Olsen took the checkered and third place after a rugged charge from his Swiss opponent, Seewer, would ultimately prevent a dream home Grand Prix. Jonass roused the crowd with a moto two victory—his eighth from 14 so far in 2017 and now five rounds with at least one set of 25 points—but Olsen’s rally to second place was enough for the better scorecard.

“My first overall, and I could not have wished for a better day; I really felt good on the track although it was so tough,” said the Husqvarna man and proof that excellence in the EMX250 European Championship (that he won in 2016) is beneficial for Grand Prix pedigree. Olsen had prevailed at Kegums in the competition 12 months previously. Calvin Vlaanderen was a noteworthy third place overall and bumped Jorge Prado to fourth thanks to the second moto classification.

Kegums baffled once more. The sandy-ish terrain partly obscured a hard base that kicked and churned into a washboard of braking bumps and some treacherous and shifting ruts in a few key spots on the layout. Typically a fast mix with several hefty jumps, the presence of unexpectedly slick sections and soft patches caught out some of the best. Tim Gajser was lucky to escape without injury after a big crash in 2016, but was not so fortunate at this edition. A controversial line by Spaniard Jose Butron dumped the world champion to last place on the first lap of the opening moto—leading to a post-race dispute—and Gajser fought to make his way back to 14th. An even harder get-off—this time self-induced with a kicker pitching him over the bars—ended the Slovenian’s race and necessitated a visit to the medical centre for what could be a significant moment in the story of the 2017 MXGP story. As we write Gajser had allegedly damaged some ribs, but HRC will undoubtedly make an update once assessments have been made.

Wilvo Yamaha duo Shaun Simpson and Arnaud Tonus were in the wars in the second moto. Tonus was ominously stretchered away from the scene of a crash next to the waves section, but was given the all-clear from any breaks or fractures and will likely see a specialist for his neck and back on return to his base this week. Simpson, who came so close to third position in the first moto by failing to overtake Evgeny Bobryshev by just three tenths of a second at the line, exited the track in the second and smacked his left hand on an unprotected tower post causing a broken metacarpal and surgery scheduled for Monday morning in Belgium.

Falls for Monster Energy Yamaha’s Jeremy Van Horebeek and Rockstar Husqvarna’s Max Nagl showed how difficult Kegums was to judge but there were a few bright spots: Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Clement Desalle equalled a season-best second place in the first moto, the returning Max Anstie ranked sixth, just behind European GP winner Gautier Paulin, who was conservative and lacking his Valkenswaard starts to go 7-7 on the day. Bobryshev was third on the box for his second podium visit of the year and Stefan Everts’ promising find in Lithuanian Arminas Jasikonis seems to be gathering momentum; the tall 20-year-old setting the pace for the first four laps of the second moto and scoring an encouraging third position for what is still his first full-time season in Grand Prix.

Herlings was the real deal, though. Valkenswaard’s runner-up finish two weeks ago opened the tap on his confidence that had been withered by a broken hand and admittance he had underestimated the task and opposition in MXGP. Latvia saw the handle turned almost fully open and this was #84 nearing something of his MX2 pomp and panache. In his TV interview immediately after the first moto and a runaway performance the relief was evident.

The Dutchman is already talking of the championship being out of his reach thanks to an—ironic—84-point deficit to the top (unbelievably he would be the third rookie in a row if he does go on to obtain the crown) but with 50-point hauls like this one then he will rise through the table with pace. Why was Jeffrey so strong in Latvia? The Valkenswaard effect has been mentioned and while Kegums has that sandy element and some similarities to the Eindhoven circuit it was another mean and treacherous type of test. This small milestone for Herlings was about renewed feeling with the 450 SX-F and crucially two bona fide starts that helped his cause and attacking approach.