Motocross

Gajser and Herlings continue to raise the stakes with Mantova victories

Posted:

Monday, June 27th, 2016

9:47 AM

Tim Gajser and Jeffrey Herlings have both had another perfect weekend with the duo claiming all the victories on offer in the MX1 and MX2 classes respectivly at the Fullback MXGP of Lombardia at Mantova, Italy.

Mantova was a brutal beast to tame as the riders battled both the extreme warmth and the savage condition of the unpredictable sand surface, which was taken in the strides of the current red plate holders, Honda Gariboldi‰Ûªs Tim Gajser and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing‰Ûªs Jeffrey Herlings both wooed the doting fans with their exceptional performances.

Even though Gajser had a 74-point lead in the MX1 class heading into this weekend, he‰Ûªs not the sort of guy that will go out and just race for points. He wants to be the fastest rider on the track each and every time he swings his leg over the machine. ‰ÛÏIt was one of the toughest races of my career‰Û

Gajser and Herlings continue to raise the stakes with Mantova victories

Tim Gajser and Antonio Cairoli fought a titanic battle in the second moto

Seasons come and go, both in sport and in weather, which was something we thought of today with the hot weather indicating summer is well and truly here, while the likes of Team HRC‰Ûªs Gautier Paulin and Monster Energy Kawasaki‰Ûªs Clement Desalle, two riders who haven‰Ûªt had the most ideal seasons, also made their presence known. After a rough day in the office yesterday, Paulin put in two fierce rides for second overall which is his best overall finish of the season.

"Yesterday I was struggling a little bit in qualifying but we made some adjustments overnight and it worked much better today," Paulin said. "From the warm-up I improved a lot. In both races I had pretty good starts, and this weekend to get third and second means we did a good job. I am definitely happy about the weekend. Now it was really hot, and in Matterley I said I wanted to work hard to better in some areas that I missed with injury, so to be on the podium here and in these conditions actually I can‰Ûªt believe. I‰Ûªm really happy for me and for the team, and after a hard time earlier in the season it‰Ûªs just such a good feeling.‰Û

Frenchman Gautier Paulin finished second overall in the MX1 class.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing‰Ûªs Antonio Cairoli and Tim Gajser had a dog fight brawl for the win in the final race. Cairoli was faster in places while Gajser would inch back the gap in others, there was literally nothing in it from start to finish, giving the thousands of Italian and Slovenian fans that swarmed the venue, exactly what they came for.

TC222 was all heart as he battled through the soreness of an injured wrist to put on an excellent show for the fans, and finish fourth overall.

‰ÛÏIts very tough at the moment. You have to get a good start and it‰Ûªs definitely the key to the race," Cairoli said. "In the first race I got stuck in the gate with Van Horebeek and Tixier and I was last. I made 27 passes to come back to sixth and that‰Ûªs a lot on this tiny track.

"The second moto was amazing," Cairoli continued. "I got a good start with Tim (Gajser). He‰Ûªs fast at the moment and in top form. For me it was a bit tough but I was able to control him. A race victory was possible but unfortunately I over-jumped on one of the tables and hurt my wrist. I slowed down for two laps and he found a way through. Then I made another small mistake in the last lap and Paulin passed me.‰Û

Clement Desalle rounded out the MX1 podium finishing 2 points behind Paulin

Cairoli has also moved up into second place in the championship standings with a 32 point lead over the defending champion Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing‰Ûªs Romain Febvre, who has now missed the last two rounds due to a concussion but should return to action at the next round which will take place at the end of July in the Czech Republic. Speaking of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing, Febvre‰Ûªs teammate Jeremy Van Horebeek rounded out the top five in MXGP this weekend ahead of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing‰Ûªs Glenn Coldenhoff and the poleman, Team HRC‰Ûªs Evgeny Bobryshev.

The MX2 class blast off the line

The speed and finesse Red Bull KTM Factory Racing‰Ûªs Jeffrey Herlings has in the sand is almost indescribable. It‰Ûªs more of a seeing is believing type of thing, but in effort to try and put his incredible speed into perspective, Jeff‰Ûªs laptime in Race 1 was 1:53.029 while Tim Gajser‰Ûªs, in MXGP Race 1, was 1:54.866 and while you could argue that the track is rougher for the MXGP guys, The Bullet went out in Race 2 and nailed a lap of 1:54.455 which is still faster than the best time in MXGP Race 1.

Take nothing away from Gajser, Herlings is just from another planet in the sand. The second best time in MX2 Race 2 was 1:58.461, which means The Bullet was a whopping 4 seconds a lap faster than the second fastest MX2 rider, Brian Bogers. ‰ÛÏI did what I had to do when I had to do it, 23 out of 24 race wins is pretty good so now I am just looking forward to the Czech Republic.‰Û

Jeffrey Herlings greeting the chequered flag

Everybody knows that the Belgian and Dutch riders are strong in the sand since they are all basically born in the stuff. HSF Logistics Motorsport‰Ûªs Brian Bogers proved that it‰Ûªs not just a stereotype with his impressive performance this weekend. Bogers hit a bunch of milestones with a career best race finish of second place in the opening race, and a third place in race two, which landed him on the second step of the podium. Up until today, Bogers hadn‰Ûªt even cracked the top five, so it was a mega achievement for the Dutchman who was incredibly emotional at the end of the day when he dedicated his performance to his grandma who recently passed away.

Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team‰Ûªs Dylan Ferrandis will be full to the brim after the amount of sand he ate. In race one, he binned it three times in the first eight laps but managed to regroup for third, which was a pretty amazing accomplishment and was proof that his speed was there. Race two wasn‰Ûªt much cleaner either, but his hard charging never give up attitude saw him finish sixth which landed him on the third step of the podium.

"I was happy with my results on Saturday even though I crashed while leading, as a lapper didn‰Ûªt move," Ferrandis said. "But Sunday was not as good, and it is difficult to understand why. In the first moto my start was average but I had a good first lap and passed Herlings, but then I crashed twice; I came back and passed Pootjes but he took me out ! I was happy to come back to third. In the second race the gate moved but didn‰Ûªt fall and I hit it, so I was late into the first corner. I passed almost the entire field to finish sixth; I had good lines and was one of the fastest riders on the track to get this overall podium.‰Û

Sand specialist Brian Bogers snared second overall in the MX2 class

Another rider tapping into the top five for the first time this year was Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing‰Ûªs Thomas Covington who looked the best we‰Ûªve seen all season. There‰Ûªs nothing more powerful than a positive attitude and Covington seemed to be on it today with his fourth and fifth place finishes leaving him in fourth overall.

It was more of a day at a theme park for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing‰Ûªs Pauls Jonass who was on a rollercoaster. The Latvian was on Struggle Street in the first race and only finished tenth but bounced back massively in the second race for an emphatic second place which saw him leapfrog his way into fifth overall.

‰ÛÏToday I had a pretty okay start in the first race then a rider crashed in front of me in the second corner and I had nowhere to go," Jonass explained. "I crashed into him and had to start again from last and went on to finish tenth. I got a better start in the second race and I think I was fourth in the first laps. I quickly came back to second and went on to finish in second. I got some good points so that‰Ûªs a good way to go into a three-week break.‰Û

Dylan Ferrandis scored another podium for Kawasaki and now sits 6th in the standings

MXGP Race 1 Top Ten:
1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 35:01.739
2. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:04.460
3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Honda), +0:07.423
4. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), +0:11.147
5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:16.639
6. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:25.874
7. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:33.524
8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:38.665
9. Valentin Guillod (SUI, Yamaha), +0:44.531
10. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +0:48.997.

MXGP Race 2 Top Ten:
1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 35:17.922
2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Honda), +0:09.544
3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:17.480
4. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:25.145
5. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:33.911
6. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:37.557
7. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:38.142
8. Valentin Guillod (SUI, Yamaha), +0:54.421
9. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +0:59.148
10. Jordi Tixier (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:02.868.

MXGP Overall Top Ten:
1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 50 points
2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HON), 42 points
3. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 40 points
4. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 35 points
5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 30 points
6. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 29 points
7. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 29 points
8. Valentin Guillod (SUI, YAM), 25 points
9. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 23 points
10. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 23 points

MXGP Championship Top Ten:
1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 532 points
2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 440 points
3. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 408 points
4. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 401 points
5. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 396 points
6. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 351 points
7. Valentin Guillod (SUI, YAM), 267 points
8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 230 points
9. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 212 points
10. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 210 points

MX2 Race 1 Top Ten:
1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 34:51.899
2. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), +0:29.676
3. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:35.149
4. Thomas Covington (USA, Husqvarna), +0:37.324
5. Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:48.411
6. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:48.831
7. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +0:55.552
8. Davy Pootjes (NED, KTM), +1:01.851
9. Adam Sterry (GBR, KTM), +1:05.124
10. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +1:07.501.

MX2 Race 2 Top Ten:
1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 35:08.731
2. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +1:13.556
3. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), +1:17.594
4. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +1:20.819
5. Thomas Covington (USA, Husqvarna), +1:27.830
6. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:29.220
7. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +1:29.805
8. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, Yamaha), +1:35.366
9. Conrad Mewse (GBR, Husqvarna), +1:46.304
10. Petar Petrov (BUL, Kawasaki), +1:52.560.

MX2 Overall Top Ten:
1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 50 points
2. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), 42 points
3. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, KAW), 35 points
4. Thomas Covington (USA, HUS), 34 points
5. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 33 points
6. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 32 points
7. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 29 points
8. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, YAM), 22 points
9. Michele Cervellin (ITA, HON), 19 points
10. Conrad Mewse (GBR, HUS), 17 points

MX2 Championship Top Ten:
1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 597 points
2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 428 points
3. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 403 points
4. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 325 points
5. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, YAM), 320 points
6. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, KAW), 308 points
7. Max Anstie (GBR, HUS), 274 points
8. Petar Petrov (BUL, KAW), 253 points
9. Samuele Bernardini (ITA, TM), 253 points
10. Vsevolod Brylyakov (RUS, KAW), 219 points