Motocross

Cairoli and Vialle top the podium at the MXGP of Emilia Romagna

Posted:

Monday, September 14th, 2020

8:50 AM

Tony Cairoli went 2-2 for his 91st career win, the Italian takes the MXGP red plate from absent teammate Jeffrey Herlings.

Antonio Cairoli rode two consistent races to take his 91st Grand Prix victory at round eight of the 2020 FIM World Mptocross championships, while in MX2 Tom Vialle secured his second consecutive GP win in MX2.

The MXGP of Emilia Romagna in Italy was the perfect way to finish off a successful trio of races as MXGP was finally able to welcome a limited number of spectators that showed incredible support for the riders throughout the day.

The race action was concluded with a special prize giving ceremony following the MXGP podium, known as the ‰Û÷Madonna dei Campioni‰Ûª that has previously been awarded to athletes from many international sports disciplines for their incredible achievements. This prestigious award saw Cairoli and Vialle take home specially made ceramic art pieces that are typical in the area here in Faenza.

In MXGP race one, it was Jorge Prado with another FOX Holeshot and he then led his team-mate Antonio Cairoli and Jeremy Seewer. Calvin Vlaanderen and Alessandro Lupino both got off to a great start in the opening race and were fourth and fifth on the opening lap.

Tim Gajser then moved into the top four, as he looked for a quick way to pass Cairoli, though that didn‰Ûªt work as the two touched and Gajser was left on the floor. Prado then continued to lead the way with Seewer, Cairoli and Lupino right there as well.

Despite crashing a lap earlier, Gajser was already making a strong recovery as he broke into the top 10 on lap 2.

Back with the leaders the gap between Prado and Seewer was 2 seconds, though as the race progressed Seewer was looking to take another win in the class as he set his fastest lap of the race and closed in on the lead.

Lupino though was coming under pressure from Team HRC‰Ûªs Mitch Evans for fourth, with the Australian taking the position not long after.

Gajser then continued to make progress as he moved into 6th place, while Arminas Jasikonis searched for a way past Clement Desalle to move in to 9th.

With 10 minutes plus 2 laps on the clock, the gap between Prado and Seewer was just 0.5 seconds, as the factory Yamaha rider put the hammer down for the win. The gap between first and second remained below half a second for the remainder of the race, until Seewer made a mistake and had a huge crash while trying to pass for first place. Though he was able to quickly re-join the race, only losing one position to Cairoli.

Tim Gajser scored his sixth race win of the season and finished second overall in MXGP to close the gap at the top of the championship to just seven points.

In the end, Prado went on to take his very first MXGP race win of his career, with Cairoli second and Seewer third.

In race two, Prado once again proved himself as the master of starts as he added yet another FOX Holeshot to his ever-growing tally. Evans was right there in second, with Gautier Paulin and Gajser in the top 4 too. Seewer was down in 6th.

Gajser once again was wasting no time as he moved into second and was then followed by his team-mate, with Cairoli and Seewer right there too. Paulin then came under pressure from Glenn Coldenhoff and Romain Febvre.

Febvre was then the fastest guy on track as he continued to chase Coldenhoff, meanwhile Seewer was all over the back of Evans for fourth, as Coldenhoff and Febvre were closing in fast as well.

Arminas Jasikonis then crashed out of 10th, to eventually finish the race in 13th position.

As Seewer moved into 4th, Gajser was all over Prado for the lead. The two looked like they almost came together, as Gajser made a risky move, which paid off, of course, and he was then the new race leader.

After winning overall last round, Jorge Prado won his very first MXGP moto and finished on the podium in 3rd position.

Prado then started to come under pressure from Cairoli and a lap later the #222 passed the young Spaniard in the exact same spot as Gajser. Seewer then looked to catch Prado for third, though Febvre sneaked up on him and went for the inside to steal fourth from Seewer.

Febvre then went after the race 1 winner, Prado, as he passed him on the same section as did Cairoli and Gajser. Though Prado immediately fought back and was able to move back into 3rd. This didn‰Ûªt last long as Febvre responded and clinched 3rd once more.

And things didn‰Ûªt get better for Prado who was passed by Coldenhoff, and it was again on that same part of the track that the #61 lost positions to Gajser, Cairoli and Febvre a few laps earlier. This dropped Prado to 6th in the race.

As Evans and Paulin battled for 8th, the gap between Gajser and Cairoli was coming down, as it looked like the Italian was going to push for that win. And Febvre was also showing great pace in the race as he pushed for second with 3 laps to go.

Towards the end of the race there was no change with the leaders as Gajser secured the second race win. Cairoli finished second, Febvre was third, Seewer fourth and Coldenhoff fifth.

With two consistent rides, Antonio Cairoli took to the top step of the podium and also became the new championship leader. Meanwhile Tim Gajser finished second overall, with Jorge Prado third. Cairoli now has a 7-point advantage over Gajser in the MXGP championship standings, with Jeffrey Herlings still there in third.

Aussie Mitch Evans continued his improvement by getting sixth overall, including another impressive fourth in the first moto. Photo: Bavo

‰ÛÏOf course today I am really happy," Cairoli said. "Every race I‰Ûªm feeling a little better with the conditions. This morning in time practice I struggled a lot; I was three and a half seconds away from the pace so for sure it was not a good boost in motivation for the race. But still at the beginning of the race I made some mistake, keep twisting my knee, it was difficult but with the experience I have I know how to handle these situations. I wish Jeffrey a quick recovery, it is a pity that he‰Ûªs not there. I didn‰Ûªt start so good but now I wanna go for the championship and this is my goal.‰Û

Tom Vialle earned his second MX2 win in a week and maintains 21-point championship lead

In the opening MX2 race, it was Tom Vialle who grabbed the FOX Holeshot, while Jago Geerts was also right there in second. Thomas Kjer Olsen got off to a flying start too and was sitting in third. Geerts then made his move into the lead, while Vialle and Olsen stayed behind, though Vialle quickly responded.

Meanwhile, Conrad Mewse didn‰Ûªt get off to best start in the race and was down in 16th, after qualifying in 4th place in the Time Practice earlier this morning.

Australian Jed Beaton was making moves early in the race, as he passed compatriot Bailey Malkiewicz for 7th. Not long after and Ruben Fernandez was the next rider in Beaton‰Ûªs sights.

Mewse then started to make a good recovery, setting his fastest lap of the race with a 1:56.396 and moving up to 7th on lap 5. At the same time, we saw a change for the lead as Geerts was able to pass Vialle and become the new race leader.

As the top three were nicely bunched up together, Maxime Renaux then started to go after Olsen who was third. The Yamaha rider was pushing hard, using every inch of the circuit as he searched for a way through. Eventually he was able to make a solid move and take third.

While Renaux was making moves, it was Beaton who had taken 5th, though Geerts continued to lead the way and was 2.811 seconds ahead of Vialle. Moments later, Renaux crashed out of P3, handing the spot back to Olsen, as others made their way through as well.

Jago Geerts treated the small number of fans that were permitted to attend to a stunning race win followed by a hard fought second place finish for second overall.

Vialle then went 2 seconds faster than Geerts as he cut the gap down to just 1.3 seconds, trying to put on a late charge for the win, though backmarkers started to play their part, slowing Vialle down, which gave Geerts more breathing room.

3 laps to go and the top 5 was led by Geerts, who was followed by Vialle, Olsen, Beaton and Mewse. Though as Geerts edged closer towards a race win in the opening race, the backmarkers were really working in his favour as Vialle was getting caught by Olsen and Beaton. And with 1 lap remaining 2nd, 3rd and 4th were extremely close, with Olsen giving it his all just before the finish line, though Vialle was able to retain that second spot, as Geerts took the win.

In race two of the MX2 category, it was once again Tom Vialle out in front, as he led Ben Watson and Jago Geerts. Jed Beaton got a good start too and was going after Watson for second, as Geerts dropped to fourth, followed by F&H Kawasaki Racing‰Ûªs Roan van de Moosdijk and Maxime Renaux.

Once again, Mewse didn‰Ûªt have the best start to the race and was down in 20th on the opening lap of the race. A couple of laps later and the Brit continued to struggle as he only made up one position. And it didn‰Ûªt get much better for the British riders as Watson crashed out of 2nd place on lap 3. Though he was able to re-join quickly and was down in 5th.

Back with the leaders though, Vialle was leading the race by 3.888 seconds, with Beaton in second and Geerts third. Though Beaton was fighting hard to keep up with Vialle as he set the fastest lap of the race on lap 5.

Then it looked like Renaux was having an issue, as he rode past pit lane pointing at the bike and shaking his head, he was 8th at the time.

With 13 minutes plus 2 laps to go, Vialle started to check out of the race as he doubled his lead, while Beaton began to come under pressure from Geerts. And it didn‰Ûªt take long for the #193 to find a way through and move into P2.

Australian Jed Beaton secured his best result of the 2020 season to date with a strong third place overall MX2 class

Vialle continued to ride his own race, as he set the fastest lap of the race towards the later stages of the race and held a steady 6.8 second lead. Meanwhile Renaux lost 8th to Stephen Rubini.

Vialle then took the two-lap board as he led Geerts, Beaton, van de Moosdijk, Olsen, Fernandez, Rubini, Renaux and Kevin Horgmo from Marchetti Racing Team KTM. And there was no change for the lead, so Vialle took the chequered flag in race 2, with Geerts finishing second and Beaton in third.

In terms of the podium, Tom Vialle took his second consecutive win here in Faenza, with Jago Geerts taking to the second step of the podium, and Jed Beaton making his first podium of the year to finish third overall. Vialle also continues to lead the championship with 354 points, with Geerts a further 21 points down and Renaux 3rd.

‰ÛÏThat second race I was feeling really good after a few laps," Vialle said. "I took a good start and after laps I felt I was faster on the waves than in the first race as I was not so good on the wave section. I just stayed focused when Ben Watson crashed and I had a seven second lead, just to keep that flow was really important until the end, so it was a really good weekend and to win again is very nice‰Û

Nathan Crawford (199) flying with Aussie compatriot Bailey Malkiewicz had his best result of his rookie campaign, getting 11th overall and showing that once he gets to grips with these new tracks, he can battle with the top 10. Malkiewicz finished 17th overall

MXGP - Grand Prix Race 1 ‰ÛÒ Top 10 Classification:
1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 35:06.974
2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:01.756
3. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:12.467
4. Mitchell Evans (AUS, Honda), +0:15.553
5. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:19.255
6. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, Husqvarna), +0:19.504
7. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Yamaha), +0:22.152
8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, GASGAS), +0:25.201
9. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:40.468
10. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:49.618.

MXGP - Grand Prix Race 2 ‰ÛÒ Top 10 Classification:
1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 35:15.947
2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:04.959
3. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:10.499
4. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:25.451
5. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, GASGAS), +0:34.581
6. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), +0:47.762
7. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:49.311
8. Mitchell Evans (AUS, Honda), +0:49.897
9. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +1:04.063
10. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Yamaha), +1:07.203.

MXGP - GP Top 10 Classification:
1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 44 Points
2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 41 Points
3. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 40 Points
4. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 38 Points
5. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 31 Points
6. Mitchell Evans (AUS, HON), 31 Points
7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, GAS), 29 Points
8. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 26 Points
9. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, YAM), 25 Points
10. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 23 Points

MXGP - World Championship Top 10 Classification:
1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 285 Points
2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 278 Points
3. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 263 Points
4. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 255 Points
5. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 237 Points
6. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 233 Points
7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, GAS), 233 Points
8. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 203 Points
9. Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 201 Points
10. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 194 Points

MX2 - Grand Prix Race 1 ‰ÛÒ Top 10 Classification:
1. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), 35:27.462
2. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), +0:02.931
3. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:03.502
4. Jed Beaton (AUS, Husqvarna), +0:04.197
5. Conrad Mewse (GBR, KTM), +0:18.609
6. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, Kawasaki), +0:24.212
7. Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:25.370
8. Stephen Rubini (FRA, Honda), +0:25.968
9. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Yamaha), +0:43.405
10. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +0:49.825.

MX2 - Grand Prix Race 2 ‰ÛÒ Top 10 Classification:
1. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 34:15.955
2. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:07.101
3. Jed Beaton (AUS, Husqvarna), +0:11.101
4. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, Kawasaki), +0:14.561
5. Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:16.380
6. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:17.711
7. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Yamaha), +0:40.395
8. Stephen Rubini (FRA, Honda), +0:49.522
9. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +0:54.656
10. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KTM), +0:55.671.

MX2 - GP Top 10 Classification:
1. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 47 Points
2. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 47 Points
3. Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS), 38 Points
4. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 35 Points
5. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, KAW), 33 Points
6. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 30 Points
7. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, YAM), 26 Points
8. Stephen Rubini (FRA, HON), 26 Points
9. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 23 Points
10. Conrad Mewse (GBR, KTM), 21 Points

MX2 - World Championship Top 10 Classification:
1. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 354 Points
2. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 333 Points
3. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 259 Points
4. Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS), 247 Points
5. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, KAW), 210 Points
6. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 191 Points
7. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 188 Points
8. Mathys Boisrame (FRA, KAW), 182 Points
9. Conrad Mewse (GBR, KTM), 162 Points
10. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, YAM), 156 Points