Jeffrey Herlings on the podium in MXGP of Latvia
Kegums provided a cool, overcast and changeable climate with the sandy terrain – and hard base – proving to be rough, slick and difficult to manage as the motos wore on across the one-day format. Jeffrey Herlings sealed his fourth Pole Position of the season during Timed Practice as the Dutchman again set the pace on his factory KTM 450 SX-F.
Herlings dominated the opening moto by opening a strong lead ahead of Tim Gajser. The Dutchman clinched his second checkered flag from the last three by more than seven seconds. He pursued Prado closely in the second moto but the 26-year-old – still recovering from his left shoulder blade fracture – tipped over with a few corners remaining. He crossed the line in 4th and sacrificed the overall win for a fifth podium appearance of the season in 3rd place.
Jeffrey Herlings: “All weekend was perfect apart from the last lap. What can I say? I felt like I could make a pass but I didn’t want to take a risk. Jorge was riding well and not making any mistakes. I went down all by myself. I’m sorry for the team and sorry for myself. I’m already looking towards Turkey now where hopefully I won’t have any pain and will be fitter. We’ll try to hunt those boys down. We are 43 points behind but there are still a lot of races ahead. We need to work and get fit. We know what we need to do. The rest of the guys here are fast but we’ve been on the box every time we’ve been racing, so I’ve been consistent. We need to start clicking off some wins and step it up a bit.”
MXGP can now breathe thanks to a three-week break lasting the rest of August. A double-header at Afyon for the Grand Prix of Turkey will bring the series back to the track in the first weekend of September.
Results MXGP Latvia 2021
1. Tim Gajser (SLO), Honda (2-2)
2. Jorge Prado (ESP), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (4-1)
3. Jeffrey Herlings (NED), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (1-4)
4. Romain Febvre (FRA), Kawasaki (5-3)
5. Tony Cairoli (ITA), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (3-6)
Standings MXGP 2021 after 07 of 17 rounds
1. Tim Gajser 270 points
2. Romain Febvre 257
3. Jorge Prado 255
4. Tony Cairoli 252
5. Jeffrey Herlings 227
