Second Place in Bulgaria for Jonathan Barragan

KTM factory rider Jonathan Barragan of Team Silver Action on Sunday underlined that he is in top form going into the MX1 world championship season when he wrapped up a 4-1 result in the two motos for overall second in the GP of Bulgaria.
The Spanish rider looked particularly impressive in the second moto when he rode a fine tactical race. He settled in and consolidated his third position then made his move in the final laps to snatch impressive line honors and improve on his fourth place in the first moto. The overall result was a strong confidence booster for Barragan as he tackled the hard pack surface of the Sevlievo circuit, which featured an impressive range of descents. Organizers watered the track overnight and Jonathan said this helped him to take some very good lines. "It was quite good in the first heat but I made one mistake and I lost time when the bike stopped. I had very good lines in the second race and I was also fast. I managed to get into third place by the middle of the race and then could go for the victory in the final stages," the Spanish rider said.

Two holeshots for Nagl
Max Nagl of the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team also underlined he is getting down to business finishing fifth overall, a result that barely reflected his impressive charge on the track. Nagl is still nursing a hand injury from several weeks ago and this was what eventually held him back on the hard and challenging surface. He put in two of his now trademark superb starts in both motos and he scored a third place in the first moto, promising to keep applying the pressure in the second heat. Nagl then led for the first 25 minutes of heat two, much of it with an impressive lead and lap times. He then held onto third place through to lap 17 when he started to feel pain from his hand injury and was forced to come off the gas, eventually finishing in fifth place.

"Today I had two holeshots. After my good start in the first heat I managed to hold onto third place through the rest of the race. Then again I started well in the second heat and I managed to stay in front for the first 25 minutes of the race. But then I started to feel pain in my hand and I had to slow down," Nagl said. "Of course I was a bit disappointed but I will stay off the bike next week and I'll have a cast on my hand to try to sort out the problem before we race again next weekend."

Both Barragan and Nagl are up with the leaders at fourth and fifth in the standings. Only 10 points separate the first five riders, an indication that the competition will be hard fought and very tight.

Riders now contest the next GP at Istanbul, Turkey next weekend, a new circuit for all riders.

GP Results
1. Josh Coppins, New Zealand, Yamaha, 22-22-44
2. Jonathan Barragan, Spain, KTM, 18-25—43
3. Ken de Dyker, Belgium, Suzuki, 25-13—38
4. David Philippaerts, Italy, Yamaha, 16-20—36
5. Max Nagl, Germany, KTM, 20-16—36

Championship standings
1. Ken de Dyker, Belgium, Suzuki, 60
2. Josh Coppins, New Zealand, Yamaha, 59
3. Tanel Leok, Estonia, Yamaha, 55
4. Jonathan Barragan, Spain, KTM, 54
5. Max Nagl, Germany, KTM, 50