CAIROLI AND HERLINGS LEAVE FERMO WITH RED PLATES IN MX1 & MX2

2012-04-29 17:30
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing put in a strong weekend of racing in Round Three of the of the MX1 and MX2 World Championship in Fermo on Sunday coming away from Italian track with two red plates and Jeffrey Herlings and Tony Cairoli as championship leaders.



The day started well with Dutch teenager Jeffrey Herlings snapping a double moto win in MX2 on the KTM 250 SX-F to top the podium ahead of American Michael Leib and factory teammate Jeremy van Horebeek.Herlings has now surged 30 points clear in the standings with van Horebeek in second place while UK rider Tommy Searle slips to third after failing to pick up any points in the first moto.



While Herlings had it all his own way in the opening race on the KTM 250 SX-F, the second was much harder for him. After crashes and confusion at the start of the race he then had to go on the charge from back in the field.

Herlings got down to business and picked off riders in front of him until he hit the front in the closing stages. In the process he was also able to hold off a charge from rival Tommy Searle who was out to regain points after coming away from race one empty-handed. Van Horebeek also looked strong on the difficult hard pack surface that broke up into deep ruts and bumps as the day progressed and led for the first half of race two. The rookie member of the three-man factory team, Jordi Tixier of France also picked up valuable points to finish fourth overall and is now sixth in the standings.



Meanwhile Cairoli rounded off a good day on a track that is not his favorite on the KTM 350 SX-F with a 3-1 result for overall second. The popular Italian rider, who finished third in the opening MX1 moto came out in race two determined to treat his home town fans to a display of top riding on the KTM 350 SX-F. The wily Italian didn’t disappoint. He hit the front as soon as the gate dropped, secured the holeshot and to the delight of the dedicated fans, led throughout the entire race.

It was also a good day for his current teammate Ken de Dycker of Belgium who has stepped into the factory team to replace the injured Max Nagl of Germany. De Dycker is looking increasingly comfortable of the KTM 450 and his strong fourth place finish in the second moto put him at overall fifth in Fermo. The Belgian rider is also currently fifth in the championship standings.



Cairoli comes away from Fermo with a cushion of 27 points lead as riders now take a one-week’s break before reconvening in Mexico on May 13th for Round Four. Mexico is the first of two legs in the Americas and is followed by Round Five in Brazil. 



Earlier in the day young Slovenian KTM rider Tim Gajser also had another convincing double victory in the EMX 125 class and now has a maximum of 100 points from four races. KTM riders took the top five places in the class this weekend.



What the Red Bull KTM Factory Riders said after Fermo:

Jeffrey Herlings MX2 : “I had a little bit of luck in the first moto and I went on to win by 15 seconds from Jeremy so it was a solid result. Then I took the holeshot in the second moto but I got cleaned out by Tommy (Searle). We both went down and came back from pretty much last place. I tried to push as hard as I could, I went into the lead and made it happen. So today I got 28 points on Tommy and that was good.”



Jeffrey van Horebeek MX2 : “I came out of the gate in second in both motos and in the first race I was behind Jeffrey till mid way. We had a big lead and then five minutes before the end I had a crash in the whoops and I hit my head pretty hard. I was dizzy but I still managed to finish second. I didn’t feel so good between the motos but I wanted to give the team the podium so I worked hard in the second moto. I was leading for a few laps but my head was hurting and then I had to drop the pace. Now I am second in the championship and I’ve never been there before.”



Jordi Tixier MX2: “I took a good start in the first race and I was fifth and finished seventh, which was not so bad. Then many people crashed at the start of the second race but I managed to finish fifth behind Jeremy so it was a good weekend for me. I liked the track but it had many bumps and lines and there was also a lot of crashes.”



Tony Cairoli MX1: I had a good start in the first heat and I was second but I was not so happy with my riding in the beginning. I made a few mistakes and I dropped back to 5-6 . Then after 10-15 minutes I found my rhythm and closed the gap on the front guys but I was a bit tired so I stuck to my third place. In the second race I also had a good start and I tried to make some good laps at the beginning of the race. I was also happy with how things went in the second race and I did a pretty good job.”



Ken De Dycker MX1: “I didn't have a good start in the first moto and I didn’t find my rhythm or any good lines. But the second moto was much better. It was easier for me and I was more relaxed so there was not so much pressure. I didn’t expect more from this GP because its not one of my favorites.

GP of Italy at Fermo - Round 3 of the World Championship
MX1 Results
1, Christophe Pourcel, France, Kawasaki
2, Tony Cairoli, Italy, KTM
3, Clement Desalle, Belgium, Suzuki
4, Gautier Paulin, France, Kawasaki
5, Ken de Dycker, Belgium, KTM
Other KTM
7, Kevin Strijbos, Belgium, KTM
12, Matiss Karro, Latvia, KTM
13, Davide Guarneri, Italy, KTM

MX1 Standings
1, Cairoli, 133
2, Paulin, 116
3, C. Pourcel, 106
4, Desalle, 105
5, de Dycker, 95
Other KTM
6, Strijbos, 76
14, Davide Guarneri, 36
15, Karro, 35

MX1 Manufacturers Standings
1, KTM, 133
2, Kawasaki, 129
3, Suzuki, 115

MX2 Results
1, Jeffrey Herlings, Netherlands, KTM
2, Michael Leib, USA, Yamaha
3, Jeremy van Horebeek, Belgium, KTM
4, Jordi Tixier, France, KTM
5, Jose Butron, Spain, KTM
Other KTM
13, Jake Nichols, GBR, KTM

MX2 Standings
1, Herlings, 144
2, van Horebeek, 114
3, Searle, 109
4, Roelants, 85
5, Anstie, 80
Other KTM
6, Tixier, 78
8, Nichols, 69
13, Butron, 48

MX2 Manufacturers Standings
1, KTM, 144
2, Kawasaki, 132
3, Honda, 84

EMX 125 Overall Results
1, Tim Gajser, Slovenia, KTM (1-1)
2, Magne Klingshelm, Norway, KTM
3, Calvin Vlaanderen, Netherlands, KTM
4, Davide Bonini, Italy, KTM
5, Riccardo Righi, Italy, KTM
Other KTM
6, Jaap Corneth, Netherlands, KTM
7, James Dunn, GBR, KTM
10, Henry Jacobi, Germany, KTM
11, Pauls Jonass, Latvia KTM
12, Anton Lundgren, Sweden, KTM
13, Vaclav Kovar, Czech Republic, KTM
14, Styn Hofman, Belgium, KTM
15, Dietger Damiaens, Belgium, KTM

EMX 125 Championship Standings
1, Gaijser, 100
2, Bonini, 75
3, Klingshelm, 66
4, Vlaanderen, 60
5, Jacobi, 56

EMX 125 Manufacturers Standings
1, KTM, 100
2, Suzuki, 58
3, Kawasaki, 6

Source: KTM

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