MXGP Lombardia: Herlings vince davanti a Febvre, terzo Cairoli, mercoledì lo spareggio finale con il GP Città di Mantova
Tutto si deciderà mercoledì, quando per la prima volta nella storia del motociclismo un titolo sarà assegnato in un turno infrasettimanale
MANTOVA, 7 NOV.- Un pubblico enorme, come non si vedeva da un decennio ha affollato oggi gli spalti del Circuito Città di Mantova per il GP della Lombardia penultima prova di questo entusiasmante mondiale motocross 2021.
Alla fine di due manches entusiasmanti l’olandese Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) ha vinto il GP davanti Febvre e Cairoli, ma non ha recuperato alcun punto sul francese perché entrambi hanno conquistato un primo e un secondo posto. Tutto si deciderà mercoledì, quando per la prima volta nella storia del motociclismo un titolo sarà assegnato in un turno infrasettimanale che si annuncia memorabile perché sarà anche l’ultima gara per Antonio Cairoli (KTM). Il pilota italiano più grande di sempre anche oggi ha venduta cara la pelle finendo sul podio. Oltre a Febvre e Herlings rimane ancora in lizza per il titolo anche Tim Gajser (Honda) che ha un ritardo di 15 punti, ma che oggi non ha brillato come leggerete nelle cronache.
MXGP: Alle 12 è scattata la Gara 1, al via è stato lo svizzero Seewer (Yamaha) a bruciare tutti davanti a Febvre, Herlings (KTM) e Cairoli (KTM). Il francese ha impiegato tre varianti a passare Seewer e si è involato andando a vincere solitario, mentre dietro si scatenava l’inferno. Herlings cadeva sul ferro di cavallo nel tentativo di superare Seewer e ripartiva 15°, mentre Gajser (Honda) e Cairoli seguivano Febvre insieme alla rivelazione del giorno, il debuttante spagnolo Ruben Fernandez con una Honda. Le posizioni sono rimaste stabili, mentre dietro Herlings scatenava la sua KTM per recuperare. A metà dei 18 giri in programma era già 5°. Affrontava lo spagnolo che gli resisteva da Campione, poi lo passava e firmando il giro record della pista in 1’56”474. A quel punto arrivava la notizia che Gajser era sotto investigazione per il taglio della variante in partenza. Herlings superava anche Cairoli e Gajser e concludeva secondo. Mentre lo sloveno Gajser veniva penalizzato di 5 posizioni e scalava dalla 3° alla 8° posizione.
In Gara 2 scattava davanti a tutti Prado con dietro Herlings, Febvre e Cairoli. L’olandese attaccava Prado e lo superava già alla prima variante a andava a vincere con grande vantaggio. Al secondo posto Febvre che dopo un sorpasso da cineteca su Prado, vista la velocità del batavo, manteneva la seconda posizione fino alla fine. Terzo Gajser che non riusciva a entrare nella lotta per la vittoria. Grande bagarre invece per il quarto posto dove un magistrale Tony Cairoli, che era partito quinto riusciva a passare Prado al 14° giro al ferro di cavallo e poi resisteva da Campione al ritorno dello svizzero Seewer conquistando così il podio finale dietro a Herlings e Febvre.
MX2: In Gara 1 il neo Campione del mondo Maxime Renaux (Yamaha) ha vinto dominando fino all’ultimo giro dopo aver superato in partenza l’austrico Hofer (KTM), al secondo posto il compagno di team Geerts e terzo Tom Vialle (KTM). Gara molto bella per il siciliano di Calatafimi (TP) Andrea Adamo (GasGas) che aveva dichiarato in conferenza stampa di puntare alla top ten. E così è stato. Partito molto bene ha mantenuto la settima posizione fino al 13° giro guidando molto bene, per poi chiudere nono. Meno bene l’eroe del Nazioni Mattia Guadagnini (KTM) che partito male e poi caduto all’11° giro ha terminato 12°.
In Gara 2 ha vinto manche e GP Jago Geerts (Yamaha) dopo aver superato un Tom Vialle (KTM) in evidente calo e aver resistito agli attacchi furibondi del nuovo Campione del mondo Renaux che voleva assolutamente la vittoria. Terzo l’australiano Beaton con la Husqvarna. Buona gara per Mattia Guadagnini. Il bassanese è partito 4°, è stato superato dall’arrembante Beaton e ha chiuso con un buon 5° posto. Meno bene Andrea Adamo, 14° in zona punti.
LE DICHIARAZIONI
Jeffrey Herlings: “Quello che è successo nella prima gara è stato così stupido. Mi sono messo in una buona posizione fin dall’inizio. Ero dietro Romain. Non c’era niente che Jeremy potesse fare. Ho fatto esattamente lo stesso incidente nel riscaldamento. Ho appena sbattuto il piede sinistro sul fianco e sono stato appena preso a calci. Sapevo che dovevo lavorare sodo. Ero quasi morto ultimo e mi sono fatto strada fino al secondo. Seconda gara, ho avuto una partenza decente. Ero subito terzo e sono riuscito a superare Jorge e Romain. Poi sono riuscito a fare un po’ di spazio. Poi stavo controllando dove poteva essere Tony. In realtà non stavo cercando di scappare troppo lontano. Poi ho visto che c’era un divario troppo grande tra Romain e Tony. Poi mi sono allontanato per la seconda metà della gara. Ogni punto conta in questo momento, quindi è -3. Penso che dopo oggi sia giusto dire che è tra me e Romain il campionato. Mercoledì sarà una guerra totale. C’è molto in gioco. Piloti diversi, paesi diversi e produttori diversi che vanno tutti verso lo stesso obiettivo che è il titolo mondiale. Non importa chi lo vince. Penso che entrambi ce lo meritiamo comunque. Anche Tim. Quindi mercoledì dovrà andrare bene”.
Romain Febvre: “La seconda gara, sono partito secondo, poi Jeffrey ha passato me e Prado. Forse non ho preso molti rischi per passare Prado per evitare di cadere. Quindi, ho perso un po’ di tempo per catturare Jeffrey ed era troppo tardi a quel punto. Ho fatto dei giri veloci per accorciare un po’ il gap, ma lui aveva ancora circa 3-4 secondi. A un certo punto mi sono accontentato del secondo e ho pensato “Non rischierò tutto”. Sono in una buona posizione in questo momento e c’è ancora un altro round da fare. Mercoledì sarà interessante”.
Antonio Cairoli: “Sicuramente sono molto contento del risultato. Mi sto davvero godendo la pista ed è sempre bello farlo davanti a questo pubblico. Prima gara, sono partito bene, poi ero un po’ rigido nel primo giro e ho perso alcune posizioni. Poi stavo andando molto forte nella seconda metà della gara. Mi stavo davvero godendo la pista a quel punto. Ho finito la gara terzo, davanti alla penalità di Tim. È stato un buon risultato per la classifica generale. Seconda gara, la partenza non è stata delle migliori. Alla fine avevo un buon ritmo e riuscivo a spingere un po’. Poi sono arrivato dietro a Jorge per 6-7 giri e i ragazzi davanti sono riusciti a creare un gap. Anche Tim mi ha passato perché stavo lottando per trovare alcune linee per provare a passare Jorge. Poi ho perso un po’ il ritmo. Alla fine avevo un po’ di spazio davanti a me che mi ha permesso di fare dei buoni giri. Mi sono avvicinato a Tim, ma era troppo tardi. Nel complesso sono contento per il podio ovviamente, ma cercherò di fare meglio mercoledì e di essere di nuovo sul podio. Sarebbe fantastico per me e per tutti i tifosi”.
MARTEDI e MERCOLEDI
Il Gran Premio Città di Mantova 18° e ultima prova del mondiale motocross 2021 si disputerà il 9 e 10 novembre. Martedì 9 sono in programma le prove finali dell’europeo EMX 250 e dell’EMX 125cc. Mercoledì 10 invece le gare della MXGP e MX2.
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Herlings and Geerts Triumphant at the MXGP of Lombardia
MANTOVA (Lombardia) 7 November 2021 – The FIM Motocross World Championship continues to throw surprises after an exciting penultimate round of the series that saw Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings and Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jago Geerts on the top step of the podium, as the pair clawed back some vital championship points on their rivals.
In MXGP, it’s looking like the final round of the series will be a two-man race as Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Romain Febvre and Herlings are separated by just three points, while a penalty in race one has left Team HRC’s Tim Gajser third in standings, 12 points behind Herlings.
While in MX2, the battle for the silver medal is heating up between Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle and Geerts, with seven points between them as we head into the races on Wednesday.
In MXGP race one, it was Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Seewer who grabbed the Fox Holeshot. Febvre got off to a good start too as he was ahead of Herlings, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli and Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Glenn Coldenhoff. Meanwhile Gajser got pushed wide and off the track.
Febvre wasted no time as he took the lead from Seewer, with Herlings looking to make a pass on the Swiss too. Herlings was briefly into second before making a mistake and crashing, which also took down Seewer with him. With the two bikes tangled, Herlings took some time before he got going again.
Honda 114 Motorsports’ Ruben Fernandez was having a great start to his MXGP wildcard race, as he was running nicely in fourth.
Febvre then set the fastest lap of the race as he led Cairoli by 3.764 seconds, as Gajser got himself into third, while Herlings was all over Standing Construct GasGas Factory Racing’s Brian Bogers for ninth.
Herlings was on another level for the next few laps as he picked off riders before catching up to his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammate Jorge Prado. Prado didn’t make things easy for Herlings, as the young Spaniard shut down every attempt the Bullet was making.
Eventually Herlings was able to get past Prado and the Coldenhoff soon after, as Gajser also got around Cairoli for second position.
Herlings was still down in sixth though, but Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Mathys Boisrame was the next rider to get passed by the Dutchman. He then went after Fernandez, who was not baking down.
The battle between Fernandez and Herlings was intense, as it took Herlings four laps to pass the Spanish rider.
With six minutes on the clock, Gajser started to have Febvre in his sights as Herlings set the fastest lap of the race while looking to get around Cairoli. Cairoli was not backing down to the title hopeful, who had to spend a few laps behind the Italian, but with two laps to go, Herlings was able to get by Cairoli and later Gajser.
Febvre went on to win the race with Herlings second and Gajser third. But Gajser received a 5-place penalty which dropped him down to eighth, so Cairoli moved up to third. Fernandez finished the race in fourth place.
In race two, we saw Prado take the Fox Holeshot from Febvre, Herlings and MRT Racing Team KTM’s Alessandro Lupino. Gajser was around 10th, as Herlings wasted no time to get past Febvre and Prado for the lead.
Cairoli started the race in fifth just behind Lupino, with Gajser down in seventh.
Febvre then started to apply the pressure onto Prado for second, but it would take him a couple of laps to get around the Spaniard, as Gajser caught onto Cairoli and Lupino.
After getting good drive and passing Prado, Febvre was within 3.390 seconds of Herlings with plenty of time left on the clock. And while he kept things close for the first half of the race, as the heat went on, it seemed like Febvre was happy to settle for second and take those championship points without any risk.
Seewer then passed Boger and Lupino for sixth, while Cairoli caught onto the rear wheel of Prado, as he set his sights on going after third position in the race. As the battle between Cairoli and Prado got tense, Gajser was able to make the most of this and close in on the KTM duo.
Prado was not making it easy for Cairoli who launched several attacks on the Spaniard. Eventually Cairoli made mistake which allowed Gajser through. But he was not backing down for the Slovenian.
Gajser had to work hard to get by Prado, but two laps later, the Honda rider found himself up in third. At that point Herlings was 6.728 seconds ahead of Febvre.
And as Cairoli searched for a way past Prado, Seewer joined the pair, as the battle for fourth raged on. Finally on lap 14, Cairoli was able to get by Prado and move up a spot. Seewer did the same four laps from the end as Prado dropped to sixth.
Herlings went on to win the race ahead of Febvre and Gajser. And with a 2-1 result, Herlings secured his eighth GP victory of the 2021 season, with Febvre finishing on the second step ahead of Cairoli who was third on the podium. Gajser was fourth overall.
With one round to go, Febvre leads the MXGP Championship standings by three points over Herlings, while Gajser is now 12 points behind.
Jeffrey Herlings: “What happened in the first race was so dumb. I put myself in a good position right from the start. I was behind Romain. There was nothing that Jeremy could do. I did exactly the same crash in the warmup. I just hit my left foot into the side and just got kicked off. I knew I had to work hard. I was almost dead last and worked my way to second. Second race, I had a decent start. I was straight into third and managed to pass Jorge and Romain. Then I was able to make a little gap. Then I was checking where Tony could be. I was actually not trying to run away too far. Then I saw that there was too big of a gap between Romain and Tony. Then I pulled away for the second half of the race. Every point counts right now, so it’s -3. I think that after today, it’s fair to say that it’s between me and Romain for the championship. It’s going to be an all-out war on Wednesday. There’s a lot on the line. Different riders, different countries and different manufacturers all going towards the same goal which is the world title. It doesn’t matter who wins it. I think we both deserve it anyway. Even Tim. So, it will be a good one on Wednesday”.
Romain Febvre: “The second race, I started second then Jeffrey passed me and Prado. I maybe didn’t take many risks to pass Prado to avoid falling. So, I lost some time to catch Jeffrey and it was too late at that point. I had some fast laps to close the gap a little bit, but he still had about 3-4 seconds. At one point I just settled for second and thought “I won’t risk everything”. I’m in a good position right now and there’s still one more round to go. Wednesday will be interesting”.
Antonio Cairoli: “For sure I am really happy about the result. I am really enjoying the track and it’s always nice to do it in front of this crowd. First race, I had a good start, then I was a little bit stiff on the first lap and I lost some positions. Then I was riding really fast in the second half of the race. I was really enjoying the track at that point. I finished the race third, ahead of Tim’s penalty. It was a good result for the overall. Second race, the start was not so good. Finally, I had a good rhythm and was able to push a little bit. Then I arrived behind Jorge for 6-7 laps and the guys in front were able to build a gap. Tim also passed me as I was struggling to find some lines to try to pass Jorge. Then I lost the rhythm a little bit. In the end I had some room in front of me which allowed me to have some good laps. I came closer to Tim, but it was too late. Overall, I am happy because of the podium of course, but I will try to do better on Wednesday and be on the podium again. It would be amazing for me and all the fans”.
Main Photo: Jeffrey Herlings
Bottom Photos: 1. Romain Febvre 2. Antonio Cairoli
In the MX2 race one, it was Vialle with the Fox Holeshot but his teammate Rene Hofer of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing was quick into the lead. Renaux started well as he passed Vialle for second and then quickly found his way around Hofer to lead the race by the end of the first lap.
Geerts then passed Vialle, as Vialle came under pressure from Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Kay de Wolf who passed him for fourth, he was however able to take back that position.
Hofer then set the fastest lap of the race as he was keen to stay close to Renaux, but then came under fire from Geerts. The Belgian made several attempts to pass the Austrian, but Hofer was quick to respond. Hofer then fell and eventually fought his way back to sixth.
Renaux then opened up the gap as he led by 5.480 seconds over Geerts, while Vialle was still trying to fend off de Wolf as well was his teammate Jed Beaton who was also on a charge. The Frenchman was urged on by the Husqvarna riders as he had Geerts in his sights in the later stages of the race.
Unfortunately, he could not get close enough, as Geerts also tried to go after Renaux in the final laps, but Renaux was able to maintain that position and win his first race since becoming MX2 World Champion last weekend.
In the second MX2 heat, it was Vialle once again with the Fox Holeshot as he led Hofer, Geerts, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Mattia Guadagnini and Beaton. Renaux started in around 10th position.
Geerts then tried to get around Hofer for second, but the pair made contact in the wave section, which resulted in a big crash for Hofer.
Beaton then got onto the rear wheel of Guadagnini for third, as Renaux moved in on the pair after making some good passes on the opening laps. The Frenchman got around the Australian by the second lap and then set his sights on Guadagnini.
Further down the field, de Wolf was having an intense battle with Simon Längenfelder of Diga Procross GasGas Factory Racing. The Dutchman then took the outside line which gave him good drive to get past the German for sixth place.
Guadagnini then had Renaux all over his rear wheel, with the Frenchman going around the outside of the Italian to steal third. Renaux was on a charge as it did not take long for him to catch up with Geerts.
Meanwhile Hofer was trying to recover from his crash at the beginning of the race as he got going in 14th place.
The gap between Vialle and Geerts started to come down as just 0.938 seconds separated them, with some excitement behind them as Renaux went off track and de Wolf crashed.
On lap seven we saw a change for the lead as Vialle and Geerts traded positions a few times, before the Belgian was able to make the pass stick. Renaux was keen to go with him as he dove down the inside of Vialle for second.
Renaux then pushed hard to try and get by Geerts, with the battle carrying on until the chequered flag fell for the end of the race. Despite his best efforts, Renaux was forced to settle for second as Geerts went on to win the race. Beaton was also able to get by Vialle in the final laps to get himself into third, while Vialle crossed the line fourth.
A 2-1 result gave Geerts the overall victory over Renaux who also finished on 47 points, with Vialle occupying the third step of the podium.
While the MX2 title was decided at the MXGP of Garda, the fight for second in the standings is still on between Vialle and Geerts, as there is just seven points between them as we head into the final round on Wednesday with the MXGP of Città di Mantova.
Jago Geerts: “I am really happy to win a GP again. The last few races my speed was really good, but I just couldn’t make it happen to win a race. Today was a really good day for me, 2-1. So yeah, I am really happy, and I am looking forward to Wednesday. Hopefully I will be able to end the season on a high note. It will be quite exciting and we will battle until the last lap for sure. My goal is just to ride like today. I’ll try to win the GP and get the second place in the championship”.
Maxime Renaux: “It was a nice day. First race after my world title, so it’s really nice. I really enjoyed that. This morning, I was actually not so good in time practice. I was feeling a little bit stiff. But we made some changes on the bike and I felt really good during those two races. First race was perfect. I could take the lead on the first lap and win. Second race, I had a really bad start. I had to really push to come back to second. Then I felt I could have pushed a little bit more, but I was satisfied with second. I am world champion now, so I don’t need to push more and try to win the GP. I’d also like to have a blue bike on the second step of the podium for this championship. So, it was just nice and I am really happy with my riding today”.
Tom Vialle: “I struggled quite a lot today, especially in the second race. I had a great start but couldn’t find my flow on the track. I felt pretty good in the morning. First race wasn’t too bad. I was third behind Jago. I struggled a bit with the bike, so on Wednesday we’re going to make some changes on the bike. For sure it will be better. I am really looking forward to Wednesday. I am second in the championship now. It’s true I came back from pretty far. I think that I was 13th or 14th at some point in the championship. So, it’s pretty nice to be second. There’s still one race to go. It will be a good battle with Jago, that’s for sure”.
Main Photo: Jago Geerts
Bottom Photos: 1. Maxime Renaux 2. Tom Vialle
MXGP OF LOMBARDIA QUICK FACTS:
Circuit length: 1670m
Type of ground: Hard Sand
Temperature: 13° C
Weather conditions: Partly Cloudy
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