The hillside venue of the Circuit du Puy de Poursay saw a tumultuous MXGP of France play out in front of a packed bank of fans, everyone having to contend with changeable weather conditions at St Jean d’Angely.
Many of the French fans that created an incredible atmosphere at the south-western circuit near Bordeaux, believed that they had seen one of their own claim victory in MXGP, as it looked like 3-2 finishes were enough for the Kawasaki Racing Team rider, Romain Febvre.
However, penalties from the race direction to two riders who jumped a double on waved yellow flags meant that it was Team HRC’s Tim Gajser (pictured here) who was classified as the winner, his 1-6 finishes becoming 1-4 to put him a single point ahead of Febvre on the day.
A final lap pass by Jeffrey Herlings to snatch the second race win for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing ultimately proved decisive in the overall reckoning as the Dutchman ended the day in third overall.
In the MX2 class, Belgian rider Lucas Coenen completed a perfect weekend for Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing, his second straight Grand Prix victory which moves him up to third in the championship standings.
After Febvre won the qualifying race in Saturday’s muddy conditions, the first race on Sunday was on a much drier track, which probably didn’t help the Frenchman, who was struggling with a thumb injury picked up in Free Practice on Saturday.
He made the best possible start, however, taking a clear holeshot, his first of the year, with incoming red plate holder Jorge Prado giving chase for Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing.
Gajser surged forward past a fast-starting Mattia Guadagnini on his Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing machine, while Herlings was deep in the pack and had to fight through, eventually only getting back to sixth at the finish after being passed by the Standing Construct Honda of Pauls Jonass, who claimed fifth.
Just after the finish line jump, Prado hit some braking bumps raggedly and Gajser pounced to take second. On a mission, the Slovenian dug into Febvre’s lead, and took it by squeezing the Frenchman towards the edge of the circuit on the biggest uphill section of the track.
Febvre’s team-mate, Swiss rider Jeremy Seewer, fastest in time practice on Saturday, held a solid fourth for the entire race, initially tailed by Fantic Factory Racing’s Brian Bogers and Glenn Coldenhoff, although a great charge by Jonass put the Standing Construct Honda man into fifth by the close, just holding off Herlings in a dash to the flag.
In the closing minutes of the race, Prado started to catch Febvre, and passed the Kawasaki with a clean move as the Frenchman was clearly struggling with his injury.
Gajser was also suffering, in this case from arm pump, and Prado narrowed the gap to just 6.5 seconds by the flag, but the Slovenian held on for the win and a three-point Championship advantage heading into race two.
The heavens opened as the MXGP riders went to the line for their second race, and pools of water were collecting around the circuit as Febvre grabbed his second holeshot of the day and splashed his way to what looked like an insurmountable lead.
Seewer and Jonass were initially second and third, but Herlings moved past them both as they started the first full lap, and was swiftly joined by Gajser.
The two five-time world champions again battled in the rain, almost like they did in Portugal, except that it was impossible for the Slovenian to get close enough to make a move.
After 10 laps of being locked together at an incredible pace for the conditions, it was the Honda man that suffered a high-speed fall that sent him sliding down the hill on his backside.
He picked it back up to salvage sixth at the line, behind another brilliant performance from Jonass in third, Seewer in fourth, and Team Ship To Cycle Honda Motoblouz SR rookie Kevin Horgmo, having the best race of his MXGP career in fifth.
Gajser’s fall let the pressure off for Herlings, and suddenly he was closing on Febvre, who had been covered by a huge mud splash from a lapped rider that messed up his goggles. Despite the roar of the local crowd, Febvre could not keep back Herlings, who fired down the big hill to break their hearts on the very final lap of the day.
Febvre thought that the move had cost him the overall win, but at the time the crowd were telling him that it hadn’t. After such an incredible effort through the pain, his results were amazing.
Unfortunately, Seewer and Horgmo had both been spotted jumping an uphill double while yellow flags were waving.
After a similar penalty was enforced on Liam Everts yesterday, there was only one decision, and unfortunately for Febvre and his supporters, that decision left Gajser as the overall winner.
Prado had crossed the line in seventh position, but was promoted to fifth with the penalties. This means that the red plate passes back to the other red bike of Gajser, who takes a five-point lead into the one-week break with the MXGP of Germany up next.
“First race was pretty nice under the sun with conditions almost perfect then for the second race, the rain came before we started and I unfortunately made a mistake to get around 6th,” said Gajser.
“Then with the mud and the roosts I run out of rollers and had to take the goggles off and I got a crash after but in the end I’m super happy to get the Red Plate back on my bike and big thank you to all my team.”
Photo courtesy Honda
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RESULTS & STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 7:
MXGP – Grand Prix Race 1 – Top 10 Classification:
1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 35:12.805; 2. Jorge Prado (ESP, GASGAS), +0:06.468; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:19.064; 4. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Kawasaki), +0:22.952; 5. Pauls Jonass (LAT, Honda), +0:24.196; 6. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:24.659; 7. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Yamaha), +0:36.055; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Fantic), +0:53.738; 9. Brian Bogers (NED, Fantic), +0:54.945; 10. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, Yamaha), +0:55.416.
MXGP – Grand Prix Race 2 – Top 10 Classification:
1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 36:25.903; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:06.998; 3. Pauls Jonass (LAT, Honda), +0:26.722; 4. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +1:02.795; 5. Jorge Prado (ESP, GASGAS), +1:15.842; 6. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Kawasaki), +0:45.220; 7. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, Honda), +0:48.024; 8. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Yamaha), +1:25.419; 9. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, Yamaha), +1:32.962; 10. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +1:39.492.
MXGP Overall – Top 10 Classification:
1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 43 points; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 42 p.; 3. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 40 p.; 4. Jorge Prado (ESP, GAS), 38 p.; 5. Pauls Jonass (LAT, HON), 36 p.; 6. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, KAW), 33 p.; 7. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, YAM), 27 p.; 8. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, HON), 24 p.; 9. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, YAM), 23 p.; 10. Brian Bogers (NED, FAN), 21 p.
MXGP – World Championship – Top 10 Classification:
1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 348 points; 2. Jorge Prado (ESP, GAS), 343 p.; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 319 p.; 4. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 287 p.; 5. Pauls Jonass (LAT, HON), 253 p.; 6. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, KAW), 234 p.; 7. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, YAM), 223 p.; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, FAN), 200 p.; 9. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, HON), 145 p.; 10. Valentin Guillod (SUI, HON), 130.
MX2 – Grand Prix Race 1 – Top 10 Classification:
1. Lucas Coenen (BEL, Husqvarna), 35:26.564; 2. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:10.145; 3. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:16.488; 4. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GASGAS), +0:23.556; 5. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, Triumph), +0:30.241; 6. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), +0:47.461; 7. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, Honda), +1:12.661; 8. Quentin Marc Prugnieres (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:14.544; 9. Kay Karssemakers (NED, Fantic), +1:22.605; 10. Rick Elzinga (NED, Yamaha), +1:24.602.
MX2 – Grand Prix Race 2 – Top 10 Classification:
1. Lucas Coenen (BEL, Husqvarna), 34:49.450; 2. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:24.167; 3. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GASGAS), +0:29.849; 4. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:35.695; 5. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), +0:38.711; 6. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, Triumph), +1:03.981; 7. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), +1:09.865; 8. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, Honda), +1:13.200; 9. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +1:15.240; 10. Quentin Marc Prugnieres (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:27.20.
MX2 Overall – Top 10 Classification:
1. Lucas Coenen (BEL, HUS), 50 points; 2. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 42 p.; 3. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 40 p.; 4. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GAS), 38 p.; 5. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 31 p.; 6. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, TRI), 31 p.; 7. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, HON), 27 p.; 8. Quentin Marc Prugnieres (FRA, KAW), 24 p.; 9. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), 21 p.; 10. Rick Elzinga (NED, YAM), 21 p.
MX2 – World Championship Classification:
1. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 342 points; 2. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GAS), 290 p.; 3. Lucas Coenen (BEL, HUS), 283 p.; 4. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 268 p.; 5. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 257 p.; 6. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 226 p.; 7. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, TRI), 216 p.; 8. Rick Elzinga (NED, YAM), 211 p.; 9. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 159 p.; 10. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, TRI), 126 p.