Racing: Motocross of Nations '09

It's set to be a big weekend for motorsport fans with the MotoGP in Portugal and the 2009 Motocross of Nations in Italy.

With some 37 nations and 130 riders competing for one of the oldest trophies in motorcross, the desire to win for national pride is intense, and Australia is in with a shot thanks to a strong team comprising AMA Motocross champion Chad Reed, plus Brett Metcalfe and Michael Byrne.

The event will take place in Brescia, Italy, on the modified Daniel Bonara track in Franciacorta. The 1720m soil track has been reworked for the event, which has been run since 1947 (the Brits were the inaugural winners), and on top of a 350 metre section of deep sand there's even a mountainous section complete with ascending and descending waves.

There are 19 corners all up, with 18 obstacles, including a trio of table tops, off camber rollers, natural floaters, a camel back and a boom hole.

With an excellent motocross season in America, Australia's spearhead rider Chad Reed is confident of a strong showing at the Motocross of Nations: "Personally I feel much better prepared for this year's event following a full motocross season, I achieved some big goals, including a title win, and would love to carry over this success.

"We've got a shot, for sure. If we can get away to clean starts and have fast, consistent finishes then I'm confident we can challenge for Australia's first win," stated Reed.

The Aussie motorcross star will be one of the favourites for the MX1 class riding his Suzuki RM-Z450.

"Motocross of Nations is something all riders look forward to, it's a chance to fly the flag for your country and I am very proud of my Australian heritage," said Reed.

He tempered his enthusiasm with the knowledge that the event can be notoriously unforgiving and paid respects to his rivals: "As always, the competition will be very tough. There is a lot of experience and success within the 2009 team line-ups."

The Americans always have a strong line-up for 2009 (this year fronting Ryan Dungey, Jake  Weimer and Ivan Tedesco), but there will be several nations in with a strong chance on the almost 2km track.

For the full list of countries and riders, check out the official Red Bull Motocross of Nations website.

Brief history of the Motocross of Nations
Before 'motocross' was the accepted term for the sport, it was know as 'scramble' in the 1920s and 1930s. It was after WWII in 1947 that the Motocross des Nations (Motocross of Nations) was born, with three national teams in the running: Netherlands, Belgium and Britain. The Poms won that first event but as more and more countries joined the 500cc motocross event over the years, wins went to the likes of Belgium, Sweden, Czechoslovakia and Russia.

A new format was introduced in 1985 that included 125, 250 and 500cc classes, with one rider for each class, and through the '80s and early '90s the Americans dominated with 17 consecutive victories.

The American teams always managed to get top riders with Danny "Magoo" Chandler winning all four heats in the team contests in 1982. However the 1986 event could be the American team's greatest triumph to date, with David Bailey, Ricky Johnson and Johnny O’Mara cruising through all three heats unbeaten by the rest of the world.