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The annual MXGP Awards celebrated a historic season of the FIM Motocross World Championship, that saw the title clash in the premier MXGP class go down to the final chequered flag.
Once the final race of the day was finished at the final World Champion of 2021 was decided, it was time to begin the well-earnt celebrations of the entire paddock of what has been the most intense season of racing to date.
The MXGP Awards is a prize giving ceremony that is designed to celebrate all the amazing accomplishments from this season in the MXGP paddock. The awards were hosted by the MXGP-TV’s Commentator Paul Malin and MXGP-TV Presenter, Lisa Leyland from the Studio in Mantova. The entire event was live streamed worldwide on www.MXGP-TV.com, as well as MXGP’s YouTube channel.
The evening kicked-off with a special message from Infront Moto Racing’s CEO David Luongo and FIM/CMS Director Antonio Alia Portela who shared a few words about the incredible season that we all have witnessed in 2021.
David Luongo: “It has been a long journey again this year. Very challenging as when we started the year again many COVID-19 restrictions were in place. But the last couple of months have been very exciting. From the MXGP of Germany we have had public on site and increased the amount of spectators and the intensity of the championship until the final round today. As a promotor, we have been working hard with our team until today to have a full-house crowd and to have racing like this, to have the championship decided on the last day. I think all of the fans enjoyed this MXGP season a lot. For us it was important to deliver 18 races along with the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations which took place also here in Mantova. We are very confident that next year we will be back to normal, to start the season earlier and see new countries come back to the MXGP calendar. But this season was just epic, so I want to say a huge congratulations to all of the riders in MXGP and MX2, but the MXGP top three, Jeffrey, Romain and Tim they really went to another level. And also, a thought to Tony Cairoli who ended his Grand Prix career today. He is one of the biggest ambassadors of our MXGP’s history so it was a very intense season”.
Antonio Alia Portela: “It has been an exceptional season in every way. On one hand, the restrictions imposed in certain countries and the evolution of the pandemic in others have caused the calendar to be altered, moreover, the lack of public attendance at some of the events has put many organizers to the limit. The solution has come from Infront Motor Racing, as last year, offering also us double or triple headers. This situation has again tested all the elements that make GPs run effectively, as IMR, the FIM, the FMNs, the Teams, the Sponsors and the Organizers have shown their strength to offer the world one of the best seasons that have lately been lived in MXGP and as every GP has offered a variety of winners, the uncertainty among the MXGP Championship title has remained until the last race. On behalf of the FIM and the CMS I would like to personally thank all those who have made this a historic and unique year, from which rivers of ink will probably be written, to show that the motocross that runs through our veins is more alive than ever and that next year will continue to offer us unforgettable moments through the intense season that has just begun.”
The Awards ceremony then continued, as the winning teams and manufacturers were presented with their awards, followed by this year’s champions in the MXGP, MX2, WMX and EMX classes, who each received their prizes. EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Champion, Valerio Lata was the first to pick up his prize, followed by Nicholas Lapucci who secured the EMX250 title yesterday, along with theEMX2t Presented by FMF Racing, EMX Open and Women’s Motocross World Championshipwinners, Maximilian Spies, Davide De Bortoli and the three-time WMX Champion Courtney Duncan.
This year, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Mattia Guadagnini was the recipient of the Jan de Groot Award that honours the most promising young talent. Guadagnini had an incredible rookie season in MX2 that saw him hold the red plate, mount the podium a total of six times, win three races and stand on the top step twice!
Additionally, Tom Vialle and Jorge Prado were presented with the Fox Holeshot Award, for their incredible starts this season, that saw Prado claim 18 Fox Holeshots and Vialle an impressive 22. For Prado, this was his fourth consecutive Fox Holeshot Award, while for Vialle it was his second.
And then it was time to find out which MXGP rider was the winner of the Best Rider of the Year Sponsored by Athena prize! The newly crowned MXGP World Champion Jeffrey Herlings was declared winner, having received the most fans’ votes in total throughout the 2021 season.
Before the final awards were handed to the MXGP and MX2 World Champions, it was time for a special moment of the evening as we paid tribute to the 9-time World Champion Antonio Cairoli who was awarded with the ‘222 Lifetime Number’ which means he will be the only one to ever have that number in MXGP.
Antonio Cairoli: “It’s amazing to reach something like this in this business. I am really happy about my career, I wouldn’t change anything. Winning one title is already something special but making such a journey is really fantastic and I am really happy even if today didn’t go as I wished”.
The evening then concluded with the awards for the two FIM Motocross World Champions, Jeffrey Herlings and Maxime Renaux who each received their championship plates, along with their champions rings as part of their prizes for this season.
Here is the complete list of winners, below:
MXGP Manufacturer World Champion: KTM
MXGP Winning Team: Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
MX2 Manufacturer World Champion: Yamaha
MX2 Winning Team: Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2
WMX Manufacturer World Champion: Kawasaki
WMX Winning Team: Bike it MTX Kawasaki
“Jan De Groot” Award (cheque €5.000): Mattia Guadagnini
EMX 125 Presented by FMF Racing European Champion: Valerio Lata
EMX 250 European Champion: Nicholas Lapucci
EMX 2T Presented by FMF Racing European Champion: Maximilian Spies
EMX Open European Champion: Davide de Bortoli
MXGP Best Cooperation: Organizer of Trentino
MXGP Best Cooperation: Organizer of Mantova
Women’s World Champion: Courtney Duncan
Best Rider of the Year, Sponsored by Athena: Jeffrey Herlings
Fox Holeshot Award MXGP and MX2: Jorge Prado & Tom Vialle
MXGP Best Organizer: MXGP of Spain
MX2 World Champion: Maxime Renaux
MXGP World Champion: Jeffrey Herlings
Photo Credit – MXGP
