VALKENSWAARD GRAND PRIX SATURDAY QUALIFYING REPORT

_BAS1780Max Nagl (12), Tony Cairoli (222) and the rest of the 450 field fight for a four-foot-wide spot of Dutch sand.

Story and photos by John Basher

At the epicenter of European motocross sits Valkenswaard, for what is round five of the MXGP series. A stone’s throw from Belgium, the southern Netherlands course is the first sand race of the series. Valkenswaard holds a special place for several riders. For one, Jeffrey Herlings, it’s the sight of his first GP win. In fact, the Dutch sand master has never lost at Valkenswaard in his 250 career. As for Gautier Paulin, the Frenchman has a love/hate relationship with the track. Last year he won the first moto after Tony Cairoli’s front wheel broke. It was exactly what Paulin needed to get a leg up on the Italian. However, disaster struck in the second moto. He injured his shoulder and hand, resulting in a seven-race absence. This time around Paulin hopes to tame the troublesome sand.

_BAS1482There’s a reason why he’s called the sand master. Herlings was flawless on Saturday qualifying.

250 QUALIFYING RACE

Jeffrey Herlings hasn’t been as dominant this year as everyone expected. While he has two GP wins to his credit, a crash in Argentina and poor start in Italy kept him from achieving perfection. Judging by the blistering pace he set in the 250 qualifying race in Valkenswaard he’s not affected. Herlings logged a 1:55.26 during the session, nearly 1-1/2 seconds faster than second place. “The Bullet” as his fans call him deserves the nickname, given that he gapped the field by 24 seconds over the 25-minute race. Expect a perfect weekend from Herlings, because the only way he will lose will be by his own hand.

_BAS1184Aleksandr “Tank” Tonkov had flashes of brilliance–notably the holeshot and also when he passed Herlings back–and finished second.

Aleksandr Tonkov garnered the holeshot in the 250 qualifier and actually got around Herlings after being passed briefly, but couldn’t keep the pace. Tonkov finished second, while an inspired Jordi Tixier caught up to the back wheel of Tonkov. The defending 250 World Champion didn’t have enough to pull past Tonkov. Pauls Jonass, the young KTM sensation, finished fourth sans goggles. Max Anstie finished fifth.

_BAS0999Look at that launch pad!

Other 250 qualifier notes of interest: (1) 20 plus two. The qualifying race time length is 20 minutes plus two laps. (2) Launch pad. There’s a rule in GP racing that only the riders can work on their starting pad. This is quite a bit different than the AMA Nationals, where the mechanics normally stomp down the starting pad for their riders. The GP racers are very creative in soil usage. Some built dowhill ramps for their rear wheels in order to get better drive off the line. It should be noted that Jeffrey Herlings didn’t employ this tactic. (3) Oops. All eyes were on Tim Gajser after he won the Trentino GP. The qualifying race today didn’t go to plan, as the Slovenian finished 25th. As for the only American in the field–Thomas Covington–he struggled in the rough sand and finished 26th.

250 Qualifying Results:

1. Jeffrey Herlings…KTM

2. Aleksandr Tonkov…Hus

3. Jordi Tixier…Kaw

4. Pauls Jonass…KTM

5. Max Anstie…Kaw

_BAS0727This photo was obviously taken during practice, because Gautier Paulin didn’t have to deal with any roost while styling out front in the 450 qualifier.

450 QUALIFYING RACE

Gautier Paulin built a head of steam throughout Saturday’s free and timed practice sessions. Once he secured the holeshot in the 450 qualifying race he was gone from the rest of the field. Even mighty Tony Cairoli, the master of Valkenswaard, couldn’t catch the Frenchman. Paulin logged a 1:53.53, nearly a second faster than Cairoli’s best. Over 12 laps he amassed a 12.8-second gap. Perhaps Gautier will turn his success today into a win tomorrow. HRC Honda hopes so, because Paulin is currently fifth in the point standings, some 43 points back of the leader. By the way, Gautier and his teammate, Evgeny Bobryshev, won the unofficial best-dressed contest today. Nice work, guys.

_BAS1788Shaun Simpson (24) was riding on rails for a while, but eventually Tony Cairoli (222) gobbled up the Brit.

Cairoli had to chase down an inspired Shaun Simpson for second place, while Romain Febvre came from sixth to third. Look for Febvre to be a dark horse winner tomorrow. Evgeny “Bobby” Bobryshev started fourth and ended fourth, while Simpson slipped back to fifth. Where did the other heavy hitters finish? Tyla Rattray finished sixth. Max Nagl, second in points, ended up seventh. Clement Desalle had a bad moto and brought his Suzuki home in 11th.

_BAS1692Look at that nice glow on the Valkenswaard sand ruts. Too bad Mother Nature only shared a few minutes of warm sun before the weather turned again.

Other 450 qualifier notes of interest: (1) BT101. Yes, folks, there was a Ben Townley sighting. The friendly ex-Champion was taking in the GP. When asked what he was up to, Ben said, “I’m trying to do as little as possible.” If anyone deserves to do nothing, it’s Townley. (2) Weather. The sun finally broke through during the 450 qualifier. Although things are looking grim for tomorrow, at least Mother Nature has a sense of humor.     

450 Qualifying Results:

1. Gautier Paulin…Hon

2. Tony Cairoli…KTM

3. Romain Febvre…Yam

4. Evgeny Bobryshev…Hon

5. Shaun Simpson…KTM

VALKENSWAARD QUALIFYING PHOTO GALLERY

_BAS1349_LR _BAS0848 _BAS0764 _BAS0666_LR _BAS0552 _BAS0534 _BAS1193 _BAS0515 _BAS1131

A LAP OF VALKENSWAARD WITH TONY CAIROLI

The step-down jump with a rutted face at 1:53 in is 90 feet long

A LOOK AT JORDI TIXIER’S TEAM CLS KAWASAKI KX250F

_BAS0476Check out the HoleShot Link. This rear link holeshot device is used by quite a few riders on the GP circuit.

_BAS0475The CLS Kawasaki used to be a Showa-suspended team, but the team riders felt more comfortable on the WP works suspension.

_BAS0470Valkenswaard means that a sand tire is a necessity.

_BAS0459There are so many cool parts to look at in this photo, but focus on those wire radiator roost guards. They’re designed to keep sand out.

_BAS0455Dear CLS Kawasaki, can we please have one of those trick carbon fiber gas tanks? PLEASE?

FROM THE HORSE’S MOUTH: RYAN VILLOPOTO

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