MXGP #128 2024

#128 2024

THE CHAMP IS HERE !

CONTENT

002 EDITORIAL

008 COOL SHOTS

014 RACING CARCH UP

034 RIDER OF THE MONTH JORGE PRADO

044 MONSTER GIRLS

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PODCAST

RACING CATCH UP

050 SPECIAL FEATURE

058 MARNICQ BERVOETS 1996 SUZUKI RM250WS 96

064 HALL OF FAME KEN DE DYCKER

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PADDOCK TALKS

MONSTER G

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SPECIAL FEATURE

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COOL SHOTS

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RIDER OF THE MONTH MXGP MAG

GIRLS

Chief Editor: Marionna Leiva Photos: MXGP

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HALL OF FAME

INFRONT MOTO RACING MEDIA World Trade Center II Rte de Pré-Bois 29 1215 Geneva 15 Airport Switzerland MXGP Mag #128 The articles published in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the official position of Infront Moto Racing.

Then content of this publication is based on the best knowledge and information available at the time the articles were written.

The copying of articles and photos even partially is forbidden unless permission has ben requested from Infront Moto Racing in advance and reference is made to the source (©MXGP).

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DEAR MXGP FANS, AS WE ARE GEARING UP FOR THE LIQUI MOLY MXGP OF GERMANY IN TEUTSCHENTHAL, IT IS ALREADY THE TIME FOR OUR MAY’S EDITION OF THE MXGP MAGAZINE. THE PAST MONTH HAS BEEN VERY INTENSE WITH OUR FIRST TRIPLE HEADERS GRAND PRIX THAT TOOK PLACE IN PORTUGAL, SPAIN AND FRANCE.

The MXGP of Portugal was very challenging with the weather conditions, but despite the very heavy rain during the whole weekend in Agueda, we, together with the local organizer, were capable to deliver a Grand Prix in good conditions. It is in these occasions that you really realize how much effort and determination motocross requires, and how much the sport is growing. In fact our champions are constantly proving that they can ride in any condition, and it is not the case in any other sport.

I would also like to emphasize the great work made by the track crew and the organizer; they did an amazing work on the track during the whole Saturday night until Sunday morning to allow the Grand Prix to take place, and also in between the different races. Pauls Jonass got his first Grand Prix victory in the MXGP class during this crazy weekend, and it was a great reward for Honda Standing Construct Team.

One week later, Spain welcomed the MXGP on a bright new track in the beautiful region of Galicia, near the hometown of the reigning World Champion Jorge Prado. This new track, designed on a very natural and elevated area, received a lot of positive feedback from the whole paddock.

The Spanish fans answered massively the call and came to cheer for the local hero. Jorge Prado made a perfect weekend and won the Grand Prix.

Then we went back to Saint Jean d’Angely for the Monster Energy Grand Prix of France. We had to face again a very challenging weekend with heavy rain during Saturday and Sunday. Here again the organizer together with our track crew did an amazing job of maintenance on the track and the whole venue. The French fans came once again massively to celebrate the comeback of the best riders in the world after the Monster Energy MXoN that took place in Ernee last October.

After those three Grand Prix, the MXGP classification is getting closer than ever with 4 riders in 61 points, Tim Gajser took the red plate with 5 points lead on Jorge Prado. Then Romain Febvre, Jeffrey Herlings and Pauls Jonas complete the top five.

In MX2 Kay de Wolf continue to lead the championship by 52 points on Simon Laengenfelder, but Lucas Coenen won the last two Grand Prix and he is showing more and more confidence and speed race after race. What about the performance of Liam Everts in Portugal who amazed the fans with his riding technic in the mud and wining the Grand Prix? Here also the top five, completed by Andrea Adamo stays in 85 points and there is no doubt that the competition will stay open until the end.

We cannot wait for the racing this weekend in Teutschenthal for the next round of the MXGP World Championship.

See you in Germany!

David Luongo CEO of Infront Moto Racing

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COOL SHOTS

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COOL SHOTS

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COOL SHOTS

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RACING CATCH UP

WALKING A TIGHT ROPE WITH THE MXGP OF TRENTINO DONE AND DUSTED, THE FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TOOK A TWO-WEEK BREAK IN READINESS FOR THE FIRST TRIPLE-HEADER OF THE SEASON, STARTING IN PORTUGAL, BEFORE HEADING NORTH-EAST TO GALICIA WITH THE FINAL RUN OF THREE ENDING AT THE MONSTER ENERGY MXGP OF FRANCE AT SAINT JEAN D’ANGÉLY.

The first ever motocross grand prix to be held at Agueda in Portugal was 39 years ago for the 125cc GP, which was won by Holland’s Dave Strijbos on a Honda, and this particular GP marked 25 years of world championship action at the Crossdromo Internacional de Águeda. In total there had been 39 previous winners (in individual classes) and over the years we have witnessed some great racing, bitter rivalries and a ‘home-win’ from one of its own in the form of Rui Gonçalves, who was victorious in 2009 in the MX2 class.

For the MXGP teams that are based around the Lommel area in Belgium, for instance, the drive to the circuit by car takes around nineteen hours, covering almost 2,000km, so you can imagine that this journey takes considerably longer in a race transporter or a motorhome. By comparison, if you were to take the ‘plane, the same journey would take between two and two and a half hours, with the closest international airport being Porto, the country’s second largest city.

The city of Porto sits on the north-western coast of Portugal with its urban areas extending to the coastline of the Atlantic Ocean, and its most famous export is port wine. From the airport, the circuit can be reached in approximately one hour – give or take a few minutes – and the red clay dirt has long been a firm favourite amongst the riders. In the summer months, the circuit has more of a hard-pack base, but if you add a little bit of moisture with some track prep’ then you get an entirely different circuit altogether. On this occasion, the weather gods and goddesses were not particularly kind to us with intermittent rainstorms frequenting the area in the days prior to the grand prix taking place.

To say that the MXGP track crew was overworked would be something of an understatement, but when we arrived on Friday morning, the circuit had already been well-sealed in order to prevent the rain

seeping too far beneath the surface, so the necessary precautions had already been made well in advance of any threats of adverse weather. And this was never more evident than on Saturday morning where circuit conditions were near-perfect from the very first practice session.

However, you can only prevent the inevitable for so long, and when the rain finally did arrive, it was just a case of waiting to see how it would affect Saturday’s action, which included EMX125 and EMX250 as well as the RAM Qualifying Races for MX2 and MXGP. EMX By the time the first EMX125 race, Presented by FMF Racing, got under way on Saturday afternoon, circuit conditions were still ‘primo’ with the rain still nowhere to be seen, but by mid-race, the wet-stuff had begun to arrive, causing one or two issues for the eighth-litre machines. No issues for the Red Plate holder Noel Zanocz though as he stormed to a start-to-finish win by more than sixteen seconds over his main rival (at this stage) Gyan Doensen, with Salvador Perez picking up his third top three finish of the season. Following on from the 125cc race was the first EMX250 race, where the rain was now starting to fall more rapidly. It therefore goes without saying that starts were critical, but perhaps even more so than that, keeping a cool head was also high on the agenda. Ivano Van Erp took the holehsot but was soon passed by Cas Valk, who eventually went on to take the victory unchallenged for his first race win of the season. Mathis Valin and series leader, Valerio Lata, rode conservatively as they rounded out the top three.

With heavy rainfall for both the RAM Qualifying Races, the track crew were quick to go to work ahead of nightfall, in readiness for the second round of EMX races, and once again, the 125’s were presented with a relatively ‘easy’ track, compared to what was to come much later in the day. This time it was Gyan Doensen, who powered his Racestore KTM Factory Rookie machine to the win, for his first overall round victory of the season, finishing on the same points as Zanocz; the Fantic Factory Racing rider followed the Dutch kid home to keep the Red Plate and the points-lead stable at 8 points between he and

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Doensen. Third overall went to Salvador Perez on the RFME GASGAS MXJUNIOR TEAM machine, with a 3-4 for the weekend. Simone Mancini took 3rd in the final race, but after his 15th in the first outing, was not considered an overall podium threat on this occasion.

In the second EMX250 race, the conditions were slightly more challenging, but it was the same riders who found themselves at the sharp end from the start.

Unlike his first race, Van Erp was able to fend off the advances of Valk for six laps before the Dutchman made his move, and a lap later, Lata had also moved past Van Erp as he chased Valk for the win. When the chequered flag fell after fourteen laps of hard work, it was Valk who was victorious, picking up a doublerace win, for his first overall win of the season. Lata, who was 2nd overall, increased his lead over Mathis Valin, who rounded out the third step of the podium

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on a day where even a big crash early in race two couldn’t keep him down.

MX2/MXGP By the time the RAM Qualifying Races came around on Saturday, more rain had fallen and as a result, none of the MX2 riders opted to take their sighting lap, something that would have dire consequences to some of the main protagonists.

After taking the holeshot, Lucas Coenen’s lead lasted less than six corners after falling from the lead just after the finish line jump. Behind him, his teammate and Red Plate holder Kay De Wolf went off-track at the same place, and when he re-emerged, collided with Thibault Benistant and ended with both riders crashing out. Liam Everts had already collided with

Sacha Coenen in turn five, leaving Coenen on the floor. Honestly, there was so much going on during that opening lap, it was difficult to keep up.

arriving in Portugal with a 13-point lead over Gajser, Prado’s lead had been cut to just seven points.

Crunch Time

Anyway, by the time the flag fell at the end of the 20 minute + 2 Lap race, it was Liam Everts who crossed the line almost thirty seconds clear of Rick Elzinga with JM Honda’s Hakon Osterhagen picking up third. Privateer Jens Walvoort of The Netherlands, skilfully guided his KTM SB Racing machine to 6th.

Sadly, there were no more fairy tales for Camden Mc Lellan, as the Monster Energy Triumph rider suffered a broken fibula toward the end of the race. Get well soon Cam. In the MXGP RAM Qualifying Race Tim Gajser, Jeffrey Herlings and Romain Febvre led the way as points leader Jorge Prado ‘struggled’ to 7th, and after

All we will say about the MXGP of Portugal is this: Liam Everts is ‘The Mud King’. Following on from his Saturday afternoon cruise-ride, the Belgian guided his Red Bull KTM to two very impressive wins, and the similarities between his style and that of his father Stefan were plain to see. Everts ‘rode’ the track on a day when many of his rivals tried to ‘race’ it, and for them, that was their downfall. Liam’s victory meant he’d won back-to-back GP’s for the first time in his career, and with his RAM win and the double, it was also the first time he’d won all three races in a weekend.

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Second overall, and a maiden podium in MX2, went to Monster Energy Yamaha’s Rick Elzinga. The tall Dutchman followed up his 2nd on Saturday with a 4-2 in what was a very calm, calculated performance.

Joining Rick on the box was his teammate Thibault Benistant who legged his way to 5-4 scores. The biggest winner though was Everts, who started the weekend 7th and 85 points off the lead of De Wolf, but with the ‘74’ struggling to 4th overall with 10-3-9 over the three races, Everts was now up to 3rd and fifty-eight adrift of the lead.

As for Simon Laengenfelder, the Red Bull GASGAS rider went 4-2-0 after breaking his right collarbone in Race Two. Despite that, he only lost four points to De Wolf over the weekend.

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In MXGP, we were robbed of a showdown in Race One when Jeffrey Herlings’ bike stopped as he

looked like he was ramping up the pace to challenge Tim Gajser for the win. Heavy conditions meant you needed to be ‘easy’ on the bike, but when The Bullet and TIGA found themselves in a battle of wills, something had to give, and it was the Dutchman who was left with ‘nil points’ in the first outing.

Waiting in the wings, so to speak, was Pauls Jonass; the former MX2 World Champion started in 5th,

THIS PARTICULAR GP MARKED 25 YEARS OF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ACTION AT THE CROSSDROMO INTERNACIONAL DE ÁGUEDA.

inherited 4th when Prado fell, took 3rd when Herlings’ bike expired with six laps to go, and took 2nd on the final lap when Febvre ran into trouble. Talk about right place, right time. As for Prado, he seemed to spend more time in Pit Lane changing gloves and goggles than he did on track, and as a result, his 15th place meant that Gajser was now the new points leader by twelve points, heading into Race Two. As Gajser headed into turn one in the lead, he broke traction at the wrong time midway through the highspeed corner, and as he spun out, fell into the path of Febvre who could not avoid him. Fortunately, the impact was minimal, which allowed Gajser to remount and join the race, if only on adrenaline!

Unbelievably, on the first downhill, Prado, who’d started 4th, took an unwanted trip over the ‘bars, so

any possibility of reducing the points gap had now been hampered. Massivley!

Herlings quickly charged his way to the front ahead of Jonass and Febvre, as Gajser picked his way through traffic, and whilst it seemed like 9th was a possibility, the Slovenian fell on the final lap, handing a position back to Calvin Vlaanderen. Gajser ended the race 10th and with Prado 12th, we saw the Red Plate change hands for the first time this season. Gajser’s last crash though, meant he was not in good enough shape to collect his new red plate on the podium, a possible shoulder injury was the reason given for his absence.

The GP belonged to Pauls Jonass who rode solidly for a brace of 2nd place finishes, securing not only his first GP win in five years and eleven months, but also his maiden win in the premier class. It was also nice to

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see another GP win for the privateer team of Standing Construct Honda MXGP, the team that he rides for, whose last success was at Lommel in 2022 with Brian Bogers.

One of the rides of the day though belonged to Norway’s Cornelius Toendel on the Schmicker KTM, who battled Febvre for 3rd right the way to the chequered flag, for his first top three finish in MXGP, and in his rookie season, so all-in-all, it was a real big day for the little guys of the class. The overall in Portugal finished with Jonass, Febvre and Gajser, with the next stop one week later, in Galicia.

Galicia From a very wet and muddy Águeda, the teams had a busy, few days, dealing with the clean-up operation, something we don’t get to see after the race.

Fortunately for the mechanics though, the next GP and Round 6 was just a short distance away. From Águeda, the teams headed north through Porto, and shortly after crossing the Spanish border, headed to Vigo, following the Atlantic coastline almost the entire way, before heading slightly east to Lugo. The whole trip by car would take around four hours, covering a distance of approximately 400km.

The FIM Motocross World Championship has taken place in many different locations throughout Spain over the years, but this was the first time we’d ever ventured to the region of Galicia. The circuit is about a fifteen-minute drive from the centre of Lugo which is steeped in Roman history. Saint Mary’s Cathedral (Catedral de Santa Maria) dates back to the year 755, and stands impressively at the top of the hill in the city centre, although it was later updated and completed in 1273.

The first impressive monument though which catches your eye is the ‘Muralla Romana de Lugo (the Roman Walls of Lugo). These walls stand anywhere between ten and fifteen metres high and create a 2.1km barrier around the city centre, and it is the only Roman wall of its kind still intact anywhere in the world, hence the reason for its UNESCO World Heritage protection.

The track itself was recently named after Jorge Prado, as the town of Lugo is where the Prado family are from. With varying levels of elevation, the forest location made it feel like we could have been anywhere in the world but Spain. It also rains quite a lot in this region which is why the landscape was so green. The terrain of the track was also unlike anything we’d seen before, and a mixture of sand, hard pack and in parts, not too dissimilar to Patagonia. As a new venue to most riders, arriving with no data meant they all needed to be quick when it came to gaining valuable intel.

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EVERTS ‘RODE’ THE TRACK ON A DAY WHEN MANY OF HIS RIVALS TRIED TO ‘RACE’ IT, AND FOR THEM, THAT WAS THEIR DOWNFALL Joining MX2 and MXGP were the 125cc and WMX classes, so something of a busy time for the youngsters, who were now also heading into their third, straight race. Nothing like getting them prepped for the big league!

In EMX125 race one, the battle for the Red Plate intensified, and when series leader Noel Zanocz got caught in the first turn pile up, he had a lot of work to do; especially as Gyan Doensen was up front in 3rd.

On the opening lap, the Hungarian crossed the line in 29th, so to get back to 12th was impressive. But it came at a cost. Doensen was the new championship leader heading into Race Two, by three points. As for the race winner, the Spanish fans had something to cheer about as it was Salvador Perez who cruised to an emphatic victory, his first in the class.

In Race Two, both title candidates suffered from poor starts, leaving Mano Faure and Simone Mancini to duke it out for the lead, but when Faure fell on Lap 6, the Italian accepted the lead with both hands.

Zanocz was on the charge again, and soon found his way past Doensen, who refused to pull in for fresh goggles, despite some issues, and when all was said and done, when Zanocz finished 9th to Doensen’s 17th, the Red Plate remained on the Fantic, with the gap now down to five points. Simone Mancini took the overall for the second time this year, this time with a 2-2, edging out Francesco Bellei (4-3) and Markuss Ozolins (6-4), the Latvian with his first EMX125 podium. And how about a quick nod to the winner of Race Two, Dani Heittink; the Yamaha Europe MJC rider passed Mancini for the win with three laps to go for his first 125cc race win.

WMX After a five-week break, WMX was back in action in Lugo, and with the championship tied between Red Plate holder Lotte Van Drunen and Daniela Guillen, this was already shaping up to be one of those GP’s.

Defending champion Courtney Duncan’s start to this year’s campaign hasn’t gone as well as expected, but the four-time champ showed she is still a contender for this year’s title, after a stunning win in Race One, where she had to deal with a hard-charging Van Drunen, who was the only rider jumping the triple before the finish line. Daniela Guillen latched on to this and took the plunge mid-race, knowing she had to go with the Sand Queen if she was to have any chance of winning the race, but when the Spaniard fell from

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3rd on Lap 4, it was a two-horse race at the front between Duncan and Van Drunen.

Lap after lap, the De Baets Yamaha rider used the triple to her advantage to close in on Duncan, but when the Kiwi Girl bit the bullet and jumped the triple for the first time during the race, it unlocked her whole race. From there, the ‘1’ was able to build a slight gap, before going on to take the win, her first of the year. Kiara Fontanesi took 3rd.

In Race Two, Duncan led again, but when arm pump began to creep in, she became a sitting duck, and when Van Drunen made a move for the lead, Duncan lost traction and the all-important tow, and from there, had to settle for 2nd. Guillen suffered from a poor start and by the time she’d reached 3rd, the leaders were too far gone, but 4-3 was enough for another home podium. For Duncan a first race win and podium was a huge relief, but it’s Van Drunen who is in the driving seat heading to Germany, Round 4, with a nine-point lead.

MX2 The big news of the weekend was that Simon Laengenfelder, who’d broken his right collarbone in the second race in Portugal, had surgery on Monday and showed up ready to race on Friday, and upon clearance from the medical crew, proceeded to do just that. All he needed to do was stay out of trouble.

The RAM Qualifying Race should have been won by Sacha Coenen, who’d led from the start, but when he fell from the lead halfway around the final lap, it was Thibault Benistant who benefitted the most, to take his first Pole Position of the season – his first since Switzerland, Round 3 last year. Lucas and Sacha Coenen rounded out the top three as Ferruccio Zanchi took 4th on his return from injury.

Laengenfelder gained a couple of points on De Wolf, who came from a poor start to finish two positions behind the German in 7th.

Race 1 was a slow burner, but towards the end, the fastest rider on track was Kay De Wolf, who really put Andrea Adamo under pressure. At the end of nineteen laps, the two riders were separated by 0.732s, but it was the Italian and defending champion who took the win.

Race 2 was a start to finish win for Lucas Coenen from Liam Everts and De Wolf, and in one of the closest overall podiums this year, it was Coenen who took the overall win in a tie-break with Adamo. Third overall was Liam Everts, who tied points with De Wolf: just one point separating the top four finishers.

De Wolf maintained his championship lead over Laengenfelder, but it had now been extended to fortyfour points.

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MXGP After losing his Red Plate one week earlier in Portugal, Jorge Prado needed to bounce back, especially at his home GP, on a circuit named after him at the end of 2022. First up was the RAM Qualifying Race, where Prado came from 3rd to 1st, passing both Herlings and Gajser on his way to the win. In Race One, the home boy led all nineteen laps to win by two seconds over Romain Febvre, as Gajser fell early on from 3rd to 12th, before clawing his way back to 6th, which included another off-track excursion as he attempted a pass on Valentin Guillod. All of a sudden, the Slovenian’s lead had been reduced to just three points heading into Race Two. Once again, Prado quickly made his way to the front and applied the pressure on Gajser from the driving seat. The HRC rider took seven laps to make his move on Calvin Vlaanderen for 2nd, before setting his sights on Prado. With Prado leading and Gajser in second, the championship was tied at the top between the two protagonists, but when the ‘243’ fell with three laps remaining, the Slovenian found himself remounting in 3rd behind Herlings. When the chequered flag fell, Prado was the points leader once again. A fairy tale home GP where he won all three races, took the overall and regained the Red Plate.

Herlings and Febvre joined him on the podium.

France As we prepared to leave Galicia for France, all eyes were on the weather forecast which showed that potentially, Saint Jean d’Angély might be another wet one. As the week progressed, the weather became more of a series of intermittent showers as opposed to all-out rain for the days leading in. Either way, the possibility of a second mudder in three weeks was a daunting prospect, especially for the mechanics.

The good news about France being the final GP in a run of three, was that it was on the way home for most of the teams. From Lugo to Saint Jean takes about 10 hours to cover the 1000km by car, and the venue has been hosting GP’s since 1984, the first ever winner being Austrian legend Heinz Kinigadner on a 250cc KTM. The first GP in France though was back in 1957 and since then, this race has been held at no fewer than 42 different locations, but in more recent times, we have pretty much alternated between Saint Jean and Ernée. Heading into this year’s Monster Energy MXGP of France though, there seemed to be something in the air which might suggest a potential home win for Romain Febvre or Thibault Benistant.

On the last occasion that we were here in 2022, Motoclub Angerien celebrated its 90th anniversary with a home rider on the top step of the podium when Tom Vialle raced to a 2-1 to ensure that the home fans went home happy. None of the current crop of MX2 riders had won here coming into this weekends event,

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but in MXGP, no fewer than six riders had won a GP on French soil. Herlings topped the list with 8 French GP victories, with four of those coming at Saint Jean alone. Romain Febvre, Jorge Prado and Tim Gajser had all won twice, with Jeremy Seewer and Pauls Jonass all winning on one occasion.

MX2 Coenen The Barbarian The first blow for the home fans came in MX2 Timed Practice on Saturday when Tom Guyon and Thibault Benistant both suffered huge get-off’s where they were both knocked out, meaning neither would be able to take part at their home GP. There was light at the end of the tunnel though as Marc-Antoine Rossi took 3rd in the RAM Qualifying Race behind Lucas Coenen and Liam Everts, in what were challenging conditions after the heavens had opened up.

In Race One, Kay De Wolf took a gamble by starting on the extreme left-hand side of the gate which resulted in his first Fox holeshot of the season, but by the first downhill though, the ‘74’ had already been demoted back to 3rd as the two KTM’s of Sacha Coenen and Everts came past. De Wolf and Everts fell in the same turn a lap later when Everts collapsed a berm, falling in front of De Wolf. The other Coenen, the one with ‘96’ on the front of his Nestaan Husqvarna took over in 2nd and on Lap 7, moved ahead of his twin brother to take over the lead. Two laps later, the ‘19’ of S. Coenen, was pushed into 3rd as Adamo came by, and a lap later, Sacha fell spectacularly out of 3rd on the long downhill before the finish line. Another fall left him 15th by the end of the race. What none of us knew though was that Rossi, who was 3rd in the RAM race, was sick and would eventually withdraw from the race on Lap 8.

The first race win belonged to Lucas Coenen with Adamo and De Wolf rounding out the top three.

Race Two saw a Nestaan 1-2 but it was Coenen who took a convincing win over his teammate De Wolf.

Laengenfelder was 3rd in what was a real mudder, and the final podium was Coenen, De Wolf and Adamo and as we head to Germany, De Wolf has the luxury of a 52-point lead over his closest rival.

MXGP And The Winner is …. Not who you think it is!

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Romain Febvre loves his home GP and with two French wins under his belt in 2015 and 2016, the ‘3’ was keen to add another one to the list. And he arrived in confident mood too, jumping the uphill triple before the finish on the second lap. However, when he attempted to jump it on his fifth lap, he came up short causing his right hand to fall from the handlebar upon landing. His session was over right there! He went back to the paddock to ponder his next move.

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In Timed Practice he could only manage 17th fastest time due to the pain he was clearly feeling, but when heavy rain arrived before the RAM Quali race, it was just what the doctor had ordered. The green machine led every one of the eleven laps on offer, fending off Gajser by almost seven seconds, who placed 2nd, and with Prado finishing a steady fourth, the lead in the championship was all tied once more.

Race One was run in dry conditions after more great work from the track crew overnight, but despite picking up his first Fox Holeshot, Febvre had to yield to Gajser on the opening lap as the Slovenian showed he was in no mood for messing around. Febvre remained in second until Prado passed him with four laps to go, and when the race was over, the top three was Gajser, Prado and Febvre with Seewer in 4th.

Pauls Jonass showed great character as he came from 10th to 5th.

With Gajser leading the points race by three points heading into Race Two, we knew that there was a lot at stake once again. As for Febvre, well, let’s just say that after Race One, the Frenchman must have been busy doing the rain dance because not only did it rain, but it was more like a monsoon! In a very short space of time, rain was running down the hills and collecting in the tuns at the bottom; the start straight was more of a lake than a racetrack. It was insane. For sure, the only rider smiling as they lined up behind the gate was Febvre, and it showed when he pulled another Fox Holeshot.

This time, he wasn’t so keen on giving up that lead, but he was under the very watchful eye of The Bullet right from the start. Gajser was next in 3rd, and as long as Febvre stayed out front with Gajser 3rd, the GP would be his. On Lap eleven, the race took a twist when Gajser fell from 3rd to 6th, and when Herlings completed an all-in

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pass on Febvre on the final lap for the race win, Febvre thought he’d blown his chance of the GP win, clearly not knowing that Gajser had fallen. It wasn’t long though before the ‘3’ was given the news of his overall victory, and after a quick cleanup operation, Febvre took to the top step of the podium, flanked by Herlings (2nd) and Gajser (3rd).

Elation soon turned to disbelief and disappointment though, and by the time of the press conference, we had learned that two riders had jumped on waved yellows at the end of the race, resulting in a two-place penalty for both riders concerned. The crux of it all was that these two riders were placed directly ahead of Gajser and Prado, and when the revised race positions were posted with Gajser now promoted to 4th, it was enough to overturn the overall grand prix classification in favour of the Slovenian, who had jumped from 3rd to 1st, with Febvre from 1st to 2nd, and Herlings from 2nd to 3rd. So, heartbreak for Febvre and a surprise win for Gajser which means he now leads Prado by five points as we head to Germany.

In EMX250 BUD Racing Kawasaki’s Mathis Valin went 1-1 to claim his first overall victory of the season in his rookie year, edging out Maxime Grau (2-4) for a French 1-2, with Cas Valk 3rd with a 7-3. And finally, in EMX125 presented by FMF Racing, Simone Mancini secured his third win of the year and his first career back-to-back victory with a 1-2 ahead of Noel Zancoz (3-1) and Mano Faure (2-4).

A much needed one week break will lead us to the Liqui Moly MXGP of Germany which will signify the first GP in another run of three-in-a-row. If you can’t be there in person, then we will see you on www.mxgp-tv.com as always.

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RIDER OF THE MONTH

JORGE PRADO: THE CHAMP IS HERE! JORGE PRADO HAS ENJOYED AN INCREDIBLE START TO THE MXGP SEASON IN 2024. WINNING THE FIRST FOUR ROUNDS OF THE SEASON, AND A FIFTH ONE AT WHAT WAS TRULY HIS HOME GRAND PRIX IN GALICIA, HE HAS ASSUMED THE MANTLE OF NOT JUST BEING THE REIGNING WORLD CHAMPION, BUT THE FAVOURITE TO WIN EACH RACE HE LINES UP FOR.

As part of a formidable quartet of World Champions on factory machinery that are battling for the ’24 crown, the first ever Spanish MXGP title winner has made a step forward again from his 2023 level, perfecting his holeshot-and-hide modus operandi to now carry the sort of pace that makes him difficult to beat even if his chief competitors start with him.

This was the sweetest part of his first win on home soil this year, when he was going for the perfect weekend in race two at intu-Xanadu Arroyomolinos.

He grabbed his customary holeshot as expected, but the rest of “The Big Four” were right behind him after just half a lap. The anxious anticipation of the home supporters was palpable, as they had seen their hero overtaken in many similar situations in recent years. They needn’t have worried, however, as Jorge powered clear with devastating ease, his supreme confidence and experience of racing at the front allowing him to relax, play with the bike, and flow to some incredible lap times that his chasers simply couldn’t live with. It was a statement of intent that the Champion is in no mood to relinquish his title.

Competitors There can be no doubt that this season’s MXGP battle is one for the ages. With the two five-time World Champions and titans of our time, Jeffrey Herlings and Tim Gajser, fighting fit and winning races, plus the fierce competitive spirit of Romain Febvre in the mix every time, Prado is facing an array of absolute greats to defend his title against, and in

doing so placing himself firmly amongst them. The original line-up for this season included the title winners from 14 of the last 18 Championships across MXGP and MX2 since 2014. The phrase “stacked field” is overused by promoters… but it certainly applies to the class of 2024!

At the start of the year, Jorge established himself as the rider with the 7th highest GP win tally in Motocross history, passing the legendary Eric Geboers with only a few more starts to get there.

After the MXGP of France, his total of 43 sits just three behind #6, although he has a moving target there as that rider is none other than his close rival for the 2024 crown, Tim Gajser! Both riders are capable of catching the amazing Joel Robert’s tally of 50 this year, but of course the #1 rider, Jeffrey Herlings is still here and looking to add to his record amount!

Of this year’s “Big Four”, Prado is the one who has won the highest percentage in the MX2 class, with just 28% of his wins coming in MXGP compared to Jeffrey’s 41% and Tim’s 89%. Five wins this season has definitely improved Jorge’s ratio! Romain only claimed 1 MX2 win before moving up, and is in contention for winning his second title a massive 9 years after his first! That would break the record of five years between titles, currently held by Italian legend Alessandro Puzar.

Leader Prado’s primary weapon is most certainly his ability to get to the front early and put down a scorching pace as the race leader. According to his father, Jesus, this is something that he has been doing since he was nine years old! “I’m quite used to starting at the front, so for me it’s very familiar,” said Jorge after the MXGP of Spain, when asked just how he can keep this pace with all the pressure of determined riders chasing behind him.

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This ability saw him into European Championship racing early, winning both the European and World 65cc titles as a 10-year-old in 2011, with Brazilian Enzo Lopes and Australian Hunter Lawrence behind him in the World Finals. Moving through the age groups saw him regularly lose out to physically bigger opposition, but by the age of 14 he was European Champion again in a stunning EMX125 series, battling hard with teammate Josiah Natzke of New Zealand, fellow future World Champion Maxime Renaux, and multiple British Champion Conrad Mewse. An emotional win on home soil at Talavera de la Reina was actually his only overall victory that year, but the consistency which has become almost as important as his starting prowess, saw him as Champion and justified the support from the KTM group.

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Debut The following year, moving up to a 250cc four-stroke in EMX250, saw the Spaniard’s season hampered by an early injury, and overshadowed by the much taller Thomas Kjer Olsen, who won the title ahead of American Darian Sanayei and Dutchman Bas Vaessen. Prado’s best results of second in Trentino and Talavera came too late to salvage any title hopes, and he was forced to miss the last two rounds of the series with another injury.

However, Jorge Prado Garcia, to give him his full name, catapulted himself into the spotlight with a stunning MX2 debut in the deep sand of the Assen circuit, taking the holeshot in the second race ahead of home hero and soon-to-be three-time World Champion Jeffrey Herlings. To the visible aggravation of the dominant MX2 rider of the time, the 15-year-

old Spaniard did not yield when the Bullet made his first challenges and briefly fought back into the lead! This was something that just didn’t happen to Herlings at that time, and the young upstart served notice that he could be a force to reckon with. It certainly cemented his place in the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team as a direct replacement to the Dutchman, who was headed to MXGP the following season.

Rivalry However, Jorge’s first full season at GP level would not be a clear path to the top, and his teammate Pauls Jonass defended the Austrian manufacturer’s honour with a fine title win over Suzuki’s Jeremy Seewer and Prado’s fellow rookie Olsen. Despite rough days in the heat of Indonesia and Mexico, a

stunning defeat of Jonass to take his first Grand Prix win at Trentino, the fifth round and only his eighth GP start, again showed Prado’s potential, even if his consistency deserted him with the brutal schedule of his first 19-round GP calendar. His sand-riding abilities, not something normally associated with Spanish racers but something he had honed since moving to Belgium, were further proven with a second GP win, at his second home of Lommel.

Another amazing day at Assen made it three for the year, even if he was only 7th in the final standings.

It looked like more of the same for Jonass at the start of 2018, as he took the #1 plate to six straight race wins to begin the season, but Prado struck back with wins at Trentino, Agueda, and Teutschenthal, before the Spaniard clawed back the Latvian through

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a series of battles in which the rivalry got seriously intense at times!

From the last 11 rounds, Prado took 9 victories, and most importantly kept Jonass from winning any at all. The pair had an intense battle in Turkiye and Jorge showed his ruthless streak with a questionable move on his teammate that put the Latvian on the floor. The crash damaged the reigning Champion’s knee, and after he could only muster 8-6 finishes at Assen while Prado scored a maximum, it left a near-impossible task at the final round in Italy. Jonass chose to have surgery, handing the Spaniard his first world crown, which the team only decided to celebrate after he won the first race at Imola!

Domination With Jonass heading to the MXGP class, Prado was almost unchallenged as defending Champion in 2019, losing only three races all season, one of which was after the massive celebrations of winning his second straight title with five individual races still to run! Olsen and Jago Geerts were the only riders to take race wins away from him part from that one in Sweden to Calvin Vlaanderen, and he even missed the second round in Great Britain due to a mid-week shoulder injury. This made it necessary for him to move up to MXGP, even though he was still only just about to celebrate his 19th birthday!

PRADO IS FACING AN ARRAY OF ABSOLUTE GREATS TO DEFEND HIS TITLE AGAINST, AND IN DOING SO PLACING HIMSELF FIRMLY AMONGST THEM. THE ORIGINAL LINE-UP FOR THIS SEASON INCLUDED THE TITLE WINNERS FROM 14 OF THE LAST 18 CHAMPIONSHIPS ACROSS MXGP AND MX2 SINCE 2014.

Preparations were going well until he sustained a broken left femur in December that year, which led to a real disturbance in his winter before the change in class. In the pandemic-affected 2020 season, as teammate to both Antonio Cairoli and Herlings, he still managed to collect three Grand Prix wins, the first coming again in Italy, at the very Grand Prix which saw Jeffrey exit from the series after a crash in Practice. A loudly cheered double victory in Spain, and a 2-1 score at his second home of Lommel showed that he could do the damage on the big bike! However, picking up Covid shortly after that MXGP of Limburg would put him out for the rest of the season, ultimately finishing 6th in the table.

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GASGAS Health issues continued to affect Jorge through the next two seasons, as he scored just a single win during the 2021 season, as his three big rivals in 2024 slugged it out in an absolute classic, and the 2022 season which was dominated by Gajser. That year saw Prado move across to the GASGAS brand with the De Carliran team, and it all came together in 2023. The addition of points for the RAM Qualifying Races on Saturday helped him immensely, and despite scoring only two overall Grand Prix victories, he took the chequered flag first in at least one race over the weekend at every round apart from Latvia, where Herlings had a perfect weekend, and Turkiye, by which time he had virtually stitched up the Championship anyway.

The sheer relentless consistency that always sees him up there at the start of the race, his accuracy and concentration that leads him to rarely make mistakes, and the cast-iron backing of both his team and family, has given Jorge Prado an air of confidence in 2024 that looks unshakeable.

He has emerged triumphant from every Grand Prix, up until the time of writing before the MXGP of Germany, that hasn’t been affected by rain.

“I like to have fun on the bike, enjoy the riding, always thinking about taking sections of the track together,” he said in Spain, and that can be seen as he often attempts little double jumps in rough sections, making for thoroughly entertaining viewing even when he is miles in front. The mud would seem to be his Achille’s Heel, as the commitment of his competitors in such conditions, which were extreme in both Portugal

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and race two in France, has simply outmatched the reigning Champion in those events.

The Fight Is On! Despite winning five of the first seven rounds and showing that he can also pass people over an incredible weekend at Lugo, he still comes into round 8 at Teutschenthal without the red plate, as the 2022 Champion Gajser, unable to challenge in 2023 due to a pre-season injury, has dug in and not been phased by the Spanish onslaught.

All three of his major challengers have crashed while trying to pass Prado in the early rounds – Herlings in Sardegna, Febvre at Trentino, and finally Gajser in Lugo, but the Slovenian is the one who seems to be able to constantly match Jorge for pace in dry conditions. He also seems the least bothered by the Spaniard’s immaculate ability to command the race from the front.

For Jorge Prado to be able to come out on top ahead of such legendary opposition would surely cement his name among the all-time greats. As fans, we could be in for a season-long battle between four such greats and should relish the prospect of what is to come. His future in the MXGP World Championship looks uncertain as he eyes up the stadia of the USA, so we should also enjoy the riding genius and star quality that Senor Prado brings to the paddock and the circuit while he is still here, as well as the boyish grin that masks his steely determination, as he attempts to win his fourth world crown against such esteemed competition.

JORGE PRADO GARCIA 2023 MXGP WORLD CHAMPION

ANDREA ADAMO

2023 MX2 WORLD CHAMPION

“WE SELL WHAT WE RACE, WE RACE WHAT WE SELL”

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MONSTER GIRLS

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MONSTER GIRLS

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PODCAST

RUI GONCALVES AT THE LAST MXGP OF PORTUGAL 2024 WE HAD THE CHANCE TO HAVE FORMER GP WINNER RIU GONÇALVES FOR A SPECIAL EDITION PODCAST ABOUT HIS MOTOCROSS AND RALLY CAREER

CLICK HERE

TO HEAR OR WATCH THE PODCAST

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SPECIAL FEATURE

WMX 2024 TIME FOR A NEW GENERATION? THERE APPEARS TO BE SOMETHING OF A CHANGING OF THE GUARD IN WOMEN’S MOTOCROSS AS A SWATHE OF TEENAGE TALENT HAS STARTED TO RISE TO THE TOP OF THE WMX SERIES. HERE IS A QUICK LOOK AT THE FIRST THREE ROUNDS OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP AS IT HEADS TO THE HALFWAY POINT AT TEUTSCHENTHAL IN GERMANY. Round 1: MXGP of Spain, Intu XanaduArroyomolinos At the second round of the MXGP calendar, the ladies joined us for their season opener, and while the number one plate holder Courtney Duncan, newly signed with Marc de Reuver’s F&H Racing outfit, still looked to be on form, from the very beginning it was all about the teenagers who had

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started to challenge in 2023 but were now fully ready for a title charge.

Both Daniela Guillen and Lotte van Drunen had won their first career Grands Prix in 2023, but it had not been enough to stop the charge of the New Zealander Duncan, who had won the other four rounds while barely dropping a race and won

the title by a clear 30 points from the Spanish challenger, with Lotte another 10 further back.

However, with Daniela on home turf at the circuit near Madrid, already full of expectant fans ready to cheer on their new MXGP Champion Jorge Prado, it was clear that the RFME GASGAS Factory Juniors rider was ready to give everything for her local supporters. However, De Baets Yamaha flyer Lotte van Drunen was raising eyebrows by sailing over the big triple jump by the main grandstand, and the highly motivated 16-year-old was looking like a formidable opponent.

So it proved in the races as well, although the opener saw the familiar sight of Duncan, in unfamiliar black colours, grab the early lead from 21-year-old Lynn Valk, herself a first-time GP victor in 2022, and winner of the very last race of 2023. Guillen and Van Drunen were soon chasing through though, leaving six-time World Champion Kiara Fontanesi in their wake. On lap 7 of 11, the pair fired past Duncan in quick succession, and with the crowd screaming for Daniela, she took the win by nearly five seconds from the Dutch girl, with the reigning champ a further 13 seconds back in third.

Race two took place on Sunday morning, in front of grandstands that were filling up with flagwaving Prado fans, and Daniela gave them so much to cheer for, urged on by a track announcer who must have needed some serious throat medicine after that weekend!

It was Van Drunen who got the early lead and flew over the big triple to stun the spectators and pull away from her pursuers. The terrier-like Guillen dug in, however, and Duncan was buried in the pack. With the valley getting noisier by the lap, their local hero was inspired to jump the triple for the first time herself, and with sheer determination she took the lead with a stunning move on lap 8!

Initially Daniela edged away, but Van Drunen was not to be beaten easily, and got right on the rear wheel of the GASGAS rider on the final lap! Nearly making a move on the very last corner, Lotte ended up just under half a second behind across the finish line! Daniela soaked in the rapturous response from the crowd, fists in the air, and just two weeks after her 18th birthday she took the perfect present of the red plate away with a sixpoint advantage from round one!

Dane Sara Andersen made up for a difficult first race with a fine third from gate to flag, although

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with two fourth places it was Lynn Valk who took third overall for Schmicker Racing KTM. Duncan simply never got going in race two and had to settle for 19th position, putting her 9th in the standings and already 28 points behind in the seven-round series.

Round 2: MXGP of Sardegna, Riola Sardo While the obvious projections about being a Dutch rider in the sand would have made Lotte van Drunen the favourite for the deep stuff at Riola Sardo, it was Daniela who had taken her first career overall victory there in 2023 and with the red plate she was certainly in with a fighting chance.

It was the veteran Fontanesi that holeshot the opening race, bedecked in her National Police colours as they were racing on Italian soil, but Van Drunen was involved in a first corner melee and had to restart from the back of the pack! She carved through the pack to rise to 8th at the start of the first full lap, while Valk, Guillen, and Duncan all got past the fast-starting Larissa Papenmeier to chase Fontanesi.

Valk went sailing past the Italian through the wave section to lead as Guillen snapped at her fellow GASGAS rider’s heels. On the third lap, the Spaniard got through, but by this time Van Drunen had already got past Andersen and Duncan to sit in fourth! Despite the searing heat, the Dutch teenager tore past Fontanesi, as Guillen worked her way past Valk for the lead on lap six. Van Drunen went around the outside of her countrywoman in a typically sandy corner, but made a mistake trying to get around a lapped rider and lost the place back to Valk! She eventually got through on lap eight of eleven, and had a four second gap to make up to Guillen.

With an amazing charge, Lotte closed in on her Championship rival, and in a repeat of her initial move on Valk, she railed around the outside to make the pass on the penultimate corner! It was a stunning fightback from the self-styled “Queen of Sand” that clawed back three points on her Spanish rival.

Race two saw Fontanesi again with the holeshot, but Guillen and Van Drunen were soon blazing past and battling for the lead. Lotte was in no mood for playing around, and on the same corner as race one she pulled an inside pass on Daniela this time. She was ahead by lap three, then proceeded to pull clear for an 18-second win by the flag. Daniela held on as the top five positions from race one were repeated, Valk taking third again, and Fontanesi holding off a charging Duncan for fourth.

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Lotte was ecstatic with her second career GP win – “I was the fastest all weekend, but to be this much faster, I never thought of that, so now, I’m even with Daniela [on points], I am going for the Championship!” The pair were indeed tied on points, but Lotte would take the red plate as the most recent winner. Daniela could still be confident – they were going back to Spain again!

Round 3: MXGP of Galicia, Lugo It wasn’t quite as much of a home race for Daniela Guillen as it was for Jorge Prado, but it was still on Spanish soil and the bulk of the crowd support was directed towards the RFME GASGAS star.

However, it was the return of the Champ that drew the headlines in race one as Courtney Duncan launched into an early lead ahead of Valk and

another Dutch racer, Danee Gelissen, who was 13th in the standings before Lugo!

Van Drunen was 8th on the first lap, with Guillen down in 12th, as Duncan tried to make hey at the front. Lotte again had an ace up her sleeve as she was jumping a big triple jump heading up towards the finish area, and as Valk fell in a corner and Gelissen dropped back, Kiara Fontanesi took up the running in second. However, the Championship leaders urged each other on through the pack and got to second and third by the end of lap three. Just as they were closing in on Duncan, the Spanish hope washed out in a corner and headbutted the ground!

Van Drunen hounded the rear wheel of the reigning Champ, but the New Zealander held her back and turned up the pace, pulling off the triple jump for the first time, and eventually winning by just over two seconds. In a similar battle, Guillen just fell short of getting back past Fontanesi for third, and as a result fell back by four points from her Championship rival. Papenmeier fought through for fifth.

Race two saw another clear holeshot for Duncan, but Van Drunen quickly got through to second and it was a straight-up battle between the pair.

Guillen once more suffered a below average start, and had to fight through from outside the top six.

By the time she had gotten around Valk for third on lap three, the leaders were six seconds up the

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track. It proved an impossible task, and although she got on the podium again in the overall reckoning, it was as high as she was to finish that day.

Fontanesi fought hard to get past Andersen for fifth, after the Dane had re-passed her on the first attempt, but the six-time Champ then hunted down Valk to nip past the Dutch girl on the final circulation! The move put the Italian up to fourth overall and she now lies third in the series, a point ahead of Valk and five ahead of Duncan, but 35 off the series leader.

That series leader is obviously Van Drunen, and in a great battle of youth versus experience, the Dutch teenager, still only 16 years old until August, gradually worked up towards the rear wheel of the #1 plate holder. With a fantastic run from the bottom of the circuit to the final corner through the big triple jump and the waves, Lotte powered into the lead on lap eight! She held it to the flag and put a rubber stamp on it with her third career Grand Prix win, second straight, and a nine-point advantage over Guillen.

With Courtney coming into good form, and a return to the Teutschenthal circuit that she scored a double win on in 2018, she still has four rounds to make up the 40-point gap to Van Drunen. The rest of the season should be a real treat if she can match the flying teenage challengers, with Valk and Fontanesi possibly in the mix as well, but even seeing the speed and style of Van Drunen is worth getting to the trackside early for. Women’s Motocross is well and truly alive, great to watch, and with the first flyaway for the series since Indonesia 2017 booked for Australia next year, it is growing in prestige in the Motocross world. Catch them if you can!

World Championship Standings 1: Lotte van Drunen (NED, YAM) – 141 Points 2: Daniela Guillen (ESP, GAS) – 132 Points 3: Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, GAS) - 106 Points 4: Lynn Valk (NED, KTM) – 105 Points 5: Courtney Duncan (NZL, KAW) – 101 Points

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SPECIAL FEATURE

MARNICQ BERVOETS 1996 SUZUKI RM250WS SINCE THE INCEPTION OF THE FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN 1957, BELGIUM HAS LONG BEEN REGARDED AS THE MOST SUCCESSFUL NATION WITH A TOTAL OF 52 WORLD TITLES IN ALL CLASSES. THERE HAVE ALSO BEEN A NUMBER OF RIDERS FROM THAT SAME COUNTRY WHO SHOULD HAVE ADDED THEIR NAMES TO THAT LIST, BUT FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER, IT NEVER HAPPENED.

One of those riders was Marnicq Bervoets, who finished 2nd in 1995, ’96, ’97 and 2000, and 3rd in 2001. The closest he came to winning was in 1995 and in this issue of MXGP Magazine, it’s Marnicq’s factory Suzuki RM250WS 96 which comes under scrutiny.

Marnicq Bervoets career at Suzuki began at the end of 1993 when he switched from a private Kawasaki to join the Sylvain Geboers factory Johnson Suzuki team in what was really a dream come true for the then, twentyfour-year-old. Like so many kids growing up racing dirt bikes, becoming a factory rider is the goal, but getting there is never easy and when Marnicq finally got his opportunity, it came at a time where he was unsure about where his career was heading, as he recalls: ‘The Kawasaki was almost a private bike, and then you’re coming on to a Suzuki, and a factory one at that, where Stefan Everts was doing really good on it in ’93 and it had so much more power, much more in the corners; everything was so much better for me. It was a dream come true, because at that moment, my father passed away and I had no solution.

Everts went to Kawasaki and I got the chance to go to Suzuki with Sylvain Geboers and that was my chance. So, I went over there, and the bike was amazing.’

Of course, it goes without saying that first impressions last forever, and in Marnicq’s case, it was no different, and from that very

first ride he became a different person, dedicating his life to his craft.

‘The Suzuki was so much better than my bikes before and I felt much more mentally stronger going into the next season, I knew when I had a bike like that, I will be there at the starts and it will be all much better, and so then it was up to me to go training to be in shape for the races.’

In 1994, his teammate was Greg Albertyn, who joined the team quite late but Bervoets, who was a newcomer to the ‘factory’ world was unphased saying, ‘it was a surprise, but it was also positive for me because he was a better rider than me and I knew we would go training together sometimes and I could learn from him.’

And learn he did, and by the time the 1996 season had come around, the Belgian was a well, established star of the 250cc world championship having won six GP’s, placing fifth overall in 1991 and 1993, fourth in 1994 and second in 1995, winning more races than the eventual champion, Everts. By 1996, Bervoets felt like he was a genuine contender for the title.

Marnicq’s RM250WS 96 was relatively unchanged since the ’94 version he first raced when he arrived at Suzuki, because as he points out, ‘we only made minor changes because the engine was so good that they didn’t need to change so much; it was the smaller details, maybe a heavier crankshaft to test, something like that, but we didn’t use it so much; only at really hard pack tracks, but for the rest, it was similar, almost.

And I remember that we also tested the conventional front forks, but then we switched back to USD.’

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The bike was a full factory 250 as denoted by the moniker RM250WS 96 and as you can imagine for that time period, factory was still very much that. Okay, the chassis was production-based, but all of the other stuff just oozed ‘unobtanium’. The chassis was suspended by factory Showa suspension with the 45mm USD forks married to factory billet aluminium triple clamps. The cylinder and crankcases were sand casted and even though the cylinder head might have been standard, the piston, crank and clutch were all factory. There was no special carburettor, but the 38mm Keihin was more than up to the task. The exhaust pipe and silencer were of course factory, and they looked it as well. The gearbox came with five gears, the productionbased swingarm was 25mm longer and the aluminium fuel tank was larger to make it through the 40 minute + 2 lap races. Brakes were Nissin and the rear hub was made from Magnesium.

From the first five rounds, it was clear that the two riders to beat were Everts and Bervoets, with Marnicq taking five race wins to Stefan’s four. The only other rider at that stage to have taken a win was Tallon Vohland. From the third GP in Germany to round eight in Finland, Bervoets went on a rampage, winning five GPs in a row, and by the time the championship arrived at Foxhill, Great Britain, the Suzuki rider led the championship by 55 points over Vohland, with Everts sixteen points further back (71 off the lead). Everts won the British GP (1-1) picking up the maximum 40 points on offer. Bervoets took 2nd overall with 28 points, and still held a 59-point advantage over Everts, who’d now moved into 2nd.

However, the championship took a dramatic twist when Everts bike failed a fuel test at the British GP, where it was claimed the fuel he was using had too much octane, something which Bervoets remembers very well: ‘Yeah, so Stefan had too much octane in his fuel, and they disqualified him. At that moment, Stefan lost his points and did not win the GP and I came from fourth to third I think, in that race, but with the points, I made a big step. But, before the GP in France at Iffendic (Round 12 of 14) they (team Everts) went to court in Geneva, and they won the appeal, and Stefan got his forty points back from Foxhill.

I remember that Sylvain (Geboers) told me he would never get his points back, and in Brazil and those races, I felt good and felt I could have won there, but I raced safely and later on it was a pity that I didn’t race 100% in those few grand prix, because if I knew he’d get his

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points back, I could have done better at that time.’

From Great Britain to Belgium (Rounds nine to thirteen) Everts turned his season around, by winning seven of the ten races, and by comparison, Bervoets won just one, and heading into the final round in Switzerland, Everts led the championship by eight points over Bervoets. Everts won the first race, edging out Bervoets, who crossed the line in 2nd, but when Everts (3rd) followed Bervoets (2nd) home in the second race, the title went to Everts by just nine points.

We can look to three different situations which decided the outcome of the 1996 world

championship. The fuel penalty, and two races where Bervoets did not score. The first was a DNF in San Marino, Round 11. The second was in France, Round 12, the latter still etched in the memory of Marnicq: ‘San Marino was a DNF but in France I got a penalty. I was in 3rd when I crashed, and somebody touched my bike, but I don’t know who, and some riders and teams – including Honda – went immediately to the Jury to protest, and so I got a penalty.’ (He lost the 8 points for finishing 8th).

Even if Marnicq had been given the benefit of the doubt, and his points from France stood, he would still have lost the title by one point,

so how was the relationship after all of this between Everts and Bervoets, and how did all of this affect him mentally?

‘Well, it was hard. It was hard because I didn’t even know that someone had helped me, because I crashed, that was my mistake; but I picked up my bike and it was in the fence, but not too far away from me and the spectators, and I don’t know how exactly because it all happened so fast, but they touched my bike maybe a little bit, but not to help me, like where they put it over the fence or something like that, you know? So, it was really hard mentally because it was not anymore about the doing the sport and racing, it was more about the people above me who were fighting

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against each other for the championship, all the team managers who were fighting each other with the fuel and then with the penalty in France and blah blah blah, so that made me a little bit angry and a little bit disappointed about the whole system. Everybody was looking for a little mistake where they could do something, that’s for sure.’

Maybe the moral of the story here is not to trust your team manager?

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‘Yeah, but not at that moment; at that moment you don’t realise what’s happening and it’s all above you that the people are cheating and whatever they’re doing, and you are only thinking of racing. I came from a private team where I was only thinking about racing, and the rest is not my problem. Later on, when you are coming older and you realise how that world was for me, then you realise that man, I could have done much better in the other races and I was still champion. It was better that they didn’t take Stefan’s points away in Foxhill; It was better that he kept the points like it was, so then I would be more focussed on the correct point standings, and the racing.

Now, it was like racing with the handbrake on,

you know? Being too cautious, and that was the mistake.’

Despite everything that happened during that 1996 campaign though, one GP still stands out for Marnicq, as he points out: ‘Actually, it was the grand prix of Finland. I twisted my right ankle and I was lucky that the track had more left corners than right corners, and I won the GP (1-1) without putting my foot on the ground, on the right side. That means, that if you are in good shape and you have an injury, and you’re in that balloon where everything is possible, you can do a lot. It’s amazing.’

Despite not winning the 1996 world championship, Marnicq Bervoets showed that his RM250WS 96 was more than capable of being a world beater, and if there was ever a bike that should have won a title, then this bike is right up there as one of them, winning five grand prix and nine podiums in total, along with nine race wins.

Photos: Pascal Haudiquert

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HALL OF FAME

KEN ‘KEeNO’ DE DYCKER Racing the 125cc European championship in 2001 and 2002, Ken had a real handicap as he suddenly grew up when he turned fifteen. In 2003 he jumped straight from the 125cc European to the 650cc World Championship in a Belgian team and scored his first points during the first GP in Bellpuig.

Thirtieth of the series, he signed to race MX1 with Honda Sarholz and showed consistency with sixteen top ten results including top five in Portugal and Belgium. In 2004 he was ninth overall and he did it again in 2005, he also won the ADAC championship and moved to the UK in wintertime as he joined team CAS Honda.

He was more consistent all season long, scoring points in the thirty motos with six top three, he was the fourth ‘Belgian mousquetaire’ in the MX1 class behind Stefan Everts, Kevin Strijbos and Steve Ramon. When he won his first ever Grand Prix at Uddevalla in July 2007, Ken had for the first time in his career the taste of a GP podium and he could experience it again in Great Britain with a third overall behind Antonio Cairoli and Kevin Strijbos. Later that season, he had the opportunity to race the Motocross of Nations in the USA, where team Belgium got the bronze medal.

Thanks to these good results, Ken joined team Factory Suzuki in 2008 and celebrated the deal by winning the first round of the championship in Valkenswaard. It would be his only Grand Prix win that season, but with five moto victories and eight Grand Prix podiums, he would remain in the battle for the title until the final ONE OF THE TALLEST RIDERS IN THE HISTORY OF round in Faenza. He THE MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP WITH JAAK ended up third of the VAN VELTHOVEN, KEN DE DYCKER WAS DURING A championship, only nineteen points behind DECADE ONE OF THE MAIN PROTAGONISTS IN THE the champion, and was MX1/MXGP CLASS. WINNER OF FIFTEEN MOTOS AND on the third step of the podium with Team FIVE GP’S, SIX TIMES ON THE PODIUM AT THE Belgium at the Motocross MOTOCROSS OF NATIONS INCLUDING A WIN IN 2013, of Nations in Great Britain.

KEN ALSO COLLECTED SIX NATIONAL TITLES IN FOUR

DIFFERENT COUNTRIES DURING HIS CAREER.

‘Born on 20th June 1984 in Neerpelt, Ken De Dyker has always been surrounded by motorcycles, as several members of his family, including his father, were racing local motocross events. So, when he turned four years old Ken had no problems to get a bike, and from there he started to race some local amateur races for kids. Things became more serious when he was old enough to ride a 80cc, and thanks to the family support he was able to race in Belgium, Germany and France to get more experience.

In 2009 Ken won five heats and two sandy GP’s (Lommel and Lierop), and in 2010 he moved to team Yamaha Ricci and won two more heats and the German Grand Prix, but he missed consistency in the last part of the season and finished eighth of the championship. Back in a factory team with KTM in 2012, he had a good season with a fifth in the MX1 series, a second place with team Belgium at the MXoN in Belgium and another national title, his first one in Belgium. 2013 was his last good season; winner of two heats on sandy tracks (Valkenswaard and Kegums) and on the podium of

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six rounds, he collected another bronze medal at the end of the season. Last but not least, he won with his team mates the Motocross of Nations in Teutschenthal, the first win for team Belgium since 2004. Then injuries disrupted the following seasons, until his retirement in 2018, three years after enjoying for the last time a podium (his fifth one) at the Motocross of Nations in France.

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Ken takes care of his kids now, and he is also able to train at home on a private track, while he coaches young riders racing for team WZ involved in the European and World Championships.

Text & Photos : Pascal Haudiquert

1999

125 LUXEMBURG CHAMPION

2002

7TH IN THE 125 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP (KTM)

2003

30TH IN THE 650 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (KTM)

2004

9TH IN THE MX1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (HONDA)

2005

9TH IN THE MX1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (HONDA) MX1 GERMAN CHAMPION

2006

4TH IN THE MX1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (HONDA) MX1 GREAT BRITAIN CHAMPION

2007

5TH IN THE MX1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (HONDA). WIN 1 GP 3RD AT THE MX OF NATIONS WITH TEAM BELGIUM

2008

3RD IN THE MX1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (SUZUKI). WIN 1 GP 3RD AT THE MX OF NATIONS WITH TEAM BELGIUM

2009

4TH IN THE MX1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (SUZUKI). WIN 2 GP’S

2010

8TH IN THE MX1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (YAMAHA). WIN 1 GP 2ND AT THE MX OF NATIONS WITH TEAM BELGIUM

2011

11TH IN THE MX1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (HONDA).

2012

5TH IN THE MX1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (KTM).

2ND AT THE MX OF NATIONS WITH TEAM BELGIUM MX1 BELGIAN CHAMPION

2013

3RD IN THE MX1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (KTM).

WINNER OF THE MX OF NATIONS WITH TEAM BELGIUM MX1 BELGIAN CHAMPION

2014

20TH IN THE MXGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (KTM)

2015

17TH IN THE MXGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (KTM) 3RD AT THE MX OF NATIONS WITH TEAM BELGIUM

2017

22ND IN THE MXGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (SUZUKI) MX1 BELGIAN CHAMPION

PADDOCK TALKS 1

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1 2024 MXE season has started on the demanding track of Saint-Jean-d’Angély.

Frenchman Lucas Bos has won the MX-e Championship opener at home!

2 We wish a quick and safe recovery to Thibault Benistant after his crash during Time Practice at Saint-Jean-d’Angély.

3 Honda is a happy manufacturer in May 2024. After 6 years, Pauls Jonass came back on top of the podium and has clinched his 12th GP victory in very tough conditions at Agueda, his first victory in the MXGP class! And Tim Gajser is the new championship leader after the Monster Energy MXGP of France.

4 It seems like Bud Racing Kawasaki have found again one of the rising stars of Motocross. After an outstanding performance at his home round with a double victory, Frenchman Mathis Valin is the new EMX250 red plate holder!

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5 Supercross de Paris is well launched with a presentation to the press at the Monster Energy MXGP of France! The current lineup was announced and the confirmation that the mythic supercross will be again broadcasted on MXGP-TV.com with the voice of the great Paul Malin in 2024.

6 Great news from the MXGP paddock! KRT and his owner Kimi Räikkönen will add a MX2 department from 2025 season in their workshop. There is no doubt that a lot of riders will be interested by the opportunity of a bar at one of the best factory teams.

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7 Jorge Prado has lived an absolute dream at Lugo with a perfect GP win in his town, on “his” Jorge Prado municipal circuit.

The Friday before, The Galician and the Motocross stars have shared a beautiful moment with the locals in front of the Lugo Roman walls.

8 MXGP is back in Australia! This very exciting announce has been revealed with a visit of Infront Moto Racing CEO David Luongo in Darwin, where the 2025 Australian GP will be hosted, 24 years after the last Aussie GP. 9 We now know where the MXGP final race will be held. The new Spanish venue of Cózar in the land of Don Quixote will host the MXGP of Castilla La Mancha on 28th and 29th of September.

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