[Features]

MXGP Insider No.7: What We Wished For

9 years ago | Words: David Bulmer

Transmoto’s weekly web-exclusive column, the MXGP Insider, penned by David Bulmer, presented by KTM Australia. 

So another GP weekend, and another bunch of racing that just keeps on getting more and more intriguing. Honestly, this is the way I dreamed this season would go, but I just wasn’t too optimistic that it’d happen. Villopoto is still looking a smidge off the pace and Cairoli hasn’t even won an Overall yet, Paulin still has yet to produce anything and van Horebeek has been sadly disappointing as well so in theory, it can only get better! Awesome!

In fact, the only two guys who are happy are Max Nagl and Clement Desalle. Both are performing like we all knew they could, but they just haven’t done so consistently too often (and there is obviously still a long way to go), however right now they are looking really impressive. For Nagl to overtake both Cairoli and Desalle and then checkout is a rare feat for the German and must have been especially nice for him, given that Cairoli “stole” his start gate in the first moto. It’s something Pourcel used to do regularly but this is the first time I remember Cairoli doing it, although it doesn’t surprise me that he did it to his ex-teammate Nagl. I always got the impression that the pair didn’t get on with each other when they were both KTM riders and I’m sure Nagl feels he has something to do with his departure from that team a few of years ago. I remember at the German GP in 2012, Cairoli did a whip right in the face of Honda-riding Nagl as he overtook him for the lead as if to say that he was still the boss, even in Germany. All of this is good for the media and fans, though, and it provides another element to talk about, rather than just the typical Cairoli versus Villopoto battle.

Even Herlings decided to make things interesting in the MX2 class by allowing his bike to get clipped mid-air by Pauls Jonass. It was an accident of course, but thankfully the Dutch rider is okay after what was a pretty nasty crash landing. He DNF’d that race and as a result of the second moto scores, is now tying the championship with Dylan Ferrandis. He still holds the red plate due to wins but he must be pretty pissed at the fact that all the work from the first two rounds was undone in the blink of an eye.

Other than Ferrandis and the Latvian Pauls Jonass, the MX2 field is a bit of a mess really. Tixier, Gajser, Lieber, Guillod, Seewer and Anstie have all had DNFs or 0pt results which leaves Tonkov and Covington as the only riders who have actually scored decent-ish points in all six races. In fact, if you had gone 7-7-7-7-7-7 you’d be sitting in fourth place in the championship… which just isn’t right. These guys need to start showing a bit more consistency rather than flashes of their brilliance as teams are already looking to 2016 and the title contenders, should Herlings depart for the MXGP class.

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