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Inside the life of an MXGP Mechanic

Bart Dirkx

 

Being a mechanic for a world class team or rider is not an easy task. These are the guys who put in hours upon hours of graft in order to spin the spanners for some of the top riders in the FIM Motocross World Championship.

Towards the end of the 2020 season, we sat down with several mechanics for the top teams in the paddock to learn more about their pre-race rituals, strategies, must-have tools and what a typical day for a mechanic looks like…

BART DIRKX

IN 2020 MECHANIC FOR: Jorge Prado, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

IN 2021 MECHANIC FOR: Jorge Prado, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

NATIONALITY: Belgian

WHAT ARE THE MUST HAVE ITEMS IN YOUR BACKPACK BEFORE TO TAKE TO THE LINE?

“Basic tools, the tools that you need to do something quick on the bike in case if the rider has a little crash, things that you can fix in 2 minutes. Like a bent lever, the tank cap…Then I always have a plastic cap replacement, some tissue, some fuel, especially for the sand races, because we are always on the edge with the fuel amount”

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE OR MOST USED TOOL?

“Torque wrench is my favourite. Like that I’m sure that all the bolts are at the correct Newton/meters, even if you have a really good feeling with all the bolts of the bike, with the t-wrench you cannot go wrong!”

HOW IMPORTANT IS THE PREPERATION OF THE RACE TRUCK BEFORE THE START OF THE RACES?

“It is really important, because you need to know exactly where all the spare parts are. You need to be able to go inside the truck, open the draw and immediately find the parts that you need even without thinking about it. I think that is really important that mechanics load the truck for this reason, this is why I always want to be on site when we load the truck like that I know exactly where all the parts are and I’m sure that all the things that I need are there”.

YOU USE A LOT OF KEY WORDS ON THE PIT-BOARD, IS THERE A STRATEGY BEHIND THEM?

“Yes, especially when you’re together with a rider after a few years you start to understand each other even with small signs that you give to him. It doesn’t have to be a sentence, only a basic keyword that you use every time. Even the way I look at him or the way I move my hands or my fingers in pitlane, he knows exactly what to do. So it is really important to always keep those same key words and the feeling I have with my rider”.

WHAT IS YOUR ‘NORMAL DAY’ ROUTINE VS YOUR ‘RACE DAY’ ROUTINE?

“Race day I start with a coffee. We then unload the bikes and all of the stuff out of the stands, the carpets, the tools… After that, even if it’s not necessary, I check all the bolts again, fill up the tank and do the general checks you have to do on the bike but as fast as I can. At the end I will check my backpack again, even if I already did so the day before. I check that I have the pit board markers, some tissue, some papers, just basically all the things you must have in pitlane. For me this is normal, and I do all these checks even without actually thinking about it”.

“Then on a normal day, when we go to the workshop, we completely split the bike in all its parts, check all the parts that need to be changed and clean all the other parts. This takes a long time and you really need to be focused and precise to have the best outcome”.

BEING A MECHANIS IS MORE THAN JUST LOOKING AFTER THE BIKE. WOULD YOU AGREE THAT SOMETIMES YOU NEED TO ALSO SUPPORT YOUR RIDER FROM A PSYCHOLOGICAL SIDE?

“Yeah, that’s really important. That doesn’t mean we train together for that, but he puts all his trust in my work. When he goes out on track and makes jumps of 30-40 meters with the bike, it means everything must be built in a proper way. We spend a lot of time together and we really trust each other. It’s like in the army, people that spend a lot of time together have a real connection; that doesn’t mean that we have to be on the phone every day or that we speak all the time… If he has a problem, he tells me, especially because I’m much older than him and knows that he can trust me, we speak about it and we find a solution”.

DO YOU HAVE ANY PRE-RACE RITUALS WITH JORGE?

One thing that Jorge likes to do is to put both of his feet on the foot pegs on the start, this is to make him feel quieter and more relaxed. When we are on the start line, I always stay on the opposite side of the silence, I put the bike on my side and I tell him “ok Jorge, you can put the feet on the bike” and he puts both feet on the pegs and immediately is much calmer and everything is ready, and he is ready to go as well”.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A MECHANIC OF A WORLD CHAMPION?

“To be honest for me it doesn’t change anything because I have done this job already for so many years, it is exceptional and everybody likes it, but for me it’s not the most important thing. I really love this job, so I put the same effort working with a rider that finishes 10th in the World Championship and now with Jorge, who has won the World Championship, for me that doesn’t make any difference”.

Old School

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The newest member of the bLU cRU—multi-time pro MX and SX champion Eli Tomac—shakes down the Yamaha YZ450F at his home track in Colorado for the first time. Joining defending MX champ Dylan Ferrandis, look for the Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing team to continue dominating in 2022!

2021 Motocross of Nations

As good as it starts as bad as it ends 2021 Motocross of Nations

Fresh from spoils at the 2021 Motocross of Nations, the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team resumed MXGP duties and obtained three of the six podium positions at an overcast and temperate Talkessel circuit for the Grand Prix of Germany and the eleventh round of the FIM Motocross World Championship.

– Tom Vialle docked a fourth MX2 GP win in a row but moves to 4th in the championship

– Rene Hofer finishes 3rd and celebrates his maiden podium in his first full MX2 term

– Herlings takes a 2-3 for 2nd overall in MXGP and his ninth trophy from 11 rounds

– 7th for a weakened Tony Cairoli, and an MXGP moto win and DNS for Jorge Prado.

Talkessel opened the paddock gates to Grand Prix racing for the first time since the summer of 2019 and provided the usual tough, narrow and hard-pack test. Undulations and long ruts were a feature of the German terrain under cloudy skies and with a large public attendance.

MXGP

A lap-time almost 1.5 seconds faster anybody else gave Jeffrey Herlings his seventh Pole Position from 11 rounds this season. The Dutchman found a rhythm quickly on the rough course but it was teammate Jorge Prado who launched away from the line with his eleventh holeshot of the year and fronted the pack until the last three laps of the first moto. The Spaniard was caught by Herlings, who was also under pressure from Tim Gajser and Romain Febvre on his rear wheel. The duel between the teammates was decided by less than two-tenths of a second at the finish line but the two sensationally collided mid-air and Prado was taken to the medical center to cure a cut in his upper torso and did not start the second race.

Herlings, fortunately unhurt but nursing a blow to his knee, rode to a distant 3rd later in the afternoon as both Gajser and Febvre broke away. The result was sufficient for the second step of the overall podium.

Tony Cairoli classified 7th while still struggling with his ribs and the aftermath of his crash at the GP of Sardinia and the exertions of last week’s Motocross of Nations. The 36-year-old was 5th in the first moto but a poor start in the second meant he had to push from outside the top fifteen to reach 10th. Despite his non-score, Prado was 9th in the final Grand Prix list.

Herlings is only 2 points behind Gajser in world championship standings. Prado loses some ground but is 4th and 31 away from the red plate while Cairoli is 5th.

Jeffrey Herlings:“What can I say? As good as it starts as bad as it ends. I’m lucky to still be racing today. I made some mistakes in the first 15 mins of the first moto but was then able to catch Jorge. We know he is not the easiest rider to pass; he defends his line and there is nothing wrong with that but jumping? My knee had a big impact and it’s 100% OK, but the trauma of the bang meant it was really sore in that second moto. This is not my favorite track so when I got up to 3rd place I did not even try to close the gap and accepted second overall. We’ll work on the knee now and I’ll look forward to France and hope to fight with the boys again”

 

Tony Cairoli: “I knew it would be tough here because I couldn’t ride in the week due to my painful ribs. I took some medication and rode at the Nations – although the first moto crash and someone hitting my ribs again didn’t help – and I survived the weekend and we won. It was something I was missing in my career and I wanted to do it but I didn’t think too much about the reaction and the consequences and I was feeling really bad here. I was struggling with my health and I knew it would be a tough day from Timed Practice. After fifteen minutes I couldn’t really hold onto the bike that much anymore. A 5th in the first moto was OK and I was very happy with that result but the second moto was so tough and I knew it would be before I went to the gate. I just tried to make my way to the end. 10th is not what we want but I couldn’t do any more. Let’s try to recover this week and try to do what we can in France.”

 

MX2

 

Tom Vialle grabbed his second Pole Position (and second from the last four rounds) in morning Timed Practice and the prime first pick for the long downhill entry to the left-handed opening turn. The Frenchman needed twelve laps to catch and pass teammate Rene Hofer in the first moto. The Austrian started brightly and marked the pace until Vialle’s last gasp charge. The Red Bull KTMs were 1-2 at the flag with Vialle capturing his seventh victory of the season, Hofer entered the top thee for the third time in 2021. Mattia Guadagnini made a mistake that saw the Italian cross the line in 13th.

Vialle holeshotted the second moto and streaked away for his third 1-1 scorecard of the year but was later penalized two positions for jumping while a yellow flag was waved. He tied on points with Maxime Renaux and demoted to 2nd overall. Hofer worked his way up from 7th to 4th which enabled the Austrian to walk the box for the very first time and after only 15 GPs as a Red Bull KTM rider. Guadagnini was 10th.

Vialle’s five podiums this season and fierce form means he has raced up the points table to 4th and is only 29 from Guadagnini in 3rd. Hofer is 7th and 21 points away from the top five.

Tom Vialle: “What should have been a great weekend and started with Pole Position. It was really important to get good starts today. I enjoyed the track but it was hard for passing. I had to work to overtake Rene in the first moto and then had half the job done through the first lap in the second. I don’t know what to say about the yellow flag decision except that I didn’t see them and watching the video back you needed to be lucky to see them. Despite this decision it has been a good run of results so far and we’re looking good for my home Grand Prix next weekend. It’s nice to go back to France and LaCapelle is really technical. I’m excited already.”

Rene Hofer: “I finally put two solid motos together and I’m really happy that I was able to make my first visit to the MX2 podium. I led almost the whole moto and kept quite close to Tom. Fourth in the second meant decent points and I was really excited. It’s an important moment and I’m pleased it happened at this race and this track that is not that far from my home. Together with the team we have been working hard for this, so it’s really nice it finally happened. I’m in really good shape and better than the start of the season when I was coming back from injury, so I want to keep this kind of momentum.”

 

Mattia Guadagnini: “I’m not happy about today. We were all very close in qualifying and I felt OK. I didn’t start well in the first race and couldn’t find a good flow. I made a small mistake and lost some positions. Race two, the start was a bit better, my riding also, but I again had made some mistakes around mid-race distance. I couldn’t get a good feeling. I was losing too much time. A bad day. We’ll focus on the next one.”

 

The Grand Prix of France will be hosted by the LaCapelle Marival circuit next weekend as MXGP continues a hectic second half of the 2021 campaign.

 

MXGP of Germany

Highlights Germany

Gajser Back On Top!

Critical Teutschenthal victory sees Gajser reclaim red plate

Renaux capitalizes on Vialle penalty to take MX2 overall and extend points lead.

Keeping his nose clean during the MXGP of Germany, Team Honda HRC’s Tim Gajser took the overall victory to reclaim the red plate, as Maxime Renaux extended his MX2 points lead winning at Teutschenthal.

Jorge Prado (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) grabbed the early holeshot in MXGP race one, followed closely by teammate Jeffrey Herlings. The pair then engaged in combat, swapping places multiple times with Prado ultimately winning the race.

However, a mid-air collision while crossing the line saw both riders fall heavily, with Prado unable to start the second moto due to injuries sustained from the crash. Herlings finished race one in P2, able to start the second moto.

Gajser – who broke his left collarbone in the lead up to the MXGP of Sardegna – showed no signs of being limited by injury as he sliced his way forward from fifth in moto two, eventually passing Romain Febvre (Monster Energy Kawasaki) to take victory ahead of the Frenchman, with Herlings in third.

A 3-1 scorecard was enough for Gajser to take the overall win with 45 points, ahead of Herlings on 42 while Febvre completed the podium bagging 40 points, courtesy of 4-2 results.

The trio is now covered by just eight points in the championship standings – Gajser 415, Herlings 413, Febvre 407 – as the title fight continues to intensify with seven rounds remaining. Unfortunately, Prado’s absence from the second moto means he now trails the red plate by 31 points.

An uplift in form at the MXGP of Germany saw Pauls Jonass (Standing Construct GASGAS Factory Racing) finish P4 overall, finishing sixth in the first moto followed by a stronger fourth in race two.

Completing the top five was Monster Energy Yamaha’s Jeremy Seewer, who stated things were moving in the right direction after notching 8-5 finishes.

In MX2 Tom Vialle crossed the line first in both races, however, was later demoted to P3 in moto two after passing under a yellow flag which meant Maxime Renaux won the GP.

Both riders finished equal on 45 points, Vialle 1-3, Renaux 3-1, with Renaux’s promotion to first in moto two giving him the advantage on countback.

Rene Hofer (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) scored his first MX2 podium in P3, the Austrian going to 2-4 to show signs of progression during his first full season in the class.

Fourth overall was Jago Geerts (Monster Energy Yamaha), finishing fifth in moto one after some small mistakes, followed by second in moto two – capitalising on Vialle’s penalty. Geerts now trails red plate holder Renaux by 85 points, second in the points standings.

Jed Beaton (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) rounded out the top five, capitalizing on a strong start in the opening race to finish fourth before finishing fifth in moto two.

The MXGP World Championship now heads to Lacapelle Marival this weekend for the MXGP of France, marking round 12 on 10 October.

Prado vs Herlings Mid Air!!

What a dramatic end to the first MXGP race! Watch the replay of the moment Jorge Prado and Jeffrey Herlings collided on the air!