September 11 update: The flyaways to Argentina and Indonesia have been canceled, as has the Portuguese GP. There will be five season-ending rounds in Italy to replace the four lost races. The series now ends on November 10, rather than December 5.
July 29 update: The MXGP of Finland is off the 2021 calendar. It is scheduled to return in 2022.
July 28 update: There will be a midweek round at Afyonkarahisar, Turkey, on September 8. The additional round, dubbed the MXGP of Afyon, happens after a September 5 MXGP of Turkey at the same location. It replaces the Swedish GP.
June 17 update: The Swedish GP has been dropped from the schedule. The Latvia GP has been moved to August 8. Lacapelle-Marival has been named as the site of the French GP.
The 2021 MXGP World Championship Series are getting started a bit late this year due to government restrictions related to COVID-19. The series will begin on June 13 at Orlyonko Circuit in Russia, and concludes on December 5 in Bali at a yet-to-be-disclosed venue. In between, the MXGP and MX2 racers will be busy, with five races in both July and October.
Last year’s MXGP battle for the motocross world championship went decisively for Team HRC – MXGP’s Tim Gajser. It was Gajser’s fourth world-title and third MXGP crown.
Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team’s Jeremy Seewer took the runner-up position, 102 points behind Gajser. It was the second consecutive year that Seewer finished right behind the championship-winning Gajser.
During the series last year, Tony Cairoli, who turned 35 while riding for the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team, rounded out the overall podium. Cairoli has seven MXGP championships to his credit, along with two MX2 titles. Cairoli’s teammate, 2018 MXGP Champion Jeffrey Herlings, will be looking to rebound from major injuries during the 2019 and 2020 motocross campaigns.
Photography by Ray Archer and Bavo Swijgers
2021 MXGP World Championship Series Schedule
- June 13: Orlyonok, Russia
- June 27: Matterly Basin, Great Britain
- July 4: Maggiora, Italy
- July 18: Oss, Netherlands
- July 25: Loket, Czech Republic
- August 1: Lommel, Belgium
- August 8: Kegums, Latvia
- September 5: Afyonkarahisar, Turkey
- September 8: Afyonkarahisar, Turkey
- September 19: Riola Sardo, Italy
- September 26: Motocross of Nations, Mantova, Italy
- October 3: Teutschenthal, Germany
- October 10: Lacapelle-Marival, France
- October 17: intu Xanadú-Arroyomolinos, Spain
- October 24: Pietramurata, Italy
- October 27: Pietramurata, Italy
- October 31: Pietramurata, Italy
- November 7: Mantova, Italy
- November 10: Mantova, Italy
2020 MXGP World Championship Series Final Standings
- Tim Gajser, Honda, 720 points
- Jeremy Seewer, Yamaha, 618
- Tony Cairoli, KTM, 599
- Romain Febvre, Kawasaki, 572
- Gautier Paulin, Yamaha, 505
- Jorge Prado, KTM, 476
- Clement Desalle, Kawasaki, 466
- Glenn Coldenhoff, GasGas, 375
- Jeremy Van Horebeek, Honda, 316
- Brian Bogers, KTM, 298
- Jordi Tixier, KTM, 271
- Jeffrey Herlings, KTM, 263
- Arminas Jasikonis, Husqvarna, 248
- Mitchell Evans, Honda, 228
- Ivo Monticelli, GasGas, 219
- Calvin Vlaanderen, Yamaha, 206
- Arnaud Tonus, Yamaha, 184
- Alessandro Lupino, Yamaha 150
- Henry Jacobi, Yamaha, 134
- Michele Cervellin, Yamaha, 130
