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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1122949
Gajser Closes In On Cairoli At Saint Jean d'Angely MXGP F or the second weekend in a row, Tim Gajser (Honda HRC) emerged victorious in the 2019 FIM Motocross World Champion- ship. His latest victory came at the MXGP of France at Saint Jean d'Angely. In the first MXGP moto, Gajser started off in third but quickly got around championship leader Antonio Cairoli (Red Bull KTM) and early leader Arnaud Tonus (Yamaha). From there, Gajser pulled away for the win, with Cairoli taking second and Tonus third. Frenchman Romain Febvre (Yamaha) gave the home crowd something to cheer about when he bolted into the lead at the start of the second moto, but fifth-place starter Gajser would eventually catch and then pass Febvre for the lead and eventual win. Febvre did hold on to second, with Tonus taking third. It was a disastrous moto for Cairoli who jumped the starting gate and got a terrible start. While frantically working his way up through the pack, he dropped his bike while run- ning just outside the top 10 and slipped back to 25th. He fought his way up to 17th when he stalled the engine and lost another position. The Italian would eventually finish the race in 17th place for seventh overall and see his points lead get slashed to just 10 points over Gajser, 311-301. Gajser's 1-1 gave him his first back-to-back GP wins since 2017, and Tonus' 3-3 gave the Swiss rider the best MXGP finish of his career with a second. Third overall went to Febvre with a 5-3. This was the first non-KTM podium since 2017. "I'm really happy how both days went," Gajser said. "I was having fun on the track, and even though it was rough and sketchy in some places, it was still enjoyable to race on. In the first race, I took a little time to pass the guys in front of me before getting the lead and making a gap to control the race. In the second moto, I clipped the gate and almost went over the handlebar off the start, but I recovered. I made some passes to get near the front and then settled for a couple of laps in third before making a strike to get out front." "It is not the best day," Cairoli said. "It felt like the whole weekend was a struggle right from [a] crash on the first corners of the qualification heat and getting run over by some riders. My ankle is not IN THE WIND P56 Tim Gajser recorded his second MXGP victory in a row at Saint Jean d'Angely. PHOTO: HONDA HRC