Motocross

Cairoli and Jonass take pole for KTM at MXGP of Europe

Posted:

Sunday, April 23rd, 2017

9:27 AM

Valkenswaard plays host to the The MXGP of Europe, the 6th round of the 2017 FIM Motocross World Championship this weekend and it all started today with Antonio Cairoli and Pauls Jonass taking pole.

It was smooth sailing for Cairoli when he grabbed the Holeshot, lead every lap, and finished 12.6 seconds ahead of the rest of the field. The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider looked well prepared and most of all smooth on the way to his qualifying win, only one week after the comeback of ages. In the press conference Cairoli said, ‰ÛÏI like this kind of Valkenswaard, it‰Ûªs very technical. Last weekend was a good race and it went well for me. It is great for the future motocross to have such hype in the media, it doesn‰Ûªt matter if it was me or someone else.‰Û

Cairoli and Jonass take pole for KTM at MXGP of Europe

The MX 1 class hits the first turn with Cairoli (222) out front. Credit: Youthstream

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing‰Ûªs Jeremy Van Horebeek is no stranger to soft soil and it showed, the Belgian was on a mission in qualifying race today, taking no prisoners, while making passes left and right on his way to second place. Van Horebeek is looking fit and determined to make it on to the podium here in Valkenswaard.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing‰Ûªs Gautier Paulin was another rider making passes, after starting in fifth he battled with several riders before landing the third gate pick for Sunday‰Ûªs racing.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing‰Ûªs Jeffrey Herlings tied his best result of the season so far with a 4th place in qualifying session. Not only is Herlings literally home in Valkenswaard, his form looks at home too. After a risky gate choice, the far inside, didn‰Ûªt pay off for him, he came from back in 8th to 4th. The Dutch native has never lost here and with good starts tomorrow he is contention to keep it that way this weekend.

Antonio Cairoli is looking to back up last weeks hometown win after qualifying fastest in MX1

Herlings in the press conference said, ‰ÛÏThere is a lot of good guys and a lot of potential in this class, everything needs to be 100%. I‰Ûªm very surprised actually in both classes how everyone is on the same level and how fast things go. It‰Ûªs been a lot of years back that I think the competition was so strong and in each time practice everyone is so close, there are many potential winners. I think it‰Ûªs great for our sport but it‰Ûªs hard for us riders, every detail counts!‰Û

Pauls Jonass made it a KTM 1-2 with the win in the MX2 class. Photo: Youthstream

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing‰Ûªs Pauls Jonass was the best of the MX2 riders in today‰Ûªs qualifying race. Jonass crossed the Fox holeshot line in second and made it passed Julien Lieber on lap 2 for the lead. Jonass has mentioned his sand training recently appears to be working, he stayed in the lead all the way till the checkered flag and made his way through lapped riders better than anyone else.

In the qualifying press conference Jonass said, ‰ÛÏI got into the lead and controlled the race. We can still improve for tomorrow and I think we will be much better, I look forward to it‰Û

Thomas Kjer Olsen put in another strong qualifying with second in MX2

Monster Energy DRT Kawasaki‰Ûªs Vsevolod Brylyakov came into the day by putting in the fastest lap of Free Practice. The Russian followed it up by placing 4th in qualifying, his 4th gate pick is the best he‰Ûªs had all season and seeing how comfortable he looks on the Valkenswaard circuit we may see his first podium this season.

Husqvarna Maurer-gÌ©p Racing Team‰Ûªs Brian Hsu had the fastest lap in qualifying today with a 1:47.788 and it help propelled him to a 5th place finish today. The German looks good on the bike and with the top 5 qualifying result to match now he looks to do the same tomorrow.

For HRC MX2‰Ûªs Lars Van Berkel this is not only a home GP but as a fill in rider for the HRC MX2 squad it the chance of a lifetime. Van Berkel impressed today, after only riding the bike twice before, with an 11th place.

‰ÛÏIt‰Ûªs a very cool opportunity, I‰Ûªve ridden the bike twice this week and felt at home from the second corner, everything is really good, the bike is really good, the team is very professional, and it‰Ûªs my home GP. I hope to have a better start tomorrow and we will see what happens from there," Van Berkel said.

Riding for Team Ausio Yamaha in her MX2 debut this weekend is Kiara Fontanesi, she finished 39th in qualifying and in the press conference said, ‰ÛÏI‰Ûªm really happy about the opportunity I have, it‰Ûªs really nice and it‰Ûªs been my dream to one day race MX2. I really enjoy riding on the sand here and I can gain a lot of experience. I gained a lot of experience already today and will get more tomorrow. I think it was a good decision, it‰Ûªs helping me to grow mentally and on the bike.‰Û