The entry lists are through for the MXGP of Italy, held this weekend at Maggiora, with just MXGP and MX2 classes set to run due to this GP replacing the originally-planned race in Vietnam.
Words: Ben Rumbold, Featured Image: Chambers Racing/Cult Moto
Fresh from a solid fifth in race two at the British Championship finale at Monster Mountain, 22-year-old Hertfordshire ace Tom Grimshaw embarks on his second trip into Europe for an MXGP wildcard ride, after his first outing in Trentino back in April. He did sustain a shoulder injury in that event, but after recovering from that he has returned to the sharp end of British Motocross, and with the enthusiastic support of the Chambers Racing crew – “Tim Chambers is literally the driver for this” – he’s back for more World Championship action. Regular Factory MRT Beta rider Ben Watson is the only other British rider entered.
Traditionalists will be happy to see that Tom is not alone as a Wild Card, with 40 riders entered in MX2 and a nearly-full 38-man grid in MXGP for the penultimate round of the season. Fans will also be interested to see how new MX2 British Champ Isak Gifting, and returning British-based American Jack Chambers get on against the world elite
Both Championships could possibly be clinched this weekend, with Jorge Prado the most likely to do so in MXGP, although Romain Febvre finally made a significant dent in his lead at the Turkish round to leave 67 points between the pair. With 60 available per GP, Romain needs to haul back 7 to take it to Matterley Basin. For sure the Red Bull Factory GASGAS team have already printed the shirts! If Febvre wins all three races then Prado cannot clinch it, as three 2nds for the Spaniard would leave that gap at 60 points exactly, with the Frenchman on the factory Kawasaki the winner of any tie-break due to his larger win tally. It’s going to be very interesting to see how Jorge deals with the pressure of the closest points chase he’s ever had to endure.
In MX2, Andrea Adamo leads Red Bull Factory KTM teammate Liam Everts by 48 points, so he needs to extend that by 13 to be crowned World Champion on home ground. Those t-shirts will be stored somewhere out of Liam’s sight in the team truck! Three 3rd places for the #72 would extend the series to Matterley, but with the crazy MX2 pack this season things are rarely so simple! Keep a close eye on that points chase in both classes!
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Here is the timetable for the two days of racing at the classic Italian circuit.
