The second greatest GP rider of all time Antonio Cairoli and the new legend Jeffrey Herlings will also be at the event as will Ken De Dycker, Kevin Strijbos, Jeremy Van Horebeek, Jordi Tixier, Glen Coldenhoff, Dean Ferris, Xavier Boog, Rui Goncalves, Eric Sorby, Maria Franke, Antti Pyrhönen and Joël Roelants. Plus a host of veteran riders.

I visited this race last year and loved it, so if you are an MX fan, get yourself to Belgium on the 21st of July.

For more information go to http://www.evertsandfriends.be/

More Grand Prix and AMA news at www.britishmx.com

Hallman was a four-time World Motocross Champion when he came to the United States in the late-1960s as part of Edison Dye’s efforts to popularize both the Husqvarna motorcycle brand and the sport of motocross. Hallman’s incredible skill on a motocross bike was a revelation to American fans and racers. Within a few years after Hallman’s first visit, motocross became the most popular form of motorcycle racing in the United States. Hallman was also a savvy businessman and founded a riding apparel company, Thor, that heavily influenced the look and function of motocross riding gear.

Hallman was born in 1939 in Uppsala, Sweden, a scenic university town about 50 miles north of Stockholm. Hallman’s father and older brother were both motorcycle racers. The Hallmans built a small practice track on the farm where they lived. They often hosted many of the top Swedish racers, who would come to the farm when they were in the area to train on the practice track. From a young age, Hallman would sneak his older brother’s bike out for a stealthy ride. Hallman’s first bike was a 100cc DKW, which he quickly wore out from riding so much. His father then moved young Hallman up to a Royal Enfield 125.

By the time Hallman entered his first formal competition, he was already a skilled rider. He won that first race and knew that he wanted to pursue a racing career. “The results really lit a fire for motorcycle racing, and it became the one thing on earth to live for,” Hallman said in his book, Mr. Moto-cross, written in 1970.

Hallman’s big break came in 1957 when he won a major junior team race riding a Husqvarna. It was then that Bror Jauren, manager of Husqvarna’s racing team, gave Hallman the chance to become a factory-supported rider.

By the 1960s, Hallman was competing in the world championships. He would go on to win the 250cc motocross world title four times. His battles with Belgium’s Joel Robert were considered some of the best in the history of the championships. Hallman might have won even more titles, but he was carrying more than a full plate. During the early-1960s, Hallman was a full-time university student and a full-time racer. In 1965, his senior year in college, the workload became heavy and Hallman had to back off on his racing and training schedule, yet he still managed to finish fourth in the world championships that year.

Hallman made his first trip to America in 1966 at the behest of Edison Dye to help introduce the sport of motocross to America and to help promote Husqvarna. Hallman’s method of introduction was to enter scrambles and other off-road events throughout the fall and dominate like no other rider had done before. One race in particular gave Hallman a great deal of notoriety – the Hopetown GP held in near Simi Valley, California, which was then the foremost motocross-style scrambles race in America.

“The Hopetown race was where I sort of became famous in America,” Hallman recalled. “The newspapers wrote quite a lot about me and my Husky after my success. No one had ever dreamed that it was possible to ride so fast on a motorcycle in motocross.”

With his reputation established in America he and Malcolm Smith briefly opened a motocross school in Riverside, California.

Hallman’s visit helped spur Husqvarna sales, so he was invited back the following season with other world championship and Swedish Husqvarna riders. “That was basically the birth of the Inter-Am Series,” explains Hallman, referring to America’s first major motocross series. “It was the series that made motocross so popular in America.”

A back injury slowed Hallman by the end of the 1960s. His results suffered and Husqvarna dropped him from the factory squad. The fledgling Yamaha motocross effort quickly picked up Hallman and the factory made the most of the world champion’s knowledge. With Hallman’s input, Yamaha developed its championship-winning YZ series of motocross bikes, the first production motocross machines to utilize mono-shock rear suspension.

Besides being a world champion racer, Hallman proved to be a world-class businessman, as well. He became a Husqvarna dealer in Sweden and then began to sell motocross pants and gloves at the races to help supplement his income. This eventually led to the formation of Thor (Torsten Hallman Original Racewear). From the company’s beginnings out of the trunk of Hallman’s car, Thor grew to become one of the leading off-road racing apparel companies in the world. Hallman later sold his interest in the company, but remains Sweden’s Thor importer.

When inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2000, Hallman continued to run his importing business in Sweden. He will always be remembered not only for his world championships, but also for being one of the key catalysts behind the rapid growth in the popularity of motocross in America during the late-1960s.

For those that can not understand Dutch this video was shot as Robert and Geboers fight for the World 250 Championship. Robert finished second in the opening moto with Heikki Mikkola winning the moto and Geboers back in third.

The second moto and Geboers pulls out of the moto after crashing and Robert is crowned World Champion for the fourth time.

The real story was in the interview with the two riders. Geboers complained that Robert had spoken to his wife and told her that Geboers will never be World Champion. Geboers felt Robert should have spoken to him and not to his wife about such a thing.

Drama in the Motocross, but a great story and one that will live in the folklaw of Motocross forever.

Check out www.britishmx.com for a really cool video from the 1970 Spanish GP, plus more AMA and FIM news.

Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Villopoto captured his third overall victory of the season at High Point Raceway with a clean sweep in the 450 Class, giving the points leader a total of seven moto wins to date. Villopoto’s successful season has given him considerable momentum heading into Round 5 this weekend, where he looks to extend his points lead at Budds Creek.

The only rider to beat Villopoto this season is Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey, who sits in a close second place in the championship standings. Dungey secured the overall win in Tennessee with a big win in Moto 2. That, paired with a third place in the first moto, allowed Dungey to trump Villopoto’s score of (1-4) for the day. Winning at Budds Creek isn’t a new concept for the Minnesota native, as he took the win in 2010 and 2012. Additionally, Dungey is the only rider to finish on the podium in all eight motos thus far, and will look for his second win of 2013 at Budds Creek.

In his first full season in the 450 Class, Team Honda Muscle Milk’s Justin Barcia is holding his own amongst the sport’s most decorated racers. Barcia’s highlight of the season was at Round 3 where he battled with Villopoto and Dungey in both motos, ultimately finishing second overall. Barcia currently sits third in the championship standings with a consistent string of top five finishes. Team Honda Muscle Milk’s Trey Canard trails his teammate Barcia in the points, holding fourth place ahead of Smartop/MotoConcepts Racing’s Mike Alessi.

Last round, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Tyla Rattray earned his first career podium in the 450 Class with a pair of fourth place finishes. Rattray, a previous winner at Budds Creek in the 250 Class, looks to contest for another podium finish this weekend in the 450 Class.

Through the first four rounds of 250 Class competition, three different riders have stood atop the podium. Last round in Pennsylvania, Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin became the first repeat winner in the 250 Class, besting his teammate Ken Roczen for the overall victory. However, it wasn’t until Moto 2 at High Point that Musquin secured his first career moto win in the U.S.

Musquin (right) looks to secure his third straight win of the season, while Roczen (94) hopes to maintain the 250 Class points lead Courtesy: Simon Cudby

Roczen has been the most dominant rider in the 250 Class this season, holding five of the eight moto wins, as well as the points lead heading into Round 5. But in addition to his teammate Musquin, Roczen has several riders on his heels in the chase for a championship. GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac sits in second place in the championship standings, only five points behind Roczen and seven points ahead of Musquin. Tomac captured the overall victory in his home state of Colorado and then went on to secure his second moto win the next week in Tennessee, proving that he will be a championship contender alongside the Red Bull KTM duo this season.

Currently in the midst of its third decade of motocross competition, Budds Creek is one of the most renowned tracks on the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship schedule. Sitting in the shadow of the nation’s capital, it is a popular stop for riders and fans alike thanks to its stellar sight lines, thrilling elevation changes, and challenging terrain. The facility has produced some of the most memorable moments in American Motocross since hosting its first national in 1989.

The Red Bull Budds Creek National will be the first of three rounds of the championship broadcast exclusively on NBC. The national network television exposure will bring the action into millions of homes, allowing viewers to see the world’s best do battle.

The Red Bull Budds Creek National will commence Saturday, June 22, in Mechanicsville, Md., beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern. Live coverage of the opening motos on FUEL TV and Allisports.com will begin at 1 p.m. Eastern. Moto 2 of the 450 Class will air Live on NBC at 3 p.m., with Live coverage of the 250 Class Moto 2 on NBC Sports at 4 p.m.

For tickets and additional information, please visit AlliSports.com/motocross and LIKE the Pro Motocross Facebook page and follow @ProMotocross on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content and additional information on the latest Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship news.

Add  into the mix homegrown heroes Jamie Squibb  and Dan Whitby and you’ve got a truly  world-class FMX field.  The Festival of Speed is a potent cocktail of  cars, stars and motorsport legends, brought  together for a four-day celebration of all things  petrol-powered. An estimated 185,000-plus  visitors are expected to flock to the Goodwood  grounds this year where, nestled among the
manicured lawns, they’ll find the GAS Arena.

GAS made its Festival of Speed debut in  2011 when it was an instant hit. The concept  is a simple one – take amazing action sports,  hand-pick some of the most accomplished  riders on the planet and put them together  in one purpose-built arena sculpted out of  more than 7,000 tonnes of soil. The result is a  spectacle that rivals even the historic hillclimb  the Festival is built around.

The disciplines mix petrol and pedal-power  with jaw-dropping Freestyle Motocross sharing  airspace with BMX Dirt Jumping while a little  closer to terra firma Spanish BMX Flatland  legend Viki Gomez demonstrates an almost  supernatural sense of balance and  inch-perfect precision.

American two-time world champ and  X-Games medallist Chris Doyly heads the  all-star BMX Dirt Jumping line-up that also  includes British champions Bob Manchester  and Matt Priest and brothers Kye and Leo Forte.  As well as regular shows a series of  competitions will focus on BMX High Jump,  BMX Dirt Jumping, FMX Best Trick and  FMX Best Run.

This year’s Festival of Speed runs from July 11-14.

For all GAS media enquiries please email sean@e22sports.com