Husqvarna Motorsport News – Nagl Extends Championship Lead

It was yet another good day at the office for Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Nagl at the FIM Motocross World Championship in Talavera, Spain where the German placed second overall in the MXGP class. Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Aleksandr Tonkov also had a strong ride on his TE 250, finishing a competitive sixth overall.

Moving onto round six of the series in Talavera in Spain, Nagl – holder of the MXGP red plate – looked to build on his current championship lead. After a busy Saturday working on the set-up of his TE 450 for the hard packed and hilly circuit, the Husqvarna rider began Sunday’s race day in confident spirits.

Claiming the holeshot in race one, he immediately put himself at the head of the field. Out front and with a clear track to work with, the German pushed hard during the opening couple of laps to work his way clear of the field. Building enough of an advantage, he crossed the finish line first to secure his fifth race win of the season.

A slight mistake off the start in race two saw Nagl slip back to fourth. Moving up to third – but breaking his roll-off goggle system in the process – he closed onto the wheel tracks of Romain Febvre. Unable to find a way past, Nagl settled for third while tying on points with the eventual overall GP winner Antonio Cairoli. Second overall sees the Husqvarna rider extend his championship lead to 12 points.

Teammate to Nagl, Todd Waters had an up and down day. Ending the opening lap of race one in fourth, the Australian claimed a top ten result with ninth. Hopes of a repeat result in race two were dashed when he crashed at the start and broke his clutch lever.

Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Aleksandr Tonkov secured the holeshot in MX2 race one. Locked in a multi-rider battle, the Husqvarna pilot pushed hard for a top three placing before eventually slipping back to fifth. Boxed out off the start in race two, Tonkov did well to recover to eighth on the predominately one-lined circuit.

Dean Ferris saw much improvement in his pace at round six. Getting back on form following his 2014 season ending leg injury, the Husqvarna rider claimed a top three start in MXGP race 1. Hindered by arm pump, he fought on to take 14th. Fighting for 10thin race two, a crash saw him drop back to 18th. Regrouping, he improved his pace in the latter stages to climb back up to 14th.

The FIM Motocross World Championship continues with the MXGP of Great Britain at Matterley Basin on May 24.

Max Nagl:“It’s been another fantastic weekend. Ok, winning would have been perfect but we tied on points for the victory, so that’s close enough. I know I say it a lot but I can’t thank my team enough for their tireless efforts. They worked so hard on Saturday to make the bike perfect for race day. Taking the holeshot helped so much and I felt like I had good control of the race. In race two I made a small wheelie out of the gate and wasn’t able to get the holeshot. Then a rock broke the roll-off system on my goggles so I had to be careful with my vision. Antonio had the pace in that race and I couldn’t match him and Romain was riding great too, so I’m happy with third. Although I didn’t win the GP, I still extended my point’s lead, so everything is working in the right direction. I’m looking forward to the next round in Matterley Basin.”

Aleksandr Tonkov:“The track was very one lined this weekend and the result was that pretty much everybody was running the same sort of pace. My TE 250 was perfect out of the gate in race one and I grabbed the holeshot, I led for a bit but made a few little mistakes and slipped back to fifth. I was pushing for another holeshot in race two but too much wheel spin saw me get boxed out in the first corner pushing me way back to 14th. Getting up to eighth was a good recovery.”

Todd Waters:“Race two put a dampener on what should have been a better day. I rode well in race one after getting a great start. The pace was hot and heavy up front but I gave it my all and placed ninth. It went a bit pear shaped in race two when I crashed at the start and broke my clutch lever. I got going again but it was hard on those hills with no clutch. It cost me a much better result.”

Dean Ferris:“I got a great start in race one and held third early on. But I think I sort of tensed up a bit and my arms turned to lead. I could barely hang on with arm pump. I was a bit gutted because I’d finally got the start I needed. Fourteenth and 16tharen’t the results I want but now that I’ve got my starts figured out hopefully I can begin racing at the sharper end of the field.”

MXGP Overall

1. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 45pts; 2. Max Nagl (Husqvarna) 45; 3. Romain Febvre (Yamaha) 40… 15. Dean Ferris (Husqvarna) 12; 16. Todd Waters (Husqvarna) 12… 18. Rui Goncalves (Husqvarna) 9…

MXGP Race 1

1. Max Nagl (Husqvarna) 18 laps, 35:12.010; 2. Clement Desalle (Suzuki) 35:16.440; 3. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 35:34.580… 9. Todd Waters (Husqvarna) 36:12.591… 14. Dean Ferris (Husqvarna) 36:32.736… 21. Rui Goncalves (Husqvarna) 36:56.757…

MXGP Race 2

1. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 18 laps, 35:46.317; 2. Romain Febvre (Yamaha) 35:53.621; 3. Max Nagl (Husqvarna) 35:59.630… 12. Rui Goncalves (Husqvarna) 36:57.161… 16. Dean Ferris (Husqvarna) 37:09.650… 21. Todd Waters (Husqvarna) 17 laps, 36:20.786… 23. Klemen Gercar (Husqvarna) 37:31.189…

MX2 Overall

1. Valentin Guillod (Yamaha) 40pts; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 39; 3. Jordi Tixier (Kawasaki) 38… 6. Aleksandr Tonkov (Husqvarna) 29… 23. Grisha Maykal Ivanov (Husqvarna) 1…

MX2 Race 1

1. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 17 laps, 34:17.908; 2. Max Anstie (Kawasaki) 34:23.789; 3. Jordi Tixier (Kawasaki) 34:33.324… 5. Aleksandr Tonkov (Husqvarna) 34:41.735… 20. Grisha Maykal Ivanov (Husqvarna) 34:35.710…

MX2 Race 2

1. Valentin Guillod (Yamaha) 17 laps, 34:33.751; 2. Tim Gajser (Honda) 34:35.076; 3. Dylan Ferrandis (Kawasaki) 34:40.457… 8. Aleksandr Tonkov (Husqvarna) 35:10.612… 23. Grisha Maykal Ivanov (Husqvarna) 16 laps, 36:15.624…

Championship Standings (After Rnd 6)

MXGP

1. Max Nagl (Husqvarna) 259pts; 2. Clement Desalle (Suzuki) 247; 3. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 229… 9. Todd Waters (Husqvarna) 104… 18. Dean Ferris (Husqvarna) 54… 23. Rui Goncalves (Husqvarna) 33… 26. Nathan Watson (Husqvarna) 12…

MX2

1. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 261pts… 2. Dylan Ferrandis (Kawasaki) 205; 3. Pauls Jonass (KTM) 177… 6. Aleksandr Tonkov (Husqvarna) 162… 21. Anton Lundgren (Husqvarna) 26… 36. Grisha Ivanov (Husqvarna) 1…