Press Release

The FIM Motocross World Championship kicks off in Valkenswaard this weekend


 VALKENSWAARD
(The Netherlands), 04 April 2012 – Everything is ready for the FIM
Motocross World Championship comeback this Easter weekend in
Valkenswaard, the Netherlands. The Dutch track will not only host the
first Grand Prix out of sixteen of the MX1 and MX2 classes, but also
the first round of the FIM MX3 World Championship and the first round
of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship.

MX1
defending Champion Antonio Cairoli is fully fit to dispute the first
GP of the season and start the year with the red plate on his KTM.
But there is a long list of MX1 Title contender that will not leave
things easy for the Italian. Steven Frossard, Clement Desalle, Evgeny
Bobryshev, Christophe Pourcel, David Philippaerts or even the rookie
Gautier Paulin are some of the names among the bets. 

In
the MX2 class, instead, there is a clear favourite, Jeffrey Herlings,
as last year he was the only one to be able to stop Roczen’s
hegemony. However, everything can happen this season and it could be
the year of British Tommy Searle, American Zach Osborne or the young
Swiss talent Arnaud Tonus. 

MX1
In
his third year on his revolutionary KTM 350cc, Antonio Cairoli faces
this 2012 season with the same motivation as always, regain the MX1
Title. Last year the Italian did not have a good beginning, but after
a great pre-season campaign, Cairoli feels really confident to start
the Championship with a victory. Besides, the five times World
Champion has 4 GP wins in Valkenswaard under his belt, which proves
how much comfortable he feels on the sandy and demanding track of
Valkenswaard. 

Monster Energy Yamaha’s Frossard enters
his second year in the MX1 class as one of the strongest rivals for
the multiple champion Cairoli. The French was the big surprise in
2011 after being the runner up of the championship in his first year
in the MX1 class, but the French will start the new season with the
same goal as last year, which was to have fun on his Yamaha and try
to be as much consistent as possible to be at the top at the end of
the season. 

For Clement Desalle the 2011 campaign
finished sooner than expected due to several injuries on his
shoulders and ended third in the MX1 standings. But the Rockstar
Energy Suzuki World MX1 rider is more motivated than ever to stop the
Italian Champion to win another MX1 Title. Valkenswaard is not one of
Desalle’s favourite tracks, but he will give his best to get the
red plate on his Suzuki machine after this first GP as he did last
year in Bulgaria. This year the Belgian rider counts with one of the
most experienced riders in his team, the Estonian Tanel Leok, who has
adapted himself really fast on the new Suzuki and he is determined to
improve his 2011 12th position in the Championship. 

Another
revelation in 2011 was Russian Evgeny Bobryshev, who claimed his
maiden GP in Germany, he was six times on the podium and he finished
fourth in the point standings. Having full support from Honda Japan,
Honda World Motocross’ Bobryshev and his teammate Rui Gonçalves
are determined to be among the top five MX1 riders.

2008 FIM
MX1 World Champion David Philippaerts will make his comeback in the
FIM Motocross World Championship this weekend after his long absence
due to a serious injury on both wrists, which made him b away from
the tracks for several months. Philippaerts is fully fit again and is
looking forward to be back at the track measuring his talent with the
best motocross riders in the world. 

Christophe Pourcel,
who took part in some GP last year, will race for the Title this 2012
season together with his brother Sebastien Pourcel in the CP377
Monster Energy Kawasaki Pro Circuit team.

The Kawasaki Racing
Team will count one more year with the French rider Xavier Boog and
for this 2012 season they have a very strong incorporation to the
team who can even bring the MX1 title to the green squad, the French
rider Gautier Paulin. During the last two years he has been showing
his great potential in the MX2 class, but when he was really shining
was on the MX1 bike obtaining his maiden MX1 GP win at his first try
last year in Fermo, Italy, and performing really well in the MXoN on
the 450cc bike. Undoubtedly, his name is among the MX1 Title
contenders this 2012 season. 

Spanish Jonathan Barragán
has joined the LS Honda Racing Team and Ken De Dycker, who was
originally his teammate, will race the first five Grand Prix of the
season in the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team replacing Max Nagl,
who is still recovering from his back injury. At the same time, Shaun
Simpson has moved to the Monster Energy Yamaha squad and Davide
Guarneri will wear the colours of the KTM Silver Action team. 

2011
MX1 Podium in Valkenswaard

1.
Antonio Cairoli
2. Max Nagl
3. David Philippaerts
2011 MX1
POLEMAN: Max Nagl

All
the Grand Prix Photos available here 


MX2
Red
Bull KTM Factory’s Jeffrey Herlings enters the 2012 season as the
clear favourite to claim the MX2 Title. In fact, the season could not
start better for the young Dutch rider, as this new campaign begins
at his home track of Valkenswaard and he will be able to race in
front of his crowd and place the red plate on his KTM already after
the first GP. His teammate Jeremy Van Horebeek did not have a very
fortunate season last year due to several injuries, but the Belgian
is very motivated to do well this season and so is his new teammate
Jordi Tixier. 

Another strong contender for the MX2 Title
will be the Brit Tommy Searle, who finished in a solid third position
last year in his comeback to the FIM MX2 World Championship. Searle,
who will ride for team Floride Monster Energy Kawasaki Pro Circuit,
only missed the podium in four occasions and he obtained two GP wins,
results that prove his potential to be fighting for the MX2 Title
this season. Belgian Joel Roelants will join the British rider in the
Kawasaki team. 

Max Ansite has joined the new Honda
Gariboldi ESTA team and he will try to improve his 2011 sixth
position in the point standings. His teammate will be the young
Russian Aleksandr Tonkov.

The Monster Energy Yamaha structure
counts with three of the strongest riders in the MX2 class, Arnaud
Tonus, Zach Osborne and Christophe Charlier, but all of them got
injured right before the start of the season and they are all likely
to miss the first GP of the year. 

On the other hand, the
Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe team has been completely renovated and
for this 2012 season Finnish Harri Kullas and Bulgarian Petar Petrov
will wear the Suzuki colours and will race to be among the top ten
riders in the MX2 class. 

Italian Alessandro Lupino will
ride his second year in a row for the Husqvarna Ricci Racing Team and
he is very motivated to do well this 2012 specially after having had
such a successful preseason. This year his teammate will be Belgian
Nick Triest, but he will not take part in the first GP because he is
recuperating from a crash he suffered some days ago. 

Another
team full of potential and young talents in the MX2 paddock is the
Nestaan JM Racing KTM, with Glenn Coldenhoff, who will make his debut
in the team on his home soil, Pascal Rauchenecker and Jake
Nicholls.

UEM EMX-125 Champion Simone Zecchina and the UEM
EXM-2 Champion Romain Fevre will make their debut in the MX2 class
this weekend in Valkenswaard after having achived the European Titles
last year. 

2011
MX2 Podium in Valkenswaard

1.
Jeffrey Herlings
2. Ken Roczen
3. Tommy Searle
2011 MX2
POLEMAN: Jeffrey Herlings

All
the Grand Prix Photos available here 


TIMETABLE
Sunday: WMX
Free Practice 7:30; MX3 Free Practice 1 Group A 8:10; MX3 Free
Practice 1 Group B 8:40; MX2 Free Practice 9:30; MX1 Free Practice
10:15; WMX Pre-Qualifying Practice 11:00; MX3 Free Practice 2 Group A
12:15; MX3 Free Practice 2 Group B 12:45; MX2 Pre-Qualifying Practice
13:15; MX1-Pre Qualifying Practice 14:00; WMX Qualifying Race 15:30;
MX2 Qualifying Race 16:10; MX1 Qualifying Race 17:00; MX3 Qualifying
Practice Group A 17:40; MX3 Qualifying Practice Group B 18:10; WMX
Race 1 18:50.

Monday: MX3
Start Test Session Group 1 7:45; MX3 Start Test Session Group 2 7:55;
MX3 Warm up 8:00; WMX Warm up 8:30; MX2 Warm up 9:00; MX1 Warm up
9:30; WMX Race 2 10:10; MX3 Race 1 11:10; MX2 Grand Prix Race 1
12:10; MX1 Grand Prix Race 1 13:10; MX2 Grand Prix Race 2 15:03; MX1
Grand Prix race 2 16:03; MX3 Race 2
18:00.

LINKS
Youthstream
FIM 
Grand
Prix of The Netherlands


Photo:
Valkenswaard is ready for the start of the season





FOR
MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
 

Ms.
Marionna Leiva | Youthstream Media Manager | Mobile: +34 629 20 97 83
| Email: media@youthstream.org 

Brought
to you by Youthstream. Watch the 2012 FIM MX1/MX2/MX3 and Women’s
World Championships, the 2012 FIM SuperMoto World Championship and
the 2012 FIM Snowcross World Championship races LIVE and delayed on
mx-life.tv - www.mx-life.tv





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