Cookie Consent by Free Privacy Policy website BULGARIA MXGP FALLS TO HERLINGS & PRADO AS KTM ALSO WIN IN FIM JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPS
agosto 26, 2018 - KTM

BULGARIA MXGP FALLS TO HERLINGS & PRADO AS KTM ALSO WIN IN FIM JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPS

Comunicato Stampa disponibile solo in lingua originale. 

The fast, wide layout of the Sevlievo hard-pack welcomed #mxgp back for the first time since 2014 and gave the older element of the Grand Prix paddock the chance to reacquaint themselves with the steep uphills and hard braking tests of the descents. Good weather persisted through the weekend leading to a dry and rippled track with lap-times close between the athletes.

MXGP

Jeffrey Herlings did not complete the clean sweep on Saturday. The championship leader was outpaced by Tim Gajser in Free Practice but set the quickest lap-time by almost two seconds in Timed Practice and cleared-off for his tenth Qualification Heat victory when it counted. Herlings then took charge of the opening #moto from Gajser and ran free to his ninth chequered flag in a row. The second affair produced a similar outcome once Herlings moved past his teammate. Red Bull KTM classified 1-2 on the track but Herlings toasted his fourteenth overall GP win from seventeen rounds on the KTM 450 SX-F (the sixteen he has contested) and his twelfth ‘1-1’. He also stretched his margin in the #mxgp standings to 73 points.

World Champion Tony Cairoli’s preparation for #bulgaria was affected by the knee he tweaked in the first #moto in Switzerland. The Italian was still able to set a mean pace at Sevlievo but sadly his first race was hindered by a falling Max Anstie on the opening lap and he had to ride hard to make eighth place by the finish line. A holeshot saw #222 at the front of the pack in the second #moto. He was overtaken by Herlings but clung to the distant roost of his teammate. Tony’s runner-up position was his best since the second #moto in Belgium. The 8-2 meant he rounded-off the day with 4th overall.

Glenn Coldenhoff recovered from a tough Qualification outing and 13th pick in the start gate to record a 9-7 for 7th in the #mxgp field. The Dutchman ended the weekend encouraged by his second #moto launch in the top five and a rate of speed and performance that showed improvement across the difficult terrain.

Herlings“I think this is one of the most beautiful tracks…but not really one of my favourites with the hard and slick ground. I think Youthstream and the guys did a great job with preparation but it was tough with the high temperatures. We had an awesome weekend: winning Qualifying and both motos. It is all I can ask for. It is too early to talk about the title but it is definitely getting closer. Anything can happen still. We’ll wait and see but today we did a good thing for the championship and we’re leading by 73 points now.”

Cairoli“The knee was not a big problem but it still affects me, especially in the first laps of the race when they have watered the track and I was scared to slip away and had to put my foot down quite a lot. I was a little bit too careful in the first #moto and then Anstie crashed in front of me and I was stuck a little bit. On this track it is very difficult to come through the pack. I was not really pumped with the first #moto. I made a holeshot in the second one. Jeffrey passed me and I tried to follow him but he is very strong at the moment for the entire race and I am missing some training from Indonesia because of my hand and then the knee so the last ten minutes it was very difficult to stay close. Anyway, it was a very nice second #moto so I am quite happy. Hopefully the knee will not bother me for the next race and I can start the next rounds with a free mind and no injury problems.”

Coldenhoff“I was struggling a lot this weekend and was very disappointed after the first #moto. Tracks like this are very old school on very hard-pack ground and the most important thing for me is the fact that I felt like I improved before the end of the GP. The second #moto was pretty good and I was up there with Tony and Jeffrey. I could follow [Clement] Desalle for quite a while and although finishing seventh was a bit disappointing I gave all I had today. Seventh overall through a difficult weekend is still quite solid. I feel good on the bike and I hope for a bike of luck and a good feeling in Turkey. I want that podium finish this year!”

MX2

The Red Bull KTM duel for the title in MX2 initially swung towards defending number one Pauls Jonass. The Latvian coped with the holeshotting Jorge Prado on the KTM 250 SX-F in the first #moto and moved past the younger Spaniard to eventually win by five seconds. 

Prado fired back to win his fifth second #moto in succession. Jonass had been giving chase in the early phases of the 30 minutes and 2 laps distance but lost the front end of the #1 machine through one of the sections that had been watered to contain the dust through the warm afternoon sun. Pauls continued with a slight battered SX-F and rallied back to 3rd place.

Jorge thrived on the Sevlievo course and was able to deal with the threat of Hunter Lawrence on the last two laps. Prado has now won 10 Grands Prix and missed the podium only twice all season. The window between the two KTM stars is 30 points with 150 left to win in Turkey, Holland and Italy.

Further information in the press release to download

Ti potrebbe interessare anche

febbraio 22, 2024
gennaio 30, 2024
gennaio 08, 2024

GALFER continua la sua ascesa nel mondo del Motocross e, dopo la notizia ad inizio anno della partecipazione in qualità di Partner...

GUADAGNINI, DE WOLF E COENEN SI PREPARANO AI CAMPIONATI MGXP E MX2 2024Il team Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing è entusiasta di an...

Comunicato Stampa disponibile solo in lingua originale. WE SIT DOWN WITH THE THREE-TIME MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMP AT HOME IN ROME WHER...