Jeffrey Herlings Increases World Championship Lead

Jeffrey Herlings of the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team did his world championship aspirations a lot of good at the sixth round of the series in Russia. He finished second in the GP, and has extended his lead over Antonio Cairoli to 23 points.

Despite missing the free training due to his luggage having gone missing at the airport, he quickly adjusted to the track and clocked the second fastest qualifying time. A nudge from Tim Gajser in the qualifying heat resulted in a crash for Gajser, and Herlings dropped to fourth. He bided his time, and with a few laps to go, he passed Jeremy van Horebeek to claim pole position.

Jeffrey joined the leading group off the start in race one. He focused on passing Cairoli, and was in turn passed by Clement Desalle. The battle between him and Cairoli yo-yoed, allowing Desalle to forge a gap , and Jeffrey eventually finished third.

Jeffrey left nothing to chance in the second race. He grabbed the holeshot, and from then in the result was a foregone conclusion. He won ahead of Desalle, and claimed second overall for the day.

“I’m pretty satisfied, since this is definitely not my favourite track. This and Trento are my least favourite tracks, and I did well at both. In the first heat, Cairoli and I battled, allowing Desalle to escape. In the second heat, I took the holeshot and  rode my own race. The season is still long, and I’ll be going for the win in Latvia.”

 

Jeffrey’s second overall for the day allowed him to increase his world championship lead over Cairoli to 23 points. He will participate in the third round of the Dutch Masters of Motocross at Mill next weekend, and at the Latvian GP the following week.

Overall Grand Prix Russia:
1 Clement Desalle 47 Pnt
2 Jeffrey Herlings 45 Pnt
3 Antonio Cairoli 38 Pnt
4 Romain Febvre 34 Pnt
5 Tim Gajser 34 Pnt

World Championship Standings MXGP:
1 Jeffrey Herlings 286 Pnt
2 Antonio Cairoli 263 Pnt
3 Clement Desalle 212 Pnt
4 Romain Febvre 203 Pnt
5 Gautier Paulin 180 Pnt