FIM Off Road Awards

MONACO, 2 December 2007- The 1st of December was an unbelievable night at the Salle des Etoiles in Monaco, Monte Carlo. The third edition of the FIM Off Road Awards was a superb celebration where all the Off  Road World and European Champions received their prize after an extremely battled but successful season of racing.

Surrounded by the beautiful night view of the Monte Carlo bay, and with an orchestra playing in the background, all the authors of this fantastic 2007 season were given a prize representing the reward of their hard work. The riders, the Federations and the organizers played a very important role this year, cooperating with Youthstream, FIM and UEM in the organization of a superb season of sport.

400 guests were entertained during the whole evening, which started with a press conference at 6.00 pm and continued in the magnificent Salle des Etoiles with the gala dinner and the Awards ceremony.

Among the many prize giving ceremonies of the night, which saw a brand new duo of presenters made of Frenchman Francis Magnanou  and American Amanda Woods, one of the most moving moments of the night happened when Youthstream President Giuseppe Luongo suddenly stopped the regular program of the event to call up on stage some of the riders who made the history of the sport managed by Youthstream: Michele Rinaldi, Eric Geboers, Jean Michel Bayle, Dave Thorpe and Roger De Coster.

Bulgaria was awarded twice as Best Organizer for the organization of the Motocross Grand Prix at Sevlievo and the SuperMoto Grand Prix at Pleven, with the latter being a unique venue in the world, having a sky section all covered in tarmac. For this occasion the country was represented by: Mr. Rumen Petkov, Minister of Interior; Mr. Veselin Bliznakov, Minister of Defense; Mr. Assen Gagauzov, Minister of Regional Development; Mrs. Vessela Lecheva, Minister of Sport; Mr. Kiril Ananiev, Deputy Minister of Finance; Bogdan Nikolov, President of the Bulgarian Motorcycling Federation.

The FIM Off Road Awards will be broadcast on TV by channels such as Eurosport2, AB Moteurs,  Sportitalia, VRT, Sport TV, Extreme Sports, Drive TV, FOX Sports World, FOX Sports, Outdoor Channel, Teledeporte, Moto TV, Five, Supersport, Galaxie Sport. More info on the schedules can be found in the TV coverage section of the FIM Motocross and SuperMoto World Championships official websites, or by clicking here.

Giuseppe Luongo, President of Youthstream, said: “What a great night it was! I am very happy about this third edition of the FIM Off Road Awards and it was great to have so many guests from all over the world, including a significant presence of the worldwide press, especially the American journalists. This season was extremely satisfactory, with great organizers, such as Bulgaria, with great riders, such as World Champions Steve Ramon, Antonio Cairoli, Adrien Chareyre, Women’s World Cup Winner Katherine Prumm, but the list is long and includes also the European Champions. I thank the FIM, the UEM, all the National Federations and the local organizers for the precious collaboration during the year, I am already looking forward to a great 2008 season.”

Dr. Wolfgang Srb, FIM/CMS President, stated: “This celebration was full of style and dignity, it was a pleasure to attend it. Giuseppe Luongo was so moved at this FIM Off Road Awards, especially when he called the legends of our sport on the stage, and this demonstrates how much passion there is in this business. He loves so much what he does, and it was impossible for him not to be emotional when he called Michele Rinaldi, Eric Geboers, Jean Michel Bayle, Dave Thorpe and Roger De Coster on the stage.”

The list of the awarded riders includes:

The 2007 Motocross Champions:
·        FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPION MX1 class, Steve Ramon (BEL)
·        FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPION MX2 class, Antonio Cairoli (ITA)
·        FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPION MX3 class, Yves Demaria (FRA)
·        FIM MOTOCROSS OF NATIONS WINNER, Team USA-Ricky Carmichael, Ryan Villopoto, Tim Ferry
·        JAN DE GROOT AWARD WINNER, Tommy Searle (GBR)
·        FIM WOMEN MOTOCROSS WORLD CUP WINNER, Katherine Prumm (NZL)
·        FIM VETERAN MOTOCROSS WORLD CUP WINNER Senior class, Dave Thorpe (GBR)
·        FIM VETERAN MOTOCROSS WORLD CUP WINNER Veteran class, Tony Cooksley (NZL)
·        FIM JUNIOR MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPION 125cc class, Blake Wharton (USA)
·        FIM JUNIOR MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPION 85cc class, Ken Roczen (GER)
·        FIM SNOWCROSS WORLD CHAMPION, Peter Ericson (SWE)
·        FIM FREESTYLE MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPION, Ailo Gaup (NOR)
·        FIM SIDECAR MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPION ( driver), Daniel Willemsen (NED)
·        FIM SIDECAR MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPION ( passenger), Reto Grutter (SWI)
·        UEM MOTOCROSS EUROPEAN CHAMPION EMX2 class, Gautier Paulin (FRA)
·        UEM MOTOCROSS EUROPEAN CHAMPION EMX Open class, Vitaly Tonkov (RUS)
·        UEM MOTOCROSS EUROPEAN CHAMPION EMX2 Junior class, Klemen Gercar (SLO)
·        UEM MOTOCROSS EUROPEAN CHAMPION EMX 85cc class, Jason Clermont (FRA)
·        UEM MOTOCROSS EUROPEAN CHAMPION EMX 65cc class, Tim Gajser (CRO)

The 2007 SuperMoto Champions:
·        FIM SUPERMOTO WORLD CHAMPION S1 class, Adrien Chareyre (FRA)
·        FIM SUPERMOTO WORLD CHAMPION S2 class, Gerald Delepine (BEL)
·        FIM SUPERMOTO OF NATIONS WINNER, Team France - Thomas Chareyre, Adrien Chareyre, Thierry Van Den Bosch
·        MARCEL SEURAT AWARD WINNER, Thomas Chareyre (FRA)
·        UEM SUPERMOTO EUROPEAN CHAMPION S3 class, Baptiste Rheims (FRA)
·        UEM SUPERMOTO EUROPEAN CHAMPION OPEN  class, Petr Vorlicek (CZE)  
·        UEM SUPERMOTO EUROPEAN CUP WINNER S3 class, Alexander Georgiev (BUL)           
·        UEM SUPERMOTO EUROPEAN CUP WINNER OPEN  class, Gyorgy Kokenyesi (HUN)           

The 2007 Manufacturers World Champions:
·        FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPION MANUFACTURER MX1 class, Suzuki
·        FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPION MANUFACTURER MX2 class, Yamaha
·        FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPION MANUFACTURER MX3 class, KTM
·        FIM SUPERMOTO WORLD CHAMPION MANUFACTURER S1 class, Husqvarna
·        FIM SUPERMOTO WORLD CHAMPION MANUFACTURER S2 class, Aprilia
·        FIM SIDECAR MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPION MANUFACTURER, VMC

The 2007 World Championship Winning Teams:
·        FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MX1 class, Team Suzuki WMX GP
·        FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MX2 class, Team Yamaha De Carli
·        FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MX3 class, Team Yamaha Demaria
·        FIM SUPERMOTO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP S1 class, Team Corse Husqvarna Azzalin
·        FIM SUPERMOTO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP S2 class, Team Corse Husqvarna Azzalin

Special awards were given to:
·        Pleven, Bulgaria, as the SuperMoto Best Organizer
·        Sevlievo, Bulgaria, as the Motocross Best Organizer
·        Mr. Dirk De Neve, FIM/CMS Coordinator, for his Contribution to the Sport
·        Mr. Jan Hvam of Randers Motor Sport, as the MX3 FIM Motocross World Championship Best Organizer with the Danish round in Randers
·        Mr. Laurent Banide, former AS Monaco Trainer
·        Mr. Ray Archer, of Ray Archer Photography, as the Photographer of the Year
·        Mr. Danilo Boccadolce, President of DBO Organization, for the Ristorante Italiano
·        Mr. Roger De Coster, for his Career
·        Mr. Jean Michel Bayle, for his Career
·        Mr. Lex Valasakos, of Supercross.com, as the Best Motocross Website
·        Mr. Steve Cox, of Motocross Illustrated, as the Journalist of the Year
·        Mr. Edoardo Pacini, of MotocrossDigital, as the Best Digital Project
·        Moto Club Angerien, organizer of the MXGP of France at St. Jean D’ Angely, winner of the Motocross Environment Special Award
·        Mr. Jonathan Beasley, local organizer of the Red Bull FIM MXoN, winner of the Motocross of Nations Special Award
·        Mr. Pit Beirer, KTM’s Off Road Racing Activities Director, for his contribution to the research on spinal cord injuries

Youthstream is the company that manages the exclusive television, marketing and promotional world wide rights of the FIM Motocross World Championship, the FIM Motocross of Nations, the FIM SuperMoto World Championship, the FIM SuperMoto of Nations, the FIM Snowcross World Championship, the UEM Motocross European Championship and the UEM SuperMoto European Championship.
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