Slightly chilly and drizzly conditions set the scene here at the classic circuit of Teutschenthal for the tenth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship where Team HRC’s Evgeny Bobryshev and Honda Gariboldi’s Tim Gajser reigned supreme.
Leading the way into race two here at the fifth round of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship is FontaMXRacing Yamaha’s Kiara Fontanesi who passed the series leader Team One One Four’s Livia Lancelot late in race one.
Meanwhile the opening race of the European Championship EMX250 round five was won by Kemea Yamaha Factory Yamalube’s Damon Graulus.
As the clouds began to darken, threatening rain once again, it was the thunder from down under Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Dean Ferris that claimed the holeshot and led the opening laps.
Team HRC’s Evgeny Bobryshev, who collected his one and only grand prix victory at this circuit back in 2011, scrubbed past Ferris for the lead a few laps in and put in a textbook performance for his second qualifying heat win of the season.
Around mid-race the Yamaha Factory Racing Yamalube duo of Romain Febvre and Jeremy Van Horebeek knocked on Ferris’ door. Ferris tried to step up to the challenge but couldn’t hold off the wrath of the boys in blue and ended up dropping back to fourth.
Meanwhile Team HRC’s Gautier Paulin was on the cable around mid moto but crashed while digging for traction in effort to get around Ferris. While on the deck the Honda rider briefly lost a spot to Hitachi Construction Machinery Revo KTM’s Shaun Simpson but quickly managed to re-group and take it back with two laps to go.
It was a dramatic start to the weekend for the home soil legend Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Nagl who was ran into on the second turn.
Nagl went down and tangled DP19 Racing Yamaha’s David Philippaerts up in the carnage as well. Nagl went to the medical centre to have his ankle examined where we have had no further news as of yet.
Update: X-rays at the track confirmed a fracture to his ankle, with Max taken immediately to Halle Hospital where he underwent minor surgery. As a result of his injury and subsequent surgery Max will take no further part in the MXGP of Germany.
There’s no official word at this point on a return date for the series leader but this will undoubtedly put the popular German pilot out for several rounds.
As for the defending champion Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tony Cairoli, he put in a super brave performance for 11th.
MXGP Qualifying Race Top Ten: 1. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), 24:05.340; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:06.104; 3. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:26.819; 4. Dean Ferris (AUS, Husqvarna), +0:30.909; 5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Honda), +0:34.020; 6. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +0:40.438; 7. Todd Waters (AUS, Husqvarna), +0:41.001; 8. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Honda), +0:43.188; 9. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:49.309; 10. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Honda), +0:52.929.
MX2
When the gates fell for the MX2 Qualifying heat the usual holeshotters were all up front. Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Aleksandr Tonkov led the way around turn one ahead of Honda Gariboldi’s Tim Gajser and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings. As Gajser bit the bullet and cut up the inside of Tonkov for the early lead, Herlings lost the front and went down.
Standing Construct Yamaha Yamalube’s Valentin Guillod went around Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass for third which was replicated by Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Jordi Tixier shortly after.
Impressively, Guillod, who has qualified on pole twice this year, ran a hot pace into a ‘S’ section on lap two and passed Tonkov for second. In the latter stages of the race Tonkov came under some heat from Tixier but miraculously found another gear and shook him off for third.
Tixier settled for fourth while the battle for fifth shaped up awesome. Jonass started to fade as Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Petar Petrov, Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe’s Jeremy Seewer and Monster Energy DRT Kawasaki’s Max Anstie found their feet.
With rain dampening the clay in the morning, one fast line was formed which made it difficult for the four riders charging for fifth to find new lines that work well enough to make passes stick. Instead they had to ride wheel to wheel and wait for the door to open. After bar bashing for the last few laps it was Petrov who held on for fifth followed by Anstie, Seewer and Jonass.
MX2 Qualifying Race Top Ten: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 24:32.708; 2. Valentin Guillod (SUI, Yamaha), +0:08.931; 3. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, Husqvarna), +0:14.262; 4. Jordi Tixier (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:19.104; 5. Petar Petrov (BUL, Kawasaki), +0:21.404; 6. Max Anstie (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:21.643; 7. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:23.261; 8. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:26.624; 9. Julien Lieber (BEL, Yamaha), +0:31.776; 10. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:40.252.
Sunday MXGP of Germany Timetable
Sunday: EMX150 Warm-up 08:10; WMX Warm-up 08:25; EMX250 Warm-up 08:40; EMX150 Race 2 09:40; WMX Race 2 10:30; MX2 Warm up 11:10; MXGP Warm up 11:30; EMX250 Race 2 12:00; MX2 Race 1 13:15; MXGP Race 1 14:15; MX2 Race 2 16:10; MXGP Race 2 17:10.
