Strong qualification for Honda HRC at the MXGP of China

Honda HRC put in a strong showing across the board on qualification day at the MXGP of China. Tim Gajser finished second, Valerio Lata (MX2) was third and Ruben Fernandez was fifth as they showed the power of their Honda’s in front of a lot of fans and supporters at the track in Shanghai.

Ever since arriving in the country, the riders have been greeted by sweltering conditions with temperatures over 30C and a high humidity to match it. This has made things tough, and added an extra level of difficulty on what is a new circuit in for them to negotiate. Located a few kilometres away from the old venue, it definitely shares a lot of the same characteristics though, so it didn’t take them long to adapt and find their rhythm. All three riders were inside the top five in timed practice and although Fernandez wasn’t able to put in the hot-lap he wanted in timed practice, he still had confidence that his speed was there.

Gajser had second gate-pick and actually looked like he might grab the holeshot after an excellent jump out of the gate. Unfortunately he did run wide and let a couple of riders through, before quickly regaining those positions in the next corner. By the end of the lap he was back in second place and poised to make a pass for the lead, but due to the tight and technical nature of the track, he wasn’t able to ever get close enough to make anything stick. Instead he settled for second, which is still another improvement since his return from injury, so he is happy with the outcome with the potential for even more tomorrow.

Fernandez made a number of passes on the first lap to get himself into fifth, but like Gajser, found any further movement very difficult and he also decided it was better to maintain his position rather than risk too much. Fifth gate-pick does give him the opportunity to fight with the top guys out of the gate and that’s something he really wants to do, because his race speed has been excellent in recent events.

In the MX2 class, Lata put in a strong performance all day long, getting second in free practice, fourth in timed practice, before holding off a number of top riders to come home in third place in the qualification race. Considering he has never ridden in China before, it was an excellent debut in the country, especially given the weather conditions. His goal now is to try and replicate that same level in the two races tomorrow and score some decent points, in his quest to move up the MX2 Championship standings.

MX2 Qualification Race
1. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 24:02.438; 2. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), +0:06.532; 3. Valerio Lata (ITA, Honda), +0:16.124; 4. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:16.924; 5. Guillem Farres (ESP, Triumph), +0:22.415; 6. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:23.915; 7. Mathis Valin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:24.538; 8. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:33.133; 9. Rick Elzinga (NED, Yamaha), +0:36.776; 10. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:41.123;