The FIM Motocross World Championship jumps across the English Channel this weekend for the 2018 MXGP of Great Britain at the famous Matterley Basin circuit for the eighth round of the year.
It has been nearly two weeks since the last race in Germany where Red Bull KTM Factory Racingās Jeffrey Herlings dominated and his team-mate and main title rival Tony Cairoli had his worst finish of the year with a sixth overall.
While the battle has recently been between Herlings and Cairoli many others are stepping up their game such as Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racingās Gautier Paulin, Monster Energy Kawasaki Factory Racingās Clement Desalle and Team HRCās Tim Gajser.
The Matterley Basin track has long been famous in the world of motocross for not only hosting some of the biggest races in the world such as the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations as recent as last year where Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racingās Max Anstie led team GB to the podium but also for its rolling hills and grassy natural terrain.
In the MX2 category, Red Bull KTM Factory Racingās Jorge Prado and Pauls Jonass continue to battle in ultra-competitive but clean racing. The team-mates speed is, however, starting to be matched by some of the other youngsters in the class like Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racingās Thomas Kjer Olsen and Kemea Yamaha Official MX2ās Ben Watson who will have the extra motivation of racing in front of his home fans.
Joining the MXGP and MX2 riders this weekend will be the EMX250 championship, the EMX300 presented by FMF Racing championship, and the FIM Veteran Motocross World Cup.
In EMX250, REVO Husqvarna UKās Martin Barr holds the points advantage but by only two points over his team-mate Mel Pocock.
Meanwhile in EMX300 Presented by FMF Racing GL12 Racingās Mike Kras leads the way with three rounds complete of the seven this season. The one-off event, the Veteranās Motocross World Cup, will host interesting racing with past winners such as Martin Zerava battling against Bogomir Gajser and Mervyn Anstie among others.
MXGP
Looking to continue his strong start to MXGP is Red Bull KTM Factory Racingās Jeffrey Herlings who now leads the championship by 48 points over Tony Cairoli. Both Herlings and Cairoli raced the MXoN at Matterley Basin last year where Herlings had a first and a second while Cairoli scored an 11th and a seventh.
Historically Herlings has raced MX2 here on five occasions and never missed the top five including two wins in 2014 and 2016. Cairoli, on the other hand, has raced this GP seven times scoring four overall victories.
Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Teamās Clement Desalle has been consistently strong this season and is the only rider to win outside of Herlings and Cairoli. Desalle has raced here six times since 2006 and won the GP in 2013 then followed it up with second overall in 2014 and 2015.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racingās Gautier Paulin has recently been focused on improving his starts and it clearly worked in Germany when he took both Fox Holeshots, for the first time this season. Paulin has been on the GP podium at Matterly Basin three times but has never won here with the monumental exception of leading team France to MXoN victory here last October 2017.
Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGPās Romain Febvre has stepped up his game lately even leading and challenging for a race win in Latviaās race one. The Frenchman, who damaged tendons in his arm during Latviaās race two, will have taken full advantage of the weekend off to get back to 100 per cent. Febvreās best result at Matterley Basin came in 2015 with third overall. Also not to forget is that he has more good memories from the circuit last year when he was part of the French MXoN winning team with Paulin.
TM Factory Racingās Max Nagl has been working to improve on his results so far this year and Matterley Basin may be one track that could host a strong performance from the German, he took second overall here in 2016.
We shouldn’t forget Team HRCās Tim Gajser as he not only is gaining ground on the speed of the championship leaders but he won the overall here at the last World Championship event in 2016 and he had his first ever FIM MX2 World Championship podium finish in 2014.
Last but not least is the home GP heroes, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racingās Max Anstie and Bike IT DRT Kawasakiās Tommy Searle. Both have had a difficult season so far but Anstie and Searle teamed up here at the 2017 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations to score team GB their first MXoN podium in several years.
MXGP Championship Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 386 points;2. Tony Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 338 p.;3. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 278 p.;4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HUS), 258 p.;5. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 255 p.;6. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 221 p.;7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 207 p.;8. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 193 p.;9. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 176 p.;10. Julien Lieber (BEL, KAW), 149 p.
2016 MXGP of Great Britain MXGP Top 3
- Tim Gajser
- Maximilian Nagl
- Gautier Paulin
MX2
Just as in MXGP the MX2 class is led by two Red Bull KTM Factory Racing riders, Pauls Jonass leads the points and was dominant early in the season while Jorge Prado has continued to improve and has the momentum in his favour.
Jonass has raced the circuit twice in his career opting out of racing the MXoN event last year but scoring a fourth in 2015 and a third in 2016. Prado, on the other hand, has only raced here during the 2017 MXoN event where he finished a disappointing 28th and 40th in the two races.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racingās Thomas Kjer Olsen is the only rider to have won this season apart from Jonass or Prado. Olsenās win came only two GPs ago in Latvia. Olsen, similar to Prado, only raced here last year with race results of ninth and 10th.
Holding down fourth in the MX2 championship is Great Britainās own Kemea Yamaha rider, Ben Watson.
Watson has had his strongest season on record yet including his career first podium and he still continues to impress. Watsonās only MX2 result at Matterly Basin comes from 2015 when he finished 18th. Going off of his season so far and the added benefit of the home fans it is likely to see Watson battling for the top five if not the podium or even a win this weekend.
F&H Racing Teamās Jed Beaton currently is fifth in the points but has Team HRCās Calvin Vlaanderen just seven points further back. Both Beaton and Vlaanderen have had stand out rides this year but Vlaanderen seems to have the momentum after scoring his first podium of the season at the last GP in Germany.
Also to keep in mind is the return of Bike IT DRT Kawasakiās Darien Sanayei this weekend who is no stranger to the Matterley Basin circuit. Sanayei showed serious speed early in the year before injuring his knee and may be a wildcard for the podium.
MX2 Championship Top Ten: 1. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 351 points;2. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 329 p.;3. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 288 p.;4. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 246 p.;5. Jed Beaton (AUS, KAW), 203 p.;6. Calvin Vlaanderen (RSA, HON), 196 p.;7. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 160 p.;8. Henry Jacobi (GER, HUS), 157 p.;9. Davy Pootjes (NED, KTM), 140 p.;10. Michele Cervellin (ITA, HON), 139 p.
2016 MXGP of Great Britain MX2 top 3
- Jeffrey Herlings
- Dylan Ferrandis
- Pauls Jonass
MX2 of Great Britain timetable (local time GMT+1)
Saturday: 08h15 EMX300 Free/Time Practice, 09h00 VMX Free/Time Practice, 09h45 EMX250 Group 1 Free/Time Practice, 10h30 EMX250 Group 2 Free/Time Practice, 11h30 MX2 Free Practice, 12h00 MXGP Free Practice, 13h00 EMX250 Last Chance Race, 14h00 MX2 Time Practice, 14h40 MXGP Time Practice, 15h25 EMX300 Race 1, 16h25 MX2 Qualifying Race, 17h10 MXGP Qualifying Race, 17h55 VMX Race 1, 18h40 EMX250 Race 1.
Sunday: 08h45 EMX300 Race 2, 09h45 VMX Race 2, 10h25 MX2 Warm-up, 10h45 MXGP Warm-up, 11h30 EMX250 Race 2, 13h15 MX2 Race 1, 14h15 MXGP Race 1, 16h10 MX2 Race 2, 17h10 MXGP Race 2.
