Under beautiful Scandinavian sunshine, the MXGP of Sweden provided incredible race action at the circuit near Uddevalla at the weekend.
A constantly drying track provided a totally different challenge than the previous GP, as well different to what might be expected at the next one.
With temperatures unusually high for the northernmost MXGP event of the season, the event was to be a test of mental fitness and concentration on the hard-packed, loose surface, and fans from all over Scandinavia and Europe created a stunning atmosphere as the smoke flares and the noise machines cranked up around the rocky valley.
The MXGP class delivered amazing racing again, and it was the turn of Spain’s Jorge Prado to show his overtaking prowess as he took a double victory for Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing team to further close the gap at the top of the championship between himself and Slovenian Team HRC Honda rider Tim Gajser.
The momentum in the MX2 World Championship shifted again, as Lucas Coenen delivered an imperious performance for a 1-1 scorecard for Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing, with his championship leading team-mate Kay de Wolf missing the podium to make that points gap smaller as well.
After Saturday’s qualifying race proved that the start would be vital on a tough hard-pack circuit, none of the championship contenders were in the top three as the riders charged into the opening few corners.
Instead, although Frenchman Romain Febvre grabbed the holeshot Award for Kawasaki Racing Team, it was that home hero Isak Gifting who took the lead as they headed into turn two.
The noise from the Swedish fans was deafening as Isak enjoyed a few glorious laps at the front of the pack.
Swiss rider Jeremy Seewer, winner of the last two GPs at this circuit, had pushed past his team-mate Febvre to run second, but Gifting was on a mission to keep the lead for as long as possible.
Meanwhile, qualifying race winner Gajser had clashed with Dutchman Jeffrey Herlings in the second corner, forcing the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing man wide.
Just as on Saturday, Herlings would have to fight through the pack to limit the damage to his championship challenge, although Prado had not helped his cause with an uncharacteristically average start, battling his way to fifth before the end of the first full lap.
It took until lap four for Seewer to finally demote Gifting from the lead of the race, and the next couple of laps saw Gajser, Prado, and Febvre also move past the Swede.
Prado pulled a nice move into the corner at the end of the Pit Lane straight, and was in prime position when Gajser had to make a forceful move on Seewer to take the lead.
Following the Slovenian past the Swiss rider, the reigning Champ advanced on the red plate holder, and suddenly pulled the same pass as he had on Gifting to take the lead from the surprised Gajser at the end of lap 13.
Herlings was making a slow recovery at this time, having passed Gifting for sixth on lap eight, but it took him another seven laps before he could get around Calvin Vlaanderen, the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP rider who had fallen in front of him on Saturday.
Herlings made a late run at Seewer for fourth, but stalled on the final lap and had to settle for fifth ahead of Vlaanderen, with Gifting a very popular seventh.
Gajser continued to press Prado for the lead but could not prevent the Spaniard from taking his 13th GP race win of the season, with the GASGAS man celebrating the fact that he won by passing several riders, which is not his normal method.
In race two, it was back to his usual tactics. Beaten to the holeshot award by a tyre’s width to Fantic Factory Racing’s Glenn Coldenhoff, the reigning champ was instantly in control, although again the crowd bellowed their support for Gifting, who was in second by turn two, although the time up front was to be much more short-lived for the Swede.
Herlings eased passed Gifting on the run down to the fourth corner after the start, and looked like he was setting up to chase Prado down again.
Gajser had to go with his championship rivals and was also past the Swede early on, but then after a pitched battle with Schmicker Racing KTM’s Cornelius Toendel, Isak held on to fourth all the way to lap twelve, when finally the pressure of the factory riders took its toll.
Vlaanderen, Febvre, and Coldenhoff all went past the JK Racing man on lap twelve, and the Swede would eventually claim tenth place to secure eighth overall.
Febvre quickly snatched fourth from Vlaanderen in that pit lane corner, and the top six would stay that way until the chequered flag, with Team Ship to Cycle Honda Motoblouz SR team-mates Kevin Horgmo and Valentin Guillod finishing seventh and ninth, sandwiching a disappointed Seewer.
Slovenian Jan Pancar finished eleventh in the race to secure tenth overall for the TEM JP253 KTM team.
Herlings couldn’t make any inroads into Prado’s lead, with a late charge curtailed by a near crash that bruised his hand, and his second place secured a podium finish behind Gajser and Prado, who was over 14 seconds clear as he began celebrating his first ever GP win in Sweden.
They return to Herlings’ home sand next weekend at Arnhem, with Prado now 17 points behind Gajser in the standings, while Herlings faces a 48-point deficit to the Slovenian with five Grands Prix remaining.
Anything is still possible, and the fight is very much still on.
Jorge Prado: “It was a great weekend for me. I knew I had to be right on my 100% to get overall here, and that’s what I did.
“I made it tough for myself in that first race with a very bad start, but the second race I managed to get out of the gate in a good way and break hard into the first corner, then had good opening laps and managing the race. Track was very tough, we were riding on a good pace so super happy. Let’s move on to the sand and hopefully get another win over there”
Tim Gajser: “I mean, I felt solid today, you know. I had a good first race, but there was just one mistake that I made and I just left the door so open when Jorge (Prado) passed me.
“That was my mistake, but anyway, the pace was good. The second race was sketchy, also the lappers, you know, like a couple of times I had to slow down. But anyway, you know, a solid weekend, good points for the championship and I’m really looking forward to the next one!”
Jeffrey Herlings: “I think I’m okay on the last lap, just a table top before the waves, I came out of the turn, there was a lot of big kickers in there and I was with my hand between the handlebars so it’s quite swollen out. But race-wise it was OK, I had a lot of bad luck with Calvin (Vlaanderen) crashing in the qualifying heat right in front of me and nowhere to go.
“First race had a really good start and got pushed out of the track and again I lost many positions so definitely the luck wasn’t on my side. But the second race, the speed was good and I come out with another podium but for the championship it was not the best”
Photo courtesy Juan Pablo Acevedo, GASGAS
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RESULTS & STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 15:
MXGP – Grand Prix Race 1 – Top 10 Classification:
1. Jorge Prado (ESP, GASGAS), 35:08.557; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:00.809; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:06.860; 4. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Kawasaki), +0:09.811; 5. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:13.203; 6. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Yamaha), +0:31.367; 7. Isak Gifting (SWE, Yamaha), +0:37.674; 8. Jan Pancar (SLO, KTM), +0:39.113; 9. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Fantic), +0:40.347; 10. Valentin Guillod (SUI, Honda), +0:41.563.
MXGP – Grand Prix Race 2 – Top 10 Classification:
1. Jorge Prado (ESP, GASGAS), 34:35.275; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:14.445; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:18.918; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:54.273; 5. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Yamaha), +0:56.586; 6. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Fantic), +1:00.561; 7. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, Honda), +1:02.431; 8. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Kawasaki), +1:04.136; 9. Valentin Guillod (SUI, Honda), +1:19.134; 10. Isak Gifting (SWE, Yamaha), +1:20.054.
MXGP Overall – Top 10 Classification:
1. Jorge Prado (ESP, GAS), 50 points; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 42 p.; 3. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 38 p.; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 38 p.; 5. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, YAM), 31 p.; 6. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, KAW), 31 p.; 7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, FAN), 27 p.; 8. Isak Gifting (SWE, YAM), 25 p.; 9. Valentin Guillod (SUI, HON), 23 p.; 10. Jan Pancar (SLO, KTM), 23 p.
MXGP – World Championship – Top 10 Classification:
1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 757 points; 2. Jorge Prado (ESP, GAS), 740 p.; 3. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 709 p.; 4. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, YAM), 538 p.; 5. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, KAW), 516 p.; 6. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 451 p.; 7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, FAN), 447 p.; 8. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, HON), 335 p.; 9. Valentin Guillod (SUI, HON), 301 p.; 10. Pauls Jonass (LAT, HON), 274 p.
MX2 – Grand Prix Race 1 – Top 10 Classification:
1. Lucas Coenen (BEL, Husqvarna), 34:58.112; 2. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, Triumph), +0:07.163; 3. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GASGAS), +0:12.891; 4. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:14.217; 5. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), +0:47.235; 6. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:50.887; 7. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:52.471; 8. Rick Elzinga (NED, Yamaha), +1:08.937; 9. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +1:15.671; 10. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +1:27.442.
MX2 – Grand Prix Race 2 – Top 10 Classification:
1. Lucas Coenen (BEL, Husqvarna), 34:39.588; 2. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:05.003; 3. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GASGAS), +0:06.761; 4. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:07.375; 5. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), +0:22.323; 6. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, Triumph), +0:27.740; 7. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, Honda), +0:33.660; 8. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:34.783; 9. Rick Elzinga (NED, Yamaha), +0:40.382; 10. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:42.612.
MX2 Overall – Top 10 Classification:
1. Lucas Coenen (BEL, HUS), 50 points; 2. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 40 p.; 3. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GAS), 40 p.; 4. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, TRI), 37 p.; 5. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 32 p.; 6. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 32 p.; 7. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, TRI), 28 p.; 8. Rick Elzinga (NED, YAM), 25 p.; 9. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 23 p.; 10. David Braceras (ESP, FAN), 20 p.
MX2 – World Championship Classification:
1. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 725 points; 2. Lucas Coenen (BEL, HUS), 676 p.; 3. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GAS), 653 p.; 4. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 594 p.; 5. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, TRI), 511 p.; 6. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 498 p.; 7. Rick Elzinga (NED, YAM), 457 p.; 8. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 415 p.; 9. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, TRI), 274 p.; 10. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, HON), 273 p.