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/354059
IN THE WIND P32 FIRST WINS FOR VAN HOREBEEK, TIXIER A fter flirting with victory so many times this season in the FIM MXGP World Championship, Yamaha Factory Racing's Jeremy Van Horebeek finally nabbed his first MXGP win of his career at the Loket Circuit in the Czech Repub- lic, July 26. The Belgian came away with the overall victory with 2-1 moto finishes. "I came into this weekend thinking this weekend is my time, after I made a mistake in Finland I was happy I did it, it's great," he said. "The feeling is a little dif- ficult to explain but these guys here in MXGP are the best riders in the world so it's a special one, it won't be my last, I've tasted it and now I want more." Even Rockstar Energy Suzuki World's Kevin Strijbos, who rode flawlessly to victory in race one, couldn't help but smile for his fellow countryman even though he was clearly guttered to have come so close to taking his first Grand Prix win since Lierop 2007 and having it not pan out. Had he passed Antonio Cairoli in the second moto, he would've taken the overall. As it was, his 1-3 netted him second overall on the day. Red Bull KTM Factory Rac- ing's Antonio Cairoli was third overall. "I find Loket very difficult on a 350cc," Cairoli said. "I have to rev a lot which causes a lot of wheel spin and it's difficult to find the balance with my power and corner speed, so I was looking forward to putting this GP behind me, but I did my best like I do every time, but Jere (Van Hore- beek) was on the gas today." Without Red Bull KTM's Jef- frey Herlings, who is out with a broken femur, on the starting line, the MX2 class was pretty much up for the taking, and it was Herling's teammate Jordi Tixier who took the win. Tixier made quick work of hot starters KTM Silver to claim his first ever MX2 race victory. In the second moto, the French- man was put to the ultimate test after an average start left him brawling for points in what was one of the gnarliest battles of the season. At the end of it, the KTM rider banked fourth to reach yet another milestone in his career with his first ever MX2 Grand Prix overall. Standing Construct KTM's Valentin Guillod rode incredibly this weekend to uncork a bottle of bubbles on the MX2 podium for the first time in his career with second overall. Probably the most surprising performances of the weekend was that of Yamaha Factory Rac- ing's Christophe Charlier who came into this weekend com- pletely overlooked with three of his fellow French competitors in the running for the MX2 title stealing the limelight. After miss- ing six Grand Prix' this season after fracturing his shin in Thai- land, Charlier buried his seventh in race one with a stellar perfor- mance in race two, which saw him gobble up the competition to claim his first MX2 race victory and podium finish this year with third. PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY YAMAHA