MXGP: First of Three Latvian Rounds Kicks Off MXGP Return

After almost precisely five months since the previous round of the 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship, MXGP gets back underway this weekend in Kegums, for the Latvian Grand Prix.

Presenting a different challenge to the previous two tracks the championship has visited this year, with a hard sand surface differentiating Kegums from Matterley Basin and an overall slower layout compared to Valkenswaard, the Latvian track will be an interesting place to restart the season. 

And it’s just as well, as three GPs will take place in Kegums in the space of one week. At least, for the riders, there is only one day of World Championship action per Grand Prix in the new weekend format for the remainder of 2020, with all of practice, qualifying (without a qualifying moto) and both races taking place on Sunday – or Wednesday for the mid-week race. Saturday, instead, will see the European Championship riders on track, as they get the first day of the event to themselves. 

This is positive for the racing, theoretically, as less practice tends to mean riders are less prepared and still quite fresh to the track. Additionally, there is potentially more scope for the track to evolve through a race on a one-day event compared to running it over two days. Being able to adapt to what could be a more rapidly developing track could be key to success not only this Sunday, but next Wednesday and Sunday, too. 

The one-day format is also unusual for MXGP, which of course has traditionally run over two days, so riders with experience of series which run one-day events could be at an advantage. For example, Jeffrey Herlings was successful when he went out to race the Ironman US national a few years ago, and was able to adjust to the one-day format well. 

With Herlings in mind, it could be that restarting the season in Kegums is advantageous for the Dutchman. That is not to imply foul play on the part of the organisers, of course, a condensed season will always favour some riders over others. (It is worth noting that in MotoGP, it was expected that Marc Marquez would benefit from the condensed calendar for 2020 because it included tracks that had seen success for the Spaniard in the past, however things haven’t turned out quite like that so far.) But it is also true that Herlings is always strong in the sand, and Kegums’ harder-style sand is no different. Since moving up to the MXGP class in 2017, Herlings has won five out of six races at the Latvian track, only Tim Gajser interrupting the 100% record of ‘the fastest man in the sand’ at Kegums in the second moto of the 2019 Latvian GP – although again it is worth noting that this was only after Herlings had won the first moto of the day with what was later discovered to be a broken ankle that he suffered on the warm up lap of that first race; that discovery forced him out of the second race.

However, that is not to say that Gajser would be incapable of winning this weekend, as he proved in the Netherlands back in March, taking the first moto win at what is arguably Herlings’ best track. Currently only nine points back of Herlings in the championship as we enter round three, Gajser is still right in the mix for the world title and, if he can take points out of Herlings in one or two of the six motos in Latvia, it would set the Slovenian up well for the rest of the season.  

One rider who certainly will have benefitted from the five-month break in the season is Jorge Prado. The reigning double MX2 World Champion came into the season with a broken left femur suffered in the off-season, but still made a promising start to life in the premier MXGP division, going 9-12 in Matterley Basin and 4-13 in Valkenswaard. Prado’s speed on the 450 is apparent already and, having had some time to allow his leg to heal properly, the #61 could be a real force this weekend in Latvia, where he won three out of four motos in his last two MX2 campaigns, including a double-win last season. 

Antonio Cairoli’s start to 2020 has been steady. A 4-3 in Matterley Basin for third overall was followed up by a 7-5 in Valkenswaard to leave the Italian veteran third in the championship, 26 points off the points lead. Cairoli’s record in Latvia is impressive, with four overall wins in Kegums since his first in 2009. A fifth would not go amiss this weekend in the Italian’s pursuit of his 10th world crown. 

It would also be foolish to rule out the likes of Mitch Evans this weekend, who has impressed so far in his debut season for HRC. On the contrary, Romain Febvre’s start to life in the green of Kawasaki could hardly have gone any worse, missing the first two rounds to injury – the Frenchman needs a turnaround this weekend. On the other side of the KRT tent, Clement Desalle had started 2020 in a solid fashion before the break and sits fourth in the standings, 34 off the lead and eight behind Cairoli. Desalle has not had a top three in a moto yet this season, however, so will be looking to change that this weekend. On the other hand, Arminas Jasikonis was on the podium in both races in Valkenswaard, and whilst the sand of Kegums offers a different challenge to its Dutch counterpart, the #27 will be looking to continue that strong form into round three, fresh off of signing for another year with Rockstar Husqvarna. 

The other side of the Husqvarna awning will be empty this weekend, though, as Pauls Jonass misses out on his home Grand Prix due to injury. The timing is especially frustrating for Jonass, also because he is still without a contract for 2021. 

Finally, Adam Sterry has changed teams in the break and will be racing for Hitachi KTM fuelled by Milwaukee. The move came about as JD Gunnex KTM pulled out of the Latvian MXGP following Jose Butron’s recent injury.