MXGP Insider No.24: Tixier’s Hopes
Welcome to our weekly web-exclusive column, Transmoto‘s MXGP Insider. Penned each week by Vurbmoto’s David Bulmer, the MXGP Insider will present the story-behind-the-stories of the European motocross scene.
Going into the Czech GP, the questions were all about whether Jordi Tixier could step up and win in Jeffrey Herlings’ absence. Speaking with a few different people around the paddock, the general consensus was that he wouldn’t win the title, either due to not being good enough, Herlings being back for Mexico or because (tin-foil hat time) KTM doesn’t want the #1 plate on a different brand for next year. To be honest, I didn’t think he would either, but I was waiting until after Loket before I completely wrote him off.
Well, he proved a lot of people wrong and took his first win, his first Overall and scored more than the 36.5 points he needs at each round, in order to overtake Herlings (if the Dutchman doesn’t ride again). Not only that, but he did it the extremely hard way by being involved in an epic 35-minute battle in the whole of the second MX2 moto. It was seriously some of the best racing you’ll see all year and if you get a chance, watch it in it’s entirety.
So now he’s proved people wrong, will he go on to win this thing? Ummm… probably not. I have a feeling Herlings will be in Mexico and score enough points to stop Tixier winning, whether that’s 5 points, 10 points or 50 points, he won’t be denied.
Not to be outdone, the MXGP class also put on a cracker of a second moto, as the overall outcome wasn’t decided until two laps to go when Jeremy van Horebeek finally passed Antonio Cairoli to win not just the moto, but the GP as well. The relief was obvious, as were the celebrations and it was cool to see how much it meant to a rider who has really stepped it up in 2014. With this monkey off his back, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him win a couple more (although probably not at Cairoli’s Lommel). Speaking of Cairoli, it was actually a surprise to him in with a shot of winning at a track that he despises so much. As mentioned though, I fully expect domination in one week’s time at the deep sand track of Lommel.
Unfortunately one rider who won’t be there is Clement Desalle, who injured his scaphoid and will sit out the rest of the year. It also looks like he’ll miss the Motocross of Nations, which as van Horebeek put it, “I think we’re not going to have a winning team anymore.” Obviously this is bad news for that event, as Belgium are one of the few teams who have the strength to challenge Team USA. Essentially that just leaves France and Australia as threats to stop the Americans getting back the Chamberlain Trophy, although I do have my fingers crossed Tommy Searle, Dean Wilson and Shaun Simpson can pull off a 1994… I live in hope.
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