FIM Europe News

In preparation of the Russian round of the Motocross World Championship MXGP in Russia from 29 to 31 March the international training and sports seminar "FIM Europe MX Academy" was held at Orlyonok, for instructors (coaches) and athletes. The seminar was attended by specialists from different regions of Russia, ready to learn from the world experience in the organization of the training process, to be train­ed and receive an official certificate. Among them, there were 36 coaches and 26 riders, and the youngest of them was only eight years old. On the first day of the seminar, the coordinator and coach of MX Academy Martin Van Genderen told the Russian specialists about the development of a new system of classification of coaches and athletes, comparing it with obtaining belts of different colors in karate. "MX Academy will train and improve the skills of professionals and motorcycle racers", Martin Van Genderen

The final round of Superenduro Cup was held in Lidköping in Sweden, where the German rider Tim Apolle arrived as the leader of the general standings with 15 points of advantage on the other riders. Above Tim Apolle in action. Below, Andris Grinfelds. All photos ©Robert Pairan Already in the qualifying Apolle was nearly 4 seconds faster than his rival Andris Grinfelds from Latvia, who followed him in the series. In the first heat the German rider gained the leadership at the start and already after one lap he had to fight with the first slow riders. But Apolle kept cool and safe and won the race. His advantage grew to 18 points – not enough for the title, but a comfortable gap, while Grinfelds was fighting from ninth position to second place. In the second heat, with reversed start, there was the inevitable traffic jam at the first obstacle.

In the weekend from Saturday 31st March to Sunday 1st April, the follow­ing European races will be held: 31 March - Super Enduro Cup at Linköping/Sweden

The construction work of KymiRing motorsport centre in Finland continues as planned. Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture approved the 3,5 million Euro grant for KymiRing. The amount is based on the supplementary allowance granted by Finnish parliament in 2017. The term of the allowance was that KymiRing will get private funding for the project that has now been organized and accepted. Above, the rendering of the Circuit KymiRing. Below, on the occasion of a visit of Finland FIM Europe President Dr. Wolfgang Srb congratulates SML President Tapio Nevala KymiRing has provided Ministry of Education and Culture the decisions of private financers and the plan of overall funding which enabled the Ministry to accept the grant. Ministry of Education and Culture had already earlier allowed 3 million grant for the project. Therefore, the whole allowance from Finnish government for the project is 6,5 million Euros and the share of other

The first meeting of the year of the FIM Europe Environment Commission was held last weekend in Warsaw (Poland). On Friday, the Commission made a revue of the activity of the Commission itself during the second part of the 2017 and the two first months of 2018 analysing the visit in site, the situation with the online check list program and the Green Class held during the FIM CIE Seminar in Frankfurt and Rome. The FIM Europe Environment Commision, chaired by Adamo Leonzio Moreover, to continue the change of the Commission objective, from control to proposal and help, the new program called “What’s new in Environment” was deeply analysed. The Commission decided to concentrate in this program all the news in environment with a technical value and to start with a new project called “Environmental Highlights” dedicated to all the activities related to the environment made by organizers, Federations, and other

The new FIM CEV Repsol season got off to a great start this weekend at the Circuito do Estoril in Portugal with victories by Ivo Lopes (ENI-Motor7-Small Motorcycles) and Jesko Raffin (Swiss Innovative Investors Junior) in Moto2™, and Barry Baltus (Reale Avintia Academy) and Julián Giral (Talent Team Estrella Galicia 0.0) in the European Talent Cup. In Moto2™ Ivo Lopes took a shock win in the first race on his Superstock 600 Yamaha R6 when he crossed the finish line almost six seconds ahead of Augusto Fernández (Easyrace), and Jesko Raffin in third place. Xavier Cardelús (Team Stylobike), who set off second, went down the first time he touched the brakes and Ivo Lopes took over the race lead. The local rider, equipped with softer tires allowed by Superstock 600 regulations and which gave him an advantage on a track in precarious conditions, began to pull clear. Behind him Augusto

With the sun out and some light clouds in the region of Pavia, Sunday race day in Ottobiano started promising. The large number of riders and the great overview on the grandstand at Ottobiano Motorsport attracted already a big number of spectators towards the track. With the circuit perfectly prepared the riders couldn’t wait to start the first round of the 2018 Supermoto European Season. In the S1 class it was TM Factory Racing rider Thomas Chareyre who took the victory. Race 1 When the lights dropped for the first time this season in Ottobiano, it was SWM Factory rider Mauno Hermunen to take the holeshot into the first fast corner of the circuit. Hermunen was followed by TM Factory Racing rider Thomas Chareyre and Degasoline rider Pavel Kejmar. In fourth place just behind Kejmar, Phoenix Racing rider Markus Class was chased by SWM Factory rider Edgardo Borella and another

In a day marked by wind and awkward track conditions Augusto Fernández (Easyrace) in Moto2 and Barry Baltus (Reale Avintia Academy) in the European Talent Cup earned their first poles in the FIM CEV Repsol and will lead off the starting grids of their respective categories after dominating the qualifying sessions of the first round of the season this weekend at the Circuito do Estoril. In Moto2™ Augusto Fernández (Easyrace), gained his first pole in the Moto2™ European Championship. The Easyrace team rider posted the best time of 1:44.466 in Q2 on the Suter to head the grid ahead of Xavier Cardelús (Team Stylobike) and Jesko Raffin (Swiss Innovative), who make up the first row. Local rider Ivo Lopes (Eni-Motor7-Pequeño Motos) takes fifth slot - and is also the top Superstock 600 rider - behind Marcel Brenner (H43 Team Nobby-Talasur) and ahead of Dimas Ekky ( Astra Honda Racing Team)

Under cloudy and cold but dry weather conditions, the first round of the 2018 Supermoto European Championship season has started in Ottobiano in the region of Pavia, Italy. The Ottobiano Motorsport park is one of best well equipped venues in Europe for Supermoto races. With fast straights, tight corners and a challenging off-road section there is plenty of action for the spectators and riders. At the opening round it was TM Factory Racing rider Thomas Chareyre who took first pole position in 2018. Free practice On Saturday morning all 40 entered riders were divided into two groups via a ballot system. The first group of riders started their free practice session in the morning. With most riders having a lot of racing time on the track of Ottobiano, it didn’t take long before everyone had a fast pace in this session. In group one it was TM Factory Racing rider

The General Assembly of MACEC (Motorcycle Association of Central European Countries) was held today in Lublin in the hotel of the Polish Federation PZM (Polski Zwiazek Motorowy). The following member Federations, of seven affiliated, were present: BFMS - Belarus, LMSF - Lithuania, PZM - Poland, FRM - Romania, SMF - Slovakia and FMU - Ukraine. ACCR - Czech Republic attended as a guest. The group of participants and, below, the PZM hotel which hosted the event MACEC President Andrzej Grodzki opened the meeting and expressed his satisfaction that the General Assembly was held for the third time in Poland. PZM President Michal Sikora welcomed all the participants - among them FIM Europe President Dr. Wolfgang Srb, FIM Europe 1st Deputy President Martin de Graaff and FIM Vice President (as well as PZM Honorary President) Andrzej Witkowski. President Grodzki underlined that MACEC was founded 2003 on the occasion of the UEM