MXGP Mag #19 April 2015

#19_APRIL 2015

e h t f o t s e The b nia o g a t a P f MXGP o a Argentin

e r v b e F Romain

p u g n i v o M d l r o w e h in t

RACING CATCH UP

RIDER OF THE MONTH Romain Febvre

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INDEX

COOL SHOT

MONSTER GIRLS

HALL OF FAME Bengt Aberg

MXGP MAG: Chief Editor: Marionna Leiva Photos: Youthstream YOUTHSTREAM Media World Trade Center II Rte de Pré-Bois 29 1215 Geneva 15 Airport Switzerland MXGP Mag #19 April 2015 The articles published in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the official position of Youthstream.

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 Youthstream in advance and reference is made to the source (©Youthstream).

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EDITORIAL

Giuseppe Luongo President of Youthstream Group Dear MXGP Friends, After the three first MXGP events of the year we now have the certitude to assist the best MXGP season in the history of Motocross, Desalle, Nagl Cairoli and Villopoto are very near in the Championship classification and they are offering us epic races; at the last race in Argentina all 4 finished within 4.8 seconds from each other.

The MXGP of Patagonia Argentina was perhaps the best non-European Grand Prix event ever; a wonderful location, a perfect track, a great organization and outstanding racing.

Latin America has many

Motocross fans and our sport is growing there year by year. The fans are very genuine and know everything about our champions and the Championship, they go crazy to get an autograph and love being in the paddock seeing their heroes and the machines up close.

The authorities also took the event very seriously and offered all the support in terms of logistics, hospitality and security. When the riders had to move, especially when they had to go to the airport, they were escorted by the army on bikes to avoid the traffic, similar to a big football match. In the end what we can say is that Argentina wants MXGP to return and we definitely

want to go back, too!

Before the Championship started everyone was excited to see the battle of the history between Cairoli and Villopoto, and that is something in fact we are seeing, but not only as the unbelievable growth in MXGP was not considered and there are many other excellent riders.

Since Villopoto announced that he would come to race the MXGP we always said, ‘don’t forget Desalle, Nagl, Paulin and Van Horebeek’ and we see the World Championship unfolding in this way. Paulin and Van Horebeek have not had a brilliant start but they are sure to get up on the top shortly, the MXGP season is a very long

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one with many surprises still to come, there are always some riders who are better prepared at the beginning and then there are others who get stronger during the season and are more performant nearer to the end. Compliments go to Romain Febvre, who is in his first MXGP year and shows to fit perfectly amongst the top guys, and this is just another proof that the pyramid with the base of the European Championship, then MX2 and then MXGP is working well – never has the level in MXGP been so high and

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never before have we seen so many riders entering in the European Championship, hoping one day to be an MXGP rider.

The choice to have technical tracks and to let it develop during the race weekend, the choice to have completely different tracks at every venue, the choice to have the European 125cc and 250cc Championships racing on the same weekend and venues as the MXGP and the choice to stay with the 2 day race format allowing the riders good circuit time make the MXGP the best off-road series in the

world and the MXGP riders the best in the world. On top of that the MXoN show that over the last three years the 9 main MXoN heats were always won by MXGP riders, the last heat victory of nonMXGP riders was 2011 with one race win by Villopoto and one race win by Chad Reed, again proving the growth in MXGP riders.

The next MXGP, the first in Europe this year, will be in Trentino (Italy), where we are expecting top class racing. Great news is that we have a record number of entries in 125cc and 250cc European classes.

COOL SHOTS

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F

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HOLESHOT

FOX HOLESHOT

Patagonia Argentina

Ladies and gentlemen we have an MXGP holeshot king.

Step up Mr Maximillian Nagl of the Red Bull Ice One Husqvarna Factory Racing Team.

His 3-point haul out of 6 starts is a formidable opening to the season and if he carries on like this, he will be unstoppable in the Fox holsehot award in 2015.

With his first two points coming from the start straight in Qatar his third was earned in round 3 in Patagonia. This was a different type of start to Thailand and in fact had more in common with Qatar than you’d think, both are long sweeping left handers that can be attacked pretty much anywhere from the first 20 gates

with front end feel at speed almost as important as hooking gears at exactly the right moment.

In race 1 it was Shaun Simpson who took his privateer Hitachi Construction Machinery Revo KTM to the line first from the 7th gate from the inside. As the riders tipped

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into turn one Nagl looked to be clear and away but Simpson, just inside the German, ran his bike deep towards the outside berm as Nagl slowed to turn and the Scot blasted through into the lead. That didn’t last longer than a few meters though as it slightly compromised his line into turn two and Clement Desalle stole the race lead. But for Simpson and his team it was a marked improvement and he could well be back to his giant killing form of 2014.

his tart spot from gate 11 to gate 6, importantly inside Simpson.

And so it was that the riotously powerful FC450 Husqvarna was able to secure another point from Desalle and Tony Cairoli.

In MX2 we had two new holeshotters in the shape of Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe’s Jeremy Seewer in race 1 and Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna rider Alexsandr Tonkov in race 2. Of the two riders it was Seewer who was the most consistent with his point in moto 1 and a second place to the line behind Tonkov in Race 2 saw Nagl move to adrace 2, the Russian could “only” dress his loss of the holeshot manage 5th in the start line drag advantage in race one by shifting in the first outing.

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The Suzuki man stayed around the 5th and 6th gate mark for his two starts with similar results but it was only when Tonkov moved in next to the Swiss rider in moto two that the Husqvarna rider had the line he needed, race 1 saw him squeezed hard between a dueling Yamaha and Kawasaki. The fact that the spils were spit in two was good news for Jeffrey Herlings, his inside gate pick (like Desalle in MXGP) gave a good line to turn two but was left wanting for speed to the holeshot line, as such his failed to extend his lead and now sits 1 point ahead of Dylan Ferrandis, Seewer, Tonkov and his team mate Pauls Jonass.

RACING CATCH UP

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W WHAT IT’S

ALL ABOUT The MXGP of Patagonia, Argentina will go down in history as one of the best ever rounds of the FIM Motocross World Championship. It was the epitome of MXGP and what we’re all about. With a gorgeous location and highly animated crowd topping off the amazingness that was MXGP round three, the bar in motocross for 2015 has officially been raised.

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For most of us European based folks it was a long haul to get there, it felt like we lost two days in transit as we switched from airport to airport before we finally landed in a tiny place called Bariloche, which is a little airport in Argentina about one hour’s drive from Villa la Angostura, the town in which the MXGP of Patagonia took place.

Despite the long and sometimes draining flights, the journey was immediately worth it when we arrived in Villa la Angostura, the town was breath taking. Nestled in the greenery of the lakeshore, surrounded by the

dramatic peaks of the Andes and with many five-star chalet resorts for all to enjoy, a relaxed feeling was too easy to come by.

Even at Friday’s MXGP media opportunity, organized by the local authorities and event organizers for national and international media to spend some time with the GP riders, it was just amazing how relaxed everyone was. These types of events typically see the riders make an appearance and then leave as soon as possible, but given the location and the ambience it offered this one was different. Long after the official introductions had been made,

most of the riders took their time to kick back lakeside and enjoy the authentic Argentinian style barbequed lamb that was cooked outdoors staked out around an open wood fire.

That was just a brief taster of the weekend; the track was the start of the real feast. The brand new circuit is easy to describe as a motocrosser’s paradise. It was wide and flowing with jumps that had perfect up faces and wide and long down ramps, the type of jumps most racers can only dream of. The soil was dark and somewhat loamy, giving off a sandy appearance, which was somewhat deceiving for the riders

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with a rock solid and slick base lying only a couple of inches underneath.

While many guys were caught out by the tricky and challenging nature of the track, Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Nagl reveled in it. The German loved the fact that there were multiple lines and it was easy to get creative on track. The width of the track allowed him to carry an extensive amount of momentum which became blatantly obvious when he pinned it around the outside of Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto in race one to take third and did the same thing to Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli in race two for the moto win and the Grand Prix overall victory.

Full credit must be given to

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Nagl at the MXGP of Patagonia, Argentina as his performance on Sunday was mightily impressive. As was that of Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MXGP’s Clement Desalle, who looked to be well on his way to his first grand prix victory of the year, but ended up tying with Nagl for the win and being dropped back to second due to Nagl having the better result in the final moto.

Tony Cairoli ended up bagging a pair of seconds for third overall, just one point shy of the win. Desalle has retained the red plate that he took from Nagl in Thailand and will go to the next round in Trentino in good spirits and with high hopes after winning the GP there in 2014.

The drama wasn’t reserved

for the 450s as in MX2 all craziness broke loose in race one when Jeffrey Herlings crashed out of the race 5 corners into lap one. As it always is when Herlings is not on the track, the race for the win was left wide open. The guy who is pegged as second best in the MX2 championship this year Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Dylan Ferrandis, - his number plate wearing team mate Jordi Tixer was serving out his 1 month racing ban after an altercation with medical staff in Thailand - managed to grab the bull by the horns and secure his first MX2 race win of the season.

A hard fought second place in race two, despite hitting the deck in the early stages of the race saw Ferrandis stand on the top of the podium for the

first time ever in his career.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass is keeping his momentum up with his second consecutive MX2 podium of his career while young Swiss sensation Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe’s Jeremy Seewer landed a career best finish in third.

As for Herlings the crash that occurred when teammate Jonass clipped him from behind and threw him over the bars midflight left him lucky to walk away uninjured, some serious damage to the bike meant he couldn’t re-enter the race but The Bullet still lined up in race two and dominated as expected. A humble Jeffrey Herlings said, “I did hope to go 1 – 1 this weekend, I had a

good points lead in the championship and now that’s gone, but hey that is racing and it’s motocross, anything can happen, so I am just happy everything is ok and I was able to win race two, now I will focus on the rest of the championship.”

Argentina was for all involved a roaring success, not a negative word has been spoken with everyone in the paddock impressed with how the entire event panned out. The fans were next level crazy and totally unafraid of showing their support for our great sport and the amazing athletes that compete weekend after weekend. The track was flawless; one that should inspire many tracks in the future and the location of the venue was one

that makes the MXGP series stand out from any other sporting series. We go to some of the most breath taking locations, embrace a wide variety of people and cultures all to make the world championship a truly global match.

Now we are three rounds down, from the Middle East to Asia then over to South America, we head back to Europe where the first European round is set to take place in Pietramurata, Italy for MXGP of Trentino. Another inspiring location with great culture and great wine, MXGP of Trentino, round four of the FIM Motocross World Championship is going to be insane, it will be packed and it will be wild! Be there for the ultimate MXGP experience.

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FIM Motocross World Championship

Standings MXGP CHAMP. STANDINGS

MX2 CHAMP. STANDINGS

1. C. Desalle (BEL, SUZ),133 points 2. M. Nagl (GER, HUS) , 123 p.

3. A.Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 123 p.

4. R. Villopoto (USA, KAW), 106 p.

5. G. Paulin (FRA, HON) , 96 p.

6. R. Febvre (FRA YAM), 95 p.

7. E. Bobryshev (RUS, HON) , 72 p.

8. T. Waters (AUS, HUS), 62 p.

9. J Van Horebeek(BEL YAM), 60 p.

10. K. Strijbos (BEL, SUZ) , 55 p.

1. J.Herlings (NED, KTM),125points 2. D. Ferrandis (FRA, KAW), 125 p.

3. P. Jonass (LAT, KTM), 112 p.

4. A. Tonkov (RUS, HUS), 82 p.

5. T. Covington (USA, KAW), 81 p.

6. J. Lieber (BEL, YAM),80 p.

7. T. Gajser (SLO, HON), 79 p.

8. V. Guillod (SUI, YAM) , 73 p.

9. J. Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 70 p.

10. P. Petrov (BUL, KTM), 57 p.

MXGP MANUFACTUERS 1. Suzuki 2. Husqvarna 3. KTM 4. Kawasaki 5. Yamaha 6. Honda 7. TM

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133 points 127 points 123 points 106 points 99 points 97 points 48 points

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MX2 MANUFACTUERS 1. KTM 2. Kawasaki 3. Yamaha 4. Honda 5. Husqvarna 6. Suzuki

147 points 125 points 98 points 88 points 82 points 70 points

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MXGP SOCIAL

TWITTER, FACEB IN THE WORLD OF #MXGP @Richardmxbrown @mxgp got to get some of these for my camper! ☕☕☕ PiazzaaItalia ‬ @mxgp @shaunsimpson24 Is One of the rider very attentive to communication with the fans,him answer to everybody,Also for that is a great man ryan_villopoto2 #fbf to the last MXGP round in Thailand. Thanks for the pic @swapmoto48 #mxgp @ mxgp #krt#racing #kawasaki #RV2 @doubleclutch706 ‬‬ ‬‬ Thank god @mxgp is back this weekend!!! @marcdereuver Now @mxgp after a good night sleep: you see the great racing you get with an amazing track like this?

Everybody loved it. @risermcg ‬ ‬‬ @toddwaters47 @mxgp @ IceOneRacing @redbullau @redbull @Husqvarna1903 proud of you TW47, keep it up mate.Hope Deano can find his pace soon 2‬‬ @Michel Petrucciani MXGP is the real deal.

Props to RV for signing up for such a huge challenge.

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@Chris Bruce That was some great racing those top 4 put on one hell of a race

You can WIN some awesome prizes this year by participating in the GET, ATHENA Photo Competition.

All you have to do to go into the draw to win one of three sweet prizes is: 1.Find any ATHENA or GET Logo at any round of MXGP this year.

2.Take a photo of it.

3.Upload it to the Athena GET Photo Competition app on MXGP’s Facebook page with the hashtag #MXGP #Athenalive.

Logo’s can be found on the rider’s gear, on the bikes, on the team trucks, and around the paddock of MXGP on various other banners and advertising panels.

The prizes up for grabs are: •Two VIP passes to any 2016 MXGP round of your choice •Go Pro prize pack •Ogio Prize The picture VOTED the best, will win.

Sound easy enough? Find an Athena or GET logo, snap a pic and upload it to Facebook.

Click HERE To go to the competition page.

We are three rounds in to the 2015 FIM Motocross World Championship. Already there has been a lot of action, a lot of crashes and a lot of battles for valuable MXGP championship points. Click here to WATCH all the video content from the 2015 FIM Motocross World Championship.

BOOK, INSTAGRAM, YOUTUBE Tag your #MXGPselfie to win gift voucher on MXGPSTORE.com!

@bel_raycompany #belray racer @aleksandrtonkov on the gas in this JP Acevedo photo from last weekend’s #mxgp in Argentina. Tonkov was 6th overall

@fanryan_villopoto 16 hours ago @ryanvillopoto #MxgpofArgentina Keep it up Ryan, we are proud of you!

@andyacedo Cuando no se puede entrenar por fuera se entrena desde casa! tomaa plegadaaaaa #mxgp#ClementDesalle #ps4 #Mxgptheofficialvideog@tomas_roessner122 Villa Langostura MXGP 2015 #GoPro #mxgp #Argentina #villalangostura #2015

@jefro98 Two more weeks before all the fun starts in Europe again. @mxgp of Trentino. Awesome track.

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Romain Febvre: Moving up in the world Describing Romain Febvre in 3 words is not easy but if you pushed me I would say those words would be, focused, fun and fearless. The latest recruit to the Yamaha Factory rider merry go round is about as approachable a rider as there is in the MXGP paddock and is always one who has time for a catch up or quick debrief no matter what the time or result.

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But the road to his new factory rider status has been a long one, perhaps longer than many fans will appreciate, and it was only with his second attempt at making it as a pro rider that Romain Febvre found the speed and tenacity that has taken him to a race wins, a bronze medal in the MX2 World Championship in 2014 and the top 3 in motos in his rookie MXGP season.

As with most riders he began his life of bikes at an early age but for Febvre it’s hard to point out exactly what it was that caught his interest in 2 wheeled machines.

“I like it because I started when I was 3 years old and my father was not riding mx and I asked for a bike for my birthday and I got it and I unwrapped it straight away. I don’t know why I asked, maybe I saw it on TV but I don’t know, already at 2 years old

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I was already on a bicycle and then maybe I saw something on TV, I don’t remember so much and then my father bought it and I started to ride in the garden and it started like this.”

possible, that was the main thing and when I came back into motocross in 2010 I think I believed in myself and it was faster than before, maybe I would like to say “believe in yourself and it will be good”.”

Success at a national level came quite quickly in the Mini classes with 4th place finishes in the French Mineverte championship in 2004 and 2005 but by 2006 the dream seemed to be over as ligament damage to his knee caused Febvre to stop riding motocross completely.

Around that time Supermoto was at its peak, especially in Febvre’s native France, and the less physically demanding discipline filled the hole left by motocross, for a time at least.

What he means by “faster than before” is a reference to his rapid ascension up the ranks of the European classes. After returning to racing on a 250f he won the EMX250 championship in his second year ahead of Dylan Ferrandis and put his name firmly on the map, couple that with his “Supermoto racer comes to MX” tagline and great things were expected from the French rider.

“I would like to go back maybe 5 years before and say to myself “Just keep going, keep working“ because maybe I was … not lazy but I think I was not thinking it would be

2 years later at the opening round in Qatar he took his first podium silverware (though an injury curtailed his final championship position) and in the next 18 months he asserted himself as one of the true top riders in MX2,

capping it all off with a win at the GP of The State of Goias in Brazil last September that saw him seal and FIM bronze medal for 3rd overall in the MX2 World Championship “I keep it (the medal) in my living room, with some trophies of last year, I didn’t have so many from the podium last year but I keep it in the living room my Qatar trophies and my first win in Brazil.”

By then Febvre had reached the age limit for MX2 of 23 years old and it was time for him to move up to the MXGP class, honestly it couldn’t have come at a better time, perhaps with just 3 years of World Championship racing under his belt Febvre would have preferred to stay a bit longer in MX2 to gain some more race craft, but moving up in 2015 has its benefits, too.

As the top placed MX2 rider moving up he was right at the top of team’s shopping lists and so when Yamaha came calling to fill the new seat next to Jeremy Van Horebeek, Febvre jumped at the chance.

“I am really proud of Yamaha because they gave me the chance to figure with their bike in MXGP and the other teams did not give me the opportunity and I think the big thing is that I want to show those teams that they were wrong, you know, so for those teams it’s difficult to put the pressure all on one rookie rider, it’s difficult but Yamaha did it and I am pleased with that.”

With a factory contract this year Febvre not only has a responsibility to the team and himself but also to the brand he represents. However, the 23 year old is remarkably calm about the situation.

“The responsibility has not changed, because if you are in a private team or a factory team I think it’s the same responsibility, I think when you want to become a rider and you are a rider then you need to respect every rule and to do as much as you can and everything, I think it’s the same job but maybe you can feel more pressure when you are a factory rider because you need to be on the front but for me I don’t have any pressure from that. It’s nice to be rider of the Month but I am not used to doing all these kind of interviews and things but it’s all ok. It’s nice, it’s the job and when it’s going good like this we try to keep on this pace.”

In part that relaxed attitude comes from Yamaha’s approach to his debut season, allowing him to ride with no pressure of results and

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learn his own groove and way through the class, but a large part of it comes from his confidence in his own ability.

With the domination of Jefffrey Herlings in MX2 in recent years many of his competitors have been overlooked for the raw speed and skill that they clearly have and Febvre is living proof that you don’t spend 8 months head to head with Ferrandis, Tixier, Butron, Gajser, Anstie et al and not know how to overtake and manage a race. We have seen confirmation of that through his performances in the first 3 rounds where he has placed 6-7, 3-4, and 8-6 to sit 6th in the World Championship 35 points ahead of his team mate and just 38 behind the leader Clement Desalle. But even that is not enough and his small crashes in Patagonia have left him even more fired up for the European season where he has lofty goals.

“When you win your first ever

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GP that’s something special and for me it happened at the end of last year, so during all the year you push to get this place and when you get it it’s so special and now when you win one time you want to win again and again, so it’s the goal.”

Yamaha have found a rider who has come out of MX2 with an experienced head on his shoulders, what you might call a real product of the European racing system and a man who has become used to the taste of success and knows how to get more, though even MXGP riders can get star struck from time to time.

“My idol when I was really young was Ricky Carmichael because he was winning everything in USA. I saw him once at ‘Everts and Friends’ in Belgium last year, I met him but I think he didn’t know who I was for sure!”

For the first time since 2011 Yamaha have two riders who are capable of getting the blue machines to the front of the field and it is a very welcome sight to have the two team mates pushing each other forwards in the races, and I mean pushing in a very literal way as was in evidence in Argentina as they two were separated by no more than couple of seconds for the duration of both motos.

For Febvre this is a very positive start to what should be a productive and rewarding MXGP career. He has been set a challenge by Yamaha that perhaps he didn’t believe he was ready for but with his results to date showing he has what it takes to mix it with the best and his personal confidence at a high, he has very much risen to that challenge and will continue to make waves in the MXGP class as we start the European season in earnest.

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Valkenswaard: The sand storm

It’s an old but still golden location where round five of the FIM Motocross World Championship will take place and its name should be familiar to you, but if you are new to the world of motocross, Valkenswaard is the name of the circuit that will host the MXGP of Europe in The Netherlands.

Situated next to the Eurocircuit road course, between Eindhoven and the Belgian boarder, Valken-

swaard marks the first of the sand races on the 2015 calendar. Renowned for its popularity and hugely animated crowds, which are bolstered by the influx of ever passionate and crazy Belgian motocross fans crossing the border, along with the usual die-hard Jeffrey Herlings fans, rounds of MXGP in the sands of Holland are integral parts of the FIM Motocross World Championship.

Doing two 30 plus 2 lap motos in sand is typically known as the ultimate test.

It’s physically and mentally demanding and is said to take a special kind of dirt biking finesse, one that seems to have only been mastered by the two of the most consistent sand race toppers, Jeffrey Herlings and Antonio Cairoli.

Although sand has previously proved to be Cairoli’s element, this year we

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will have a new contender whose skill in the sands of Europe is more or less unknown. Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto has not been labeled as a sand master, yet it is common knowledge the American has been lodging a fair amount of laps on the soft tracks.

Video evidence suggests the Kawasaki rider can haul but if you want to find out for yourself, then head to Valkenswaard on the 26th of April to catch it first hand.

If Villopoto manages to pull of a win at Valkenswaard he will be the first American to do so since Billy Liles in 1990, and it will also be the first win for Kawasaki since Marnicq Bervoets efforts in 1999. Putting the anticipation of Villopoto’s perfor-

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mance aside, the local kid Jeffrey Herlings is sure to put on a show. The way ‘The Bullet’ rides the sand is nothing short of mind blowing and is something that has to be seen in the flesh to be believed.

While motocross is the heart of the area, especially since Valkenswaard is so close to Belgium, there are also plenty of other things to do in the area. Only a couple of minutes walk from the motocross track in the Valkenswaard is the international BMX track. Meanwhile for those that like a bit of water skiing or wake boarding, there are two massive lakes in close proximity with water ski’s and wake boards for hire. For those that are interested in skiing

or snowboarding, there is the Montana Snow Center right outside of the gate of the Eurocircuit, as is the De Kempervennen Center Parcs, which could make for an amazing family vacation.

Snorkeling and diving facilities are also close by, not to mention all the great café’s and restaurants which serve up some of the best European food in the world.

So, if you want an authentic MXGP experience and to be among one of the most intense crowds with great atmosphere and even better racing, what are you waiting for? Take the chain off of your chainsaw, fuel her up and see you at Valkensward, MXGP of Europe and round five of the FIM Motocross World Championship!

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The European Championship empowers

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MXGP ACADEMY

The first round of the European Championships has just poked its head over the horizon. With the gates set to drop at the MXGP of Trentino on the weekend of April 19 in Italy, motocross fans as well as the stars of the amateur scene are getting revved up for what is bound to be the gnarliest season of European Championship racing ever!

riders in each of the two categories, EMX125 and EMX250, to compete on a World Championship motocross track on the same day with the same conditions and structure of the FIM Motocross World Championship, riders from all over the world have realized that the European Championship is the arena in which stars are born.

With an unprecedented opportunity for 100 EMX

Both EMX125 and EMX250 classes have record

breaking entries with the EMX125 class topping out at 95 while the EMX250 has hit 109 meaning 9 riders will be placed in reserve to replace any rider that may withdraw. While the entries alone are impressive, they aren’t just numbers. Both classes are stacked with talent and we can guarantee that there is an incredible season looming. Here are a few of the names that stand out as serious title contenders.

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Starting with last years EMX250 champion, Steven Clarke from Stourbridge in the United Kingdom will be back on the gate again this year and rocking the number 1 plate. “There’s no pressure running the number 1, I know that if I ride to the best of my ability I have a good shot at the title again”, the 24 year old said, “confidence is a tricky one, too much and you can lose your head and too little you will have lost before the gate drops. So I will just try to keep a level head, aim for the top five in every race, just be consistent and let my riding do the talking.”

The 2014 EMX125 champi-

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on Brian Hsu has achieved everything he could in the two-stroke ranks, wrapping up the EMX125 title as well as the coveted Junior 125cc World Championship. Those two titles are in addition to his 2012 FIM Junior 85cc World Championship. The little German from Taiwanese heritage, who also has a talent for playing the violin, has made the jump to the EMX250 class which should be the final step in his meteoric amateur career before he goes full pro.

Meanwhile another rider looking to write the last chapter in his book of amateur racing tales is Red Bull KTM Factory Rac-

ing’s Davy Pootjes. Pootjes was a stand out rider in EMX125 last year where he dominated five of the first six races before busting up his shoulder in Bulgaria. After taking the time needed to heal up, Pootjes will be back this year, and with the guidance of ten time FIM Motocross World Champion Stefan Everts, as well as the opportunity to train with guys like fellow Dutchman Jeffrey Herlings and MX2’s newest ripper Pauls Jonass, Pootjes is sure to be one to watch.

Another name to keep an eye on with a couple of big names in his corner is Joakin Furbetta. Furbetta

is often seen with hanging around with Antonio Cairoli and is also sponsored

by Claudio De Carli and as such pits out of the MXGP side of the Red Bull KTM awning. The young Italian has left school to focus solely on racing which allows him to spend more time at the track shredding with the legend Tony Cairoli.

After finishing fourth in the EMX250 class back in 2012, Maxime Desprey spent the last two years racing MX2. Last year was a rough one for the Frenchman in the World Championships and so, in a similar way to Valentin Guillod previously,

this year the 22-year-old Frenchman has opted to go back to the European Championship rather than race MX2 in effort to rebuild his confidence and speed before taking another stab at the FIM Motocross World Championship.

Meanwhile another name familiar to the podium in the European Championship is Nick Kouwenberg.

Kouwenberg is fast, there is no doubt about it and he is sure to be a solid contender in the series this year, as is Belgium’s Damon Graulus. After trying his hand at MX2 earlier this year, which left him spawned out on the ground on a number of occasions,

the Belgian has rethought his goals along with his Kemea Yamaha team and taken the decision that a year in the EMX250 will build a more solid foundation for his future.

A few more high flyers are Alvin Ostlund, last years EMX125 runner-up and David Herbreteau who will be flying the flag for Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing. Nicolas Dercourt will also be one to watch.

Last years EMX250 bronze medalist Wilvo Forkrent KTM’s Adam Sterry is hauling this year. The Brit lined up in MX2 at the MXGP of Patagonia, Argentina last weekend and managed to

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come away with extraordinary eighth place overall. That just goes to show how fast the riders in the EMX250 championship are and if that result alone is anything to go by, the number 811 could be a force to be reckoned with.

EMX125 championship that have a good shot at being the fastest on the lighter and more nimble 125cc two stroke machines.

Starting with the Red Bull KTM Factory Junior Team and what looks like a lethal line up. Conrad Mewse, the The EMX125 championship former Junior 85cc World remains an awesome class. Champion is back for his The sound of two-strokes second year along side last ripping around a track years 85cc star Jorge Prabrings back awesome mem- do Garcia. Rounding out the ories for a lot of people trio of righteous rippers from the last 3 decades of is New Zealand’s Josiah motocross. In addition to Natzke who has spent the all those sweet memories last six months under the of mixing gas and riding watchful eye of former MX2 like a squid, it is also well World Champion Ben Townestablished that motocross ley. technique and skill is best developed on a 125cc two Last years FIM Junior Mostroke. tocross 85cc World Champion Kim Savaste has swung Lets take a look at a few his leg over a 125cc and of the names racing the will surely be a force in the

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EMX125 championship, as has the speedy Dutchman Roan Van Moosdijk.

Meanwhile Bulgaria’s Ivan Petrov put in a few good rides last year and should be a solid challenger once again while Andrea Zanotti will race with the support of the 2008 FIM Motocross World Champion David Phillipaerts in the DP19 racing team.

So if the draw of Tony Cairoli and the MXGP boys coming for the first race in Europe isn’t enough to sway you then perhaps the added bonus of the most frantic racing on the planet by men and boys hungry to prove they are the next big thing might convince you to head to a European round this season and see the champions of tomorrow strut their stuff on track.

MXGP MAG 2015 MXGP.COM Photo: Gino Maes

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HALL OF FAME

Bengt Aberg Stone face

Born on the 26th of June 1944 in Sörbo, in the province of Hälsingland, Sweden, Bengt Aberg, the son of a farmer, never dreamt of being a world motocross champion; his goals were much more modest, just to be a competitive rider on the GP scene was as high as his aspirations went.

“Contrary to most riders,” Aberg said, “a motocross world title was not really my top goal for years. It was in France one year and I started to think that I could conquer the world. I liked to ride smooth, and try and ride carefully and do it easy and then you don’t have to be so strong.”

Aberg is one of those riders who had the mixed blessing of being born into one of the toughest eras in the history of motocross, but it was also

one of the most interesting and romantic periods that the sport has ever witnessed.

It was a time when European riders spread their wings and began to travel and race around the world, something that hadn’t been possible in the 1950’s.

The tough Swede was one of those pioneers who travelled a lot and not just for racing, he would often help young American and Australian riders to improve their riding skills and with it earn some extra cash outside his GP career.

“I remember going to America with Torsten Hallman and with Edison Dye the man who imported Husqvarna machines to the USA. Actually first it was Torsten who went and then they invited more European riders and I was one of those.

Joel Robert and I did motocross schools during the week to help the Americans learn to ride better. One year after we finished the Trans-AMA series in America we flew straight to Australia to do some races.

We were all very home-sick and it was just before Christmas, but hey, we all thought, “ok let’s go to Australia”.”

His early GP career took him to 12th place in the 500cc championship in 1966, as a 22 year old he scored six points (championship winner Paul Fredrichs scored 66pts in total), which was the same total as another youngster by the name of Roger De Coster who would cross paths with Aberg nearly 5 years later. That season would signal the start of their battle for supremacy in the toughest class of that era.

A year later Aberg claimed 10

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points to finish the 11 round series in 11th.

While German rider Fredrichs was winning his third straight world 500cc championship in 1968 Aberg, who had been nicknamed Stoneface because of his serious demeanor, was putting the final touches to his own championships assault. 29 points, two GP wins and fourth place in the end of season standings got people’s attention and word began to spread that Aberg might have a shot at the title in 1969.

With those two Grand Prix wins to his name Aberg went into the 1969 season determined to take his champion-

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ship results to the next level and that’s exactly what he did by winning the opening GP in Austria and following it up with a second place at the next round in Sweden. It meant that after two rounds he already held a handy 12-point lead over his countryman Arnie Kring.

His second win of the year came at the 4th round of the championship in Italy, he then suffered a winless streak that saw him fail to top the podium for the next 5 races before returning to the top step at round 10 of 12. It was in those last three rounds that he regained his early season from his true potential and he easily wrapped up the title.

Suddenly Aberg was the main man in Grand Prix motocross.

He had wrapped up the tougher of the two motocross world championships and he has crystal clear memories of clinching that championship victory.

“My only worry was my last few laps,” Aberg said. “Dirt covered the machine, which meant it was 40 kilos heavier than usual.

This made me doubt whether it would put up with the strain until the finish line. I knew I could put up a good fight, but during a long season, anything might happen”.

Aberg had scored 112 points in total, but back in that era of the world championship it wasn’t the overall total that counted as

only riders best seven results made up their final total. For Aberg that made little difference, he still took the title with 94 points, 22 more by British rider John Banks in 2nd.

With that title in his pocket he returned to the World Championship in 1970 with newfound confidence and really began to thrive. Just as he had done the previous season he opened his championship defense with victory in round one and then followed that up with another victory in round two. He built on those two early wins with another brace in East Germany and Luxembourg later in the series, wrapping up the title ahead of Kring by 88pts to 80pts.

Unfortunately for the steely eyed Aberg another young, hungry rider had his break out

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year in 1971, a Belgian by the name of Roger De Coster. De Coster, who had won his second consecutive GP at the famous Namur circuit in Belgium the previous year, took his first 500cc world title in 1971 with Aberg back in fifth position in the points. Aberg did claim a solitary GP victory in East Germany, but it wasn’t enough to take him close to retaining the title he had owned for two years straight.

De Coster continued to improve, winning his second 500cc world championship in 1972 as Aberg had to settle for seventh place in the 500cc points standings after failing to win a GP in a season for the first time since 1967.

By 1973 Aberg was a shadow of his championship winning self and he dropped to 12th by the end of season with just one podium finish, a second place in

Italy behind De Coster, on his scorecard. In 1974 the Flying Finn Heikki Mikkola arrived and was thrust into the limelight for Husqvarna, winning the 500cc title as Aberg finished in ninth position. Aberg now riding a Bultaco did manage some consolation with a win in the final moto of the season in Luxembourg.

Aberg finished seventh in the 1975 500cc championship and followed that up with 11th in 1976. In 1977 and now on a factory Yamaha Aberg claimed ninth place in the series points, and claimed his last Grand Prix victory at the Ettelbruck circuit in Luxembourg, amazingly seven years after he had first won at the circuit. It was also the last time a 4-stroke machine would win a GP (for nearly 20 years) as the 2-stroke machines began

HALL OF FAME

their rise to dominance.

“I did well at places like Namur and Ettelbruck because of the type of dirt. I didn’t like sand because it was too much work for me, but when I had to ride good in the Grand Prix it was also possible to ride well in the sand, but it was so much hard work. It was easier for me at places like Namur and Ettelbruck, the ground was harder and I could ride smooth and careful.”

In 1978 and still on Yamaha he finished 13th in the points and claimed a podium finish once more at the Namur circuit, but his best days were now long behind him and his brilliant career was coming to an end.

New names had arrived on the 500cc scene, Andre Malherbe, Hakan Carlqvist and Brad Lackey now led the march to

GP wins and world championship glory. The golden age of the likes of Aberg, De Coster and Mikkola was over.

Living the slow life in Sweden now the one time Grand Prix king works alongside his brother and enjoys time with his three grown-up children.

“I am now divorced, but I do have three children and I work for my brother, he has a digger company. That is where I worked since I stopped racing. I never go to the motocross anymore, I have trouble with my eyes because of diabetes. One of my three children rode motocross for many years, but he wasn’t at

the top level, and he is also older now, he is 48, so he doesn’t do it much.”

As one of the few European riders to go to America, Australia and other parts of the world spreading the gospel of motocross, and with his 12 GP victories and two 500cc world championships and as a member of three victorious Swedish teams at the Motocross des Nations in 1970, 1971 and 1974, Bengt Aberg had cemented his place in motocross history.

Text: Geoff Meyer, Photos: Kenneth Olausson

1968 Austria, Belgium 1969 Austria, France, Italy, Switzerland 1970 Austria, West Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland 1971, East Germany 1977 Luxembourg

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PADDOCK TALKS

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Paddock Talks 01/Youthstream Director Mr. David Luongo and FIM/CMS Director Mr. Tony Skillington joined the Governor of the Province of Neuquén Mr. Jorge Augusto Sapag (in the middle of the photo), the Mayor of Villa la Angostura Mr. Roberto Cacaut (on the left) and the Coordinator of Events in Villa la Angostura Mr. Guillermo Hensel (on the right) to watch MXGP race one at MXGP of Patagonia Argentina.

02/The amazing locations contribute to what makes MXGP the best motocross championship in the world.

03/Fans flock to the Alpinestars booth to meet their heroes Ryan Villopoto, Jeffrey Herlings, Tyla Rattray and Pauls Jonass.

04/Loads of support for Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto at MXGP of Patagonia.

05/Youthstream, the FIM, the local authorities and event organizers invite the world’s fastest riders down to the lake for an authentic Argentinian asado.

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Paddock Talks

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06/The best crowd of the championship so far!

07/Pauls Jonass is hungry for it this year.

08/The lake was a lot more tranquil than the paddock in Argentina.

09/Monster Energy DRT Kawasaki’s Mel Pocock suffered a severe injury to his hand and thumb while racing his national championship, we wish him well in his recovery.

10/“I will, I can, end of story” – The tattoo says it all for the young French star on the rise David Herbreteau who will be racing the European Championship EMX250 this year.

11/2-times MotoGP World Champion Casey Stoner was Ryan Villopoto’s wingman at MXGP of Patagonia Argentina 12/Now that’s what we call a packed paddock!

13/ Paddock Pit Chat MXGP of Patagonia Argentina with 57 Max Anstie

QUESTIONS TO THE EDITOR

QUESTIONS TO THE EDITOR Hi MXGP, What USA television station can I watch MXGP? Thanks, Christopher Hi Christopher, MXGP is broadcasted on CBS Sports Network. We post a television guide on www.

MXGP.com every Thursday before each round of MXGP. The screening times will be published on this document.

All the best, MXGP Hey guys, Where are the EMX300 Entry Lists?

Thanks, Tom Dear Tom, The EMX300 Entries are still open. The first race of the season is on the 26 April weekend. On Monday before the event, the entry list will be published on MXGP.com as well as all of our social media platforms.

If you want to entry the EMX300 class, you can still send an email to the sport office sportoffice@youthstream.org.

Regards MXGP

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Hello MXGP, for MXGP of Great Britain at Matterley Basin, are you able to pay on the day at the gate?

Thanks, Luke Hi Luke, es, you will be able to purchase tickets to MXGP of Great Britain at the gate, but we always recommend you to buy your ticket online before the event. Click here to order your ticket: http://greatbritain.motocross-tickets.com/ Regards MXGP Hello MXGP, Does MXGP only have English commentary?

Thanks, Samuel Hi Samuel, No, many television stations broadcast with the local language, for example Motors TV in The Netherlands will screen MXGP in Dutch.

Regards MXGP

Hey MXGP, Are there any competitions at the moment?

Thanks, Ben Hello Ben, Yes, at the moment we have the GET Athena Photo Competition.

All you have to do is take a photo in or around the paddock at any round of MXGP with the GET or ATHENA Logo, once you have your photo, publish it on MXGP’s Facebook via the Photo Competition link, which can also be found by clicking HERE. The winner will be selected via voting system, the photo with the most votes will win.

Good Luck!

MXGP

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