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/298857
IN THE WIND P24 CAIROLI, HERLINGS WIN IN BULGARIA R ed Bull KTM Factory Rac- ing Team's Antonio Cairoli and Jeffrey Herlings were both victorious at the FIM Motocross World Championship in Sev- lievo, Bulgaria, on April 20. Cai- roli extended his points lead in the MXGP division with a 2-1 tally, while Herlings moved to within four points of the MX2-class lead with a 1-1 sweep. The racers faced wet condi- tions in Bulgaria when rain fell for the second motos. Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team's Gautier Paulin mixed a brilliant race with an av- erage one for second overall. In fact, in race one, the Frenchman put an amazing pass on Cairoli for the win. Unfortunately for Pau- lin, the best he could do in the treacherous conditions of race two was fourth for second overall. Yamaha Factory Racing's Jer- emy Van Horebeek continued his climb up the championship ladder, as he landed yet another podium with third overall. After finishing fourth in race one, the Belgian proved his worth in race two when he took the gnarly conditions with a grain of salt, finishing second, just three sec- onds behind Cairoli. Rockstar Energy Suzuki World's Clement Desalle and Kevin Strijbos rounded out the weekend with a fourth and fifth overall, respectively. In MX2, Herlings came out swinging. Although winning race one proved no easy feat, the young Dutchman fought right to the end to claim the win in both races for his second perfect score of the season. Team CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy's Arnaud Tonus stayed in contention for the win through out both races. After taking two second-place finishes behind the two-time Herlings, Tonus re- mains the championship points leader - four points clear of the defending World Champion. Red Bull KTM Factory Rac- ing's Jordi Tixier had a solid set of thirds despite ditching his goggles early in race two. It was the Frenchman's first podium finish of the season. Even though CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy's Dylan Ferran- dis found himself in the thick of the battle for a podium finish, the Frenchman made too many er- rors, which in turn landed him in fourth overall with two consistent fourth-place finishes. Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing's Romain Febvre was forced to settle for fifth after a tangle with a lapped rider saw him lose his easy third-place fin- ish in race two. Antonio Cairoli extended his points lead with a 2-1 overall win at the Bulgarian MX Grand Prix. PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAY ARCHER/KTM IMAGES