Jeffrey Herlings (Red Bull KTM) will go to the gate tomorrow with first pick for the MXGP of Germany at Teutschenthal – round eight of the FIM Motocross World Championship – after his fifth consecutive qualification race win.
The Dutchman, who heads the championship by 29 points, took the holeshot from France’s Gautier Paulin (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) and his team-mate and defending champion Tony Cairoli and led every lap as he streaked to a four-and-a-half second win.
“It was a really good moto,” he said. “I had an awesome start and took the holeshot so I’m very pleased with that but it was hard to make a difference to the other guys because the track was so easy but I’m happy with today and feeling good and looking forward to tomorrow.”
Herlings’ idea of an ‘easy’ track is vastly different from everyone else’s – make no mistake, Teutschenthal was brutal today with big rocks coming through early on making handguards a necessity – but there’s no roost at the front and Herlings was in control from the get-go.
Belgium’s Clement Desalle (Monster Energy Kawasaki), who won in Russia, went down in turn two and restarted last and after a lap Slovenian Tim Gajser (Team HRC) had moved into fourth but there was no change in position at the front as Cairoli tried and failed to close down Paulin who had the measure of the Sicilian.
The nine-time champion looked comfortable in third until three laps from the end when, after a heavy landing, his start device re-engaged. Designed to compress a rider’s forks out of the gate, start devices seriously restrict front suspension movement and Cairoli had to repeatedly kick his WP units unit they sprang free.
By this time he’d lost places to Gajser, the Monster Energy Yamaha pairing of Jeremy Van Horebeek from Belgium and France’s Romain Febvre along with Swiss racer Jeremy Seewer (Wilvo Yamaha) who won the MX2 overall here last year.
The top 10 was rounded out by Belgian Julien Leiber (Monster Energy Kawasaki), Italy’s Alessandro Lupino (Gebben Kawasaki) and Dutchman Glenn Coldenhoff (Red Bull KTM). Desalle was 21st after a fruitless chase.
With Shaun Simpson (Wilvo Yamaha) and Graeme Irwin (Hitachi ASA KTM UK) still sidelined through injury, UK hopes rested on the shoulders of Max Anstie (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) and Tommy Searle (Bike It DRT Kawasaki) who was making his return to action after breaking his collarbone at round two at Valkenswaard.
With passing difficult on such a fast track, Anstie completed the first lap in 19th and had advanced to 17th at the flag while Searle moved forward from 27th to 20th. EMX250 contender Steven Clarke (Carglass Honda), having a wild card ride in Germany, was 24th.
MXGP Germany qualifying
1 84 Herlings, Jeffrey NED KNMV KTM 24:12.661 13 0:00.000 0:00.000 1:47.006 8 51.8
2 21 Paulin, Gautier FRA MCM Husqvarna 24:17.252 13 0:04.591 0:04.591 1:47.706 5 51.4
3 243 Gajser, Tim SLO AMZS Honda 24:20.436 13 0:07.775 0:03.184 1:47.663 8 51.4
4 89 Van Horebeek, Jeremy BEL FMB Yamaha 24:25.582 13 0:12.921 0:05.146 1:47.756 7 51.4
5 461 Febvre, Romain FRA FFM Yamaha 24:31.107 13 0:18.446 0:05.525 1:47.659 7 51.4
6 91 Seewer, Jeremy SUI FMS Yamaha 24:33.167 13 0:20.506 0:02.060 1:48.479 12 51.1
7 222 Cairoli, Antonio ITA FMI KTM 24:35.607 13 0:22.946 0:02.440 1:47.568 5 51.5
8 33 Lieber, Julien BEL FMB Kawasaki 24:38.243 13 0:25.582 0:02.636 1:48.631 3 51
9 77 Lupino, Alessandro ITA FMI Kawasaki 24:39.573 13 0:26.912 0:01.330 1:49.030 4 50.8
10 259 Coldenhoff, Glenn NED KNMV KTM 24:40.914 13 0:28.253 0:01.341 1:48.995 7 50.8
11 777 Bobryshev, Evgeny RUS MFR Suzuki 24:43.757 13 0:31.096 0:02.843 1:49.061 5 50.8
12 22 Strijbos, Kevin BEL FMB KTM 24:47.659 13 0:34.998 0:03.902 1:48.862 9 50.9
13 141 Desprey, Maxime FRA FFM Kawasaki 24:50.930 13 0:38.269 0:03.271 1:49.764 5 50.5
14 17 Butron, Jose ESP RFME KTM 24:52.466 13 0:39.805 0:01.536 1:49.547 10 50.6
15 27 Jasikonis, Arminas LTU LMSF Honda 24:54.776 13 0:42.115 0:02.310 1:49.003 10 50.8
16 152 Petrov, Petar BUL BMF Honda 24:56.804 13 0:44.143 0:02.028 1:49.854 10 50.4
17 99 Anstie, Max GBR ACU Husqvarna 24:57.993 13 0:45.332 0:01.189 1:49.728 11 50.5
18 12 Nagl, Maximilian GER DMSB TM 24:58.961 13 0:46.300 0:00.968 1:49.367 6 50.6
19 128 Monticelli, Ivo ITA FMI Yamaha 25:14.040 13 1:01.379 0:15.079 1:51.083 4 49.9
20 100 Searle, Tommy GBR ACU Kawasaki 25:26.854 13 1:14.193 0:12.814 1:50.564 7 50.1
21 25 Desalle, Clement BEL FMB Kawasaki 25:32.460 13 1:19.799 0:05.606 1:50.850 2 50
22 6 Paturel, Benoit FRA FFM KTM 25:35.108 13 1:22.447 0:02.648 1:51.833 8 49.5
23 7 Leok, Tanel EST EMF Husqvarna 25:38.502 13 1:25.841 0:03.394 1:52.384 3 49.3
24 511 Clarke, Steven GBR ACU Honda 25:41.040 13 1:28.379 0:02.538 1:52.975 3 49
25 613 Kovar, Vaclav CZE ACCR Gas Gas 25:46.285 13 1:33.624 0:05.245 1:53.145 4 48.9
26 62 Gercar, Klemen SLO AMZS Husqvarna 25:48.455 13 1:35.794 0:02.170 1:53.170 3 48.9
27 85 Ekerold, Stefan GER DMSB KTM 25:49.191 13 1:36.530 0:00.736 1:53.250 6 48.9
28 83 Renkens, Nathan BEL FMB Honda 25:54.243 13 1:41.582 0:05.052 1:52.454 10 49.3
29 93 Bengtsson, Jonathan SWE SVEMO KTM 26:08.001 13 1:55.340 0:13.758 1:53.509 5 48.8
30 926 Delince, Jeremy BEL FMB Honda 26:13.264 13 2:00.603 0:05.263 1:52.831 3 49.1
31 15 Bonini, Davide ITA FMI KTM 20:20.375 10 3 laps 3 laps 1:54.196 5 48.5
32 377 Krc, Martin CZE ACCR KTM 24:22.884 9 4 laps 1 lap 1:55.151 5 48.1
33 920 Valentin, Ander ESP RFME Husqvarna 10:36.473 5 8 laps 4 laps 1:53.850 4 48.6