The GP forecast from, among others, Iwan van der Valk & TattlerMX!
Our virtual preview café is running at full speed. We continue the countdown to Qatar with the next batch of guests! This time they give their forecast: Iwan van der Valk (TV celebrities!), Herman Zijerveld from TMV, Paul Spek from TattlerMX, Frederik Van Eeckhoven from Vepix and mxmag. Finally, we will also let Tom Jacobs speak.
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Ivan van der Valk, MXGP commentator Eurosport, editor-in-chief Nieuwsmotor.nl and testmotor.nl
Top 3 MXGP final rankings? 1. Tim Gajser, 2. Jeffrey Herlings, 3. Tony Cairoli
“In all honesty, I think it will be very difficult for Tony, but I would think it would be cool if he was there again. Gajser is the Terminator, who seems unstoppable. And Herlings has only dealt with his injury this year for the first time in the year, but after that it is untenable.
Best lowlander MXGP? Sorry, I'm guessing Jeffrey. Although I also expect a lot from Jeremy van Horebeek. Shouldn't he be able to remain injury-free for an entire season?
Surprise of the year? Jordi Tixier has had a bad time but has so much talent. If he manages to stay intact all season, he could really mess up my top 3.
Disappointment of the year? I'm only disappointed when someone gets injured, never because it doesn't go well enough. Those guys have to give so much, who am I to be disappointed with performance?
Top 3 final ranking MX2? 1. Pauls Jonass, 2. Thomas Covington, 3. Jorge Prado
Jonass is trained by Marc de Reuver. If I don't put Pauls first I have a problem 😉 Secretly I still think Covington is a cool guy, he should become a bit more stable, then it's really possible. And at Prado it becomes all or nothing. I hope for everything.
Best lowlander MX2? Brent Vandoninck has it all. Gotta figure it out now. I say Brent.
Surprise/breakthrough? No surprise, but a breakthrough: Jorge Prado. What a bizarre talent that little guy has.
Disappointment of the year? As mentioned, that can only happen due to an injury. It wouldn't surprise me if that happened to Jorge Prado, the pressure is of course very high and then something happens sometimes.
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Herman Zijerveld, general manager TMV
Top 3 final standings in MXGP? 1. Tony Cairoli, 2. Tim Gajser, 3. Jeffrey Herlings
Best lowlander MXGP? Jeffrey herlings
Surprise/breakthrough of the year? Glenn Coldenhoff
Disappointment of the year? Kevin Strijbos
Top 3 final standings in MX2? 1. Pauls Jonass, 2. Jeremy Seewer, 3. Julien Lieber
Best lowlander MX2? Brian Bogers
Surprise of the year? Brian Bogers
Disappointment of the year? Davy Pootjes
Which GP are you most looking forward to, and why? "Shafts! The cards may not have been shuffled yet.”
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Paul Speck, founder and editor-in-chief TattlerMX.nl
Top 3 final standings in MXGP? 1. Jeffrey Herlings, 2. Tony Cairoli, 3. Tim Gajser
Best lowlander MXGP? Jeffrey Herlings!
Surprise/breakthrough of the year? That could well be Jasikonis.
Disappointment of the year? I hope Ken will prove me wrong, but I'm afraid De Dycker won't show anything special anymore.
Top 3 final standings in MX2? 1. Pauls Jonass, 2. Jeremy Seewer, 3. Benoit Paturel
Best lowlander MX2? “Difficult... I think Van Doninck and Bogers can both ride for the podium. As a Dutch person, I ultimately choose Bogers.”
Surprise of the year? With such a field of participants we will probably get several outliers, but I am confident that Samuele Bernardini will achieve some nice results.
Disappointment of the year? Thomas Covington
Which GP are you most looking forward to, and why? “Of course I'm looking forward to Valkenswaard the most! That is the first GP I can attend this year and with so many strong Dutch people at the start, it should be a party there.”
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Tom Jacobs ex marketing manager 24MX, ex press manager, ex TV commentator, ex journalist… Now full-time fortune teller!
Top 3 MXGP final rankings? 1. Tony Cairoli, 2. Evgeny Bobryshev, 3. Romain Febvre
Such a top 3 with asterisks seems not to be allowed! What a miserable question. Perhaps Herlings will immediately take the most series victories in his first MXGP year? I don't see him competing for the world title this year, at least not until the end. Over the entire season, the riders who survive the minor ailments, are able to take care of themselves and have a bit of luck in the event of a crash, are more than one step ahead. A Max Nagl, Jeffrey Herlings or Gautier Paulin would be difficult for both insurance brokers and bookmakers for the reasons mentioned above.
Best lowlander MXGP? Jeffrey herlings
Surprise of the year? Is it crazy to mention Cairoli? Riders are sometimes written off early too often. I think he can go very far again. On the other hand, that is nothing new of course in his case! If I had to name a real surprise, other than Jasikonis, I would go for Jordi Tixier. It is a very defining year for him, but I think he is strong enough. In 2015 he faced a lot of headwind. Even in his own home and yet Jordi still took the world title after a poor start to the season.”
Disappointment of the year? Gautier Paulin
Top 3 final ranking MX2? 1. Jorge Prado, 2. Jeremy Seewer, 3. Benoit Paturel
Best lowlander MX2? Brent Van Doninck
Surprise/breakthrough? Alvin Östlund. I also hope that Davy Pootjes can finally show what he has to offer.
Disappointment of the year? Samuel Bernardini
Favorite GP? “Magic Maggiora. I like coming there, an absolutely unique job with a lot of atmosphere and beautiful accommodation. The tifosi are so fanatical that they don't mind walking for miles to the circuit. Even when it rains, thunders or lightning, they remain standing manfully (ok, you can't get away that easily either! They scream and honk their horns to the detriment of Lupino, Bernardini, Cervellin and of course the great Cairoli himself. Assen is also one of my favorite races. I think there's something about it. And a French GP is always a big party: live Ernée!”
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Frederik Van Eeckhoven, journalist and photographer mxmag
Top 3 final standings in MXGP? 1. Tony Cairoli, 2. Tim Gajser, 3. Romain Febvre
“I have the feeling that this will be Cairoli's year again. He went very fast in the Italian championships and also has a healthy dose of aggression. Last year, I think the KTM pilot was constantly lagging behind due to his arm injury from 2015. It will be an epic duel with Tim Gajser. That boy has loads of talent and also has a very nice structure around him with HRC. Romain Febvre will always be close, but not quite good enough, I fear. Big surprise, no Herlings in my top 3. Herlings will without a doubt win GPs... But many GPs will also not start. It has been since 2012 that Herlings was able to complete an injury-free season. While at some point he even had 0 pressure left... Something they punish mercilessly in the MXGP.
Best lowlander MXGP? “Jeremy Van Horebeek will finish highest in the final standings. But Desalle will fly the Belgian flag at one of the GPs. Van Horebeek is the type of pilot who returns year after year and achieves great results. It also looks like he has had a productive winter and is ready to go. Desalle is pretty much the same story as Herlings. Also since 2013 since he has been able to complete a season without missing 1 GP.”
Surprise/breakthrough of the year? “Arminas Jasikonis. Last year there was a lot of criticism about the fact that he was allowed to replace Ben Townley at the factory Suzuki team. He was not worth his seat, they shouted loudly. Criticism that I did not understand given his constant progression throughout his time in Belgium/Germany and his young age. He has already shown his skills in the sand GPs. I think that together with Everts and the entire team, he has also made progress on the harder courts. As a factory pilot on a new bike, I also expect him to be more at the front at the starts and I see him being able to show great things.”
Disappointment of the year? “It is difficult to answer this question in advance. But the fact is that there are pilots who are getting older and have to move from almost completely factory material to virtually private. This is never easy, but there is also no shame if they have to lose places compared to previous years. In sports there is one constant; that of coming and going.”
Top 3 final standings in MX2? 1. Benoit Paturel, 2. Pauls Jonass, 3. Jeremy Seewer
“With the departure of Herlings from the MX2 class we will hopefully have a very open championship. Still, after the spring games, there are three names that stand out. Pauls Jonass, Benoit Paturel and Jeremy Seewer, all three have experience in the MX2 class. They are both mentally and physically ready to fight for the world title. In addition, there are a huge number of youngsters such as Jorge Prado Garcia, Conrad Mewse, Hunter Lawrence, Thomas Kjer Olsen, Alvin Östlund and other fast men such as Julien Lieber, Samuele Bernardini, Michele Cervellin, Thomas Covington and Brian Bogers who will show themselves more than once. .”
Best lowlander MX2? “Julien Lieber. It is a year of must for him and in the Italian championship he showed that he is ready to compete. Hopefully for him he can ride without injuries for a year."
Surprise of the year? “Michele Cervellin. The Italian has been a Honda pilot for years. Last year was his first experience in the MX2 World Championship class. In between his injuries he has put some regular results on the tables. However, very little is said about this boy. Perhaps rightly so, given that he has never really achieved success in the EMX250 championship - apart from an accidental series victory. That's why he will surprise everyone all the more. Compared to the current talents, Cervellin, who is 20, is a slow grower. With three years left in the MX2 class, I still see him competing for a world title. Why not in 2017?”
Disappointment of the year? “Very difficult question. There is a lot of pressure on men like Jeremy Seewer and Pauls Jonass. In addition, there is also a lot of pressure on the shoulders of all the talents on factory bikes, including Jorge Prado Garcia, Conrad Mewse and Hunter Lawrence. Time will tell if they disappoint themselves.”
Which GP are you most looking forward to, and why? “The MXGP of Argentina. It falls early in the season, so there are still a lot of top players at the start. I also think the circuit itself is beautiful. In my opinion the perfect combination of a natural and modern course. Every year the races are extremely exciting on this circuit. The type of surface and the fact that it is not very heavy ensures that people race against each other. Riders aren't just concerned with it conquering the circuit or avoiding risks. When the circus lands in Europe, we can look forward to the GPs close to home, Valkenswaard, Lommel & Assen.”
Photos: CDS, Ray Archer
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