Top favorite Jett Lawrence rode a start-to-finish victory in the MXGP qualifying race. Ken Roczen finished second ahead of Romain Febvre. Lucas Coenen crashed at the start but recovered strongly from P37 to P6.
DThe holeshot in the MXGP qualifying race went to Glenn Coldenhoff, ahead of Jett Lawrence and Ken Roczen. On the outside of the first corner, Coenen slid, and Tim Gajser was also held up.
At the front, Lawrence immediately attacked with Roczen on his wheel. Estonian Jürgen-Matthias Talviku (#55) also got off to a good start, but Coldenhoff quickly gave way to Gajser, Febvre, and Gifting. Fernandez was also in excellent form and would finish 4th.
After a few laps with Roczen clinging to the lead, 'Jettson' was able to break away. The HRC-Honda superstar crossed the finish line with an 8-second lead over the German.
A motivated Coenen was already 16th after the opening lap. The way Lucas overtook the American Tomac on the third lap was also telling. The Belgian would eventually climb to 6th place, less than 6 seconds behind Tim Gajser!
The first qualifying race was a disappointment for the Netherlands. Glenn Coldenhoff He crashed. Unable to avoid a fallen rider, he jumped on top of him. The Hoff was forced to retire injured. Hopefully, his injury isn't too bad so he can still ride tomorrow.
How much this dropout will weigh on the Netherlands remains to be seen. Theoretically, they could still qualify with two results, but the dropout carries significant weight in the final standings. After the second heat, the scores will be combined, and only then will the overall ranking be determined.
MXGP qualifying race
1. Jett Lawrence (AUS, Honda), 24:12.424; 2. Ken Roczen (GER, Suzuki), +0:08.277; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:17.474; 4. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Honda), +0:19.399; 5. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:23.550; 6. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:29.282; 7. Isak Gifting (SWE, Yamaha), +0:37.641; 8. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, Ducati), +0:46.545; 9. Eli Tomac (USA, Yamaha), +0:49.904; 10. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Ducati), +1:02.833; 11. Carlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +1:10.936; 12. Enzo Lopes (BRA, Yamaha), +1:18.073; 13. Josh Gilbert (GBR, Honda), +1:29.787; 14. Jere Haavisto (FIN, KTM), +1:39.447; 15. Hakon Osterhagen (NOR, KTM), +1:53.499; 16. Jess Pettis (CAN, Yamaha), +2:00.928; 17. Anthony Rodriguez (VEN, KTM), +2:02.731; 18. Saad Soulimani (MAR, TM), +2:03.783; 19. Yuki Okura (JPN, Honda), +2:05.190; 20. Pascal Rauchenecker (AUT, Husqvarna), +2:11.111; 21. Slade Smith (RSA, Honda), +2:11.201; 22. Joaquin Poli (ARG, Kawasaki), -1 lap(s); 23. Franklin Noguera (CLAT, Husqvarna), -1 lap(s); 24. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, Yamaha), -1 lap(s); 25. Martin Barr (IRL, Honda), -1 lap(s); 26. Ophir Casey Tzemach (ISR, Husqvarna), -1 lap(s); 27. Nicolas Rolando (URU, KTM), -1 lap(s); 28. Matías Pavez (CHI, KTM), -1 lap(s); 29. Ben Hallgren (CASI, Yamaha), -1 lap(s); 30. Yarod Vargas (CRC, GASGAS), -1 lap(s); 31. Yeissen Said Rubalcava (MEX, Yamaha), -1 lap(s); 32. Magnus Smith (DEN, KTM), -2 lap(s); 33. Ingvar Sverrir Einarsson (ISL, KTM), -2 lap(s); 34. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Fantic), -3 lap(s); 35. Yurii Naumchyk (UKR, Kawasaki), -3 lap(s); 36. Sebastian Velez Cardona (PUR, Kawasaki), -5 lap(s); 37. Jose Maria Reyes Perla (HON, Honda), -8 lap(s);
Photos: Shootyou.be
