Free Spirit

Herlings 99 Wins and Counting

When Jeffery Herling lines up for the 2023 MXGP season opener in Argentina on March 12, it will have been 499 days since he last raced MXGP (November 10, 2021). The Bullet will start with 99 career MXGP wins, two less Stefan Everts’ all-time record 101 wins. How much longer will the record stand?

2023 MXGP, Monster SX, AMA Nationals, WSX

Spotlight: Tim Gajser’s Dominant 2022 MXGP Crown

Coming into the 2022 season having failed in his quest to defend his title, as Jeffrey Herlings pipped him and Romain Febvre to glory, Tim Gajser was fully motivated to reclaim his position as MXGP champion.

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Words: Edward Stratmann | Lead Image: Ray Archer

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“The aim every year is to become world champion. It is what every rider wishes and especially for me, having won some in the past and having come so close this year, it is what I will be focusing on for every gate drop,” he insisted.

“Of course, I know it won’t be easy as the class is getting more competitive every year and I believe a lot of riders will keep improving, so I need to keep improving as well but I am confident that I can come out on top, especially with the support of everyone at Team HRC who continues to work extremely hard making sure everything possible is done to get me to perform at my best.”

Spurred on by narrowly falling short in 2021, this, in combination with the fact both Herlings and Febvre suffered devastating injuries to take them out of contention, meant he was the undisputed favourite heading into the new crusade. And, to his credit, despite the aforementioned heavy hitters missing, the fiercely competitive maestro got the job done comfortably to reign triumphant and claim his fifth title.

Focusing on the task at hand with unwavering determination and commitment, the Slovenian began his campaign exceptionally by rattling off three consecutive overall victories to lay down a real marker to his adversaries.

Feeling and looking extremely confident on the bike, and importantly improving his previously troublesome starts, although Gajser didn’t win in Portugal, his 3-1 still secured second overall at Agueda to continue his upward momentum.

Eager to re-establish his dominance over the rest of the field, the #243 flexed his muscles again in the subsequent three GPs by winning six straight motos to claim emphatic overalls at Trentino, Kegums and Maggiora.

 

Ray Archer

Heading into round eight at Sardegna with a whopping 81 point lead in the championship, a frustrating stomach bug halted his progress at both Riola Sardo and for the subsequent GP in Spain, where he fought valiantly to claim seventh and fourth overall respectively in the sweltering conditions.

Back fully fit and firing for Ernee, Gajser endured an uncharacteristically off day, where he crashed in both motos to eventually bag fourth overall in a weekend that was overshadowed by the qualifying race drama.

He wouldn’t have to wait long until he was back in the groove, however, for the Honda HRC star produced a flawless display at Teutschenthal. Setting the tone for his outstanding round by recording the fastest times in free and timed practice, he then scorched to a striking qualifying race win.

So at ease with the tricky track conditions and riding with clarity and conviction, there was plenty to admire about his exceptional raceday too, as he not only won both motos, but he also banked the quickest lap time in each race.

Having returned to form in outstanding fashion, Gajser then admirably replicated his feats from Germany in Indonesia, where another win in qualifying was beautifully accompanied by his 1-1 in the points scoring motos.

Despite not standing on the top step of the podium in the following four races due to a combination of hard to pass tracks, sketchy surfaces, the immense heat and him managing his advantage intelligently, he still claimed two podiums at Loket and Uddevalla.

Riding in a controlled and safety-first manner knowing the title was his, this strategy ultimately paid off, as he was officially crowned champion in Finland with two rounds to spare.

 

Ray Archer

Knowing he didn’t have to push the limit, could ride within himself and remaining in control, Gajser certainly deserves credit for managing the situation masterfully.

“The pace is there and there is really good competition. I am super happy. I would say that from the experience that I have in the past… I learnt a lot from last year especially and the end of the year when the pressure was over the roof,” he told MX Vice during the season.

“The pressure was really, really high when me, Romain and Jeffrey were fighting for the title. I would say that I learnt a lot by losing that championship. I have experience with how to act and prepare myself under pressure. I would say that I always try to analyse the things that happened in the past and take them as a positive, but also learn from them.”

With the shackles off and relieved to have bagged his fifth world title, he then confidently claimed overall victories in the final two stops on the calendar, with his sensational second moto at St Jean d’Angely, where he produced some final lap heroics to run out the victor, being the undoubted highlight.

Rubber stamping his accomplished campaign wonderfully, this was a fitting end to his fantastic season, where he handled the pressure and weight of expectations, which loomed large over him in the absence of Herlings and Febvre, with aplomb.

While some were quick to discredit his achievement due to the injuries to the aforementioned hotshots, Gajser offered a stern response when speaking to the excellent Adam Wheeler in his distinguished OTOR publication, with the hard working #243 clearly agitated at this outlook. “People who see the races understand. It is also strange that last year I was leading the championship and then nobody – nobody – mentioned the fact that I broke my collarbone and I was still fighting until the end. Everybody was only talking about Jeffrey and his broken shoulder blade,” he asserted.

“So, sometimes it is like you don’t feel the best. Deep inside you know how it was…so I don’t really care what other people are writing and usually the ones that are making these comments are those who haven’t really done anything in life and have too much time behind a computer. To be honest I don’t give a f**k.”

By the numbers from his season, his 10 overall victories, 14 race wins and four qualification race wins illustrated his ascendancy. Interestingly, the latter figure indicates what a brilliant Sunday man he is, for he rarely pushed the envelope on the Saturday, instead keeping his powder dry for when it mattered.

Extending his fantastic relationship with HRC by signing a new contract in September, the gifted pilot, who’s still only 26, now has his sights firmly set on title number six next term.

“Obviously it will be tough, but I know what I am capable of and I know that everyone in Team HRC is working towards that goal alongside me. I am feeling fit, healthy and I know that we have already made some improvements to the bike since the end of the season, so I’m excited for the first gate-drop of 2023,” he stated.

Primed for another title assault and ready to battle it out with the likes of Herlings, Febvre, Jeremy Seewer, Jorge Prado and Maxime Renaux, the consistent and durable Gajser will certainly be the man to beat in what will be a stacked, compelling MXGP class in 2023.

Team Honda

With the racing season fast approaching, Team Honda HRC presented its 2023 roster to the media during a special event today at Southern California’s Blackmore Ranch. This markS the 50th anniversary in motocross for American Honda, which approaches the ’23 AMA Supercross season with a powerful rider lineup comprising Chase Sexton, Colt Nichols, and Hunter and Jett Lawrence, along with Chance Hymas. Let's go, boys!

HEP Suzuki signs Chisholm for multiple seasons from 2023

Seasoned contender confirms next step in professional career.

Image: Foremost Media

HEP Motorsports has announced the signing of the ever-popular Kyle Chisholm, with the experienced Monster Energy AMA Supercross mainstay set for multiple seasons with the organization from 2023.

Chisholm last raced for the HEP Motorsports Suzuki effort in 2019, before departing to start his own ‘Team Chiz’ program aboard YZ450F machinery.

This year saw Chisholm as staple in his own privateer Yamaha 450SX set-up, before receiving the call to fill-in at Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing in 250SX East rounds and achieving a best result of fourth overall in St. Louis.

He later competed in select outdoor nationals on a YZ450F, before contesting the ‘pilot’ World Supercross Championship (WSX) with CDR Yamaha Monster Energy in SX2, unfortunately suffering misfortune across both rounds.

The HEP Motorsports opportunity is expected to see him join Ken Roczen in the team for at least 450SX, however, it remains unclear if Chisholm will compete in Pro Motocross with the squad or the six-round 2023 WSX championship under the Pipes Motorsports Group (PMG) banner at that point.

Red Bull KTM Team Prepares

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing officially launched its 2023 SuperMotocross World Championship team this week, all set for Anaheim 1 in a month's time. In this raw Trackside edit, see Cooper Webb, Marvin Musquin, Aaron Plessinger, Max Vohland and Tom Vialle on-track at RD Field.

Spirit, Living Life!

Putty Mills celebrated his 99th birthday yesterday by burning some hot speedway laps!!

Factory Red Bull KTM

The Factory Red Bull KTM is ready to go with the largest lineup they've had in years. Five riders will carry the flag for KTM during the 2023 Supercross season with two-time 450SX Champion Cooper Webb, veteran and race winner Marvin Musquin, fan-favorite Aaron Plessinger in the 450 class. In the 250 ranks, KTM brought over Tom Vialle, a two-time MX2 Champion in the MXGP World Championship series and young gun, Max Vohland returns for another season with the team. Sit back and enjoy 16-mins of raw footage from the 2023 Red Bull KTM Team into at their private test track in Murrieta, California.

SX Global Announces Provisional 2023 Calendar

Six FIM World Supercross Championship Events

Delivering on its Promise to Take Supercross Global to Fans Across the World, SX Global Confirms WSX Championship Rounds for Australia, UK, France, Germany, Canada, and Southeast Asia

AUSTRALIA – After two highly successful pilot events in 2022 that saw more than 85,000 fans enjoy world-class supercross action in Cardiff, Wales and Melbourne, Australia, SX Global today announced six events for the 2023 FIM World Supercross Championship (WSX). The 2023 schedule will expand the championship’s global footprint with FIM-sanctioned Championship rounds in France, Germany, and Canada, while also returning to Australia and the UK. The championship will also expand into Southeast Asia, with the exact location to be announced in the near future.

“It’s incredibly gratifying to see our vision for a truly global supercross championship steadily coming to fruition. Our goals, while ambitious, are clear to elevate supercross to a global audience through a truly international calendar of events, visit diverse destinations that have well-established and passionate fan bases, and visit new regions where supercross can grow and flourish,” said SX Global CEO, Adam Bailey. “We believe the 2023 schedule delivers on these promises, yet it’s only the tip of the spear. We have so much more room for growth in regions across the globe that are hungry to witness this incredible spectacle, firsthand. We are only scratching the surface of our long-term plan for WSX.”

FIM Motocross Commission Director Mr Antonio Alia Portela said, “After a successful 2022 debut season, SX Global is bringing the FIM World Supercross Championship to new countries. World Supercross enters a new era which will see the series expand to countries and venues worldwide, much to the delight of its many fans. And this is only the beginning, we are confident that many more countries will join the Championship in the near future.”

WSX

WSX will bring its pioneering supercross experience back to the UK, at Villa Park, Birmingham for the opening round on July 1^st. The Championship will then cross the channel to France for round two on July 22^nd at Groupama Stadium in Lyon-Décines. The series will make its way into South-East Asia on September 30^th, before heading to Dusseldorf, Germany on October 14^th at Merkur Spiel Arena. On October 28^th, WSX will be in Canada at BC Place in Vancouver and, once again, the series finale will take place in Melbourne, Australia at Marvel Stadium, on Nov. 24^th and 25^th.

“Our pilot season was designed to test what is possible and prove that the sport of supercross has strong demand from fans in previously underserved countries across the world,” said Bailey. “The incredible fan response and attendance for events in Cardiff and Melbourne reinforced that our instincts were indeed correct, and we are now powered by strong momentum and interest from cities, promoters, broadcasters and sponsors all wanting to be part of the new global championship. We are excited to continue to showcase this incredible sport to fans across the globe”.

For more information on the upcoming WSX 2023 schedule visit www.wsxchampionship.com and sign up for the WSX newsletter, or follow WSX on Facebook and Instagram.