French MXGP at Ernée - Race Report
Tuesday 11 June: The 8th Grand Prix of France saw Antonio Cairoli and Jeffrey Herlings with another overall victory and they increased their lead in the championship standings in front of 39000 spectators.
The French riders made the crowd go crazy at
every single race and there actually up to three home riders on the
podium, Gautier Paulin was second in MX1, whereas Dylan Ferrandis and
Christophe Charlier were second and third in MX2.
The first MX2 race was red flagged after the start, as there was a
malfunction of the starting gate, but the rest of the races were run
without incident.
Ernée also hosted the second round of the EMX250 European Championship
and Valentin Guillod obtained another strong victory, while Jeremy
Seewer and Ceriel Klein Kromhof were second and third respectively.
MX1
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli obtained his 59th
Grand Prix victory in Ernée after finishing second and first in today’s
races. In the first race the Italian obtained the Get Athena holeshot
Award, but half way through the race Cairoli made a mistake while trying
to change his line and Gautier Paulin overtook him. The KTM rider did
not give up and he tried to pass the French back until the very last
lap, but in the end Cairoli had to settle down with the second position.
In the second race the current red plate holder took another holeshot
and this time nothing stopped the Italian to lead the race until the
chequered flag.
The second overall position was for Kawasaki Racing Team’s Gautier
Paulin who was not able to finish on the top of the podium, but he was
very pleased to win the first race in front of his home crowd who
cheered for him during the whole weekend. In the second race the home
rider had a really good start but in the first corner there was a crash
and he was taken out to the outside. Paulin was down in sixth and he
could cross the finish line fourth to be on the second step of the
podium.
Rockstar Energy Suzuki World’s Clement Desalle was very satisfied for
his third overall position today, especially because he struggled a lot
yesterday during the qualifying race. The Belgian admitted that they
made some small modifications on his bike, which helped him to feel more
comfortable during today’s races. In both heats Desalle had a good
start, and whereas he rode a consistent first moto in the third position
after he had overtaken Van Horebeek, in the second one he passed Boog
after the first three laps and he rode second until the chequered flag.
CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy Pro Circuit’s Tommy Searle had one of his
best performances of the season today after finishing fourth overall.
The British rider started down in twelfth in the first race, but he
managed to finish seventh in front of Nagl with whom he had a thrilling
battle during most of the race. In the second heat Searle had a much
better start and he ended third, which gave him the fourth overall
position, his best ever result in the MX1 class so far.
Kawasaki Racing Team’s Jeremy Van Horebeek also obtained his best result
of the season today in Ernée; the Belgian rider felt really well
already yesterday and today he proved that he is now ready to be among
the top five positions at every Grand Prix. In the first race he was
second after the start, but Paulin and Desalle were faster, so Van
Horebeek decided to ride safe in the fourth place. After three laps De
Dycker caught Van Horebeek and he overtook him, but with two laps to go,
Van Horebeek passed him back and finished fourth. In the second race
Van Horebeek was involved in a crash in the first corner and he was only
able to finish sixth. However, the Belgian was really satisfied with
his fifth overall position.
Ken De Dycker was back riding among the top five positions today, but he
was only able to finish sixth overall. In the first heat he rode fourth
most of the race, but he lost one position with Van Horebeek with two
laps to go and he ended fifth. In the second moto the KTM rider was able
to move up to third in the first stages of the race, but he crossed the
finish line fifth again.
Kevin Strijbos finished seventh overall, ahead of Davide Guarneri and Xavier Boog. Evgeny Bobryshev completed the top ten.
MX1 Race 1 top ten: 1. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki),
39:21.019; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:01.453; 3. Clement Desalle
(BEL, Suzuki), +0:23.523; 4. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki),
+0:43.389; 5. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:49.635; 6. David Philippaerts
(ITA, Honda), +0:50.808; 7. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:53.198; 8.
Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), +0:55.094; 9. Davide Guarneri (ITA, KTM),
+1:10.101; 10. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), +1:12.061;
MX1 Race 2 top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM),
39:28.802; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:10.539; 3. Tommy Searle
(GBR, Kawasaki), +0:11.974; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki),
+0:21.491; 5. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:26.433; 6. Jeremy van
Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:32.766; 7. Xavier Boog (FRA, KTM),
+0:44.837; 8. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:53.614; 9. Evgeny
Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +1:03.414; 10. Davide Guarneri (ITA, KTM),
+1:21.781;
MX1 Overall top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 47
points; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 43 p.; 3. Clement Desalle
(BEL, Suzuki), 42 p.; 4. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 34 p.; 5. Jeremy
van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), 33 p.; 6. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 32 p.;
7. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), 23 p.; 8. Davide Guarneri (ITA, KTM),
23 p.; 9. Xavier Boog (FRA, KTM), 21 p.; 10. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS,
Honda), 21 p.;
MX1 Championship top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA,
KTM), 377 points; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 321 p.; 3. Clement
Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 309 p.; 4. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 277 p.; 5.
Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), 243 p.; 6. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki),
239 p.; 7. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), 190 p.; 8. Jeremy van Horebeek
(BEL, Kawasaki), 171 p.; 9. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), 168 p.; 10. David
Philippaerts (ITA, Honda), 145 p.;
MX1 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 382 points; 2. Kawasaki, 323 p.; 3. Suzuki, 321 p.; 4. Honda, 252 p.; 5. Yamaha, 133 p.; 6. TM, 120 p.;
MX2
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings woke up with a
lot of pain this morning due to the crash he suffered yesterday during
the qualifying race, so he had to take some painkillers to feel better
and be able to race both motos. The Dutch rider had two good starts and
he won both heats, but he admitted that he struggled to find the good
lines because every time he had to put the foot on the ground he
suffered a lot of pain. Herlings will not have much time to recover, but
he is already looking forward to racing in Maggiora next weekend.
Rockstar Bud Racing Kawasaki’s Dylan Ferrandis made one of his dreams
come true today by finishing second overall in his home Grand Prix. In
the first race Ferrandis started third behind Herlings and Butrón, but
he quickly passed the Spanish rider and he gave his best to follow
Herlings. At some point of the race Ferrandis was really close to catch
the Dutch rider, but in the end he had to settle down with the second
position. In the second race Ferrandis started second behind Nicholls
and the French rider made the crowd go crazy when he took the lead after
four laps. However, he made a mistake and he dropped down to third, but
he was able to overtake Nicholls again by the end of the heat and he
crossed the finish line second.
The third overall position was also for another French rider, the
Monster Energy Yamaha’s Christophe Charlier. Charlier had a difficult
first race because he started down in the thirteenth position, but he
managed to cross the finish line ninth. In the second race the French
rider had a better start and after exchanging the fourth position with
Ferrandis and Tonkov, he was able to move up to third in the last stages
of the race. Charlier was very satisfied with his result today, as it
is his maiden podium of the season.
It was also an excellent weekend for JTECH ESTA Motorsports Racing
Honda’s Alexander Tonkov who managed to finish fourth overall in the
Grand Prix of France. In the first race the Russian was only able to
finish eighth after a poor start, but in the second one he made an
incredible race moving from an initial ninth position to a final fourth
place.
Wilvo Neestan JM Racing KTM’s Jake Nicholls
(pictured above) finished fourth overall,
being tight in 31 points with Tonkov thanks to his 6-5 result. The
British was riding a consistent first moto in fourth, but by the end of
the race Tixier and Butrón passed him and he had to settle down with the
fifth place. In the second race Nicholls had an excellent start and he
took the lead in the first lap, but he could not keep the rhythm and
Herlings overtook him. The British rider stalled the bike when he was
riding second and he crossed the finish line fifth.
Jordi Tixier had a disappointing weekend; the French rider had great
hopes for his home Grand Prix, but in the first heat he was only able to
finish fourth and in the second one he made a mistake at the early
stages of the race and he was down to the seventeenth position. Tixier
made an excellent recovery and he ended ninth in that race, so he
obtained an overall sixth position.
José Butrón, who obtained the Get Athena Holeshot Award in the first
heat, struggled to find a good rhythm in the French track and he ended
seventh overall. Glenn Coldenhoff ended eighth and Petar Petrov and Max
Anstie completed the top ten.
Maxime Desprey and Jason Clermont, who had an excellent qualifying race
yesterday, were eleventh and twelfth today, and Dean Ferris, who took
pole yesterday, had a DNF in the first race due to a mechanic problem
and his sixth place in the second heat made him finish thirteenth
overall.
Romain Febvre was back this weekend from a broken fibula, but a stone
hit his helmet in the first race and he was forced to retire. The home
rider was not able to take part in the second heat as the impact hit his
eye and nose.
MX2 Race 1 top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM),
39:45.493; 2. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:02.937; 3. Glenn
Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:07.723; 4. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +0:15.739;
5. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +0:22.737; 6. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM),
+0:26.455; 7. Max Anstie (GBR, Suzuki), +0:38.353; 8. Alexander Tonkov
(RUS, Honda), +0:43.173; 9. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha),
+0:48.472; 10. Petar Petrov (BUL, Yamaha), +0:50.642;
MX2 Race 2 top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM),
39:59.717; 2. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:05.696; 3. Christophe
Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), +0:07.504; 4. Alexander Tonkov (RUS, Honda),
+0:11.672; 5. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +0:17.524; 6. Dean Ferris (AUS,
Yamaha), +0:20.958; 7. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), +0:21.805; 8.
Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +0:31.110; 9. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM),
+0:35.715; 10. Jason Clermont (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:39.720;
MX2 Overall top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 50
points; 2. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), 44 p.; 3. Christophe
Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), 32 p.; 4. Alexander Tonkov (RUS, Honda), 31 p.;
5. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 31 p.; 6. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 30 p.;
7. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 29 p.; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 23 p.;
9. Petar Petrov (BUL, Yamaha), 21 p.; 10. Max Anstie (GBR, Suzuki), 21
p.;
MX2 Championship top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED,
KTM), 397 points; 2. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 287 p.; 3. Jose Butron
(ESP, KTM), 247 p.; 4. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 237 p.; 5.
Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), 230 p.; 6. Dean Ferris (AUS, Yamaha),
197 p.; 7. Max Anstie (GBR, Suzuki), 193 p.; 8. Jake Nicholls (GBR,
KTM), 181 p.; 9. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), 162 p.; 10. Dylan
Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), 149 p.;
MX2 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 400 points; 2. Yamaha, 279
p.; 3. Kawasaki, 231 p.; 4. Suzuki, 215 p.; 5. Honda, 163 p.; 6. TM, 37
p.; 7. Husqvarna, 1 p.;
EMX250
Round two of the EMX250 European Championship
took place today at the spectator friendly circuit of Ernée, France,
where Guillod Motorsport’s Valentin Guillod claimed his second victory
of the 2013 season. Jeremy Seewer was second and Cereil Klein Kromhof
completed the top three. There was 100 entries for Qualifying.
In the opening stages of the race it was Ceriel Klein Kromhoff who took
the lead followed by Valentin Guillod, Brian Bogers and Killian
Auberson. While the Dutchman Klein Kromhoff was charging out front,
there was no holding off the wrath of the current red plate holder Swiss
Valentin Guillod who managed to pass Klein Kromhoff around mid race and
lead until the finish.
Starting from outside the top five Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe’s
Jeremy Seewer put in an outstanding ride. Despite the narrow track
Seewer managed to push his way through the pack passing Klein Kromhoff
in the closing stages of the race to finish second only two seconds back
from the leader and fellow Swiss Valentin Guillod.
Meanwhile, after riding within the top three early in the race, Stabilo
MX Team’s Brian Bogers ended up finishing a comfortable fourth, ten
seconds ahead of Monster Energy Yamaha’s Magne Klingshem who rode
remarkably from a tenth place start to cross the finish line in fifth.
Killian Auberson was sixth and Arnaud Aubin was the best French rider in
the EMX250 in the seventh place. Steven Clarke was eighth and Benoit
Paturel and Eddie Hjortmarker completed the top ten.
EMX250 Final: 1. Valentin Guillod (SUI, KTM),
30:37.652; 2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:02.999; 3. Ceriel Klein
Kromhof (NED, KTM), +0:08.831; 4. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), +0:15.817; 5.
Magne Klingsheim (NOR, Yamaha), +0:26.225; 6. Killian Auberson (SUI,
KTM), +0:27.772; 7. Arnaud Aubin (FRA, KTM), +0:29.559; 8. Steven Clarke
(GBR, KTM), +0:30.861; 9. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:37.205;
10. Eddie Hjortmarker (SWE, KTM)
EMX250 Championship top ten: 1. Valentin Guillod (SUI,
KTM), 50 points; 2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), 42 p.; 3. Ceriel Klein
Kromhof (NED, KTM), 38 p.; 4. Damon Graulus (BEL, KTM), 32 p.; 5. Magne
Klingsheim (NOR, Yamaha), 27 p.; 6. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Husqvarna), 26
p.; 7. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), 22 p.; 8. Jordan Booker (GBR, Kawasaki),
21 p.; 9. Micha-Boy De Waal (NED, KTM), 16 p.; 10. Killian Auberson
(SUI, KTM), 15 p.;