Honda HRC PETRONAS duo of Jeffrey Herlings (MXGP) and Valerio Lata (MX2) put in impressive rides at the MXGP of Latvia, to finish second in their respective qualification races on the sandy circuit of Kegums.
Both riders led laps, after great starts on-board their Honda CRF machinery, but were eventually passed for the lead, having to settle for nine points before they try again tomorrow in the GP-scoring motos.
For Herlings, who has won in Kegums nine times before, it was disappointing to have posted the fastest times in free and timed practice, only to have his perfect day thwarted in a race where he never quite managed to get fully into his rhythm. Despite an excellent start, he couldn’t hold onto first position in the early stages and a couple of mistakes saw the leader create a gap that he wasn’t able to close. Still, he knows that there are a lot more points at stake tomorrow and his focus is on getting his flow much quicker on a track that should be a lot drier after today’s morning deluge of rain.
Lata was a lot happier with his performance, resisting pressure for almost the entire race, before relenting just a couple of laps before the chequered flag. While he would have loved to have held on for victory, second is his best result of the season and posting the fastest lap of the race, and having the fastest time in timed practice shows that the Honda CRF250RW rider is finding the speed to challenge at the front of this MX2 field.
Also posting a strong result was Ruben Fernandez, who followed Herlings through a few places behind in fifth place. This was the Spaniard’s best qualification result of the season, and after standing on the podium last weekend in Germany, it was another good showing for the #70, and one that gives him the platform to attack the podium again this weekend.
Unfortunately the fourth member of the team, Tom Vialle, didn’t make the trip to Latvia, but the trio are all looking good and will be trying their best to maximise their results on what should be a sunny day tomorrow in the Baltic nation.
MX2 Qualifying Race
- Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 25:12.939; 2. Valerio Lata (ITA, Honda), +0:06.768; 3. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), +0:08.358; 4. Mathis Valin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:10.151; 5. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:10.704; 6. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:20.471; 7. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:24.278; 8. Guillem Farres (ESP, Triumph), +0:26.369; 9. Kay Karssemakers (NED, Kawasaki), +0:45.172; 10. Jens Walvoort (NED, KTM), +0:46.519;
Rubén Fernández 70
Honda HRC PETRONAS
It’s always a tricky track to ride here in Kegums and I didn’t do so well in either of the practice sessions, but I got a really good start in the qualification race and just kept a strong, consistent pace. I stayed with the rider in fourth for most of the moto, and created a gap to the riders behind, so it was quite comfortable. Of course the goal is to be battling for the podium spots, but for today, I am satisfied with this result.
Jeffrey Herlings 84
Honda HRC PETRONAS
The goal is to win, so I’m not happy with second place. I had the speed in free and timed practice, so to not be able keep it close in qualification was frustrating. The bike is working well and I feel like we are in a good place with that, I just need to perform and make it happen. Tomorrow will be a new day and the goal doesn’t change.
Valerio Lata 18
Honda HRC PETRONAS
My best race of the season and I feel like I am closer to where I want to be. All day I felt good on this track and it is a nice feeling to be leading a race for such a long time. Now I want to finish the job of and take the win, but this is still a good step in the right direction and something I can build on for tomorrow and for the rest of the season.
Marcus Pereira de Freitas –
Honda HRC PETRONAS
Great day for Valerio, building upon his effort in Germany, with even better riding here in Latvia. He did some crazy training this week in horrible weather so maybe that helped early on today, but even in the qualification race he rode excellently and we will do everything we can to help him perform at the same level tomorrow. We know Jeffrey is frustrated to come in second in his race, because that’s the competitor that he is. He is taking it on himself and really wants to go out tomorrow and prove a point, so our job is to support him and give him the tools to be able to do that. And for Ruben, its good to see him maintaining the high level that he set in Germany and just show everyone he is good on every surface. It’ll be tough to get on the box here, but he has the ability and hopefully the confidence to make it happen.
📸 @shotbybavo
