MX2

Watch the all of the race highlights from the MXGP of Thailand: 

SUPHAN BURI (Thailand), 06 March 2016 – Throttle control was the key to the race here at the second round of the FIM Motocross World Championship in Suphan Buri, Thailand, as the seemingly perfectly prepared track baked rock hard in the direct sunlight and became treacherous with deep ruts and patches of blue groove clay. It was a test of the best that saw Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Romain Febvre and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings win both motos in their respective classes to prove that they are the smoothest, most flowing and finesse-savvy riders so far in 2016.

With two rounds in the bag and a MXGP class full of youth as well as experience, it’s the young-guns who are turning heads. Both of last years world champions Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Romain Febvre and Honda Gariboldi’s Tim Gajser have taken ownership of the top two steps of the podium for the second time in succession. While it was Gajser who posted a perfect score at the season opener in Qatar last weekend, this time the tables were turned as Romain Febvre upped the intensity and used his smoothness and precision to win both races for the his first overall win of the season and will now head to round three as the championship points leader.

In contrast to Febvre’s smoothness and meticulous approach to such an unforgiving track, Gajser used his incredible strength to control his flamboyant style as he battled the edginess of the clay. Despite a few heart-stopping moments, the young rookie took it all in his stride as he banked a third and a fourth for second overall.

A podium in Thailand back in 2014 started a dream season for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Van Horebeek who managed to nail eleven podiums on the bounce thereafter. After a rough year in 2015, things already appear to be looking up for the Belgian who was fourth at round one and has already gone one better with a podium performance here in Thailand.

Team HRC’s Evgeny Bobryshev laid low most of the day and avoided conflict enough to wrap up the day in fourth overall. In race one he started fifth and inherited fourth when the pole man Team Suzuki World MXGP’s Ben Townley crashed out of fourth on lap nine. Meanwhile in race two, it was a similar story when he started eighth and came home in an eventual seventh.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli looked sharp this weekend but he ended up dethroning himself of a chance to be on the box when he stalled the bike while up front in race two and dropped outside of the top 20. The Italian star did manage to fight back to twelfth, which in combination with his second place finish in the opening race was good enough for fifth overall.

MXGP Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), 34:04.313; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:02.775; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:05.871; 4. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:18.040; 5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:21.958; 6. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:33.137; 7. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Honda), +0:36.125; 8. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:47.200; 9. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +0:51.008; 10. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:59.191.

MXGP Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), 34:41.154; 2. Ben Townley (NZL, Suzuki), +0:06.038; 3. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), +0:07.876; 4. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:10.723; 5. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:20.508; 6. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +0:23.325; 7. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:32.355; 8. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +0:36.229; 9. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Honda), +0:38.176; 10. Valentin Guillod (SUI, Yamaha), +0:41.132.

MXGP Overall Top Ten: 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 50 points; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 36 p.; 3. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 34 p.; 4. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 32 p.; 5. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 31 p.; 6. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 27 p.; 7. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HON), 26 p.; 8. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 23 p.; 9. Ben Townley (NZL, SUZ), 22 p.; 10. Tommy Searle (GBR, KAW), 22 p.

MXGP Championship Top Ten: 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 92 points; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 86 p.; 3. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 74 p.; 4. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 68 p.; 5. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 64 p.; 6. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 57 p.; 7. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 48 p.; 8. Tommy Searle (GBR, KAW), 47 p.; 9. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 44 p.; 10. Ben Townley (NZL, SUZ), 42 p.

MXGP Manufacturer: 1. Yamaha, 92 points; 2. Honda, 86 p.; 3. KTM, 71 p.; 4. Suzuki, 60 p.; 5. Husqvarna, 55 p.; 6. Kawasaki, 47 p.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings said after his season ending crash in the Czech Republic last year that he will be back in 2016 better, faster, stronger and so far he has been pretty accurate. Other than one extremely close call in Race Two, Herlings was pretty much flawless this weekend, “in previous years I was not good with out a start” he said after the final race, “I was always too aggressive and now I took my time and felt I could go much faster but then I scrubbed and almost went over the ‘bars, I know it was on TV it was such a sketchy moment and something stupid like that is not allowed to happen again, it was my mistake for the last two years so it seems like I didn’t learn, but I did, so I won’t let it happen again, I will try to be smarter, but overall it was a good weekend.”

A double moto victory here in Suphan Buri resulted in The Bullet’s 49^th  overall grand prix win which tee’s him up perfectly for a 50^th victory on home soil in front of his adoring fans.

Team Suzuki World MX2’s Jeremy Seewer knows how to spin smooth and consistent laps which is exactly what he did on his way to his first podium finish of the season and best ever result in the FIM Motocross World Championship.

Wilvo Standing Construct Yamaha Official MX2’s Aleksandr Tonkov lived up to the expectation that he is a top three guy. The Russian landed his third ever podium, first of the season, and first since the MXGP of Europe in Valkenswaard, The Netherlands, last year, which incidentally happens to be the next round.

Yesterday’s Qualifying Race runner-up Kemea Yamaha Official MX Team’s Benoit Paturel finished fourth in race one after an epic battle with Tonkov for third. In the second race the Frenchman bobbled around turn one, but regrouped and charged up to fourth before his efforts got the better of him and dropped him back to sixth.

Meanwhile Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass had a rough start to the day when he got tangled with TM Racing Factory Team’s Samuele Bernardini in race one which snatched his handle bars and high sided him big-time. He remounted and bounced back for ninth. In race two, the Latvian took the Fox Holeshot but eventually faded back to fifth which ended up being enough for fifth overall.

MX2 Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 34:33.241; 2. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, Yamaha), +0:32.233; 3. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:37.283; 4. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +0:41.235; 5. Thomas Covington (USA, Husqvarna), +0:59.709; 6. Petar Petrov (BUL, Kawasaki), +1:12.586; 7. Vsevolod Brylyakov (RUS, Kawasaki), +1:26.229; 8. Samuele Bernardini (ITA, TM), +1:34.550; 9. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +1:39.392; 10. Roberts Justs (LAT, KTM), -1 lap(s)

MX2 Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 34:48.194; 2. Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:24.954; 3. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:26.854; 4. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, Yamaha), +0:39.636; 5. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:43.934; 6. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +0:50.686; 7. Alvin Östlund (SWE, Yamaha), +1:30.625; 8. Brent Van doninck (BEL, Yamaha), +1:35.213; 9. Vsevolod Brylyakov (RUS, Kawasaki), +1:36.124; 10. Petar Petrov (BUL, Kawasaki), +1:39.906

MX2 Overall Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 50 points; 2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 40 p.; 3. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, YAM), 40 p.; 4. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 33 p.; 5. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 28 p.; 6. Vsevolod Brylyakov (RUS, KAW), 26 p.; 7. Petar Petrov (BUL, KAW), 26 p.; 8. Alvin Östlund (SWE, YAM), 24 p.; 9. Max Anstie (GBR, HUS), 22 p.; 10. Samuele Bernardini (ITA, TM), 22 p.

MX2 Championship Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 100 points; 2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 74 p.; 3. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, YAM), 70 p.; 4. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 68 p.; 5. Petar Petrov (BUL, KAW), 56 p.; 6. Samuele Bernardini (ITA, TM), 47 p.; 7. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 46 p.; 8. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, KAW), 44 p.; 9. Brent Van doninck (BEL, YAM), 44 p.; 10. Vsevolod Brylyakov (RUS, KAW), 38 p.

MX2 Manufacturer: 1. KTM, 100 points; 2. Yamaha, 74 p.; 3. Suzuki, 74 p.; 4. Kawasaki, 71 p.; 5. Husqvarna, 56 p.; 6. TM, 47 p.; 7. Honda, 35 p.

Click here to obtain the complete results.

All the photos of the MXGP of Thailand will be available here

MXGP THAILAND – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1585m

Type of ground: hard pack

Temperature: 40°C

Weather conditions: sunny

Crowd Attendance: 25,000

MXGP was available across the board in high definition and is also globally available to view live and in HD on MXGP-TV.com. Click here for the complete list of countries and cooperating MXGP broadcasting networks.

NEXT ROUND

The next round of the 2016 FIM Motocross World Championship will take place on March 28^th in Valkenswaard, The Netherlands for the MXGP of Europe.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

MXGP of Thailand

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing's Jeremy Van Horebeek, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing's Max Anstie and Team HRC's Roger Harvey joined Paul Malin and Lisa Leyland on the MXGP of Thailand Studio Show where they asked them the questions you want answers to like are there any team orders in the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing camp? Why does Max Anstie always change brands and what happened to Gautier Paulin's bike in Qatar.

Find out what they said in the video below:

Watch the qualifying race highlights from round two of the FIM Motocross World Championship in Suphan Buri here: 

MXGP Qualifying Race Highlights

MX2 Qualifying Racing Highlights

SUPHAN BURI (Thailand), 05 March 2016 - Following the MXGP of Thailand Qualifying Race Press Conference here in Suphan Buri, Youthstream President Mr. Giuseppe Luongo and FIM/CMS Director Tony Skillington were joined by the Mayor of Pangkal Pinang, Indonesia, Mr. Muhammad Irwansyah S.sos Msi, Iakatan Motor Indonesia Chairman Mr. A. Judiarto and their financial advisor Mr. Mueya Said, to announce the return of the FIM Motocross World Championship to Indonesia.

Youthstream President Mr. Giuseppe Luongo announced, “For the next three years there will be a MXGP in Indonesia, this is something we are very happy about, we have had some grand prix there in the past with great organization and many spectators so now Indonesia will come back strongly.”

The Mayor of Pangkal Pinang, Indonesia, Mr. Muhammad Irwansyah S.sos Msi followed, “Pangkal Pinang city and its people are ready to welcome our guests from all over the world. I have a dream that Pangkal Pinang city can be as good as Qatar, and can be more prominent after a MXGP held in Indonesia.”

The FIM Motocross World Championship has been to Indonesia four times in the past with the last time being back in 1997 in Bandung.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

SUPHAN BURI (Thailand), 05 March 2016 - The FIM Motocross World Championship has cemented itself as the most varied motocross series in the world as it covers all corners of the globe and challenges the overall diversity of its athletes by testing them with conditions, climate, track style and culture. The second round of the 2016 MXGP season kicked off with practice and qualifying today in the heat of Suphan Buri, Thailand where Suzuki World MXGP’s Ben Townley and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings went pole.

The champions were on fire right from the drop of the gate as Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli led Team Suzuki World MXGP’s Ben Townley and Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Romain Febvre around turn one. It was only a matter of turns before Townley, put the move on Cairoli to take over the lead.

After the practice sessions Townley said “The heat doesn’t feel too bad when you’re riding in it, at least for me”, which appeared to be a truthfully spoken statement as he managed to calmly fend off the imposition of Cairoli and Febvre.

Meanwhile, in the early stages of the race Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Van Horebeek made an attempt at holding onto his teammate, Febvre, while being hounded by the red plate holder Honda Gariboldi’s Tim Gajser. Gajser, who was blindingly fast last weekend in Qatar, was running a good pace until he got squirley while trying to double into the wave section, came up short and went off the track. Thereafter, the youngster backed off and let Van Horebeek go.

Up front, there was no rest for the wicked as the three champions Townley, Cairoli and Febvre played a game of huntsmen and hares. Unusually, Cairoli was the first to crack when he lost traction going into the waves, which allowed the defending champ, Febvre, through. Febvre then went after Townley but ended up giving him a breather when he jumped off the side of the finish line jump with a couple of laps to go.

At the checkers it was Townley who got the job done and took pole, which is only the second time he has done so in the premier class with the first and last being back in 2005 at Matchams Park in Great Britain. Febvre and Cairoli opted to save energy in the final stages of the race and rounded out the top three in that order while Van Horebeek managed to hold off the wrath of Gajser in fourth.

MXGP Qualifying Race Top Ten: 1. Ben Townley (NZL, Suzuki), 24:39.205; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:03.512; 3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:05.459; 4. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:13.490; 5. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:20.501; 6. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:25.259; 7. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), +0:29.967; 8. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Honda), +0:35.794; 9. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +0:37.280; 10. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:38.030

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings went back to Europe after Qatar and only landed in Thailand yesterday. After training all week in temperatures less than 5 degree’s Celsius it was a bit of a shock to the system for the Dutchman when he got off the plane. “Jumping on the plane and landing in 38 degrees and 80% or 90% humidity, that was a bit of a shock but that was my decision and I don’t believe you can adapt to the weather in less than one week so I think it’s better to make the most of the week and go home to the cold. And then with the time difference I maybe slept like 2 or 3 hours last night but hopefully tonight after such a day as today, I should sleep well.” If he was tired or struggling with the heat, it was unnoticeable with his cat-like reaction when the gates dropped and he took his first holeshot of the season. TM Racing Factory Team’s Samuele Bernardini chased him around turn one with his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammate Pauls Jonass in third.

It was an impressive first half for Bernardini who didn’t look out of place at all as he fought to keep the current vice world champion at bay. Meanwhile Kemea Yamaha Official MX Team’s Benoit Paturel was demonstrating his love for the hard crusty clay of Thailand as he consistently gained momentum in fourth.

The track began to pack-down in the warm climate as Jonass made a move on Bernardini, which also opened the door for Paturel. While taking advantage of Bernardini as he tried to regroup, Paturel had a hairy moment when he came up massively short on the long Ipone tabletop and bounced himself onto the infield. Fortunately he managed to save it and wasn’t too phased.

At the halfway mark both Jonass and Bernardini started fading. Paturel was the first to take advantage of Jonass’ tiredness followed by Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Max Anstie who had a cleaner line through the waves which left him with the inside line on the next turn where he made the move up the inside.

With the lighting of the candles, it was Herlings who dominated for his second consecutive qualifying heat win this season while Paturel put in a career best result in second. Anstie came home in third while Wilvo Standing Construct Yamaha Official MX Team’s Aleksandr Tonkov put in a solid ride for fourth. The most impressive performance of the day was that of Suzuki World MX2’s Jeremy Seewer who crashed in the waves on lap two but managed to bounce back for a notable fifth while Jonass held on for sixth.

As for Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Dylan Ferrandis, his shoulder popped out on its own. The Frenchman expressed his disappointment on Facebook saying, “I dislocated my right shoulder in the waves section without crashing. I will fly back in France tomorrow to visit my doctor as soon as possible, and hope to be back for Valkenswaard”.

MX2 Qualifying Race Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 24:49.544; 2. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +0:20.229; 3. Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:29.222; 4. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, Yamaha), +0:38.926; 5. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:41.842; 6. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:47.018; 7. Petar Petrov (BUL, Kawasaki), +0:49.689; 8. Samuele Bernardini (ITA, TM), +0:53.185; 9. Vsevolod Brylyakov (RUS, Kawasaki), +1:06.408; 10. Thomas Covington (USA, Husqvarna), +1:17.718

Click here to obtain the complete results.

All the photos of the MXGP of Thailand will be available here

MXGP THAILAND – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1585m

Type of ground: hard pack

Temperature: 41°C

Weather conditions: sunny

MXGP will be available across the board in high definition and is also globally available to view live and in HD on MXGP-TV.com. Click here for the complete list of countries and cooperating MXGP broadcasting networks.

TIMETABLE

Sunday: MX2 Warm up 10:20; MXGP Warm up 10:40; MX2 Race 1 12:15; MXGP Race 1 13:15; MX2 Race 2 15:10; MXGP Race 2 16:10.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

MXGP of Thailand