Tom Vialle claims MX2 title for KTM in Turkey

2022 FIM Motocross World Championship
Round 18 – Grand Prix of Turkiye

The final round of the FIM Motocross World Championship in Turkey was an absolute nail-biter for the MX2 class, with the battle for the championship coming down to Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle and Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jago Geerts.

The pair entered the final heat of 2022 separated by just one point, with Vialle having the upper hand. Though despite plenty of tense moments and Geerts’ best effort, Vialle was able to get the job done and celebrate in style with the perfect 1-1 scorecard.

Meanwhile, in MXGP, Team HRC’s Tim Gajser rounded out his championship-winning season with his 10th Grand Prix victory, as Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP’s Romain Febvre made his first appearance on the box to place third overall. And there was more to celebrate, as Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado battled his way to the bronze medal position, ending his very tough season on a positive note.

Australian Mitch Evans was hoping to roundoff the season with some good results; and after Saturday’s second place qualification Mitch was hopeful and focused for Sunday’s races.

In MXGP race one Evans took a great start, rounding lap one in second place, but soon took over the lead. His smooth style and deceptively fast speed allowed Evans to pull away, but a mistake on lap eight dropped him to fourth and another mistake on lap 13 pushed him further back to eventually finish the race in a disappointing 12th place.

Evans had good starts in MXGP race two with Mitch in second and Tim in fourth. Evans was looking strong and confident, but on lap two an unlucky kicker on a high speed track section saw the Australian crash hard, putting an end to his race.

Meanwhile, Gajser inherited third place and set-about a mission to get to the front. It was an easier said than done task for the Slovenian, but his efforts paid off on lap eight as he made his way up to second place. Gajser then closed down hard on the race leader, but ultimately ran out of time and finished the race in second.

Mitch Evans – MXGP P10

“It seems like every time I’m making progress, something happens and I lose that work. In the first race, it felt great to lead the field for the first half and I was riding really well. Unfortunately I hit a bit of a wall, and I couldn’t maintain that level and I dropped down the standings. Then in race two, I once again got a good start and was battling for the lead, when I hit big bump just before the finish line and crashed. Thankfully I am just battered and bruised, so now I just need to have a few days to just relax and recover, before I head to America and try to win the Motocross of Nations with Team Australia.”

2022 MXGP of Turkiye Video Highlights

MX2 Race One

In MX2 race one, the Fox Holeshot was won by Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle who was the leading rider ahead of Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Kay de Wolf, Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Simon Längenfelder and Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jago Geerts.

De Wolf and Längenfelder briefly battled for second, before Geerts was able to get in the middle of that to take over third place and focus on de Wolf ahead in second place.

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It looked like Vialle, and de Wolf was settling into a good race pace, which was worrying for Geerts, but he was able to find his rhythm too and made a pass on the Dutchman on the third lap.

With Geerts in second, it was all eyes on the title hopefuls as Vialle got his head down to set the fastest lap of the race and extend his lead to 4.188 seconds.

Diga Procross KTM Racing’s Liam Everts dropped out of fifth and went back to eighth, before quickly finding his way past SM Action Racing Team YUASA Battery’s Andrea Adamo for seventh. He then passed Jan Pancar of TEM253 with two laps to go, to finish sixth.

With Vialle setting the pace in first, the leader did make a couple of mistakes, one of which almost cost him the lead! But he was able to keep it on two wheels, as Geerts continued his charge towards the front.

On lap 10, Geerts crashed but managed to get going just behind de Wolf, which meant that he had to do all the work again to salvage vital championship points. It took the Belgian two laps to get back into second place, but by that point, Vialle was too far in front.

In the end, Vialle secured the race win ahead of Geerts, de Wolf, Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Roan Van De Moosdijk and Längenfelder.

MX2 Race Two

Entering race two, Vialle was one point ahead of Geerts in the championship and a good start was crucial to have the upper hand for the title. This time around the Fox Holeshot went to Geerts who immediately led with Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Thibault Benistant right there in second ahead of de Wolf and Vialle.

Though by the end of the first lap, Vialle managed to get himself into second position, as he focused on Geerts ahead.

There was no doubt that the gloves were off between the pair, as Vialle charged down the inside of Geerts in what can only be described as a championship-worthy pass. Geerts needed to re-group, but a couple of mistakes allowed Vialle to pull away.

Vialle made mistakes of his own, which meant that Geerts was straight back onto his rear wheel and was not holding back. The Belgian made several attempts which were almost successful but not quite enough as Vialle was fast to respond.

Around the halfway mark, Vialle crashed which also took out Geerts who was right behind him and had no way of avoiding the Frenchman. Vialle was fast to get going which was a crucial moment for him as he managed to get away from Geerts before he got back on the bike.

The gap was up to 5.094 seconds immediately, but Geerts was on a mission and the purple sectors he was setting proved just that. Geerts was looking to challenge Vialle once again but crashed for the second time which was another tough moment for the Belgian.

The gap was up to 12.186 seconds which eventually Geerts was able to bring down but it was not enough to catch Vialle who won the race and sealed the deal to his second MX2 World title! Geerts crossed the line in second place ahead of Moosdijk, Benistant and Längenfelder.

And there was no denying who the overall winner was, as two race wins saw Vialle on the top step of the podium alongside Geerts and Moosdijk who made his first podium appearance since coming back from injury only a few rounds ago.

In the end, Vialle won the MX2 Championship with a 4-point advantage over Geerts who suffered heartbreak in second ahead of Längenfelder who was third.

MX2 Quotes by Final Standing

Tom Vialle – MX2 Champion

“I’m so happy. To finish the season like this is so nice. I felt good today even if the track was a bit sketchy. When I had the tip-over in the second moto I thought ‘oh, it’s over’ but then I saw Jago had gone down as well so I got up as quickly as I could. We were riding so fast. I won some time. It was really crazy and I was lucky but that’s part of the game. This is my final race in MX2 so it was special. I wanted to enjoy the last few races and with the team, who have given me such a strong home for four seasons. To have the title for the second time is amazing. The first one was crazy but also this one because it was so tight. I had to come here and go 1-1 but that wasn’t so easy.”

Jago Geerts – MX2 Runner-Up

“Honestly, I’m very disappointed. I really can’t believe my luck. I felt good on the track today and gave everything. In the first race I missed the start a little bit and then had a little crash, but still finished second. In the second race, I was just really unlucky with Tom crashing right in front of me and I could not avoid his bike. It cost me a lot of time, and then I had to push so hard to come back that I fell again, and from there it was game-over.”

Simon Längenfelder – MX2 P3

“The first race in Matterley was the highlight for me as I went 1-1. It was a busy winter, moving to a different team, living in a different country and then in the first race to go 1-1, it meant that the work we did, and everything worked out in that race. But yeah, for sure this was my highlight… When you win the bronze medal, you try to get better in the next year. I will give my best and work hard in the winter. And yeah, then we will see if we can get the world championship next year.”

Kevin Horgmo – MX2 P4

“It was a tough day and I’m a little disappointed about my results but let’s look at the positives; we can be happy with our fourth place in the championship and I had some good speed in the motos, just bad starts and a couple of falls so I couldn’t make it happen. Now I’m looking forward to the Nations; it will be my first time in America so for sure it will be a good experience and I hope Team Norway can do well.”

Thibault Benistant – MX2 P5

“There were some positive points and negative points this weekend. I felt good in Qualifying but had a bad start in the first race today. I stretched my injured shoulder, and this made the races difficult. I just had to ride through the pain. I worked really hard with Yamaha’s physio to have it as strong as possible this weekend. We did what we could, but it was not enough to take away the pain. In the end, this was the last GP of the year and I managed to take some positive points, so now I just look forward to recovering and coming back strong next year.”

Kay de Wolf – MX2 P6

“I had a really good start in the first race and followed the top two quite easily! I was happy with that. I pushed really hard in the second moto and ended up in sixth. Overall, it was a positive weekend. I felt good and had a lot of fun on my FC 250. This is a big improvement when you compare it to what I did in France.”

Roan van de Moosdijk – MX2 P13

“It was really good in the end! I worked my way up to fourth in moto one with some really good lap times. I was happy with that and knew that it was possible to get on the podium. I knew that I could get a trophy here, so I am really happy. It was emotional! My shoulder injury was the biggest injury that I have had, so ending the season in this way is great.”

MX2 Overall Result

MX2 Championship Standings

MXGP Race One

In MXGP race one, the Fox Holeshot went to Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Seewer though Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP’s Romain Febvre was quick to take over the lead during what was a beginning of a very busy first lap!

There were at least three changes for the lead before the riders crossed the finish line to complete the first official lap as Team HRC’s Mitch Evans steered the way ahead of Seewer, Febvre and Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Maxime Renaux.

But Seewer fought back before Evans was able to assert himself in the first position. Meanwhile, his teammate Tim Gajser of Team HRC was down in 11th.

Renaux found himself in third after passing Febvre, before pushing past his teammate Seewer as he climbed into second place and then set his sights on Evans. Evans was fast though and set two consecutive fastest laps as he looked to pull away from the rest of the pack.

iXS Hostettler MXGP Team’s Valentin Guillod was looking very impressive too, as he took away fourth from Febvre and set the fastest lap of the race.

Further down the field, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Glenn Coldenhoff lost sixth position to Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Mattia Guadagnini and then was later passed by Jorge Prado as well as Gajser. Coldenhoff then crashed and got going in 14th where he remained until the chequered flag.

On lap eight, we saw a change for the lead as Renaux took away first place from Evans, with the Australian beginning to fade. Despite his best efforts, he was passed by Febvre, then Guillod and so on, before finishing the race in 12th position.

An impressive move came from SM Action Racing Team YUASA Battery’s Alberto Forato who passed Gebben Van Venrooy Yamaha Racing’s Calvin Vlaanderen, Prado and Febvre all in one go to move up to sixth.

In the final few laps, Gajser managed to get into fourth and began to challenge Guillod for third. Guillod looked solid until a mistake saw him go down on the final lap, which allowed Gajser into third and saw the Swiss drop to sixth.

Renaux won the race ahead of Seewer, Gajser, Guadagnini and Forato.

MXGP Race Two

In race two, for the first time in 2022, the Fox Holeshot went to Renaux who led Febvre, Evans and Prado. But Febvre was quick into the lead and moments later Renaux crashed and only re-joined in 15th.

Evans then crashed big out of second place and did not carry on with the race, while Seewer took fourth from Guadagnini as Renaux looked to enter the top 10 after passing Vlaanderen.

Febvre then set the fastest lap of the race as he extended his lead over Prado to 4.342 seconds, while Gajser began to close in on the Spaniard.

Further down the field, Vlaanderen was looking to take back his lost position from Renaux but made a mistake and went down hard. He did not carry on with the race.

On lap 10, Gajser found a way past Prado and worked his way to catch Febvre. But Febvre held on and took the win and with it secured his first podium of 2022! Gajser ended up winning the Grand Prix tied on points with Seewer who was second and Febvre third.

In terms of the championship, Gajser collected his gold medal, Seewer secured silver while Prado rounded out the top three in the standings after a hard-fought GP.

This season Team HRC are the Championship winning team, while Yamaha wins the manufacturer standings with an impressive 805 points.

MXGP Quotes by Final Standing

Tim Gajser – MXGP Champion

“It was a good day. Two solid races, finishing third and second for the overall. I was struggling with the start a little bit, with the altitude. But anyway, it was good. Couldn’t wish for a better ending to the season, it’s been an amazing season for us. Huge thank you to my team, we work super hard to be champions, and also everyone around me, the fans that travelled here today and also back home in Slovenia. It was a great season with so many highlights. It was special to start with so many overall wins in a row, then had a bit of a struggle but ending the season on the high note is really important for the next season. So yeah, a lot of highlights so it’s difficult to pick just one.”

Jeremy Seewer – MXGP Runner-Up

“It was a solid weekend, the track was not my favourite, but I actually enjoyed it, we got the bike right and I was there the whole weekend battling up front. The bike was great in the altitude and I actually didn’t struggle too much on the start. But the second race it didn’t work out, I got squeezed and I had to work through the pack which cost me a bit. Finishing second is very solid, the championship was already decided for me, so I had no pressure and I could enjoy the racing. At the same time, I would like to thank my team, it takes a lot of work behind the scenes which nobody sees, family, trainers, teams, you know, all that kind of stuff. Thanks to everybody in my corner and now after all the silver medals, I think it’s time for a gold one and I will be working hard for that next year to be the best I can be.”

Jorge Prado – MXGP P3

“This season was okay. I need to say it was positive in the end because we ended up with the bronze medal. I would have liked to be more competitive in every single round, especially after my injury, but I did some good race and was a little bit up and down, then had an illness in Lommel just when I was feeling good, so yeah, many rounds where I lost points, and the results were not what I wanted. But it’s something we need to learn from, we need to search where we are struggling and then came back next season more prepared and be more competitive. I’m happy the bronze medal and will work hard to be better.”

Maxime Renaux – MXGP P4

“It was almost the dream weekend, winning qualifying, winning race one, and then taking the holeshot in race two; everything was going so well. I had a small crash and a mechanical issue on the first lap, so it was a big struggle. It was impossible to ride my pace with the issue, but I just did my best. It was a bittersweet way to end the season for two reasons. One, I couldn’t get the overall victory. And two, it cost me the bronze medal in the championship, which I was hoping to get this weekend. I tried my best. Fourth in my rookie season is not so bad, especially after breaking my back in the middle of the season, and the bigger picture doesn’t look too bad. But, when you want to win, fourth is not enough.”

Glenn Coldenhoff – MXGP P5

“It was quite a tough weekend. I felt good yesterday, and my lap times were not bad. I had a good start in the first moto, but I pushed so hard in the first few laps that the riding was not smooth, and I made far too many mistakes. The second race was a bit better, but I still made too many mistakes in the beginning. It started going a bit better towards the end, but still, ninth overall is not how I wanted to end the season. But I left no stone unturned. I did everything by the book, trained hard and lived like a soldier going into this one. Hopefully, MXoN will be a lot better.”

Brian Bogers – MXGP P6

“I always want to be closer to the front than this, of course, but my starts let me down again. I was happy with my pace and my riding though; I know that I would have been closer to the front if I had better starts. It has been a very good season, overall, with a lot of career milestones. I cannot thank the entire Standing Construct Husqvarna Factory Racing team enough.”

Romain Febvre – MXGP P14

“I’ve been expecting this podium in recent weeks but the moto win is even more important; it’s good to end the season like this. In the first moto I was running third but five laps from the end I fell and lost several positions; with an eighth place from race one I wasn’t expecting a podium at the end of the day but the second moto was great with another good start and already after a few corners I was leading. Of course I felt some pressure at the end of the race as Gajser was just four seconds behind me but I had enough energy to keep the gap until the chequered flag. I’m happy to be able to finish the season on a high note for both myself and the entire team.”

Mattia Guadagnini – MXGP P17

“Today was great! I am really, really happy. I knew that I was capable of this, so I am happy to get a good result for the Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing team. I just enjoyed riding my MC 450F this weekend. I am just so happy. The results were great for me, of course, but the fact that I was enjoying it was most important.”

MXGP Overall Result

MXGP Championship Standings