MX2

The Fox Holeshot runs across the entire MXGP season. The way it works is 1 point is awarded for each race holeshot. He who has the most points in MXGP at the end of the season will win the grand prize of €10,000 while he with the most points in MX2 will win the grand prize of €5,000.

In MXGP of Bulgaria Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli put his name on the FOX Holeshot charts with 2 points after claiming both holeshots here today, while in the MX2, Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Romain Febvre did the same, claiming both MX2 FOX holeshots.

Watch MXGP of Bulgaria’s ‘Fox Holeshot’ slow mo’s in the videos below.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Antonio Cairoli takes both MXGP class FOX Holeshots in Bulgaria

Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing's Romain Febvre takes both MX2 FOX Holeshots in Bulgaria

After MXGP’s round of Bulgaria, Gautier Paulin, who claimed both MXGP holeshots in Arco di Trento, leads the MXGP class with four points while KTM Silver Actions José Butrón leads the MX2 with three points.

SEVLIEVO (Bulgaria), 20 April 2014 – Unpredictability is what makes motocross the spectacle it is, and the ability to adapt to diverse situations is what makes the athletes of MXGP and MX2 so admirable. At round five of the FIM Motocross World Championship in Sevlievo, Bulgaria, riders were put to the ultimate test. Mud, ruts and clay set the scene in the morning, but come afternoon, the skies had opened up and the rain set in. Despite extremely difficult conditions, when the chequered flag waved for the final time today, it was all about the two FIM Motocross World Champions Antonio Cairoli and Jeffrey Herlings.

MXGP

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli finally broke the curse of Bulgaria, winning in Sevlievo for the first time since his MX2 days back in 2007. Ever modest, the seven-time world champion admitted it wasn’t easy, “In race one, Gautier was riding really fast and in race two the track was really difficult, but I tried to ride smooth. I did make some small mistakes near the end but I had an ok lead so it was ok.”

Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Gautier Paulin mixed a brilliant race with an average one for second overall. In race one, the flying Frenchman put an amazing pass on the reigning world champion Antonio Cairoli when he railed around the outside and scrubbed down the hill to take over the lead. Despite finishing race one with a convincing win, the best he could do in the treacherous conditions of race two was fourth, but was still satisfied with his riding saying, “I am ok with this result, my riding was good so I am happy”.

Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Van Horebeek continues his climb up the championship ladder as he takes home yet another podium with third overall. After taking home fourth in race one, the Belgian proved his worth in race two when he took the gnarly conditions with a grain of salt, finishing second, a remarkable three seconds behind the seven-time world champ Antonio Cairoli.

Rockstar Energy Suzuki World’s dynamic duo Clement Desalle and Kevin Strijbos both rounded out the weekend with a fourth and a third place finish in their races for fourth equal. Going up against the consistency of fellow Belgian Jeremy Van Horebeek, Desalle drops four points to his countryman and is now tied with the Yamaha rider for second overall in the championship standings.

Meanwhile yesterday’s top qualifier Team HRC’s Max Nagl didn’t have the best day in the office. After going down early in race one, the German put in an outstanding ride, battling all the way from last place to salvage ninth. In the slop of race two, Nagl, in a battle for fifth, wedged his bike between the wheel and fender of Shaun Simpson. After finally untangling and re-grouping he managed to move back up to sixth, but a last lap fault ended up dropping him back to ninth meaning he would have to settle for a disappointing ninth overall.

MXGP Race 1 top ten: 1. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 35:19.641; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:08.082; 3. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:16.115; 4. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:30.343; 5. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +1:01.766; 6. Xavier Boog (FRA, Honda), +1:09.534; 7. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +1:12.698; 8. Tyla Rattray (RSA, Husqvarna), +1:24.429; 9. Steven Frossard (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:27.782; 10. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), +1:35.667.

MXGP Race 2 top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 35:40.651; 2. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:03.570; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:10.551; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:41.981; 5. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:44.961; 6. Tyla Rattray (RSA, Husqvarna), +1:16.440; 7. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +1:22.728; 8. Todd Waters (AUS, Husqvarna), +1:26.334; 9. Rui Goncalves (POR, Yamaha), +1:27.951; 10. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), +1:38.708

MXGP Overall top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 47 points; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, KAW), 43 p.; 3. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 40 p.; 4. Clement Desalle (BEL, SUZ), 36 p.; 5. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 36 p.; 6. Tyla Rattray (RSA, HUS), 28 p.; 7. Xavier Boog (FRA, HON), 25 p.; 8. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 23 p.; 9. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HON), 22 p.; 10. Rui Goncalves (POR, YAM), 20 p.

MXGP World Championship Classification Top Ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 222 points; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, SUZ), 194 p.; 3. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 194 p.; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, KAW), 180 p.; 5. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HON), 166 p.; 6. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 145 p.; 7. Todd Waters (AUS, HUS), 107 p.; 8. Xavier Boog (FRA, HON), 96 p.; 9. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 95 p.; 10. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 95 p

MXGP Manufacturer: 1. KTM, 222 points; 2. Suzuki, 200 p.; 3. Yamaha, 194 p.; 4. Kawasaki, 193 p.; 5. Honda, 170 p.; 6. Husqvarna, 117 p.; 7. TM, 88 p.

MX2

After arm-pump plagued his qualifying heat race, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings came out all guns blazing today in Sevlievo. Although winning race one proved no easy feat, the young Dutch sensation is ever a fighter and fought right to the end to claim the win in both races for his second perfect score of the season.

While the result for Team CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy’s Arnaud Tonus was not quite what he wanted, his impressive racing is what caught the attention of many. The flamboyant Swiss was throwing big scrubs as he stayed in contention for the win for the entire duration of both races. After taking two second place finishes behind the two-time world champion Jeffrey Herlings, Tonus remains the championship points leader, four points clear of Jeffrey Herlings. Tonus said in the press conference, “It was really a balance between pushing and trying to stay on two wheels, so it was really difficult, but I really wanted to stay on two wheels and I did that so I am happy.”

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jordi Tixier hasn’t had the greatest start to the season, but after his solid set of thirds, even despite the fact he ditched his goggles early in race two, the Frenchman looks to be turning things around as he seals the deal on his first podium finish of the season. “This season has not gone really good, I have had bad starts and just put too much pressure on myself, which is not the best, but today I came in not expecting to be on the podium because I have broken a little bone in my hand and now here I am, so I am really happy.”

Even though CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy’s Dylan Ferrandis found himself in the thick of the battle for a podium finish, the stylish Frenchman made a few too many errors this weekend, which in turn landed him in fourth over all with two consistent fourth place finishes.  

Rounding out the top five Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Romain Febvre was forced to settle for fifth, after a tangle with a lapped rider saw him loose his easy third place finish in race two.

The local hero Kemea Yamaha Racing’s Petar Petrov was one of the most impressive performers of the day. The friendly Bulgarian had all the fans on their feet as he carved his way from last place in race one to a remarkable eighth and then placed the cherry on top with his seasons best place finish in race two, sixth, for sixth overall.

MX2 Race 1 top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 35:45.533; 2. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Kawasaki), +0:04.431; 3. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +0:12.807; 4. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:17.900; 5. Romain Febvre (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:18.710; 6. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:37.581; 7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Suzuki), +0:49.409; 8. Petar Petrov (BUL, Yamaha), +0:53.953; 9. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:56.176; 10. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, Husqvarna), +1:00.286

MX2 Race 2 top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 36:18.566; 2. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Kawasaki), +0:04.511; 3. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +0:49.156; 4. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:52.087; 5. Romain Febvre (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:54.248; 6. Petar Petrov (BUL, Yamaha), +0:56.871; 7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Suzuki), +0:57.131; 8. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +1:07.437; 9. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, Husqvarna), +1:19.120; 10. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +1:22.307

MX2 Overall top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 50 points; 2. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, KAW), 44 p.; 3. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 40 p.; 4. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, KAW), 36 p.; 5. Romain Febvre (FRA, HUS), 32 p.; 6. Petar Petrov (BUL, YAM), 28 p.; 7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, SUZ), 28 p.; 8. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 28 p.; 9. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, HUS), 23 p.; 10. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 23 p

MX2 World Championship Classification Top Ten: 1. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, KAW), 198 points; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 194 p.; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, SUZ), 176 p.; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, HUS), 158 p.; 5. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, KAW), 154 p.; 6. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 147 p.; 7. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, HUS), 130 p.; 8. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 121 p.; 9. Valentin Guillod (SUI, KTM), 107 p.; 10. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 105 p.

MX2 Manufacturer: 1. KTM, 224 points; 2. Kawasaki, 216 p.; 3. Suzuki, 179 p.; 4. Husqvarna, 164 p.; 5. Yamaha, 141 p.; 6. Honda, 131 p.; 7. TM, 6 p

Click here to obtain the complete results.

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

MXGP BULGARIA – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1735m

Type of ground: Hard Pack

Temperature: 14°C

Weather conditions: cloudy with showers

MXGP was available across the board in high definition, and is also globally available to view live and in HD on www.MXGP-TV.com. Click here for the complete list of countries and cooperating MXGP broadcasting networks, viewing times can be viewed by clicking on the logo of your chosen broadcasting network.

NEXT MXGP

The next round of the FIM Motocross World Championship will take place on the weekend of May 04 in Valkenswaard, The Netherlands.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

MXGP of Bulgaria

SEVLIEVO (Bulgaria), 19 April 2014 – Dust was never going to be an issue at the spectacular track of Sevlievo today with Mother Nature raining on the parade of MXGP’s round five the entire week prior. An extremely wet clay surface running up and down the hills of Sevlievo provided less than ideal conditions for the qualifying day of round five of the FIM Motocross World Championship, therefore race direction decided it was in the best interests of the event to cancel free practice for all classes in order to preserve the circuit for the races.

Thanks to the clouds lifting with the skies eventually making way for some sunshine, the track ended up drying out perfectly, leaving loads of tacky ruts for the riders of not only MXGP and MX2 but also the European EMX250, EMX125 and EMX300 classes to sink their tyres into.

Kicking off the EMX races, the European Championship’s newest edition, the EMX300 took to the track for the first time this season with TM Racing Team’s Samuele Bernardini banking the first twenty-five EMX300 championship points.

Meanwhile in MXGP’s ultimate ‘road to pro’ stepping stone class the EMX250, it was HM Plant KTM UK’s Ben Watson who got off to an early lead when fellow countryman CNC KTM’s Steven Clarke crashed early on in the race. After taking over the lead Watson controlled the race to win a comfortable ten seconds clear of HSF Logistics Motorsport Team Brian Bogers and Honda Jtech’s Thomas Kjer Olsen.

Taking the win in race one of the EMX125 European Championship, Red Bull KTM Racing’s Davy Pootjes remains unbeaten this year, winning race one ahead of Diga Racing’s Tomass Sileika and Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe’s Brian Hsu. KTM Silver Action’s Bulgarian young gun Michael Ivanov came home in an impressive fourth in front of his countrymen here in Sevlievo, while De Carli KTM’s Joakim Furbetta rounded out the top five.

MXGP

Rut railing skills were put to the ultimate test here in Bulgaria when the gates dropped for MXGP’s qualifying heat race. Taking the holeshot followed by a nice scrub over the single that followed 100m after the turn, MXGP red plate holder Antonio Cairoli was in the best position of the race, first.

Following closely behind the Italian legend Cairoli, Team HRC’s Max Nagl and Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Van Horebeek lead Rockstar Energy Suzuki World’s Clement Desalle who actually had a bad start but managed to hold a tight line around turn one and salvage fifth.

In the early stages of the race, it was looking to be a cracker with all the title contenders taking a place inside the top five. Team HRC’s Max Nagl was the first to drop the hammer, backing off the gas just a little bit to keep tight to the inside and pass Cairoli for the lead. A few turns later Van Horebeek had had enough roost off the back wheel of the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider and found a way through, too.

While Cairoli was forced back to third, the race didn’t stop there as Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Gautier Paulin was slicing his way forward after a very average start. After a slight dual for third which saw the two Paulin and Cairoli switch the position back and forth a couple of times, Paulin found a smooth line past the skybox and sealed the deal on third. 

Coming into the closing stages of the race, the top five had settled into their positions. Team HRC’s Max Nagl clearly enjoyed the gnarlyness of the track, riding home to his first qualifying heat win of the season, while Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Van Horebeek took second ahead of Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing’s Gautier Paulin, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli and Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe’s Clement Desalle respectively.

MXGP Qualifying Race top ten: : 1. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), 25:31.817; 2. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:01.411; 3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:02.216; 4. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:04.421; 5. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:25.437; 6. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:29.921; 7. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:32.799; 8. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +0:36.358; 9. Steven Frossard (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:41.451; 10. Tyla Rattray (RSA, Husqvarna), +0:51.849.

MX2

With hundreds of ruts dug out around the circuit of Sevlievo, line selection was going to be key to a qualifying heat victory. Although the start straight remained as the wettest place on the track, the track management had done an excellent job scraping the mud off and having it in the best condition possible, given the circumstances, for MX2’s qualifying race.

After the five second board was raised and the gate was dropped it was last weekend’s qualifying heat star Standing Construct KTM’s Valentin Guillod who took the holeshot with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings hot on his tail. While Guillod led the first lap, lap two saw the super Swiss lose the front end and go down handing Herlings the early lead. While initially it appeared the current MX2 World Champion would check out, CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy’s Arnaud Tonus and Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Romain Febvre had other ideas.

With both Tonus and Febvre starting around tenth, the duo began to slice and dice their way through the pack to be running second and third respectively on lap three. On lap four, Tonus set the fastest lap time with Febvre following in his wake.

As the race approached midway, Tonus and Febvre had chopped down the six second lead of Herlings, engaging in a battle for first and it wasn’t long before Tonus decided it was ‘go time’ and threw a very low and fast scrub to flamboyantly pass Herlings for the lead. One lap later, Febvre also made a move on Herlings in almost the same part of the track.

With two laps to go Herlings, who had spent the last three laps stalking Febvre, finally found another gear and passed the Frenchman to make a last ditch effort at catching the MX2 red plate holder Arnaud Tonus.

Although the flying Dutchman also known as ‘The Bullet’ did impressively knock Tonus’ ‘fastest laptime’ off the board on the final lap, it wasn’t enough to catch the CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy’s star who qualified on pole for the first time this season. Meanwhile Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings was forced to settle for second ahead of Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Romain Febvre who put in an outstanding ride for third. CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy’s Dylan Ferrandis recovered from an early moto crash to come home in fourth with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jordi Tixier rounding out the top five.

Bulgaria’s own Kemea Yamaha Racing rider Petar Petrov came home in a respectable ninth and later said in the press conference, “I look forward to coming home to race because I am the only Bulgarian in the world championship which means it is an important race for me, and also it is really nice because all my family friends come out to see me ride”.

MX2 Qualifying Race top ten: 1. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Kawasaki), 26:06.452; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:01.208; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:06.036; 4. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:18.248; 5. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +0:25.422; 6. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Suzuki), +0:29.592; 7. Mel Pocock (GBR, KTM), +0:45.838; 8. Max Anstie (GBR, Yamaha), +0:46.341; 9. Petar Petrov (BUL, Yamaha), +0:57.154; 10. Valentin Guillod (SUI, KTM), +1:00.501.

Click here to obtain the complete results.

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

MXGP BULGARIA – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1735m

Type of ground: Hard Pack

Temperature: 14°C

Weather conditions: cloudy

MXGP will be available across the board in high definition, and is also globally available to view live and in HD on www.MXGP-TV.com. Click here for the complete list of countries and cooperating MXGP broadcasting networks, viewing times can be viewed by clicking on the logo of your chosen broadcasting network.

TIMETABLE

Sunday: EMX300 Warm-up 08:10; EMX125 Warm-up 08:30; EMX250 Warm-up 08:50; MX2 Warm-up 09:15; MXGP Warm-up 09:40; EMX300 Race 2 10:10; EMX125 Race 2 11:00; EMX250 Race 2 11:50; MX2 Race 1 13:10; MXGP Race 1 14:10; MX2 Race 2 16:10; MXGP Race 2 17:10.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

MXGP of Bulgaria

Due to the weather conditions the Timetable of the MXGP of Bulgaria has been modified.

By clicking here you will be able to download the updated Timetable for the MXGP of Bulgaria which will take place this weekend in Sevlievo. 

CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy's Arnaud Tonus has had a rough couple of years. From fighting off injury after injury, the uber talented Swissman has experienced first hand the blood, sweat and tears that define a true champion. At round three of the FIM MX2 World Championship in Beto Carerro, Brazil the twenty-two year old finally took what he's been fighting so hard for, the MX2 red plate, setting sail to the ship that could take him to his first ever FIM Motocross World title.

Watch in the moving video below as Tonus lines up at the MX2 Grand Prix of Trentino with the red plate for the first time in his career and puts in the ride of his life to fight from dead last all the way up to second place only two seconds behind his arch rival, MX2 World Champion Jeffrey Herlings...
 

Video Credit: Kawasaki Motors Europe