Just over a month after breaking his jaw in two places, Tim Gajser (Team HRC) was back on top in this afternoon’s MXGP qualification race at Redsand in Spain, round three of the FIM Motocross World Championship.
On the fast, sandy circuit the Slovenian – champion in 2016 – holeshot the 20-minute plus two lap moto and soaked up race-long pressure from Romain Febvre (Monster Energy Yamaha) to win by over three-and-a-half seconds.
“I’m so happy just to get that qualification race win,” said Gajser, who was forced to sit out the opening round of the year in Argentina after his huge crash in Mantova in February. “I had a great start and was feeling very good.”
Febvre, world champion in 2015, was followed across the line by fellow Frenchman Gautier Paulin (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) with Italy’s Tony Cairoli (Red Bull KTM) comfortably clear of his team-mate and championship leader Jeffrey Herlings who appeared to be suffering from arm-pump in the closing stages and was forced to slacken his pace.
With both title contenders getting good gate picks for tomorrow’s two points-paying races expect the nine-time world champion and the young Dutchman to pick up where they left off in Valkenswaard.
Last year’s MX2 vice-champion Jeremy Seewer (Wilvo Yamaha) continues to gel with the 450 and the Swiss rider claimed a solid sixth, just ahead of young Brit Max Anstie (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna).
Behind Anstie there was an eight-second gap back to Belgium’s Clement Desalle (Monster Energy Kawasaki) who had a further eight seconds over Russian Evgeny Bobryshev (BOS Suzuki) with Belgian Julien Lieber (Monster Energy Kawasaki) rounding out the top 10.
Scotland’s Shaun Simpson (Wilvo Yamaha) was 12th as Northern Ireland’s Graeme Irwin (ASA Hitachi KTM UK) produced his best qualifying result of the championship so far with a hard-fought 18th.
MXGP Redsand qualifying race result
1 243 Gajser, Tim SLO AMZS Honda 25:30.475 13 0:00.000 0:00.000 1:48.744 8 57.2
2 461 Febvre, Romain FRA FFM Yamaha 25:33.902 13 0:03.427 0:03.427 1:48.257 8 57.5
3 21 Paulin, Gautier FRA MCM Husqvarna 25:37.368 13 0:06.893 0:03.466 1:49.445 5 56.9
4 222 Cairoli, Antonio ITA FMI KTM 25:37.839 13 0:07.364 0:00.471 1:49.005 6 57.1
5 84 Herlings, Jeffrey NED KNMV KTM 25:43.680 13 0:13.205 0:05.841 1:49.167 5 57
6 91 Seewer, Jeremy SUI FMS Yamaha 25:44.871 13 0:14.396 0:01.191 1:49.954 4 56.6
7 99 Anstie, Max GBR ACU Husqvarna 25:46.830 13 0:16.355 0:01.959 1:49.594 6 56.8
8 25 Desalle, Clement BEL FMB Kawasaki 25:54.789 13 0:24.314 0:07.959 1:49.757 6 56.7
9 777 Bobryshev, Evgeny RUS MFR Suzuki 26:02.598 13 0:32.123 0:07.809 1:49.863 6 56.6
10 33 Lieber, Julien BEL FMB Kawasaki 26:08.721 13 0:38.246 0:06.123 1:50.435 8 56.3
11 259 Coldenhoff, Glenn NED KNMV KTM 26:10.145 13 0:39.670 0:01.424 1:50.951 6 56.1
12 24 Simpson, Shaun GBR ACU Yamaha 26:15.206 13 0:44.731 0:05.061 1:50.256 4 56.4
13 27 Jasikonis, Arminas LTU LMSF Honda 26:15.796 13 0:45.321 0:00.590 1:51.162 9 56
14 89 Van Horebeek, Jeremy BEL FMB Yamaha 26:16.609 13 0:46.134 0:00.813 1:50.844 7 56.1
15 12 Nagl, Maximilian GER DMSB TM 26:22.195 13 0:51.720 0:05.586 1:51.584 5 55.8
16 22 Strijbos, Kevin BEL FMB KTM 26:25.081 13 0:54.606 0:02.886 1:51.663 8 55.7
17 141 Desprey, Maxime FRA FFM Kawasaki 26:29.671 13 0:59.196 0:04.590 1:52.022 4 55.5
18 55 Irwin, Graeme GBR MCUI KTM 26:31.558 13 1:01.083 0:01.887 1:52.568 4 55.3
19 17 Butron, Jose ESP RFME KTM 26:33.274 13 1:02.799 0:01.716 1:52.774 3 55.2
20 151 Kullas, Harri EST EMF Husqvarna 26:37.232 13 1:06.757 0:03.958 1:51.707 9 55.7
21 7 Leok, Tanel EST EMF Husqvarna 26:37.675 13 1:07.200 0:00.443 1:51.977 7 55.6
22 94 Van der Mierden, Sven NED KNMV Yamaha 26:46.693 13 1:16.218 0:09.018 1:52.961 6 55.1
23 152 Petrov, Petar BUL BMF Honda 27:01.574 13 1:31.099 0:14.881 1:53.095 6 55
24 9 de Dycker, Ken BEL FMB KTM 27:07.893 13 1:37.418 0:06.319 1:54.655 3 54.3
25 15 Bonini, Davide ITA FMI KTM 27:10.980 13 1:40.505 0:03.087 1:55.139 5 54
26 831 Wysocki, Tomasz POL PZM KTM 27:24.836 13 1:54.361 0:13.856 1:55.648 5 53.8
27 120 Zecchina, Simone ITA FMI Yamaha 27:31.373 13 2:00.898 0:06.537 1:55.864 3 53.7
28 62 Gercar, Klemen SLO AMZS Husqvarna 25:32.511 12 1 lap 1 lap 1:56.407 2 53.5
29 83 Renkens, Nathan BEL FMB Honda 25:35.692 12 1 lap 0:03.181 1:56.702 4 53.3
30 878 Pezzuto, Stefano ITA FMI Yamaha 25:59.688 12 1 lap 0:23.996 1:56.561 2 53.4
31 550 Mallet, Simon FRA FMI Husqvarna 26:19.973 12 1 lap 0:20.285 1:56.546 2 53.4
32 31 Crnkovic, Luka CRO HMS Honda 26:28.957 12 1 lap 0:08.984 1:59.492 3 52.1
33 128 Monticelli, Ivo ITA FMI Yamaha 11:41.631 5 8 laps 7 laps 1:55.358 1 53.9
34 920 Valentin, Ander ESP RFME Husqvarna 11:10.745 4 9 laps 1 lap 1:53.914 2 54.6
35 77 Lupino, Alessandro ITA FMI Kawasaki 5:52.732 2 11 laps 2 laps 1:58.070 1 52.7