Steve Cox | April 2, 2017
2017 Mexico MXGP Results: The MXGP World Championship continued it’s early-schedule world tour with round four in Leon, Mexico, where defending MXGP champ Tim Gajser and American Thomas Covington took home the overall wins.
In the MX2 class, Covington – on his Rockstar Energy Husqvarna – started the weekend outstandingly with a win in Saturday’s qualifying event. On Sunday, Covington had to duke it out with Brian Bogers, Kemea Yamaha’s Benoit Paturel and Red Bull KTM’s Pauls Jonass for much of the race before finally securing fourth place from Jonass near the end of the race. Suzuki’s Jeremy Seewer was absolutely dominant in the first moto, grabbing the holeshot and leading every lap before eventually taking the win over Paturel, LRT KTM’s Julien Lieber, Covington, and Jonass.
2017 Mexico MXGP Results
But in moto two, Jonass got the holeshot and led the early laps until Covington passed Jonass for the second time on the day, taking the lead near the halfway point and never looking back. Jonass hung on for second in front of Lieber, who passed moto-one winner Seewer late in the moto when Seewer had a huge moment and nearly went down. The pass cost Seewer the overall win.
Overall, Covington took the win over Seewer, Jonass, Lieber and Paturel. Seewer leaves Mexico with an eight-point lead over Jonass as the series heads to Trentino, Italy, in two weeks’ time. Covington is currently eighth in points.
2017 Mexico MXGP Results
In the MXGP class, reigning champion Tim Gajser had a perfect weekend. The Honda pilot won Saturday’s qualifying race, then led every single lap of both motos during Sunday’s event.
“I felt good all weekend,” the Slovenian said. “I was enjoying riding, and felt good on the bike. I’m really happy that I won!”
Multi-time world champion Antonio Cairoli has shown renewed vigor in the 2017 title chase, and he knew he had to keep the points as close as possible in the final round before the MXGP series hits Europe, where he’s more familiar with the tracks and terrain and hopes to be more of a problem for the defending champ Gajser. In moto one, Red Bull KTM’s Cairoli couldn’t make much happen after starting fourth. He finished there as well. In fact, all the passing at the front of the field in moto one was completed on the first lap, as Gajser led Honda teammate Evgeny Bobryshev, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Gautier Paulin, Cairoli, and Monster Energy Yamaha’s Jeremy Van Horebeek. That’s how the race would end as well.
2017 Mexico MXGP Results
In moto two, it was similar, as Gajser again led every lap over Cairoli, who was second on every lap, and Paulin, who was third on every lap. Behind Paulin came Suzuki’s Arnaud Tonus, Van Horebeek, Bobryshev and Kawasaki’s Clement Desalle.
Gajser’s dominating win extended his points lead to 20 over Cairoli, whose 4-2 was good for second overall. Pauling was third with a 3-3 over Tonus’ 6-4 and Van Horebeek’s 5-5.
The series heads to Trentino, Italy, in two weeks’ time for round five.
2017 Mexico MXGP Results
2017 Mexico MXGP Results
MXGP Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 34:45.401; 2. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:14.909; 3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:15.434; 4. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:15.718; 5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:17.615; 6. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +0:17.676; 7. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), +0:36.880; 8. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:38.837; 9. Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:41.562; 10. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:42.542.
MXGP Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 35:03.806; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:15.224; 3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:26.064; 4. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +0:27.677; 5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:28.892; 6. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:47.894; 7. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:56.358; 8. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), +0:58.109; 9. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +1:00.181; 10. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +1:01.851.
MXGP Overall Top Ten: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 50 points; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 40 p.; 3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HUS), 40 p.; 4. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 33 p.; 5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 32 p.; 6. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 29 p.; 7. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 28 p.; 8. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 27 p.; 9. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 24 p.; 10. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 22 p.
MXGP Championship Top Ten: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 156 points; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 136 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 119 p.; 4. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 116 p.; 5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HUS), 112 p.; 6. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 111 p.; 7. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 89 p.; 8. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 78 p.; 9. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 73 p.; 10. Shaun Simpson (GBR, YAM), 70 p.
MXGP Manufacturers: 1. Honda, 156 points; 2. KTM, 140 p.; 3. Yamaha, 137 p.; 4. Husqvarna, 120 p.; 5. Kawasaki, 119 p.; 6. Suzuki, 78 p.
MX2 Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), 35:36.310; 2. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +0:07.922; 3. Julien Lieber (BEL, KTM), +0:13.091; 4. Thomas Covington (USA, Husqvarna), +0:18.551; 5. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:19.913; 6. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, KTM), +0:22.157; 7. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:23.285; 8. Brent Van doninck (BEL, Yamaha), +0:27.453; 9. Michele Cervellin (ITA, Honda), +0:33.194; 10. Adam Sterry (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:39.775
MX2 Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Thomas Covington (USA, Husqvarna), 34:03.198; 2. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:03.814; 3. Julien Lieber (BEL, KTM), +0:05.294; 4. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:07.037; 5. Brent Van doninck (BEL, Yamaha), +0:18.147; 6. Vsevolod Brylyakov (RUS, Kawasaki), +0:28.602; 7. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:32.223; 8. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +0:34.034; 9. Adam Sterry (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:43.675; 10. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), +0:46.280
MX2 Overall Top Ten: 1. Thomas Covington (USA, HUS), 43 points; 2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 43 p.; 3. Julien Lieber (BEL, KTM), 40 p.; 4. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 38 p.; 5. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 35 p.; 6. Brent Van doninck (BEL, YAM), 29 p.; 7. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 28 p.; 8. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, KTM), 24 p.; 9. Adam Sterry (GBR, KAW), 23 p.; 10. Vsevolod Brylyakov (RUS, KAW), 22 p.
MX2 Championship Top Ten: 1. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 153 points; 2. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 145 p.; 3. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 139 p.; 4. Julien Lieber (BEL, KTM), 139 p.; 5. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 127 p.; 6. Brent Van doninck (BEL, YAM), 102 p.; 7. Michele Cervellin (ITA, HON), 84 p.; 8. Thomas Covington (USA, HUS), 83 p.; 9. Vsevolod Brylyakov (RUS, KAW), 81 p.; 10. Samuele Bernardini (ITA, TM), 80 p
MX2 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 184 points; 2. Suzuki, 153 p.; 3. Yamaha, 147 p.; 4. Husqvarna, 142 p.; 5. Kawasaki, 109 p.; 6. Honda, 84 p.; 7. TM, 80 p.
For more of the latest motocross and supercross news and information, click here.