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Motocross

Gautier Paulin takes victory at Valkenswaard

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The FIM Motocross World Championship raced on the sandy and demanding track at Valkenswaard this weekend.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing‰Ûªs Gautier Paulin and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing‰Ûªs Pauls Jonass were the two riders who met the demands and took the overall victories.

The weekend belongs to Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing‰Ûªs Gautier Paulin who won the first race after grabbing the important Fox Holeshot and leading the entire time. It was the first race victory for Paulin since Teutschental 2015.

In race 2 Paulin finished second securing the overall, 2 years after doing the same here in 2015, it was the first Valkenswaard overall for Husqvarna.
Gautier Paulin takes victory at Valkenswaard
Paulin finished secured the first Valkenswaard overall for Husqvarna.
‰ÛÏIt‰Ûªs been an amazing GP. We started off with a good pace in qualifying. I was feeling good on the bike ever since I stepped foot on this track, so I was very positive of some good results," Paulin said.

"We had a perfect opening moto. I got a clear holeshot and managed to successfully defend my lead until the finish line. Despite not getting the best of starts in moto two, I stayed focused on the goal of winning the overall. I kept pushing and as soon as I saw other riders suffering physically I gave one last push for the overall victory. I honestly have no words to thank my Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team for all their hard work and dedication. This victory has given us a big confidence boost for the races to come.‰Û
Gautier Paulin takes victory at Valkenswaard
A happy Husqvarna crew celebrate Gautier Paulin's MX1 Overall win. Photo: Ray Archer
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing‰Ûªs Jeffrey Herlings had his best result of the season today when he scored second overall. The Dutch rider had fought his way through both races, where he didn‰Ûªt have the starts he‰Ûªd hoped for. In race 2 on his way to the front he battled with the former champions, Tim Gajser and Romain Febvre passing both before catching Paulin in 2nd and though Herlings was close he wasn‰Ûªt able to make it past the Frenchman.

"In MXGP it is like all out war from the moment the gate drops until the finish flag and that‰Ûªs something I‰Ûªm not used to, but we will get there," Herlings explained, "We are getting the speed and I think there is one thing left and that‰Ûªs the starts. I felt like I was close today, I was really close to the win and that‰Ûªs good.‰Û
Gautier Paulin takes victory at Valkenswaard
Jeffrey Herlings is putting his MX1 demons behind him and had his best day out in MX1 with second at his home GP. Credit: Ray Archer
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing‰Ûªs Antonio Cairoli had a bad start in race 1, he was 14th on lap one. Cairoli consistently worked his forward over the first few laps before settling into 9th. For race 2 you could tell he wanted the win as he started with the Fox Holeshot and he returned to winning form. Cairoli finished 4th overall and continues to narrow the points gap, he is now 14 points behind in the championship.

‰ÛÏIt was a race where I should have gone 1-1 so I‰Ûªm disappointed," Cairoli said. "I like the sand and the bad start should not have happened; when you are in the pack you cannot control the rest of the people so I got stuck between some crashes. I then used all my tear-offs and later had some sand and irritation in my right eye that made my vision blurry and I had to slow.

"I was really disappointed with that moto. My eye was still bothering me a bit in the second moto and I wasn't 100% but I tried for the good start and it worked. To take twenty-five points for the championship was good but it wasn't my goal for the weekend," the Italian concluded.
Gautier Paulin takes victory at Valkenswaard
Jeremy Van Horebeek put Yamaha on the box with 3rd in MX1. Photo: Youthstream
Team HRC‰Ûªs Tim Gajser had a good weekend finishing 6-4 for 5th overall and though it wasn‰Ûªt the dominant form like we‰Ûªve seen lately he holds on to the championship lead now nearly a third of the way through the season.

‰ÛÏI‰Ûªm quite happy, the speed was there," Gajser said. "I just made some small mistakes, in the first race I crashed and in the second one I didn‰Ûªt have the best start. It‰Ûªs really tough actually, many guys are close together, their speed is there, you really just have to be focused 100%.‰Û
Gautier Paulin takes victory at Valkenswaard
Pauls Jonass takes the holeshot on the way to his MX2 victory. Photo: Ray Archer.
In MX2 class Red Bull KTM Factory Racing‰Ûªs Pauls Jonass stated his claim for a third Grand Prix win of the year with a decent Qualification Heat victory on Saturday ahead of Thomas Kjer Olsen, which gave the Latvian his third Pole Position of the season. In the first moto on Sunday he followed the formbook perfectly with the holeshot and then controlled a small margin over LRT‰Ûªs Julien Lieber (steering a production KTM 250 SX-F) until the final stages of the 30 minutes and 2 lap duration when he broke free from the Belgian to win comfortably. #41 then went on to repeat his excellence in the second race. The twenty year old now has six moto wins and three shut-outs in 2017 and leads the FIM world championship by 19 points in the run-up to his home Grand Prix in Latvia.

"I felt good all weekend and we made improvements from yesterday to today and actually all the time with the bike," Jonass said. "I enjoyed the track even if it was rough and pretty sketchy in places because it was hard underneath with some square-edge bumps but it was nice to ride. I cruised in the first moto. I like riding here and to go home with the 1-1 means I am looking forward even more to my home GP next.‰Û
Gautier Paulin takes victory at Valkenswaard
Jeremy Seewer was back up the pointy end of the MX2 class taking second overall with a 4-2 result
Suzuki World MX2‰Ûªs Jeremy Seewer finished 19th in qualifying yesterday and responded well to the challenge today of 19th gate pick. Seewer was in 7th in race and 5th in race 2‰Ûªs first lap, both races he made passes getting himself to 4th and 2nd for 2nd overall on his 4th podium this season.

"I made the best out of today, both races I started between 10th and 15th and I had to make a lot of passes, I‰Ûªm happy that I did. Especially in the second moto I did all that I could, to beat Pauls you need to be there on the start to battle him. I think we can look forward, I‰Ûªm pretty positive now," Seewer said.

Brent Van doninck reached the podium today which is something that has evaded him in the past. Van doninck had a fifth in race one and a 3rd in race 2 which was good for 3rd overall.

The Kemea Yamaha Official MX Team rider had a bad start in race 1 and he had to push hard to get to the well deserved 5th while in race 2, his better start helped him to get near the back of Seewer but the physical demands took hold as he wasn‰Ûªt able to find the extra energy needed to get past #91 Suzuki.

"I was coming close to Seewer but he had another gear and I was quite tired‰Û_I knew I was on the podium and I didn‰Ûªt want to throw it away with a crash or something. I‰Ûªm happy, I‰Ûªm looking forward to Latvia and I just want to keep the consistency like I‰Ûªm doing now," Van doninck said.
Gautier Paulin takes victory at Valkenswaard
Belgian Brent Van doninck rounded out the MX2 podium
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing‰Ûªs Thomas Kjer Olsen looked comfortable on the bike and the track all weekend but went down in race 1 before completing the first lap while trying to make a pass. This mistake set him in 30th the first time across the finish, he would impressively climb his way back to 9th by the finish. The 9th combined with 4th in the second race resulted in 4th overall and he also 4th in the championship standings.

‰ÛÏWe‰Ûªre in a very good place right now. I‰Ûªm enjoying racing my bike and my speed is really competitive," Kjer Olsen said.

"If we manage to minimise mistakes, we will be able to consistently be on the podium. In moto one I got a good start but as I was battling for the top five I was involved in a crash with a few other riders. I picked myself up and kept pushing hard to get ninth. My start wasn‰Ûªt as good in moto two, but without making any mistakes I crossed the line in fourth for fourth overall at the GP. We‰Ûªre fourth now in the standings and I believe we can go even higher.‰Û
Gautier Paulin takes victory at Valkenswaard
Aussie Hunter Lawrence was back up to speed snaring 6th overall in MX2
HSF Logistics Motorsport‰Ûªs Calvin Vlaanderen finished out the top 5 overall today in 5th at what is his home GP after a 6th in race 1 and 7th in race 2.

Kemea Yamaha Official MX Team‰Ûªs Benoit Paturel is really struggling with starts and it is a shame because if he was in the front during the early stages of racing he almost certainly would stay there. Paturel 7th and 9th in today‰Ûªs races were enough for the 6th overall and he is 5th in the championship standings 69 points off the leader.

Suzuki World MX2‰Ûªs Hunter Lawerence had a breakthrough performance in race 2 finishing fifth, that together with the Australian‰Ûªs 10th in race 1 got him a 6th overall.

The consistent #33 LRT KTM of Julien Lieber had his first major issue of the season when he had to pull out of race 2 with a mechanical issue. The Belgian howover still took 9th overall thanks to his season best second in race 1. Lieber remains third in the championship points standings and he will continue to pursue his first win at the next round on the again soft soil of Latvia.

MXGP Race 1 Top Ten:
1. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Husqvarna), 35:24.915
2. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:00.950
3. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:04.824
4. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:05.634
5. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, Suzuki), +0:05.963
6. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:19.448
7. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:27.218
8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:28.967
9. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:37.452
10. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), +0:38.425.

MXGP Race 2 Top Ten:
1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 35:26.367
2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:02.258
3. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:02.617
4. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:08.230
5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:12.606
6. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:14.957
7. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, Suzuki), +0:18.880
8. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:28.120
9. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +0:33.895
10. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:34.136.

MXGP Overall Top Ten:
1. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HUS), 47 points
2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 40 Points
3. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 38 Points
4. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 37 Points
5. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 33 Points
6. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 31 Points
7. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, SUZ), 30 Points
8. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 25 Points
9. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 24 Points
10. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 21 Points

MXGP Championship Top Ten: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 234 points
2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 220 Points
3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HUS), 192 Points
4. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 182 Points
5. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 176 Points
6. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 172 Points
7. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 131 Points
8. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 124 Points
9. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 120 Points
10. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 116 Points

MX2 Race 1 Top Ten:
1. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 35:37.548
2. Julien Lieber (BEL, KTM), +0:03.476
3. Thomas Covington (USA, Husqvarna), +0:36.928
4. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:44.764
5. Brent Van doninck (BEL, Yamaha), +0:51.128
6. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, KTM), +0:56.409
7. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +1:03.528
8. Vsevolod Brylyakov (RUS, Kawasaki), +1:07.900
9. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +1:12.565
10. Hunter Lawrence (AUS, Suzuki), +1:15.317

MX2 Race 2 Top Ten:
1. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 34:09.329
2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:04.491
3. Brent Van doninck (BEL, Yamaha), +0:09.510
4. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:13.352
5. Hunter Lawrence (AUS, Suzuki), +0:24.378
6. Brian Hsu (GER, Husqvarna), +0:28.694
7. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, KTM), +0:31.049
8. Petar Petrov (BUL, Kawasaki), +0:36.142
9. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +0:36.387
10. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), +0:47.690

MX2 Overall Top Ten:
1. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 50 points
2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 40 Points
3. Brent Van doninck (BEL, YAM), 36 Points
4. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 30 Points
5. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, KTM), 29 Points
6. Hunter Lawrence (AUS, SUZ), 27 Points
7. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 26 Points
8. Petar Petrov (BUL, KAW), 22 Points
9. Julien Lieber (BEL, KTM), 22 Points
10. Thomas Covington (USA, HUS), 20 Points

MX2 Championship Top Ten:
1. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 242 points
2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 223 Points
3. Julien Lieber (BEL, KTM), 197 Points
4. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 188 Points
5. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 173 Points
6. Brent Van doninck (BEL, YAM), 159 Points
7. Thomas Covington (USA, HUS), 133 Points
8. Vsevolod Brylyakov (RUS, KAW), 123 Points
9. Jorge Prado Garcia (ESP, KTM), 121 Points
10. Michele Cervellin (ITA, HON), 109 Points

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