Race Report: MXGP of Spain

Dedicating the win to his late father Bene, who last saw his son in action at Talavera a year ago, Cairoli says, “I’m happy to have the overall victory, finally. I’m not quite used to the power of the bike, and in the first moto I think my arms were longer than normal after three laps. I was hanging for about ten minutes.” 

It was actually KTM’s first triumph with the 450 since Nagl used the 2010 version to win that same year in Bulgaria. Today Nagl is on the Husqvarna and holds a 30-point lead over Cairoli.

“I did not find the perfect lines like I did in the first race and was searching for many options,” Nagl says. “I was third and just couldn't go any faster, but for the championship lead it was a good race. I have never been in this position in my career so I really want to try and go for it now.”

Nagl holds a 12-point lead over Clement Desalle, who crashed for the third Grand Prix in a row when a kicker sent him over the bars on the first lap of the second race. The Belgian escaped uninjured and kept ahead of impressive British Champion Shaun Simpson, who was sixth on the Hitachi Construction Machinery Revo KTM (the privateer is on the old 450 SX-F model but is still the brand’s second-best racer in MXGP). Simpson’s overall score was ruined by a rear brake failure in the first moto. Another KTM rider, Tommy Searle, wasn’t as lucky; he went down on the same leap as Desalle and picked up a shoulder injury. He will undergo an MRI on Monday.

A static first race—also in MX2—turned into a more watchable second race, as the punishing five-class schedule had worn the track into a myriad of strange bumps and the technical level of the winding layout had increased. Cairoli faced opposition from a superb Yamaha Factory Racing’s Romain Febvre, who is defying his rookie status and finding a regularly notable groove on the YZ450FM. The Frenchman was fourth in moto 1 but pushed to first, briefly stalled the bike (and restarted with the machine’s prototype electric system), and kept with Cairoli to the flag. Febvre’s speed ensured the rookie third place—his first podium appearance in the class. He only completed his first full time GP season four years ago.

After total dominance two weeks ago in Holland, Team HRC’s Gautier Paulin was nowhere near as formidable in Spain and his starts were again cause for frustration. In the second moto he tangled with IceOne’s Todd Waters and had to restart from the back of the pack. Teammate Evgeny Bobryshev was more competitive and finished fifth overall.

Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Tyla Rattray had a reasonable day with seventh in the MXGP class. The South African was again alone in the KRT awning with Ryan Villopoto in the US allegedly seeking guidance from Aldon Baker and some recovery options for his fractured coccyx. Spanish fans still gathered around the Kawasaki truck for a view of the #2 KX450F. It is unknown at this time whether RV will be back in two weeks for the GP of Great Britain.

If Yamaha were pleased with Febvre’s progress in MXGP (teammate Jeremy Van Horebeek is due to have a cast removed from his left foot Monday), then they were delighted in MX2 when Standing Construct Valentin Guillod’s finished with a 6-1 scorecard and gave the YZ250F its first success since August last year. Red Bull KTM’s Jeffrey Herlings turned a sixth straight pole position on Saturday—earned despite the keen speed of Thomas Covington; sadly the young American could not replicate the same starting potency on Sunday and was fifteenth overall—into a first moto victory with Monster Energy DRT Kawasaki’s Max Anstie disturbing his peace. Again the opening MX2 sprint had nothing to get excited about even though Dylan Ferrandis’ DNF after an altercation left the back of the Kawasaki destroyed and could have had repercussions for his championship aspirations.

The second MX2 moto was a bevvy of action, position swapping, and continual shift for the podium. Anstie started badly and Ferrandis led with Guillod in pursuit for the duration and seemingly risking a pitch into the freshly watered and slick mud. Team HRC’s Tim Gajser was another rider on the ragged edge, and if he hadn’t crashed in the first moto, then he would have been another podium contender. The most surprising crash was Herlings’. Losing front wheel grip and being flicked almost off the bike on a jump take-off, he was chucked to the ground and sported the red marks of a nasty head plant in the press conference after the race.