With this year’s annual Monster Energy Motocross of Nations set for the legendary Maggiora circuit on September 24 and 25, anticipation is growing as several of the contenders for the coveted Chamberlain Trophy have been announced.

Last weekend both Team USA and Team Belgium were selected, joining teams that have already earlier been selected, such as Team France, Team New Zealand and Team Australia.

As usual, three teams seem to have the role as equal favourites, with defending champion France picking Romain Febvre, Gautier Paulin and Benoit Paturel. France will be going for their third straight MXoN victory in a row having won in Latvia in 2014 and in France in 2015.

Managed again by multi-time world champion Joel Smets, Team Belgium have selected Kevin Strijbos to captain the squad, riding in the MXGP class, Jeremy van Horebeek on the MX2 bike, and Clement Desalle, who will ride the Open Class.

Belgium are 15-time previous winners of the MXoN and they last won the MXoN in Germany in 2013.

The team with the most wins in the history of the event, Team USA, with 22 outright victories, have three youngsters in the team in Cooper Webb, Jason Anderson and Alex Martin.

While Webb raced for Team USA in France last year, it will be the debut for both Anderson and Martin in the team. Martin had raced for Puerto Rico in the past.

Team Australia and Team New Zealand look like top 10 possibilities, with Kirk Gibbs, Jed Beaton and Dean Ferris in for Australia, and the Kiwis going with Cody Cooper, Hamish Harwood and Josiah Natzke

Australia’s best MXoN result has been a fourth overall, achieved in Germany in 2013, and they finished just ahead of Team New Zealand, in seventh place overall, in France last year.

Perhaps significantly, Australia also finished seventh overall when the event was last run at this year’s venue of Maggiora, Italy, in 1986 (and the team that year was Dave Armstrong, Craig Dack and Glen Bell).

Team New Zealand have been on the podium on three separate occasions in the past, although the last time that happened was 10 years ago, in England in 2006 (with current team member Cooper on that occasion joined by Ben Townley and Josh Coppins). Team New Zealand finished eighth overall in France last year.

Team Great Britain could be a strong performer, and will be picked this weekend, with the team expected to be GP regulars Max Anstie, Shaun Simpson and Tommy Searle.

Team Netherlands could have a good shot with Jeffrey Herlings, Glenn Coldenhoff and Brian Bogers big possibilities, or Team Switzerland with maybe Jeremy Seewer, Arnaud Tonus and Valentin Guillid looking strong.

Germany’s Ken Roczen has taken the 2012 MXoN winners Germany out of the running, as he has decided not to attend the event.

In the last 30 years of the event only five nations have won this event, America, France, Belgium, Great Britain and Italy. Of course the Italian team will have eight-time world champion Antonio Cairoli in their line-up, but miss a third rider to contend for victory.

Team Canada will field Kaven Benoit, Jeremy Medaglia and Shawn Maffenbeier. Team South Africa is Kerim Fitzgerald, Maddy Malan and Michael Docherty.

Words by Geoff Meyer

© Additional words and photo by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com

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