Motocross
Motocross fans, get in gear for the MXGP season you’ve all been waiting for
The 2021 MX world championship starts this weekend, bringing you everything you love about international motocross as well as rookie riders and new tracks.
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The 2021 FIM Motocross World Championship season begins in the heat of the Black Sea in Russia before heading to muddier ground at Matterley Basin in the UK, so let's take a quick look ahead at what's to come.
Jeffrey Herlings won the Dutch MXGP in 2020
© Samo Vidic/Red Bull Content Pool
Old favourites and exciting new circuits
With a wealth of great tracks to choose from, the Italian rounds have a new look. Mantova hosts the MX of Nations, which gives a space to bring back the fan favourite Maggiora, while Riola Sardo replaces Trentino. The Sardinian track will be familiar to many of the riders after they raced there in the Internazionali d’Italia MX earlier this year.
Jeffrey Herlings takes time out from pre-season training
© KTM Images/Red Bull Content Pool
The Bullet is on target
The fastest rider in the championship, Jeffrey Herlings is back from a long series of injuries and ready to race. He looked unstoppable and hungry in pre-season, winning on his return to competition at the MXGB round in Lyng and again ahead of home favourite Romain Febvre at Ernée in the French Elite championship. It's been two long years mostly spent on the sidelines for the Dutch star after blowing his rivals away in the 2018 MXGP season.
Jorge Prado won in the MXGP class in his rookie season
© Samo Vidic/Red Bull Content Pool
Prado gets his championship chase in gear
Having taken the 2018 and '19 MX2 World Championships by storm, Jorge Prado stepped up to MXGP for 2020 and showed that even at only 20-years-old he has more than enough in the tank to win the premier class world championship.
Spain's most decorated motocross rider started his rookie season still recovering from a broken leg but after using the quarantine time after round two at Valkenswaard to recover, he came back to take three wins and eight podiums overall. He also proved he's the best starter in the class, winning more holeshots than any other rider.
12 min
Revisit the intense 2020 season
Look back at the highlights of the 2020 season and hear from Tony Cairoli, Jeffrey Herlings and Jorge Prado.
Gajser chasing a hat-trick for HRC
Reigning world champion Tim Gajser is looking for a hat-trick of MXGP titles with Honda's factory squad and while he's under no illusion that he faces stiff competition, the Slovenian has the consistency, speed and backing to do it again. Gajser burst into MXGP, coming into the series as MX2 champion and won the MXGP title as a rookie, before winning back-to-back crowns in 2019 and 2020. Can he make it a hat-trick?
Gasjer's backed by the highly-rated Australian Mitch Evans, who was injured at the start of the year, but has the skill and experience to challenge the front runners.
Tony Cairoli and his long-time team manager Claudio De Carli
© Samo Vidic/Red Bull Content Pool
Another chapter in Cairoli's legend
No one has scored more points or been on more podiums in the FIM Motocross World Championship than Tony Cairoli, who completes the KTM dream team. With nine world titles and 92 wins to his name, he's another rider eyeing that record haul.
Five's a charm for Jeremy Seewer?
Swiss star Jeremy Seewer is MXGP's Mr Consistency having finished runner-up in the championship four times, including twice to Gajser in the last two seasons. Last year, the Yamaha rider – who hasn't missed a race since his debut in 2014 – broke through with his first race win and Grand Prix triumph and after a strong pre-season believes he has the momentum to mount a challenge.
The MXGP rookies
Two outstanding new riders move up from MX2 for this season's campaign – Husqvarna's Thomas Kjer Olsen and Yamaha’s Ben Watson. The big Dane looked the part riding 450s and keeping pace with the experienced Romain Febvre, as the 2015 world champ triumphed in the superfinal of the Internazionali d’Italia MX. Watson meanwhile, who joins a strong Yamaha squad alongside Seewer and Glenn Coldenhoff, also looks impressive, matching Herlings's points haul at the Lyng British Championship race.
Tom Vialle celebrates his MX2 world title
© Samo Vidic/Red Bull Content Pool
Battle lines are drawn in MX2
Defending MX2 champion Tom Vialle seems to get better with every race and looks on top form after comfortably winning the warm up in the French Elite Motocross Championship at Ernée, where he beat Thibault Benistant. His team-mate René Hofer, who's rookie campaign was cut short by injury, has unfinished business in MX2.
Also in KTM colours is the highly-rated EMX250cc champion Mattia Guadagnini, who has both Tony Cairoli and his long-time team manager Claudio Di Carli in his corner as mentors. Vialle's arch-rival will again be Jago Geerts, who finished as the top MX2 rider in Sardinia, ahead of his new team-mate Maxime Renaux.
And finally… fans are back
It's only in limited numbers, but MX fans are allowed back to certain rounds, with 4,000 expected at rounds two and three, with more to be released if the conditions allow.
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