Jeremy Van Horebeek and Thomas Covington have set the pace at a cold and wet Valkenswaard in the Netherlands overnight to kick off proceedings for tomorrows second round of the FIM Motocross World Championship, the MXGP of Europe. Off of the start of MXGP Qualifying Race Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing MXGP‰Ûªs
Jeremy Van Horebeek took the Holeshot but Dutch sand master, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing‰Ûªs
Jeffrey Herlings, passed the #89 almost immediately.
Behind Herlings and Van Horebeek was last year‰Ûªs MXGP of Europe overall winner, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing‰Ûªs
Gautier Paulin and 2016 MXGP World Champion, Team HRC‰Ûªs
Tim Gajser. Gajser who is returning from an injury suffered only one month ago showed he wasn‰Ûªt phased by the pressure or the conditions.
First to press onto the back wheel of Gajser was Wilvo Yamaha Official MXGP‰Ûªs
Shaun Simpson, however near crash and impressive save by Simpson allowed Gajser some space to breathe. Though it was not long before Red Bull KTM Factory Racing‰Ûªs
Antonio Cairoli slid past a rattled Simpson and closed on the Slovenian.
Simpson later made a mistake which he was unable to save as did Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing MXGP‰Ûªs
Romain Febvre. However the most notable crash and mistake was the one of
Jeffrey Herlings while leading. The #84 tucked the front wheel on the landing of a double resulting in a crash. Herlings once going again, pulled into Pit Lane convinced that he had broken his front wheel. As the mechanics of Herlings rushed to swap out the wheel Van Horebeek led.
