MX Diary: All set for d’Italia job
By Team TMX on 20th Jan 16
The 2016 MX season is now just over a week away with the opening round of the Internazionali dItalia at the glorious Alghero sand track in Sardinia on January 31.
This is the track where Ryan Villopoto did most of his preparation last year and Dave Thorpe – whose Buildbase Honda team of Kristian Whatley, Graeme Irwin, Martin Barr and Lewis Trickett is out there for pre-season training and participation in the Alghero opener – speaks highly of the venue.
"It's an excellent all-weather training facility and race track,” says DT.
"We went there last year with Kristian and Gert and it certainly helped us be ready for the start of the UK season.”
Four out of six MXGP factory teams will be present. MXGP world champion Romain Febvre, Valentin Guillod, Jeremy Van Horebeek and David Philippaerts are there for Yamaha.
And deposed world champ Tony Cairoli along with new colleague Glenn Coldenhoff contest the series for De Carli KTM.
The Mattighofen MX2 squad of Jeffrey Herlings, Pauls Jonass and Davy Pootjes also take in the first round before heading to Hawkstone one week later.
IceOne Husqvarna duo Max Nagl and Christophe Charlier race and also Rui Goncalves while Honda sends its complete MXGP factory squad of Gautier Paulin, Evgeny Bobryshev and Tim Gajser plus Jorge Zaragoza in MX2.
Alex Snow and Alfie Smith have already been down in Italy for some time, practising with the JK squad they will represent in this year's GPs.
Ben Franklin and Brad Todd are also entered in MX2 in Alghero.
The event is a one-day affair featuring practice, one moto each for MXGP, MX2 and 125 two-strokes with a Superfinal for the best from the two bigger classes.
