One week after the ADAC MX Masters grand finale in Teutschenthal, the country´s best riders will once again have to be on top form when the Motocross of Nations takes place on the weekend of 28th-29th September near the Latvian town of Kegums. It´s only the top three national riders that will be invited to participate in this event but the German squad currently consists of Ken Roczen, Max Nagl, Dennis Ullrich and Marcus Schiffer. Which MX stars will ultimately be nominated has to be decided in mid-August before the closing date.
Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, France and America in particular will prove to be tough competitors this year as far as Germany is concerned. These five countries all have very strong teams and a real chance of securing a podium finish. German team boss Hubert Nagl told us: "It´s all about fame and kudos in the MX of Nations because the riders are the crème de la crème of motocross and will do everything they can to achieve success as their country´s representative, which is why the event has a high perceived value for each participant."
The Belgian contingent took the title from Germany last year in Teutschenthal and are again in fine shape in 2014. The small country bordering Germany has three serious contenders in the pool of possible MXoN riders in Jeremy van Horebeek, Kevin Strijbos and Clement Desalle, who are all currently in the top five overall in the world championship standings. Also, the fact that the track in Kegums is a sand track will probably benefit the Belgian riders as the MX stars have a fair number of such tracks in their own country and so can prepare really well for the event. The Dutch team is similarly well placed. Team Netherlands have the services of a sand specialist par excellence to call on, Jeffrey Herlings. The 19-year-old will be unbeatable on tracks like the one in Kegums and should be an enormously tough nut to crack for the Germans despite their enormous experience on sand.
The French also have plenty of riders with huge potential in their squad. Currently, these include top aces Gautier Paulin and Steven Frossard. Bringing on young talent has a high priority in France where money is invested in setting up proper MX schools for new riders. Coaches work full-time and not as volunteers as is primarily the case in Germany. That makes them better able to focus on training their charges under perfect conditions and getting them into tip-top condition.
The Americans are so strong mainly because they have a lot of tracks to train on thanks to their country´s wide open spaces and can even build tracks for themselves if they choose. Thus, they always have the chance to constantly practise and work on developing new tricks. In addition, motocross as a sport is widely accepted by Americans. America has two top-notch stars in the group of favourites – Ryan Villopoto and Ryan Dungey – who could both impress in the MX of Nations.
Team Italy are also a force to be reckoned with. Antonio Cairoli is currently the best motocross rider in Europe and David Philippaerts and Matteo Bonini also have a good chance of being nominated for Kegums. The Italians´ ace in the pack – their enormous will to win and disregard for niceties. When Cairoli takes a tumble, he immediately jumps back on the bike and tries to make up for lost time; Toni usually only worries about injuries after the race.
At any rate, the German Motocross elite are not at all intimidated by the strong competition. Team boss Nagl concluded: "We are not afraid of anyone. We´ll pull it off if we can avoid being hit by bad luck. We´re heading off to the race in Latvia with the same starting numbers as in 2012 in Lommel, Belgium, where we lifted the world championship. I think that augurs well for the future."