Cycle News Staff | August 26, 2019
Round 16 of the 2019 FIM Motocross World Championship played out in Uddevalla, Sweden, August 14-25, for the MXGP of Sweden, where Jorge Prado clinched the MX2 Championship. It was his second-straight MX2 title.
Prado Clinches MX2 Title
On the day, however, Glenn Coldenhoff (KTM) captured his second consecutive MXGP victory, while Tom Vialle (Red Bull KTM) captured his first career victory in MX2.
The MXGP of Sweden saw the return of 2018 MXGP Champion Jeffrey Herlings (Red Bull KTM). The Ducthman has been dealing with an ankle injury since before the start of the 2019 MXGP campaign. He made a late decision to attempt to race with a view towards extra race time and mileage as part of the recovery process from a fractured right ankle. Herlings just started riding again a couple of weeks before the race and made the call to use Uddevalla as a chance for more conditioning.
Herlings won his qualifying race on Saturday and then proceeded to lead most of the first MXGP moto until he tired with arm-pump, and a small crash led to another rider hitting his bike. He had to retire due to the damage. In the second moto, he found a more effective rhythm to take a solid fourth.
“The problem was that I took the holeshot!” Herlings said. “Yesterday [leading] was fine for 20 minutes, but in the first moto, I was really struggling with arm-pump. We made some changes to the bike to have the suspension a bit softer because I was not at my normal pace. I led for the first 20 and then couldn’t hold on so well and had a small tip-over. Another rider hit my bike and damaged it pretty bad, so I couldn’t finish, which was a shame because I think I could have been fifth-sixth. In the second moto, I didn’t get a holeshot: which was pretty good because I don’t feel comfortable leading yet. I was around eighth and worked my way up to fourth. Together with first yesterday, it hasn’t been bad practice for less than two weeks on the bike. We can still work for a few more races until the ultimate goal in Assen.”
Coldenhoff and new MXGP champ Tim Gajser (Honda) traded moto wins in Sweden, with Coldenhoff taking the overall victory via his better 1-2 moto finishes. Gajser ended up second overall with 3-1 results.
Pauls Jonas (Husqvarna), Jeremy Seewer (Yamaha), and Jeremy Van Horebeek (Honda) rounded out the top five overall.
Romain Febvre appears to have competed in his last race on the Yamaha factory team. After finishing just behind winner Coldenhoff in the first moto, Febvre fell late in the second moto and, according to his team, suffered a suspected broken femur. It was announced a few weeks earlier that Febvre would not be returning to the team after the 2019 racing season.
MXGP of Sweden Video Highlights 2019
In MX2, Prado came into the GP battling a cold but ran off with the first-moto win anyway. The victory clinched the MX2 Championship for Prado.
Prado had to work his way up through the pack in the second moto after getting off to a so-so start. A crash later on didn’t help, either, but the Spaniard, on a bent bike and all, still took fourth in the moto for third overall.
“It has been a perfect season,” Prado said. “I won every GP I raced up until now and many motos and many qualifying races. I was feeling very good this year with the bike set-up and physically. My start was okay in the second moto, but then I made a small crash and bent the clutch lever. I had to deal with a race without a clutch and passing riders was tough in the beginning. I had to get used to it. I got better and better, and at the end of the moto, I made very good laps. I think it was one of the best races of the year, and I felt very comfortable in that second moto. Overall I think I made a clear step from last year to this year: I was riding better. I’m very happy. No mistakes. It’s important to be like that and to keep consistent in a long championship.”
A 2-2 on the day gave Vialle the overall win, followed by Honda’s Calvin Vlaanderen (4-1) and Prado.
“A fantastic weekend for us—both for me and for Jorge,” said first-time winner Vialle. “I felt good in the first race and pushed a lot to follow Jorge, and when I took the holeshot in the second race, I waited until three laps before I looked behind and Jorge wasn’t there. After Imola this was the best reply. Last weekend was really bad for the championship standing also, and I learned a lot from my mistakes and made it better this weekend.” CN
2019 FIM Motocross World Championship
Round 16
Grand Prix Of Sweden
Uddevalla, Sweden
Results: August 25, 2019
2019 Grand Prix Of Sweden Motocross MXGP Results
MXGP – Grand Prix Race 1 – Top Ten: 1. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 34:53.626; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:01.070; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:07.239; 4. Pauls Jonass (LAT, Husqvarna), +0:17.369; 5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Honda), +0:36.305; 6. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:45.441; 7. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:49.112; 8. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:53.522; 9. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Yamaha), +0:55.459; 10. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, Husqvarna), +0:58.189;
MXGP – Grand Prix Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 34:44.502; 2. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:04.820; 3. Pauls Jonass (LAT, Husqvarna), +0:06.741; 4. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:16.320; 5. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:18.793; 6. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +0:29.379; 7. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Honda), +0:33.891; 8. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:36.572; 9. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Yamaha), +0:38.461; 10. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:42.154;
MXGP – GP Top Ten: 1. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 47 points; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 45 p.; 3. Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 38 p.; 4. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 30 p.; 5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 30 p.; 6. Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 28 p.; 7. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 24 p.; 8. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, YAM), 24 p.; 9. Tommy Searle (GBR, KAW), 24 p.; 10. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 22 p.;
MXGP – World Championship Top Ten: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 709 points; 2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 511 p.; 3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 468 p.; 4. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 446 p.; 5. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 443 p.; 6. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 397 p.; 7. Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 390 p.; 8. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 384 p.; 9. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 377 p.; 10. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 358 p.;
2019 Grand Prix Of Sweden Motocross MX2 Results
MX2 – Grand Prix Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 35:11.359; 2. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), +0:01.186; 3. Henry Jacobi (GER, Kawasaki), +0:23.385; 4. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Honda), +0:24.875; 5. Adam Sterry (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:29.699; 6. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +0:33.210; 7. Mathys Boisrame (FRA, Honda), +0:52.064; 8. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:54.003; 9. Darian Sanayei (USA, Kawasaki), +0:55.838; 10. Dylan Walsh (NZL, Husqvarna), +0:57.109;
MX2 – Grand Prix Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Honda), 35:22.115; 2. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), +0:07.499; 3. Adam Sterry (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:14.043; 4. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), +0:14.377; 5. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +0:22.345; 6. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:25.838; 7. Mitchell Evans (AUS, Honda), +0:28.000; 8. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:29.524; 9. Dylan Walsh (NZL, Husqvarna), +0:39.088; 10. Mitchell Harrison (USA, Kawasaki), +0:39.938;
MX2 – GP Top Ten:1. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 44 points; 2. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, HON), 43 p.; 3. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 43 p.; 4. Adam Sterry (GBR, KAW), 36 p.; 5. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 31 p.; 6. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 28 p.; 7. Mitchell Evans (AUS, HON), 24 p.; 8. Dylan Walsh (NZL, HUS), 23 p.; 9. Mathys Boisrame (FRA, HON), 23 p.; 10. Darian Sanayei (USA, KAW), 22 p.;
MX2 – World Championship Top Ten: 1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 737 points; 2. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 592 p.; 3. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 467 p.; 4. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 460 p.; 5. Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 442 p.; 6. Adam Sterry (GBR, KAW), 356 p.; 7. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 340 p.; 8. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, HON), 324 p.; 9. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 282 p.; 10. Mathys Boisrame (FRA, HON), 278 p.;