Series leader Jeffrey Herlings (Red Bull KTM) goes to the startgate in pole for tomorrow’s MXGP of Russia at Orlyonok – round six of the FIM Motocross World Championship – after a cool, calculated ride in this afternoon’s qualification race.
“It was good,” said Herlings. “I had a great start but I think somebody crashed on the inside because they pushed me wide but I still managed to come out fourth and then work my way up to the front so it was a good race and it’s good to be starting from pole tomorrow.”
Herlings had actually missed the morning’s first free practice session after his race kit was lost in transit and he was forced to make a 360-mile round trip to retrieve it but he showed no ill-effects from the surprise detour.
“We had a rough time coming here with losing the bags and staying awake all night but it’s a pleasure to be here and I hope to do good tomorrow. It’s going to be an important day.”
The Dutchman looked to have taken the holeshot after banging bars with Tim Gajser (Team HRC) into the opening turn but when the Slovenian went down it allowed Romain Febvre (Monster Energy Yamaha) to take the lead from his team-mate Jeremy Van Horebeek.
Defending champion Tony Cairoli (Red Bull KTM) was running near the front with British hope Max Anstie (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) holding an initial fifth on the first lap.
On the fast, hard-pack track littered with big jumps and dramatic changes in elevation, Febvre – the 2015 world champion – began to open up a gap and with five minutes of the 20-minute plus two lap race gone he was three-and-a-half seconds clear of Van Horebeek.
Scot Shaun Simpson (Wilvo Yamaha) had gated just outside the top 10 but he crashed heavily down one of the steep, flat-out fast hills and DNFed.
Cairoli, who sits second in the standings 16 points behind his team-mate, was held up by Max Nagl (TM Factory Racing) as Van Horebeek capitalised on a crash by Febvre to move into the lead with Herlings close behind.
With four seconds covering the top four, Herlings took the lead with less than five minutes to go and from there eased clear to take his third qualification race win of the season by just over one-and-a-half seconds from Van Horebeek.
Belgian Julien Lieber (Monster Energy Kawasaki) led home his team-mate Clement Desalle in third and fourth after both took advantage of a slip by Cairoli with two laps to go.
Anstie, who’s missed the last three rounds with concussion, rode a solid race for eighth and Ireland’s Graeme Irwin (Hitachi ASA KTM UK) was 21st.
to the season and the 18-year-old, who’s currently seventh in the title chase, was a disappointing 18th.
MXGP Russia qualifying race
1 84 Herlings, Jeffrey NED KNMV KTM 23:42.878 14 0:00.000 0:00.000 1:39.855 6 54.3
2 89 Van Horebeek, Jeremy BEL FMB Yamaha 23:44.391 14 0:01.513 0:01.513 1:39.953 13 54.2
3 33 Lieber, Julien BEL FMB Kawasaki 23:46.089 14 0:03.211 0:01.698 1:39.341 7 54.6
4 25 Desalle, Clement BEL FMB Kawasaki 23:46.920 14 0:04.042 0:00.831 1:39.462 6 54.5
5 222 Cairoli, Antonio ITA FMI KTM 23:47.607 14 0:04.729 0:00.687 1:39.330 9 54.6
6 91 Seewer, Jeremy SUI FMS Yamaha 23:50.457 14 0:07.579 0:02.850 1:39.751 9 54.3
7 12 Nagl, Maximilian GER DMSB TM 23:52.818 14 0:09.940 0:02.361 1:40.057 13 54.2
8 99 Anstie, Max GBR ACU Husqvarna 23:54.905 14 0:12.027 0:02.087 1:40.031 11 54.2
9 77 Lupino, Alessandro ITA FMI Kawasaki 23:56.039 14 0:13.161 0:01.134 1:39.437 10 54.5
10 21 Paulin, Gautier FRA MCM Husqvarna 23:59.458 14 0:16.580 0:03.419 1:39.533 12 54.5
11 461 Febvre, Romain FRA FFM Yamaha 24:01.947 14 0:19.069 0:02.489 1:38.945 13 54.8
12 259 Coldenhoff, Glenn NED KNMV KTM 24:07.199 14 0:24.321 0:05.252 1:40.184 10 54.1
13 6 Paturel, Benoit FRA FFM KTM 24:10.430 14 0:27.552 0:03.231 1:41.364 6 53.5
14 243 Gajser, Tim SLO AMZS Honda 24:14.589 14 0:31.711 0:04.159 1:39.426 14 54.5
15 777 Bobryshev, Evgeny RUS MFR Suzuki 24:17.610 14 0:34.732 0:03.021 1:40.026 13 54.2
16 128 Monticelli, Ivo ITA FMI Yamaha 24:29.190 14 0:46.312 0:11.580 1:42.136 7 53.1
17 17 Butron, Jose ESP RFME KTM 24:32.788 14 0:49.910 0:03.598 1:41.761 11 53.3
18 152 Petrov, Petar BUL BMF Honda 24:34.566 14 0:51.688 0:01.778 1:41.934 12 53.2
19 141 Desprey, Maxime FRA FFM Kawasaki 24:37.969 14 0:55.091 0:03.403 1:42.744 12 52.8
20 22 Strijbos, Kevin BEL FMB KTM 24:39.338 14 0:56.460 0:01.369 1:41.853 10 53.2
21 55 Irwin, Graeme GBR MCUI KTM 24:55.794 14 1:12.916 0:16.456 1:41.900 6 53.2
22 411 Kahro, Erki EST EMF Honda 25:19.902 14 1:37.024 0:24.108 1:44.977 11 51.6
23 7 Leok, Tanel EST EMF Husqvarna 25:21.770 14 1:38.892 0:01.868 1:41.844 14 53.2
24 93 Bengtsson, Jonathan SWE SVEMO KTM 24:22.505 13 1 lap 1 lap 1:49.120 5 49.7
25 27 Jasikonis, Arminas LTU LMSF Honda 10:39.769 6 8 laps 7 laps 1:40.575 4 53.9
26 24 Simpson, Shaun GBR ACU Yamaha 5:27.169 3 11 laps 3 laps 1:41.611 3 53.3