Pauls Jonass and Pirelli Capture FIM Motocross World Championship in the MX2 Class

Pauls Jonass and Pirelli Capture FIM Motocross World Championship in the MX2 Class

Thomas Covington Wins the MX2 Class in France and Pauls Jonass Takes the World Title for the First Time in His Career. Pirelli Sweeps the Top Three Positions in Both Classes in the Final Championship Standings.

VILLARS SOUS ECOT, France (September 19, 2017) – The final round of the 2017 FIM Motocross World Championship was another success for Pirelli. After Antonio Cairoli's MXGP title, the famous tire brand completed the double in 2017 with Pauls Jonass taking the MX2 crown. On the tough and technical course of Villars sous Ecot, a hard-pack track that became slippery due to frequent rain showers, the new development rear SCORPION™ MX Soft demonstrated a range of usage beyond expectations and proved to be competitive even in extreme muddy conditions.

The SCORPION™ MX Soft rear with SCORPION™ MX32™ Mid Soft front allowed Pirelli to place their riders in the top five positions of the opening MXGP race. In the second moto with a drying track (until rain arrived again in the last five minutes) Jeffrey Herlings and Max Anstie - first and third in the overall classification respectively - preferred the SCORPION™ MX32™ Mid Soft rear. Tim Gajser, who in race one relied on the SCORPION MX™ Soft rear and in race two on the SCORPION™ MX Mud, tied on points with Herlings but had to settle for second place due to the second moto ranking. France also saw good performances by Romain Febvre in fourth, Gautier Paulin in fifth and Kevin Strijbos was sixth.

Pirelli also won in MX2 thanks to Thomas Covington. First and second in the two races, the American grabbed overall spoils in front of Hunter Lawrence; the victor of the final sprint of the season. Pauls Jonass confirmed the 2017 title in the first race. After falling in the second corner after the start, the Latvian muscled his way through the field thanks to the SCORPION MX™ Soft rear tire that allowed him to recover from last to fifth position. Jeremy Seewer, the only rider still able to dethrone Jonass, finished the GP in fourth place, right in front of the Latvian.

The Grand Prix of the Pays de Montbeliard closed another triumphant season for Pirelli; now with 68 World Titles in motocross. The Motocross of Nations will take place in England at Matterley Basin in two weeks time and close out the 2017 season.   

Race results:  

MXGP race 1  1. GAJSER Tim (SLO)  2. FEBVRE Romain (FRA)  3. HERLINGS Jeffrey (NED)  4. ANSTIE Max (GBR)  5. PAULIN Gautier (FRA) 

MXGP race 2  

1. HERLINGS Jeffrey (NED)  2. ANSTIE Max (GBR)  3. GAJSER Tim (SLO)  4. FEBVRE Romain (FRA)  5. TONUS Arnaud (SUI)

  MX2 race 1  

1. COVINGTON Thomas (USA)  2. SEEWER Jeremy (SUI)  3. BEATON Jed (AUS) 4. LAWRENCE Hunter (AUS)  5. JONASS Pauls (LAT)    

MX2 race 2  1. LAWRENCE Hunter (AUS)  2. COVINGTON Thomas (USA)  3. JONASS Pauls (LAT)  4. BEATON Jed (AUS) 5. SEEWER Jeremy (SUI)     

GP Overall:  

MXGP  1. HERLINGS Jeffrey (NED)  2. GAJSER Tim (SLO)  3. ANSTIE Max (GBR)  4. FEBVRE Romain (FRA)  5. PAULIN Gautier (FRA)    

MX2  1. COVINGTON Thomas (USA)  2. LAWRENCE Hunter (AUS)  3. BEATON Jed (AUS) 4. SEEWER Jeremy (SUI)  5. JONASS Pauls (LAT)    

  Championship overall:  

MXGP  1. CAIROLI Antonio (ITA) p.722  2. HERLINGS Jeffrey (NED) p.672  3. PAULIN Gautier (FRA) p.602  4.DESALLE Clement (BEL) p.544 5. GAJSER Tim (SLO) p.530  6. FEBVRE Romain (FRA) p.519    

MX2  1. JONASS Pauls (LAT) p.771  2. SEEWER Jeremy (SUI) p.732  3. KJER OLSEN Thomas (DEN) p.579  4. COVINGTON Thomas (USA) p.532  5.PATUREL Benoit (FRA) p.504 6. LIEBER Julien (BEL) p.490

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ABOUT PIRELLI

Founded in 1872, Pirelli is among the largest global tire makers, and focuses its business on the high end, premium product segment where it is a world leader. Present in over 160 countries, Pirelli has 22 manufacturing sites and employs approximately 38,000 people around the world. Successfully competing in motorsports since 1907, Pirelli is currently the exclusive supplier of the Formula 1 championship, the Superbike world championship, and many other championships around the world.

Pirelli Tire North America (PTNA) services NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) member countries through its Modular Integrated Robotized System (MIRS) facility and research and development center at its Rome, Georgia headquarters, its state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Silao, Mexico and its New York City, Montreal and Mexico City sales and marketing offices. The company manufactures, distributes and markets original equipment and replacement tires for export and domestic car/motorcycle applications (US, CA, MX) and Agro/Heavy Truck platforms (MX).

For Additional Information Please Contact:

Scott Roegner

Pirelli Moto Communications and Media Relations

NAFTA Region

Tel: 949-365-5750

Mail: motopress.nafta@pirelli.com  

Emily Grannis

Marketing Director, Moto BU

NAFTA Region

Tel: 706-331-1585

Mail: emily.grannis@pirelli.com