The MXGP Motocross World Championships make a return to Europe this weekend, for the first of five Grands Prix over a six-week span, as the classic Loketske Serpentiny circuit, commonly known as Loket, hosts the MXGP of Czech Republic. The 27th event at this circuit, the thirteenth round of the 2024 series will be lucky for some, as the world’s elite racers dig in for a crucial part of the season in the hunt for the World Championship titles!

Loket has been the circuit of choice in this country for an almost uninterrupted period since the first event here in 1995, which was in the 500cc class and won by Belgian legend Joel Smets with a double win on the way to his first world title. Since then, MXGP has returned to the circuit every year apart from 1996, 2001, and 2020. Smets shares the record for overall wins at the circuit with fellow multiple World Champions Stefan Everts and Antonio Cairoli, who have each won four at the picturesque hard-pack venue.

Three active riders have a chance to equal that record, as Jorge Prado, Jeffrey Herlings, and Romain Febvre have all taken three winner’s trophies away from Loket.

The MXGP class will see a continuation of the enthralling three-way title battle between Team HRC’s Tim Gajser, Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing’s reigning Champion Prado, and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing talisman Herlings, who is on form following a perfect weekend at the MXGP of Lombok.

MX2 will see the two Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing teammates, Kay de Wolf and Lucas Coenen, resume their battle for the title, with the Belgian closing to within 49 points of the Dutchman after the pair won a Grand Prix each on the island of Lombok in Indonesia.

The event will also see the final for the EMX85 and EMX65 European Championships for youth riders, with many competitors making the journey straight from last weekend’s World Junior Championships, including top EMX85 Qualifiers Hayden Statt from the UK, Italy’s Andrea Uccellini and World Juniors second race winner Lucas Leok from that famous Estonian family!

Top EMX65 qualifiers Roko Ivandici from Croatia, and German Luca Nierychlo, will be among the leading contenders, as will race winning Brits Cohen Jagielski and Jett Gardiner, who will welcome the hard-pack of Loket after the sand of Heerde!  The packed schedule is also joined by the EMX2t single-race Championship event, so the sweet smell of two-stroke pre-mix will waft around the beautiful Czech valley for much of the weekend!