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MXGP World Championship

Saturday Report: MXGP of Germany

A recap from day one.

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Antonio Cairoli and Benoit Paturel romped to impressive victories during the two qualifying heats at the Grand Prix of Germany earlier today, but neither rider hogged headlines. Intriguing stories were rampant throughout each class, following some exciting racing, so there are plenty of talking points to cover.

Cairoli won at this venue last year, in what was a dominant showing, and executed a similar ride on the battleground today. A methodical race saw him take advantage of a mistake from Tim Gajser and then manage his advantage over the rest of the pack. Things tightened up towards the end, however, as Jeffrey Herlings executed his new strategy.

In interviews on MX Vice, Herlings has stated that he would like to mirror the way that Eli Tomac attacks a race. Rather than sprint in the early laps, like he would often do in the MX2 category, he would like to pounce whilst his competitors are beginning to tire at the end of an exhausting heat. If you take that into account, his lap times from the second half of the qualifying heat make perfect sense. We have laid it out for you below, which is much more convenient, but make note that Herlings also faced traffic during this period.

Antonio Cairoli

Jeffrey Herlings

Difference

Lap 7

1:52.324

1:52.461

-0.137

Lap 8

1:53.567

1:52.279

+1.288

Lap 9

1:52.807

1:52.400

+0.407

Lap 10

1:53.676

1:52.471

+1.205

Lap 11

1:52.976

1:52.628

+0.348

Lap 12

1:53.347

1:52.339

+.1.008

Lap 13

1:55.393

1:53.362

+2.031

There is one fault that Herlings still needs to correct though, unfortunately, and that is that he simply cannot start with his competitors. The way that he started in Latvia can be pushed to one side, as the layout there massively favours the inside and his jumps were mediocre at best each time. ‘84’ occupied the first gate again today, as you would expect, and then got swallowed up immediately. That will stop him making a dent in the deficit that he currently faces.

A Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing battle raged on behind Gautier Paulin in third, which was most entertaining. It was just one year ago, at this very venue, that they squabbled on the starting line. Jeremy Van Horebeek rode an extremely defensive race, as Romain Febvre was chomping at his back wheel for the whole twenty-five-minute moto.

It was Febvre who was undoubtedly the most impressive, as this was a return to the front for the former champion. Febvre has not been this close to the leader in quite some time and he looked comfortable whilst doing it, which has also been a problem. ‘461’ made significant setup changes in the week prior to this weekend and, based on today, they worked. Let’s not jump the gun just yet though.

Those in the lower half of the top ten were stagnant for much of the heat and took advantage of that crash that Tim Gajser had to gain positions. Shall we cover that? It was obviously another odd one, but he will be ready to go tomorrow. ‘243’ had to get checked over the doctor following the race, as he hit his head, but everything is okay and he will be on the line tomorrow. Will he be able to cut into the seventeen-point deficit that he currently faces though?

If you are looking for a better idea of how bad his crash was, Antonio Cairoli stated post-race that “he hit the ground very hard. It is never nice to have someone crash in front of you.” Tim Gajser himself stated that he made a mistake, which caused me to crash and then I just couldn’t find my rhythm,” in a HRC press release. “I felt really sore from my crash a few weeks ago,” he continued. “I am looking for a better day in racing tomorrow.”

In more HRC news, Evgeny Bobryshev is expected to miss around six weeks with a broken collarbone that was sustained during time practice. That, unfortunately, means that he would need a small miracle in order to line up at the Grand Prix of Russia in three weeks. It seems that Bobryshev will require surgery on the injury quite soon.

Although it may look like Benoit Paturel stormed to a qualifying-heat win in an impressive rebound from some lackluster finishes, he actually dropped back to fourth at one point. Both Thomas Covington and Thomas Kjer Olsen crashed out of the lead, however, so that helped him progress. To his credit, he did pass Pauls Jonass straight up after initially losing ground. Whether his starts will continue to be this good or not remains to be seen, as we have such a small sample size, but we may have another contender on our hands if he can manage it.

Anyway, just as I said in the introduction, it was not Paturel who was the real story in the MX2 division. Thomas Covington has quietly been brilliant lately, but no one seems to have noticed as the odd mistake often restricts his finishes. He was clearly the best rider again today, there is no doubt in my mind about that, so keep an eye on him as we roll into the two motos. A win here would be rather large for him, as he has not yet won an overall on European soil. Oh and, by the way, it was a small crash that restricted him to fifth at the finish.

Who else caught my eye in MX2? Michele Cervellin obviously deserves props for his impressive finish, a fourth, in qualifying. What was the reason for the sudden turnaround? Following a lengthy fight with a hand injury, he is finally over the worst of it and can get back into a normal routine (or at least something close to that). Hunter Lawrence was brilliant too, as he moved from eleventh to sixth! Lawrence needs a good start, like so many others, to show what he can really do, but I have no doubt in my mind that it’ll all come together in the form of a podium finish eventually.

Onto race day at the Grand Prix of Germany, where the track should be very similar to what we have experienced here in the past. No more rain is forecast at all, thankfully, so we can push all the talk of a mud race to the side!

Words: Lewis Phillips | Lead Image: Sean Ogden

MX Vice Podcasts

Between The Races Podcast: Adam Sterry – MXGP of Patagonia-Argentina Recap and Spain Preview

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The Between The Races podcast returns with Adam Sterry, Ed Stratmann and Brad Wheeler, as they review the 2024 MXGP season opener and look ahead to Spain.

The Between The Races podcast is always available to listen to on Spotify, iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher and Google Play. Thanks to Fly Racing, Monster Energy, Fox Racing, Parts Europe, Scott, Bell Helmets, Acerbis, AS3 Performance, Kawasaki UK, KTM UK, O’Neal and Even Strokes for supporting the show. If you would like to become a part of the show, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Lead Image: Triumph Racing/Ray Archer

Love what we do? Please read this article as we try to raise £30,000.

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British MX Nationals

Thank you. It’s been a hell of a ride.

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Since buying back MX Vice in November 2019, it has been challenging. One of those crystal balls would have been handy for navigating some problematic situations. Who would have thought COVID-19 would be a thing?

Those who follow MX Vice know we started from nothing but an idea. A fan who loved the sport created a Facebook page, website, and social media presence that would become disruptive. It has made numerous talented media people who were allowed to run with it for over thirteen years. Being in the UK/Europe has always been difficult; I’ve always believed that if we were a US media company, we would have been embraced and appreciated for our work ethic and the content we produce. We always cast one eye over the US in Europe, and you can’t blame the top European riders for doing the same.

MX Vice has always tried to give people a voice, especially the riders who are not in the limelight and the teams that put so much into the sport. We love people’s passion and sacrifice to improve and challenge themselves. That, for me, was the natural pull, not the money but the passion and sacrifice. We all know we would not be in motocross if it were about the money. I always considered MX Vice the media version of Steve Dixon’s team in MXGP (which I have a huge amount of respect for), where we have always tried to challenge without the factory budgets.

We knew it would be tough this year with so many businesses and brands cutting marketing budgets and reducing costs; this was never going to be good for us. We have just had two incredible months of stats, with January and February bringing in over 1 million people to the website, which is quite bittersweet. As much as the funds are low, so is my energy and health. COVID impacted me more than I could ever envisaged. My health has deteriorated ever since I caught COVID; my immune system is not in a great place, and when I try and work to the standard I set myself, my body breaks on me, and it takes me days to recover. Ed Stratmann has been a revelation since he took the editorial reigns and has pushed MX Vice to new heights, which is incredible given the lack of resources he has had to work with and support from myself. I have been missing from the podcast show to reduce my time, as I am now self-employed and working for two companies to pay the bills.

Every journey ends, and that’s not what we want. Over the past 13 years, we have given it everything, leaving no stone unturned. We’re proud of how we have disrupted, challenged decisions, held organisations accountable, and illuminated incredible stories.

We will have an auction for signed shirts donated by riders, podcast equipment, and memorabilia to pay off the invoices of some contributors. If, however, you want to see MX Vice continue, you can donate here: https://ko-fi.com/mxvice or purchase a shirt or memorabilia. If we meet our target of £25,000, which is currently outstanding to run this year, then Ed and I will continue. However, we fully expect this won’t happen due to the large sum required.

It’s hard out there at the moment. Take care of your health and family, and never lose your passion for the most fantastic sport in the world.

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Features

Lit Kit Gallery: MXGP of Patagonia – Argentina

The best from round 1.

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Check out some of the freshest fits, helmets and more from the MXGP of Patagonia – Argentina. Lead Image: Nestaan Husqvarna – Full Spectrum.

Photo credits: Red Bull KTM – Ray Archer / Nestaan Husqvarna – Full Spectrum / Yamaha MXGP – Full Spectrum + Eva Szabadfi / JM Honda / Kawasaki MXGP / Fantic MXGP / Yamaha MX2 – Full Spectrum / HRC MXGP / GasGas – Juan Pablo Acevedo


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