CAIROLI THE MX1 KING OF KEGUMS
The MX1 GP of Latvia was a near perfect weekend for Tony Cairoli and the Red Bull Teka KTM factory team. Now completely fit and feeling confident, Tony has shifted up a gear in his bid to capture his fifth world championship title and this weekend’s efforts netted him a cool 50 points to extend his lead by 42 points over second placed Clement Desalle. Tony was pushed hard by Steven Frossard in both motos but still managed to control the races and was the dominant rider of the weekend.
It was also a positive weekend for Max Nagl and while a crash at the beginning of the second moto spoilt his chances of a top place he still clearly benefited from increased confidence enhanced by changes in setup of his KTM 350.
Tony Cairoli: it was an awesome weekend. Every time I was on the track I as in front. It was an amazing feeling. I’m getting stronger and stronger every weekend and my speed is getting better. I enjoyed both races. I led from the first lap of the first race but Frossard was strong at the end and I had some trouble with a back marker but in the end it was enough to won. I got a good start in the second race and managed to get enough to control it.
Nagal had a confidence building GP
Max Nagl: “I’m more confident now and I know I can do the same speed as Tony and the guys because I was able to keep up with them in the first heat. The riding went well and things are going much better since we made some changes with the setup.
ROCZEN CONQUERS KEGUMS WITH MX2 VICTORY
Red Bull Teka KTM’s Ken Roczen on Sunday soaked up all the glory at Kegums in Latvia with two clear moto victories to further advance his lead in the MX2 Championship. It was the German super kid’s fourth consecutive GP victory this season. Factory teammate Jeffrey Herlings was on the podium in second place after two great rides. He was taken down just after the start of the first moto and found himself stranded back at 22nd in the big field. He put his head down and fought his way back to finish third, then in the second moto crossed the lone in second behind Roczen to underline that these two teenagers are the ones to dominate the championship.
Herlings chased and chased but Roczen escaped...
While Roczen stole the holeshot in race two, Herlings was not about to let him get away, even though he had expended a lot of energy catching the pack in race one. He also led the race for a brief period before Roczen again took charge. Herlings managed to hold on to second place despite another small crash in the closing stages but this allowed Roczen to finish almost 14 second ahead at the flag. The young Dutch rider nevertheless put in a solid day’s ride, his efforts all the more commendable because he had crashed hard on Saturday ramming the handlebars into his face and lacerating the inside of his mouth. Roczen now leads the championship standings with 446 points, 27 clear of teammate Herlings.
Ken Roczen: “It was pretty amazing because I was far off the pace in practice and even though I was pushing hard I couldn’t make good lap times. Then I won the first moto by a good gap and I saved a lot of energy for the second. I got a good start in the second and I let Jeffrey by to check out his lines. Then when there was about 15 minutes to go I put my head down, pushed past him and went on to pick up some good points.”
Jeffrey Herlings: I showed I had the speed and I came second so I’m not disappointed. I lost some points on Ken but I didn’t lose against Tommy (Searle). My injury didn’t really worry me but I didn’t win because I made some mistakes.