MXGP 2021
MXGP of Sardegna, Riola Sardo- Round 10

The 2021 MXGP of Sardegna ran over the weekend in Riola Sardo, and it was a Red Bull KTM Factory Racing dominated event across both classes, with Jeffrey Herlings taking top honours in the MXGP class going 1-1, while Tom Vialle won the MX2 class in the same fashion.

Arriving in Sardinia following a strong run of MX2 class results recently, Jed Beaton’s chances of another overall podium finish quickly unravelled following an unfortunate crash early in moto one. A race-long charge with no front brake saw the Australian ultimately claiming 13th aboard his FC 250.

For race two, Beaton emerged from the first turn well placed inside the top-10. After making a number of passes during the opening laps, the 23-year-old would continue to maintain his strong pace, catching up to teammate Kay de Wolf and chasing him across the finish line for a well-deserved fifth-place finish.

Jed Beaton – P7

“A bit of a frustrating day today. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time in moto one as Jago Geerts crashed and then his bike bounced up and hit me off of mine. The crash damaged my front brake, so it wasn’t ideal, but I gave it everything I had and managed to score some points. I found a pretty good flow in race two and maintained a good pace. It was easy to make mistakes and I overexerted myself a little in the first one, so a fifth place wasn’t too bad. The next two rounds are back on hardpack and tracks that I really like so I’m looking forward to those and getting back up on the podium.”

Bike It MTX Kawasaki’s Wilson Todd raced to his third consecutive top-ten finish despite a collision halfway through race two which cost him a probable top six on the day. The Australian fluctuated between sixth and seventh throughout the first moto, surrendering a place only to absolute sand experts on a couple of occasions but recovering the positions as others paid the penalty for riding over their heads in the demanding deep sand.

He held a solid fifth place through the early laps of race two but a collision with another rider resulted in him crashing over a berm; rejoining the race sixteenth he pulled back one position before the end of the race to secure tenth overall on the day.

Wilson Todd – P10

“I didn’t have the best gate-pick but I got out of the gate good and came round the first corner well so I was up near the front at the start of both motos. I stayed up there the first one, but around about lap three of the second race I came together with another rider, went over a berm and put myself on my head. It was hot and the track was rough, so I guess it was hard work for everybody today.“

MXGP Race 1

In the first MXGP race of the day, it was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings with the Fox Holeshot as he led the way ahead of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Ben Watson, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Seewer and Calvin Vlaanderen of Gebben Van Venrooy Yamaha Racing.

Team HRC’s Tim Gajser was one of the unlucky riders to crash in the first turn and then pushed his way to 19th position by the end of the race to score two vital championship points.

Though back at the front of the field Herlings was looking comfortable as he pulled a gap to Watson and Prado. Seewer remained close by as Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Romain Febvre charged through on Vlaanderen and started to chase down the Swiss.

Watson continued to guard his second-place position from Prado but eventually succumbed to the pressure by lap four as he dropped to third.

As Febvre looked to go around Seewer, Vlaanderen made the most of this opportunity and caught the pair out, to steal two positions and get into fourth. It was then game on for the Gebben Van Venrooy Yamaha Racing rider as he got around Watson for third pretty quickly too.

Herlings then stretched the lead to 9.487 seconds as Prado couldn’t do anything to stay close.

Watson then came under more fire as both Seewer and Febvre forced their way through and as Febvre climbed up the field, Seewer did the opposite and eventually finished the race in sixth position as Standing Construct GasGas Factory Racing’s Brian Bogers made a close pass on the Swiss on the final lap.

In the final few laps of the race, we saw Febvre catch up with Vlaanderen as the pair battle for third, though eventually it was the Frenchman who came out on top, as Herlings won the race 42.419 seconds ahead of Prado. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Kjer Olsen and Arminas Jasikonis had a strong race to finish eighth and ninth respectively.

MXGP Race 2

In the second MXGP heat it was Prado with the Fox Holeshot that time around as he edged out ahead of Herlings, Febvre and Standing Construct GasGas Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass.

Vlaanderen had another good start and was running seventh on the opening lap, while Gajser started much better that time around and was 12th. Watson also had another good start in sixth place.

Much of the second MXGP race saw Prado being chased by Herlings, with the Bullet trying all that he could to get around the young Spaniard. Prado was riding defensive which made it extremely hard for Herlings to get around and after countless failed attempts the Dutchman was able to make a pass stick 12.

While Prado and Herlings were busy battling at the front, Febvre was not too far behind as on several occasions the Frenchman was within striking distance of the pair.

Further down the field Gajser was fighting for every single championship point as he worked his way up the field passing the likes of SM Action Racing Team YUASA Battery’s Alberto Forato, SS24 KTM MXGP’s Shaun Simpson, Olsen and Bogers on the final lap to get up into eighth by the chequered flag.

Vlaanderen was also chasing another strong race as he got around Watson for fifth. He was also able to pass Jonass and Seewer to finish the race fourth.

In the end Herlings was the race winner with Prado second and Febvre closely behind in third. With a 1-1 result, Herlings took to the top step of the podium, with Prado there in second and Febvre third. Vlaanderen narrowly missed out on the podium after a solid 4-4 in the races.

The biggest shock of the weekend came from Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli who had an unfortunate crash in the MXGP Time Practice and did not line-up for the day’s races.

The nine-time World Champion had a scan which showed no injuries but just as a precaution the team made a decision to withdraw from the day’s races and focus for the upcoming weeks while Team HRC’s Tim Gajser entered the Sardinian Grand Prix nursing an injury, making today’s races a real challenge for the defending champion.

With Gajser only scoring 15 points in the races, this has allowed Herlings to take the championship lead by just a single point, as Gajser drops to second and Febvre remains third a further three points behind.

Jeffrey Herlings – P1

“I am Happy from one side and unfortunate from the other because it’s a sad way to take the red plate. The points have never been so close before after 10 races, as it is right now, we are super close. For today, I was first in time practice and then the first race I managed to get the holeshot, that was a surprise and then managed to control the rest of the race. The second race I started behind Jorge, I tried to overtake him, and it was tough to pass. I tried many times and eventually I managed to pass him, pull a gap and control the rest of the race. It was a picture-perfect weekend and I hope I have more of those throughout the season. For now, we keep going and be the best every weekend. We have improved on many occasions this season, like the starts, we have worked hard on this. Speaking of the MXON, with the team we have for Holland, I think we have a chance to win, and I will do my best to help my team to come out on top but Italy also has a strong team but we will see.”

Jorge Prado – P2

“It was a very good day, and I am super happy. The last round we had problems with the crash, lost many points and I knew this weekend would be important. I had extra motivation because I like the sand and I was expecting to do what I did today. It was a perfect day, two solid races, it was perfect. I was thinking I really need to get the holeshot and try to manage to keep the Bullet behind me and I think I managed quite well for a lot of time. I gave it everything I had. I tried to block him when he was trying to pass but he made a really clean pass on me and flew by. Then I just managed to stay second because already I was suffering a lot and that’s what I did. I am very happy, I made a good step in the second race in terms of my riding and I’m taking all the positive and we will see at the next round in Germany.”

Romain Febvre – P3

“It’s a good weekend for us. Turkey, I didn’t feel so comfortable. That’s the past and today I managed to get 10th in time practice, we were all very close, but I just couldn’t get a clean lap and I had to manage the start. First race, my start was not that good, I was in around 10th or something. I managed to come back to third so, I was pretty happy about my riding, and I knew in the second one I had to get the start and it was definitely better. I was in the group with the top three riders, so I thought now it’s time to fight. It was a nice race, and I was just behind watching as Jeffrey was putting a lot of pressure onto Jorge and I thought maybe if they make a mistake, I could pass them. They didn’t and I was not in the position to pass them so managed to get third again which is good for the championship.”

Jeremy Seewer – P5

“Turkey was super low for me, but for some reason, after that, things have started improving. I didn’t do anything crazy, I just tried some new things and then after that, things started to improve. Before this race, I managed to do two days of riding, which I couldn’t do before Turkey, so there is some improvement. I am still not where I want to be or as sharp as I should be, but today’s results show that I am not too far off even with this sickness. I am feeling positive we can fight this virus out of my body, and we will see how I feel next week recovering from this race as it was one of the toughest of the season with the heat and the track. I’m looking forward to another solid two weeks and hopefully will be better again in Teutschenthal.”

Ben Watson – P6

“There are positives to take away from today, but also room for improvement and areas that still need work. After Turkey, I came into today with a goal of two motos inside the top-10, and I know I can do better than that, but after last weekend, I wanted to make a realistic goal. It’s not always easy to bounce back. I had my best qualifying of the season; it still wasn’t great, P.14, but still a small step forward. Looking forward to next week now.”

Brian Bogers – P7

“I really enjoyed today, racing in the sand again. My first moto was really good, starting in eighth and working my way up to fifth, so I was really happy with that one. I was hoping for more of the same in the second moto, but I didn’t get a great start, somewhere mid-pack, but I was able to make my way up to ninth pretty quickly. Frustratingly, I got stuck behind another rider and it was a little one-lined today. I just couldn’t find a way past him and spent all my energy trying to do so. Seventh-overall today isn’t too bad, but it should have been better.”

Pauls Jonass – P8

“Not my best of days and I’m a little disappointed with my riding. After Turkey we did a lot of great work but it just didn’t seem to translate when I was out on track. My starts were good though and it was really disappointing to have a little get together in race one just after the start. I was lucky to stay up but I lost a lot of positions. Overall, it was a really tough track and I’m happy to be leaving here healthy. Up next is Teuschenthal and that’s been a good track for me in the past, so I’m going there aiming for a strong result.”

Source: MCNews.com.au

MXGP 2021
MXGP of Afyon (Turkey)- Round 9

The Turkish MXGP double header saw Jeffrey Herlings and Tom Vialle put in a repeat performance from Sunday to claim the wins at the MXGP of Afyon for Round 9 of the championship, with Herlings remaining the only MXGP rider to ever win here.

Round four of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship took part alongside the MXGP with Kiara Fontanesi taking an emotional and hard-fought overall victory to claim her first 1-1 result since 2018, with both races witnessing a hard fought battle between Fontanesi and Bike IT MTX Kawasaki’s Courtney Duncan. Duncan retains the WMX lead by nine-points.

For the Aussies, following his impressive third-overall result just three days ago, Jed Beaton brought his podium speed to round nine of the MX2 World Championship. Enjoying a great start in race one, the Australian quickly joined a four-rider battle for the lead with the quartet breaking away from the rest of the field. Frustratingly, two crashes halfway through the moto demoted the FC 250 racer down the running order, with Jed ultimately crossing the line in 12th place.

Regrouping for moto two, Beaton again started up front and initially battled with teammate Kay de Wolf during the early stages of the race for fifth position. After making a pass stick on lap nine, the 23-year-old began charging forwards, moving into third position with five laps remaining. With the leaders just out of reach, Jed secured an excellent third in the moto for fifth overall.

Jed Beaton – P5

“It was good to end the trip to Turkey with a solid result but crashing twice in the first moto was really frustrating. The first one wasn’t my fault but the second one was, I just tucked the front in a turn. After that I wanted to get out the gate and battle up front in race two, which I did, and I ended up third in the moto. That gave me fifth-overall and some decent points. My starts have been really good recently and my bike’s working really well, so now I can just focus on the races and doing my best in each moto.”

Bike It MTX Kawasaki’s Wilson Todd meanwhile raced to a fifth-placed moto-finish and seventh overall.

The benefit of racing two GPs in four days at the same venue was immediately evident for the Australian who is generally faced with learning a new track at each round in what is effectively his debut season. He claimed sixth in Qualification, on the same second as pole, and used his more favourable gate-pick to emerge seventh from turn one in the opening moto.

After soaking up the pressure from behind in his first experience of racing the leaderboard from the word go he found a solid rhythm from halfway to close down the riders ahead, narrowly failing to catch the rider in fourth and crossing the finish line just four second shy of a moto podium. A tenth-placed start in race two made life more difficult and he had to settle for ninth in the race for seventh overall on the day. The Australian has moved up a place to twelfth in the points standings at the midway stage of the season.

Wilson Todd – P7

“Qualification wasn’t perfect but it wasn’t too bad with sixth; I was on the same second as pole and could still have cleaned up a few things up in my riding. It makes all the difference to be more inside at the gate; I’m going to most of the tracks for the first time so I usually have to spend practice learning the track. But after being here already on Sunday I was more prepared for today. I made some good passes on the first lap of race one and I’ll take fifth. The second race I was a bit further out the back at the start; there was a bit of chaos going on and I was a bit slower to get around slower guys on the first lap. After that it was hard to make a pass in the heat.“

The Grand Prix of Sardinia on September 19th will take MXGP to the sandy Riola Sardo circuit for the first of seven consecutive race weekends that also involves the Motocross of Nations at Mantova, Italy.

MXGP Race 1

The MXGP class delivered some of the most intense racing that we have seen this season so far. The top protagonists of the championship were all within a couple of seconds of one another in both races, with a winner hard to predict.

After making some changes to the bike, Herlings topped the charts in Time Practice to take pole position which set him up nicely for the races. Though as the gate dropped for race one, it was his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammate Jorge Prado who clinched the Fox Holeshot ahead of Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Romain Febvre, Herlings and Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Seewer.

Team HRC’s Tim Gajser started the race in eighth, though made some quick passes as he got up to fourth within a couple of laps.

There was no change in the top four for quite a few laps as Cairoli worked his way through the field. He had Seewer ahead in fifth who eventually crashed out and dropped to 15th.

Prado then crashed big out of the lead and took a while to get going again, re-joining the race quite far behind the rest of the field, which made it tough for the Spaniard to score any points as he finished the race in 21st.

Febvre was then the new race leader, and it was game one for the top three. Herlings and Gajser had a couple of moments as the Slovenian pushed to get around the Dutchman.

SM Action Racing Team’s Alberto Forato was having a great opening race after a strong time practice. The Italian in sixth place, where he eventually finished. It did look like he was going to challenge Standing Construct GasGas Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass at one point though, which made for some nice racing.

Febvre then looked to stretch out his lead as he set the fastest lap of the race with nine minutes plus two laps to go. And as the race progressed things got more interesting as Febvre, Herlings and Gajser were just within 1.559 seconds of one another.

Cairoli was closing in on the top three at that point too as he was faster than the top three ahead of him. Herlings then put the hammer down on Febvre.

With one lap to go, Herlings was pushing to pass Febvre and was being pushed by Gajser who had Cairoli applying the pressure. Febvre did a good job to defend his position until he made a small mistake and crashed with less than half a lap to go.

Then it was Herlings in the driving seat as Gajser looked to keep close and make a move for the win though got caught out by a hard charging Cairoli who stole second from the Slovenian. Herlings was the race winner.

MXGP Race 2

In race two, it was Prado again with the Fox Holeshot as Herlings followed closely behind in second ahead of Gajser and Jonass, as Cairoli had to fight his way through the pack once again.

Herlings was looking to strike early as Cairoli got around Febvre for fifth and looked to put an attack on Jonass immediately after.

As the race went on, the top three remained close, just as they did in race one, with just 0.959 seconds in between them. Gajser was looking to make a pass on Herlings and make a charge for the win, though made a mistake which allowed Cairoli to close in and join the fight just like before.

At one stage Prado extended the gap to 1.840 seconds but it didn’t take long for Herlings to find his way onto the back of the Spaniard.

While the top four battled for the win, there was also nice action further down the field as Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Glenn Coldenhoff got around JM Honda Racing’s Henry Jacobi for 10th. The German responded soon after, parking the Yamaha rider. Coldenhoff then made a small error and crashed.

Back with the leaders though, Gajser was searching for every opportunity to get past Herlings and on lap six was finally able to do it. Then it was game on for the win. Three laps later, Gajser was the new race leader as the top three were bunched up and within less than a second of each other, which meant that the race was far from over.

Herlings followed in Gajser’s steps to get around Prado but could not keep with the Slovenian.

In the end, the birthday boy, Gajser won the second heat with a 5.947 seconds advantage to Herlings, with Cairoli taking third from his teammate as we were treated to another Cairoli vs Prado battle.

In terms of the podium, it was Herlings with the overall victory ahead of Gajser and Cairoli. Tim Gajser continues to lead the championship with a 28-point advantage over Romain Febvre and Antonio Cairoli. Meanwhile Jeffrey Herlings moves up to fourth in the standings, just 34 points off the series leader.

Jeffrey Herlings – P1

“I started the day strong with pole position and it was important to be on the inside in the start. First race was really good, I was actually equal with Jorge, but halfway down the straight he got me. Then I was chasing Romain and Jorge and then at one point Jorge had a big crash, I got up to second and I was actually second all race, I couldn’t really attack because I had Tim on my back, so I had to defend my line but at the same time I wanted to attack Romain because I had more speed than him. I was just following long and managed to be second until the last lap and obviously Romain made a mistake, and I got the win handed to me. It was a bit of a gift. Second race, I was a bit late on the gate but again I had Jorge next to me so he kept the other boys a little bit away. I had Tim on the back of me again and he was pushing hard, so again I had to defend and attack at the same time. Then Tim basically got us both within two laps. I made a pass on Jorge pretty quick, but Tim had a three second gap and he was fast, I can’t deny it. I did not want to take a risk, so I took the second place and knew I was going to take the GP win. It’s been a great day and great two races, looking forward to Sardinia. I think the track will suit me a bit better. I want to thank Red Bull KTM for the great bike they gave me. I can’t make any big mistake anymore. I would like to be 34 points in front instead of 34 points behind but Tim is in the hot seat, but I went from fifth to fourth in the championship and I am just a few points behind Tony and Romain so that’s good. But Second place doesn’t count, there’s only one place and that’s first. We had 9 races so 9 to go. I missed three races but it’s like this right now and I have to make the best out of the situation.”

Tim Gajser – P2

“I really enjoyed myself in that second moto, I felt so comfortable on the bike and I found the flow of the track without pushing over the limit. Of course, I am a little disappointed in the first moto, to have lost a position so close to the end of the race and in the end, this cost me the overall but it was nice to be able to show my speed and make some nice passes in that second moto and win with a solid gap. Now I will prepare for Riola Sardo which will be a completely different challenge as it is deep sand, but I have ridden there a lot these last few years so I am looking forward to it. A big thank you to the team for working so hard in this break and thank you to everyone who has wished me a ‘happy birthday’, it was a great day!”

Antonio Cairoli – P3

“Today I felt a bit better from the Timed Practice, which has been hard for me lately and also makes the starts more difficult. I was a bit too wide in the first turn for both motos and had to use a lot of energy to come back. I’m happy overall: the speed is there, the fitness is there and I just need to figure out the starts better and try to stay nearer the front. I found a good flow, especially in the second moto and just a small mistake meant the guys in front got away. It’s good to finish on the podium but I want more. I really like the track in Sardinia. With a one day race it won’t get too rough but it will be hot, which is good for me. I hope we can have some public because motorsport is pretty big there.”

Romain Febvre – P4

“I’m so disappointed as I spoilt my day with this crash in race one. After the crash of Prado I was leading all the race but then I crashed myself on the last lap. I missed a good opportunity to win a moto and gain points over my rivals but finally I crossed the finish line in fourth. Second moto my start was average. I had a good feeling at the beginning but then I started to feel tired; as you know I was sick on Sunday and I simply didn’t have time to recover between the two GPs. I just missed the podium with a fourth position but I scored good points again and we stay close in the points. Now I go back home and my first goal will be to recover and prepare for the next rounds of the series.”

Pauls Jonass – P5

“Not my best day, but not the worst! I’m a little sore from my crash on Wednesday but when I’m on the bike it’s all good. The track was a little sketchy and I wasn’t too confident pushing too hard, so I focused on consistent riding and I would say it paid off with a fifth and a sixth in the races. Having said that, in the second moto I picked up on some good lines towards the end but by then it was too late. It’s cool though, back to the sand in Riola Sardo next week so that should be a good one.”

Thomas Kjer Olsen – P9

“It was a good day for me with a top-10 overall result. I’m getting back to where I should be and I felt good today. My starts were good and when you’re up front, you can ride your own lines and that makes the races so much easier as you’re not trying to make passes while riding defensively. It’s nice to be heading back to base following a good result here in Turkey and I’m looking forward to the next one, to keep this momentum going.”

Jorge Prado – P10

“I’m happy I could walk away from that crash. It was a big one. I got kicked by one bump and then went into some others. I took too long to get up and luckily the bike was OK, I tried to come back and take some points but the other guys were too far. In the second moto I knew I needed a great start. Everything was hurting! I was feeling OK on the track and had a couple of nice battles. Tony and myself got into a good rhythm and I did my best laps at the end. I had a small dip around minute 20-25 which was difficult because the guys passed me. 4th was the best I could do. We got some points after losing some earlier on. I was very lucky today.”

Source: MCNews.com.au

MXGP 2021
MXGP of Turkey – Round 8

The 2021 MXGP of Turkey ran over the weekend in Afyonkarahisar and saw Jeffrey Herlings take the overall win in the MXGP class, leaving Jorge Prado and Tim Gajser to battle over the remaining podium positions.

In MX2 it was Tom Vialle taking top honours, with Australia’s Jed Beaton finishing third after consistent 3-3 results, behind Maxime Renaux. Fellow Australian Todd Wilson was eighth, with an 11-7 result.

MXGP Race 1

After posting the fastest lap time in Time Practice, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado started the first race with the Fox Holeshot, as he led Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s Glenn Coldenhoff, Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Romain Febvre and Standing Construct GasGas Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass.

Team HRC’s Tim Gajser and Jeffrey Herlings of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing were side by side on the opening lap and moments later both got around Jonass who dropped to sixth.

Herlings then caught onto the back of Coldenhoff and passed his fellow Dutchman as Gajser set out to do the same. But the Slovenian struggled for 10 laps behind Coldenhoff always coming short of making a pass.

Febvre remained all over Prado for the lead, as Gajser came under fire from Cairoli who got around the Honda rider to move into sixth. He then got around Coldenhoff too and was pushing to get closer to Jonass.

Gajser then caught back up with the 259 of Coldenhoff and passed him on lap 11, as JM Honda Racing’s Henry Jacobi got Brian Bogers of Standing Construct GasGas Factory Racing for eighth to solidify a top 10 result.

After spending the majority of the race in third, Herlings switched it up a gear and was on a charge to close in on Febvre and Prado. It did not take him long as he got Febvre on lap 13 and then just two laps later was in front of Prado.

Jonass started to challenge Febvre too and with three laps from the end of the race was able to get the job done. Herlings was the race winner, with Prado finishing second and Jonass third.

MXGP Race 2

In the second heat it was once again Prado with the Fox Holeshot as he led the race once again while Febvre, Gajser, Jonass and Cairoli followed behind. Herlings struggled further down the field as he passed Kevin Strijbos of Gebben Van Venrooy Yamaha Racing for seventh position.

Herlings then continued to make progress as he got around Coldenhoff and set his sights on Cairoli, while Gajser charged past Febvre to move into second place.

The gap was then 1.366 seconds between Prado and Gajser, as the Slovenian was clear with his intentions of going for the win.

Jonass then had a big crash as he went off the track while battling with Cairoli for fourth, with the Latvian not finishing the race. Cairoli inherited his position as Herlings started to close in too.

Gajser then made another attempt to pass Prado and was able to secure the position and take over the lead on lap nine. Cairoli then caught onto the back wheel of Febvre as the pair traded positions a couple of times before the Italian was able to make it stick and take away third from the Kawasaki rider, as Herlings did the same.

Gajser then led by 2.877 seconds, as Prado was starting to feel the force of Cairoli and Herlings who were catching up fast. Cairoli and Prado had a couple of close calls before making contact, but both remained on the bikes. Eventually Cairoli crashed after, which allowed Herlings through.

With one lap to go, Herlings got his head down and got to work as he was able to pass Prado and secure the top step of the podium. Gajser was the race winner, with Herlings second and Prado third.

With a 1-2 result, Jeffrey Herlings was back on the top step, while Jorge Prado was forced to settle for second and Tim Gajser joining the pair in third. In terms of the championship standings, Gajser leads Prado by 13 points, while Febvre remains third a further four points behind.

Jeffrey Herlings – P1

“Definitely the first race was much easier because I was around fourth of fifth in the start and only had to pass a few guys. Both starts were off today and with the high altitude here we changed some things with the bike, but I think maybe we should go in a different direction. The start was pretty bad in the first race but then I managed to pass Glenn, Romain and Jorge and then it went pretty easy. Second race I was around tenth or twelfth, it was harder to get around the other guys, the last few laps were sketchy between Jorge and Tony as they were fighting for second position. Then Tony crashed right in front of me and then I managed to sneak past Jorge, but Tim was too far away for me to do anything about it. A 1-2 is good, we have some good racing and I look forward to it, I like the track but will definitely work on the starts and try some things. The arm is fine now, in Lommel it was very painful but in Latvia it was already much better, I still had a bit of pain but nothing crazy. I don’t know if you can ever be 100% but I am trying to be the best as I can because the competition is strong. If you look at the championship, the top five guys are really close.”

Jorge Prado – P2

“I think it was a great day. I got two good starts which makes things a lot easier. I led the most laps today so this gives me a confidence boost for Wednesday, the only thing is I was riding the same lines but when Jeffrey passed me in race one and Tim in the second one, I could see where I could improve. Physically I am feeling ok and I am getting better, the bike is working good. It was a pity on the last lap to be passed by Jeffrey, but hopefully on Wednesday we get some good results. There is still a lot of racing left, I need to take it race by race and stay within the top three, that is my goal, and get some race wins if I can. You don’t always get such a good field of riders because of injuries and other reasons but now everybody is ready to go racing so it is nice to race when everybody is fit.”

Tim Gajser – P3

“That was definitely two completely different races today, but I’m glad to have finished on a high note with that victory. In the first race I just got stuck behind another rider for too long and couldn’t find a rhythm. When I did get past, the front guys were too far in front so I couldn’t catch them. In race two, I got a better start and was in third early on. I quickly moved into second and then a few laps later I moved into first. Once I was there, I was able to pull away a bit and control the race until the chequered flag. Overall, it was good and I’m excited to come back on Wednesday and try and get the win here.”

Romain Febvre – P4

“This morning I had a good feeling on the track and I was happy with my third position behind the gate. The first moto I had a good start and tried several times to pass Prado but there were not so many lines to make the difference and I couldn’t really attack him. That helped Jeffrey to come back at me; when he passed me I looked at his lines but three laps from the end I made a small mistake and lost one position to finish fourth. My second start was again a good one; I was behind Prado but my feeling was not so good. I didn’t feel well and I was not at my best physically so I had to be content to secure another fourth position. It could have been better, but if we consider how I felt in the second race it could have been worse. Now I will rest to be ready for the next GP on Wednesday.”

Tony Cairoli – P5

“Overall I’m quite happy because the speed was good. I came back to 5th in the first moto after a bad start. We know that the start is so important on a track like this where it can be difficult to pass. I had good pace but couldn’t get higher than 5th. I was better at the beginning of the second moto and caught the leaders with Jorge and Tim. I was trying hard to overtake Jorge but it was pretty tough. At one moment I was really close but unfortunately when I jumped I saw someone had knocked some haybales into the track and there were in the middle of the way. I crashed pretty hard and lost two places, back to 5th. Not the best day but I’m not hurt and there is still a lot of racing ahead.”

Jeremy Seewer – P6

“As I mentioned in the preview, I am not where I want to be, so I just need to turn up and try and that’s all I can do. If I was better in Timed Practice, I would have had a better day because my starts were amazing today. I was just far outside. I think in both motos, I could have got for the holeshot if I would be on the inside. I lacked energy in the morning, and that was my disadvantage today, going to the gate in P.14. I made the most out of the situation, but in the second moto, the track was one-lined and super hard to pass. Under the circumstances, I collected good points, and I am still here and racing and not feeling too bad, so now I will take a couple of days rest, do some recovery and see where I can improve for Wednesday.”

Glenn Coldenhoff – P8

“My day started good. I got second in Timed Practice and felt good. The track was still very wet and I like those conditions. In the first moto, I got arm-pump on lap-2 and rode tight. It went from bad to worse. I started in third and ended up finishing eighth, which was not good. We tried to work on some things before the second moto. It definitely worked out better, and in the second race, I was feeling quite okay; I could keep the pace with the front guys, but then I made a small crash and I pushed really hard in the end, but the track is very one-lined. Everyone was taking this line which made it very difficult to make some passes.”

Pauls Jonass – P9

“It was a frustrating end to the day after such a good first moto. During the break in the calendar I improved my fitness even more as well as my speed on the bike and I really felt like that showed in race one. Fortunately, I’m ok after my big crash in race two. It was a wild one and I landed on asphalt, which is never good. Luckily, I just have some really bad bruising, so I’ll be back for more on Wednesday. I’ve no doubts about what I can do and I’m excited to be racing again in a few days.”

Brian Bogers – P10

“I have mixed feelings about today. I felt good on the bike and I had a good start in race one in seventh, but I was riding too stiff and making mistakes, so I dropped back to 11th. I had another good start in the second moto but in the first few corners I lost a lot of positions. After that though, my riding was much better and I moved up from 18th to 12th, so I was happy with that one. I think for Wednesday, if I can put the good starts and smooth riding together then I can be much higher in the results.”

Source: MCNews.com.au