MX2 age rule is retained
You can not avoid it. The boundaries between the MX2 World Championship and the EMX250 have (further) blurred in 2021. MX2 rookies Thibault Benistant, Mattia Guadagnini and Kay De Wolf all claimed series wins and podiums in their first series. Ex MX250 riders Nicholas Lapucci and Kevin Horgmo call the shots in the EMX2.
Because two MXGP teams are leaving the paddock in 2022, there is currently great concern about the number of good places in the premier class of the Motocross World Championship. This also breathes new life into a long-standing topic of conversation. Namely the discussion about the pros and cons of the age limit of 23 years for the MX2. Should the maximum age be increased, or should this rule be abolished altogether?
This would give the status of the MX2 World Championship as a full-fledged GP class more prestige. Now the MX2 remains a development class. And isn't that actually the function of the EMX250? Yet Infront Moto Racing, perhaps understandably, sees no problem in giving the breeding ground of the MXGP greater importance.
The sporting statistics of the MXGP riders speak for themselves. Of the 30 riders who took part in the first series of the Spanish GP last weekend, 17 were ex-GP winners, 24 of the 30 riders had once stood on a GP podium. The MXGP undeniably brings together the top.
The promoters point to the “EMX Open” as the designated championship for riders 23 and older who cannot find a place in the MXGP. That class, which clearly suffered from the Covid-19 pandemic, was well filled for the first rounds (photo below show Maggiora), but there were no prominent names with GP podium experience. During the last round of the EMX in Turkey, only 11 riders were at the start, of which barely 6 were non-Turkish pilots.
“We remain committed to the philosophy that MX2 is the 'gateway' to MXGP,” Infront Motor Racing CEO David Luongo explained exclusively to Adam Wheeler. “Last year we created the EMX Open for riders who are older than 23 and cannot make the step to MXGP. This is a category that we believe will continue to grow in the coming years. The EMX125, EMX250, MX2 and MXGP are the foundation of our talent strategy that we started building ten years ago. You see that new riders are entering the MXGP this year and that this is once again raising the level. That's why I don't think we will change this.”
As for Infront, there is no doubt about the level of racing and talent in MXGP. The 2021 season is therefore the most open and exciting battle in years. At the same time, new teams in the MXGP are certainly welcomed with open arms. That would certainly be a good thing for riders who come over from MX2 or who have not yet been able to prove themselves in the MXGP and do not feel like competing in the EMX open. This is very understandable for professional drivers because the championship now only has 6 rounds.
“We actually want to have new teams every year, but today the line-up of the top 16 drivers is good,” reasons Luongo. “Of course we would like more. The OAT list in the MXGP has 36 riders and during the season you have injuries and riders who drop in and out. But with the complete OAT list we have almost a complete starting gate. I therefore see no problem for talent in MX2 to move on to MXGP in the coming years.”
Tekst: Adam Wheeler & Tom Jacobs
Photos: JP Acevedo
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