Three times the charm as the FIM Motocross World Championship continues in Belgium with the MXGP of Lommel this weekend.
The FIM Motocross World Championship is back for the last Grand Prix of the Belgian triple-header, as the series carries momentum into the 15th round with the MXGP of Lommel!
At the beginning of our Belgian run, the riders were treated to a brand-new track layout of the popular sand circuit, which many of the top riders have gotten to know very well over the years, due to the fact that many of the teams are based in Lommel or close by. This weekend the track will undergo further changes to present the riders with new challenges!
The main changes will be focused on sectors three and four, giving the track a different look which will make for some interesting racing.
Heading into the last GP of the Belgian trio of races, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado will no doubt be chasing his fourth overall victory of the season, having won at the previous GP here in Lommel.
The Spaniard has been looking extremely strong in the second half of this season, and now is just two points down on his teammate, Antonio Cairoli, for second in the championship. Though Cairoli won’t make it easy for him, as he was looking more comfortable during yesterday’s races while he challenged Prado for the race win in the second heat.
For the series leader, Tim Gajser of Team HRC, the focus will be on enjoying the races and that overall victory, which he unfortunately missed out on yesterday, due to a mistake in the second race while he led the way. He finished second, though still managed to extend his championship lead to 55 points, which gives him more breathing room for the next few races.
The Slovenian is enjoying his time in the sand, which he confirmed himself during yesterday’s post-race press conference. For Gajser, a few silly mistakes are what’s costing him a solid and consistent results, as he’s won two out of the four races here in Lommel so far. But more can be expected from the defending champion as he will be pushing for the perfect 1-1 scorecard to get back on top of the box this weekend.
Dutch rider, Brian Bogers of Marchetti Racing Team KTM has been looking strong the last two GPs as he has finished consistently 6th overall, which is his best result in MXGP since he made the move up in 2019. Bogers started the races on pole after dominating the time practice session and then finished the race 7-5 for 6th overall.
Now with the final race here in Belgium, it would be good to see him continue his battle at the top end of the field and maybe even het himself on the podium once again, since his last was in Russia 2017, back when he was in MX2.
Calvin Vlaanderen of Gebben Van Venrooy Yamaha Racing had two solid top 10 results yesterday, as he finished the races in 6th and 9th which gave him 7th overall, putting him among some of the top names in the series, during his rookie season.
Then there’s Romain Febvre of Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team and Jeremy Seewer of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing who both have pushed hard in the last two GPs to edge closer to a podium finish. Febvre was tied on points with Cairoli for the podium (38 points), though he crashed in the later stages of the second race, which cost him valuable points and a spot on the podium. But there is no doubt that the Frenchman will regroup and come back fighting for the next races.
MXGP of Limburg Top 3:
1.Jorge Prado
2.Tim Gajser
3.Antonio Cairoli
MXGP – World Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 533 points; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 478 p.; 3. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 476 p.; 4. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 461 p.; 5. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 421 p.; 6. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, GAS), 375 p.; 7. Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 369 p.; 8. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 336 p.; 9. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 271 p.; 10. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 263 p.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle will enter the last Belgian GP with confidence as he will look to make it 3 out of 3 wins here in Lommel, after winning the last two GPs. The Frenchman has been pretty consistent, with two race wins and two second place finishes so far. He has been riding well not making any big mistakes which have paid off massively as he now leads the championship by 61 points, over Jago Geerts of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing, who has lost some ground during the last few races.
For Geerts, the previous GP was a mixture, as he crashed in both races while in the lead. In the first race he was able to make an impressive recovery and get back to the top, though in the second race he couldn’t do the same and finished 7th which put him third on the podium and lost some valuable championship points.
His teammate, Ben Watson has been on a high recently as he claimed two consecutive podiums in Lommel so far. The Brit has been looking very strong, with his starts being the only downfall, especially in the races yesterday, as he had to fight back in both heats.
He clearly has the speed, as he proved it, especially in the second race as he caught up with the leaders after starting outside the top 5. His pass on F&H Kawasaki’s Roan Van de Moosdijk was also impressive and showed that the Yamaha rider was not looking to mess around. Watson was third during the Monster Energy MXGP of Flanders, then second overall during the MXGP of Limburg, so it will be interesting to see if he can secure an overall victory this time around.
Roan Van de Moosdijk had a tough start to the races yesterday, as he was pushing well inside the top 3 when his bike stopped which forced him out of the race and cost him the chance of going after the podium, which we would have had a good go at, as he finished the second race third.
Diga Procross GasGas Factory Juniors rider Isak Gifting had some more positive results at the previous GP, as he finished 4th overall and just 7 points from his first MX2 podium.
MXGP of Limburg Top 3:
1.Tom Vialle
2.Ben Watson
3.Jago Geerts
MX2 – World Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 616 points; 2. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 555 p.; 3. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 438 p.; 4. Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS), 429 p.; 5. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 410 p.; 6. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 397 p.; 7. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, KAW), 377 p.; 8. Conrad Mewse (GBR, KTM), 287 p.; 9. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, YAM), 279 p.; 10. Mathys Boisrame (FRA, KAW), 234 p.
Text/Bild: Infront Moto Racing