MXGP

Starting off the Sunday at the new and massive Semarang circuit was a traditional opening ceremony alongside the Skybox and the podium of the MXGP of Asia.

The opening ceremony started with the national anthem, then hosted a traditional Semarang dance performance, and concluded with Youthstream Vice President David Luongo, FIM Asia President Mr. Stephen Carapiet, S.E. M.M, and Chief of the IMI Mr. Sadikin Aksa and Mayor of Semarang Mr. Hendrar Prihadi, thanking the fans and showing their appreciation for the hospitality shown to MXGP.

Photo: From left to right: MXGP of Asia Organizer Alfonus Judiarto, FIM Asia President Mr. Stephen Carapiet, Chief of the IMI Mr. Sadikin Aksa, Youthstream Vice President David Luongo, Mayor of Semarang Mr. Hendrar Prihadi, Head Police Deputy of Central Java Area Brigjen Ahme Lutfi, BSB City Bp Timotius Dharmawan Harsono, MXGP of Asia Speaker Anindya Putri.

SEMARANG (Indonesia-Asia) 07 July 2018 - MXGP’s first race day at the MXGP of Asia in Semarang is complete. The massive hand crafted track hosted the biggest names in the FIM Motocross World Championship today but Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings and Pauls Jonass took the MXGP and MX2 qualifying wins respectively.

The friendly MXGP of Asia host city of Semarang welcomed the riders and paddock throughout the week and came out to watch the riders early this morning. Unique soil on the track tested the riders today. The 1,750 meter long circuit was full of pristine jumps rising and dropping along with the natural elevation change which produced lap times of just under 2 minutes.

MXGP’s Qualifying race was led off of the start by Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings after he lined up third from the inside gate. Lining up to his inside on the long left hand start was the only two riders faster in Time Practice, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s Romain Febvre and Team HRC’s Tim Gajser.

Gajser came out of the start in 2nd behind Herlings but just ahead of Wilvo Yamaha Official MXGP’s Jeremy Seewer. Febvre was 4th with fellow Frenchman, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Gautier Paulin in 5th. Herlings championship rival and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Teammate Antonio Cairoli was 6th.

While Herlings led he came under pressure from Gajser who charged early in the race to battle for the win. Gajser showed Herlings a wheel on many occasions but Herlings responded every time. As Gajser tried to match the pace of Herlings for the lead Febvre was urgently looking to pass Seewer for third. The pressure from Febvre increased as Herlings and Gajser pulled a slight gap on the pair of Yamaha’s but to no success. Seewer responded to the charge of Febvre by catching Gajser.

Cairoli meanwhile had fought his way back into 6th after briefly being passed by Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Clement Desalle. The lead four had separated themselves from the rest of the field early and Cairoli was left fighting for 5th with Paulin. On lap 10 of 12 Paulin’s fight for the spot was lost when he fell on the entry to a corner. The mistake from the #21 allowed both Cairoli and Desalle to move forward a position. At the finish Herlings topped Gajser by over 4 seconds with Seewer 3rd, Febvre 4th, and Cairoli 5th.

BOS GP’s Evgeny Bobryshev and Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Julien Lieber both crashed separately during the race but Bobryshev was unable to rejoin the race while Lieber got back up in 13th. Leiber eventually finished 21st however after being penalized along with Bike It DRT Kawasaki’s Tommy Searle in 22nd and Standing Construct KTM’s Kevin Strijbos in 23rd. Also notable was the absence of the 2017 MXGP of Indonesia winner, Wilvo Yamaha Official MXGP’s Shaun Simpson.

Jeffrey Herlings: “I am feeling better every day I am riding. It was a good day, qualifying first I think the inside gate will be best even though today I started from gate three. We will see how it goes tomorrow, I think the start will be really important but I think the track is absolutely awesome.”

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Glenn Coldenhoff took 11th and later said: “Today I didn’t have a good start, I didn’t do well in Time Practice so I was very far outside on the gate. Overall though my feeling is good here, it is a beautiful track.”

MXGP Qualifying Race Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 24:08.172; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:04.011; 3. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:04.592; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:04.931; 5. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:24.354; 6. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:26.475; 7. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:27.857; 8. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:29.174; 9. Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:30.881; 10. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), +0:34.576; 11

MXGP Photos

Main Photo: Jeffrey Herlings and Tim Gajser

Bottom Photos: 1. Jeremy Seewer 2. Romain Febvre

MX2’s Racing was a sight for the Indonesian fans as well with the 250cc bikes stretching out the massive jumps of the Semarang circuit. Off the start it looked as if Kemea Yamaha Official MX2 Team’s Ben Watson was about to take his first holeshot. Unfortunately for Watson Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado came out of the first turn with the lead.

Watson’s best start of the year put him third after the first lap with Prado’s Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Teammate Pauls Jonass also making it past the Brit. In 4th and 5th position were Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Kjer Olsen and Thomas Covington.

Last week’s MX2 overall winner, Team HRC’s Calvin Vlaanderen was in 6th with Yamaha SM Action - M.C. Migliori’s Michele Cervellin and Kemea Yamaha Official MX2 Team’s Jago Geerts giving chase.

The first portion of the race Prado held a steady pace and lead over Jonass but just before the halfway mark Jonass started making up time little by little. Prado then reached the tail end of lapped traffic which allowed Jonass to close the gap to nearly nothing. With Jonass on the back wheel of Prado it took just over a lap to make a pass for the lead stick.

Another rider on a clear mission to forward was Kemea Yamaha Official MX2’s Anthony Rodriguez. Rodriguez looked comfortable on the track since Free Practice and showed impressive speed passing both Cervellin and Geerts in the race to take 7th.

The remainder of the race stayed relatively unchanged and at the finish Jonass kept Prado behind him to score his 4th pole position of 2018 with Watson 3rd, Olsen 4th, Covington 5th, and Vlaanderen matching his qualifying position from last week of 6th.

Pauls Jonass: “The qualifying went really good. I haven’t won a qualifying race in a while so it was good to win and go the gate first because here the start is very important. I think they did a really good job on the track.”

Calvin Vlaanderen: “The qualifying race was quite good, we got off to a good start and I was in 6th from the first laps. I just saved some energy for tomorrow…we just did our thing today but tomorrow hopefully we get 2 good starts so we can run up front and fight for the podium again.”

MX2 Qualifying Race Top Ten: 1. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 24:40.845; 2. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), +0:03.494; 3. Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:13.480; 4. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:19.305; 5. Thomas Covington (USA, Husqvarna), +0:29.844; 6. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Honda), +0:32.118; 7. Anthony Rodriguez (VEN, Yamaha), +0:33.955; 8. Michele Cervellin (ITA, Yamaha), +0:39.748; 9. Brent Van doninck (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:52.387; 10. Davy Pootjes (NED, KTM), +1:02.610

MX2 Photos

Main Photo: Pauls Jonass

Bottom Photos: 1. Jorge Prado 2. Ben Watson

Click here to obtain the complete results

All the photos from the MXGP of Asia will be available HERE

MXGP of Asia – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1,750m

Type of ground: Red Clay

Temperature: 34°

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 MXGP-TV.com. Click here for the complete list of countries and cooperating MXGP broadcasting networks.

TIMETABLE in Local Time (GMT+7)

Sunday: 10h25 MX2 Warm-up, 10h45 MXGP Warm-up, 12h15 MX2 Race 1, 13h15 MXGP Race 1, 15h10 MX2 Race 2, 16h10 MXGP Race 2

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

MXGP of Asia

SEMARANG (Indonesia-Asia) 06 July 2018 - The 2018 MXGP of Asia is less than 24 hours away from racing and the first events of the weekend have already taken place. The beautiful Semarang, Indonesia is the welcoming host venue of round 13 and today was the focus of 2 media events.

Starting from the Semarang circuit media, paddock members, riders, friends and family joined a tour of the Central Java capital city. Riders taking part in the tour were Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Clement Desalle, Team HRC’s Tim Gajser, Todd Waters and Calvin Vlaanderen, Kemea Yamaha Official MX2 Team’s Ben Watson, Jago Geerts and Anthony Rodriguez, F&H Kawasaki Racing Team’s Adam Sterry, LRT KTM’s Davy Pootjes, and Honda 114 Motorsports Bas Vaessen.

Home to nearly 2 million people the tour first headed through the city with a dedicated tour guide to points of interest and explaining the history of the area. The guests were given traditional food and drink of Semarang as a welcoming gift.

Marking first stop of the tour was the Chinese temple Sam Poo Kong also known as Gedung Batu Temple. The Temple is the oldest of its kind in the area originating from the early 13th century. Though now a major tourist attraction the location is still a sight of worship. MXGP’s Tour members first took in the sights of the temple before watching a traditional Chinese lion dance (Barongsai) and Reog an Indonesian traditional dance. Joining together the riders took family photos before receiving a parting gift and continuing the tour.

From Sam Poo Kong the trip drove through China Town and continued to the Old Town of Semarang from its time as a Dutch Colony. Stopping in the heart of Old Town riders and guest walked through the streets to a creative gallery before a group photo in front of a landmark Protestant church founded in 1753 to close the tour.

The evening carried on and for the second event of the day the paddock headed to an upscale Semarang hotel for a welcoming meet and greet. The ballroom of the Gumaya Tower Hotel hosted an opening dance performance in traditional form with a video presentation and speeches from the officials in attendance such as Youthstream Vice President Mr. David Luongo, FIM Asia President Mr. Stephen Carapiet, FIM/CMS Director Mr. Tony Skillington, Mayor of Semarang Mr. Hendrar Prihadi, S.E. M.M, Chief of the IMI Mr. Sadikin Aksa and Executive Director of KTM/Husqvarna Mr. Selvaraj Narayana.

Adding to the list of notable representatives was the riders of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli, Jeffrey Herlings, Glenn Coldenhoff, Pauls Jonass and Jorge Prado, TM Racing Factory Team’s Max Nagl, BOS GP’s Evgeny Bobryshev, together with national riders.

To close the event all the riders and notable figures took the stage for a family photo before taking in a specially prepared dinner. The riders, teams, media, and thousands of welcoming fans now gear up for tomorrow’s highly anticipated Qualifying races at the new circuit of Semarang for the inaugural MXGP of Asia.

Top Main Photo: Youthstream Vice President Mr. David Luongo, FIM Asia President Mr. Stephen Carapiet, FIM/CMS Director Mr. Tony Skillington, Mayor of Semarang Mr. Hendrar Prihadi, S.E. M.M, Chief of the IMI Mr. Sadikin Aksa and Executive Director of KTM/Husqvarna Mr. Selvaraj Narayana, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli, Jeffrey Herlings, Glenn Coldenhoff, Pauls Jonass and Jorge Prado, TM Racing Factory Team’s Max Nagl, BOS GP’s Evgeny Bobryshev, National Riders, local Authorities, MXGP Presenters & Traditional Dancers

All the photos from the MXGP of Asia will be available HERE

TIMETABLE in Local Time (GMT+7)

Saturday: 09h45 MX2 Free Practice, 10h15 MXGP Free Practice, 12h10 MX2 Time Practice, 12h50 MXGP Time Practice, 14h25 MX2 Qualifying Race, 15h10 MXGP Qualifying Race

Sunday: 10h25 MX2 Warm-up, 10h45 MXGP Warm-up, 12h15 MX2 Race 1, 13h15 MXGP Race 1, 15h10 MX2 Race 2, 16h10 MXGP Race 2

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

MXGP of Asia

SEMARANG (Indonesia - Asia), 06 July 2018 - The FIM Motocross World Championship paddock has shifted Islands to Java, Indonesia for the 2018 MXGP of Asia in Semarang! The new venue will host the world’s best riders on a never before seen circuit. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings is back in action with his win from Pangkal Pinang coming just weeks after fracturing his collarbone. Splitting race wins and keeping the points chase close is Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli who remains 12 points behind Herlings. Team HRC’s Calvin Vlaanderen will look to keep his momentum after scoring his career first MX2 win only last week.

The new track in Semarang will see its first MXGP race in a weekend that will test the best riders, their mechanics, and teams as they search for the winning recipe. The 2018 MXGP of Asia will receive worldwide television coverage from its traditional partners with Live coverage of both Saturday and Sunday from Indonesia’s Trans TV in addition to the robust coverage provided by Fox Sports Asia.

The entire event including Saturday’s Qualifying and the races of both MXGP and MX2 on Sunday will be streamed LIVE worldwide from Semarang on www.MXGP-TV.com

As usual you can watch the 26min Behind the Gate in Europe on motorsport.tv & MotorTrend two days after the event. It can also be viewed in the USA/Canada on BeIn and MAV TV, Finland on MTV 3, Croatia on Kreator TV, South America on FOX Sports, Asia on FOX Sports, China on Fox Sports and SINA, and the Africa on Africa XP.

Check the guides below to find out how you can watch the MXGP of Asia:

USA- CANADA

CBS Sports Network

Sunday 8 July – MX2 Race 2 – 12:00 pm ET (09:00 am PT) - Delayed

Sunday 8 July  – MXGP Race 2 – 01:00 pm ET (10.00 am PT) - Delayed

EUROPE

EUROSPORT 2

Sunday 8 July  – MX2 Race 1 – 07:00 – CET- Live

Sunday 8 July  – MXGP Race 1 – 08:00 – CET - Live

Sunday 8 July  – MX2 Race 2 – 10:00 – CET - Live

Sunday 8 July  – MXGP Race 2 – 11:00– CET - Live

Motorsport.tv

Sunday 8 July  – MX2 Race 1 – 07:00 – CET- Live

Sunday 8 July  – MXGP Race 1 – 08:00 – CET - Live

Sunday 8 July  – MX2 Race 2 – 10:00 – CET - Live

Sunday 8 July  – MXGP Race 2 – 11:00– CET - Live

BELGIUM

PLAY SPORTS 1

Sunday 8 July  – MXGP Race 1 – 08:00 – CET - Live

Sunday 8 July  – MXGP Race 2 – 11:00– CET - Live

BULGARIA

BNT

Sunday 8 July  – MXGP Race 1 – 09:00 – Bulgarian Time - Live

Sunday 8 July  – MXGP Race 2 – 13:45– Bulgarian Time - Delayed

FRANCE

EUROSPORT 2

Sunday 8 July  – MX2 Race 1 – 07:00 – CET- Live

Sunday 8 July  – MXGP Race 1 – 08:00 – CET - Live

Sunday 8 July  – MX2 Race 2 – 10:00 – CET - Live

Sunday 8 July  – MXGP Race 2 – 11:00– CET - Live

La chaîne l’Equipe

Sunday 8 July  – MX2 Race 2 – 10:00 – CET - Live

Sunday 8 July  – MXGP Race 2 – 11:00– CET - Live

Motorsport.tv

Sunday 8 July  – MX2 Race 1 – 07:00 – CET- Live

Sunday 8 July  – MXGP Race 1 – 08:00 – CET - Live

Sunday 8 July  – MX2 Race 2 – 10:00 – CET - Live

Sunday 8 July  – MXGP Race 2 – 11:00– CET – Live

ITALY

RAI Sports 2 HD

Sunday 8 July  – MXGP Race 1 – 08:00 – CET - Live

Sunday 8 July  – MXGP Race 2 – 11:00– CET - Live

NETHERLAND

NOS

Sunday 8 July  – MXGP Race 1 – 08:00 – CET – Live Streaming

Sunday 8 July  – MXGP Race 2 – 11:00– CET – Live Streaming

PORTUGAL

Sport TV 5

Sunday 8 July  – MX2 Race 1 – 06:00 – GMT- Live

Sunday 8 July  – MXGP Race 1 – 07:00 – GMT - Live

Sunday 8 July  – MX2 Race 2 – 09:00 – GMT - Live

Sunday 8 July  – MXGP Race 2 – 10:00– GMT - Live

SLOVENIA 

Sport TV1

Sunday 8 July  – MX2 Race 1 – 07:00 – CET- Live

Sunday 8 July  – MXGP Race 1 – 08:00 – CET - Live

Sunday 8 July  – MX2 Race 2 – 10:00 – CET - Live

Sunday 8 July  – MXGP Race 2 – 11:00– CET – Live

UK

Motorsport.tv

Sunday 8 July  – MX2 Race 1 – 07:00 – CET- Live

Sunday 8 July  – MXGP Race 1 – 08:00 – CET - Live

Sunday 8 July  – MX2 Race 2 – 10:00 – CET - Live

Sunday 8 July  – MXGP Race 2 – 11:00– CET – Live

INDONESIA

TransTV

Saturday 07 July  – MX2 Qualifying – 14:15 – Local time – Live

Saturday 07 July  – MXGP Qualifying – 15:00 – Local time – Live

Sunday 8 July  – MX2 Race 2 – 15:00 – Local time - Live

Sunday 8 July  – MXGP Race 2 – 16:00– Local time - Live

FOX SPORTS Indonesia

Tuesday 10 July  – MX2 Race 1 – 03:00 HKT– Delayed

Tuesday 10 July  – MXGP Race 1 – 04:00 HKT – Delayed

Tuesday 10 July  – MX2 Race 2 – 05:00 HKT – Delayed

Tuesday 10 July  – MXGP Race 2 – 06:00 HKT – Delayed

ASIA

FOX SPORTS SEA (Hong Kong – Macau – Thailand – Singapore – Indonesia)

Tuesday 10 July  – MX2 Race 1 – 03:00 HKT– Delayed

Tuesday 10 July  – MXGP Race 1 – 04:00 HKT – Delayed

Tuesday 10 July  – MX2 Race 2 – 05:00 HKT – Delayed

Tuesday 10 July  – MXGP Race 2 – 06:00 HKT – Delayed

FOX SPORTS 2 SEA Cambodia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Macau, Mongolia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore,  Thailand, Vietnam

Sunday 08 July  – MX2 Race 1 – 13:00 HKT– Live

Sunday 08 July  – MXGP Race 1 – 14:00 HKT – Live

Sunday 08 July  – MX2 Race 2 – 16:00 HKT – Live

Sunday 08 July  – MXGP Race 2 – 17:00 HKT – Live

FOX SPORTS 2 Malaysia

Sunday 08 July  – MX2 Race 1 – 13:00 HKT– Live

Sunday 08 July  – MXGP Race 1 – 14:00 HKT – Live

Sunday 08 July  – MX2 Race 2 – 16:00 HKT – Live

Sunday 08 July  – MXGP Race 2 – 17:00 HKT – Live

FOX SPORTS 3 SEA(Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Macau, Mongolia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore,  Thailand, Malaysia

FOX SPORTS SEA (Hong Kong – Macau – Thailand – Singapore – Indonesia)

Monday 09 July  – MX2 Race 1 – 11:00 HKT– Delayed

Monday 09 July  – MXGP Race 1 – 12:00 HKT – Delayed

Monday 09 July  – MX2 Race 2 – 13:00 HKT – Delayed

Monday 09 July  – MXGP Race 2 – 14:00 HKT – Delayed

CHINA

STAR Sports  China

Monday 09 July  – MX2 Race 1 – 14:00 HKT– Delayed

Monday 09 July  – MXGP Race 1 – 15:00 HKT – Delayed

Monday 09 July  – MX2 Race 2 – 16:00 HKT – Delayed

Monday 09 July  – MXGP Race 2 – 17:00 HKT – Delayed

BRAZIL

BANDSPORTS

Sunday 8 July  – MXGP Race 1 – 3:00 – Brazil timing - Live

Sunday 8 July  – MXGP Race 2 – 06:00 – Brazil timing – Live

MXGP will be available across the board in high definition and is also globally available to view live and in HD on MXGP-TV.com. Click here for the complete list of countries and cooperating MXGP broadcasting networks.

All the photos from the MXGP of Asia will be available HERE

TIMETABLE in Local Time (GMT+7)

Saturday: 09h45 MX2 Free Practice, 10h15 MXGP Free Practice, 12h10 MX2 Time Practice, 12h50 MXGP Time Practice, 14h25 MX2 Qualifying Race, 15h10 MXGP Qualifying Race

Sunday: 10h25 MX2 Warm-up, 10h45 MXGP Warm-up, 12h15 MX2 Race 1, 13h15 MXGP Race 1, 15h10 MX2 Race 2, 16h10 MXGP Race 2

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

MXGP of Asia

South African Calvin Vlaanderen is an emotional guy and very honest. To see him crying on the podium after his Grand Prix victory last weekend, well that was a little special. The GP win also saw him join a selection of few South African riders to win on the World scene, names like Greg Albertyn, Grant Langston, and Tyla Rattray are part of that group, all former World champions.

Of course a World championship is a long way off for the HRC rider, but his first GP win, might just give him the confidence and motivation to strive to join his legendary countrymen.

“I am speechless,” Vlaanderen said. “The first race was good, and I was behind Thomas, but then I hit the wall, and struggled. The second race, to win and win the Grand Prix. I am so emotional and proud to be a South African winning a Grand Prix. When I was younger I was at Lierop, when Tyla Rattray won his last Grand Prix and he was the last South African to win a GP. It was so cool to win in front of the fans.

It wasn’t the first time Vlaanderen showed his emotions though, also in 2017, when he made his first ever GP podium it was time to celebrate with his team and family.

“I cried when I got on the podium for the first time last year, and again here in Indonesia, but I can’t explain how it felt to win, very emotional. I want to thank the team, my family, my girlfriend, and so many people. Also for Honda this is a good moment. I wasn’t expecting this win! In race one I got a good start and was second for most of the race, but then kind of blew the last few minutes and got passed. Third place was not bad.”

After struggling a little in the first race, the HRC man find a special time in his career and shot to the front of the pack and dominated the second race.

“Before the second race I was fired up: I told one of the mechanics that I felt like a holeshot was coming, and it happened! When you have a clear track ahead you can take the lines you prefer and do your own thing. It’s such a cool feeling to cross the line in first place, and to win the first GP is unbelievable. Since I was three it was my dream to win a Grand Prix and I finally done it. I felt it was coming and I’m glad to be rewarding the team with a win; they have always supported with their hard work and helped me to improve as a rider, so a huge thank you to them – they deserve it!”

Now onto Semarang, where Vlaanderen will try and keep the momentum going, and while back to back GP wins might be difficult, the circuit on which this second Indonesian Grand Prix will be ridden will suit the South African well.

SEMARANG (Indonesia - Asia) 05 July 2018 - Now into the second half of the 2018 season the buzz for the 2019 MXGP season has begun. In addition to the recently announced MXGP of Hong Kong and the MXGP of China Youthstream proudly releases the 2019 FIM Motocross World Championship Provisional Calendar.

The season opening venue has yet to be announced but will take place towards the end of February and will be followed by MXGP’s return to Argentina. After the early fly away trip MXGP will return to Great Britain’s Matterly Basin circuit, head straight to Valkenswaard for the MXGP of the Netherlands, then continue south to the MXGP of Trentino at Pietramurata.

The teams will then prepare for the second fly away trip with back to back races in the massive Asian market at the MXGP of Hong Kong and the MXGP of China on Wednesday the 1st of May. Marking its 3rd successive year on the calendar is the MXGP of Russia at Orlyonok along the coast of the Black Sea.

From Russia the championship will return to the West for the MXGP of Latvia, Germany, France, and Lombardia. After nearly 2 months in Europe MXGP will then set sail for Indonesia’s Pangkal Pinang and Semarang for the MXGP of Indonesia and Asia respectively.

Continuing back into Europe the series will make its way to the ever familiar MXGP of Czech Republic in Loket and the MXGP of Belgium in Lommel before heading to the MXGP of Turkey in Afyonkarahisar.

The final 3 rounds to complete the 20 round season will be the MXGP of Switzerland in Frauenfeld-Gachnang, the MXGP of Portugal in Agueda, and the MXGP of Italy at Imola hosting the season finale for its second year in a row.

The dutch community will not only see the MXGP of the Netherlands in 2019 but also the return of the biggest event of the year to European soil, the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations in Assen the 29th of September.

The new season will be full of action and racing on a global scale again making the FIM Motocross World Championship the premier motocross series on the planet.

The provisional MXGP and MX2 calendar including the racing scheduled for Women’s Motocross World Championship, All European Championships, and the Veteran World Cup can be viewed below.

The 2019 Provisional Calendar Visual can be downloaded HERE & by clicking HERE you are able to download the grid  in PDF format. 

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

FIM Europe

SEMARANG (Asia) 04 July 2018 – The FIM Motocross World Championship has entered its second week in Indonesia and the racing now takes to Semarang in Central Java for the 2018 MXGP of Asia. Nearly a thousand kilometers to the South of last weekend’s racing, in Pangkal Pinang, the circuit is completely new and made specifically for the event. The new track and previously unknown soil will test both the riders and their teams as they look for the best set-up.

Indonesian fans turned up in large numbers for the MXGP in Pangkal Pinang but even more are expected this weekend as the venue is in the metropolitan area of Semarang which is home to over 1.5 million people. On top of the thousands of fans expected is more intense racing action with the best in the world fighting for the championship in both MXGP and MX2.

The MXGP of Asia comes just after Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings made his return to racing in Pangkal Pinang from injury. Many questioned Herlings’ ability to win after missing both training and bike time but the MXGP points leader silenced the critics with his 2-1 performance to take the win over Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli. While Herlings is not 100% neither is Cairoli after picking up an unknown thumb injury from a crash last weekend. While Cairoli and Herlings are both likely to fight for the win again many others will look to capitalize on their potential weakness.

First and foremost Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Clement Desalle will look to return to the podium after taking 5th overall last week. Desalle was strong in race 1 with his 3rd place finish but struggled in race 2 with an 8th. The lone GP rider to beat Cairoli and Herlings holds third in the championship but is coming under pressure.

Apply the pressure to Desalle is Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s Romain Febvre who comes off of his second podium in 2018 last weekend. Febvre has been on the mend from an ankle injury but he is returning to form and will likely be a podium threat in Semarang.

Also returning to the battle at the front is Team HRC’s Tim Gajser. Gajser willingness to fight for the win is clear especially after battling with both Cairoli and Herlings for the lead early in the racing last week. 4th overall in Pangkal Pinang Gajser just missed out on the podium but the new track in Semarang may suit his style better.

Not to forget is Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Gautier Paulin and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Glenn Coldenhoff. Paulin has had a few up and down races the past rounds but has the speed to fight up front while Coldenhoff has been consistently strong and just missed the top 5 last week.

MXGP Championship Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 533 points; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 521 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 407 p.; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 390 p.; 5. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 368 p.; 6. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HUS), 363 p.; 7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 319 p.; 8. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 279 p.; 9. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 257 p.; 10. Maximilian Nagl (GER, TM), 211 p.

MXGP Photos: 

Main Photo: Jeffrey Herlings

In MX2 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Jorge Prado and Pauls Jonass both left some points on the table in Pangkal Pinang. Prado left too little time last week to take 3rd in race one and he lost positions late in race 2 before finishing 3rd overall.

Jonass meanwhile had a strong second in race 1 but dropped numerous positions in race 2 as well before finishing 7th for 5th overall. Coming to Semarang Jonass leads the points by 2 less than a week ago with 7 over Prado.

Team HRC’s Calvin Vlaanderen took full advantage of the action in Pangkal Pinang to take his first ever MX2 Overall. Vlaanderen sits in the top 5 in points and after last week became the first South African rider to win a GP since 2008. With Vlaanderen it will be interesting to see if he keeps the winning momentum or not in Semarang.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Covington claimed another race win to start out the Indonesian campaign but a bad start held the American back from getting the overall. Consistency and strong start will be the goal for Covington this week to improve his result.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Kjer Olsen finished 7th last weekend but still manages a 18 point lead over Kemea Yamaha Official MX2 Team’s Ben Watson for third in the championship standings. Watson had impressive speed a week ago but was again hindered by a bad start to race 1. If Watson can grab two good starts and avoid mistakes we could see the second rider in 2 weeks to get their career first overall win in MX2.

Also to watch is LRT KTM’s Davy Pootjes and Kemea Yamaha Official MX2 Team’s Jago Geerts. Both Pootjes and Geerts impressed last round as they battled in the top 5 taking positions from Jonass along the way.

MX2 Championship Top Ten: 1. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 510 points; 2. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 503 p.; 3. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 394 p.; 4. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 376 p.; 5. Calvin Vlaanderen (RSA, HON), 331 p.; 6. Thomas Covington (USA, HUS), 297 p.; 7. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 275 p.; 8. Michele Cervellin (ITA, YAM), 230 p.; 9. Henry Jacobi (GER, HUS), 223 p.; 10. Davy Pootjes (NED, KTM), 218 p.

MX2 Photos: 

Main Photo: MX2 Start at the MXGP of Indonesia 2018

All the photos from the MXGP of Asia will be available HERE

TIMETABLE in Local Time (GMT+7)

Saturday: 09h45 MX2 Free Practice, 10h15 MXGP Free Practice, 12h10 MX2 Time Practice, 12h50 MXGP Time Practice, 14h25 MX2 Qualifying Race, 15h10 MXGP Qualifying Race

Sunday: 10h25 MX2 Warm-up, 10h45 MXGP Warm-up, 12h15 MX2 Race 1, 13h15 MXGP Race 1, 15h10 MX2 Race 2, 16h10 MXGP Race 2

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

MXGP of Asia

MXGP is in Indonesia for the second round on Indonesian soil, the MXGP of Asia set to take place in Semarang this 7th and 8th July. Pleqase find here below the link where to download the documents in PDF format. 

TIMETABLE

MXGP ENTRY LIST

MX2 ENTRY LIST

You could call it the greatest show on earth, because what we are seeing in the MXGP class is just mind boggling. The two Red Bull KTM Factory riders Jeffrey Herlings and Antonio Cairoli are doing something we might never have seen before, and riding at a level for sure never reached in the history of the sport.

23-year-old Herlings, riding with a broken collarbone and bruised ribs, shocked the world again with his 2-1 victory, and despite telling himself to take it easy, not take risk, he went out and rode right on 100% and maybe at times over his limit.

Jeffrey Herlings said: "I told everyone I was going to use my brain, and I wanted to be careful and I didn’t make too many mistakes. The bike was awesome, and I was able to push to the limit and I am not even out of breath. It’s great to comeback with the win, unlucky that I tipped over and then Tony, but I got the win. I mean, I just like my fitness was alright and the pain was getting worse and worse and to come back on a tough track like this. It was hard to hold on and I thought I lost the win when I crashed and then Tony also crashed. I couldn’t even get on the podium because of my muscles.”

As for Cairoli, holding what could be a broken thumb, the Italian legend once again wanted to run at a level he has never ridden, and for major parts of the weekend it looked like he had the measure of Herlings, but once again, the speed of the young Dutchman was too much, and the nine-time World champion crashed himself out of victory and goes into next weekend with a major problem.

“I was struggling in the start, with the rhythm," Cairoli said. "Then I got a good rhythm and I tried to catch him, but I made a big crash and hurt my thumb. Then I got warmed up and he made  a mistake and passed him; I was feeling pain and I went over the bars and a big crash, but hats up to him, he rode a good race and hats off to me, because I made a mistake. We try and regroup and line up next week.”

It is hard to imagine that Herlings and Cairoli can duplicate what they did in the first round in Indonesia, but then again, we have been saying that all year, and time and time again, they surprise us with something new and something special. Bring on the undulating circuit at Semarang, because this party has just started and these two multiple world champions won’t be slowing down until the final flag waves in Italy in September.

Photo: Antonio Cairoli & Jeffrey Herlings

Copyright: Ray Archer