MXGP – Cairoli takes back red plate with KTM sweeping podium

The 2012 MXGP of Latvia will be remembered by many, especially Antonio Cairoli who was back on the top of the podium recapturing the red plate. Ken De Dycker obtained his maiden podium of the season, while Kevin Strijbos won his first heat in five years. The weekend will be also be specially remembered by Joel Roelants, who obtained his maiden Grand Prix win and Jordi Tixier for his first ever MX2 podium.

However, it will be a weekend to forget for others. In MX1 Clement Desalle made numerous mistakes, causing him to finish sixth and lose the red plate. In MX2, Jeffrey Herlings got a DNF in the second race when his KTM stopped, and Tommy Searle could not finish any of the heats due to mechanical problems.

MX1

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli took the holeshot of the first race and dominated it easily until the chequered flag. But, things changed in the second moto when he had a big crash while leading, causing him to drop down to fifth. The Italian damaged his left wrist ligament in the crash, but he was able to fight back up to second and win the Latvian Grand Prix as he regained the red plate.

Team mate Ken De Dycker had one of the best weekends of the season by finishing second overall thanks to his 2-3 result. It is the first podium result from the Belgian this season and he admitted that he is very satisfied to have been able to hand this to his team. It was a very special weekend also for Kevin Strijbos, not only for being on the third step of the podium, but also for wining the second heat. The last time the Belgian rider won a race in the FIM Motocross World Championship was back in 2007 during the Grand Prix of the Netherlands in Lierop, so it was a great feeling for the Belgian to cross the finish line first once again after such a long period of time.

Rui Gonçalves missed the podium this weekend being tight in points with Kevin Strijbos, but is very satisfied for having proved that he is able to ride among the top MX1 riders. The Portuguese rider had already a good qualifying race yesterday and today he finished third in the first moto, but the rough conditions of the second race forced him to finish in fourth. Completing the top five was Gautier Paulin after finishing fourth and sixth in the races respectively.

Clement Desalle had a tough weekend in Kegums, losing the red plate after finishing sixth overall. The Belgian rider crashed in the opening lap of the first moto and had to fight from tenth position, but as he was moving up to seventh made another mistake and dropped back to thirteenth. In the end Desalle took seventh, then going on and looking strong in the second race Desalle before unfortunately crashing while second, and crossing the line in fourth. It was a disappointing weekend for Christophe Pourcel, who did not find himself comfortable on the Latvian track and he was only eleventh overall.

MX1 Race 1 Top Ten:

1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 40:10.291
2. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:14.660
3. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), +0:19.982
4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:25.045
5. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:29.425
6. Tanel Leok (EST, Suzuki), +0:30.185
7. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:48.051
8. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:49.206
9. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:50.222
10. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), +0:50.592

MX1 Race 2 Top Ten:

1. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), 40:41.137
2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:09.646
3. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:14.187
4. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:21.801
5. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), +0:23.040
6. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:34.385
7. Tanel Leok (EST, Suzuki), +0:40.746
8. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:51.920
9. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:54.297
10. Marc de Reuver (NED, Kawasaki), +1:20.375

MX1 Overall Top Ten:

1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 47 points
2. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 42 p.
3. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), 36 p.
4. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), 36 p.
5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 33 p.
6. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 32 p.
7. Tanel Leok (EST, Suzuki), 29 p.
8. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), 26 p.
9. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), 26 p.
10. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), 22 p.

MX1 Championship Top Ten:

1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 392 points
2. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 380 p.
3. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), 357 p.
4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 348 p.
5. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 299 p.
6. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), 279 p.
7. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), 258 p.
8. Tanel Leok (EST, Suzuki), 230 p.
9. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), 219 p.
10. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 212 p.

MX2

Team Floride Monster Energy Kawasaki Pro Circuit’s Joel Roelants proved that he is back 100% after obtaining his maiden MX2 podium this weekend in Latvia. In the first race Roelants started fifth, but managed to find really good lines and move to the front of the heat by lap eight. In the second moto the Belgian rider decided to enter the pitlane to change his goggles because he was having problems overtaking Anstie who was riding fourth. Once Roelants was out again, he easily overtook the British rider and climbed up to the second position, giving him the overall win.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeremy Van Horebeek was a little bit disappointed for having missed the overall victory because he felt really comfortable on the Latvian track. The Belgian rider dominated from beginning to end in the second moto, but in the first one Van Horebeek crashed with Jose Butrón while they were fighting for the first position and the Belgian was only able to cross the finish line third. Team mate Jordi Tixier was visibly moved after crossing the finish line of the second moto third and realizing that he was third overall in the Latvian Grand Prix. The French rider placed fifth in the first race and then had a really good start in the second moto, managing to keep the third position until the chequered flag.

It was also a really good weekend for Glen Coldenhoff, who finished fourth overall thanks to his 8-5 result. The fifth overall position was for Diga Racing KTM’s Jose Butrón. The Spanish rider took the holeshot of race one and he was able to lead the race for seven laps, but he could not keep the rhythm and crossed the finish line sixth. In the second moto he didn’t have such a good start and had to fight from his initial twelfth position to finish seventh.

Jeffery Herlings started from the outside because of a DNF obtained in the qualifying race, but he had really good starts and was able to ride among the top five already in the first laps of both motos. The Dutch rider finished second in the first race, and while he was riding second in the second moto, his KTM stopped and had to pull out the race. Herlings was seventh overall, but he is still leading the MX2 standings with 41 points advantage over Tommy Searle. It was a weekend to forget for Tommy Searle who had two DNF’s due to mechanical problems. In the first race there was a problem with one of the oil pipes of his Kawasaki and in the second moto he had a problem with the back tyre. Searle did not score any points this weekend, so the fight for the Title gets more completed than ever for the British rider.

MX2 Race 1 Top Ten:

1. Joel Roelants (BEL, Kawasaki), 39:26.119
2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:11.964
3. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, KTM), +0:15.035
4. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +0:17.148
5. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +0:31.514
6. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +0:38.080
7. Romain Febvre (FRA, KTM), +0:43.017
8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:44.453
9. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +0:46.327
10. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:03.649

MX2 Race 2 Top Ten:

1. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, KTM), 40:08.550
2. Joel Roelants (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:05.653
3. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +0:40.065
4. Max Anstie (GBR, Honda), +0:45.920
5. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:50.273
6. Nikolaj Larsen (DEN, Suzuki), +1:45.706
7. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +1:49.834
8. Jens Getteman (BEL, Suzuki), +1:53.832
9. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +2:01.686
10. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Husqvarna), +2:05.292

MX2 Overall Top Ten:

1. Joel Roelants (BEL, Kawasaki), 47 points
2. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, KTM), 45 p.
3. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 36 p.
4. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 29 p.
5. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 29 p.
6. Max Anstie (GBR, Honda), 25 p.
7. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 25 p.
8. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), 24 p.
9. Romain Febvre (FRA, KTM), 24 p.
10. Jens Getteman (BEL, Suzuki), 21 p.

MX2 Championship Top Ten:

1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 428 points
2. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 387 p.
3. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, KTM), 375 p.
4. Joel Roelants (BEL, Kawasaki), 310 p.
5. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 279 p.
6. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 255 p.
7. Max Anstie (GBR, Honda), 224 p.
8. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 197 p.
9. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), 190 p.
10. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Husqvarna), 183 p.

There is no break for the FIM Motocross World Championship, as next week it travels to Russia to commence the eleventh Grand Prix of the season.