The Circuito Motor Ranch on the edge of the small Spanish village of Cózar saw the first day of on-track action today for the MXGP of Castilla La Mancha, and despite constant heavy rain in the lead up to the event, the Qualifying Races went ahead as scheduled with the track even offering multiple dry lines by the end of the day!
The MXGP Qualifying Race saw a great battle between current red plate holder, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP leader Maxime Renaux and Tim Gajser. The Honda HRC man Gajser emerged victorious, but only after resisting a mighty challenge from Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rookie Lucas Coenen!
The MX2 Qualifying Race win was taken by Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 star Thibault Benistant, his first chequered flag since the MXGP of Galicia last season, so he clearly enjoys some Spanish soil! Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Sacha Coenen moved forward to take second place, and takes the red plate into tomorrow’s GP races as he levelled on points with reigning World Champion, Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing pilot Kay de Wolf!
The weather couldn’t deter the hardcore Motocross fans that came to watch the racing, and they were treated to some amazing action in conditions that tested the best riders in all classes, and the hard-working track crews are now doing all they can to prepare the circuit for Sunday’s full Grand Prix schedule.
Lucas Coenen looked to be back in top form as he topped the timesheets in the morning Free Practice session, ahead of JK Racing Yamaha man Isak Gifting. The Swede was just knocked off the top spot by Gajser on the final lap of a thrilling Time Practice session, shown live on MXGP-TV.com in Europe for the first time. The Slovenian took the first gate pick away for the Qualifying Race, while Fantic Factory Racing rider Brian Bogers took third behind Gifting.
Isak was clearly fired up with his practice speed and blasted to the front as the MXGP pack headed into the first corner of the Qualifying Race! He had full factory riders Renaux, Gajser, then the Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP duo of Pauls Jonass and Romain Febvre all snapping at his heels!
Renaux made his move on braking into the fourth corner, and Gajser was not able to follow the Frenchman instantly past the Swede! After completing the first full lap in third, the Slovenian darted up the inside to take second, startling Gifting into a mistake which saw him on the floor instantly! Jonass inherited third place ahead of Coenen in fourth, then the Fantic Factory Racing teammates Brian Bogers and Glenn Coldenhoff, after Febvre had tipped over in a tight right hander on the opening circulation.
Gajser soon closed on the leader and looked to be biding his time until the chance arose. At the start of lap five, with Coenen setting faster lap times and catching them both, Tim made the same move as he had on Gifting, and the pair of them blasted down the start straight side by side! Both riders made mistakes in their selected lines, but Renaux came off worse and hit the ground, allowing Coenen through but recovering well enough to at least hold third place.
Gifting, meanwhile, battled with Honda HRC’s home hero Ruben Fernandez and Febvre at the edge of the top ten, before crashing again to eventually finish twelfth. The Spaniard took tenth at the flag behind Febvre and Team Honda Motoblouz SR Motul rider Kevin Horgmo. Calvin Vlaanderen moved forward to take seventh for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP.
All eyes were on the battle at the front, however, as Coenen sensationally closed in on Gajser! Looking eager to make a pass, the teenage Belgian lunged to the inside on a downhill on lap seven, but lost control and fell spectacularly off the track! Unhurt, but with a damaged motorcycle, Lucas was able to salvage sixth place at the finish line.
Gajser, Renaux, and Jonass celebrated solid top three results, with Bogers just keeping Coldenhoff behind him for fourth position. The French Yamaha man extended his points lead due to Febvre’s ninth position, which leaves him level with Gajser, eight points off the top. Coldenhoff advances to fourth in the series ahead of Mattia Guadagnini, who struggled to eleventh for Aruba.it Ducati Factory MX Team.
The Championship fight is just getting started, of course, and the established contenders now have what looks to be a fully up-to-speed Lucas Coenen to deal with. The MXGP of Castilla La Mancha could see a stunning battle in tomorrow’s races!
Tim Gajser: ” I was feeling good out there today. The track had deep sections but overall, I felt comfortable. We made some changes early in the day that worked well, and I got off to a solid start. I made quick passes in the beginning and then controlled the race from there, so I’m really happy with how it went.”
MXGP – Qualifying Race – Classification: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 24:43.911; 2. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +0:10.476; 3. Pauls Jonass (LAT, Kawasaki), +0:13.136; 4. Brian Bogers (NED, Fantic), +0:18.069; 5. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Fantic), +0:19.309; 6. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:20.131; 7. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Yamaha), +0:20.716; 8. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, Honda), +0:24.051; 9. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:30.902; 10. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Honda), +0:35.274
MXGP – World Championship Classification: 1. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 66 points; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 58 p.; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 58 p.; 4. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, FAN), 41 p.; 5. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, DUC), 40 p.; 6. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KAW), 33 p.; 7. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 32 p.; 8. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, HON), 28 p.; 9. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, DUC), 25 p.; 10. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 22 p.
In the difficult conditions of Practice, it was Kawasaki Racing Team MX2 rider Mathis Valin who topped the timesheets in both Free and Time Practice sessions, three-quarters of a second ahead of second-placed Cas Valk for Venrooy KTM, while reigning World Champion Kay de Wolf could only muster eighth position for Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing.
As the pack fired into the first corner for their Qualifying Race, Thibault Benistant crossed the Holeshot line first for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2, but Valin was alongside him and led into turn two, looking to put his Practice speed to good use and pulling out a gap instantly! The young Frenchman maybe got a little too eager to pull away, and his front wheel got away from him in a left hander, putting him back to around 18thposition by the time he had picked the bike up.
His countryman Benistant suddenly held a solid lead, as Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammates Sacha Coenen and Andrea Adamo disputed second position ahead of crowd favourite Guillem Farres on the Monster Energy Triumph Racing machine. Reigning Champion De Wolf was back in the pack, only eighth at the end of the first full lap and with a lot of work to do.
Liam Everts started to move forward for Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing, passing Honda HRC’s Ferruccio Zanchi on lap three and closing to the rear wheel of Farres, as De Wolf also passed the Italian and started to look menacing. Liam quickly got past the Spaniard with a creative line approaching a big uphill jump, but De Wolf was frustrated in his efforts to follow his teammate past.
Sacha Coenen got past Adamo on lap four, but neither could make any ground on the leader Benistant. Everts continued to advance, and with three laps to go, Adamo got caught behind a stalled rider in a corner and the Belgian was able to take advantage, securing third in the race in a season which is becoming increasingly better than expectations for him!
Farres was still fifth at this point, but just as De Wolf was making a last-ditch charge, the Spaniard tipped over in a right hander and handed fifth to the Champ! A clearly disturbed Farres picked the bike up in eighth, but lost two more positions in the final lap to come away with tenth, and the final Championship point.
Cas Valk came home in ninth behind WZ-Racing KTM rider Quentin Prugnieres, leaving Oriol Oliver as the top Spaniard with seventh for BTS Racing Team! Zanchi finished in sixth behind De Wolf, whose fifth place left him level on points with second-placed Coenen, giving the Belgian the red plate for the first time in his career on a tie-breaker!
Everts’ third puts him equal third in the series with Simon Laengenfelder, who had a disappointing eleventh position today, but Benistant’s dominant win lifts him up to sixth in the standings behind Adamo.
The fight in MX2 is as unpredictable as ever, and tomorrow’s races should continue to thrill and surprise at the wild and woolly MXGP of Castilla La Mancha! Don’t miss the action from both classes at round two of the FIM Motocross World Championships!
Thibault Benistant: “The first round was really tough for me. I didn’t feel like myself all weekend, and I struggled a lot—it was honestly one of my worst results ever. But we didn’t lose focus; we just kept pushing forward. I know I need to free myself up and enjoy the riding more, and that’s exactly what I was aiming for today. It feels great to get my first qualifying race win of the season. I haven’t won many qualifying races before, so this is a good way to start the year, and I hope to get a few more.”
MX2 – Qualifying Race – Classification: 1. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), 26:41.124; 2. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:05.954; 3. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:10.162; 4. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:22.030; 5. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:29.110; 6. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, Honda), +0:30.894; 7. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), +0:32.593; 8. Quentin Marc Prugnieres (FRA, KTM), +0:42.198; 9. Cas Valk (NED, KTM), +0:42.968; 10. Guillem Farres (ESP, Triumph), +0:45.063
MX2 – World Championship Classification: 1. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 55 points; 2. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 55 p.; 3. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 44 p.; 4. Liam Everts (BEL, HUS), 44 p.; 5. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 39 p.; 6. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 36 p.; 7. Cas Valk (NED, KTM), 30 p.; 8. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, TRI), 29 p.; 9. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 27 p.; 10. Guillem Farres (ESP, TRI), 26 p.
MXGP OF CASTILLA LA MANCHA QUICK FACTS:
Circuit length: 1800m
Type of ground: Hard Pack
Temperature: 7°
Weather conditions: Cloudy
TIMETABLE
SUNDAY: 08:45 EMX250 Race 2, 09:25 MX2 Warm-up, 09:45 MXGP Warm-up, 10:30 EMX250 Race 2, 12:15 MX2 Race 1, 13:15 MXGP Race 1, 15:10 MX2 Race 2, 16:10 MXGP Race 2.
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Or visit the official MXGP website mxgp.com
©Words/Images are from an official press release posted courtesy of www.mxgp.com
