Historic weekend at Matterley Basin

Four days full of racing with 338 riders divided into ten classes. Sunday morning started with a unique and emotional parade headed by Dave Thorpe and followed by all the riders who were taking part in the MXGP Festival. The MX1 and MX2 classes were the main races of the day and Antonio Cairoli and home rider Tommy Searle were the ones who conquered the first step of the podium.

However, the UEM EMX riders were also a main attraction for the 35000 spectators present at Matterley Basin, especially the 65cc and 85cc classes. The youngest winner was Xylian Ramella on his 65cc KTM and Davy Pootjes was the 85cc European Champion also on a KTM.

In the UEM EMX125 class Tim Gajser could not win the race today, but he won the overall in the end. Second on the podium was Magne Klingsheim, and home rider James Dun, who was the winner of the second race, was on the third step of the rostrum.

Home rider Mel Pocock had a disappointed weekend, as he missed the podium for three points. The winner of the UEM EMX250 class was Maxime Desprey after winning the two heats, Damon Graulus was second and Stefan Olsen was third overall.

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Saturday's MX1 Qualifying race holeshot. #12 Max Nagl, #222 Antonio Cairoli and #999 Rui Goncalves.

MX1:  Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli had a perfect weekend at Matterley Basin, winning not only the qualifying heat yesterday, but also dominating the main races with superb authority today. The five times World Champion confessed that he was impressed by the excellent job the organizers had done to make such event come true and to keep the track in outstanding conditions until the end.

Second overall was his teammate Max Nagl, who obtained his first podium finish of the season after his comeback from his back injury. The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider had two great starts and he managed to keep on riding with the front group in both heats. However, Nagl admitted that he still missing some fitness in order to keep his initial speed and rhythm and try to fight for the overall victory.

Kawasaki Racing Team’s Gautier Paulin was back on the podium this weekend thanks to his 4-3 result. The French had not been on the podium since the MXGP of Portugal and he actually admitted that he had not been feeling really well lately. However, Paulin said that since the previous Grand Prix in Loket he is feeling much better and he is now ready to be fighting again for the top three positions in the MX1.

Fourth overall was Ken De Dycker, who missed the podium this weekend for only two points. In the first race the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider did a really good start but he made several mistakes during the heat and he dropped from second to third in the very last laps of the first moto. In the second one he also made a mistake when he was riding fifth and moved down to eighth; finally he managed to cross the finish line fifth.

Xavier Boog made another excellent performance this weekend and this time he finished fifth overall after being fifth and seventh in today’s races. The Kawasaki Racing Team rider started second behind Cairoli in the first heat and he managed to keep a good rhythm and he crossed the finish line fifth. In the second race things were not that easy for Boog, but he was able to obtain a solid seventh place.

Clement Desalle had a tough weekend at Matterley Basin; yesterday he had a big crash during the qualifying heat and today he had to face the main races with a swollen right hand. The Belgian finished sixth in the first race and eleventh in the second one, so he obtained an overall sixth place.

His teammate Tanel Leok had a mechanical problem on his Suzuki yesterday, so he did not have the best position at the starting gate. However, he rode really well today and despite finishing eleventh in the first race, his eighth position in the second heat gave him the seventh overall place.

Kevin Strijbos rode two consistent motos and ended eighth overall, ahead of Rui Gonçalves and Davide Guarneri.

Both Rui Gonçalves and Evgeny Bobryshev had a very difficult first race, where they both crash on lap one. The second race was completely different and while Golçalves had an amazing start in third and made a lot of pressure on Cairoli who was riding second, Bobryshev had also a good start. In the end Bobryshev was fourth and Gonçalves sixth, and they finished thirteenth and ninth respectively of the Grand Prix.

Shaun Simpson was only able to finish twelfth overall at his home Grand Prix and Christophe Pourcel was fifteenth.

MX1 Race 1 top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 40:25.134; 2. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), +0:15.529; 3. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:25.647; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:31.712; 5. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:35.562; 6. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:40.016; 7. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), +0:40.614; 8. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, Honda), +0:44.173; 9. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:46.476; 10. Nicolas Aubin (FRA, Honda), +0:47.368;

MX1 Race 2 top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 41:00.780; 2. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), +0:10.508; 3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:24.624; 4. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:32.799; 5. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:37.732; 6. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), +0:40.465; 7. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:41.367; 8. Tanel Leok (EST, Suzuki), +0:42.135; 9. Davide Guarneri (ITA, KTM), +0:50.894; 10. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:51.464;

MX1 Overall top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 50 points; 2. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), 44 p.; 3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 38 p.; 4. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 36 p.; 5. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), 30 p.; 6. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 25 p.; 7. Tanel Leok (EST, Suzuki), 23 p.; 8. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), 23 p.; 9. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), 22 p.; 10. Davide Guarneri (ITA, KTM), 21 p.;

MX1 Championship top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 542 points; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 487 p.; 3. Christophe Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), 452 p.; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 440 p.; 5. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 404 p.; 6. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), 342 p.; 7. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), 336 p.; 8. Tanel Leok (EST, Suzuki), 300 p.; 9. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), 295 p.; 10. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), 242 p.;

MX1 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 592 points; 2. Kawasaki, 543 p.; 3. Suzuki, 501 p.; 4. Honda, 381 p.; 5. Yamaha, 364 p.; 6. TM, 58 p.;

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MX2:  Team Floride Monster Energy Kawasaki Pro Circuit’s Tommy Searle accomplished one of his dreams this weekend, which was winning a home Grand Prix in front of his crowd. Searle admitted that he was very surprised with his starts today, as he managed to take two holeshots, which made him led both heats from the beginning. The British rider did two incredible races, keeping Herlings behind him and crossing the finish line first in both heats.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings was a little bit disappointed today, because he crashed during the last lap of both heats when he was about to overtake Searle. However, as the gap Searle and Herlings had with the rest of the group was so big, the Dutch rider was able to cross the finish line second in both motos. Herlings was second overall, but he admitted that he was very satisfied with his riding, as his speed was almost the same as the one of Herlings’.

Monster Energy Yamaha’s Zach Osborne obtained his second podium in a row this season after finishing third overall in the British Grand Prix. The American did not have a really good start in the first heat, but he reached the third position easily at the beginning of the race and he comfortably rode in such place during the whole heat. In the second moto Osborne had also a really good start and he rode fourth from the beginning until the end of the race.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeremy Van Horebeek had a really good qualifying race yesterday, but today he could only finish fifth in the first race, as he had started down in sixteenth. In the second heat everything went much better and after a great start in second, he was overtaken by his teammate Herlings and Van Horebeek managed to keep such position until the chequered flag.

Home rider Jake Nicholls could not fight today for the top three positions as he would have liked it, but he finished fifth overall. This weekend the Nestaan JM Racing KTM rider was riding with the 2013 KTM bike and he crossed the finish line fourth and fifth, being two points behind fourth classified Van Horebeek.

Arnaud Tonus started really well in both heats - around the tenth position – taking into account that he could not finish the qualifying race yesterday and he was one of the last ones in choosing the gate this morning. The Swiss rider made an incredible recovery and he finish sixth in both races, and he ended sixth overall also of the Grand Prix.

Dylan Ferrandis rode fourth during most of the first moto, but Nicholls and Van Horebeek overtook him by the end of the heat. In the second race the French talent obtained a seventh position, which gave him the overall seventh place.

Jordi Tixier was back racing this weekend after the heavy concussion he had received on his head during the warm up of the Czech Grand Prix and he obtained a ninth overall position, ahead of Glenn Coldenhoff.

José Butrón was eleventh and Julien Lieber, who rode with the Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe team this weekend, obtained one of his best results this season, finishing twelfth overall.

Home rider Max Anstie got a DNF in the first race due to some mechanical problems, but in the second one he crossed the finish line tenth, which gave him the overall thirteenth.

Michael Leib could not finish any of the races today on his comeback to the MXGP after his injury.

Joel Roelants, who was transferred to the hospital yesterday after the crashed he suffered during the pre-qualifying practice, was taken back home today, as they could put in place his dislocated hip.

MX2 Race 1 top ten: 1. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 40:01.109; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:19.662; 3. Zachary Osborne (USA, Yamaha), +0:58.635; 4. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +1:03.394; 5. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, KTM), +1:04.164; 6. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +1:12.725; 7. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:13.663; 8. Valentin Teillet (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:21.581; 9. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +1:23.778; 10. Romain Febvre (FRA, KTM), +1:30.775;

MX2 Race 2 top ten: 1. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 40:56.885; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:18.401; 3. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, KTM), +0:32.793; 4. Zachary Osborne (USA, Yamaha), +0:41.410; 5. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +0:45.486; 6. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +0:47.190; 7. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:15.940; 8. Valentin Teillet (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:26.441; 9. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +1:40.749; 10. Max Anstie (GBR, Honda), +1:48.081;

MX2 Overall top ten: 1. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 50 points; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 44 p.; 3. Zachary Osborne (USA, Yamaha), 38 p.; 4. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, KTM), 36 p.; 5. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 34 p.; 6. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), 30 p.; 7. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), 28 p.; 8. Valentin Teillet (FRA, Kawasaki), 26 p.; 9. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 21 p.; 10. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 18 p.;

MX2 Championship top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 572 points; 2. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 521 p.; 3. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, KTM), 475 p.; 4. Joel Roelants (BEL, Kawasaki), 367 p.; 5. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 359 p.; 6. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 340 p.; 7. Max Anstie (GBR, Honda), 274 p.; 8. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), 261 p.; 9. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 257 p.; 10. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Husqvarna), 221 p.;

MX2 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 615 points; 2. Kawasaki, 591 p.; 3. Yamaha, 384 p.; 4. Honda, 298 p.; 5. Suzuki, 253 p.; 6. Husqvarna, 228 p.; 7. TM, 19 p.;