MXGP #130 2024

#130 2024

BROTHERS IN SPEED:

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CONTENT

005 EDITORIAL

010 COOL SHOTS

012 RACING CATCH UP

042 RIDERS OF THE MONTH COENEN BROTHERS

054 SPECIAL FEATURE FILIPPO CAMASCHELLA’S BLOG

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SPECIAL FEATURE FANTIC FACTORY RACING MX2

RACING CATCH UP

066 SPECIAL FEATURE KEN ROCZEN 2010 SUZUKI RM

072 HALL OF FAME SHAUN SIMPSON

076 PADDOCK TALKS

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MONSTER G

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SPECIAL FEATURE

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COOL SHOTS

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RIDERS 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 #130 2024 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, THE END OF JULY IS MARKING THE ENTRANCE INTO THE LAST PART OF THE FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP. WITH FOUR GRAND PRIX WHICH TOOK PLACE IN THE LAST 5 WEEKS, THE RHYTHM ACCELERATED FOR THE BIGGEST PLEASURE OF OUR FOLLOWERS.

The beautiful island of Lombok hosted two GP this year. As usual, the local authorities welcomed all the attendants with a fantastic ceremony in the city of Mataram. Thousands of locals came to support the MXGP and MX2 stars during these incredible events.

In MXGP, the battle continued to gain into intensity with Jorge Prado, Tim Gajser and Jeffrey Herlings fighting for every point. Jorge Prado won the MXGP of West Nusa Tenggara and Jeffrey Herlings the MXGP of Lombok. Calvin Vlaanderen was able to complete both podiums for the first time of the season.

In MX2, the teammates of Neestan Husqvarna, Kay de Wolf and Lucas Coenen are trusting the top position of the podium Grand Prix after Grand Prix.

Going back to Europe, the MXGP of Czech Republic took place at the historical track of Loket, which also hosted the European Championship finals of the EMX65cc and EMX85cc as support classes. Almost 300 riders participated to this weekend of racing in all the classes and more than 400 bikes went to technical control. It is a fantastic

milestone for our sport and a great testimonial for the next generations that will make their ride to MXGP in the coming years!

Finally, the Hell of Lommel took place last weekend. One of the most awaited and demanding Grand Prix in the year. It was a great success with probably one of the best crowds ever present at the Lommelwood venue. All the fans that were present could witness the amazing MXGP races that took place with the great battle between Jorge Prado and Jeffrey Herlings.

Romain Febvre marked his comeback of racing with third overall. In MX2 Kay de Wolf extended his lead on Lucas Coenen.

On the media side, we are glad to share that TikTok MXGP platform reached 300.000 followers last week, thank you for following us!

After a break this weekend, the next MXGP will be running at the beautiful track of Uddevalla for the MXGP of Sweden and you can be sure that it will bring a lot of action.

See you in Sweden or on MXGP-TV.com!

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

THE TRAVEL DIARIES ROAD TRIPPING THROUGH ASIA, CZECH REPUBLIC AND BELGIUM

There is no doubt that things are moving along pretty rapidly in MXGP, and by the time you read this feature, we will be two-thirds of the way through the season, with just seven races remaining, and that includes the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations. Blink, and you’ll miss it, so let’s take a quick re-cap as to what happened at rounds eleven to fourteen, shall we?

PREPPIN’ When the chequered flag fell at the end of MXGP Race Two at Maggiora, most of us shifted our sights to the two fly away GP’s in Indonesia, but for those at the coalface, the trip to Asia had already been a long, drawn-out process. With two triple-headers preceding the trip, the team’s, manager’s and mechanics all had their backs against the wall, so to speak, with the work behind the scenes to get the crates ready going on simultaneously. Not an easy task, as you’re dealing with carnet’s, possible rider injuries and a whole host of other things which could give cause for concern. In short, this whole process had been going on since before Portugal, round five.

With no race trucks and fancy hospitality units, it’s crucial that every ounce of space within the crate is put to good use; where do the bikes go, and wheels, spare parts, tools etc. Weight restrictions also apply, so putting everything together takes practice but above all else, experience. It’s not just the race teams that need to manage this, but also the support teams, such as tyre and suspension suppliers.

Leave anything behind in Europe, and it could have dire consequences for a rider, a team or both.

All crated material needed to be ready for collection by the shipping company on Tuesday after the MXGP of Italy in Maggiora, and from there, the crates would not be seen again until they arrived at the circuit on Wednesday/ Thursday of the event itself. Whilst the crates were enroute, riders and teams enjoyed a free weekend off before getting ready to make the

long journey south-east to Indonesia.

The company tasked with arranging the travel of personnel from Europe to Asia is SEL, and so it’s no surprise to see groups of riders and teams on the same flights. Whether you went via Singapore or Istanbul, the next stop was Jakarta International. Depending on transit times, typically the journey will take around 14 hours. F for the first time rom there, the usual rules applied; clear immigration, collect luggage, wait for hotel shuttle to take you to the hotel etc. By now, it’s already after 21:30 on Wednesday evening, and that hotel room couldn’t come soon enough. Anything for a hot shower, a freshen up and a decent lie down.

Fingers crossed the bed was a comfy one!

After a quick pit stop, there was no time for hanging around as there was still the small matter of the two-hour internal flight to Lombok, first thing on Thursday morning.

Of course, that meant another visit through airport security, and the joys that all of that has to offer. Upon landing in Lombok, the mood shifted slightly, as in many ways it signalled the start of the grand prix weekend, as from here, the team’s jumped into their team shuttles, destined for the place they’d call home for almost two weeks. Even if some riders shared the same hotel, the fact you could do your own thing meant that the routine of the daily grind was about to come back into play.

A VERY WARM WELCOME The two Asian rounds of MXGP took place on the last weekend of June and the first weekend of July, and the first thing you notice is the heat and humidity. When walking through an airport, dragging luggage and back packs, the heat does not go unnoticed, but you do eventually get used to it, but spare a thought for the athletes who were there to work. In the past, the riders commented that the heat was not so bad, but prior to this trip, the weather in Europe had been appalling; nothing but cold and wet, constantly, so yes, the first thing we all noticed was the difference in temperatures.

Despite that, the hospitality we received by the Indonesian people was even warmer. Nothing was ever too much trouble, and they just loved

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coming into contact with the ‘westerners’ who’d based themselves in their city for the best part of two weeks. Wherever you went, scooters, millions of scooters, fizz by, loaded with anywhere between one and four passengers, and when they catch a glimpse of you, the common greeting from them to you is ’Helloooo Meeeeester’ no matter if you’re male or female. Of course, your reply back is the same, which they think is hilarious.

Speaking of warm welcomes, the Media Opportunity for the MXGP of West Nusa Tenggara took place on Friday afternoon, commencing with the gathering of riders and teams at the Islamic centre, in Lombok.

On this occasion the riders either cycled or were transported above the shoulders of

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diminutive local men, and by that you should definitely read ‘paraded’ through the streets, for approximately 500m or so to the final destination, an outdoor amphitheatre where speeches were made by various dignitaries from Infront Moto Racing, the FIM, the local organiser to people of further importance within the city of Lombok. When you watch how the local people behave, or for those performing in the parade and how they conduct themselves, there is a real sense of pride in what they do, always smiling, which is great to see.

HOT TOPIC The racing was also intense, despite the warm conditions, and there were one or two surprises as well. In MX2, Nestaan Husqvarna’s Kay de

Wolf kept a cool, clam head to wrap up the grand prix with a double-race win, over Red Bull KTM’s Andrea Adamo (2-3) and Lucas Coenen (7-2). Mikkel Haarup came close to his second podium of the campaign for Monster Energy Triumph, but a couple of mistakes proved costly when it mattered, so had to be frustratingly content with 4th overall, one place ahead of Sacha Coenen.

In MXGP, Jeffrey Herlings looked set to clinch GP win #105, until he fell from the lead on lap six of sixteen. Who was there to pick up the pieces? None other than the defending champ himself, Mr. Jorge Prado. It was a good day for the Spaniard, who’d hurt his knee at the previous grand prix in Italy, so to bounce back with a 2-1 was almost perfect. He’d also reduced the gap to Tim Gajser from 34

to 22 points after the Slovenian’s error-strewn second race.

There was podium joy for Calvin Vlaanderen, the South African solid with 4-4 to register 3rd overall and his first box visit as a Yamaha factory rider. His battle with Jeremy Seewer in the first race was epic.

There was no denying though, the conditions were tough for the riders but with two GP rounds at the same venue, the good news was, there were no bags to pack to fly to another venue, as was the case last year. This time around, they could go straight back to the hotel, get a shower, a massage and maybe even enjoy a Monday morning lie-in, if that’s what floats the boat. In the same way that it

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was good for the riders, imagine how pumped the mechanics were. Wash the bike, bit of prep, cover it up, and go again on Friday. And in the meantime, put your feet up for a few days, soak in the sun, switch off.

DOWNTIME

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One thing that was very much needed and appreciated was the downtime between the two rounds, even if it meant laying by the pool in order to catch up on some sleep or get over the jet lag. The time difference between Europe and Lombok being six hours meant sleep patterns were out of whack, so if chilling by the pool was the medicine, then so be it. Or, you could rent a scooter and tour the island of Lombok, or head to the nearby Gili Islands, climb a volcano, head south to Kuta or visit

Sengiggi. However, golf seems to be very much a thing at the minute within the paddock, and so you might have seen all kinds of Insta-golf

WHEN YOU WATCH HOW THE LOCAL PEOPLE BEHAVE, OR FOR THOSE PERFORMING IN THE PARADE AND HOW THEY CONDUCT THEMSELVES, THERE IS A REAL SENSE OF PRIDE IN WHAT THEY DO, ALWAYS SMILING, WHICH IS GREAT TO SEE.

shots posted by various riders, who certainly looked like they enjoyed some time off.

But, ‘this ain’t no holiday’ and by Friday we were back in Senggigi for another welcome ceremony, this time for the MXGP of Lombok.

A great beach location, some brief speeches by the dignitaries once again, an open-air buffet, ceremonial dancers, fire throwers. There was never a dull moment. Sadly, though, it was time to get back to work as the MXGP of Lombok beckoned.

RIDING IN REVERSE With two grand’s prix at the same venue, it can often pose a few challenges for the track crew, but if you already know in advance how

and where those changes need to happen, then that is half the battle. The first turn had a tweak, making it more of a ninety degree turn as opposed to a one-eighty. This brought the riders to turn two, the old penultimate corner, and by now, we are already heading in the opposite direction. A further tweak in how we reached the final turn and the obvious re-shaping of the jumps, and we were good to go … again!

Of course, it would be easy to suggest that the same track in the opposite direction would pretty much give the same results as the week before, but actually, that was not the case.

This time it was Lucas Coenen who went 1-1 followed by Mikkel Haarup (4-3) and Simon Laengenfelder (2-5). Adamo and de Wolf, who were first and second a week earlier, were

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fourth and fifth. Despite that, de Wolf still held a comfortable 49-point lead over L. Coenen, although it was 65 after the previous GP. Still, you’d rather be forty-nine in front as opposed to chasing that margin, right?

AS FOR POINTS SCORED ON SUNDAY AT THE LAST SEVEN GP’S (GALICIA TO LOMBOK) HERLINGS HAD SCORED 309, GAJSER 291 AND PRADO 280, INCLUDING THE DNF IN ITALY. As for MXGP, Herlings did make it to #105, Gajser got his podium (2nd) and Vlaanderen came away with another third overall. Prado never really looked comfortable on the circuit in the reverse direction, and his 4-5 results reflected that. So, what did that mean for the championship heading into Loket?

Gajser’s lead over Prado was back out to 34 points, but Herlings was now just 17 adrift of the Spaniard. The Bullet is in the driving seat though, having taken seven podiums in the last seven rounds. In that same period, Gajser has missed the podium twice, with Prado missing the box three times. As for points scored on Sunday at the last seven GP’s (Galicia to Lombok) Herlings had scored 309, Gajser 291 and Prado 280, including the DNF in Italy. If things continue like that until the end of the season, then we very much have a three-way, championship fight on our hands once again.

REALITY CZECH Who doesn’t love Loket? We’ll tell you who; the people who have never witnessed the place first hand! The road from the circuit to the town takes you from the top of the hill to the bottom, meandering left and right on a typical mountain road. As you reach the town limits, a quick look to your left and you see the bottom half of the circuit which immediately gives you a real sense of how big this circuit is and how steep those hills really are. And in a similar way to what we experienced in Lombok, the Czech people, and those from Loket in particular, go out of their way to make you feel very welcome, even offering up their driveways and gardens for camping if you need it; or more crucially, if you’re early enough.

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All of a sudden, the sight of Loket Castle in front of you as you continue to descend to the bottom of the town is an image of pure beauty.

The Gothic castle dates back to 1230 and is

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surrounded on three sides by the River Ohre, but if you think that view is impressive, the view of the hillside form the opposite side is even more so. As you approach the bottom of the hill, follow the road left and from there, follow your nose, turning right at intersections. Eventually the road takes you uphill on the back side of the town, and it really is a thing of chocolate box beauty. Breath-taking! and it never gets old, no matter how many times you see it.

From this side of town, you can then turn right across the imposing bridge which links the road to the castle, where you really feel like you get transported back in time. The cobbled street, the colourful nature of the buildings, the architecture, all of it, is pretty impressive.

Not only is it a tourist destination, but it also featured the ‘Montenegro’ scene in the 2006 James Bond 007 movie, Casino Royale, starring Daniel Craig. The secret agent drives uphill into the centre of town in his sporty Bond-Mobile, parks in front of a building to his right, before joining a friend at restaurant in the square, purpose-built for that scene. Google it, and then you’ll see. You’ll be here next year, guaranteed!

The track is pretty good, too. A mixture of hard pack underneath with loose dirt on top, with steep climbs and descents, it’s a rare gem of a track that harks back to the old school, with good elevated viewing for the fans. There’s always a good vibe around this place too, and when it’s hot, the fans are not shy in offering up a bit of flesh, as they clearly enjoy the partaking of a bit ‘tannidge’.

SUPPORTING ROLE Recently the Czech GP has been the round which showcases the EMX65cc and EMX85cc European Championship finale, as well as a round of the MXE-Junior championship, where all the little dudes and dudette’s grapple with the steep hillsides on their 50cc automatic e-bikes from KTM, GASGAS and Husqvarna. And if that’s not enough, how about a little EMX2T action? That’s right, for one round only, the twosmokers are out in force, all in the hope of being crowned as a European Champion. MX2 and MXGP top the bill though, and quite rightly so.

However, just because we’ve travelled back from Asia where it was 35˚ and humid, don’t think for a minute that it’s back to the cold and damp European weather we experienced for much of the season. No, no! Thursday, the weather was recorded at 29˚ with those temperatures set to remain throughout the weekend. This track though, was more physical than the one in Lombok, which could determine the overall outcome. Well, that, and the first corner!

It was great to see Romain Febvre back from injury, and what a place for him to come back to. The Loket circuit suits his loose riding style, which probably explains why he has three MXGP class victories here since 2015, including his win in 2023. But, how would his thumb hold up though? Good enough for win number four?

Two riders with three wins of their own in Loket might have had something to say about that, as both Jeffrey Herlings and Jorge Prado are also three-time winners. The points leader Tim Gajser though, has yet to register a GP win here.

Maybe he is due one in 2024. Whichever way you looked it, it was quite a mouth-watering prospect of a GP to look forward to. So, what happened?

EXPLOSIVE

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To say that Loket was explosive is an understatement. In MX2, championship leader Kay de Wolf was lucky to escape serious injury when he crashed spectacularly over the ‘bars in the RAM Qualifying Race, before going on to win the grand prix on Sunday with a 3-1, to become the 50th winner around this Loket circuit. Sacha Coenen hit the eject button on the same jump during race one whilst his teammate Andrea Adamo was forced to retire from the event after one crash too many; the Italian crashed for the final time in race one and could not line up for race two.

The other Coenen, Lucas, also sampled the Loket terrain whilst challenging De Wolf in race two, after winning the first outing. Amongst all of the carnage though was the calm figure of Simon Laengenfelder, who rode to second

overall with 2-2, which meant that De Wolf still led the series by 46 points heading to Lommel.

As for MXGP, Tim Gajser struck first with victory in the RAM Qualifying Race, his sixth of the season. The Saturday race has been good to the Slovenian this year, with six wins, six second places and one third. After Loket he had scored 112 championship points, twenty-six more than Prado, and twenty-eight more than Herlings. Impressive. But, it was The Bullet who secured the victory in race one from Prado and Gajser. For Herlings, it was his 200th career race victory. Antonio Cairoli ended his career with 182 race wins, and Stefan Everts could ‘only’ manage 171 wins, which puts Herlings in uncatchable territory, quite possibly.

There were no celebrations after race two for the Dutchman though. A second corner crash at the start of the race left him in 35th position, and whilst challenging for 11th on LAP 2 …

YES, LAP 2, he clipped the rear wheel of Andrea Bonacorsi and fell back to 16th. Undeterred, the ‘84’ got his head down and recovered for 4th, in what was a simply sensational ride. Had it not been for the second crash, could he have gone to win the race? Who knows, but it sure would have been mighty close if not. Instead, it was Tim Gajser who won the race, and with it his 48th career GP victory. More importantly though, he had broken his duck with his first win on Czech soil after landing on the podium on five previous occasions. Prado ended the weekend 2nd overall with a brace of 2nd places and left Loket 36 points behind Gajser and 19

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clear of Herlings, which would make Lommel even more crucial in the fight for the MXGP World Championship.

As for the support classes, we witnessed the arrival of a new little superstar. The long-haired Roko ‘Rocket’ Ivandic from Croatia dominated the EMX65cc class from Estonia’s Theo Kolts and Luca Nierychlo of Germany, whilst Sleny Goyer of France raced to the EMX85cc title. A comfortable win in the first race was followed by a heroic ride from outside of the top twenty to an impressive 5th, to secure the overall win.

The second race was won by Latvia’s Jekabs Hudolejs, which after his 11th in race one, saw him secure 2nd overall. Third went to Italy’s Edoardo Riganti with 3-7.

WITH CIRCUIT CONDITIONS LEFT UNGROOMED FOLLOWING THE RAM QUALIFYING RACES ON SATURDAY, THE ROUGHED UP, BUMPY, CHALLENGING CIRCUIT PROVIDED SOME OF THE MOST UNPREDICTABLE RACING OF THE SEASON SO FAR.

And finally, after a serious neck injury in November which was almost career-ending, Austria’s Marcel Stauffer rode to two race wins in the EMX2T Championship to win a European title for the first time. Bence Pergel of Hungary took 2nd overall (2-2) with Czech rider Vaclav Kovar taking 3rd (6-3). Next stop, the MXGP of Flanders, Lommel, Belgium. #LOMMELWOOD

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After a complete re-vamp last year, the Lommel circuit remained the same, so we already knew it was going to be a tough grand prix weekend for the riders. As for the teams, this ‘home’ GP could not have come at a better time; with Loket just a seven, or eight-hour drive back to Belgium, most were home late Sunday night, or in the early hours of Monday morning. And, with Lommel up next, there was no leaving on Wednesday for any long drive to the next GP. This meant an extra day at home, the trucks could leave Thursday morning for the fiveminute drive to the circuit in order to get set up, and the support vehicles did not need to deliver the race bikes to the circuit until Friday for the all-important Technical Control. Even better, those who lived close enough to the circuit had the luxury of staying in their own beds throughout the weekend. Nothing quite like those home comforts, right?

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EMX250 was back on the bill for their seventh round of the season, where Mathis Valin arrived with a slender 13-point lead over Cas Valk, with Valerio Lata just six points further back. When Valin took the win in Race One, he extended his lead over Valk to 20 points, as the Dutchman suffered from a first turn issue, getting caught up in someone else’s carnage. He recovered from outside the top twenty to place fourth, but it was a case of what could have been for the ‘172’. Valk came back to win the second race from Lata (2-2), Van Erp and Valin, but it was Lata who won the overall for the third time this season. With Valk 2nd and Valin 3rd overall, the Frenchman retains his 13-point lead over Valk, with just four rounds remaining.

We also saw the return of the EMX Open championship, for a one-round shootout for championship glory. There was so much going here that it was difficult to keep up, but at least two riders visited ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ during the weekend.

The first was Giuseppe Tropepe; the Millionaire Racing Team-ABF Italia rider held a six second advantage over Micha-Boy De Waal heading into the final lap, but with four corners to go, the Italian’s motorcycle came to a halt, forcing him out of the race, handing the victory to De Waal. Freek van der Vlist was 2nd with Meico Vettik 3rd.

The second visit to Heartbreak Hotel came in Race Two as De Waal, who’d recovered from outside the top ten, was up to 6th with Vettik just ahead of him in 5th. If the Dutchman could pass the Estonian, he would be EMX Open Champion. However, when steam began billowing out of bike ‘34’, there was only going to be one outcome, and De Waal was forced to retire from the race on Lap 8. His chance of a EMX title literally up in smoke! Race Two was won by Jere Haavisto, with Jakub Teresak and Gert Krestinov rounding out the top three, but it was Teresak (4-2) who took the overall from Haavisto (8-1) and Vettik (3-4).

Interesting fact for you: Jakub Teresak finished 3rd overall in the 2013 FIM Junior 85cc World Championship. Conrad Mewse took the overall that day from Hunter Lawrence, as Chase Sexton took 4th. Jorge Prado was 6th overall that weekend. What happened to those guys since then??

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CRAZY TIMES

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What a crazy grand-prix, we witnessed at the MXGP of Flanders! With circuit conditions left ungroomed following the RAM Qualifying Races on Saturday, the roughed up, bumpy, challenging circuit provided some of the most unpredictable racing of the season so far. The fist MX2 race was just bonkers. Sacha Coenen led the opening lap from Lucas C. and Kay De Wolf, but that changed on Lap 2 when the ‘74’ moved past the twins to take the lead. LC96 was the first to fall on Lap 2 from 3rd to 9th, followed by De Wolf on Lap 6, who fell from 1st to 2nd, and then SC19 from 1st to 7th.

Liam Everts, had worked his way from a first lap fall from 4th and pulled himself back to 3rd before guess what? Yep, he fell again to 6th.

LC96 fell again on Lap 8, to find himself back

in 9th. And just as it looked as though Everts was safe in 4th and a potential 3rd, the 72 fell from 4th with 2 laps remaining. Two riders who were minding their own business, were sat in 2nd and 3rd, but that changed with two laps to go as Rick Elzinga eased past Ferruccio Zanchi from 3rd to 2nd. The Italian then fell from 3rd on the final lap handing positions to Camden Mc Lellan (3rd), Mikkel Haarup (4th), LC96 (5th) and Everts (6th). With De Wolf ending the race as the winner for the ninth time this season, he would go into Race Two with a 56-point lead over Lucas Coenen.

Race Two was just as crazy. This time SC19 managed to stay up front for the best part of five laps, as brother Lucas sampled the sand on the first lap, came in for a pit stop and rejoined the race. He remained in 21st position

until Lap 7; his championship aspirations taking a massive dent in the process. De Wolf took over the lead on Lap 5 from SC19, and just as it seemed as though he would just ride away into the sunset, the 74 fell, handing the lead back to Sacha, if only for a lap. When De Wolf crashed for a second time, Elzinga suddenly found himself leading, with an opportunity of a first ever race and overall GP victory. But, he had already signalled to his crew that there was a technical issue, which eventually resulted in him nursing his bike to 4th come race-end.

Still, it was good enough for his second podium of the campaign.

As Everts and SC19 made mistakes which kept them from challenging for the race win, from out of nowhere, Simon Laengenfelder’s race

suddenly came alive, and after hovering in 5th for much of the race, within three laps he found himself leading with 4 laps remaining. Despite a late charge, De Wolf had to settle for 2nd with Everts 3rd from Elzinga and Karlis Reisulis. De Wolf (1-2) took the overall from Elzinga (2-4) and Laengenfelder (8-1), and with LC96 picking up 7th overall (5-8), the Belgian now trails De Wolf by 65 points with Laengenfleder just twelve adrift.

Something else happened in Lommel which deserves a huge mention and that was the performance of WMX World Championship leader Lotte Van Drunen, who showed up as a wildcard. The De Baets Yamaha rider decided to enter MX2 to ‘test herself against the boys’ although the aim was never to race for points,

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but to enjoy the whole weekend every step of the way. Well, her time in Time Practice gave her 17th gate pick for the RAM Qualifying Race, where a couple of falls saw her finish in 22nd.

In Race One on Sunday, she was 21st but then followed that up with 20th in Race Two, to pick up her first MX2 World Championship point. Not easy at the best of times, but on this track, in these conditions, her performance was sensational. Good job, and nice going girrrrrrrrl.

SHOTS FIRED Jeffrey Herlings bounced back from his ‘disappointment’ of not winning in Loket, and showed the world he is back to 100% Bulletmode, after what was, a stunning performance in Race One. Jorge Prado pulled the Fox Holeshot in the first race before clearing off into the sunset … almost! We say almost, because for the first few laps, the Spaniard was putting in around two seconds per lap on his rivals, which from Lap 2, was Herlings, but by mid-race, the 84 began to claw back some of the deficit. On Lap 8 though, when Herlings came into a long, sweeping right turn, he came into contact with a lapper, who’d squared off the turn whilst in his own battle with another rider. The Bullet was sent sprawling to the ground, and when he picked himself up, was almost 17 seconds down on the race leader.

For a minute, it looked like the race was over, but then Herlings rattled off a couple of laps which were two seconds quicker than Prado, and then from out of nowhere, the fastest lap of the race, which was five seconds quicker than

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the defending champ, with the gap between the two, now down to five seconds. By the end of Lap 13, the 84 jumped past Prado, into the lead before winning by more than ten seconds!

Prado was 2nd, from Calvin Vlaanderen, Romain Febvre and Tim Gajser.

Race Two was not quite as eventful, and after sitting back for the first seven laps, Herlings made his move on Prado to take over the lead, and eventually take the win. Prado was second again, but the action was going on behind them. Febvre had fallen on Lap 2 from 2nd to 4th, allowing Herlings and Gajser to gain positions, but with five laps to go, the Frenchman eased past the Slovenian into 3rd, which put the Kawasaki rider on the podium in his second race back since his thumb injury.

Herlings and Prado took the top two spots on the podium.

Coming into Lommel, Gajser held a 36-point lead over Prado, with Herlings 19 further back and 55 off the lead. Heading to Sweden though, we now very much have a championship fight on our hands once again, as Gajser’s lead has been cut to 24, with Herlings 14 off the Spaniard. Just 38 points separate the top three with only six rounds remaining, so it’s game on at the top as we all hope for a season finale not to dissimilar to that of 2021. Remember that one?

You can catch all the action LIVE om www. mxgp-tv.com – see you in Sweden!

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MONSTER GIRLS

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MONSTER GIRLS

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RIDER OF THE MONTH

BROTHERS IN SPEED: THE COENENS RISE! In the fast-paced world of motocross, few stories are as compelling as that of Lucas and Sacha Coenen. These twin brothers from Belgium are rapidly becoming the sensations of motocross, not just for their extraordinary skills and achievements, but also for their unique bond and shared journey. From their early beginnings in karting, guided by their father’s passion for motorsports, to their current successes on the global motocross stage, the Coenen twins’ story is one of relentless determination, sibling synergy and a drive to conquer the MX world.

MXGP Mag had the chance to sit down with the Coenen twins to delve deeper into their fascinating world. Let’s dive into their story to understand what makes these rising stars who they are, and explore their journey, challenges, and dreams as they pave their way to the top of the motocross universe.

made it easier and more fun for us three to ride together.”

Their introduction to motocross saw them starting on 50cc bikes. Sacha’s first race is particularly memorable as he broke his leg from sheer excitement. Despite the initial setbacks and challenges, it was evident that motocross was more than just a hobby. “Like every kid, we started for fun and enjoyed riding together day by day,” says Sacha. “But as our skills improved, we noticed it was getting serious,” Lucas continues, highlighting that the thrill of riding with big smiles on their faces remained a constant.

FAMILY INFLUENCE AND SUPPORT

BEGINNINGS The journey of Lucas and Sacha Coenen into the realm of motocross began with a shared passion ignited by their father, a former touring car racer. “We got into motocross mainly because of our dad,” recalls Sacha. “We started together in karting when we were kids and then moved to bikes and motocross.” The switch to motorbikes was not just a change in vehicle but a pivotal moment in their lives.

Lucas adds, “Karting was difficult to race together. Our dad found motocross, which

The Coenen twins’ ascent in motocross is deeply rooted in their family’s unwavering support. Their father has been a central figure in their careers, providing not only technical guidance but also instilling a sense of fun and enjoyment. “Having our dad with us has been huge. We do everything together; running, cycling, and riding bikes,” Sacha shares. “It’s more difficult now because we are getting faster, but the support is always there.”

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Their father’s influence extends beyond the technical aspects of the sport. He has taught them to appreciate every race weekend, from the small classes to the World Championship, with a focus on keeping the sport enjoyable.

“The goal now is to get back to riding with him to keep it fun and chill,” Lucas adds.

CAREER AND ACHIEVEMENTS Lucas and Sacha Coenen’s rise through the motocross ranks has been nothing short of spectacular. Lucas, who was in the spotlight last year, now shares his success with Sacha.

“It feels great to be at this level together,” Sacha notes. “We work every day and are used to be in front together in the MX2 class.

It feels normal for us.”

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Their success is built on a foundation of hard work, consistency, and mutual support.

Sacha highlights the need for improvement in consistency, but acknowledges finding good speed this year. Lucas points to the importance of starts, an area where Sacha excels. “If you can start in the top 3, 90% of the race is done. I have the speed; I just need better starts,” Lucas explains.

For some context, before stepping up to MX2, Sacha and Lucas have built an impressive motocross resume from the ground up.

Starting in the 2016 EMX65 series, Sacha and Lucas faced tough competition, with Sacha finishing 25th and Lucas 32nd overall, but both showed great determination. By 2017, their efforts began to pay off: Sacha captured 5th place in the EMX65 Northwest Series and

Lucas took 10th overall, setting the stage for future success.

In the EMX85 series in 2019, Lucas achieved 7th in the NW Series and Sacha dominated with a remarkable 1st place and 3 overall wins. However, during the EMX85 final, they couldn’t capitalise on earlier success, as Lucas finished with 20th overall, while Sacha was 18th.

In 2021, Lucas excelled in EMX125, finishing 3rd in the championship with 2 overall wins and 5 race victories, while Sacha showed promise with a 4th place overall and a race win.

The 2022 EMX250 series saw Lucas claim 2nd in the championship with 3 overall wins and 7 race victories, while Sacha had a harder time,

laying the groundwork for the next seasons with a top 5 result. Their steady rise through the ranks highlights their dedication and skill, setting them up for a thrilling transition into MX2.

The 2023 motocross season was a year of contrasts and challenges for the brothers. Lucas showcased his talent and determination, finishing 5th in the MX2 Championship with 1 GP win, 5 race victories, 2 RAM Qualifying Race wins, and 3 GP podiums. Meanwhile, Sacha’s year was one of perseverance. He battled through tough competitions to secure 14th in the championship, with his best race finish being 5th and his top RAM Qualifying result a 2nd place.

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Their 2023 season highlighted their individual journeys, with Lucas making a mark at the top and Sacha having to demonstrate resilience and grit.

This all paid off with this new season! In 2024, the Coenen brothers elevated their game to new heights. Lucas is surging to 2nd in the MX2 Championship and is being a serious contender for the title, racking up 4 GP wins, 9 race victories, 5 RAM Qualifying Race wins, and an impressive 9 GP podiums, solidifying his status as a top contender.

THEIR 2023 SEASON HIGHLIGHTED THEIR INDIVIDUAL JOURNEYS, WITH LUCAS MAKING A MARK AT THE TOP AND SACHA HAVING TO DEMONSTRATE RESILIENCE AND GRIT. Sacha also made significant strides, being 8th in the championship, having won his first MX2 Grand Prix of his career, 2 race victories and 2 GP podiums. His best RAM QR finish remained a strong 2nd place. Sacha is also feared for his lightening starts, having racked up 14 FOX Holeshots since the beginning of the season, which is a 50% ratio so far!!

The 2024 season is showing their growth and resilience, with Lucas cementing his place as a top contender and Sacha proving his capability to compete at the highest levels and to soon be up at the top if he can get more consistency.

RIVALRY AND SUPPORT One might expect intense rivalry between twin brothers competing in the same sport, but for Lucas and Sacha it’s all about support and pushing each other to greater heights.

“Spending all day together with our dad, we don’t feel any rivalry. It’s just normal for us,” Sacha explains. Lucas echoes this sentiment, emphasizing that their competition is friendly and beneficial. “Training with Sacha is one thing, but competing in MX2 is even better. It pushes both of us to improve.”

TRAINING AND LIFESTYLE

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Training together is a key component of their regimen. Their typical training day involves riding bikes together and meticulously checking all details with their father. “We don’t have a specific routine. We do basic gym workouts, cycling, and a lot of bike training,” Lucas says. This collaborative approach

ensures they continuously push each other to enhance their skills.

Living together in Belgium further solidifies their bond and facilitates their rigorous training schedule. “We just keep it cool,” Sacha remarks about balancing their professional and personal relationship. For Lucas, it’s about the natural rhythm they’ve developed over the years. “There’s no balance; we just enjoy it,” he says.

PERSONALITIES AND INTERESTS Despite their shared journey, Lucas and Sacha have distinct personalities and strengths on the track. “I’m faster in the starts, but Lucas wins more. I’m getting closer, though,”

Sacha admits. Lucas, on the other hand, acknowledges Sacha’s prowess in starts and his own advantage in being taller and heavier.

“He’s the Holeshot King,” Lucas jokes.

conquer every championship they compete in, which is a testament to their unrelenting drive and passion for motocross.

ADVICE FOR ASPIRING RIDERS

Off the track, their interests are as diverse as their riding styles. They enjoy various sports like enduro, trial, and cycling, and have tried almost every sport imaginable. However, golf holds a special place for them. “We love playing golf with our dad. It’s a great way to relax and recover after a race weekend,” Lucas shares.

Looking ahead, the Coenen twins have ambitious goals. “To win as much as I can,” Sacha states. They both show a desire to

For young riders looking up to them, Lucas and Sacha offer simple yet profound advice.

“Have fun and don’t take it too seriously, especially at the beginning,” Sacha advises.

Lucas adds, “Be free and enjoy it. Don’t take it too seriously, or you’ll put too much pressure on yourself.” Their success, after all, is rooted in their ability to maintain the joy of riding amidst the rigors of professional competition.

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SHARED DREAMS Every motocross rider has favourite tracks and races, and for the Coenen twins, Lommel stands out. “It’s our home GP and I love sandy tracks,” Sacha explains. Lucas agrees, citing the time they spend there as a key factor. A special race for both of them this year was in Latvia, creating memorable moments for their family in wat was the 1st GP win of Sacha, with Lucas getting also on the podium on the second step. The first Coenen’s double in the World Championship was something very special and a feeling they both look forward to reiterate on a regular basis.

When asked who will be the first to get a World Title, their answers reflect their close bond and shared vision. “I don’t know, but I’ll say both, together,” Sacha responds.

Lucas adds, “Yeah, why not? One in MXGP and the other in MX2. It doesn’t matter who, but together it will be special.” Once again, nothing seems to be unreachable for these firecrackers who have one and only goal, get themselves on top of the motocross world.

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Although this spot can only be filled by one rider…

CONCLUSION As the 2024 season unfolds, the future looks incredibly bright for Lucas and Sacha Coenen.

With their impressive performances and unwavering determination, they are poised to reach new heights in the motocross world.

Lucas, with his eyes set on clinching the MX2 Championship title, continues to demonstrate why he is a top contender with his remarkable track record. Sacha, not far behind, is closing the gap with his sharp improvements and fierce competitiveness.

Their journey, fuelled by a unique blend of rivalry and support, promises to bring more thrilling races and unforgettable moments. As they aim to conquer the MX world together, the Coenen twins are set to inspire a new generation of riders with their shared vision and relentless pursuit of excellence. The world eagerly awaits to see just how far these brothers in speed will go.

JORGE PRADO GARCIA 2023 MXGP WORLD CHAMPION

ANDREA ADAMO

2023 MX2 WORLD CHAMPION

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

BLOG

HEALING HANDS

by Filippo Camaschella Team HRC Therapist & FC Rehab & Wellness Srl Owner

Assomotor Team, to whom I’m thankful HI EVERYONE, I’M FILIPPO CAMASCHELLA, for the opportunity, and occasionally DOCTOR OF EXERCISE AND SPORTS SCIENCES, following other riders KINESIOLOGIST, MASSAGE THERAPIST, HUMAN from different teams, TECAR SPORT SPECIALIST AMBASSADOR AND TEAM including having the privilege to treat HRC THERAPIST SINCE 2017.

Antonio Cairoli several times. Then in 2017, I began to provide my full-time service to Team HRC. This season is number 12 for me, having started following some races already in 2013.

How did I get this opportunity? I’ll tell you a small story.

It all started with a great passion for motocross, having also been an amateur In 2016 in Lommel, Giacomo Gariboldi came rider (I won the regional championship in looking for me, he wanted to talk to me (help! my region), I then turned that passion into LOL) Tim Gajser had crashed in Saturday’s my job. I am a lucky person, having had the practice and had a lot of pain in his hand and opportunity to transform passion into work. was unable to ride the bike. He was the leader Work that allowed me to be alongside riders in the world championship, in short, he asked who until recently were unapproachable me to help him and treat him. I remember the superheroes for me. Yes, I am proud to be part first treatment done, at the new HRC truck, of this magnificent world. in Giacomo’s suite, with all the Japanese leaders, Roger Harvey and, obviously, I started working with David Philippaerts in Giacomo Gariboldi attending the treatment.

2013 and the following year with Alessandro Let’s say it was a fairly pressured first visit, Lupino. First, giving my support only to him haha! and in 2015 also to Alfredo Bevilacqua’s

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I treated him several times, allowing him to race and win race 2. Hence HRC’s proposal to me for the following season and, obviously, acceptance on my part, starting a relationship that is still very strong.

It was a dream come true, working for an official team! A team that believes a lot in its riders, wanting to give the best to them. They were able to welcome my ideas and initiatives and carry them forward together.

Today, together with my company FC Rehab & Wellness Srl, in addition to providing service at all the world championship races to the riders and the entire HRC team, we carry out performance tests at the beginning of the season and during it, thus monitoring the condition of the athletes during the entire season. We have prevention programs, which I believe in a lot and, if an athlete suffers an injury, we can work 360 during the week at my FC studio in Grignasco. This is exactly what happened after the Portuguese GP with Tim, who stayed with us recovering as much as possible to be ready for the following weekend.

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All this experience has given me the opportunity to bring my knowledge to all my FC Rehab & Wellness clients. A method that goes from high-level sport to everyday life.

Now at the races, together with me, since 2023 there is my collaborator, Daniel, who works during the week at my studio. He is an extremely trustworthy person who guarantees excellent and efficient work for the team.

After 10 non-stop seasons, I now have to dedicate myself more to the new projects, to my dream, which will soon become reality!

A completely new studio where teamwork, cutting-edge technologies and excellent professionals will work as a team to give all the athletes who come, the best. I can’t wait but... it’s a lot of effort at the moment! 😄😅 It’s 9.32pm as I finish to write this, and the time has come, after a very long working day, to pack my suitcase for the next trip. The deep sand of Lommel awaits us and like every GP weekend... I can’t wait!

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SPECIAL FEATURE

NEVER GIiVING UP THE FANTIC FACTORY RACING MX2 TEAM, NEW FOR 2024, IS MADE UP OF THE HIGHLY RESPECTED SM ACTION SQUAD, WITH NEW RIDERS DAVID BRACERAS AND KAY KARSSEMAKERS. ON TOP OF THE NEW MACHINERY, THE TEAM HAVE HAD TO BATTLE THROUGH TERRIBLE CIRCUMSTANCES TO EVEN MAKE IT TO THE GRID THIS SEASON…

The SM Action team was founded by the energetic Emanuele Giovanelli, who raced to World Championship level at the Supermoto discipline, reaching a best of 15th in the 2005 series. As with most Supermoto racers, he had come over from his first love of Motocross, and with his ever-impressive setup he decided to start his own Motocross team to help young riders, and in partnership with his friend Matteo Migliori, SM Action Racing (SM for “Supermoto”, of course) was born.

FIRST POINTS Their first entry into Motocross came in 2015, with Yamaha machinery similar to what Emanuele had been racing in Supermoto. With riders Alessandro Tortora and Matteo’s son Marco, they competed domestically in Italy with a few wildcard rides in MX2, with Simone Furlotti scoring their first points at Arco di Trento with a fine 15th place.

The team moved into the MXGP paddock full-time in 2017, with Furlotti tackling the EMX250 division and winning first time out in front of his home fans at Trentino! Losing the red plate with a crash while leading in the sand of Valkenswaard, he won overall at Orlyonok, but hurt his shoulder in Switzerland on his way to second in the series behind countryman Morgan Lesiardo. A wildcard ride at Teutschenthal in MX2 yielded a strong 11th place finish as well, and Simone made the move to MX2 full-time for 2018.

With not just Simone, but two new hotshots in the form of Alvin Ostlund and 17-year-old future World Champion Maxime Renaux, the SM Action MC Migliori Yamaha team also ran Michele Cervellin, who landed them their first Italian title, the MX2 elite crown, that season.

Their best race finish in GPs came from Ostlund, who took a 7th at Agueda, while Renaux missed most of the year through injury, only to score a top ten overall at Loket to show his potential. Furlotti was consistent all season to finish the year 20th in the series.

TESTING TIMES A cloud was cast over the team after the 2018 Motocross of Nations, however, as the Italian squad, including Michele Cervellin, scored a solid podium result, and looked close to the win at one stage, but all of that was changed as Cervellin’s fuel was tested and deemed to be illegal. At the time, the team had many fingers pointed at them, but in typical honesty were open about what they had done. “The team uses commercial petrol and the checks carried out during the 2018 world trials have always been widely regulated. On the occasion of the American trip, it was decided not to bring fuel from Italy, but to use the local one. Unfortunately, this choice has not proved correct, and this naivety has led us to the disqualification of our rider and to the cancellation of the excellent result obtained by the Italian National team,” their Press Release stated, also including an apology to everyone involved with the Italian squad. A lesser outfit would not have survived such scrutiny, but as always, the team moved on with their promising riders into 2019.

That year they continued with Cervellin and Renaux, while also taking on the 2017 EMX150 Champion, a 15-year-old Italian by the name of Andrea Adamo.

CHAMPIONS IN TRAINING Cervellin spent the year embedded in the top ten, with a 5th at Matterley Basin and a 4th at Orlyonok proving his pace, but sadly his season ended before Indonesia, and he was consigned to finish 16th for the season.

However, Renaux was pushing his pace and was in amongst the top men. A slow start was built on and

by Indonesia he was scoring top three race finishes, taking his first overall podium at round 15 at Imola, then third behind Jorge Prado and Jago Geerts in Turkiye.

Seventh in the standings put him on the shopping list of many top teams, although he stayed put with SM Action for another year.

“Manu” Giovanelli was at the heart of it all, getting very involved with his riders and helping both on and off the circuit. Many of their ex-riders, like Adamo and Renaux, still talk regularly to the team at every GP event.

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In 2020, Renaux graduated to be a true Championship challenger, and begun the year by taking the Internazionali d’Italia title in MX2. Again, he did not start the year brilliantly, but built up to take a glorious first GP win for both himself and the team, at their home round of Faenza in Italy, just an hour from their workshops in Vignola. With five further podiums, the Frenchman could no longer ignore the calls from the factory teams

and went on to be World Champion with the factory Yamaha squad the following year!

ADAMO AND THE FOREST Adamo, too, was growing in confidence and claimed a stunning third overall in the EMX250 season opener at Valkenswaard, in an age when young Italians can ride sand just as well as anyone! Sadly, injury robbed him of any further progress that season, but still the team kept him on for his MX2 debut in 2021.

He was intended to run alongside new signing Alberto Forato, as the team moved to GASGAS machinery and also took on Norwegian Kevin Horgmo for EMX250, but a last-minute switch to MXGP for “The Forest” gave the team busy weekends ahead with riders in three classes at most GPs.

Adamo’s trademark consistency started to show, only failing to score three times from the 36 races, scoring top ten finishes in six of the last seven races to take 14th in the Championship. 21-year-old Forato also impressed in his first season with the big boys, claiming a sixth-place overall result in Turkiye, behind an allWorld Champion line-up of Messrs. Herlings, Gajser, Cairoli, Febvre, and Jonass!

ELITE

The happy-go-lucky Horgmo also fitted in very well with the team’s jovial atmosphere, and after stepping down from a disastrous first attempt at MX2, challenged for the EMX250 title against Nicholas Lapucci and Rick Elzinga. Overall wins came at Latvia and Trentino, and he picked up the silver medal behind Lapucci (ironically on a Fantic), before graduating to MX2 with F&H Kawasaki.

Adamo, meanwhile, was growing by the race, and a second-round podium at Mantova showed his real pace at such a punishing track. He never quite got to the podium again for the team, but with his sheer consistency and work ethic, he was picked up by Red Bull KTM Factory Racing for the 2023 season, and of course became a surprise World Champion from almost nowhere!

In 2022, Forato became a regular in the top ten, and finished 11th in the World Championship despite missing three GPs mid-season through injury. He also claimed the SM Action squad’s first 450cc domestic title, the MX1 Elite class, which he would successfully defend in 2023 on KTM machinery!

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With the SM Action Powered by Yuasa Battery team switching to orange for 2023, Forato was starting to exude real star quality, and while there was talk of the team moving to the Fantic factory arrangement, which they did finally nail down, tragedy struck in June that year, which was to shake the team to its very foundations.

FREAK ACCIDENT Emanuele was enjoying a rare day off and working on his garden at home near the workshops, when he suffered a freak accident on his motorised “sit on and ride” lawnmower, falling together with the machine and being savagely injured by the blades. He spent over half a year in hospital, had to have his right leg amputated, and the other one was also in terrible shape. To this day, he has battled with infections to the wounds and his recovery is far from being over.

“He is the heart and soul of this team,” says Press Officer Nora Lantschner, “and in his honour they pulled together to make the transition to being a factory team, something Manu had always wanted, into a reality with an Italian brand. He was always with the riders, and the mechanics, and we all miss him massively at the races.” The emotions are understandably high among the team, and none more so that when Forato, soldiering on as the best KTM rider in MXGP after Herlings’ injury last year, scored a result that left not a dry eye in the truck!

VICTORY Heavy rain had lashed Maggiora at the start of the penultimate round of the Championship in

September, but the strong man from the northeast of Italy was equal to the challenge and took a famous RAM Qualifying Race victory in the mud! He was heart-breakingly close to a podium on Sunday as well, behind winner Jeremy Seewer and world title-clinching Jorge Prado, losing a tie-break with Ruben Fernandez for third overall! The team was still ecstatic with the result, and it was a fitting end to their privateer era as they became Fantic Factory Racing MX2 for 2024.

CONTINUING CHALLENGES With both riders, Spaniard David Braceras and Dutchman Kay Karssemakers, injured in pre-season just when they could have been developing the bikes, their challenges would continue with the new brand.

Braceras had a back injury to contend with in his fight to get fit for the season, while Kay missed Argentina with a broken sternum, so right when they should have been moving forward with the new bike and factory set-up, they had those setbacks and have had to fight back and play catch-up. Braceras has started to deliver results though, with a race win at the Spanish Championship and the new team’s first top ten result in the Czech Republic.

With what the team and their founder has gone through in the last twelve months, that was a massive result. There is a huge passion amongst the team to not let these setbacks defeat them, and they continue to press forward. Look for the beautiful white and red machines in the pack and cheer them on, because they had every reason to just pack it all in and give up. Their journey back to the top will be well worth watching.

SPECIAL FEATURE

KEN ROCZEN 2010 SUZUKI RM-Z 250 AFTER MISSING THE FIRST FOUR ROUNDS OF THE SEASON DUE TO HIS AGE, KEN ROCZEN BURST ON TO THE WORLD MOTOCROSS SCENE AT THE PORTUGUESE GRAND PRIX IN 2009, JUST TEN DAYS AFTER HIS FIFTEENTH BIRTHDAY, AND WITH A 9TH AND 4TH THE NUMBER ‘94’ CAME AWAY WITH 7TH OVERALL. DURING THE SEASON HE TOOK A COUPLE OF RACE WINS AND WON HIS FIRST GP AT HIS FIFTH ATTEMPT AT HOME IN GERMANY, WITH 2-2 RESULTS.

He ended the season 5th overall but followed that up with 2nd overall in 2010. If there was one bike that could or should have won a world title then Kenny’s 2010 Suzuki RM-Z 250 was it, and it’s this

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bike that we will feature in this issue of MXGP Magazine.

When Ken Roczen won his first grand prix at 15 years and 53 days, he became the youngest ever winner in motocross world championship history, and we knew then that this kid was destined for greatness.

His debut season in 2009 saw him take two race wins, seven 2nd places and one 3rd, along with four podiums (1x1st – 2x2nd – 1x3rd), but it’s how you move on from there which determines your resolve.

For 2010, Roczen remained with the Teka Suzuki Europe MX2 Team, but heading into the new season, there were more challenges lying in wait, more so with the motorcycle than anything else, as this was the year where Suzuki switched from the carburetted bike to the fuel injection machine.

And it didn’t come without its problems, as Kenny recalls: ‘So, the 2009 bike was actually my favourite bike, it was still a carburettor, it was the last year of the carburettor and 2010 was the first year of the fuel injection, so there came a little bit of difficulties, as the 2009 bike was just unbelievable, right? Like fast! They’d had quite a bit of R&D into it, and it was just insanely good. And then 2010, the fuel injection came out and that bike was just a lot slower than the carburettor bike, so I think that was the biggest issue that we had throughout the whole year.’

Despite those issues, Kenny went 2-2 at the season opener in Bulgaria to Marvin Musquin, followed by 2-2 in Italy, and after Musquin struggled in the sand of Valkenswaard (8-5), Kenny left The Netherlands with the championship leader’s Red Plate, after another solid 2-2 performance. Heading into Portugal, Round 4, Roczen’s lead might have only been one point,

but, he was still leading the championship, four days before his 16th birthday!

The first four rounds saw him land on the podium, but then the first of three DNF’s came in Catalunya next time out. After winning race one, Roczen was forced out of race two with an electrical problem, but there was no getting around the fact that early on in the season, Roczen was having to ride the wheels off his motorcycle, just to remain competitive: ‘Obviously back then, I was super young, and whatever they had me test I could pick out what I liked best and go, but what the problem was for most of the year, was we ran terrible gearing, it was way too short-geared. I was just shifting my ass off, and I had no top speed, the lappers were passing me back on straightaways and we were like ‘dude, what’s going on?” and I’m like ‘I’m trying my ass off, you know?’

Towards the end of the season though, the team benefitted from some new engine parts, and from then on, Kenny remembers things really started to click: ‘With the motor being slow, towards the end of the year we actually got some (new) motors, so that helped out a lot and we changed my gearing

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to a more proper way. After we changed that, the last three or four rounds, I pretty much went and won all of the races, well, besides the ones where there were a couple of electrical issues. We had three DNF’s, one in Uddevalla – electrical, I was 2nd and fighting with Frossard, I think, for 1st – then Bellpuig, Spain, the bike gave up there too, electrical, and we went to Lierop and I was leading, and my chain guide broke. I think I hit a rock or something. My chain guide broke and my chain derailed, so that was the end of that. So, I was either in 2nd, fighting for the lead or I was leading and the bike broke, so I should’ve won the championship that year, but three DNF’s? That’s too much!’

The bike itself was not a full factory bike from Suzuki but it did come with a fair amount of factory parts, such as engine brackets, ECU (with two mapping settings), high pressure piston, 48mm KYB forks, linkage (with different geometry) and triple clamps. The clamps had two different offset positions, depending on hard pack or sandy conditions.

The engine started out as a standard item but then the team added a ‘special’ crank and full Hinson clutch unit, before modifying the cases for better oil flow. The cylinder head also came with a ‘special coating.’ The titanium valves were also supplied by the factory, with cams being supplied

by Yoshimura. The exhaust system came courtesy of Akrapovic.

There were a number of carbon parts too, all of which were supplied by CRM, and these included the subframe, which was also developed and tested by Twin Air for the correct air flow. Of course, it goes without saying, that the filter system was provided by Twin Air. There were two options for the carbon fuel tank: one for hard pack with a 7.5 litre capacity, and one for the sand, with a fuel capacity of 10.6 litres! The rear chain guide was also carbon.

The other lightweight material of choice was titanium, and this was used for all nuts, bolts and washers, as well as for the foot peg assembly.

Brakes were supplied by Braking, the radiators were bigger from the 450cc and the rims were yellow, supplied form the factory, which were married to Michelin tyres. Handlebars/grips and sprockets were Renthal and the chain was from D.I.D. Finally, the graphics were supplied by WLM in Holland.

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At round ten of fifteen, in Uddevalla, Sweden, Roczen won the second race after a DNF in race one, and by now he was 83 points off the lead and tied with Steven Frossard in 2nd. But, from the last five rounds, and with the engine upgrade in full swing, KR94 and Teka Suzuki took three GP

wins and a 2nd, including seven race wins. Who knows what the outcome would have been had it not been for any misfortune, but as Kenny said earlier, three DNF’s is too much! Sadly, it wasn’t his first career double-race win in Brazil which stood out for him from that season, but rather the lost opportunities when in good point scoring positions, as he reflects: ‘Had I not had those three DNF’s I would’ve won the championship, that’s pretty much it, right?

Other than that, I think I did really well, and I do remember that once we figured out the whole bike and the gearing and what not, that towards the end I just started pounding out wins, and even when I did DNF, one of the races I always won, so it should have been a 1-1. I probably would’ve gone 1-1-1-1-1-1 if everything had have stayed together, you know?’

At the end of 2010, Kenny and Suzuki parted ways as he was courted by KTM, but for those two years in 2009 and ’10, he still has fond memories of his time spent with the Teka team and his mechanic Marc Ver Paelen and Guido, the ‘engine guy’ Vissers: ‘It was a cool combo because Marc was older, very experienced and I was the young gun coming in so, even with Guido, it was such a rad time back then, I spent a lot of time in Belgium back then with those guys, it was a really cool time.’

During his two years in MX2 with Teka Suzuki, Ken Roczen put Suzuki back on the map. Since the inception of MX2 in 2004, and before Kenny entered MX2 at Round five in 2009, Suzuki had scored only one podium before 2009:

Erik Eggens, 3rd overall (4-3) at the opening GP in Valkenswaard, 2008.

Xavier Boog, 3rd overall (4-4) at Round Two in 2009.

Kenny left Suzuki at the end of 2010, with 32 top three race finishes, including 12 race wins. He also finished on the podium 14 times, with 4 of those as a winner. He ended the year 2nd overall, giving Suzuki its first overall championship podium in MX2, and the best placing in the 125/MX2 category since Pedro Tragter finished 3rd overall in the 125cc class in 1994, sixteen years earlier. *Thanks to Ken Roczen and Marc Ver Paelen for their help with this article.

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HALL OF FAME

SHAUN SIMPSON points at the final Grand Prix organised in Sun City, South Africa. With the support of Roger Magee, who offered him a ride in his team, Shaun slowly improved his results year after year, despite several injuries (broken collarbone in 2005, dislocated shoulder in 2006, broken wrist in 2007) that forced him to miss some GP’s. But finally in 2008 he was able to race all the Grand Prix, even if he broke his leg during the Czech round! Five days after surgery, he was back racing the British series, won the title and raced the last two GP’s to finish fourth of the World Championship. After so many tough years, he showed all his potential, grabbed two podium results (third in Bulgaria and Sweden) and signed a contract with KTM factory for two seasons. Winning his first ever MX2 moto during the fourth round of the 2009 series at Valkenswaard, Shaun was unfortunate as he broke his left tibia-fibula a few days later and missed the rest of the season.

Not so many privateers had the opportunity in their career to win Grand Prix in the MX1/ MXGP class, and Shaun Simpson is one of them.

He didn’t win just one, but a total of four during his long career, and he also had twice the honours of the podium at the Motocross of Nations with Team Great Britain.

Leaving the MX2 class at the end of 2010 with a top ten result (eighth overall), he jumped on a 450cc and had to wait his third season in the main class to be back on the podium. And it was one of the most unexpected wins, as just a few months after leaving the TM factory to race on a private Yamaha, he won the final round of the championship in Lierop. Sand tracks have always been familiar to Shaun, who worked hard during all his career.

BORN ON 13TH MARCH 1988 AT GAULDRY, NEAR DUNDEE, SCOTLAND, SHAUN SIMPSON HAD MOTOCROSS IN HIS BLOOD AS HIS FATHER WILLIE WAS RACING THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN THE 80’S, AND LATER THE BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIP. SO, SHAUN HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT THE PADDOCKS WHEN HE WAS A LITTLE KID, AND OF COURSE HIS DREAM WAS TO RACE , TOO! HE ENTERED HIS FIRST RACE IN 1997, BUT THEN HE HAD TO WAIT HIS THIRTEENTH BIRTHDAY TO BE ALLOWED TO RACE A CHAMPIONSHIP, AS WILLIE WANTED SHAUN TO SHOW HIM HOW MOTIVATED HE WAS AT FIRST. BEING BASED IN SCOTLAND, SHAUN AND HIS FAMILY HAD TO FACE SOME LONG TRIPS TO GO TO THE RACES!

Only three years after his first race and with the full support of his dad, Shaun entered some rounds of the 125cc World Championship and for the first time he scored

“I liked riding bikes and could ride very well, but I was definitely never one of the most talented guys on the bike.

Even further on in my career, you would say that I was more of a grafter rather than it being someone it naturally came, too” he recognizes. Back in orange with the support of team KTM HM Plant, Shaun continued to improve his results with a seventh overall in 2014 and a fourth in 2015, which was for sure his best ever season. In the top ten during most of the rounds that season, he surprised again the paddock when he won both

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motos in Lommel, and later he added another GP win to his scoreboard on another sandy track, Assen! Two years later he won his fourth and last GP in different conditions; he won the muddy first heat at the Indonesian GP in Pangkal Pinang, and the second race was cancelled due to the track conditions.

Racing for his own team SS24 since 2020, Shaun stopped racing Grand Prix at the end of 2021 after enjoying a podium result at the MX of Nations. Then he entered the British championship and started working in a new role, sharing his experience after 20 years of racing with young riders such as Cas Valk, one of the main protagonist in the current 250cc European Championship.

TEXT & PHOTOS: PASCAL HAUDIQUERT

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2004

45TH IN THE MX2 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (KTM)

2005

31ST IN THE MX2 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (HONDA)

2006

33RD IN THE MX2 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (HONDA)

2007

24TH IN THE MX2 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (KAWASAKI)

2008

4TH IN THE MX2 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (KTM) MX1 GREAT BRITAIN CHAMPION

2009

19TH IN THE MX2 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (KTM)

2010

8TH IN THE MX2 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (KTM)

2011

15TH IN THE MX1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (HONDA) MX1 BELGIUM CHAMPION

2012

11TH IN THE MX1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (YAMAHA)

2013

9TH IN THE MX1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (TM/YAMAHA). WIN 1 GP

2014

7TH IN THE MXGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (KTM) MX1 GREAT BRITAIN CHAMPION

2015

4TH IN THE MXGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (KTM). WIN 2 GP’S MX1 GREAT BRITAIN CHAMPION

2016

10TH IN THE MXGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (KTM)

2017

17TH IN THE MXGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (YAMAHA). WIN 1 GP

2018

15TH IN THE MXGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (YAMAHA)

2019

18TH IN THE MXGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (KTM) 3RD AT THE MX OF NATIONS WITH TEAM GREAT BRITAIN

2020

30TH IN THE MXGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (KTM)

2021

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

PADDOCK TALKS 1

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1 200 GP race victories for “the bullet”!

2 Lommel witness the comeback of Jago Geerts.

3 Roko Ivandic and Sleny Goyer the new EMX65 and EMX85 champions!

4 The MXGP Academy continued its 2024 journey and they had the opportunity to ride in Loket.

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5 Team The Netherlands won the 2024 exciting edition of the FIM Junior Motocross World Championships in the Dutch sand of Heerde, while Kash van Hamond (65cc), Levi Townley (85cc) and Noel Zanocz became the 2024 Junior Motocross World Champions.

6 The De Carli team will be back in orange with a factory status from 2025 in both MXGP and MX2 categories.

7 The strong Australian team will be back at the 2024 MXoN with stars Jett and Hunter Lawrence and Kyle Webster.

8 The MXGP Paddock mourned the loss of Mike “Gunner” Healey, who had won two Motocross Grands Prix and finished two time on the championship podium, second in 1991 in 250cc and third in 1989 in 125cc. RIP Gunner.

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9 The MXGP paddock received a very exciting traditional welcome in Mataram city for the MXGP of West Nusa Tenggara. Thank you Lombok!

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