Roman Febvre on China MXGP

Kawasaki factory rider Romain Febvre continues to show us that he belongs in amongst the best motocross riders in the world. One of the few men who can on a regular basis battle the big three of Jorge Prado, Tim Gajser and Jeffery Herlings. At the MXGP of China over the weekend Febvre took home the first moto win, and finished second overall on the day (meanwhile there was a shakeup upfront as Prado took over the points lead from Gajser). Geoff Meyer of MX Large was able to catch up with Febvre after the race.

MX Large: Second on the podium and it was a tough GP. What can you tell us about this day?
Romain Febvre: I think it was really tough for everyone. It is a little bit like Indonesia, really humid and very hot and the second moto was even hotter than the first one. I had a really good first moto, I started around fourth or fifth and I passed everyone and took the lead. I then made a small gap and won the race. It has been a long time that I have done that, so I am happy to do that. For sure, I used a lot of energy in the first moto, but when you win, it gives you more energy for the second one. 

How about that second moto?
The second race, I had a bad start, but some good first corners and I was really quick. I was behind [Ruben] Fernandez, and I had a big fight with him. He was riding good at the beginning, but I was faster and somehow to make the pass, I had to find some other lines, eventually I passed him, but then I was alone in third place and the two guys in front were too far ahead of me. I finished third in the race and 1-3 to finish second overall, that is okay for me.

 

Romain FebvreCourtesy of Kawasaki Europe

Why is it you don’t have that much trouble with the hot conditions, you always show you have a good strength in these types of conditions?
I think, it is just I don’t have bad times, and I like it when it is really warm. For sure to ride, it is difficult, and it makes it easier than for the others, but I don’t struggle. Maybe I need to move from Belgium, because there it was 13 degrees and we come here and its 36 and humid, so it is a shock to the body, but I don’t mind it.

The schedule was completely different and the short break between motos, in these hot temperatures must have been hard to deal with. How did you find the day, with such a tight schedule?
Yes, we are not used to such a small break between races. For sure, you have less time to recover and with the short break, it was hard, we are just not used to it. In U.S. they have less time, same as the Nations, we have less time. You have to just manage as well as possible.

What did you think about the whole Chinese experience?
Actually, my first time in China, I missed 2019 because I was injured. The track is good, a little short, the laps, but it is a pretty good track with good dirt and one day it was not bumpy and fast, but I liked it. The weather is hard, and the organizers expected a lot of fans for the Monday race, so that is unfortunate that those fans couldn’t make it, but for me, it was a good GP.

Your season was a bit ruined by injury, but with des Nations coming up, it’s a big one for yourself and France. Can you tell me how you feel about this event?
Yes, like, again, the Nations is something I look forward to, but it isn’t like it is a championship or anything. I want to finish the season strong and that is what I am doing and that is good. Nations, it would be nice, many good riders coming over and Matterley is a good track and hopefully we have good weather and some nice races.

"I then made a small gap and won the race. It has been a long time that I have done that, so I am happy to do that." -Romain FebvreCourtesy of Kawasaki Europe

Do you look forward to racing guys like the Lawrence brothers, because they are the top guys in America, or you don’t really care who you race?
I don’t really care. Just nice they are coming and that will bring fans and it’s the only time we can compete with these guys. The guys from U.S. and Australia, its good, but it is something, a two-day event, and it is special, and the goal is to win with the federation and that is it really.

You doing anything in the winter, or just taking it off?
Maybe we go to Japan, to race that championship, but the Japanese guys come to the Nations and the plan was to race in Japan after the Nations, but now we just do testing with the Japanese after Nations. So, no extra races in the winter.

How will the bike look for next year, do you have many changes?
We have the testing, a bit of everything. The frame will not change, but some engine changes and some new parts and also for the chassis. It won’t be like a new bike, just some testing.

MXGP...China?

Cooper Stays with Star Yamaha

Justin Cooper confirms he has re-signed with the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team next year. Cooper finished sixth in the championship in his first full season of 450SX racing in Monster Energy AMA Supercross—remember he did a handful of races in the middle of the ’23 season—with a season best second at the Salt Lake City Supercross season finale in his 16th main event start of the season. In his first season in the premier class of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship, Cooper finished fourth in the championship, scoring two overall podium finishes and a season-best third place in six motos. The New York native led a lot of laps in Pro Motocross and had an impressive rookie year.

“Just one more year with them for now,” Cooper told Steve Matthes of his new deal. “It’s been a really good year. They’re pleased, I’m pleased. We have a good base going into next year. It’s been all good, no reason not to do it again.”

Since turning pro late in 2017 (for the final three Pro Motocross rounds), Cooper raced his entire pro career with Star Racing so far and he is expected to be back alongside both Eli Tomac and Cooper Webb again for the 2025 SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX).

Racing 500cc 2 Strokes Bar to Bar | Desalle vs Anderson

Incredible Two Stroke Motocross action from Clement Desalle and Brad Anderson as they bang bars on board their 500cc machines at Fareligh Vets MX 2024

Girroir Takes GNCC Title, Ashburn the Win in WV

BECKLEY, W.Va. – The dusty and dry conditions would write the book for the eleventh round of racing in the 2024 Progressive Grand National Cross Country (GNCC Racing) Series presented by Specialized, an AMA National Championship. The Rocky Mountain ATV/MC Mountaineer GNCC went out with a bang on Sunday in Beckley, West Virginia, as the 2024 GNCC National Champion was crowned two rounds early. 

With starts being key this weekend, Coastal GASGAS Factory Racing’s Jordan Ashburn would grab the $250 Steel City Medical Center’s XC1 Holeshot Award and head into the woods first. It was a close call thought with Phoenix Racing Honda’s Michael Witkowski as they came in almost side-by-side to the first turn. Witkowski would take the lead from Ashburn once they were in the woods, but Ashburn was eager to get back to that number one spot and would make the pass on lap two around Witkowski. Ashburn would continue to lead the race, pushing himself more and more ahead of the pack, and coming through to earn his first win of the 2024 season with a 42 second lead over the rest of the field. 

As the race continued on Witkowski would find himself battling back in second after being passed by Ashburn, but on the last lap of the race would start to have some issues and be unable to hold off some of his competitors. In just his second XC1 Open Pro race, AmPro Yamaha’s Liam Draper would make the pass into second after running third for majority of the day to land himself another podium finish. Rockstar Energy Factory Husqvarna Racing’s Trevor Bollinger would also have his best finish of the season as he kept pushing after a good start to earn third overall on the day. Witkowski would come through to finish fifth overall, fourth in XC1. 

 

Jordan Ashburn (GasGas) took the overall win.Mack Faint

Active Air/Max Motorsports/FXR/Husqvarna’s Evan Smith would run fifth in XC1 for the duration of the three-hour race, coming through sixth overall on the day. Phoenix Racing Honda’s Ruy Barbosa worked his way back from eighth place to finish sixth in XC1, and ninth overall on the day. JS Racing/Beta’s Josh Strang would come through seventh in XC1 and round out the top 10 overall after managing to survive the dusty conditions.

Coming through the finish eighth in XC1, and 12th overall was FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Jonathan Girroir. After a consistent year finishing on the podium, and earning four victories thus far in the year, Girroir’s overall finish at The Mountaineer was enough for him to wrap up the 2024 Overall GNCC National Championship two rounds early. 

"This is my childhood dream, and I took every path on the way to being here, took the hardest roads, and none of this has come easy,” said Girroir. “Anyone out there chasing their dreams, you can do it, keep on pushing and put your head down. Keep fighting! Thank you to FMF KTM Factory Racing, the entire crew, my family, and everybody behind us for being part of this championship."

Liam Everts Undergoes Successful Surgery

Liam Everts has successfully undergone surgery in China following a serious crash during the MXGP of China, where he fractured his fifth cervical vertebra. The procedure, performed this morning, involved the insertion of a plate, mesh, and six titanium screws to stabilize the injury. Remarkably, just six hours post-operation, Everts was able to stand and walk, signaling a positive start to his recovery. His team has indicated that he should be able to return to Belgium within a week, and the motocross community continues to rally around him with support during this challenging time.

In an update shared on social media, Everts expressed his gratitude for the overwhelming support he has received. As he embarks on his recovery journey, his focus will be on regaining strength and mobility. This setback is particularly significant, as Everts was set to compete as a key member of Team Belgium in the upcoming Motocross of Nations. The 20-year-old was taken to Huashan, where he began to regain feeling and movement in his limbs. Surgeons are confident in his full recovery, and Liam, who remains in good spirits, will stay in China for a week for assessment before returning home to Belgium to continue his rehabilitation.

Prado Takes Red Plate in China

It doesn’t take a genius to understand that Jorge Prado is a special rider. When the defending MXGP champion picked up his 10th GP victory of the season in China and the 48th in his career, he did so with huge pressure.

Winning in China wasn’t just any GP win, it was one that came in conditions that could easily have seen others fail, but the 23-year-old, still not in his prime showed how much he has improved this season and how desperate he is the show the World, he is THE MAN!!!!

Sure, he started the season with those four GP wins in Argentina, Spain, Sardinia and Spain, but a lot of that success was coming off his busy off-season of AMA supercross. It was clear at the time he was on another level, compared to the slow starting Tim Gajser and Jeffrey Herlings, but what Prado showed us in 2024, is that he can come back from severe challenges. Even when it seems he could fail in his defence, that he turned it around and came out on top.

When Gajser and Herlings started putting together win after win, and Gajser event taking the red plate in that fateful Maggiora GP, it seemed like Prado was maybe fading a little and that busy off-season was starting to take its toll on the Spaniard. At that point, it was easy to see Gajser as the next champion, but Prado wasn’t having any of it, he wasn’t about to allow anyone to take the MXGP championship he had worked so hard to earn in 2023.

We have said it before, but that 2023 title victory has some question marks as Gajser missed most of the season due to injury and Herlings missed a lot of the season due to injury, so the fact Prado won, did have questions.

What would happen if these two five-time World champions were fit all season, could the GasGas man still be the best? Well, in China, and in another nine rounds this year, Prado has shown, that he is the fastest man in Europe and maybe the fastest man in the World.

He has beaten the two best riders from the last decade, two men who have most of the World titles to their name since 2015. Prado really showed this weekend, that he isn't just the best this year, or last year, he might have shown us, he is the best of his generation.

There can be no doubt now, that Prado is the best and if he does take that fourth World title in Spain in two weeks’ time, and maybe picked up his 49th GP win, he climbs another step in the history books of Grand Prix motocross.

For GP wins in his career, he is only behind six men, Jeffrey Herlings (107), Stefan Everts (101), Antonio Cairoli (94), Joel Smets (57), Joel Robert (50) and Tim Gajser (49) in all time GP wins, and for World motocross titles, only behind 12 men, Stefan Everts (10), Cairoli (9), Robert (6), Herlings (5), Gajser (5), Roger De Coster (5), Georges Jobe (5), Eric Geboers (5), Joel Smets (5), Heikki Mikkola (4), Harry Everts (4) and Torsten Hallman (4), who stand in front of him.

Another World title in Spain in two weeks and he goes to four World titles, but he will pass Mikkola, Everts and Hallman in the all-time list, as he has more GP wins than those three legends. Already in amongst the all-time greats, he will climb even further up the list.

For many of us, it is a pity he will leave Grand Prix motocross at the end of this season, as he could so easily continue to climb the list of all-time greats, and at just 23 years of age, nothing is saying he cannot become the greatest of all time, but, he heads to USA in October and will take on another challenge.

His legacy in the sport, in the folk-law of Grand Prix motocross, is secure. Greatness has already been reached, and that World title in two weeks’ time, will make us remember him long after he retires. Jorge Prado has been too consistent and made hardly any errors of late, that it seems nearly impossible for him to lose the 2024 MXGP title. I think most of us already have the crown on his head.

Still, probably a long way from his peak, he has so much more to give and one thing is for sure, Jett Lawrence will have a new challenge himself, because this special Spaniard isn’t going to America to just be part of the competition, he is going there to be just another European statistic, he is going there to add to his championships and impressive retirement fund.

We will miss him, but we will follow his progress closely and hope that one day he returns to us and can add another World title or two and also reach that magnificent number of 50 GP wins. He deserves to be a top five all-time champion, and that extra World title and 50th GP win would do that.

Hunter Lawrence takes maiden 450 victory at Texas SMX

A strong set of motos pushes the elder Lawrence to the top.

Image: Octopi Media.

Team Honda HRC’s Hunter Lawrence landed on the top step of the podium for the first time in his 450 class career as he went 1-3 on Saturday’s second round of the SMX Playoffs. The result pushed Lawrence into the lead of the Playoffs heading into the finale next week.

A close fight in the first moto between Hunter Lawrence, his Honda teammate Jett Lawrence, and Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Eli Tomac saw Hunter sneak into the lead to take the victory. Jett Lawrence stalled while leading and allowed both riders by and he was livid after the second moto with his mistake.

Hunter Lawrence followed his brother Jett home in the second moto to go 1-3 versus Jett’s 3-2 as he didn’t need to beat Jett to win the overall. Red Bull KTM’s Chase Sexton had a bad start in the first moto and ended up fourth but fired into the lead in moto two and dominated to a 4-1 result. He fell one point short of the overall win and was left to settle with P2 on the day.

Jett Lawrence would end up third with his 3-2 scores just ahead of Eli Tomac who put 2-5 scores on the board. Rounding out the top five was Tomac’s Star Racing teammate Cooper Webb who had a much better 5-4 day this week than he did last week at Charlotte.

Behind them, it was Progressive Ecstar Suzuki’s Ken Roczen in sixth, Red Bull KTM’s Aaron Plessinger in seventh, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jason Anderson in eighth, Phoenix Racing Honda’s Dylan Ferrandis in ninth, and Twisted Tea Suzuki’s Colt Nichols in 10^th.

Hunter Lawrence now leads by one point over Sexton and nine points over Jett Lawrence heading into Las Vegas. If any of those three take the win next week, they will be champion thanks to the triple points on offer at the finale.

Ducati signs Seewer to lead MXGP entry from 2025 season

Two-year deal announced for multi-time world championship runner-up.

Image: Supplied.

Ducati has made its first high-profile factory rider signing ahead of its full-time MXGP World Championship entry, securing Jeremy Seewer for 2025 and 2026 onboard the Desmo450 MX.

The 30-year-old had been a mainstay at Yamaha prior to switching to Kawasaki this year, however, it was confirmed this week that the pair have opted to part ways after a single season.

“Jeremy Seewer will be one of the two official Ducati riders who will take part in the 2025 MXGP World Championship with the Desmo450 MX,” a statement from Ducati confirmed. “The 30-year-old Swiss rider, born in Bulach on 18 July 1994, has signed a two-year agreement (2025-2026) with the Borgo Panigale manufacturer.

“Seewer made his world championship debut in 2012 and was twice runner-up in MX2 in 2016 and 2017, and three times runner-up in MXGP in 2019, 2020 and 2022, while he finished third in 2023. He has five victories in MX2 and eight in MXGP to his name. Seewer is currently lying fourth in the 2024 championship, with two races remaining this season.”

Incoming manufacturer Ducati – the reigning MotoGP and World Superbike title-holder – has now formally announced Seewer to lead its grand prix entry, which is expected to be alongside emerging Italian Mattia Guadagnini.

2024 BUCKWHEAT 100 GNCC RACE

Upset at the Buckwheat...XC2 takes down XC1 Elites

As the XC1 Open Pro class lined up and heard the infamous 10 seconds call, it would be AmPro Yamaha’s Liam Draper making his XC1 debut and earning himself the $250 Steel City Medical Center XC1 Holeshot Award to start the day. Draper would continue to lead throughout the opening lap, but FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Jonathan Girroir would be right on heels as they continued to push forward.

Girroir would make the pass for the lead while out on lap two, and he would continue to hold that spot for the duration of the race. However, back in the XC2 250 Pro class FMF KTM Factory Racing Lander’s Grant Davis would be putting on his own charge coming up through the pack of riders. Girroir would come through the finish line physically first to earn the XC1 Open Pro class win, while Davis came through and based off adjusted time would clinch the overall win by just two seconds.

Davis became just the second XC2 250 Pro rider to stand at the center of podium as the overall winner, with the firs being Josh Toth earlier this season in Georgia. Girroir would stand second overall, while Draper would hold on for second in XC1 and third overall on the day.