HEERDE (The Netherlands) 12 July 2024 – Most of the top teenage racers on the planet are heading to the Circuit Kamperweg Heerde in the heart of The Netherlands for the FIM Junior Motocross World Championships this weekend, and whilst we have seen successful events in Romania, Greece and Finland in recent years, the Dutch venue, in a classic sandy woodland setting, has attracted a massive entry of hopeful young riders who all hope to push their name forward as a future prospect in the sport.

Nearly 300 riders from 40 separate countries are entered for the event this weekend, with riders coming in from every continent, including entries from the USA, Columbia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Uganda, South Africa, Iran, Malaysia, Australia, and New Zealand.  They congregate on a superbly professional circuit that has seen World Championship Sidecarcross action in recent years, as well as hosting the World Junior Championships back in 2008, when a certain Dutch kid called Jeffrey Herlings took the 85cc title!  Frenchman Dylan Ferrandis also climbed the podium that day, and the 125cc class was won by Matiss Karro, with current Fantic Factory rider Glenn Coldenhoff in third!

Long-time fans of the sport will see familiar surnames as the next generation of riders comes through, such as Bervoets, Gundersen, Leok, Van Drunen and Townley! Local fans will have several favourites to cheer on as well, as nobody enjoys such a home advantage as the Dutch riders with their native sandy terrain, so look for such local heroes as Dani Heitink, Gyan Doensen, Dean Gregoire, and Dex van den Broek to get their home fans behind them!

While the individual winners will claim the title of World Junior Champion in the respective classes, there is also an overall team victory to be racing for, which was won last year by Italy, with The Netherlands a close second ahead of France.  For sure the local supporters will be making some noise to urge their team to go one better at Heerde!

This year the 125cc category features an incredible line-up that includes the entire top ten of the current EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Championships, including the series leader, hot Hungarian Noel Zanocz for the Fantic Factory Racing EMX125 squad and his teammate Simone Mancini, who lies third in EMX125 and was third in last year’s World Juniors event.  However, it’s certain that local hero and 2022 85cc World Junior Champ Gyan Doensen will draw the loudest cheers from the crowd!  The sandiest race of the year in EMX125 so far was in Sardegna, and it was Zanocz, Doensen, and French Yamaha hotshot Mano Faure who got on the podium there!

As well as the established 125cc regulars, the entire top three of last year’s World 85cc Championships are also in this year’s 125cc field! That includes Champion Dani Heitink, who lives less than an hour from this year’s venue, and one of those famous sons, Jarne Bervoets, who won the second race in Romania last season and has scored top five finishes in EMX125 this year.  Dutch ace Dean Gregoire was third in 85cc last year and also scored points in Sardegna. Last year’s 85cc British Champion Josh Vail was also fast on his EMX125 debut at Sardegna and could spring a surprise for SJP Moto KTM, as could his domestic rival, Yamaha-mounted Jamie Keith!  Last year’s EMX85 Champion, Italian Nicolo Alvisi, will also be gunning for glory in the unfamiliar sand!

Riders from overseas include the talented Koby Hantis, fresh from winning the Australian MX3 Championship for 14- to 18-year-old riders, although he has been used to a 250cc four-stroke Yamaha back home.  The USA is represented by Brennon Harrison, who finished 6th in last year’s Loretta Lynn’s youth Championship last year, and Chace Lawton has also set tongues wagging on his rise through the youth ranks.  South African teamsters Trey Cox and Tristan Durow both come from strong MX families and have been winning in their national Championships this year.

The 85cc category holds the largest entry of the weekend, with 108 riders all looking to qualify for the main races!  With last year’s top three all moving up, the new generation will be sweeping in to look for the top places, and many European countries have their young hopefuls right in the mix! The South West / South East zone EMX85 Semi-Final was dominated in early June by Italian Andrea Uccellini, ahead of French youngsters Kenzo Ferez and Leo Diss-Fenard. British star Hayden Statt won the North East / North West zone Semi-Final in Lithuania the following week, and leads his national series from Alfie Geddes-Green, who has multiple beach race wins to his name so will be at home in the sand! Race winners at the Lithuanian event, Lucas Leok from Estonia (and another big MX family!), and Latvian Jekabs Hudolejs should be right in the mix as well, with Leok looking for his second World Juniors title after taking the 65cc version in 2022!

Antipodean hopefuls include Seth Thomas, the Australian 85cc Champion, and New Zealand national Champion Levi Townley, whose younger brother Jaggar is also in the class (the pair are 14 and 12). Levi finished fourth in the Aussie series so should have good pace as well as the knowledge of his famous father Ben to draw from!  The USA fields multiple Loretta’s winner Easton Graves, who was second in the 65cc World Juniors last year and has carried his speed to the bigger bike. South African 65cc champion Evan Frost is also looking good in his move up to the 85cc class.

Photos: 1. 85cc Start 2023 2. 85cc Podium 2023

The 65cc class is usually a wildly unpredictable affair as the youngest riders get throttle-happy in search of their first taste of World Championship silverware! The South East / South West EMX65 Semi-Final saw a clean sweep for Croatian rider Roko Ivandici, although again the French kids filled the podium with Timotei Cez and Mathys Agullo.  The North-East / North West EMX65 Semi-Final saw two British riders win the races, in the shape of Cohen Jagielski and Jett Gardiner, although the overall victory was taken by German Husqvarna pilot Luca Nierychlo. Another Brit, John Slade, was incredible in the Arenacross series in the winter and could really spring a surprise, but the incoming racers from overseas will be a massive threat for the podium positions!

Jaydin Smart leads the charge for the Americans after he won at Loretta Lynn’s in 2023, so he will be looking for major success before he moves to an 85cc machine, and New Zealander Nico Verhoeven has also been sharpening his skills in the USA. Lewis-Jay Carafa and Mason Ezergailis secured first and third in the Australian national 65cc series earlier in the year, so will also be hoping to represent in green and gold at Heerde!

Later this evening, an Openin Ceremony at the circuit will officially launch this great event with the official riders’ and team’s presentation who will compete for the overall standings for their respective country. 

The MXGP-TV crew will be onsite this weekend in Romania to cover the junior event, with a special feature being aired on www.MXGP-TV.com in the following days after the event. You will also find plenty of video content from the event on MXGP’s YouTube channel. 

WEEKEND TIMETABLE (CEST)

SATURDAY: Timings Schedule to be confirmed later Friday 

SUNDAY: 09:00 Warm-up 65cc, 09:25 Warm-up 85cc, 09:50 Warm-up 125cc, 11:30 Race 1 65cc, 12:15 Race 1 85cc, 13:10 Race 1 125cc, 14:30 Race 2 65cc, 15:15 Race 2 85cc, 16:10 Race 2 125cc

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

Heerde

The FIM Ride Green Cup is a fun way to show our young riders the importance of incorporating sustainable practices into their sport and to give them all-round training on how to do it. Athletes are the ideal people to set an example and toraise awareness in their communities thanks to their popularity and performances. The programme is based on a theme always present in our World. This year we are following the2024 World Environmental Day motto: #GenerationRestoration which supports the Land Restoration, Desertification and Drought Resilience. The 2024 Ride Green Cup activities will take place over three rounds as follows.

Round one: A board displaying FIM Ride Green Cup competition information will be placed in the paddock. During the event, all team members, including riders, mechanics, and staff, are encouraged to demonstrate their commitment by signing the board and taking pictures or videos to be shared on Instagram using the specified hashtag. The jury will tally the number of likes on the posts/stories. The team with the highest number of likes and posts will be deemed the most influential and will win the round. The goal of this round is to raise awareness within the community and to become a positive influence among followers and fans.

Round two: This round is based on the team’s correct environmental management and compliance with the FIM Environmental Code including the appropriate use of the washing area, recycling points, use of the environmental mat, reduction of waste and noise, amongst others. Again, the jury will be evaluating each team.

Round three: The Heerde MX track is situated within a Natura 2000 protected area governed by the Birds Directive, which is home to ten protected bird species. The participants will be encouraged to share photos and videos promoting nature and biodiversity around the track, such as birds, insects, trees, rivers, lakes, and habitats again using the appropriate hashtags.

The jury will assess the submissions from all three rounds, and the participant with the highest score will be declared the winner of the Cup and will be awarded a place on the podium.

ABOUT THE FIM (www.fim-moto.com) 
The FIM (Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme) founded in 1904, is the governing body for motorcycle sport and the global advocate for motorcycling. The FIM is an independent association formed by 121 National Federations throughout the world. It is recognised as the sole competent authority in motorcycle sport by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). 
Among its 50 FIM World Championships the main events are MotoGP, Superbike, Endurance, Motocross, Supercross, Trial, Enduro, Cross-Country, Speedway and E-Bikes. Furthermore, the FIM is also active and involved in the following areas: public affairs, road safety, touring and protection of the environment. The FIM was the first international sports federation to impose an Environmental Code in 1994.

HEERDE (The Netherlands) 13th July 2024 – The opening day of the 2024 FIM Junior Motocross World Championships has come to an end with the starting gates being formed for tomorrow’s title-deciding races!  The best young riders from across the world gathered in the central Netherlands to show their speed against the clock, with those not qualifying automatically competing in Last Chance races to earn their spots on the gate tomorrow!

Due to adverse weather on Friday, the Opening Ceremony of the event took place this morning instead, hosted by the Chairman of the MSV NOV Gerrit-Jan Vierhuizen, with welcome speeches also from Infront Moto Racing MX Junior General Manager Patricia Maskarova, FIM CMS Director Antonio Alia Portela and the KNMV Motocross Co-ordinator Rinze Bremner.  There was also an invitation from Adrian Raduta the Organiser of the Motocross of European Nations event, scheduled for the 15th of September at Bucharest in Romania!

With the Qualification sessions being held with intermittent showers, which made the sandy circuit a fair bit heavier, the two 125cc groups showed that the EMX125 Championship regulars were looking strong.  Finn Kasimir Hindersson put his KTM to the top of Group A with a lap time of 2:12.925, a good margin ahead of Northern Irish Fantic Factory Racing EMX125 racer Cole McCullough, with local ace Dani Heitink taking third.  Group B was topped by McCullough’s teammate, and EMX125 series leader, Noel Zanocz from Hungary, with a 2:11.647 just a fraction ahead of his usual rival, rising Dutch star Gyan Doensen! Spaniard Francisco Garcia took third in the group. 

The 85cc class was so heavily populated that it had to run with three groups!  Austrian Moritz Ernecker claimed the fastest time of 2:22.238 in Group A, over three seconds clear of fellow GASGAS pilot Bodie Court from Australia! Danish Yamaha rider Casey Karstrom claimed third in Group A ahead of EMX85 top qualifier Hayden Statt from the UK.

French GASGAS rider Sleny Goyer topped Group B with a time of 2:25.735, with another Dane Soren Winther in second and Austrian Ricardo Bauer in third. Two famous “sons of” finished first and second in Group C, with Lucas Leok from Estonia fastest with a 2:23.758.Levi Townley from New Zealand took second, and Latvian Jekabs Hudolejs in third.

The youngest riders of them all in the 65cc class had two groups, with AMA rivals Nico Verhoeven from New Zealand with a 2:40.476 and Jaydin Smart from the USA taking first and second in Group A ahead of French flyer Mathys Agullo. Group B was topped by Brit Cohen Jagielski with a 2:53.157 on a wetter circuit, 3.3 seconds faster than second-placed rider Roko Ivandic from Croatia, with Dutch rider Scott van den Boomen in third.

Last Chance races were held towards the end of the day to fill the final positions on all of the full gates for tomorrow, with Spaniard Bruno Miro winning in the 125s, the USA’s Braxtyn Mes taking the 85cc victory, and local ace Kristofer Valk bringing home the 65cc class win.

With the riders now knowing what Dutch sand is really all about, and the mechanical adjustments being prepared for tomorrow, the weather forecast looks good for a drier circuit and great day’s racing to decide who will be named as World Junior Champions through Sunday’s races!

The MXGP-TV crew will be onsite this weekend in The Netherlands to cover the Junior event, with a special feature being aired on www.MXGP-TV.com in the following days after the event. You will also find plenty of video content from the event on MXGP’s YouTube channel. 

WEEKEND TIMETABLE (CEST)

SUNDAY: 09:00 Warm-up 65cc, 09:25 Warm-up 85cc, 09:50 Warm-up 125cc, 11:30 Race 1 65cc, 12:15 Race 1 85cc, 13:10 Race 1 125cc, 14:30 Race 2 65cc, 15:15 Race 2 85cc, 16:10 Race 2 125cc

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

Heerde