MXGP 2016 – Saint Jean D’Angely
Watching a round of the motocross grand prix at Saint Jean d’Angely is one of the best ways to experience just how spine tingling this sport can be. Everyone at the venue had a front row seat to round ten of the FIM Motocross World Championship this weekend where the fans were entranced by the phenomenal speed and skill of their nations own Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Romain Febvre and the Flying Dutchman, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings who put in two mind blowing performances each to stand on the top step of the podium in their respective classes at the MXGP of France.
MXGP
It’s official! Honda Gariboldi’s Tim Gajser and Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Romain Febvre are from another planet. It’s obvious these two have raised the bar in motocross globally and what they are bringing to the 2016 MXGP world championship is nothing short of incredible.
An exuberant crowd was treated to some of the best racing of the season today as their home soil hero Romain Febvre threw everything but the kitchen sink at Gajser for the win in race 1. There wasn’t a lot in it at the checkers as the duo went hand in hand across the finish line, but it was the championship leader, Gajser who was deemed the winner by a very narrow margin.
Fired up, the Frenchman and defending world champion, Febvre, some how turned it up a notch in race two when passed Gajser for the lead and got his head down. On the fence line, Febvre Fever was spreading like wildfire as the 461 laid it all on the line in bid for victory here at his home grand prix.
No words will do the racing today any justice as it was just unreal with Febvre getting the job done to have the national anthem played for his nation as the winner of the MXGP of France.
As for the Slovenian… or maybe we should say ‘Fast-venian’? The nineteen-year-old rookie sensation was nothing short of incredible today as he tied on 47 points with Febvre and maintained his 24-point championship lead.
Team HRC’s Evgeny Bobryshev had to fly the flag for HRC after his teammate Gautier Paulin withdrew from racing this morning after his ridiculously massive crash yesterday. The Russian, Bobryshev, was the top qualifier here in France but couldn’t quite work out how the youngsters were riding so fast “I don’t know how those young guys were riding so fast, I have to check because I tried to follow them but I couldn’t, they were really quick.” He said, “but I’m really happy to be on the podium, it was important to me to do well here because I thought that I could, so I am really happy.”
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli looks hungry for wins but he seems to be just left scratching his head at the pace the youngsters are running. The eight-time world champ put in a solid ride in race one, but didn’t have anything for the young guns, Febvre and Gajser. who stormed away for the top two spots. The day was made a little more frustrating for the Italian in race two when he hit the deck at turn one and then dumped it again while trying to pass Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Max Nagl for tenth. TC222 battled back to seventh in that race, which was enough for fourth overall.
Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Clement Desalle is slowly but surely gaining momentum. The Belgian is starting to look more comfortable on the green machine as he inches closer to the box.
Adding to the atmosphere, Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s French rookie Jordi Tixier cracked the top ten for the first time in the premier class with his ninth place overall, while fellow Frenchmen Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Christophe Charlier and Tip Top MP32 Racing’s Milko Potisek finished thirteenth and fifteenth respectively.
Romain Febvre – MXGP – Winner
“To celebrate my new contract by winning at home makes me very happy. I’d like to thank Yamaha with this victory today. To win a GP, especially the home GP, in front of the crowd is awesome. We had a good feeling in the morning and worked hard on the start for the track here at Saint Jean d’Angély. The mechanics and directors saw every detail in the paddock and every turn on the course and we won this all together.”
Evgeny Bobryshev – MXGP – 3rd overall for round
“I’m happy with this weekend – with the win in the qualifying race and the podium today with third. Actually I had two quite boring races where I was just on my own for pretty much the whole time – behind Cairoli in race one in fourth, and then in third in race two. I want to congratulate Tim and Romain though because they were just so fast today. I was behind them at the start in race two and they just pulled away. I struggled a bit with the starts and couldn’t find the lines and a proper flow, but we’ve had a strong and consistent and bring home good points to close up on third in the World Championship, so I’m happy.”
Tony Cairoli – MXGP – 4th overall for round
“This time I had the speed and good condition and I was able to make passes even if I had to come back from last. I got back into the top ten and then I crashed again, but still finished seventh. I was disappointed in the first moto when I should have attacked. It’s not ideal for the championship but we keep looking forward. I will work harder and try to win from now on, and see if we can get closer to the leaders.”
Glenn Coldenhoff – MXGP – 6th overall for round
“It wasn’t there with my times but I felt good on the bike. The first moto I took a very good start behind Tony in second place but in the beginning I couldn’t find my rhythm and dropped back to finish ninth. The second moto was not so good out of the gate and I think I took a wrong line. Then I made a mistake in the second lap and many guys passed me. But I managed to take them all back. This was my strongest race of the year after a lot of hard work.”
Valentin Guillod – MXGP – 7th overall for round
“After three of four laps in the second moto I broke my rear wheel, and every corner was sliding and slippery, and that made acceleration difficult. I tried to do my best, but it was just bad luck. I made really good speed in the first moto, and I was really happy with the result. I think a top five is a very good possibility, and I’m looking forward to Matterley Basin in two weeks.”
Max Nagl – MXGP – 8th overall for round
“It’s been a very difficult weekend for me. I got food poisoning on Thursday so as soon as I arrived in France I went to the hospital and was forced to spend the whole day there. I decided to race this GP but the truth is that I was feeling extremely tired during the whole weekend because of the sickness. Even my reaction time and concentration were really bad and I think that’s why I couldn’t get the starts I’d hoped for. I had two bad starts and then I couldn’t get a competitive race pace in any of the two motos. I tried many different things but nothing seemed to work so I’m happy with eighth overall from this GP. My goal now is to take some time off to help my body recover from the sickness and then immediately get back to work for the GP of Britain.”
Jeremy Van Horebeek – MXGP – 11th overall for round
“I had an awesome start, and then I couldn’t avoid the guy who crashed in front of me. It took me a minute to get the bike off of him, and it was just bad luck, because once the race is gone all you can do is chase and try to hold on to some points.I’m really happy with what I did today, but bad luck just ruled the day. I really hope my wrist gets better in the next two weeks, and I think a podium is coming soon.”
Christophe Charlier – MXGP – 13th for round
“Overall, it’s been a positive GP for me. Despite crashing in the qualifying race I rode great in both final motos improving on my speed as the racing went on. I got a good start in the opening moto and battled with the top guys to end up in 11th position. Then in the second moto I started in eighth place but a small mistake dropped me to 14th at the end of the race. I feel that my riding in both motos has been good and I’m happy we’re making steps towards the right direction. I feel stronger now. The plan is to continue working hard in order to come back even stronger in the United Kingdom.”
MXGP Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 34:27.904; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:00.610; 3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:30.146; 4. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:32.629; 5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:33.644; 6. Valentin Guillod (SUI, Yamaha), +0:34.752; 7. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), +0:45.554; 8. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:53.290; 9. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +1:00.223; 10. Jordi Tixier (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:08.587.
MXGP Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), 34:12.917; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:09.643; 3. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:40.344; 4. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:50.143; 5. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:57.961; 6. Dennis Ullrich (GER, KTM), +1:01.484; 7. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +1:03.894; 8. Valentin Guillod (SUI, Yamaha), +1:06.361; 9. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +1:07.314; 10. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), +1:07.815.
MXGP Overall Top Ten: 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 47 points; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 47 p.; 3. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 38 p.; 4. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 34 p.; 5. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 31 p.; 6. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 28 p.; 7. Valentin Guillod (SUI, YAM), 28 p.; 8. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 25 p.; 9. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KAW), 21 p.; 10. Dennis Ullrich (GER, KTM), 19 p.
MXGP Championship Top Ten: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 432 points; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 408 p.; 3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 372 p.; 4. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 342 p.; 5. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 333 p.; 6. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 293 p.; 7. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 210 p.; 8. Valentin Guillod (SUI, YAM), 208 p.; 9. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 204 p.; 10. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 184 p.
MXGP Manufacturers: 1. Honda, 440 points; 2. Yamaha, 418 p.; 3. KTM, 381 p.; 4. Husqvarna, 353 p.; 5. Kawasaki, 239 p.; 6. Suzuki, 233 p.
MX2
If Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings has learned anything over the last few years, it’s definitely race craft. The former two-time world champion has developed a very mature approach to racing. He is now looking at the bigger picture and instead of panicking when he’s not up front off of the start, he just rides his own race. In both races today The Bullet started from behind and knuckled down, which rewarded him with two commendable race wins and a huge extension to his points lead. He also matched Joel Smets’ record of 57 grand prix wins and made some history of his own as the first three-time grand prix winner here on the clay of St. Jean d’Angely. He now leads the 2016 MX2 World Championship by a massive 134 points over Jeremy Seewer.
Take a bow Benoit Paturel! Kemea Yamaha Official MX Team’s Benoit Paturel was the break out star today when he led almost every lap in race one only to be passed by The Bullet with two laps to go. Paturel was serenaded with a standing ovation from his fanatical home fans, which was 100% deserved after such a hair-raising performance. Proving he’s not a one-race-wonder, The Frenchman backed race 1 up with yet another epic ride to land on the second step of the podium for the second time in succession.
Meanwhile, since Team Suzuki World MX2’s Jeremy Seewer made Herlings work for the win at the MXGP of Germany last month, he has been fired up to lead races. While his all-new aggressive approach to racing has been outstanding to watch, it’s not been an easy pace to run for the Swiss star. This weekend though, he managed to keep his Suzuki rubber side down, for the first time since Teutschenthal and finished third overall which is his seventh podium appearance this year.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass lost 6 points to Seewer in the battle for the spot of vice-world champion while Monster Energy Kawasaki racing Team’s Dylan Ferrandis had to learn the hard way just how important starts are. It is common knowledge to most people within the sport that starts are the make or break of a race. Unfortunately, two bad starts made life difficult for the Frenchman, who should have been up front battling for the win, and he only finished in fifth overall here at his home grand prix.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Anstie took charge of the Fox Holeshot competition with a massive holey in race two. The Brit didn’t finish the first race but turned it all around with an epic ride in the second race for second place.
Jeffrey Herlings – MX2 – Winner
We made it ten in a row this season, I’ve only lost one moto where I finished second and we should be really happy. This track is not one of my favorites but my first moto was good, the second not so good but overall with the qualifying and the two motos we won all three races. I think we can look back on a very good weekend.”
Pauls Jonass – MX2 – 4th overall for round
“I’m not the best rider on tracks like this but my speed was pretty good yesterday and I had a good start in qualifying. Today I didn’t manage to get good starts. It was difficult to pass and you needed to take some risks. Maybe I was struggling a bit in passing guys but I finished with two fifth places and fourth overall. I put in two consistent races and I’m third in the points. Now we’re going to sandier tracks and that’s better for me, so I’m looking forward to the next GPs.”
Max Anstie – MX2 – 9th overall for round
“It’s always nice to race in France. The first race didn’t go to plan. I didn’t get a good start and then I crashed. Obviously I didn’t have the best race in moto one, but came back a lot stronger in race two. We’ve made a few changes with the bikes in between the races and I think we made the right decisions. In the second moto I got the holeshot and had some really good battles with the top guys, making some great passes as well. I just finished behind Jeffrey, which was nice to get a little bit of confidence back. I’m happy with my performance in the second race and we can now go from there. It’s a shame we’ve been a bit inconsistent but this second race was really good. We now head to my home GP and I’m looking forward to going back to Matterley Basin.”
Conrad Mewse – MX2 – 12th overall for round
“We’ve worked hard after the last GP. We made some big improvements with the bike and with myself and that gave me extra confidence to push this weekend. Saturday went well for me and I got away with a 13th place in the qualifying race. I had my best race so far in the first moto. I got a great start and finished eighth. It was my career best result and I was really happy with it. Then in the second race I started outside the top 20, but pushed hard to finish 18th for 12th overall. I’m really happy with how the weekend went. I might have struggled to find my feet in the first rounds but now I’ve had one good race and one good GP so hopefully I can continue from there. Next up is my home GP and I know that if I can get good starts I can battle for top results.”
Thomas Covington – MX2 – 16th overall for the round
“It feels really good to be back racing and I was happy with my riding during the weekend. In the first moto I messed up the start and came last in the first turn. But I fought back and ended up finishing in 10th place. I was pretty happy with that, especially since I hadn’t been racing for so long. In the second race me and Max has a great start and I was riding pretty good inside the top five for a couple of laps. Then I just had a small crash in the corner after the finish line and ended up breaking my front brake lever. It was a bit of a bummer not to finish the race but overall I’m happy with how I’m riding after being away for so long. The bike feels great and I’m looking forward to the following GPs.”
MX2 Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 35:23.550; 2. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +0:05.794; 3. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:20.716; 4. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, Yamaha), +0:29.759; 5. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:31.054; 6. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:58.984; 7. Samuele Bernardini (ITA, TM), +1:06.212; 8. Conrad Mewse (GBR, Husqvarna), +1:09.192; 9. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), +1:14.232; 10. Thomas Covington (USA, Husqvarna), +1:17.675.
MX2 Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 35:03.580; 2. Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:02.509; 3. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +0:10.217; 4. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:12.117; 5. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:12.457; 6. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), +0:24.525; 7. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:36.326; 8. Petar Petrov (BUL, Kawasaki), +0:39.605; 9. Vsevolod Brylyakov (RUS, Kawasaki), +0:50.409; 10. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, Yamaha), +0:51.098
MX2 Overall Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 50 points; 2. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 42 p.; 3. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 38 p.; 4. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 32 p.; 5. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, KAW), 29 p.; 6. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, YAM), 29 p.; 7. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), 27 p.; 8. Samuele Bernardini (ITA, TM), 24 p.; 9. Max Anstie (GBR, HUS), 22 p.; 10. Petar Petrov (BUL, KAW), 20 p
MX2 Championship Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 497 points; 2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 363 p.; 3. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 332 p.; 4. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 293 p.; 5. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, YAM), 269 p.; 6. Petar Petrov (BUL, KAW), 230 p.; 7. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, KAW), 229 p.; 8. Samuele Bernardini (ITA, TM), 228 p.; 9. Max Anstie (GBR, HUS), 227 p.; 10. Vsevolod Brylyakov (RUS, KAW), 209 p.
MX2 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 497 points; 2. Suzuki, 363 p.; 3. Kawasaki, 356 p.; 4. Yamaha, 355 p.; 5. Husqvarna, 296 p.; 6. TM, 228 p.; 7. Honda, 191 p.
Saint Jean d’Angely EMX250
Saint Jean d’Angely is a world-class, yet typically French style motocross track, which is clay-based and stony with loads of spectacular downhill ski jumps, and a lot of elevation.
Today the fourth round of the European Championship EMX125 presented by FMF Racing and the sixth round of the European Championship EMX250 joined the paddock of the FIM Motocross World Championship for the MXGP of France where in the premier amateur class, EMX250, Bud Racing Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Darian Sanayei won both races for his first EMX overall victory, while KTM Silver Action’s Stephen Rubini did the same, and had the home fans fired up as he topped the box for the second time this year.
As the last race of the day yesterday, the EMX250 had to deal with a brutal and edgy hard pack circuit, which suited Bud Racing Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Darian Sanayei down to the ground. The American found a way around the rookie, KTM Factory Junior’s Jorge Prado, and pulled away for his first win of the season. Prado then came under attack from the championship leader, Bodo Schmidt Motorsports’ Thomas Kjer Olsen, who passed him relatively easily. Olsen didn’t have anything for Sanayei in that particular race though, just as Prado didn’t have anything for Tip Top MP32 Racing’s Mathys Boisrame, who moved into third but ended up being forced out with a mechanical problem. Prado then was gifted third behind Sanayei and Kjer Olsen at the checkers.
Race two took place earlier this morning.
Move over Josè Butron, there’s a new Spanish holeshot king in town and it’s the young KTM Factory Juniors sensation Jorge Prado. Prado took his second holeshot of the weekend narrowly over the race one winner Bud Racing Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Darian Sanayei, Karlis Sabulis and Team Suzuki World MX2’s Bas Vaessen. Sanayei wasn’t taking any nonsense from the small framed rookie and leant on him heading into the next turn, and all the way down the hill to force the pass for the lead before turn three.
At the end of the first lap the championship leader, Bodo Schmidt Motorsport’s Thomas Kjer Olsen, was already inside the top five with Tip Top MP32’s Mathys Boisrame in tow. Meanwhile the Latvian, Sabulis had dropped back to sixth.
After passing Prado in the first few turns, Sanayei looked like he wanted to put in an early sprint except Prado wouldn’t let him go and stayed on him for the first ten minutes before the losing the front end on a slick patch. With the rookie down, Kjer Olsen capitalized and set the fastest lap of the race on the following lap, while Vaessen, Boisrame and the defending champion J-Tech Honda’s Nick Kouwenberg among others all inherited a spot.
Kjer Olsen pushed hard for a few laps but couldn’t match the pace of the American talent, Sanayei, who had the race in the palm of his hands. Vaessen and Boisrame battled hard for third which eventually went to Vaessen while KTM’s Kevin Wouts came from miles back to round out the top five.
At the end of a solid weekend, Bud Racing Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Darian Sanayei was in a league of his own and managed to take his first race win of the season yesterday, and paired it with another today for his first double moto victory and first ever EMX250 overall victory. Bodo Schmidt Motorsport’s Thomas Kjer Olsen was also a cool, calm and collective picture of consistency with his 2 – 2 performance for second overall while Team Suzuki World MX2’s Bas Vaessen did enough to land on the third step of the podium.
EMX250 Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Darian Sanayei (USA, Kawasaki), 30:32.821; 2. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:09.174; 3. Jorge Prado Garcia (ESP, KTM), +0:28.829; 4. Nicolas Dercourt (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:29.412; 5. Mike Stender (GER, Suzuki), +0:38.511; 6. Anton Gole (SWE, Husqvarna), +0:44.493; 7. Bas Vaessen (NED, Suzuki), +0:53.580; 8. Karlis Sabulis (LAT, Yamaha), +1:00.240; 9. Nick Triest (BEL, KTM), +1:06.190; 10. Max Engelen (NED, KTM), +1:08.358.
EMX250 Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Darian Sanayei (USA, Kawasaki), 29:58.819; 2. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:09.128; 3. Bas Vaessen (NED, Suzuki), +0:32.649; 4. Mathys Boisrame (FRA, Yamaha), +0:36.087; 5. Kevin Wouts (BEL, KTM), +0:36.681; 6. Nicolas Dercourt (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:37.861; 7. Anton Gole (SWE, Husqvarna), +0:42.593; 8. Mike Stender (GER, Suzuki), +0:50.762; 9. Jorge Prado Garcia (ESP, KTM), +0:55.234; 10. Karlis Sabulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:57.400.
EMX250 Overall Top Ten: 1. Darian Sanayei (USA, KAW), 50 points; 2. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 44 p.; 3. Bas Vaessen (NED, SUZ), 34 p.; 4. Nicolas Dercourt (FRA, KAW), 33 p.; 5. Jorge Prado Garcia (ESP, KTM), 32 p.; 6. Anton Gole (SWE, HUS), 29 p.; 7. Mike Stender (GER, SUZ), 29 p.; 8. Karlis Sabulis (LAT, YAM), 24 p.; 9. Nick Triest (BEL, KTM), 22 p.; 10. Mathys Boisrame (FRA, YAM), 18 p.
EMX250 Championship Top Ten: 1. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 276 points; 2. Darian Sanayei (USA, KAW), 213 p.; 3. Bas Vaessen (NED, SUZ), 174 p.; 4. Hunter Lawrence (AUS, KAW), 167 p.; 5. Jorge Prado Garcia (ESP, KTM), 157 p.; 6. Kevin Wouts (BEL, KTM), 156 p.; 7. Anton Gole (SWE, HUS), 148 p.; 8. Nicolas Dercourt (FRA, KAW), 130 p.; 9. Miro Sihvonen (FIN, KTM), 119 p.; 10. Nick Kouwenberg (NED, HON), 115 p.
EMX250 Manufacturers: 1. Husqvarna, 286 points; 2. Kawasaki, 249 p.; 3. KTM, 234 p.; 4. Suzuki, 192 p.; 5. Yamaha, 168 p.; 6. Honda, 120 p.
EMX 125
Much to the delight of the French fans, KTM Silver Action’s Frenchman Stephen Rubini ran away for an easy win in the opening race of the weekend yesterday. The red plate holder Sahkar KTM’s Jago Geerts kept the Frenchman honest for most of the race before making a slight mistake with three laps to go. DP19 Yamaha’s Roan van de Moosdijk almost took advantage of the Belgian’s mistake but made a mistake himself with a few turns to go and had to settle for third.
In race one today, Italian Andrea Zanotti got the break he’s been looking for when he pulled a super sweet holeshot ahead of yesterday’s race one winner KTM Silver Action’s Stephen Rubini and Rubini’s fellow French countryman Pierre Goupillon, who had his good start undone when he crashed on lap one.
Team MJC Yamaha’s Zachary Pichon was the first to inherit a spot off of Goupillon and set the fastest lap time on lap three. While Pichon was looking good as the initial pace setter, he bobbled massively on lap four and allowed IceOne Racing Husqvarna’s Mikkel Haarup to close in. Another slip up a few turns later and Haarup capitalized to take second place.
The Fin riding for IceOne Husqvarna Racing, started closing up on Rubini who was in the middle of challenging Zanotti for the lead. As an instant response to the challenge from Haarup, Rubini dropped the hammer and nailed a berm to whip right around the outside of Zanotti for first. Haarup was also in a hurry to do the same but was a little to hasty and made a mistake which saw him almost go over the ‘bars and only loose one spot.
At the halfway mark, Goupillon was back on form and passed Haarup, Van de Moosdijk and Zanotti like they were standing still, to take third. Meanwhile, DP19 Yamaha Racing’s Roan Van de Moosdijk found some good lines and managed to make a move on Haarup before going after Zanotti. In a moment of impulse, Van de Moosdijk hit a roller tapped and launched past Zanotti but landed in some ruts and crashed.
Rubini had the crowd fevered with his second win of the weekend, which landed him on the top step of the podium for the second time this season. Meanwhile fellow Frenchmen, Pichon and Goupillon, made it a French whitewash in race two as Zanotti put in his best race finish with fourth ahead of Haarup.
The red plate holder, Sahkar KTM’s Jago Geerts, who was second in race one yesterday got off to a shocking start, well outside of the top 20, and only managed to get back to seventh. It was still enough for him to land on the podium behind the winner, KTM Silver Action’s Stephen Rubini and Frenchman Pierre Goupillon.
EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Stephen Rubini (FRA, KTM), 30:30.832; 2. Jago Geerts (BEL, KTM), +0:13.132; 3. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, Yamaha), +0:13.710; 4. Pierre Goupillon (FRA, KTM), +0:14.690; 5. Andrea Zanotti (SMR, KTM), +0:33.980; 6. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KTM), +0:36.161; 7. Brian Strubhart Moreau (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:40.066; 8. Zachary Pichon (FRA, Yamaha), +0:55.831; 9. Gianluca Facchetti (ITA, KTM), +1:22.069; 10. Paolo Lugana (ITA, TM), +1:26.056
EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Stephen Rubini (FRA, KTM), 30:36.850; 2. Zachary Pichon (FRA, Yamaha), +0:05.343; 3. Pierre Goupillon (FRA, KTM), +0:08.362; 4. Andrea Zanotti (SMR, KTM), +0:14.170; 5. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:16.422; 6. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, Yamaha), +0:31.932; 7. Jago Geerts (BEL, KTM), +0:42.222; 8. Kim Savaste (FIN, Kawasaki), +0:44.811; 9. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KTM), +0:45.244; 10. Luca Milec (SLO, Yamaha), +0:55.751
EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Overall Top Ten: 1. Stephen Rubini (FRA, KTM), 50 points; 2. Pierre Goupillon (FRA, KTM), 38 p.; 3. Jago Geerts (BEL, KTM), 36 p.; 4. Zachary Pichon (FRA, YAM), 35 p.; 5. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, YAM), 35 p.; 6. Andrea Zanotti (SMR, KTM), 34 p.; 7. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KTM), 27 p.; 8. Luca Milec (SLO, YAM), 21 p.; 9. Paolo Lugana (ITA, TM), 20 p.; 10. Brian Strubhart Moreau (FRA, KAW), 20 p.
EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Championship Top Ten: 1. Jago Geerts (BEL, KTM), 167 points; 2. Stephen Rubini (FRA, KTM), 154 p.; 3. Pierre Goupillon (FRA, KTM), 138 p.; 4. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, YAM), 132 p.; 5. Gianluca Facchetti (ITA, KTM), 111 p.; 6. Zachary Pichon (FRA, YAM), 108 p.; 7. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, HUS), 84 p.; 8. Andrea Zanotti (SMR, KTM), 77 p.; 9. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KTM), 69 p.; 10. Brian Strubhart Moreau (FRA, KAW), 62 p
EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 200 points; 2. Yamaha, 146 p.; 3. Husqvarna, 95 p.; 4. Kawasaki, 91 p.; 5. TM, 59 p.
