Getteman and Boog about the Qatar GP
The first MXGP of the season was one of mixed feelings Xavier Bow and Jens Getteman. Both 24MX Honda Racing riders had their highlights, but Boog in particular remained below expectations in his debut GP on Honda. The experienced Frenchman eventually finished 17th (DNF – 13). His teammate Getteman scored six World Cup points, good for 20th place. The Grand Prize was won by Gautier Paulin (Kawasaki) ahead of Max Nagl (Honda) and reigning world champion Tony Cairoli.
Surprisingly it was Jens Getteman on Friday even the star of the team. The youngest rider in the MXGP class (20) made his mark with an impressive 11th place in the timed training, ahead of Boog who finished 13th. The. also showed during the qualifying competition Top sport Vlaanderen being a driver. Jens more than held his own among the world's best, but unfortunately he suffered a wrist injury halfway through the match. Xavier wasn't down either. After a slide from Cairoli, he was in 10th place at the time. Boog managed to come back from last place to 15.
In the very first MXGP series of the season, 'Boogie' sent his 24MX Honda CRF450R to a masterful holeshot! The fact that it was located just after the official holeshot bridge did not spoil the fun. Only in his 2nd race of the season, Xavier clearly did not feel comfortable with the pace of the leaders. The double French champion had to relinquish the role and tumbled from 8th place to 13th after two laps six laps later. Shortly afterwards the song was completely out when #121 had to leave the race due to the impact of a stone with a defective capacitor. Although Getteman rode with a painkilling injection, it wore off after about twenty minutes. However, Jens fought back the pain and immediately scored his first World Cup points in 18th place.
Boog went from one extreme to another. As good as his start was before the break, it was so bad in the second heat. It also took a while before he got up to speed, but Xavier still finished in 13th, barely a second behind David Philippaerts. Getteman also had to push through the pain barrier in the second moto. The Wellen native did well, as he managed to climb to 12th position after laps. Unfortunately he paid for two mistakes in cash so that Getteman had to settle for 18th place again.
Xavier Bow: “It was anything but a good weekend! I did take the holeshot, but I immediately lost a lot of places. So even without that technical problem it was a frustrating race. I don't know why, but it always took a long time before I got a good rhythm. Once I got going, I felt good on the bike. That is already positive and the fact that I took the holeshot in heat one. At the moment, speed is my main problem. Not only am I too slow on the first laps, my fastest lap times also left a lot to be desired. Hopefully I can do something about that next week.”
Jens Getteman: “I can't say that I particularly like the Losail International Circuit. The track itself was harder, with less grip than last year. Still, I immediately felt at ease. To be honest, I didn't expect my speed to approach that of the top ten. That was a pleasant surprise and also a boost for the upcoming GPs. Until Qatar I didn't know where I stood, but this weekend has certainly given me confidence. After the painkiller wore off, I really gave up the first heat. For the second series I went to the doctor again and he gave me another injection, but a little deeper. The fact that I could ride pain-free together with the adrenaline and the right flow gave me wings. Too bad I braked the bike to death halfway through the race and on the penultimate lap I crashed stupidly. Otherwise there would certainly have been more. In any case, I would like to thank the team for their hard work this week. My personal supervisors Luc and André also helped me tremendously. We have now fully started treating my wrist, which is going in the right direction. I am looking forward to next weekend in Si Racha.”
MXGP Series 1 (18 laps = 28.710Km)
1. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), 34:57.925; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:01.942; 3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:07.827; 4. Steven Frossard (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:15.643; 5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:26.612; 6. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:31.196; 7. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:33.585; 8. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:34.386; 9. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:34.597; 10. Joel Roelants (BEL, Honda), +0:50.077; 11. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +0:51.142; 12. David Guarneri (ITA, TM), +0:51.863; 13. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), +1:07.548; 14. Todd Waters (AUS, Husqvarna), +1:09.526; 15. Tanel Leok (EST, TM), +1:28.636; 16. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +1:30.797; 17. Rui Goncalves (POR, Yamaha), +2:05.582; 18. Jens Getteman (BEL, 24MX Honda Racing), -1 lap(s); 19. Klemen Gercar (SLO, Honda), -1 lap(s); 20. Amirezza Sabetifar (IRI, Yamaha), -4 lap(s); 21. Xavier Boog (FRA, 24MX Honda Racing), -9 lap(s); 22. Matiss Karro (LAT, KTM), -12 page(s); 23. Augusts Justs (LAT, Husqvarna), -13 page(s); 24. Ross Ian Runnall (RSA, Kawasaki), -13 pg(s);
MXGP Series 2 (18 laps = 28.710Km)
1. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 35:04.471; 2. Steven Frossard (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:02.773; 3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:09.941; 4. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), +0:13.124; 5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:20.093; 6. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:23.932; 7. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:25.651; 8. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:38.386; 9. Evgeny Bobryshev (US, Honda), +1:02.213; 10. Joel Roelants (BEL, Honda), +1:05.317; 11. Todd Waters (AUS, Husqvarna), +1:17.267; 12. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), +1:18.539; 13. Xavier Boog (FRA, 24MX Honda Racing), +1:19.595; 14. Tanel Leok (EST, TM), +1:24.242; 15. Matisse Karro (LAT, KTM), +1:26.733; 16. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +1:39.671; 17. Rui Goncalves (POR, Yamaha), +1:44.497; 18. Jens Getteman (BEL, 24MX Honda Racing), -1 lap(s); 19. Klemen Gercar (SLO, Honda), -1 lap(s); 20. Amirezza Sabetifar (IRI, Yamaha), -3 lap(s); 21. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), -4 lap(s); 22. Ross Ian Runnals (RSA, Kawasaki), -9 lap(s); 23. Davide Guarneri (ITA, TM), -11 lap(s);
MXGP of Qatar and World Championship standings
1. Gautier Paulin (FRA, CAW), 45 points; 2. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HON), 43 p.; 3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 42 p.; 4. Steven Frossard (FRA, COW), 40 p.; 5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 32 p.; 6. Tommy Searle (GBR, CAW), 29 p.; 7. Clement Desalle (BEL, SUZ), 27 p.; 8. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 27 p.; 9. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 25 p.; 10. Joel Roelants (BEL, HON), 22 p.; 11. Todd Waters (AUS, HUS), 17 p.; 12. David Philippaerts (ITA, YAM), 17 p.; 13. Tanel Leok (EST, TM), 13 p.; 14. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 10p.; 15. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 10 p.; 16. David Guarneri (ITA, TM), 9 p.; 17. Xavier Boog (FRA, 24MX HONDA RACING), 8 p.; 18. Rui Goncalves (POR, YAM), 8 p.; 19. Matiss Karro (LAT, KTM), 6 p.; 20. Jens Getteman (BEL, 24MX HONDA RACING), 6 p.; 21. Klemen Gercar (SLO, HON), 4 p.; 22. Amirezza Sabetifar (IRI, YAM), 2 p.; 23. Ross Ian Runnals (RSA, KAW), 0 p.; 24. Augusts Justs (LAT, HUS), 0 p.;
Photos: Bavo Swijgers, Honda Pro Images
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