EMX125

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For most young kids, riding started in the back yard with a little PW50 or something of that ilk. Scrap wood made for good jumps, while learning to rail ruts became far more important than growing vegetables, which is why gardens soon turned into figure eights.

Eventually Mum wanted her vegetable garden back and Dad was sick of his spades, shovels and rakes disappearing. They had planted a seed in their kid’s minds when they handed them those little dirt bikes and the only way for it to bloom was with water and sun, which for kids with dirt bikes was racing.

To read MXGP Mag's take on the Junior World Championship, click HERE!

EMX is one of the most enjoyable and exciting aspects of the MXGP weekend and in Lommel it was again the EMX races that stood out. As always large numbers and brilliant racing continues to see these classes build and help the depth of the sport develop.

Belgian rider Cyril Genot scored the EMX125 overall in a strong performance, going 3-1 for the victory.

“I am very happy. For me it’s easier in the sand, but still to win a race is so nice. Second moto I controlled the race and I am pretty happy about that. I don’t know much about Assen some say it will be sand some say hard, but I train as hard as I can and try and win again.”

In the EMX250 it was Dutchman Lars van Berkel who took the top prize after some strong performances, although it was hard work for the Kawasaki rider.

“It was awesome to get the win, because in the second moto I was like 17^th and I thought I am making it so tough for myself. I got to the lead and won the moto. My sister had a baby last week and I tried to do something special for her in Latvia but it didn’t work out, so this win is for her.”

In the EMX300 overall it was British rider Brad Anderson who got the overall victory with 1-1 results.

“I didn’t get too bad a start and came around to the finish line feeling confident, but he bike locked up and I gave it some revs and it cleared, and I did a slow lap and it cleared more, and then we realized there was water on the quick fill. To win the moto from that far back was pretty awesome. I saw them all at the start putting hot laps down and I figured they would burn out and then I put the hot laps down and I could see them fading and it worked out well. I would like to do the complete EMX300 series in 2016.”

Marco Maddi became EMX300 champion in Lommel, and the Italian was excited about his title.

“Last year I was second in the championship, and my goal was to win this year. We started in Valkenswaard and that was tough, but in the hard pack I felt good, winning moto’s and I loved winning in Italy at home. I am so happy, I want to go home and enjoy this championship with family and friends. I felt the pressure, but in Lommel if you make mistakes it happens fast. Every bump and jump was difficult.  I really struggled to finish the races in Lommel. My father was so happy, we worked every day and we stay together and it’s great for us both.”

The real youngster of the group was Jack Bintcliffe, who got the EMX150 overall, also going 1-1 for Great Britain.

“I am over the moon. I love sand and that helps, and I hope Assen is also sand. It felt amazing I have only been riding for three years and to see British riders doing good is great for the country.”

LOMMEL (Belgium), 02 August 2015 - When the going gets tough, the tough gets going! And that was the theme of the weekend for the European Championships EMX250, EMX125 and EMX300.

Proving to be the strongest sand rider in the EMX250 class this year HF Kawasaki’s Lars Van Berkel went 2 - 1 to stand top of the box here at the eighth round of the championship. Meanwhile Cyril Genot took claim of the seventh EMX125 round while GL12 Yamaha Racing’s Brad Anderson took his fourth consecutive race win and the overall once again in the EMX300.

Conditions for race one were already fierce and challenging which ended up working in favor of Bodo Schmidt Motorsport’s Thomas Kjer Olsen in the opening moto as he blitzed past the early season red plate holder Wilvo Forkrent KTM’s Adam Sterry and sand specialist HF Racing’s Lars Van Berkel for his first race win of the season.

Meanwhile Van Berkel was right in his element today and managed to finish a comfortable second ahead of the holeshot claimer Sterry. Mafi Yamaha MX Team’s Alvin Ostlund put in a smooth and solid performance for fourth while the red plate didn’t quite deliver the performance we expected of him but managed to come home in fifth.

After being hammered by the opening MXGP and MX2 races, the track for the second moto was super rough, which made for all sorts of chaos.  Luck is not something Adam Sterry has a lot of, and once again he didn’t line up with any, which was evident when he got tangled with another rider and threw away his chance of a podium. The next in line was the red plate challenger Kemea Yamaha Yamalube’s Damon Graulus, who was cutting a good pace before he cartwheeled spectacularly through the waves, which was followed by a mistake by Bud Racing Kawasaki Monster Energy’s Maxime Desprey on the same lap.

The head turner in the final race was Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe’s Bas Vaessen who stormed past a bunch of riders to take over the lead but with three laps to go threw it all away on the sweeper before pitlane with a huge crash.

Race one runner-up Lars Van Berkel capitalized on the error of his fellow countryman, Vaessen, and took over the lead, which wasn’t kept easily as Ostlund made him fight all the way to the finish. Van Berkel took the checkers by less than 1 second over Ostlund while the race one winner Thomas Kjer Olsen rode smooth for third. Desprey managed to recover for fourth, which was an outstanding performance from the hard pack specialist, while another Dutch rider in the form of Freddy van der Vlist rounded out the top five.

After a tough day in the office, Lars van Berkel hit a couple of milestones with his first race win and his first ever EMX250 round victory while Denkmark’s Thomas Kjer Olsen went one better than his best for second overall. Alvin Ostlund rounded out the top three.

EMX250 Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, KTM), 29:48.767; 2. Lars van Berkel (NED, Kawasaki), +0:03.682; 3. Adam Sterry (GBR, KTM), +0:12.503; 4. Alvin Östlund (SWE, Yamaha), +0:16.077; 5. Nick Kouwenberg (NED, Honda), +0:45.669; 6. Bas Vaessen (NED, Suzuki), +0:46.788; 7. Michele Cervellin (ITA, Honda), +0:49.617; 8. Kevin Wouts (BEL, KTM), +0:59.604; 9. Ander Valentin (ESP, Yamaha), +1:03.129; 10. Michael Hool (NED, KTM), +1:16.021

EMX250 Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Lars van Berkel (NED, Kawasaki), 30:57.797; 2. Alvin Östlund (SWE, Yamaha), +0:00.079; 3. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, KTM), +0:07.357; 4. Maxime Desprey (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:07.876; 5. Frederik van der Vlist (NED, Kawasaki), +0:22.399; 6. Kevin Wouts (BEL, KTM), +0:33.633; 7. Michele Cervellin (ITA, Honda), +0:38.572; 8. Nick Kouwenberg (NED, Honda), +0:43.104; 9. Brian Hsu (GER, Suzuki), +0:45.840; 10. Nicholas Adams (RSA, Kawasaki), +0:46.219;

EMX250 Overall Top Ten: 1. Lars van Berkel (NED, KAW), 47 points; 2. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, KTM), 45 p.; 3. Alvin Östlund (SWE, YAM), 40 p.; 4. Nick Kouwenberg (NED, HON), 29 p.; 5. Adam Sterry (GBR, KTM), 29 p.; 6. Kevin Wouts (BEL, KTM), 28 p.; 7. Michele Cervellin (ITA, HON), 28 p.; 8. Frederik van der Vlist (NED, KAW), 26 p.; 9. Brian Hsu (GER, SUZ), 21 p.; 10. Nicholas Adams (RSA, KAW), 19 p.

EMX250 Championship Top Ten: 1. Nick Kouwenberg (NED, HON), 284 points; 2. Adam Sterry (GBR, KTM), 251 p.; 3. Damon Graulus (BEL, YAM), 243 p.; 4. Maxime Desprey (FRA, KAW), 235 p.; 5. Brian Hsu (GER, SUZ), 190 p.; 6. Alvin Östlund (SWE, YAM), 186 p.; 7. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, KTM), 177 p.; 8. Ander Valentin (ESP, YAM), 166 p.; 9. Steven Clarke (GBR, HUS), 118 p.; 10. Simone Zecchina (ITA, KAW), 114 p.;

EMX250 Manufacturers: 1. Kawasaki, 337 points; 2. KTM, 327 p.; 3. Yamaha, 321 p.; 4. Honda, 285 p.; 5. Suzuki, 207 p.; 6. Husqvarna, 182 p.

Lommel gets so rough, the holes are bigger than most of the kids that race in the European EMX125 Championship. Nevertheless, these kids are awesome and the racing they provided the fans today was epic.

After dominating race one yesterday, KTM Factory Junior’s Jorge Prado was put to the test in race two when he collided with KTM Kosak Racing’s Glen Meier and had to start from dead last. Despite the difficulty with the track being as brutal as it was and the heat, the young Spaniard put in a remarkable ride to finish sixth, which was enough to stand on the third step of the podium.

While Prado’s efforts were incredible, the stars of Lommel were Belgium’s own Cyril Genot and Jago Geerts. Both kids are no strangers to the bottomless sand and it was more than obvious today as they both had the ‘hang off the back’ style down pat on their way to first and second place. Sahkar KTM Racing’s Geerts was the early leader but by time the checkers were waving it was Genot, a kid famous for his tapped out GoPro lap around another boundless sand track, Lierop, who took the win and the overall. Geerts came home in an unchallenged second while KTM Factory Junior’s Josiah Natzke used his freshly honed sand skills to finish third.

A further twenty seconds back, the Junior 125cc vice world champion Conrad Mewse took his KTM Factory Junior’s bike to fourth as Diga Racing’s Miro Sihvonen rounded out the top five.

At the end of the weekend Cyril Genot wrapped up his first ever EMX125 race win and overall victory here in front of his home crowd while Jago Geerts made for two Belgian’s on the podium with second. Jorge Prado ended up doing enough for third and has taken the championship lead by one point over KTM Factory Junior’s teammate Josiah Natzke.

EMX125 Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Jorge Prado Garcia (ESP, KTM), 29:29.057; 2. Nathan Renkens (BEL, KTM), +0:22.991; 3. Cyril Genot (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:34.316; 4. Jago Geerts (BEL, KTM), +0:39.284; 5. Conrad Mewse (GBR, KTM), +0:54.063; 6. Josiah Natzke (NZL, KTM), +0:55.479; 7. Glen Meier (DEN, KTM), +1:05.972; 8. Noud van Kraaij (NED, KTM), +1:16.859; 9. Miro Sihvonen (FIN, KTM), +1:17.023; 10. Marcel Conijn (NED, KTM), +1:24.473.

EMX125 Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Cyril Genot (BEL, Husqvarna), 30:59.766; 2. Jago Geerts (BEL, KTM), +0:06.626; 3. Josiah Natzke (NZL, KTM), +0:14.986; 4. Conrad Mewse (GBR, KTM), +0:35.154; 5. Miro Sihvonen (FIN, KTM), +0:50.051; 6. Jorge Prado Garcia (ESP, KTM), +0:53.813; 7. Ruben Fernandez Garcia (ESP, KTM), +1:14.285; 8. Nathan Renkens (BEL, KTM), +1:18.012; 9. Hardi Roosiorg (EST, KTM), +1:24.314; 10. Glen Meier (DEN, KTM), +1:32.027.

EMX125 Overall Top Ten: 1. Cyril Genot (BEL, HUS), 45 points; 2. Jago Geerts (BEL, KTM), 40 p.; 3. Jorge Prado Garcia (ESP, KTM), 40 p.; 4. Josiah Natzke (NZL, KTM), 35 p.; 5. Nathan Renkens (BEL, KTM), 35 p.; 6. Conrad Mewse (GBR, KTM), 34 p.; 7. Miro Sihvonen (FIN, KTM), 28 p.; 8. Glen Meier (DEN, KTM), 25 p.; 9. Hardi Roosiorg (EST, KTM), 19 p.; 10. Sander Agard-Michelsen (NOR, TM), 16 p.

EMX125 Championship Top Ten: 1. Jorge Prado Garcia (ESP, KTM), 271 points; 2. Josiah Natzke (NZL, KTM), 270 p.; 3. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 245 p.; 4. Conrad Mewse (GBR, KTM), 178 p.; 5. Miro Sihvonen (FIN, KTM), 172 p.; 6. Stephen Rubini (FRA, KTM), 147 p.; 7. Davide Cislaghi (ITA, TM), 144 p.; 8. Mathys Boisrame (FRA, YAM), 139 p.; 9. Glen Meier (DEN, KTM), 134 p.; 10. Nathan Renkens (BEL, KTM), 128 p.

EMX125 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 341 points; 2. Yamaha, 263 p.; 3. Husqvarna, 184 p.; 4. TM, 182 p.

With the last round of the EMX300 being on a circuit that was rock hard and hilly and this weekend being at the opposite end of the spectrum, hill-less and sandy, GL12 Yamaha Racing’s Brad Anderson’s domination is about the only thing the two things have in common. In both races the wild card rider came from miles behind to take the lead on the last laps to win both races convincingly.

Meanwhile, former MX2 rider from The Netherlands Mike Kras was the early leader in both races and led the majority of the laps here in Lommel for a pair of seconds and second overall. Meanwhile local lad from just up the road, Andy Truyts went 3 – 4 for third overall. Proving that the Dutch know a thing or two about riding sand, Davy Janssens put in a mega ride for fourth overall while fellow countryman Tom Meier rounded out the top five.

This weekend was the sixth and final round of the European Championship EMX300 series which was wrapped up by last years runner-up Marco Maddi yesterday. Great Britain’s Matt Moffat had a great season and took the silver medal while Belgium’s own Dietger Damiens rounded out this year as the bronze medalist.  

EMX300 Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Brad Anderson (GBR, Yamaha), 29:08.373; 2. Mike Kras (NED, KTM), +0:10.739; 3. Davey Janssen (NED, Husqvarna), +0:13.466; 4. Andy Truyts (BEL, KTM), +0:14.136; 5. Matthew Moffat (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:27.959; 6. Tom Meijer (NED, Yamaha), +0:42.616; 7. Mikael Kaipanen (FIN, KTM), +0:50.733; 8. Marco Maddii (ITA, KTM), +1:01.062; 9. Dietger Damiaens (BEL, KTM), +1:08.467; 10. Kai Haase (GER, Suzuki), +1:08.491

EMX300 Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Brad Anderson (GBR, Yamaha), 30:35.340; 2. Mike Kras (NED, KTM), +0:20.716; 3. Andy Truyts (BEL, KTM), +0:27.764; 4. Dietger Damiaens (BEL, KTM), +0:37.940; 5. Tom Meijer (NED, Yamaha), +0:53.279; 6. Davey Janssen (NED, Husqvarna), +0:59.347; 7. Mikael Kaipanen (FIN, KTM), +1:04.140; 8. Patrick Vos (NED, KTM), +1:20.170; 9. Kai Haase (GER, Suzuki), +1:27.777; 10. Damon Strydom (GBR, KTM), +1:41.807

EMX300 Overall Top Ten: 1. Brad Anderson (GBR, YAM), 50 points; 2. Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 44 p.; 3. Andy Truyts (BEL, KTM), 38 p.; 4. Davey Janssen (NED, HUS), 35 p.; 5. Tom Meijer (NED, YAM), 31 p.; 6. Dietger Damiaens (BEL, KTM), 30 p.; 7. Mikael Kaipanen (FIN, KTM), 28 p.; 8. Kai Haase (GER, SUZ), 23 p.; 9. Marco Maddii (ITA, KTM), 22 p.; 10. Patrick Vos (NED, KTM), 18 p.

EMX300 Championship Top Ten: 1. Marco Maddii (ITA, KTM), 223 points; 2. Matthew Moffat (GBR, HUS), 178 p.; 3. Dietger Damiaens (BEL, KTM), 178 p.; 4. Yentel Martens (BEL, HUS), 164 p.; 5. Damon Strydom (GBR, KTM), 162 p.; 6. Mikael Kaipanen (FIN, KTM), 104 p.; 7. Brad Anderson (GBR, YAM), 100 p.; 8. Joey Smet (BEL, KTM), 98 p.; 9. Patrick Vos (NED, KTM), 94 p.; 10. Nicolas Bender (SUI, YAM), 93 p.

EMX300 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 258 points; 2. Husqvarna, 257 p.; 3. Yamaha, 257 p.; 4. TM, 56 p.; 5. Kawasaki, 37 p.; 6. Honda, 37 p.; 7. Suzuki, 35 p.; 8. Aprilia, 24 p.; 9. Beta, 18 p.

Click here to obtain the complete results.

All the photos of the MXGP of Belgium will be available HERE

MXGP BELGIUM - QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1675 m

Type of ground: Sand

Temperature: 28°C

Weather conditions: sunny

Crowd Attendance: 24,200

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Kemea Yamaha Yamalube's Maxime Renaux, who was recently crowned 125cc Junior World champion, has been forced to withdraw from the MXGP of Belgium at Lommel and the penultimate round of the EMX125 European Championship.

The leader of the EMX series crashed earlier this week while training and fractured his collarbone. Despite the break the Frenchman tried to compete in the rough Belgian sand but found the injury too painful to handle during free practice.

Both the rider and the team will now assess his fitness and progress ahead of the last fixture of the EMX125 series at Assen towards the end of August.

Maxime Renaux: I'm really disappointed it has to be like this. I prepared well for the sand and was confident for Lommel and Assen. I tried this morning but I had a lot of pain and no strength at all. For sure on this track it's really dangerous to ride like this. I couldn't jump and I don't want to take any risks making the injury worse. We still need to see if I need an operation. If the second position in the championship is still possible and if I feel better, I might try in Assen… The European championship would have been a perfect addition to what we have done this season. I already won the French Junior championship and the World championship, so my year is already a success. I hope to get some more news soon…"

KTM Factory Racing has announced that they have reached agreement with the talented young Spanish rider Jorge Prado to ride for the Factory team until 2020. 

Prado, who first rode a motorcycle at aged three and is now 14, was World and European 65 cc Champion in 2011, which placed him firmly on the KTM radar screen of future talent. Riding for KTM he continued to perform well in the junior classes and went on the seal the 85 cc European Championship title last season. Prado is currently contesting the EMX125 where at the time of writing he was third in the championship standings, 12 points off the leader and four points behind his KTM Factory Junior teammate Josiah Natzke in second place.

For next year he will still be part of the KTM Junior program, but as he develops incredibly quickly, the step into the MX2 Factory team seems to be not too far away. 

KTM Motorsports Director Pit Beirer said KTM had a vested interest in cultivating the next generation of leading riders like Prado. “We aim for excellence not just in the current season but in the long-term, so the nurturing of riders of the caliber of Jorge Prado is an essential part of our planning. We have known for some time that he is an outstanding rider for his age and we are very happy that we can work together to build on the next steps of his career.”

Jorge Prado: “For me KTM is the best bike and the best team in the world and I'm proud to be part of this family. For a young rider like me the trust and confidence that KTM has given me was very important to get to this point in my career. Now it is a very special motivation to continue chasing my goals. I get a lot of support from my team and this is what I need to face my future goals. With this extra motivation I'm now completely focused on my next challenges in the World and European 125 cc Championships.” Prado is also a Red Bull athlete.

In three weeks time, the worlds fastest under 17 year olds will line up in El Molar, Spain for the most prestigious race of their seasons, the 2015 FIM Junior Motocross World Championship. There are two Junior World Championship classes’ 85cc and 125cc with the really little guys on 65cc competing for the European Open Championship title. Thanks to the team at Scott Sports the winner of each category, 65cc, 85cc and 125cc will be awarded with a trick SCOTT Voltage mountain bike.

To witness the youngsters on the verge of taking the world by storm, get your tickets here: https://proticketing.com/mxgpmadrid/en_US/entradas/evento/3189

EMX125 and EMX300 European Championships saw rounds held last weekend at the beautiful Maggiora circuit in the north of Italy. For Italian Marco Maddii, who was a happy winner of the EMX300 class, the overall victory at his home GP was a moment to share with his famous father Corrado Maddii. Maddii snr stood on top of a GP podium five times in the 125cc class back in the 1980’s.

The KTM rider and his father both stood on the top of the EMX300 European championship, Marco as the rider and Corrado as the team manager. The younger Maddii explained his joy.

“It was really special being in Maggiora and being able to win. I worked really hard to get there and winning is special, for myself and my father and my family. It was a special goal for myself and my father and it was something I wanted for both of us. It was important for the fans, they were so excited, and it was nice to be supported by them, I will remember it forever”

Kemea Yamaha Yamalube’s Maxime Renaux not only won the overall in the EMX125 class, but he also took the lead in the series points. Renaux scored 3-1 results for 45 points and is now 10 points ahead of New Zealander Josiah Natzke in the point’s standings.

For Renaux it was a weekend to remember after his third place on Saturday the second EMX125 race was delayed due to the terrible conditions of the circuit, after heavy rain had made Maggiora nearly impossible to race.

“I was very happy to win, but it was difficult waiting for the second 125cc moto, the track was so much rougher and many bumps and it was very slippery. Some riders crashed in some lines and it was difficult to get around them. I took a good start and I was so happy to win the overall. Now I think I need to go and work in the sand and be ready to race at Lommel and Assen. Now I just want to work and get the job done.”

No doubt the Italian victors will work even harder to continue their success in the always exciting European championship rounds. For both though it is going to be a really difficult challenge as Yentel Martens in the EMX300 class and Natzke in the EMX125 class will want to stop their run of victories.