Youthstream's full race report from Valkenswaard
Tuesday 14 April: In front of 23,000 people the first motos of the GP of the Netherlands were run in dry conditions, but by the first half of the second MX2 race started raining heavily.
However, Antonio Cairoli and Jeffrey Herlings succeeded in being on the first step of the podium and they handed KTM the first double victory of the season.
Antonio Cairoli has won the first GP comfortably, taking the lead in the
beginning of the races and crossing the finish line with a significant
advantage over his rivals. Clement Desalle was second in both heats
while Steven Frossard went 3-3.
In the MX2 class Jeffrey Herlings could show once more his potential on
the sand and he dominated both heats with great authority. Second was
Joel Roelants and third overall was his teammate Tommy Searle.
MX1
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Cairoli (pictured above) obtained two solid
victories and he was very satisfied with his performance this weekend.
The Italian admitted that yesterday had some problems with the settings
of the bike but today everything went really well and in both motos he
crossed the finish line with more than ten seconds advantage over the
second classified.
The second overall position was for Rockstar Energy Suzuki World’s
Desalle who finished second in both heats. The Belgian had really good
starts in both motos, but when he got into the second place, Cairoli had
already pulled a massive gap from Desalle and the Belgian had to settle
down for the second position in both heats.
Monster Energy Yamaha’s Frossard was not really satisfied with his
riding this weekend even finishing third overall. The French took the
holeshot in the first heat, but he made several mistakes and he went out
the track twice. However, Frossard managed to cross the finish line
third and so he did in the second moto.
Kawasaki Racing Team’s Paulin was fourth overall in his debut in the MX1
class. He had a really good first race finishing fourth, but he was
involved in a crash in the start of the second heat and he had to fight
hard from behind. Paulin’s speed was really good and at some point he
even overtook three riders in one lap. In the end he crossed the finish
line seventh.
HM Plant KTM UK’s Strijbos has begun the 2012 season at the front,
obtaining an overall fifth place. In the first race he got a really good
start and he rode among the top sixth positions during the whole heat,
but in the second moto, he struggled a little bit more. After the first
laps, Strijbos found himself really comfortable and he moved from an
initial tenth place up to the final fifth position.
De Dycker got a really solid weekend in his debut with KTM and he ended
sixth overall. The Belgian got a comfortable fifth position in the first
heat and in the second one he managed to ride fourth during six laps.
However, Gonçalves overtook him and later on De Dycker made a mistake
which made him go down to eighth. Finally the Belgian crossed the finish
line sixth.
Gonçalves was only able to finish tenth in the first heat, but in the
second one he felt much better and went from seventh to fourth and
finished the GP in a seventh overall position. His teammate Bobryshev
suffered a really heavy crash in the first moto, which cause him a small
concussion and breathing difficulties because the bike hit heavily his
chest. Luckily the Russian has nothing broken and he was able to go out
in the second heat, but he was only twelfth. Bobryshev was seventeenth
in the Grand Prix.
In his debut with Monster Energy Yamaha, Simpson finished eighth
overall, ahead of Leok and Boog. Italian Philippaerts got a seventh
place in the first heat, but in the second one he was involved in a
crash after the start and his clutch lever was damaged, which made his
riding really difficult. The Italian was able to finish the race in the
fifteenth position, so he was eleventh overall.
Christophe Pourcel has been sick during the whole weekend and even if he
took the holeshot in the second heat, he was only able to obtain an
overall fourteenth position.
MX1 Race 1 top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 40:34.863; 2. Clement
Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:18.926; 3. Steven Frossard (FRA, Yamaha),
+0:19.932; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:31.610; 5. Ken de
Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:35.025; 6. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), +0:39.092;
7. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), +0:52.810; 8. Xavier Boog (FRA,
Kawasaki), +0:59.049; 9. Tanel Leok (EST, Suzuki), +1:01.702; 10. Rui
Goncalves (POR, Honda), +1:09.215;
MX1 Race 2 top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 41:14.597; 2. Clement
Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:13.554; 3. Steven Frossard (FRA, Yamaha),
+0:20.857; 4. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), +0:32.973; 5. Kevin Strijbos
(BEL, KTM), +0:59.751; 6. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +1:04.839; 7.
Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:10.455; 8. Shaun Simpson (GBR,
Yamaha), +1:12.160; 9. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:16.549;
10. Matiss Karro (LAT, KTM), +1:17.996;
Left to right: 2nd
Clement Desalle - 1st Antonio Cairoli - 3rd Steven Frossard
MX1 Overall top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 50 points; 2.
Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 44 p.; 3. Steven Frossard (FRA, Yamaha),
40 p.; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 32 p.; 5. Kevin Strijbos (BEL,
KTM), 31 p.; 6. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 31 p.; 7. Rui Goncalves (POR,
Honda), 29 p.; 8. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), 23 p.; 9. Tanel Leok
(EST, Suzuki), 22 p.; 10. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), 20 p.;
MX1 Championship top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 50 points; 2.
Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 44 p.; 3. Steven Frossard (FRA, Yamaha),
40 p.; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 32 p.; 5. Kevin Strijbos (BEL,
KTM), 31 p.; 6. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 31 p.; 7. Rui Goncalves (POR,
Honda), 29 p.; 8. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), 23 p.; 9. Tanel Leok
(EST, Suzuki), 22 p.; 10. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 20 p.;
MX1 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 50 points; 2. Suzuki, 44 p.; 3. Yamaha, 40 p.; 4. Kawasaki, 32 p.; 5. Honda, 29 p.; 6. TM, 1 p.;
MX2
For third time in a row, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Herlings
(pictured above) went out with a double victory in front of the 23000 spectators that
gathered together in Valkenswaard this weekend. The Dutch proved once
again why he is known as the "King of the Sand” and he crossed the
finish line with more than 54 seconds in the first race and 36 seconds
in the second one.
Team Floride Monster Energy Kawasaki Pro Circuit’s Roelants impressed
most of the paddock today with the overall second position. The Belgian
admitted that he was a little bit too nervous in the first heat and he
made a mistake in the start, but after some laps, he got really good
rhythm and went from eleventh up to third. In the second heat he got a
really good start and he overtook his teammate easily after the three
first races and Roelants crossed the finish line second.
The third step of the podium was for Team Floride Monster Energy
Kawasaki Pro Circuit’s Searle thanks to his second and third places. The
British rider admitted that he was really satisfied with his
performance today, as he is not a sand specialist rider, so he is now
ready to go to Bulgaria to measure his speed with Herlings on the hard
pack.
Fourth was KTM Factory Racing’s Van Horebeek after finishing fourth in
both heats. The Belgian got a really solid first moto, but he started
down to the twelfth position in the second heat. However, the Belgian
rider found a good rhythm and moved up to fourth in the second half of
the race.
His teammate Tixier completed the top five, so the three Factory KTM
machines were in the top of the standings. It is the first season of
Tixier in the Red Bull KTM Factory team and today has shown that he can
be fighting for the top positions in the MX2 class. In Valkenswaard he
went 6-7.
Nicholls, who was really good yesterday in the qualifying race, could
only be sixth today. The Brit was fifth in the first heat, but a bad
start in the second one made him give his best to move from an initial
sixteenth position up to the fifth.
His compatriot Anstie was seventh in his debut with the Honda Gariboldi
ESTA team and the two Rockstar Energy Bud Racing Kawasaki young French
riders Teillet and Ferrandis were eighth and ninth respectively. Mel
Pocock, who has been given the chance to race for Monster Energy Yamaha
now that two of the official riders are injured, got a really good
weekend and completed the top ten.
MX2 Race 1 top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 39:38.886; ; 2.
Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:54.797; 3. Joel Roelants (BEL,
Kawasaki), +0:59.601; 4. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, KTM), +1:49.941; 5.
Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +1:55.350; 6. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM),
+2:06.414; 7. Alexander Tonkov (RUS, Honda), -1 lap(s); 8. Mel Pocock
(GBR, Yamaha), -1 lap(s); 9. Valentin Teillet (FRA, Kawasaki), -1
lap(s); 10. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), -1 lap(s);
MX2 Race 2 top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 39:23.774; ; 2. Joel
Roelants (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:36.471; 3. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki),
+0:55.418; 4. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, KTM), +2:09.242; 5. Max Anstie
(GBR, Honda), +2:29.886; 6. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), -1 lap(s); 7.
Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), -1 lap(s); 8. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki),
-1 lap(s); 9. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), -1 lap(s); 10. Valentin Teillet
(FRA, Kawasaki), -1 lap(s);
Left to right: 2nd Joel
Roelants - 1st Jeffrey Herlings - 3rd Tommy Searle.
MX2 Overall top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 50 points; 2. Joel
Roelants (BEL, Kawasaki), 42 p.; 3. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 42 p.;
4. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, KTM), 36 p.; 5. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM),
29 p.; 6. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 28 p.; 7. Max Anstie (GBR, Honda),
26 p.; 8. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), 24 p.; 9. Valentin Teillet
(FRA, Kawasaki), 23 p.; 10. Mel Pocock (GBR, Yamaha), 22 p.;
MX2 Championship top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 50 points; 2.
Joel Roelants (BEL, Kawasaki), 42 p.; 3. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki),
42 p.; 4. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, KTM), 36 p.; 5. Jordi Tixier (FRA,
KTM), 29 p.; 6. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 28 p.; 7. Max Anstie (GBR,
Honda), 26 p.; 8. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), 24 p.; 9. Valentin
Teillet (FRA, Kawasaki), 23 p.; 10. Mel Pocock (GBR, Yamaha), 22 p.;
MX2 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 50 points; 2. Kawasaki, 44 p.; 3. Honda, 30
p.; 4. Yamaha, 22 p.; 5. Suzuki, 19 p.; 6. Husqvarna, 16 p.;
Copy and photos courtesy of Youthstream.