Desalle & Coldenhoff on pole
MX GP Finland
In MX1 Kevin Strijbos took the holeshot and led the first laps of the qualifying race, but a mistake made him drop to the second position. The Belgian crossed the finish line third behind Antonio Cairoli who did an incredible recovery after a poor start. In MX2 Jordi Tixier finished second and Romain Febvre third, whereas Jeffrey Herlings could only finish ninth as he crashed in the first corner and had to push from the very last position. In the crash the pipe of his KTM was smashed, so this is why Herlings could not fight for the lead as he normally does especially on sand tracks as the one here in Hyvinkää.
MX1
Rockstar Energy Suzuki World’s Clement Desalle obtained the second pole position of the season after winning today’s qualifying race with six seconds advantage over Antonio Cairoli. The Belgian rider started down in the third position and he took advantage of Kevin Strijbos’ and Evgeny Bobryshev’s mistakes and he moved up to the lead after the first four laps of the race. Desalle admitted that he trained really hard before travelling to Finland because he is really looking forward to winning the Grand Prix this weekend.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli was down into the eleventh position after the first corner but his rhythm and speed were really good and he quickly moved up to the fifth place. The Italian managed to catch Ken De Dycker, Evgeny Bobryshev and Gautier Paulin who were all battling for the fourth position, and after a couple of laps Cairoli overtook them all and gave chase to Jeremy Van Horebeek who was riding third. The KTM rider also managed to pass the Belgian and four laps before the end of the race Cairoli succeeded to overtake Kevin Strijbos and the Italian finished second of the qualifying heat.
Rockstar Energy Suzuki World’s Kevin Strijbos took the holeshot of the qualifying race and he managed to lead the first laps with a comfortable gap with the rest of the riders. However, the Belgian made a mistake and his teammate Desalle passed him. Strijbos was able to recuperate himself really quickly from the crash and he managed to ride second until Cairoli caught him. The Belgian was a little bit disappointed but at the same time really happy for having been able to ride once again with the front riders and he hopes to do it again tomorrow.
Kawasaki Racing Team’s Jeremy Van Horebeek was the fastest in the pre-qualifying practice and he was feeling really comfortable for today’s qualifying race. In fact, he took a really good start in fourth and after a couple of laps the Belgian was already riding in the third place. From then onwards Van Horebeek managed to keep a good rhythm and he raced a consistent moto, but he could not stop Cairoli to overtake him and he crossed the finish line fourth. The Kawasaki rider admitted that he will give it all tomorrow to finish among the top three riders of the MX1 class.
Honda World Motocross’ Evgeny Bobryshev had a really good start today, but he made a mistake when he was riding second behind Strijbos and dropped down to the fifth place. The Russian lost one position when Cairoli overtook him, but with two laps to go he moved back to fifth because Ken De Dycker had some problems with his KTM while he was fourth. De Dycker was able to finish the race but he crossed the finish line in the twelfth position.
Tommy Searle was sixth after the start, but De Dycker overtook him in the early stages of the race, so the British was down to seventh. Once again Searle had speed of the front riders and he actually exchanged his position with Cairoli at a certain moment of the qualifying race, but the Kawasaki rider finally ended sixth ahead of Gautier Paulin. The French rider decided to take the first gate in the inside, and once he reached the first corner he was almost at the back of the pack. Gautier moved up to the tenth place during the first lap, but he was only able to finish seventh.
Rui Gonçalves had once again a really good start, but he could not keep his initial fifth position because he crashed in the same place that his teammate Xavier Boog would crash one lap afterwards. However, while Gonçalves managed to finish the race in eighth, Boog decided to retire as he felt a lot of pain on his knee.
Max Nagl finished ninth and Shaun Simpson completed the top ten.
Steven Frossard was once again unlucky today, as he broke two bones from his foot after hitting the ground too hard while he was riding eleventh.
MX1 Qualifying Race top ten: 1. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 24:56.992; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:06.330; 3. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:10.050; 4. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:15.229; 5. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:20.060; 6. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:27.943; 7. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:32.456; 8. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), +0:36.096; 9. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), +0:38.480; 10. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:49.907;
Click here to obtain the complete results
Photos of the whole Grand Prix are available here
MX2
Standing Construct KTM’s Glenn Coldenhoff obtained his third pole position today in Hyvinkää after dominating the qualifying race from beginning to end. The Dutch rider admitted that he felt very comfortable on the track, especially because it is very sandy and he normally has very good starts on this type of soil. Coldenhoff took advantage of Herling’s crash at the start of the heat and he managed to keep focused in the lead until the end of the race. Tomorrow Coldenhoff will do his best to obtain what it would be his maiden podium in the FIM MX2 World Championship.
Instead, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jordi Tixier did not have a really good start and he was in the ninth position after the first corner. However, the French rider had the speed not only to clinch the fastest lap, but also to move up to the second place. Tixier was the second best rider in the pre-qualifying session, so he is very positive for tomorrow’s races.
Wilvo Nestaan JM Racing KTM’s Romain Febvre did one of his best races since he is back from his injury and he was able to finish third. The French rider had a really good start and after four laps he managed to overtake Christophe Charlier. However, he could not stop Tixier to pass him, so he had to settle down with the third place. Febvre is looking forward to tomorrow’s races, as he is looking forward to being back on the podium as he used to do in the beginning of the season before he injured his leg.
Monster Energy Yamaha’s Christophe Charlier started really well and he rode second during the first laps of the qualifying race. However, the French rider found the track quite demanding and by the middle of the race he dropped down to the fourth place. Charlier, who has recently extended his contract with Monster Energy Yamaha for one more year, is positive for tomorrow and he hopes to be fighting for a top three result.
Wilvo Nestaan JM Racing KTM’s was fourth after the start but Tixier was coming really fast from behind and passed him after the first two laps of the race. However, the British rider was able to keep a good rhythm and he rode a consistent qualifying race in fifth until the chequered flag.
José Butrón did not have a good start today, but he was able to move from his initial ninth place to a final sixth position. Such result proves that the Spanish rider can do really well even if he is not a sand specialist if he manages to start at the front as he usually does. Mel Pocock finished seventh ahead of home rider Harri Kullas, and Jeffrey Herlings and Ivo Monticelli completed the top ten.
MX2 Qualifying Race top ten: 1. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 23:41.301; 2. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +0:05.700; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, KTM), +0:07.555; 4. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), +0:19.562; 5. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +0:21.789; 6. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +0:26.859; 7. Mel Pocock (GBR, Yamaha), +0:29.461; 8. Harri Kullas (FIN, KTM), +0:29.834; 9. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:30.583; 10. Ivo Monticelli (ITA, TM), +0:40.844;
Click here to obtain the complete results
Photos of the whole Grand Prix are available here
MXGP FINLAND – QUICK FACTS
Circuit length: 1550m
Type of ground: sand
The Grand Prix of Finland will be broadcast LIVE in France on Be In Sport 1 and Motors TV France, in Italy on SportItalia, in Slovenia on Sport TV, in Portugal on Sport TV3, in the UK on Motors TV UK, in Brazil on Bandsports, in Thailand on True Vision, in Africa on Al Jazeera Sport and Sport TV, in the Middle East on Al Jazeera Sport, in Europe on Motors TV Europe and worldwide on MX-LIFE.TV .