CAIROLI FINISHES SECOND IN THE MX1 GP OF PORTUGAL KTM In Cairoli’s While MX1 Results MX1 Standings |
Dutch
teenager and Red Bull Teka KTM factory rider Jeffrey Herlings came away
from the MX2 GP in Agueda with 44 points, the overall GP victory and
for the first time in his young career, the coveted red plate as
championship leader.
But
despite the continued success of the 16-year-old Dutch teenager, the
day was less memorable for his teammate ken Roczen of Germany who after
dominating the opening moto, came unstuck in the second, crashed hard
and had to retire.
The
first moto saw Roczen uncharacteristically missed the start from his
pole position, while Herlings shot out of the gate like a bullet and
surged ahead to put around seven seconds between him and the rest of the
pack. Two thirds of the way through the race it looked like being a one
man show, but in the end it just turned into a 1-2 KTM show. Roczen hit
the gas, turned up the adrenalin and went after riders like a man
possessed. One by one he brushed them aside as he carved away at the
time advantage to his teammate. Then he tucked in behind him in the
final three laps and the race was on to see which one of the two young
KTM factory riders would be the first to the flag. Herlings defended
well almost up to the final lap but in the end it was Roczen who
prevailed. The dominance of the two KTM riders was again obvious as they
rocketed across the finish 25 seconds ahead of third placed Zach
Osborne.
In
the second moto, it was Roczen who hit the front in the early stages
and it looked as though he was again going to dominate the race. Then a
mistake on the bumpy track proved costly as he was pitched over the
handlebars and landed hard on the dirt track, taking a blow to the chest
and head. The German rider who has been attracting attention on both
sides of the Atlantic then had no other option but to return to the
pits, leaving the way open for Herlings to take control of the race.
Jeffrey hung onto the lead until the final third of the race but came
under strong attack by Tommy Searle, the only other rider who has won a
GP so far this season. Searle had something to prove after registering a
DNF in the first moto when his bike picked up a swathe of the green
netting that marks the track. In the end Herlings took the cautious
approach and settled for a comfortable second place, knowing both the GP
victory and the red plate was safely in his hands.
Jeffrey
Herlings: “I’m six points ahead of Kenny now and I have to keep it like
that. It’s going to be really hard because Ken is in very good shape
and he’s really fast, but all in all it was a good weekend for me. I’ll
try to be cool, that’s the main thing I have to do to hold onto the red
plate. It will be hard but I’m looking forward to the races next weekend
and I hope to keep it.”
Ken
Roczen on the other hand was in a lot of pain after his big crash. He
was taken to the hospital by team officials for a full medical check but
now has the all clear to stay on with the team as they remain on the
Iberian peninsular to prepare for the GP of Spain next weekend.
MX2 Results
1, Jeffrey Herlings, Netherlands, KTM, 22 – 22 - 44
2, Gautier Paulin, France, Yamaha, 16 – 20 - 36
3, Zachary Osborne, USA, Yamaha, 20 – 16 - 36
4, Max Anstie, UK, Kawasaki, 18 – 14 - 32
5, Arnaud Tonus, Switzerland, Yamaha, 10 – 18 - 28
Other KTM
8, Ken Roczen, Germany, KTM, 25 – 0 - 25
9, Joel Roelants, Belgium, KTM, 15 – 9 - 24
11, Jose Butron, Spain, KTM, 12 – 11 - 23
13, Nicolas Aubin, France, KTM, 5 – 13 – 18
14, Jake Nicholls, UK, KTM, 8 – 10 - 18
15, Nick Triest, Belgium, KTM, 7 – 8 – 15
MX2 Standings
1, Jeffrey Herlings, Netherlands, KTM, 257
2, Ken Roczen, Germany, KTM, 251
3. Tommy Seerle, UK, Kawasaki, 224
4, Zachary Osborne, USA, Yamaha, 198
5, Gautier Paulin, France, Yamaha, 196
Other KTM
9, Joel Roelants, Belgium, KTM, 138
11, Nicolas Aubin, France, KTM, 122
12, Jordi Tixier, France, KTM, 71
15, Jose Butron, Spain, KTM, 52
16, Pascal Rauchenecker, Austria, KTM, 52