After a tough start to the season—plagued by injury, the passing of his grandfather, and a struggle to rediscover his form—Ivano van Erp is finally riding like himself again. The Dutch talent was back up front at the latest round of the EMX250 championship, taking both holeshots and showing flashes of his true potential to get back on the podium. Van Erp opens up about the mental and physical challenges he’s faced this year, the small changes that have made a big difference to his starts, and his goal of building momentum toward a strong finish to the season—and potentially a move to MX2 in 2026.
GateDrop: Ivano, you are starting to finally ride like yourself again, so it must feel good to be right at the front again…
Van Erp: Yeah, you know, last week I went to the team to make some small things, because I was quite happy with the bike, but not so happy with my starts. So there were some improvements needed to take some good starts. We found some small things, and you see, it’s a big improvement, because I took two holeshots. So yeah, it makes your life so much more easy for the race. It means you can focus on yourself, you don’t need to come from behind. My weekend started pretty good already in free practice, I felt super good. I found a good flow, I jumped the quad and was the only one in the EMX250 class do this so that is also something super nice. It’s a super enjoyable track, and I felt really comfortable. Then in the time practice, I didn’t struggle, but for me it’s always hard to put one complete good lap. So I know this for myself, so I don’t make so much stress about this, I was 12th fastest, so overall still not so bad.
In the first moto, I took the holeshot. In the beginning, I made a small mistake, and not too nervous, but I didn’t have so much aggression. But after I got the flow and I start to put good lap times in and I finished fourth, so I’m already quite happy to be back with the guys in front. In the second race, I took a big holeshot again, and from there on, I did, I think, 20 minutes at the front. I got a bit tired in the end, maybe also because I made a small mistake. But there are some things we can work on, and we will keep working a bit harder to be ready for the next one. I hope I can keep this positive vibe for the next races.
GateDrop: The track, completely different, but I mean, for you it didn’t really matter so much, because you were good both days, but how would you describe the track from Saturday to Sunday? Yesterday was so dry, no ruts, flat out. Today, ruts and a bit more technical?
Van Erp: Yes, for me, I preferred it like it was today, there were more lines and a bit more technical, because then I can use my technique that I have. Yesterday was really sketchy, I would say, like some sharp bumps, pretty fast, so to make a difference was pretty hard. But overall, in both conditions, I felt pretty comfortable. So this is also where I go in France, it’s almost quite the same condition, quite hard, a bit sketchy. So overall, I’m pretty happy about my weekend. I hope we can keep this positive vibe for the next races, and I can finish the races and the last races of the season in a good position, maybe sometimes again on the podium, maybe with a win. Let’s see what we can do, and let’s move on and keep working.
GateDrop: At the start of the season, you know, before the gate drop, you were probably one of the title favourites, along with your team mate, Janis Reisulis, but at the start of the season, you weren’t really riding like yourself, it was difficult… What was going on there?
Van Erp: I think there were some things that happened, it was pretty tough for myself to accept that in the first race I finished 8th. It was still not so bad, because, you know, it’s the first race… Then in the second moto in Spain, I was leading the pack for 3-4 laps, and then crashed, and it went from good to pretty bad, let’s say. Then you start to think a bit more and more, and in Saint-Jean (France) it’s going again, worse and worse. In Arco, the first race, I had a good start but after two corners I hit somebody and I hit a wooden pole with my thumb, and I broke my thumb. From there on, yeah, it was mentally pretty hard. Also my grandfather passed away just two days after, so this was pretty tough, let’s say.
Those two/three months were really difficult mentally for me, also to accept that I was not there, let’s say, because I know I have the speed, I know I have the technique to fight with the guys. I just didn’t show it so it was really tough mentally. And when you get in a bad mood, it’s going from bad to really bad. Now we are seeing some quite positive things, in Ernee, I won the second moto, and in Germany I showed some good things in MX2. In Latvia, we didn’t show really my pace, but I showed some good things. I came here, I like the track a lot, I came in with a positive vibe and I showed it all on the track. So, let’s see, I’m happy about my result.
GateDrop: When you came back straight away from the injury, I mean, you won at Ernee, you were probably better than what you were at the start of the season, did that injury maybe help take the pressure off, or maybe not, maybe you don’t struggle with that and you are fine with pressure?
Van Erp: I think also, yes, because I knew my grandfather was already for quite some long time not good. It’s quite hard when you see this, because Saturday I get the injury, Sunday morning we go back home, and Monday my grandfather passed away. This was really hard to see by myself, especially when you are racing, it’s hard to accept that you are not always there. He really liked the Motocross, he was most of the time at the European races, he was always asking what I was doing, even when I was not good… He was one of the guys that always stayed positive, and he said, you know you can do it, so this was tough to accept. But at the moment I think for him it’s better, I think from the sky he will watch, and I think at the moment he’s quite happy.
GateDrop: I’m sorry to hear about your grandfather, but you must be happy, you know, the last few weeks have been going really well for you, and now it’s just about building, I guess, and trying to end this season on a high note…
Van Erp: It’s like what you said. We showed some good things last week, I think the injury maybe helped a bit to clean also my head and stuff. I’m showing my pace and I’m showing what I do in training right now. We just need to keep on building and just training hard, and to finish the season off maybe for next year… I don’t know yet, but maybe we can go somewhere.
GateDrop: I was going to ask you about that actually, you had a decision to make at the end of last year, either go up to MX2 or stay at EMX250, but of course you don’t want to go up to MX2 with the wrong team. How close were you to going to MX2, or was it decided quite quickly that you would just stay in the EMX250 class? The second part of the question, I guess next year you do want to be in MX2?
Van Erp: Last year at the end of the season I showed also what I could do in training. In Sweden I went 2-2, in Turkey I showed quite some nice battles with the guys at the front and Valerio (Lata). I was actually quite close to going to MX2. Maybe, if I think back, I could have signed this contract, because if I look now, it’s quite good what they are doing, the team where I could sign. It’s always after, you know, it’s hard to make the good decision on the right moment. Last year I didn’t do, so we keep on moving with the team. We were hoping to fight for the title, let’s say, but it’s not going that way. Now the pressure is off, I can work on myself, I work on myself mentally. I hope I can show now on the track what I’m capable of, and from now on I will keep moving without pressure to hope to have next year a quite good seat in maybe a factory team or maybe another good team in MX2.
GateDrop: And for the rest of this year, obviously you will do the rest of the EMX250 series, do you plan to race Lommel or another MX2 GP?
Van Erp: Yes, the next MX2 race will be Lommel. So I hope I can show a bit my skills and my riding there. I don’t expect too much, you know, because I don’t want to put pressure on myself, but I hope I can show some good results that the teams can see that I’m capable of doing. Then in Arnhem, I have the EMX250 class so I hope there is coming a lot of people and I can show also my riding there and I hope to be on the podium there. I know I have a special kit, special helmet, but I haven’t seen it myself yet, we’re waiting for this. It’s getting better and I’m happy about the bike and everything at the moment.
