MX2

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing have made several strategic changes to their FIM MXGP World Championship structure that will funnel into their bids for success in 2023 Grand Prix. Chief among those is a fresh role for MXGP and KTM legend Tony Cairoli, who will front the squad as Team Manager.

For 2023 KTM are pleased to announce that nine-times world champion Tony Cairoli will become Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager. The 37-year-old, who was still competing at the highest level with AMA Pro National appearances this summer, won six of his championships with KTM SX-F technology and has been a Red Bull KTM factory rider since 2010. Tony boasts exceptional knowledge of not only the sport but also KTM’s racing culture and philosophy. He will sync with fellow former multi world champion Joel Smets who will train and coach a selection of Red Bull KTM Factory racing riders and other athletes in the group.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing recently celebrated their fourteenth title in the MX2 division since 2004 and with the KTM 250 SX-F thanks to Tom Vialle’s thrilling last round victory of the 2022 campaign in Turkey. Except for the 2015 season, the crew have claimed at least one MXGP or MX2 crown each year since 2010. Smets has been instrumental in Vialle’s development and two crowns since 2020.

On the technical side Vialle’s well respected and experienced mechanic Harry Norton – who helped refine two versions of the title-winning KTM 250SX-F, the 2020 edition and the brand new 2023 model - will take over the role of Team Technical Co-ordinator while long-standing leader Dirk Gruebel will assume the position of Project Manager for Motocross Development.

Claudio De Carli, the man who guided Cairoli to the six championships between 2010 and 2017, will now oversee KTM racing efforts as the new Motocross Race Director. The Italian forged an incredibly strong bond with KTM at the start of the last decade when he helped deliver the factory’s first premier class distinction in MXGP.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing will launch into 2023 with Jeffrey Herlings (MXGP, KTM 450SX-F) and Andrea Adamo and Liam Everts (MX2, KTM 250SX-F).

Tony Cairoli, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “2022 was a change for me and now this is another chapter! It was great to race again this year but it was also positive to take a small step back from racing and see things in a different way. I really hope I can bring as much knowledge and passion as possible to this new role. I will have some learning to do but I also worked with some amazing people in my career, so I expect to use this experience. We are already thinking about our goals for 2023.”

Robert Jonas, Head of Motorsports Offroad: “It is very satisfying to see how we were able to reorganise and clarify the positions of important people for Red Bull KTM and other projects. I think there is some exciting potential because there is so much priceless experience; both on the ground at the track and back in the workshops. If Tony can bring the same enthusiasm for motocross and learning as he did when he was a rider then this next challenge should go very well for him and be of a big benefit for the team. I want to thank all of the staff involved for getting behind the plan and how we will head into the world championship in the coming years.”

Pit Beirer, KTM Motorsports Director: “This is the next step in our race department vision for motocross and for the way we want to keep the brands and organise the best potential in the paddock. It was clear that Tony’s experience and never-ending passion for the sport was something we could count on, just like we did in 2009 when we first started talking. The De Carli connection has been one of the big success stories for us and I’m pleased that it can progress and continue. It’s great to have Joel in his development role still and Harry and Dirk taking on different tasks. We have some great riders and some excellent staff for 2023 so I’m sure we’ll have plenty more exciting times.”

Claudio De Carli, KTM Motocross Race Director: “It feels very special to have this new position and to continue my story with Pit, Robert and the whole KTM group. As many people know we started our partnership well over ten years ago now and it was strong mutual trust that allowed us all to succeed right away and then to carry on winning in MXGP. We are now in transition to the next generation but we have the best possible foundations. I hope we can keep the motocross division as one of the most prolific for KTM and the race department. We’ll push to the maximum to make it happen across the categories.”

Copyright photo: KTM Racing

MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 18 October 2022 – Infront Moto Racing is pleased to share the October issue of the MXGP Magazine!

The 110^th edition of the monthly magazine features the winners of the 75^th Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations, Team USA, as the cover story, as we take a closer look at the history of Team USA at the Monster Energy FIM MXoN and their journey back to the top step after an 11-year wait!

The rest of the magazine includes our monthly Racing Catch-Up which takes a look at the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations action from RedBud, along with the winners of the Fox Holeshot Award.

This month’s special feature takes a look at the Motocross of European Nations which took place in Talavera de la Reina.

You’ll also find the Vintage Bike section, which includes Greg Albertijn’s 1993 Honda CR250

while in this month’s Hall of Fame we learn more about the career of Fred Vialle.

You can find all this plus more in the 110^th issue of MXGP Mag, which you can download for FREE on the Apple Store or Google Play. Read it HERE!

Users who have already downloaded other issues on their iOS device can automatically download the new issue by opening the News Stand and clicking on the cover of the MXGP Mag. Whereas those readers using an Android device will be able to download the magazine for free thanks to this app: http://bit.ly/IssuuOnAndroid.

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

MXGP Mag 110

MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 11 October 2022 – Infront Moto Racing is delighted to share the provisional 2023 FIM Motocross World Championship calendar featuring some new and exciting locations!

21 events are foreseen in 2023, including the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations which is set to take place in Ernée, France, on October the 22^nd. Additional events, such as the FIM Junior Motocross World Championship will head to Romania on the 9^th of July, while the MXoEN will be held on October the 8^th with a TBA venue.

The FIM Motocross World Championship is set to kick off on the 12^th of March at the MXGP of Patagonia Argentina in the stunning Villa la Angostura, followed by two events in locations to be confirmed on the 26^th of March and then 8^th and 10^th of April.

Grand Prix are set to take place in Trentino, Portugal and Spain, before MXGP will return to Villars sous Ecot for the MXGP of France. Then MXGP of Latvia and the Liqui Moly MXGP of Germany are scheduled in early June and will round out the first half of the season in Europe before the trip to Asia for the Indonesian double header in Sumbawa and the brand new Lombok.

Czech Republic, Flanders (Belgium), Finland and Sweden will see the action return to Europe, before we see the much-anticipated return of the MXGP of the Netherlands at a track that is not new to the MXGP Paddock as the Dutch GP will be held at the popular Arnhem on the 20^th of August!

And to finish off the season, Turkiye will once again host MXGP in Afyonkarahisar before the series will make its very first trip to a brand-new venue in Thanh Hoa for the MXGP of Vietnam. A TBA event will follow in early October before the Championship is set to conclude at the MXGP of Great Britain in Matterley Basin for the 2023 Grand Finale.

Infront Moto Racing is delighted to see the series grow and travel to new venues as well as see the return of old favourites and would like to thank the FIM, FIM-Europe, all the organizers and Federations along with teams, partners and all stakeholders for their cooperation to complete this MXGP calendar that will see 20 rounds of the FIM Motocross World Championship in 2023.

Click here to download the 2023 Provisional MXGP Calendar

LINKS

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FIM

FIM Europe

Andrea Barbieri, Chairman of FIM Europe Motocross Commission welcomed everybody in Talavera de la Reina and hosted the Traditional Ballot to define the starting Grids for the 2022 Edition of the MXoEN and WMXoEN.

Here below the complete results:

MXoEN Starting Grid

·       Spain

·       France

·       Finland

·       Sweden

·       Portugal

·       Bulgaria

·       Croatia

·       Italy

·       Slovenia

WMXoEN Starting Grid

·       Norway

·       Croatia

·       Lithuania

·       USA

·       Italy

·       Spain

·       The Netherlands

·       Sweden

·       France

·       Denmark

·       Finland

Yamaha celebrates the success of an incredible 2022 Motocross season, in which the Japanese brand won the Manufacturer’s World Championship in all three FIM Motocross World Championship classes, MXGP, MX2 and WMX.  

Thanks to the excellence of the YZ450F and YZ250F, both production and Factory versions of the bike, and the skill and determination of riders Jeremy Seewer, Maxime Renaux, Glenn Coldenhoff, Jago Geerts, Thibault Benistant, Calvin Vlaanderen, Nancy van de Ven and Lynn Valk, all of whom stood on the top step of the podium this year, Yamaha dominated the 2022 FIM Manufacturer’s World Championships. 

In 2022, the premier class was spearheaded by the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP team with its riders Seewer, Renaux and Coldenhoff, and strengthened by Gebben van Venrooy Yamaha Supported team’s Vlaanderen. Between the four MXGP stars, Yamaha celebrated 16 race wins, 24 podium finishes and six Grand Prix victories on its way to celebrating the MXGP Manufacturer’s World Championship title for the first time since 2015.  

In MX2, Yamaha successfully defended the crown for a third consecutive season thanks to the efforts of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2’s Geerts and Benistant, who celebrated a combined total of 16 race wins and 22 podium finishes, culminating in seven Grand Prix victories. The achievement marks Yamaha's fifth Manufacturer's crown since the class was reinvented as MX2 in 2004, taking its first two titles in 2005 and 2007.

Proving the dominance of the YZ250F across the board and adding to a memorable off-road campaign for those dressed in blue, Yamaha also won its seventh WMX Manufacturer’s title with Van de Ven, Valk and Larissa Papenmeier awarded the top-three championship medals.

Throughout the five rounds of the FIM Women’s World Championship in 2022, Van de Ven won three races and mounted the podium four times on the way to her first-ever world title. She was joined on the podium by Dutch compatriot Valk, who scored three race victories and two Grands Prix to end the season as the silver medalist. 

Increasing Yamaha’s presence and adding to its success in WMX, Yamaha Germany’s Papenmeier collected one piece of podium silverware and secured her fifth championship bronze medal, making it a “blue-wash” of the top-three positions for Yamaha.

Alexandre Kowalski, Yamaha Motor Europe Off-Road Racing Manger:

“We have enjoyed an incredible season this year in all classes. To win the Manufacturer’s World Championship in all three FIM Motocross World Championship classes is proof of our efforts and our strength as a manufacturer competing at such a high level. I believe this year was Yamaha’s best in MXGP in terms of race wins and podiums across the board, and it is something we are very proud of. We have a strong strategy for success, evidenced by the podiums we celebrated with all our riders in all classes. I would like to congratulate Nancy van de Ven on the world title in WMX and Lynn Valk and Larissa Papenmeier on their fantastic seasons. To have Yamaha riders on all three steps of the podium in any of the championships is always something special, so congratulations to them. And also to both of our Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP and MX2 teams. MXGP was brilliant with all of our riders, Jeremy Seewer, Maxime Renaux and Glenn Coldenhoff showing they have what it takes to win, along with the incredible race wins we celebrated with Gebben Van Venrooy’s Calvin Vlaanderen. At the same time, MX2 produced one of the most memorable seasons in history, with the title fight between Jago Geerts taking the title fight right down to the wire and with Thibault Benistant celebrating his first Grand Prix win. Although we won the manufacturer’s crown in all classes, it was not without some ups and downs, but we always pushed forward and focused on the positives. This is something that I, and Yamaha, are very proud of, and it excites us for the future.”

Already a formidable force in the EMX250 series – and with valuable experience in the competitive cauldron of MX2 -  the 19 year old from Guardamar del Segura near Alicante, steps up to the highly experienced F&H Kawasaki team for the coming season.
Braceras will have the latest KX250 under him across a highly structured winter training regime in his native Spain, Sardinia and at selected tracks and varying track surfaces across northern Europe making ready for a full-on assault for podium honours in 2023.
 
David Braceras: 

“Signing with F&H Kawasaki is like a dream come true! Making the step to MX2 World Championship in an Official Kawasaki MX2 team is a big opportunity and I will make the most of it. I already tested the bike in Holland and it’s a rocket, for sure I need some time to get used to the handling characteristics, but we have enough time for that this winter. The team is super professional, they take care of all little details to make the difference. I really want to start the preseason together with the team and Marc de Reuver and prepare myself 100% to make my rookie year an unforgettable year together with F&H and Kawasaki”. 

Nathalie Fase, Team Manager: 

“We are very happy with the signing of David!  A talented young man that we will be getting this winter ready for the big work in the MX2 GP class. We are confident that he can give us some nice surprises in his rookie year and will do everything to make our first year together a success.  His training and testing phase starts this week and we can't wait for the rest of the winter. The first tests looked good and we are looking forward to go for it with Kawasaki!” 

Photo Credits: Kawasaki Racing

REDBUD (United States) 28 September 2022 – This year’s individual class winners in the MXGP, MX2 and Open categories received a special watch from legendary Ricky Johnson to commemorate their achievements at the 75^th Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations in Redbud.

These brand new prizes, created and customised by Rockwell Watches, are something Ricky Johnson has been thinking for a while to award the best rider of each MXoN category with something special they could keep for the rest of his life. 

The winners, Team France’s Maxime Renaux (MXGP), Team USA’s Justin Cooper (MX2) and Team Australia’s Jett Lawrence (Open) were presented with the unique time pieces by Ricky Johnson himself during the post-race press conference after the final chequered flag of the day.

Photo - from left to right: Infront Moto Racing CEO David Luongo, Justin Cooper, Maxime Renaux, Jett Lawrence, Ricky Johnson

The guys at OTOR magazine have published their take on RedBud with a couple of columns and other pieces plus Ray Archer’s cool photography. 

On-Track Off-Road is a free digital magazine concept that covers MXGP, MotoGP and other significant motorcycle racing events. Have a look at the latest MXoN post right here:

https://ontrackoffroad.com/2022/09/27/september-edition-getting-dirty-getting-it-done-at-redbud-mxon

REDBUD (United States) 25 September 2022 – The opening ceremony which took place on the podium at the 75^th Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations kicked off an incredible event that saw Team USA victorious on home soil!

The local speaker, Tim Cotter invited special guests such as Jeff Stanton and Broc Glover, as well as the organizer Amy Ritchie along with Dave Gowland from Monster Energy, as well as Infront Moto Racing’s CEO David Luongo, FIM President Jorge Viegas, FIM Board Member and AMA President Rob Dingman, Brad Paquette State Representative for Michigan’s 78th District, Berrien County Sheriff Paul Bailey and Tim Walberg, United States Congressman – as each guest shared their excitement for the event.

The opening ceremony was wrapped up by the American national anthem, which was beautifully sung by Ann Schrader in front of thousands of passionate fans!

All the photos from the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations will be available HERE.