The Dutch TT Circuit at Assen, in The Netherlands, is where the action will be this weekend for the 16th round of 18 in the MXGP World Championships, a GPO that will include separate races for the Women’s Motocross World Championships, the Veterans’ World Cup and the European EMX150 Championships as well.

That means New Zealand fans will be on the look-out for Otago’s Courtney Duncan to perform in the WMX races and for Hamilton’s Darryll King (pictured above) to shine in the veterans’ race action.

This weekend is also when Holland’s Jeffrey Herlings will make his return to MX2 and when Slovenian Tim Gajser could lock up the MXGP crown.

Hundreds of truckloads of sand have been brought in to create the motocross circuit on the Assen infield, where the dirt bike course will be surrounded by grandstands that offer an unparalleled viewing experience for the fans.

Italian multi-time former world champion Antonio Cairoli started the season on a KTM450SX-F, then changed to the 350SX-F for a couple of rounds before opting to go back to the 450SX-F at the most recent round, in Switzerland. His switch between bikes is enthralling.

He whipped out the 450 a few of weeks ago at the MXGP of Switzerland and finally got the result he desired.

The intensity in MXGP is not showing any signs of letting up, so for Cairoli to rattle off a win, it shows he has still got the goods. Unfortunately in motocross, there is no reset button on the championship points standings, and this far in, unless something incredible happens, it looks like the eight-time world champ is going to have to settle for runner-up.

The championship title is well within reach for Honda rider Gajser. For the rookie to lock it up this weekend he needs one point more than Cairoli. If these two riders finish on the same points, or Gajser has less points than Cairoli, the championship will be pushed out to the Monster Energy MXGP of Americas, which will take place in Charlotte, North Carolina, America, next weekend.

If Gajser wraps it up, it will mean that the defending champ, French Yamaha rider Romain Febvre, will be dethroned at the very same place he was crowned last year. Although that is probably the last thing on Febvre’s mind right now when all he really wants to do is win races.

Another rider with a shot at winning is the guy who won here last year, KTM’s Shaun Simpson. It would be cool if British rider Simpson could bust out a victory this weekend since he’s had, in his own words, ‘a disaster of a season’.

It would also be nice to see Dutchman Glenn Coldenhoff come out of his shell for the home fans too. Coldenhoff won the qualifier here one year ago, and put the fans in frenzy. It was awesome to witness, and to hear, with the roar of the crowd shaking the entire Drenthe district.

As for the rest, the two-week break may have been just what the doctor ordered after what has been a brutal yet beautiful season of MXGP thus far. Husqvarna’s Max Nagl will be hungry for a piece of podium pie, as will Belgian Kawasaki rider Clement Desalle, Yamaha’s Jeremy Van Horebeek and Suzuki’s Kevin Strijbos.

With so many big names in MXGP, each and every weekend is like a game of MXGP roulette. You also cannot count out the Honda boys, Gautier Paulin and Evgeny Bobryshev, either. Both finished inside the top five at Assen last year.

MXGP Championship Top Ten:

1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 644 points; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 545 p.; 3. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 509 p.; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 499 p.; 5. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 472 p.; 6. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 446 p.; 7. Valentin Guillod (SUI, YAM), 308 p.; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 307 p.; 9. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 298 p.; 10. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 279 p.

MX2 CLASS

KTM’s Jeffrey Herlings will return from his three-round absence, due to a broken collar-bone, with hopefully yet another exceptional performance for his home fans.

It’s hard to bet against Herlings in the sand, but, if anyone is going to challenge, it will probably be British Husqvarna rider Max Anstie, as the next best sand rider in the class, and the only other guy on the line this weekend who knows the thrill of victory.

After missing three rounds, the fan favourite, Herlings, leads the championship by 43 points over Swiss Suzuki rider Jeremy Seewer, who will be looking to put in yet another solid performance.

Meanwhile, Kawasaki’s Dylan Ferrandis is out for the season with a broken arm while KTM’s Pauls Jonass has also called it quits after his concussion at the MXGP of Czech Republic, which has opened up a couple of spots in the top five for other potentials.

HSF Logisitics Motorsports duo of Brian Bogers and Calvin Vlaanderen will be more than capable of running up front, while the other “sandflies” such as Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Petar Petrov and Red Bull KTM’s other Dutchman, Davy Pootjes, could also pull something out of the bag.

Kemea Yamaha MX Official Team’s Brent Van Doninck shook things up last year when he landed on the podium for the first, and only, time in his career and he could surprise again this weekend.

MX2 Championship Top Ten:

1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 597 points; 2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 554 p.; 3. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 433 p.; 4. Max Anstie (GBR, HUS), 416 p.; 5. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 403 p.; 6. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, KAW), 378 p.; 7. Petar Petrov (BUL, KAW), 340 p.; 8. Samuele Bernardini (ITA, TM), 327 p.; 9. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, YAM), 320 p.; 10. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), 309 p.

© Photo by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com

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