Pirelli Dominates Opening Round of the 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship at Matterley Basin

Pirelli Dominates Opening Round of the 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship at Matterley Basin

Jeffrey Herlings Wins MXGP to Take the First Red Plate of the Season, While Jago Geerts Rules MX2 for the First Time

MATTERLEY BASIN, Great Britain (March 2, 2020) – The Matterley Basin circuit hosted the 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship season opener with the MXGP of Great Britain. The weekend was hit by unpredictable weather and cold temperatures. The conditions saw excellent performance by the Pirelli products; both in terms of tires and mousses through the heavy mud of qualification on Saturday thanks to the SCORPION MX™ Soft and then on race day through drier medium-hard soil where all Pirelli riders used the SCORPION™ MX32™ Mid Soft front and rear. These tires allowed the Milan-based company to control the final podiums of the MXGP and MX2 classes. Over half of the riders competing in the two main categories ran Pirelli rubber and chose to rely on the SCORPION™ range.

In MXGP, Jeffrey Herlings took overall victory ahead of defending champion Tim Gajser and Antonio Cairoli. There were good performances by Jeremy Seewer, Mitchell Evans and Gautier Paulin who finished in fourth, fifth and sixth place respectively.

Jago Geerts won in MX2 with a first and a fourth place from the two heats. Tom Vialle was second in front of Mikkel Haarup. Jed Beaton, fourth, and Rene Hofer, fifth, closed a Pirelli top-five on the day.

To round-off a strong Pirelli showing Kevin Brumann's finished second place in the first round of the European EMX125 championship. 

Next weekend the riders will tackle the Grand Prix of the Netherlands, which will be hosted by the sandy track of Valkenswaard. 

Results (Pirelli riders in bold):  

  MXGP race 1 

1. HERLINGS Jeffrey (NED) 2. SEEWER Jeremy (SUI) 3. EVANS Mitchell (AUS) 4. CAIROLI Antonio (ITA) 5. DESALLE CLEMENT (BEL)  

  MXGP race 2 

1. GAJSER Tim (SLO) 2. HERLINGS Jeffrey (NED) 3. CAIROLI Antonio (ITA) 4. PAULIN Gautier (FRA) 5. DESALLE CLEMENT (BEL)  

  MX2 race 1 

1. GEERTS Jago (BEL) 2. BEATON Jed (AUS) 3. HAARUP Mikkel (DEN) 4. MEWSE Conrad (GBR) 5. FORATO Alberto (ITA) 

  MX2 race 2 1. VIALLE Tom (FRA) 2. HOFER Rene (AUT) 3. HAARUP Mikkel (DEN) 4. GEERTS Jago (BEL) 5. OLSEN Thomas Kjer (DEN)  

  GP Overall: MXGP 

1. HERLINGS Jeffrey (NED) 2. GAJSER Tim (SLO) 3. CAIROLI Antonio (ITA) 4. SEEWER Jeremy (SUI) 5. EVANS Mitchell (AUS)  

  MX2 

1. GEERTS Jago (BEL) 2. VIALLE Tom (FRA) 3. HAARUP Mikkel (DEN) 4. BEATON Jed (AUS) 5. HOFER Rene (AUT) 

  Championship overall:  MXGP 

1. HERLINGS Jeffrey (NED) p.47 2. GAJSER Tim (SLO) p.38 3. CAIROLI Antonio (ITA) p.38 4. SEEWER Jeremy (SUI) p.35 5. EVANS Mitchell (AUS) p.34 6. PAULIN Gautier (FRA) p.32  

  MX2 1. GEERTS Jago (BEL) p.43 2. VIALLE Tom (FRA) p.40 3. HAARUP Mikkel (DEN) p.40 4. BEATON Jed (AUS) p.37 5. HOFER Rene (AUT) p.35 

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ABOUT PIRELLI

Pirelli was founded in Milan in 1872 and today stands as a global brand known for its cutting edge technology, high-end production excellence and passion for innovation that draws heavily on its Italian roots. With around 30,000 employees, Pirelli is a major player in the tire industry and the only global player focused solely on the Consumer tire market, which includes tires for cars, motorcycles and bicycles. Pirelli is now concentrating on High Value tire markets, delivering innovative tires and developing Specialties and Super Specialties for its comprehensive product portfolio. Pirelli has a long link with motorsport and it sustains its technological excellence by bringing innovations developed within the motorsport arena into its consumer products. The company currently supports over 460 car and motorcycle sport events and has been the exclusive tire supplier to the Formula One™ World Championship since 2011. Such a strong presence in motorsport enables Pirelli to transfer a series of avant-garde solutions to its day-to-day operations providing the final consumer with the maximum levels of performance and safety.

Pirelli Tire North America (PTNA) services NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) member countries through its Modular Integrated Robotized System (MIRS) facility and research and development center at its Rome, Georgia headquarters, its state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Silao, Mexico and its New York City, Montreal and Mexico City sales and marketing offices. The company manufactures, distributes and markets original equipment and replacement tires for export and domestic car/motorcycle applications (US, CA, MX) and Agro/Heavy Truck platforms (MX).

For Additional Information Please Contact:

Scott Roegner

Pirelli Moto Communications and Media Relations

NAFTA Region

Tel: 949-365-5750

Mail: motopress.nafta@pirelli.com   

Samuela Bracco

Marketing Director, Moto BU

NAFTA Region

Tel: 706-802-2159

Mail: samuela.bracco@pirelli.com