MOTOCROSS
FIM WORLD MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUND 1/FEBRUARY 28, 2015
LOSAIL CIRCUIT/LOSAIL, QATAR
P92
to find the desert sand and the
blend resulted in some deep
and unexpected holes. The
surface was pounded to reveal
edgy bumps and unforgiving ruts
that really tested the expertise
of the suspension technicians
back in the permanent pit-lane
complex. Riders were frequently
sent bucking through sections
and were unsettled attempting
some of the major jumps. There
was line choice but not effective
passing places and the speed
of the layout meant lap-times
were close. There were crashes
aplenty. Some costly.
Remarkably one person
who dealt admirably with the
conditions was Red Bull KTM's
Jeffrey Herlings in MX2. Having
returned to the factory bike only
three weeks before Qatar and
after a protracted eight month
lay-off to solve issues surround-
ing his broken femur, the double
World Champion described his
condition as "60 percent" after
taking a close Pole Position from
Monster Energy CLS Kawasaki's
Thomas Covington on Friday
(Covington was stronger and
better prepared for his second
MX2 year, but like his teammates
Jordi Tixier and Dylan Ferrandis
could not keep both wheels
up on Saturday). There was no
strain of the Dutchman's former
kidology regarding his physical
condition and potential on this
occasion, but as the trackside
commentator Roger Warren
pointed out while Herlings dis-
mantled the plights of Ferrandis
and the surprising form of Stand-
ing Construct Yamaha's Julien
Lieber in both motos, Herlings'
60 percent is probably more
capable than many riders' 100.
The KTM man wept upon
finishing the race and exorcised
the anguish and disappointment
of an incredibly difficult phase in
his young career and life. Fer-
Clement Desalle gave
Suzuki runner-up honors in
the MXGP class.
