MXGP #39 December 2016

#39_DECEMBER 2016

Crowning

Glory

2016: THE BEST MOMENTS RE-VISITED

TOP 5 gifts to give this X-mas!

RACING CATCH UP

SPECIAL FEATURE Top 5 gifts to give this X-mas!

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INDEX

COOL SHOT

MONSTER GIRLS

HALL OF FAME

Mark ‘The Bomber’ Barnett

MXGP MAG: Chief Editor: Marionna Leiva Photos: Youthstream Photo Cover: FIM/ Nuno Laranjeira YOUTHSTREAM Media World Trade Center II Rte de Pré-Bois 29 1215 Geneva 15 Airport Switzerland MXGP Mag #39 December 2016 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,

the types of Champions motorsport needs. Youthstream Last weekend in Berlin the is very proud of all the World FIM held the official FIM Champions who were awardPrize Giving Ceremony and ed, and especially for those Gala for all its World ChamChampions riding for Youthpions, during the same occa- stream promoted events: sion Youthstream brought its Tim Gajser (MXGP World 2017 organizers together for Champion), Jeffrey Herlings the annual MXGP organizer’s (MX2 World Champion), Livia meeting. It was very nice to Lancelot (Women’s Motocross see Tim Gajser (MXGP World World Champion), Jago Geerts Champion) and Marc Marquez (125cc Junior Motocross (MotoGP World Champion) World Champion), Rene Hofer together, it’s a great tribute (85cc Junior Motocross World to Honda for winning these 2 Champion), Romain Febvre, tremendous world titles with Gautier Paulin and Benoit these 2 remarkable champiPaturel (Motocross of Nations ons. Tim and Marc are very winning team for France) and similar; they both are incred- Adam Renheim (FIM Snowibly talented, they both have Cross World Champion). Even insane styles of riding, they though Ryan Dungey (AMA both are excellent show-men, Supercross FIM World Chamthey both are fantastic ampion) races in a World Chambassadors for their brands pionship not promoted by and their disciplines, and they Youthstream, we are honoured both are also very good boys to have had Ryan participate who smile and give attention at the SMX in Germany last to everyone, they are really October and we were very

proud to see him receiving his medal as Supercross World Champion. The organization of the FIM Prize Giving Ceremony was prestegious and the Tempodrom in Berlin was the perfect location to celebrate all these hard-working, talented World Champions.

On the Sunday morning before the Prize Giving Ceremony the annual Youthstream organizer’s meeting was held where the large majority of MXGP organizers were present. The discussions were constructive with the goal to develop and increase the quality of the MXGP events. The new 2017 Grand Prix events were presented starting with Indonesia on the island of Bangka, the event will be held in the town of Pangkal Pinang and the track will be developed in front of a sports arena which will be used as the paddock, media center, office, etc., this is a fantastic solution because all the services will be MXGP MAG 2016 MXGP.COM

indoors including air-conditioning and all possible comforts for the teams, riders and guests. The Indonesian government, the local government and the Indonesian Motorcycle Federation are taking this very seriously, they are very cooperative and are doing their best to ensure that the Grand Prix of Indonesia will be something special; in the past the Motocross Grand Prix of Indonesia always had huge crowds of between 40,000 to 50,000 spectators.

Indonesia is a very important country; it’s the biggest Muslim country with over 200 million inhabitants and has the strongest motorcycle market growth in the world. Then moving on, Russia returns to the MXGP calendar after a 4-year break, the 2017 MXGP of Russia will go to Orlyonok, where in 2016 they organized a very successful FIM Junior World Championship. Orlyonok

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has an outstanding infrastructure for young sports-people, it welcomes thousands of youth from all over Russia for schooling and training for a number of sports, it’s a fantastic location close to Sochi, on the Black Sea. The agreement with Russian Federation foresees bringing the MXGP to different venues around Russia; 2017 the event will be held in Orlyonok, 2018 in Moscow and 2019 in St Petersburg or Kaliningrad. Portugal is returning the 2017 calendar bringing MXGP back to the well-known track of Agueda, known for its distinct orange dirt, Agueda will provide, as always, a top-class organization and a warm welcome from the Portuguese people. After a year’s break to renovate the venue and infrastructure, we are delighted Sweden returns with Uddevalla with its exceptional venue and unique scenery. In 2017 France will have

2 MXGP events; the first in May at the epic track of Ernée, extremely popular after last year’s Motocross of Nations, and Villars-sous-Ecot which returns to the MXGP calendar after making important investments into the venue thanks to the great support from the local political authorities. In France there’s no doubt about the great organization and there’ll surely be huge numbers of enthusiastic fans.

In 2017 a new starting area will be introduced; it’s a metal mesh that permits excellent grip in all types of weather conditions and keeps the starting area clean. This was tested successfully at the SMX at the beginning of October and it was very much appreciated by the riders and teams.

Youthstream wishes you and your families a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

COOL SHOTS

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COOL SHOTS

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COOL SHOTS

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RACING CATCH UP

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2016: THE BEST MOMENTS RE-VISITED Just over two months has passed since the final chequers fell on the 2016 motocross season and it’s hard to believe that in just over two months we will be right back at it for another year of MXGP. So, with Christmas just around that perfectly sculpted banked 180˚ switchback turn, what better way to start looking forward to what lies ahead than to cast one final glance over our shoulders at some of the most memorable moments of 2016, starting off in Qatar.

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1. Qatar The opening round of MXGP fired into life under the floodlit desert sky at Losail and whilst there were many talking points from MXGP1 the obvious standout performance came from Tim Gajser aboard his fresher than fresh HRC backed Honda Gariboldi CRF450RW. Entering MXGP as the MX2 world champion, his goal was to just get through the weekend, possibly in the top five, but he was nothing short of sensational that night and on 26th February 2016 at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar, the motocross world witnessed the moment when he became the first Slovenian to win in MXGP and the youngest ever MXGP winner, at 19 years and 173 days. Oh, and in case you’d forgotten, he went 1-1 for the overall!

2. Cairoli’s fight back After Qatar it was clear to see that there was a new hierarchy in MXGP as Gajser and Roman Febvre marched to their own tune, leaving everyone else in their wake. After losing the title in 2015 after an injury-hit season Antonio Cairoli’s championship challenge was yet to get off the ground as his two podiums from the first six rounds showed. However, that all changed at round seven in Germany where the eight-time champ put on his own master class where he went 1-1 to record his first win of the season. At the same time he cut the points deficit to Gajser from 47 to 36. Even more impressive was his determination to keep Gajser behind him when the championship leader threatened his lead, and

it was a reminder to everyone that the title race was far from over. At the very next round at Trentino, TC222 won again with another masterful display of riding, and on a day where his rivals buckled under the pressure Cairoli found himself back in the game; that lead was down to 25 points. Game on!

3. Fantastic Ferrandis Trentino had everything; a cauldron-like atmosphere, crazy Slovenian fans matched only by the passionate Italian fans, but none of that was a patch on what happened in MX2 Race 1. ‘DF4’ had missed four GP’s after dislocating his shoulder at round two in Thailand and had only been back in his Mon-

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ster Energy Kawasaki saddle for two rounds before Italy, but his fifth overall in Latvia on his return and second overall in Germany showed he’d lost none of his motivation. Trentino showed he’d lost none of is speed either and his desire to win was plain to see as he well and truly took the challenge to runaway championship leader Jeffrey Herlings. ‘The Bullet’ struggled to find his way past the TM of Samuele Bernardini but on Lap six he was up to second and went after Ferrandis. As JH84 closed in the crowd were on their feet and it was almost as if they were the only two riders on the track.

The atmosphere reached fever pitch when Herlings made the pass behind PIT LANE, but when DF4 took Herlings to the bank in the final turn immediately afterwards, the roof was blown off, the gloves were off and it became a real dog-fight.

The racing was close, it was tense, it was dramatic and on the final lap Herlings thought

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he’d got it won but it was Ferrandis who hit the line first, to hand The Bullet his first race defeat of the year. It was epic and it will possibly go down as one of the best races of the year, if not THE best.

was a good effort and kept him in the championship race, even if he was now 24 points adrift.

With the support of the partisan crowd roaring him on every inch of the way, the homeboy gave the fans what they wanted; his epic duel with Gajser in 4. The French fuel Febvre’s fire Race 1 saw him miss out by 0.6 Coming into his home GP at of a second after spinning up Saint Jean d’Angély, round ten the rear out of the final turn, of MXGP, the defending chambut his emphatic win in Race 2 pion and 2015 rookie sensation meant he sealed back-to-back Romain Febvre was in a battle French GP’s. Wounded or not, it to defend his title. He might was a champions’ performance. have taken six podiums to this point but only two of those were 5. Mind the gap GP wins, compared to Gajser, One week later at Matterley who had never finished off the Basin in the UK and we were podium and had five GP wins. braced for another titanic After Trentino, round eight, showdown at the circuit that ‘GT243’ held a 4-point lead in the past had been good to over RF461 but at the next GP both the title contenders. As for in Spain Febvre was forced to the championship battle it was ride through the pain barrier still a two horse race between after Cairoli ran the front end Gajser and Febvre who were of his Red Bull KTM between the 24 points apart with CairoFrenchman’s shoulder blades in li third, 60 points off the lead the Qualifying Race. RF wasn’t and 36 behind Febvre. That all even sure if he was going to race so his 9-4 for sixth overall

changed in the Qualifying Race when the defending champ caught the wayward rear wheel of Suzuki’s Ben Townley as it nipped an edge on the exit of an uphill turn. With Febvre directly behind, the Frenchman was unbalanced and was sent face first into the up-ramp of the next jump. The incident left RF461 unconscious and out of the title race, and we wouldn’t see him again until Loket more than a month later. Gajser went on to win in England with his third 1-1 of the season and by the end of the weekend had 74 points on the absent Febvre and 77 over Cairoli in third, more than 3 moto’s clear of his nearest challenger. The points gap was growing, and if that wasn’t enough, when MXGP resumed after the summer break GT243 picked right back up from where he left off with another 1-1 at Mantova to increase his lead to 92 points. It was fast becoming a case of not ‘if’ but ‘when’ Gajser would be

crowned MXGP champ.

6. Max’s maximum After his heroics in 2015 that saw him amass a 30-point lead before getting inured at his home round in Germany, Max Nagl had had something of a quiet season in 2016 by comparison; that was until he arrived at the Czech GP at Loket.

The German led eighteen of the nineteen laps on offer to win by a comfortable 5-second margin over Gajser in Race 1, but it was Race 2 that was possibly the most impressive. After starting third, Nagl was quickly into second giving chase to Gajser who’d led from the opening lap but was unable to relax as the ‘12’ applied mental pressure from around 5 seconds back, hoping for a mistake from the slick Slovenian. With six laps to go that mistake came, and as Gajser rushed to gather up his Honda, Nagl sped by to start a six-lap sprint to the flag. The German held his nerve to go

1-1 for his and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s first and only win of 2016 and moved within 16 points of Cairoli in the battle for second place in the championship.

7. Strijbos turns back the clock It’s a funny ol’ sport is motocross, don’t you think? It seems some years we had great rivalries, great battles, great moments, riders who rack up the wins on a regular basis like Herlings for instance. Then there are riders who should win and have won, but the winning well runs dry. When MXGP arrived in Belgium for round 14 of MXGP Suzuki World MXGP turned back the clock as they unveiled some new old school graphics, not seen since 1992. Turns out it was quite apt really as what happened next was something none of us could have predicted. Max Nagl won Race 1 from Shaun Simp-

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son with Kevin Strijbos third; nothing unusual about that was there? Nagl has shown good form in the sand in the past, Simpson was strong as usual in the sand and a Belgian finished inside the top three. The only thing wrong with that was that the usually dominant in the sand Cairoli was buried in a lowly sixth. As for Gajser, the Slovenian struggled and a mistake left him down in fifteenth, his worst result of the season.

Come Race 2, and Gajser showed us what a quick learner he is by romping to a start-tofinish win. Behind him Cairoli had little impact in second as Nagl was forced to deal with Clement Desalle and Jeremy van Horebeek. No sooner had the ‘12’ moved into third and into what would have been a backto-back GP winning position, the Husky rider tipped over in a turn and blew the GP wide open. When Strijbos crossed the line in third after starting

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the race outside the top ten it was enough for the fatherto-be to clinch his first GP win in NINE YEARS, since Lierop 2007! The ’92 graphics worked a treat, Suzuki nailed their first win of the year, Belgians got to sing the national anthem on home soil for the first time since 2013 and it was Stefan Everts’ first win as Suzuki race boss!

Even the sun shone brightly!

Perfect.

my Seewer in MX2.

From the very first lap the stadium-like atmosphere was extraordinary and by Sunday had reached a deafening crescendo as Seewer hauled his Suzuki World MX2 wheels up to second after a poor start.

Race 2, however, was electrifying and as the MX2 riders hit turn one, their man JS91 was right there. He led coming out of turn two but ran off line 8. So close for Seewer in Swit- allowing Max Anstie an easier zerland route to the front, but fuelled For the first time in fifteen with adrenaline and charged years MXGP returned to Switby the emotion of the occasion zerland for what proved to be the Swiss star gave his fans something of a masterstroke. everything. He would not let This GP had everything from Anstie relax and on the 8th lap a natural old school layout to he had out dragged Anstie on packed man-made bleachers the final climb to take over the from which the 25,000 fans top spot. The noise all around could witness the whole track the circuit was insane and for without missing any of the three laps Seewer got to expeaction, and for the first time in rience leading his home GP for a long time the home fans had the first time. Sadly, Anstie had plenty to cheer about with Valentin Guillod in MXGP and Jere-

Seewer on the ropes, made the pass in front of the main grandstand and was able to hold on for his second win of the day.

Seewer went 2-2 but was more than pleased with the outcome; as a neutral it was a spectacle to behold.

season had began. Undeterred he rode through the pain barrier, collected points along the way and looked like he was close to his old self, until a first lap fall at the start of Race 2 in Latvia left him battered and bruised once more. Forced out of the next two GP’s in order to re9. Desalle’s delight cover, Desalle returned with the Clement Desalle has been same enthusiasm as if it was the around enough to know that opening round all over again and motocross is a tough place to ply within four rounds had made your trade yet it hasn’t stopped his way to third overall at Manhim treading the path to MXGP tova, for his first podium of the glory. The Belgian was third in season. At Assen, four rounds 2009 and 2011, and second in later, he went 2-2 in what were 2010, ’12 and ’13, so he knows testing conditions to take the a thing or two about what it overall, his first GP win since takes to get to the top. Unfortu- Germany 2014 and the first for nately, he has had his fair share Kawasaki since Ryan Villopoto of injuries that have kept him off in Thailand 2015. Sadly, they the top step of the final podium. say that all bad things come in A switch of team to Kawasaki in three’s and at the final round in 2016 gave him renewed motithe USA CD25 picked up a knock vation and his pre-season prep to the knee; nothing too serious was excellent, until a broken but enough to rule him out of arm ten days before the first GP the GP, the Monster Energy FIM of the year pretty much ended Motocross of Nations and the his title aspirations before the Monster Energy SMX Riders’

Cup. But he showed us he will still be a threat in 2017. Will it finally be his year to celebrate?

10. Covington the history maker Think Holland, think sand! Think sand, think Herlings. The Bullet is the man in the sand, the best in the world in fact and has never been beaten in the stuff.

Even as a one armed warrior at Lierop in 2013 he went 1-1, so the chance of him getting a whooping at Assen was pretty much unthinkable. But then it rained, and it kept on raining and the white, beach-like surface was turned into an extreme enduro and something of a level playing field. The Bullet already had his work cut out after a DNF in the Qualifying Race left him way over on the outside of the gate but would it have changed the result in Race 1? Probably not! Whilst Herlings crashed a thousand times and everyone

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else did the same as they chased the lead and a potential moto win, Thomas Covington was in his own little bubble and remained the coolest and calmest of all, rode his own race and took the chequers by a winning margin of 21 seconds over Herlings for his second career race win. The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider had just beaten the worlds’ best sand rider, and there aren’t too many who will be able to say that when they look back on their careers.

There must have been something in the air that day because in Race 2 Herlings had to win a hard fought battle with his younger teammate Jorge Prado who had JH84 scratching his head for the first eight laps of the race before normal service was resumed. MX2 is gonna be exciting next year, no doubt about it.

11. Webb wins at home Charlotte Motor Speedway, North Carolina will be remem-

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bered for a number of things, not least for the weather that forced the cancellation of the first day of action. The track crew played its part in getting the track in perfect condition but all eyes were on Jeffrey Herlings in his quest for a third MX2 title, and the American’s who were out to prove a point, namely Cooper Webb and Austin Forkner. In Race 1 Forkner led the way with Webb and Herlings pretty much equidistant and for the first nine laps it was like a game of chess; no-one seemed to make any distinctive moves until ‘the moment’ that changed everything on lap 10.

Forkner tipped over in a slow right-hander and Webb, who was committed to the same tight rut, struggled to avoid his compatriot. By the time he’d passed Forkner, Herlings who had taken evasive action around the outside, drew level with Webb and it was a 250m drag race to Turn 2, the two fastest MX2 riders in the world going bar-to-bar with

the crowd on their feet. Herlings made the pass and went on to win from Webb to secure that title, but in Race 2 The Bullet was shown the way by the Yamaha ace who came from nineteenth on the opening lap to catch and pass both Herlings and Forkner with a handful of laps to go, to not only take the lead, but the race and GP win in front of his home NC fans in his last ever race on a 250. He had beaten the champ outright on what was a memorable night of racing.

12. Tomac four-midable We can’t end this feature anywhere other than the good ol’ US of A and the final two rounds of MXGP were a real eye opener. At Charlotte you could argue that Gajser had the championship on his mind but however you look at it, the MXGP regulars were no match for Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac who took

the firs race by storm and the second after a mistake from Gajser gifted him the lead for an eventual 1-1 home GP win. However, the best was still to come from ‘ET3’ and at Glen Helen one week later Tomac worked his way past Van Horebeek, Nagl, Coldenhoff and Cairoli by the halfway point before going on to win by 15 seconds.

bow Mr. Tomac, take a bow!

Okay, so it should have been 12 top moments but how can we not mention the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations? Trouble with that is it probably has 12 moments all by itself. So, here are a few brief moments for you: • Team USA struggling in Qualifying • Romain Febvre winning Race 2 was even more imRace 1, his third straight pressive, and after starting ‘Nations win outside the top ten, Tomac had • Jason Anderson winning his work cut out as Cairoli, Race 2 on his MXoN debut Nagl, Gajser and Febvre tried … and then getting landed to make a break for it. Just as on by a back marker as he he did in Race 1 Tomac was all crossed the finish line over the lead by half distance • Gautier Paulin’s late and a lap later was past Caicharge to 3rd in Race 2 to roli and never looked back. At keep France in contention the flag, he was 16 seconds • Team USA leading going clear and had just put on a into the final race of the riding clinic and had opened day some eyes at the same time.

• The Netherlands leading We knew he would be quick but the ‘Nations classification four wins from four is about as Webb battled for Team as emphatic as it gets. Take a USA

• Webb getting Team USA into a winning position until 2 laps to go … until that mistake • With 2 laps to go and with Herlings up front leading the way, The Netherlands were on the brink of a first ever MXoN victory • Herlings crossed the line to win Race 3 for Team NL but there was more drama • Febvre’s last lap pass on Tommy Searle for 4th sealed the win for France with half a lap to go • France stood on top of the MXoN podium for the third straight year with Paulin, Febvre and Paturel • What a crazy, crazy event at Maggiora Park And with that, we hope you enjoyed re-living some of the best moments from 2016. We cannot wait for it all to kick off again in February 2017.

See you at the races.

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SPECIAL FEATURE

Top 5 gifts to give this X-mas!

If you dread Christmas shopping, or you are one of those people that have absolutely no idea what to buy friends and family, don’t stress, we’ll take you through some amazing gift ideas that you can purchase online and have delivered right to your door. No standing in ridiculously long lines, or walking around aimlessly waiting for the perfect gift to jump out at you, we’ll give you a run down of the top five best gifts to give this Christmas.

Number 1: You won’t need wrapping paper for this one!

A season pass to MXGP-TV. The season pass to MXGP-TV

will give you, or the lucky person you have in mind for this mega rad gift, LIVE access to all the rounds of the 2017 FIM Motocross World Championship, as well as the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations. Not only that, the MXGP-TV season pass also gives you our 26 minute ‘Behind the Gate’ documentary which includes exclusive news and interviews from inside the paddock at every single event.

tablet, you name it!

How do you give it as a gift?

Purchase the all season pass here (http://tickets.mxgp-tv. com/MXLIFE/en/2396-mxgptv/) with a 25% discount, create a user name and password and write the login details on the inside of a Christmas card.

MERRY CHRISTMAS! You won’t be missing a minute of action all year long.

Number 2: With a season pass on MXGPDo you want to get someone TV you can watch any event hooked on MXGP? Take them to LIVE or replay OnDemand and it a round of MXGP, or the Moncan be watched on any device, ster Energy FIM Motocross of from a television through to a Nations, as a VIP guest! This computer, laptop, smart phone, way you can kick back in a warm

dry place indoors, where the drinks are flowing and the food is fantastic.

Another easy one gift idea is admission tickets to your closest round, or the event that EVERYONE wants to be at, the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations!

Number 3: MXGP2 The Official Motocross Video Game!

MXGP2 is easily the best motocross game in the world right now. The folks at Milestone have gone to extreme lengths to make sure the game is as realistic as possible. It’s been trialed and tested by some of the best riders in the world too.

The game features an EXACT simulation of all of the tracks from the 2015 FIM Motocross World Championship, as well as the riders. For anyone that likes gaming, and is a fan of motocross, this game is an absolute dream come true!

MXGP2 is available for Playstation 4, XboxOne and PC/Steam and can be purchased at www. mxgpvideogame.com

Buy tickets here: https://www. gootickets.com/2400-motocross-tickets/ Print them off; pop them inside a card and ‘Et Voila!’ The sick-

Number 4: Ogio Bags!

You can’t go wrong with a bag and www.MXGP-Ogio.com has an extensive line of Ogio bags,

The VIP Gold Skybox package includes admission to the venue and access to exclusive areas such as the Skybox Terrace, which is the structure built directly behind the start gate. The Skybox Terrace offers premium views of the track, the best view of the start, as well as snacks and drinks all day long. Lunch will be a gourmet buffet style meal inside the VIP Restaurant, it will be an unforgettable experience.

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so there is something for everyone. From motocross gear bags, luggage bags, backpacks, lifestyle bags, business bags, school bags… anything. A bag is a killer gift to give, and is even something for the lady in the house!

Number 5: Clothing, or other MXGP branded bits and bobs.

It’s getting chilly outside; maybe a hoody is the way forward?

Does someone have a baby?

Pimp their kid, or your own child, with a MXGP branded dummy. Whether you’re after a pair of shorts, t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, mugs, keychains, lanyards, stickers, cups, you’re bound to find a cool gift at www.mxgp-store.com So there you have it, how easy is that! No more thinking, just buying and waiting for Santa Claus to roll on up and deliver the goods.

Ho, ho, ho Merry Christmas everyone!

MXGP SOCIAL

TWITTER, FACEB IN THE WORLD OF #MXGP @risermcg @mxgp good luck to all the Aussies over there next year

@mikeranger303 ‬‬ @DeanWilson15 you got a ride for next yeah yet? If not come over to @mxgp be better for ya!!!!

@chutechris5111 Congratulations to American @thomasc64 on his first moto win at the @mxgp of the Netherlands at Assen @prokhorov737 Yeah!!! My dream has been come true!!! Grand Prix of Russia in 2017!!! #mxgp @ mxgp@cuocinr1 #likeit

@jac_malins Weekends aren’t quite the same without a bit of @mxgp to look forward to! @jaykayneil7‬‬ Can’t wait for the @mxgp to start again let this be the year of the British #letshaveit@JakeNicholls45 @ shaunsimpson24 @tommysearle100‬‬ @lionsy44 @mxgp you would be mad to bet against @JHerlings84 going to get some battles betwean @TimGajser243 @ RFebvre461 @feband him though @enosnosnos Can’t wait to see romain fevbre and the gang in @mxgp Indonesia series @sandermx79 Who has the balls in the @ mxgp circuit (teams) to get both the stewart brothers to the world Championship that would be awesome !!

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Christmas is coming! And to help you countdown MXGP will be sharing 24 of the best actions from the 2016 FIM Motocross World Championship on Facebook.

Most impressive crashes 2016

2016 MXGP Season Review

BOOK, INSTAGRAM, YOUTUBE

@charles__b @antoniocairoli #222 #ktm#eicma2016 #mxgp #eicma2016 #milano#italia#mxgp

@brapgram brapgram#mxgp2 #xboxone #motocross #gamer #tearitupindoors#90smotocross

@oragno114 Today test Yamaha factory in @ottobianomotorsports with this nice guy ... @jeremyvanhorebeek Thanks for the pic !!! #oragno114mxschool @motogoat @enjoymfg Newest MxGp Team @mxgpyamaha Absolutely Stoked to be working with such a great bunch of Guys đ&#x;‘?đ&#x;?ť #EnjoyMfg #yamaha #wilvo #MxGp #Motocross

@antoniocimieri93 Eicma 2016 #bike#motocross #suzuki #rmz250f #girlbiker #bike# akrapovic #teamsuzukieurope#mxgp#fieramilanorho

IN THE WORLD OF #MXGP 35

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Photo: Reygondeau/GoodShoot

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SPECIAL FEATURE

2017 - ALMOST READY TO GO It hardly seems like 5 minutes have passed since the curtain came down on the 2016 MXGP season and already we are well on the way to the first gate drop of the new season, which believe it or not is almost upon us.

Nikos Gournaris, Mr Daniele Rizzi and Mr Didier Henriod, as well as representatives of the FIM; FIM Europe President Dr. Wolfgang Srb, FIM/CMS Director Mr. Tony Skillington, member of the FIM Board of Directors Mr. Jos Driessen, the Race Director Mr. Ingo Kicking everything back into life was Partsch, and the organizers of the the annual organizers meeting, 2017 MXGP rounds of Indoneheld during the same weekend of sia, Trentino, Germany, Sweden, the FIM Gala in Berlin, Germany France, Russia, Portugal, Czech on November 27th, where YouthRepublic, Belgium and Switzerland. stream’s Director of CommuniAlso present were the organizers cations and Marketing Services of the FIM Junior Motocross World opened the event with an introChampionship, the FIM Snowduction of all the people present, cross World Championship and the which included from Youthstream, Monster Energy FIM Motocross of President Mr. Giuseppe Luongo, Nations.

Vice President Mr. Luigi Zompetti, Directors Mr. David Luongo, Mr. The new season kicks off on Feb-

ruary 24th / 25th in Qatar with the second round heading back to Indonesia for the first time in 20 years, something that Mr. Giuseppe Luongo is extremely excited about: ‘I remember at the end of the ‘90’s when we had the Grand Prix of Indonesia. We had many spectators and it was fantastic. In 2017 they are back and they have a strong will to succeed and I am sure that everyone will enjoy the race in Indonesia.’

Russia is back on the menu for the first time since 2012 with Agueda (Portugal), and Uddevalla (Sweden) also making a return. ‘This time (in Russia) it will be a stable GP, it is a project which has been in the wings for several years with a

plan for the Russian Federation to improve certain things step by step and to grow with a test of their development being at the FIM Junior World Championship last year and we will also return to the familiar venues of Agueda in Portugal and Uddevalla in Sweden, who have taken some time out recently to improve certain things’, commented Mr. Luongo.

As the MXGP series continues to grow and with bikes and riders getting faster every year, safety continues to be a priority and when FIM/CMS Director Mr. Tony Skillington took to the stage he emphasized that it is in the best interests of the FIM to keep everybody involved in the FIM Motocross World Championship safe, this includes flag marshals, volunteers, and spectators, therefore the FIM is always open to advice or for discussion.

of a new era where the riders used the new ‘start mesh’ for the first time and this will be used at all 19 MXGP rounds in 2017 with the aim being to provide the riders with equal conditions on the start line, 100% grip and an overall cleaner and more professional look, so you can bet that riders and teams will working hard through the winter to find the optimum set-up for getting off the line as efficiently as possible.

But if that isn’t enough, then how about the MX2 class? With JH84 moving up to MXGP, someone must have just pulled the pin on a grenade because it is gonna go OFF in the 250 class as the likes of Pauls Jonass, Jeremy Seewer, Thomas Covington and the rest will go barto-bar in the ‘post Herlings’ era!

In fact, MX2 has to be the most open as it’s ever been so expect to see a lot of different race and GP winners next year in quarter litre division.

With all being well, the titles won’t be decided until the final round on September 17th at Villars sous Ecot which will be the second GP in France next year. Last time we were there a certain Romain Febvre took the win; can he claim his second MXGP crown on home soil?

Either way, bringing the season to a close two weeks later will be the BIG ONE, the Monster Energy FIM MXoN at Matterley Basin in Great Britain. Our mouths are already salivating just thinking about it.

Photo: Reygondeau/GoodShoot

At the FIM Gala itself, 2016 MXGP and MX2 world champions Tim Gajser and Jeffrey Herlings were on hand to collect their official gold medals and seeing them on stage with a couple of months to go before Qatar, we couldn’t help but ponder what the new season might present us with; both riders will be in MXGP next year, and both riders will want to win! And if that hasn’t got your juices flowing, throw in a pinch of Romain Febvre, a dollop of Antonio Cairoli and a sprinkling of For those of you who tuned in to Max Nagl, Clement Desalle, Jeremy the Monster Energy Riders and Van Horebeek and the White Knight Manufacturers SX Cup in October, Gautier Paulin to name but a few you would have witnessed the dawn and things certainly look tasty for

the new race season.

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CLIMBING THE PYRAMID TO SUCCESS 45

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If you’ve ever been to watch MXGP live then you would almost certainly have seen the EMX125 and EMX250 Championship riders in action as well and you will more than likely agree with us that the depth of racing talent is phenomenal and better than it has ever been. The EMX125 and 250 classes in particular provide the fans with some of the most intense and best racing of the weekend and soon enough the riders will graduate to MX2 or MXGP where they will one day compete on the world stage.

This years EMX champions were Jago Geerts from Belgium and Thomas Kjer Olsen and here’s why.

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Jago Geerts – EMX125 Sahkar Racing KTM Born in Geel, Belgium 16 year-old Jago Geerts now resides in Balen close to Lommel, the riding Mecca of the motocross fraternity. His father raced and so it seemed only natural that a) coming from a racing family and b) living in Belgium that he would one day go on to race dirt bikes, too.

In 2014 the then 14 year-old claimed the 85cc Dutch title followed by the EMX85cc title at Hyvinkää in Finland with a perfect 1-1 which in some ways was hardly surprising given the sandy nature of the

circuit coupled with his sand riding prowess.

The following season Geerts, armed with a Sahkar Racing KTM, contested the 2015 EMX125 championship but soon realised the difference in the level of competition; in short, it was much tougher.

The eight round series got off to a rocky start with a 0-0 followed by two no shows at the next two rounds and it wasn’t until the series hit the final three rounds did he start to enjoy the kind of success that he’d hoped for at the start of the season, and after posting an 11th in Race 1 at Maggiora, Italy, his 2nd

in the final moto boosted his confidence, even though he narrowly missed the overall podium. The final two rounds were in the sand of Lommel in Belgium and Assen in The Netherlands, and despite not winning a moto at either round, his consistency paid off; 2nd overall at Lommel was followed by his 1st win at Assen en route to 11th in the final standings, just one place behind Stephen Rubini, who would become his main rival in 2016.

With the top nine riders from 2015 moving out of the EMX125 class, the start of the 2016 season was perfect for Geerts; 3 wins in the first 4 races in Latvia

and Trentino saw him quickly build a 21-point lead over the Frenchman Rubini, but in Spain at round 3, the pressure of the title race started to tell and as Rubini ran away at the front, Geerts made a mistake in the closing stages and fell from 3rd to 5th. However, the 9 points that Rubini gained in Race 1 looked like it would become twelve as he won the 2nd moto, until it was adjudged that Rubini had jumped on waved yellows, demoting him from 1st to 11th and so by the end of round 3 Geerts had gained a few more points and was 27 clear of Rubini.

At round 4 in France Rubini was buoyed by the home

crowd to go 1-1 to Geerts’ 7-2 but it was enough to keep the championship leader on the podium for the fourth consecutive round, but Rubini had gained 14 points and the gap was back down to 13 heading to Matterley Basin, Great Britain. Geerts won the first moto as Rubini took 2nd but it was Rubini who applied the pressure with a win in Race 2 as Geerts placed 3rd, a gain of two more points and with three rounds to go, we were down to 11 points and it was very much game on.

At Mantova, round 6, Geerts went 3-1 to Rubini’s 1-2 and suddenly Rubini was on a roll; that win at Mantova was his third successive victory and

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as we headed for the penultimate round at Lommel, the news came through that Rubini was out of the championship after picking up a hand injury. With Rubini out and the gap back to Pierre Goupillon in 3rd a massive 63 points, it was Geerts’ title to lose, but heading to Lommel we were in no doubt as to what was going to happen and with a 1-1 Geerts collected his second overall win of the season and with it the EMX125 European Championship title. The way he rode around Lommel you would have to believe that Rubini wouldn’t have got a look in anyway, but it didn’t matter by then, and to cap of his season in fine style Geerts nailed another 1-1, his third double of the sea-

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son to win the final round in Switzerland. From the eight round series Geerts never finished off the podium, with 3 wins, three 2nd places and two thirds.

One week later, Jago Geerts boarded a plane to Russia for the FIM Junior World Championship where his 2-1 was enough for him to clinch the FIM Junior World 125cc Championship to bring home the double. Tim Gajser did the double in 2012 and Pauls Jonass did the same in 2013.

Brian Hsu followed in their footsteps in 2014 and other than Gajser who is already a 2-time world champion in MX2 and MXGP, Jonass and Hsu are well and truly on the path to glory. With Jago

Geerts moving up to EMX250 in 2017 only time will tell how the next chapter will work out for the talented young Belgian.

Thomas Kjer Olsen – EMX250 Bodo-Schmidt Motorsport Husqvarna One of the most surprising stories to come out of the 2016 season has to be the sudden emergence of Denmark’s Thomas Kjer Olsen in the EMX250 Championship, but if we are honest with ourselves, are we as surprised as we think?

Well, that depends on how you look at the picture as a whole.

If we cast our minds back to 2014 and the EMX250 round

at Maggiora in Italy then the answer would be no, because on that day, ‘TKO’ guided his J-Tech Honda to the overall win, his first in EMX250 competition. He would finish the year in 6th.

The following year, 2015, he placed 6th again, this time on KTM and with three podiums under his belt. But something happened during the off-season as he prepared for the 2016 season; call it hard work and dedication, call it a switch of brand to Husqvarna, call it what you want, but whatever it was, Olsen showed up ready to go.

His 3-3 at the opening round put him the hunt for the title immediately but with the opening round winner Conrad

Mewse jumping to MX2 after round one, ‘TKO’ was all of a sudden considered as a firm favourite, along with Australian import Hunter Lawrence. At round 2 in Latvia the Bodo-Schmidt Motorsport Husqvarna pilot romped to a double moto victory and jumped from 3rd in points to the top of the standings with a 20-point buffer over his closest rival Lawrence.

The Australian Lawrence swept the board in Germany with a 1-1 as Kjer Olsen went 2-3 for 2nd overall and the Monster Energy Kawasaki rider had reduced the gap to twelve heading into round four at Trentino. However, it was another flawless display from TKO who delivered a

sucker punch to his rivals for another perfect weekend in Italy as he extended his lead to 31 points over Lawrence.

By the time we reached round 5 in Spain, Lawrence had collected a knee injury and was almost certainly out of the running, but Kjer Olsen was taking nothing for granted and stole the show once more with his third double win of the campaign. At the halfway stage, his lead was now 65 points due to his calculated riding as well as the inconsistency of his rivals.

With Lawrence out of the title chase, it was time for another Kawasaki rider to step up to the plate in the form of BUD Racing Monster Energy Ka-

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wasaki’s Darian Sanayei, an American who had visited the podium on three occasions already. In France, he was imperious as he notched up his first EMX250 career win in perfect style as the points leader settled for second best, twice; his lead still intact to the tune of 63 points.

Round 7 at Matterley Basin belonged to former EMX250 champion Steven Clarke as Sanayei reduced the gap to Kjer Olsen by a further 7 points. It was still more than two moto’s difference though and stood at 53 as the series headed to Mantova before the summer break. The championship leader was counting down the rounds, his speed was on point and so was his fitness, and he had

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mastered the art of knowing when to push and how hard.

In Race 1 at Mantova, Sanayei was a runaway winner and looked set to do the same in Race 2 but just after half distance, the American’s bike let go forcing a DNF. Had he have won the race, Sanayei would have clawed back 8 more points and the gap would have narrowed to 45 with two rounds to go. The win however went to Suzuki’s Bas Vaessen, his 3-1 bettering the 2-2 of Kjer Olsen.

With two rounds and four moto’s left to run, Thomas Kjer Olsen headed to Lommel with 75 points in hand over Sanayei and if TKO beat the American in Race 1 then the title was his.

Bas Vaessen won his second successive round with a 1-1,

but the championship was decided after the first race when TKO came home 2nd, one place ahead of Sanayei. The gap was 77 points with 75 left on the table; TKO could not be caught and was the new EMX250 champion. He left Lommel 2nd overall on the day and would not enter the final round in Switzerland, scuppering his chances of finishing on the podium at every single round. He took 3 wins, was 2nd on four occasions and was third twice and it was his consistency and smart riding that took him to victory. In 2017 we will see the top three EMX250 riders Kjer Olsen, Sanayei and Vaessen along with Hunter Lawrence moving up to MX2. All are confident and all will expect to do well. We wait to see how they get on.

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HALL OF FAME

Mark Barnett ‘The Bomber’

shoulder injury later in the season brought his year to a premature end, which also hampered the first part of 1979. However, when he returned, Barnett proved to be the toughest rival of Broc Glover, who was dominating the 125cc class; Mark won a couple of National events, dominated the US Grand Prix and also got his first supercross win at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. “It is one of my best racing memories. We had a huge crowd that night, something Born on September 16th 1960 in like 79,000 people and I won in Bridgeview, Illinois, Mark Barnett learned to ride a bike when he was front of all those screaming fans.

It was crazy, I was only 18 and a kid, before successfully domiI beat Mike Bell by a bike length nating all the classes he entered after two memorable final laps,” he in his native region, culminating remembers. with a win at the AMA Amateur National Championship when he Mark was the first rider from the was 15. The following season he Midwest to get a factory ride, he was a lucky member of the FOX was used to the mud, ruts and team and became a Pro rider and after what turned out to be a great roots and had in his eyes a slight rookie season he joined the factory advantage at the east coast races; he may have been short in stature Suzuki team in 1978. This was an but he was a giant in confidence absolute dream for him, because as a kid he’d seen Sylvain Geboers and determination, with an aggressive, explosive riding style, race a Trans Ama race in Wisconsin and became a long-time fan of which is how he acquired the nickname ‘Bomber’. the Belgian rider!

Mark Barnett didn’t race so long as a professional rider, but in a very short time – five seasons – he collected all the main titles in the USA with one supercross and three motocross titles, a couple of podiums and two grand prix wins in the US round of the FIM Motocross World Championship. He was also a winning member of the US Team at the 1983 Trophy and Motocross of Nations!

In April 78 he won his first AMA motocross race in Houston, but a

After winning a couple of races in ‘79, Mark put an end to Glover’s

domination the following season where Broc was looking for a fourth consecutive championship but he lost the title at the final round of the season as Mark won four of the seven rounds on his Suzuki, using the new ‘Full Floater’ suspension technology. He may have only been 19 years old but Mark was a hard worker at his private training facility, a 400-acre ranch owned by his grandmother in Alabama.

He was the man to beat in 1981, and it was nearly the perfect season for him as he clinched his and Suzuki’s first supercross title as well as a successful defence of his 125cc motocross title. He had won the first fourteen rounds of the 125cc outdoor series, but the perfect season was brought to a halt when he broke his collarbone whilst training at home and missed the final race of the series.

Before his injury though he raced and dominated the US Grand Prix at Mid Ohio, where he humiliated the European riders, lapping up to 10 in the first moto before winning the second race by nearly two minutes!

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Runner up in the 250 US supercross series in 1982, Mark won his third consecutive title in the 125cc class, his favourite one. He earned no less than 25 wins and 40 podiums in the 125 National series, a record that stood for over twenty years until Ricky Carmichael earned his 26th win in 2001!

end of the season ‘Bomber’ decided to call time on his career. “Maybe I was getting tired or maybe the other guys were just going better. I won very early in my career and I think it’s tough to maintain that level for any length of time,” he said when he retired at only 25 years old.

the best US athletes and companies, such as Ryan Dungey, Chad Reed, Justin Barcia or JGR, the ‘Bomber Built Tracks’ company is always busy.

“When I was racing you could train nearly everywhere, but now you must have your own place to practice if you want to be competitive.

That’s why many riders buy or rent The first rider in motocross history a place to build their own track,” he In 1983 Barnett was leading the to sign a million-dollar contract (with said. A summary of Mark’s career is 250 US supercross series for most Suzuki in 1981) Mark never really detailed below. of the season, but his bike broke in quit the sport though, as he later Massachusetts; he not only lost 25 became famous for his track-build- Text: Pascal Haudiquert points, but also the title. It was a ing in the US. Working for some of Photos: AMA Archive tough season for Suzuki, as Mark also suffered some mechanical 1979: Winner of the 125 US Grand Prix (Suzuki) problems outdoors and wasn’t able 2nd in the 125 US Motocross championship to defend his title. The following 1980: 125 US Motocross Champion (Suzuki) season was even worse as Barnett 1981: 250 US Supercross Champion (Suzuki) hit his knee, and by the end of the

125 US Motocross Champion 1984 season, his love affair with

Winner of the 125 US Grand Prix 1982: 125 US Motocross Champion (Suzuki) Suzuki was over as he moved to

2nd in the 250 US Supercross championship Kawasaki.

Back in the 125cc class he struggled to re-gain the form that saw him previously dominate and at the

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1983: 2nd in the 250 US Supercross championship (Suzuki) Winner of the Motocross of Nations with Team USA

Winner of the Trophy of Nations with Team USA 1984: 5th in the 250 US Motocross championship (Suzuki)

PADDOCK TALKS

01

Paddock Talks 01/Jill said “yes” to the 8-time World Champion Antonio Cairoli!

02

02/Clement Desalle met up with the 2015 and 2016 SBK World Champion in Aragón, Spain, and they had a great time exchanging their bikes.

03/Tim Gajser and their passionate fans at EICMA last month.

04/Gautier Paulin getting ready for 2017 with his new team!

05/Antonio Cairoli went on the 4 wheels to finish 3rd overall at the Monster Energy Master Show at Monza.

03

04

05

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07

06

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Paddock Talks 06/Ladies and gentlemen, Mr & Mrs Simpson!

09 07/Alex Puzar won the overall of his category at the 40th anniversary of the Transborgaro race in Borgaro Torinese, Italy.

08/Tim Gajser was part of Honda’s success in 2016. The Japanese manufacturer celebrated 3 World Titles, MotoGP, MXGP & Trial! It’s the 1st Time Ever in motorcycling!

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09/Antonio Cairoli and his friends Matteo Bonini, Rui Gonçalves and Marco Melandri gathered together for a charity football game.

10/Tim Gajser and Marc Marquez at the FIM Gala.

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Photo: T. White

1969 Husqvarna 400 Cross

Bengt Åberg

late ‘60s things were starting to to 1969, we need to cast our Bengt Åberg entered the world become a little more uniform as on June 26 1944 in Sörbo, Hälsminds back a few years to the the quality of production bikes ingland, Sweden but it wasn’t early ‘60’s. You see, in 1963 the was getting a little better. Husq- FIM made the ruling that the until he was 15 that the farmers’ varna had had world championson rode a bike for the very first 500cc class bikes had to be at ship success in the premier class least 351cc, but from Husqvartime. However, his rise to staron three previous occasions in dom was a bit on the slow side na’s perspective they didn’t have the hands of Bill Nilsson, who and his first world championship any confidence in its transmisbecame Husqvarna’s first 500cc sion for the 360cc they were points didn’t arrive until 1966 world champion in 1960, followed running. The problem with the where he placed 12th overall in the 500cc class. Four years later, by Rolf Tibblin in 1962 and 1963 transmission was to do with the and by the time Bengt Åberg aged 25, he was world champion spacing between the two shafts The 125cc class in 400 the Cross European Championship puts a spotlight onoriginally the nextmade for the landed the title inusually 1969, you could riding a Husqvarna as it was sayof it the was 2015 long overdue, espeandname it’s this iconic bike Drombagen and Silverpilen, the big in now motocross.

Inwe fact both FIM Motocross World Champions and are featuring this month in MXGP cially since the only other podium 3-speed 175cc road bikes. To try vice-world champions Romain Febvre, Gautier Paulin, Tim Gajser and Pauls Jonass placing came from Åke Jonsson mag. to solve this problem Husqvarna have all won the EMX125 championship onbefore theirinpaths motocross supremacy. one year 1968 to with 3rd incorporated the British-made overall.

As was always the case, the BSA transmission, which wasn’t competition race bikes of this era unheard of back then. But when The six-year itch were very much built on a trial that turned out to be a failure, However, before we even get and error basis, although by the they were forced to suck it up

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and built a 360cc from its existing 250cc machine. It was hoped that there would be a couple of benefits; to field a bike that would meet the displacement rule with 250cc like power, but the 360 was still not as competitive as hoped, especially against the 360 CZ. A long stroke 416cc version was also tried, with Britain’s Vic Eastwood playing a major part in what was very much an experiment, although by the time the 400 was ready he had already left Husky.

During the ‘66/’67 seasons the riders had complained about the 360’s lack of performance compared to the competition, saying the 360cc engine was underpowered and that the ‘bolt-together’ frame handled badly, so in 1968 money was finally allocated to change the crankcase casting and the space was made for a no-compromise 400cc cylinder, which was developed by engineer Tommy Malm. Whilst the Husky boffins were working methodically to get on top of the engine configuration, their 4-time 250cc world champion Torsten Hallman had been chipping away in the background developing a new frame and at the same time, in 1968 and after some 18 months of prototype development, a new welded one-piece frame was introduced, the benefits being it was longer, a little lower and more stable. Finally it looked as if Husqvarna was making significant progress.

Other new parts included a new

rear hub, Femsa ignition from Spain and a shorter front mudguard. There was also an improvement in the rear sprocket mount along with a new chain guide system and new style rear brake pedal, with material upgrades to the gearing for increased durability and reliability, new shaft, piston and rings.

best suited at the time, given the circuit conditions. Most riders had to pay for tyres but some, like Åberg, were lucky enough to get them for free.

As with all Swedish and British bikes of that time, the gear lever was on the right with the brake pedal on the left. The kickstart was also on the left hand side.

According to Husqvarna Factory rider Gunnar Lindstrom, ‘the ’69 400 Cross was the perfectly balanced bike; it always started on the first kick, well almost, it had a wonderful torque band, the right ratios, slippery foot pegs, (what were we thinking?) not much of a front brake, and needed extra water protection for wet races, but once you knew the maintenance quirks, it was dead reliable. The bike

As for the engine, well, this underwent even more scrutiny; a major new design that saw five intake transfers instead of three helped On the whole the Husqvarna 400 Husqvarna’s cause massively, although the bore and stroke Cross was pretty much a stanmeasurement was 81.5mm x dard bike pulled straight off the 76mm which actually meant production line and there was it was a 396cc. After just a certainly nothing in the way of few months in development the ‘400’ was finally unMagnesium or Titanium parts. leashed, and as soon as it The front forks were made inleft Tommy Malm’s dyno, it house by Husqvarna and the went down an absolute storm riders were not even offered the with Åberg winning on it first choice of different spring rates; time out at the opening 500cc if the forks bottomed out, the GP of 1969 at Sittendorf in answer was to use thicker oil or Austria, but due to the bore opt for more preload! The rear and stroke, there were naysayers who were convinced it shocks were the British-made was a 405cc! No matter, that Girling units, which came with just one damper setting, although win was Åberg’s 3rd career victory and he went on to win someone like Åberg would have three more GP’s during the had the luxury of trying a stiffseason, the final win coming er spring straight off the Husky at the final round in the deep workshop shelf. Proper factory! mud of Wohlen, Switzerland, to be crowned 500cc World The exhaust was also stock and ran along the left side of the bike. Champion for the first time.

When it came to the rubber it was a case of whatever came with the bike but Åberg mostly favoured Barum, although with no official tyre contract in place he had the freedom to use what he thought was

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had a wonderful balance of weight, gear ratios, geometry and powerband. It definitely hit the sweet spot; 4-speeds with no alternative ratios to choose from. The shifting mechanism was a little odd, on the right side, down for low.’

Bengt Åberg doubled up on his world championship tally by winning again in 1970 with four more GP wins on what was pretty much the same bike he’d ridden to the 1969 500cc world crown, the only significant change being the introduction of the centre-float Bing carburetor; the reputation of the Husqvarna 400 Cross in motocross world

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championship history had been cemented. Åberg had put Husqvarna back on the map with his two world titles and such was the popularity of the 400 Cross it became an instant hit in The USA, so much that it was the bike that was famously featured in the Bruce Brown movie ‘On Any Sunday’ in the hands of Steve McQueen and Malcolm Smith in 1971. Maybe Husqvarna didn’t realise it at the time but the ’69 Husky 400 Cross became one of the most iconic bikes of a generation and no doubt it had a massive impact on Husqvarna’s image and sales in the

US going into 1972. But that, as they say, is another story for another day. *Special thanks to Gunnar Lindstrom, author of ‘Husqvarna Success’ for his invaluable information **Colour image of 400 Cross courtesy of Tom White •••Arne Kring and Bengt Åberg fighting for the lead at the 1970 Swedish GP at Vasteras, they finished 1-2 in the championship that year.

The Husqvarna 400 Cross won 18 of 22 moto’s in the 500cc world championship that year.

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Motocross embraces everything that is great about man and machine. To compete at an elite level, both rider and bike must be sharp and on form, and while bikes are stripped down and checked after every single ride, you often wonder how much attention is paid to the condition of a rider.

Some riders know the importance of paying attention to his or her body, while others just wing it week in and week out until an injury sidelines them. No athlete wants to be forced out of a championship due to injury, and anyone who knows something about how

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the human body maintains an elite level of fitness also knows that prevention of injury is much easier than curing or healing an injury, and in the world of MXGP, that’s where the Donjoy Physiotherapy Center comes in.

So what is the Donjoy Physiotherapy Center? It’s a mobile physiotherapy clinic that travels to each and every round of the FIM Motocross World Championship where the riders, and the mechanics/support people for that matter, can receive treatment for any aches and pains, absolutely free of charge. The clinic works in conjunction with the

mobile medical unit, where between the two companies they are fully kitted out with state of the art radiology and ultrasound diagnostic equipment.

Keeping the riders fit and healthy is a priority for Youthstream and the team that works in the medical area at the grand prix’, so with a keen interest in what is happening inside the unit, we at MXGP Mag, caught up Donjoy’s Thierry Sarasyn to see what’s going on and what is available to riders and the paddock.

MXGP Mag: First of all, tell me a little bit about yourself.

Thierry Sarasyn: “I’m a Physiotherapist and I work for Donjoy. Initially we started out as a sponsor of Antonio Cairoli where we made his knee braces. So we had a tent at the track to display the products but then the team at Donjoy said to me actually this is just a tent and it doesn’t reflect what we are and what we want to do, so we came up with the idea to join the medical center.”

MXGP Mag: So, what is the aim for the Donjoy Physiotherapy Center?

Sarasyn: “We want to make the riders more aware of how to take care of themselves and how to recover better. We try to be more than just the people that fix injuries. We want to make

them aware, to know how to train how to recover and stuff like that, prevention is easier than a cure, and that used to be our slogan.”

MXGP Mag: Who are your services available to, when are you open and where can you be found?

Sarasyn: “We are open on Saturday and Sunday at the GP’s, and we are always right next to the Medical Center. We treat everyone.

We have no rule on who we treat, race staff, marshals, or even members of the public who might have a problem, we are open to helping everyone.”

MXGP Mag: How many staff do you have?

Sarasyn: “There are always three staff members in the

medical center and a radiologist. We diagnose injuries via radiology or echography, and if something can be treated, they will come over to the physio center, but if it is broken then there is not much that we can do. We focus on having people there that can help instantly, and we can help general people but obviously in motocross we need to help the riders instantly. We need to make it so that they can ride.”

MXGP Mag: Are your treatments just massage, stretching, and taping or is there more to it than that?

Sarasyn: “There is more to it. We really focus on Compex treatments and the kinesist taping, that works really well. It’s a magical

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tape; I don’t know how athletes got by without it. We also have the Cryotherapy Sauna, which is an ice sauna and that works immediately, it’s like magic!”

MXGP Mag: Tell us about those treatments, what is ‘Compex’?

Sarasyn: “Compex is like a tens machine, it’s our brand of electronic muscle stimulation. We use it a lot here in the physio centre for pain relief in injuries. It is also important for recovery; it makes the blood circulate 7 times faster than it does normally, which means it takes away Lactic acid 7 times faster. So if you are really feeling cramped up or if the muscles stiffen up at the end of a race then instead of doing nothing we try to educate riders in effective active recovery.”

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MXGP Mag: And the Cryotherapy Sauna?

Sarasyn: “It’s a machine that makes the muscles recover faster than anything else in the world.

It’s like magic. The way it works is you strip down to your underwear and put on some special gloves and socks, otherwise you will get frostbite, then you are immersed in a chamber of liquid nitrogen, at a temperature of -150 degrees Celsius for a period of 2 to 3 minutes. It works right away and instantly reduces muscle soreness, inflammation of joints and muscles and loosens up tight muscles and ligaments too. It really is amazing.”

MXGP Mag: And is that free too?

Sarasyn: “Actually that is the only thing that costs

something. It’s 45 euro but it is really worth it!”

MXGP Mag: What about the taping, we see everyone covered in coloured tape. What does each color mean?

Sarasyn: “Actually the colors don’t mean anything, it just works by the way you put the tape on, and the angles. It can work as pain relief, it can work as comfort, but it can also help strengthen the muscle and it all depends on the direction you put the tape. If you put it to the origin from the muscle or the insertion it works differently, so there is a whole science around it and everyone that works with us is specialized in it.”

MXGP Mag: Thanks for your time Thierry, and keep up the great service!

QUESTIONS TO THE EDITOR

QUESTIONS TO THE EDITOR Dear MXGP, MXGP-TV, I was wondering when the MXGP-TV package for 2017 will go online.

Thanks, Paul Dear Paul, Hi Paul, the 2017 MXGP-TV package is already on sale and you can purchase it at the link below with a special offer of 25% off for Christmas http://tickets.mxgp-tv. com/MXLIFE/it/2396mxgp-tv/ Best Regards MXGP Hi MXGP, Are the Tickets for the 2017 MXoN already on sale?

Thanks, Sandra Hi Sandra Thank you for your interest.

Tickets are available at the link below https://greatbritain.motocross-tickets. com/2943-great-britain-motocross-tickets/en/ Regards MXGP

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MXGP MAG 2016 MXGP.COM

Hi MXGP, I’m from Portugal and I wish to watch some videos from last motocross world championship in Agueda. Are they uploaded anywhere?

Thanks, Ruben

Hi MXGP I’m a journalist from China and I’m planning to visit the MXGP of Indonesia the 5th of March.

Do you have some details on the venue?

Thanks, Feng

Hi Ruben Thank you for your questions.

On MXGPTV Youtube page all the videos from 2013 on are uploaded. You can check the news highlights from Agueda at this link https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=B-m_tsk5bBw Regards MXGP

Hello Feng, Very pleased to e-meet you.

On www.mxgp.com there is a special section on the tracks where you can find the basic info on the MXGP of Indonesia. Besides more details will be online when the Overseas travelguide will be online in January.

Best Regards MXGP

MXGP MAG 2013 MXGP.COM

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