The tension is rising... the latest forecasts!
Whether you follow the motocross GPs as a journalist or it is your job to sell dirt bikes. All our “Countdown to Qatar” experts have one thing in common. They are all true fans of that sport who are equally curious and impatient for the start of the 2017 MXGP season. From the 'industry' we let Michel Sebastiani (KTM) and Marcel Hanstede (Honda) speak. Kriss Janssens and Matthias Van Eeckhoven from MXmag's own editorial staff contribute their share. Enjoy reading!
Michel Sebastiani, Managing Director KTM Motorcycles Belgium S.A.
“I think it has long been a championship event that is difficult to estimate. In my opinion, there are 12 pilots who can each win series or an MXGP themselves! And because of the many races and the long season, regularity and staying injury-free will be rewarded more than ever.”
Top 3 final standings in MXGP? 1. Tony Cairoli, 2. Romain Febvre, 3. Tim Gajser
De best performing lowlander in the MXGP? Clément Desalle
Surprise/breakthrough of the year? Max Anstie
Disappointment of the year? Valentin Guillot
Top 3 final position in MX2? 1. Pauls Jonass, 2. Jeremy Seewer, 3. Thomas Covington
The best performing lowlander in the MX2? Julien Lieber
Surprise of the year in MX2? Julien Lieber
Disappointment of the year? Petar Petrov
Which GP are you most looking forward to, and why? Obviously the MXGP Lommel. Just because we should be happy that our country still manages to organize a Belgian GP!
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Marcel Hanstede, Off-road sales manager Honda
Top-3 final ranking in MXGP? 1. Tim Gajser, 2. Jeffrey Herlings, 3. Fevre/Cairoli
Ed. Smart third choice Marcel! Choosing is losing 😉
The best performing Belgian or in MXGP? Jeffrey Herlings, Jeremy Van Horebeek becomes best Belgian
Surprise/breakthrough of the year? Max Anstie
Disappointment of the year? No more GP in Lierop! Costs and demands that became too high…
Top 3 final position in MX2? 1. Pauls Jonass, 2. Jeremy Seewer, 3. Thomas Covington
The best performing Belgian or Dutch in MX2? Brian Bogers best Dutchman, Julien Lieber best Belgian
Surprise of the year? Thomas Kjer Olsen
Disappointment of the year? Age limit that means some riders have to switch, resulting in too little budget and being forced to stop after a while.
Which GP are you most looking forward to, and why? No real preference.
Kris Janssens, journalist mxmag
Top 3 final standings in MXGP?
1. Tim Gajser 2. Romain Febvre 3. Jeremy Van Horebeek
The best performing Belgian or Dutch?
"I expect to see a very motivated Jeremy Van Horebeek who will return to the level of 2014.”
Surprise/breakthrough of the year? “I think of Arnaud Tonus for the surprise of the year. The Swiss from the Wilvo Yamaha team seems capable of achieving some nice surprising results in his debut year in the MXGP class. I prefer the breakthrough of the year to Suzuki rider Arminas Jasikonis who has now had the perfect preparation under the wings of 10-time World Champion Stefan Everts.”
Disappointment of the year? “I fear that we will end up back with the Frenchman Gautier Paulin… and perhaps Jeffrey Herlings (due to crashes and injuries).”
Top 3 final standings in MX2?
1. Jeremy Seewer 2.Benoit Paturel 3.Prado Garcia
The best performing Belgian or Dutch in MX2? “If Brent Van Doninck can experience an injury-free season, I can even see him finishing top five in the final standings of the world championship with certainly a few podium places for the Kemea Yamaha rider.”
Surprise of the year? “That will certainly be the 250 European EMX2016 champion, the Dane Thomas Kjer Olsen, who already showed some great things last season during the Grand Prix of Switzerland and the Netherlands. “
Disappointment of the year?
“I fear that the KTM pressure on Pauls Jonass' shoulders may become too much for him…”
Which GP are you most looking forward to, and why? “Agueda (Portugal), a beautiful circuit with the red surface and beautiful memories.”
Matthias Van Eeckhoven, journalist MxMag
Top 3 final standings in MXGP? 1. Tim Gajser, 2. Tony Cairoli, 3. Romain Febvre
The best performing lowlander in MXGP? “If injuries do not occur, this is a question with a 'no brainer' answer, namely Jeffrey Herlings must be the best lowlander. But unfortunately Jeffrey's injuries have already surfaced with a broken metacarpal. That usually causes you to get into a vicious circle in which you sustain other minor or minor injuries and so on. Hopefully that is not the case with him, and then we can and should expect nothing more from 'The Bullet' than that he competes for the title.
But personally, perhaps against my better judgement, I also hope that Clément Desalle can have an injury-free year. That we, as Belgian fans, can once again witness the aggressiveness, driving joy and 'Le Panda' of 2009-2011. The omens for this season are, as has often been the case, good. Let's hope the results follow.
Surprise/breakthrough of the year? “When we were at the Suzuki team and motorcycle presentation and interviewed Kevin Strijbos, he was full of admiration about the progress that Arminas Jasikonis had made. After the Motocross of Nations, the young Lithuanian has consciously continued to work to close his deficit in certain parts of the game. That's why I think many people will be surprised. In addition, I also have a feeling that the new MXGP Wilvo Yamaha team, with Arnaud Tonus and Shaun Simpson, will make the official Yamaha Rinaldi team very hot from time to time. It wouldn't surprise me if both pilots were fighting for podiums and the top five in the final rankings in the World Championship.”
Disappointment of the year? “Rui Conçalves who, together with a few others, may start the year too much. Rui Concalves is a very sensible boy and with his language skills he could be an asset in any team. But as a pilot in 2016 the fat seemed to be gone. If this was due to an external factor of which we have no knowledge, he may be able to recover in 2017, otherwise 2017 will really be too much of a year.”
Top 3 final standings in MX2? 1. Jeremy Seewer, 2. Julien Lieber, 3. Pauls Jonass
The best performing lowlander in MX2? “After a year of absence due to injury, Julien Lieber returns with his own private team. It is also Julien's last season in the MX2 class, so there is some pressure on him. But he has surrounded himself with, among others, Yves Demaria and leased factory equipment, so they have all done well. Couple that with Julien Lieber's talent and then you have someone who can finish very high in a world championship that starts without a top favorite.”
Surprise of the year in MX2? “Australian Hunter Lawrence already showed last season in the EMX250 class that he is made of the right stuff. On courses he hardly knew existed, he fought for top five places. The fast learning curve really became apparent when he dominated his third EMX250 race in Teutschenthal with two series wins. However, his learning exercise came to an abrupt end when he tore his cruciate ligaments in his knee. During the offseason, both young brother Jett and Hunter exchanged the Factory Kawasaki team for the Everts family stable. Being able to learn from their mistakes is an unprecedented luxury, the smooth-talking Hunter told me. So pay attention to number 96.”
“Disappointment of the year? “Like every year, there are newcomers in the MX2 class and some of those guys will be under the magnifying glass for various reasons. The question is, will they be able to handle that pressure, will they be able to meet the expectations of the outside world and will they be able to meet their own expectations?
For me personally, I am looking forward to Thomas Covington, he has already shown that he can score well. Then it is a disappointment that it was so difficult for him to repeat that in the past and do it in a consistent curve. The motocross world will also be looking forward to Jorge Prado Garcia, as it did at the entrance of Roczen and Herlings. If he can't immediately compete for podiums, there will be people who will call that disappointing. It is simply a fact that only pilots can disappoint you because you expect something from them. There are still newcomers from whom a lot is expected, and that immediately in their first season… “
Which GP are you most looking forward to, and why? “The French Grand Prix competitions are always recommended. The Atmosphere is always good with the extremely chauvinistic French who go crazy for every Frenchman in a match. That is an atmosphere that you cannot create with the down-to-earth lowlanders with their “just act normal, that's strange enough” mentality.”
Photos: Bavo, Ray Archer, Yamaha Racing, Suzuki Racing
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