In a pressure-packed series finale in Mexico, Jordi Tixier of France earns his first career FIM World Championship.
In a dramatic conclusion to the FIM Motocross World Championship, Red Bull KTM rider Jordi Tixier of France overcame the emotion of bad news within his family and the pressure of teammate Jeffrey Herlings’ presence to claim the overall win and the MX2 World Championship at the GP of Leon in Mexico, Sunday.
While the Red Bull KTM team could rest assured that it would land the MX2 title one way or another, as Tixier and teammate Jeffrey Herlings were the only two with a mathematical shot heading into the series finale in Leon, Mexico, the tension was palpable during the weekend. Tixier had learned earlier in the week that his brother was involved in accident. As if that news wasn’t bad enough, teammate Jeffrey Herlings made a surprising decision to defend his title to the very end despite having broken his femur in a crash at a charity event in June. Herlings showed up to do battle with a custom-made leg brace in the hope that he could score enough points to keep abreast of Tixier in the final tally.
With the pressure on him, Tixier responded by pulling off the first-moto win over Romain Febvre and Dylan Ferrandis. Herlings, however, managed a 14th-place finish to remain five points ahead of Tixier going into the final moto of the season.
Both riders got away cleanly in the second moto, but the tension escalated when Tixier crashed into Aleksandr Tonkov early in the moto and lost several positions, falling behind Herlings. Tixier refused to guve up, however, and he fought his way back through the field to finish third, behind moto winner Tim Gajser and runner-up Valentin Guillod. Tixier claimed the overall win and clinched the title by just four points over Herlings, who finished a respectable 10th in the second moto.
“In my head I still can’t believe it,” Tixier said. “After I crashed in the first laps of the second moto I thought the championship was over, and I tried to give it everything. Then when I crossed the finish line I thought, ‘I did it,’ and it’s really nice to win like this. I was really fast on the track, I caught almost everyone and I rode aggressive.”
Despite losing the MX2 title, Herlings still had an exceptional year in which he claimed 12 overall wins in the first 13 rounds of the series. Were it not for his injury, there is little doubt that he could have scored enough points to become a three-time MX2 World Champion.
“For me it was like I was riding with just one leg,” Herlings said. “Every time I put my foot down or went over a bump, the pain was terrible. In the first moto I was a little calmer, and I thought it was already over, but in the second moto I was just fighting like a warrior. Obviously, I came up short, but that’s life, and I’ll try to get the title back next year.”
Gajser’s second-moto win combined with a first-moto fifth-place finish earned second overall. Guillod finished third overall via 6-2 moto scores.
The focus in Mexico was on the MX2 class, as Red Bull KTM rider Antonio Cairoli had clinched his eighth career World Championship in the marquis MXGP class two rounds earlier. France’s Gautier Paulin pulled off the MXGP overall win at the GP of Leon via 4-1 moto scores, while Germany’s Max Nagl was second (1-4) and Cairoli was third (3-2).
The FIM motocross calendar concludes with the Motocross of Nations in Kegums, Latvia, on September 28.
FIM Motocross World Championship
GP of Leon
Leon, Mexico
Results: September 14, 2014 (Round 17 of 17)
MX2
1. Jordi Tixier-KTM/1-3
2. Tim Gajser-Hon/5-1
3. Valentin Guillod-KTM/6-2
4. Romain Febvre-Hus/2-7
5. Arnaud Tonus-Kaw/4-6
FIM World Motocross Championship MX2 Final Standings (After 18 of 18 rounds)
1. Jordi Tixier-616
2. Jeffrey Herlings-612
3. Romain Febvre-570
4. Dylan Ferrandis-533
5. Tim Gajser-528
MX2 Manufacturers Standings MX2 (After 18 of 18 rounds)
1. KTM-797
2. Kawasaki-651
3. Husqvarna-586
MXGP
1. Gautier Paulin-Kaw/4-1
2. Max Nagl-Hon/1-4
3. Tony Cairoli-KTM/3-2
4. Kevin Strijbos-Suz/2-3
5. Jeremy van Horebeek-Yam/5-5
FIM Motocross World Championship MXGP Final Standings (After 17 of 17 rounds)
1. Antonio Cairoli-747
2. Jeremy Van Horebeek-628
3. Kevin Strijbos-572
4. Clement Desalle-484
5. Steven Frossard-419
MXGP Manufacturers Standings (After 17 of 17 rounds)
1. KTM-747
2. Suzuki-690
3. Yamaha-650
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