GDANSK IS READY FOR ACTION AS EUROPE’S BEST RIDERS GATHER FOR THE 2019 MOTOCROSS OF EUROPEAN NATIONS.
This weekend, October 5th and 6th, riders from all over Europe and even from the world, will gather in Gdansk, Poland for the 2019 edition of the Motocross of European Nations.
Located in the north of Poland, Gdansk has a rich history that dates back all the way to the 10th century and has a population of half a million. The city itself features many tourist attractions and sightseeing hotspot, topped off with the stunning beaches along the Baltic coast.
Making a return to the Gdansk circuit for the third consecutive year, riders from all over Europe and even the world, will gather to represent their nation in the hope of being crowned the 2019 Champions of the Motocross of European Nations.
This year sees a record number of entries in both the men’s and the women’s categories with a total of 21 nations competing in the MXoEN and 16 in the WMXoEN. And for the first time in the history of the MXoEN, there will be a women’s team joining us for the event all the way from the USA.
The Motocross of European Nations is composed of 3 classes, 250cc, 125cc and 85cc, and each team has four riders: one 250cc rider, one 125cc rider, and two 85cc riders. In the women’s category, each team has two riders. There will be four races on Sunday and the team that scores the least amount of points will be crowned as the winners.
Following last year’s clean sweep by Team Italy, who went on to win both categories, this year the team riders, Morgan Lesiardo, Andreas Roncoli, Valerio Lata, Matteo Luigi Russi and the women’s side, Francesca Nocera and Giorgia Montini will be hoping to do the same.
Morgan Lesiardo is a strong contender to take his team to victory having been crowned the 2017 EMX250 Champion, Lesiardo has had a strong season competing in the MX2 World Championship, scoring points at most GP’s as well as edging into the top 10, with a 9thplace finish in Imola, Italy.
Other riders to keep an eye out for is Team Denmark’s Mikkel Harrup and also Team Norway’s Kevin Horgmo. Horgmo helped his nation to a 12th overall at the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations in Assen and having finished 2-3 in the races at the MXoEN last year, it is clear that he will be aiming for race wins this time around. Also, a rider that could make things interesting is Team Estonia’s Jorgen-Matthias Talviku. Talviku finished 4th in the EMX125 Championship Presented by FMF Racing this season and made a podium appearance in Valkenswaard where he finished 2nd overall. In 85cc class Team Italy’s Valerio Lata and Czech Republic’s Vitezslav Marek are lining up to repeat the perfect performances had in the Junior World Championship which took place in July 2019 in Pietramurata, Trentino as Lata won the Junior Motocross World Championship title in 85cc while Marek got both the 65cc Junior World Cup and the EMX65 titles.
In the women category, Team Netherland’s has a strong line-up, with the Women’s Motocross World Championship runner-up Nancy Van De Ven and Shana van der Vlist, who finished 2nd and 6th in the WMX class respectively, representing their country once again after finishing 3rd last year. Besides the title defenders from Team Italy, Team Germany lines up with a strong Squad as Larissa Papenmeier and Anne Borchers are keen on winning the WMXoEN title. Larissa Papenmeier finished third in the WMX Championship standings and attempted also the JUST1 MXGP of China in MX2 class scoring 11 points. And of course, Kylie Fasnacht and Jamie Astudillo of Team USA could be strong contenders for the title as they make a historic first-time appearance at the Motocross of European Nations.
To kick off this weekend’s event, teams, riders, family and friends all gathered in Gdansk city centre for the opening ceremony for the 2019 MXoEN. The evening began with dance entertainment from the local cheerleading group, followed by a welcome by the officials, FIM President Jorge Viegas, Youthstream Representative Patricia Maskarova, FIM Europe Motocross Commission Eddie Herd, the President of the Gdanski Auto Motoklub Marian Zupa and the President of the Polish Automobile and Motorcycle Federation Michal Sikora. Then each team was introduced to the excited crowd as they took to the stage for the family photo.
Text/Bild: Youthstream