MX2

VALKENSWAARD (The Netherlands), 04 May 2014 – Gorgeous bright blue skies and sunshine welcomed MXGP of The Netherlands today with open arms. While there was a chill in the air with a crisp winter breeze taking the edge off of the direct sunlight, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s pair of reigning FIM Motocross World Champions Antonio Cairoli and Jeffrey Herlings rewarmed the atmosphere with their impressive performances in both races to dominate round six of the FIM Motocross World Championship.

MXGP

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli continues to prove why he is the seven-time FIM Motocross World Champion. After breaking his front wheel early in race one the Italian continued to fight to the finish and remarkably managed to salvage third. In race two, the champ took his second Fox Holeshot of the day and went on to lead every lap unchallenged to stand on top of the box here in Valkenswaard for the fifth year in succession.

Fast becoming an MXGP podium fixture, Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Van Horebeek put in a couple more solid performances to land himself on the second step of the podium for the second time this year. “I was feeling good all weekend out there. I got good starts and I just rode my own race, I could have gone faster but then I would have made too many mistakes, like I tried to push and make up some time on Kevin (Strijbos) in the last race, but then I made a big mistake so at that point I knew I was second on the podium today, so I just let him go.”

Meanwhile raising the second Belgian flag on the podium of MXGP, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World’s Kevin Strijbos managed to turn up the heat in the second race to put a super sweet pass on his countryman Van Horebeek for second. With a fifth in race one and a second in race two Strijbos rounded out the top three. “I didn’t feel good in the first race, I made some changes to my set up and then I felt better in race two. I am just really happy to be on the podium today,” Strijbos concluded.

Rockstar Energy Suzuki World’s duo of Clement Desalle and Kevin Strijbos are stuck together like magnets this season. While Strijbos took home his second podium result this year, his teammate Clement Desalle rode two smart races for a trio of fourths (4-4, for fourth overall).

Another rider to verify that Belgian’s (like the Dutch) are great sand riders, J-Race Racing’s Joel Roelants rode like a man on fire in race two to pass Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Steven Frossard for fifth with two laps to go. After finally banking a top five score, Roelants, who was eighth in race one, managed come home as the fourth Belgian inside the top five with fifth overall.

Race one winner Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Gautier Paulin had a gnarly crash on the opening lap of race two which has left him with a suspected broken collarbone. Meanwhile two MXGP fan favorites made their awaited returns this weekend, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Ken De Dycker and CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy’s Tommy Searle. Both riders’ comebacks seemed a little pre-mature, but plaudits must be given to De Dycker for gritting his teeth and finishing the first race and half of the second race purely for the racing experience. Meanwhile Searle, at the last minute, opted out of a ‘pre-mature’ return withdrawing from both races after warm-up this morning.

On the note of injuries, the team at MXGP would like to wish a full and fast recovery to Team HRC’s Max Nagl, Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Todd Waters and Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe’s Glenn Coldenhoff who were all injured while training in the two-week break between MXGP’s round five in Bulgaria and today’s round six here in Valkenswaard.

MXGP Race 1 top ten: 1. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 34:53.781; 2. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:09.759; 3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:18.371; 4. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:30.792; 5. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:32.695; 6. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:46.964; 7. Tyla Rattray (RSA, Husqvarna), +0:48.846; 8. Joel Roelants (BEL, Honda), +0:50.977; 9. Marc de Reuver (NED, Honda), +1:16.555; 10. Steven Frossard (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:17.789

MXGP Race 2 top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 35:21.488; 2. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:10.683; 3. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:20.504; 4. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:29.708; 5. Joel Roelants (BEL, Honda), +0:39.061; 6. Steven Frossard (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:40.778; 7. Tyla Rattray (RSA, Husqvarna), +0:43.793; 8. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +0:48.536; 9. Xavier Boog (FRA, Honda), +1:13.651; 10. Matiss Karro (LAT, KTM), +1:16.979

MXGP Overall top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 45 points; 2. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 42 p.; 3. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 37 p.; 4. Clement Desalle (BEL, SUZ), 36 p.; 5. Joel Roelants (BEL, HON), 29 p.; 6. Tyla Rattray (RSA, HUS), 28 p.; 7. Steven Frossard (FRA, KAW), 26 p.; 8. Gautier Paulin (FRA, KAW), 25 p.; 9. Tanel Leok (EST, TM), 20 p.; 10. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 19 p.

MXGP World Championship Classification Top Ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 267 points; 2. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 236 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, SUZ), 230 p.; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, KAW), 205 p.; 5. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 182 p.; 6. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HON), 166 p.; 7. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 114 p.; 8. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 113 p.; 9. Joel Roelants (BEL, HON), 112 p.; 10. Xavier Boog (FRA, HON), 108 p.

MXGP Manufacturer: 1. KTM, 267 points; 2. Suzuki, 240 p.; 3. Yamaha, 236 p.; 4. Kawasaki, 233 p.; 5. Honda, 202 p.; 6. Husqvarna, 145 p.; 7. TM, 108 p.

MX2

It may come as no surprise to the majority, Red Bull KTM Factory Racings Jeffrey Herlings was right in his element here on a track so close to home he even went as far to say “this track here in Valkenswaard is like my back garden.” After winning both races with ease, ‘The Bullet’ wrapped up his fifth Grand Prix win of the year and took back the coveted MX2 red plate.

One rider to stand out with two very impressive performances at the front of the pack, Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Romain Febvre put all those laps around his team’s home circuit of Lommel to good use. Looking very comfortable in the sand, Febvre rode in second for 99% of both races only to make a small fault with less than 100m to go, not once but twice. Despite the costly errors, Febvre kept the bike on two wheels on both occasions to come home with a bitter yet sweet pair of thirds for second overall and his best finish of the year.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jordi Tixier was looking in great shape in race one when he wasted no time in slicing through the pack to take over third. Once in third, the determined young Frenchman rode a relentless race, chasing down and passing fellow Frenchman Febvre with one turn to go to take second place. Unfortunately in race two, Tixier got off to a great start but fell under the pressure of his race one nemesis Febvre. After failing to re-group, the best he could do was fifth, which was enough for third overall and his second consecutive podium finish this season.

Another impressive performance is in the bag for Standing Construct KTM’s Swiss sensation Valentin Guillod. Guillod was riding an incredible pace in race one, but unfortunately a bad start ruined what could have been a podium finish this weekend. Nonetheless, the MX2 rookie should be happy with his performance, taking a fourth and a seventh for fourth overall.

Coming into MX2’s Grand Prix of The Netherlands, CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy Arnaud Tonus, who was carrying the red plate up until now, was realistic in saying he didn’t really expect to beat Jeffrey Herlings in the sand but definitely felt he was more than capable of two times second. Despite a disappointing race one which saw him lay his bike down a couple of times and only bounce back for twelfth, the stylish Swiss redeemed himself in race two with a spectacular pass on his teammate Dylan Ferrandis and Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Romain Febvre on the last lap for second in race two and fifth overall.

MX2 Race 1 top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 34:15.867; 2. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +1:07.713; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, Husqvarna), +1:09.289; 4. Valentin Guillod (SUI, KTM), +1:22.228; 5. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, Husqvarna), +1:29.254; 6. Max Anstie (GBR, Yamaha), +1:30.486; 7. Julien Lieber (BEL, Suzuki), +1:39.265; 8. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:43.269; 9. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +1:46.792; 10. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +1:48.963

MX2 Race 2 top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 34:41.469; 2. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Kawasaki), +0:45.837; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:46.825; 4. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:47.909; 5. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +1:08.651; 6. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +1:12.233; 7. Valentin Guillod (SUI, KTM), +1:12.785; 8. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, Husqvarna), +1:15.787; 9. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +1:22.671; 10. Julien Lieber (BEL, Suzuki), +1:28.894

MX2 Overall top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 50 points; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, HUS), 40 p.; 3. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 38 p.; 4. Valentin Guillod (SUI, KTM), 32 p.; 5. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, KAW), 31 p.; 6. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, KAW), 31 p.; 7. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, HUS), 29 p.; 8. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 26 p.; 9. Julien Lieber (BEL, SUZ), 25 p.; 10. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 24 p.

MX2 World Championship Classification Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 244 points; 2. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, KAW), 229 p.; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, HUS), 198 p.; 4. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, KAW), 185 p.; 5. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 185 p.; 6. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, SUZ), 176 p.; 7. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, HUS), 159 p.; 8. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 145 p.; 9. Valentin Guillod (SUI, KTM), 139 p.; 10. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 131 p.

MX2 Manufacturer: 1. KTM, 274 points; 2. Kawasaki, 251 p.; 3. Suzuki, 204 p.; 4. Husqvarna, 204 p.; 5. Yamaha, 163 p.; 6. Honda, 155 p.; 7. TM, 6 p.

Click here to obtain the complete results.

All the photos of the MXGP of The Netherlands will be available here

MXGP NETHERLANDS – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1500

Type of ground: Sand

Temperature: 15°C

Weather conditions: sunny

Crowd Attendance: 27000

MXGP was available across the board in high definition, and is also globally available to view live and in HD on www.MXGP-TV.com. Click here for the complete list of countries and cooperating MXGP broadcasting networks, viewing times can be viewed by clicking on the logo of your chosen broadcasting network.

NEXT MXGP

The next round of MXGP will take place next weekend, May 11 in Talavera, Spain.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

MXGP of the Netherlands

Check out MXGP of The Netherlands Qualifying race highlights in the video's below:

MXGP Qualifying race:

MX2 Qualifying race:

Take a GoPro recorded lap around Valkenswaard with ‘The Bullet’ Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings and young Belgian talent 24MX Honda’s Jens Getteman.

VALKENSWAARD (The Netherlands), 03 May 2014 - After yesterday’s qualification race press conference here at round six of the FIM Motocross World Championship in Valkenswaard, The Netherlands, Youthstream President Mr. Giuseppe Luongo and MXGP of Belgium Organizer Mr. Eric Geboers made the official announcement that MXGP’s round of Belgium, which is set to take place on the weekend of August 03, will be at the world renowned sand track Lommel.

Mr Giuseppe Luongo begun the conference saying: “It is a tradition to work with Eric Geboers, we have worked together many times dating right back to the years of Super Cup. Now, after approximately eight months of negotiation, we have reached an agreement with Eric where we will shake hands in the agreement of a five-year contract with the Belgian sand circuit Lommel.”

Mr. Eric Geboers agreed: “In Lommel we have a good team and they are voluntary but they work well and now they have ten years of experience, both working with me and with Youthstream, so it was the obvious choice to make an agreement with the circuit of Lommel.”

Mr Geboers continued: “This will mark the third five-year contract with Youthstream and my team, and even though there have been some problems in the past, Giuseppe and I have always found a solution, and for that reason we have chosen to keep working together to make the best of the race in Belgium, in the deep sand of Lommel. And of course I would like to finish in saying thanks to the town of Lommel, the province of Limburg and also the Belgian Government for their support.”

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

VALKENSWAARD (The Netherlands), 03 May 2014 – Offering a hard and choppy base with sandy topsoil, Valkenswaard set a very tricky and challenging stage for round six of the FIM Motocross World Championship, which kicked off today with the qualifying heat dominance of the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s dynamic duo Antonio Cairoli and Jeffrey Herlings.

MXGP

The MXGP class had their work cut out for them right from the get-go when the reigning world champion Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli got off to a cracker of a start. Chasing the Italian around turn one, Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Gautier Paulin led two of Belgium’s hottest sand riders, Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Van Horebeek and Rockstar Energy Suzuki World’s Kevin Strijbos.

While Cairoli appeared to find his rhythm immediately, Van Horebeek and Strijbos were ganging up on the Frenchman Paulin, who soon subdued to the pressure of Van Horebeek. With Van Horebeek going through to take second, Paulin was dropped back to third and forced to juggle his modes of attack or defense, while Strijbos remained relentless in fourth.

Although all three kept each other honest, it was Van Horebeek to cross the line nine seconds back from the red plate of Cairoli, while Paulin held off the Belgian Strijbos for third. Rockstar Energy Suzuki World’s Clement Desalle found a way around Team HRC’s Evgeny Bobryshev and Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Tyla Rattray late in the race to finish fifth while Bobryshev rode steady to take sixth with Rattray coming home in seventh.

MXGP Qualifying Race top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 24:47.567; 2. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:09.375; 3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:11.446; 4. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:14.663; 5. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:37.726; 6. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:43.907; 7. Tyla Rattray (RSA, Husqvarna), +0:46.394; 8. Joel Roelants (BEL, Honda), +0:48.898; 9. Steven Frossard (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:53.139; 10. Tanel Leok (EST, TM), +1:04.094.

MX2

With a gigantic roar of the crowd, the gates dropped to the advantage of CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy’s Arnaud Tonus who claimed the holeshot ahead of two of MX2’s freshest faces, Standing Construct KTM’s Valentin Guillod and Honda Gariboldi’s Tim Gajser. With Tonus in the prime position and the king of sand Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings sitting well outside of the top five, the fans got on their feet in anticipation of yet another Herlings vs Tonus show down.

Although the idea of a massive battle between the red plate holder Tonus and the reigning MX2 world champion Herlings sounded great in theory, it turned out to be somewhat of an anti-climax as Herlings wasted no time in slicing his way through the pack to take over the lead on lap two. While Herlings unsurprisingly went on to check out, Tonus was forced to deal with a bout of pressure from his Swiss counterpart Guillod who was charging hard in third yet doing his best to keep the 2012 EMX125 champion Gajser at bay.

While the top four proceeded to run away, a huge battle was unfolding as Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Romain Febvre, CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy’s Dylan Ferrandis and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jordi Tixier engaged in a three-way for fifth. After dicing the position back and forth for the majority of the race, it was Tixier who eventually rose to the occasion and took control of the position.

Twenty-minutes plus two laps on, the real Jeffrey Herlings confirmed his attendance, stamping his authority in the sand once again by winning by over twenty-seven seconds over Arnaud Tonus, Valentin Guillod and Tim Gajser. Jordi Tixier edged out a persistent Romain Febvre for fifth while Dylan Ferrandis dropped back to finish a comfortable seventh.

MX2 Qualifying Race top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 24:38.409; 2. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Kawasaki), +0:27.919; 3. Valentin Guillod (SUI, KTM), +0:33.531; 4. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:34.371; 5. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +0:37.604; 6. Romain Febvre (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:43.509; 7. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:56.064; 8. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +1:05.112; 9. Damon Graulus (BEL, KTM), +1:06.603; 10. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, Husqvarna), +1:08.314.

EMX

Round three of the European Championship EMX125 and the opening round of the European Championship EMX150 also took to the gnarly Valkenswaard sand with two local heroes both winning the first races of their respective classes.

Red Bull KTM Racing’s Davy Pootjes did his home fans proud, wining his fourth EMX125 race of the year ahead of Diga Racing’s Tomass Sileika and SV Racing MX Team Russia’s Ivan Baranov, while in the EMX150 another Dutch sensation in the form of Rick Elzinga dominated ahead of Finnish duo Jere Haavisto and Matias Murto.

WMX

The third round of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship also got underway with their first race of the weekend. After winning her home round in Arco di Trento, Italy, Chiara Fontanesi was in tip-top shape here today passing Natalie Kane in the early phase of the race to run away with her second victory this season. Meanwhile Bud Racing Kawasaki’s Meghan Rutledge recovered from a bad start to charge her way to second, dropping the red plate holder, Kane, back to third.

Click here to obtain the complete results.

All the photos of the MXGP of The Netherlands will be available here

MXGP NETHERLANDS – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1500

Type of ground: Sand

Temperature: 14°C

Weather conditions: sunny

MXGP will be available across the board in high definition, and is also globally available to view live and in HD on www.MXGP-TV.com. Click here for the complete list of countries and cooperating MXGP broadcasting networks, viewing times can be viewed by clicking on the logo of your chosen broadcasting network.

TIMETABLE

SUNDAY: WMX Warm-up 08:20; EMX150 Warm-up 08:40; EMX125 Warm-up 09:00; MX2 Warm-up 09:15; MXGP Warm-up 09:40; WMX Race 2 10:30; EMX150 Race 2 11:15; EMX125 Race 2 12:00; 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 the Netherlands

After the press conference here at round six of the FIM Motocross World Championship in Valkenswaard, The Netherlands, Fox Head Europe took the opportunity to launch their new limited edition Fox gear which they had intended for their Fox rider Rockstar Suzuki Europe’s Glenn Coldenhoff to wear during his home Grand Prix.

The NYC Limited Edition 360 Given Racewear, as debuted at the last round of Monster Energy Supercross in NYC by Ryan Dungey is now available! After a career-best start to the 2014 FIM Motocross World Championship MX2 factory Suzuki racer Glenn Coldenhoff was due to present the Limited Edition at his home MXGP of Valkenswaard this coming weekend. Sadly after suffering an accident in practice last week Glenn cannot compete this weekend in the unique Limited Edition gear, but check out this edit to see how he was looking forward to his home Gran Prix!

Click here to watch the video.

Youthstream would like to express their gratitude to Kawasaki Motors Europe for their ongoing support to the MXGP series, which includes their supply of utility vehicles for practical use on and around the circuits of MXGP.

Kawasaki’s 4x4 Mules and Quads offer Youthstream an extra pair of hands in setting up and maintaining the infrastructure of MXGP. They are extremely versatile, easy to operate and maneuver around the track and paddock. No job is too big and no terrain is too tough for these utility vehicles to handle, which makes them the perfect partner for Youthstream’s logistics crew.

Kawasaki is a leading brand in motorcycling and is the title sponsor of three teams that have genuine shots at the titles in both MXGP and MX2. Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team hosts two of the hottest talents in MXGP, Gautier Paulin and Steven Frossard, while CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy flies the flag for Kawasaki in MX2 with their young stars Arnaud Tonus, Dylan Ferrandis and Thomas Covington. CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy also has two heavy hitters racing hard in MXGP, Tommy Searle and Alessandro Lupino, while in the European and FIM Women’s Motocross Championship’s Kawasaki sponsors Bud Racing Kawasaki with Jorge Zaragoza and Meghan Rutledge and Team One One Four with Livia Lancelot.