Defending MX2 champion Pauls Jonass (Red Bull KTM) stretched his win-streak to six motos on the trot with another dominant double win, this time at round three of the FIM Motocross World Championship at Redsand in Spain.
The Latvian has made a dream start to his title defence and already leads Sweden’s Thomas Kjer Olsen (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – who was third overall today for the second time in a row – by 30 points.
Jonass’ team-mate Jorge Prado backed up his second place last time out at Valkenswaard with another overall runner-up finish and moves into third in the championship a further 15 points adrift.
“I couldn’t wish for a better start to the season,” said Jonass. “Going six out of six is above my expectations. I never really expected that but today I felt really good. The team’s doing a great job and I want to say a big thanks to my suspension mechanic – he did some good changes for the second moto and I felt much better so I’m looking forward to the next race in Italy.”
Germany’s Henry Jacobi (STC Husqvarna) banged bars with British teenager Conrad Mewse (ASA Hitachi KTM UK) around the opening right-hand turn as he took the holeshot in the opening 30-minute plus two lap race but was quickly pushed back down the order as Jonass hit the front.
Mewse was having the ride of his life, hanging onto Jonass in the early stages while resisting pressure from home favourite Prado, Olsen and Australia’s Hunter Lawrence (114 Motorsports Geico Honda).
With the clock running down Prado made a pass on Mewse who responded almost immediately by retaking second but with two laps to go the Spaniard finally found a way through and was followed by Olsen as the Brit went back to fourth within the space of two turns.
Prado holeshot race two from Jonass but by the end of the first lap was back in third as his team-mate led from Olsen. A mid-race mistake dropped the Swede back to fifth as American Darian Sanayei (Bike It DRT Kawasaki) led the pursuit of Jonass from Prado and Hunter with Mewse back in seventh.
In the closing laps Olsen moved past Lawrence into fourth and Mewse lost places to South Africa’s Calvin Vlaanderen (Team HRC) and British rider Ben Watson (Kemea Yamaha).
Sanayei’s second race result pulled him up to fourth overall ahead of Hunter and Mewse. Watson ended the day ninth with a 14-8 card, two places ahead of fellow Brit Adam Sterry (F&H Kawasaki) who ran 10-14.
MXGP Redsand MX2 race two result
1 1 Jonass, Pauls LAT LAMSF KTM 34:59.912 18 0:00.000 0:00.000 1:49.842 6 56.6
2 57 Sanayei, Darian USA ACU Kawasaki 35:07.687 18 0:07.775 0:07.775 1:48.751 10 57.2
3 61 Prado, Jorge ESP RFME KTM 35:12.051 18 0:12.139 0:04.364 1:50.147 6 56.5
4 19 Olsen, Thomas Kjer DEN DMU Husqvarna 35:12.468 18 0:12.556 0:00.417 1:49.809 6 56.7
5 96 Lawrence, Hunter AUS MA Honda 35:22.528 18 0:22.616 0:10.060 1:50.267 6 56.4
6 14 Beaton, Jed AUS MA Kawasaki 35:29.009 18 0:29.097 0:06.481 1:51.357 7 55.9
7 10 Vlaanderen, Calvin RSA KNMV Honda 35:30.241 18 0:30.329 0:01.232 1:51.527 11 55.8
8 919 Watson, Ben GBR ACU Yamaha 35:33.439 18 0:33.527 0:03.198 1:51.139 10 56
9 426 Mewse, Conrad GBR ACU KTM 35:41.507 18 0:41.595 0:08.068 1:50.970 11 56.1
10 18 Brylyakov, Vsevolod RUS MFR Yamaha 35:52.663 18 0:52.751 0:11.156 1:51.356 5 55.9
11 98 Vaessen, Bas NED KNMV Honda 35:57.225 18 0:57.313 0:04.562 1:52.170 4 55.5
12 70 Fernandez, Ruben ESP RFME Kawasaki 35:58.301 18 0:58.389 0:01.076 1:51.980 8 55.6
13 46 Pootjes, Davy NED KNMV KTM 36:07.451 18 1:07.539 0:09.150 1:51.261 8 55.9
14 811 Sterry, Adam GBR ACU Kawasaki 36:09.419 18 1:09.507 0:01.968 1:52.831 14 55.1
15 66 Larranaga Olano, Iker ESP RFME Husqvarna 36:09.987 18 1:10.075 0:00.568 1:51.998 7 55.6
16 321 Bernardini, Samuele ITA FMI TM 36:13.560 18 1:13.648 0:03.573 1:53.253 3 54.9
17 193 Geerts, Jago BEL FMB Yamaha 36:14.767 18 1:14.855 0:01.207 1:52.431 7 55.3
18 172 Van doninck, Brent BEL FMB Husqvarna 36:18.386 18 1:18.474 0:03.619 1:52.878 9 55.1
19 64 Covington, Thomas USA MUL Husqvarna 36:21.847 18 1:21.935 0:03.461 1:51.257 8 55.9
20 118 Rubini, Stephen FRA FFM KTM 36:27.116 18 1:27.204 0:05.269 1:53.370 8 54.9
21 161 Östlund, Alvin SWE SVEMO Yamaha 36:27.798 18 1:27.886 0:00.682 1:53.077 6 55
22 56 Weltin, Marshal USA AMA Honda 36:40.241 18 1:40.329 0:12.443 1:54.277 4 54.4
23 101 Pichon, Zachary FRA FFM KTM 36:50.803 18 1:50.891 0:10.562 1:55.182 2 54
24 199 Zaragoza, Jorge ESP RFME Yamaha 36:51.370 18 1:51.458 0:00.567 1:51.177 2 56
25 75 Roosiorg, Hardi EST EMF KTM 35:15.747 17 1 lap 1 lap 1:55.874 5 53.7
26 44 Lesiardo, Morgan ITA FMI KTM 35:21.571 17 1 lap 0:05.824 1:55.354 5 53.9
27 102 Sikyna, Richard SVK SMF KTM 35:34.542 17 1 lap 0:12.971 1:56.868 7 53.2
28 226 Koch, Tom GER DMSB KTM 35:35.559 17 1 lap 0:01.017 1:56.369 7 53.5
29 773 Do, Thomas FRA FFM KTM 36:01.617 17 1 lap 0:26.058 1:56.528 1 53.4
30 331 Freidig, Loris SUI FMS Husqvarna 36:11.362 17 1 lap 0:09.745 1:58.680 7 52.4
31 783 Toriani, Enzo FRA FFM Husqvarna 36:12.400 17 1 lap 0:01.038 1:58.660 2 52.4
32 338 Herbreteau, David FRA FFM KTM 29:23.011 14 4 laps 3 laps 1:55.524 3 53.9
33 26 Bertuzzi, Nicola ITA FMI KTM 18:07.006 8 10 laps 6 laps 1:56.970 5 53.2
34 29 Jacobi, Henry GER DMSB Husqvarna 22:12.662 4 14 laps 4 laps 1:53.558 3 54.8
MXGP Redsand MX2 race one result
1 1 Jonass, Pauls LAT LAMSF KTM 35:20.628 18 0:00.000 0:00.000 1:50.443 2 56.3
2 61 Prado, Jorge ESP RFME KTM 35:24.514 18 0:03.886 0:03.886 1:49.966 6 56.6
3 19 Olsen, Thomas Kjer DEN DMU Husqvarna 35:25.947 18 0:05.319 0:01.433 1:50.274 6 56.4
4 426 Mewse, Conrad GBR ACU KTM 35:27.181 18 0:06.553 0:01.234 1:50.605 2 56.3
5 96 Lawrence, Hunter AUS MA Honda 35:27.941 18 0:07.313 0:00.760 1:50.923 6 56.1
6 57 Sanayei, Darian USA ACU Kawasaki 35:32.116 18 0:11.488 0:04.175 1:49.836 15 56.7
7 10 Vlaanderen, Calvin RSA KNMV Honda 35:37.172 18 0:16.544 0:05.056 1:51.484 8 55.8
8 14 Beaton, Jed AUS MA Kawasaki 35:43.862 18 0:23.234 0:06.690 1:51.772 7 55.7
9 321 Bernardini, Samuele ITA FMI TM 35:59.283 18 0:38.655 0:15.421 1:51.952 2 55.6
10 811 Sterry, Adam GBR ACU Kawasaki 36:03.265 18 0:42.637 0:03.982 1:52.193 7 55.5
11 98 Vaessen, Bas NED KNMV Honda 36:06.808 18 0:46.180 0:03.543 1:52.207 4 55.5
12 29 Jacobi, Henry GER DMSB Husqvarna 36:04.168 18 0:43.540 -1:57.360 1:52.797 2 55.2
13 199 Zaragoza, Jorge ESP RFME Yamaha 36:09.214 18 0:48.586 0:05.046 1:52.723 4 55.2
14 919 Watson, Ben GBR ACU Yamaha 36:11.130 18 0:50.502 0:01.916 1:52.665 4 55.2
15 46 Pootjes, Davy NED KNMV KTM 36:13.887 18 0:53.259 0:02.757 1:52.357 5 55.4
16 118 Rubini, Stephen FRA FFM KTM 36:23.803 18 1:03.175 0:09.916 1:52.185 7 55.5
17 64 Covington, Thomas USA MUL Husqvarna 36:20.029 18 0:59.401 -1:56.226 1:51.773 5 55.7
18 161 Östlund, Alvin SWE SVEMO Yamaha 36:24.918 18 1:04.290 0:04.889 1:53.307 11 54.9
19 70 Fernandez, Ruben ESP RFME Kawasaki 36:26.291 18 1:05.663 0:01.373 1:53.355 8 54.9
20 18 Brylyakov, Vsevolod RUS MFR Yamaha 36:26.617 18 1:05.989 0:00.326 1:53.023 6 55.1
21 172 Van doninck, Brent BEL FMB Husqvarna 36:36.958 18 1:16.330 0:10.341 1:51.703 3 55.7
22 66 Larranaga Olano, Iker ESP RFME Husqvarna 36:37.496 18 1:16.868 0:00.538 1:52.076 4 55.5
23 56 Weltin, Marshal USA AMA Honda 36:37.636 18 1:17.008 0:00.140 1:54.886 4 54.2
24 193 Geerts, Jago BEL FMB Yamaha 36:40.080 18 1:19.452 0:02.444 1:53.570 14 54.8
25 338 Herbreteau, David FRA FFM KTM 36:56.711 18 1:36.083 0:16.631 1:55.651 9 53.8
26 75 Roosiorg, Hardi EST EMF KTM 36:58.980 18 1:38.352 0:02.269 1:55.190 5 54
27 44 Lesiardo, Morgan ITA FMI KTM 37:01.311 18 1:40.683 0:02.331 1:55.083 5 54.1
28 226 Koch, Tom GER DMSB KTM 35:29.615 17 1 lap 1 lap 1:56.372 4 53.5
29 102 Sikyna, Richard SVK SMF KTM 35:35.631 17 1 lap 0:06.016 1:55.861 5 53.7
30 26 Bertuzzi, Nicola ITA FMI KTM 35:54.442 17 1 lap 0:18.811 1:57.302 3 53
31 773 Do, Thomas FRA FFM KTM 36:05.289 17 1 lap 0:10.847 1:57.170 3 53.1
32 331 Freidig, Loris SUI FMS Husqvarna 36:46.952 17 1 lap 0:41.663 1:58.611 2 52.5
33 783 Toriani, Enzo FRA FFM Husqvarna 8:09.591 3 15 laps 14 laps 1:57.997 2 52.7
34 101 Pichon, Zachary FRA FFM KTM 8:24.616 3 15 laps 0:15.025 1:57.797 2 52.8