Red Bull KTM's Herlings rides to glory in home MX2 GP in Valkenswaard

2010-04-25 22:34
Jeffrey Herlings, the newest and the youngest of the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing riders rode two perfect motos in front of his home crowd at Valkenswaard on Sunday to pick up his first career GP at just 15-years-old.

The young Dutchman put in a stunning performance on the track to take the first moto by a margin of 11.5 seconds and the second by 12.1 seconds leaving no doubt that he was not only the MX2 rider of the day but also one that will be carefully scrutinized by the opposition from now on.

Victory for Herlings in only third GP
It was only Jeffrey's third ever GP and follows on from his first GP podium in the last round in Mantova, Italy, when he was third. The 50 points also consolidates his third place in the championship standings behind Ken Roczen of Germany and his own factory teammate Marvin Musquin.

"It was an indescribable feeling," Jeffrey said. "Just amazing, I had two good starts from not a very good starting position. But one GP is not the whole season so I am just going to try to be consistent and take it one race at a time." Herlings did admit to being a little nervous the night before the race but he also said he felt confident. "Maybe it was that confidence that let me win my first GP," he said.

Difficult weekend for Marvin Musquin
If Herlings was the outstanding KTM rider in Valkenswaard, then Marvin, the reigning MX2 world champion, was probably the unluckiest. He put in two heroic rides on Sunday after being banged up in a mega crash in qualifying on Saturday and certainly rode with his share of bruises. To add to his bad day Marvin got tangled in some netting in the first moto, which affect his rear brake. "The problem was with my crash yesterday. I had no energy and I was very tired in my legs and my arms. In the first race I came eighth and in the second it was better, I was fifth and I came back to third but I crashed two laps before the end and finished fifth." Marvin still picked up good championship points and although he sacrificed the red plate he is still only one point behind Roczen in the championship standings with a long season ahead of him.

Simpson fourth overall
His teammate Shaun Simpson who missed the first GP through injury was also on form on his KTM 250 SX-F finishing overall fourth while bagging a handy 34 championship points. The Scottish rider is now sixth in the standings, having garnered 87 points from the four motos he has so far contested. "It was a tough weekend and I had to put in some speed. The other two KTM guys were very fast so I had to think a bit and be consistent and do a good result. My pace and rhythm was really good in the first race so I just stuck with that for third. Then I did a really bad job of the first two or three corners of the second race and was back at about eighth. I just had no rhythm and about ten minutes to go I was burnt out. But I finished fourth overall and just a few points off the podium so its coming back," he said.

Valkenswaard offered conditions that were tricky and challenging for the riders and thrilling for the huge crowd that turned out to cheer on the new Dutch star, who has clearly listened intensely to his mentor, 10-times world champion Stefan Everts, team boss of the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team.

KTM has surged ahead in the Manufacturer's Standings having now won all six motos in the three GPs held so far for a perfect scorecard of 150 points. It is a record they will be trying to hold on to when riders gather at Agueda in Portugal in two weeks time for the next event on the calendar.


Results MX2
1. Jeffrey Herlings, Netherlands, KTM, 25-25—50 (first career victory in only third GP)
2. Ken Roczen, Germany, Suzuki, 22-22—44
3. Steven Frossard, France, Kawasaki, 18-20—38
4. Shaun Simpson, Britain, KTM, 20-14-34
5. Marvin Musquin, France, KTM, 13-16—29
6. Joel Roelants, Belgium, KTM, 14-15—29
Other KTM
12. Dennis Verbruggen, Belgium, KTM 17-13—20
14. Jake Nicholls, Britain, KTM 1-11—12

Championships standings after Round Three Valkenswaard
1. Ken Roczen, Germany, Suzuki, 130
2. Marvin Musquin, France, KTM, 129
3. Jeffrey Herlings, Netherlands, KTM 122
4. Steven Frossard, France, 107
5. Arnaud Tonus, Switzerland, 90
Other KTM
6. Shaun Simpson, Britain, KTM, 87
7. Jeremy van Horebeek, Belgium, 80
11. Jake Nicholls, Britain, KTM, 59
12. Joel Roelants, Belgium, KTM, 54
13. Dennis Verbruggen, Belgium, 47

Source: KTM-Sportmotorcycle AG

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