Looking for perfection

2015 was a big year for the FIM Motocross World Championship series. Big in action, big in drama, and big in investment. There is no doubt at the end of this year’s MXGP season a lot more people were fans of the most diverse series in the world.

While the blue print for the perfect motocross championship hasn’t been found yet, the MXGP series is clearly heading in a direction that might one day get as close as we ever will in finding the perfect Motocross World Championship.

2015 saw a rise in interest from the American public and American riders, more countries have invested into the sport thanks to a concerted effort from Youthstream president Giuseppe Luongo and his employees. Now as we move into 2016 with more exciting changes, and the MXGP class being even stronger than in 2015 we wanted to ask some industry insiders their ideas about the series.

Red Bull KTM Factory rider Jeffrey Herlings is a young man who wants to break records and he knows the strongest class in world motocross is the MXGP class. He also knows the value of title and his quest for multiple MX2 titles might not be over just yet.

“Definitely, that is the class, it´s F1 or motoGP and all the best are in that class, Tixier is moving up, maybe Gajser, already there are Febvre, Van Horebeek, Cairoli, Desalle, Coldenhoff all the top guys are in that class, but I also have to prove something to myself and I have years to race MXGP, I hope my career is until I am 30 or something. I just want to be pain free when I get on the bike, but the decision which class I race might be done within a minute, and whatever decision I make I will go 100% to win.

Tony Alessi is a man who has brought a lot of hype to his son Mike. The senior Alessi though has a vision far wider than his homeland, and having visited many countries in the world he knows what the sport is all about and how it ticks.

“In terms of the racing, the MXGP series is so far ahead of what we do in the US, in terms of the way they raise the kids in racing. They have two-stroke 125 classes. They have an EMX 250 class, which is like young guys 15 years old age riding 250F’s. These guys are all riding on the same exact track at the same exact time as the GP riders are, and so I think that they’re creating and developing an infrastructure that I think will be very, very hard to beat in the future. These kids are growing up riding the nationals basically from the time they’re about 13 years old. I’ve seen every kind of coach out there working with these young kids. Guys like Stefan Everts, Mickaël Pichon and Ben Townley are all working with these kids. To me they’re building a strong base for the future. They’re also using really, really old tracks—most of them. They’re hard-packed, they have big rocks, and it’s a whole different kind of mind set to racing. In the US, the motocross tracks are deep. You basically jump in a groove and you’re wide open. That’s how you ride motocross in the US. In Europe, you have to be very creative with your riding and very creative with your bike setup. You can’t just jump in there and do well; it’s not possible. You have to go there and live it, experience it, whatever, for quite a while or at least a few years—to get yourself in tune with that.

Dutchman Harry Nolte is one of the leading mechanic’s in the sport, and is a man who has worked with many of the best riders in Grand Prix history, including Stefan Everts, John Van Den Berk and many more. Nolte is excited for 2016, and is surprised how much the MXGP series continues to improve each year.

“What surprises me every years is that the racing gets better each year. I mean there were a lot of injuries this year, and I think that came from Villopoto coming and everyone stepped up and they wanted to beat him and I think they went over the limit a little and I think they also stayed on that limit when he got injured, everyone just took it to another level in 2015 and I think 2016 is going to be even better. Places like Assen and Glen Helen are just special events.”

These three men are all looking at the 2016 MXGP season with eyes wide open and all expect to see something special in the new season. We have enjoyed the RV visit to Europe, but to be honest, we haven’t even seen the best of the FIM Motocross World Championships. 2016 will bring us that little bit closer.