GREEN FLAG 1: a weekend dose of MX
green flag kicks off the motocross weekend every week in the Benelux, but also far beyond. Even the big and small news that did not find a home elsewhere still receives the green flag!
After a month of international competitions, no clear pattern is emerging yet. It is therefore still unclear what the situation will be when the first GP of the 2010 season is held in Sevlievo at the beginning of April. After four weekends of single matches -if we ignore the Internazionali d'Italia for a moment- the period has now begun in which the national championships begin. Last week the British already gave up a blow during their first round Maxxis British MX Championship in Little Silver. Check out the video below. The Dutch will start next week ONK MX2/MX1 in Mill. The sidecar crossers and the MX3 boys will start this weekend in Lochem. You can find more information about this from our colleagues at sidecarcross.be
Because the season has already started in Great Britain, the Hawkstone Park International no further claim until the official start of the British season. Judging from the list of foreign toppers, fortunately they do not have to compromise much compared to other editions. In 2010, GPs are no longer held in Hawkstone Park. Last year's MX3 GP barely attracted any spectators. Yet the circuit appears no less than three times on the national calendar. In addition to the International competition, the Masters championship also takes place amateur federation AMCA and the Maxxis British MX championship at the Shropshire circuit. And in the not so distant past, Hawkstone Park was also the site of the British Trial GP.
In the 80s, Hawkstone Park was almost the cousin of the Citadelle of Namur. The British contingent of 500cc motocross riders competed against mainly Belgian riders, supplemented with Kees Van Der Ven. Last year, 'Honorary Belgian' Marc Dereuver won the competition at Hawkstone Park. Whether the Lommelse Beursfoon Suzuki rider can triumph again on Sunday remains to be seen. The fans who make the crossing will get their money's worth with 2 series of MX1, 2 series of MX2 and a super final. The complete list of participants with quite a few Belgians and Dutch you can find here.
In the meantime, the French are kicking in this weekend Sommières the Rockstar Energy Champion of France Elite de Motocross is underway. Quite a mouthful that we at MXM will from now on call the Rockstar Energy Elite will ball. For those who have been on another planet in recent years, here's this. In 2010, France is more than ever the European motocross country. Worldwide, Nicolas Sarkozy's subjects have to put up with only Barack Obama's when it comes to motocross and supercross. However, in the past the Elite Championship has not always had the prestige it deserved. Roughly 10 years ago, France had hardly any professional motocross teams worthy of the name, despite its enormous sporting and commercial potential. However, in recent years there has been a change. The FFM and the traditional organizers have professionalized with more sponsors and media partners. This makes the Elite Championship a lot more attractive for drivers and spectators. There are now a number of well-structured teams and foreign riders have also discovered the Rockstar Energy Elite.
Jeremy Van Horebeek rode a number of races in the MX2 class last season, and will also be at the start in Sommières on Sunday. He can already have a chat with his ex-teammate from JM Racing KTM, Jeffrey herlings. Herlings understands that with a view to Sevlievo, a race on a concrete-hard circuit like Sommières is certainly not a luxury. It's strange that most Belgian and Dutch riders who have mastered sand riding then opt for the International competition in Hawkstone Park. In the MX2 class, Van Horebeek and Herlings will have to compete against Dylan Ferrandis, Nicolas Aubin, Steven Frossard, Loic Larrieu and Valentin Teillet. Among the big guns of the MX1, the names of the favorites are: Coulon, Souberyras, Allier, Aranda, Martin, Boog, Rombaut and Izoird. Also Anthony Boissiere is on the list of participants, but it is currently not entirely clear how Jobé-KTM to get to the south of France. Without putting forward an absolute favorite, we can already say that Gregory Aranda will be one of the favorites, if not the favorite, of the audience. The reason? His gigantic jumps on a stair jump, which was renamed a few years ago Aranda's leap, see video below. Let's hope that the Gard (the department in which Sommières is located) is spared this weekend from cold, snow, rain and other meteorological misery and the Rockstar Energy Elite can start with a bang.
There was some important off-road news to be learned in France this week because Yamaha Motor France CEO Jean-Claude Olivier left his post after almost half a century of loyal service. Olivier, too JCO mentioned, was one of those people who always turned to motorsport as a marketing tool. JCO's love for (especially off-road) motorsports resulted in participation in the Paris-Dakar, the enduro of Le Touquet, motocross, Enduro and much more. Olivier discovered talents such as Arnaud Demeester, Yves Demaria, Stéphane Peterhansel (although he did get the latter from the stable of Husqvarna importer Sima), Marc Germain, Jackie Vimond en Frederic Bolley. The importance of the French market allowed JCO to become a very young company yves demaria made its debut on factory equipment in the 1989cc GPs in 125. In addition, groundbreaking models such as the Yamaha Super Ténéré were actually built entirely on the instructions of Sonauto (the then name of Yamaha Motor France). In addition to being a driven CEO with a big heart for the sport, JCO was also an enthusiastic motor sportsman. Unlike the average CEO, Olivier wanted to experience first-hand what it felt like to be involved The Touquet carving a path through the dunes together with hundreds of other riders or what it felt like to tear through the Sahara at 180 km/h.
Closer to home, the 2010 season starts on Sunday VLM with a real classic: the competition at the Balense Keiheuvel. Personally, we find it quite a shame that the guys from VLM cannot go to “The real Thing” and have to make do with a circuit that is completely on the side of the airport. However, that does not alter the fact that the Keiheuvel remains a top competition, even in the “VLM version”. With the cancellation of the race in Hamont in mind, we can probably expect many VBM riders in the deep Balense sand. MCLB works in Kachtem, West Flanders, are 2e competition of the year, while VMCF starts the season in Adegem. The MON is looking for it this weekend in Berghem, where a selection competition for the European Championship is scheduled for the interclasses.
The largest motorsport event of the year is currently taking place in the States. The Daytona Bike Week is a cultural fact and something you must experience in your life as a motorcycle enthusiast. For a week, the streets of Daytona are packed with motorcycles and world-famous motorcycles Nascar Numerous sporting events take place around the circuit. There are road race competitions and the ninth stage for the AMA SX championship will also take place on Saturday evening.
The Honda SX van Daytona is one of the most special races of the year. Only the very best survive on the grueling technical circuit. Moreover, the circulation just like last year, drawn up by the GOAT himself. Ricky Carmichael loved this race like no other and every year since the end of his SX career it makes his heart bleed to watch this race from the sidelines. Ryan Dungey leaves Daytona as the championship leader, but Ryan Villopoto wants to take revenge after his fall last week. Moreover, he might get help from his own camp. Chad Reed climbed on the bike again this week and it could well be that he will be at the start. In a interview with RacerX Reed told him that he would think it would be a shame if he did not ride here, but that he will probably decide after training whether he is fit enough for the races on his favorite track. Not only Reed but also Christophe Pourcel finds a path to his heart here. Pourcel proved last week that he is not only fast but can also drive smart, and he will certainly become the man to beat here.
Photos credit: YMF, Ray Archer, Elite-MX.fr, Supercross.com
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