He’d slipped off the pace at the last two rounds but defending MX2 champion Pauls Jonass (Red Bull KTM) was back on top in today’s MXGP of Russia qualification race at Orlyonok after grabbing the holeshot and stretching out a six-and-a-half second lead.

“First of all I got a really good start,” said the Latvian. “I almost made a mistake coming out of the first corner and tried to pull a gap in the first laps and I did it. Overall I felt good. The bike was really good today. The last few races were not so good but now I’m feeling good and I’m really looking forward to tomorrow.”

Jonass had won the first six motos of the championship before his 17-year-old Spanish team-mate Jorge Prado began to make serious inroads into his lead in first Italy and then Portugal.

But he was back to his best on the hard-pack track on the shores of the Black Sea as the pair out-distanced the chasing pack with Prado 30 seconds ahead of third-placed Calvin Vlaanderen (Team HRC). Russian Vsevolod Brylyakov (Kemea Yamaha) was a further five seconds back in fourth chased by his team-mate Jago Geerts.

The award for most passes has to go to Ben Watson (Kemea Yamaha). The Brit started at the back after getting sideways in the first turn but following a race-long charge – helped by a number of the front-runners making mistakes – he’d gained 16 places and advanced to sixth at the flag.

Adam Sterry (F&H Kawasaki) had started in the top 10 and looked comfortable in sixth in the latter stages of the race before Watson and Michele Cervellin (Martin Honda) passed him in successive corners.

Conrad Mewse (Hitachi ASA KTM UK) continued to struggle after a strong start to the season and the 18-year-old, who’s currently seventh in the title chase, was a disappointing 18th.

MXGP Russia MX2 qualifying race

1 1 Jonass, Pauls LAT LAMSF KTM 23:59.316 14 0:00.000 0:00.000 1:40.622 3 52.957
2 61 Prado, Jorge ESP RFME KTM 24:05.847 14 0:06.531 0:06.531 1:41.041 9 53.6
3 10 Vlaanderen, Calvin RSA KNMV Honda 24:30.052 14 0:30.736 0:24.205 1:43.001 4 52.6
4 18 Brylyakov, Vsevolod RUS MFR Yamaha 24:35.181 14 0:35.865 0:05.129 1:42.292 6 53
5 193 Geerts, Jago BEL FMB Yamaha 24:40.989 14 0:41.673 0:05.808 1:43.179 13 52.5
6 919 Watson, Ben GBR ACU Yamaha 24:44.249 14 0:44.933 0:03.260 1:43.128 9 52.6
7 747 Cervellin, Michele ITA FMI Honda 24:48.813 14 0:49.497 0:04.564 1:43.701 12 52.3
8 811 Sterry, Adam GBR ACU Kawasaki 24:55.574 14 0:56.258 0:06.761 1:43.940 5 52.1
9 14 Beaton, Jed AUS MA Kawasaki 24:58.941 14 0:59.625 0:03.367 1:43.136 5 52.6
10 19 Olsen, Thomas Kjer DEN DMU Husqvarna 25:00.489 14 1:01.173 0:01.548 1:42.736 6 52.8
11 29 Jacobi, Henry GER DMSB Husqvarna 25:09.112 14 1:09.796 0:08.623 1:45.015 14 51.6
12 66 Larranaga Olano, Iker ESP RFME Husqvarna 25:14.148 14 1:14.832 0:05.036 1:44.974 9 51.6
13 172 Van doninck, Brent BEL FMB Husqvarna 25:15.203 14 1:15.887 0:01.055 1:44.579 12 51.8
14 161 Östlund, Alvin SWE SVEMO Yamaha 25:21.248 14 1:21.932 0:06.045 1:46.115 14 51.1
15 321 Bernardini, Samuele ITA FMI TM 25:23.144 14 1:23.828 0:01.896 1:45.610 8 51.3
16 64 Covington, Thomas USA MUL Husqvarna 25:24.943 14 1:25.627 0:01.799 1:45.566 12 51.3
17 118 Rubini, Stephen FRA FFM KTM 25:31.206 14 1:31.890 0:06.263 1:44.517 12 51.9
18 426 Mewse, Conrad GBR ACU KTM 25:33.029 14 1:33.713 0:01.823 1:45.184 12 51.5
19 95 Furlotti, Simone ITA FMI Yamaha 25:39.674 14 1:40.358 0:06.645 1:46.153 13 51.1
20 338 Herbreteau, David FRA FFM KTM 24:04.310 13 1 lap 1 lap 1:47.885 6 50.2
21 44 Lesiardo, Morgan ITA FMI KTM 24:08.483 13 1 lap 0:04.173 1:47.176 11 50.6
22 50 Kurashev, Sergey RUS MFR KTM 25:09.522 12 2 laps 1 lap 1:55.249 10 47
23 46 Pootjes, Davy NED KNMV KTM 11:49.192 6 8 laps 6 laps 1:47.800 3 50.3
24 70 Fernandez, Ruben ESP RFME Kawasaki 2:15.322 0 14 laps 6 laps 0:00.000 0