Cycle News Staff | March 6, 2016
The second round of the FIM Motocross World Championship played out on a sun-baked, deeply rutted and blue-grooved track in Suphan Buri, Thailand, March 6, where defending champ Romain Febvre and Jeffrey Herlings came away with the overall wins in their respective classes.
Febvre, on the Monster Energy Yamaha, won both MXGP motos over former champ Antonio Cairoli, on the Red Bull KTM, in the first moto and opening-round winner Tim Gajser, on the Gariboldi Honda, in the second moto.
It was a close win for Febvre in the first moto, though. He spent much of the race chasing leader Cairoli before getting by the Italian late in the moto.
In race two, Febvre had things go much easier. The Frenchman got out in front early and simply checked out and took the win.
Suzuki’s Ben Townley finished just six seconds behind the double-moto winner, Febvre, while Husqvarna’s Max Nagle was third.
Cairoli saw his chance of making the podium disappeared when he stalled his KTM in the second moto and had difficulties getting it restarted. He finished outside the top 20.
Townley was also denied a possible podium after crashing out of the first moto.
Gasjer ended up second overall, while Yamaha’s Jeremy Van Horebeek took third overall.
In MX2, Jeffrey Herlings took no prisoners and completely demolished the class. One of his main competitors, Dylan Ferrandis, was injured in Saturday’s qualifying, so it was pretty much a walk in the park for Herlings, who took the checkered flag 32 seconds ahead of Aleksandr Tonkov in the first moto and 25 seconds ahead of Max Anstie in the second moto.
Anstie ended up second overall, while Swiss rider Jeremy Seewer claimed third overall. Tonkov finished off the day fourth overall.
American Thomas Convington had a good ride in the first moto when he finished fifth, but the Kawasaki rider pulled out of the second moto with an illness.
RESULTS
MXGP
MXGP Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), 34:04.313; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:02.775; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:05.871; 4. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:18.040; 5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:21.958; 6. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:33.137; 7. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Honda), +0:36.125; 8. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:47.200; 9. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +0:51.008; 10. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:59.191.
MXGP Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), 34:41.154; 2. Ben Townley (NZL, Suzuki), +0:06.038; 3. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), +0:07.876; 4. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:10.723; 5. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:20.508; 6. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +0:23.325; 7. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:32.355; 8. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +0:36.229; 9. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Honda), +0:38.176; 10. Valentin Guillod (SUI, Yamaha), +0:41.132.
MXGP Overall Top Ten: 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 50 points; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 36 p.; 3. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 34 p.; 4. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 32 p.; 5. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 31 p.; 6. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 27 p.; 7. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HON), 26 p.; 8. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 23 p.; 9. Ben Townley (NZL, SUZ), 22 p.; 10. Tommy Searle (GBR, KAW), 22 p.
MXGP Championship Top Ten: 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 92 points; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 86 p.; 3. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 74 p.; 4. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 68 p.; 5. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 64 p.; 6. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 57 p.; 7. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 48 p.; 8. Tommy Searle (GBR, KAW), 47 p.; 9. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 44 p.; 10. Ben Townley (NZL, SUZ), 42 p.
MX2
MX2 Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 34:33.241; 2. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, Yamaha), +0:32.233; 3. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:37.283; 4. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +0:41.235; 5. Thomas Covington (USA, Husqvarna), +0:59.709; 6. Petar Petrov (BUL, Kawasaki), +1:12.586; 7. Vsevolod Brylyakov (RUS, Kawasaki), +1:26.229; 8. Samuele Bernardini (ITA, TM), +1:34.550; 9. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +1:39.392; 10. Roberts Justs (LAT, KTM), -1 lap(s)
MX2 Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 34:48.194; 2. Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:24.954; 3. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:26.854; 4. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, Yamaha), +0:39.636; 5. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:43.934; 6. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +0:50.686; 7. Alvin Östlund (SWE, Yamaha), +1:30.625; 8. Brent Van doninck (BEL, Yamaha), +1:35.213; 9. Vsevolod Brylyakov (RUS, Kawasaki), +1:36.124; 10. Petar Petrov (BUL, Kawasaki), +1:39.906
MX2 Overall Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 50 points; 2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 40 p.; 3. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, YAM), 40 p.; 4. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 33 p.; 5. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 28 p.; 6. Vsevolod Brylyakov (RUS, KAW), 26 p.; 7. Petar Petrov (BUL, KAW), 26 p.; 8. Alvin Östlund (SWE, YAM), 24 p.; 9. Max Anstie (GBR, HUS), 22 p.; 10. Samuele Bernardini (ITA, TM), 22 p.
MX2 Championship Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 100 points; 2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 74 p.; 3. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, YAM), 70 p.; 4. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 68 p.; 5. Petar Petrov (BUL, KAW), 56 p.; 6. Samuele Bernardini (ITA, TM), 47 p.; 7. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 46 p.; 8. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, KAW), 44 p.; 9. Brent Van doninck (BEL, YAM), 44 p.; 10. Vsevolod Brylyakov (RUS, KAW), 38 p.