Yamaha MXGP 2023

Monster Energy Yamaha Press Release – With Sweet Video

Ben RumboldMarch 8, 20230

After a productive off-season spent testing and developing the all-new YZ450FM, the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP team and its trio of MXGP title contenders Jeremy Seewer, Maxime Renaux and Glenn Coldenhoff are geared up and ready to put the new bike through its paces at the opening round of the FIM Motocross World Championship in Villa la Angostura, Argentina, this weekend.

Yamaha enters 2023 as the defending champions in the Manufacturer’s World Championship after a memorable year in 2022 that saw the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory team secure seven pole positions, 14 race wins, and 22 podium finishes, of which five were Grand Prix victories, between its three riders Seewer, Renaux and Coldenhoff enroute to the crown.

Continuing with the same potent line-up and armed with a new weapon, the all-new YZ450FM, the team is fired up and focused on reaching the top step of the podium. See the official team video below:

Seewer enters his sixth year inside the premier class and sixth season in blue with his sights set firmly on a maiden world title. With 49 podium finishes, 10 Grand Prix wins and five Championship silver medals to his credit, and after a hugely successful pre-season in which he celebrated three, from four, race wins, on his way to the Internazionali d’Italia crown, the Swiss star is bound to be a force to be reckoned with this year.

After an impressive rookie season, in which he celebrated a maiden Grand Prix win in the 450 class as one of his seven podium appearances in 2022, Renaux will be targeting the title in 2023. The young Frenchman has spent the past few months refining his race set-up on the new bike and arrives in Argentina buoyed by the memory of his very first MXGP-class race win, which was in Race 1 at the MXGP of Patagonia-Argentina, last year.

The new season begins with added motivation for MXGP veteran Coldenhoff, who has instantly gelled with the new YZ450FM right from his first ride. The Dutchman started 2023 with a stunning victory against a few of MXGP’s toughest at his first and only pre-season race in England a few weeks ago, and arrives at the stunning Patagonia Race Track revved up and ready to fight for his first-ever world title.

The track, located in the greenery of the Correntoso and Nahuel Huapi lakeshores approximately 70 kilometers north of Bariloche, is one of the most spectacular on the calendar. Unlike anything seen in Europe, the track’s base is dark and grainy volcanic soil, and the layout is fast, wide and flowing. This weekend, the venue that has hosted six MXGP rounds since its introduction in 2015 will also see the start of a new era with Championship Points being awarded to the top 10 finishers in the Qualifying Race on Saturday for the first time ever. The rider that wins the Qualifying Race will earn 10 points; second place gets 9 points, third gets 8, and so on.

The first opportunity for the riders to go out on track will be on Saturday (11th March), starting with MX2 Free Practice at 10:45 followed by MXGP Free Practice at 11:15. Gates will drop for the points paying Qualifying Races at 15:25 (MX2) and 16:10 (MXGP). All timings are local (GMT – 3).

Jeremy Seewer

“My winter and off-season was honestly one of the best I have ever had in my career. It was very busy with a lot of things happening like sponsor events among other things. The new bike meant there was a lot of work to do. So we had a lot of extra days testing in comparison to our usual off-season to try and get the bike ready for the season. Overall, I had a really solid off-season with no setbacks. Going into Argentina, the goal is clear. I want to win, but I also know it’s a long season. I will just line-up relaxed and without pressure and do what I’ve trained all winter for. I love the place in Argentina, it’s always been special to me, it’s actually where I had my first ever podium in MX2, so I always feel a special buzz when I come here.”

Maxime Renaux

“I definitely feel ready for the season to start. The winter was good. We did a lot of testing and training, so I am ready for it. The goal for the first round is to relax, give my best and look to build my season from there. I really like the track in Argentina. Obviously, I have some great memories from there last year after taking my first race win in the MXGP class during my rookie season after some good battles. There are also a lot of fans, and they always create an amazing atmosphere, and this is something I love.”

Glenn Coldenhoff

“I had a really good winter with some solid weeks of training both physically and on the bike. We did a lot of testing with the new bike, as you would expect. I am really happy with where we are at. I can’t wait to start. The goal is to have fun, enjoy the racing and that way I’m sure a good result will come. I haven’t had the best results in Argentina in the past, but I hope to change that this weekend.”

Red Bull 'Day in the Dirt'

Motocross stars head to Dade City this weekend for Red Bull 'Day in the Dirt'

Travis Pastrana, Tyler Beremen and Ryan Sipes are among the confirmed racers.

By Ray Roa on Wed, Mar 8, 2023 at 11:55 am

Participants complete at Red Bull Day In The Dirt Down South in Dade City, Florida, USA on 12 March, 2021.

Pasco County knows how to party, and it’ll do it in its own special style this weekend when motocross stars like Travis Pastrana, Tyler Beremen and Ryan Sipes arrive at Dade City Motocross for the “Red Bull Day in the Dirt.”

Racing kicks off Friday, March 10 with the reunion race (supposed to be friendly) and really gets going on Saturday, March 11 with a handful of competitions (including the Red Bull-athlete-only “Old Switcheroo” team race) and different Grand Prix races.

A “Coup de Grace Survival Race” wraps up the action on Sunday, with various awards and afterparties set for each day. Registration to race opens at 7 a.m. all weekend and will cost you, but it’s free to watch.

Event Details

Red Bull Day in the Dirt

Fri., March 10, 7 a.m., Sat., March 11, 7 a.m. and Sun., March 12, 7 a.m.

Dade City Motocross 36722 SR-52, Dade City Pasco

MXGP Prep...RFME Spanish Motocross Championship

Nestaan Husqvarna’s Coenen And De Wolf Enjoy Solid Spanish Hit-Out

Edward StratmannFebruary 6, 20230

Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing ramped up their preparation for the 2023 FIM Motocross World Championship by lining up in the RFME Spanish Motocross Championship at the hard-pack circuit of Montearagon. Lucas Coenen and Kay de Wolf sat behind the starting line and enjoyed success in their first competitive outing of the term.

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Lucas Coenen, making his debut aboard the Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing FC 250, was just incredible across the weekend and gained some valuable momentum as he works towards his first campaign as an MX2 rider. Using the power within his steed to claim two good starts, he won moto one with an advantage of fourteen seconds and then won moto two by eight seconds. Not only did he stand atop the podium, but he also gained some knowledge to apply in testing.

The Spanish adventure was a little more eventful for Kay de Wolf, who had a fall on Saturday. The mistake meant that he had to start from the far outside in Sunday’s motos, but he did well to progress to third in moto one and second in moto two. Sadly, he was demoted to fifth in that first moto and therefore occupied third in the overall classification via 5-2 moto scores. ’74’ got to experience many different challenges in the pre-season shakedown.

The next appointment for the Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing team is the first stop of the 2023 Internazionali d’Italia term in Ponte a Egola, where the duo will continue to work on their respective strengths and weaknesses ahead of the Grand Prix of Patagonia-Argentina on March 12.

Lucas Coenen: “It was a good weekend. We made a lot of progress and saw some hard work from the winter pay off. I was second off the start in both of the motos today, then took the lead quite quickly and controlled things from that point. It was a great way to start the year and I want to continue this form in Ponte a Egola in Italy next weekend.”

Kay de Wolf: “It was a difficult day, as I had a big crash yesterday and was very sore. I was happy to walk away from that one! I did not have the best gate pick today, because of that, and had a lot of work to do, but it was good practice. I finished third in the first race and then got docked a couple of positions, then I finished second in moto two. It was not a bad day.”

Free Spirit...Magoo

Zach's New Career

“It’s a huge shot in the arm for me” – Zach Osborne on new Enduro career

From retirement as a Pro MX and SX rider to a new career in Enduro and GNCC Racing, Zach Osborne nearly takes a maiden US Sprint win at his first attempt – what next, a place in Team USA squad for ISDE 2023 in Argentina?

“I was extremely nervous about this first race,” said Zach Osborne on his return to racing and first attempt at the US Sprint Enduro series. Osborne hasn’t raced professionally since the Thunder Valley Motocross in Colorado in 2021 having retired as a professional rider due to a back injury.  

Fast forward through a lot of rehab and Zach is back and at it, and back in enduro with a place in the Am Pro Yamaha squad  to race in GNCC and US Sprint Enduro.

“To be back at a professional level, it means a lot more to me to race this weekend than most people will ever know, just from where I was in the last year and a half as far as my health and stuff goes. It’s just a huge, huge shot in the arm for me.”

Filling some pretty big boots in the Am Pro Yamaha camp (Steward Baylor and Layne Michael departed in the off-season), Osborne just raced the opening US Sprint Enduro weekend at the South of the Border MX facility in Hamer, South Carolina and damn nearly won it.

After a late in the day mistake (getting stuck in a mudhole) dropped him to P4 overall on day one. But Zach hit back on Sunday and took the overall day win from the likes of Johnny Girroir, Josh Toth, Thad Duvall and Layne Michael.

“I won five of the six cross tests.” Said Zach after the US Sprint round one. “I was second in one of the enduro tests, plus won another one, which wasn’t even on my radar for this weekend against guys like Jonny and Layne and Josh. So, that was huge for me.”

 

Osborne is not a complete stranger to enduro despite the hugely successful motocross and supercross career. A handful of GNCC races might be more recent but some will remember he formed part of the USA ISDE squad in 2013/14.

The “new career” opportunity, back with Yamaha who Osborne raced MX with over in Europe for a couple of seasons, will take some getting used to he explains, “I’m learning the format, learning how to do everything,’ said Osborne. “The start procedure, the time in-between, just the whole gamut of what sprint enduro is here in the USA. To have the weekend that I had, I feel like I was pretty successful.”

On this evidence, who’s to say a place in the 2024 ISDE squad going to Argentina is out the question?

Interview: Shan Moore

Photo Credit: Simon Cudby + Shan Moore + Future7Media

SuperEnduro World Championship

MIPS...An Important Subject

Dylan Ferrandis Says He's OK

Ferrandis commented: “I’m okay after my crash in the main event. I hit my head first and got knocked out for some minutes… Everything else is fine and I am okay now fortunately. I will follow the concussion protocol and will see what I can ride again. Sorry. A big thanks fo the medical team.”

Hunter Takes Houston in Strong Fashion

Team Honda HRC rider unmatched in convincing main event performance.

Australian Hunter Lawrence managed to strike first in the Houston round of 2023 Monster Energy Supercross, marking the season-opening round of 250SX East.

Racing for his first time on American soil, Tom Vialle (Red Bull KTM) led the first lap, before Lawrence soon rode into the lead and took charge from there.

Apart from Vialle, debuting rookies Chance Hymas (Team Honda HRC) and Haiden Deegan (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) displayed early brilliance before dropping back. At the same time, Jordon Smith (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing), Nate Thrasher (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) and Jeremy Martin (Muc-Off FXR ClubMX Yamaha) moved forward.

With Lawrence leading and Max Anstie (Fire Power Honda) in second, Smith held third despite a fall in the sand, while a worse fall for Thrasher in the same area dropped him to 15th at the end.

Holding off a charge from TLD Red Bull GasGas rider Michael Mosiman, Deegan benefitted from a last-lap fall for Martin to finish fourth on debut after Lawrence, Anstie, and Smith earned podium positions less than three seconds ahead.

Martin recovered for fifth ahead of Mosiman, Vialle, Hymas, Cullin Park (Phoenix Racing Honda) and late Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki fill-in rider Chris Blose in the top 10.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna graduate Hawkins was 11th, just up the track from Coty Schock (Phoenix Racing Honda), who salvaged a 12th-place result after being questionable to participate in the LCQ. It will be Lawrence who holds the red plate heading to Tampa next Saturday, 11 February.

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Houston We Have A Problem...Tomac's Back!

1. Tomac 2. Sexton 3. Anderson

Lasts weeks crash did not slow him down. Wire to wire even with a staggered re-start. Sexton chased him but couldn't get close enough for a pass attempt.