Ryan Nitzen | October 28, 2021
The MXGP racers completed round 15 of their World Championship series this Wednesday in Trentino Italy. The MXGP of Pietramurata was the second of three rounds to be held in Trentino this week, a Sunday, Wednesday, Sunday triple-header. Unpredictable racing action saw the world championship points standings tighten up while Red Bull KTM team mates Tony Cairoli and Rene Hofer scored overall victories.
Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) entered the mid-week race with the red plate, 24 points over Romain Febvre (Kawasaki) and 27 ahead of Tim Gajser (Honda). Unfortunately for ‘The Bullet”, a crash at the start of race one damaged his throttle and forced him out of the race, scoring no points in the process. Jorge Prado (KTM) took control early on but was passed by Gasjer. Prado has been open about riding injured so it was no surprise to see him hand over the lead and later finish fifth. Febvre was on a charge in race one as he made his way around both KTM’s of Cairoli and Prado. The Kawasaki rider passed Gasjer for the lead and held on to claim his fifth moto win of the season. Gajser and Cairoli finished second and third respectively.
Tony Cairoli grabbed the holeshot in race two ahead of Jeremy Seewer (Yamaha) and never looked back. Drama unfolded behind them as Herlings moved up to fourth place but fell once again late in the race. This mistake dropped him back to fifth as Gajser got around the Dutchman. The trio of Gajser, Herlings, and Febvre made their way past Coldenhoff (Yamaha) in third but did not have the pace to catch Seewer and Cairoli at the front. Late in the race Prado and Jonass (GasGas) came together and the KTM rider pulled out of competition, logging a 30th in race two.
At the line it was Cairoli taking the win, Seewer in second, and Gajser in third. The overall results placed Cairoli first, Gajser second, and Febvre third. Herlings finished 11th overall and cost him valuable points. The top three (Herlings, Febvre, Gajser) are now separated by only three points in the series championship.
With this win Cairoli celebrates his 94th Grand Prix victory, hopefully not the last in his final MXGP season. “Coming here I was hoping for a good bounce-back after some tough races but I got sick on Saturday night and Sunday was difficult,” said Cairoli. “I did everything I could to be on the podium. In the first moto I was very happy with my riding and in the second I had a holeshot and could mostly control the race. I was getting a bit tired but with my experience I could save some energy in parts of the track and could keep Jeremy behind me. I hope now I can feel even better and be on the podium every weekend; that’s what I’m here to do.”
“It was a good and consistent day,” said Gajser. “I had a good start in the first race. I was leading the race quite comfortably then I got a little arm pump. Romain passed me in the last lap, and I finished second. I was a little disappointed about that. I didn’t have the best start in the second race. Jeffrey made a mistake then I was also able to pass Glenn. I finished third. Consistent points. It’s getting really tight in the championship, but we still have three GPs, so I will give my best and try to not to put too much pressure on myself and just try to enjoy as much as possible”.
“It’s just as if the championship started again,” said Febvre. “The top three are three points apart, so it’s pretty cool. I will try my best to be first at the end. I was feeling really good today, better than last Sunday.
In the MX2 class, Tom Vialle looked to be the favorite for the day as the Frenchman nabbed his 16th holeshot of the year and led wire-to-wire in race one. Behind Vialle, Jago Geerts (Yamaha) and Ruben Fernandez (Honda) rounded out the podium. Championship leader Maxime Renaux (Yamaha) suffered a crash early on and fought his way back to seventh at the checkers.
Race two was a near copy of the first with Vialle and Renaux up front early on. Renaux passed for the lead on lap one but Vialle took both riders down in an aggressive pass attempt. With both leaders on the ground, KTM’s Rene Hofer quickly found himself leading the grand prix. The MX2 sophomore continued to lead the entirety of race two and with 4-1 scores went on to win the first overall of his career. Hofer’s victory breaks a 34-year hiatus since an Austrian has won in the MXGP series. “For sure this is a day I will never forget. It was such a nice feeling once I crossed the finish line,” said Hofer. “Since Turkey my confidence has grown every GP. It’s also really nice to give KTM that win, I think they’ve waited long enough for an Austrian to be here. It’s a happy day for all of us.”
Mattia Guadagnini (KTM) and Jed Beaton (Husqvarna) finished second and third in race two, but their efforts weren’t enough for an overall podium. Geerts (2-6) and Fernandez (3-5) completed the MX2 overall podium.
Both Vialle and Renaux remounted after their opening lap fiasco. Vialle crashed again on lap two and retired from the race completely. With the championship in mind, Renaux passed all the way up to fourth place, scoring fifth overall on the day. Despite finding himself on the ground in both motos, he finishes round 15 with an 87 point lead in the series championship.
RESULTS
MXGP – GP Classification
1. |
222 |
Antonio Cairoli |
KTM |
2. |
243 |
Tim Gajser |
HON |
3. |
3 |
Romain Febvre |
KAW |
4. |
91 |
Jeremy Seewer |
YAM |
5. |
259 |
Glenn Coldenhoff |
YAM |
6. |
19 |
Thomas Kjer Olsen |
HUS |
7. |
919 |
Ben Watson |
YAM |
8. |
189 |
Brian Bogers |
GAS |
9. |
29 |
Henry Jacobi |
HON |
10. |
89 |
Jeremy Van Horebeek |
BET |
MX2 – GP Classification
1. |
711 |
Rene Hofer |
KTM |
2. |
93 |
Jago Geerts |
YAM |
3. |
70 |
Ruben Fernandez |
HON |
4. |
101 |
Mattia Guadagnini |
KTM |
5. |
959 |
Maxime Renaux |
YAM |
6. |
516 |
Simon Laengenfelder |
GAS |
7. |
14 |
Jed Beaton |
HUS |
8. |
20 |
Todd Wilson |
KAW |
9. |
28 |
Tom Vialle |
KTM |
10. |
11 |
Mikkel Haarup |
KAW |
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