MXGP

(LOMMEL) Belgium, 6 August 2017 - The 2017 Fiat Professional MXGP of Belgium finished in amazing fashion today! After a soggy Saturday, race today started with the sun shining as the best MXGP and MX2 riders took to the demanding sands of Lommel. Focus, strength, and skill all combined into winning performances for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado Garcia.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings came into the weekend focused on winning on the sand and as racing 1 started he found himself second on the first lap sandwiched between his teammates, Glen Coldenhoff, and Antonio Cairoli.

Coldenhoff led the his fellow countryman while Cairoli gave chase to the two dutch riders. Coldenhoff managed to hold his own against the man know as the sand master, Herlings, for the first laps. It was on lap 6 that Herlings found his way by and looked to check out from Cairoli and the rest.

While Herlings led, Coldenhoff responded to the charges of Cairoli well for the next 5 laps at which point Cairoli went by. The battle for the position wasn’t over though and thanks to a mistake from Cairoli, Coldenhoff slid back by for another lap before Cairoli reclaimed the spot and took second and 27 seconds behind Herlings.

As Coldenhoff took third it looked as if Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team’s Romain Febvre would take fourth but the french rider fell on the last lap which gave his teammate Jeremy Van Horebeek the position. Finishing out the race 1 top 5 was Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Nagl.

Race 2 started with another FOX Holeshot from Cairoli but Herlings was second across the chalk and he went to work quickly making a pass on the Italian before even reaching the green flag. From there the two newly found rivals went all out in a brilliant race.

Behind the battle for the lead and ultimately the race win was 2nd in the MXGP championship Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing’s Clement Desalle. The Belgian soon made a mistake which opened the door for Team Suzuki World MXGP’s Arminas Jasikonis and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Anstie.

Desalle picked himself up behind Anstie but then Jasikonis crashed out of the race moving Anstie to third and Desalle to 4th ahead of Coldenhoff. Confidence from his race 1 podium pushed Coldenhoff to pass Desalle for the position and 2 more overall points.

Back at the front Herlings and Cairoli were having the battle that fans had been dreaming of. Cairoli showed aggression in a pass for the lead pushing the #84 out wide. Half a lap later Herlings dove to the inside of Cairoli but it was answered immediately by the Sicilian. Banging bars for several laps Herlings again passed Cairoli in the same corner but this time brake checked the #222 machine. Herlings antics provided him with the lead as he sprinted away from Cairoli.

Cairoli backed off from his charge and settled for second in the race and overall dropping his pace the final laps. Cairoli in the press conference: “I’m really happy for sure, fighting against Jeffrey, he is one of the fastest in the world in this kind of soil, and we had good racing, also with Glenn in the first race he was very fast so it was fun.”

Herlings not only took double race wins and the overall but he leapt past Desalle for second in the championship chase. Herlings in the press conference: “I had a really good weekend, I won yesterday, won both motos today, and I had a pretty good start last race, I’m happy with that. It was clean racing and I enjoyed it, I’m happy a got the better of him (Cairoli) this weekend.”

Coldenhoff took the final podium spot making it a Red Bull KTM Factory Racing sweep as Desalle and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Gautier Paulin round out the top 5. Coldenhoff in the press conference: “It’s great, it has been a while since I have sat here, so it’s really good. I had a good weekend, coming into this GP I felt really strong, and I’ve had some very competitive days in the sand.”

Last year’s Motocross World Champion, Team HRC’s Tim Gajser, struggled with mistakes on the sand including a fall which resulted with an 11th overall.

MXGP Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 35:34.225; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:27.342; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:39.296; 4. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:53.580; 5. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), +0:56.056; 6. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +1:00.579; 7. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Husqvarna), +1:02.065; 8. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +1:06.221; 9. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +1:08.869; 10. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +1:22.939.

MXGP Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 35:44.270; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:23.346; 3. Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:41.147; 4. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:53.174; 5. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:55.569; 6. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:57.337; 7. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +1:00.060; 8. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +1:17.957; 9. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), +1:32.207; 10. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +1:43.308.

MXGP Overall Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 50 points; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 44 p.; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 38 p.; 4. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 31 p.; 5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HUS), 29 p.; 6. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 28 p.; 7. Max Anstie (GBR, HUS), 27 p.; 8. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 27 p.; 9. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 26 p.; 10. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 24 p.

MXGP Championship Top Ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 567 points; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 468 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 462 p.; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HUS), 446 p.; 5. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 376 p.; 6. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 365 p.; 7. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 336 p.; 8. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 320 p.; 9. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 303 p.; 10. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 302 p.

MXGP Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 609 points; 2. Husqvarna, 498 p.; 3. Yamaha, 473 p.; 4. Kawasaki, 462 p.; 5. Honda, 454 p.; 6. Suzuki, 318 p.;

The weekend wouldn’t be complete without the MX2 racing and the KTM bikes proved strong again. To start race 1 it was Team Suzuki World MX2’s Jeremy Seewer taking the FOX Holeshot but the young Spaniard, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Jorge Prado Garcia, took the lead immediately.

The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider and points leader Pauls Jonass was around 5th off the start but by the end of the first lap had already passed LRT KTM’s Julien Lieber and Hitachi KTM UK’s Ben Watson.

Jonass took only 3 laps to catch Seewer in 2nd, passing the #91 on lap 4. Jonass put his head down and caught Prado who remained determined putting up a fight to hold his position even against his points leading teammate. Jonass eventually broke away from Prado and took the win while Seewer took third ahead of Kemea Yamaha Official MX Team’s Benoit Paturel and the #33 of Lieber.

Race 2’s FOX Holeshot went to Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Covington with Seewer again towards the front. A mistake in the first turn swallowed up a handful of riders including race 1 winner Jonass and third 4th place finisher Paturel. Jonass was among the last to get going again and on the opening lap was in 32nd position.

In the meantime Prado led with Covington and Lieber battling for 2nd and as Lieber passed Covington, Seewer fell out of 4th. The golden opportunity to gain points on Jonass started to slip away as Seewer remounted in 9th.

Jonass was instead moving forward through the pack at an amazing pace gaining 12 positions by lap 2 and he didn’t stop there and by the end he would pass 27 competitors to place 5th. Jonass in the press conference: "I had that crash in the second race and I came from dead last to 5th place so it was not so bad. They say you win the championship on your bad days and think this was one of the days.”

Seewer too moved forward but only back to where he had started in 4th.

Covington fell out second and he would not rejoin the race which gave Lieber second behind race 2 and overall winner Prado. Prado in the press conference said: "I’m feeling pretty happy, you know it is pretty difficult to win a GP, everybody is riding really fast so it is hard work. This weekend the track was pretty tough and you really have to give it your all which I did."

In the overall Jonass took second behind Prado but ahead of Lieber, Seewer, and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Kjer Olsen. Lieber in the press conference: “I’m really happy to be back on the podium after a long time, I have struggled a lot the last races but this weekend was good.”

MX2 Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 36:03.639; 2. Jorge Prado Garcia (ESP, KTM), +0:04.963; 3. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:27.982; 4. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +0:32.972; 5. Julien Lieber (BEL, KTM), +0:33.010; 6. Ben Watson (GBR, KTM), +0:42.319; 7. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:43.909; 8. Conrad Mewse (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:47.263; 9. Thomas Covington (USA, Husqvarna), +0:47.324; 10. Brent Van doninck (BEL, Yamaha), +1:15.566.

MX2 Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Jorge Prado Garcia (ESP, KTM), 36:39.880; 2. Julien Lieber (BEL, KTM), +0:11.832; 3. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:13.661; 4. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:20.345; 5. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:33.847; 6. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, KTM), +0:36.833; 7. Conrad Mewse (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:51.589; 8. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +1:01.363; 9. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), +1:01.803; 10. Hunter Lawrence (AUS, Suzuki), +1:03.628.

MX2 Overall Top Ten: 1. Jorge Prado Garcia (ESP, KTM), 47 points; 2. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 41 p.; 3. Julien Lieber (BEL, KTM), 38 p.; 4. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 38 p.; 5. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 34 p.; 6. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 31 p.; 7. Conrad Mewse (GBR, HUS), 27 p.; 8. Ben Watson (GBR, KTM), 25 p.; 9. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, KTM), 22 p.; 10. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), 21 p.

MX2 Championship Top Ten: 1. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 589 points; 2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 539 p.; 3. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 437 p.; 4. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 429 p.; 5. Julien Lieber (BEL, KTM), 412 p.; 6. Thomas Covington (USA, HUS), 351 p.; 7. Jorge Prado Garcia (ESP, KTM), 315 p.; 8. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), 294 p.; 9. Hunter Lawrence (AUS, SUZ), 246 p.; 10. Brent Van doninck (BEL, YAM), 246 p.

MX2 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 647 points; 2. Suzuki, 554 p.; 3. Husqvarna, 521 p.; 4. Yamaha, 476 p.; 5. Kawasaki, 316 p.; 6. Honda, 226 p.; 7. TM, 124 p.

Click here to obtain the complete results

All the photos of the Fiat Professional MXGP of Belgium will be available here

Fiat Professional MXGP of Belgium – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1880m

Type of ground: sand

Temperature: 23°C

Weather conditions: sunny

Weekend Crowd Attendance: 30,000

MXGP was available across the board in high definition and is also globally available to view live and in HD on MXGP-TV.com. Here below the MXGP-TV LIVE Program and by clicking here you can check the complete list of countries and cooperating MXGP broadcasting networks.

NEXT STOP

The Next round of the FIM Motocross World Championship will be held in Frauenfeld/Gachnang for the MXGP of Switzerland presented by iXS in 1-week time.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

Fiat Professional MXGP of Belgium

(LOMMEL) Belgium, 6 August 2017 - The first overall race finishes to be decided at the Fiat Professional MXGP of Belgium were those of EMX300 Presented by FMF Racing and EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing. Over two days of racing GL12 Racing’s Mike Kras and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Mikkel Harrup came out ahead of the rest winning their respective classes.

At the beginning of the weekend the 125cc class had 74 racers entered and only 40 making it through qualifying. Saturday’s Race 1 started with BUD Racing Monster Energy’s Brian Strubhart Moreau leading Gianluca Facchetti and Alessandro Manucci but on the third lap mistakes took all of them out of the top 3.

The one rider who didn’t have any costly errors was Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Mikkel Haarup who moved into the lead on lap 4 and stayed in the top spot the remainder of the race to take the win.

Behind Haarup was Creymert Racing’s Kevin Horgmo and Facchetti, who after crashing twice in one lap fought his way back from 11th on lap 3 passing 8 riders in 8 laps including points leader Moreau to take third.

Race 2 Facchetti and Moreau were up front again with Facchetti leading the French rider. The Italians lead was short lived though as he made a mistake in the corner before the start straight letting Moreau and Horgmo by.

Later on the 5th lap Facchetti went over the bars hard but managed to escape unscathed. Facchetti’s fall assisted Haarup’s charge forward from 7th on the first lap. Haarup caught Horgmo, passed him, and set his focus on catching Moreau.

5 laps later he was on the back wheel of the #225 and ended up launching by the frenchman to take the lead on the SIDI step down. While in the background Facchetti was working his way back from 7th and the big crash in a valiant effort.

Haarup took the double race victory for the overall as Moreau took second in both race 2 and the overall. 2nd through 4th were all decided via the better second race though as each were tied with forty points. 5th and 6th also tied with 27 points but it was Jeremy Sydow who took the final spot in the top 5.

EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, Husqvarna), 31:06.291; 2. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KTM), +0:29.891; 3. Gianluca Facchetti (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:45.354; 4. Brian Strubhart Moreau (FRA, KTM), +0:49.813; 5. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), +0:59.544; 6. Rick Elzinga (NED, Yamaha), +1:16.812; 7. Tim Edberg (SWE, Yamaha), +1:17.700; 8. Alessandro Manucci (ITA, Husqvarna), +1:18.463; 9. Jeremy Sydow (GER, KTM), +1:19.171; 10. Sergi Notario (ESP, KTM), +1:23.550.

EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, Husqvarna), 31:35.883; 2. Brian Strubhart Moreau (FRA, KTM), +0:15.989; 3. Gianluca Facchetti (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:19.730; 4. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KTM), +0:20.156; 5. Emilio Scuteri (ITA, KTM), +0:45.403; 6. Jeremy Sydow (GER, KTM), +0:48.289; 7. Viking Lindstrom (SWE, KTM), +0:49.196; 8. Tim Edberg (SWE, Yamaha), +0:55.513; 9. Filip Olsson (SWE, Husqvarna), +1:01.344; 10. Sergi Notario (ESP, KTM), +1:10.354.

EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Overall Top 10: 1. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, HUS), 50 points; 2. Brian Strubhart Moreau (FRA, KTM), 40 p.; 3. Gianluca Facchetti (ITA, HUS), 40 p.; 4. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KTM), 40 p.; 5. Jeremy Sydow (GER, KTM), 27 p.; 6. Tim Edberg (SWE, YAM), 27 p.; 7. Sergi Notario (ESP, KTM), 22 p.; 8. Filip Olsson (SWE, HUS), 18 p.; 9. Emil Weckman (FIN, KTM), 18 p.; 10. Emilio Scuteri (ITA, KTM), 16 p.

EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Championship Top 10: 1. Brian Strubhart Moreau (FRA, KTM), 248 points; 2. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, HUS), 240 p.; 3. Gianluca Facchetti (ITA, HUS), 229 p.; 4. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KTM), 212 p.; 5. Sergi Notario (ESP, KTM), 136 p.; 6. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 134 p.; 7. Tim Edberg (SWE, YAM), 102 p.; 8. Isak Gifting (SWE, KTM), 101 p.; 9. Paolo Lugana (ITA, TM), 100 p.; 10. Emilio Scuteri (ITA, KTM), 91 p.

EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Manufacturers: 1. Husqvarna, 285 points; 2. KTM, 267 p.; 3. Yamaha, 139 p.; 4. TM, 117 p.; 5. Kawasaki, 10 p.; 6. Suzuki, 9 p.

Aboard the bigger more powerful 300cc bikes GL12 Racing’s Mike Kras led race 1 early with Brad Anderson in a close second. The pair of KTM riders rallied back and forth in a battle for the race win.

Micheal Hool had a front row seat to the entire race as he ran third behind them. The final result was Anderson crossing the finish first with Kras 2nd and Hool 3rd. Rounding out the top five was Dutch rider Rick Satink after he passed Belgian local Kenny Vandueren around the half way point of the race.

Race 2 started perfect for Greg Smets as he led the first lap after not finishing race 1. Smets fought to stay at the top but dropped the lead to Kras. Smets continued to battle for position as Kras led the remaining laps.

Race 1 winner Anderson started around 4th and was one of the riders who Smets faced as the race went on. Andero Lusbo shifted between 2nd and 3rd with Smets before he was passed by Anderson. Anderson then went on to drop Smets to third and try to catch Kras who had opened up a gap.

Smets then faced Lusbo for a second time who would make the pass stick this time around. Meanwhile Vandueren and Satink raced to the front both getting Smets but only Satink would get Lusbo. At the finish Kras took the race win ahead of Anderson, Satink, Lusbo, and Vandueren.

EMX300 Presented by FMF Racing Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 30:11.353; 2. Mike Kras (NED, KTM), +0:04.224; 3. Michael Hool (NED, KTM), +0:09.566; 4. Rick Satink (NED, KTM), +0:17.806; 5. Kenny Vandueren (BEL, KTM), +0:35.157; 6. Erik Willems (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:53.626; 7. James Dunn (GBR, KTM), +0:55.106; 8. Joshua van der Linden (NED, Yamaha), +1:33.286; 9. Andero Lusbo (EST, Yamaha), +1:36.099; 10. Valtteri Malin (FIN, KTM), +1:48.191.

EMX300 Presented by FMF Racing Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 30:25.621; 2. Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), +0:43.648; 3. Rick Satink (NED, KTM), +0:52.835; 4. Andero Lusbo (EST, Yamaha), +1:00.792; 5. Kenny Vandueren (BEL, KTM), +1:02.530; 6. Greg Smets (BEL, KTM), +1:19.523; 7. James Dunn (GBR, KTM), +1:44.846; 8. Tom Meijer (NED, Yamaha), +2:02.526; 9. Joshua van der Linden (NED, Yamaha), +2:25.307; 10. Gordano Natale (BEL, KTM), -1 lap(s).

EMX300 Presented by FMF Racing Overall Top 10: 1. Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 47 points; 2. Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 47 p.; 3. Rick Satink (NED, KTM), 38 p.; 4. Kenny Vandueren (BEL, KTM), 32 p.; 5. Andero Lusbo (EST, YAM), 30 p.; 6. James Dunn (GBR, KTM), 28 p.; 7. Joshua van der Linden (NED, YAM), 25 p.; 8. Erik Willems (BEL, HUS), 25 p.; 9. Michael Hool (NED, KTM), 20 p.; 10. Jacky Tausch (NED, YAM), 17 p.

EMX300 Presented by FMF Racing Championship Top 10: 1. Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 191 points; 2. Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 170 p.; 3. Kenny Vandueren (BEL, KTM), 139 p.; 4. Erik Willems (BEL, HUS), 123 p.; 5. Andero Lusbo (EST, YAM), 107 p.; 6. James Dunn (GBR, KTM), 95 p.; 7. John Cuppen (NED, KTM), 83 p.; 8. Manuel Iacopi (ITA, YAM), 65 p.; 9. Valtteri Malin (FIN, KTM), 65 p.; 10. Greg Smets (BEL, KTM), 56 p.;

EMX300 Presented by FMF Racing Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 200 points; 2. Husqvarna, 125 p.; 3. Yamaha, 122 p.; 4. CZ, 22 p.; 5. Honda, 8 p.

Click here to obtain the complete results

All the photos of the Fiat Professional MXGP of Belgium will be available here

Fiat Professional MXGP of Belgium – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1880m

Type of ground: sand

Temperature: 23°C

Weather conditions: sunny

Weekend Crowd Attendance: 30,000

MXGP was available across the board in high definition and is also globally available to view live and in HD on MXGP-TV.com. Here below the MXGP-TV LIVE Program and by clicking here you can check the complete list of countries and cooperating MXGP broadcasting networks.

NEXT ROUND

The Next round of the EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing and the Final round of the EMX300 Presented by FMF Racing will be held in Frauenfeld/Gachnang for the MXGP of Switzerland presented by iXS.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM Europe

Fiat Professional MXGP of Belgium

Conditions at the fourteenth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship are far from favourable, as the power-sapping sand of Lommel has been hit by a substantial amount of rain. The Honda 150 European Championship riders were well-equipped for the challenge, however, thanks to the fact that they partook in a training camp earlier this week.

Andrea Adamo clearly took advantage of the knowledge that he gained on that training day, as he romped to the fastest time in qualifying. Adamo did not translate that brilliant position on the gate into a holeshot in the first of two motos, which was run at midday, as Ruben Ferreira led the field out of the first turn.

Ferreira was soon demoted, however, as Adamo pushed past him with authority. Much like he has in motos at the previous two rounds, Adamo then attempted to establish an advantage. The Italian was successful in achieving that, thanks in part to mistakes that were made by both Ferreira and Lynn Valk, and soon led by thirteen seconds.

Whilst Adamo worked hard to maintain that lead, all eyes were on Anton Nordstrom-Graaf. The Swede, who won the overall at the previous round, crashed on lap one and charged all the way through the field in what was a phenomenal ride. With just a couple of laps remaining, he had moved into the top three and was then in a position to pounce when Adamo had to withdraw from the race.

Luis Outeiro was also involved in that chaotic fight for the win, as he occupied second for much of the race and held the lead briefly, but he ultimately came up just short. Ten seconds separated him from the eventual winner, Nordstrom-Graaf, at the conclusion of the race. Kjeld Stuurman was also eager to celebrate, as he claimed his first podium finish of the season!

Lynn Valk recovered to claim a brilliant fourth, whilst Nikolay Malinov salvaged a fifth in the treacherous conditions. Rasmus Moen, Ryan Mawhinney, Boaz Bijtjes, Ruben Ferreira and Senne Hermans eventually completed the top ten. Where did Andrea Adamo eventually end up? Fifteenth, because of the ground that he gained on the field throughout the race, so six valuable points were claimed.

The CRF150R riders will now reset and recover ahead of the second race, which will be run at 09:45 on Sunday morning.

Anton Nordstrom Graaf, 66: ‘My start was very bad, after a crash, but I love it when it is muddy. That was perfect for me, so I was able to come through the field and take the win! Thanks to everyone who supports me.’

Gordon Crockard, Honda Europe Off-Road Manager: ‘It was clear just how hard the conditions would be after the sighting lap. It went well in the beginning and, after a couple of laps, Andrea Adamo was ahead of Luis Outeiro. Anton Nordstrom-Graaf crashed at the beginning, but came up through the field. That was really exciting and, at that point, Outeiro was closing in on Adamo too. Adamo then had some difficulties in the extreme conditions. It is important to preserve both your goggles and machine on a track like we had today and, unfortunately, the outcome was that Adamo did not make it across the finish line, despite the fact that he rode brilliantly. It was excellent to see Nordstrom-Graaf come through to eventually win the race, as he looked great on the bike. I was also impressed with Lynn Valk, who came through to finish fourth. Lynn made a costly error, when she went off the side of a jump, whilst running inside of the top three early on. I think that, with drier conditions, the race tomorrow should be a lot more exciting. It should be a less of a challenge for the riders to actually reach the finish, so I’m looking forward to it.’

(LOMMEL) Belgium, 5 August 2017 - The first day of the Fiat Professional MXGP of Belgium is complete and the sand master, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings fired the first shot winning the MXGP Qualifying Race while his KTM teammate Pauls Jonass secured pole position in MX2. The thunder of the MXGP and MX2 bikes was accompanied by rain in the early stages of the day taking an already treacherous surface to a new level of difficulty. The heavy Belgian sand of Lommel is in a new layout and direction this year which so far has provided great racing.

The big boys of MXGP and MX2 were also joined by the Honda 150 European Championship and the 2 strokes of both EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing and EMX300 Presented by FMF Racing. In the 125cc class 74 racers entered the day with only 40 making it through qualifying. Race 1 started with BUD Racing Monster Energy’s Brian Strubhart Moreau leading Gianluca Facchetti and Alessandro Manucci but on the third lap mistakes took all of them out of the top 3. The one rider who didn’t have any costly errors was Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Mikkel Haarup who moved into the lead on lap 4 and stayed in the top spot the remainder of the race to take the win. Behind Haarup was Creymert Racing’s Kevin Horgmo and Facchetti, who fought his way back by Moreau to take third.

Aboard the 300cc bikes GL12 Racing’s Mike Kras led early with Brad Anderson in hot pursuit. The pair of KTM’s shifted back in forth in a battle for the race win. Micheal Hool had a front row seat to the racing as he ran third the entire race. The final result was Anderson crossing the finish first with Kras 2nd and Hool 3rd.

The Honda 150 European Championship's first race of the weekend was won by Anton Nordstrom Graaf with Luis Outeiro 2nd and Kjeld Stuurman 3rd.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings is well known as the fastest sand rider in the world and today he proved it as he came from 6th on the first lap to pass race leader Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli on the last.

Cairoli was beat out by Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Nagl. It only took one lap for Cairoli to take over the lead from the German and begin to leave the field behind. As Cairoli led the race Team HRC's Tim Gajser moved passed Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team’s Jeremy Van Horebeek and then Max Nagl for second.

The majority of the passes were going on behind the top two and they were made by Jeffrey Herlings, the “Bullet”. From 6th Herlings passed 4 riders in 3 laps. From there he began to chip away at #222’s lead.

Following the moves of Herlings was Team Suzuki World MXGP’s Arminas Jasikonis on his way toward third.

Gajser dropped to 4th on the 5th lap just ahead of Nagl. Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team’s Romain Febvre was riding on the bubble of the top five the entire race and it wasn’t until the final lap that he made a pass on Nagl to secure 5th.

Back at the front it was another last lap pass that made the difference but instead it was for the win. Herlings took the lead with half of the last lap to go and crossed the finish half a second ahead of Cairoli.

While Jasikonis crossed the line 3rd, failure to comply with FIM noise regulations penalized him 5 positions to 8th officially. The final result was Gajser 3rd, Febvre 4th, and Nagl 5th.

Herlings in the press conference said: “I'm very happy with the result, it is a track that fits me well. I’m happy with today, being in pole position again, I think it is the second time this season, I haven’t had it many times but I’m focused for tomorrow.”

MXGP Qualifying Race Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 26:37.062; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:00.551; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:30.160; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:31.608; 5. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), +0:35.300; 6. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:37.261; 7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:40.346; 8. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, Suzuki), +0:26.382; 9. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:54.623; 10. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:56.512.

MX2 Qualifying started with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado leading and Kemea Yamaha Official MX2’s Benoit Paturel following. Paturel who put in the fastest laps of both Free and Time practice was the first to line up to the gate.

Championship leader, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass was only a few bike lengths behind the top two though and in a section were most riders dropped into a hole he jumped over it. Jonass and his creative riding were clearly effective in that exact section he flew by Paturel into second.

The main competition for Jonass and his championship hopes is the Suzuki World MX2 rider Jeremy Seewer. Perhaps one of the reasons Jonass quickly dispatched Paturel was the #91 hounding his back wheel.

Running 5th behind Seewer was the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory bike of Thomas Kjer Olsen. With Seewer seeing Jonass go by Paturel he didn’t want to be left behind but a series of small bobbles left Paturel able to fend the Swiss rider off.

Jonass in turn was catching Prado and made the pass for lead on lap 8 of ten. Prado was also losing ground to Paturel when he slowed by a lapped rider who was down in his line. This allowed both Paturel and Seewer by.

At the finish Prado took fourth ahead of Olsen while Jonass won and Paturel held second in front of Seewer.

Jonass in the press conference: “I got a decent start I was third so I settled down in the first laps and just built up my race speed. You know in the first laps you can go crazy and make some mistakes but I just stayed calm. I got the win and it was nice so I’m looking forward to tomorrow”

MX2 Qualifying Race Top Ten: 1. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 24:45.636; 2. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +0:02.585; 3. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:03.752; 4. Jorge Prado Garcia (ESP, KTM), +0:17.394; 5. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:19.601; 6. Hunter Lawrence (AUS, Suzuki), +0:29.695; 7. Julien Lieber (BEL, KTM), +0:58.146; 8. Conrad Mewse (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:59.568; 9. Ben Watson (GBR, KTM), +1:00.944; 10. Jago Geerts (BEL, KTM), +1:09.624.

Click here to obtain the complete results

All the photos of the Fiat Professional MXGP of Belgium will be available here

Fiat Professional MXGP of Belgium – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1880m

Type of ground: sand

Temperature: 20°C

Weather conditions: changeable with showers

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. Here below the MXGP-TV LIVE Program and by clicking here you can check the complete list of countries and cooperating MXGP broadcasting networks

TIMETABLE

Sunday: EMX300 Race 2 08:40; EMX150 Race 2 09:45; MX2 Warm up 10:25, MXGP Warm up 10:45; EMX125 Race 2 11:30; MX2 Race 1 13:15; MXGP Race 1 14:15; MX2 Race 2 16:10; MXGP Race 2 17:10

LINKS

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Fiat Professional MXGP of Belgium

(LOMMEL) Belgium, 5 August 2017 - While today started with the Fiat Professional MXGP of Belgium, it ended with the presentation of the team representing Belgium for the 2017 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations.

Team Belgium Manager Joel Smets joined the Belgian line up formed by Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Clement Desalle in MXGP, LRT’s Julien Lieber in MX2, and Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team’s Jeremy Van Horebeek in the OPEN division for a presentation after the qualifying race press conference.

Joel Smets and the Belgian riders, Desalle, Lieber, and Van Horebeek all voiced their confidence in the teams potential to win with Van Horebeek saying: “I think it will be a great weekend, we all know how to ride a bike, we always have a strong team, and we are always motivated for that event. The podium is the minimum because when we go there it is to win.”

Later on Team Belgium unveiled the three bikes in a reserved area in the Paddock of Lommel.

Click HERE to watch the Team Presentation which was LIVE on MXGP Facebook Page.

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FIM

LOMMEL (Belgium) 5 August 2017 - Once racing and the qualifying press conference concluded this evening at the circuit of Lommel, Team Italy for the 2017 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations, set to take place at Matterley Basin in the UK on the weekend of October 1st, was officially announced.

Team Manager and Coach Thomas Traversini presented the Italian line up for this edition; leading the effort in the MXGP division will be Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli, for the third year in a row HRC MX2’s Michele Cervellin is part of Team Italy and he will race in MX2, rounding out the team will be Team Honda Redmoto Assomotor’s Alessandro Lupino in the OPEN class.

All three riders, Cairoli, Cervellin and Lupino expressed their excitement and gratitude to have the opportunity to race for their country. FIM Delegate Gianluca Avenoso was on stage too to support the Team.

Antonio Cairoli shared his good memories coming from 2006 edition of Motocross of Nations taking place in Matterley Basin and last year’s edition taking place in Maggiora and he stated: "Every year we try to do better and better with our Team. Now we have some experience and for sure we try to get on the Podium”.

Alessandro Lupino spoke about his teammates: “With Tony we know that we have one of the best guys in the world and Michele he puts in a lot of work and he pushes hard. I hope that we will again do well again like in 2013 and return to the podium.”

Michele Cervellin concluded: "For me the Motocross of Nations is always a special event, last year I did the OPEN class, so I’m excited this year to compete in MX2”

Connect to MXGP Facebook Page and watch the FULL Presentation of the Team by clicking HERE

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FIM

Yamaha Motor Europe is proud to announce the signing of the 2016 Junior Motocross World Champion, and EMX125 champion, Jago Geerts. The seventeen-year-old Belgian has signed a two-year deal to race for the official Kemea Yamaha MX2 team where he will race the 2018 and 2019 FIM MX2 World Championship seasons on a top spec YZ250F.

Jago Geerts is one of Europe's hottest prospects and already has an impressive list of achievements including two EMX titles and a Junior 125cc world title, which he claimed last year in Russia.

Kemea Yamaha Official MX2 is the perfect team to nurture and guide him to the top of the MX2 World Championship, especially with Jago living in Balen, a town that is located only 45minutes from the teams base in Genk - which means he will still be able to focus fully on his final year of school. There is also a unique connection between the Team Manager - one of Belgium's finest - Marnicq Bervoets, and Geerts' father, Herman Gevers. Gevers stood next to Bervoets - as his mechanic - during some of the Belgian's most successful years, and in the future Bervoets hopes to return the favour by standing behind Jago as he strives to achieve that same kind of success.

Erik Eggens: Yamaha Motor Europe MX Racing Manager: "We are very happy to have Jago on Yamaha with Kemea Yamaha Official MX2 next year. Kemea has proven over the last few years that they are motivated to fight for the championship, and Jago has proven his talent with his championship wins in the EMX85, EMX125 and as the world champion on a 125cc last year. He is a big talent. The combination of Jago, Kemea and a YZ250F is a good step, and together we are sure to move in the right direction."

Hans Corvers, Kemea Yamaha Official MX2 Team Owner: "The goal for the team is simple, we want to work with young guys and we want to get as close as we can to the world title. We have seen over the last two years that Jago is an enormous talent. He has proven that with his world title at the Junior World Championship last year and his EMX125 title.  I know from watching him ride that the speed is there, but he has also shown me he is professional and he has the drive to win. He also only lives 30 minutes from our work-shop and he is still in school with 1 year left to go. We will support him in his last year of school as education is very important and then after that, we will go all in, for the goal!"

Jago Geerts: "Kemea Yamaha is a really good team and they are based pretty close to me too, which is good while I still have one more year left of school. Next year I will be working with this team and gaining experience in MX2 while I finish my schooling and then in 2019 I should be ready to focus 100% on racing.  I am really happy to have this opportunity and a contract for next year where I hope we will learn a lot and get some good results along the way."

Copyright: Photo: Yamaha Racing