The FIM Motocross World Championships arrive in Trentino this weekend for the fourth round of the 2023 season in Pietramurata tomorrow and Monday (NZ time).
The MXGP of Trentino is a special one as it always attracts a large and electric public, who will admire the beautiful track of Pietramurata, surrounded by the stunning Dolomite Mountain range while making themselves known with loud cheering throughout the whole weekend.
MXGP and MX2 will be joined this year by the supporting classes from the FIM Motocross European Championship EMX250 and the EMX125 class as well.
It will be the second round of the season for these categories.
In EMX250, Hutten Metaal Yamaha Racing Team’s Andrea Bonacorsi who won in great fashion in Sardinia with a 1-1 will come to Trentino full of confidence, while, in the EMX125 class, 737 Performers GasGas’ Mathis Valin will arrive this weekend for a back-to-back round after winning in Switzerland and leading the Championship.
In 2022, the MXGP of Trentino hosted the fifth round of the season and it would mark the fifth win of the season for Team HRC’s Tim Gajser with a perfect 1-1 in front of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team’s Maxime Renaux and Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado.
This year, Trentino marks the 4th round of the season and is going to already be a very important back-to-back GP for riders like Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings, Renaux and Kawasaki Racing Team’s Romain Febvre, 2nd, 3rd and 4th in the Championship respectively to not let the leader Prado increasing his lead.
Prado, leader by 19 points on Herlings has not won a GP yet, but he has won 3 races out of 6, clinched all qualifying race wins and has been on every podium so far.
He shows great consistency and maturity. However, as the only rider who has led laps in all GPs this campaign, the Spaniard will want to strengthen his dominance with a MXGP win in Trentino.
Renaux, the winner at the previous round in Switzerland and third in the Championship, showed very good composure to win his first GP. He now comes to one of favourite tracks in Trentino where he won his MX2 Motocross World Championship in 2021 and got to the second step of the podium last year in MXGP.
The other rider who shows that he is in the mix since the beginning of the season is Febvre. He clinched his first podium of the season in Switzerland with a 3-2, to get to the third step of the podium. The Frenchman looks more comfortable every week and is desperate to get his first win.
Herlings, second in the championship, who displayed some magic in Sardinia to win his 100th GP win of his career, was quieter in Switzerland with a 6-4 to get 4th overall.
Jeremy Seewer is one rider who didn’t start the season in the best way.
The Swiss star has been unfortunate with crashes since the beginning of the season but showed really good speed in every GPs. If he stays on his bike, the Monster Energy Yamaha rider can be a threat in Trentino.
His team-mate Glenn Coldenhoff won his first race in Sardinia and feels very comfortable on his new bike. While the results in Switzerland were below his expectations, Coldenhoff sits at the 7th place in the Championship and will be one to watch in Trentino.
Team Gebben Van Venroy Yamaha Racing’s Calvin Vlaanderen and Team HRC’s Ruben Fernandez are 5th and 6th in the championship and showed that they can compete for the top spots. Fernandez, with the first win of the season in Argentina, while Vlaanderen has often competed with riders at the top of the leader board throughout the first 3 GPs.
SM Action Racing Team Yuasa Bettery MXGP’s Alberto Forato is coming to his home GP on the back of a very strong GP in Switzerland as he went 12-9 for 8th overall.
He also showed that he has speed in the qualifying race as he finished 4th in Frauenfeld.
The Italian, ninth in the Championship, along with his countryman Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Mattia Guadagnini, in 10th, will appreciate added support from the home fans.
The other riders coming back home are MRT Racing Team Beta’s Alessandro Lupino who went 15-11 for 13th overall in Switzerland and is getting closer to the top 10 and SDM Corse MX Team’s Nicolas Lapucci will be using the home support to properly kick-start his season.
Standing Construct Honda MXGP’s Pauls Jonass will unfortunately not be lining up this weekend due to an injury picked up in the second race in Switzerland. The 11th rider in the championship, he hopes to be back in the next GP.
MX2 CLASS
In MX2 last year, it was Tom Vialle who clinched the win for his 3rd in a row at that time ahead of Kay de Wolf and Mikkel Haarup.
Following the MXGP of Switzerland, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 Team’s Jago Geerts is still the red plate holder although the Belgian went 7-3 for a 5th overall as he crashed few times throughout the GP although his speed was still there as he set the fastest lap in MX2.
In Switzerland it was all about his team-mate, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 Team’s Thibault Benistant, who won his first GP of the season with a 4-1, keeping his 100% podium finish record so far in the season. He also got closer to the leader Geerts in the championship, 20 points behind in second place. He is one of the most likely threats for Geerts.
Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s de Wolf is another rider on form with a back-to-back podium finish. Second in Sardinia, third in Switzerland and third in the Championship. He also showed that he can beat everyone with his race win in Sardinia.
His team-mate in the Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing outfit, Roan Van de Moosdijk, won race one in Switzerland and he is 5th overall for the championship.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Andrea Adamo, 4th in the championship, continues his solid start of the season with a second podium finish, 2nd overall.
The Italian is coming home and can expect to be supported by the Italian fans to help him get his first win of the season.
Still in the top 10 of the Championship standings there is a group of riders such as Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Liam Everts, Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Simon Laengenfelder, F&H Kawasaki Racing Team’s Kevin Horgmo and Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Lucas Coenen, who are fighting with the top ranking riders and look like they only need a little bit more consistency to get to the big points.
American MX2 rider Jack Chambers showed on his first outing in the series that he will be one to watch as he went 14-12 for 13th overall, given he arrived in a brand-new setting, with a new bike, a new team and new championship overall.
Finally, there is TEM JP253 KTM Racing Team’s Jan Pancar, who shows that he keeps hovering around the 9/10th place and could create the surprise as he already showed he can lead a race like in Switzerland.
Mikkel Haarup is a rider that has changed his team to WZ Racing Team and will be now focus on performing on the track.
Photo courtesy MXGP
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STANDINGS AFTER ROUND THREE:
MXGP – World Championship Top 10 Classification:
1. Jorge Prado (ESP, GAS), 155 points; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 134 p.; 3. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 131 p.; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 129 p.; 5. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, YAM), 101 p.; 6. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 94 p.; 7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, YAM), 90 p.; 8. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 79 p.; 9. Alberto Forato (ITA, KTM), 76 p.; 10. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, GAS), 76 p.
MX2 – World Championship Top 10 Classification:
1. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 159 points; 2. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 139 p.; 3. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 136 p.; 4. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 131 p.; 5. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, HUS), 112 p.; 6. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GAS), 111 p.; 7. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KAW), 94 p.; 8. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 94 p.; 9. Lucas Coenen (BEL, HUS), 72 p.; 10. Jan Pancar (SLO, KTM), 66 p.