Cookie Consent by Free Privacy Policy website HERLINGS & PRADO AT HOME IN THE SAND AS BELGIAN GRAND PRIX MXGP AND MX2 CLASSES OWNED AGAIN
agosto 06, 2018 - KTM

HERLINGS & PRADO AT HOME IN THE SAND AS BELGIAN GRAND PRIX MXGP AND MX2 CLASSES OWNED AGAIN

Comunicato Stampa disponibile solo in lingua originale. 

Lommel was typically demanding, brutal and daunting: the sandy bumps and berms taking no prisoners and punishing the slightest error. Grand Prix athletes are well accustomed to the layout as the famous Belgian circuit is a popular venue for training and testing but the high summer temperatures only added to the difficulty. A near-capacity attendance created a busy and atmospheric event.

MXGP

Coming to the sand meant that #mxgp was firmly in ‘Herlings territory’. The Dutchman took his KTM 450 SX-F to the top of every time sheet and was undisputed in the Qualification Heat and both motos for a weekend of perfection. The championship leader’s speed and confidence was untouchable but two small crashes in each #moto gave his Red Bull KTM crew a brief nervous flutter. He only lost a few seconds and fulfilled many pre-race predictions by running to a clear-cut victory. The 1-1 was Jeffrey’s ninth of 2018 and from 12 Grand Prix wins. He has 23 chequered flags from a possible 30.

World Champion Tony Cairoli had made progress from his left thumb injury and completed two lonely races in a comfortable runner-up position. The 2-2 by the Sicilian meant that Herlings only extended his margin in the standings by 6 points and the difference between the teammates is just 36. Cairoli has accumulated 13 podium results.

Glenn Coldenhoff made the overall top five after a bright second #moto that began with the holeshot; the Dutchman’s first of 2018. Some modifications to his #259 racebike helped in terms of his potential on the sand and he remained ahead of Max Anstie to record his first top three #moto classification. He was just two points away from a maiden podium for the season and only a mediocre start in the first outing and 6th place counted against him.

Herlings“I’m really pleased with the weekend. Three good starts and fastest in each practice. This is one of my favourite tracks on the calendar so I’m happy to extend the points gap a little bit. There are five rounds left, we’re 75% ‘in’ and the end is in sight, and we’ll look forward to Switzerland. It will be a new weekend and you cannot get a more different track compared to here. I want to give a special thanks to the Red Bull KTM team; the guys did an amazing job. Also WP because the suspension was awesome and the atmosphere in the team is great so a big shout out to them and all the support I’ve had.”

Cairoli“Overall I’m happy because I know in the sand and on this type of track Jeffrey is very fast. It would have been nice to be a little bit closer but I’ve had issues with my thumb and could not train exactly as I wanted in the sand lately. I know how to ride it but to keep this kind of speed the whole #moto is very tough. Two-times second is OK and for the rest of the season we’ll try to stay as close to Jeffrey’s wheel as possible and make a win where we can. A lot can still happen in the races to go. I’m looking forward to Switzerland. It is a track I really like and hopefully we can have a better result.”

Coldenhoff“I was not near the top five in the practice sessions and it was a bit frustrating. We made some changes to the bike - actually for the first time since the beginning of the year - with the engine after we’d tested last week. I had to get used to it and that contributed to the bad start in the first #moto. I couldn’t make my own speed or rhythm and was just too slow. Finally I got to sixth, which was solid but not for this race where I expected to be nearer the front…like you saw in the second #moto. I was a bit slower than Max but he went down. I finally got my first holeshot of the year! It has been too long. I can be happy with the second #moto but we were aiming for that podium.”

Dirk Gruebel, MX2 Team Manager“The way Jeffrey is riding the bike at the moment is like ‘one unit’. He is really happy and there are some hints for next year where we can still improve but this is not the time to change anything. He is riding good, feeling good and very happy with the performance. But we keep working. We want to keep the kid happy with the best package.” 

Further information in the press release to download

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