Slaw
The temperatures stayed high, and so did the incredible atmosphere at the Crossdromo Miravalle, and the classic Italian style hard-pack circuit above the city of Montevarchi delivered some pulsating action for the MXGP of Italy, a true celebration for local fans who have not seen this level of racing for two entire decades!
The track was prepared to combat the dust that naturally happens when a circuit is baked as much as this one has been, and on the day of the Summer Solstice it gave us some red-hot racing, even though some rain came down between the first set of races and the second, just adding a little extra difficulty with traction for the MXGP elite!
The MXGP class saw the all-time master Jeffrey Herlings climb to the top step for Honda HRC Petronas, taking his twentieth Grand Prix victory on Italian soil, and 116th in total, with fighting 1-2 finishes that clawed a few points back on series leader Lucas Coenen, who scored a brace of third places to take second overall for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing. It was a great weekend for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP, as Maxime Renaux claimed third overall for his second podium result of the season, and Tim Gajser, after suffering unfortunate damage to his bike in race one, won the second race as he kept a charging Herlings at bay!
In MX2, it was a measured performance through the day that took the overall victory for Sacha Coenen, keeping the red plate on his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing machine with solid 2-2 race finishes, although the Triumph Racing Factory Team collected the race wins for themselves, Guillem Farres the first one on his way to second overall, while Camden McLellan dominated race two to clinch third overall on the day. The duo are now second and third in the Championship behind Coenen!
On a decidedly different race track to most modern venues, there were many fantastic moments for the full hillsides of fans to enjoy, and all riders must be commended on the skills that allow them to ride so fast on such a slick surface!
MXGP Overall – Top 10 Classification: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, HON), 47 points; 2. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 40 p.; 3. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 37 p.; 4. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 32 p.; 5. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 31 p.; 6. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, DUC), 29 p.; 7. Tom Vialle (FRA, HON), 28 p.; 8. Jan Pancar (SLO, KTM), 27 p.; 9. Tim Gajser (SLO, YAM), 25 p.; 10. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KAW), 24 p.
MXGP – World Championship – Top 10 Classification: 1. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 449 points; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, HON), 393 p.; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 347 p.; 4. Tim Gajser (SLO, YAM), 329 p.; 5. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 305 p.; 6. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 281 p.; 7. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 273 p.; 8. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 264 p.; 9. Tom Vialle (FRA, HON), 249 p.; 10. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KAW), 200 p
MX2 Overall – Top 10 Classification: 1. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 44 points; 2. Guillem Farres (ESP, TRI), 41 p.; 3. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, TRI), 39 p.; 4. Liam Everts (BEL, HUS), 38 p.; 5. Mathis Valin (FRA, KAW), 34 p.; 6. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 29 p.; 7. Julius Mikula (CZE, KTM), 28 p.; 8. Maxime Grau (FRA, HON), 26 p.; 9. Valerio Lata (ITA, HON), 25 p.; 10. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 25 p.;
MX2 – World Championship Classification: 1. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 431 points; 2. Guillem Farres (ESP, TRI), 390 p.; 3. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, TRI), 373 p.; 4. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 372 p.; 5. Liam Everts (BEL, HUS), 354 p.; 6. Mathis Valin (FRA, KAW), 352 p.; 7. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 310 p.; 8. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 244 p.; 9. Valerio Lata (ITA, HON), 241 p.; 10. Kay Karssemakers (NED, KAW), 181 p.
