Motocross

Gajser and Pardo extend Motocross World Championship leads at MXGP of Belgium

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Monday, August 5th, 2019

9:16 AM

Gajser and Pardo extend Motocross World Championship leads at MXGP of Belgium

Team HRC‰Ûªs Tim Gajser became the first Honda rider to win the MXGP class at the toughest GP of the year in the deep sand of Lommel, Belgium.

The rough legendary Belgian circuit of Lommel hosted the 14th round of the FIM Motocross World Championship giving the perfect winning conditions to Red Plate holders Team HRC‰Ûªs Tim Gajser in MX1 and Jorge Prado in MX2.

The MXGP of Belgium is one of the most awaited of the MXGP calendar being in the hearth of Europe, home track for many of the MXGP and MX2 riders and welcoming thousands of motocross fans to enjoy the worldwide famous sand circuit.

Team HRC‰Ûªs Tim Gajser went 2-2 and it was more than enough to win the MXGP class, and extend his championship lead over Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP‰Ûªs Jeremy Seewer to 187 points with just four rounds to go. Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP team‰Ûªs Romain Febvre was second overall with 1-4 results and third overall was Standing Construct‰Ûªs Glenn Coldenhoff with 3-3 results.

In the opening MXGP race it was Coldenhoff who took the FOX holeshot from Febvre and Gajser. Arminas Jasikonis was down in last after a crash in the first corner as well as pole winner Max Anstie who crashed in the first corner and struggled to get going again. Gajser moved into the lead while Team Honda SR‰Ûªs Jeremy Van Horebeek moved into the top ten.

After a lap the lead was a little more than a couple of bike lengths as Gajser continued to shine in the Belgian sand until Febvre moved into the lead on lap two.

Five laps in and Febvre had just two seconds over Gajser while Coldenhoff was closing up on the Slovenian. The top three remained close, but not close enough for any passing. Jasikonis moved into eight position and droppedMonster Energy Wilvo Yamaha‰Ûªs Gautier Paulin to ninth position. After nine laps the lead of Febvre was two seconds with Coldenhoff in third a further two seconds behind, Seewer was fourth and Pauls Jonass fifth.

Monster Energy Wilvo Yamaha‰Ûªs Arnaud Tonus made a pass inside on Jonass for fifth while Van Horebeek closed up on those two. Febvre was starting to get away from Gajser on lap 10 with four seconds between himself and Gajser. Gajser put in a quick lap time and close the lead to just two seconds and looked like he was going after Febvre, but then just as quickly Febvre put in a good lap and got the lead back to five seconds.

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP's Romain Febvre narrowly missed a second consecutive Grand Prix victory by 1-point. After an impressive opening race win, followed by a fourth in Race 2, the Frenchman finished second overall

Febvre was pushing hard and the lead was seven seconds on lap 14 while Gajser had a four second lead over Coldenhoff. It was a kind of lonely race for the top three guys and their unbelievable ride.

In the second MXGP race it was Gajser in the lead from Van Horebeek, Anstie, Coldenhoff, Koch, Tonus, Jonass, Strijbos, Monticelli and Tixier in 10th. Febvre started in 11thplace. Anstie quickly moved into second place while Febvre was quickly into sixth position.

One lap in and Gajser was just ahead of Anstie, with Van Horebeek a further seven seconds back in third place. Jonass had trouble with the bike and had to drop in 14thwhile Febvre, Jasikonis and Seewer moved past. Anstie moved into the lead on lap four and after four laps it was Anstie, Gajser, Van Horebeek, Coldenhoff and Febvre to round out the top five.

Anstie was on fire up front as he pulled to more than four seconds ahead of Gajser, with Van Horebeek 17 seconds back, and Coldenhoff and Febvre right on him for third place. On lap eight Jonass again stalled on the track and tried to get his bike running.

Anstie pushed hard in the mid stages as he made the gap between himself and Gajser more than nine seconds and Van Horebeek 20 seconds behind the leader. Jasikonis passed Febvre and the Frenchman‰Ûªs chances of a GP victory slipped away. Febvre did fight back and re-passed Jasikonis and around the same time Anstie went down and Gajser moved into the lead.

Things got interesting with Anstie, Van Horebeek, Coldenhoff and Febvre all right behind the Slovenian rider. Van Horebeek tried to get past Anstie, and it all helped Gajser who was suddenly more than six seconds in the lead.

Van Horebeek fell down after handing Coldenhoff third place and the Belgian also let Febvre into fourth position, but up front Gajser was in complete control. Anstie pulled back the lead by Gajser and passed the HRC rider on lap 14. Gajser though was too strong over the two races and won the overall with 2-2 scores.

Max Anstie won his first race of the 2019 Season and the first ever in top class ahead of Gajser and Coldenhoff while Tim Gajser won the GP with 2-2, for the Slovenian is the first Belgian GP win ever and it marked the first win for Honda in the premier class in Lommel. Romain Febvre missed the GP win by one point as for Glenn Coldenhoff had his first podium appearance of the season.

Glenn Coldenhoff made the podium for the first time this season with third in MX1.

‰ÛÏI had fun today and it is weird saying that in the sand for me," Gajser explained. "I had two good races and I let Max pass because he was faster, then he made a mistake and I got him back, then he passed me again. They told me if I was second, I would have won the overall. I very happy with this GP win as I didn‰Ûªt‰Ûª expect it. I expected a top five would be good and to win here is really special. We have worked in the sand in the winter and it really worked out. The track was rough, and it was easy to make a mistake. I will try and make a good start and see if I can stay with these guys, but if I can‰Ûªt I will settle for the points. It is always mental, coming here in Lommel, we know the race will be tough, so deep and so bumpy and I did my best.‰Û

Jorge Prado extended his unbeaten run in both the 2019 FIM MX2 World Championship and the Grand Prix of Belgium with his thirteenth victory of the season in the sand of Lommel

In the opening MX2 race Jorge Prado took the early lead from Tom Vialle, Henry Jacobi, Adam Sterry, and Thomas Kjer Olsen in fifth. Local rider Monster Energy Kemea Yamaha Official MX2‰Ûªs Jago Geerts crashed in the first corner and was in 31st position entering the opening lap. Sterry moved past Jacobi while Geerts was already into 17th place.

Prado extended his lead to seven seconds on lap two while Geerts moved into sixth position and was right onto teammate Watson. After a crash Vlaanderen moved back into the top ten on lap four.

Geerts was just sensational to regroup as he moved into fifth place on lap five while Olsen was chasing Sterry down for third position and Vlaanderen moved into ninth. Olsen crashed hard as he ran off the track and Geerts continued his race chase moving into fourth position. Vlaanderen rode past Jacobi and moved into seventh place. After his crash Olsen retired back to the paddock forced to be out of the race.

Geerts easily passed both Sterry, who made a mistake, and Vialle for second and with Prado 25 seconds ahead, second was a phenomenal performance from the Belgian rider. Prado‰Ûªs ride in front just looked smooth and comfortable. Sterry moved into third place passing Vialle.

Jago Geerts was definitely the man on the gas finishing second 20 seconds behind Prado and followed by Sterry.

HRC's Calvin Vlaanderen (10) put in an impressive second moto to spring an unexpected podium result that was just reward for all the speed he has shown since his return from injury.

In the second MX2 race nothing changed in the first corner as it was Prado and Vialle in front, then Vlaanderen, Jacobi, Olsen, Sterry, Watson, Ostlund, Geerts, Boisrame and Renaux.

After a lap Prado held a four second lead as Geerts was cutting through the field and moved into sixth position. Geerts moved past Olsen into fifth position and Watson passed Vlaanderen for third place. Geerts on fire as he passed Vlaanderen and then Watson when the British rider made a mistake and nearly went down.

A great battle emerged between Geerts, Vlaanderen and Watson as the three fought for third. After three laps Prado was seven seconds ahead of Vialle, and on lap four Geerts moved into second place.

Vlaanderen also passed Vialle on lap four, and then Watson did the same, relegating the KTM rider to fifth position. After five laps the lead by Prado was 12 seconds over Geerts with Vlaanderen a further five seconds back.

After seven laps Prado was already lapping the 30thposition, and made a big break on second placed Geerts, who was 14 seconds behind. Watson put massive pressure on Vlaanderen, but as the Yamaha rider looked for a way past, Vlaanderen blocked the pass.

Prado moved to 20 seconds ahead of Geerts on lap 11, then came Vlaanderen in third, Watson fourth, and Vialle fifth. Jacobi crashed and Sterry ran into him, and both went down forcing Sterry to drop to eight and Jacobi to 12th.

After 14 laps Geerts got in trouble as he dropped out of the race with a mechanical problem and it was Prado, Vlaanderen, Watson, Vialle and Olsen rounding out the top 5. Soon after Prado slipped over on the final lap, but still won his 24thrace of the season it from Vlaanderen and Watson.

It was again the brilliance of Prado who scored yet another 1-1 result and extended his championship lead to 124 points over Olsen with four rounds remaining. Second overall was Vlaanderen, and third Ben Watson who scored his first podium of the season.

‰ÛÏNormally it is a tough race even if I had a good flow the whole race," Prado said. "I was enjoying it and I was mentally prepared for this. We are closing in on the championship and looking for the next round. The first race was also good, the track is very rough, and you need to be careful with your energy and have energy for the second one. The second race was good, another FOX holeshot and that was my goal. The last lap I had more than 30 seconds lead and I tried to make it bigger, but I lost my hand and fell, lucky I got up quickly. Third GP win at Lommel, so I am happy.‰Û

Brit Ben Watson tied on pints for third with Tom Vialle but got the final podium spot on countback.

MXGP - Grand Prix Race 1 Top Ten:
1. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), 34:40.884
2. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:06.614
3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:08.995
4. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:12.274
5. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +0:16.324
6. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Honda), +0:22.584
7. Pauls Jonass (LAT, Husqvarna), +0:28.767
8. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, Husqvarna), +0:38.651
9. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +1:06.010
10. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +1:13.698

MXGP - Grand Prix Race 2 Top Ten:
1. Max Anstie (GBR, KTM), 34:30.638
2. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:05.121
3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:11.472
4. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:22.903
5. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:33.947
6. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, Husqvarna), +0:38.513
7. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Honda), +0:56.461
8. Ivo Monticelli (ITA, KTM), +1:13.955
9. Brian Bogers (NED, Honda), +1:21.223
10. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +1:23.527

MXGP - GP Top Ten:
1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 44 points
2. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 43 points
3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 40 points
4. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 34 points
5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 29 points
6. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 28 points
7. Max Anstie (GBR, KTM), 25 points
8. Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 24 points
9. Ivo Monticelli (ITA, KTM), 23 points
10. Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 23 points

MXGP - World Championship Top Ten:
1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 626 points
2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 439 points
3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 402 points
4. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 396 points
5. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 358 points
6. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 355 points
7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 349 points
8. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 336 points
9. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 329 points
10. Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 321 points

MX2 - Grand Prix Race 1 Top Ten:
1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 34:54.715
2. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:20.055
3. Adam Sterry (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:27.807
4. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), +0:34.538
5. Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:37.015
6. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +0:50.010
7. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Honda), +1:03.456
8. Henry Jacobi (GER, Kawasaki), +1:29.529
9. Alvin ÌÐstlund (SWE, Husqvarna), +1:41.119
10. Darian Sanayei (USA, Kawasaki), +1:53.843

MX2 - Grand Prix Race 2 Top Ten:
1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 34:57.670
2. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Honda), +0:17.551
3. Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:35.258
4. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), +0:43.489
5. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:58.086
6. Alvin ÌÐstlund (SWE, Husqvarna), +1:06.436
7. Adam Sterry (GBR, Kawasaki), +1:19.186
8. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +1:31.085
9. Brian Strubhart Moreau (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:34.925
10. Cyril Genot (BEL, KTM), +1:40.207

MX2 - GP Top Ten:
1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 50 points
2. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, HON), 36 points
3. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 36 points
4. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 36 points
5. Adam Sterry (GBR, KAW), 34 points
6. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 28 points
7. Alvin ÌÐstlund (SWE, HUS), 27 points
8. Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 22 points
9. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 22 points
10. Cyril Genot (BEL, KTM), 21 points

MX2 - World Championship Top Ten:
1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 644 points
2. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 520 points
3. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 416 points
4. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 413 points
5. Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 399 points
6. Adam Sterry (GBR, KAW), 314 points
7. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 282 points
8. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 271 points
9. Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS), 250 points
10. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, HON), 248 points

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Gajser and Pardo extend Motocross World Championship leads at MXGP of Belgium

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