GP Bits: MXGP of Pietramurata | Round 17 4

Champions were crowned in both MXGP and MX2 classes at the MXGP of Pietramurata, the second round in Trentino, Italy.

Klinger
11/6/2020 11:13am
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Even though there is one more round, both the MXGP and MX2 championships where wrapped up by Tim Gajser and Tom Vialle respectively.

Tim Gajser: "It feels unbelievable to be world champion for a fourth time. Winning one time is amazing, but four times, I’m just speechless. It was a weird season with the COVID-19 and then the break between the rounds two and three, but in the end, everything came together and we won another title! Racing today was very nice, in the first race, I didn’t have the best start but I was still able to come through the field and finish second and that meant that if I could win race two, I would take the overall. In the second moto I grabbed the holeshot and then had a really good battle with Romain all the way to the chequered flag. We were pushing the whole time so I’m super happy to win this title and the overall on the same day. A big thanks to the whole of Team HRC, there are a lot of people who are involved who couldn’t be here today so a big thank you to all of them and to everyone who has supported me all year long. It is a privilege to ride for this team and I appreciate every single person who has helped me. Thank you!"

That is a sweet Fox V3.

His second place in the first moto gave Tiga enough points to win the championship. So he swapped out his plates for the second moto and put stamp on it with the moto win and overall.

Second moto #1 plates.

Tom Vialle did nearly the same thing as Gajser, winning the first moto giving him enough points for the MX2 championship. It's a good thing too, because a shifter problem in moto put him low enough to get zero points in that moto.

Tom Vialle: “I’m so happy but there have been a lot of emotions today. I was a bit angry with the verdict this morning but to make the holeshot and lead the first moto was fantastic. I was almost crying on the last lap. There was so much emotion. It was really special. Crazy. In the second moto I was around sixth position and someone hit me and bent the gear shifter under the bike. I was stuck in second gear. I tried hard to get the bike into third but it was not possible, so I had to come into the pits. I still finished the moto. It was a bit of a shame because I was feeling so good today. Sometimes bad luck happens though. The important thing is that we achieved our goal. I want to say a big thanks to the whole team and everybody who worked together to make this happen. It was tiring to have a lot of races so close together and also keep the concentration through the training. I think we did it pretty good.”

Tom enjoying that #1 plate and bedazzled bike.

Closer look at his moto two graphics and special highlights.

Fork covers and shrouds.
#1 on the clutch cover.
Gold end cap and tires.

A helmet fit for a champ.

An unfortunate second moto crash with Jeremy Van Horebeek and Gajser saw Van Horebeek's leg get sucked into the back wheel of Gasjer's CRF450R. Some how, his leg could not be removed without taking off the rear wheel of the bike.

Even though this looked really bad, official word from Van Horebeek's team is that he only suffered minor burns and was otherwise OK.

With track and medical personnel doing their jobs, Gajser could do nothing but wait with visible concern for Van Horebeek.

Jeremy Seewer is closing out the season strong. He was second on the day with another moto win in moto one, and third in moto two.

Jeremy Seewer: “I got my first Pole Position and that felt great. I’ve been second many times in qualifying this year. It doesn’t really matter for the start; it just feels good to be on Pole. After that, I had an amazing first race. Although, hats off to Tim Gajser and congratulations to him on winning the World Championship, he did great this year. I had some solid results today and got some important points for the championship.”

Romain Febvre rounded out the podium in third place with 5-2 scores.

For the last two rounds of the series, Nicholas Lapucci is riding a Factory Fantic XX 250 in the EMX2T class.

We've seen the Fantic XX 125 lead the championship in the EMX125 class, and in Trentino, Lapucci put the XX 250 on the top step of both moto podiums.

Fantic has a relationship with Yamaha, and both the XX 125 and XX 250 start out as YZs.

Fantic does their own magic to the motor and has specific plastics.

Cool to see two-stroke development and "new" brands.

On the other side of new, here is Kade Walker's RM250.

Though it isn't the most polished bike, it is the highest performing Suzuki in all of the MXGPs with 5th overall at this EMX2T race and 4th overall in the points.

Money where it counts. Ohlins suspension and some carbon protection... but check out that Monster Energy clutch cover and the zip tie replacing the lower shroud bolt. Maybe he really is sponsored by Zip Tie...

Another bike from the EMX2T class is Brand Anderson's KTM 250 SX, a very popular machine for the 250 two-stroke class.

Clean looking machine with Doma exhaust and some safety wire on the oil filler cap.

Making sure they exceed the sound regulations, this thing has got to be so quiet.

A-Kit WP from a few years ago. Those dings also show its age.

This is a nice place to pit.

A wide-angle lens is needed to get everything in the frame, but it also doesn't display how tall those cliffs are.

Not your everyday tire change.

Wilson Todd was back racing for the Dixon Kawasaki Team after an injury earlier in the year.

The DRT Kawi team runs WP suspension on their 2021 KX250s. Not sure who makes these clamps, but the bar mounts are the new-ish FlexFit Xtrig.

The header on the DVR exhaust looks very similar to FMF's Power Bomb.

The hexagonal muffler is all its own.

Got to have those bear traps for maximum control.

Antonio Cairoli had a solid day with 6-5 moto scores for 5th overall, but not what he's used to on home soil.

Tony Cairoli: “Physically it was a bit tricky today. In the first moto I made a good start and was riding smooth until I made that mistake. That wasn’t good from me and especially finishing 6th because [Jeremy] Seewer was in front. I started well again in the second moto but then we had to restart. I was fourth at the third start and [Clement] Desalle passed me. I was wary of the track being very slick. I wasn’t ready to attack and so settled for 5th. The goal now is to stay in front of Seewer at the last round and take 2nd in the championship.”

Jago Geerts came away with another overall win, with 5-1 moto scores.

With Thibault Benistant jumping up to the MX2 class, there are a lot of heavy hitters on YZ250Fs. Here we see Renaux, Watson, Geerts, and Benistant.


No one likes this job.
Custom braces for one of the Yamaha dudes.
Related:
Suzuki
Fox Racing
Pirelli
Antonio Cairoli
Jeremy Seewer
Jeremy van Horebeek
Tim Gajser
MXGP
Monster Energy DRT Kawasaki
Jago Geerts
MX2
Fantic Bikes
Tom Vialle
GP Bits
GP Bits 2020
4 comments

View replies to: GP Bits: MXGP of Pietramurata | Round 17

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JethroX
3 years ago
Throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s I don’t remember ever seeing a racer get their leg caught in the another racers rear wheel. I’ve seen it A LOT in the last few years. It’s not rocket science... KTM pioneered the slimmed down side plates in the mid/late 2000s and shortly there after all the Japanese brands followed suit. They almost look like a funnel into the wheel/swingarm now.

Bring back the full size side plates and save a bunch future racers some suffering. Of course it’s could still happen, but certainly a lot less.
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c50 87 RM 80
ga_pike
3 years ago
I got my leg caught in a competitor's swingarm in a first turn crash at Gatorback in 89ish. Between the tire and the plastic shock guard on 80's. It's just one of those things that happens. Thankfully, I wasn't injured but they had to let the air out of his wheel and he raced the restarted race with a flat rear tire.