2021 MXGP of Mantova – Round 18

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The 2021 FIM Motocross World Championship wrapped up in Mantova overnight where a big crown witnessed Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings clinch the MXGP World Title, and become a five-time FIM Motocross World Champion.

It has been a season of highs and lows for all of the title contenders as they have struggled with injuries and bad luck but have managed to power through and provide us with some incredible racing.

In the second half of the season, the title chase between Herlings, Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Romain Febvre and Team HRC’s Tim Gajser could not have been any closer, as the race for the championship went down to the final chequered flag of the 2021 season, but it was Herlings who came out on top as Febvre was forced to settle for second, just five points adrift, while Gajser finished his year with a silver medal.

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The Aussies

For Jed Beaton, it was a frustrating final round.  With high hopes of ending his MX2 career on the overall podium, the Australian didn’t quite secure the starts needed in either moto to challenge for the top three. In placing seventh overall, Beaton secured fifth in the final championship standings.

Jed Beaton – P7 (P5 MX2 Championship)

“It’s been a pretty emotional day to say the least. As I’ve now aged out of MX2 it was my last race for the team which, after three great years, is really tough. It’s safe to say that the season didn’t end how I’d have liked due to a few issues and a crash in race one. That ruled me out of a chance of finishing on the podium but I really tried hard in moto two but it just wasn’t meant to be. I’ve had an incredible three seasons with Rasmus and the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna team and they’ve taken me under their wing and really shaped who I am today. I’m disappointed to not end our time together with a podium result but I gave it my best shot and finishing fifth in the series is a pretty decent result.”

Bike It MTX Kawasaki’s Wilson Todd rounded out his final season in MX2 with a solid first-moto rides to tenth after qualifying twelfth in the morning. The Australian ended the championship twelfth, just twenty points short of a top-ten series ranking.

Wilson Todd – P17 (P12 Championship)

“It’s been a long season with some ups-and-downs and some rough patches so it was nice to go out with a good result before I get home to Australia for the first time in a while. Racing the GPs has been a great experience you can’t buy, coming to Europe to race bikes against the best in the world.“

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MXGP of Mantova 2021 Highlights

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MXGP Race 1

As the gate dropped, it was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado with the Fox Holeshot. The Spaniard led Febvre, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Seewer, Herlings and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli. Gajser started down in seventh behind Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Mathys Boisrame.

Prado held on to the lead for four laps, as Febvre struggled to find a way through which played into the hands of Herlings who was able to close in and pass both riders. The Dutchman then was able to focus on his own race, as Febvre still couldn’t get around Prado.

On lap five, Febvre forced the issue onto Prado to move into second as Gajser was looking to do the same. The Slovenian had Cairoli and Seewer behind him, so could not afford to make a mistake as he pushed for third.

Seewer and Cairoli then made contact, and both crashed, with Cairoli coming into pitlane without a gear lever, hence why he could not carry on with the rest of the heat.

By that point, Herlings was 4.589 seconds ahead of Febvre, but the race was far from over. Gajser clocked his best lap of the race as he started to work away at the gap to Febvre, this in turn urged the Frenchman forward as he cut Herlings’ gap down to 2.694 seconds.

In the final few laps, Gajser had Febvre in his sights and for the next laps, the pair were faster than the race leader Herlings. At that point Herlings was struggling with arm pump and his lead started to fade with Febvre and Gajser catching up to the race leader. Then it was game on as the trio battled it out for the win.

In the end, Herlings was able to hold on to take the win with Febvre crossing the line second with Gajser third. This meant that the title fight would go down to the final race, as Herlings and Febvre finished race one tied on points.

MXGP Race 2

Race two was the all-important one, as by the end we were going to find out who will be crowned as the 2021 MXGP Champion. And as the gate dropped for the second heat, we saw Prado take his 18th Fox Holeshot ahead of Febvre, Herlings and Gajser.

Febvre then slipped into the lead with Prado quickly dropping down to fourth as Herlings and Gajser were able to get by. It seemed like Febvre was in the perfect position at that point, but his time in first position was cut short by a hard charging Herlings who was looking to waste no time.

Febvre needed to respond in order to keep close to Herlings and while trying to do so make a mistake which resulted in a crash. This allowed Gajser into second as Febvre picked himself up in third. By that point Seewer was all over his rear wheel, but he managed to stay ahead of the Swiss.

Next rider to get by Prado was Honda 114 Motorsports’ Ruben Fernandez who got himself into sixth and then was going after Standing Construct GasGas Factory Racing’s Brain Bogers, though Bogers held on to his position until the end.

Gajser then started to close in on Herlings as he was consistently faster than the Dutchman. At one point the lead went down to 1.169 seconds, but Herlings was able to respond and build some breathing room. Though Gajser did not back down, keeping Herlings on his toes until the chequered flag as Herlings celebrated his fifth world title with a race win and an overall Grand Prix victory.

Two race wins gave Herlings his 99th Grand Prix win of his career, while Gajser finished second on the box and Febvre third

After a season long battle, Jeffrey Herlings was crowned the 2021 FIM Motocross World Champion as he finished the season with 708 points, just five ahead of Febvre. Gajser was a further 15 points behind. The Bullet ends the year not only with the crown but also with 14 podiums, 9 GP wins, 15 race victories and 13 pole positions!

Jeffrey Herlings – P1

“I’m super happy but at the same time I feel gutted for the two next to me. I know how it feels, I had it in the past. I want to thank both of them for a great championship. The thing about our sport is that only one can win. But they have been great, and I respect all of them. Thank you all for the great year. Furthermore, the day was good. Definitely lots of pressure. I haven’t slept for a week, just thinking about scenarios. “If this happened? If that happened? What are we going to do?”. At the end of the day, nothing really happened the way I thought it would. We won the championship. It wasn’t an easy one. I think all three of us kept charging until the last race. Especially me and Romain. The pressure was on and I did not crack under it. I made the championship happen. I’m happy with it. It was the most difficult one ever. I needed nerves of steel the last weeks. We made it happen. I’m looking forward to next year to battle again with the boys.”

Romain Febvre – P2

“It wasn’t enough to get the title. So, I am really disappointed at the moment for sure. The only thing is that I gave my all, so I don’t have regrets for sure. But to finish the season this close is really tough emotionally. I will try again next year and hope for a better result.”

Tim Gajser – P3

“It’s not easy to accept but that’s how it is. That’s sport. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Losing makes you stronger. It’s not the end of the world. Tomorrow is going to be tomorrow, and we’ll have another opportunity next year. Congrats to the guys, to Jeffrey, to Romain, for a good season. We were having some nice battles. Definitely disappointed at the moment, but that’s how it is. We’re going to come back.”

Jeremy Seewer – P4

“Results-wise, this was not the day I expected or wanted, but speed and confidence-wise, it was really good. Mantova is a tough track. It’s definitely not my favourite, but still, I have the speed for the podium. Today I didn’t manage to put the motos together, but looking at the positives, I took the holeshot in race one, but Jeffrey (Herlings) crashed, and I hit him and this turned my race upside down. I had to fight through the pack. In the second moto, I completely messed up my start. I entered the first corner buried in the pack and came back to the front really strong. In terms of my riding, it was one of my best rides this year, especially on this kind of track. I am happy with it. Only the result on paper doesn’t reflect my speed, but now we work to be back fighting upfront at the final round on Wednesday.”

Jorge Prado – P5

“I didn’t feel too bad today but still had to deal with my injury: it’s hard when you can start at the front and know you have to push but then deal with a lot of pain, especially through the corner exits. The other guys catch you quick, they pass and it’s tough to follow. I’m happy the season is over and I have some time to heal-up completely before starting to prepare for next year.”

Brian Bogers – P6

“It’s a great feeling to end the season with a fifth-place finish in moto two. I got a great start and it was awesome to be running up front all race in the final moto of the year. I really want to thank the Standing Construct GASGAS team for everything this season. They did such a great job and worked really hard, so it’s a shame that I couldn’t quite get into the top 10 overall this season. But this winter we will work even harder together and get the good results that the team deserves in 2022.”

2021 MXGP of Mantova Results

2021 MXGP Standings – Round 18 (Top 20)

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MX2 Race 1

While the title may have already been decided a couple Grand Prix’s ago, with Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Maxime Renaux clinching the MX2 World Title at the MXGP of Garda, the fight for who would claim the silver medal was far from over and became the focus of the races today as just seven points separated Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle and Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jago Geerts.

In the opening heat we saw Vialle claim his 22nd Fox Holeshot of the season as he led Geerts, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Rene Hofer, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Kay de Wolf and F&H Kawasaki Racing’s Mikkel Haarup. While Renaux started in ninth.

Geerts was then all over Vialle and not long after was able to get it done and take over the lead from the Frenchman. Soon after, Hofer started to close in on Vialle for second, while Geerts was able to build some breathing room.

Haarup lost a couple of positions in the opening laps as he slipped down to eighth and had Hitachi KTM Fuelled by Milwaukee’s Conrad Mewse applying the pressure.

de Wolf then came under fire from Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Mattia Guadagnini who was gaining ground on the young Dutchman lap by lap, but he would not be able to do anything about it as Hofer ahead of them crashed, with de Wolf able to avoid him while Guadagnini was taken down.

There was another shake-up at the top end of the field as Vialle rode back to pitlane after landing hard on one of the jumps which caused more pain to his already injured foot. This meant that he would not score any points and was out of the fight for the silver medal.

Geerts continued to lead as de Wolf, Renaux, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Jed Beaton and Haarup all move up two positions.

Following the crash, Guadagnini got going again in seventh, while Hofer was further down in 15th. Guadagnini managed to get back to fifth by the end of the race as Hofer finished the race in 13th position.

In the closing stages of the race, we saw a battle for second as Renaux was applying immense pressure onto de Wolf. The Husqvarna rider was not backing down and despite Renaux’s best efforts, the Dutchman held on to his spot to cross the line in second. Haarup finished fourth and Guadagnini fifth.

MX2 Race 2

In race two, it was Guadagnini with the Fox Holeshot as Hofer followed, with Geerts, Renaux and Mewse just behind. Geerts quickly managed to find a way past Hofer and so did Renaux. Vialle did not line-up for the race due to his foot injury.

The Belgian then focused his sights on Guadagnini and was trying his best to get past the Italian but could not get it done. Eventually a mistake cost him second, as Renaux was able to slip by. The Frenchman then took the lead on lap three as Geerts got by Guadagnini.

Further down the field, de Wolf was fighting his way up the order as he got by Wilson Todd of Bike it MTX Kawasaki and Bastian Boegh-Damm from WZ Racing Team for seventh.

With 11 minutes plus two laps to go, Renaux’s lead started to come down as Geerts was within 1.364 seconds of his teammate.

We then saw a strong battle between Haarup and de Wolf for sixth, with de Wolf using every edge of the track to try and find a way past the Dane. This fight went on for the most part of the race, with Beaton joining them for the final few laps. Eventually de Wolf was able to get past Haarup, which also put him on the podium, while Beaton crashed but still finished the race eighth, so he did not lose any positions.

Renaux focused on the front as Geerts was trying to edge closer to his teammate and then on the final lap crashed, which took away his last chance to go for the race win. Renaux was the race winner, with Geerts second and Guadagnini third. Hofer was fourth and Mewse fifth.

A 1-2 result gave Geerts the overall, while Renaux was second on the box with de Wolf claiming his fourth podium finish of 2021 with third overall.

Maxime Renaux ends his championship winning season on 734 points with his teammate Geerts in second with 610, while Vialle was 30 points further adrift and ended his year with a bronze medal. As champion this year, Renaux’s stats include 14 podiums, 10 race wins and five Grand Prix victories.

Maxime Renaux – P2

“Now I realise that I am Champion. It was amazing to race with that status. I did not feel much of a difference other than some pressure at the end let’s say. I really enjoyed those two last races in Mantova with two second place finishes and some race wins. Also finishing the season with a race win is really nice. It’s been such a great season and I am really happy about the outcome. It’s actually amazing to have that consistency all year. I had 14 podiums in 18 races. It’s amazing. It’s just a dream season and I am looking forward to having many more like this one, because that’s what a rider wants. That’s also what makes me world champion today! The consistency, and I’m so happy with that. I will keep pushing to keep things this way.”

Jago Geerts – P1

“I was feeling back to normal last couple of races. At the end I could clinch the second place in the championship. Maxime was really strong this year, so he deserves it for sure. I had a pretty difficult season. I kicked it off with a knee injury. So, it was not the easiest season for me, but I still managed to get the second place in the championship. I am pretty happy with the outcome.”

Tom Vialle (P3 Championship)

“It was another difficult day. In Pietramurata, on Wednesday in the second race, I hurt a lot my foot. I broke a small bone in my foot. We didn’t really want to mention it. However, it was pretty hard for me on Sunday in Trentino. I tried to recover in one week, but the track here is though. I was not able to ride the way I wanted to. I struggled a lot on Sunday. Today I landed awkwardly after a jump, landed completely flat and hurt my hand. It’s okay though, it’s not that bad. After this incident I told myself “It’s a little bit too much, I’m not going to ride the second race because I am taking a lot of risks”. I tried to ride and fight for the second position, but it’s not like fighting for the title at the end of the day. I finished third in the championship. It was a pretty good season for me. However, I had a lot of small problems, especially with my hand in the beginning of the championship. But I am pretty happy. I think I won the most GPs, the most race wins, the most holeshots. It was a good season overall, when we focus on how I was riding. Now we have three to four months of holiday, so I will be ready next year to fight for the title.”

Kay de Wolf – P3

“I really enjoyed the last two GPs. I was really happy being back in the sand, where I enjoy riding the most and where I’m “born”. First race was quite okay. In the first GP I had a really good first race. The second race, I made a few mistakes and could not piece the puzzle together. Overall, I was fifth overall in the first one, and it was already a good step in the right direction. And then this one, to be on the box was just amazing. The goals are going to change for next season. The goal this year was to be in the top 15 and we finished seventh in the championship. So that was an amazing achievement as a rookie. For next year, we will aim to go for top 5 and see what we could do.”

Mattia Guadagnini – P4

“I’m happy with the season. The goal was to be in the top five and we made it but I didn’t expect to win GPs and have the red plate! Today was a good way to finish the after a tough couple of rounds. I finally took another holeshot and missed the podium by just one point. I had a good feeling and was happy with my riding. Finishing 4th in the championship was not so bad!”

2021 MXGP of Mantova – MX2 Results

2021 MX2 Standings – Round 18 (Top 20)

Source: MCNews.com.au