#18: MXGP of China

No EMX125 and EMX250. A missed opportunity.

These title chases are mirroring AMA; epic build up with some awesome racing, so much promise, but dropping off on the excitement factor right at the end. 
However that doesn’t take anything away from the deserving champions. The best man has won in all, so far.

MX2 still to be decided, where nothing’s over until it’s done.

The rumor is Gajser and Fernandez will both skip the last two GP's.

That would be pathetic and a bad look for Yamaha. Same as Lata not being allowed(?) to race the final three GP’s. You’re a factory rider, signed a contract and now the team decides to just not sign up? 

In both cases the rider decided to not go. Fernandez is riding around with 3 injuries. Gajser no idea why. Again it's a rumor so I guess we need to wait a few days  for us to know if they will or will not go.

A rider will tough it out to race in his own back yard, relatively speaking, but to do 3 Long Hauls, when you are feeling the pain from other crashes, what would be the point really? 

Any rumors about Fernández's future? Yamaha MXGP? Brazil?

Lata made the choice himself not to go, apparently...

The weird things is that Lata departure of Ktm group wasnt pretty and even he wrote something on Instagram...

Is Ping racing this weekend?  I remember he scored a nice little chunk of world championship points a few years ago while getting lapped like 7 times per race, lol.  

Bonacorsi out for the last 2 GP’s

Will it get down to single digits on the gate for MXGP?.....yikes.

I read somewhere that he has signed with Yamaha Kemea, with Gajser.

Confirmed now, both out.

Ivo Monticelli replacing Isak Gifting at JK Yamaha for China & Australia.

Certainly a variation of a KTM chassis and engine, circa 2017/18, with plastics from newer models. 

Complete with Honda seat cover.

Really curious to see how the new Chinese bikes get on and I’m looking forward to seeing them in the flesh this weekend. Not too sure about how the track will be, but it’ll be an experience either way

More riders in MX2 than MXGP, not a usual sight. After free practice i am kinda positively surprized with Brian Hsu on JHL. Was expecting 10+ seconds gap to first. Brian is good rider but i would still expect him to be 4 seconds a lap slower than Herlings on equal machinery. We will see.

China archives results 

2024 MX2 

1-1 = Lucas Coenen
3-2 = Kay De Wolf 
2-3 = Simon Längenfelder 
5-4 = Mikkel Haarup 
6-5 = Andrea Adamo 
7-8 = Camden Mc Lellan 
10-6 = Thibault Benistant 
9-7 = Karlis Reisulis 
4-17 = Liam Everts 
12-9 = Ferruccio Zanchi 

2024 MXGP 

2-1 = Jorge Prado Garcia 
1-3 = Romain Febvre 
3-4 = Jeffrey Herlings 
4-6 = Ruben Fernandez 
8-5 = Jan Pancar 
5-8 = Glenn Coldenhoff 
17-2 = Tim Gajser
7-10 = Kevin Horgmo 
9-9 = Mattia Guadagnini 
12-7 = Andrea Bonacorsi 

2025 MX2 

1-3 = Sacha Coenen 
4-1 = Andrea Adamo 
3-2 = Simon Längenfelder 
2-4 = Kay De Wolf 
7-6 = Camden Mc Lellan 
6-7 = Liam Everts 
8-6 = Guillem Farres 
5-11 = Valerio Lata
9-8 = Rick Elzinga 
10-10 = Karlis Reisulis 

2025 MXGP 

1-1 = Jeffrey Herlings 
2-2 = Tim Gajser 
5-3 = Ruben Fernandez 
4-4 = Romain Febvre 
3-6 = Maxime Renaux
10-5 = Calvin Vlaanderen 
8-8 = Andrea Bonacorsi 
7-9 = Glenn Coldenhoff 
6-12 = Pauls Jonass
15-7 = Jago Geerts

Well, that Big  Sef Efrican, Cam McLellan, just qualified fastest.

Boomslang will be happy.

Pretty cool - he's one for the future, especially when he's forced up to 450s. 

Farres 2nd , Sacha 3rd.

Track - people will bitch about it here, but it's on flat land, so you make  of it with what you've got.

A permanent facility, it appears - at least for the GP 'contract' timeline.

And, a  better race track than that SX track this weekend , that's touted as an 'SMX' track - like WTF, where's the MX part of it? I await the squeals of indignation ........ 

Fly Aways need to be much earlier in the season, AND, have Serious, Real levels of travel cost support. But no, the Luongos and InFront, just keep all the money from Monster etc, for themselves - pricks, the lot of them!

Time practice 

MX2 

1.41.363 = Camden Mc Lellan 
1.42.310 = Guillem Farres 
1.42.627 = Sacha Coenen 
1.42.960 = Simon Längenfelder 
1.43.750 = Liam Everts 
1.43.751 = Janis Reisulis 
1.43.952 = Karlis Reisulis 
1.44.293 = Maxime Grau 
1.45.263 = Julius Mikula 
1.45.872 = Kay Karssemakers 

MXGP 

1.38.950 = Jeffrey Herlings 
1.40.122 = Romain Febvre 
1.41.595 = Pauls Jonass 
1.41.605 = Calvin Vlaanderen 
1.41.652 = Tom Vialle 
1.41.676 = Jago Geerts 
1.42.032 = Jeremy Seewer
1.42.131 = Andrea Adamo
1.42.144 = Jan Pancar 
1.42.702 = Dylan Walsh

Impressive time from Walsh, makes me wonder how Beaton could've done if he would've gone

The layout isn't great but the environment around the track is really nice, makes for better viewing

Dylan Walsh. Another guy capable of doing MXGP’s, but having to do other championships to make some money. I remember him om the UK Husky team (forgot their name) with their sick Seven gear. And later on he had some great rides as a fill in rider on the JM Honda

Does anyone know what's going on with Oriol Oliver?

The system is clearly not working. 

Having said that if you are a decent fast rider and willing to make the trip Infront actually helps with a bunch of kg free shipping. You can get your bikes without cost at the GP and no entry fee. It's why Braceras could race in Argentina at the start of the year. It still leaves you with the cost of staying abroad for over a week, a mechanic, parts that you use, etc. But in itself that isnt the issue if it was like a stand-alone event. 

The issue is that the privateers and small teams are allready having a very hard time to find the money to do most European rounds (next year 16 EU GP is 40.000 km if you are centrally located) so the budget is gone. Once you do 10+ GPs the mechanic cannot be a friend or dad because they can't stay away from work that long, so you are looking at a paid mechanic. Meaning a week in China is a lot of extra costs, with nothing to gain except experience being in Argentina or China for once. And this is all seen from the smallest setup with just 1 mechanic and the rider doing the tip. I dont think teams like van venrooy or SR Motoblouz are going with just 1 employee.

So long story short, this isnt just solved by Infront should pay the travel costs imo.