With the 2023 MXGP season moving closer and closer, all the leading riders are making sure their preparation is perfect for the opening round of the season in Argentina on March 12.
While the major names in the Motocross World Championships will get a lot of attention in 2023, there will also be a long list of nationalities that might play the supporting role to the likes of Tim Gajser, Jeffrey Herlings, Romain Febvre and Jeremy Seewer.
Of course, being the FIM Motocross World Championship there is a long list of riders, from all over the world and when Slovenian rider Gajser goes to the line at the Patagonia circuit, he will be lining up with riders from dozens of other nations, making this a true World Championship.
Italy has the most of the MXGP riders with Mattia Guadagnini, Alessandro Lupino, Alberto Forato, Nicholas Lapucci and Ivo Monticelli while the French, who will have names such as Febvre, Maxime Renaux, Benoit Paturel and Stephen Rubini, the Dutch, with Herlings, Glenn Coldenhoff and Brian Bogers. Spain has the brilliant services of two factory riders in GasGas star Jorge Prado and in HRC team rider Ruben Fernandez, while Switzerland will see Seewer, Kevin Brumann and Valentin Guillod putting their names on the line.
Several nations have single riders lining up, from Australia with Mitch Evans, Latvia with Pauls Jonass, Belgium with Brent Van Doninck, South Africa with Calvin Vlaanderen, England with Ben Watson, Sweden with Alvin Östlund, Estonia with Hardi Roosiorg.
Wild card riders will be from Germany, with Tom Koch, Maximilian Spies and Henry Jacobi, from England with Adam Sterry, from the Netherlands with Davy Pootjes and from South Africa with Tristan Purdon.
No doubt when we’ll travel to Argentina, Indonesia, Vietnam or even Turkey there will be local riders enjoying their Grand Prix experiences, as will locals from any of the European rounds of the 2023 championship.
Last year, half a dozen riders from Argentina raced their home Grand Prix, while riders from Venezuela, Uruguay and Chile also raced the beautiful MXGP of Patagonia-Argentina track.
For the Indonesian rounds we always get a handful of local riders and a few Australians flying over to race that event.
What the overseas rounds bring in 2023, it is too early to tell how many locals might sign up, however with national championships in Argentina, Vietnam and Indonesia growing each year, you just know we are going to be surprised by the performances of the locals for these “fly-aways” (GP events outside of Europe).
So, with the 2023 series starting with the MXGP of Patagonia-Argentina on March 12 and ending at Matterley Basin on October 15, keep an eye on the entry lists as our sport continues to grow around the world and, on many occasions, racing in countries that have never had the experience of the FIM Motocross World Championships.
Words courtesy Infront Moto Racing
© Photo by Bridget McGechan, BikesportNZ
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