Recap: ICYMI This Week

Now that the season has fired into life, it is easy to skip past or miss a certain piece of information. This new MX Vice feature will combat that problem, however, as we will run through some of the highlights from the week that was to ensure that you are caught up.

Benoit Paturel has hogged headlines in Europe this week. The Frenchman, who tends to lurk in the shadows rather than hunt for the spotlight, was called out by the BOS Project KTM team in a statement on social media. The team claimed that Paturel was refusing to test his SX-F 450, which we covered extensively in the three stories that are listed above. The second link is an opinion piece that also includes some rumours that we have heard recently and, well, we are certain that they will be of interest to you. This story is far from complete, as more information will leak out over the next week.

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We love breaking down statistics here at MX Vice and delved into the record books earlier this week. How does the current MX2 champion, Pauls Jonass, compare to his predecessors? Well, he stacks up pretty well! We broke down the average starting positions, moto finishes and much more to offer a comprehensive look at the route that each rider took to their respective title. There are a handful of interesting titbits buried within the feature, such as the fact that one champion is buried down in twenty-second on the list of all-time winners. Who will be the next to join this list? Can Pauls Jonass clinch his second title in succession? Those questions will be answered soon enough.

HIMX stands for Hawkstone International, we should probably clear that one up straight away. The pre-season internationals are really not far away at all now, which means that the MXGP riders will be tackling tracks in anger once again. The event at the historic circuit of Hawkstone Park will be particularly stacked, as countless elite stars will be making the trip. Jeffrey Herlings, Max Anstie, Pauls Jonass, Gautier Paulin, Kevin Strijbos and more will be in action on the second weekend in February. Click the link above to see who they will be joined by.

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There has been so much Monster Energy Supercross content this week, but what stands out? The MX Vice quiz is something that you will undoubtedly want to take part in, especially if you are desperately trying to kill some time. Make sure that you share it with your friends too, then you will find out who is really a hardcore fan. This quiz is based around everything that happened at Anaheim 1 on Saturday, so you will undoubtedly learn some things along the way. It is the ultimate combination! There will be a new quiz every Wednesday on MX Vice.

Steve Matthes was at Angel Stadium over the weekend and learnt quite a lot, just as you would imagine. Matthes focuses on Eli Tomac, Malcolm Stewart and Justin Brayton in his first column of the year. We do not want to spoil the piece for you, but there is a particularly interesting point about Eli Tomac. Supposedly Tomac will be at around eighty percent if he races in Houston this weekend, so perhaps it would be wise to temper expectations somewhat? The good news is that it does seem as though the Monster Energy Kawasaki rider will take to the track again and attempt to get his title bid back on track.

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It is never good reporting news such as this, but it is rather important. Presumably everyone has seen the vicious crash that Dean Wilson had at Anaheim 1 by now? Wilson did sustain a shoulder injury in that incident, but thankfully it is not as bad as it could have been. “Dr. said my muscles in my shoulder are so beat up it is like someone took a meat hammer and battered them,” Wilson wrote on social media. The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider expects to miss Houston, because of that, but should be back on track at Angel Stadium in a little over a week.

Words: Lewis Phillips | Lead Image: KTM Images/Ray Archer