By Huseyin Dogru
The seventh race of the season, MXGP Türkiye, part of the World Motocross Championship, will begin Saturday.
The MXGP Türkiye stage will take place Saturday and Sunday in the western province of Afyonkarahisar, renowned as the best motocross track in the world.
The track area received the “Best Infrastructure” award in 2018 from the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM).
MXGP Türkiye is famously known as the stage where world champions are often crowned, adding to its prestige in the global motocross community.
Last year, the event contributed 5 billion Turkish liras ($148 million) to the country’s economy.
- Event organized under auspices of Presidency of Republic of Türkiye
The 2024 MXGP Türkiye, held under the auspices of the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye, is expected to attract more than 500,000 attendees.
Alongside the race, the NG Afyon MotoFest, Türkiye's largest integrated youth and sports festival, will happen in the same area, further enhancing the event's appeal.
MXGP Türkiye will be a guest in the homes of nearly 3.5 billion people in 180 countries where 7.4 billion live.
The World Motocross Championship, which is one of the most watched races in the world and among the most important organizations of the International Motorcycling Federation (FIM), will be attended by 114 elite racers from 28 countries, all of whom are special racers from factory teams of motorcycle manufacturers such as Kawasaki, Honda, Yamaha, GASGAS, KTM, Fantic, TM Husqvarna and Beta.
The Turkish stage of the World Motocross Championship, MXGP Türkiye, as well as the Turkish stages of the World Junior Motocross Championship (MX2 Türkiye), Women's Motocross World Championship (MXW Türkiye) and Motocross Europea Championship (EMX250), will be held on the same weekend.
- Event makes significant contribution to Turkish economy
With three races left in the MXGP, Tim Gajser for Slovenia, racing for Honda, maintains his lead with 860 points. Jorge Prado, racing for GASGAS, is second with 842 points and KTM's Dutch Jefrey Herlings is third with 818 points.
In the constructor category, Honda leads with 877 points, while GASGAS is second with 842 points. KTM is in third place with 830 points. In the race for manufacturers, the competition continues with Kawasaki, Yamaha, Fantic, Husqvarna, Beta and Ducati following KTM.
The MXGP Türkiye stage will showcase 114 of the world’s best racers from 28 countries, competing for the title. Notably, this year marks Türkiye's largest participation to date, with 14 Turkish racers joining the competition for the first time.
MXGP Türkiye won the "World's Best Promotional Stage" award last year.
Last year, the advertising value generated by news and broadcasts of MXGP Türkiye and NG Afyon MotoFest reached €300 million (333 million).
* Translated by Emre Asikci in Istanbul