Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1539512
WIND IN THE P66 "The heat was so tough," Herlings said. "Coming from Holland, I'm not used to these conditions. Tim pressured me the whole weekend, every race, and it wasn't easy at all. Maybe it looked simple, but this was one of the hardest ones for me to win." Gajser finished second overall in what proved to be his best race back from injury. The HRC Honda rider moved through the pack in both motos and made a late-race pass on Renaux for second to start the day. In race two, Gajser fought to the end to catch Herlings but couldn't man - age a pass in the final laps. "Not easy, especially with the hot weather, but I feel like I'm slowly coming back to my old self again after the injury," Gajser said. "I tried on the last lap [of the second moto] to make a move, but he was riding perfect - ly, covering all the insides and not making mistakes." Gajser's teammate Ruben Fer- nandez rounded out the podium in third overall. The Spanish rider crossed the line in fourth behind Romain Febvre in race one but flip-flopped results with the points leader in the final race of the day. Knowing that Febvre wouldn't risk extra positions, Fer - nandez passed the Frenchman for third late in the second moto and used the extra points to earn the final spot on the box. Febvre continues his strong - hold on the points lead with fourth overall. His main rival, Lucas Coenen, struggled with the heat and later crashed at the start of race two. He finished outside the top 10 overall, which allowed Febvre to safely take fourth and still gain points. He now leads by 47 going into the final round. MX2 The championship is com - ing down to the wire in the MX2 division as Simon Laengenfelder held a small 12-point advantage over Kay de Wolf heading into round 19. Laengenfelder's team - mate, Sacha Coenen, grabbed the holeshot in race one and took off with the early lead while the championship contenders battled for a podium position. Sacha held the advantage until a crash on the final lap dramati- cally decreased his 14-second lead. He remounted in first and claimed the win as de Wolf slipped to second and Laengen- felder recovered for third. Laengenfelder, the points leader, took the holeshot in race two and looked to maximize his points take on the day as de Wolf started outside the top five. The reigning champ, de Wolf, spent the early laps working his way up to fourth behind the three front-runners but fell and lost a ton of ground. Laengenfelder continued to hold the top spot as Coenen crashed while going for the lead but later came under fire from his fellow KTM teammate Andrea Adamo. Adamo made a pass for first on the final lap and stole the race win away from Laengenfelder. This late-race shakeup bumped Sacha to the overall win with 1-3 finishes, Adamo to second with a 4-1, and Laengenfelder to third with 3-2. With de Wolf finishing fourth overall, Laengenfelder still holds a 16-point gap heading into the final round. CN MXGP 1. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 1-1 2. Tim Gajser (Hon) 2-2 3. Ruben Fernandez (Hon) 5-3 4. Romain Febvre (Kaw) 4-4 5. Maxime Renaux (Yam) 3-6 MX2 1. Sacha Coenen (KTM) 1-3 2. Andrea Adamo (KTM) 4-1 3. Simon Laengenfelder (KTM) 3-2 4. Kay de Wolf (Hus) 2-4 5. Camden McLellan (Tri) 7-5 2025 MXGP & MX2 of China Video Highlights