Herlings Wins French GP

Herlings and Vialle on their French GP wins plus Cairoli and Prado

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The Grand Prix of France and round twelve of eighteen in the 2021 FIM Motocross World Championship saw Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings and Tom Vialle own the MXGP and MX2 classes together for the fourth time this season.

– Herlings regains red plate with 95th career win, fifth of 2021 and tenth podium finish

– Vialle sends home crowd into rapture with fifth MX2 success and fourth from the last five GPs

– 2nd place for Mattia Guadagnini as the Italian rookie returns to the MX2 podium

– 5th overall for Tony Cairoli and 14th for Jorge Prado as Hofer classifies 6th in MX2

 

LaCapelle-Marival, scene of the popular and traditional pre-season International race, welcomed Grand Prix action for the first time this century. The MXGP and the MX2 classes had to acclimatize to a narrow, twist and bumpy hard-packed course that placed extra emphasis on race starts for podium contention. A vibrant atmosphere was created by a 25,000 crowd (weekend figure), most of whom could get near the action and the close trackside fences.

 

MXGP

 

Jeffrey Herlings’ eighth Pole Position of the season was also his fourth in a row and after clocking the fastest time in Turkey, Sardinia and Germany previously. The Dutchman roared clear to lead seven laps of 19 in the first moto before Romain Febvre’s superior pace dropped him to 2nd. By the end of the race Herlings was on the charge again and reduced a seven second deficit to just seven tenths of a second by the finish line. Tony Cairoli, amazingly competing at LaCapelle for the first time in his 18-year career, rode to 5th place ahead of Tim Gajser. Jorge Prado, racing one-week after surgery to fix a cut on his upper arm, managed to collect 5 points for 16th.

 

Cairoli blazed to the holeshot in the second moto but the Sicilian is still struggling with his left rib injury and had no answer to the speed of Herlings, Febvre and Gajser. 4th by the flag meant 5th overall. Herlings led, diced with Febvre and then produced a tense but thrilling move with only minutes remaining to claim the win both on the track and with the overall points for the day. Prado was able to improve his pace to finish 12th for 14th in the final ranking.

 

The 2021 MXGP title dispute is still tremendously close. Herlings has the red plate for the second time but by only 6 points over Febvre, with Gajser 10 away in 3rd. Prado is 4th and 62 adrift while Cairoli is still in the game in 5th and 73 from the top.

 

Jeffrey Herlings:“A pretty good day. I already knew this morning that Romain would be good here and I had to step-up my game. The set-up I had for the first moto was pretty hard and there were a lot of off-cambers I was struggling with some arm-pump. Romain made a pass and I had to let him go. At the end of the moto I tried to close him back but I was just a bit too late. He won fair-and-square. I had another good start in the second moto and tried to pull away but it was tough. I entered a turn too hard and just washed out a front wheel; luckily I didn’t lose too much time and again managed to close it back down to Romain. We had a bit of bar-banging with the pass but I knew on this track you had to make a statement. I won the moto and the overall and now I’m looking forward to next weekend.”

 

Tony Cairoli: “It seemed better today compared to last week in Germany but I’m still struggling a lot. It’s four weeks now since I’ve been able to ride during the week. I didn’t do much before Sardinia because I knew it would be a heavy GP but then I crashed and haven’t trained since. I cannot do much cardio either because the ribs hurt. It’s hard to keep my condition like it was before. Today I was 5th in the first moto and could push until the end but in the second I started to suffer. It was good to get the holeshot in the second and be 3rd. I was riding a bit conservative but Gajser was chasing me a lot and I started to get cramps in my side and back. I was hard to hang-on anymore. It was a shame to be 4th because another few laps would have given me the podium. I have to accept that things are not easy for me at the moment in this condition and with the training. I can only hope that this week I can do a bit more than I could recently and regain some more speed with the bike.”

 

Jorge Prado: “Coming here this weekend I didn’t know if I could even ride the bike but I had the mentality to try. I’m in the fight for the championship and to get some points is something. After these two motos the cut looks OK and it’s not worse. It was a rough day because I didn’t feel there was much strength in the arm. I didn’t get a good lap in Timed Practice, so I didn’t get a good gate and then actually touched the gate for both starts with my front wheel! I did what I could, and I began to feel better in the second moto. We got some valuable points and now we’ll get ready for the home GP because I want to bounce back as soon as possible.”

 

French MXGP

Prado Undergoes Knife

Prado surgery successful after Herlings MXGP clash

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  Post: Troy Guenther

Extend of injury unknown as date of MXGP return not determined.

Image: Supplied.

MXGP contender Jorge Prado has undergone successful surgery following his clash with teammate Jeffrey Herlings in Germany, uncertain when he will be fit to return.

The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing duo engaged in a race-long battle during moto one at Teutschenthal, Prado ultimately taking victory before the incident occurred over the finish.

Prado copped a handlebar deep into his arm-pit in the impact and, while an operation was completed Sunday night, he has stated that the extent of his injury is still somewhat unknown.

“As you know, after winning the first moto at the [German] GP, Jeffrey and I collided after the finish line, digging the handlebars deep into my arm-pit and having to undergo surgery that same night,” Prado posted on social media. “Fortunately everything went well, but I don’t know the real extent of the injury.”

Prior to missing the second moto at the MXGP of Germany, Prado was in contention to challenge for a maiden MXGP World Championship, sitting just 12 points adrift of the red plate entering round 11.

The former MX2 world champion is now 31 points adrift of points leader Tim Gajser (Team HRC Honda), meaning if he were to miss another race it would effectively rule him out of title contention.

The next round of the MXGP World Championship is set to take place this Sunday, 10 October, at Lacapelle Marival, France, which marks round 12 of the series.

Monaco Next

MXGP Carries Momentum into 12th Round of the Series in Lacapelle Marival

 

MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 6 October 2021 – The FIM Motocross World Championship carries momentum into round 12 of the series in Lacapelle Marival for the MXGP of France, following an explosive German Grand Prix which saw Team HRC’s Tim Gajser take back the red plate in MXGP, while in MX2 Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Maxime Renaux edged out even further in his maiden title chase.

This season, the MXGP of France is the second of eight back-to-back races and will head to a new venue, with Lacapelle Marival having the honour of hosting a Grand Prix race for the very first time.

Yet Lacapelle Marival is not completely unfamiliar to the paddock, as the majority of the riders have all had a chance to line-up at the French circuit for the well-known pre-season international ‘The Masters of Motocross’. But while this will be the first time that an official MXGP and MX2 World Championship race will take place there, it has previously hosted the MX3 and Women’s Motocross World Championship rounds back in 2009 and 2011.

Now ten years later, Lacapelle will make its debut in what promises to be another exciting Grand Prix as the MXGP and MX2 championships remain tight knit. What’s more the action will also include rounds of the EMX250 and EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing, with Fantic Factory Team Maddii’s Nicholas Lapucci looking to extend his championship lead in EMX250, while MRT Racing Team KTM’s Valerio Lata will look to keep control of the EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing series after taking the lead at the last round in Germany.

In MXGP, things could not get any closer as Team HRC’s Tim Gajser leads the series once again, but by the slightest margin of just two points. The Slovenian took back the red plate from Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings, as he made a stellar return to the top step of the podium after injury.

The next races will be vital for all of the championship contenders, especially Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Romain Febvre who will line-up on home soil for the first time since 2019. For Febvre the home Grand Prix will be important as he will look to repeat his success of the German Grand Prix and get on the podium once again, as well as whittle down the eight-point gap he has to Gajser.

Of course, Jeffrey Herlings will not make this easy as he will look to fight back after an intense weekend in Germany that saw him battle with his teammate Jorge Prado of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, with the pair colliding at the end of the race which put Prado out of race two. The extent of the Spaniard's injuries is unclear, but hopefully we see him line up for the races and continue his fight for race wins.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli will also look to make up for lost ground after a 5-10 result in Germany. Cairoli is still struggling as a result of his crash in Riola Sardo a couple of weeks ago, but with time we should see the 9-time world champion fighting at the sharp end once again. 

Meanwhile, Standing Construct GasGas Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass continues his positive run this season as he edges closer to another podium finish. Last weekend saw the Latvian battle well inside the top five as he finished fourth overall, just seven points shy of the podium. Jonass has proven that he is strong in hardpack and with the upcoming races all taking place on tracks with harder surfaces, it will be interesting to see what results he can deliver and whether a second podium this season is something he can achieve in this incredibly competitive class.

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Seewer and Glenn Coldenhoff had a much more positive weekend in Germany, with the duo finishing fifth and sixth overall. The races saw both riders battle at the sharp end of the field, which is a step in the right direction, as the pair have struggled at times this season.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Kjer Olsen and Arminas Jasikonis will look to improve upon their results in Teutschenthal, after Olsen finished 12^th overall and Jasikonis failed to score points in race one and only managed three points in race two.

Some big news coming from the paddock in the previous GP was the announcement that Mathys Boisrame will replace the injured Ivo Monticelli and Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team for the remainder of the season, which will see the MX2 rider move up to the premier class. The details of when Boisrame will line-up for the team are not clear but hopefully we see him at his home Grand Prix or not long after.

Beta SDM Corse MX Team’s Jimmy Clochet, Jordi Tixier of JT911 KTM Racing Team and Benoit Paturel of Honda SR Motoblouz will also look to impress in front of their home fans, as will wildcard riders Maxime Desprey, David Herbreteau and Brice Maylin who will make an appearance for the French Grand Prix. 

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Inside the life of an MXGP Mechanic

Bart Dirkx

 

Being a mechanic for a world class team or rider is not an easy task. These are the guys who put in hours upon hours of graft in order to spin the spanners for some of the top riders in the FIM Motocross World Championship.

Towards the end of the 2020 season, we sat down with several mechanics for the top teams in the paddock to learn more about their pre-race rituals, strategies, must-have tools and what a typical day for a mechanic looks like…

BART DIRKX

IN 2020 MECHANIC FOR: Jorge Prado, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

IN 2021 MECHANIC FOR: Jorge Prado, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

NATIONALITY: Belgian

WHAT ARE THE MUST HAVE ITEMS IN YOUR BACKPACK BEFORE TO TAKE TO THE LINE?

“Basic tools, the tools that you need to do something quick on the bike in case if the rider has a little crash, things that you can fix in 2 minutes. Like a bent lever, the tank cap…Then I always have a plastic cap replacement, some tissue, some fuel, especially for the sand races, because we are always on the edge with the fuel amount”

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE OR MOST USED TOOL?

“Torque wrench is my favourite. Like that I’m sure that all the bolts are at the correct Newton/meters, even if you have a really good feeling with all the bolts of the bike, with the t-wrench you cannot go wrong!”

HOW IMPORTANT IS THE PREPERATION OF THE RACE TRUCK BEFORE THE START OF THE RACES?

“It is really important, because you need to know exactly where all the spare parts are. You need to be able to go inside the truck, open the draw and immediately find the parts that you need even without thinking about it. I think that is really important that mechanics load the truck for this reason, this is why I always want to be on site when we load the truck like that I know exactly where all the parts are and I’m sure that all the things that I need are there”.

YOU USE A LOT OF KEY WORDS ON THE PIT-BOARD, IS THERE A STRATEGY BEHIND THEM?

“Yes, especially when you’re together with a rider after a few years you start to understand each other even with small signs that you give to him. It doesn’t have to be a sentence, only a basic keyword that you use every time. Even the way I look at him or the way I move my hands or my fingers in pitlane, he knows exactly what to do. So it is really important to always keep those same key words and the feeling I have with my rider”.

WHAT IS YOUR ‘NORMAL DAY’ ROUTINE VS YOUR ‘RACE DAY’ ROUTINE?

“Race day I start with a coffee. We then unload the bikes and all of the stuff out of the stands, the carpets, the tools… After that, even if it’s not necessary, I check all the bolts again, fill up the tank and do the general checks you have to do on the bike but as fast as I can. At the end I will check my backpack again, even if I already did so the day before. I check that I have the pit board markers, some tissue, some papers, just basically all the things you must have in pitlane. For me this is normal, and I do all these checks even without actually thinking about it”.

“Then on a normal day, when we go to the workshop, we completely split the bike in all its parts, check all the parts that need to be changed and clean all the other parts. This takes a long time and you really need to be focused and precise to have the best outcome”.

BEING A MECHANIS IS MORE THAN JUST LOOKING AFTER THE BIKE. WOULD YOU AGREE THAT SOMETIMES YOU NEED TO ALSO SUPPORT YOUR RIDER FROM A PSYCHOLOGICAL SIDE?

“Yeah, that’s really important. That doesn’t mean we train together for that, but he puts all his trust in my work. When he goes out on track and makes jumps of 30-40 meters with the bike, it means everything must be built in a proper way. We spend a lot of time together and we really trust each other. It’s like in the army, people that spend a lot of time together have a real connection; that doesn’t mean that we have to be on the phone every day or that we speak all the time… If he has a problem, he tells me, especially because I’m much older than him and knows that he can trust me, we speak about it and we find a solution”.

DO YOU HAVE ANY PRE-RACE RITUALS WITH JORGE?

One thing that Jorge likes to do is to put both of his feet on the foot pegs on the start, this is to make him feel quieter and more relaxed. When we are on the start line, I always stay on the opposite side of the silence, I put the bike on my side and I tell him “ok Jorge, you can put the feet on the bike” and he puts both feet on the pegs and immediately is much calmer and everything is ready, and he is ready to go as well”.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A MECHANIC OF A WORLD CHAMPION?

“To be honest for me it doesn’t change anything because I have done this job already for so many years, it is exceptional and everybody likes it, but for me it’s not the most important thing. I really love this job, so I put the same effort working with a rider that finishes 10th in the World Championship and now with Jorge, who has won the World Championship, for me that doesn’t make any difference”.

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Behind the Bullet

Jeffrey's perseverance does not go unrewarded. Just three weeks after fracturing his shoulder blade in Oss, he drives a convincing first race. Is The Bullet back on track? Behind the Bullet with Jeffrey Herlings gives a personal behind the scenes account of just what it takes to compete at the pinnacle of motocross. Experience all the highs and lows of a grueling MXGP season with a first row seat with one of the fastest riders on the planet.

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The newest member of the bLU cRU—multi-time pro MX and SX champion Eli Tomac—shakes down the Yamaha YZ450F at his home track in Colorado for the first time. Joining defending MX champ Dylan Ferrandis, look for the Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing team to continue dominating in 2022!