With just over a week to go now until the Motocross of Nations, we are still not quite 100 percent sure who might be turning up for the greatest show on turf.
Injuries have forced changes on Team USA for the upcoming 2024 FIM Motocross of Nations (MXoN), set for Matterley Basin, in the United Kingdom, on the weekend of October 4-6.
The USA is traditionally one of the favoured nations, so it is kind of a big deal.
However, when just-turned 80-year-old USA team manager Roger de Coster (the multi-time former world champion who is, by the way, also a Belgian national) made the comment that perhaps “if one of those two guys (Eli Tomac and Cooper Webb) can’t go … we should give up” it sparked a social media frenzy.
Wow, Team USA not being about to send its best three or four riders from a bank of several million individuals and this is a valid reason to give up before the event has even started?
The biggest motocross country with most of professional riders and teams worldwide, with the biggest off-road bike market worldwide, giving up on going to the biggest race of the year, also an event at which they have excelled on so many occasions in the past, just sounds crazy.
Remember, countries such as the USA, France, Italy, Belgium and The Netherlands could probably name five or 10 combinations capable of winning the MXoN.
Great Britain is probably in that category too, but remember they are actually three countries (England, Scotland and Wales), so how is that fair anyway?
Virtually every other country in the world struggles each year to scratch around and find three world-class riders capable of challenging.
You didn’t hear Belgium complaining when injury recently forced rising star Liam Everts to withdraw from their line-up, before then being replaced by equally-talented world championship rider Jago Geerts.
The Netherlands had to make a late change too, replacing injured Calvin Vlaanderen with Glenn Coldenhoff.
New Zealand, population five million and with perhaps less than a dozen riders capable of racing even close to this level of competition, doesn’t complain either and, in fact, the Kiwis have regularly shown up, even if they could only form a “development squad”.
Okay, rant over, let’s take a look at who the USA now has to wave their flag in the UK next month … Aaron Plessinger, Eli Tomac and Cooper Webb.
First-choice MX2 rider Chance Hymas aggravated an existing knee injury at the first playoff round of the SuperMotocross World Championship in Concord, North Carolina.
The Team Honda HRC Progressive rider is getting surgery on it rather quickly, which means he’ll miss the race. Filling his spot is Webb, who will compete aboard a YZ250F in the MX2 class.
“I’m so excited to be headed to MXoN,” said Webb.
“It’s a fire drill situation and decision, but I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity. I’m excited for the opportunity to represent my country. Let’s do this!”
Another rider filling in for a fellow American is Eli Tomac. This comes as a result of Chase Sexton injuring his right hand in the opening moto of the SuperMotocross World Championship finale at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas.
Colorado’s Tomac has answered the call to once again serve as team captain of Team USA and line up in the MXGP class.
The 2024 FIM Motocross of Nations is quickly approaching, so it won’t be long before riders and team members from around the world descend upon Matterley Basin, near Winchester, for the greatest show on turf.
Here we have a list of entries so far for the MXoN 2024:
France (winners in 2023): Romain Febvre, Maxime Renaux and Tom Vialle.
Australia (2nd in 2023): Jett Lawrence, Hunter Lawrence and Kyle Webster.
Italy (3rd in 2023): Mattia Guadagnini, Andrea Adamo and Andrea Bonacorsi.
Germany (4th in2023): Ken Roczen, Simon Längenfelder and Max Nagl.
Belgium (5th in 2023): Sacha Coenen, Lucas Coenen and Jago Geerts.
Switzerland (6th in 2023): Jeremy Seewer, Arnaud Tonus and Valentin Guillod.
Spain (7th in 2023): Jorge Prado, Oriol Oliver and Rubén Fernández.
United States (8th in 2023): Aaron Plessinger, Eli Tomac and Cooper Webb.
Slovenia (9th in 2023): Tim Gajser, Jaka Peklaj and Jan Pancar.
Britain (10th in 2023): Tommy Searle, Max Anstie and Conrad Mewse.
Estonia: Gert Krestinov, Tanel Leok and Harri Kullas.
Latvia: Karlis Reisulis, Mairis Pumpurs and Edvards Bidzans.
South Africa: Tristan Purdon, Camden McLellan and Cameron Durow.
New Zealand: Brodie Connolly, Hamish Harwood and Josiah Natzke.
Czech Republic: Petr Polák, Julius Mikula and Jakub Terešák.
Brazil: Fabio Santos, Enzo Lopes and Bernardo Tiburcio.
Finland: Emil Weckman, Sampo Rainio and Jere Haavisto.
The Netherlands: Jeffery Herlings, Kay de Wolf and Glenn Coldenhoff.
Sweden: Isak Gifting, Arvid Lüning and Alvin Östlund.
Portugal: Luís Outeiro, Sandro Lobo and Paulo Alberto.
Slovakia: Tomáš Kohút, Jaroslav Katriňák and Pavol Repčák.
Lithuania: Domantas Jazdauskas, Marius Adomaitis and Erlanda Mackonis.
Canada: Dylan Wright, Kaven Benoit and Jess Pettis.
Chile: Sergio Villaronga, Benjamin Garíb and Diego Rojas.
Ireland: Cole McCullough, Martin Barr and Jason Meara.
Croatia: Matija Kelana, Matija Sterpin and David Petanjek.
Iceland: Mani Pétursson, Eiour Palmarsson and Alexander Kuc.
Poland: Jakub Barczewski, Jakub Kowalski and Damian Zdunek
Greece: Panagiotis Kouzis, Dimitrios Bakas and Christos Kotoulas.
Norway: Kevin Horgmo, Hakon Fredriksen and Cornelius Tøndel.
Japan: Haruki Yokoyama, Yuki Okura and Kainosuke Oshiro.
Denmark: Mikkel Haarup, Mads Fresoe and Nicolai Skovbjerg.
Romania: Krisztian Tompa, Zoltan Ordog and George Căbăl.
Uganda: Fortune Emmanuel Sentamu, Stav Orland and Ali Omar Waleed Al-Muzahim.
Austria: Michael Sandner, Michael Kratzer and Marcel Stauffer.
Venezuela: Anthony Rodriguez, Lorenzo Locurcio and Daniel Bortolin.
Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com
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