Press Release

KTM's World Champion Marvin Musquin snatches second MX2 GP in Mantova













Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Marvin Musquin slipped past
teammate Jeffrey Herlings in the last seconds of race two in Mantova,
Italy on Sunday to steal his second GP of the season and maintain his
perfect scorecard with four consecutive moto victories.


Herlings, sixth in the first moto, led the second moto until the last
gasp when Musquin sailed over the triple in the rhythm section of the
course and slipped past him. But Jeffrey was still was on the podium in
third overall in only his second ever GP. The 15-year-old, in his first
season as a full factory rider, looked very impressive on the track and
will be one to watch when the competition goes to Valkenswaard in
Netherlands in two weeks time.

 
Tough competition between two talented KTM riders

Musquin started his bid for victory in style in the first moto
taking the holeshot from teammate Herlings, on pole in only his second
GP. The current MX2 world champion led from gate drop to flag, riding
hard but elegantly as the course became increasingly rutted. Jeffrey
stuck with the leader until 18 minutes into the race but then his front
wheel bit hard into a bump and threw him off. The 15-year-old was back
on his KTM 250 SX-F in a blink of an eye and still managed to finish
sixth, closely followed by the third member of the Red Bull KTM Factory
Racing team Shaun Simpson in seventh place. Despite a tough challenge by
Germany's Ken Roczen in the final stages, Marvin hung onto the lead and
went to the start gates for the second moto with a good shot of
adrenalin.

 
Herlings showcases skills in second moto

The second race almost completely belonged to the factory team's
fearless junior rider who is already raising eyebrows in the paddock. He
surged ahead of the pack and looked dangerously close to taking his
first ever moto victory until he was outfoxed in the final seconds by
his teammate. Musquin waited for the moment then with a masterly move,
slipped by Herlings just before the finish to again illustrate why he is
world champion.

 
"It was exciting and I had to push hard to pass him,"
Marvin said of his move on Jeffrey. "I felt good and I thought I
could pass him with two laps before the end but he was fast … I was very
focused on him and not on my riding but I managed to get past and win.
It was perfect
," Musquin said after the race.

 
Jeffrey said the weekend had been "A dream come true". "Just
two weeks ago I was talking to Stefan
(team boss Stefan Everts) and
we said it would be amazing to be in the top eight. Now last week I was
fourth and now we are top three
," he said.

 
The stage is now set for a fantastic next GP in Valkenswaard,
the home GP for Jeffrey Herlings. The fans can now look forward to a
mouth watering face-off between the two Red Bull KTM factory riders.

 
Solid points gathering from Shaun Simpson

KTM factory teammate, Shaun Simpson, who has been robbed of valuable
training time through injury, was a creditable seventh, one place up
from last week in Bulgaria. The 22-year-old Scottish rider has still
picked up 53 championship points and is seventh in the standings.
 Anxious to get in as much track time as possible, Simpson now plans to
ride in the Dutch Championship round next weekend in preparation for the
next GP in Valkenswaard.

 
"I think it was a step in the right direction," Shaun
said after Mantova. "It was always going to be tough with the rhythm
on the bike. In training it's easy to do 40 minutes but it's at a much
slower pace. But I picked up some good points and it's a long season.
Next weekend will be a no pressure race. The fitness will build and come
Valkenswaard, I'm positive I'll be good
."

 
MX2 Results Round Two

1. Marvin Musquin, France, KTM 25-25—50

2. Ken Roczen, Germany, Suzuki, 22-20—42

3. Jeffrey Herlings, Netherlands, KTM 15-22—37

4. Zach Osborne, USA, Yamaha, 16-16—32

5. Steven Frossard, France, Kawasaki, 20-11—31

Other KTM

7. Shaun Simpson, Britain, 14-13—27

8. Jake Nicholls, Britain, KTM, 8-15—23

11. Dennis Verbruggen, Belgium, KTM 7-12—19

15. Joel Roelants, Belgium, KTM 13-0-13

17. Marcus Schiffer, Germany, KTM, 11-0-11

18. Petr Smitka, Czech Republic, KTM 0-7—7

20. Valentin Teillert, France, KTM 6-0—6

 
Championship standings after two rounds

1. Marvin Musquin, France, KTM 100 points

2. Ken Roczen, Germany, Suzuki, 86

3. Jeffrey Herlings, Netherlands, 72

4. Steven Frossard, France, 69

5. Arnaud Tonus, Switzerland, 62

Other KTM

7. Shaun Simpson, Britain, KTM, 53

9. Jake Nicholls, Britain, KTM 47
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