World MX Rnd 6 – Agueda, Portugal Desalle MX1 doubles in Agueda; Herlings wins MX1 Clement Desalle and Jeffrey Herlings obtained a new Grand Prix victory in the sixth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship, Desalle kept the red plate one more week and Herlings became the new leader of the MX2 Championship. Ken Roczen won the first race, but he had a big crash in the second heat and could not finish the race. Clement Desalle dominated the whole weekend, winning the MX1 qualifying race yesterday and winning both heats today. Second overall was Antonio Cairoli and third was Evgeny Bobryshev. Jeffrey Herlings obtained his third overall win in the MX2 class, while Gautier Paulin was second and Zach Osborne third. This morning also took place the second race of the UEM EMX-2 series and Dylan Ferrandis obtained his maiden overall victory of the season. Romain Febvre obtained the red plate thanks to the second overall position and third overall was Charles Lefrançois. MX1 Red Bull Teka KTM Factory Racing MX1’s Cairoli was second overall this weekend, but he was really close to obtaining another GP victory. Cairoli got the fastest lap in the second heat and he was very close to overtake Desalle in both first Honda World Motocross’ Bobryshev achieved his second podium of the season thanks to his two fourth positions in today’s races. The Russian took the Lovemytime holeshot award in the first heat and he also did a very good start in the second one, so it’s a matter of time for him to obtain his maiden GP victory. His team mate Rui Gonçalves finished seventh in the first heat, but he succeeded in being third in the second one and he ended with a solid overall fourth position in his home GP. Gonçalves took the holeshot in the second race and he is now very confident for the upcoming GP. Monster Energy Yamaha’s Frossard did a very good first race and he finished third, but things did not start well for the French rider in the second one. Frossard had to start from the 18th position and although he did all his best, he crossed the finish line in the seventh position. Frossard is third in the FIM MX1 World Championship, 36 points behind Desalle. De Dycker felt really good this weekend and he was able to finish sixth overall, ahead of Boog and Ramon. Leok obtained a solid ninth position and Barragán completed the top ten. The Spanish rider was involved in a tangle in the start of the first race and he finished 13th, and in the second race he crossed the finish line in eighth position. Nagl was eighth in the first race, but he got a dnf in the second one, as he injured his right thumb and could not finish the race. The German was 14th overall. Philippaerts crashed in both heats and got a dnf in the two motos. Fortunately, he is not injured and he will be ready for the Spanish GP next week.
MX2 Monster Energy Yamaha’s Paulin succeeded in being on the second step of the podium and he is still fifth in the Championship, but just two points behind fourth classified Osborne. Paulin made some mistakes today, but he was able to keep focused on his riding and managed to be on the podium. The third overall position was for Bike-it Cosworth Wild Wolf Yamaha’s Osborne, who finished tight in points with Paulin. Osborne was very sick this weekend and had a lot of pain in his chest. However, the American rider gave all his best and completed the top three. Osborne explained that they made some changes on the settings of the bike and he is feeling much better. CLS Monster Energy Kawasaki Pro Circuit’s Anstie rode among the top three riders during the first heat, but he was down to fourth by the end of the race. The Brit did not have a good start in the second moto and crossed the finish line in seventh position. Anstie finished fourth overall and he is now sixth in the point standings. Completing the top five was Arnaud Tonus from Bike-it Cosworth Wild Wolf Yamaha thanks to his 11-4 result. Tonus started sixth in the first race, but an early crash made him start from the very last position. The Swiss made an incredible comeback and crossed the finish line in the 11th position. Charlier had a very good weekend in Portugal and showed that he has the speed to ride among the top ten riders of the MX2 class. Charlier had a difficult first race, but he managed to finish eighth, while in the second one he got a solid sixth position. Searle won the second race with great authority but he got a dnf in the first heat. The British rider went out the track when we was battling with his team mate Anstie for the third position and his back wheel got stuck with the green fence. Searle could not finish the race, but thanks to his race win in the second moto, he got an overall seventh position. Roczen won the first heat of the MX2 class, but he crashed really hard at the beginning of the second race and he could not go back on his KTM. The German rider felt a heavy pain on his back, but fortunately he has no serious injury and he might be able to race the Spanish GP next week. Roelants got a solid ninth overall position, followed by Finnish rider, Harri Kullas. Butrón and Coldenhoff did a very good performance this weekend in Agueda, finishing 11th and 12th, and Aubin, even having taken the holeshot in the first race, he was just 13th overall. Michael Leib was back this weekend on his Husqvarna machine and he could only be 21st. Leib finished 17th in the first heat but he could not finish the second one due to some problems with his bike.
– MX3 Swiss rider Julien Bill got the FIM MX3 World Championship’s points lead back to his name after ‘flying’ his Honda for the win on both motos in the Vantaa-Speedway MX track in Finland. High temperatures made it once more a difficult test for the MX3 riders at the start grid of this unique Finnish Motocross track alongside the Helsinki airport. Pellicari team rider Julien Bill won the overall even crashing on the second moto he made his way from the back to get the lead from Tom Soderstrom who led almost two thirds of the race. The crowd’s favourite Finn, Antti Pyrhonen finished second and was decided to put up a good show but struggled to keep up with the fast pace and heat on ‘his’ home track after being out of action for more than a year recovering from injury. Pole position rider, UFO-Racing team’s Milko Potisek wasn’t at his best in Vantaa and lost the red plate for Bill after going 4-3 on the day’s motos. The French was somehow feeling some tension while leading the series and ended up doing several mistakes that cost him positions on the races and the lead of the championship. R.S.C. Italia Corse Orion RS Petrol team rider Martin Michek finished fourth overall with a 3-4 result. The Czech rider led the first race after getting the holeshot but had to give it up for the faster Swiss winner. Marco Maddii was also on the pace in Finland and followed Michek in fifth after two good starts which helped the KTM mounted Italian rider to keep his fifth spot in the series. Russian rider Dimitry Parshin and Estonian Juss Laansoo crashed during Saturday practice and didn’t take part in today’s racing. The FIM MX3 World Championship continues next weekend 18th June in Castiglione del Lago, Italy, for its fourth round. Julien Bill: “It was definitely a good weekend for me; I already had good lap times on Saturday so I was confident for the race. I didn’t use much energy on the first moto as I had an ok start and was able to pull away on the lead after passing Michek. I was really focused for the second moto but I crashed on the first corner after the start and then I crashed again. I spend the whole race pushing really hard, not even looking at the pit-board so I was surprised to still be able to catch the guys at the front for the win.” Antii Pyrhonen: “It was a tough race. In 2009 I won both motos here and I had a perfect day but today these guys were going fast and it was physically very demanding. I am happy with my second position; it was difficult to beat them. I thought of fighting for the lead on the second moto but physically I wasn’t able to do it. I need to get all the time more races under my belt after my injury as every race will improve my riding.” Milko Potisek: “I confess I was a bit tense as it was the first time for me carrying the red-late and it was a hard weekend for me. I crashed at the start of the first moto and had to recover but it was better on the second one as I got the holeshot. I had a good fight with Soderstrom but I crashed again losing many positions. I’m a bit disappointed of course so I need to work my way to get the red plate back.” MX3 Race 1 top-ten: 1. Julien Bill (SUI, Honda), 34:51.000; ; 2. Antti Pyrhonen (FIN, Honda), +0:28.319; 3. Martin Michek (CZE, KTM), +0:33.819; 4. Milko Potisek (FRA, Honda), +0:47.933; 5. Marco Maddii (ITA, KTM), +0:49.708; 6. Toni Eriksson (FIN, Kawasaki), +0:52.941; 7. Riku Rouhiainen (FIN, Yamaha), +0:54.798; 8. Martin Zerava (CZE, Honda), +0:57.598; 9. Lauris Freibergs (LAT, Honda), +1:01.205; 10. Samuli Aro (FIN, KTM), +1:23.962; MX3 Race 2 top-ten: 1. Julien Bill (SUI, Honda), 35:34.253; ; 2. Tom Söderström (SWE, Suzuki), +0:08.775; 3. Milko Potisek (FRA, Honda), +0:23.879; 4. Antti Pyrhonen (FIN, Honda), +0:25.757; 5. Lauris Freibergs (LAT, Honda), +0:25.998; 6. Martin Zerava (CZE, Honda), +0:36.040; 7. Martin Michek (CZE, KTM), +0:40.589; 8. Marco Maddii (ITA, KTM), +0:53.013; 9. Riku Rouhiainen (FIN, Yamaha), +1:05.786; 10. Atte Jousi (FIN, Yamaha), +1:12.567; MX3 Overall top-ten: 1. Julien Bill (SUI, Honda), 50 points; 2. Antti Pyrhonen (FIN, Honda), 40 p.; 3. Milko Potisek (FRA, Honda), 38 p.; 4. Martin Michek (CZE, KTM), 34 p.; 5. Marco Maddii (ITA, KTM), 29 p.; 6. Lauris Freibergs (LAT, Honda), 28 p.; 7. Martin Zerava (CZE, Honda), 28 p.; 8. Riku Rouhiainen (FIN, Yamaha), 26 p.; 9. Tom Söderström (SWE, Suzuki), 22 p.; 10. Petr Michalec (CZE, Honda), 17 p. MX3 Championship top-ten: 1. Julien Bill (SUI, Honda), 115 points; 2. Milko Potisek (FRA, Honda), 106 p.; 3. Martin Michek (CZE, KTM), 90 p.; 4. Antti Pyrhonen (FIN, Honda), 86 p.; 5. Marco Maddii (ITA, KTM), 75 p.; 6. Martin Zerava (CZE, Honda), 72 p.; 7. Dimitry Parshin (RUS, Honda), 54 p.; 8. Riku Rouhiainen (FIN, Yamaha), 43 p.; 9. Petr Michalec (CZE, Honda), 40 p.; 10. Juss Laansoo (EST, KTM), 36 p. – Suzuki Thirteen thousand spectators entered the tight and compact circuit south of Porto and were able to see the Belgian defeat Antonio Cairoli and Evgeny Bobryshev by controlling two exciting 35 minute a 2 lap motos. After recording his third pole position of the season with a confident success in Saturday’s qualification heat, Desalle tackled arguably the roughest and most technically difficult terrain of the year so far in confident fashion. Under sunny skies the 22 year old led the first moto from start to finish in spite of pressure from Steven Frossard and then Cairoli in the closing stages. In the second, he had to be patient for seven of 21 laps to draw up to the machines of Bobryshev and Goncalves but was soon facing an empty track. Once more, Cairoli was the pursuer in the final laps but Desalle dealt admirably with the pressure to record his sixth moto triumph from 12 in 2011 (four more than his nearest rival). Steve Ramon slipped off his machine entering the waves section in the first moto and pulled his left groin. Bearing the discomfort for the second sprint the former World Champion was able to complete a steady 40-minute trek for fifth place and eighth overall. Desalle has now led the MX1 series standings for the last three rounds and for five of the six to-date and he was able to stretch his lead over Cairoli from six to 12 points. Ramon is 11th and nine points from brand-mate Kevin Strijbos and the top 10. The final event of three back-to-back races will take place next weekend as Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1 make the relatively short journey across the border to La Baneza for the Grand Prix of Spain. Clement Desalle: “It was good to win and I’m happy with the result but I’m not that pleased with some mistakes I made. Tony was getting close to me both times but I stayed focussed and didn’t want to crash. I wasn’t tense and I knew what speed I could do. It was good to get more experience of being at the front and learning from the pressure! I had to pass Rui and Bobryshev in the second moto but I took my time because I didn’t want to have to take any risks. I looked for opportunities and there wasn’t many because the track was very rough and stony. I am still leading the Championship, but we will think about this more at the end of the season!” Steve Ramon: “One bad race and one not so bad. In the first moto my start was OK but in the waves section around the back I made a mistake. I was going on the outside to get some speed to do the first double but somebody came up the inside and just blocked the face of the jump. I went sideways and it was a big one. I stretched my groin and it was pretty painful. The second moto was better but the track was really tricky. Nagl went down in front of me and so did Philippaerts. You had to be really focussed. I tried to close to gap to Bobryshev in front but I started to get stomach cramps near the end. I don’t know why; maybe because of the impact from the earlier crash. It was tough to handle and that was it for today. I did my best. The track next week will be completely new for me. I haven’t even seen a picture so it will be interesting.” Simone Zecchina took another step in his motocross education at the highest level by taking the RM-Z250 of the Suzuki Europe MX2 squad almost into the points at a warm Agueda circuit for the Grand Prix of Portugal. A crowd of 13,000 came to the facility south of Porto for the sixth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship and although the agreeable climate created a pleasant event, the track itself was rough, demanding and difficult for overtaking. The layout represented another tough lesson for the Italian teenager on his second appearance of three for the GP team. Number ’12’ rued two mediocre starts, and in the first moto his part in a crash in the formative stages meant that he showed good resilience to push his way back to 23rd. In the second race, the rookie tried hard but did not have the power to last the entire distance at the speed he wanted to carry. Zecchina and Suzuki Europe MX2 will next be in action at La Baneza for the Grand Prix of Spain this coming weekend. Valentin Teillet is scheduled for a return to action for the Swedish round at the beginning of July. The same event will also host the second meeting of six in the European 125cc two-stroke series; a contest that Zecchina currently leads. Simone Zecchina: “My starts were not good but I was quite pleased with how I could keep going and finish the race near the top 20. I couldn’t get a good rhythm going in the second moto and after 25 minutes I was finished. Physically I felt better than I did in France and I am learning a lot about what I need to do. Spain will be my last GP with the team but I hear the track is quite ‘Italiano’ so that should be good for me.” – Yamaha Report Excellent weather covered the weekend and crimsoned the 13,000 attendance. The tight circuit was another hard test for the riders with the distinctive red dirt becoming very rough and demanding; penalising errors and forming the kind of squared-edge bumps that draw so much energy and concentration. Frossard was nursing some discomfort with his right thumb after a small tumble in the qualification heat on Saturday. A bright start in the first moto helped the Frenchman terrorise the rear wheel of leader Clement Desalle but entering the final stages he was powerless to Tony Cairolis attack and passed the chequered flag in third. A poor gate later in the afternoon signified a busy stretch of work for the MX1 rookie but he fared well, arriving to seventh before being unable to gain further ground. Frossard also saw the spill suffered by team-mate David Philippaerts. The Italian lost the front end of his machine in a descent while climbing the top ten and in the resulting crash cut his elbow and hurt his ribs. Earlier in the day DP had suffered another fall in the formative stages of the first moto and was forced to retire. It was a hard weekend for the former world champion and his 2011 title hopes. Anthony Boissiere had a technical problem in the first moto that caused a DNF but he adjusted to the track in the second affair and took thirteenth, despite nursing some pain from his accident in France last week. The winners of back-to-back events had to forego the podium on this occasion but Frossard has created distance between himself and Max Nagl (who crashed and injured his right hand) in the MX1-GP world championship standings. He is now third by 21 points. Philippaerts is seventh with Boissiere in fifteenth. Monster Energy Yamaha will move east and across the border to La Bañeza this week for the Grand Prix of Spain and round seven of the series. The inauguration of the small facility south of Leon will represent the third of three consecutive meetings and precedes a small break in the calendar before another three-race stretch. Steven Frossard: It was a bit difficult this weekend with my finger because the track had many hard bumps. It was hard for me on the downhills and also in the waves. I took a really good start in the first moto and went from fifth to second. I tried to catch Desalle but then Cairoli arrived and he was faster. I had been a bit too aggressive and was getting some arm-pump. It wasnt easy to ride smooth and quickly after that. Anyway it was a good heat for me. I was a bit too tense at the start of the second race because I had the bad launch from Saturday in my head. I made a mess of it and tried to fight back but after twenty-five minutes I saw David crash and decided to consolidate, not go too crazy and focus on making the finish. David Philippaerts: Im very disappointed. I tried to push today but the track was very difficult and if you made a mistake then you paid for it and I did. I took the outside line to make the triple in the first moto and found Goncalves who had changed his line when I was in the air. There was not much that could be done but it was a big crash. In the next race I made the little jump down the hill but I lost the front end, like I did in France. My arm needed a few stitches and I have some pain in my ribs but it could have been worse. Another MX2-GP podium double for Yamaha After a weekend full of activity with the European MX2 series again supporting the MX1 and MX2-GP classes the red Agueda terrain was almost brutal in terms of the rough bumps and ruts that were carved into the surface. 13,000 spectators travelled to the event and watched the MX2 field exercise restraint for when and how they could attack the terrain. Paulin picked up his second trophy in the space of a week after two reasonable starts on his factory YZ250FM and pushed through to fifth and third positions, even in spite of a small crash while trying to pass Osborne in Moto1. The Frenchman was so close to snaring fourth on the last corner of the first moto but was just unable to relegate Max Anstie, denied by the width of a wheel. At the second start he passed both of his fellow Yamaha riders to defend a lonely third. Osborne was also able to replicate his rostrum celebration from the Grand Prix of France, this time in third spot. The American was impressive to third and fifth considering that he was sick with a cold, cough and sore throat. Behind the consistent British Champion was team-mate Arnaud Tonus in fifth. The Swiss went down heavily at the top of the steep step-up triple on the first lap of the first moto and spent the rest of the 35 minute and 2 lap duration finding precious few places to overtake and reach a noteworthy eleventh. In the second race Tonus chased down Osborne for a fine fourth place. Christophe Charlier was sixth for his best finish of the season. The Frenchman was flighty on the short Agueda hills and a bad start to Moto1 saw the former European Champion needing to recover from as low down as thirty-second. Charlier gained confidence from his rise to eighth in spite of an injured finger on his left hand. In the next race a better getaway saw him running alone in sixth. Team-mate Harri Kullas was tenth and ninth for tenth overall and was left lamenting two more incidents and his inability to launch from the gate in the leading pack. Osborne is fourth in the MX2-GP world championship standings and 26 points from Tommy Searle. Paulin is two points behind his brand-mate with Tonus, Kullas and Charlier in seventh, eighth and tenth respectively giving Yamaha presence in half of the top ten of the table. The FIM Motocross World Championship will move onto La Bañeza for the Grand Prix of Spain next weekend. The seventh round will end a small busy period of the calendar. The riders and teams have only one free weekend before another intense three-week stretch with races in Sweden, Germany and Latvia to come. Gautier Paulin: I really feel good on the bike now, aggressive and fast and physically I can train and prepare like I want. Im just missing the good starts now to get right at the front and be fighting for the lead. The championship will change and it is impossible to say what will happen, if you see today Ken had a crash and did not finish. I hope we can be strong and consistent for the rest of the season and try to regain a few of the points we lost. I am looking forward to being stronger every week. Zach Osborne: Yesterday I thought two top ten finishes would be a good result. I got off to a good start and overall made some decent points today. I was able to charge the whole way in the first race but in the second after twenty-five minutes I was struggling to hold onto what I had. I tried to go with Gautier as long as I could to separate myself from Tonus; that would have given me second overall but third is not bad. We made some modifications to the bike after St Jean and they worked for me with two good starts. I need to get strong now for Spain next week. Arnaud Tonus: Im quite happy with the GP and especially the second moto. Saturday was also good with third in the qualification race. To almost have the holeshot yesterday was a big improvement for me! The track was tough and it was hard to find a good setting with the suspension and tyres because the ground was changing with every lap and it was slick and bumpy. I felt confident so I was disappointed with that big crash in the first triple step-up. After that it was difficult because I had broken the front brake and it wasnt working any more but by finishing eleventh I saved some points. In the second moto I got better and better with my rhythm and in the end I was close to Paulin for third. It feels like a long time since I had a good feeling at a GP so Im happy. Christophe Charlier: Butron crashed into me yesterday and I hurt my finger so it wasnt the best start to the grand prix and at the beginning of the first race I couldnt believe it. I just rode as hard as I could and was really happy with the places I made. With a good start in the second one I kept a good pace and although I was on my own I was in positions where I think I should be. Harri Kullas: We need to change something because my starts were really bad. In the first race I was around fifteenth and made a mistake and crashed. I came from last to tenth, which was OK but Im not happy with yet another mistake. In the second moto I made the triple but came out hitting the high wall there and stalled the bike. I was twelfth but came back to ninth. Too many crashes in the last races and Id making it hard for myself. – Honda 13,000 fans surrounded the sun-beaten track that was full of undulations and kinks and evolved into a bumpy and demanding course as the fine dirt took on its own rippled form. The clear skies ensured a fine climate, but the temperatures were not too punishing thanks to a generous breeze. Bobryshev led a sizeable period of the qualification heat on Saturday until a mistake entering a downhill turn robbed him of a first potential pole position. The British Champion altered his mindset for Sunday and a steady performance to a brace of fourth positions was enough for his second spray of champagne both of the season and of his career. ‘Bobby’ was actually part of a fine sight for the Italian team and CRF450R fans around the world as he chased holeshotter and earlier leader Rui Goncalves for the first seven of the twenty-one laps in race two. The team-mates set the pace at the front and across the rough ground until conceding to the superior speed of Desalle and reigning world champion Tony Cairoli. Goncalves, competing on home turf and at the venue where he notched an emotional MX2 victory in 2009, sent the crowd into rapture with his efforts and a career-best third place in the second moto. The former MX2 world championship runner-up was seventh in first moto and therefore placed fourth in the final ranking of the Grand Prix for the factory team’s best weekend of 2011. LS Honda Racing’s Ken De Dycker continued his surge of powerful riding and promise by finishing sixth overall. The Belgian was sixth on both occasions, but felt that his second moto recovery from a first lap slot of twelfth was the better outing. Team-mate Shaun Simpson struggled for top ten pace across the red terrain and was twelfth at the conclusion of both thirty-five minute and two lap sprints. In the MX2 class Swian Zanoni was not riding in an effort to let his hand (injured at the U.S. Grand Prix) recover strength and the small fracture to fully heal. After a break from grand prix duty the young Brazilian will attempt to steer his CRF250R in Spain next week. Bobryshev is still Honda’s top ranked rider in the FIM Motocross World Championship standings. He holds fifth place and is ten points in front of Goncalves in sixth. De Dycker is twelfth and two positions and thirty-three points ahead of Shaun Simpson. The schedule moves swiftly on this week and the paddock will re-form at La Bañeza in northern Spain for round seven next weekend. Evgeny Bobryshev (Honda World Motocross) Race Result: 4th /4th Championship position: 5th “It feels very good to be on the podium again and to see that Russian flag going up the pole. Yesterday I was making too many mistakes. I was leading the qualification heat and I had a lot of pressure from the others behind me. I made a silly crash so I thought a lot about my riding Saturday night and just wanted to be consistent today and that’s what happened. I want to keep on doing my best. Tracks are different for people every weekend; sometimes you can be fast sometimes not so much. I am working week by week at the moment, but tomorrow I go home to Holland with a smile on my face.” Rui Goncalves (Honda World Motocross) Ken De Dycker (LS Honda Racing) Shaun Simpson (LS Honda Racing) Roger Harvey, Honda Motor Europe Off-road Racing Manager: – KTM In the first moto Cairoli found himself back at around seventh at the start of the Agueda circuit, a location where he has always performed well. He worked his way through the pack in the first half of the race to sit comfortably behind the two leaders with a handful of laps to go. In typical wily Cairoli style he carefully plotted out the best place on the track to make a move on second placed Steven Frossard then made his move with three laps to go. Cairoli then turned up the throttle and went after Clement Desalle, edging wheel to wheel close to him over the nail biter last two laps. But he ran out of time and eventually had to settle for second place. Cairoli’s start was much better in the second moto and he was well in the running for the top place as he was several times within a wheel’s distance from the leader Desalle but again would have needed another lap to settle the moto for him. His two second places still yielded 44 championship points and kept him in the running to retain his title. After the race he said he was gaining in physical fitness after having to cut back on training to recover from injury and was still feeling confident about the remainder of the season. Cairoli has had a lot of past success on the track at Agueda and said: “I like this track a lot. I have won four GPs and 11 motos here during my career, so actually tis one of my favorite GPs. But today it was pretty hard. It hasn’t rained here for a long time and there were a lot of strange bumps on the track where you can make a lot of mistakes. While the GP turned out to be positive for Cairoli, his teammate Max Nagl was not so fortunate. In the first moto he had an uncharacteristic bad start and then spent a lot of time trying to overtake Rui Goncalves. The second was shaping up to be much better for the German rider but then he had a huge off on the downhill slope. The bike slid down and struck him and it was also damaged in the crash to the extent that he was unable to remount and continue the race. Max also hurt his thumb, which was badly swollen after the race. He was returning to Belgium on Monday to have it checked out by his doctor. Dutch teenager and Red Bull Teka KTM factory rider Jeffrey Herlings came away from the MX2 GP in Agueda with 44 points, the overall GP victory and for the first time in his young career, the coveted red plate as championship leader. But despite the continued success of the 16-year-old Dutch teenager, the day was less memorable for his teammate ken Roczen of Germany who after dominating the opening moto, came unstuck in the second, crashed hard and had to retire. The first moto saw Roczen uncharacteristically missed the start from his pole position, while Herlings shot out of the gate like a bullet and surged ahead to put around seven seconds between him and the rest of the pack. Two thirds of the way through the race it looked like being a one man show, but in the end it just turned into a 1-2 KTM show. Roczen hit the gas, turned up the adrenalin and went after riders like a man possessed. One by one he brushed them aside as he carved away at the time advantage to his teammate. Then he tucked in behind him in the final three laps and the race was on to see which one of the two young KTM factory riders would be the first to the flag. Herlings defended well almost up to the final lap but in the end it was Roczen who prevailed. The dominance of the two KTM riders was again obvious as they rocketed across the finish 25 seconds ahead of third placed Zach Osborne. In the second moto, it was Roczen who hit the front in the early stages and it looked as though he was again going to dominate the race. Then a mistake on the bumpy track proved costly as he was pitched over the handlebars and landed hard on the dirt track, taking a blow to the chest and head. The German rider who has been attracting attention on both sides of the Atlantic then had no other option but to return to the pits, leaving the way open for Herlings to take control of the race. Jeffrey hung onto the lead until the final third of the race but came under strong attack by Tommy Searle, the only other rider who has won a GP so far this season. Searle had something to prove after registering a DNF in the first moto when his bike picked up a swathe of the green netting that marks the track. In the end Herlings took the cautious approach and settled for a comfortable second place, knowing both the GP victory and the red plate was safely in his hands. Jeffrey Herlings: “I’m six points ahead of Kenny now and I have to keep it like that. It’s going to be really hard because Ken is in very good shape and he’s really fast, but all in all it was a good weekend for me. I’ll try to be cool, that’s the main thing I have to do to hold onto the red plate. It will be hard but I’m looking forward to the races next weekend and I hope to keep it.” Ken Roczen on the other hand was in a lot of pain after his big crash. He was taken to the hospital by team officials for a full medical check but now has the all clear to stay on with the team as they remain on the Iberian peninsular to prepare for the GP of Spain next weekend. |