At the Latvian MXGP, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing's Romain Febvre picked up the pace as he challenged for a place inside the top-three in both races. In race-1 the '461' tried several lines determined to pass the nine-time World Champion Antonio Cairoli, but the opportunity he was hoping for never arose and he had to settle for fourth.
Febvre’s teammate Jeremy Seewer weekend was highlighted by a scintillating performance in race-2. After finishing fifth in race-1, one second behind Febvre, the Swiss knew he had the speed to challenge the leaders. When the gates dropped, he got off to a rip-roaring start on his YZ450FM and led the race for the first 11 laps. On the twelfth lap Gajser took the lead, as Febvre picked up the pace and stormed third. With half a lap to go, Febvre caught his teammate and successfully executed a pass to finish second, which put him tied in points with the Grand Prix winner. Seewer, fourth overall of the day, was 4-points short of the victory but scored enough points to move up third in the MXGP Championship standings. After missing four rounds due to an injury, Febvre has moved up to 12th in the Championship.
Team Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing uses WRP handlebars
The Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing's Jeremy Seewer achieved a career milestone last weekend in Russia with his first ever premier class podium finish, third overall. Joining fellow Swiss rider Tonus on the podium, the achievement is one for the history books as it is the first time that two Swiss riders have mounted the FIM Motocross World Championship podium in the premier class.
Seewer’s teammate Romain Febvre won Saturday qualifying race but had a mixed race day, finishing third in moto-1 and due to a mid-race crash ninth in moto-2, for fifth overall.
Team Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing uses WRP handlebars
HARTMANN (CLICE + WRP) VERTEIDIGT ZWEITEN MEISTERSCHAFTSRANG BEIM MX-2-TAKT-CUP IN NIEDERWÜRZBACH
Am Pfingstwochenende wurde der vierte von neun Motocross-Läufen zum DMV-MX-Zweitakt-Cup in Niederwürzbach (östlich von Saarbrücken) ausgetragen: Husqvarna-Pilot Mike Hartmann fand zu seiner Form zurück und verteidigte seinen zweiten Meisterschaftsrang. Nachdem der Heidenheimer beim letzten Rennen schon an seinen Starts verzweifelte, klappte es diesmal wieder besser: Im ersten Lauf gleich vorneweg: Doch in der zweiten Kurve zu weit Außen gefahren um den Schwung mitzunehmen: Da rutschen zwei Konkurrenten Innen durch. Danach war Hartmann lange Zeit auf dem dritten Platz, fiel am Ende aber noch auf den vierten Platz zurück. Im zweiten Lauf ein ähnliches Bild, da war kam er noch als Zweiter des Feldes vom Start weg, musste sich aber bis zum Ende der ersten Runden noch zwei weiteren Fahrern geschlagen geben. Nach einem Drittel der Renndistanz ging auch noch der Vorjahresmeister Moritz Schittenhelm an ihm vorbei und so beendete Hartmann auf der Husqvarna den Lauf auf dem fünften Platz. Mit Rang vier in der Tageswertung, direkt hinter Schittenhelm, konnte er aber seinen zweiten Meisterschaftsrang verteidigen.
Der "Außerirdische" fährt das komplette Trial fehlerlos
Flawless trial for Toni Bou in Japan. Fujinami back on the podium Perfect. Without errors. Toni Bou managed to finish the second day of the TrialGP of Japan in the most impeccable manner: without any penalty whatsoever at the Twin Ring Motegi. Repsol Honda Team companion Takahisa Fujinami occupied the third step of the podium. Toni Bou had yesterday predicted that today’s event would have very low scores, but few could have predicted a perfect performance of the type that Bou pulled off. The Repsol Honda Team rider picked up no penalizations whatsoever in any of the sections, finishing off the two laps of the Motegi circuit on 0 points. It is the second time in his career that he has been able to achieve this, the previous occasion being in Portugal in 2010. This is the third consecutive victory for Toni Bou so far in this season’s TrialGP World Championship and he continues to head the general standings with 60 points, ahead of the 49 of the nearest second-placed rival. Japanese rider Takahisa Fujinami, continues to perform well and today he amply demonstrated his form in several key moments of the trail, even holding second provisional place at one point. In the end, ‘Fujigas’ was back on the third step of the rostrum to the delight of the home fans. These two third place positions, allow the veteran to climb up to third spot in the general championship rankings. The next TrialGP World Championship competition is scheduled for the Netherlands on June 22th and 23th. The trial will hold its qualifying day on Saturday and will be a single-day event.
TrialGP of Japan Day 2 2019 results Pos. Rider Num Nation L1 L2 L3 T3 Points Team Constructor Time/Gap 1 BOU Toni 1 SPA 0 0 0 20 Repsol Honda Team Montesa 0 2 RAGA Adam 67 SPA 16 4 0 17 TRRS Factory Team TRRS 20 3 FUJINAMI Takahisa 6 JPN 15 16 0 15 Repsol Honda Team Montesa 31 4 DABILL James 22 GBR 18 19 0 13 Beta Factory Racing Beta 37 5 CASALES Jorge 33 SPA 17 21 0 11 Vertigo Factory Team Vertigo 38 6 KADLEC Franz 66 GER 18 23 0 10 TRRS Factory Team TRRS 41 7 BUSTO Jaime 69 SPA 33 14 0 9 Vertigo Factory Team Vertigo 47 8 GELABERT Miquel 9 SPA 33 16 0 8 Sherco Factory Team Sherco 49 9 FAJARDO Jeroni 2 SPA 31 23 0 7 Gas Gas Gas Gas 54 10 PRICE Jack 34 GBR 32 25 0 6 Gas Gas Gas Gas 57 11 BINCAZ Benoit 73 FRA 29 34 0 5 Beta Factory Racing Beta 63 12 PEACE Dan 38 GBR 40 30 0 4 Sherco Factory Team Sherco 70 13 KUROYAMA Kenichi 98 JPN 45 27 0 3 Yamaha Racing Yamaha 72 14 OGAWA Tomoyuki 97 JPN 48 37 0 2 Honda Honda 85 15 NOZAKI Fumitaka 99 JPN 41 45 0 1 Yamaha Racing Yamaha 86
Rider Standings Pos. Rider Num Nation Points Team Constructor 1 BOU Toni 1 SPA 60 Repsol Honda Team Montesa 2 RAGA Adam 67 SPA 49 TRRS Factory Team TRRS 3 FUJINAMI Takahisa 6 JPN 40 Repsol Honda Team Montesa 4 FAJARDO Jeroni 2 SPA 35 Gas Gas Gas Gas 5 DABILL James 22 GBR 33 Beta Factory Racing Beta 6 BUSTO Jaime 69 SPA 29 Vertigo Factory Team Vertigo 7 KADLEC Franz 66 GER 28 TRRS Factory Team TRRS 8 GELABERT Miquel 9 SPA 24 Sherco Factory Team Sherco 9 BINCAZ Benoit 73 FRA 23 Beta Factory Racing Beta 10 CASALES Jorge 33 SPA 22 Vertigo Factory Team Vertigo 11 PRICE Jack 34 GBR 17 Gas Gas Gas Gas 12 PEACE Dan 38 GBR 9 Sherco Factory Team Sherco 13 KUROYAMA Kenichi 98 JPN 7 Yamaha Racing Yamaha 14 NOGUERA Oriol 13 SPA 6 Team Jotagas JTG 15 FARRE Arnau 19 SPA 4 Team Jotagas JTG 16 NOZAKI Fumitaka 99 JPN 3 Yamaha Racing Yamaha 17 OGAWA Tomoyuki 97 JPN 3 Honda Honda 18 RIVA Andrea 96 ITA 1 TRRS Factory Team TRRS
Double podium for Repsol Honda Team on day one of the Japanese TrialGP
Toni Bou clinches the first of the two trials held in Japan. Japanese rider Takahisa Fujinami, also made it onto the rostrum in third spot, sealing Repsol Honda Team’s first double in 2019. The first day of competition at the TrialGP of Japan proved to be a complicated affair. The rain made a re-appearance, wreaking havoc with the terrain and making for a tricky task for all the riders starting from the rear end of the field including Toni Bou. Despite the difficulty, the Repsol Honda Team ace was able to mark the difference and was rewarded with another victory, the seventeenth to date at the Motegi Twin Ring. Takahisa Fujinami, with a swift pace, seemed at ease and was able to finish the day with a noteworthy third place to complete the Repsol Honda Team double – a feat not achieved since last year’s Belgium GP. This first podium of the season was, in part, fruit of the tremendous support received from the local crowd at ever corner of the route. Takahisa Fujinami takes his tally of podiums on home soil in Trial World Championship events to twenty-eight. Tomorrow, Sunday, sees the second day of the competition, where Bou and Fujinami hope to be back on the podium. The trial covers the same route, but with the starting order in the reverse order of today’s classification
TrialGP of Japan Day 1 2019 results Pos. Rider Num Nation L1 L2 L3 T3 Points Team Constructor Time/Gap 1 BOU Toni 1 SPA 19 26 3 20 Repsol Honda Team Montesa 48 2 RAGA Adam 67 SPA 36 31 4 17 TRRS Factory Team TRRS 71 3 FUJINAMI Takahisa 6 JPN 39 35 1 15 Repsol Honda Team Montesa 75 4 DABILL James 22 GBR 43 34 2 13 Beta Factory Racing Beta 79 5 FAJARDO Jeroni 2 SPA 44 33 4 11 Gas Gas Gas Gas 81 6 KADLEC Franz 66 GER 43 48 2 10 TRRS Factory Team TRRS 93 7 BUSTO Jaime 69 SPA 56 38 4 9 Vertigo Factory Team Vertigo 98 8 CASALES Jorge 33 SPA 53 45 0 8 Vertigo Factory Team Vertigo 98 9 GELABERT Miquel 9 SPA 54 44 3 7 Sherco Factory Team Sherco 101 10 PRICE Jack 34 GBR 50 54 0 6 Gas Gas Gas Gas 104 11 BINCAZ Benoit 73 FRA 56 48 3 5 Beta Factory Racing Beta 107 12 KUROYAMA Kenichi 98 JPN 52 56 0 4 Gas Gas Factory Team Yamaha 108 13 PEACE Dan 38 GBR 52 60 2 3 Sherco Factory Team Sherco 114 14 NOZAKI Fumitaka 99 JPN 57 58 3 2 Yamaha Racing Yamaha 118 15 OGAWA Tomoyuki 97 JPN 66 54 0 1 Honda Honda 120
HARTMANN (CLICE + WRP) VERBESSERT SICH IM MX-2-TAKT-CUP
Beim dritten Wettbewerb zum Motocross-2-Takt-Cup in Reutlingen konnte sich Husqvarna-Fahrer Mike Hartmann auf den zweiten Meisterschaftsrang verbessern. Dabei sah es zunächst rein sportlich nicht danach aus: Gleich beim ersten Lauf hatte Hartmann einen schlechten Start und konnte auch im Verlauf des Rennens keine Position gut machen. Zu hoch war das Tempo vor Ort. Fast ein ähnliches Bild im zweiten Lauf: Nach dem Start gerade einmal Platz zehn, doch diesmal fand er einen guten Rhythmus und konnte sich auf den vierten Platz vorarbeiten. "Ich glaube fast, ich habe das Starten verlernt," verzweifelte der Heidenheimer selbstkritisch nach dem Wettbewerb. Doch Glück im Unglück war, dass Titelverteidiger M.Schittenhelm wegen einer Terminüberschneidung nicht am Start war und sich Hartmann, obwohl nur Sechster an diesem Tag, so doch auf den zweiten Platz in der Meisterschaftswertung vorschieben konnte. Auch den Abstand nach Hinten konnte er vergrößern, denn an der Spitze waren diesmal auch viele lokale Fahrer. Fotos: Dieter Lichtblau
At the French MXGP the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing's duo Romain Febvre and Jeremy Seewer made up the top five.
After the 4th/5th finish in race-1 of Seewer and Febvre, thousands of French fans erupted with emotion as their hero Febvre took the holeshot in race-2. Urged on by the crowd, Febvre managed to maintain the position until he got passed by Gajser. With 10-minutes on the clock the atmosphere electrified as Febvre in second place and Tonus in third engaged in a thrilling battle all the way until the checkered flag, but it was Febvre who held onto the runner-up spot.
While Febvre secured a place on the podium for the first time since last August at the MXGP of Switzerland, Seewer made an impressive recovery after an unlucky start. The Swiss rider put in an astonishing ride from the back of the pack to eighth, for fifth overall of the day.
Team Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing uses WRP handlebars
Toni Bou opens the TrialGP World Championship with victory in Italy
Toni Bou becomes the first leader of the 2019 TrialGP World Championship after achieving a notable victory in a trial made complicated by the delicate state of the competition terrain. Team-mate Takahisa Fujinami earned a well-deserved sixth position after displaying good form. The opening of the FIM TrialGP World Championship was marked by rain which appeared intermittently throughout the weekend at the OffRoad Park in Pietramurata (Italy). The sections were muddy and required impeccable precision by riders to be able to salvage anything out of each section. After qualifying yesterday, Toni Bou and Takahisa Fujinami were forced to practically open the track with virtually no reference points ahead. Today’s trial, featuring fifteen sections over two laps, proved to be a tough affair. On lap one Toni Bou picked up several penalty points for two serious, yet surprising errors. The champion did, nevertheless, hold onto the leadership through the opening lap. On lap two, the Repsol Honda Team rider dug deep to break away from the pack at the head of the leader board. Bou finished the day atop the podium, sporting a 28-point advantage over the nearest second placed rival. Repsol Honda Team companion Takahisa Fujinami got off to a fine start in the outdoor season finishing in sixth position in spite of having been in the tussle for the top positions. However, errors in the latter stages of the trial left the Japanese rider without options of a rostrum place. The next round of the TrialGP World Championship will be held at the Motegi circuit in Japan, with a double-day event. The qualifying round takes place on June 7th with the main events on 8th and 9th June.
TrialGP of Italy 2018 results Pos. Rider Num Nation L1 L2 L3 T3 Points Team Constructor Time/Gap 1 BOU Toni 1 SPA 25 4 4 20 Repsol Honda Team Montesa 33 2 FAJARDO Jeroni 2 SPA 45 11 5 17 Gas Gas Gas Gas 61 3 RAGA Adam 67 SPA 45 19 2 15 TRRS Factory Team TRRS 66 4 BINCAZ Benoit 73 FRA 46 34 5 13 Beta Factory Racing Beta 86 5 BUSTO Jaime 69 SPA 40 45 3 11 Vertigo Factory Team Vertigo 88 6 FUJINAMI Takahisa 6 JPN 52 39 5 10 Repsol Honda Team Montesa 96 7 GELABERT Miquel 9 SPA 47 55 3 9 Sherco Factory Team Sherco 105 8 KADLEC Franz 66 GER 60 47 4 8 TRRS Factory Team TRRS 111 9 DABILL James 22 GBR 57 42 13 7 Beta Factory Racing Beta 112 10 NOGUERA Oriol 13 SPA 57 55 2 6 Team Jotagas JTG 114 11 PRICE Jack 34 GBR 60 57 0 5 Gas Gas Gas Gas 117 12 FARRE Arnau 19 SPA 63 62 1 4 Team Jotagas JTG 126 13 CASALES Jorge 33 SPA 72 50 6 3 Vertigo Factory Team Vertigo 128 14 PEACE Dan 38 GBR 66 62 1 2 Sherco Factory Team Sherco 129 15 RIVA Andrea 96 ITA 75 66 1 1 TRRS Factory Team TRRS 142
Beim zweiten Lauf des MX-2-Takt-Cups in Fischbach hatten die Fahrer mehr mit der Witterung und den Streckenverhältnissen zu kämpfen als mit der Konkurrenz: Regen über den ganzen Tag und sogar ein paar Schneeflocken machten die Strecke schlammig und rutschig und das Fahren eher ungemütlich. Auch Husqvarna-Fahrer Mike Hartmann kämpfte und konnte sich im ersten Lauf noch vom fünften Platz auf den vierten Rang verbessern. Im zweiten Lauf hing er aber hinter dem vierten Platz fest: "Ich fand einfach keine Lücke zum Überholen," meint der Heidenheimer anschließend. In der Meisterschaft konnte er aber seinen dritten Rang verteidigen.
Toni Bou makes Andorra X-Trial debut with a grand victory to celebrate a 13th world title
The X-Trial event in Andorra has brought the 2019 FIM X-Trial World Championship to a close. Toni Bou, the Repsol Honda Team rider, with the championship already mathematically sealed, was able to savour the thirteenth title in front of the home Andorran spectators. The Repsol rider, making his debut in an Andorra X-Trial, arrived on the back of four 2019 championship victories with the title already bagged after winning the Marseille trial, a month and a half ago. Bou was able to ride without pressure and command the trial to claim a fifth win of the season. Bou cleaned the first two rounds and later picked up just a single point, compared to the 11 of rival Adam Raga, in the final. This marks a career 75th podium place for Toni Bou and victory number 62 for the multi-time Spanish champion. The X-Trial World Championship had returned to Andorra after a sixteen-year absence. Toni Bou hadn’t yet taken part in the championship back then, unlike team-mate Takahisa Fujinami. In the most recent edition of the indoor event in Andorra, disputed in the Palau de Gel de Canillo, the Japanese Repsol Honda Team rider had finished in fifth position. The trial was the 139th participation for Takahisa Fujinami in an X-Trial World Championship event – an outright record in this competition. The Japanese rider accomplished his mission of qualifying for the second phase and went on to post an upbeat fifth overall position. Repsol Honda Team will participate next weekend in the second round of the Campeonato de España de Trial (Spanish Trial Championship) which will take place in Sant Julià de Lòria, also in Andorra. Bou is the leader of the national contest after winning the inaugural race.
