GP Bits: MXGP of Limburg | Round 14 1

Photos by Juan Pablo Acevedo

*A quick note, most of the pits were zipped up because of rain, which, compounded by Covid restrictions, lead to a smaller batch of photos from this round. Thus, we have an abbreviated GP Bits this time.  

So many choices...

He's right behind you!!!

Duct tape on the swingarm? Makes for a cleaner wheel change after the sight lap. See photos below.

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Job well done.

The MXGP teams are fond of not just removing the seats for bath time, but the plastics and tanks as well.

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Making sure there is no trace of that Lommel sand.

His day isn't going great.

Deep sand = even more heat than usual. That Twin Air oil cooler has to work overtime.

Extra lens and foam... good combo.

Which headwear is better. Foam cowboy?

Or foam king. Again, congrats to Thibault Benistant for his EMX250 Championship.

Yoko got him decked out.

Jeeze, even with the championship wrapped up, no breaks cut here.

*Insert angry swarm of bee sounds here*

Hmm, are they related?

Jorge Prado got another overall victory with 2-1 moto scores.

Jorge Prado: “It was a tough day and I didn’t feel 100% but I fought as much as I could. Tony and I had a good race in the second moto and I gave my ‘all’ for that victory; I’m really happy to have made it. The injuries at the start of the season meant that I missed bike time and I was racing without preparation. Now I am starting to feel better and I think it’s normal that it takes some time to get to a good level. Now we have to recover and get ready to go again on Sunday.”

On social media this week, Clement Desalle announced that this season will be his last as a pro MXGP racer. Such a great career.

The MX Panda hasn't said what's next, just that it is time to hang up the helmet.

Clement Desalle: “ It was a frustrating day for me; I was expecting to have more fun on the track here in Lommel and wanted better results in my national GP. At the start of the first race a rider crashed in front of me and I had no place to go; I crashed too and then came back to eleventh which was not so bad. I was involved in another crash at the start of the second race; I came back thirteenth but the track was getting really rough. Let’s hope that the next two GPs here will be better for me!"

Pre-race ritual is the same every race for Tim.

With 1-3 moto scores, Tim Gajser was close to victory but had to settle for 2nd overall. He still has the red plate.

Tim Gajser: "Overall, I’m quite happy with the day. My riding was good and my speed was good in both motos, I just made that small mistake after I passed Prado to go into the lead in race two. I didn’t even crash, I just went off the track into the banners and lost 20 seconds. After that, I regrouped for a lap before picking up the speed and passing guys in front of me. My laptimes were a lot faster than the leaders and I closed right up, it’s just a shame I ran out of laps. So yes, it was a good day, winning a race and showing speed again in race two. I am very much looking forward for Sunday as I’m really enjoying riding in the sand and hopefully I can continue to get up onto the podium again."

Antonio Cairoli landed the last step of the podium with 5-2 moto scores.

Tony Cairoli: “I liked today. Last weekend was an ‘ugly copy’ of me because everyone knows I can ride the sand. Today was still not my best day on this surface but the second moto was good, and I had a nice feeling on the bike. I made some mistakes but got closer to the front. I was a little bit faster than Jorge in some places but was already out of roll-off so I didn’t get the chance to overtake him again and [Romain] Febvre was closing in. I was trying to go for the win but Jorge was strong. He deserved the overall. We’ll try to be better on Sunday and go for the win, for sure.”

Romain Febvre was fourth overall, with 3-4 scores.

Romain Febvre: “It was a good GP with a great second moto! My start was good and as always there was confusion in the first corner but I made my way through and rode a good opening lap. I found a good rhythm and came back to second; I was very happy with that! The first moto was not so good. I was fourth at the start but during the first lap I made a mistake in a corner and crashed; that’s never good as everyone is so close together during the first laps of a race and you lose so many places. I was seventeenth and came back to sixth, which is not so bad, but that cost me the podium. I was happy with my speed and my physical shape; the track was difficult but I found a good feeling and overall it was a good day. Now my goal is to win a GP here in Lommel; I have two more opportunities on Wednesday and Sunday!”

"No, I told you, I'm not Tomac!"

The weather was hit and miss all day. Seewer opting for the clear rain cover.

Jeremy Seewer: “Even though it rained quite a bit this morning, the track had quite a bit of flow because they made some changes that took a lot of little obstacles away. I felt better on the track this morning, I had quite a decent first moto, I had two good starts. I battled for third in the first race but decided to settle for fourth and go for the second race. This strategy didn’t work at all because I made some bike changes between in the break between races but somehow went completely the wrong way, so I struggled with that and then I couldn’t find my flow and I felt empty in terms of energy. The season is getting long so it’s getting really tough to stay mentally and physically 100%. I gave it my all, I can’t blame myself and now up to the last one on Sunday.”

In the MX2 class, Tom Vialle got another overall victory with 2-1 moto scores.

Tom Vialle: “A fantastic GP for me again. When Jago crashed in the first race I lost my rhythm a bit. I thought ‘he must be far behind’ and in fact he wasn’t! My lap-times went off and I had arm-pump. I enjoyed the second moto much more and I’m really happy with the set-up of the bike. It is such a difficult track - physically also - so it’s important to stay on the bike and don’t do crazy stuff. I’ll be focused on that on Sunday.”

Ben Watson was second overall, a great ride for the Brit with 3-2 moto scores.

Jago Geerts continues to show blazing speed... and a little lack of control. His third overall with 1-7 moto scores is a sign that if he stays off the ground, he has a great chance of winning.

Isak Gifting is showing great potential on the GASGAS MX2 team. There's one more round in Lommel this Sunday. See you then!

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