MXGP championship has arrived to Italy this weekend for the MXGP of Trentino at the beautiful Pietramurata circuit! The track has been a stop of the MXGP championship the past several years whose hard pack surface set against the Dolomite Mountain range always leads to amazing racing. Last year was no exception as Italian MXGP superstar Antonio Cairoli came back in dramatic fashion passing the top racers in the world lap after lap to steal the over win from Tim Gajser.
TONY VS JEFFREY – Not only will Cairoli and Gajser again face off again but for both it will be packed with their fans making the trip. The Italian motocross community will without doubt come out to support Cairoli as the newly appointed red plate holder in his home GP but joining in the action is a motivated Jeffrey Herlings, Clement Desalle, Romain Febvre, and Gautier Paulin among others. Plus the stars of MX2 will fight for supremacy including the unbeaten Pauls Jonass, defending GP winner Jorge Prado, Darian Sanayei, Thomas Kjer Olsen, Hunter Lawrence, and more in what is a huge pool of young talent.
KIARA THE QUEEN – This weekend’s racing will also include the first races of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championshipfeaturing the 5 time World Champion from Italy, MXFonta Yamaha’s Kiara Fontanesi, along with other heavy hitters such as Altherm Yamaha’s, Courtney Duncan, NoFear Yamaha’ s Nancy Van de Ven, and even some newcomers such as Avrie Berry from the United States. Alongside the MXGP, MX2, and WMX World Championships will be the second round of EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing boasting an incredible 97 rider entry list, including KTM Junior Racing’s Rene Hofer who took double race victories to start the season at Valkenswaard.
PAST RESULTS – Cairoli had a miraculous comeback here in 2017 but so far in 2018 it has been Herlings who is fighting his way through the pack. In the past 5 years Cairoli has won the MXGP in Trentino 3 times with a second in 2015 after his worst finish of 5th the year prior. Herlings has a similar record in the MX2 class with 3 wins and a second, but last year in his rookie MXGP season he took 8th.
MXGP Championship Top Ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 141 points; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 141 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 103 p.; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 101 p.; 5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HUS), 98 p.; 6. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 79 p.; 7. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 78 p.; 8. Maximilian Nagl (GER, TM), 60 p.; 9. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 59 p.; 10. Julien Lieber (BEL, KAW), 54 p.
2017 MXGP of Trentino MXGP Top 3: 1. Antonio Cairoli; 2. Tim Gajser; 3. Arnaud Tonus
MX2 HEROE – Meanwhile in the MX2 category things are getting more heated between Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s unbeaten Pauls Jonass and Jorge Prado who is shooting for his first win of 2018. The racing has continually been tighter weekend after weekend between the pair and only one year ago Jorge Prado won his very first GP here.
Looking the most likely to throw a wrench KTM MX2’s successful start to 2018 is BIKE IT DRT Kawasaki’s Darian Sanayei and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Kjer Olsen.
MX2 Championship Top Ten: MX2 Championship Top Ten: 1. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 150 points; 2. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 120 p.; 3. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 105 p.; 4. Hunter Lawrence (AUS, HON), 99 p.; 5. Conrad Mewse (GBR, KTM), 81 p.; 6. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 81 p.; 7. Jed Beaton (AUS, KAW), 72 p.; 8. Darian Sanayei (USA, KAW), 68 p.; 9. Calvin Vlaanderen (RSA, HON), 63 p.; 10. Vsevolod Brylyakov (RUS, YAM), 54 p.
2017 MXGP of Trentino MX2 Top 3: 1. Jorge Prado; 2. Pauls Jonass; 3. Julien Lieber
TIMETABLE Saturday: EMX125 Group 1 Free/Time practice 09:00; EMX125 Group 2 Free/Time Practice 09:45; WMX Free/Time Practice 10:30; MX2 Free Practice 11:30; MXGP Free Practice 12:00; EMX125 Last Chance Qualifying Race 13:00; MX2 Time Practice 14:00; MXGP Time Practice 14:40; WMX Race 1 15:25; MX2 Qualifying Race 16:25; MXGP Qualifying Race 17:10; EMX125 Race 1 17:55. Sunday: EMX125 Race 2 09:45; MX2 Warm up 10:25; MXGP Warm up 10:45; WMX Race 2 11:30; MX2 Race 1 13:15; MXGP Race 1 14:15; MX2 Race 2 16:10; MXGP Race 2 17:10.