The MXGP of Flanders ran in much hotter conditions than on Saturday, making the arduous Stedelijk Motocrossterrain Lommel circuit even more physically demanding, and it saw a stupendous battle in both Grand Prix classes that had the packed spectator banks in raptures throughout the day’s racing!
Even though it was overcast on Saturday, the circuit was tough enough for the riders in the shorter RAM Qualifying Races, so the full-length GP confrontations held in strong sunshine added even more of a physical challenge, but it was one that the very best relished as they sought to not just survive, but thrive!
The MXGP class was expected to be a battle of the sand masters, between Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing’s reigning World Champion Jorge Prado and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s record GP winner Jeffrey Herlings. And it certainly delivered that battle! With some incredible riding, Herlings delivered a knockout punch to record a perfect 1-1 day, make a statement about his speed in the soft stuff, and close in further on the World Championship lead!
A similar battle was expected in MX2, but in two highly eventful races that saw most riders fall from their bikes at one point or another, it was Championship leader Kay de Wolf who claimed his sixth GP win of the season for Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing and extended his advantage in the World Championship over his teammate Lucas Coenen by some margin!
The psychological warfare between the two men bidding for the “King of Sand” title, Prado and Herlings, continued in morning Warm-up as RAM Qualifying Race winner Prado was only just bested by the Dutchman, although the 0.130 second difference told Jeffrey that Jorge would be right there in the races!
The first MXGP race was, quite simply, incredible. Fans, commentators, even seasoned professionals in the crew and those who have spent a lifetime around the sport were astounded at what they saw.
It looked like Prado was the one putting his marker down at the start of the race, with a scorching pace from a typical Fox Holeshot that nobody could live with. As Kawasaki Racing Team’s Jeremy Seewer and Calvin Vlaanderen for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP put themselves between Prado and Herlings initially, red plate holder Tim Gajser started in sixth for Team HRC and looked a little off the pace, being briefly passed by the Fantic Factory Racing machine of Brian Bogers.
Vlaanderen soon pounced on Seewer, and Herlings went through as well before the end of the first full lap, then “The Bullet” moved into second at the end of lap two. Looking up the track, he had about five seconds to make up, but Prado put the hammer down to extend the distance between him and the Dutchman. On lap four there were ten seconds between each of the leading four riders, as Romain Febvre caught his teammate Seewer, and made a pass that forced the Swiss rider to run wide and allow Gajser through, putting the two ex-Champions into fourth and fifth, where they would stay to the flag.
As if the 15-minute mark was his signal to go, Herlings started to close the gap to Prado, but then disaster struck in front of the packed gallery of fans as he collided with a lapped rider and hit the floor! With Prado still on a good pace, and the gap up to 17 seconds after Herlings remounted, the battle looked like it would never materialise.
What followed was one of the greatest recoveries from adversity in Motocross history, as somehow “The Bullet” started to claw back the lead, putting in the fastest lap of the entire race on lap 12 of 16, taking a