The first weekend of two back to back MXGP stops in Indonesia has been completed and will be one to remember. The intense Indonesian racing was full of action and entertainingly unpredictable. In the end Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings returned to winning form and Team HRC’s Calvin Vlaanderen scored his first ever career victory in MX2.

The MXGP of Indonesia is a unique experience with the most welcoming fans and MXGP enthusiasts in the world. The welcoming atmosphere was even more evident than normal with the start of today’s Motocross World Championship racing. Kicking off the event was an epic opening ceremony including a massive marching band performing alongside traditional Indonesian dancers. The opening ceremony was taken in by not only the thousands of fans in attendance but also by various officials: Youthstream Vice President David Luongo, FIM/CMS Director Tony Skillington, Indonesian Minister of Sport and Youth Dr. H. Imam Nahrawi S.Ag. M.KP, Governor of Bangka Belitung Dr. H. Erzaldi Rosman S.E. M.M and Head of the IMI (Indonesian National Federation of Motorsport) Sadikin Aksa whom all later took part in opening speeches.

Today’s track was technical and rutted by mother nature provide the best weather conditions ultimately leading to some of the most interesting racing this season.

The MXGP class is undeniably stacked with talent but mostly it is filled with some of the most dedicated, hard working, and resilient riders on the planet. On a regular basis the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing duo of Antonio Cairoli and Jeffrey Herlings exemplify the traits mentioned above and today was a prime example of such.

MXGP Race 1 started with a Fox Holeshot from Herlings ahead but with Cairoli just behind. The pair led Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Gautier Paulin and Team HRC’s Tim Gajser on the first laps but by the start of lap 3 Gajser and Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Clement Desalle had passed Paulin.

Paulin then had Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s Romain Febvre lurking in the distance while Cairoli was challenging Herlings for the lead. A bobble from Herlings gave Cairoli the opportunity to pass the #84 who made another mistake to give Cairoli a gap.

Herlings managed to keep Cairoli within sight for a while but realized 2nd was good enough after only breaking his collar bone 2 weeks ago. In a battle for 5th was the Frenchmen of Paulin and Febvre but Febvre took the position just past the halfway point. A few laps later Desalle took 3rd from Gajser and charged up to Herlings who then responded to hold the position. For the remaining laps the lead group stayed the same and Cairoli took the win nearly 10 seconds ahead of Herlings, Desalle, Gajser, and Febvre.

MXGP’s second and final race of the day decided the overall, was full of battles, and even through in some plot twists. On the start it was a Fox Holeshot from Herlings after he pushed wide to hold Gajser off. Herlings soon realized he had faded to far outside however as Cairoli took the lead and he found himself jostling with Desalle.

Out of the exchange off the start Cairoli took the lead and Gajser was second with Herlings third. The intensity from the top three on the first laps was incredible starting with Gajser passing Cairoli for the lead. Only a turn later Herlings railed around the outside to take second from Cairoli and proceed to catch Gajser. Gajser was then caught off guard as Herlings carried a massive amount of speed through the rollers and jump to the inside of the Slovenian in front of Pit Lane.

Cairoli was quick to pass Gajser back through the first turn but on the following lap missed a double which let Gajser back into second. Similar to the move of Herlings the lap prior Cairoli stayed to the inside down the pit lane straight and retook 2nd place.

Throughout it all Febvre was 4th with a front row view ahead of Paulin and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Glenn Coldenhoff. Febvre came close to the action ahead of him when Cairoli ejected over the front of the bike through turn 2. The mistake of Cairoli gave second back to Gajser and nearly gave 3rd to Febvre.

It only took another lap though before Cairoli passed Gajser for 2nd position his 3rd time. Gajser and Febvre then proceeded to battle for 4th swapping positions nearly every lap. Just passed the halfway point Febvre made a strong move past Gajser and was then able to create a gap.

As the race winded down Cairoli chipped at the lead of Herlings but was still over 5 seconds back with 4 laps to go. Just before crossing the line with three laps to go Herlings fell in the last turn. Slow to pick his bike up after seeing Cairoli take the lead Herlings seemed to be content with second. This was until Cairoli crashed in turn 2 for the second time just ahead of him.

Herlings took the lead just ahead of Cairoli who remounted his KTM with bent bars and a missing throttle grip. Cairoli tried to retake the lead but was unable to do so giving Herlings both the race win and overall for a dramatic conclusion to the weekend. Febvre took third in both the race and the overall while Gajser and Coldenhoff scored 4th in 5th place in race 2.

Jeffrey Herlings: “I pulled really good starts this weekend, especially today with 2 FOX Holeshots so I’m really happy about it. In race 1 I just tried to be smart, I felt like I could run Tony’s pace but not for 35 minutes. There is still a lot of races left and next week I want to take it a bit easy then I will home for 2 weeks before Loket and hopefully by Lommel I will be back to 100%.”

Antonio Cairoli: “It is an okay weekend overall… hopefully we can be ready for next week and hopefully have another good race at the next GP.”

Romain Febvre: „I am really happy. Everything is going better and now this is my second time on the podium, I would like to be up here every weekend.“

MXGP Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 35:04.336; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:09.864; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:11.509; 4. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:13.998; 5. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:24.568; 6. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:39.048; 7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:59.381; 8. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +1:01.956; 9. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Suzuki), +1:08.131; 10. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +1:12.088.

MXGP Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 34:59.818; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:09.419; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:38.775; 4. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:43.053; 5. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:44.545; 6. Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:47.722; 7. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Husqvarna), +1:02.639; 8. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +1:10.912; 9. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Suzuki), +1:16.932; 10. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +1:18.060.

MXGP Overall Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 47 points; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 47 p.; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 36 p.; 4. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 36 p.; 5. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 33 p.; 6. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 30 p.; 7. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HUS), 29 p.; 8. Max Anstie (GBR, HUS), 25 p.; 9. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, SUZ), 24 p.; 10. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 24 p.

MXGP Championship Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 533 points; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 521 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 407 p.; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 390 p.; 5. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 368 p.; 6. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HUS), 363 p.; 7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 319 p.; 8. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 279 p.; 9. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 257 p.; 10. Maximilian Nagl (GER, TM), 211 p.

MXGP Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 597 points; 2. Kawasaki, 426 p.; 3. Yamaha, 415 p.; 4. Honda, 383 p.; 5. Husqvarna, 382 p.; 6. TM, 211 p.; 7. Suzuki, 207 p.

MX2 was nearly as unpredictable as that of MXGP with a similar championship scenario at the front of many minds. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass and Jorge Prado are also in a title fight similar to that of Cairoli and Herlings with the older rider and defending champion battling the young talent.

In MX2 Race 1 however, we witnessed Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Covington take the Fox Holeshot ahead of Team HRC’s Calvin Vlaanderen. Prado and Jonass weren’t far behind in 3rd and 4th and by the end of lap 2 Jonass took 3rd from Prado.

Covington’s strong start allowed him to create a gap over Vlaanderen which only grew as the race went on. Back in 5th position was Covington’s Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Teammate Thomas Kjer Olsen. Vlaanderen’s pace was impressive even pulling away from Jonass.

By the last half of the race Jonass had closed the gap back down and, with Prado on his heels, took 2nd from Vlaanderen. Prado seeing Jonass get away put his focus into passing Vlaanderen but the Honda rider held the Spaniard off the final four laps.

At the finish it was Covington with the win, Jonass 2nd, then Vlaanderen, Prado, and Olsen. Just missing out on a top five result was Kemea Yamaha Official MX2’s Ben Watson with his 6th place comeback from 16th position on lap 2.

MX2 Race 2 was season first Fox Holeshot for Vlaanderen ahead of Jonass, Olsen, Prado, and Watson. On the opening lap Olsen dropped two spots to both Prado and Watson with the #919’s rare good start.

Vlaanderen focused on putting in solid laps while Prado hounded Jonass for 2nd. LRT KTM’s Davy Pootjes took 5th away from Olsen on lap 7 as Vlaanderen gapped Jonass and Prado. The following lap Prado made a move on Jonass to take second. Less than a lap after losing a spot to Prado, Jonass lost 2 more after being passed by Watson and Pootjes.

Jonass immediately came under pressure from race 1 winner Covington who had just passed Olsen on his way forward from 10th on the first lap. Olsen then fell and dropped back to ninth while Covington passed Jonass for 5th. Continuing to drop back Jonass lost another spot to Kemea Yamaha Official MX2 Team’s Jago Geerts just after Watson made a pass on Prado for 2nd.

At the finish Calvin Vlaanderen took the race win and his first overall victory along with South Africa’s first win since Tyla Rattray in 2008. Watson took 2nd with Prado 3rd, Covington 4th, and Pootjes 5th. Jonass meanwhile took a frustrating 7th behind Geerts. In the overall standings Covington was second with his 1-4 losing out to Vlaanderen’s 3-1 and Prado was 3rd with a 4th and 3rd.

Calvin Vlaanderen: „I was speechless, the first race was also good but in the second race I got off to a good start with my first FOX Holeshot of the year and just rode my own race like in training, I hit my marks, hit my lines like I wanted too. It is such a cool feeling to win here, it unbelievable since I was a kid I have dreamed of winning a GP so it is really emotional“

Thomas Covington: „I am definitely very happy to be on the podium this weekend. I needed to pass Jorge and Watson there at the end to get the overall and they were just riding really good, I didn’t have it in me to pass both of them so I was a little bummed on that but we’ll line up and go for it again next weekend.“

Jorge Prado: „I am really happy to be on the podium. I have been on the podium many times now so I’m glad to keep consistent. I enjoyed the racing, it was tough but I was riding better than yesterday so I am satisfied with a 4th and 3rd.”

Pauls Jonass: „I was feeling good but after 10 minutes I hit a wall and didn’t know how to ride anymore, when I went outside I was passed on the inside and when I went inside I got passed on the outside. I’m a little bit disappointed but it is a long season and I’m looking forward to the next races.“

MX2 Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Thomas Covington (USA, Husqvarna), 35:01.963; 2. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:13.089; 3. Calvin Vlaanderen (RSA, Honda), +0:15.705; 4. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), +0:16.627; 5. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:28.199; 6. Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:37.818; 7. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:45.348; 8. Michele Cervellin (ITA, Yamaha), +0:49.681; 9. Adam Sterry (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:55.513; 10. Davy Pootjes (NED, KTM), +0:57.460.

MX2 Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Calvin Vlaanderen (RSA, Honda), 35:13.293; 2. Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:06.206; 3. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), +0:17.544; 4. Thomas Covington (USA, Husqvarna), +0:21.834; 5. Davy Pootjes (NED, KTM), +0:25.396; 6. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:29.400; 7. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:31.824; 8. Henry Jacobi (GER, Husqvarna), +0:32.066; 9. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:59.259; 10. Michele Cervellin (ITA, Yamaha), +1:05.194.

MX2 Overall Top Ten: 1. Calvin Vlaanderen (RSA, HON), 45 points; 2. Thomas Covington (USA, HUS), 43 p.; 3. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 38 p.; 4. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 37 p.; 5. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 36 p.; 6. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 29 p.; 7. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 28 p.; 8. Davy Pootjes (NED, KTM), 27 p.; 9. Michele Cervellin (ITA, YAM), 24 p.; 10. Henry Jacobi (GER, HUS), 23 p.

MX2 Championship Top Ten: 1. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 510 points; 2. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 503 p.; 3. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 394 p.; 4. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 376 p.; 5. Calvin Vlaanderen (RSA, HON), 331 p.; 6. Thomas Covington (USA, HUS), 297 p.; 7. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 275 p.; 8. Michele Cervellin (ITA, YAM), 230 p.; 9. Henry Jacobi (GER, HUS), 223 p.; 10. Davy Pootjes (NED, KTM), 218 p.

MX2 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 578 points; 2. Husqvarna, 491 p.; 3. Yamaha, 410 p.; 4. Honda, 399 p.; 5. Kawasaki, 287 p.; 6. TM, 119 p.

Text/Bild: Youthstream

The 2018 MXGP of Indonesia is off to a roaring start with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings and Jorge Prado leading the way. The impressive return from injury of Herlings made it clear he is back and ready to fight for the win tomorrow.

Good weather and afternoon sunshine dried the track into technical but very impressive conditions with Indonesia’s biggest motorsports fans lining the circuit in anticipation of great racing. From the first Free practice of MX2 to the final laps of MXGP Qualifying the impressed spectators had their eyes glued to the action.

MXGP Qualifying started off with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli taking the Holeshot and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings just behind. A mistake early in the race from Cairoli gave Herlings the lead and also let Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Gautier Paulin, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Glenn Coldenhoff, Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Clement Desalle, and Team HRC’s Tim Gajser past.

Herlings took full advantage of the error from Cairoli and put in fast laps early to create a gap between himself and the rest of the field. First to make a pass was Gajser when he took 4th from Desalle. 2 laps later Coldenhoff was past Paulin and into 2nd but almost immediately after making the pass he lost the front end in a corner. Not only did Coldenhoff lose 2nd but he dropped all the way to 9th position.

The mistake from Coldenhoff moved everyone up a spot except Desalle who had just been passed by Cairoli. Cairoli was striving to get Gajser on the same lap but two turns before the finish his front end pushed through a rut throwing him off the side, Cairoli managed to keep the bike upright and running but he lost the spot, which he had just taken, back to Desalle.

On the next lap Gajser took second from Paulin while Cairoli charged past Desalle another time. Gajser only held 2nd for one lap before being passed by Paulin, Cairoli, and Desalle. The time around Cairoli took 2nd from Paulin and set the goal of closing the gap to Herlings.

Finding his way into the top 5 was Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Anstie after fighting for the position with Gajser. Anstie also made a costly mistake falling and then rejoining the race back in 12th position. Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s Romain Febvre then took over 5th and held it to the finish.

Across the line Herlings held on to win just 2 weeks after having surgery for his fractured collar bone. Cairoli did manage to close the gap but was still not close enough to make a pass attempt while Desalle took 3rd.

Jeffrey Herlings: “Definitely it was a good Qualifying race. I haven’t ridden in 17 days so in the Free Practice I was just doing lap after lap and every time I went out on the track I felt better and better.”

Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing’s Julien Lieber qualified 10th in his first return from injury as well and said: “It is difficult because I was injured the last few weeks so 10th for me is good, I had a crash on the first lap but I came back really well so I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

Last year’s MXGP of Indonesia winner, Wilvo Yamaha MXGP Official Team’s Shaun Simpson, took 16th as he also is healing from injury. Shaun Simpson said: “Like Jeffrey has said, you need to be riding your bike all the time and as soon as you don’t, you fall behind a lot. At this level now the smallest stuff, milliseconds or tenths of seconds every lap makes the difference.”

MXGP Qualifying Race Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 24:01.609; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:03.027; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:09.010; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:17.598; 5. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:27.175; 6. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:28.869; 7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:37.272; 8. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:39.077; 9. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:40.881; 10. Julien Lieber (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:43.292.

MX2’s title fight is just as tight as that of the MXGP class between Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass and Jorge Prado. The pair both have had strong seasons but both have struggled on occasion as well. Recently Prado has been the top performer and he again took the top spot today.

When the gate dropped it was another KTM that led the way however, the LRT KTM of Davy Pootjes. Pootjes had one of his best performances here last year in qualifying as well but today was shuffled back to 3rd after the first lap as Prado took the lead and Kemea Yamaha Official MX2 Team’s Ben Watson into 2nd.

By lap 3 Jonass was in 3rd with the help of a mistake from Pootjes who had dropped to 10th. Jonass was however haunted by Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Kjer Olsen and Thomas Covington. The pressure from the pair of Husqvarna riders led to a mistake from Jonass letting both the Dane and the American by.

Jonass was able to get back going in 5th position with Team HRC’s Calvin Vlaanderen giving chase. During the remaining laps of the race the battle for the lead intensified as Watson closed in on Prado. Watson looked for different lines to make up time or even make a pass.

With time running down Watson was right behind the Spaniard but never could make it into the lead. Across the finish line it was Prado with his 6th Qualifying race win of this season ahead of Watson, Olsen, Covington, and Jonass.

Jorge Prado: “The Qualifying race went really well, I got a decent start and then made some quick passes on the first lap. I think I rode pretty good. There is just a couple of points which I can improve on tomorrow. I’m really happy with my riding and the track was fun to ride.”

MX2 Qualifying Race Top Ten: 1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 24:05.264; 2. Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:01.054; 3. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:15.513; 4. Thomas Covington (USA, Husqvarna), +0:18.951; 5. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:20.912; 6. Calvin Vlaanderen (RSA, Honda), +0:32.770; 7. Henry Jacobi (GER, Husqvarna), +0:41.887; 8. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:43.984; 9. Davy Pootjes (NED, KTM), +0:45.776; 10. Michele Cervellin (ITA, Yamaha), +0:56.021

Text/Bild: Youthstream

The 11th round of the 2018 FIM Motocross World Championship has wrapped up at the Ottobiano circuit in the Lombardia region of Italy. The Fiat Professional MXGP of Lombardia hosted one of the most important races of the 2018 season so far with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli and Jorge Prado taking the overall wins and gaining precious championship points in the process.

Italy’s Ottobiano circuit was challenging for the best riders in the world with rough, technical, and sandy sections testing both rider fitness and ability. In addition to the track taking its toll on the riders’ energy so too did the high temperatures but thousands of Italy’s wildest motocross fans encouraged the MXGP and MX2 stars as they fought. Rewarded with a win from the Italian motocross superstar, Antonio Cairoli, the fans filled the hillside and starting straight for podium celebrations.

MXGP Race 1 was scripted perfectly for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli as he took the Fox Holeshot after taking the 7th gate pick equal to his Saturday qualifying result. Cairoli’s start was indicative of the following 19 laps where he jumped in front of the field and never looked back.

In second place from the beginning was Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s Romain Febvre but 8 laps into the race the Frenchman fell and dropped 2 positions to Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Clement Desalle and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Anstie. Two laps later another mistake from Febvre allowed Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Gautier Paulin and TM Racing Factory Team’s Max Nagl past.

Anstie had his teammate Paulin closing in which pushed him to catch Desalle. All the while Romain Febvre was back on a mission and took 5th from Nagl who was having a season high ride. On the last laps Anstie was all over Desalle for second but on the final lap he lost the front end in a turn and had to settle for third.

Cairoli took the race win with dominance, Desalle was second, then Anstie, Paulin and Febvre. Team HRC Tim Gajser made a pass on the next to last lap, after crashing in the first turn, to take 6th from Nagl.

Race 2 was another strong start from Cairoli in 3rd while Standing Construct KTM’s Kevin Strijbos took his first Fox Holeshot and Desalle was second. By the third turn Cairoli was past Desalle and only one turn after that he took the lead from Strijbos.

Gajser was fourth behind Desalle but by lap 2 was past the Belgian and into 3rd. Nagl was off to another good start to the race in 5th with the two French riders of Paulin and Febvre giving chase. Cairoli however went down on lap 2 while leading, lost 3 spots, and gave Strijbos the lead. Gajser would however only allow Strijbos one lap at the front before making his way into the lead.

Cairoli went back to work quickly after his fall and made one pass a lap for each of the next 3. Cairoli’s third pass was the one which gave him back the lead and it was done just in front of the home fans along the fence.

Desalle then fell in a corner losing positions to Paulin, Nagl, Febvre, and Anstie. Desalle’s race just got worse from then on as he caught a kicker and swapped out through the roller section and was narrowly missed by Wilvo Yamaha MXGP Official Team’s Jeremy Seewer. Desalle was lucky to come away unharmed but had to pull into to Pit Lane to have his bike repaired. Later rejoining the race Desalle took 20th position for only 1 championship point.

At the finish it was another strong win from Cairoli ahead of Gajser, Paulin, Anstie, and Seewer. In the overall standings Cairoli’s perfect 1-1 scored the maximum 50 points while Paulin and Anstie tied at 38 points a piece with Paulin taking 2nd and Anstie 3rd. The final result has cut the championship lead of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings to only 12 while both Paulin and Anstie achieved their season best results.

Antonio Cairoli: “Overall it was a good weekend. I’m taking home 50 points which is very important for the championship. We are looking forward to Indonesia, it will be a hot race which I like so hopefully we will be back on the podium which is always the goal.”

Gautier Paulin: “I feel good, most of the track is tough but I like it. Today was not easy, I had two bad starts, and had to come from the back of the pack. I had a good feeling and I’m happy to go back home with a second place.”

Max Anstie: “It’s nice to have got it done today and turn the page, hopefully now we can keep the ball rolling and it is just nice to be here on the podium with the guys. Overall I’m pleased with the riding… I’m looking forward to Indonesia“

MXGP Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 34:04.005; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:11.624; 3. Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:21.192; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:27.214; 5. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:33.700; 6. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:35.927; 7. Maximilian Nagl (GER, TM), +0:39.137; 8. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:52.351; 9. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +1:00.663; 10. Valentin Guillod (SUI, KTM), +1:08.131.

MXGP Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 34:38.105; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:03.560; 3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:08.496; 4. Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:16.600; 5. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:19.628; 6. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:32.708; 7. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), +0:35.614; 8. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:46.022; 9. Maximilian Nagl (GER, TM), +0:52.311; 10. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Suzuki), +1:01.851.

MXGP Overall Top Ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 50 points; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HUS), 38 p.; 3. Max Anstie (GBR, HUS), 38 p.; 4. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 37 p.; 5. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 31 p.; 6. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 29 p.; 7. Maximilian Nagl (GER, TM), 26 p.; 8. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 23 p.; 9. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 22 p.; 10. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), 21 p.

MXGP Championship Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 486 points; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 474 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 374 p.; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 354 p.; 5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HUS), 334 p.; 6. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 332 p.; 7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 289 p.; 8. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 255 p.; 9. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 240 p.; 10. Maximilian Nagl (GER, TM), 203 p.

MXGP Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 547 points; 2. Kawasaki, 393 p.; 3. Yamaha, 379 p.; 4. Husqvarna, 352 p.; 5. Honda, 347 p.; 6. TM, 203 p.; 7. Suzuki, 183 p.

Just like in the MXGP class the MX2 title chase is tightening up between the two main protagonists. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass leads the points but his younger teammate Jorge Prado has again cut into the lead this weekend.

Race 1 started with the now typical Fox Holeshot from Jorge Prado with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Covington, Kemea Yamaha Official MX2’s Ben Watson, and STC Racing Husqvarna’s Henry Jacobi chasing in that order. Jonass was around 7th place but was up to third after a pair of passes on Watson with the second finally sticking.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Kjer Olsen moved into 6th past LRT KTM’s Davy Pootjes on lap 4 and continued on to make a pass on Kemea Yamaha Official MX2’s Jago Geerts for 5th.

Olsen teammate, Covington, chased Prado for the first 7 laps but then he started to see the Spaniard making mistakes and took the opportunity to claim the lead. Covington then controlled the race and gapped Prado who had Jonass giving chase while also holding off Watson in 4th. Across the finish Covington won the race 5.8 seconds ahead of Prado, Jonass, Watson, and Olsen.

MX2’s second race looked nearly identical out of the first turn with Prado taking the FOX Holeshot and Covington second. Olsen found himself 3rd in opening lap ahead of Jonass and Jacobi. Team HRC’s Calvin Vlaanderen came from around tenth to pass Jacobi for 5th on lap 5. 3 laps later Watson took the spot away but Vlaanderen fought for the spot back on the next lap. The pair’s battle resulted with Watson holding the position.

Meanwhile at the front of the field Prado’s lead was too far gone and Covington soon lost positions to Olsen and Jonass. At the finish of Race 2 Prado won both the race and the overall with Olsen 2nd, Jonass 3rd, Covington 4th, and Watson 5th. Covington was second in the overall behind Prado but ahead of Jonass. Prado’s victory cuts the championship lead of Jonass to only 9 points as the series will head to Indonesia in two-week time.

Jorge Prado: “It was a really good weekend for me, I could manage to take the win going 2nd and 1st so I’m really happy about that. Last year here wasn’t the best but this year made it to the podium and took the win.”

Thomas Covington: “The weekend overall felt really good starting on Saturday, I just had a nice flow around the track and I felt really comfortable with the bike. It was awesome.”

Pauls Jonass: “This weekend didn’t really go as good as I wanted, I really struggled on the track. In free and time practice I felt good but in the races I couldn’t find my flow or a rhythm so I was really fighting with the track. Physically I felt really good but it was just difficult to hang on. It is still a long season and we still have 9 races to go so nothing is over… for sure it is going to be a fun championship because anything can happen.”

MX2 Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Thomas Covington (USA, Husqvarna), 34:46.265; 2. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), +0:05.820; 3. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:09.170; 4. Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:10.570; 5. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:20.494; 6. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:25.861; 7. Davy Pootjes (NED, KTM), +0:29.474; 8. Conrad Mewse (GBR, KTM), +0:38.965; 9. Calvin Vlaanderen (RSA, Honda), +0:48.240; 10. Henry Jacobi (GER, Husqvarna), +0:53.579.

MX2 Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 35:11.237; 2. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:07.520; 3. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:13.522; 4. Thomas Covington (USA, Husqvarna), +0:15.657; 5. Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:20.559; 6. Calvin Vlaanderen (RSA, Honda), +0:33.829; 7. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:45.623; 8. Iker Larranaga Olano (ESP, Husqvarna), +1:03.780; 9. Anthony Rodriguez (VEN, Yamaha), +1:10.120; 10. Michele Cervellin (ITA, Yamaha), +1:22.739.

MX2 Overall Top Ten: 1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 47 points; 2. Thomas Covington (USA, HUS), 43 p.; 3. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 40 p.; 4. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 38 p.; 5. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 34 p.; 6. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 29 p.; 7. Calvin Vlaanderen (RSA, HON), 27 p.; 8. Davy Pootjes (NED, KTM), 24 p.; 9. Anthony Rodriguez (VEN, YAM), 21 p.; 10. Iker Larranaga Olano (ESP, HUS), 20 p.

MX2 Championship Top Ten: 1. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 474 points; 2. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 465 p.; 3. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 366 p.; 4. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 339 p.; 5. Calvin Vlaanderen (RSA, HON), 286 p.; 6. Thomas Covington (USA, HUS), 254 p.; 7. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 246 p.; 8. Jed Beaton (AUS, KAW), 216 p.; 9. Michele Cervellin (ITA, YAM), 206 p.; 10. Henry Jacobi (GER, HUS), 200 p.

MX2 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 536 points; 2. Husqvarna, 448 p.; 3. Yamaha, 373 p.; 4. Honda, 354 p.; 5. Kawasaki, 265 p.; 6. TM, 119 p.

Text/Bild: Youthstream

The 2018 Fiat Professional MXGP of Lombardia is underway below the sun at the sandy Ottobiano circuit. Today’s unpredictable racing was as exciting as it was impressive with Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s Romain Febvre and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Covington claiming their respective Qualifying Race wins!

The summer heat along with the sandy circuit of Ottobiano gave the riders difficult conditions but gave the fans amazing racing! Both the MXGP and MX2 Qualifying races were full of action but adding to the racing of the premier classes was the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship and FIM Europe’s EMX250 Championship.

The Italian fan favorite from the Women’s racing was without a doubt MXFONTARACING Yamaha’s Kiara Fontanesi. Leading the race early was Larissa Papenmeier followed by Fontanesi, Altherm JCR Yamaha’s Courtney Duncan, and Nancy van de Ven. At the end however it was Fontanesi taking the home race win over Duncan, Van de Ven, and Papenmeier with Shana van der Vlist 5th.

EMX250 Race 1 was a perfect performance from Team DIGA-Procross’ Dylan Walsh. Walsh took the holeshot and led every single lap. Behind Walsh was Honda Redmoto Assomotor’s Mathys Boisrame, BUD Racing Monster Energy’s Brian Moreau, and ASTES4-TESAR YAMAHA’s Roan van de Moosdijk. With 3 laps complete Moreau crashed while chasing Boisrame and gave third to van de Moosdijk. Later Boisrame closed to the back wheel of Walsh but a strong response from Walsh gave him the race win with Boisrame 2nd, and van de Moosdijk 3rd.

Starting the weekend many eyes where on Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli. From the Italian fans to media and more Cairoli was the center of attention but at the start of the MXGP Qualifying Race it was Wilvo Yamaha MXGP Official Team’s Jeremy Seewer who stole the show. The MX2 overall winner from last year took the holeshot and lead while Cairoli was buried towards the back of the pack.

Chasing Seewer was Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s Romain Febvre and Standing Construct KTM’s Kevin Strijbos. The opening lap was a struggle for Cairoli who not only had a bad start but also clipped another rider and went down. Rejoining the race in last position Cairoli had to work hard to achieve decent gate pick for tomorrow’s pair of championship races.

Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Clement Desalle was fourth at the beginning of the race and had both Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing riders, Max Anstie and Gautier Paulin chasing him. First to make a move was Paulin who pushed past his teammate for fifth as Febvre started to pressure Seewer for the lead.

On lap 5 Febvre took over the lead from Seewer and Desalle took 3rd from Strijbos. During next lap Strijbos lost 2 more positions to Paulin and Anstie. Around the same time Cairoli moved past Gajser after a short battle over 16th.

Cairoli continued his charge forward for the next seven laps. With the final turn to go the Sicilian was 9th but with his fighting spirit managed to pass both Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s Jeremy Van Horebeek and BIKE IT DRT Kawasaki’s Tommy Searle before the finish for 7th.

Romain Febvre claimed the qualifying win with Seewer in second and Desalle took third after a last lap battle with Paulin.

Romain Febvre: “I’m feeling very good, I’m getting better and better every week so that’s really important. Today I was good all day long, I was third in time practice and took a good start, it was almost the holeshot and then after three laps I took the lead from Jeremy Seewer.”

Antonio Cairoli: “It was a very difficult qualifying race and I had one little crash and a big one at the end of the waves on the first lap. I struggled a little bit to come back to 7th but I’m already really looking forward to tomorrow.”

MXGP Qualifying Race Top Ten: 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), 23:45.610; 2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:03.260; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:04.700; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:06.325; 5. Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:08.975; 6. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), +0:16.010; 7. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:20.156; 8. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:20.330; 9. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:20.331; 10. Maximilian Nagl (GER, TM), +0:24.015.

Just as MXGP’s Qualifying race was difficult for Cairoli the MX2 Qualifying race was a challenge for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Covington however had the perfect race. Covington scored the holeshot and checkout from the field within the first laps.

Also strong off the start was LRT KTM’s Davy Pootjes in second position. Behind Pootjes was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado and then, after a series of passes during the opening lap, Pauls Jonass. By the end of lap 2 Jonass was passed Prado and pressuring Pootjes for second.

On lap 6 both Jonass and Prado where past Pootjes who then lost another pair of spots in the next two laps to Team HRC’s Calvin Vlaanderen and Kemea Yamaha Official MX2 Team’s Ben Watson.

On the 9th lap Jonass could be seen restarting his bike and in the meantime lost positions to Prado, Vlaanderen, and Watson. At the finish line it was Covington who took the qualifying race win, his 3rd this season and second in row, with Prado 2nd, Vlaanderen 3rd, Watson 4th, and Jonass 5th. Covington’s Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing teammate, Thomas Kjer Olsen, fought his way up to 9th following a crash on start.

Thomas Covington: “Every weekend this is how you plan for a race to go but it is pretty rare for it to actually happen. Two consistent starts and being strong at the end tomorrow is going to be really important.”

Yamaha SM Action M.C. Migliori’s new rider, Michele Cervellin, took 13th during today’s qualifying which is his 2nd home GP of the season. Michele in the press conference said: “This is home GP… I will try to do my best and tomorrow is for sure going to be difficult with two longer races but we will fight for a good result.”

MX2 Qualifying Race Top Ten: 1. Thomas Covington (USA, Husqvarna), 23:58.093; 2. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), +0:07.842; 3. Calvin Vlaanderen (RSA, Honda), +0:13.121; 4. Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:15.931; 5. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:23.208; 6. Davy Pootjes (NED, KTM), +0:24.636; 7. Conrad Mewse (GBR, KTM), +0:25.513; 8. Iker Larranaga Olano (ESP, Husqvarna), +0:27.659; 9. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:27.869; 10. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:35.619.

Text/Bild: Youthstream

MXGP is entering the second half of the 2018 FIM Motocross World Championship season this weekend in Italy. For the second time this year MXGP races in the home country of the defending champion, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli! The 2018 Fiat Professional MXGP of Lombardia will take place at the Ottobiano circuit just outside of the city of Milan. The 11th round of 20 this season comes just days after the last racing weekend in France.

The Ottobiano circuit was first used as a MXGP stop last year where the racing was epic with thousands of fans watching the top riders battle each other, the grueling heat, and the technical track. All the same elements are expected this weekend with the addition of an epic battle for title.

Joining the MXGP and MX2 classes this weekend will be the FIM Womens Motocross Championship for its 4th round and FIM Europe’s EMX250 class for the 7th stop on the calendar. The Women of Motocross were last seen racing at the Tuetschenthal circuit alsonside the MXGP of Germany where points leader, Altherm JCR Yamaha’s Courtney Duncan dominated the field. This weekend we can expect close racing with the defending champion and home fan favorite, MXFONTARACING Yamaha’s Kiara Fontanesi, on a track she trains often on. In the EMX250 class the level of competition remains intense with many potential winners and Honda Redmoto Assomotor’s Mathys Boisrame as the new points leader.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings continues to top the points standings and has grown his lead over the past several races. The sand of Ottobiano is the speciality of Herlings but unfortunately a training crash earlier today resulted in a fractured collar bone. The MXGP point leader’s status for this weekend is questionable as he will undergo surgery to repair the fracture this evening. Meanwhile his Red Bull KTM Teammate, Antonio Cairoli always steps his game up in front of the home fans, making this weekend an especially interesting one to watch. Cairoli took the overall win here in 2017 while Herlings struggled in the heat.

Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Clement Desalle had a bit of an up and down weekend just days ago in France. Desalle had the speed in race 1 to finish second but then only managed a 6th in race 2 which left him just off of the podium. Still holding 3rd in the points Desalle will be looking to improve on his 7th overall from last year.

Fighting not only for the spot as top frenchman but also for 4th in the championship is Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s Romain Febvre and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Gautier Paulin. Febvre has a 27 point lead on Paulin and the pair battled last weekend in front of their home crowd. Last year Febvre was 4th at Ottobiano while Paulin took 6th.

Team HRC’s Tim Gajser reached the podium last weekend in France and is getting faster week by week. Gajser result from 2017 was 10th overall but in all fairness it was among his first races after returning from injury.

Also to watch out for this weekend is Wilvo Yamaha Official MXGP’s Jeremy Seewer, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Anstie, and Gebben Van Venrooy Kawasaki Racing’s Alessandro Lupino. Seewer won the MX2 class here last year, Anstie was third in MXGP, and Lupino has been riding strong lately plus it is a home GP for the #77.

MXGP Championship Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 486 points; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 424 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 351 p.; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 323 p.; 5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HUS), 296 p.; 6. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 295 p.; 7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 267 p.; 8. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 226 p.; 9. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 219 p.; 10. Maximilian Nagl (GER, TM), 177 p.

2017 Fiat Professional FULLBACK MXGP of Lombardia Top 3 MXGP:

1. Antonio Cairoli
2. Jeffrey Herlings
3. Max Anstie

In the MX2 championship Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado comes off a successful weekend in France where he cut into the points lead of his teammate Pauls Jonass and became the winningest rider in Spanish history. Prado however struggled in the heat here last year and didn’t finish while Jonass took 2nd overall behind Jeremy Seewer.

Jumping into the championship fight of the KTM teammate are Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Kjer Olsen and his American teammate Thomas Covington who both reached the podium last weekend. Olsen has been the more consistent rider this year but Covington was on the podium here last year.

Kemea Yamaha Official MX2 Team’s Ben Watson has made more passes throughout the season then most due to poor starts. Watson’s speed is clearly there as he routinely has come from near last to finish inside the top five. With a pair of good starts Watson is clear threat to the podium this weekend.

Watson isn’t the only Kemea Yamaha MX2 rider who has been fast lately, the #193 of Jago Geerts has been finding his form recently and was 4th overall in France after an impressive 5-2 finish. Geerts raced here in 2017 but in the EMX250 class where he took 12th.

Team HRC’s Calvin Vlaanderen will also be interesting to keep an eye on this weekend. The South African is 5th in the MX2 Championship standings and has reached the podium 2 of the last 3 races.

Also looking to impress this weekend on home soil is Yamaha SM Action M.C. Migliori’s Michele Cervellin. The young Italian recently made the switch to the Yamaha and the new bike appears to suite him well with his strong performance in France.

MX2 Championship Top Ten: 1. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 434 points; 2. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 418 p.; 3. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 328 p.; 4. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 305 p.; 5. Calvin Vlaanderen (RSA, HON), 259 p.; 6. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 217 p.; 7. Jed Beaton (AUS, KAW), 216 p.; 8. Thomas Covington (USA, HUS), 211 p.; 9. Henry Jacobi (GER, HUS), 187 p.; 10. Michele Cervellin (ITA, YAM), 187 p.

2017 Fiat Professional FULLBACK MXGP of Lombardia Top 3 MX2:

1. Jeremy Seewer
2. Pauls Jonass
3. Thomas Covington

Text/Bild: Youthstream

The 2018 MXGP of France has concluded at the beautiful Saint Jean d’Angely circuit where Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings and Jorge Prado stole the show and the overall wins.

The whole weekend from Saturday morning until the final podium on Sunday, French fans filled the hillsides and watched the best riders of the FIM Motocross World Championship. An overnight storm naturally watered the track for today and even if it was soft in the morning it later developed into prime conditions. The occasional air horns and gas powered noise makers were drowned out by even louder cheers from the thousands of spectators.

MXGP Race 1 was off to an interesting start when Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings used his first gate pick to line up on the far outside. The gamble however payed off as the harder packed dirt gave him a head start and a massive Fox Holeshot. Herlings lead only grew as he put in fast lap after fast lap.

Crossing the line second in what was easily his best start of the season was Standing Construct KTM’s Valentin Guillod who was followed by another Swiss rider, Wilvo Yamaha MXGP Official Team’s Jeremy Seewer.

However by the end of the first lap Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Clement Desalle, along with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Glenn Coldenhoff and Antonio Cairoli, had made it around the Swiss duo.

Desalle then latched onto the speed of Herlings while Coldenhoff fought Cairoli to stay in the top 3. Cairoli was throwing everything at Coldenhoff from different rhythms to the inside of a corner on one lap and to the outside on the next. For 9 laps Cairoli tried to get past Coldenhoff before finally making into third. All the while Herlings pulled away from Desalle.

Slightly further back Seewer was 5th ahead of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s Romain Febvre. On lap 13 of 17 total Febvre was passed by Team HRC’s Tim Gajser who was on a late charge. Gajser was 8th on lap 2, but after his pass on Febvre he was in a rhythm and carried on to pass Seewer and Coldenhoff finishing 4th behind Herlings, Desalle, and Cairoli.

At the start of Race 2 Herlings tried for another Fox Holeshot but had no such luck and was outside the top 5 in the first corner while Cairoli led Seewer over the line. Gajser massed Seewer on the opening lap as Herlings made several quick passes to get into 4th.

By the end of lap 2 Herlings was third but Cairoli and Gajser had already started to pull away. The French fans were on their feet as Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Gautier Paulin moved from 5th to 4th with a pass on Seewer.

3 laps later the home crowd was again yelling because Febvre was alongside Seewer. At the halfway point Herlings made a pass on Gajser stick for second and looked forward to Cairoli in the lead. At the same time the French favorites, Paulin and Febvre, where in a battle for 4th. Febvre tried taking the spot in the first turn just past pit lane and on his second attempt in 2 laps made it happen.

At the front Cairoli’s lead was gone and Herlings made a pass at the top of the uphill with just over 4 laps to go. Cairoli was unable to counter and settled for 2nd with Gajser taking 3rd, Febvre 4th, and Paulin 5th. For the overall podium Herlings stood on the top step ahead of Cairoli, and Gajser.

Desalle missed the podium by just 1 point and was the lone Monster Energy Kawasaki rider in the race today since Julien Lieber opted not to start following his crash from Matterley Basin last week.

Jeffrey Herlings: “It was a really good weekend, I had pole position yesterday and I got a good FOX Holeshot in the first race and I managed to lead the whole race, do my own thing and get the win. In the second race I really had to work for it, I messed up the start and I had to work my way up from around tenth place. It was a good weekend and I’m looking forward to Ottobiano, it is one of my favorite tracks.”

Antonio Cairoli: “I feel good but for sure this week was not one of the best. Jeffrey is very fast at the moment so you can not really rest and you always need to be on the pace. I took second which is ok but for sure we will work and want to be more competitive for the whole race and this is what we will try to do.”

Tim Gajser: “I’m happy with the results and the whole day, yesterday I was struggling a little but today the track was more technical with many ruts so I liked it. I want to work hard, I will go home and work even harder, next week is Ottobiano and I will give my best there as well.”

MXGP Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 34:05.232; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:05.660; 3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:06.322; 4. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:27.283; 5. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:28.840; 6. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:29.420; 7. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:31.420; 8. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Husqvarna), +1:03.975; 9. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Suzuki), +1:14.751; 10. Valentin Guillod (SUI, KTM), +1:16.726.

MXGP Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 34:38.032; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:08.838; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:40.401; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:49.798; 5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:52.800; 6. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:55.315; 7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:56.529; 8. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:56.531; 9. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Suzuki), +1:16.573; 10. Ivo Monticelli (ITA, Yamaha), +1:17.441.

MXGP Overall Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 50 points; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 42 p.; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 38 p.; 4. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 37 p.; 5. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 32 p.; 6. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 30 p.; 7. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HUS), 29 p.; 8. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 28 p.; 9. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, SUZ), 24 p.; 10. Shaun Simpson (GBR, YAM), 18 p.

MXGP Championship Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 486 points; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 424 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 351 p.; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 323 p.; 5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HUS), 296 p.; 6. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 295 p.; 7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 267 p.; 8. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 226 p.; 9. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 219 p.; 10. Maximilian Nagl (GER, TM), 177 p.

MXGP Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 497 points; 2. Kawasaki, 362 p.; 3. Yamaha, 347 p.; 4. Husqvarna, 312 p.; 5. Honda, 310 p.; 6. TM, 177 p.; 7. Suzuki, 163 p.

MX2 Race 1 started with a rarely seen FOX Holeshot from Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Covington ahead of STC Racing Husqvarna’s Henry Jacobi. The usual MX2 holeshot king, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado, was third while points leader and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Pauls Jonass was back in 10th.

Several positions were shifted in the opening lap with Prado falling as and Jacobi losing spots to Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Kjer Olsen and Jonass. Prado’s crash dropped him to eighth but he rebounded quickly gaining 3 positions on lap 2.

Jonass meanwhile was battling with Jacobi for 3rd and the pressure of Prado closing pushed him back around the German. Prado then made a pass on Jacobi 2 laps later. Prado then had his sights set on Jonass and after chasing his teammate for laps took an outside line which then turned to the inside allowing him to push past.

Next to challenge Jacobi was Kemea Yamaha Official MX2 team’s Jago Geerts and Honda 114 Motorsport’s Hunter Lawrence. Lawrence went down on the start and was charging back to the front from 17th. Geerts passed Jacobi on lap 11 and 2 laps after Jacobi fell which helped Lawrence into 6th.

For the start of Race 2 Jonass returned to the front of the field but only until he fell on the first half of the opening lap. Jonass completed the first official lap in 17th while Prado pulled away from Geerts in the lead.

Yamaha SM Action – M.C. Migliori’s newly signed rider, Michele Cervellin, was 3rd the first laps before Olsen jumped past on a charge where he gained 3 positions in one lap. Cervellin also lost a spot to Covington and Team HRC’s Calvin Vlaanderen.

Pauls Jonass was on a mission to salvage points and did so climbing up the standings from 17th to 6th with his pass on Cervellin during lap 13. Kemea Yamaha Official MX2 Team’s Ben Watson was also fighting his way through the field and finished 7th.

When the checkered flag came out Prado took the win over Geerts and Covington who found his way past Olsen. On the overall podium Prado and Covington tied in points but the victory went to the Spaniard with his better performance in race 2. Olsen rounded out the podium making it the first time the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team had both riders in the top 3.

Jorge Prado: “I was really happy with the riding, I didn’t expect to ride so well in these conditions. The second race was just perfect, it is a shame the Pauls crashed in the first lap, but it was good for me after I took the lead and got the win.”

Thomas Covington: “Overall it was a really good weekend for me, I have been struggling the first half of the season so it is good to get some consistent races in a weekend. I felt really strong, especially at the end, I really found my rhythm.”

Thomas Kjer Olsen: “It was a really good weekend for the team, I am happy for the team and for myself. I am really happy that I was able to pull off a 2-4 this weekend. I was able to be aggressive in the first few laps and I’m happy to be on the podium.”

Pauls Jonass: “It is not the best result, I lost some points in the championship but it is a long season so I’m not worried about that and I’m already looking forward to next weekend.”

MX2 Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Thomas Covington (USA, Husqvarna), 35:58.425; 2. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:03.573; 3. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), +0:05.910; 4. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:11.808; 5. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:15.171; 6. Hunter Lawrence (AUS, Honda), +0:31.713; 7. Conrad Mewse (GBR, KTM), +0:57.033; 8. Michele Cervellin (ITA, Yamaha), +1:00.917; 9. Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), +1:03.209; 10. Davy Pootjes (NED, KTM), +1:09.790.

MX2 Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 34:19.853; 2. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:03.163; 3. Thomas Covington (USA, Husqvarna), +0:05.751; 4. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:12.352; 5. Calvin Vlaanderen (RSA, Honda), +0:18.444; 6. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:22.634; 7. Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:23.243; 8. Michele Cervellin (ITA, Yamaha), +0:34.681; 9. Conrad Mewse (GBR, KTM), +0:35.047; 10. Stephen Rubini (FRA, KTM), +0:47.071.

MX2 Overall Top Ten: 1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 45 points; 2. Thomas Covington (USA, HUS), 45 p.; 3. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 40 p.; 4. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 38 p.; 5. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 33 p.; 6. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 26 p.; 7. Michele Cervellin (ITA, YAM), 26 p.; 8. Conrad Mewse (GBR, KTM), 26 p.; 9. Calvin Vlaanderen (RSA, HON), 25 p.; 10. Hunter Lawrence (AUS, HON), 23 p.

MX2 Championship Top Ten: 1. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 434 points; 2. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 418 p.; 3. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 328 p.; 4. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 305 p.; 5. Calvin Vlaanderen (RSA, HON), 259 p.; 6. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 217 p.; 7. Jed Beaton (AUS, KAW), 216 p.; 8. Thomas Covington (USA, HUS), 211 p.; 9. Henry Jacobi (GER, HUS), 187 p.; 10. Michele Cervellin (ITA, YAM), 187 p.

MX2 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 489 points; 2. Husqvarna, 401 p.; 3. Yamaha, 339 p.; 4. Honda, 327 p.; 5. Kawasaki, 265 p.; 6. TM, 114 p.

Text/Bild: Youthstream

The MXGP of France is off to a massively successful start, especially for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Covington as they won their respective qualifying races.

Aside from the amazing riding from the two winners the event itself was full of amazing fans who filled the French hillside to watch the Qualifying actions. The weather was predicted to rain but the mother nature instead provided sunshine and blue skies along with warm temperatures. The redesigned track and its conditions where in top shape with deep lines and technical sections challenging the top riders.

Joining the MXGP and MX2 racing this weekend is the classes of EMX250 and EMX125 presented by FMF Racing. Due to a massive number of rider entries both classes had to be split into 2 groups for Free and Time Practice then each had a Last Chance Qualifying Race.

The 40 top riders lined the gate for Race 1 of EMX125 presented by FMF Racing first. Leading from the beginning and never looking back was France’s Thibault Benistant on his Yamaha Europe EMX125 machine. Benistant’s lead was massive throughout the race but the battle for second was between 3 or 4 riders at any given point. Taking second place after running in 4th the early stages of the race was the red plate holder, KTM Junior’s Rene Hofer. Taking the 3rd spot was Yamaha Europe EMX125’s Rick Elzinga just ahead of Team Maddi Racing Husqvarna’s Mattia Guadagnini.

The final race of the day was that of the EMX250 class where Honda Redmoto Assomotor’s Mathys Boisrame held off his fellow French competitors. First BUD Racing Monster Energy’s Brian Moreau was second but he fell back letting Tom Vialle take over the runner up spot. Finishing third was ASTES4-TESAR Yamaha’s Roan Van de Moosdijk which made him the only non French rider in the top 5.

MXGP’s Qualifying Race hosted another dominating performance from Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings. Choosing to line up on the furthest inside gate, after scoring the fastest lap time in both Free and Time Practice, Herlings took the holeshot and set sail. Herlings led every lap of the 13 recorded and won by 17.9 seconds.

Though Herlings was on his own the battle for 2nd was on between 4 of the best riders in the world championship. Leading the group of 4 was Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Gautier Paulin. Paulin was massively improved after today compared to a week ago. With the roar of the French crowd behind him Paulin managed a small cushion between himself and those giving chase.

First of the riders in pursuit was Team HRC’s Tim Gajser but just behind him was the former world champion and French fan favorite, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s Romain Febvre. Febvre, with the added pressure of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli giving chase, pushed his way past Gajser on lap 9 after great battles.

Cairoli, who had a collision between himself and Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Clement Desalle followed the moves of Febvre to take another position from Gajser on the following lap. Desalle eventually finished the MXGP Qualifying race in 19th.

Cairoli would however take third from Febvre on the final lap and close onto the back wheel of Paulin at the finish. Also having a strong Qualifying race was BOS GP’s Evgeny Bobryshev with a 6th place.

Jeffrey Herlings: “The main focus is the start for tomorrow and luckily we got it all dialed in today. Tomorrow we are going to go out, do our best, and like I said focus on the start and work from there.”

Romain Febvre: “I had a good start, that was the main focus, after I made a mistake and stalled my bike losing 2 positions but I passed Tony and then I passed Gajser and was third but then Tony passed me, at the end it was a good day.”

French rider Marchetti Racing Team KTM’s Benoit Paturel managed to finish qualifying in 15th position to which he said: “I feel ok this week, not perfect but I will do my best tomorrow. It is an amazing GP in front of the home crowd, it was a good memory for me in 2016 in MX2 where I finished second after Jeffrey. I am excited to ride tomorrow and I hope to get my best result.”

MXGP Qualifying Race Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 24:35.251; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:17.990; 3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:19.988; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:27.922; 5. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:34.999; 6. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Suzuki), +0:45.959; 7. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:46.320; 8. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:50.508; 9. Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:51.783; 10. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:51.920.

Breaking up the KTM party at the front of the field today was Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Covington. Covington, who had a strong start to the race in 3rd, by the end of lap 1 was into second past the fast starter of Henry Jacobi on his STC Racing Husqvarna.

Leading on from the end of the first lap was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado. Prado, now known for his strong starting ability, was just alongside Jacobi in the first turn but Jacobi’s line uphill prevailed at first.

Among the most notable action on the start was the 3 rider crash involving Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Kjer Olsen, Kemea Yamaha Official MX2’s Ben Watson, and LRT KTM’s Davy Pootjes. All three took a minute to go again but each rejoined the racing and came through the pack. Olsen recovered to 13th, Watson to 12th, and Pootjes to 20th after another scare on lap 10 cost him a handful of positions.

Back at the front Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass was giving chase to Covington who in turn was looking for a way around Prado. On lap 7, just before coming down the middle section of the track, Covington took the lead from Prado and by the bottom of the hill Jonass was around his teammate also.

The remaining 6 laps Jonass chased Covington and even made some stabs at the leader but none were successful. Across the finish line it was Covington from Jonass, Prado, Jacobi, and Hitachi KTM UK’s Conrad Mewse who made a last lap turn pass on Team Diga Procross’ Iker Larranaga for 5th.

Thomas Covington: “I just really have to focus on my start tomorrow like Jeffrey said and we worked really hard this week to try and improve the bike off the gate, we have just really been working on starts this week and I think it is going to show”.

MX2 Qualifying Race Top Ten: 1. Thomas Covington (USA, Husqvarna), 25:31.406; 2. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:01.740; 3. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), +0:02.339; 4. Henry Jacobi (GER, Husqvarna), +0:21.548; 5. Conrad Mewse (GBR, KTM), +0:23.429; 6. Iker Larranaga Olano (ESP, Husqvarna), +0:23.767; 7. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Kawasaki), +0:30.405; 8. Calvin Vlaanderen (RSA, Honda), +0:32.346; 9. Hunter Lawrence (AUS, Honda), +0:33.106; 10. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:36.918

Text/Bild: Youthstream

The FIM Motocross World Championship heads back into mainland Europe this weekend for the 2018 MXGP of France at the Saint Jean d’Angely circuit for the 10th round of the season. We are now the halfway point of the season and the MXGP title fight is in full force between Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings and Antonio Cairoli. The pair of title rivals have again elevated the level after last weekend’s epic battle where Herlings stole both race wins and the overall from Cairoli during the final laps of each races.

The Saint Jean d’Angely circuit returns to the calendar and serves as the lone French round this season. The beautiful circuit is known to get rough and challenge the riders which will ultimately lead to great racing. Of course not to forget is the always epic atmosphere created by the French motocross fans who year after year prove to be some of the most dedicated and always show up in large numbers.

Joining the World Championship in France is the classes of EMX250 and EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing. In the EMX250 class REVO Husqvarna UK’s Martin Barr and Mel Pocock are fighting for the title but momentum is on the side of Car Glass Honda’s Steven Clarke after his home win last weekend. Meanwhile in the 125 2 stroke class KTM Junior’s Rene Hofer has a 48 point championship lead over Yamaha Europe EMX125’s Thibault Benistant at what is also their championships halfway mark.

Leading the way in the MXGP class coming into France is without a doubt Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings and Antonio Cairoli. The two have battled many times this year but none were as epic as last weekend’s MXGP of Great Britain. With Herlings taking the wins right out from under Cairoli the action will surely be incredible to watch this weekend. Historically Herlings has won here three times and never been outside of the top 5 while Cairoli has won twice and finished on the podium another three times.

Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Clement Desalle has also won on the Saint Jean d’Angely circuit with his last 5 visits all resulting in a top five performance. Also to note is that Desalle won on French soil last year but that time it was at the Ernèe circuit.

Sitting 4th in the Championship is Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s Romain Febvre. Febvre has high hopes for this weekend as not only is it his home GP but he comes into the weekend after scoring his first podium of the season last week. Febvre had memories from the circuit seeing he took the overall victory here at the last visit in 2016.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Gautier Paulin is on a redemption mission after crashes hampered his results in Great Britain. Paulin has scored 2 podium here in the past and will surely be looking to make it three in front of the home fans this weekend.

Worth mentioning is Team HRC’s Tim Gajser and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Glenn Coldenhoff. Gajser had strong races in Great Britain, is truly returning to his world champion form and was 2nd overall here in 2016 while Coldenhoff has been mastering the starts and fighting up front more often recently.

Also not to forget is BOS GP’s Evgeny Bobryshev who took 3rd overall here in 2016 and comes off his best racing of the season in Great Britain.

MXGP Championship Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 436 points; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 382 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 314 p.; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 291 p.; 5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HUS), 267 p.; 6. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 257 p.; 7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 237 p.; 8. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 207 p.; 9. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 198 p.; 10. Julien Lieber (BEL, KAW), 162 p.

2016 MXGP of France MXGP top 3:
1. Romain Febvre
2. Tim Gajser
3. Evgeny Bobryshev

In MX2 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass continues to battle with his teammate Jorge Prado as the pair have set themselves apart from the rest of the field. Both riders have been consistent and strong starters so far this year. Jonass just missed the podium here with a 4th in 2016 while Prado took 5th in the EMX250 stop that year.

Team HRC’s Calvin Vlaanderen has been successfully on the podium the past 2 weeks and will look the new tradition going while Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Kjer Olsen will be keen to achieve a strong finish after scoring zero points last GP due to mechanical issues in both races.

Kemea Yamaha Official MX2’s Ben Watson will have been working on his starts this week after they were his lone weakness in Great Britain. Watson’s speed and endurance is clearly on point as he managed to pass his through the field last weekend.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Covington will be one to watch along with his fellow American, BIKE IT DRT Kawasaki’s Darien Sanayei. Covington took 5th overall in Great Britain with a third in race one and 9th in race 2. Sanayei on the other hand struggled during the race last week but clearly had the speed with the second fastest lap time in last weekend’s free practice. Also worth noting it that Sanayei took double race wins here for the EMX250 overall in 2016.

MX2 Championship Top Ten: 1. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 401 points; 2. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 373 p.; 3. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 288 p.; 4. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 279 p.; 5. Calvin Vlaanderen (RSA, HON), 234 p.; 6. Jed Beaton (AUS, KAW), 216 p.; 7. Henry Jacobi (GER, HUS), 187 p.; 8. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 179 p.; 9. Thomas Covington (USA, HUS), 166 p.; 10. Michele Cervellin (ITA, YAM), 161 p.

2016 MXGP of France MX2 top 3:
1. Jeffrey Herlings
2. Benoit Paturel
3. Jeremy Seewer

Text/Bild: Youthstream

The 2018 edition of the MXGP of Great Britain is complete under sunny skies at the Matterley Basin circuit. Eager British fans lined the track witnessed some of the best races of the season so far and saw Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings and Pauls Jonass assert themselves as undisputed winners.

The unusually sunny British weather was scorching hot and when combined with the nearly 2,000 meter circuit provided testing but epic conditions for the world’s best motocross riders. The stadium like venue gave perfect viewing for all in attendance as the racing action kicked off.

Aside from the wild MXGP and MX2 racing the FIM Veterans Motocross World Cup was action packed with riders like last year’s winner, Martin Zerava, who won the VMX in 2014 and 2017 too, the 2 time Motocross World Champion KTM Rocket Juniors Mickael Pichon, and multi time GP winner Mervyn Anstie all joining in the racing. Saturday’s Race 1 was led from start to finish by Zerava while Pichon worked his way back to the front after a bad start while Anstie crashed out. Anstie crash looked worse than it was fortunately but a fracture to his collar bone plus some injured ribs left him out of racing Sunday. When the racing returned Sunday so too did the dominant performance from Zerava with Pichon again second for a surprising result. Finland’s Niko Kalatie rode consistent all weekend taking 2 third place finishes to round out the podium behind Pichon and back to back winner Zerava.

MXGP Race 1 started with a Fox Holeshot from Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Antonio Cairoli just ahead of his teammate Glen Coldenhoff. A few spots further back was the other Red Bull KTM of Jeffrey Herlings, the MXGP points leader.

Team HRC’s Tim Gajser also had a good start and ran third after the start but by the end of the 1st official lap Herlings moved into second as Coldenhoff dropped to fifth behind the surging Clement Desalle on his Monster Energy Kawasaki.

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s Romain Febvre and Jeremy Van Horebeek ran 6th and 7th with BIKE IT DRT Kawasaki’s Tommy Searle in 8th. Febvre later jumped into 5th past Coldenhoff which he held for the remainder of the race.

Searle was looking strong before a piece of plastic caught in his chain started to distract the Brit. Meanwhile Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Julien Lieber was gaining ground and with 4 laps remaining Lieber took a spot from Searle along with Wilvo Yamaha Official MXGP’s Jeremy Seewer. Searle took the 9th back when Seewer fell in a turn and lost a handful of positions before finishing fourth.

Back at the front the battle was on between Cairoli and Herlings. A bad lap and some mistakes left Herlings in a position to take the lead but Cairoli fought back and the two carried on for the next laps. With 2 laps to go Herlings dove to the inside of Cairoli and both bobbled with Cairoli going down. Herlings took the race win but Cairoli got up quickly and managed second with Gajser 3rd.

Race 2 started just the same with Cairoli taking the FOX Holeshot and Herlings around 4th with Febvre and Desalle in between. Meanwhile Gajser lost traction and had a big save in front of Pit Lane. After the first few corners Herlings was already into 2nd and chasing down Cairoli while Desalle took 3rd from Febvre.

The front two started to pull away from Desalle after a couple of laps as both were setting their fastest laps each time around. On lap 6 Desalle fell, letting both Febvre and Gajser through before remounting his Kawasaki.

Gajser then started to close on Febvre coming within passing distance several times but couldn’t make it through. As Gajser continued to try to get by Febvre it was Desalle who ended up making it past the Slovenian.

When the 2 lap board came out Herlings was still behind Cairoli by a few seconds and realized he need to make a pass for the lead. As the pair started the final lap and came down the start straight into the first turn Herlings spotted his opportunity and took the spot! Herlings’ pace on the final lap resulted in the fastest lap of the race with a 2:19.285 and gave him the race win for maximum points and the clear overall. Herlings win gave him his 100th World Championship podium as Cairoli finished 2nd and Febvre took 3rd.

Jeffrey Herlings: “I am very happy to be here in this spot and to win… we made it happen and it’s a pleasure. It was a great race, both times I managed to get the lead, the first race 2 laps until the end and in the last race it was in the last lap, it was an amazing fight and a great way to get my 100th podium.”

Romain Febvre: “I am really happy to be on the podium again as the last few weeks have been tough…”

MXGP Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 35:58.965; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:10.188; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:14.527; 4. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:32.384; 5. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:47.533; 6. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:50.591; 7. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:58.183; 8. Julien Lieber (BEL, Kawasaki), +1:01.933; 9. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +1:06.611; 10. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Suzuki), +1:09.122.

MXGP Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 35:26.698; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:01.150; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:40.145; 4. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:42.049; 5. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:54.266; 6. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:58.266; 7. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), +0:59.513; 8. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +1:01.221; 9. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Suzuki), +1:32.712; 10. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +1:39.421.

MXGP Overall Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 50 points; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 44 p.; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 36 p.; 4. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 36 p.; 5. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 36 p.; 6. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 30 p.; 7. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, SUZ), 23 p.; 8. Tommy Searle (GBR, KAW), 23 p.; 9. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 22 p.; 10. Max Anstie (GBR, HUS), 17 p.

MXGP Championship Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 436 points; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 382 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 314 p.; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 291 p.; 5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HUS), 267 p.; 6. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 257 p.; 7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 237 p.; 8. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 207 p.; 9. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 198 p.; 10. Julien Lieber (BEL, KAW), 162 p.

MXGP Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 447 points; 2. Kawasaki, 325 p.; 3. Yamaha, 314 p.; 4. Husqvarna, 283 p.; 5. Honda, 272 p.; 6. TM, 160 p.; 7. Suzuki, 139 p.

Much like in the MXGP class tension is building within the MX2 championship as Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass and Jorge Prado each try to assert themselves as the top rider. Prado who won yesterday’s Qualifying Race by a near mile took the Race 1 Holeshot but Jonass responded before the pair excited turn 3.

While Jonass was leading and Prado held second F&H Racing Team’s Ruben Fernandez was off to a blistering start. Fernandez ran third in front of Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Covington and Thomas Kjer Olsen. Fernandez held the position the first 5 laps before Covington took the spot.

On the same lap as Covington’s move forward his teammate, Olsen, was shifted back by Team HRC’s Calvin Vlaanderen. The following lap both Vlaanderen and Olsen moved Fernandez down the running order.

Things then started happening fast for the #70 of Fernandez dropping another 2 positions the next lap and 4 more after that. Olsen however found his groove again and passed Vlaanderen back and went even further forward to pass Covington. Olsen then faced a mechanical issue and was unable to finish the race while Jonass and Prado crossed the finish line followed by Covington, Vlaanderen, and Jumbo No Fear Vamo Honda’s Marshal Weltin, who had a stellar ride. Also impressive was Kemea Yamaha Official MX2 Team’s Ben Watson who after having an issue on the start came back from dead last to finish 6th.

Race 2 was another Fox Holeshot from the fast starting spaniard, Jorge Prado. Race 1 winner Jonass was behind Prado from the start but didn’t let the #61 get far away. In third was STC Racing Husqvarna’s Henry Jacobi with Olsen and Vlaanderen giving chase.

Just outside the top 5 was F&H Racing Team’s Jed Beaton in 6th but on his third time around he ejected of the uphill triple and did not finish the race. Inheriting 6th position from Beaton was LRT KTM’s Davy Pootjes.

On around lap 6 the battle for 3rd intensified between Jacobi and Olsen. Olsen went around the outside of Jacobi but the German fought back which caused him to miss his line and as Olsen tried to charge by again Jacobi slammed the door causing Olsen to go down. The battle allowed Vlaanderen to pass both and jump into third. Olsen tried to rebound from the fall but his bike again gave out forcing another DNF.

Just after the battle for third was decided Pauls Jonass charged past Prado for the lead. Meanwhile Watson was again fighting forward after another bad start and with 2 laps to go the British hero took 4th from Jacobi as Jonass won the race ahead of Prado and Vlaanderen. The overall finished the same as race 2 with Jonass on the top step, Prado second, and Vlaanderen taking 3rd for the second time.

Pauls Jonass: “Today I managed to turn it around and in the first race on the start I was just behind Prado and managed to pass him right away. I am happy to go 1-1 again and especially like this because in previous races when Jorge has got the holeshot and a lead he just pulls away, so for me it was good to catch him and pass him in the last laps today.”

Jorge Prado: “It was tough, really tough, he (Jonass) was riding really good this weekend so I did my best and I am happy with that.”

Clavin Vlaanderen: “It is really good to get back to back podiums. There is a big battle for 3rd place on the podium with about 5 guys so it is fun to battle with them, it is good racing and it’s always clean.”

MX2 Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 36:21.354; 2. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), +0:00.840; 3. Thomas Covington (USA, Husqvarna), +0:49.040; 4. Calvin Vlaanderen (RSA, Honda), +0:55.651; 5. Marshal Weltin (USA, Honda), +0:59.351; 6. Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), +1:00.863; 7. Henry Jacobi (GER, Husqvarna), +1:01.791; 8. Jed Beaton (AUS, Kawasaki), +1:06.628; 9. Anthony Rodriguez (VEN, Yamaha), +1:10.412; 10. Michele Cervellin (ITA, Yamaha), +1:16.918

MX2 Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 36:42.951; 2. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), +0:01.294; 3. Calvin Vlaanderen (RSA, Honda), +0:38.493; 4. Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:40.283; 5. Henry Jacobi (GER, Husqvarna), +0:54.081; 6. Iker Larranaga Olano (ESP, Husqvarna), +0:58.663; 7. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:59.296; 8. Davy Pootjes (NED, KTM), +1:07.559; 9. Thomas Covington (USA, Husqvarna), +1:13.917; 10. Michele Cervellin (ITA, Yamaha), +1:23.880.

MX2 Overall Top Ten: 1. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 50 points; 2. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 44 p.; 3. Calvin Vlaanderen (RSA, HON), 38 p.; 4. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 33 p.; 5. Thomas Covington (USA, HUS), 32 p.; 6. Henry Jacobi (GER, HUS), 30 p.; 7. Iker Larranaga Olano (ESP, HUS), 25 p.; 8. Marshal Weltin (USA, HON), 24 p.; 9. Michele Cervellin (ITA, YAM), 22 p.; 10. Anthony Rodriguez (VEN, YAM), 22 p.

MX2 Championship Top Ten: 1. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 401 points; 2. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 373 p.; 3. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 288 p.; 4. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 279 p.; 5. Calvin Vlaanderen (RSA, HON), 234 p.; 6. Jed Beaton (AUS, KAW), 216 p.; 7. Henry Jacobi (GER, HUS), 187 p.; 8. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 179 p.; 9. Thomas Covington (USA, HUS), 166 p.; 10. Michele Cervellin (ITA, YAM), 161 p

MX2 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 444 points; 2. Husqvarna, 356 p.; 3. Yamaha, 301 p.; 4. Honda, 296 p.; 5. Kawasaki, 251 p.; 6. TM, 104 p.

Text/Bild: Youthstream

The 2018 MXGP of Great Britain is underway at the Matterley Basin circuit after today’s busy Qualifying races. Gifted with warm weather and sunshine the grass lined and hilly British track was epic today. Taking holeshots and winning their respective qualifying races by massive margins were Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli and Jorge Prado.

The circuit, which hosted the 2017 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations Presented by Fiat Professional, was in top shape today after rain earlier in the week created perfect soil. The MXGP and MX2 class where also joined by the first races of EMX250, EMX300 presented by FMF Racing, and the FIM Veterans Motocross World Cup. Regardless of the class on track the racing was always full of action!

The ultra competitive EMX250 class had 73 riders entered but taking the Saturday race win was Carglass Honda Racing’s Steven Clarke in a wild last lap pass for the lead on Tom Vialle. Winning Race 1 of EMX300 Presented by FMF Racing was one of the British favorites, Verde Substance KTM’s Brad Anderson. Anderson held on to the win against a late charge from Vaclav Kovar who took second ahead of Ashley Wilde.

In the FIM Veterans Motocross World Cup first race of the weekend Martin Zarava took full advantage of a strong start and beat out KTM Rocket Junior’s Mickael Pichon, a two time FIM Motocross World Champion.

Straight from the start Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli set a blistering pace, with the Holeshot and a clear track ahead he sprinted away from the MXGP field. Just behind Cairoli was another Red Bull KTM but instead of the usual Jeffrey Herlings chasing the #222 it was Glenn Coldenhoff. Herlings however wasn’t much further back than Coldenhoff as he sat in 4th position.

Splitting the KTM trio was Team HRC’s Tim Gajser who gave chase to Coldenhoff in 3rd. Gajser was on the back wheel of Coldenhoff lap after lap as Cairoli slipped away and Herlings dangerously lingered behind.

Running a surprisingly strong qualifying race in 5th and 6th were the two Brits of Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Anstie and Bike It DRT Kawasaki’s Tommy Searle. Anstie led Searle for the first 5 laps before Anstie fell in a turn on the bottom section of the track. The fall dropped Anstie to 9th and moved Searle into 5th briefly.

Only one lap after Searle moved into the top 5 he was forced out of it by Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing’s Clement Desalle who was on his way forward from 8th on the first lap. At the same time Herlings started to charge and quickly caught the Honda of Gajser.

On lap 8 Herlings moved to 3rd and on the next lap he continued his charge to take 2nd from Coldenhoff. Cairoli however was too far gone and finished the race 20 seconds ahead of Herlings, Coldenhoff, Gajser, and Desalle.

Antonio Cairoli stated: “I’m really happy because we had again a good start which at the last race was a struggle, hopefully also tomorrow we can have another good start. I rode smooth, and really liked the track and how they prepared it today.”

Tommy Searle finished the race 7th after being passed by Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Gautier Paulin on the last lap. Searle in the press conference: “I’m feeling better after a few weeks on the bike. This weekend I feel better coming in, I’m a lot more confident in myself, and it started off well with a 7th.”

Max Anstie: “It is nice to be back in Matterley Basin, I have great memories here from the Motocross of Nations. You know I come here and everybody says I need to do the same as I did at the MXoN and it’s hard but at the end of the day I’m always going to do my best.”

MXGP Qualifying Race Top Ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 25:51.194; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:20.021; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:24.133; 4. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:28.038; 5. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:32.821; 6. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:35.508; 7. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:37.473; 8. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:44.604; 9. Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:46.521; 10. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:48.041.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado has clearly been reading the playbook of his older teammate Antonio Cairoli as he took the Holeshot of the MX2 Qualifying Race and checked out from his competitors. Prado rode full of confidence and flow throwing whips and scrubbing jumps all while gaining time on the rest of the field.

Chasing Prado from the first turn was the MX2 points leader and his championship rival Pauls Jonass aboard another Red Bull KTM Factory Racing machine. Jonass simply couldn’t match the pace of Prado and was instead in a battle of his own to hold off Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Kjer Olsen.

Olsen was followed by the British fans MX2 favorite, Kemea Yamaha Official MX2’s Ben Watson. Watson’s good start helped him to close in to within striking distance of Olsen but at about the halfway point Watson had to ride defensive because the returning Team 114 Motorsports rider Hunter Lawrence was coming up fast.

Lawrence was 7th on the opening lap but by the time he made his way to 6th he had a gap up 5th. Lawrence was able to reel in Team HRC’s Calvin Vlaanderen and made the pass on lap 6. Also coming up through the field was F&H Racing Team’s Jed Beaton after an early fall. Beaton was able to charge his way forward and pass Vlaanderen for 6th with 2 laps to go. Prado went on to take home the win with Jonass second, Olsen third, and Watson 4th.

Jorge Prado said: “I was having fun the whole time so I think that was the key for me, I was really relaxed and able to make a gap and control the race, even try some different lines for tomorrow.”

Ben Watson: “I’m quite happy with the 4th gate pick but I didn’t feel so good today, like I wasn’t riding like myself, I’m not sure if it has to do with the home GP but I’m taking it like any other race, I just want to treat it normal and have the same preparation.”

MX2 Qualifying Race Top Ten: 1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 26:32.136; 2. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:06.044; 3. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:07.270; 4. Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:12.487; 5. Hunter Lawrence (AUS, Honda), +0:13.580; 6. Jed Beaton (AUS, Kawasaki), +0:14.388; 7. Calvin Vlaanderen (RSA, Honda), +0:19.818; 8. Michele Cervellin (ITA, Yamaha), +0:25.368; 9. Iker Larranaga Olano (ESP, Husqvarna), +0:28.663; 10. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Kawasaki), +0:35.801.

Text/Bild: Youthstream