Antonio Cairoli and Ken Roczen obtained one more Grand Prix victory and increased the gap with their pursuers for the chase of the Title.
It was a perfect weekend for Red Bull Teka KTM Factory Racing MX1's Cairoli after winning yesterday's qualifying race and both of today's heats. The Italian felt very comfortable on the track and he admitted that the changes they made on it favour his riding and helped him obtain his first double victory of the season.Monster Energy Yamaha's Frossard was on the second step of the podium thanks to two solid second places. At the beginning of the first race, Frossard struggled a lot due to some arm pump problems, but by half of the heat, he felt better, moved up three positions and he crossed the finish line just 3 tenths of a second behind Cairoli. In the following race, Frossard obtained a solid second place.The changes done on the Latvian track did not really suit Honda World Motocross' Bobryshev, but he still managed to obtain a third overall position. During the first race, Bobryshev rode second until the last lap of the race, when the Russian could not hold Frossard's pressure, as Bobryshev felt dizzy due to the heat. In the second race, Bobryshev started fourth behind Desalle, and when the Belgian made a mistake, the Russian took the third position until the chequered flag.His teammate Goncalves did two incredible races today and he obtained an overall fourth position thanks to his 7-4 result. The Portuguese has been struggling in the last GP due to a problem in his blood, but his today's performance prove that Goncalves is almost fully fit again to finish among the top five riders of the series.Monster Energy Yamaha's Philippaerts obtained a solid fifth place in the first race, and after a bad start in the second heat, he succeeded in moving from an initial 17th position up to a final fifth place. The Italian is still sixth in the MX1 point standings, but Goncalves is just one point behind him.The sixth overall position was for German Nagl, who did an excellent first race finishing fourth behind Cairoli, Frossard and Bobryshev, but he crashed at the beginning of race two and crossed the finish line in the tenth position.De Dycker achieved a final seventh overall position after finishing sixth and ninth respectively. The Belgian seems to have some problems with his starts, but he then recovers some positions and finishes among the top ten classified riders. The next GP he will ride home, so he is looking forward to finishing higher up in the races.His compatriot Ramon started 18th in the first race and crossed the finish line in the 10th position. The Belgian had a good start in the following heat and thanks to his sixth position, he obtained an overall eighth place.Other Belgian Desalle was not lucky this weekend in Latvia, and although racing among the top five riders during both heats, he finished ninth overall. In the first race, Desalle touched Frossard's rear wheel and went down to the ground and in the second heat, he made a mistake and crossed the finish line eighth.Estonian Leok was only 12th in the first race, but he did an incredible second race finishing seventh and he completed the top ten of the Latvian GP.Tony Cairoli: "It was an awesome weekend. Every time I was on the track I was 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."Steven Frossard: " I had a bad start in the first moto and for around twenty minutes I didn't have a good feeling on the track and was getting some arm-pump. I looked for the better lines and I was able to get faster and smoother. I came back very well even though it was difficult to pass the other riders. I almost caught Antonio but couldn't manage it. Anyway I was happy. I felt fit and ready for the second moto and passed Antonio on the first lap but he got me back. I started to look at the lines and kept with him but when I heard a couple of noises from the bike I focussed on taking second and making the finish. I was able to play on the bike and with the track this weekend and I hope it will be the same next time in the sand"Evgeny Bobryshev: "I am so happy to be on the podium once again but I cannot really think right now because my brain is boiled! It was really hot out there and the pace was really quick. I feel like I am comfortable on the podium now and want to be here every week."MX1 Race 1 top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 39:16.295; 2. Steven Frossard (FRA, Yamaha), +0:00.347; 3. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:03.150; 4. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), +0:04.608; 5. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), +0:25.846; 6. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Honda), +0:30.979; 7. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), +0:32.517; 8. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:42.908; 9. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:51.153; 10. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), +0:51.555;MX1 Race 2 top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 40:14.909; 2. Steven Frossard (FRA, Yamaha), +0:05.972; 3. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:17.125; 4. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), +0:20.181; 5. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), +0:24.390; 6. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), +0:25.439; 7. Tanel Leok (EST, TM), +0:27.268; 8. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:39.859; 9. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Honda), +0:43.339; 10. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), +0:46.707;MX1 Overall top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 50 points; 2. Steven Frossard (FRA, Yamaha), 44 p.; 3. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), 40 p.; 4. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), 32 p.; 5. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 32 p.; 6. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), 29 p.; 7. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Honda), 27 p.; 8. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), 26 p.; 9. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 26 p.; 10. Tanel Leok (EST, TM), 23 p.;MX1 Championship top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 416 points; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 374 p.; 3. Steven Frossard (FRA, Yamaha), 370 p.; 4. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), 334 p.; 5. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), 311 p.; 6. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 282 p.; 7. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), 281 p.; 8. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), 229 p.; 9. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Honda), 228 p.; 10. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), 215 p.;
Red Bull Teka KTM Factory Racing MX2's Roczen dominated both heats with great authority, but in the second one his teammate Herlings managed to lead five laps. Roczen felt very comfortable this weekend in Kegums and he is now leading the championship with a 27 points advantage over Herlings.The Dutch crashed in the first race, but he came back with an incredible rhythm and crossed the finish line third, behind Roczen and Searle. Herlings rode right behind Searle during the last laps, but the British managed to keep the second position until the chequered flag. In the second race, Herlings took the lead in the third lap, but he could not stand Roczen's pressure and had to settle down with the second position and the second step of the podium.CLS Monster Energy Kawasaki Pro Circuit's Searle obtained a final third position after finishing second and third respectively. Searle admitted that he is still having some difficulties to fight for the holeshot with Roczen, but he was satisfied with his performance in Kegums, as he managed to make very good lap times.After missing the top five positions in the last GP, CLS Monster Energy Kawasaki Pro Circuit's Anstie succeeded in finishing fourth overall, ahead of Zach Osborne. Anstie had the same problem as his teammate Searle and he also struggled with his starts. However, he finished fifth and fourth respectively.Bike-it Cosworth Wild Wolf Yamaha's Osborne was fourth at the start of race one, but he quickly dropped some positions and finished seventh. In the second heat, Osborne had a very bad start but he managed to cross the finish line in the fifth position, which gave him the overall fifth.Finnish Kullas was not feeling comfortable lately on his Yamaha machine, but this weekend he recovered his confidence as he obtained an overall sixth position after finishing ninth and sixth. Teillet finished seventh behind Kullas in the overall classification and he impressed everybody, as he managed to ride third during the first eight laps of the
second race. The French has worked really hard to recover himself from his shoulder injury, so today's result is an important compensation for the French's efforts.Gautier Paulin did not have a good weekend in Latvia and missed very important points for the chase of the Title. The French did a very good start in race one, but he finished eighth due to an early crash in the second corner of the heat. In race two Paulin crashed again and hurt his shoulder, but he crossed the finish line tenth and obtained an overall eighth position.Nicholls did an incredible first race, going from an initial 22nd position to a final 12th place and in the second heat he got a solid eighth position and finished ninth ahead of home rider Kullas.Tonus finished fourth in the first heat, but he got a DNF in the second one, as one of his rear wheel spokes broke when he was riding fifth.Van Horebeek decided not to take part in today's races because he had a heavy pain on his ribs due to the crash he suffered in Teutschenthal last weekend.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."Tommy Searle: "Third again here in Latvia ! That was OK but the track was really dangerous in the second moto. I've a very bad blister to my hand since the beginning of the first moto; it made it really difficult to ride the bike in the second moto but I got a second and a third and that's very good points. I struggled with the lines in the second moto; it was the bumpiest track of the year and it wasn't much fun to ride. It was the first time I have been here; it was not too bad on Saturday, but it was easy to make mistakes and today I nearly crashed so many times so I'm happy to be on the podium. My starts were not so great; I don't know why I can't get good jumps off the grid, because I did it in the past, and for sure things would be easier with good starts. We have a weekend off now and it will be nice to have a short break as I need time for my hand to heal up. But I will also have to ride in the sand to prepare for Lommel. I know how to ride in deep sand, but I need a few days of practice to find a good feeling in the sand."MX2 Race 1 top ten: 1. Ken Roczen (GER, KTM), 39:00.838; 2. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:10.995; 3. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:16.150; 4. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +0:20.418; 5. Max Anstie (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:26.496; 6. Nicolas Aubin (FRA, KTM), +0:37.072; 7. Zachary Osborne (USA, Yamaha), +0:39.118; 8. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:40.202; 9. Harri Kullas (FIN, Yamaha), +0:41.608; 10. Valentin Teillet (FRA, Suzuki), +1:02.232;MX2 Race 2 top ten: 1. Ken Roczen (GER, KTM), 40:24.762; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:13.947; 3. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:18.712; 4. Max Anstie (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:19.082; 5. Zachary Osborne (USA, Yamaha), +0:37.594; 6. Harri Kullas (FIN, Yamaha), +0:52.396; 7. Valentin Teillet (FRA, Suzuki), +1:00.394; 8. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +1:14.291; 9. Matiss Karro (LAT, Honda), +1:16.269; 10. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +1:17.747;MX2 Overall top ten: 1. Ken Roczen (GER, KTM), 50 points; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 42 p.; 3. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 42 p.; 4. Max Anstie (GBR, Kawasaki), 34 p.; 5. Zachary Osborne (USA, Yamaha), 30 p.; 6. Harri Kullas (FIN, Yamaha), 27 p.; 7. Valentin Teillet (FRA, Suzuki), 25 p.; 8. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), 24 p.; 9. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 22 p.; 10. Matiss Karro (LAT, Honda), 18 p.;MX2 Championship top ten: 1. Ken Roczen (GER, KTM), 446 points; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 419 p.; 3. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 370 p.; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), 343 p.; 5. Zachary Osborne (USA, Yamaha), 295 p.; 6. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), 274 p.; 7. Max Anstie (GBR, Kawasaki), 249 p.; 8. Harri Kullas (FIN, Yamaha), 224 p.; 9. Nicolas Aubin (FRA, KTM), 207 p.; 10. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), 170 p.;
