Teenage MX2 rider Jeffrey Herlings celebrated his first GP win in front of an appreciative home crowd at the Dutch motocross GP on Sunday.

Herlings’ KTM team-mate Antonio Cairoli, of Italy, won the MX1 class.

Defending champion Cairoli (pictured above) won MX1 heat one and made up for two crashes in the second heat to also come through and win that race.

He has now extended his championship lead to 18 points over German KTM rider Max Nagl.

It was a tough day at the office for New Zealand’s Josh Coppins (Aprilia), who did not finish moto one and then battled back to finish ninth in the second leg.

Coppins, from Motueka, has now slipped from ninth equal to 15th in the championship standings.

A first-lap crash with Italian Manuel Monni left Coppins eating Dutch sand has he remounted and gave chase to the pack.  The Kiwi’s efforts were short lived when he collided with a fallen rider and damaged the clutch perch of his Factory Aprilia machine had to retire from the race.

In the second moto Coppins didn’t get the jump he  needed and was a little tentative on the open laps trying to avoid any mishaps as in moto 1.  As he settled down, Coppins gained a few positions as he broke into the top 10.  A 9th position by the end of the 35min + 2 laps was not enough to make up for the shortfall in moto1.

“The racing is so close this year and sometimes you have to take risks but today they never paid off for me,” said Coppins.

“I can’t afford not to earn points in both motos because it seems a lot of the guys are getting more consistent and having a zero on the score card really hurts.  My goal is to get back into the top 10 after Portugal and Spain and to post two consistent race results,” he vowed.

Meanwhile, Belgium Steve Ramon (Suzuki) was second on the podium with Italy’s 2008 MX1 world champion David Philippaerts (Yamaha) third as both respectively clinched their first rostrum finishes of 2010.

Cairoli retains the red (championship leader’s) plate, ahead of Nagl and Ramon.

In the MX2 class, Herlings took two stunning heat wins to wrap up the Grand Prix at only 15 years and 225 days of age.

Courtesy of his German GP win last year, Germany’s Ken Roczen (Suzuki) remains the youngest GP winner ever, winning at the age of 15 years and 53 days, and he also now has the red leader’s plate after replacing Musquin at the top of the championship standings on Sunday.

Roczen finished 2-2 to end the Dutch GP second on the podium, while Steven Frossard (Kawasaki) was third overall. The previous championship leader, French rider Marvin Musquin (KTM) struggled to end the day fifth overall.

Round two of the FIM Veterans’ World Cup was again dominated by Mats Nilsson, winning from Pascal Bal and Hans Berendsen.

MX1 CLASS

Cairoli shined in the Netherlands through two great moto wins on the deep Dutch sand of Valkenswaard. The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Italian went on to dominate the first heat from the start to the flag and won again in the second heat despite two crashes.

Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1’s Ramon took his first season podium with second overall. On the track where he injured his neck last year, the Belgian recovered to third in the first moto and just missed out on winning moto two when Cairoli moved past with just five laps to go.

Also for Philippaerts it was the first season’s podium as the Italian of Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross completed the Dutch podium. A good second place in moto one was followed by a safe fourth place in the final heat after Estonian Tanel Leok moved past him at the very last lap.

Leok (Honda) rode strong to take fourth overall ahead of other Red Bull KTM Factory Racing MX1 rider Max Nagl.

It was a tough weekend for Belgian Clement Desalle instead who saw his Grand Prix end in the first moto with a dislocated right shoulder caused by a crash.

MX1 Race 1 top 10:

1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 40:47.473; ; 2. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), +0:14.059; 3. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), +0:15.316; 4. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), +0:16.411; 5. Tanel Leok (EST, Honda), +0:20.301; 6. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Yamaha), +0:38.548; 7. Davide Guarneri (ITA, Honda), +0:39.841; 8. Jimmy Albertson (USA, Honda), +0:39.852; 9. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:44.176; 10. Marc de Reuver (NED, Suzuki), +1:23.255.

MX1 Race 2 top 10:

1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 39:16.455; ; 2. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), +0:03.399; 3. Tanel Leok (EST, Honda), +0:05.667; 4. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), +0:08.087; 5. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:09.800; 6. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), +0:10.960; 7. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Yamaha), +0:12.261; 8. Jimmy Albertson (USA, Honda), +0:34.354; 9. Joshua Coppins (NZL, Aprilia), +0:52.305; 10. Gareth Swanepoel (RSA, Honda), +1:12.818.

MX1 Overall top 10:

1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 50 points; 2. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), 42 p.; 3. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 40 p.; 4. Tanel Leok (EST, Honda), 36 p.; 5. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), 33 p.; 6. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Yamaha), 29 p.; 7. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), 28 p.; 8. Jimmy Albertson (USA, Honda), 26 p.; 9. Davide Guarneri (ITA, Honda), 24 p.; 10. Gareth Swanepoel (RSA, Honda), 20 p.

MX1 Championship top 10:

1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 138 points; 2. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), 120 p.; 3. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), 101 p.; 4. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 100 p.; 5. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Yamaha), 94 p.; 6. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 79 p.; 7. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), 70 p.; 8. Tanel Leok (EST, Honda), 66 p.; 9. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, Kawasaki), 56 p.; 10. Davide Guarneri (ITA, Honda), 56 p.

MX2 CLASS

This edition of the Dutch Grand Prix marked an historical home victory for 15-year-old Herlings, of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing MX2. Herlings grasped his first ever Grand Prix victory becoming the second youngest GP winner ever after Roczen – 15 years and 225 days for Herlings and 15 years and 53 days for Roczen.

The Dutch rider won in dominant style, leading both motos from the start to the flag, despite he started from the 14th position.

Teka Suzuki Europe World MX2’s Roczen took another second place, the third in three GP’s, but this time the young German clinched the red plate for the first time in his career just one week before turning 16 – on April 29. Roczen rode steady in second place as he decided it was better to settle for second rather than risk chasing Herlings.

Kawasaki CLS’ Frossard took third overall to celebrate his maiden podium finish on a sandy course, something the hard pack specialist from France was not so good at in the past seasons. After a couple of “so and so” starts, Frossard managed to work his way through the top five in both heats.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing MX2’s Shaun Simpson was a positive fourth overall meaning that the Scottish rider is on his way back to the top after a hand injury hampered the beginning of his season. Team-mate Musquin ended an unlucky weekend – he crashed on Saturday in the qualifying moto – by taking fifth overall.

MX2 Race 1 top 10:

1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 40:38.808; 2. Ken Roczen (GER, Suzuki), +0:11.538; 3. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +0:31.190; 4. Steven Frossard (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:32.125; 5. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Suzuki), +0:45.966; 6. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), +0:55.075; 7. Joel Roelants (BEL, KTM), +0:59.618; 8. Marvin Musquin (FRA, KTM), +1:10.331; 9. Harri Kullas (FIN, Yamaha), +1:10.864; 10. Zach Osborne (USA, Yamaha), +1:26.462.

MX2 Race 2 top 10:

1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 39:11.832; ; 2. Ken Roczen (GER, Suzuki), +0:12.186; 3. Steven Frossard (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:37.194; 4. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:51.914; 5. Marvin Musquin (FRA, KTM), +1:05.231; 6. Joel Roelants (BEL, KTM), +1:10.994; 7. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +1:13.917; 8. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), +1:14.452; 9. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Suzuki), +1:27.641; 10. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +1:33.609.

MX2 Overall top 10:

1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 50 points; 2. Ken Roczen (GER, Suzuki), 44 p.; 3. Steven Frossard (FRA, Kawasaki), 38 p.; 4. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 34 p.; 5. Marvin Musquin (FRA, KTM), 29 p.; 6. Joel Roelants (BEL, KTM), 29 p.; 7. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), 28 p.; 8. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), 28 p.; 9. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Suzuki), 28 p.; 10. Harri Kullas (FIN, Yamaha), 22 p.

MX2 Championship top 10:

1. Ken Roczen (GER, Suzuki), 130 points; 2. Marvin Musquin (FRA, KTM), 129 p.; 3. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 122 p.; 4. Steven Frossard (FRA, Kawasaki), 107 p.; 5. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Suzuki), 90 p.; 6. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 87 p.; 7. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), 80 p.; 8. Zach Osborne (USA, Yamaha), 78 p.; 9. Harri Kullas (FIN, Yamaha), 61 p.; 10. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), 60 p.

VETERANS CLASS

For the second consecutive time Mats Nilsson topped the FIM Veterans’ World Cup podium by winning both heats on the sand of Valkenswaard, where he also won in 2009.

Belgian rider Pascal Bal finished in second place overall ahead of home rider Hans Berendsen. Dutchman Erwin Hendrickx was fourth overall sharing the same 40 points score with Bal and Berendsen while France’s Christophe Lheriteau was sixth overall.

Nilsson retained the lead of the World Cup and is now followed by Hendrickx and Berendsen.

THE NEXT GP

The fourth of 15 GPs will be held at Agueda, Portugal, on May 9 and will host also the second round of the FIM Women’s World Championship. The third round of the FIM Veterans’ World Cup will be held in Glen Helen, USA, on May 30.

© Photo by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com