The composition of the Latvian motocross national team, which will represent our country on October 8 at the “Ernee” track, in the Nations Cup for solo motorcycles held in France, has been completed. The team includes the brothers Jānis Mārtiņš and Kārlis Alberts Reišulis, as well as Pauls Jonass.
“The Motocross of Nations is the most anticipated event of the season for both athletes and fans. The only competition of the year when athletes represent their country in a team fight, the only competition of the year where the best drivers from different continents and different championships meet. This year, we will go to France with a young but ambitious team, riders who represent the new wave of Latvian motocross, with our leader Paula Jonas in the composition,” said Mārtiņš Lazdovskis, president of the Latvian Motorsport Federation (LaMSF), emphasizing the importance of this competition in motocross .
For the first time, as an independent country, Latvia participated in the Motocross of Nations in 1992. At that time, with Viestura Gauš, Leona Kozlovski and Mairi Levan, Latvia managed to win the historic 11th place. Latvian motor sportsmen could not repeat and beat this result for 27 years, until Paul Jonas did it in 2019 together with Tomas Macukas and Dāvi Ivanova. This team in the Netherlands “Asenas” won 8th place on the track. Last year, the Latvian national team (Kārlis Sabulis, Toms Macuks and Kārlis Alberts Reišulis) repeated the second best result in history, finishing in 11th position.
This year, the team’s goal in the Nations Cup, popularly known as the Olympics of motocross, is to beat the best result ever. “The thing with goals is that we always strive for the best results we’ve had before. We want to achieve a better place than eighth. I think that with these athletes included in the national team, anything is possible. The main thing is for them to finish the season on a positive note – everyone does their job, which is in the regular season, but the Nations, as they say, is like sweet food for an athlete,” Latvian national team manager Valdis Seratinskis shared the team’s settings .
As confirmed by the head of the LaMSF Motocross Commission Kristers Sergis , the leader of this year’s European championship in the 125cc class, Jānis Mārtiņš Reišulis, will compete in the MX2 class at the Nations, his brother, last year’s European vice-champion Kārlis Alberts Reišulis, will represent the MX Open class, while the titleholder Pauls Jonass will take the starting line in the MX1 competition. Edvards Bidzāns is included in the team as a reserve.
“The line-up this year is quite young and hopeful. As long as the health of the athletes will allow, I think that this is just the beginning of something bigger, which the cross-country riders of the Latvian national team could achieve and beat the previously possible result, which is the 8th place we got in 2019 in the Netherlands,” commented Sergis.
In preparation for the Nations Cup, the Latvian team plans to go to France a week before the competition and hold training sessions there. “All this still needs to be coordinated with the driver’s teams, because they also have their own settings, so the plan is to train in France a week before the Nations Cup and hopefully everything will be organized so that all three drivers get to train together,” the head coach of the Latvian national team, Roberts Justs, revealed the details, who confirmed that all the athletes included in the team are approaching their best physical condition.
“Jonas is slowly starting to recover and is slowly getting closer to good form – it’s a pleasure. He still has three rounds of the World Championship ahead of him, which will help him improve his form. Jānis Reišulis has already completed several training sessions with a 250cc class motorcycle and switching to a four-stroke bike went very smoothly – both speed and endurance on the 250cc are very good for him. As we know, Karlis was injured some time ago, but now he is training quite actively and he is also approaching his best physical condition. Before the Nations Cup, he has two more stages in the European Championship ahead of him, which will help him get back in 100 percent good shape.”
The Motocross Nations Cup for solo bikes will take place on October 8 at the France-based “Erne” circuit, which was built in 1972. Since 1990, this motor track has hosted the stages of the world championship in motocross, as well as the Nations Cup competitions have been held here twice (in 2005 and 2015). The performance of the Latvian national team in the Nations Cup can also be followed live on the TV channel Go3 Sport..
Words: Press Release