Scritto lunedì 20 Settembre 2021 alle 07:40.
SARDINIA CONQUERED! HERLINGS AND VIALLE STRETCH UNBEATEN GRAND PRIX RUN TO THREE EVENTS
2021 MXGP si è avventurato nella sabbia profonda di Riola Sardo per il primo Gran Premio di Sardegna e Red Bull KTM Factory Racing ha visto Jeffrey Herlings e Tom Vialle vincere le classi MXGP e MX2 per la terza partita consecutiva. L’olandese e il francese hanno entrambi ottenuto risultati 1-1 con le loro KTM 450 e 250 SX-F rispettivamente al round dieci di diciotto.
GP of SARDEGNA 2021 – NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
L’isola di Sardegna ha accolto ufficialmente la MXGP per la prima volta, ma la sabbia di Riola Sardo è una sfida familiare per molte squadre e piloti poiché il percorso è un popolare richiamo per i test e gli allenamenti nei mesi invernali e pre-campionato. Il clima normalmente costante del territorio italiano è rimasto inalterato per il decimo GP della stagione – con cieli prevalentemente soleggiati e temperature elevate – e la sabbia era ruvida, impegnativa e tecnica.
MXGP
Una sesta Pole Position è stata ottenuta da Jeffrey Herlings nelle prove cronometrate mattutine. Il compagno di squadra Jorge Prado era solo mezzo secondo in seconda posizione. Tony Cairoli ha realizzato l’ottavo tempo ma ha subito una caduta ed è stato poi sollevato dalla sabbia e portato al centro medico. Per fortuna gli è stato dato il via libera ma non ha potuto presentarsi al cancello per le due manche a causa di un dolore al collo e alla schiena.
Nella prima manche Herlings ha afferrato l’holeshot ed è fuggito con la gara, finendo circa 42 secondi da Jorge Prado in un solitario 2° posto. Con un Tim Gajser infortunato fuori dai punti, sia l’olandese che lo spagnolo hanno guadagnato un sostanziale vantaggio in classifica.
Per la seconda manche un emozionante inseguimento tra Prado e Herlings per il comando si è svolto per tutta la prima metà della distanza. Herlings ha compiuto un sorpasso ravvicinato per retrocedere il rivale e poi ha assunto il controllo. L’1-1 è stato il primo punteggio perfetto di Herlings del 2021 e il suo ottavo podio. Dopo essere stato a oltre 40 punti dalla leadership del campionato del mondo in una fase, l’ex numero 1 ora ha le mani sulla tabella rossa per la prima volta in questa stagione e con un esiguo vantaggio di 1 punto su Gajser.
Il 2-2 di Prado ha permesso il quarto podio dell’anno e il terzo nelle ultime quattro gare. Il 20enne è 4° in classifica ma a soli 12 punti da Herlings. Cairoli resta 5° nonostante il mancato punteggio.
GP of SARDEGNA 2021 – RIOLA SARDO – Results and points!
Jeffrey Herlings: “Con gli infortuni di Tim e Tony è un modo triste di prendere questa tabella rossa. Non significa nulla al momento. So com’è l’infortunio, quindi spero che si rimettano in salute prima del prossimo GP. Ero veloce nelle prove cronometrate e quel primo holeshot in moto è stata una grande sorpresa! Ho guidato per tutta la strada. Nel secondo sono partito dietro a Jorge e ho provato a superarlo ma è stata dura. Molte volte ci ho provato e a cinque-sei giri dalla fine ci sono riuscito e ho preso un gap. È stata una settimana perfetta e ora continueremo a caricare e andare avanti. Abbiamo apportato alcuni miglioramenti all’inizio e siamo contenti per la squadra e per il lavoro che abbiamo svolto”.
Jorge Prado: “E’ stata una giornata molto buona e sono super felice. L’ultimo round è stato difficile, quindi sapevo che questo weekend sarebbe stato importante. Mi aspettavo di fare quello che ho fatto oggi. Due moto solide. Stavo mirando a quell’holeshot nella seconda gara e sono riuscito a tenere “The Bullet” dietro di me per un bel po’ di tempo. Il mio cuore è andato un po’ quando è passato! Ho dato tutto quello che avevo e lui ha fatto un passaggio molto veloce. Prenderò le cose positive e guarderò al duro lavoro in Germania ora”.
Tony Cairoli: “Giornata molto brutta oggi. Speravo in una buona gara perché mi piace molto questa pista. È stato un piccolo errore che è costato molte energie e mi ha colpito. Quando ero a terra non mi sentivo tutto così bene. Ero abbastanza spaventato. Con il controllo successivo, è stato un sollievo sapere che era tutto a posto, ma l’impatto mi ha impedito di correre. Sarebbe stato bello prendere dei punti oggi, ma fa parte delle corse. Ci concentreremo sul rimetterci in salute e goderci quest’ultima parte della stagione”.
Tony Cairoli on his crash!
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SARDINIA CONQUERED! HERLINGS AND VIALLE STRETCH UNBEATEN GRAND PRIX RUN TO THREE EVENTS
2021 MXGP ventured into the deep sand of Riola Sardo for the first Grand Prix of Sardegna and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing watched Jeffrey Herlings and Tom Vialle win the MXGP and MX2 classes for the third fixture in a row. The Dutchman and Frenchman both took 1-1 results with their KTM 450 and 250 SX-Fs respectively at round ten of eighteen.
– Herlings wins 94th Grand Prix with excellent first 1-1 of ’21 & takes control of the championship
– Jorge Prado finishes 2nd for his fourth podium of the season
– Vialle goes 1-1 for the second time this year in MX2 and fourth victory
– Cairoli counted out after Timed Practice crash
The island of Sardinia welcomed MXGP officially for the first time but the sand of Riola Sardo is a familiar challenge to many teams and riders as the course is a popular draw for testing and training in the winter and pre-season months. The normally steady climate of the Italian territory remained in place for the tenth GP of the season – with mostly sunny skies and high temperatures – and the sand was rough, demanding and technical.
MXGP
A sixth Pole Position was gathered by Jeffrey Herlings in morning Timed Practice. Teammate Jorge Prado was only half a second adrift in 2nd. Tony Cairoli made the 8th quickest time but suffered a crash and then had to be lifted from the sand and taken to the Medical Centre. He was thankfully given the all-clear but could not take to the gate for the two motos due to a painful neck and back.
In the first moto Herlings seized the holeshot and escaped with the race, finishing some 42 seconds of Jorge Prado in a solitary 2nd place. With an injured Tim Gajser out of the points, both the Dutchman and the Spaniard made a substantial gain in the standings.
For the second moto an exciting chase between Prado and Herlings for the lead took place throughout the first half of the distance. Herlings made a close overtaking move to demote his rival and then assumed control. The 1-1 was Herlings’ first perfect score of 2021 and his eighth podium walk. From being over 40 points adrift of the world championship lead at one stage, the former #1 now has his hands on the red plate for the first time this season and with a slender 1 point advantage over Gajser.
Prado’s 2-2 permitted a fourth podium of the year and third from the last four races. The 20-year-old is 4th in the standings but only 12 points behind Herlings. Cairoli remains 5th despite his non-score.
Jeffrey Herlings: “With the injuries to Tim and Tony it is a sad way to take this red plate. It means nothing at the moment. I know what injury is like, so hopefully they will get healthy before the next GP. I was fast in Timed Practice and that first moto holeshot was a big surprise! I led the whole way. In the second I started behind Jorge and tried to overtake him but it was tough. Many times I tried, and with five-six laps to go I managed it and pulled a gap. It was a perfect week and now we’ll keep charging and keep going. We made some improvements on the start and happy for the team and the work we’ve done.”
Jorge Prado: “It was a very good day and I’m super-happy. The last round was difficult so I knew this weekend would be important. I was expecting to do what I did today. Two solid motos. I was aiming for that holeshot in the second race and managed to keep ‘The Bullet’ behind me for quite a long time. My heart went a bit when he moved past! I gave everything I had, and he just made a very quick pass. I’ll take the positive things and look towards the hard-pack in Germany now.”
Tony Cairoli: “A very bad day today. I was hoping for a good race because I like this track a lot. It was a small mistake that cost a lot of energy and affected me. When I was on the ground I didn’t feel everything so well. I was pretty scared. With the check afterwards, it was a relief to know everything was OK but the impact meant I could not race. It would have been good to take some points today but that’s part of racing. We’ll focus on getting healthy again and enjoying this last part of the season.”
MX2
Rene Hofer set the 5th fastest time in Timed Practice (on his first sighting of Riola Sardo) and was the quickest racer from the Red Bull KTM crew with the KTM 250 SX-F. All three riders started in the top five of the first moto but it was World Champion Tom Vialle who broke away and then deflected some late pressure to win the race from start to finish. Mattia Guadagnini was a comfortable 3rd while Hofer paid the price for a mistake and a small crash and finished 8th.
In the second moto Vialle again set the pace from the start line for his seventh holeshot of the season. The Frenchman showed expert speed around Riola – for what was his first visit to the track – and claimed a more relaxed win for his second 1-1 of the campaign and his second since dominating the opening event of the season in Russia.
Guadagnini became unstuck on the first lap after a slow run-in with another rider caused a crash and the Italian was briefly winded after the handlebar hit him in the abdomen. He continued the race but fell again and could not restart to finish. Hofer was also facing adversity on the first lap. The Austrian tangled with another competitor on the start straight and was one of the last to get going. He recovered to 14th.
In the championship standings Vialle has made up ground from 9th to 6th while Guadagnini is still 2nd but 71 points from the red plate.
Tom Vialle: “This was my first time racing here and I really enjoyed the track. Many others spend the winter training here. I had two good motos. The first was tough because Maxime was fast and coming very close but I started well again in the second and I felt great on the track with good flow. It’s really nice to make a 1-1 again. Thanks to the team; we have good speed and we’re building some momentum.”
Mattia Guadagnini: “Not the best day for me. I was feeling great on the track but with eight minutes to go in the first moto I lost some rhythm and 2nd position. 3rd was still OK. In the second moto I tried to pass quickly but had a crash on the first lap and had to fight back all the way. Then we had a problem and I could not restart the bike. I was disappointed about my mistake and also losing those points for the championship. We still have some races to come and, of course, the Nations next week. Thanks to all the supporters there today and for the team for their work.”
Rene Hofer: “In general I’m happy with my riding today. I think I had the speed for the podium. I pushed up to 3rd with about ten minutes to go in the first moto and then had a crash and lost quite a lot of time. I was pretty angry with myself and was pumped-up for the second moto but unfortunately on the start straight I came together with another rider and had his bike stuck in mine. I was dead-last and had to push all the way to get those points, even with another crash. The results were not so good but I’m proud of my riding and of the progress we have made in the sand. It was not bad speed for an Austrian guy! Next weekend will be another cool experience at the Nations, and I’ll be looking to do as well as I can for the Austrian team.”
MXGP is briefly interrupted next weekend for the 74th Motocross of Nations at Mantova on the Italian mainland. The annual contest will see Jeffrey Herlings (Team Netherlands), Tony Cairoli, Mattia Guadagnini (both Team Italy), Tom Vialle (Team France) and Rene Hofer (Team Austria) in action for their respective countries. The Grand Prix of Germany at Teutschenthal will represent round eleven on October 3rd.
Results MXGP Sardinia 2021
GP of SARDEGNA 2021 – NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
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