MX2

MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 15 March 2021 – Infront Moto Racing is excited to reveal that the MXGP-Store is back, offering fans the perfect opportunity to get their hands on the official FIM Motocross World Championship merchandise!

The online store allows fans worldwide to get their hands on some awesome MXGP swag with just a click of a button! The all-new 2021 collection features t-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, women’s wear, kids wear, as well as accessories such as caps, beanies, socks, sunglasses, umbrella’s and much more!

To celebrate the unveiling of the new collection, MXGP Store are offering a special launch promotion, with fans receiving 15% off their first purchase, valid until 15^th of April. 

Along with the online store, fans can also purchase their MXGP goodies at every FIM Motocross World Championship event from a dedicated MXGP-Store structure at the track.

Shop the official MXGP Merchandise collection now at www.MXGP-Store.com!

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

MXGP Store

Dear MXGP Friends,

March is usually the opening month of the MXGP season. Unfortunately, we still have some weeks to wait until the gates drop for the first time in 2021. Most of the teams are testing in the south of Italy or in Spain to be ready for the first Grand Prix and the first pre-season races are taking place. It is also the time of the official presentation of most of the teams and the riders with the usual photo shooting.

As you probably read, we updated the 2021 season calendar because of the evolution of the Covid-19 pandemic. The opening Grand Prix will take place in the Netherlands at Oss for the first time.

We will continue to monitor the situation every week, doing our best to deliver the most complete and exciting season possible.

Our goal is still to host public to most of our events. We are constantly in contact with the governments, the federations and the organizers to improve our different protocols and to adapt them based on the local rules regarding the virus. We are sure that the situation will improve a lot in the upcoming months with the massive campaign of vaccination that is taking place worldwide. It will give the possibility to the MXGP paddock personnel to be protected and will permit to host public during international events.

We announced during the week some new partnerships with TV broadcasters like Sport TV in Portugal and Kreator TV in Croatia, opening again the MXGP to new markets.

We are also glad to announce that the Junior World Championship will take place in Ukraine in 2023, confirming the strong interest of this country for motocross.

Finally, I would like to thank all the partners of MXGP to continue to support our sport, from the FIM to the teams and riders.

David Luongo

CEO of Infront Moto Racing

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory MX2 rider Kay de Wolf might be just 16 years old, but the young Dutchman, born just down the road from Valkenswaard in 2020 had often been clocked quicker lap times than his two senior team-mates at the time Thomas Kjer Olsen and Jed Beaton in the deep sand.

Second in the 85cc Junior Motocross World Championship in 2018 has been the highlight so far, but there is much more that de Wolf wants to achieve. Known as the Red Hurricane, you get the feeling de Wolf might be around for some time on the GP scene and his move to the MX2 class in 2021 is one that many people are excited about. Team manager Rasmus Jorgensen isn’t too worried though and feels the youngster can come to terms with the move from EMX250 to MX2.

“Well,” Jorgensen said. “Many people didn’t agree moving him to the EMX250 when he was just 15, so a rookie in EMX and he won a race and did super well. You have to compare him to the guys he grew up with, like Liam (Everts), and those guys. I think he did a huge step on the 250 and he was third until the last round until he broke his nose and he finished fourth in the EMX and if you look at guys like Prado, from their EMX career, he did better or the same at the same age. In that point he did super well, but with Kay, he has the skill and is super talented, but now it is the mental side to prepare for the next challenge, which is a huge step into MX2. Getting him to man up a bit, but the potential is there. He needs to work hard, and it is nice to be in the position he is in, being Jed’s team-mate and he can make the mistakes he will make, but we need to minimize those mistakes of course.”

As for his background in the sport, de Wolf doesn’t come from a motocross family and despite living right in the middle of motocross circuits like Valkenswaard and another favourite training track for GP riders, Eersel, his family know very little about the sport. They are a riding family, but not a racing family.

“My Dad got a quad to just go around the house,” de Wolf said. “We have a bit of land in the city, and he rode from home to the city and at one stage he had to buy a new one. There was also a little Suzuki at the shop, and he asked me if I wanted that one and I said I really wanted it. Then I rode Pee Wee and that sort of thing. We live one kilometre from the track in Eersel, but he never went to the track, and my Dad doesn’t know anyone from the past, even now he only knows Jeffrey (Herlings) and Tony (Cairoli) and those guys, but not a lot more. When you say somebody outside the top ten, he doesn’t know anyone. But that is good, because they don’t know about the sport and has not ridden motocross, so that is okay.”

So, while the history of the sport isn’t important for the de Wolf family, their support of Kay is clear as his mother joins him at most training sessions and both his father and mother are 100% behind their teenage son, as he works his way through the classes, and hopefully can one day be mentioned in the same sentence as his countrymen Herlings and Coldenhoff.

Photo Copyright: Bavo Swijgers 

MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 8 March 2021 – Infront Moto Racing is excited to share the 91^st issue of the MXGP Magazine, which you can read online now!

The March issue of the magazine features Standing Construct GASGAS Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass with a special feature inside, along with our Racing Catch-Up which takes a more detailed look at the season opener in the Netherlands with the recharged Grand Prix in Oss, as well as more on the MXGP 2020 Official Video game!

Additionally, this month’s Hall of Fame will look at the career of Jeff Leisk, while our Vintage Bike section will feature Ben Townley's 2004 KTM250 SX-F.

You can find all this plus more in the 91^st issue of MXGP Mag, which you can download for FREE on the Apple Store or Google Play.

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

The month of February has been a busy and exciting start to 2021 for the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP and MX2 teams. Both squads made their annual trips south, to the island of Sardinia – the motocross hub of Europe throughout the winter months - to ride, train and test while enjoying a much better climate than that of Belgium and The Netherlands. During the teams’ time on the island, the riders dedicated two days to Yamaha Racing’s Official media production.

YZ450FM mounted Ben Watson #919, Jeremy Seewer #91 and Glenn Coldenhoff #259 watching the MX2 riders in action.

Arguably the strongest line-up in MX2, Maxime Renaux #959, Jago Geerts #93 and Thibault Benistant #198 have been putting the YZ250FM through its paces.

Photo Copyright: Yamaha Racing / Bavo Swijgers

MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 4 March 2021 – Infront Moto Racing is pleased to announce that thanks to the newest partnership with Kreator TV, the FIM Motocross World Championship’s very own Behind the Gate series will be broadcasted in Croatia for the next three years.

MXGP and Kreator TV first collaborated back in 2014, and now the channel will continue to bring the best coverage of the FIM Motocross World Championship with our Behind-the-Gate 26-minute magazine!

Kreator TV first took to broadcasting in 2011 and has since become a popular TV channel in Croatia and neighbouring Bosnia Herzegovina, broadcasting on every major cable and iptv operator with an approximate reach of 620,000 households. In addition, Kreator TV is expecting to start broadcasting in Slovenia in 2021.

The channel first started out by acquiring rights to showcase Formula 1 races before moving into broadcasting other sports such as MotoGP and of course MXGP World Championship.

Infront Moto Racing is excited about continuing to work with Kreator TV and to continue growing the coverage of motocross worldwide.

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

Kreator TV

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Jed Beaton and Kay de Wolf have successfully completed their pre-season testing and are continuing their preparations ahead of the 2021 MX2 World Championship start. Following a productive winter spent sharpening their skills and further developing their FC 250 machinery, both riders are now looking forward to an exciting season of racing, starting with round one on May 23.

Travelling to the warmer, drier climate of Spain to ride and train during the off-season proved to be highly productive for the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna MX2 class riders. With Jed and Kay enjoying ample riding time while testing a number of new factory parts, both racers have now finalised the base settings of their FC 250 machines ahead of the highly anticipated season opener in the Netherlands.

Jed Beaton will lead the team into the MX2 World Championship following a strong 2020 season in which the Australian narrowly missed out on third place in the final overall standings. Ultimately placing fourth, Beaton’s season was headlined with his maiden MX2 moto win at round nine, together with him claiming three overall podium finishes and nine moto podiums.

The recently turned 23-year-old has enjoyed two years of progressive development with the team to establish himself as a regular contender for race wins and podium finishes. As such, Jed enters the 2021 season well-placed to challenge for the MX2 World Championship title.

Progressing into the MX2 division for 2021 is Kay de Wolf. One of the most exciting young talents to emerge from the youth ranks in recent years, the 16-year-old Dutchman is ready to begin his third term with the squad after two highly successful years racing in the EMX125 and EMX250 categories.

With the familiar surroundings of his supportive team around him, and with a world-class teammate to draw knowledge from, Kay is understandably excited about the prospect of gaining experience and finding his place among the best MX2 racers in the world.

Joining the team for 2021 is young French racer Maxime Grau. The 15-year-old will compete in the 10-round EMX250 championship on FC 250 machinery, his debut season in the class.

The 2021 FIM Motocross World Championship is scheduled to start in Oss, the Netherlands, on May 23.

Jed Beaton – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing: “My winter training has been really good, really productive and I’m very happy with my bike. It was nice to get to Spain and ride in dry conditions. I tested a few new parts, and I made a few small changes but nothing major because I was already really comfortable with my set up. My focus was just on riding and training for the most part. It’s a shame that the start of this season has been postponed a little but when the gate drops, I’ll be ready. My goal is to build on what I achieved last year with more consistency and more podium results so that when we reach the end of the season I hope to be in contention for a strong result in the championship. Winning the championship would be the ultimate goal obviously but it’s a long season and the field is full of talented riders. If I can stay at the sharp end every moto, perform consistently, then it would be a great year for me.”

Kay de Wolf – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing: “It’s really exciting for me to move up to MX2 with the same team after two great seasons in the EMX classes. The atmosphere is great in the team and I believe I have everything I need for a strong start to my MX2 career. For the season, my goal is to score points in every race, be consistent and then aim to finish the season in the top 10. It’s not going to be easy, but I have the speed and stamina having trained with Jed and Thomas Kjer Olsen during the last two seasons. I trained with them all the time, riding longer motos while practicing, so I didn’t really need to change any part of my training program for this season. I just spent more time fine tuning my set up, testing new parts and enjoying my time with the team in Spain. My bike is really good and I can’t wait for round one. It will be my first ever world championship race and it’s also in my home country too, so it’s going to be a big day but something that I’m really excited for.”

Maxime Grau – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing: “I’m really happy to have joined Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing. It’s a super-professional team and I’m very excited for the future. Moving up to EMX250 with the team gives me a really good feeling and my goal is to feel good on the bike, improve day-by-day, and secure some very good results in the EMX250 championship.”

Photo Copyright: Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing / Bavo Swijgers 

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing are almost ready to race. Three of the team’s six riders completed photoshoot duties last week and images of nine-times world champion Tony Cairoli, double MX2 world champion Jorge Prado and promising rookie Mattia Guadagnini are now available on the KTM Media library.

The Rome-based faction of the manufacturer’s exciting FIM Motocross World Championship line-up have shown their KTM 450 SX-F and KTM 250 SX-F ‘clothes’ for the coming GP term that is due to start in Oss for the Grand Prix of the Netherlands on May 23rd.

Jeffrey Herlings, Tom Vialle and Rene Hofer will be photographed in mid-March.

Click HERE to check out the full gallery! 

Photo Copyright: Juan Pablo Acevedo

While we all eagerly await the start of the 2021 season of the FIM Motocross World Championship, SM Action GasGas Racing Team Yuasa Battery took the opportunity of their recent annual team photoshoot to present their team line-up for the upcoming year.

The team has many years of experience in the FIM Motocross World Championship and is ready to face the 2021 season with two riders in the MX2 class: Alberto Forato and Andrea Adamo, while Kevin Horgmo will represent the team in the highly competitive EMX250 category. 

The team now have set sights on some pre-season competition in Italy, before the season opener of the FIM Motocross World Championship in Oss, the Netherlands.

#303 Alberto Forato                         #80 Andrea Adamo                        #24 Kevin Horgmo

Photo Copyright: SM Action GasGas Racing Team Yuasa Battery

Being a mechanic for a world class team or rider is not an easy task. These are the guys who put in hours upon hours of graft in order to spin the spanners for some of the top riders in the FIM Motocross World Championship.

Towards the end of the 2020 season, we sat down with several mechanics for the top teams in the paddock to learn more about their pre-race rituals, strategies, must-have tools and what a typical day for a mechanic looks like…

MICHELE LAVETTI

IN 2020 MECHANIC FOR: Jago Geerts, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing MX2

IN 2021 MECHANIC FOR: Jago Geerts, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing MX2

NATIONALITY: Italian

WHAT ARE THE MUST HAVE ITEMS IN YOUR BACKPACK BEFORE TO TAKE TO THE LINE?

“The most important things are the basic tools, the scoop to clean the mud, some zip ties and some tape… Basically, all the things that you need to have, in order to do the essential things just before or during the race”.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE OR MOST USED TOOL?

“The t-wrench, size 8-10-12mm those are the ones I like and I used the most often to fix the plastics, the exhaust and all the other parts of the bike”.

HOW IMPORTANT IS THE PREPERATION OF THE RACE TRUCK BEFORE THE START OF THE RACES?

“This is really important, because in the truck you always need to have all the parts for the bike. We always have all the spare parts to do the 3 GP’s plus something more, like plastics, chains, sprockets. It is also important to know where all the parts are and to find them as soon as possible during the race weekend”.

YOU USE A LOT OF KEY WORDS ON THE PIT-BOARD, IS THERE A STRATEGY BEHIND THEM?

“There is no specific strategy behind it because it changes from rider to rider; some riders for example need few laps to get into the rhythm and you need to push them only when they are ready. It is up to me to push him when I know he can do it, for example if the rider in front of him is close enough. Basically, the beginning of the season we decided together some keywords and we use them during the year”.

WHAT IS YOUR ‘NORMAL DAY’ ROUTINE VS YOUR ‘RACE DAY’ ROUTINE?

“On race day, we start by checking the bike to make sure everything is ok and after we go ahead with the timetable. Sometimes it can happen that the rider asks for some changes to be made on the bike, so you need to be fast and understand what he really needs and how to do it as soon as possible. Of course, we have a really tight schedule so we need to be super focused and avoid any mistakes – everything must be ready on time”.

“On a normal day, after the races, I start by taking apart the bike completely and checking what must be changed, in case we have some new parts to put in the bike and then after I put the bike back together again and like that it’s ready to go for another GP”.

BEING A MECHANIS IS MORE THAN JUST LOOKING AFTER THE BIKE. WOULD YOU AGREE THAT SOMETIMES YOU NEED TO ALSO SUPPORT YOUR RIDER FROM A PSYCHOLOGICAL SIDE?

“Of course. There must be a good connection between the rider and the mechanic. First of all, the rider must trust you and the work that you do on the bike 100%, like that when he jumps on the bike he’s relaxed and can give his best. Through the years you build the feeling with your rider and like this you can work together properly”.

DO YOU HAVE ANY PRE-RACE RITUALS WITH JAGO?

“We don’t have real rituals, but before the start the way we put the bike on the gate and small things like that do help us both to feel more relaxed and ready for the race”.  

In the latest issue of MXGP Magazine, we caught up with a few of the MXGP mechanics to learn more about what it takes to work with some of the best riders in the world! Read the full feature HERE.