Fans from Italy will be cheering for local heroes David Philippaerts (MX1) and his Yamaha teammate Davide Guarneri (MX2), who both finished fourth in their respective classes in the world championship, riders which should add the depth needed by team Italy to contend with the always strong squad coming from the United States. From South American comes again the experienced group of Brazilian riders led by Wellington Garcia, who took the MX1 and MX2 titles in this year's Brazilian Motocross Championship. Hailing from New Zealand in the Oceania continent is Joshua Coppins, whose sixth place finish was just two positions behind his Yamaha teammate Philippaerts. Other international riders with Pirelli for this race from Spain are José Antonio Butrón, currently seated in fifth place in the MX Elite class of Campeonato de España de Motocross, which ends in October; and Jonathan Baragan, a KTM rider who could have been a contender in the MX1 world championship until a training accident put him out of several races.
Last year's Motocross of Nations, held at Donington Park in the UK, saw a strong performance from the American riders who won best nation overall, but Pirelli riders Steve Ramon, David Philippaerts, and Max Nagl captured one second and two third-place finishes, giving their teams enough points to finish in the top ten.
The international off-road event will be held at the newly constructed track on the grounds of the Autodromo Daniel Bonara, located in Franciacorta just one hour from Pirelli's worldwide headquarters in Milan, Italy. Pirelli's partnership agreement with the event promoter, DBO in July of this year was made in order to support this international racing event and its promotional activities.
More information and race tickets can be found on the site: www.mxnations2009.com. For more information on Pirelli's motorcycle tyre range, our site is always open at www.pirellimoto.com.
Race Manager's Comments
Giovanni Gatti, who handles Pirelli's Off-Road Motorcycle Racing, commented: "It's a real pleasure to see our best riders from around the world compete on Italian soil. Riders like MX2 World Champion Marvin Musquin typically prefer competing on the Scorpion MX MidSoft front and MX Soft rear for soft terrain, but since Franciacorta facility is brand new, it's hard to predict the soil conditions and thus the ideal combination. After reaching our 52nd world championship title in the FIM World Motocross, Pirelli is braced to offer strong support to the field of riders with our diverse line of Scorpion MX tyres. Even more so, we keep in close contact with our off-road support staff in other nations, which gives us a strategic advantage to keep these riders' needs met."
2009 Motocross of Nations - Entry List of PIRELLI Riders
| COUNTRY | No. | Surname | Name | Class | Motorcycle |
| FRANCE | 4 | AUBIN | Nicolas | MX1 | Yamaha 450 |
| FRANCE | 5 | MUSQUIN | Marvin | MX2 | KTM 250 |
| BELGIUM | 7 | DASALLE | Clément | MX1 | Honda 450 |
| BELGIUM | 8 | ROELANTS | Joel | MX2 | KTM 250 |
| BELGIUM | 9 | RAMON | Steve | OPEN | Suzuki 450 |
| ITALY | 14 | GUARNERI | Davide | MX2 | Yamaha 250 |
| ITALY | 15 | PHILIPPAERTS | David | OPEN | Yamaha 450 |
| SPAIN | 20 | BUTRON | José Antonio | MX2 | KTM 250 |
| SPAIN | 21 | BARAGAN | Jonathan | OPEN | KTM 450 |
| NEW ZEALAND | 22 | COPPINS | Joshua | MX1 | Yamaha 450 |
| SWITZERLAND | 25 | BILL | Julien | MX1 | Aprilia 450 |
| GERMANY | 28 | NAGL | Maximilian | MX1 | KTM 450 |
| GERMANY | 30 | SCHIFFER | Marcus | OPEN | KTM 450 |
| FINLAND | 33 | REMES | Eero | OPEN | KTM 250 |
| ESTONIA | 35 | KRESTINOV | Gert | MX2 | KTM 250 |
| CANADA | 37 | MEDAGLIA | Tyler | MX1 | Suzuki 450 |
| BRAZIL | 40 | SILVA | Leandro | MX1 | Honda 450 |
| BRAZIL | 41 | GARCIA | Wellington | MX2 | Honda 250 |
| BRAZIL | 42 | BARBI JUNIOR | Antonio | OPEN | Honda 450 |
| LATVIA | 47 | KARRO | Matiss | MX2 | Suzuki 250 |
| NETHERLANDS | 52 | KRAS | Mike | MX1 | KTM 450 |
| NETHERLANDS | 53 | HERLINGS | Jeffrey | MX2 | KTM 250 |
| PORTUGAL | 71 | GONCALVES | RUI | MX2 | KTM 250 |