The MXGP weekend at showcased exhilarating battles and remarkable performances as Jeffrey Herlings dominated the competition. In the first race, Herlings demonstrated his prowess by seizing the lead early on, leaving his rivals to chase him through the challenging course. The day continued with intense action in the second race, where Herlings faced tough competition from Tim Gajser and Jorge Prado, ultimately securing another impressive victory. Let’s delve into the thrilling highlights of this action-packed MXGP event!
In the first race, Jeremy Seewer snagged his third Fox Holeshot Award of the year, but Jeffrey Herlings, using his inside line magic, zoomed into the lead by the second corner. Tim Gajser initially held third, but Prado’s daring outside maneuver pushed him aside!
Before the first full lap, Prado and Gajser swiftly passed Seewer to chase after the flying “Bullet” upfront. Jeffrey set consecutive fastest laps in the first three circuits, building a slight lead over Prado from the get-go.
Behind the leading trio, Calvin Vlaanderen maneuvered past his Monster Energy Yamaha teammate Andrea Bonacorsi for fifth place, then put pressure on Seewer. Vlaanderen eventually secured fourth after spirited tussles, with Bonacorsi also overtaking Seewer by race’s end for fifth, his best MXGP finish yet. Seewer settled for sixth.
Prado closed in to within two seconds of leader Herlings, while Gajser struggled with a questionable tire choice but managed a solid third place. “The Bullet” stretched his lead to ten seconds at the checkered flag, claiming his fourth win of the season ahead of Prado.
Day Two Race
In race two’s first corner, Gajser narrowly edged Prado for the Fox Holeshot Award, only for both to be swiftly overtaken by Herlings in the second corner. Prado ran wide, losing ground to Gajser, while Vlaanderen made a strong start but later encountered his own mishap.
Vlaanderen’s slip dropped him to seventh momentarily, allowing Seewer, Mattia Guadagnini, and Kevin Horgmo to pass. On lap four, Herlings slipped in a muddy patch, handing the lead to Gajser briefly. Prado closed in fast, leading to a dramatic tangle at the finish line jump!
Gajser briefly regained the lead but seemed more flustered by the incident than Herlings, who reclaimed first by lap eight. Another mishap for Gajser on lap nine saw him drop to third behind Seewer and a recovering Vlaanderen, who secured third and fourth places respectively. Vlaanderen’s strong showing secured both his and Yamaha’s first podium finish of the MXGP season!
Despite Prado’s efforts to catch Herlings, the Dutchman maintained a ten-second lead to secure his fourth race win of the season. Prado eased off slightly in the final lap, closing the gap to 5.4 seconds, but still claimed his 10th Grand Prix victory for GASGAS and his 45th career win.
