MXGP 2019
Round 12 – MXGP of Indonesia, Semarang
Round 12 of the FIM Motocross World Championship took place over the weekend at the MXGP of Asia in Indonesia, heralding the second Indonesian round, this time in Semarang, where Tim Gajser topped the MXGP class for Honda, on the back of a perfect 1-1 result, further extending his considerable championship lead.
The move makes Tim Gajser the most successful Honda MXGP racer in history for wins in a row, after taking seven consecutive wins in the MXGP class.
In the MX2 KTM’s Jorge Prado also proved unstoppable, claiming the 1-1 result to clinch yet another round win, from fellow KTM rider Tom Vialle once again. Aussie Jed Beaton closed out the weekend in seventh following a 4-11 result, just falling outside the top 10 in Race 2, and holds 10th overall in the standings.
MXGP
Tim Gajser’s performances were nothing less than amazing – the Slovenian was looking confident as he led the MXGP field into the opening lap of MXGP first race taking his sixth FOX Holeshot of the season. Then came Pauls Jonass, Jeremy Seewer, Romain Febvre, and Arminas Jasikonis in fifth.
After a lap the lead by the HRC rider was more than a second and riders were swapping positions throughout the field. Jeremy Van Horebeek moved into seventh, then back to 11th, and Gautier Paulin dropped from seventh to 10th.
After four laps it was Gajser with a two second lead, then Jonass, Seewer, Jasikonis and Arnaud Tonus fifth. Febvre went down hard while battling with his teammate Seewer and was forced to go out of the race after bending his front end. Jonass closed up on Gajser, but then Gajser quickened his pace and was two seconds up after six laps.
Gajser continued to control the race up front and on lap nine he was still around two seconds ahead of Jonass, with Seewer third, Jasikonis fourth and Tonus fifth while Max Anstie had moved past his team-mate Ivo Monticelli for eighth position.
Jonass went down hard and dropped out of the top ten with an eventual race 1 disqualification result as he re-joined the race after leaving the track for ‘outside assistance’ while Tonus managed to pass Jasikonis for third.
After 13 laps the lead by Gajser was more than six seconds over Seewer, with Tonus third, Jasikonis fourth and Glenn Coldenhoff fifth. Seewer crashed up the hill on lap 14 and handed Tonus the second place. Seewer then found himself in third place while Coldenhoff closed in on Jasikonis, until he succeeded to overtake. Gajser would win the opening MXGP race from Tonus and Seewer.
In the second MXGP race, it was Seewer who took the FOX Holeshot out front early ahead of Gajser, Jasikonis, Jonass and Tonus. Gajser was pushing hard to get into the lead and did just that after half a lap of the race.
On lap two Jasikonis nearly crashed, but saved it, and Febvre also got sideways, but didn’t lose a position. Coldenhoff went past Jasikonis, and after three laps it was Gajser with more than two seconds over Seewer, with Tonus, Jonass, and Paulin inside the top five.
Van Horebeek crashed and dropped back to 12th and by four laps in it was Gajser ahead of Seewer, Tonus, Jonass and Paulin. Six laps in and Gajser still held the lead, while Tonus made a mistake and Jonass moved into third place.
Tonus wasn’t about to hand third place to Jonass and fought back and was right on the back wheel of the Husqvarna rider. Jonass moved forward Seewer and so did Tonus. A great battle for second place became the feature of the last laps of race 2. At the end of Race 2 it was Gajser who won his 15th race of the season followed by Jonass and Tonus.
Gajser has won the MXGP of Asia with another perfect performance and 1-1 results. With his seventh Grand Prix win in a row the red plate owner has become the most successful Honda rider of all time for GP wins in a row. He also extended his points lead to 173 points over Jeremy Seewer who is now second in the points.
Second overall for the round was Arnaud Tonus and third was claimed by Jeremy Seewer.
Tim Gajser – P1
“I was having fun on both days this weekend. Unfortunately yesterday I had a crash in timed practice and I hurt my right ankle a little bit, but other than a bit of pain yesterday, it was certainly a great weekend again. In the first moto I had a great start, taking the holeshot and leading the whole race. In the second one, I started third and made quick pass, and then made another one a bit later in lap one before making a gap to control the race. I was really having fun out there although the track was a little slippery in some places, but I still got two moto wins so I can’t complain! I’m trying not to put pressure on myself on each weekend and I know if I can have fun, I can ride really fast and that seems to be working right now. It is also an honour to have the biggest win-streak for a Honda rider in world motocross, a lot of really talented riders have ridden on this great brand and it is amazing to have achieved this. I hope I can keep it going for as long as possible, and I must also thank Team HRC for helping me out so much and giving me all the support I need in order to do this.”
Arnaud Tonus – P2
“It feels great to rebound from a tough weekend in Palembang a few days ago, and especially on this track. It was very hard to find the flow and a good feeling. It was very slippery, and it took me a while to feel good out there. I felt better today than yesterday. We changed quite a lot of things on the bike ahead of practice today and I already felt better, which helped a lot. It was important to take your time today. I really went step by step because it was too easy to make a mistake out there. Overall I am super happy.”
Jeremy Seewer – P3
“It was a tough track. Yesterday I struggled a bit. I think the track crew did a good job on the track compared to yesterday because I know how tricky it is to prepare dirt like this. I am really happy on the podium for the second time in a row, it is really good for my confidence. Today I just wanted to go home healthy, I didn’t want to take any risks out there, so I settled for a place on the podium and I am happy with that. “
Source: MCNews.com.au