Shaun Simpson claimed his first MX1 overall win of his career at Lierop. He was also the first Brit to win an overall in the class since 2007. PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF YAMAHA
Although both the MX1 and MX2 World Championships have already been decided, the Motocross GP finale at Lierop, The Netherlands, September 8, was one for the books, with Shaun Simpson scoring his first overall win of his career in the MX1 class. It was also the first MX1 victory by a Brit since Billy MacKenzie in 2007.
Riding a mostly stock Yamaha YZ450F for JK Racing, the 25-year-old Brit won in conditions that he was comfortable – on a wet and sandy track. Simpson battled with series champion Antonio Cairoli for the win in the first moto, and he came out on top after Cairoli crashed with two laps to go while trying to pass him. In the second moto, Simpson had to work for third place to secure the overall victory after a small crash left him fighting back from eighth place.
“This is definitely the best day of my career so far,” Simpson said. “I have won a race in MX2 and had podiums but I’ve never been on the top step. I couldn’t believe it actually. I changed over to Yamaha mid-season and I knew exactly how to set-up the bike from last year. We used WP suspension, which I remember well from my MX2 days and since then we have improved my engine a lot. At the moment the bike is perfect for me, especially in the sand.”
Second overall was Rockstar Energy Suzuki’s Kevin Strijbos with two second-place finishes.
Cairoli ended up third overall with a 4-1 tally after switching to a 450 for this race (he normally rides a 350). Cairoli dominated the second moto after his first-moto crash, which he said was caused by a problem with the bike’s rear wheel.
Jeffrey Herlings made a surprising early return from injury to dominate the MX2 class once again. PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAY ARCHER
In the MX2 class, it was business as usual for KTM’s Jeffrey Herlings who, despite returning from injury earlier that expected, dominated in typical fashion. Doctors had advised Herlings to stay off the bike for six weeks to allow his broken shoulder blade to heal – that was three weeks ago. But the 2013 MX2 Champion made a last-minute decision on Friday to race anyway. Herlings had little difficulties winning both motos at his home race.
Rockstar Bud Racing Kawasaki’s Dylan Ferrandis finished second with a 2-3 tally and Herlings’ teammate Jordi Tixier battled injury to finish third with 3-4 tally.
2013 Motocross GP Lierop MX1 Overall Results:
1. Shaun Simpson (YAM) 1-3
2. Kevin Strijbos (SUZ) 2-2
3. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 4-1
4. Evgeny Bobryshev (HON) 3-5
5. Ken de Dycker (KTM) 5-4
6. Tommy Searle (KAW) 7-8
7. Gautier Paulin (KAW) 9-7
8. Jeremy van Horebeek (KAW) 6-10
9. Clement Desalle (SUZ) 12-6
10. Rick Satink (YAM) 11-13
2013 Motocross GP Lierop MX2 Overall Results:
1. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 1-1
2. Dylan Ferrandis (KAW) 2-3
3. Jordi Tixier (KTM) 3-4
4. Petar Petrov (YAM) 4-5
5. Romain Febvre (KTM) 6-7
6. Dean Ferris (YAM) 5-8
7. Christophe Charlier (YAM) 8-11
8. Aleksandr Tonkov (HON) 7-8
9. Glenn Coldenhoff (KTM) DNF-2
10. Jake Nicholls (KTM) 11-14
