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Motocross

Gajser and Covington top the podiums in Mexico

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Increasing his lead in the 2017 FIM Motocross World Championship and taking his second overall win of the season, Tim Gajser took a dominant MX1 win in Leon Mexico, rounding off what he describes as a ‰ÛÏperfect weekend‰Û
The start of the MX1 class.
Team HRC‰Ûªs Tim Gajser came into Sunday after qualifying first on Saturday for the second GP in a row. Gasjer won both races in textbook form on Sunday. The Slovenian rode at an unmatchable pace winning both races with a 15 second gap on second and registering the fastest laps in both.

"I felt good all weekend, I was enjoy it and having fun on the bike," Gajser said. "Actually, in the second moto it was tough as Cairoli was pushing me all the way and also the track became really hard and slick in some places but I am really happy that I won that one and the overall as well. I am really looking forward to the next one already. I haven't changed anything that I do, I am just having fun on the bike and I think that is key."
Tim Gajser has now won 4 motos straight and has a handy 20 point lead in the MX1 Championship after 4 rounds.
Antonio Cairoli came into the weekend knowing that he needed to perform in order to keep the championship points manageable before heading to Italy for the first race in Europe.

In Race 1 the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider started in 4th and he maintained his position until the checkered flag while in Race 2 he finished in second which, combined with his 4th, was enough to finish second overall. Cairoli now is second in the championship 20 points back of Gajser.

"I did my best, I finished 4th in the first moto which is good for the championship," Cairoli said. "Tim and I were a little faster than everyone else today and I want to be closer in the races because it is fun to race with him.‰Û
Second overall keeps Antonio Cairoli in the MX1 championship hunt.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing‰Ûªs Gautier Paulin won the MXGP of Leon - Mexico in 2014 and this time around he found the podium once again.

He improved his starts since the last race grabbing the holeshot in race 2 and completing the first lap in 3rd both races. Paulin held off the charges of several riders and handled the pressure well, he crossed the finish line in a consistent 3rd both races and placed himself on the podium for the first time aboard the Husqvarna.

‰ÛÏI can‰Ûªt thank all my team enough for all their hard work. I‰Ûªm having fun on my bike at the moment and our goal now is to consistently battle for the podium at each GP.‰Û
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing‰Ûªs Gautier Paulin won the MXGP of Leon - Mexico in 2014 and this time around he found the podium once again. Credit: Ray Archer
Wilvo Yamaha MXGP‰Ûªs Arnaud Tonus has struggled so far this season and today he turned his luck around moving up through the competition after finding himself in 7th off the start of both races. In race 1 he moved up one spot to 6th but in race 2 he moved all the way up to 4 passing Jeremy Van Horebeek on the last lap. Tonus‰Ûª 6-4 results put him one spot off of the podium but more importantly he gains some confidence before heading to Europe.

"My weekend has been really good," Tonus said. "I was feeling really good on the bike even though my starts were not so good but I found some solutions and managed to come back for sixth and fourth for fourth overall. I am really happy."

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing‰Ûªs Jeremy Van Horebeek rounded out the top five two weeks after being on the podium in Patagonia-Argentina.

"Overall my weekend was not too bad," Van Horebeek said "I didn't get the best starts but I managed to get through the first lap really clean and into the top five straight away. It was like a battle all the way, and there was only one good line on the track. In the first moto I was okay with the altitude but in the second moto I struggled a bit. I was pushing for third but I got really tired in the last laps because of the altitude and dropped back to fifth. But two times inside the top five is good and is also good for the championship.
Yamaha's Arnaud Tonus took a pair of 4ths to just miss the podium with 4th overall in the MX1 class.
Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team‰Ûªs Clement Desalle stays third in the points after an 8th in race 1 and a 6th in race 2 for 7th overall. After his best qualifying result of the season Desalle‰Ûªs starts and speed seem to be on point but he isn‰Ûªt the type to be satisfied with anything less than a podium and he‰Ûªs heading to Europe determined be there again.

‰ÛÏNow we go back for the European rounds of the series; I‰Ûªm third in the standings and we‰Ûªll continue to work hard with the team," Desalle said.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing‰Ûªs Thomas Covington was the MX2 winner.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing‰Ûªs Thomas Covington showed he was ready to compete after qualifying 1st on Saturday. Race 1 was slightly more challenging for the American than his qualifying race as he finished 4th. At the start of race 2 Covington grabbed the Fox Holeshot and after battling with Jonass showed that his qualifying win was no fluke, winning the race 3.8 seconds ahead of the second. His 4-1 results and overall win were identical to his 2014 win in Leon.

‰ÛÏIt was one of the best GPs of my career," Covington enthused. "I felt good throughout the weekend and that helped me stay focused and do my own races. Following our qualifying race win we had a great gate pick for the final motos.

"I didn‰Ûªt get the best of starts in moto one but got my head down and managed to get fourth. My start was a lot better in moto two. I got the holeshot and soon found myself in second behind Jonass. I spotted some good lines and was able to make my move for the lead a few laps later. Winning the second moto and getting the overall victory is a great confidence booster. We had a rough start to this championship but things are a lot better now. I‰Ûªm looking forward to the races to come," the American concluded.
Second was enough for Jeremy Seewer to maintain the MX2 championship lead
Team Suzuki World MX2‰Ûªs Jeremy Seewer had no issue in race 1 leading every. In race 2 he was 5th on lap one and he fought his way past Brent Van doninck and Julien Lieber to reach the third position by lap 9, which would have given him the overall, but 3 laps later he had a near get off and miraculous save. His close call caused him to lose a position to Lieber and cost him the overall. Seewer finished second and maintained the point lead heading to Europe. The Swiss later in the press conference said, ‰ÛÏI turned my weekend around today, I did what I was looking to do all season in race one, I was there on the start and then raced at my speed.‰Û
Julien Lieber finished one better than KTM team-mate Pauls Jonass to round out the podium.
Kemea Yamaha MX Official Team‰Ûªs Benoit Paturel had similar problems to the last race weekend, he put in a strong race 1 with a second place finish passing five riders along the way. It was in race 2 where he was 20th on lap one and from then on he gave a lesson on how to make a pass. From 20th Paturel worked his way past 12 riders in 16 laps finishing 8th for a 5th place overall. Paturel‰Ûªs amazing effort and damage control keep him 3rd in the championship points!

Australian Hunter Lawrence struggled with illness and finished with an 11-14 score card and now sits 16th in the MX2 Championship.

The next round of the 2017 FIM Motocross World Championship will take place in two weeks time in Pietramurata, Trentino on the 15th and the 16th April.

MXGP Race 1 Top Ten:
1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 34:45.401
2. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:14.909
3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:15.434
4. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:15.718
5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:17.615
6. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +0:17.676
7. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), +0:36.880
8. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:38.837
9. Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:41.562
10. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:42.542.

MXGP Race 2 Top Ten:
1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 35:03.806
2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:15.224
3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:26.064
4. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +0:27.677
5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:28.892
6. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:47.894
7. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:56.358
8. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), +0:58.109
9. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +1:00.181
10. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +1:01.851.

MXGP Overall Top Ten:
1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 50 points
2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 40 p.
3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HUS), 40 p.
4. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 33 p.
5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 32 p.
6. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 29 p.
7. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 28 p.
8. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 27 p.
9. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 24 p.
10. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 22 p.

MXGP Championship Top Ten:
1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 156 points
2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 136 p.
3. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 119 p.
4. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 116 p.
5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HUS), 112 p.
6. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 111 p.
7. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 89 p.
8. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 78 p.
9. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 73 p.
10. Shaun Simpson (GBR, YAM), 70 p.


MX2 Race 1 Top Ten:
1. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), 35:36.310
2. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +0:07.922
3. Julien Lieber (BEL, KTM), +0:13.091
4. Thomas Covington (USA, Husqvarna), +0:18.551
5. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:19.913
6. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, KTM), +0:22.157
7. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:23.285
8. Brent Van doninck (BEL, Yamaha), +0:27.453
9. Michele Cervellin (ITA, Honda), +0:33.194
10. Adam Sterry (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:39.775

MX2 Race 2 Top Ten:
1. Thomas Covington (USA, Husqvarna), 34:03.198
2. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:03.814
3. Julien Lieber (BEL, KTM), +0:05.294
4. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:07.037
5. Brent Van doninck (BEL, Yamaha), +0:18.147
6. Vsevolod Brylyakov (RUS, Kawasaki), +0:28.602
7. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:32.223
8. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +0:34.034
9. Adam Sterry (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:43.675
10. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), +0:46.280

MX2 Overall Top Ten:
1. Thomas Covington (USA, HUS), 43 points
2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 43 p.
3. Julien Lieber (BEL, KTM), 40 p.
4. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 38 p.
5. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 35 p.
6. Brent Van doninck (BEL, YAM), 29 p.
7. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 28 p.
8. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, KTM), 24 p.
9. Adam Sterry (GBR, KAW), 23 p.
10. Vsevolod Brylyakov (RUS, KAW), 22 p.

MX2 Championship Top Ten:
1. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 153 points
2. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 145 p.
3. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 139 p.
4. Julien Lieber (BEL, KTM), 139 p.
5. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 127 p.
6. Brent Van doninck (BEL, YAM), 102 p.
7. Michele Cervellin (ITA, HON), 84 p.
8. Thomas Covington (USA, HUS), 83 p.
9. Vsevolod Brylyakov (RUS, KAW), 81 p.
10. Samuele Bernardini (ITA, TM), 80 p

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