Former World number two, multiple Grand Prix and MXoN winner Paul Malin, who will do the commentary for the two round Internazionali d’Italia give his opinion about the series, and some insight into which riders might cause the most damage to their opposition.

After the off-season spent riding dirt bikes in New Zealand, I am really looking forward to watching the Internazionali d’Italia, especially the first round in Ponte e Egola. I’ve never been here before, yet I have heard so much about it from many, many people over the years. It’s the first chance we get to see where some of the riders are at regarding their pre-season preparation, and when we look at some of those riders and teams, it’s quite a mouth-watering prospect. And then to end the series in Arco, one of the most picturesque circuits will be just about perfect.

Team HRC will have both riders racing this series, Tim Gajser and Ruben Fernandez; the defending world champion and his understudy. Gajser now has five world titles under his belt so will start this season as the favourite, but what kind of performance will we see from his young team mate, Fernandez? Another year older, he might prove to be a dark horse, as the season unfolds. There have been quite a few wet and cold training days, so no matter the weather here or during the season, expect these two riders to shine.

Monster Energy Yamaha will be present with all three of its MXGP squad as well, with Jeremy SEEWER, Glenn COLDENHOFF and Maxime RENAUX all looking to get some race-time under their belts. Seewer (2nd in 2022) had the upper hand within the team structure, but former MX2 world champion Renaux will be looking to reverse that trend in 2023, with ‘The Hoff’ looking to draw on his experience as he too, chases that elusive world title.

Add to the mix Kawasaki Racing Team’s Romain FEBVRE and Mitch EVANS and we have almost covered the top ten places on the grid for this Italian series, but from a MXGP standpoint, ‘RF3’ will want to put a difficult 2022 behind him. Can he be a title challenger again though, just like he was in 2021 when he was the points leader heading into the final race of the final round of the season? His new teammate Evans swaps red for green and has shown he can be a challenger for the podium. He will no doubt be relying on his team to get him up to speed with his new set-up, and it starts here in Italy for the Australian.

Italian interest will surely come from Mattia GUADAGNINI, so it will be interesting to see how much the Red Bull GASGAS rider has progressed this past winter. The former Junior world champion and MX2 GP winner clearly has the talent and speed to compete, so hopefully this off-season has been good to the ‘101’ as he prepares to be a real thorn in the side of some of the established riders in the premier class. A good start in these two races might just get him fired up for a solid MXGP campaign.

MRT will showcase its new colours as BETA riders Alessandro LUPINO and Ben WATSON hope for a confident start. They seem like they are getting along well at least, so that is already a step in the right direction. Both riders are capable of challenging for the top ten in MXGP and with BETA now in its third season as a manufacturer, it will be interesting to see how the development of the bike has progressed in the past four months. SM Action Racing Team Yuasa Battery’s Alberto FORATO looks like he has been working hard during the off-season. Last year he showed us glimpses of what he can do on the world stage, so a good couple of races at home might be just the boost he needs heading into Argentina for the opening round of the MXGP season. If he stays upright and healthy, can we expect to see the big man knocking on the door for a podium or two? A fan-favourite, Alby will want to impress in these two races.

As for the MX2 class, all eyes will be on the Monster Energy Yamaha duo of Jago GEERTS and Thibault BENISTANT. Whilst it’s only a pre-season race, neither of these riders will be keen to give an advantage to his rival and that goes for everyone lining up today. Nestaan Husqvarna’s Kay DE WOLF will look to cause an upset, along with fellow Dutchman and reigning EMX250 champion, Rick ELZINGA, and they will no doubt have their hands full with Red Bull GASGAS rider, Simon LAENGENFELDER. The German placed 3rd in MX2 last year and if there is a team that can push him towards that gold medal, then it’s certainly that of De Carli and his crew. Do not be surprised to see him add to his GP win from the UK last year.

A team that has more than impressed over the past few years is Fantic Factory Team Maddii, which will be lining up in Italy with a full-house of talent. They will run a MX2 rider this year in the form of Tom GUYON who rode to an impressive 3rd in race two at Saint Jean d’Angely last year, and with the team’s wealth of tuning knowledge, we can expect to see a rejuvenated Guyon lining up in 2023. Joining him on the team will be 2022 EMX125 champion Cas VALK and Haakon OSTERHAGEN. Both will race EMX250 this year and you can bet that both will be competitive as well.