Antonio Cairoli earns his 72nd career MXGP win in the sand of Lommel, Belgium; Max Anstie earns his first!
Red Bull KTM Factory teammates Tony Cairoli and Ken de Dycker picked went 1-2 overall in the MXGP class during round 15 of the FIM Motocross World Championship in Lommel, Belgium, yesterday, with Cairoli recording his 72nd career MXGP win.
In the MX2 class, Bike It Yamaha Cosworth’s Max Anstie overcame bike problems to earn his first career MX2 victory over Red Bull KTM’s Jordi Tixier, whose runner-up finish edged him closer to injured teammate Jeffrey Herlings in the class points standings. With Tixier’s finish at Lommel, the Red Bull KTM team has already clinched the MX2 title. All that remains to be seen is whether it will be Tixier’s or Herlings’ name on the championship trophy.
MXGP
Cairoli got his campaign off to a flying start with a holeshot in the first MXGP moto. However, local boy Kevin Strijbos put his Suzuki past Cairoli and into the lead early in the race. Cairoli was on a solid pace, however, and he caught Strijbos and passed him on lap five before setting sail toward an easy moto win. Behind him there was a fierce scrap for the final spot on the podium. England’s Shaun Simpson moved into place in the closing stages of the race. Meanwhile, Jeremy van Horebeek, Cairoli’s closes title rival, finished seventh after hitting his head hard on the handlebars during the race.
Cairoli wasn’t quite as fast out of the gate in the second moto, rounding the first corner in third place, but he quickly took over the lead and stretched his advantage to 2 seconds by lap five. A cloudburst drenched the Lommel track with about 10 minutes remaining in the moto, but the heavy rain did not deter Cairoli from picking up his ninth GP win this season.
“It was a crazy day but I like this track,” Cairoli said. “The conditions were not perfect, and I am happy that I managed to make it in the last ten minutes after I went out only with roll offs it made it hard to see in the last stages.”
De Dycker improved from a first-moto fourth to a runner-up finish in the second moto to net second overall. Simpson came home third again for third overall.
MX2
Anstie was clearly on a mission as he qualified fastest in the MX2 class on Saturday, but Sunday brought tense moments for the Brit and his team after his bike refused to start just before the first moto. But despite missing the sighting lap, Anstie rode a strong race and outran French Kawasaki rider Dylan Ferrandis and Tixier to post the first-moto win.
In moto two, Anstie suffered more bike issues before the start, and he would later crash while battling with Tixier for the lead. He was able to remount, however, and finish second, behind Tixier. The final tally left Anstie’s 1-2 better than Tixier’s 3-1, giving Anstie his first career MX2 win. It was also the first win for the 2014 Yamaha YZ250F in the class.
“We didn’t make things easy for ourselves but everyone has worked so hard,” Anstie said. “From where we started at the beginning of the year the thoughts going through my head today were ‘I have to finish the job I started in Qatar with the ’13 YZ250F’. I said to the guys in Czech Republic that if we had a good Saturday here then we would put ourselves in the position for a good finish, and we did that. It is amazing to see the effort that has been put in, and this is the day that we lived for. Before that second race I was thinking ‘this is what I am here for’ and I was nervous…but we got it done. It was a very difficult race, and this track is obviously the hardest both on the bike and also physically of the year. I’m over-the-moon but I don’t think it has really hit me yet.”
FIM Motocross World Championship
Lommel Circuit
Lommel Belgium
Results: August 3, 2014 (Round 15 of 17)
MXGP
1. Tony Cairoli-KTM/1-1
2. Ken de Dycker-KTM/4-2
3. Shaun Simpson-KTM/3-3
4. Gautier Paulin-Kaw/2-4
5. Kevin Strijbos-Suz/5-8
FIM Motocross World Championship MXGP Standings (After 15 of 17 rounds)
1. Antonio Cairoli-669/9 wins
2. Jeremy van Horebeek-588/1 win
3. Kevin Strijbos-498
4. Clement Desalle-484/4 wins
5. Shaun Simpson-365
MXGP Manufacturers Standings (After 15 of 17 rounds)
1. KTM-669
2. Suzuki-616
3. Yamaha-592
MX2
1. Max Anstie-Yam/1-2
2. Jordi Tixier-KTM/3-1
3. Dylan Ferrandis-Kaw/2-3
4. Romain Febvre-Hus/4-4
5. Tim Gaijser-Hon/8-6
FIM Motocross World Championship MX2 Standings (After 15 of 17 rounds)
1. Jeffrey Herlings-594/12 wins
2. Jordi Tixier-537/1 win
3. Romain Febvre, 489
4. Dylan Ferrandis, 467
5. Tim Gajser 448
MX2 Manufacturers Standings (After 15 of 17 rounds)
1. KTM-714
2. Kawasaki-572
3. Husqvarna-505
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