Gajser narrowly holds off Cairoli in the Trentino qualifying series
The qualifying race that determines the starting order for tomorrow was just held in Arco di Trento, Italy. No points to be earned and yet it was a true prestige battle between Tim Gajser and the Italian home driver Antonio Cairoli!
It was the HRC Honda pilot Tim Gajser who managed to take the holeshot, ahead of Antonio Cairoli and Arnaud Tonus. However, the Swiss soon had to drop out when the two tenors started to display their breakneck pace. Tim Gajser pulled away from Antonio Cairoli in the first quarter of the race, but the old age dean in the MXGP managed to close that gap in the second quarter of the race and so we get another half-race of fireworks. The Italian Red Bull KTM pilot, Tim Gajser, followed like a shadow. However, the HRC HSF pilot rode a very strong defensive race and kept the doors closed where they needed to be kept closed! A clearly disappointed Antonio Cairoli couldn't get over it and finished second behind Tim Gajser!
In third place we found Arnaud Tonus, who once again shows the class that every motocross enthusiast would attribute to him. The Swiss was the best of the rest and finished well ahead of the Italian from Standing Construct Ivo Montichelli. Gautier Paulin finished fifth.
For the lowlanders it was a qualifying round to quickly forget. Although this will be difficult, because today's results will partly undermine tomorrow's results. All lowlanders started to cry. On a circuit where overtaking is possible, but difficult, this immediately caused a dramatic scenario. The best race was ridden by Jeremy Van Horebeek. The Motoblouz SR Honda pilot started outside the top twenty but rode himself to an impressive twelfth place. He was the only lowlander who managed to drive himself to the front. Julien Lieber started in eleventh place and finished thirteenth. His teammate Clément Desalle seemed a shadow of himself, after a bad start De Waal also dropped a few places back to a disappointing sixteenth place. This on a track where he won the Grand Prix in 2014. Brian Bogers finished eighteenth and Glenn Coldenhoff, who had to make a pit stop, crossed the finish line in twenty-first. Sven van der Mierden did not finish, he only recorded five laps in the race.
MXGP Arco Di Trento – Qualifying Race
1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 23:45.731; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:00.549; 3. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +0:29.478; 4. Ivo Monticelli (ITA, KTM), +0:44.067; 5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:44.983; 6. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), +0:51.535; 7. Pauls Jonass (LAT, Husqvarna), +0:55.993; 8. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:57.021; 9. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +0:59.128; 10. Anton Gole (SWE, Yamaha), +1:03.049; 11. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +1:06.570; 12. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Honda), +1:09.270; 13. Julien Lieber (BEL, Kawasaki), +1:11.171; 14. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, Husqvarna), +1:12.073; 15. Max Anstie (GBR, KTM), +1:22.569; 16. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +1:24.758; 17. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:26.231; 18. Brian Bogers (NED, Honda), +1:27.705; 19. Tanel Leok (EST, Husqvarna), +1:31.514; 20. Petar Petrov (BUL, KTM), +1:49.999; 21. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +1:50.526; 22. Davide De Bortoli (ITA, Honda), -1 lap(s); 23. Samuele Bernardini (ITA, Yamaha), -1 lap(s); 24. Davide Bonini (ITA, Suzuki), -1 lap(s); 25. Pascal Rauchenecker (AUT, KTM), -1 lap(s); 26. Artem Guryev (RUS, Husqvarna), -1 lap(s); 27. Clamps Gercar (SLO, Husqvarna), -1 lap(s); 28. Jonathan Bengtsson (SWE, KTM), -1 lap(s); 29. Stefano Pezzuto (ITA, Suzuki), -1 lap(s); 30. Tom Koch (GER, KTM), -1 lap(s); 31. Gianluca Di Marziantonio (ITA, KTM), -2 lap(s); 32. Vsevolod Brylyakov (RUS, Yamaha), -2 lap(s); 33. Sven Van der Mierden (NED, Yamaha), -8 lap(s); 34. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), -10 lap(s);
Text: Matthias van Eeckhoven
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