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/697689
IN THE WIND P32 GAJSER DOUBLES UP IN MANTOVA MXGP A fter some rather indifferent weather at the last few rounds of the 2016 FIM Motocross World Championship, Mantova, in the Lombardia region of Italy, had some absolutely scorching heat, mak- ing it a real test for the riders to maintain the pace for their two motos. However, while the condi- tions were much trickier than previous rounds, the same guys still stood atop the podium in both classes. Much like the race in Arco di Trento, the race in Mantova can be considered to be Tim Gajser's "home" MXGP and a vast number of Slovenian fans made their way across the border, ready to watch their hero do battle on the track with the real hometown hero, Antonio Cairoli. And battle they did, as the pair put on a real show in the sec- ond moto, swapping the lead a couple of times, but in the end the veteran just couldn't match the rookie and Gajser went onto win both races, mak- ing it seven motos out of eight on the season. With Romain Febvre sitting out due to a concussion he sustained in Great Britain last weekend, this was a big chance for Gajser and he took it, extending his points lead to 92 over Cairoli. Behind him, it was Honda's Gautier Paulin who, once again, looked impressive, and it surely won't be long before he's challenging Gajser for race wins. His 3-2 was good enough to finish just ahead of Clement Desalle, who made his long- awaited return to the podium with 2-4 results. It's been a tough year for the new KRT Kawasaki rider, but finally he's back where he belongs and with six rounds left; he should be able to move up the championship table despite an injury-hit campaign. Cairoli could only come fourth with 6-3 moto scores and now sits 32 points ahead of Febvre, who should be rearing to go when the season resumes in the Czech Republic in four weeks' time. If a track features any- thing remotely close to sand, you can guarantee that Jeffrey Herlings will win in MX2, which is pretty much like any other surface, but on sand it's definitely more emphatic, and that was the case today as he won with leads of 29 and 73 seconds over the next best rider. This week, it was a fellow Dutch rider, Brian Bogers, who had by far the best MXGP of his career, scor- ing a second and third place that gave the jubilant youngster his first-ever podium overall. He finished ahead of Frenchman Dylan Ferrandis, who some- how came third despite crashing frequently during the day. His 35 points were just enough to see off American Thomas Covington into fourth, who had his best MXGP of the season with 4-5 finishes. Things were looking good for American Dar- ian Sanayei midway through the second moto of his EMX250 class. He'd won the first race after a good battle with red-plate holder Thomas Kjer Olsen and was leading the second race after holeshotting, but unfortunately his bike locked up causing him to DNF. With the DNF went any out- side chance of a championship. Still, he's shown everyone he has the speed to win races in all con- ditions and shouldn't have any difficulty securing an MX2 ride for next year. David Bulmer Honda riders Gautier Paulin (left) and Tim Gajser went 2-1 in Mantova. Gajser now has a comfortable lead in the MXGP championship.