Pirelli Shines Under the Lights for the Opening Round of the 2017 FIM Motocross World Championship at Grand Prix of Qatar

Pirelli Shines Under the Lights for the Opening Round of the 2017 FIM Motocross World Championship at Grand Prix of Qatar

Antonio Cairoli Wins Both Races and Leads the Standings in the MXGP Class, While Pauls Jonass Takes a Double Victory in MX2

LOSAIL, Qatar (February 27, 2017) – The Grand Prix of Qatar hosted the opening round of the high prestigious 2017 FIM Motocross World Championship this past weekend. The track, built inside the Losail’s circuit, is characterized by a medium soil that is the ideal terrain for Pirelli’s SCORPION™ MX32™ Mid-Soft tires, which were the front and rear tires used by all Pirelli-equipped riders. In the MXGP class, 14 out of 21 riders relied on the Italian tire brand, while the MX2 class featured 14 out of 30 riders.

Antonio Cairoli proved that he has been putting in the work during the off-season and dominated in the MXGP class. The eight-time World Champion won with a comfortable lead in the first race, while in the second, after having chased Tim Gajser for nearly 30-minutes, he managed to overtake him in the final laps for a double victory on the day. Tim Gajser, despite a nasty flu, managed to finish the Grand Prix just behind Cairoli in the runner-up position. Evgeny Bobryshev rode strong for fourth, followed by Romain Febvre in fifth, which capped off a successful day for Pirelli riders in the premier class.

A brilliant ride by Pauls Jonass witnessed him take top honors in the MX2 class with two convincing victories, despite the slight injury he suffered two weeks ago in La Capelle-Marival. The final step on the podium went to privateer rider Julien Lieber, just ahead of Danish rookie Thomas Kjer Olsen in fourth.

The second round of the 2017 FIM Motocross World Championship is set to take place next weekend at the Grand Prix of Indonesia at the Pangkal Pinang circuit.
 
Race results: 

MXGP Race 1
1. CAIROLI Antonio (ITA) 
2. DESALLE Clement (BEL)
3. GAJSER Tim (SLO) 
4. BOBRYSHEV Evgeny (RUS) 
5. VAN HOREBEEK Jeremy (BEL) 

MXGP Race 2 
1. CAIROLI Antonio (ITA) 
2. GAJSER Tim (SLO) 
3. FEBVRE Romain (FRA) 
4. DESALLE Clement (BEL)
5. PAULIN Gautier (FRA) 

MX2 Race 1 
1. JONASS Pauls (LAT) 
2. PATUREL Benoit (FRA)
3. LIEBER Julien (BEL) 
4. KJER OLSEN Thomas (DEN) 
5. BERNARDINI Samuele (ITA) 

MX2 Race 2 
1. JONASS Pauls (LAT) 
2. PATUREL Benoit (FRA)
3. LIEBER Julien (BEL) 
4. KJER OLSEN Thomas (DEN) 
5. SEEWER Jeremy (SUI) 
 
GP Overall: 

MXGP 
1. CAIROLI Antonio (ITA) 
2. GAJSER Tim (SLO) 
3. DESALLE Clement (BEL)
4. BOBRYSHEV Evgeny (RUS) 
5. FEBVRE Romain (FRA) 
  
MX2 
1. JONASS Pauls (LAT) 
2. PATUREL Benoit (FRA)
3. LIEBER Julien (BEL) 
4. KJER OLSEN Thomas (DEN) 
5. CERVELLIN Michele (ITA)
 
 
Championship overall: 

MXGP 
1. CAIROLI Antonio (ITA) p.50 
2. GAJSER Tim (SLO) p.42 
3. DESALLE Clement (BEL) p.40
4. BOBRYSHEV Evgeny (RUS) p.32 
5. FEBVRE Romain (FRA) p.31 
6. PAULIN Gautier (FRA) p.31 
  
MX2 
1. JONASS Pauls (LAT) p.50 
2. PATUREL Benoit (FRA) p.44
3. LIEBER Julien (BEL) p.40 
4. KJER OLSEN Thomas (DEN) p.36 
5. CERVELLIN Michele (ITA) p.28
6. SEEWER Jeremy (SUI) p.25 

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:

Chet Plewacki

Mail: Chet.Plewacki@Pirelli.com

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