EMX125

We had a very special Studio Show yesterday explaining the all new Monster Energy SMX Riders’ Cup which will take place in Germany inside the VELTINS-Arena on the 8^th of October this year!

MXGP-TV’s Paul Malin was joined by Giuseppe Luongo, Stefan Everts, Antti Pyrhonen and David Philippaerts. Watch it here: 

KEGUMS (Latvia), 01 May 2016 - The second rounds of the European Championship EMX300 presented by FMF Racing and EMX250 were joined by the opening round of the EMX125 presented by FMF Racing this weekend in Kegums, Latvia, where Bodo Schmidt Motorsports Thomas Kjer Olsen took his first overall victory of the season in the 250 class, while Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Yentel Martens took his second consecutive overall win in the EMX300 presented by FMF Racing and Sahkar Racing KTM’s Jago Geerts dominated the opening round of the EMX125 presented by FMF Racing.

The circuit of Kegums has a deceiving nature. It looks soft and loamy but underneath its hard and choppy with massive braking bumps and sharp acceleration bumps. In race one yesterday KTM Factory Juniors Jorge Prado got off to a fantastic start and led last years FIM Junior 125cc World Champion, riding for Kemea Yamaha, Maxime Renaux around turn one.

Two of the young guns that hung out at the pointy end of the field at round one, Even Heibye and Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Hunter Lawerence, were also inside the top five before Lawrence spun out, crashed and re-joined outside of the top twenty.

Bodo Schmidt Motorsports Thomas Kjer Olsen got off to an average start but was on another level yesterday and passed everyone like they were standing still on his way to the front of the pack. Team Suzuki World MX2’s Bas Vaessen has always been fast and managed to keep it on two wheels for second place ahead of Heibye and astonishingly Hunter Lawrence, who set the fastest lap amongst traffic on his way from outside the top twenty to fourth. Renaux rounded out the top five.

Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Hunter Lawrence can’t buy luck this year. The young Australian who is undoubtedly a title contender has crashed in three of the four races this year, and in Race 2 had to start from dead last after getting caught in a pile-up at turn one.

In Race 2, Kemea Yamaha Racing’s Maxime Renaux emerged as the leader in front of Belgian Kevin Wouts and the kid sitting second in the championship standings, Even Heibye. Race one winner Bodo Schmidt’s Thomas Kjer Olsen also got off to a good start ahead of Bud Racing Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Darian Sanyei.

Wouts wasted no time in passing Renaux for the lead followed by Heibye. Heibye is running a hot pace this year was all over Wouts for the top spot but a race win wasn’t on the cards for the Norwegian this weekend after he crashed spectacularly on lap three. Meanwhile, Kjer Olsen was hanging right off the back of his Husqvarna in effort to keep the front end light through the soft stuff and over some of the massive holes. The Dane, Kjer Olsen, chomped down the gap Wouts and with two laps to go he hammered the throttle and got the job done for another race win and a perfect score here in Latvia.

Sanyei was also hauling and charged his way to third while Renaux was hounded by Team Suzuki World MX2’s Bas Vaessen who did take fourth briefly but was passed back on the last lap and finished fifth. The defending EMX250 champion, J-Tech Honda’s Nick Kouwenberg was sixth ahead of Hunter Lawrence who put in yet another jaw-dropping performance from dead last to seventh.

It was an incredible weekend for Bodo Scmidt Motorsports Thomas Kjer Olsen who went 1 – 1 for his first double victory of his career, and the overall as well as the championship red plate! Team Suzuki World MX2’s Bas Vaessen and Bud Racing Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Darian Sanyei rounded off the podium in that order.

EMX250 Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), 29:25.965; 2. Bas Vaessen (NED, Suzuki), +0:01.988; 3. Even Heibye (NOR, KTM), +0:02.978; 4. Hunter Lawrence (AUS, Kawasaki), +0:03.337; 5. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +0:13.851; 6. Darian Sanayei (USA, Kawasaki), +0:15.202; 7. Miro Sihvonen (FIN, KTM), +0:29.695; 8. Nick Kouwenberg (NED, Honda), +0:35.960; 9. Kevin Wouts (BEL, KTM), +0:41.656; 10. Ken Bengtson (SWE, Yamaha), +0:43.440.

EMX250 Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), 29:07.199; 2. Kevin Wouts (BEL, KTM), +0:04.286; 3. Darian Sanayei (USA, Kawasaki), +0:10.698; 4. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +0:12.681; 5. Bas Vaessen (NED, Suzuki), +0:13.748; 6. Nick Kouwenberg (NED, Honda), +0:27.187; 7. Hunter Lawrence (AUS, Kawasaki), +0:29.167; 8. Miro Sihvonen (FIN, KTM), +0:33.147; 9. Karlis Sabulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:34.179; 10. Max Engelen (NED, KTM), +0:40.389.

EMX250 Overall Top Ten: 1. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 50 points; 2. Bas Vaessen (NED, SUZ), 38 p.; 3. Darian Sanayei (USA, KAW), 35 p.; 4. Kevin Wouts (BEL, KTM), 34 p.; 5. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 34 p.; 6. Hunter Lawrence (AUS, KAW), 32 p.; 7. Nick Kouwenberg (NED, HON), 28 p.; 8. Miro Sihvonen (FIN, KTM), 27 p.; 9. Ken Bengtson (SWE, YAM), 21 p.; 10. Even Heibye (NOR, KTM), 20 p.

EMX250 Championship Top Ten: 1. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 90 points; 2. Hunter Lawrence (AUS, KAW), 70 p.; 3. Kevin Wouts (BEL, KTM), 64 p.; 4. Bas Vaessen (NED, SUZ), 63 p.; 5. Even Heibye (NOR, KTM), 60 p.; 6. Darian Sanayei (USA, KAW), 58 p.; 7. Nick Kouwenberg (NED, HON), 54 p.; 8. Conrad Mewse (GBR, HUS), 50 p.; 9. Ken Bengtson (SWE, YAM), 42 p.; 10. Miro Sihvonen (FIN, KTM), 38 p.

EMX250 Manufacturers: 1. Husqvarna, 100 points; 2. KTM, 82 p.; 3. Kawasaki, 76 p.; 4. Suzuki, 63 p.; 5. Yamaha, 55 p.; 6. Honda, 54 p.

The next round will take place next weekend, May 7^th and 8^th in Teutschenthal, Germany.

When the gates dropped for the first race yesterday it was Matt Moffat who took the holeshot ahead of GL12 Yamaha’s Lewis Gregory, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Yentel Martens and Mike Kras.

Kras was in his element, he got to the front of the field relatively quickly and set sail to take an easy win over the red plate holder Martens. Meanwhile it was drama for Gregory whose bike died on the second lap while challenging for the lead, but his GL12 Yamaha teammate Brad Anderson happily took the torch and finished the race in third. Moffat battled a bit of arm-pump but held on for fourth while Thomas Marini rounded out the top five.

The first corner here in Kegums is a nasty right-handed 180-degree turn. It always causes carnage and did so in Race 2 collecting yesterdays fourth place finisher Matt Moffat and a couple of others. In the meantime, GL12 Yamaha Racing’s Brad Anderson, who actually rides a 450 four-stroke most of the time, led yesterdays top two Mike Kras and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Yentel Martens.

In one of the best races the EMX300 has ever had, Anderson, Kras and Martens were bashing bars left, right and center. Kras was the first to make a move and took the lead when Anderson sunk into an inside rut and Kras railed around the outside. A few turns later, Anderson pinned it up the inside and put a textbook pass on the Dutchman to reclaim it. In the meantime, Martens had a decision to make, put a bag of popcorn in the microwave and sit back and watch the show or change the channel. The Belgian, who has the red plate opted to change the channel and in the space of two turns blitzed past both riders to take the lead.

Martens set the fastest lap time on the lap that followed and distanced himself from the field while Ando buried himself in a berm and crashed. Kras had to pull something out of the bag if he was to catch Martens, which was too much to ask in the end.

Anderson managed to hold onto third but had his work cut out for him as Francisco Utrilla Antonio pushed him till the end. Mike Vanderstraeten rounded out the top five.

He was sick all weekend and fought to second in the first race yesterday but felt better and took the win today for the overall as well; Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Yentel Martens topped the box and retains the red plate as the series heads for Talavera, Spain on the weekend of May 29. Yesterday’s race one winner Mike Kras went 1 – 2 for second overall while Brad Anderson bagged a pair of thirds for third.  

EMX300 Presented by FMF Racing Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 29:06.870; 2. Yentel Martens (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:02.090; 3. Brad Anderson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:43.377; 4. Matthew Moffat (GBR, KTM), +1:04.916; 5. Thomas Marini (SMR, Husqvarna), +1:09.413; 6. Joshua van der Linden (NED, Yamaha), +1:15.486; 7. Francisco Utrilla Antonio (ESP, Yamaha), +1:17.289; 8. Mathias Plessers (BEL, KTM), +1:28.006; 9. Kevin Van Geldorp (NED, Yamaha), +1:41.470; 10. Nolan Cordens (BEL, KTM), +1:46.057;

EMX300 Presented by FMF Racing Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Yentel Martens (BEL, Husqvarna), 29:25.544; 2. Mike Kras (NED, KTM), +0:15.366; 3. Brad Anderson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:21.522; 4. Francisco Utrilla Antonio (ESP, Yamaha), +0:23.020; 5. Mike Vanderstraeten (BEL, TM), +0:45.701; 6. Joshua van der Linden (NED, Yamaha), +0:49.548; 7. Matthew Moffat (GBR, KTM), +0:55.211; 8. Aaron Pipon (GBR, Yamaha), +0:55.932; 9. Devon Vermeulen (NED, KTM), +1:05.064; 10. Dietger Damiaens (BEL, KTM), +1:10.065

EMX300 Presented by FMF Racing Overall Top Ten: 1. Yentel Martens (BEL, HUS), 47 points; 2. Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 47 p.; 3. Brad Anderson (GBR, YAM), 40 p.; 4. Francisco Utrilla Antonio (ESP, YAM), 32 p.; 5. Matthew Moffat (GBR, KTM), 32 p.; 6. Joshua van der Linden (NED, YAM), 30 p.; 7. Thomas Marini (SMR, HUS), 24 p.; 8. Nolan Cordens (BEL, KTM), 21 p.; 9. Kevin Van Geldorp (NED, YAM), 21 p.; 10. Devon Vermeulen (NED, KTM), 20 p.;

EMX300 Presented by FMF Racing Championship Top Ten: 1. Yentel Martens (BEL, HUS), 94 points; 2. Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 87 p.; 3. Francisco Utrilla Antonio (ESP, YAM), 59 p.; 4. Matthew Moffat (GBR, KTM), 56 p.; 5. Joshua van der Linden (NED, YAM), 56 p.; 6. Brad Anderson (GBR, YAM), 55 p.; 7. Mike Vanderstraeten (BEL, TM), 54 p.; 8. Kevin Van Geldorp (NED, YAM), 49 p.; 9. Lewis Gregory (GBR, YAM), 40 p.; 10. Dietger Damiaens (BEL, KTM), 39 p.

EMX300 Presented by FMF Racing Manufacturers: 1. Husqvarna, 94 points; 2. KTM, 92 p.; 3. Yamaha, 80 p.; 4. TM, 54 p.; 5. Honda, 9 p.

Yamaha MJC’s Zachary Pichon, son of the former multi-time world champion Mickael Pichon, got off to a blistering start yesyerday ahead of Bud Racing Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Kim Savaste and Szymon Staszkiewicz. Pichon looked red hot up front but soon came under pressure from Sahkar Racing KTM’s Jago Geerts who came from around fifth to push Pichon into a mistake.

Geerts took the lead and ran away for a comfortable win celebrated with a sweet whip over the finish. Pichon recovered to beat Savaste by three seconds while DP19 Racing Yamaha’s Roan Van De Moosdijk battled from an average start for fourth ahead of Szymon Staszkiewicz.

In Race 2 the world’s fastest youngsters went one, two and three around turn one with Sahkar KTM’s Jago Geerts leading Bud Racing Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Kim Savaste and MJC Yamaha’s Zachary Pichon. Pichon passed Savaste before the end of lap one and went after Geerts but didn’t have anything for him.

Geerts has an incredible style on the bike and with a lap time that was more than 1.5 seconds faster than anyone, inched away. Pichon pulled a gap on Savaste, who was third, while the young Fin, Savaste, had to deal with the attack of KTM Silver Action’s Stephen Rubini. Rubini eventually made a pass stick and took over third, leaving Savaste to deal with DP19 Racing Yamaha’s Roan Van de Moosdijk who had miraculously appeared after starting outside of the top ten. Van de Moosdijk worked on Savaste for a couple of laps before he found a section where he could rail around the outside.

Meanwhile, Rubini had a hooked a couple of gears and caught and passed Pichon who started to fade. Savaste crashed with only a handful of laps to go, while Van de Moosedijk dropped Pichon back to fourth when he took over third. Pierre Goupillon rounded out the top five.

It was an outstanding start to the season for Sahkar Racing KTM’s Jago Geerts who dominated both races for the overall win and the red plate. MJC Yamaha’s Zachary Pichon put in two solid rides for second while DP19 Racing Yamaha’s Roan Van de Moosdijk battled from two less than average starts to impressively stand on the third step of the podium. 

EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Jago Geerts (BEL, KTM), 29:48.066; 2. Zachary Pichon (FRA, Yamaha), +0:13.031; 3. Kim Savaste (FIN, Kawasaki), +0:16.609; 4. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, Yamaha), +0:17.041; 5. Szymon Staszkiewicz (POL, KTM), +0:20.821; 6. Andrea Zanotti (SMR, KTM), +0:34.094; 7. Marcel Stauffer (AUT, KTM), +0:47.782; 8. Isak Gifting (SWE, KTM), +0:50.993; 9. Bastian Boegh Damm (DEN, KTM), +0:52.356; 10. Paolo Lugana (ITA, TM), +0:53.156.

EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Jago Geerts (BEL, KTM), 29:30.909; 2. Stephen Rubini (FRA, KTM), +0:16.435; 3. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, Yamaha), +0:25.729; 4. Zachary Pichon (FRA, Yamaha), +0:33.246; 5. Pierre Goupillon (FRA, KTM), +0:41.726; 6. Gianluca Facchetti (ITA, KTM), +0:55.650; 7. Andrea Zanotti (SMR, KTM), +1:01.089; 8. Sergi Notario (ESP, KTM), +1:02.980; 9. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, Husqvarna), +1:03.423; 10. Bastian Boegh Damm (DEN, KTM), +1:10.781

EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Overall Top Ten: 1. Jago Geerts (BEL, KTM), 50 points; 2. Zachary Pichon (FRA, YAM), 40 p.; 3. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, YAM), 38 p.; 4. Andrea Zanotti (SMR, KTM), 29 p.; 5. Pierre Goupillon (FRA, KTM), 26 p.; 6. Szymon Staszkiewicz (POL, KTM), 26 p.; 7. Bastian Boegh Damm (DEN, KTM), 23 p.; 8. Stephen Rubini (FRA, KTM), 22 p.; 9. Kim Savaste (FIN, KAW), 20 p.; 10. Tim Edberg (SWE, YAM), 17 p.

EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Championship Top Ten: 1. Jago Geerts (BEL, KTM), 50 points; 2. Zachary Pichon (FRA, YAM), 40 p.; 3. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, YAM), 38 p.; 4. Andrea Zanotti (SMR, KTM), 29 p.; 5. Pierre Goupillon (FRA, KTM), 26 p.; 6. Szymon Staszkiewicz (POL, KTM), 26 p.; 7. Bastian Boegh Damm (DEN, KTM), 23 p.; 8. Stephen Rubini (FRA, KTM), 22 p.; 9. Kim Savaste (FIN, KAW), 20 p.; 10. Tim Edberg (SWE, YAM), 17 p.;

EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 50 points; 2. Yamaha, 42 p.; 3. Kawasaki, 20 p.; 4. Husqvarna, 17 p.; 5. TM, 14 p.

The next round of the EMX125 presented by FMF Racing series will take place in Pietramurata, Italy on the 14^th and 15^th of May.

Click here to obtain the complete results

All the photos of the MXGP of Latvia will be available here

MXGP OF LATVIA – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1540m

Type of ground: Hard sand

Temperature: 16°C

Weather conditions: cloudy

Weekend Crowd Attendance: 26,000

MXGP will be available across the board in high definition and is also globally available to view live and in HD on MXGP-TV.com. Click here for the complete list of countries and cooperating MXGP broadcasting networks.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM Europe

MXGP of Latvia

Watch the official GoPro Lap of Kegums with Kevin Strijbos and Max Anstie here: 

Footage of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Jeffrey Herlings doing a lap around Kegums this morning.

This weekend there is a mega cool prize up for grabs!

All you have to do is answer this question:

In which year did Antonio Cairoli first take part in the FIM Motocross World Championship?

Click HERE to answer and you could WIN an OGIO Bandit TC222 Backpack! 

VALKENSWAARD (The Netherlands), 24 March 2016 – Touch down! We’re back on European soil for the third round of the FIM Motocross World Championship, which will take place in Valkenswaard, The Netherlands this Easter weekend, Sunday 27^th and Monday 28^th of March.

The racing this weekend is expected to be off the hook for a number of reasons. The first and most obvious reason is, it is the first round of MXGP that will take place on European soil and with it being in Valkenswaard, only 20 kilometers from the border of Belgium and the world renowned circuit of Lommel, a location known to many as the motocross mecca of the world, it should be rammed with motocross mad fans.

Orange will undoubtedly be the color of choice as it is the national color of The Netherlands and ironically three of the countries fastest motocross riders, Jeffrey Herlings, Glenn Coldenhoff and Davy Pootjes are all racing for the orange army, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing.

In addition, the sugar buzz from all that Easter inspired chocolate will have the always animated and enthusiastic crowd of Valkenswaard pumped up to support the second round of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship where the Kiwi who shook the world at round one with a double moto victory on her WMX debut, Courtney Duncan mentored and supported by the Lizzard, former FIM Motocross vice World Champion Josh Coppins, will be back to see if she can do the same again. Also the first round of the European Championships EMX250 will take place as well as the first of the two-stroke series’ European Championship EMX300 presented by FMF.

There is never any guarantee who is going to top the box in MXGP these days. Once upon a time Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli was the steady bet for the win, especially in the sand, but last year it was his undoing after he crashed during race one and broke his hand. The dominator of the grand prix thereafter was Team HRC’s Gautier Paulin who was on rails all weekend long and rode to an easy double victory for his first and only MXGP win of the year. Devastatingly, Paulin’s dream of another MXGP of Europe victory has gone up in smoke after a training accident in Lommel a couple of weeks ago has forced him out with a back injury.

On a more positive note, Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Clement Desalle should be back on the pace this weekend if all has gone to plan, and also the eight time FIM Motocross World Champ, Cairoli, should be a little further down the road in terms of his return to 100% fitness and strength. We will be able to ask him directly as he will be LIVE on the Studio Show with Paul Malin and Lisa Leyland on Sunday 27^th March on www.mxgp-tv.com at 11:30 CET.

Meanwhile, the defending champ Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Romain Febvre hasn’t wasted anytime reclaiming the red plate and if we include the results of last years championship, the fiery Frenchman hasn’t missed the podium in the last fifteen rounds of MXGP. Last year though, the MXGP of Europe in Valkenswaard was his worst result of the year where he finished seventh, but to counter that, the year before he finished second in MX2 behind none other than Jeffrey Herlings. This weekend he will head in with a six point lead over the new rookie sensation, Tim Gajser.

As for the flashy teenage wunderkind Honda Gariboldi’s Tim Gajser, he also had a shocker at Valkenswaard last year where he had one of the most horrific crashes of the season in Qualifying, and then ended up in the pond during race one and had a few other drama’s in race two. This year, a few people questioned how Gajser would gel with the 450, and at the tender age of 19 probably thought it was a dramatic move to jump up to the premier class. Regardless of what the bench racers were revving up about, Gajser has already proven he can handle the bigger bike with his dominating performance at the season opener in Qatar where he went 1 – 1 for the overall, and then again in Thailand where he rode a mature race for 3 – 4 and second overall.

Meanwhile, in 2014 a podium finish at the MXGP of Thailand sent Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Van Horebeek on a podium streak where he racked up eleven podium finishes on the bounce. Can he do it again? We are about to find out.

Team HRC’s Evgeny Bobryshev is another rider who has curbed back his bull-dog natured riding style and now takes a calmer and more methodical approach to his racing. After trying to conserve energy in the stifling heat of Thailand, Bobby will be over the moon to be back in cooler temperatures and on the sand where he finished fourth last year.

As for the local speedster, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Glenn Coldenhoff has entered his second full season in the MXGP class. The kid known to his fans as ‘The Hoff’ has already proven he’s capable of winning grand prix’ as he won the MXGP of Latvia fair and square last year. The circuit here in Valkenswaard is very familiar territory for the young gun on orange and he will definitely be looking to do something special for his fans here this weekend.

MXGP Championship Top Ten: 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 92 points; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 86 p.; 3. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 74 p.; 4. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 68 p.; 5. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 64 p.; 6. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 57 p.; 7. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 48 p.; 8. Tommy Searle (GBR, KAW), 47 p.; 9. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 44 p.; 10. Ben Townley (NZL, SUZ), 42 p.

2015 MXGP of Europe MXGP Top 3

1. Gautier Paulin

2. Max Nagl

3. Clement Desalle

Pressure is no stranger to Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings who will line up this weekend with arguably the entire crowd behind him as he tries to win his 50^th grand prix for both himself and his devoted fans. Valkenswaard is his back yard and since he was old enough to race MX2, 15 years old, he is yet to be beaten on this circuit. This exact track and location was also his first ever grand prix victory, back in 2010, and if he wins again this year it will not only be his 50^th overall win of his career, it will be his seventh consecutive grand prix win at the circuit of Valkenswaard.

One of the most down to earth kids in the paddock has had a fantastic start to the season despite being ill at round one. Team Suzuki World MX2’s Jeremy Seewer will line up this weekend fresh off of his career best finish, second place at the MXGP of Thailand. Seewer doesn’t have the hottest track record around Valkenswaard but you can bet your boots that since the legend Stefan Everts has taken the reigns at factory Suzuki that he has taught his MX2 racing Swiss superstar a thing or two about how to be quick in the sand.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass is no stranger to sand circuits and has gone on record to say he prefers the softer terrain to the harder packed tracks. Last year Jonass fell to bits in Holland after his impressive start to the season, but he did manage to bounce back and ended up finishing second overall in the championship. Surely if all goes to plan, the number 41 of Jonass will be on fire.

Meanwhile the Yamaha boys of MX2, Wilvo Standing Construct Yamaha Official MX2 Team’s Aleksandr Tonkov and Kemea Yamaha Official MX Team’s Benoit Paturel were on the cable in Thailand. Tonkov in particular could be a key player this weekend as it was his best race of the year last season. Another rider to look out for in the sand is Team Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Petar Petrov who is currently fifth in the championship standings.

As for the other Dutchman, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Davy Pootjes, he put on quite a show for his fans at the MXGP of The Netherlands in Assen last year when he pulled a FOX holeshot and led a couple of laps. The young star on the rise has a promising future ahead of him and clearly loves riding with the crowd behind him. This weekend will be his first race back since breaking his collarbone at the season opener in Qatar, but he should be on form and excited to put in some super fast laps.

MX2 Championship Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 100 points; 2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 74 p.; 3. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, YAM), 70 p.; 4. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 68 p.; 5. Petar Petrov (BUL, KAW), 56 p.; 6. Samuele Bernardini (ITA, TM), 47 p.; 7. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 46 p.; 8. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, KAW), 44 p.; 9. Brent Van doninck (BEL, YAM), 44 p.; 10. Vsevolod Brylyakov (RUS, KAW), 38 p.

2015 MXGP of Europe MX2 Top 3

1. Jeffrey Herlings

2. Jordi Tixier

3. Aleksandr Tonkov

All the photos of the MXGP of Europe will be available here

TIMETABLE

Sunday: EMX250 Group1 07:45; EMX250 Group 2 08:20; EMX250 Group 3 09:00; WMX Free Practice 09:45; MX2 Free Practice 10:15; MXGP Free Practice 10:45; WMX Time Practice 11:15; EMX250 Last chance Qualifying Race 1 11:50; EMX250 Last chance Qualifying Race 2 12:30; EMX300 Free/Timed practice 13:10; MX2 Time Practice 14:00; MXGP Time Practice 14:35; WMX Race 1 15:20; MX2 Qualifying Race 16:10; MXGP Qualifying Race 17:00; EMX250 Race 1 17:40; EMX300 Race 1 18:20.

Monday: EMX300 Warm-up 08:15; WMX Warm-up 08:30; EMX250 Warm-up 08:45; MX2 Warm up 09:00; MXGP Warm up 09:20; EMX300 Race 2 09:50; WMX Race 2 10:40; EMX250 Race 2 11:30; MX2 Race 1 13:15; MXGP Race 1 14:15; MX2 Race 2 16:10; MXGP Race 2 17:10.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

MXGP of Europe

Team Manager Dirk Saelen is pleased and proud to announce that following talented teens and their parents have opted to join the unique, international tinted education project by KTM Diga Junior Racing:

Radek Vetrovski in EMX85 class and Petr Polak in EMX125 class will defend the colors of the Czech Federation.

From the Finnish Federation they welcome Matias Vesterinen in EMX85 and Miro Sihvonen in EMX250 class.

Finally EMX250 rider Bradley Cox, originating from South Africa, will complete this enthusiastic group of youngsters.

After careful consideration KTM Diga Junior Racing has decided to participate to the European Motocross Championships, the ADAC MX Masters and the Dutch Masters of Motocross.