Herlings wins Swiss qualification to close championship gap

Honda HRC PETRONAS’s Jeffrey Herlings took his first Saturday points in style, winning the MXGP of Switzerland qualification race in grimy conditions in Frauenfeld, and closing the gap at the top of the championship to seven points.

The day started off cold and sunny with Herlings posting the second fastest time in free practice, but with so many riders it was hard to get good lap in timed practice and the Dutchman was only able to post seventh fastest. However, utilising the power of his Honda CRF450RW, the #84 rocketed out of the gate into second place, before moving into the lead a few laps later. Despite pressure the entire race, Herlings held on, as the track conditions deteriorated due to constant drizzle, to score a maximum 10 points, his first Saturday points of the season.

Valerio Lata also had his best Saturday result of the season, finishing third after an excellent day of hard-pack riding from the Italian, who is full of confidence since his fourth-place moto finish in Andalucia last weekend. The Honda CRF250RW rider posted the fastest lap in timed practice, giving him first gate-pick, which used to full advantage to get around the first few bends in second place. Midway through the race, he did drop to third, but it was still an excellent result and one that continues his upward trend.

Back in the MXGP class, Ruben Fernandez had to fight his way through the MXGP field to score his one point, after an early crash cost him a number of positions. The #70 was in seventh when a mistake dropped him outside of the top 20, after three laps. Putting his head down and charging to the best of his ability, the Spaniard managed to get up into the points with a few laps remaining and gives himself an outside shot of a good start in this tight Frauenfeld circuit.

Unfortunately, Tom Vialle finished outside of the points in 18^th place after looking poised to finish inside the top five. In wet conditions, the Frenchman’s foot slipped and got caught in his tyre, causing him to lose a number of positions as he untangled himself. After another incident, he eventually crossed the line in 18^th, which isn’t what he was hoping for at the beginning of a weekend where he was hopeful of challenging near the front of the field. Still, his starting prowess always gives him a chance, and all four riders will be motivated to score good points in tomorrow’s two motos when conditions could be similarly grim for this third MXGP of the season.

MX2 Qualifying Race
1. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 23:55.245; 2. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:05.700; 3. Valerio Lata (ITA, Honda), +0:13.022; 4. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), +0:15.106; 5. Mathis Valin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:17.501; 6. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:19.753; 7. Guillem Farres (ESP, Triumph), +0:20.895; 8. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:35.814; 9. Julius Mikula (CZE, KTM), +0:38.274; 10. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:42.199;