THE SUN SHINES IN WEST NUSA TENGGARA AS PRADO AND DE WOLF PUT THE REST IN THE SHADE.
In the relentless heat and humidity of the MXGP of West Nusa Tenggara at the Selaparang circuit on the island of Lombok, the racing never faded in its intensity as the MXGP elite put on a spectacular display of racing stamina in the Indonesian sun!
The MXGP World Championship saw another change in momentum, as reigning Champion Jorge Prado took a superb Grand Prix win for Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing, although mistakes for all three leading competitors were a feature of the racing as he took a chunk out of the points lead of Team HRC’s Tim Gajser.
In the MX2 class it was the points leader who took control again for Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing, asred plate holder Kay de Wolf won both races on the day for the first time this season to further extend his advantage at the top of the table!
Before the racing began, the opening ceremony for the event saw speeches of thanks from Infront Moto Racing CEO David Luongo, FIM CMS Director Antonio Alia Portela, before the Governor of West Nusa Tenggara 2018-2023, Dr. H. Zulkieflimansyah S.E. M.SC, welcomed the MXGP organisation to the region and wished the best of luck to all competitors, all in the presence of FIM Asia President Stephan Carapiet. Then we were treated to a dazzling display of drumming, dancing, music and acrobatic performances from the Indonesian marching band Gita Abdi Praja IPDN (The State of Public Administration), while singer Pipit Tripitaka performed “Indonesia Raya”, the national anthem of Indonesia, and other traditional songs with Saxophonist Bintang Pablo.
Saturday had seen the RAM Qualifying Race won by Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings for the first time this year and he had even set the fastest time in Warm-Up to make it a near-perfect start to the weekend.
It was Kawasaki Racing Team rider Jeremy Seewer who took his third Fox Holeshot Award of the year, but Herlings used his inside start gate to great effect and grabbed the lead into the second corner! Gajser was in third initially, but Prado charged around the outside to get past the Slovenian!
Before the start of the first full lap, both Prado and Gajser had nudged past Seewer to give chase to the flying “Bullet” out front. Jeffrey put the hammer down with consecutive fastest laps in the first three full circulations, building a small gap from the start of the race over Prado.
Behind the leading three, Calvin Vlaanderen managed to jump alongside and past his Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP teammate Andrea Bonacorsi for fifth place, before closing in on Seewer, catching the Swiss rider at the end of lap 12. He met with spirited resistance, but ultimately the South African-born Dutch star fought his way into fourth place, with Bonacorsi also passing the Kawasaki as the two-lap board came out! The Italian claimed fifth at the finish, the best result yet of his young MXGP career. Seewer had to settle for sixth.
Prado got as close as two seconds to the leader Herlings, while Gajser struggled with a tyre choice that he said later put him at a serious disadvantage and took the points for a solid third. “The Bullet” eventually was able to pull out a ten second gap at the chequered flag, his fourth race win of the year, ahead of Prado.
Race two’s first corner was a mightily close contest for the Fox Holeshot Award and Gajser took it by half a tyre thickness from Prado, but both were immediately passed by Herlings into the second corner! At the top of the circuit, Prado was caught out by the track and jumped off the circuit, losing a second to Gajser, as a fast-starting Vlaanderen also looked menacing.
The Yamaha man, however, then had his own mistake as he dropped the bike in a right hander before the end of the first full lap. He picked it up in seventh, as Seewer, Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Mattia Guadagnini and Kevin Horgmo of the Ship To Cycle Honda Motoblouz SR team went past him while he was stationary.
On lap four, Herlings jumped into a patch of mud and went down, gifting the lead to Gajser as Prado started to catch them both! As the top two in the series took the finish line jump together, the Spaniard held the inside line, but slowed as the Slovenian went for the cutback, mis-timed it and tripped over Prado’s rear wheel!
Gajser only just got back up ahead of Jeffrey, but seemed to be more affected by his crash than the Dutchman was, and Herlings found his way past on lap eight. A further crash for Gajser on lap nine dropped him behind Seewer and a recovering Vlaanderen, and they finished from third to fifth in that order. Vlaanderen’s fourth position was enough to earn him his, and Yamaha’s, first MXGP podium result of the season!
Herlings had a ten second gap to Prado when he got past Gajser and despite looking up for him at every opportunity, was unable to hack it down by much. The Spaniard backed off on the final lap which cut the final margin of his victory to 5.4 seconds, but it meant that the GASGAS man claimed his 10th Grand Prix win for the brand, and 45th of his amazing career.
The results mean that from 34 points at the start of the weekend, Gajser’s series lead has been cut down to just 22. Herlings is also closer to the lead, now just 58 points behind the Slovenian. What a way to kick off the second half of the season!
Jorge Prado: “I’m sohappy with the victory! I’ve been riding very good all season long. It’s a pity lost point along the way with some mistakes like in the last race in Maggiora and the DNF, so came back strong in Indonesia. The condition were very tough, very very physical but super happy with my performance. Not the perfect starts that I’m used to but it was good enough to take the overall! Super happy. Now a good week of training and rest and ready for round two in Indonesia.”
Jeffrey Herlings: “It was a shame; it should have been a 1-1-1 for me today but I made a mistake. I crashed by myself and hurt a little bit my knee but we should be good for next week. In the end 1-1-2 over a weekend is pretty good too! “
Calvin Vlaanderen: “I had a very first race and battle with Jeremy (Seewer) for quite a bit. I was off to a good start in the second race and I made a stupid mistake, went down and I knew I had to pass a couple of riders to get to the box. Then Tim (Gajser) also made a mistake which allowed me to go through so I’m so happy to be back on the box. It’s been a hard-fought couple of years since I’ve been on the podium so it’s nice relief for myself and also the team who works so hard. I just want to say a big thanks to my family, my girlfriend and everyone! “
MXGP – Grand Prix Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 34:51.779; 2. Jorge Prado (ESP, GASGAS), +0:10.164; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:16.761; 4. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Yamaha), +0:23.402; 5. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, Yamaha), +0:26.398; 6. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Kawasaki), +0:29.577; 7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Fantic), +0:34.304; 8. Valentin Guillod (SUI, Honda), +0:39.618; 9. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, Honda), +0:41.304; 10. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:58.446
MXGP – Grand Prix Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Jorge Prado (ESP, GASGAS), 35:11.222; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:05.367; 3. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Kawasaki), +0:09.683; 4. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Yamaha), +0:13.663; 5. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:21.219; 6. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, Honda), +0:26.978; 7. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:40.570; 8. Cornelius Toendel (NOR, KTM), +0:54.924; 9. Jan Pancar (SLO, KTM), +0:58.174; 10. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +1:00.429;
MXGP Overall – Top 10 Classification: 1. Jorge Prado (ESP, GAS), 47 points; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 47 p.; 3. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, YAM), 36 p.; 4. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 36 p.; 5. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, KAW), 35 p.; 6. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, HON), 27 p.; 7. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, HUS), 25 p.; 8. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, YAM), 25 p.; 9. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, FAN), 24 p.; 10. Jan Pancar (SLO, KTM), 21 p
MXGP – World Championship – Top 10 Classification: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 555 points; 2. Jorge Prado (ESP, GAS), 533 p.; 3. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 497 p.; 4. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, YAM), 381 p.; 5. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, KAW), 374 p.; 6. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 327 p.; 7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, FAN), 327 p.; 8. Pauls Jonass (LAT, HON), 274 p.; 9. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, HON), 238 p.; 10. Valentin Guillod (SUI, HON), 224 p
MXGP – Manufacturers Classification: 1. Honda, 572 points; 2. GASGAS, 533 p.; 3. KTM, 509 p.; 4. Kawasaki, 474 p.; 5. Yamaha, 419 p.; 6. Fantic, 353 p.; 7. Husqvarna, 157 p.; 8. Beta, 142 p
Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Lucas Coenen had taken the win in the RAM Qualifying Race on Saturday, but it was his brother, and winner of the last two GPs, Sacha Coenen, who put his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing across the Fox Holeshot Award line first, although Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing man Simon Laengenfelder dived inside to immediately lead into turn two ahead Sacha’s teammate Andrea Adamo, although De Wolf got through into second after a few corners! The reigning champion then made a mistake through a corner, had to pause, and lost two places to the Monster Energy Triumph Racing rider Mikkel Haarup, and a slower-starting Lucas Coenen.
Lucas dropped the bike a lap later as a berm gave way from beneath him, and a a similar fate later befell Laengenfelder, so keen to grab his first race win since Trentino in April that he just pushed a little too hard and toppled over on lap eight! De Wolf accepted the race lead, and never relinquished it, although a mistake in a left-hand corner near the end of the race nearly allowed Haarup into the lead!
Sadly for the Dane, he then tipped over on the very last lap, costing himself second place as Adamo pounced gratefully. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing ‘s Liam Everts managed to push through into fourth, passing his teammate Sacha Coenen with three laps to go, while Laengenfelder slipped down the field to sixth after looking like he had hit the wall physically. He still made ground on his rival for second in the series, as Lucas Coenen could only get back to seventh after his crash, after winning another Husqvarna vs Triumph clash against Camden McLellan, who looked strong in his first race back from injury.
Amazingly, Sacha Coenen took yet another Fox Holeshot Award in race two, making it a clear 50% holeshot ratio for the season with his eleventh of the year! He managed to hold a tight line to keep the lead this time, ahead of his brother Lucas, as Team HRC’s Ferruccio Zanchi squeezed past Laengenfelder for third as they hit turn two.
Halfway around the lap, both De Wolf and Haarup, who had also got past the German, got around the rookie Italian at the same time and set about chasing the brothers out in front. It didn’t take them long, and the two Husqvarna men battled back and forth in a stunning display of clean racing that lasted for two laps before the series leader made the decisive move!
De Wolf then set after Lucas’ twin and at half-distance, lap eight, he jumped alongside and blasted around Sacha to take the lead! The three teenagers who have dominated the MX2 class in recent weeks then held station, until within sight of the two-lap board Sacha lost two positions to Haarup and Adamo. Incredibly, it was to be last-lap heartbreak for Haarup as he fell to gift Adamo a position for the second straight race, more heavily this time, and Sacha Coenen got past as well, leaving the Triumph man a dejected fifth, but still fourth overall, the two crashes doubtlessly costing him the overall podium finish.
Laengenfelder finished a distant sixth, ahead of Everts but as Lucas Coenen chased his teammate over the line in a race that got very close at the front, it puts the Belgian back ahead of the German into second in the standings.
However, it was to be Kay de Wolf’s day, collecting his first double win of the season, his first GP win for nearly three months and pushing his advantage in the Championship to a mammoth 65 points, meaning that he will definitely return to Europe with the red plate on his Nestaan Husqvarna!
The series will stay at Selaparang as the circuit gets worked on to run in the opposite direction for next week’s MXGP of Lombok. Be sure to join us for another epically hot duel near the equator on the 6th & 7th of July!
Kay de Wolf: “It was two different races but I made some good passes in the opening lap and felt very comfortable out on track. I’m very happy with the changes made with the team in-between the races. So I’m looking forward for next weekend!”
Andrea Adamo: “It was a good weekend. I’m happy to be on the podium. It was two completely different races and the starts were really important and I didn’t really have the best starts. It was a bit more difficult to come back in the second race but I’m so happy with my speed my riding so let’s go the second one”
Lucas Coenen: “It wasn’t the best weekend. I was still learning the track and it’s not my ideal track as it’s hard to ride smoothly. Due to its characteristics, it’s probably more. You need to attack you cannot. Now I now the track so next week I’ll show my real speed. Let’s see how will be the new layout but next I’m going to show!”
MX2 – Grand Prix Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), 35:10.052; 2. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:02.638; 3. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, Triumph), +0:11.678; 4. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), +0:19.781; 5. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:23.319; 6. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GASGAS), +0:36.206; 7. Lucas Coenen (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:39.953; 8. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:56.497; 9. Rick Elzinga (NED, Yamaha), +1:26.088; 10. Quentin Marc Prugnieres (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:29.423
MX2 – Grand Prix Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), 35:20.858; 2. Lucas Coenen (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:00.745; 3. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:21.415; 4. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:25.768; 5. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, Triumph), +0:36.271; 6. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GASGAS), +0:38.050; 7. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), +0:41.968; 8. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, Honda), +1:09.094; 9. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +1:16.687; 10. Jens Walvoort (NED, KTM), +1:20.622
MX2 Overall – Top 10 Classification: 1. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 50 points; 2. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 42 p.; 3. Lucas Coenen (BEL, HUS), 36 p.; 4. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, TRI), 36 p.; 5. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 34 p.; 6. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 32 p.; 7. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GAS), 30 p.; 8. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, TRI), 25 p.; 9. Rick Elzinga (NED, YAM), 22 p.; 10. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, HON), 20 p
MX2 – World Championship Classification: 1. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 532 points; 2. Lucas Coenen (BEL, HUS), 467 p.; 3. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GAS), 463 p.; 4. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 432 p.; 5. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 417 p.; 6. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, TRI), 355 p.; 7. Rick Elzinga (NED, YAM), 322 p.; 8. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 312 p.; 9. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 226 p.; 10. Quentin Marc Prugnieres (FRA, KAW), 217 p
MX2 – Manufacturers Classification: 1. Husqvarna, 584 points; 2. KTM, 548 p.; 3. GASGAS, 470 p.; 4. Triumph, 380 p.; 5. Yamaha, 380 p.; 6. Kawasaki, 244 p.; 7. Honda, 230 p.; 8. Fantic, 152 p.; 9. TM, 39 p
Text/Bild: Infront