The 2024 MXGP season provided fireworks – what a season it was with it going right down to the wire between Tim Gajser and Jorge Prado for the title! At the final event of the year, the MXoN produced the best racing of the year at Matterley Basin.
Towards the end of the 2024 season some riders have been vocal against Infront Moto Racing – especially at the final round of Cozar. Heading into 2025, some teams are closing so we thought we’d catch up with CEO, David Luongo to get his thoughts on the situation and more…
GateDrop: David, let’s reflect on the 2024 season to start. An unbelievable year… MXGP went right down to the wire between Prado and Gajser. MX2 was also exciting with two young guns – Coenen and de Wolf. It was a lot of fun to watch…
Luongo: Yes, it was a great season. Seeing the titles decided at the last race was fantastic, and the level of racing all year long was incredible.
GateDrop: The season ended at the MXoN at Matterley Basin and honestly, it was just unreal. So many legends on track and the racing was superb, you must have been delighted with that event… We even got a dry track in the UK at that time of the year!
Luongo: Yes, it was the perfect conclusion to an outstanding year, and once again, the Motocross of Nations proved to be the greatest off-road event in the world.
GateDrop: Heading into the 2025 season, five teams are leaving the paddock (SM-Action Fantic who are a Factory team, Standing Construct, F&H Racing, Beddini and De Baets Yamaha). This is worrying… Surely you aren’t happy teams are leaving the paddock?
Luongo: This is a natural evolution. Every year, some teams leave while others arrive. This helps create stronger teams in the paddock, as teams that cannot stay in the World Championship make way for new ones. The most important thing is that every new season, the top riders are on the gate, and in 2025, that will again be the case.
GateDrop: Have you any plans to change something behind the scenes to perhaps help the teams more so we can see them all remain the paddock?
Luongo: Our work is to promote the World Championship, provide excellent TV and media coverage, and offer Manufacturers, teams, and riders a stage to showcase their talents, and we do this very well. As I mentioned, teams that cannot participate in the World Championship due to financial reasons or other motivations will leave, making room for others.
GateDrop: Are there still no plans for prize money to be put in place? If the riders are able to earn money through a system you implement it may take pressure of the teams?
Luongo: We have discussed this question many times many years ago; we invest into the promotion of the Championships, TV, media coverage, infrastructure, and in youth Championships to allow a lot of young riders to grow into the World Championship. This is our job and the results prove that this is the right way. Professional riders are paid by their teams/Manufacturers, and the fastest riders make excellent money. I don’t know if you know but in the MXGP paddock there are several millionaire riders, riders who have come up through our pyramid system, starting from the 65cc until MXGP. Through our investments in the Championships, we provide opportunities for teams and riders to grow and make more money, which is the case. As in any sport, the fastest and most professional riders stay, while others move on.
GateDrop: Some riders were very vocal after Cozar including Herlings and Guadagnini… the track is now the first European round of MXGP next year. Are there any plans to help improve the track so the riders are happier?
Luongo: Every year, we are improving tracks everywhere, and Cozar, as the newest addition, will see plenty of improvements. However, with any track, there is always one happy rider, and the rest are less satisfied.
GateDrop: I understand you are contracted to do 20 rounds a year, for the fans this is obviously great as we love racing! But for riders/teams it may be a tad too long with the two day format. What’s your thoughts on it?
Luongo: This is the perfect format that works extremely well, and the riders who think they race too much could choose to do fewer races in between World Championship races. I never see F1 drivers or MotoGP riders doing other racing out of the World Championship, but many top MXGP riders who have a ‘millionaire’ contract participate in other races (with the risk of injury) to collect some extra money. I totally understand a rider who can’t make up a full salary with just MXGP or MX2 decides to do more races to complete their income, but I really find it puzzling that, top riders who became millionaires by benefitting from our work, investments and for sure the Manufacturers’ and teams’ investments would criticize the schedule.
GateDrop: Just on the calendar for next year, Steve Dixon told me when the calendar was announced he wasn’t sure to commit but since the MXoN was such a success he is key for an MXGP in 2025 – are we likely to see Matterley Basin added to the calendar?
Luongo: There are ongoing discussions, and we expect to have a final answer about Matterley Basin by the end of the year.
GateDrop: The final three rounds are also interesting: Turkey, China and Australia all back-to-back in three weeks. What’s the thought process behind that?
Luongo: It’s a logical decision, balancing timing, travel, and costs. Grouping these events together saves time and travel expenses. These will be three amazing rounds, and returning to Australia after their MXoN victory will be fantastic.
GateDrop: Both Jorge Prado and now Lucas Coenen said they grew up watching American Supercross, Lucas said he didn’t even know about the world championship when he was 11-12 (crazy!). How can MXGP grab young riders attention the way Supercross does?
Luongo: You should never take away a kid’s dream. The world grows thanks to children who dream, and if Prado and Coenen’s dream is Supercross, it’s right for them to pursue it. But keep in mind where they came from: to make their dreams come true, they started in the European Championship, which we created and manage, then progressed through MX2 and MXGP. This makes us very proud, and we wish them every success. For now, Lucas remains in the World Championship. Many young riders are coming up from the European Championship who are very fast, so there’s no concern for the World Championship.
GateDrop: Just on Lucas, he is so fast and is going up to MXGP in 2025, at only 17 years old that isn’t the normal, but it’ll be exciting to see him line up alongside the likes of Herlings, Gajser, Renaux… Right?
Luongo: Yeah, Lucas has a lot of talent, it will be very interesting to see him in MXGP together with the other top riders.
GateDrop: We saw the Ducati do two MXGP rounds this year, at the moment only one rider has been announced for 2025. But are you looking forward to seeing them in the paddock every week. It’ll be interesting to see Jeremy Seewer on the bike in this exciting project…
Luongo: This is a very exciting project. The arrival of both Ducati and Triumph reflects the Manufacturers’ growing interest in our sport. Our sport has the highest number of Manufacturers participating.
GateDrop: Both Coenen’s and de Wolf may join Prado in America for 2026, Mikkel Haarup may also go in 2025. Are you worried about losing all this talent to America? Your series does an amazing job developing talent and whilst it’s okay if a few choose to do Supercross, I am sure you don’t want to lose the majority of the elite up and coming talent to America…
Luongo: As I mentioned, we are doing a great job creating talent. For riders who dream of Supercross, America is the place because that’s where Supercross is. But for riders who are passionate about the Motocross World Championship, MX2 and MXGP are the right places. We are not worried at all because the European Championships are working very well, bringing up talent each year. There will always be enough riders for a great show in MX2 and MXGP, even if a few choose to go to American Supercross. Seeing them all together at the MXoN is fantastic and will only increase interest in the event.
GateDrop: Is there an update on the AMA/MXGP joint race and is there a chance of one in Europe in the future as well as America? We saw how amazing the MXoN this year so this event could be massive… Could it even be a play off championship similar to how SMX works? The world would be watching!
Luongo: Relations between Infront Moto Racing, MX Sports and Feld are excellent, and we are working closely together, especially for the MXoN and future MXGP events in the USA. We will share more information at the appropriate time. Regarding a play-off, we already have the best of the best… the MXoN, and we don’t want to change that.
GateDrop: Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions, much appreciated!
