Spain this weekend kicks off the final third of the MXGP championship for the 2021 season, the 13th round of 18, and it’s tight at the top.
The Intu Xanadu track in Arroyomolinos, near Madrid, in Spain, is hosting the 13th round of what is one of the most highly-contested MXGP championships in recent years.
Three riders are separated by just 10 points, with Team HRC’s defending world champion Tim Gajser determined to come out on top in what should be an intense battle during these final six rounds.
Dutchman Jeffery Herlings (KTM) leads the championships standings, followed by French rider Romain Febvre (Kawasaki) and Gajser is third.
The MXGP series visited the track at Arroyomolinos for the first time in 2020 with Gajser’s 3-2 results helping him open up a gap at the top of the championship standings from which he never looked back, eventually taking his third MXGP crown by over 100 points.
On that day, solid starts were a key component to his success and he’ll be looking to get out of the gate well in these two motos after some disappointing races in France last week.
Still, with the points battle so close, the Gajser knows that a replica of the German round just two weekends ago, where he took the overall with a three-one performance will see him regain the momentum and head into the Trentino triple-header – a track he really favours – with renewed belief that he can win his fifth world title in just seven years.
As always, this year, the MXGP class will take place purely on Sunday October 17, with a combined free practice and timed practice to determine gate pick, followed by the two motos in the afternoon.
“I’m definitely looking to put last weekend behind me and I head to Spain in a positive frame of mind,” said Gajser.
“That is the good thing about all these races in a short space of time, there is no time to dwell on the results, you just have to keep working, training hard and move onto the next round.
“Last year was the first time we went there and I thought it was a decent venue for a race.
“I hope they learnt from that event and tweak a few things but overall, it is a good place and hopefully I can perform well and get back to challenging for the win.”
Photo courtesy HRC Honda
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MXGP – World Championship Top 10 Classification after round 12:
- Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 460 points; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 454 p.; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 450 p.; 4. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 398 p.; 5. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 387 p.; 6. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 344 p.; 7. Pauls Jonass (LAT, GAS), 321 p.; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, YAM), 284 p.; 9. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, KTM), 215 p.; 10. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 201 p.
MX2 – World Championship Top 10 Classification after round 12:
- Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 488 points; 2. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 397 p.; 3. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, KTM), 393 p.; 4. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 372 p.; 5. Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS), 359 p.; 6. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 336 p.; 7. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 333 p.; 8. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 313 p.; 9. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 262 p.; 10. Mathys Boisrame (FRA, KAW), 223 p.