Race report: 2013 MXGP Ernee – France Round Eight

Tommy Searle had his best GP weekend of the year so far with a creative, fast and aggressive display. And the home crowd were delighted with three podium places. But it was Tony Cairoli and Jeffrey Herlings that came away with the overall wins at the 2013 Grand Prix of France in Ernee.

The first MX2 moto was red flagged after the start due to a start gate malfunction but the rest of the motos were run without incident.

Ernee also hosted the second round of the EMX250 European Championship and Valentin Guillod obtained another strong victory, while Jeremy Seewer and Ceriel Klein Kromhof were second and third respectively.

MX1

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tony Cairoli obtained his 59th Grand Prix victory in Ernee after finishing second and first in Sunday’s motos. In the first moto the Italian took the Get Athena holeshot Award, but halfway through the race Cairoli made a mistake while trying to change his line and Gautier Paulin overtook him.

The KTM rider did not give up and he kept trying to pass the Frenchman until the very last lap. In the end, to the delight of the home crowd, Cairoli had to settle for second position. In the second moto Cairoli – the current red plate holder – took another holey and this time nothing stopped the Italian from leading start to checkers.

The second overall position went to Kawasaki Racing Team’s Gautier Paulin who was not able to finish on the top of the podium, but was very pleased to win the first moto in front of his home crowd – who enthusiastically cheered him throughout the weekend.

In the second moto the home rider had a really good start but in the first corner there was a crash and he was taken out to the outside, leaving Paulin down in sixth. Before the chequered flag he pulled some places back and would cross the finish line fourth, giving him the second step on the podium.

Rockstar Energy Suzuki World’s Clement Desalle was very satisfied for his third overall position on Sunday, especially because he struggled a lot on Saturday during qualifying. The Belgian admitted that they made some small modifications on his bike, which helped him to feel more comfortable during the motos.

In both heats Desalle had a good start, and whereas he rode a consistent first moto in third position after he had overtaken Van Horebeek – in the second he passed Boog after the first three laps and he held second until the chequered flag.

CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy Pro Circuit’s Tommy Searle had one of his best performances of the season after finishing fourth overall. The British rider started down in twelfth in the first moto, but he managed to finish seventh in front of Nagl with whom he had a thrilling battle during most of the race. In moto two Searle had a much better start and finished third, which gave him the fourth overall position, his best result so far in his rookie MX1 year.

Kawasaki Racing Team’s Jeremy Van Horebeek also grabbed his best result of the season in Ernee – the Belgian rider proved that he is now ready to be among the top five positions at every Grand Prix. In moto one he was second after the start, but Paulin and Desalle were faster, so Van Horebeek chose to ride safe in fourth place.

After three laps De Dycker caught Van Horebeek and he overtook him, but with two laps to go, Van Horebeek passed him back and finished fourth. In the second moto Van Horebeek was involved in a crash in the first corner and he was only able to finish sixth. However, the Belgian was really satisfied with his fifth overall position.

Ken De Dycker was back riding among the top five positions in France, but he was only able to finish sixth overall. In the first moto he rode fourth most of the race, but with two laps to go he lost one position to Van Horebeek and he finished fifth. In the second moto the KTM rider was able to move up to third in the early laps of the race, but he crossed the finish line fifth again.

Kevin Strijbos finished seventh overall, ahead of Davide Guarneri and Xavier Boog. Evgeny Bobryshev completed the top ten.

MX2

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings woke up with a lot of pain on Sunday morning due to the crash he suffered during the qualifying race. But the Dutch ace had two good starts and he won both motos, but he admitted later that he struggled to find the good lines due to the pain from his injuries. Herlings will not have much time to recover, but he is already looking forward to racing in Maggiora next weekend.

Rockstar Bud Racing Kawasaki’s Dylan Ferrandis made one of his dreams come true by finishing second overall in his home Grand Prix. In the first moto Ferrandis started third behind Herlings and Butron, but he quickly passed the Spanish rider and he did his best to follow The Bullet.

At one point in the race Ferrandis was really close to catching the Dutch rider, but in the end he had to settle for second position. In moto two Ferrandis started second behind British rider Jake Nicholls and the French rider sent the crowd crazy when he took the lead after four laps.

However, he made a mistake and he dropped down to third, but he was able to overtake Nicholls again by the end of the moto, crossing the finish line second.

The third overall position was also went to another French rider, the Monster Energy Yamaha’s Christophe Charlier. Charlier had a difficult first moto because he started down in the 13th position, but he managed to finish the moto ninth.

In the second moto the French rider had a better start and after exchanging the fourth position with Ferrandis and Tonkov, he was able to move up to third in the final laps of the race. Charlier was very satisfied with his result as it is his maiden podium of the season.

It was also an excellent weekend for JTECH ESTA Motorsports Racing Honda’s Alexander Tonkov who managed to finish fourth overall in the Grand Prix of France. In the first moto the Russian was only able to finish eighth after a poor start, but in the second one he rode an incredible race moving from an initial ninth position to a final fourth place.

Wilvo Neestan JM Racing KTM’s Jake Nicholls finished fifth overall, level on points with Tonkov and just one point off the podium. The outspoken British rider was consistent in the first moto and held fourth place, but by the end of the race Tixier and Butron had passed him and he had to settle with fifth.

In moto two Nicholls had an excellent start and he took the lead in the first lap, but he could not keep the rhythm and Herlings overtook him. The British rider stalled the bike with three laps to go and he crossed the finish line fifth.

Jordi Tixier had a disappointing weekend – the French rider had great hopes for his home Grand Prix, but in the first moto he was only able to finish fourth and in the second he made a mistake early in the race and he was down to the 17th. Tixier made an excellent recovery and he finished ninth – giving him an overall sixth.

Jose Butron, who bagged the Get Athena Holeshot Award in the first moto struggled to find a good rhythm on the French track and he ended his weekend seventh overall. Glenn Coldenhoff took eighth and Petar Petrov and Max Anstie completed the top ten.

Maxime Desprey and Jason Clermont, who had excellent qualifying races on Saturday, were 11th and 12th and Dean Ferris – who took pole – had a DNF in the first moto due to a mechanical problem and his sixth place in the second moto left him 13th overall.

Romain Febvre was back this weekend from a broken fibula, but a stone hit his helmet in the first moto and he was forced to retire. That was the end of his weekend’s racing with the stone causing injuries to his eye and nose.

The FIM Motocross World Championship will travel to Italy next weekend for round nine at the beautiful track of Maggiora.

Detailed 2013 Grand Prix of France – Ernee results