Portugese GP win for Gautier Paulin

Gautier Paulin obtained his second overall victory in a row. Youthstream image.

The 15000 people who came to Agueda could also enjoy watching the final races of the EMX125 and EMX250 European Championships; Pauls Jonass won his race and increased his championship lead and Valentin Guillod won the first round of the EMX250 Championship.

MX1
Kawasaki Racing Team’s Gautier Paulin was very satisfied after winning his second Grand Prix in a row even if he could not win both heats of the Portuguese Grand Prix. The French rider started behind Antonio Cairoli in the first race but he managed to overtake him in the early stages of the heat and Paulin kept the lead until the chequered flag. After another good start in the second race Paulin tried to make the pass on Cairoli but this time the track was more demanding and he had to settle down with the second position.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli missed the overall victory for only two points after finishing 2-1 in today’s races. The Italian took the holeshot in both heats and while he succeeded in dominating the second one from the beginning to the end, in the first one it was not possible for the Italian to overtake Paulin. Cairoli pushed really hard since the beginning to pass him back and in the last lap, when he was really close to Paulin, he suffered a big crash. Fortunately, Cairoli did not have any major injury and even if his KTM’s front brake broke in the crash, he managed to finish the race in the third position. All in all the Italian was satisfied with his weekend and he admitted that he really enjoyed riding once again on the Portuguese track.

Rockstar Energy Suzuki World’s Clement Desalle started the weekend really well by wining the qualifying race, but things got complicated for the Belgian rider even if he finished on the third step of the podium. In the first race he started third but he struggled to find his rhythm in order to give charge to Cairoli and Paulin. In the end Desalle crossed the finish line second taking advantage of Cairoli’s mistake. Desalle had another good start in the second moto and this time he rode third behind Paulin most of the race. By the end of the heat the Belgian was really close to Paulin when he suffered a hefty crash. Desalle managed to get back on his Suzuki and finished the race fifth with a lot of pain on his neck and back.

The fourth overall position was for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Ken De Dycker who finished seventh and third in today’s races. He was very disappointed about his first race because he succeeded in having a good start but Desalle hit his back wheel and De Dycker had to fight from almost the back of the pack. The Belgian made an incredible recovery and finished seventh and in the second race he rode a solid moto and finished third.

It was not an easy weekend for CLS MX2 Kawasaki Monster Energy Pro Circuit’s Tommy Searle but he rode really well both motos and he finished fifth overall just one point behind De Dycker. During the first laps of race one a stone hit Searle’s finger and the British rider struggled to keep his rhythm but he obtained a consistent sixth position. After the race he was diagnosed with a broken finger, but he decided to ride the second race and he obtained an impressive fourth position.

Max Nagl was very satisfied with his riding this weekend as he improved significantly from the previous Grand Prix in Bulgaria. In the first race he had a good start and after battling with Van Horebeek most of the race, the German managed to overtake him and finished fourth behind Cairoli. In the second one he had a good jump off the gate but he touched with Searle and he had to shut the throttle to avoid a big crash. Nagl was ninth in the first lap, but he managed to overtake several riders to finish seventh, which gave him the overall sixth position.

Van Horebeek rode really well this weekend and he finished seventh overall just one point behind Nagl with a 5-6 result. David Philippaerts was eighth overall and Kevin Strijbos and home rider Rui Gonçalves completed the top ten of the Portuguese Grand Prix.

Evgeny Bobryshev, who suffered a big crash yesterday during the qualifying race, decided not to take part in today’s races, as his fractured fibula is not fully healed and the track was very tough today.

MX1 Race 1 top ten: 1. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 39:41.179; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:20.053; 3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:36.700; 4. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), +0:41.427; 5. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:44.140; 6. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:46.236; 7. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +1:19.715; 8. David Philippaerts (ITA, Honda), +1:23.112; 9. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), +1:28.350; 10. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +1:30.680;

MX1 Race 2 top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 39:56.650; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:03.804; 3. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:08.306; 4. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:08.912; 5. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:21.757; 6. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:23.805; 7. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), +0:28.000; 8. David Philippaerts (ITA, Honda), +0:33.464; 9. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:39.969; 10. Shaun Simpson (GBR, TM), +0:51.773;



MX1 Overall top ten: 1. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 47 points; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 45 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 38 p.; 4. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 34 p.; 5. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 33 p.; 6. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), 32 p.; 7. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), 31 p.; 8. David Philippaerts (ITA, Honda), 26 p.; 9. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), 23 p.; 10. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), 22 p.;

MX1 Championship top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 280 points; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 242 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 227 p.; 4. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 217 p.; 5. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), 183 p.; 6. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 180 p.; 7. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), 132 p.; 8. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), 131 p.; 9. David Philippaerts (ITA, Honda), 112 p.; 10. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), 109 p.;

MX1 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 285 points; 2. Kawasaki, 242 p.; 3. Suzuki, 237 p.; 4. Honda, 188 p.; 5. Yamaha, 101 p.; 6. TM, 93 p.;

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MX2: Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings was very satisfied with his starts this weekend and he actually obtained his first Get Athena Holeshot after being the first one to reach the first corner of race one. Herlings dominated both heats since the beginning, but in the second one he made a couple of mistakes while he was leading. However, Herlings had such an advantage with the second rider that he could keep the first position and he crossed the finish line with over a minute difference with Dean Ferris who finished second.

Monster Energy Yamaha’s Dean Ferris was back on the podium after finishing sixth and second in today’s races.

The Australian rider succeeded in having two great starts and rode next to Herlings during the first few corners of both heats, but in the first race he made a mistake when he was riding second and dropped down to the seventh place. In the second moto nothing happened to the Australian and he was able to ride a consistent race in the second position from the start.

Silver Action KTM’s José Butrón obtained his third podium of the season in front of loads of Spanish fans that had travelled from Spain to support him. Butrón had a good start in the first race and he kept his initial third position until the chequered flag, but in the second heat he struggled to find his rhythm and he could only finish sixth. Butrón admitted that he was very happy for being on the podium again but his main goal now is to finish second of the Grand Prix.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jordi Tixier missed the podium this weekend for just one point. The French rider was fifth in the start of the first moto and he quickly moved up to fourth but he then made a mistake and dropped down one position. Tixier was recuperating his rhythm when he crashed again and this time he went down to tenth. In the end the KTM rider recuperated some positions and he finished seventh. In the second race Tixier had a good start, but he could not overtake Ferris and he had to settle down with the third place.

Monster Energy Yamaha’s Christophe Charlier had another great weekend, but once again he was a little bit disappointed for having missed the podium – the French rider finished tight in 34 points with Tixier and just one point behind Butrón. Charlier was eighth at the start of the first race but he managed to finish fourth, while in the second race he succeeded in obtaining a consistent fifth place.

Glenn Coldenhoff was back again racing with the front riders this weekend but a big crash in the first race made him lose all the opportunities to fight for the podium. The Dutch rider struggled a lot to get the rhythm back and he ended thirteenth, but in the second race he was determined to give it all and he obtained a solid fifth position, which gave him the overall sixth place.

Mel Pocock finished eighth and ninth in today’s races and he finished seventh overall ahead of Jake Nichols and Alexander Tonkov. Max Anstie struggled again today on the Portuguese soil and he could only finish tenth overall.

Dylan Ferrandis had a really good start in the first race and he managed to finish fifth, but in the second moto a problem with the chain of his Kawasaki machine forced him to pull out. Ferrandis obtained an overall thirteenth position.

Alessandro Lupino, who finished on the podium in Bulgaria, crashed in the first race and he was only able to finish in the 21st position. In the second one he had still some pain due to his two broken ribs but he finished seventh which gave him the overall fifteenth place.

MX2 Race 1 top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 39:53.240; 2. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +1:18.848; 3. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +1:21.605; 4. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), +1:27.979; 5. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:30.999; 6. Dean Ferris (AUS, Yamaha), +1:35.904; 7. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +1:37.301; 8. Mel Pocock (GBR, Yamaha), +1:40.715; 9. Max Anstie (GBR, Suzuki), +1:50.274; 10. Petar Petrov (BUL, Yamaha), -1 lap(s);

MX2 Race 2 top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 40:30.592; 2. Dean Ferris (AUS, Yamaha), +1:08.304; 3. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +1:10.100; 4. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +1:13.897; 5. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), +1:20.092; 6. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +1:27.409; 7. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), +1:32.973; 8. Alexander Tonkov (RUS, Honda), -1 lap(s); 9. Mel Pocock (GBR, Yamaha), -1 lap(s); 10. Elliott Banks-Browne (GBR, KTM), -1 lap(s);



MX2 Overall top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 50 points; 2. Dean Ferris (AUS, Yamaha), 37 p.; 3. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 35 p.; 4. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 34 p.; 5. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), 34 p.; 6. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 26 p.; 7. Mel Pocock (GBR, Yamaha), 25 p.; 8. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 25 p.; 9. Alexander Tonkov (RUS, Honda), 22 p.; 10. Max Anstie (GBR, Suzuki), 22 p.;

MX2 Championship top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 300 points; 2. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 219 p.; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 183 p.; 4. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 178 p.; 5. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), 171 p.; 6. Dean Ferris (AUS, Yamaha), 152 p.; 7. Max Anstie (GBR, Suzuki), 150 p.; 8. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 129 p.; 9. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), 123 p.; 10. Mel Pocock (GBR, Yamaha), 112 p.;

MX2 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 300 points; 2. Yamaha, 213 p.; 3. Suzuki, 172 p.; 4. Kawasaki, 160 p.; 5. Honda, 107 p.; 6. TM, 21 p.; 7. Husqvarna, 1 p.;

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EMX250: The new race format was welcomed with open arms as the EMX250 put on an exhilarating display of racing. In the early stages of the race it was Damon Graulus who took the all important holeshot and led the opening lap followed by a charging series of riders in the form of Tim Gajser, Valentin Guillod, Jeremy Seewer, Ceriel Klein Kromhof and Micha-Boy De Waal.
The war had officially begun and positions were changing lap by lap, in the early stages it was Tim Gajser who claimed the lead, looking fierce and in form but his pace was matched by the hard chargers that were to follow him. The top five put it all on the line, with every one of them wanting a piece of the podium.

Coming into the middle stages of the race, Valentin Guillod had upped his tempo and managing to find a way around last year’s champion Tim Gajser leaving the Slovenian to deal with the persistent pressure of Damon Graulus, Jeremy Seewer and Ceriel Klein Kromhof. With two laps to go the riders came into an immense amount of lapped traffic adding an extra challenge to the already challenging race.

Unfortunately for Tim Gajser lady luck was not on his side as he ran into trouble dropping him back to eighth position. Meanwhile Damon Graulus was wanting more charging after Valentin Guillod. With one lap to go Graulus had taken over the lead but didn’t hold it for long as Guillod was determined to take home the race win. As the chequred flag waved it was Valentin Guillod who claimed victory followed by Damon Graulus in second, Jeremy Seewer in third, Ceriel Klein Kromhof in fourth and Micha-boy De Waal in fifth.



EMX250 Final: 1. Valentin Guillod (SUI, KTM), 29:02.174; 2. Damon Graulus (BEL, KTM), +0:08.884; 3. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:09.955; 4. Ceriel Klein Kromhof (NED, KTM), +0:18.166; 5. Micha-Boy De Waal (NED, KTM), +0:34.859; 6. Jordan Booker (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:48.802; 7. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:50.484; 8. Tim Gajser (SLO, KTM), +0:52.621; 9. Benoit Jamet (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:59.722; 10. Magne Klingsheim (NOR, Yamaha), +1:01.693;

EMX20 Championship top ten: 1. Valentin Guillod (SUI, KTM), 25 points; 2. Damon Graulus (BEL, KTM), 22 p.; 3. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), 20 p.; 4. Ceriel Klein Kromhof (NED, KTM), 18 p.; 5. Micha-Boy De Waal (NED, KTM), 16 p.; 6. Jordan Booker (GBR, Kawasaki), 15 p.; 7. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Husqvarna), 14 p.; 8. Tim Gajser (SLO, KTM), 13 p.; 9. Benoit Jamet (FRA, Kawasaki), 12 p.; 10. Magne Klingsheim (NOR, Yamaha), 11 p.;

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EMX125:

The EMX125 saw Henry Jacobi fastest off the gate, claiming the lead on the opening lap.

Although a good start always helps, the race was never going to be easy for Jacobi as he had the championship points leader Pauls Jonass right on him. Jonass sat patiently on the back wheel of Jacobi, but after two and a half laps he made a pass and didn’t look back. As the race went on, the third place rider of Nicolas Dercourt began making a charge, catching the second place of Henry Jacobi but couldn’t find a way around him. As the duo Jacobi and Dercourt came into lapped traffic, Jacobi took the advantage with open arms putting a little breathing space between himself and the French rider leaving Dercourt to give up the fight and finish an easy third.

Meanwhile, Canadian Kade Tinkler had climbed his way up from an average start into the fourth place position; this was no easy feat, as around lap five he found himself engaged in battle with Joel Van Mechelen. Van Mechelen put up a good fight but after the pass had been made, tired back to seventh place allowing riders Calvin Vlaanderen and Riccardo Righi to take home the fifth and sixth positions.

EMX125 Final: 1. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 30:29.862; 2. Henry Jacobi (GER, KTM), +0:10.869; 3. Nicolas Dercourt (FRA, Yamaha), +0:22.000; 4. Kade Tinkler (CAN, Suzuki), +0:35.795; 5. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, KTM), +0:39.858; 6. Riccardo Righi (ITA, KTM), +0:45.004; 7. Joel Van Mechelen (NED, KTM), +1:01.199; 8. Tomasso Sileika (LAT, KTM), +1:17.597; 9. Frederik Van Der Vlist (NED, KTM), +1:27.174; 10. Emanuele Facchetti (ITA, KTM), +1:31.497;

EMX125 Championship top ten: 1. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 75 points; 2. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, KTM), 54 p.; 3. Nicolas Dercourt (FRA, Yamaha), 50 p.; 4. Henry Jacobi (GER, KTM), 49 p.; 5. Frederik Van Der Vlist (NED, KTM), 48 p.; 6. Anton Lundgren (SWE, KTM), 47 p.; 7. Riccardo Righi (ITA, KTM), 46 p.; 8. Kade Tinkler (CAN, Suzuki), 43 p.; 9. Ivan Baranov (RUS, KTM), 25 p.; 10. Lorenzo Ravera (ITA, KTM), 21 p.;