Lommel ready to host the 2012 Monster Energy FIM MXoN

Lommel track panorama courtesy of Jamie Coppins from the Monster Energy viewing deck.

Team USA will give it all to add one more victory to their seventh winning streak. However, the Americans will have to fight hard against one of the toughest and most demanding sand tracks in the world, where the Belgian riders and many Europeans are very good at. Youthstream’s president, Mr Giuseppe Luongo, FIM/CMS Director, Dr Wolfgang Srb, and Mr Eric Geboers, former MXoN Team Belgium rider and head of the organizing committee, will give a warm welcome to all the media present at the event today, and some of the thirty four countries entered to the 66th edition of the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations will also be introduced to the media this afternoon. On Saturday all the riders will have the first contact with the track, which has been redesigned for this event, and after the three main heats on Sunday we will find out who conquers the prestigious Chamberlain Trophy this year.

On Sunday, the HRH Prince Philippe of Belgium and Duke of Brabant will come to Lommel to see the last and decisive race of the MXoN, and the winning team will have the honour to receive the Chamberlain Trophy by the hands of the Prince Philippe himself.

Former Team Belgium rider and current Team USA Manager, Roger De Coster, has been training hard with Ryan Dungey, Blake Baggett and Justin Barcia for more than a week on the sand, and last weekend they had the opportunity to race the MXoN soil of Lommel.



Team USA has been the most consistent team for the last decade, and it was actually in Lommel in 1981 where they won their first Chamberlain Trophy from the Belgian Team, who was the favourite for the trophy, so this year they have once again a huge responsibility to be as much consistent as possible to claim what it would be their 23rd Chamberlain Trophy.



Team Belgium is among the favourite squads to break the American’s winning streak, not only because they race home, but also because they are all sand specialist and they have all finished among the top five in the FIM Motocross World Championship. Clement Desalle, who is almost fully recovered from his hand injury, will represent his country in the MX1 class, whereas Jeremy Van Horebeek, who showed an amazing form during the sand MXGP of Benelux in Lierop some weeks ago, will represent Belgium in MX2. Ken De Dycker, who finished second behind Cairoli in Lierop, will be the Open class rider. In fact, it was actually this Dutch track of Lierop the one that saw Team Belgium obtain their last Chamberlain trophy back in 2004, so maybe the home team will be able to make history and win again on the sand.



Last year Team France, who was racing home, was on the second step of the podium, but they were really close to beat team USA. Christophe Pourcel was touched by bad luck and his bike stop in the last race and it stopped the team to conquer the Chamberlain Trophy. However, Gautier Paulin, who will represent again his country in the MX1 class, did an amazing performance last year by winning the second heat and finishing eighth in the last one. This year, Paulin will also count with the experience and talent of Marvin Musquin, who will represent France in MX2, and Xavier Boog, who will be the French representative in the Open class.



The third step of the podium last year was for Team Australia, thanks to the outstanding performances of Chad Reed and Brett Metcalfe. Reed got injured during the season and he is not at his 100%, so team manager Gary Benn had to select a completely new team. Lawson Bopping will represent the colours of his country in the MX1 class, while Luke Styke and Todd Waters will represent Australia in the MX2 and the Open class respectively.



Another team who has many chances to be fighting for the top three positions is Team Great Britain, whose last podium was back in 1997 in Nismes, Belgium. Tommy Searle will be representing the colours of the Union Flag in the MX1 class, while Jake Nicholls will try to finish among the top five riders as he did during the season in the MX2 class. For Max Ansitie it will be the first time for him to take part at the MXoN and he will do it on a 450 Honda machine.



Hubert Nagl, Team Germany’s manager, has selected the same team that was on the third step of the podium in the 2010 FIM Motocross of Nations, which took place in Lakewood, USA. However, the tactic will be different, as Max Nagl will be racing the MX1 class, instead of the Open class, which will be represented by Marcus Schiffer. The former 2012 MX2 Champion Ken Roczen will represent Germany in the MX2 class and he will do his best to finish in front of the 450cc bikes to give his country as many possibilities as possible to finish on the podium.



Team Holland's rider Jeffrey Herlings is known everywhere in the world as the fastest man on the sand, but this weekend he will have to prove his talent on the 350cc machine. The 2012 FIM MX2 World Champion is determined to win the both motos where he will take part in, and help his teammates Marc De Reuver and Glenn Coldenhoff to put Team The Netherlands as high as possible in the final Nations Classification.



The 2012 FIM MX1 World Champion Antonio Cairoli will represent Team Italy in the MX1 class, while Alessandro Lupino and Davide Guarneri will race in the MX2 and Open class respectively. Team Italy is determined to stop their bad luck streak and improve their last year’s sixteenth position. For the six-times world champion Cairoli Lommel is like his second home track, so he will be fully focus to win both heats. In fact, everybody is looking forward to watching Cairoli and Herlings racing together and seeing who will be the one claiming the final heat victory.

Team Austria will enter the 2012 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations counting with the current FIM MX3 World Champion, who will be leading the team in the Open class. Marco Schögler and Lukas Neurauter will represent the MX1 and MX2 class respectively.

Team Switzerland rider Arnaud Tonus will represent his country together with Jeremy Seewer and Valentin Guillod, one week after obtaining a podium finish in the final round of the FIM Motocross World Championship. Team Switzerland has one of the best MXoN Team ever and their goal is to finish among the top ten best nations, as they did already in Saint Jean d’Angely in 2011.

Team Russia will count this year with the strong riders Evgeny Bobryshev and Alexander Tonkov to improve their last year’s fifteenth position, while Team Puerto Rico will give it all to qualify for the main event with Gino Aponte in the MX1 class, Zach Osborne in the MX2 and James Albertson in the Open class.

Team New Zealand (sorry no photo) have a strong team led by Josh Coppins whose final farewell it is.  He is supported by Cody Cooper in the Open and youngster Kayne Lamont in MX2. 

Among the 34 teams taking part in this 66th edition of the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations, there are exotic countries like Japan, Thailand or Mongolia, which will all give their best to enter the main event on Sunday.

By clicking here you will be able to download the complete entry list of the 2012 Monster Energy FIM MXoN.

TIMETABLE
Saturday: Free Practice MX1 10:00; Free practice MX2 11:00; Free Practice Open 12:00; Qualifying Heat MX1 14:30; Qualifying Heat MX2 15:30; Qualifying Heat Open 16:30; Youthstream MX Awards 20:00.

Sunday: Warm-up B-Final 8:40; Warm-up MXoN Group 1 9:10; Warm-up MXoN Group 2 9:40; B-Final 11:00; MXoN Race 1 (MX1+MX2) 13:08; MXoN Race 2 (MX2+Open) 14:38; MXoN Race 3 (MX1+Open) 16:08.