Vital MX Pit Bits: 2018 MXGP of Belgium

Lommel is iconic, period...

ML512

8/7/2018 8:21am

Jeffrey Herlings in Lommel, you can probably guess how he did.

Russian Bob is buried in there somewhere...

Not much worse than moto-ing with a mouth full of sand and no water to wash it out.

Bas Vaessan laying the power down.

Antonio Cairoli is still a class above the rest in the sand, outside of The Bullet of course.

At Lommel, you'll see nothing but sand tires. Here's a shot of Dunlop's MX12 compared to...

The sand offerings from Pirelli.

Jorge Prado is young, wicked fast, and soon to be world champion?

A moto podium is a season high for Jago Geerts.

Many thought the sand would be a chance for Pauls Jonass to recover some points after hemorrhaging them for the past few GPs. Nope, crashes in each race has left him even farther behind Jorge Prado in the title hunt.

Marshal Weltin getting a taste of Lommel as he debuted for his new team with a 14-10 performance.

Kevin Strijbos trying to keep his noggin cool before his moto.

Or you can go the more professional ice vest route.

Tommy Searle getting a mid-ride soil sample.

Plenty of scissor lift stands around the pits, we want one!

At work.

Ben Watson and Marshal Weltin duking it out.

Jorge Prado has the starts and speed this year.

Orange and white are up front in almost every MX2 moto this year.

Marshal Weltin has a new ride, swapping from his prior Honda team to the F&H Kawasaki team for the rest of the season. Congrats Marshal!

The De Carli Red Bull KTM crew went for some vented front number plates at this round, while the factory KTM team did not.

Cairoli and Prado's machines were the two featuring them.

De Wall had a rough go...and a few others, scroll down for more.

Adam Sterry having a quick trip.

Think he saved it?

Thomas Covington is putting in some great efforts as his MX2 career comes to a close.

Can this guy do any wrong in the sand?

Calvin Vlaanderen staying aggressive.

Now here's a little bit of weird one. Jeffrey Herlings machine had netting across both radiator louvers while...

Antonio Cairlo's left one side exposed and only one covered.

Cairoli made use of this big single during a set of switch back turns, leaping off of it to make multiple moves during the motos.

Pauls Jonass is now 28 points down...it's getting more grim each week.

We noticed Max Anstie had an enduro model tank equipped for the day.

As did Cairoli, although it was covered over to look like a standard black tank.

While Jeffrey Herlings opts for the full carbon option from CRM.

Every bit counts, as Jeffrey's ride gets a fill up before rolling onto the gate.

Glenn Coldenhoff always impresses in the sand, pulling out at top five overall and a moto podium.

Bas Vaessan placed one spot ahead of his teammate, landing 12th overall.

TKO put the second Husqvarna on the podium, placing third overall.

CRM's carbon parts make us drool, no matter what they are.

Jordi Tixier's KTM may not have gotten a lot of race time this year, but his BOS shock sure has seen some use.

After a string of strong performances, Lommel was just a little average for Calvin, placing sixth overall.

Pauls Jonass leading Thomas Covington, probably right before one of this crashes in either moto.

The youngster is putting it all together, as he inches closer to his first world title.

Romain Febvre just missed out on the overall podium but at least put it up in the top three in one moto.

Max Anstie always turns it up in the sand, placing third overall in MXGP...but where will he land for 2019?

Conrad Mewse ran our One Lap cam this week, check it out for a better look at the Lommel track.

We wanted to take another look at the tall man's bike (Arminas Jasakonis)

Normally this wouldn't be the best place for a map switch but when your bars and mounts are this tall...

His Honda also has custom radiators, which are larger, with re-placed spigots. Also, there's a radiator fan added, which is run off the bike's stock battery.

Surprisingly, no roll-offs for Jeffrey Herlings. Who needs them when you're out front...

Ever noticed how inward Jeffrey's hands are on his grips?

It was a paddle-only type of track.

Febvre, laying it down while chasing one of the best in the sand.

Notice the backup starter button stashed near the shock mount? Also, Jeffrey Herlings has made one noticeable outside change, as he's swapped from the standard aluminum engine mounts to these carbon fiber ones. This is the first time we've seen the carbons on the newest generation chassis.

Antonio Cairoli continues to use his Franken-bike, utilizing the exhaust system, cylinder head and possibly the throttle body from the prior generation KTM 450 SX-F. The different head and exhaust require custom aluminum engine mounts for the head mount and the location of the mid pipe bolt.