Five things to watch for at the MXGP of Russia

1. Can Febvre win again? The hard-pack track should suit Febvre who showed the sort of speed at Ernee many expected from the beginning of the season. He has went back to his original settings on his Yamaha but still doesn’t get the best of starts, however if he can gate well, Febvre might just challenge for the win again.

2. Can Seewer spoil Jonass’ party? Pauls Jonass has ridden fantastic so far this season, even if he doesn’t win he limits the damage. Seewer’s strength is hard-pack tracks and he really needs to take advantage of the terrain in Russia to start gaining some points back on Jonass. Seewer has made a few mistakes this season and finds himself 42 points behind Jonass

3. Herlings v Cairoli – we have only seen one real battle between the two biggest hitters in MXGP and Herlings edged it in moto one before Cairoli hit back with a customary holeshot in race two as Herlings couldn’t get out of the gate. If Herlings wants any chance of an unlikely title he needs to take points away from Cairoli any chance he gets. And two weeks after Russia, it’s a sand race in Italy!

4. Return of the home hero – It looked like Evgeny Bobryshev was going to miss his home GP when he broke his collarbone but the tough Russian wants to perform in front of his home crowd and hopefully that will bring an even better atmosphere. Vsevolod Brylyakov is there but won’t be racing as he is still struggling with injury, so all hope rest on Bobby as he braves the pain once again.

5. The kids – The MX2 class has an exciting new generation with Hunter Lawrence, Jorge Prado and Conrad Mewse who have all been very impressive recently not to mention Thomas Kjer Olsen who has brought speed and consistency to the table in a brilliant first year so far. Brian Hsu is also showing promise again after a difficult year last season. Russia provides a new track for everyone and another chance for the kids to run at the front and impress the Russian fans as they get a glimpse into the future.