#jeffreyherlings

The FIM Motocross World Championship continues to throw surprises after an exciting penultimate round of the series that saw Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings and Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jago Geerts on the top step of the podium, as the pair clawed back some vital championship points on their rivals. In MXGP, it’s looking like the final round of the series will be a two-man race as Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Romain Febvre and Herlings are separated by just three points, while a penalty in race one has left Team HRC’s Tim Gajser third in standings, 12 points behind Herlings. While in MX2, the battle for the silver medal is heating up between Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle and Geerts, with seven points between them as we head into the races on Wednesday.

In MXGP race one, it was Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Seewer who grabbed the Fox Holeshot. Febvre got off to a good start too as he was ahead of Herlings, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli and Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Glenn Coldenhoff. Meanwhile Gajser got pushed wide and off the track. Febvre wasted no time as he took the lead from Seewer, with Herlings looking to make a pass on the Swiss too. Herlings was briefly into second before making a mistake and crashing, which also took down Seewer with him. With the two bikes tangled, Herlings took some time before he got going again. Honda 114 Motorsports’ Ruben Fernandez was having a great start to his MXGP wildcard race, as he was running nicely in fourth. Febvre then set the fastest lap of the race as he led Cairoli by 3.764 seconds, as Gajser got himself into third, while Herlings was all over Standing Construct GasGas Factory Racing’s Brian Bogers for ninth. Herlings was on another level for the next few laps as he picked off riders before catching up to his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammate Jorge Prado. Prado didn’t make things easy for Herlings, as the young Spaniard shut down every attempt the Bullet was making. Eventually Herlings was able to get past Prado and Coldenhoff soon after, as Gajser also got around Cairoli for second position. Herlings was still down in sixth though, but Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Mathys Boisrame was the next rider to get passed by the Dutchman. He then went after Fernandez, who was not baking down. The battle between Fernandez and Herlings was intense, as it took Herlings four laps to pass the Spanish rider. With six minutes on the clock, Gajser started to have Febvre in his sights as Herlings set the fastest lap of the race while looking to get around Cairoli. Cairoli was not backing down to the title hopeful, who had to spend a few laps behind the Italian, but with two laps to go, Herlings was able to get by Cairoli and later Gajser. Febvre went on to win the race with Herlings second and Gajser third. But Gajser received a 5-place penalty which dropped him down to eighth, so Cairoli moved up to third. Fernandez finished the race in fourth place. In race two, we saw Prado take the Fox Holeshot from Febvre, Herlings and MRT Racing Team KTM’s Alessandro Lupino. Gajser was around 10th, as Herlings wasted no time to get past Febvre and Prado for the lead. Cairoli started the race in fifth just behind Lupino, with Gajser down in seventh. Febvre then started to apply the pressure onto Prado for second, but it would take him a couple of laps to get around the Spaniard, as Gajser caught onto Cairoli and Lupino. After getting good drive and passing Prado, Febvre was within 3.390 seconds of Herlings with plenty of time left on the clock. And while he kept things close for the first half of the race, as the heat went on, it seemed like Febvre was happy to settle for second and take those championship points without any risk. Seewer then passed Bogers and Lupino for sixth, while Cairoli caught onto the rear wheel of Prado, as he set his sights on going after third position in the race. As the battle between Cairoli and Prado got tense, Gajser was able to make the most of this and close in on the KTM duo. Prado was not making it easy for Cairoli who launched several attacks on the Spaniard. Eventually Cairoli made mistake which allowed Gajser through. But he was not backing down for the Slovenian. Gajser had to work hard to get by Prado, but two laps later, the Honda rider found himself up in third. At that point Herlings was 6.728 seconds ahead of Febvre. And as Cairoli searched for a way past Prado, Seewer joined the pair, as the battle for fourth raged on. Finally on lap 14, Cairoli was able to get by Prado and move up a spot. Seewer did the same four laps from the end as Prado dropped to sixth. Herlings went on to win the race ahead of Febvre and Gajser. And with a 2-1 result, Herlings secured his eighth GP victory of the 2021 season, with Febvre finishing on the second step ahead of Cairoli who was third on the podium. Gajser was fourth overall. With one round to go, Febvre leads the MXGP Championship standings by three points over Herlings, while Gajser is now 12 points behind. Jeffrey Herlings: “What happened in the first race was so dumb. I put myself in a good position right from the start. I was behind Romain. I did exactly the same crash in the warmup. I just hit my left foot into the side and just got kicked off. I knew I had to work hard. I was almost dead last and worked my way to second. Second race, I had a decent start. I was straight into third and managed to pass Jorge and Romain. Then I was able to make a little gap. Then I was checking where Tony could be. I was actually not trying to run away too far. Then I saw that there was too big of a gap between Romain and Tony. Then I pulled away for the second half of the race. Every point counts right now, so it’s -3. It’s going to be an all-out war on Wednesday. There’s a lot on the line. Different riders, different countries and different manufacturers all going towards the same goal which is the world title. It doesn’t matter who wins it. I think we both deserve it anyway. Even Tim. So, it will be a good one on Wednesday”. Romain Febvre: “The second race, I started second then Jeffrey passed me and Prado. I maybe didn’t take many risks to pass Prado to avoid falling. So, I lost some time to catch Jeffrey and it was too late at that point. I had some fast laps to close the gap a little bit, but he still had about 3-4 seconds. At one point I just settled for second and thought “I won’t risk everything”. I’m in a good position right now and there’s still one more round to go. Wednesday will be interesting”. Antonio Cairoli: “For sure I am really happy about the result. I am really enjoying the track and it’s always nice to do it in front of this crowd. First race, I had a good start, then I was a little bit stiff on the first lap and I lost some positions. Then I was riding really fast in the second half of the race. I was really enjoying the track at that point. I finished the race third, ahead of Tim’s penalty. It was a good result for the overall. Second race, the start was not so good. Finally, I had a good rhythm and was able to push a little bit. Then I arrived behind Jorge for 6-7 laps and the guys in front were able to build a gap. Tim also passed me as I was struggling to find some lines to try to pass Jorge. Then I lost the rhythm a little bit. In the end I had some room in front of me which allowed me to have some good laps. I came closer to Tim, but it was too late. Overall, I am happy because of the podium of course, but I will try to do better on Wednesday and be on the podium again. It would be amazing for me and all the fans”. MXGP - Grand Prix Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), 35:37.282; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:01.116; 3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:03.724; 4. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Honda), +0:29.412; 5. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:42.744; 6. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), +0:54.447; 7. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:55.133; 8. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:02.631; 9. Mathys Boisrame (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:56.582; 10. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, KTM), +1:00.761; MXGP - Grand Prix Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 35:41.191; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:19.089; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:22.178; 4. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:23.986; 5. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:25.224; 6. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), +0:46.171; 7. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Honda), +0:50.742; 8. Brian Bogers (NED, GASGAS), +0:53.816; 9. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, KTM), +0:58.452; 10. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +1:04.006; MXGP - GP Top 10 Classification: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 47 points; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 47 p.; 3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 38 p.; 4. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 33 p.; 5. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 32 p.; 6. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 32 p.; 7. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 30 p.; 8. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 25 p.; 9. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, KTM), 23 p.; 10. Brian Bogers (NED, GAS), 22 p.; MXGP - World Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 661 points; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 658 p.; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 646 p.; 4. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 534 p.; 5. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 532 p.; 6. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 530 p.; 7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, YAM), 416 p.; 8. Pauls Jonass (LAT, GAS), 391 p.; 9. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, KTM), 310 p.; 10. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 309 p.; MXGP - Manufacturers Classification: 1. KTM, 792 points; 2. Kawasaki, 666 p.; 3. Honda, 660 p.; 4. Yamaha, 580 p.; 5. GASGAS, 459 p.; 6. Husqvarna, 336 p.; 7. Beta, 212 p.;

In the MX2 race one, it was Vialle with the Fox Holeshot but his teammate Rene Hofer of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing was quick into the lead. Renaux started well as he passed Vialle for second and then quickly found his way around Hofer to lead the race by the end of the first lap. Geerts then passed Vialle, as Vialle came under pressure from Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Kay de Wolf who passed him for fourth, he was however able to take back that position. Hofer then set the fastest lap of the race as he was keen on staying close to Renaux, but then came under fire from Geerts. The Belgian made several attempts to pass the Austrian, but Hofer was quick to respond. Hofer then fell and eventually fought his way back to sixth. Renaux then opened up the gap as he led by 5.480 seconds over Geerts, while Vialle was still trying to fend off de Wolf as well was his teammate Jed Beaton who was also on a charge. The Frenchman was urged on by the Husqvarna riders as he had Geerts in his sights in the later stages of the race. Unfortunately, he could not get close enough, as Geerts also tried to go after Renaux in the final laps, but Renaux was able to maintain that position and win his first race since becoming MX2 World Champion last weekend. In the second MX2 heat, it was Vialle once again with the Fox Holeshot as he led Hofer, Geerts, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Mattia Guadagnini and Beaton. Renaux started in around 10th position. Geerts then tried to get around Hofer for second, but the pair made contact in the wave section, which resulted in a big crash for Hofer. Beaton then got onto the rear wheel of Guadagnini for third, as Renaux moved in on the pair after making some good passes on the opening laps. The Frenchman got around the Australian by the second lap and then set his sights on Guadagnini. Further down the field, de Wolf was having an intense battle with Simon Längenfelder of Diga Procross GasGas Factory Racing. The Dutchman then took the outside line which gave him good drive to get past the German for sixth place. Guadagnini then had Renaux all over his rear wheel, with the Frenchman going around the outside of the Italian to steal third. Renaux was on a charge as it did not take long for him to catch up with Geerts. Meanwhile Hofer was trying to recover from his crash at the beginning of the race as he got going in 14th place. The gap between Vialle and Geerts started to come down as just 0.938 seconds separated them, with some excitement behind them as Renaux went off track and de Wolf crashed. On lap seven we saw a change for the lead as Vialle and Geerts traded positions a few times, before the Belgian was able to make the pass stick. Renaux was keen on going with him as he dove down the inside of Vialle for second. Renaux then pushed hard to try and get by Geerts, with the battle carrying on until the chequered flag fell for the end of the race. Despite his best efforts, Renaux was forced to settle for second as Geerts went on to win the race. Beaton was also able to get by Vialle in the final laps to get himself into third, while Vialle crossed the line fourth. A 2-1 result gave Geerts the overall victory over Renaux who also finished on 47 points, with Vialle occupying the third step of the podium. While the MX2 title was decided at the MXGP of Garda, the fight for second in the standings is still on between Vialle and Geerts, as there is just seven points between them as we head into the final round on Wednesday with the MXGP of ‎Città di Mantova. Jago Geerts: “I am really happy to win a GP again. The last few races my speed was really good, but I just couldn’t make it happen to win a race. Today was a really good day for me, 2-1. So yeah, I am really happy, and I am looking forward to Wednesday. Hopefully I will be able to end the season on a high note. It will be quite exciting and we will battle until the last lap for sure. My goal is just to ride like today. I’ll try to win the GP and get the second place in the championship”. Maxime Renaux: “It was a nice day. First race after my world title, so it’s really nice. I really enjoyed that. This morning, I was actually not so good in time practice. I was feeling a little bit stiff. But we made some changes on the bike and I felt really good during those two races. First race was perfect. I could take the lead on the first lap and win. Second race, I had a really bad start. I had to really push to come back to second. Then I felt I could have pushed a little bit more, but I was satisfied with second. I’d also like to have a blue bike on the second step of the podium for this championship. So, it was just nice and I am really happy with my riding today”. Tom Vialle: “I struggled quite a lot today, especially in the second race. I had a great start but couldn’t find my flow on the track. I felt pretty good in the morning. First race wasn’t too bad. I was third behind Jago. I struggled a bit with the bike, so on Wednesday we’re going to make some changes on the bike. For sure it will be better. I am really looking forward to Wednesday. I am second in the championship now. It’s true I came back from pretty far. I think that I was 13th or 14th at some point in the championship. So, it’s pretty nice to be second. There’s still one race to go. It will be a good battle with Jago, that’s for sure”. MX2 - Grand Prix Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), 35:52.405; 2. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:01.944; 3. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), +0:07.445; 4. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:09.065; 5. Jed Beaton (AUS, Husqvarna), +0:10.157; 6. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), +0:28.681; 7. Isak Gifting (SWE, GASGAS), +0:31.427; 8. Wilson Todd (AUS, Kawasaki), +0:34.873; 9. Andrea Adamo (ITA, GASGAS), +0:36.013; 10. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, Kawasaki), +0:38.797; MX2 - Grand Prix Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), 35:57.115; 2. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +0:02.650; 3. Jed Beaton (AUS, Husqvarna), +0:34.598; 4. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), +0:38.568; 5. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, KTM), +0:39.934; 6. Simon Längenfelder (GER, GASGAS), +0:43.966; 7. Isak Gifting (SWE, GASGAS), +0:47.650; 8. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, Kawasaki), +0:51.475; 9. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), +0:52.424; 10. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +1:05.950; MX2 - GP Top 10 Classification: 1. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 47 points; 2. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 47 p.; 3. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 38 p.; 4. Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS), 36 p.; 5. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 29 p.; 6. Isak Gifting (SWE, GAS), 28 p.; 7. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 27 p.; 8. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, KTM), 25 p.; 9. Simon Längenfelder (GER, GAS), 25 p.; 10. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, KAW), 24 p.; MX2 - World Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 689 points; 2. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 570 p.; 3. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 563 p.; 4. Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS), 513 p.; 5. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, KTM), 512 p.; 6. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 501 p.; 7. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 441 p.; 8. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 413 p.; 9. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 404 p.; 10. Simon Längenfelder (GER, GAS), 316 p.; MX2 - Manufacturers Classification: 1. KTM, 761 points; 2. Yamaha, 759 p.; 3. Husqvarna, 579 p.; 4. Kawasaki, 481 p.; 5. Honda, 451 p.; 6. GASGAS, 416 p.; 7. TM, 24 p.;

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings and Tom Vialle repeated their success of last Sunday to take overall victories in MXGP and MX2 for the Bitci MXGP of Afyon. Herlings remains undefeated, taking a fourth consecutive Grand Prix win in Afyon and remains the only MXGP rider to ever win here. In addition, the bullet also matched Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli GP win record, as he secured his 93rd triumph. The overall victory didn’t come easy for either of the factory KTM riders, as both Herlings and Vialle were challenged by a group of riders who were all hungry for the win, making for some epic races.

  The MXGP class delivered some of the most intense racing that we have seen this season so far. The top protagonists of the championship were all within a couple of seconds of one another in both races, with a winner hard to predict. After making some changes to the bike, Herlings topped the charts in Time Practice to take pole position which set him up nicely for the races. Though as the gate dropped for race one, it was his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammate Jorge Prado who clinched the Fox Holeshot ahead of Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Romain Febvre, Herlings and Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Seewer. Team HRC’s Tim Gajser started the race in eighth, though made some quick passes as he got up to fourth within a couple of laps. There was no change in the top four for quite a few laps as Cairoli worked his way through the field. He had Seewer ahead in fifth who eventually crashed out and dropped to 15th. Prado then crashed big out of the lead and took a while to get going again, re-joining the race quite far behind the rest of the field, which made it tough for the Spaniard to score any points as he finished the race in 21st. Febvre was then the new race leader, and it was game one for the top three. Herlings and Gajser had a couple of moments as the Slovenian pushed to get around the Dutchman. SM Action Racing Team’s Alberto Forato was having a great opening race after a strong time practice. The Italian in sixth place, where he eventually finished. It did look like he was going to challenge Standing Construct GasGas Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass at one point though, which made for some nice racing. Febvre then looked to stretch out his lead as he set the fastest lap of the race with nine minutes plus two laps to go. And as the race progressed things got more interesting as Febvre, Herlings and Gajser were just within 1.559 seconds of one another. Cairoli was closing in on the top three at that point too as he was faster than the top three ahead of him. Herlings then put the hammer down on Febvre. With one lap to go, Herlings was pushing to pass Febvre and was being pushed by Gajser who had Cairoli applying the pressure. Febvre did a good job to defend his position until he made a small mistake and crashed with less than half a lap to go. Then it was Herlings in the driving seat as Gajser looked to keep close and make a move for the win though got caught out by a hard charging Cairoli who stole second from the Slovenian. Herlings was the race winner. In race two, it was Prado again with the Fox Holeshot as Herlings followed closely behind in second ahead of Gajser and Jonass, as Cairoli had to fight his way through the pack once again. Herlings was looking to strike early as Cairoli got around Febvre for fifth and looked to put an attack on Jonass immediately after. As the race went on, the top three remained close, just as they did in race one, with just 0.959 seconds in between them. Gajser was looking to make a pass on Herlings and make a charge for the win, though made a mistake which allowed Cairoli to close in and join the fight just like before. At one stage Prado extended the gap to 1.840 seconds but it didn’t take long for Herlings to find his way onto the back of the Spaniard. While the top four battled for the win, there was also nice action further down the field as Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Glenn Coldenhoff got around JM Honda Racing’s Henry Jacobi for 10th. The German responded soon after, parking the Yamaha rider. Coldenhoff then made a small error and crashed. Back with the leaders though, Gajser was searching for every opportunity to get past Herlings and on lap six was finally able to do it. Then it was game on for the win. Three laps later, Gajser was the new race leader as the top three were bunched up and within less than a second of each other, which meant that the race was far from over. Herlings followed in Gajser’s steps to get around Prado but could not keep with the Slovenian. In the end, the birthday boy, Gajser won the second heat with a 5.947 seconds advantage to Herlings, with Cairoli taking third from his teammate as we were treated to another Cairoli vs Prado battle. In terms of the podium, it was Herlings with the overall victory ahead of Gajser and Cairoli. Tim Gajser continues to lead the championship with a 28-point advantage over Romain Febvre and Antonio Cairoli. Meanwhile Jeffrey Herlings moves up to fourth in the standings, just 34 points off the series leader. Jeffrey Herlings: “I started the day strong with pole position and it was important to be on the inside in the start. First race was really good, I was actually equal with Jorge, but halfway down the straight he got me. Then I was chasing Romain and Jorge and then at one point Jorge had a big crash, I got up to second and I was actually second all race, I couldn’t really attack because I had Tim on my back, so I had to defend my line but at the same time I wanted to attack Romain because I had more speed than him. I was just following long and managed to be second until the last lap and obviously Romain made a mistake, and I got the win handed to me. It was a bit of a gift. Second race, I was a bit late on the gate but again I had Jorge next to me so he kept the other boys a little bit away. I had Tim on the back of me again and he was pushing hard, so again I had to defend and attack at the same time. Then Tim basically got us both within two laps. I made a pass on Jorge pretty quick, but Tim had a three second gap and he was fast, I can’t deny it. I did not want to take a risk, so I took the second place and knew I was going to take the GP win. It’s been a great day and great two races, looking forward to Sardinia. I think the track will suit me a bit better. I want to thank Red Bull KTM for the great bike they gave me”. “I can’t make any big mistake anymore. I would like to be 34 points in front instead of 34 points behind but Tim is in the hot seat, but I went from fifth to fourth in the championship and I am just a few points behind Tony and Romain so that’s good. But Second place doesn’t count, there’s only one place and that’s first. We had 9 races so 9 to go. I missed three races but it’s like this right now and I have to make the best out of the situation”. Tim Gajser: “I was quite happy but a bit disappointed with the first race as Tony passed me with just a couple of corners till the end. But anyway, speed was good, starts were okay. Of course, we have to work on it. It is really important to be in front especially now when we are really close together. The championship is really close between the top five but overall I am quite happy and looking forward to going to Sardinia. I like this track as well. I mean it is still a long season, of course it is nice to be in front, but like Jeffrey said, nine to go… We are still halfway through the championship and everything is still open. I will give it everything I can. I think it’s really enjoyable to have nice races and battles. We have five guys that are always starting in front or starting from the back and battling to the top. So yeah, I think it is a good championship. Hopefully it’s going to go this way all season long”. Antonio Cairoli: "I was also riding okay last GP but I lost some points and I also could have been hurt. Today I felt already better in the time practice which I am struggling a lot to get a fast lap lately. I also made a mistake with the start all the time. A little bit too wide, so today I had good races but not so good starts. Coming from the back, I lost a lot of energy in the first race but I am happy overall, the speed is there and the fitness as well. I just need to figure out a little bit that part of the race, the start. To try to stay in front like a do normally, apart from the last races. Second race, I did not have a good start again. First lap, there was some traffic and sketchy moments to pass some riders… I arrived at the back of Jorge and I struggled to pass him, so the guys in front pulled away. In the end, we pushed again and came closer. But then Jeffrey was just looking for the overall and just riding the last laps easy. I am happy overall to be on the podium but of course the condition was good so I wanted more but could not get it. Let’s hope we can have a better result in Sardinia. I like Sardinia a lot and it’s going to be a hot race. I think it’s a nice event." MXGP - Grand Prix Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 34:31.387; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:00.494; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:02.969; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:10.585; 5. Pauls Jonass (LAT, GASGAS), +0:35.881; 6. Alberto Forato (ITA, GASGAS), +0:40.918; 7. Henry Jacobi (GER, Honda), +0:49.141; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Yamaha), +0:51.337; 9. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, KTM), +0:53.507; 10. Brent Van doninck (BEL, Yamaha), +0:54.619; MXGP - Grand Prix Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 34:44.781; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:05.947; 3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:08.978; 4. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), +0:14.097; 5. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:31.196; 6. Pauls Jonass (LAT, GASGAS), +0:32.209; 7. Alberto Forato (ITA, GASGAS), +0:41.561; 8. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, KTM), +0:57.060; 9. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +1:00.476; 10. Brian Bogers (NED, GASGAS), +1:06.485; MXGP - GP Top 10 Classification: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 47 points; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 45 p.; 3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 42 p.; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 34 p.; 5. Pauls Jonass (LAT, GAS), 31 p.; 6. Alberto Forato (ITA, GAS), 29 p.; 7. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, KTM), 25 p.; 8. Henry Jacobi (GER, HON), 24 p.; 9. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 21 p.; 10. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 18 p.; MXGP - World Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 355 points; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 327 p.; 3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 326 p.; 4. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 321 p.; 5. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 315 p.; 6. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 249 p.; 7. Pauls Jonass (LAT, GAS), 231 p.; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, YAM), 212 p.; 9. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, KTM), 182 p.; 10. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 143 p.; MXGP - Manufacturers Classification: 1. KTM, 423 points; 2. Honda, 356 p.; 3. Kawasaki, 332 p.; 4. Yamaha, 287 p.; 5. GASGAS, 261 p.; 6. Husqvarna, 166 p.;

The racing has finished and with it concluded the Bitci MXGP of Turkey, the first of two Grand Prix’s taking place in Afyonkarahisar. Both the MXGP and MX2 riders added to the Turkish heat, treating the local crowd to four nail biting races that concluded with overall victories from Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings and Tom Vialle.

After posting the fastest lap time in Time Practice, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado started the first race with the Fox Holeshot, as he led Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s Glenn Coldenhoff, Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Romain Febvre and Standing Construct GasGas Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass. Team HRC’s Tim Gajser and Jeffrey Herlings of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing were side by side on the opening lap and moments later both got around Jonass who dropped to sixth. Herlings then caught onto the back of Coldenhoff and passed his fellow Dutchman as Gajser set out to do the same. But the Slovenian struggled for 10 laps behind Coldenhoff always coming short of making a pass. Febvre remained all over Prado for the lead, as Gajser came under fire from Cairoli who got around the Honda rider to move into sixth. He then got around Coldenhoff too and was pushing to get closer to Jonass. Gajser then caught back up with the 259 of Coldenhoff and passed him on lap 11, as JM Honda Racing’s Henry Jacobi got Brian Bogers of Standing Construct GasGas Factory Racing for eighth to solidify a top 10 result. After spending the majority of the race in third, Herlings switched it up a gear and was on a charge to close in on Febvre and Prado. It did not take him long as he got Febvre on lap 13 and then just two laps later was in front of Prado. Jonass started to challenge Febvre too and with three laps from the end of the race was able to get the job done. Herlings was the race winner, with Prado finishing second and Jonass third. In the second heat it was once again Prado with the Fox Holeshot as he led the race once again while Febvre, Gajser, Jonass and Cairoli followed behind. Herlings struggled further down the field as he passed Kevin Strijbos of Gebben Van Venrooy Yamaha Racing for seventh position. Herlings then continued to make progress as he got around Coldenhoff and set his sights on Cairoli, while Gajser charged past Febvre to move into second place. The gap was then 1.366 seconds between Prado and Gajser, as the Slovenian was clear with his intentions of going for the win. Jonass then had a big crash as he went off the track while battling with Cairoli for fourth, with the Latvian not finishing the race. Cairoli inherited his position as Herlings started to close in too. Gajser then made another attempt to pass Prado and was able to secure the position and take over the lead on lap nine. Cairoli then caught onto the back wheel of Febvre as the pair traded positions a couple of times before the Italian was able to make it stick and take away third from the Kawasaki rider, as Herlings did the same. Gajser then led by 2.877 seconds, as Prado was starting to feel the force of Cairoli and Herlings who were catching up fast. Cairoli and Prado had a couple of close calls before making contact, but both remained on the bikes. Eventually Cairoli crashed after, which allowed Herlings through. With one lap to go, Herlings got his head down and got to work as he was able to pass Prado and secure the top step of the podium. Gajser was the race winner, with Herlings second and Prado third. With a 1-2 result, Jeffrey Herlings was back on the top step, while Jorge Prado was forced to settle for second and Tim Gajser joining the pair in third. In terms of the championship standings, Gajser leads Prado by 13 points, while Febvre remains third a further four points behind. Jeffrey Herlings: “Definitely the first race was much easier because I was around fourth of fifth in the start and only had to pass a few guys. Both starts were off today and with the high altitude here we changed some things with the bike, but I think maybe we should go in a different direction. The start was pretty bad in the first race but then I managed to pass Glenn, Romain and Jorge and then it went pretty easy. Second race I was around tenth or twelfth, it was harder to get around the other guys, the last few laps were sketchy between Jorge and Tony as they were fighting for second position. Then Tony crashed right in front of me and then I managed to sneak past Jorge, but Tim was too far away for me to do anything about it. A 1-2 is good, we have some good racing and I look forward to it, I like the track but will definitely work on the starts and try some things. The arm is fine now, in Lommel it was very painful but in Latvia it was already much better, I still had a bit of pain but nothing crazy. I don’t know if you can ever be 100% but I am trying to be the best as I can because the competition is strong. If you look at the championship, the top five guys are really close”. Jorge Prado: “I think it was a great day. I got two good starts which makes things a lot easier. I led the most laps today so this gives me a confidence boost for Wednesday, the only thing is I was riding the same lines but when Jeffrey passed me in race one and Tim in the second one, I could see where I could improve. Physically I am feeling ok and I am getting better, the bike is working good. It was a pity on the last lap to be passed by Jeffrey, but hopefully on Wednesday we get some good results. There is still a lot of racing left, I need to take it race by race and stay within the top three, that is my goal, and get some race wins if I can. You don’t always get such a good field of riders because of injuries and other reasons but now everybody is ready to go racing so it is nice to race when everybody is fit”. Tim Gajser: “I had two completely different races. The first race I had a solid start, but I got stuck behind Glenn and couldn’t pass him for ten laps so I kind of lost the rhythm, got arm pump and finished sixth and I was definitely not happy with it. In the second one, I had a good start and was third and then made quick passes in the middle of the race, made a small gap and controlled the race. Definitely happy with the second race. I will try to improve the starts for Wednesday and be more consistent and just have fun because that’s the most important things”. MXGP - Grand Prix Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 34:42.407; 2. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), +0:05.534; 3. Pauls Jonass (LAT, GASGAS), +0:06.236; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:09.174; 5. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:31.970; 6. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:35.999; 7. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:52.191; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Yamaha), +0:54.267; 9. Henry Jacobi (GER, Honda), +0:56.317; 10. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:57.016; MXGP - Grand Prix Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 34:39.849; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:04.654; 3. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), +0:08.824; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:28.683; 5. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:34.198; 6. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, KTM), +0:39.772; 7. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:41.305; 8. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Yamaha), +0:42.717; 9. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Yamaha), +0:45.092; 10. Brent Van doninck (BEL, Yamaha), +0:46.408; MXGP - GP Top 10 Classification: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 47 points; 2. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 42 p.; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 40 p.; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 36 p.; 5. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 32 p.; 6. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 28 p.; 7. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, KTM), 23 p.; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, YAM), 23 p.; 9. Pauls Jonass (LAT, GAS), 20 p.; 10. Brian Bogers (NED, GAS), 19 p.; MXGP - World Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 310 points; 2. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 297 p.; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 293 p.; 4. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 284 p.; 5. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 274 p.; 6. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 234 p.; 7. Pauls Jonass (LAT, GAS), 200 p.; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, YAM), 197 p.; 9. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, KTM), 157 p.; 10. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 133 p.; MXGP - Manufacturers Classification: 1. KTM, 376 points; 2. Honda, 311 p.; 3. Kawasaki, 298 p.; 4. Yamaha, 265 p.; 5. GASGAS, 230 p.; 6. Husqvarna, 145 p.;

In the first MX2 race of the day, it was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle who grabbed the Fox Holeshot ahead of his fellow teammate Rene Hofer as well as Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Jed Beaton and Kay De Wolf, as well as Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Mattia Guadagnini. While Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing MX2’s Maxime Renaux was further down the field in around eighth position. Hofer then took over the lead from Vialle, as Renaux managed to find a way through on De Wolf to move into fifth. Vialle then got to work as he caught back up with his teammate and by lap four was back in the driving seat and leading the race. Renaux then lost a spot to Honda 114 Motorsports’ Ruben Fernandez for a brief moment before getting back around the Spaniard, while Hofer was starting to come under pressure from Beaton and Guadagnini. Though at the front of the field, Vialle continued to clock the fastest lap times of the race, as Thibault Benistant of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing MX2 and F&H Kawasaki Racing’s Mathys Boisrame battled for eighth. Guadagnini finally managed to get around Beaton on lap eight and then five or six laps later was able to get Hofer to get into second. Hofer then faded off as both Beaton and Renaux got around the Austrian, while Fernandez dived down the inside of De Wolf for sixth. In the end it was Vialle who won the race 5.988 seconds ahead of Guadagnini and Beaton who crossed the line in third. In race two it was Renaux with a flying start, as he took the second Fox Holeshot of the day and led the way with Beaton second and Vialle third. Guadagnini got another strong start and so did Gianluca Facchetti of Team Beddini Racing KTM on his first outing with the new team. Hofer then got around Fernandez for fifth as Vialle tried to get around Beaton, with the Australian quick to respond and claim back his second-place spot. As Renaux stretched out his lead to 2.490 seconds, Beaton came under fire from Vialle once again, with the KTM rider finally making a pass stick on lap five. Vialle then set the fastest lap of the race as he began to close in on the race leader, Renaux. But Renaux stepped it up a gear himself to set the fastest lap of the race himself, with the two Frenchman clock fast times lap after lap. While the battle for the win was well and truly on between Renaux and Vialle, Guadagnini was also not letting go of Beaton for third as he started to apply the pressure. With just a couple of laps from the finish, Vialle went down as he was focused on passing Renaux which handed the Yamaha rider a victory, while Vialle was able to get back on his bike quickly and hold on to second as Beaton was able to keep Guadagnini at bay and finish the day with another third-place finish. With a 1-2 result, Tom Vialle was on the top step of the podium while Maxime Renaux was forced to settle for second ahead of Jed Beaton in third, as he secured his second podium of 2021. Renaux continues to lead the MX2 championship, maintaining a healthy 37-point lead over Guadagnini who has gained a bit of breathing room to Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing MX2’s Jago Geerts who is a further 15 points adrift. Tom Vialle: “It’s really good to be back on top after the injury. The summer break was good because I could train and work on the bike also and now to be back is really good. I was happy in the morning to take pole position because it’s not a lot of times that I’ve taken the pole position which was pretty nice. I took two good starts and in the second race I pushed to come back but it was difficult to pass as there were not so many lines and Maxime was riding pretty good. I tried to give my best. For sure to win here is good and to stay here in Turkey is nice, I like the track and it will be a good race on Wednesday”. Maxime Renaux: “Was two completely different races today. I took two good stars, but in the first race I went too wide which allowed the other riders on the inside, so I had to fight my way through the pack and come back from eighth to fourth. I was riding a little bit stiff and was not happy with the riding. For the second race we changed some things on the bike, I was feeling much more comfortable and took the holeshot and then had the perfect race. For Wednesday I will look to improve on my lap times because it’s important to be on the inside here. I take it race by race, I want to win all the races if I can but it’s pretty hard and I need to think about the championship. I’m also trying to be more clever than before and avoid making stupid mistakes and keep control of the championship”. Jed Beaton: “It was a pretty good day for me. Never pulled the holeshot but in the first race I came close which was good, but then made a small mistake which allowed the KTM guys to pass and then Tom was going quite fast and I got a little bit of arm pump so I went back a little bit but then the last few laps of the race I felt like I was riding good again and try to take that into the second race. I got another good start but lost a bit of rhythm in the first few laps, the guys pulled away but I was just trying to manage my own race and then had Mattia on my back which added some pressure, but overall it was a good consistent day for me to put together two good races which has been a struggle for me for the last couple of races and it’s a good step in the right direction. It’s good to recharge the batteries as the last four rounds were pretty tough so it took a lot of energy out of us and the little break was nice for everyone”. MX2 - Grand Prix Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 34:00.016; 2. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, KTM), +0:05.988; 3. Jed Beaton (AUS, Husqvarna), +0:07.359; 4. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +0:16.158; 5. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), +0:27.478; 6. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Honda), +0:31.297; 7. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:34.174; 8. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), +0:35.151; 9. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:43.644; 10. Mathys Boisrame (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:50.403; MX2 - Grand Prix Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), 35:20.827; 2. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), +0:01.638; 3. Jed Beaton (AUS, Husqvarna), +0:11.439; 4. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, KTM), +0:12.624; 5. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), +0:28.479; 6. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:37.230; 7. Wilson Todd (AUS, Kawasaki), +0:45.210; 8. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, Kawasaki), +0:54.046; 9. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:56.764; 10. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), +0:58.882; MX2 - GP Top 10 Classification: 1. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 47 points; 2. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 43 p.; 3. Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS), 40 p.; 4. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, KTM), 40 p.; 5. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 32 p.; 6. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 27 p.; 7. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 26 p.; 8. Wilson Todd (AUS, KAW), 24 p.; 9. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 24 p.; 10. Isak Gifting (SWE, GAS), 18 p.; MX2 - World Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 314 points; 2. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, KTM), 277 p.; 3. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 262 p.; 4. Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS), 237 p.; 5. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 229 p.; 6. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 228 p.; 7. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 216 p.; 8. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 210 p.; 9. Mathys Boisrame (FRA, KAW), 204 p.; 10. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 180 p.; MX2 - Manufacturers Classification: 1. Yamaha, 355 points; 2. KTM, 339 p.; 3. Husqvarna, 266 p.; 4. Kawasaki, 252 p.; 5. Honda, 237 p.; 6. GASGAS, 181 p.; BITCI MXGP OF TURKEY – QUICK FACTS Circuit length: 1725m Type of ground: Hard Pack Temperature: 28° Weather conditions: Sunny For more news checkout our dedicated MXGP/MX2 News page Or visit the official MXGP website mxgp.com Follow us on social media: Instagram: @superbikenews Twitter: @sbknews Facebook: @superbikenews SBN Directory - add your motorcycle related business here

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2018 Champions Herlings and Prado End Season With Italian Wins

The Italian circuit of Imola has hosted another historic weekend of racing with the final round of the 2018 MXGP FIM Motocross World Championship. The weekend was a finale to 20 rounds of racing around the world over 8 months and today the 2018 Champions from Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, Jeffrey Herlings and Jorge Prado, capped of the year with another pair of dominant wins.

Imola’s Autodromo Enzo & Dino Ferrari track was the venue of choice with over 25,000 cubic meters of dirt added to the natural elevation of the circuit for the weekend. The historic venue was the first in Italy to host Motocross International racing in 1948 and now on the 70th anniversary has seen the conclusion of one of the most competitive World Championship seasons ever. Taking the 3 spots in the final MXGP championship standings were the only three riders to win a GP in 2018, Jeffrey Herlings, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli, and Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Clement Desalle. Meanwhile in the MX2 standings Jorge Prado, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass, and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Kjer Olsen finalized the top three spots.

MXGP The new MXGP World Champion, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings, had nothing to prove this weekend but still came out and dominated with double race wins to take the final MXGP overall of the year.

The first MXGP race was started with a season first Fox Holeshot from Gebben Van Venrooy Kawasaki’s Alessandro Lupino in front of his home crowd as Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli opted out of racing to recover for next week’s Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations.

Behind Lupino was Team HRC’s Tim Gajser, Wilvo Yamaha Official MXGP Team’s Jeremy Seewer, and then Herlings. Seewer and Herlings banged bars in the 4th corner was put the Dutchman up to third. Gajser took the lead from Lupino before the end of the first lap along with Herlings.

Lupino was then third but a collision with Seewer dropped the #77 out of the top 20 and the Swiss rider to 10th. Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Clement Desalle took over third with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Gautier Paulin 4th and Wilvo Yamaha Official MXGP’s Shaun Simpson 5th.

On the third official lap Herlings took the lead from Gajser and a lap later Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Julien Lieber went to 5th past Simpson. In the remaining 16 laps the top 5 held their positions. Herlings had the race win ahead of Gajser, Desalle, Paulin, and Lieber while Seewer made a last lap pass to get by teammate Simpson for 6th.

Race 2’s Fox Holeshot belonged to Herlings who had Gajser and Desalle just behind him. Simpson had another good start in 4th with Lieber again behind him. Paulin was in 6th and had to deal with pressure from Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s Jeremy Van Horebeek.

After 4 laps of heat from the Belgian Paulin lost 6th and Van Horebeek then went after Lieber. With 5 laps to go Lieber moved past Simpson for 4th and Van Horebeek put the Wilvo rider another spot back to 6th.

Herlings took the race win with Gajser again 2nd then Desalle, Lieber, and Van Horebeek. Paulin took 6th after passing Simpson with 2 laps to go. In the overall Herlings was the clear winner for the 84 time in his career as Gajser took 2nd and Desalle took third.

Jeffrey Herlings, “It is a great way to finish of the year, to finish with a win. I am very happy and thankful, it has been a great journey, a great experience, a great year, and I have met a lot of great people. I really want to thank especially my team as without them I wouldn’t to be able to do what I did… it is something that will be hard to ever accomplish again. The most beautiful way to finish off the year is to go 1-1 at the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations and if I can accomplish that it will be the cherry on top!”

Antonio Cairoli: “I am really happy to be here, it is such a great place for racing and I think this is a great way to step up our sport. I am looking at the bigger picture of the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations next week, it is very important for me and the country of Italy. Like I have said congratulations to Jeffrey and thanks to Youthstream for another good and very intense championship. They have stepped it up with a more professional staff so I am really happy to have another 2 seasons and follow my dream to fight for another world title.”

Clement Desalle: “Finishing third in the championship is really great, also it is a great feeling to be on the box at the end of the championship. My whole team works to be the best possible and to beat those guys and have the best result in the GPs. It is not easy but we are very motivated… it was a very good season overall.”

MXGP Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 34:41.213; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:12.438; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:28.131; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:30.461; 5. Julien Lieber (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:32.590; 6. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:34.849; 7. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:35.907; 8. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:43.218; 9. Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:51.689; 10. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Suzuki), +0:54.842.

MXGP Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 34:35.763; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:34.828; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:50.772; 4. Julien Lieber (BEL, Kawasaki), +1:01.847; 5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +1:03.991; 6. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Husqvarna), +1:06.621; 7. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), +1:07.493; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +1:09.285; 9. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), +1:15.790; 10. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Suzuki), +1:20.562.

MXGP Overall Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 50 points; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 44 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 40 p.; 4. Julien Lieber (BEL, KAW), 34 p.; 5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HUS), 33 p.; 6. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 29 p.; 7. Shaun Simpson (GBR, YAM), 28 p.; 8. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 24 p.; 9. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 23 p.; 10. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, SUZ), 22 p.

MXGP Championship Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 933 points; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 782 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 685 p.; 4. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 669 p.; 5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HUS), 574 p.; 6. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 544 p.; 7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 534 p.; 8. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 469 p.; 9. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 433 p.; 10. Max Anstie (GBR, HUS), 386 p.

MXGP Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 997 points; 2. Kawasaki, 704 p.; 3. Yamaha, 685 p.; 4. Honda, 684 p.; 5. Husqvarna, 643 p.; 6. Suzuki, 289 p.; 7. TM, 245 p.

MX2 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado came into this weekend already knowing he was going to be crowned 2018 MX2 FIM Motocross World Champion but it didn’t stop the 17-year old from taking his 26th Fox Holeshot of the year.

Kemea Yamaha Official MX2 Team’s Ben Watson was a top qualifier yesterday but jumped the gate to early today and was back outside the top 15 on the start. Prado lost his lead to Yamaha SM Action MC Migliori’s Simone Furlotti in the first corners and went back to 6th.

Honda 114 Motorsports Hunter Lawrence was third behind Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Covington but pushed the American off the track to take second.

Covington rejoined the track in 4th behind Prado while Lawrence went on to take the lead from Furlotti who then dropped another spot to Prado. The following lap Covington was up to third but lost the spot 2 laps later to his teammate Thomas Kjer Olsen.

STC Racing Husqvarna’s Henry Jacobi was impressive along with Yamaha SM Action MC Migliori’s Michele Cervellin. Jacobi came from 9th on the first lap all the way up to 3rd after a bike issue ended the race for the leader Lawrence.

Prado took over first after the misfortune of Lawrence and held the lead to the finish where he was met by the Red Bull KTM crew and media to celebrate his 2018 MX2 World title. Olsen took 2nd and Jacobi 3rd while Cervellin made it up to 4th ahead of F&H Racing Team’s Marshal Weltin.

Race 2 started with a 5th Fox Holeshot of the year for Thomas Covington ahead of ASTES4-TESAR Yamaha’s Samuele Bernardini and JD Gunnex KTM Racing’s Richard Sikyna from Slovakia.

Prado was up into 2nd quickly while Kemea Yamaha Official MX2 Team’s Anthony Rodriguez held 4th ahead of Olsen but the #19 fell and handed 5th to BUD Racing Monster Energy’s Brian Moreau in his first MX2 appearance.

Prado then went for the lead and took the spot from Covington as his teammate Olsen took 5th back from Moreau. Olsen was pushed back out of the top 5 on the next lap by Lawrence.

The Aussie was on a roll and took positions away from Rodriguez, Bernardini, and Covington in the following laps. Lawrence gained multiple seconds on Prado in each of the final laps but it was a little too late as the Spaniard took the race victory and his 12 overall win of the season. Lawrence finished second with Covington third and Olsen 4th but in the overall it was Prado, Olsen, and Covington taking the podium.

Jorge Prado’s season has been nothing short of impressive, the 17-year old becomes the first Spanish MX2 World Champion via 10 pole positions, 331 laps in the lead, 17 individual race wins, 12 overall victories and 17 podiums. Prado scored 873 points in 20 rounds of racing averaging 43.6 points per race of the maximum 50. Prado becomes one of only 3 riders to win the title at such a young age joining Ken Roczen and Jeffrey Herlings and is also now tied for 3 most career MX2 Overall wins with Tyla Rattray behind Herlings and Antonio Cairoli.”

Jorge Prado: “I knew I was World Champion already on Thursday so it was a great moment that I didn’t expect. It was a great weekend and I am really happy to finish off the season with a win.”

Thomas Kjer Olsen: “I am really happy to finish third of course, I would like to be closer to Prado and Jonass but I did everything that I could this season. There was a lot of positives this season and there are a lot of things I have learned. I am super happy with my 10 podiums and I don’t think I can be anything other than happy.”

MX2 Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 33:49.364; 2. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:21.043; 3. Henry Jacobi (GER, Husqvarna), +0:36.879; 4. Michele Cervellin (ITA, Yamaha), +0:39.380; 5. Marshal Weltin (USA, Kawasaki), +0:44.867; 6. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:48.945; 7. Thomas Covington (USA, Husqvarna), +0:50.601; 8. Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:56.013; 9. Anthony Rodriguez (VEN, Yamaha), +1:02.653; 10. Simone Furlotti (ITA, Yamaha), +1:04.280.

MX2 Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 34:00.879; 2. Hunter Lawrence (AUS, Honda), +0:02.164; 3. Thomas Covington (USA, Husqvarna), +0:15.652; 4. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:18.136; 5. Anthony Rodriguez (VEN, Yamaha), +0:20.887; 6. Samuele Bernardini (ITA, Yamaha), +0:28.846; 7. Michele Cervellin (ITA, Yamaha), +0:33.265; 8. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Honda), +0:34.859; 9. Henry Jacobi (GER, Husqvarna), +0:42.038; 10. Richard Sikyna (SVK, KTM), +0:42.743.

MX2 Overall Top Ten: 1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 50 points; 2. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 40 p.; 3. Thomas Covington (USA, HUS), 34 p.; 4. Michele Cervellin (ITA, YAM), 32 p.; 5. Henry Jacobi (GER, HUS), 32 p.; 6. Anthony Rodriguez (VEN, YAM), 28 p.; 7. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 25 p.; 8. Hunter Lawrence (AUS, HON), 22 p.; 9. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, HON), 22 p.; 10. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 17 p.

MX2 Championship Top Ten: 1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 873 points; 2. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 777 p.; 3. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 673 p.; 4. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 602 p.; 5. Thomas Covington (USA, HUS), 599 p.; 6. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, HON), 543 p.; 7. Michele Cervellin (ITA, YAM), 397 p.; 8. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 391 p.; 9. Hunter Lawrence (AUS, HON), 353 p.; 10. Henry Jacobi (GER, HUS), 343 p.

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History for Herlings as 2018 MXGP Champion while Jorge Prado Wins in the Netherlands

The most challenging season in the history of the FIM Motocross World Championship crowned Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings 2018 MXGP Champion and overall winner today in Assen while Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado topped MX2.

The MXGP of the Netherlands was the massive home stage for a handful of Dutch riders this weekend but none where watched closer than the now 24-year old Herlings. An electric atmosphere created by tens of thousands of MXGP fans filled the air at Assen, nicknamed the “Cathedral of Speed”. The venue has hosted some of the top motorsports athletes in the world as they made history and today was no exception. The magnitude of the event was not just evident by the massive crowd but also with special guests like the Minister of Sport for the Netherlands Bruno Bruins, the Mayor of Assen Marco Out, and many others watching the racing and taking part in the podium ceremonies.

MXGP Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings has been impeccable this season with 16 wins of the 19 races so far. Today the life long dream of the “bullet” came true as he was crowned World Champion at the highest level of motocross, the MXGP FIM Motocross World Championship.

Coming into race 1 Herlings needed to finish 16th or higher to clinch the title but off the gate his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rival Antonio Cairoli took the FOX Holeshot. A test of Herlings’ mentality ensued and even with the option to let Cairoli get away, the Dutchman pushed forward.

Giving chase to the two leaders was the third Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Glenn Coldenhoff. The second Dutch rider in the top three brought the crowd to their feet with the pressure of Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Anstie bearing down on the #259.

Massive roars from the crowd were common but none matched the magnitude of those heard as Herlings took the lead away from Cairoli. Cairoli fought back immediately along the roller straight next to the grandstands but Herlings maintained the position.

Lap after lap Herlings grew his lead over Cairoli while the Italian did the same to the rest of the field. Meanwhile Coldenhoff was still under pressure from Anstie for third and on lap 8 the Brit was finally past after a crash from the Dutchman. Also taking advantage of the misfortune for Coldenhoff was Team HRC’s Tim Gajser who moved from 5th to 4th. A strong start from Wilvo Yamaha Official MXGP’s Shaun Simpson positioned him 7th for the first 2 laps before gaining a spot on Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Julien Lieber.

Simpson was finished the race 6th as Herlings took an emotion charged and dominate race win lapping up to 7th position and earning him the title of MXGP World Champion for the first time in his career. The celebrations started immediately for Herlings who joined his team, family, and friends while Cairoli took second and Anstie third.

MXGP Race 2 came just 2 hours later and Herlings lined back up with the new number 1 plate. The Dutch crowd were again full of vigor as Coldenhoff took the Fox Holeshot. Herlings ran second while Cairoli was 5th but the Italian jumped to 3rd by the second straight.

Herlings then made a rare mistake and fell while in pursuit of Coldenhoff for the lead. The fall dropped Herlings to 6th behind Anstie but only briefly as he jumped long to get by the Brit. Next on the running order for Herlings was Gajser but Cairoli was making successful moves for the lead on Coldenhoff. With Cairoli in the lead Herlings quickly dispatched both Gajser and Coldenhoff to reclaim 2nd. Anstie also moved by Gajser and closed on Coldenhoff the following laps.

Herlings then lined up Cairoli for a pass but the Sicilian responded well to keep the new World Champion at bay. Not long after the pass attempt for Herlings lapped riders and bad line choice from Cairoli allowed the Dutchman into the lead.

At the finish it was a massive victory for Herlings ahead of Cairoli, Coldenhoff, and Anstie. In the Overall standings it was a clear victory and strong finish to a perfect weekend for Herlings with Cairoli second and Anstie third.

Jeffrey Herlings: “I don’t really know what to say, it has been an amazing day! It has been a blessing to be in my shoes today. Everyone says to enjoy the day but it is so hard, I remember waking up this morning and now we are here, everything has happened so fast. To do this in front of the home crowd at Assen’s TT circuit it is amazing, it is really a special day.”

Antonio Cairoli: “For me it is an honor to be second behind Jeffrey because he is definitely the fastest rider in the world at the moment and I’m not taking second to just anyone. I know I can be more competitive but it is a nice challenge and congratulations to him and thanks to Red Bull KTM for helping us to 1st and 2nd this season.”

Max Anstie: “I definitely enjoy being up on the podium with these guys and seeing the crowd it is unbelievable. It was something special today and I have not seen this many people since I don’t know when.”

MXGP Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 34:42.385; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:38.961; 3. Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), +1:08.037; 4. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +1:10.886; 5. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +1:11.149; 6. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), +1:18.646; 7. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Husqvarna), -1 lap(s); 8. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), -1 lap(s); 9. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), -1 lap(s); 10. Julien Lieber (BEL, Kawasaki), -1 lap(s).

MXGP Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 34:57.897; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:07.631; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:40.172; 4. Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:41.933; 5. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +1:12.454; 6. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), +1:27.244; 7. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +1:44.321; 8. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Husqvarna), +1:53.877; 9. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), -1 lap(s); 10. Julien Lieber (BEL, Kawasaki), -1 lap(s).

MXGP Overall Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 50 points; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 44 p.; 3. Max Anstie (GBR, HUS), 38 p.; 4. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 36 p.; 5. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 34 p.; 6. Shaun Simpson (GBR, YAM), 30 p.; 7. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HUS), 27 p.; 8. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 26 p.; 9. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), 23 p.; 10. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 22 p.

MXGP Championship Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 883 points; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 782 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 645 p.; 4. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 625 p.; 5. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 544 p.; 6. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HUS), 541 p.; 7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 511 p.; 8. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 445 p.; 9. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 404 p.; 10. Max Anstie (GBR, HUS), 366 p.

MXGP Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 947 points; 2. Kawasaki, 664 p.; 3. Yamaha, 654 p.; 4. Honda, 640 p.; 5. Husqvarna, 610 p.; 6. Suzuki, 267 p.; 7. TM, 227 p.

MX2 The MX2 Championship coming into Assen was separated at the front by 24 points between Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado and Pauls Jonass. Yesterday’s Qualifying Race gave Prado the advantage with pole position. The first gate pick took Prado to his 24th Fox Holeshot of the year while Jonass crashed in the first turn.

Prado had the lead stolen away by Honda 114 Motorsports Hunter Lawrence just before the waves on the opening lap and then came under pressure from Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Covington.

Meanwhile Covington’s Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing teammate Thomas Kjer Olsen fought over 4th with Kemea Yamaha Official MX2 Team’s Ben Watson. The Dane of Olsen took the spot and then moved on to catch Covington.

Prado then took the lead from Lawrence in a switchback section by going inside to inside as opposed to the outside inside approach of the Australian. Lawrence then fell out a second time a couple of laps later which moved Covington and Olsen forward to second and third.

Jonass was pushing his way through the field up into the top ten from the first turn crash. Covington lost 2nd to Olsen and then nearly lost 3rd to Lawrence but another mistake from the Australian gave Covington breathing room. Jonass eventually made it up to 8th after passing Hitachi KTM UK’s Conrad Mewse while Prado took the win with Olsen 2nd and Covington 3rd.

MX2 Race 2 started in the same order for the top three as Race 1 finished with Prado scoring Fox Holeshot number 25 ahead of Olsen and Covington. Team HRC’s Calvin Vlaanderen had the Dutch crowd behind him as he passed Covington for third along the tribune and again several laps later as he took second from Olsen.

Watson passed Jonass for 5th and held the position for 5 laps before the Latvian was back past. Jonass was unable to leave the #919 behind however and Watson made a pass stick with 3 laps to go. A lap prior to Watson’s pass Covington took over 3rd from Olsen after a mistake sent the Dane down.

At the finish Prado took his second race win of the day with Vlaanderen second, Covington third, Olsen 4th, and Watson 5th. The overall result had Prado on top with 50 points while Covington took 2nd and Olsen 3rd making it the second consecutive MX2 round that Husqvarna has both factory riders on the podium.

Jorge Prado: “First of all congrats to Jeffrey Herlings as he has had an amazing season. My weekend went pretty well, yesterday I took the win in the qualifying race which was good for the confidence today where I won both races so I couldn’t ask for a better weekend.”

Thomas Covington: “I am pretty happy to be back on the podium in the sand since it is not really my forte. In the second race I knew I needed to pass one more guy to get on the podium, I saw TKO ahead of me and I was just giving everything to get ahead of him…he ended going down but we both ended up on the podium so it is good for the whole team.”

Thomas Kjer Olsen: “Overall my weekend was good. I was pretty comfortable going into today and I felt like I was riding really good and the bike was working good so it is cool to be on the podium again.”

MX2 Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 34:14.374; 2. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:06.207; 3. Thomas Covington (USA, Husqvarna), +0:10.027; 4. Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:12.331; 5. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Honda), +0:23.068; 6. Hunter Lawrence (AUS, Honda), +0:29.770; 7. Michele Cervellin (ITA, Yamaha), +0:36.515; 8. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:36.858; 9. Conrad Mewse (GBR, KTM), +0:38.351; 10. Adam Sterry (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:43.764.

MX2 Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 34:24.408; 2. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Honda), +0:07.591; 3. Thomas Covington (USA, Husqvarna), +0:15.909; 4. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:18.212; 5. Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:19.609; 6. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:26.899; 7. Michele Cervellin (ITA, Yamaha), +0:42.290; 8. Adam Sterry (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:48.350; 9. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:50.004; 10. Hunter Lawrence (AUS, Honda), +0:51.541.

MX2 Overall Top Ten: 1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 50 points; 2. Thomas Covington (USA, HUS), 40 p.; 3. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 40 p.; 4. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, HON), 38 p.; 5. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 34 p.; 6. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 28 p.; 7. Michele Cervellin (ITA, YAM), 28 p.; 8. Hunter Lawrence (AUS, HON), 26 p.; 9. Adam Sterry (GBR, KAW), 24 p.; 10. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 20 p.

MX2 Championship Top Ten: 1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 823 points; 2. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 777 p.; 3. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 633 p.; 4. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 585 p.; 5. Thomas Covington (USA, HUS), 565 p.; 6. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, HON), 521 p.; 7. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 366 p.; 8. Michele Cervellin (ITA, YAM), 365 p.; 9. Hunter Lawrence (AUS, HON), 331 p.; 10. Henry Jacobi (GER, HUS), 311 p.

MX2 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 918 points; 2. Husqvarna, 772 p.; 3. Honda, 662 p.; 4. Yamaha, 646 p.; 5. Kawasaki, 434 p.; 6. TM, 119 p.

MXGP

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Jeffrey Herlings and Jorge Prado Score Qualifying Wins in Assen

The 19th round of 20 in the 2018 FIM Motocross World Championship has begun at the Dutch circuit of Assen. The MXGP of the Netherlands hosted Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Dutch superstar Jeffrey Herlings and Spanish young gun Jorge Prado as they took the Assen sand by storm for Qualifying wins today.

Along with the MXGP and MX2 World Championships in Assen this weekend is the penultimate round of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship. Race 1 of the women’s weekend took place this morning and was full of action but rising to the occasion with a consistent day was MXFONTA Racing Yamaha’s Kiara Fontanesi. Fontanesi has taken the points lead with Altherm JCR Yamaha’s Courtney Duncan out with injury. Taking second today was Germany’s Stephanie Laier while Nancy Van de Ven took third.

The European Championship of EMX125 presented by FMF Racing and EMX250 also join in the action this weekend with both having their first races today. In EMX125 presented by FMF Racing F4E Racing KTM’s Kjell Verbruggen took the race win but all eyes were on the two title contenders of MJC Yamaha’s Thibault Benistant and Team Maddi Racing Husqvarna’s Mattia Guadagnini. Benistant came into the race with the chance to capture the title but the tricky sand of Assen made it one of the most testing races of his season so far. After a poor start and a crash Benistant fought through all to score 20th position for a single championship point. The single point however was the most important and gave him the 26 point gap needed to clinch his first ever European championship title in dramatic fashion.

With the Bulgarian round crowning Honda RedMoto Assomotor’s Mathys Boisrame 2018 EMX250 Champion a few weeks ago this weekend’s season finale is an all out sprint from all to score an overall win. Taking full advantage of the final weekend of the year so far is Team Suzuki Germany’s Jett Lawrence after he passed LRT KTM’s Tom Vialle for the race win while Creymert Racing’s Kevin Horgmo took third.

MXGP This weekend in the Netherlands could very well see Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings be crowned the 2018 FIM Motocross World Champion and today put him one step closer to his dream. Herlings rocketed out of the gate to take today’s Qualifying race lead away from title rival and Red Bull KTM Teammate Antonio Cairoli who then followed in 2nd.

With the lead and clear track ahead Herlings pulled away and keep his distance from any potential threats. Cairoli was chased by Team HRC’s Tim Gajser and Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Clement Desalle. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Glenn Coldenhoff put on a strong ride for his home crowd as he passed Desalle who then lost another spot to Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Anstie.

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s Jeremy Van Horebeek was in 7th but then fell on the second lap and fought his way to a 14th place result. Gajser was next to lose positions as Coldenhoff continued forward into third and Anstie took another spot from the Slovenian.

Honda RedMoto Assomotor’s Petar Petrov was battling with Wilvo Yamaha Official MXGP’s Jeremy Seewer before losing control and ejecting off his bike over the finish. Petrov got up and rode away while Seewer’s Wilvo Yamaha teammate Shaun Simpson battled with Desalle. After close racing between the pair Simpson clipped the back of Desalle and fell before finishing 9th, 2 spots ahead of Seewer.

At the finsh Herlings took the win nearly 18 seconds ahead of Cairoli with Coldenhoff making it a Red Bull KTM 1,2,3 finish as Max Anstie took 4th while Gajser took fifth. Gajser’s HRC teammate Brian Bogers returned to action after missing the entire season with injury to take 19th.

Jeffrey Herlings: “Today was good, fastest in free practice, fastest in time practice, and taking the qualifying win. The energy you feel when you pass the fans here is pretty amazing so it is a lot of fun to race and I’m looking forward to racing here tomorrow. I am actually pretty calm and relaxed… I hope to have the same thing tomorrow and everything is working well with the bike and the team. I can’t wait to hopefully have the championship under my belt, it is my long term dream and we have been working so hard, it would really be a dream if we can pull it off.”

Brian Bogers: “I wanted to ride here and I have been riding for 3 weeks now which isn’t much but I’m feeling ok on the bike. The free practice and time practice were stressful but the qualifying was already much better, every time I’m on the track I’m feeling better.”

MXGP Qualifying Race Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 24:10.420; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:17.945; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:20.619; 4. Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:26.627; 5. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:30.909; 6. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:47.821; 7. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:54.214; 8. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:58.863; 9. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:59.670; 10. Julien Lieber (BEL, Kawasaki), +1:12.143

MX2 In the MX2 Qualifying Race Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado had a near identical race to that of Herlings with the lead off the start through to the finish. In second was not the expected Red Bull KTM Factory Racing machine of Pauls Jonass but Hitachi KTM UK’s Conrad Mewse.

A first turn crash claimed the 2 Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing riders of Thomas Covington and Thomas Kjer Olsen along with Kemea Yamaha Official MX2’s Anthony Rodriguez. In a sportsman like move Rodriguez assisted the Husqvarna riders as they were caught together. All 3 remounted and rejoined the race while a separate start crash took down Honda 114 Motorsports’ Hunter Lawrence.

While Lawrence got up his Honda 114 Motorsports teammate Bas Vaessen was up in third with Team HRC’s Calvin Vlaanderen giving chase in 4th. Yamaha SM Action MC Migliori’s Alvin Ostlund was also riding impressive in 5th.

Jonass was 6th but took Ostlund’s 5th away on the first laps while Kemea Yamaha Official MX2’s Ben Watson lost traction and spun out. Vlaanderen then muscled his way by Vaessen as Covington fell again and was unable to finish the race.

Jonass started to try to pass Vaessen several times but small mistakes hindered his progress. Taking advantage of the mistakes from Jonass and charging into the top 5 was STC Racing Husqvarna’s Henry Jacobi. Jacobi not only got by Jonass but flew past Vaessen as well.

Jonass then got by Vaessen and battled with Jacobi for a second time but the German prevailed. Vlaanderen then fed off the energy of the dutch crowd rooting him on as he passed Mewse for second.

At the finish it was the 9th qualifying race win of 2018 for Prado ahead of Vlaanderen and Mewse while Jacobi and Jonass round out the top 5. Olsen and Lawrence fought their way back from the back of the pack after their first turn crashes to finish 7th and 8th behind Ostlund.

Jorge Prado: “I feel really good on this track already for the last few years. Today went pretty good, I felt good all day long and once the gate dropped in Qualifying a got a good start which made it all a lot easier, it was a good race, I’m happy with the win, and looking forward to tomorrow.”

MX2 Qualifying Race Top Ten: 1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 24:46.693; 2. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Honda), +0:07.813; 3. Conrad Mewse (GBR, KTM), +0:12.442; 4. Henry Jacobi (GER, Husqvarna), +0:32.068; 5. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:33.957; 6. Bas Vaessen (NED, Honda), +0:35.086; 7. Alvin Östlund (SWE, Yamaha), +0:42.086; 8. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:47.558; 9. Hunter Lawrence (AUS, Honda), +0:57.332; 10. Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), +1:05.183.

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Jeffrey Herlings and Thomas Covington Top the MXGP of Turkey

For the first time the FIM Motocross World Championship has race in Afyon, Turkey. The MXGP of Turkey’s new circuit crowned its first winners today, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Covington.

The racing kicked off with a bang from the start of the first MX2 and ended with a surprising second MXGP race. Later filled with battles on track the day first started with an opening ceremony on the MXGP podium. Joining in the event to open the first MXGP of Turkey in Afyon was Youthstream Vice President Mr. David Luongo, FIM Europe President Dr. Wolfgang Srb, FIM/CMS Director Tony Skillington, Ministry of Sport and Youth Representative Omer Altunsu, Governor of Afyonkarahisar Mustafa Tutulmaz, Senator of Afyon Dr. Veysel Eroglu, Mayor of Afyonkarahisar Burhanettin Coban, Tourism General Director of Afyon Irfan Onal, TMF President Yunus Bekir Ucar, along with 5-Time Supersport World Champion and Senator of Sakarya Kenan Sofuoglu among many other Official representatives from the municipality and the Parliament.

MXGP Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings continues on a roll towards his first MXGP World Championship title. Today was another impressive showing from the Dutchman who did exactly what was required to win.

Race 1’s start was a close fought battle between Herlings and Team HRC’s Tim Gajser and while the Slovenian took the Fox Holeshot Herlings was into the lead by turn 2. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Glenn Coldenhoff was just behind Gajser but lost spots quickly to Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Clement Desalle and fellow Red Bull KTM rider Antonio Cairoli.

By lap 2 Cairoli was up to 2nd past Desalle while Herlings pulled away at the front. Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s Jeremy Van Horebeek took 5th away from Coldenhoff on lap 4 but made no further progress.

Cairoli made his way around Gajser just after the finish while Wilvo Yamaha Official MXGP’s Jeremy Seewer was also moving up a spot to 7th past Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Gautier Paulin. At the finish it was a win from Herlings with Cairoli just over 25 seconds back then Gajser, Desalle, and Van Horebeek.

MXGP Race 2 was led by Herlings again just after the exit of turn 2 but Desalle was the winner of the Fox Holeshot for his first time this year. Also getting around the Belgian was Paulin while his Rockstar Energy Husqvarna teammate Max Anstie fell which led to a crash from Cairoli.

A mistake from Paulin then allowed Desalle back past and into 2nd but Gajser took the spot quickly. Coldenhoff was also on a charge from 10th passing Bike It DRT Kawasaki’s Tommy Searle followed by iFly JK Racing Yamaha’s Ivo Monticelli and finally Wilvo Yamaha Official MXGP’s Shaun Simpson to take 7th.

Anstie continued to struggle but Paulin fought to hold 4th from the attacking Swiss rider Jeremy Seewer. Cairoli who at one point was back in 19th worked forward only a few spots to finish 15th.

At the front Herlings came under pressure from Gajser on the last few laps but responded to the intensity of the #243 well reopening a gap and winning by 4.6 seconds. Desalle took 3rd with Paulin and Seewer rounding out the top 5. The only difference between the race 2 finish and the overall result was Van Horebeek in 5th with a single point more than Seewer. Herlings now leads the championship by 95 points heading into the MXGP of the Netherlands at Assen in 2 week-time.

Jeffrey Herlings: “It was really awesome, the track was pretty nice, I was surprised because it developed really well. I think the organization did a good job and it was a good weekend. I’m so close and I have worked so hard so the next 2 weeks are going to be tough and I can’t wait for Assen.

Tim Gajser: “It was a good weekend, I was enjoying it, the track was nice and I felt good on the bike. 2nd overall is good and I have done it 2 weeks in a row so I am really happy and looking forward to the next one.”

Clement Desalle: “I am really happy with this podium, because yesterday I wasn’t feeling that great on track so it is good. Every time I went on track I felt better and better. Now 3 GPs in a row I’m on the podium which is consistent and it is good results for the team who are working really hard.”

MXGP Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 33:57.381; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:25.513; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:29.532; 4. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:42.173; 5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:46.354; 6. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:52.976; 7. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:55.735; 8. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:56.936; 9. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:58.123; 10. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +1:01.027.

MXGP Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 34:38.520; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:04.656; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:31.485; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:35.466; 5. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:37.832; 6. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:46.893; 7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:52.943; 8. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:53.732; 9. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:54.544; 10. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), +1:11.577.

MXGP Overall Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 50 points; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 42 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 38 p.; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HUS), 31 p.; 5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 31 p.; 6. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 30 p.; 7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 29 p.; 8. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 28 p.; 9. Shaun Simpson (GBR, YAM), 25 p.; 10. Tommy Searle (GBR, KAW), 23 p.

MXGP Championship Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 833 points; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 738 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 619 p.; 4. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 591 p.; 5. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 544 p.; 6. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HUS), 514 p.; 7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 475 p.; 8. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 423 p.; 9. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 404 p.; 10. Max Anstie (GBR, HUS), 328 p. MXGP Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 897 points; 2. Kawasaki, 638 p.; 3. Yamaha, 624 p.; 4. Honda, 606 p.; 5. Husqvarna, 572 p.; 6. Suzuki, 261 p.; 7. TM, 227 p.

MX2 While MXGP racing was dramatic on its own the MX2 class was just as epic as the two title contenders of Pauls Jonass and Jorge Prado from Red Bull KTM Factory Racing spared off while Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Covington took the win.

Race 1 started perfect for Covington as he scored a long desired Fox Holeshot over Prado. Jonass took the lead from Covington at turn 2 however and Prado was right alongside to add extra pressure.

Honda 114 Motorsport’s Hunter Lawrence jumped past Kemea Yamaha Official MX2 Team’s Ben Watson in a close move to take 4th as Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Kjer Olsen and STC Husqvarna Racing’s Henry Jacobi fought over 6th.

Prado was trying on many occasions to pass Covington for second and the American was only able to keep the #61 at bay for the first lap and half. As soon as Prado took 2nd he had his sights set on the win and beating his teammate Jonass.

Team HRC’s Calvin Vlaanderen crashed hard at the end of the pit lane straight while in tenth but was lucky to get back up in 16th uninjured. A battle ensued for the lead between Jonass and Prado peaking when Prado dove past Jonass who jumped and landed on the rear of points leader’s bike sending the Latvian down hard and Prado off track.

Jonass remounted and rejoined the race in 6th while Prado came back on track in 3rd. Inheriting the lead and 2nd place was Covington and Lawrence. At the finish Covington took the race win followed by Lawrence, Prado, Watson, Olsen, and Jonass.

The first race put Jonass another 5 championship points back of the 30 Prado led by coming to Afyon. Another Fox Holeshot from Covington started race 2 with Watson 2nd, Prado 3rd, and Jonass 4th.

Jonass made 2 quick moves in the first turns to get past both Prado and Watson for 2nd. Lawrence then passed Prado for 5th and the Spaniard continued to drop positions to 7th.

Covington rode a solid race at the front while Jonass tried to force an error and with 4 laps to go Covington tucked the front end on a roller. The mistake gave Jonass the lead and Olsen 2nd while Covington got up in 3rd.

The top 10 held their positions for remainder of the race which meant a win for Jonass followed by Olsen, Covington, Watson, and Lawrence. In the overall Covington took the GP victory for the first time this season with his consistent 1-3 finishes over Jonass and Olsen.

The points gap which started as 30 then went out to 35 is now 24 and Prado still maintains the red plate with the 3-7 finishes as the championship heads to Assen.

Thomas Covington: “I got off to two good starts in the races here and I saw the opportunity to win then just tried to hang on to it. I really wanted to get the 1-1 but just pushed a little too hard… luckily I got back up pretty quick and was still able to get the overall.”

Pauls Jonass: “All weekend I was feeling good. After the first race I wasn’t sure how it was going to be with my knee when I race but like I said yesterday it is not over till it is over. I gained 6 points in the championship this weekend, there is still 100 points on the table and like I said nothing is over, we are going to fight until the end because for me there is nothing to lose anymore.”

Thomas Kjer Olsen: “It feels really good to be up here on the podium again with my teammate. At the moment I am having a lot of fun on the bike… I just felt good this weekend.”

Jorge Prado: “I was feeling good this weekend. I am still pretty happy how everything went, I didn’t go down so I’m safe, just struggled a little in the second race.”

MX2 Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Thomas Covington (USA, Husqvarna), 35:10.583; 2. Hunter Lawrence (AUS, Honda), +0:02.864; 3. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), +0:09.798; 4. Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:12.576; 5. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:20.431; 6. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:30.968; 7. Anthony Rodriguez (VEN, Yamaha), +0:37.418; 8. Henry Jacobi (GER, Husqvarna), +0:51.496; 9. Michele Cervellin (ITA, Yamaha), +0:52.593; 10. Simone Furlotti (ITA, Yamaha), +0:53.798.

MX2 Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 34:43.374; 2. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:03.148; 3. Thomas Covington (USA, Husqvarna), +0:06.927; 4. Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:08.533; 5. Hunter Lawrence (AUS, Honda), +0:21.677; 6. Anthony Rodriguez (VEN, Yamaha), +0:28.718; 7. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), +0:34.789; 8. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Honda), +0:37.153; 9. Bas Vaessen (NED, Honda), +0:47.812; 10. Michele Cervellin (ITA, Yamaha), +0:56.440.

MX2 Overall Top Ten: 1. Thomas Covington (USA, HUS), 45 points; 2. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 40 p.; 3. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 38 p.; 4. Hunter Lawrence (AUS, HON), 38 p.; 5. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 36 p.; 6. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 34 p.; 7. Anthony Rodriguez (VEN, YAM), 29 p.; 8. Michele Cervellin (ITA, YAM), 23 p.; 9. Henry Jacobi (GER, HUS), 23 p.; 10. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, HON), 21 p.

MX2 Championship Top Ten: 1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 773 points; 2. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 749 p.; 3. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 593 p.; 4. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 551 p.; 5. Thomas Covington (USA, HUS), 525 p.; 6. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, HON), 483 p.; 7. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 346 p.; 8. Michele Cervellin (ITA, YAM), 337 p.; 9. Hunter Lawrence (AUS, HON), 305 p.; 10. Henry Jacobi (GER, HUS), 301 p.