of racing, he would need to train in Europe.

In 2008 his father allowed the then 12 years old to make his first European trip and race the 85cc World Championship.

With the goal of qualifying for the Championship races being successful Vlaanderen headed back to South Africa.

Following in the footsteps of fellow South Africans such as Greg Albertyn, Grant Langston and Tyla Rattray, Calvin made the move to Europe in 2011 to work towards his goal of Motocross World Champion. Starting in the EMX125 class with a German based team, Calvin raced competitors in the first season such as his current HRC teammate and now MX2 and MXGP World Champion Tim Gajser. Throughout his three years in the 125cc European championship he improved each season finishing third in his final year in the class. Calvin then made the move to the 250cc class the following year with the same team accomplishing a race win and overall podium at the round of Lommel.

With this quick success in EMX250 an offer came from the HSF Logistics Motorsport Team to compete the MX2 World Championship in 2015 and 2016. Although the first seasons didn’t go as he planned, missing several rac-

SPECIAL FEATURE

es due to injury, Calvin was able to renew his contract and reached his first MX2 podium in the 2017 season.

tually it worked out. When they signed with Honda it was a shock but I am really happy to be apart of the factory team.”

The off-season was full of changes for HSF Logistics and in turn Calvin. The long-time KTM team decided to partner with Honda’s HRC Factory effort. The joining of the two teams left Calvin in an uncertain situation as he was still under contract with the now former team for 2018. Calvin remembers:

Since joining the new team and riding a brand new bike after being aboard a KTM for several years, Vlaanderen has continually improved. With two podiums in the last four rounds it is noticeable that he is beginning to feel at home not only with the team but also the equipment: “It is the most professional team in the paddock and if you look at all the others there is no other team which I would rather be on. It took a bit to get used to because there is so many people in the team, many more than I was used to before. However, now I don’t know how I worked last year with the same support and honestly it was a big change but it was an easy one.

I am getting more comfortable and personally I think it takes about 6 months to get used to a new bike. I was riding the same brand for 8 years so to

“With a round or two to go in the 2017 season we had a big meeting where they called us all in and they said: ‘we have signed a deal with Honda for next year.’ We were all shocked because it came out of nowhere. Later they pulled me aside and said: ‘Look, we have a contract for you with Honda if you want’. The offer was actually for the MXGP class at first which I didn’t feel I was mentally ready for yet, so I pushed to ride MX2 and even-

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go to another brand you don’t get everything right the first day.”

Now based in Holland Calvin’s family remains in his native South Africa which he manages to visit once a year during the off season. Training is a one-man show for Calvin with the exception of the help from his girlfriend with whom he lives. Calvin’s program relies on plans and guidance giving to him by a South African based athletic trainer. Training often consistent of twÅo wheels with track time and road biking.

Apart from his passion for cycling Calvin has noted that if he wasn’t a racer at heart, he would take up a career in music. Known as a sociable guy around the paddock but also a hard worker Calvin is destined for even more success.

Even with the 2018 now halfway complete his plans for next years are not clear in terms of whether he will remain for another year in MX2 or move to MXGP, but one thing he says is for certain is that he will remain with HRC.

MXGP SOCIAL

TWITTER, FACEB IN THE WORLD OF #MXGP @majornelson MXGP PRO is now available for Digital Pre-order and Pre-download on Xbox One

@lisaleylandTV So nice to catch up with @ CRtwotwo & @MarcoMelandri33 in Italy over the weekend. We hope they enjoyed the races! #mxgp #ottobiano #mx #motocross #italy

@yamaharacingcom A big thanks to @mxgp for allowing the #bLUcRU an exclusive tour through the TV department!

@motocrossvice BREAKING: @MXGP is heading to Hong Kong next year! There will be six overseas events in 2019.

@athenasocial Will our #GET Technology help @jeremyseewer91 have a good start at #MXGPLombardia?

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@jac_malins Brilliant weekend at the @ mxgp Matterley Basin some really close racing But for me the stand out rider of the weekend has to be @ benwatsonmx welldone Ben

@alexlowes22 Looking forward to heading down to the @mxgp this weekend @MonsterEnergy

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli had a perfect Day at the FIAT Professional MXGP of Lombardia. Watch TC222 best moments here

IPONE has teamed up with MXGP for the MXGP of Indonesia!

All you have to do to WIN Amazing prizes is LIKE & SHARE this post and you get the chance to enter the draw to win IPONE goodies, a 2018 MXGP-TV season package, and a copy of MXGP3 the Videogame!

Click HERE and enter the contest. Contest ends on Tuesday, July 3rd!

In St. Jean d’Angely we caught up with Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Team. Watch the Full Team Report HERE

BOOK, INSTAGRAM, YOUTUBE

@francescoscaccianocephoto MXGP Lombardia @mxgp @ottobianomotosport @ antoniocairoli @maxanstie #mxgplombardia #ottobiano

@giuseppe.caronia Grande Tiga #mxgpottobiano #mxgp #tiga243#motocross #whipосс

@benjaminjoncox Mxgp of France was something else... these guys are fasttt... and got to meet the Aussie legend @hunterlawrence #mxgp

@mario_de_lisi #comisagirls #ottobiano #tc222#tonycairoli #tonycairoli222 #mxgp#mxgpottobiano #comisa

@superzano651 Uno sport magnifico #mxgplombardia

IN THE WORLD OF #MXGP 49

MONSTER GIRLS

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MONSTER GIRLS

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HALL OF FAME

Sebastien Tortelli

“Dino”

Sébastien Tortelli had a short career in the World Championship as he moved racing in the USA after only five seasons in Europe, but his name remains in all the memories as he claimed two World titles and twenty GP wins. His last full season in Europe was for sure the pinnacle of his career, with an amazing duel against Stefan Everts!

Born on the 19th of August 1978 In Agen, a French city renowned for its prunes, Sébastien got his first motorcycle by chance, when the old bike that his father used to gather the animals from the farm broke down. Instead of buying a new one, his father came back from the dealer with a QR50 for Sébastien, who started playing in the meadows around the farm and later entered his first local race when he was six years old.

Racing mainly local races as his parents had no time to travel all around France, Sébastien was thirteen years old when he finished runner up in the French 80cc championship. It was the first important step in his career, as after this good result he was

selected by the French Federation in the French Hopeful Team.

In 1992 he claimed his first titles (French 80cc and minivert champion), and worked more and more closely with Jacky Vimond, who was in charge of the French team.

oped a 125cc for Sébastien during winter and the French young rider had a great season winning one GP and finishing his first GP season in third position. It was in the same year that Seb could experience for the first time representing his country at the Motocross “I was only fourteen when I deof Nations and he could also show cided to move to Paris at the Insep his skills in Supercross by win– the National Institute of Sport, ning the French and European expertise, and performance – as titles. His riding style started to be we knew with my parents that it famous with aggression, incredible was the only way to become a pro cornering speed and legendary rider. My parents had no knowlfighting spirit, and that’s how he edge in the sport and were busy got his nickname ‘Dino’ as he was with their activities, so it was the sometimes charging as a dinosaur! best way to combine school and sport,” reminds Sébastien who He was so dominant in 1996 that entered successfully the 125cc he won ten of the twelve rounds of European championship in 1994. the season; he struggled with bike Vice champion he confirmed his problems at the opening round of potential during the last round of the series in Italy, but then won the 125cc World Championship all the races to collect in Slovenia when he scored points in both (round 10 of 12) his first world races. It was then when he met title. A few months later, after Jan de Groot, the manager of the another podium at the MXoN with Kawasaki Racing Team, with whom the French team, he switched to he signed an agreement for the the 250cc class and had a strong following season. learning season against famous riders such as Everts, Bervoets, Involved in the 250cc World Cham- Beirer or Vohland. Winning his pionship with his team Jan, who first 250 GP during the fourth was a famous tuner, had develround of the season in Cingoli (It-

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aly) he missed the last four round of the series due to an injury but came back stronger in 1998.

That year was one of the most exciting seasons we have ever seen, as Sébastien and Stefan Everts had an incredible battle all season long; winning fourteen of the fifteen previous rounds they arrived to Greece for another battle during the last round of the season. Stefan was leading Seb by eight points so everything was possible for both of them, but the final winner was Seb, who won both heats and defeated Stefan who was the reigning champ.

Champion or not, Sébastien had already signed since summer a deal with American Honda, as his dream was to compete the US championships; the Americans already knew him as he made a successful appearance in January ‘98 winning the opening round of the Supercross series in the Coliseum of Los Angeles! He raced during five seasons in the US, winning Motocross races and scoring regularly top five results in Supercross but due to injuries he was never able to complete entire

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seasons. 2000 was his best overall season in USA with a second position in motocross and a sixth place in supercross.

He signed with KTM to comeback racing in Europe for 2006 and 2007 and made brilliant debuts on the orange bike as member of the French team finishing second at the 2005 Motocross of Nations in Ernée. At the opening round of the 2006 MX1 World Championship in Zolder Sébastien shared

the honours with Stefan Everts, both winning one heat and scoring a second position in the other one. The battle was promising, but during the third round in Portugal Seb crashed heavily and lost all his chances with a hip and knee injury.

He would never be back racing and later that year he announced his retirement from racing to focus on coaching young riders in the US, and since last year also in Europe.

Text & Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

1994: 2nd in the 125 European Championship (Yamaha) 25th in the 125 Motocross World Championship 1995: 3rd in the 125 Motocross World Championship (Kawasaki).

Winner of 1 GP

3rd at the MX of Nations with the French team

Supercross French and European Champion 1996: 125 Motocross World Champion (Kawasaki). Winner of 10 GP

2nd at the MX of Nations with the French team 1997: 4th in the 250 Motocross World Championship. Winner of 2 GP 1998: 250 Motocross World Champion (Kawasaki). Winner of 7 GP 1999: 12th in the US Supercross Championship (Honda)

2nd at the MX of Nations with the French team 2000: 6th in the US Supercross Championship (Honda)

2nd in the US Motocross Championship 2001: 6th in the US Motocross Championship (Honda) 2002: 4th in the US Supercross Championship (Honda) 2004: 8th in the US Motocross Championship (Suzuki) 2005: 7th in the US Supercross Championship (Suzuki) 2nd at the MX of Nations with the French team (KTM) 2006: 21st in the MX1 Motocross World Championship (KTM)

PADDOCK TALKS

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Paddock Talks 01/Max Anstie givig support to his father who was taking part in the Veterans World Cup at Matterley Basin.

02/FIM Sports Director Mr Fabio Muner with former Itlalian MX rider Max Bartolini.

03/Mr Stephane Gigou, Head of Fiat Professional Brand EMEA, visited the Fiat Professional MXGP of Lombardia.

04/Congratulations to Alessandro and Federica Lupino on the arrival of baby Ludovica.

05/Italian fans going crazy with the presence of Marco Melandri at the paddock of Ottobiano.

06/World Superbike rider Alex Lowes visited the MXGP of Great Britain.

07/During the MXGP of France the Supercross International of Marseille and the Supercross of Paris were presented to the media.

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Paddock Talks 08/At Saint Jean d’Angely a demo of the new videogame MXGP PRO was available for the fans to test it.

09/The French crowd was entertained by a colourful and rhythmic Batucada.

10/Great news for MXGP!! In 2019 the series will travel to Hong Kong!

11/Magneti Marelli hostesses on point at Ottobiano.

12/Kiara Fontanesi organized an action to collect some funds for Bryan Toccaceli, who suffered a serious accident very recently and is on his way to recovery.

13/Chad Reed made a lap of honour at Ottobiano in front of the warm Italian fans.

14/You can’t miss one of the best pit chats of the season featuring Thomas Covington and Lisa Leyland!

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Special Feature

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MXGP Academy’s Unique Women’s

SPECIAL FEATURE

One of the many initiatives between Youthstream and FIM Europe is the MXGP Academy. The Academy is a program where young riders are educated in various topics from not only riding technique but also how to train, eat, and prepare for racing. MXGP’s academy is structured in a way that allows the students to learn step by step and get certified along the way.

Throughout out this years MXGP season the academy has been present at the

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rounds of La Comunitat Valenciana, Portugal, Russia, Latvia, and Germany. The typical weekend program covers flag meanings, technique on the track, factory race team visits and even parent education.

The success of the Academy and its students since inception have created massive interest from young riders, their parents and the national motorcycle federations. Combining with the growing interest of women’s motocross, and more specifically at a

professional level, MXGP Academy is gearing up for it’s first MXGP Women’s Academy!

The special academy is now scheduled to take place alongside the 2018 MXGP of The Netherland’s in Assen. FIM’s Women’s Commission have put years worth of effort into planning the event and will organize the special MXGP Academy for women together with FIM Europe and Youthstream.

Specifically designed for

next to last round of the Women only, the SPECIAL Academy FEATURE FIM Women’s Motocross will host 15 girls invited by the Dutch Motorcycling World Championship giving the aspiring professionals Federation (KNMV) in the a chance to not only watch classes of 65cc, 85cc and their idols but also meet 125cc. Aside from the students the camp will also them in person. Also on the schedule will be a tour of a be different with Female coaches Livia Lancelot and Factory race team to give the girls a sense of what Marielle de Mol joining togoes into performing and gether with the traditional competing at the top level.

Academy trainers of Jan Postema and John van den Berk.

MXGP Academy Trainer Jan Postema talking about The unique Academy’s the training planned for Assen: “it is going to be overall format will be the very exciting and we are same as that of the tramore than happy to have ditional MXGP Academy all the girls involved! It is including the ability to ride the same track as the completely different, the women are very competiMXGP stars. The event will tive and will be nice to help also be combined with the

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them out.”

The goal of the camp extends beyond the goal of just helping the Women on site but also as a rider to grow into more training dedicated to Women for next year and in other locations. With the close cooperation of the KNMV, FIM Europe, the Women’s Commission and Youthstream, the Academy is destined to be successful and an unforgettable experience for all those lucky enough to be involved.

1978 Montesa

Cappra 250 marque never placed inside When you look back through was a very tough racing the top three in any of the the realms of time, the difsector. But in 1977, a Belworld championships. Howferent era’s of motocross gian by the name of Rayever, there was one particare vast and there for all to mond Boven shocked the ular model that did put the see. From the nineteen-fifmotocross world when he brand; the Montesa Cappra, ties, right through to the took the overall victory in and it’s this bike that we sixties and early seventies the Spanish GP at Sabadell will feature in this issue of the European and world on his 250cc Cappra. Even MXGP Magazine. scene was dominated by an more impressive was the The 125cc class in the European Championship usually puts a spotlight on the next array of European manufact he won the first race TheofCappra wasFIM builtMotocross befactured motorcycles; big name in motocross.BSA, In fact both the 2015 World to put Champions himself in a and position tween the years of 1967 – Saroléa, Matchless, FN, be able to take the overvice-world champions Romain Febvre, Gautier Paulin, Tim Gajsertoand Pauls Jonass 1982 and its sole purpose Crescent, Maico, CZ, Puch, all, and he did it against the have all wonand the KTM EMX125 their paths to motocross was to on race in the discipline Husqvarna werechampionship likessupremacy. of Guennady Moisseev of motocross, but with other just a few of those that and Harry Everts. proven brands already well featured regularly on the and truly established it was overall podium, and if you Sadly, Boven’s victory would often difficult for Montesa look closely, Montesa was in prove to be the only GP win to get a foot-hold in what there too, but the Spanish for Montesa, but it didn’t

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SPECIAL FEATURE

stop them from continuing their journey into the unknown.

1978 Towards the end of the nineteen-seventies, Japan was starting to make its mark and stamp its authority on the GP scene which in many ways led to the demise of many of the leading European brands. In fact, only Husqvarna, KTM and Maico were able to continue to fight head-on with the new kids on the block.

The Montesa though was on borrowed time. Outdated and heavy, the Cappra was nearing its end, but it didn’t go quietly.

The specification was actually quite high; the duplex frame housed an alloy cylinder, complete with six fins to aid cooling and this was aided by the ‘Bing’ type 54 carburettor which helped to enhance the power. In fact, the increase in power was so vast that Montesa chose not release any ‘bhp’ figures.

The spread of power was said to pretty wide with mid-to-top being particularly impressive. The 5-speed gearbox proved easy to navigate, although, with the gearing/sprockets coming in at 11x50 there was a lot of ‘paddock chatter’ suggesting that the gearbox may have been better served as a 4-speed.

The bike came with a Silentbloc swingarm whilst up front, the chassis was suspended by 38mm Marzocchi conventional front forks; the rear end was held up by Corte & Cosso twin shocks.

Whilst other Montesa models opted for 17” rear wheels, the Cappra utilised a much more commonly used 18” for better stability.

Starting it though was often a problem as the kickstart was way too short, often resulting in many attempts to get the girl fired up.

Where many manufacturers were still using metal/aluminium fuel tanks, the Cappra opted for plastic (6.9 litres) and its square design meant that the design of the seat could be much more, how should we put it, ‘luxurious’ in the fact that it was quite high, quite deep and

fairly soft.

The front and rear mud guards were also made of plastic, but the front was too short and during muddy or wet races, dirt and water would generally flick up in to the eyes and faces of the riders who had the difficult task of piloting the bike. Not ideal, but at least it looked good.

Sadly, with the increased interest of the Japanese bikes that were now flooding the market, the Cappra eventually died a death and by the end of 1982, the marque disappeared, no doubt helped along by an industrial strike in 1978 which lasted for around three months.

But at least Montesa was able to say ‘we won a GP’ and there aren’t many other brands who could have said that at that moment in time.

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QUESTIONS TO THE EDITOR

QUESTIONS TO THE EDITOR Dear MXGP, Could you let me know until when the mid season offer on MXGP-TV is on Thanks, Kara Dear Kara , The MXGP-TV mid season offer lasts until the end of August but do not hesitate, purchase it NOW and WATCH all the remaining MXGP rounds LIVE plus the first half of the season on Demand.

Best Regards MXGP

Hi MXGP, wish to purchase the tickets for the MXGP of Italy in Imola and go there with my family. Is there any discount for teens?

Thanks, Agata Hi Agata Thanks for your question. There is a discounted prize for teenagers from 13 to 16 years old.

For any additional information on the event check our ticketing page: http://imola.motocross-tickets.com/en/22541mxgp-of-imola/ Regards MXGP Hi MXGP, Is the MXGP PRO Videogame available for online pre sales?

Thanks, Michele Hi Michele Thanks for your question on the MXGP Pro Videogame. You can pre order your copy of the MXGP PRO HERE: https:// mxgpvideogame.com/buy/ Regards MXGP

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Hi MXGP, Do you have any information on signing sessions and activities taking place in Loket? I’ll be there and my son wishes to collect some autographs.

Thanks, Paul Hi Paul, Thanks for your interest. We have plenty of autograph sessions in the MXGP paddock during Saturday and Sunday.

Most of them are taking place on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning but in order to check the exact time you can either check onsite once you’re there as they’ll be announced or stay tuned to MXGP Facebook page.

Regards MXGP

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