MXGP Preview: 7 world champions with 22 world titles together at the start of 2020
Tomorrow is the day when the Motocross World Championship in the MXGP class starts with the first race in Matterley Basin. We look ahead to the favorites for the title. Who are the favorites to be shining with the red number plaque after all twenty matches, all forty series, as leader in the championship!
The field of participants is already to die for, this year there will be no fewer than 22 world titles at the start. With Romain Febvre (MXGP 2015), Jorge Prado (MX2 '18 & '19), Jeffrey Herlings (MX2 '12, '13, '16 & MXGP '18), Antonio Cairoli (MX2 '05, '07, MX1/MXGP '09 to '14 & '17), Tim Gajser (MX2 '15, MXGP '16 & 19), Pauls Jonass (MX2 2017) and Jordi Tixier (MX2 2014).
And perhaps not all former world champions are still doing as well as in their championship year, but it seems to us that 22 world titles, or 7 world champions in one class, is unique. Which of these champions will play for the title again in 2020 you ask? We are already thinking of two names: Jeffrey Herlings and Tim Gajser.
Herlings versus Gajser
Jeffrey Herlings against Tim Gajser is a match that we have not yet had in the preparatory matches. Both seem to be doing very well in the matches that they compete separately. Jeffrey Herlings has seen several seasons go up in smoke due to injuries, partly because of this he has "only" one world title in the MXGP class and Tim Gajser already has two.
However, the Honda pilot won all three of his world titles in years in which Jeffrey Herlings was either active in a different class or had to watch many races injured. Critics dare to say that the Slovenian cannot win titles if he has to hold off the competition from 'The Bullit'. Tim Gajser wants to give those critics a tit for tat on the new HRC Honda machine.
The Dutchman on KTM will in turn, after the 2019 bad season, do everything he can to pick up this year again with a 'Grand Cru' year. It therefore seems logical to us that both will often find each other on the course and therefore also in the standings of the MXGP world championship.
outsiders
For the outsiders, we will initially look at one nine-time world champion. Antonio Cairoli competed against Tim Gajser, eleven years his junior, last season. The Sicilian managed to keep pace with the HRC Honda pilot in the first quarter of the season. Tim Gajser kept the pressure very high match after match with, among other things, a great victory on Italian soil. Tony Cairoli slowly folded and cracked and unfortunately got injured in Latvia. This year, the now 34-year-old KTM pilot will be at the start again, hoping to become nothing less than world champion. We will have to wait and see whether that is possible, but we are already writing down Grand Prix victories for that.
Someone we also write down for this is his teammate Jorge Prado. It is not without reason that the Spaniard is a two-time world champion in the lighter MX2 class! In the winter the very young KTM pilot broke his femur, but barely three months later he will be at the start of the first Grand Prix of the season. He undoubtedly has the same goal in the back of his mind as his teacher Antonio Cairoli, namely to become world champion. If he is no longer bothered by his fractured femur, he could simply play with the aforementioned names and not only for grand prix victories but also for the title.
Because no one was performing at the same level as him at the end of last year, he also gets a mention here. Can he play for the title as an outsider? With him I never say never. We are talking about 'Mister MXoN' aka Glenn Coldenhoff. This year the Dutchman will compete on the Standing Construct GasGas machine. The GasGas machine will mainly be a red KTM this year, but this should evolve in the future.
Podium candidates for Grand Prix competitions
The list of participants is of such quality that you have to mention some names. Names of which you know that they drop too many points in certain competitions, but of which you also know that they can play for a Grand Prix podium or even victory on their gifted day.
One of those names is Gautier Paulin. Just think of his performance in Valkenswaard in 2015 where he won both heats. His Swiss teammates at the Wilvo Yamaha team; Arnaud Tonus and Jeremy Seewer both have no MXGP Grand Prix victories yet, but who knows, maybe that will change in 2020.
The Factory Kawasaki team has Romain Febvre, a former world champion. In addition, his teammate Clément Desalle is often vice world champion and has already won 23 grand prix races. Both can certainly finish on the podium in their matches, but we doubt that either one can play a role in the title fight.
In the spring games, Tim Gajser's teammate, Mitchell Evans, was one of the nice surprises. The Australian showed great things in the Italian championship. He defeated his leader in one of the super finals. Last season, Evans competed in the MX2 World Championship and also achieved great results for Livia Lancelot's team, but the season turned out to be a bit too physically exhausting and too long. We expect strong results again this year and possibly podium finishes, but with 2019 in mind we wouldn't be surprised if he faded away a bit towards the second half of the season.
Another world champion who might want to have a say when it comes to podiums and top five rankings is Pauls Jonass. The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna pilot made enormous progress last season and will be eager to continue that this season.
The Belgians and Dutch
In addition to the aforementioned Clément Desalle, Jeremy Van Horebeek will also be present again for the Honda SR Motoblouz team, to which Valentin Guillod has also been added this year. What we can expect from Jeremy Van Horebeek is a quick look, he contested Le Touquet and he gave a strong impression there. Otherwise he did not compete in the spring races. Jeremy Van Horebeek should be expected to achieve podium and/or top five results and thus finish in the top ten of the final score in the MXGP world championship.
Calvin Vlaanderen had to make way for HRC Honda in the winter. The South African Dutchman then moved to Gebben Van Venrooy Yamaha Racing. Calvin Vlaanderen did not do the best in the spring competitions, and the click with the Yamaha does not seem to be there yet. But as is known, one good result can turn a cool relationship into a passionate relationship.
Brian Bogers, like his compatriot Calvin Vlaanderen, had to leave HRC Honda. He then found shelter at Marchetti Racing Team KTM. For this Italian team, he played several matches in Italy and Spain in the preseason, in which he performed strongly. Brian Bogers seems ready to put his horror season of 2019 behind him and pick up the pace with top ten finishes in 2020
A new Belgian team also in the MXGP event with Jacky Martens' team. The JM Honda Racing team comes with Benoit Paturel and Julien Lieber. The latter is currently still struggling with his wrist, a shame for the fast man from the East Cantons.
Also a new team is Kevin Strijbos' team. The man from Wuustwezel set up his own Suzuki team and is adding another season, partly with the support of his loyal sponsor Hens.
Text: Matthias Van Eeckhoven
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