This weekend, three motocross racers from Brabant will be at the start of the Motocross of Nations, the world championship for national teams. Glenn Coldenhoff, Calvin Vlaanderen and Kay De Wolf will pose for a photo on the podium at Erne in France. “I hope that at the end of the day, Wilhelmus will sound for us,” says Coldenhoff.
Due to the absence of five-time world champion Jeffrey Herlings, the strongest Dutch team will not be at the start of the Motocross of Nations on Sunday. But there are still three good motocross riders who can score high scores.
“Jeffrey was injured and only rode for the first time this week,” says Glenn Coldenhoff. “So it’s not wise to release him immediately for the World Cup. Because if he’s involved, he’s involved in the win. It’s too early for him. But Calvin Vlaanderen and Kai De Wolf have had a good year, so it’s all right. I have confidence in that.”
“In preparation, we entered the escape room with our entire team.”
Winning, as happened at Assen in 2019, will be very difficult for the Netherlands. But it’s all better than last year’s disappointing seventh place. Coldenhoff believes that “France and Australia are the outstanding countries and have the best chance of winning the title.” “But then there are a lot of evenly matched teams. Think Spain, Germany, America and of course Belgium. We also qualify there and if we all have a good day, we can definitely get on the podium. That would be really cool!”
In any case, Coldenhof, Flanders and De Wolf are doing everything they can to achieve top performance this weekend in France. A little team building up front, for example.
“We went to an escape room with our whole team,” Coldenhoff says of the preparations. “Or actually we went to the escape room twice, because the first time we couldn’t solve the puzzle and couldn’t figure it out. Not by a long time,” he laughs. “Luckily it worked the second time. We laughed a lot and it was good for the atmosphere.”
“I hope Wilhelmus will sound for us at the end of the day.”
We hope the teamwork goes smoothly this weekend. “Normally you work individually in a Grand Prix, but here you drive as a team for your country,” Coldenhoff continues. “In a match like this you have to do it together and then tactics are also involved. We will have to discuss that together and that’s what makes it special.”
Coldenhoff himself will travel to France with confidence. He was the best Dutchman in MXGP last season and has now secured a new two-year contract at the highest level. “I will stay with my current team, but the brand of motorcycle I will ride is not yet known.”
“It will all become clear after the Nations,” concludes the driver from Best. “I’m looking forward to it, because it’s going to be a huge event and it’s going to have a big audience. I know that a lot of Dutch people will also come to watch, and it’s very fun for us. I’m a really proud Dutch person and I hope so. At the end of the day the Wilhelmos sound for us.”
Qualifying will be held in France next Saturday and the Motocross of Nations race on Sunday.
The Dutch team’s last victory in the Motocross World Championship for national teams was in 2019:
