VOL. 55 ISSUE 12 MARCH 27, 2018 P33
making the necessary passes in
his usual aggressive style, but
once again, the clock was his
enemy as he simply ran out of
time in order to make any sort of
move for the lead.
The pair crossed the line just
a couple of seconds apart, but
it is now the #222 that will wear
the red plate at the next round in
Trentino, Italy, April 8, because
despite them being level on 141
points, Cairoli's more recent win
is the championship tie-breaker.
Desalle's fourth place was
good enough to see him on the
third step of the overall podium,
and maintain his position in the
championship as "best of the
rest."
Things are much simpler in
the MX2 class, as Pauls Jonass
made it 150 points out of 150
with another convincing display
in both motos. He did come
under pressure by Thomas Kjer
Olsen and Darian Sanayei in
race two, but again, he kept his
cool, rode smart and made sure
his number-one-plated KTM
stayed in first position.
In a class where consistency
is one of the hardest things, his
six wins in a row stand out head
and shoulders above his rivals,
and although we are only three
rounds in, it is already looking
like a tall order for anyone to
usurp the current MX2 Cham-
pion.
Behind, there was a real bat-
tle, as Spanish youngster Jorge
Prado desperately tried to hold
onto second spot on the podium
at his home GP. When Olsen
was running in second place
in the second moto, he was in
control of that position but a
small mistake cost him a couple
of positions and that allowed the
rider to sneak through, much
to the delight of the partisan
crowd. Olsen did round off the
podium, but only just as Sanayei
put in the best ride of his career
to finish second in race two. If
the American had just got out
the gate a bit better in the first
race, he could have quite easily
had his first-ever podium spot,
instead he could only come
back through the pack to finish
sixth, which, combined with his
second, gave him one less point
than Olsen.
The championships now
take a much needed weekend
off, before resuming the racing
at scenic Arco di Trento track
where Cairoli will be looking to
win in front of his home fans, like
Herlings did at Valkenswaard in
the second round of the series.
David Bulmer
MXGP Overall
1. Antonio Cairoli (KTM)
2. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM)
3. Clement Desalle (Kaw)
4. Romain Febvre (Yam)
5. Gautier Paulin (Hus)
MX2 Overall
1. Pauls Jonass (KTM)
2. Jorge Prado (KTM)
3. Thomas Kjer Olsen (Hus)
4. Darian Sanayei (Kaw)
5. Hunter Lawrence (Hon)
Pauls Jonass is still perfect in MX2.
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
RAY
ARCHER
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
RAY
ARCHER
