MXGP

Young American rider Jack Chambers has been something of a success in the MX2 class in 2023. Racing for the Steve Dixon owned Big Van World MTX Kawasaki team scored the services after the opening round in Argentina. Since racing in Switzerland and Italy, the Grand Prix rookie has enjoyed the experience.

For Chambers, it is the first time he has raced without the support of his family, but it is also a huge learning experience and one that his trainer, Zach Osborne (a former GP winner) told him that it will make him a much stronger person and racing on these tough GP circuits will make him a better racer.

“Definitely and that is the biggest reason for coming here,” Chambers said. “It wasn’t just coming to race. I had to commit to living without my parents and being home. At some point I will get more comfortable, but everyone has their home. Zach lived here for four years and when he comes back, he goes to Mel Pocock’s house and that is his second home. Zach came here with a two-race deal, and he ended up staying four years.”

Steve Dixon is a man who helped Osborne to win a Grand Prix in Turkiye in 2009 and eventually for his future success including racing for his country at the 2017 Monster Energy Motocross of Nations. Working with somebody of Dixon’s experience was an easy decision to make.

“The first contact with Steve was through Zach and he explained the situation and he said to come riding and see if you want to race the bike. Then we started talking about how long he wanted me to race, because if I was coming to Europe to test the bike, I wanted to know what the rest of the season would look like, he mentioned he would want me for the rest of the season. I looked at the season and there were sixteen rounds left. It took me a while to make the decision to step away from what I knew. The decision was hard, but seeing what Zach and Mike Brown did and the experience I will get I decided to move.”

Now heading onto Portugal for his third Grand Prix, Chambers is excited to try and make the top ten in a Grand Prix, and possibly even finish top three before the season has finished. With some really nice circuits coming up, places that Chambers felt he could ride to his full potential, it might be an idea to keep an eye on this fast Kawasaki rider in the near future.

Photo Credit: Kawasaki

MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 26 April 2023 – The FIM Motocross World Championship is going to Portugal for the second year in a row to mark the fifth stop of the 2023 campaign. The circuit of Agueda is historic and has been on the calendar for a long time, since 1985. The 2023 MXGP of Portugal will mark the 24^th MXGP event of the circuit and will be held on the 29^th and 30^th April.

Over the years, some amazing riders put their name on the winning list in Agueda such as Stefan Everts, Antonio Cairoli, Gautier Paulin, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings, Team HRC's Tim Gajser and last year Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado. However, to spice things up the circuit will have a variation this year as the direction will be inverted which is going to add to the challenge for every rider as this will feel like a new circuit.

Last Sunday 10 riders were invited during a Press Day to test the new layout and all the changes made in the jumps throughout the circuit. Amongst them was Team HRC’s Ruben Fernandez, currently 5th in the Motocross World Championship and Portuguese riders invited by the organiser who will race this weekend. The excellent feedback showed that the circuit of Agueda will be even faster and more spectacular this weekend. 

The MXGP of Portugal will also host the 3^rd round of the EMX250 and EMX125 presented by FMF Racing with Hutten Metaal Yamaha Racing Team’s Andrea Bonacorsi and MJC Yamaha Official EMX125’s Janis Martin Reisulis leading their Championship respectively.

The MXGP of Portugal in 2022 marked the 4^th stop of the season and it was Jorge Prado who won the first GP of his 2022 season with a great 1-2 to stop Tim Gajser to win 4 GPs in a row at that time which showed how much Prado likes this circuit. 

This year, Prado arrives in Portugal with the Red Plate, 201 points and full of confidence after winning his first GP of the season in Trentino. He has been incredibly solid as he never missed a podium so far this year. Prado also won 3 times in Agueda over his career which places him as a big favourite. However, the competition will be tough as we saw 4 different GP winners over the first 4 GPs of the season which says a lot about the level of rivalry in 2023.

Prado is leading Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team’s Maxime Renaux by 17 points who also comes in Agueda with a back-to-back podium and a GP win in Switzerland showing that the Frenchman is getting into his rhythm to fight for the lead.

Jeffrey Herlings is 3^rd in Championship after an amazing performance in Trentino as the ‘bullet’ won his first race of the season in an incredible manner. Without a struck of bad luck on the first race in Trentino when he got caught in the multi-rider collision, Herlings could have obtained even more points as he starts to show incredible speed recently. He also has already won in Portugal which will give even more of an edge over his rivals.

4^th in the Championship Standing is Kawasaki Racing Team’s Romain Febvre who has won the RAM Qualifying Race in Trentino rewarding an excellent start of the campaign although he also was involved in the collision on the first turn of race 1 in Trentino hindering his chances to get top points. However, Febvre has shown he is capable to win this season and will be determined to join the GP Winner List of 2023.

Ruben Fernandez is 5^th and the other GP Winner this season. After a performance dip in Sardinia the Spanish has bounced back by getting a 6^th and 4^th overall finish in Switzerland and Trentino respectively. Coming in Portugal will be like going to compete at home for him and Prado with many home fans cheering for Spanish riders. This could be an amazing opportunity to get back up to the podium for Fernandez.

The other riders like Team Gebben Van Venroy Yamaha Racing’s Calvin Vlaanderen and Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team’s Glenn Coldenhoff 6^th and 7^th are also consistently in the top 10 and performing very well. Vlaanderen has been fighting for the top 5 many times so far in the season which demonstrates his abilities to ride for the top points. He went 6-12 in Trentino for a 9^th overall. Coldenhoff got 2^nd on the podium in Sardinia with a race win and got 6^th overall in Trentino with 8-6 after a dip in form in Switzerland which demonstrates that we can count on the ‘Hoff’ to chase podiums.

Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing’s Mattia Guadagnini and Monster Energy Yamaha factory MXGP Team’s Jeremy Seewer are 8^th and 9^th respectively with 108 and 107 points in Championship standings and have different dynamics. Guadagnini just clinched his equalled best MXGP finish in his home GP in Trentino with a 5^th place overall. Seewer has been quite unlucky so far with few crashes that unable him to get where he should be in term of his speed. With two 11^th overall finish in Switzerland and Trentino, the Vice Motocross World Champion is ready to convert his well-known speed into big points on a circuit where he won in MX2 in 2017. 

SM Action Racing Team Yuasa Battery MXGP’s Alberto Forato has been a very good performer so far and is 10^th in the series. The Italian is really consistent and this could help him to get some opportunities to get even higher on the leader board. 10^th overall in Trentino with a 5-15, Forato sits in 10^th and showed the potential to get even higher.

Main photo: MXGP Start Portugal 2022

Bottom Photos: 1. Jorge Prado; 2. Ruben Fernandez

Championship Standings

1. Jorge Prado (ESP, GAS), 201 points;
2. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 184 p.;
3. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 175 p.;
4. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 166 p.;
5. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 136 p.;
6. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, YAM), 125 p.;
7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, YAM), 120 p.;
8. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, GAS), 108 p.;
9. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 107 p.;
10. Alberto Forato (ITA, KTM), 98 p.;

2022 MXGP of Portugal MXGP Top 3:

1. Jorge Prado
2. Tim Gajser
3. Brian Bogers

In MX2 last year, it was Tom Vialle who won in Portugal in front of WZ RACING TEAM’s Mikkel Haarup and Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 Team’s Jago Geerts.

Jago Geerts is still the Red Plate holder after the MXGP of Trentino. The Belgian managed to finish on the podium, 3^rd after winning race 1 but going down twice successively in race 2. He has not won a GP in the last 2 outings and he could stop that series by winning the MXGP of Portugal for the first time of his career. He is still the only MX2 rider to have won more than one heat this season with 4 in total.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Andrea Adamo is 2^nd in the Championship and arrives in Agueda on the back of his first GP Win of his career in Trentino, closing the gap on the leader Geerts and overtaking Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 Team’s Thibault Benistant along the way. Adamo has displayed incredible control over the beginning of the season as the Italian didn’t seem nervous to close the victory in Trentino. Benistant with a 4-5 in Trentino got 6^th overall. Although this is very close, he lost a bit of ground in the Championship running and moved down to 3^rd. The Frenchman has 3 out of 4 podiums this season so that proves that he is always a threat for his competitors

Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Kay de Wolf who is 4^th in the Championship has performed to high standards and looks like he could get his first GP win at any time now. With 2 podium and a top 5 in the last 3 GPs, de Wolf shows we can count on him to push for the win at every occasions. Red Bull GASGAS Fatcory Racing’s Simon Laengenfelder, 4^th in Trentino, won race 2 with a formidable display leading from start to finish and making up for his 9^th position in race 1. He proved again that he can win GPs and if he shows consistency over 2 races, he could soon be a GP winner in 2023.

Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Roan Van de Moosdijk 6^th in the Standings, was a bit quieter in Trentino but still managed 7^th overall and continues on his good form. Winning race 1 in Switzerland will definititely put him with the favourites in Portugal. Liam Everts, 7^th in the Championship and getting better and better results as the season goes, clinched his first podium of his career with a 3-3 and a 2^nd place overall. With the pressure to get a first podium out of the way, the Belgian is now even more threatening for his rivals and will be one to watch over the weekend. He will want to carry on and grow his family’s legacy. 

Other riders such as F&H Kawasaki Racing Team’s Kevin Horgmo and Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Lucas Coenen, 8^th and 9^th in the Championship showed some fulgurance this season and even if they still missed on podiums and race wins, they proved that the potential is there and only need to get into good position early in races. TEM JP253 KTM Racing Team’s Jan Pancar is another rider that has definitely made some noise this season, even leading the MX2 RAM Qualifying Race in Switzerland for few laps. Being 10^th in the Standings is a testament to his hard work and tenacity. 

The MXGP of Portugal will mark the debut of another podium-worthy young rider, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Sacha Coenen. After an injury that had to push back his debut in MX2, S.Coenen will definitely be an important rider this season and it will be interesting to see him and his twin brother Lucas compete against each other in the big class. 

Main photo: MX2 Start Portugal 2022

Bottom Photos: 1. Andrea Adamo; 2. Jago Geerts

Championship Standings

1. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 205 points;
2. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 183 p.;
3. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 182 p.;
4. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 173 p.;
5. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GAS), 158 p.;
6. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, HUS), 147 p.;
7. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 140 p.;
8. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KAW), 119 p.;
9. Lucas Coenen (BEL, HUS), 102 p.;
10. Jan Pancar (SLO, KTM), 85 p.;

2022 MXGP of Portugal MX2 Top 3:

1. Tom Vialle
2. Mikkel Haarup
3. Jago Geerts
    

TIMETABLE (LOCAL TIME GMT+1)

SATURDAY: 09:15 EMX125 Free Practice, 09:40 EMX250 Free Practice, 10:30 MX2 Free Practice, 11:00 MXGP Free Practice, 11:55 EMX125 Qualifying practice, 12:30 EMX250 Qualifying practice, 13:45 MX2 Time Practice, 14:20 MXGP Time Practice, 15:05 EMX125 Race 1, 15:50 EMX250 Race 1, 16:35 MX2 RAM Qualifying Race, 17:20 MXGP RAM Qualifying Race.

SUNDAY: 09:40 EMX125 Race 2, 10:25 MX2 Warm-up, 10:45 MXGP Warm-up, 11:30 EMX350 Race 2, 13:15 MX2 Race 1, 14:15 MXGP Race 1, 16:10 MX2 Race 2, 17:10 MXGP Race 2.

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

FIM Europe

Agueda
 

The MXGP of Portugal will be held this weekend (29-30 April) on newly designed circuit of Agueda. 

Last Sunday 10 riders were invited to test the new layout and all the changes made in the jumps throughout the circuit. Amongst them them was Team HRC’s Ruben Fernandez, currently 5th in the Motocross World Championship and Portuguese rider Paulo Alberto, full time in the Brazilian Championship.
All the Portuguese riders invited by the organiser will race this weekend.

After a few laps of the track the feedback was unanimous, the changes in the design of the circuit of Agueda makes the Portuguese track even faster and more spectacular.

We are looking forward for the MXGP of Portugal and see the fastest riders in the worlds battle in Agueda on this amazing new circuit layout.

Photo Credits: Actib 

Infront Moto Racing is delighted to share the launch of the XACT PRO COMPONENTS from WP Suspension in collaboration with motocross legend Antonio Cairoli. 

With an incredible 9 MXGP World Titles and 178 victories to his name, Antonio Cairoli is a true legend of the sport. The XACT PRO COMPONENTS suspension set is the epitome of cutting-edge technology, available in a limited edition of just 222 units.

The set comprises a travel case to carry this special edition of the XACT PRO 8950 Shock absorber and the XACT PRO 7548 Fork, featuring laser-cut details, including Antonio Cairoli's signature, while the sleek black finish makes it one of the most high-end suspension kits on the market.

XACT PRO 8950 SHOCK TC222 Limited Edition TC222

TECHNICAL FEATURES:

• Special and limited design with TC222 Signature and laser-made details and all-black features.
• More safety and more comfort when riding
• Less physical strain on the rider
• Improved and smoother ride
• Fully adjustable compression and rebound damping allow each ride to adjust the strut to themselves and their riding style
• More traction and grip of the rear wheel, so you accelerate better
•  Fully adjustable compression and rebound damping allows individual optimization for each rider and their style of riding

XACT PRO 7548 FORK Limited Edition TC222

TECNHICAL FEATURES:

• Special and limited design with TC222 Signature and laser-made details and all-black features.
• Improved feedback from the track in every riding situation
• Pressurized system reduces cavitation risk – no damping loss
• Extreme longevity due to the use of only high-quality materials
• All settings can be adjusted externally and flexibly
• Specially handcrafted with the highest care

WP TRAVEL CASE
FEATURES:

• High-quality hard case with protective foam
• Includes wheels and handles for easy transport
• Watertight, crushproof, and dustproof
   

For more detailed information about the XACT PRO TC222, visit the WP Suspension website at ​https://www.wp-suspension.com/wp-suspension-tc222-limited-edition/

Photo Credits: WP SUSPENSION

LINKS
WP SUSPENSION WEBSITE

WP Suspension XACT PRO TC222

WP XACT PRO Antonio Cairoli Limited Edition Video
 

MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 24 April 2023 – The fifth round of the 2023 FIM Motocross World Championship is coming to Portugal and will be held at Aguedas on the 29-30th April!

Checkout the Timetable and Entry Lists for the MXGP of Portugal below

TIMETABLE

MXGP ENTRY LIST

MX2 ENTRY LIST

EMX125 ENTRY LIST

EMX250 ENTRY LIST

Behind The Gate Episode 4 - Bittersweet is out! 

GET AS CLOSE AS IT GETS TO THE BEST RIDERS IN THE WORLD!

Follow Jeremy Seewer in his quest to win his home GP in Switzerland and be with him throughout the Highs and Lows of the Grand Prix!
Included too in the BTG are the Highlights of the MXGP of Switzerland presented by iXS along with a special focus on another Swiss Rider, JK Racing’s Kevin Brumann.

With Behind The Gate – Episode 4 - Witness the intensity of what it takes and what it means to Win for Riders! Get into the World of the best MXGP Champions. 

Fourth Episode out! Now Get Ready to Watch the Best of MXGP! JUST CLICK HERE!
 

MONACO (Principality of Moanco) 24 April 2023 – Infront Moto Racing is excited to welcome a brand-new partner, as OC1 becomes an official supplier for the 2023 FIM Motocross World Championship.

The agreement will see OC1 supplying the MXGP series with cleaning products for trucks and tents throughout the season. With their love and passion for 2 wheels motorcycles, the company thrives on offering the best possible chemicals solutions for better results and making bikes cleaning more efficient. As part of the partnership, OC1 will also be visible in the paddock with logos around the washing areas.

About OC1:

2018 is the year when OC1 stepped into the market with safe and effective solutions to clean motorcycles. Today OC1 offers complete range of products to all their customers to maintain motorcycles and bicycles in best looking condition. The owner of the company, Tomasz Banaszak, strives to make the highest quality chemical products to take care of the 2-wheel vehicles.

To discover more about OC1 range of products click here:

https://oc1official.com

Infront Moto Racing looks forward for this new collaboration with OC1.

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

OC1

The opening four rounds of the 2023 MXGP Motocross World Championship have produced different GP winners and presently, it looks like at least four riders are going to fight more than ever for this year’s MXGP Title, four riders who are former World champions and clearly, four men with very consistent results so far.

Series leader Jorge Prado of the Red Bull GASGAS factory Racing Team, who won round four and has held the red plate since round one in Argentina, Maxime Renaux of the Monster Energy Yamaha factory team who won round three in Switzerland and runs second in the championship, Red Bull KTM factory Racing rider Jeffrey Herlings, who won the second round of the championship in Sardinia and is third in the championship points and Romain Febvre of the Kawasaki factory team, who is yet to win a round, but holds down fourth place in the championship points and won last weekend’s RAM Qualifying race.

“Actually, this weekend,” Prado said. “I didn’t really feel good on track, I didn’t have the good feeling you know, but this morning it kind of changed. I had a good sleep, I felt better on the warm-up and first race I knew I wanted to get that start and that is what I did. I am the guy now with the race wins and of course, that gives you confidence, because there is a reason for that, you know. The level is high. I am happy I am racing and competing with these guys, also with Jeffrey, who has won multiple titles in the MXGP class and known as the best sand rider or the fastest man on the planet and I am first in the points you know (a little laugh).”

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team’s Maxime Renaux came ever so close to winning two rounds in a row, as mentioned winning in Switzerland last week and then losing the Trentino round by just one point and you can feel his momentum is growing.

“I have to be happy with this weekend,” Renaux said. “It is a pity to lose the Grand Prix by one point, but I was inside the top-three in every session, so it was a great weekend. I’m obviously a little bit disappointed because I missed the win by one point, but this is part of the game. We cannot win every weekend. I’m just happy we’ve finally got the ball rolling and I am feeling very comfortable, so from here we will keep working and try to keep the same momentum going forward.”

As for Jeffrey Herlings, slowly he is getting back to his best speed, and we saw in race two of the Trentino round last weekend that his confidence to ride at his old level is coming back. He would of course like to be winning like in the years he completely dominated, but he knows as well as anyone, at the moment there are four guys who can win or be on the podium.

“I want to win myself,” Herlings said. “For now, it is very competitive. It is also good, because one day, this guy wins, the next day that guy wins. I am fifth, then I win. Romain won on Saturday last weekend and then didn’t make the podium. It is very close between us four. All of us can take away so many points from each other, which is good, because if you go on a weekend 1-1-1, then you make up a lot of points. When I used to fight with Tony Cairoli, we were always 1-1 or 2-2, same with Tommy Searle back in the day, always 1-1 and 2-2, so getting a gap in the points was difficult or catching the points leader was also difficult. Now, if I go 1-1-1 and the other guy goes 5-5-5, I can make up 25 points or something like that.”

And finally, Romain Febvre who is starting to show the same form that took him to a World Title in 2015 and Vice Motocross World Champion in 2021. While he missed to podium due to a crash in race one, he continues to look dangerous and capable of winning a Grand Prix sooner rather than later.

"It was a very tough Sunday with a crash at the start of the first race. I can’t blame myself as another rider crashed on me and I couldn’t do anything about it; I was under several bikes and started the race dead last. With forty riders on the track, it’s a big challenge to pass them, especially as there were less lines than on Saturday after they flattened the track. It wasn't easy to pass, but that’s racing; I didn’t get a single clear, fast lap in the traffic. My second start was good, but I couldn't find my rhythm at first and made a few mistakes; when I found my lines, I had the same speed as the riders in front of me but, as I wasn’t faster, I couldn’t join them."

So, in a little under two weeks, these four men will head to Portugal and try to slow down the progress of each other and put more points on the board than their main rivals. Whatever happens in Agueda, be sure that these four are on the podium, or close to it.

A few hours after Jago Geerts extended his MX2 World Championship lead, the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 visits Sidi's headquarters

Maser, 20 April 2023 - After the celebrations and some sleep, the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 visits Sidi at its Maser headquarters. Jago Geerts, current MX2 leader, was enthusiastic about how the company is close to the riders and their needs: "I didn't know Sidi was a few hours drive from the Trento circuit, I was curious to see the company where the boots I wear are designed and produced. Now I know why the company is a favorite among the pros. I noticed so much precision and realized that here, as on the track, the details really make a difference."

It was about 5pm on Sunday, April 16, when on the track of Pietramurata (TN) Jago Geerts extended his lead in the MX2 World Championship out to 205 points, distancing Andrea Adamo - winner of the 4th round of the series - by 22 points and his team mate, Thibault Benistant, by 23. A surprising result confirming what Hans Corvers announced at the beginning of the season: "We want to win the world title.” After a good start in Argentina, Geerts’ victory in Riola Sardo and the hat-trick scored by Benistant in Switzerland, the conditions seem to be in place. 

"Although I was hoping for a better result in Trento, I am excited about how things are going. We are only at the beginning and we still have many possibilities. This last race was complicated but in Portugal we will open a new page," says Thibault Benistant, who was immediately joined by current European EMX250 Champion Rick Elzinga. "I rode well even if I did not manage to bring home the result I was hoping for, I am not losing heart and I am preparing for the next round. The championship has just started, the team is there and we have proved it. The technical partners are there as well and we are ready to continue."

Racing has always been at the core of Sidi with athletes being an essential part of its development and testing. “Motocross is one of our homes and a really beloved one,” says Davide Rossetti, CEO of Sidi Sport. “This year Trento was a particularly special day as the entire company was invited to attend the race with their families: the sport is a passion embedded in our company, so it just felt great to be here with the team and their loved ones.”

Sidi was born in 1960 from the idea of creating the best footwear for two-wheel sports. Thanks to the unique and exclusive relationship with top athletes in cycling and motorcycling - including Francesco Moser, Giacomo Agostini, Joel Robert, Stefan Everts, Paolo Bettini, Tony Cairoli, Billy Bolt, Egan Bernal, Richard Carapaz, Kiara Fontanesi, Alvaro Bautista, Colin Edwards, Gregg Blak, Sylvain Guintoli - the company has revolutionised the world of footwear with unique technologies such as the semi-adjustable cleat, the rotor closure, carbon soles, anti-hyper-extension systems, SRS and many others. It is with the same spirit that Sidi continues to create technologies to improve the experience and safety on both bikes and motorbikes.

Photos Credit: SIDI

MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 20 April 2023 - The FIM Ride True anti-doping campaign continued to share its ongoing message with a briefing for more than one hundred-and thirty athletes, their parents, team managers and close associates at this month’s Swiss Round of the FIM Motocross World Championship at Frauenfeld.

The briefing for MXGP, MX2 and WMX riders was conducted by the internationally-recognised Swiss Sport Integrity organisation and addressed issues surrounding the dangers of doping, ethical misconduct and wrongdoing in sport.

As well as being educated on the dangers of doping, those in attendance learned about available online resources to help identify prohibited substances that could be present in nutritional supplements and over-the-counter medicines.

David Luongo, Infront Moto Racing CEO, was unequivocal on the subject of anti-doping: “This is a matter we regard with the utmost importance,” he said. “There is no place in the sport for doping and we are collaborating with the FIM to ensure the athletes strictly adhere to this. The FIM stringent programme of testing ensures a level playing field for everyone so ability, training, talent, and machinery are the sole deciding factors.”

A survey conducted after the briefing resulted in positive feedback and additional briefings are planned for later in the year.

Maxime Renaux, Monster Energy Yamaha MXGP Team, said: “It was really interesting for us riders to see a bit more in detail what the anti-doping rules are. I learned that some medication changes between countries and also about the contamination of some products so we need to pay attention to this. It was really interesting and we should be more attentive to the doping rules.

“I am checking myself but I have been working for many years with the same products so everything is checked. I believe it is important to keep the riders aware about the anti-doping rules. I know it is hard to get tests every weekend but I believe it is important to have a clean sport with every rider with the same rules and fighting on the same level.”

Courtney Duncan, Big Van World MTX Kawasaki, said: “I learned quite a bit although I’ve watched a few protocols before so I knew quite a lot of the stuff. I check supplement and also my nutritionist checks them just to make sure they’re not WADA-prohibited. It’s very important. It just keeps the sport clean – fair winners, no-one’s cheating.”

David Braceras, F&H Kawasaki, said: “I always check supplements with my doctors to be safe and healthy. I do a blood test every month. It is important for myself and other competitors to be at the same level. For me anti-doping is really, really important. Imagine if you are doing everything level and you are racing with another rider who is taking something additional to you – it is not fair. All the riders must have the same opportunities.”

Kiara Fontanesi, MXFonta Racing, said: “We all have a great engine inside ourselves. It is about how you train it, how you feed it and how you repeat this. The more clean you are the better power you have. That’s how you reach victories.”

Raf Meuwissen, Young Motion Yamaha, said: “It was a very interesting briefing and I learned a few things I didn’t know. I was in the Dutch selection for a few years and the coach of the team gave me an app for my phone so I could always check every supplement. 

 “Train hard and take the right stuff and you will be ready for the race. I think anti-doping is really good. If you check it and you know it then you will be aware of it. It is always better that everyone is safe and I think it’s important.”

Antonio Cairoli, nine-time FIM Motocross World Champion and current Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager, said: “Motocross is not a sport where if you take doping substances you will go faster. It is a sport that requires a lot of sacrifices and if you make it the right way you will be twice as proud.”

Jonas Personeni, Director of Prevention and Communication at Swiss Sport Integrity, said: “It was a great experience. It was the first time for me in this environment and the people are very engaged and very passionate. The athletes are aware that they are subject to the anti-doping rules, they know what to do and they are well-prepared, so the goal is to prevent any inadvertent anti-doping violations. It is important for athletes to have a fair chance to know the rules [and] that they have the knowledge to be aware of the requirements.”

David McManus, FIM Medical Director, concluded: “The main pillars of the FIM anti-doping programme are fairness, integrity, minimise risk and improve the health and safety of our riders. As part of its anti-doping programme, the FIM has over a number of years introduced educational initiatives to improve the awareness of riders and their support personnel regarding doping issues. Our belief is that by increasing knowledge and understanding, positive doping tests can be prevented.

“We have been supported in our briefings by a number of organisations including national anti-doping organisations as well as well-known riders and we would like to extend a special thanks to Infront Moto Racing for supporting the FIM Ride True anti-doping campaign at Frauenfeld.

 “As a result of these initiatives riders and their teams are increasingly aware of the need to consider and question the potential risk from various substances and the potential impact on their health and our sport.”

Watch the Video HERE

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM