Special Features
2008 FIM World Motocross Championships Preview
Date: March 24, 2008
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By Brendan Lutes
In just under two weeks the 2008 FIM World Motocross Championships will be underway with the first round taking place on April 4th in the Netherlands at the picturesque Valkenswaard track.
For those of you that might not know, here at Motocross.com we are going to be bringing you coverage from each round of the series—race highlight videos, video interviews, and photos. So to get those of you up to speed on what happened in 2007, and to fill you in on who to watch this year, we’ve put together a series preview complete with links to interviews we’ve done with some World MX riders, coverage from the first and final running of the Grand Prix of Northern Ireland held at the Moneyglass Demesne facility, and stats on some of the top European riders to look for in ’08.
LINKS TO CHECK OUT:
Grand Prix of Northern Ireland Coverage
Below you’ll find the top-five riders from ’07 in both the MX1 and MX2 classes.
MX1:
STEVE RAMON:
2007 Ranking: First
Date of Birth: 12/29/1979
Place of Birth: Bruges, Belgium
Nationality: Belgian
Height: 71.65 inches
Weight: 163 lbs
Residence: Zerkegem, Belgium
Hobbies: Trails, BMX, Movies, and Karting
Nickname: The Bomb
Favorite Track: Gaildorf, Namur
(Above Photo): Ramon at the Grand Prix of Northern Ireland in 2007.
FAST FACTS:
-Ramon trailed in the championship last year until the final few rounds.
-2007 was Ramon’s second world championship. His first was in 2003 aboard a Yamaha in the 125cc class.
-Ramon helped put Team Belgium on the podium at last year’s Motocross of Nations.
KEVIN STRIJBOS:
2007 Ranking: Second
Date of Birth: 8/13/1985
Place of Birth: Geel, Belgium
Nationality: Belgian
Height: 70.08 inches
Weight: 150 lbs
Residence: Geel, Belgium
Hobbies: Mountain Biking
Favorite Track: Moscow
FAST FACTS:
-Strijbos will be aboard a Kawasaki for 2008.
-2007 and 2008 were Strijbos’ best overall finishes in the MX1 Championships.
JOSH COPPINS:
2007 Ranking: Third
Date of Birth: 3/11/1977
Place of Birth: Motueka, New Zealand
Nationality: New Zealander
Height: 69.29 inches
Weight: 165 lbs
Residence: Balen Hulsen, Belgium
Hobbies: Wake Boarding, Jet Skiing
Nickname: Lizard
Favorite Track: Rat Track, Motueka, New Zealand
FAST FACTS:
-Coppins led and dominated the ‘07 championship until injuring his shoulder. He tried to ride after that but the pain was too much.
-He recently crashed while training, and is questionable on whether he will be ready for the first round on April 6th.
-Josh will be aboard a Yamaha once again.
-His team’s title sponsor will now be Monster Energy.
SEBASTIEN POURCEL:
2007 Ranking: Fourth
Date of Birth: 2/11/1985
Place of Birth: Martigue, France
Nationality: French
Height: 71.65 inches
Weight: 156 lbs
Hobbies: Tennis and Squash
Nickname: Seb
Favorite Track: St Jean d’Angely, Ernee
FAST FACTS:
-Sebastien is the older brother of former MX2 World Champion Christophe.
-2007 was his first year in the MX1 class.
-He ran up front consistenly in ’07 and is considered by many to be a serious contender.
-Seb won the 125cc French Motocross Championship in 2004.
KEN DE DYCKER:
2007 Ranking: Fifth
Date of Birth: 6/20/1984
Place of Birth: Leuven, Belgium
Nationality: Belgian
Height: 74.41 inches
Weight: 198 lbs
Hobbies: BMX, Jet Skiing, and Swimming
Nickname: Keeno
Favorite Track: Isle of Wight, Matchams
(Above Photo): De Dycker should be a contender in 2008.
FACT FACTS:
-de Dycker is probably one of the tallest and strongest riders on the circuit.
-In 2006 he won the British Motocross Championship.
-2006 was his best overall finish in the MX1 Championship points with a fourth.
OTHER RIDERS TO WATCH:
-Davide Philippaerts, Italy
-Mike Brown, USA
-Tanel Leok, Estonia
-Billy Makenzie, Great Britain
(Above Photo): Brown will once again be racing in Europe, making the U.S. proud.
MX2:
ANTONIO CAIROLI:
2007 Ranking: First
Date of Birth: 9/23/1985
Place of Birth: Patti, Sicily
Nationality: Italian
Height: 66.92 inches
Weight: 141 lbs
Residence: Rome, Italy
Hobbies: VTT and Mountain Biking
Nickname: Tony
(Above Photo): Cairoli will return to defend his MX2 title.
FAST FACTS:
-2007 was Tony’s second MX2 World Championship. His first came in 2005.
-He lost the MX2 title to Christophe Pourcel in 2006.
-Cairoli wrapped the MX2 title up early and raced the MX1 class at one round, finishing first.
TOMMY SEARLE:
2007 Ranking: Second
Date of Birth: 6/3/1990
Place of Birth: Penbury, England
Nationality: British
Height: 70 inches
Weight: 141 lbs
Residence: Kent, England
Hobbies: Supermoto
Nickname: Tommy Gun
Favorite Track: Desertmartin, Ireland
(Above Photo): Searle will likely be coming to the States soon.
FAST FACTS:
-Tommy is one of the youngest riders on the circuit.
-He is likely going to be racing in the U.S. after 2008.
-He took the win at his hometown GP in Great Britain last year.
-2007 was his best overall finish in the MX2 World Championship points.
CHRISTOPHE POURCEL:
2007 Ranking: Third
Date of Birth: 8/16/1988
Place of Birth: Marseille, France
Nationality: French
Height: 70 inches
Weight: 139 lbs
Hobbies: Squash
Nickname: Chris
Favorite Track: Arreton, Isle of Wight
FAST FACTS:
-Chris was injured at the Grand Prix of Northern Ireland last year. Since then he is still recovering.
-Chris was due to race in the U.S. in 2008, but because of his injury will likely sit out the World Championships as well.
-2006 was his first-ever World Championship.
-He won a West Coast Lites Supercross race in Phoenix, Arizona, in 2007 before heading to Europe for the Grand Prix season.
TYLA RATTRAY:
2007 Ranking: Fourth
Date of Birth: 11/8/1985
Place of Birth: Durban, South Africa
Nationality: South African
Weight: 167 lbs
Hobbies: Cycling, Jet Skiing, and Golf
Nickname: Styla Ratters
Favorite Track: Isle of Wight, UK
FAST FACTS:
-2004 was Tyla’s best overall finish in the MX Championship points with a second.
-He won the Dutch Motocross Championship in 2003.
-He will be returning to the same KTM team he was on in 2007.
GARETH SWANEPOEL:
2007 Ranking: Fifth
Date of Birth: 11/24/1984
Place of Birth: Johannesburg, South Africa
Nationality: South African
Height: 70.07 inches
Weight: 167 lbs
Residence: Belgium
Nickname: Swanie
Favorite Track: Isle of Wight, UK
FAST FACTS:
-Swanie will be returning to the same Kawasaki team he was on in 2007.
-He had a few podium finishes in 2007 in the MX2 class.
-2007 was his best overall finish in the MX2 Championship points.
OTHER RIDERS TO WATCH:
-Nicholas Aubin, France
-Pascal Leuret, France
-Rui Goncalves, Portugal
(Above Photo): Nicholas Aubin (131) is another fast French rider to be on the look out for in '08.
(Above Photo): Rui Goncalves from Portugal has the speed to run up from in the MX2 class.
Next week, we will be attending the first round of the series to bring even more in-depth coverage to you, and there are even some plans to visit the practice facilities of the reigning World Champions, Steve Ramon and Antonio Cairoli. Be sure to check back, and mark your calendars, because the with video coverage, you won’t want to miss any of it.
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