MXoN - Who's your pick?
By Sean Lawless on 27th Sep 17
Motocross Dean Wilson Max Anstie MXoN Tommy Searle
The Motocross of Nations is the single biggest race of the year and just in case youve been living under a rock this time around its in the UK at the marvellous, magnificent Matterley Basin this weekend!
The 2017 edition is just about as open as its ever been with no clear favourite to lift the Chamberlain Trophy after France has come out on top for the last three years.
Up until August youd have had to say that the French team were looking super-strong with Gautier Paulin (MXGP), Romain Febvre (Open) and Dylan Ferrandis (MX2). A broken scaphoid has put Ferrandis out for the second year in a row, handing reserve Benoit Paturel the MX2 ride but Paturel is now injured as well and has been replaced by Christopher Charlier who himself took a bit of a beating at last weekends EnduroGP.
The 2009 EMX2 champion and an MX2 moto winner who scored top-10 race finishes in MXGP in 2016, Charlier has contested the Enduro World Championship this season so could be a little race rusty.
Unbelievably, Holland have never won the MXoN. Pipped to the post by one point in 2016, could this be their year? On paper theyve got to be considered strong contenders with the same team that came so close in Maggiora with Glenn Coldenhoff (MXGP), Jeffrey Herlings (Open) and Brian Bogers (MX2).
Herlings is the fastest man in the world right now and with Coldenhoff currently ninth in MXGP and Bogers holding down fourth in MX2 theyve got the sort of talent in depth that the Nations demands.
Team USA are also in turmoil. The winningest (sorry!) nation in the history of the event with 22 victories, the last few years havent been all that successful for Uncle Sam at least by their own sky-high standards!
Sure, theyre a permanent fixture on the podium but this time around with Eli Tomac choosing not to ride and post-season operations sidelining most of their biggest hitters its a team of newbies comprising Cole Seely (MXGP), Thomas Covington (Open) and Zach Osborne (MX2).
Team USA won at Matterley in 2006 but 11 years on their squad doesnt have quite the same ring to it as James Stewart, Ryan Villopoto and Ivan Tedesco.
Osborne, of course, is a GP winner and has been exceptional Stateside this year to claim the East Coast SX and Lucas Oil titles but take him out of the equation and no offence to Seely and Covington its clearly a second-choice team.
Belgium were fourth last year and for 2017 field Kevin Srijbos (MXGP), Jeremy Van Horebeek (Open) and Brent van Doninck (MX2).
Youve got to feel for Italys Tony Cairoli. For years arguably the fastest 450 rider in the world, he hasnt had the back-up needed to pose a serious threat since 2013 and 2017 is more of the same.
Cairoli (MXGP) has wrapped up world title #9 this year but his team-mates Alessandro Lupino (Open) and Michelle Cervellin (MX2) have failed to make a dent on the top-10 in GPs in 2017.
Switzerland fields Arnaud Tonus (MXGP), Jeremy Seewer (Open) and Valentin Guillod (MX2) and while Tonus is currently only 12th in MXGP he is one of just nine riders to win a moto this year.
Seewer could also be a threat if he can transfer his form from a 250 to a 450 but Guillod is the weak link. That said, Valentin straight up beat Herlings here in MX2 back in 2015 so certainly knows the fast way around Matterley on a 250F.
A disappointing seventh in 2016, Team GB heads into this years MXoN with home advantage and a squad that has to be considered one of the strongest in the competition with Max Anstie (MXGP), Dean Wilson (Open) and Tommy Searle (MX2).
Anstie began his rookie MXGP season slowly but has built all season and is now one of the fastest men out there as we saw at Assen and Wilson, who started 2017 as a privateer in the Monster Energy SX series, has just ended the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship in fourth.
The big question mark hangs over Searle whos been injured for almost the entire season and hasnt raced a 250 since 2012 but lets not forget that hes a three-time MX2 vice-world champion and admittedly on a 450 was really fast at the final Maxxis round at Foxhill at the end of August.
Sticking our necks out and the only other team we can see challenging for a podium finish are Australia with Dean Ferris (MXGP), Kirk Gibbs (Open) and Hunter Lawrence (MX2).
The standard of Aussie Nationals is high although its hard to measure it against the GPs but Ferris and Gibbs have finished 1-2 Down Under this year and Lawrence has turned more than a few heads in the MX2 world championship especially his second overall at the MXGP of USA.
Ferris also raced the AMA National at High Point this year where he finished second in the opening moto so you know he doesnt hang around!
As no preview would be complete without an honourable mention for Team Ireland. The nation with probably more B Final wins than anyone else, the Irish are due a good run this year after 2016 when Graeme Irwin dislocated his shoulder in practice and Martin Barr and Stuey Edmonds still made it through to the A Final.
Fielding the same team this year with Edmonds (MXGP), Irwin (Open) and Barr (MX2), if they can transfer straight to the A final then a top-10 finish isnt out of the question.
