It’s here at last! The 2024 Motocross of Nations is getting ready to go at the epic Matterley Basin circuit, a happy hunting ground for New Zealand in the past.
Team New Zealand for 2024 – Hamish Harwood, Josiah Natzke and Brodie Connolly – will be hoping for another stellar performance this weekend like the one the Kiwis dished up at Matterley Basin in 2006 (when Josh Coppins, Cody Cooper and Ben Townley waved the silver fern flag, and are pictured here on the podium there 18 years ago. As a side note, you may spot Stefan Everts is holding a young Liam Everts in his arms, a young rider now featuring among the world’s MX2 elite and an original choice for Team Belgium in 2024 before he became injured).
This venue, near Winchester in the south of England, is set this weekend to host the event for the third time in history and perhaps that might be a good omen for the Kiwis, although their performance there in 2017 was not quite so good (New Zealand finishing 21st on that occasion with Cody Cooper, Hamish Harwood and Josiah Natzke, coming home second in the B Final on that occasion).
The rolling Hampshire valley is a perfect setting for the massive annual event this weekend, with visibility good all around the track, dramatic elevation changes and huge spectator areas which always create an incredible atmosphere for this monumental event.
Both of the previous MXoN races at this circuit featured winning teams – the USA in 2006 and France in 2017 – in the middle of a streak of victories for them, but also the venue has been famous for a handful of individual performances.
The 2006 event was the second of a seven-year run of team victories for Team USA, but the legend that is Belgium’s Stefan Everts, racing internationally for the final time, celebrated a famous double race win over the revered American James Stewart. That helped Team Belgium to second overall on that occasion, with Team New Zealand finishing in third.
In 2017, Team France took its fourth win in a run of five, but loudly cheered on also was local British hotshot Max Anstie, who defeated an in-form Dutchman Jeffrey Herlings in both of his races to help put Team Great Britain on the podium at home, behind Herlings’ Team Netherlands trio and the solid team effort from winning country France.
Since then, the past four editions of the FIM Motocross of Nations have all been won by the host nations.
Team Netherlands achieving a historical first win ever in the event, at Assen in 2019, then in 2021, Team Italy gave the legend of Antonio Cairoli his only career MXoN gold medal on home sand at Mantova.
Then Team USA ended an 11-year drought in the competition in impressive fashion, winning at their RedBud stronghold with massive home support.
Finally, last season, Team France triumphed in front of a massive home crowd at the incredible Ernee venue, aided by a 1-2 finish in the second race by Maxime Renaux and Tom Vialle.
It would probably be the shock of the century to see Team GB continue this trend this weekend with three riders who do not compete at GPs regularly, but, as always with the MXoN and with motocross in general, anything could happen.
Team France come in this year as defending champions and in fact they have won six of the past nine Motocross of Nations titles.
With exactly the same line-up as last year, Romain Febvre, Tom Vialle and Maxime Renaux will be wearing numbers 1, 2, and 3 and, despite an injury-interrupted year for the two 450 riders, Vialle has had a strong season in the USA and could be the glue that keep this winning combination together.
They are the only team with three world champions in their line-up, although, as with all of last year’s top four nations, none of them contain riders who have scored a GP win this season.
Team Australia features two of the biggest stars in motocross racing with brothers Jett Lawrence and Hunter Lawrence both on factory 450 Honda machinery, joined by top Australian championship rider Kyle Webster, and could well be the favourites for the event after finishing second last year.
It would be their first ever success at the MXoN.
Team Italy were surprise podium finishers at Ernee last year, and racing with numbers 7, 8, and 9 they return with the same trio that got them there in ’23.
Alberto Forato has been in good form since his return from injury, Andrea Adamo also finished on the podium in the final MX2 Grand Prix and has a point to prove after an otherwise disappointing season as defending 2023 MX2 world champion.
Andrea Bonacorsi had a promising first year in Grand Prix racing, switching from MX2 to MXGP early in the season and finishing tenth in the series.
They are an outside bet of getting there again, but all three are strong and consistent.
This weekend, Team USA is not among the favoured teams, although they have been historically the best nation of the competition with 23 titles.
Their line-up will be Aaron Plessinger, Eli Tomac and Cooper Webb, and they will want to win the first Chamberlain Trophy by Team USA in Europe since 2011 (when Ryan Dungey, Blake Baggett and Ryan Villopoto won the weekend at Saint-Jean-d’Angély, in France).
Team Germany brings back Ken Roczen once more to the MXoN after he took overall victory in the MXGP class last year and, joined by Simon Laengenfelder, he has a good MX2 rider with him as well.
Amazingly, Laengenfelder wasn’t even born when their Open class rider, Max Nagl, first competed at the MXoN, but the 37-year-old has dominated the German International Championship in his home country, and re-united with Roczen as two-thirds of their winning 2012 team. They could well rise to the podium.
Team Belgium have had a torrid end to the season with injuries, and at one point their participation looked to be in doubt, but Jago Geerts, Lucas Coenen and Brent van Doninck will line up at Matterley.
Both 450 riders have had injury-affected seasons, but Coenen will be looking to put a few 450s to shame with his blistering speed that saw him win the last three MX2 Grands Prix of the year.
Team Switzerland returns with one of the most experienced line-ups with Jeremy Seewer, Arnaud Tonus and Valentin Guillod, while Team Spain sees now double MXGP world champion Jorge Prado spearhead their campaign for the podium, with the same team-mates as last year in the shape of Oriol Oliver and Ruben Fernandez.
Team Slovenia and Team Great Britain were the other top ten teams last season, and five-time World Champion Tim Gajser will be keen to prove a point after narrowly losing the MXGP world crown a week ago.
Jan Pancar is a rising star capable of getting amongst the top guys as well. The home team bring veteran Tommy Searle back to the MXGP class, with 2017 Matterley winner Anstie coming across from the USA to get the home crowd roaring once more.
The enigma that is four-time British Champion Conrad Mewse, who has defeated Herlings in the UK this year, looks to bring his domestic pace to the MXoN for his home fans.
After a disastrous event in 2023, Team Netherlands wear numbers 52, 53, and 54 this year, but Herlings has been phenomenal at times this season and will be going all-out for a second MXoN win for his country, especially alongside new MX2 world champion Kay de Wolf and former MXoN winner Glenn Coldenhoff. The Dutch are deinitely contenders for the top positions.
This 77th edition of the event will see the huge participation teams, including the special team representing FIM Latin America, and other teams coming from different continents such as Rep of South Africa, Chile, Japan, Venezuela and Brazil. With pride, passion, and patriotism all on display, this will be a MXoN event unlike any other.
It is a mouth-watering prospect to see the top American and Australian stars battle with the MXGP and MX2 elite at this incredible one-off event – you do not want to be missing this one.
© Photo by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com
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Here are the teams entered for the 2024 MXoN:
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): Brent Van Doninck, 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 (11th in 2023): Gert Krestinov, Tanel Leok and Harri Kullas.
Latvia (12th in 2023): Karlis Reisulis, Mairis Pumpurs and Edvards Bidzans.
South Africa (13th in 2023): Tristan Purdon, Camden McLellan and Cameron Durow.
New Zealand (14th in 2023): Hamish Harwood, Josiah Natzke and Brodie Connolly.
Czech Republic (15th in 2023): 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.