Germany’s Max Nagl wins again while USA’s Ryan Villopoto has a tough day in Arco di Trento, Italy.
Despite having won two of the four FIM Motocross World Championship MXGP’s thus far in 2015 Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna’s Max Nagl of Germany came into Sunday’s GP of Trentino with a tough task ahead of him—to beat reigning World Champion Antonio Cairoli on Cairoli’s home turf.
Mission accomplished.
Nagl excelled on one of the season’s most demanding circuits posting 2-1 moto scores to win on a hilly Pietramurata Circuit that proved to be extremely tricky, especially for newcomers such as Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto. The American saw his World Championship hopes dealt a severe blow when he crashed hard in the second moto and was unable to finish the race.
Nagl enjoyed a great battle with Red Bull KTM’s Antonio Cairoli in the first moto, with eight-time World Champion Cairoli holding a slim lead just ahead of Nagl and Villopoto but gaining just a little more breathing room when Suzuki’s Clement Desalle of Belgium joined the fray. Desalle, the series point leader, was able to slip past Villopoto late in the moto to set the top four positions, with Honda’a Gautier Paulin finishing fifth.
Nagl rode brilliantly in the second moto, however, as he grabbed the holeshot and led every lap of the race, setting the fastest lap steadily pulling clear of Cairoli. Farther back, Desalle once again caught up with Villopoto, and the two engaged in an electrifying seesaw battle for third place. That battle was decided in a rather bizarre fashion when Villopoto looped out violently over a low and fast jump and hit the hard Italian dirt. Villopoto got to his feet and walked off the track, but he was clearly in discomfort and favoring his left arm. He did not attempt to rejoin the race, and he would end up slipping two positions in the series standings, from fourth place to sixth place.
Desalle then crashed hard a few turns later, yielding third in the moto to Yamaha rider Romain Febvre. However, his fourth-place finish was still good enough to net him third overall in the GP and retain the series point lead by a single mark.
Nagl’s win moved him up to second overall in the series standings, however, and he is clearly building momentum as he has won the last two MXGPs in a row.
“It’s been a great weekend but honestly this win is the result of yet another big team effort,” Nagl said. “During Saturday we made a lot of progress with the setup, and I felt much more comfortable on the track. My start was good for race one, and I was second behind Antonio for the whole race. We were having a great battle–I did feel faster in places–but I didn’t want to take the risk necessary to make the pass stick. I was happy with second. When I got the holeshot in race two I decided it was my time to go. I gave it 100 percent for the first 10 minutes and pulled a gap to win. I love riding at the minute and the team are working so hard for me–I can’t thank them enough. It was also special to have my son here watch me race for the first time. Today was perfect.”
In the MX2 class, Slovokia’s Tim Gasjer traded moto wins with Dutch ace Jeffrey Herlings in the GP of Trentino, but Gasjer won the second moto to come away with the overall win via a 2-1 moto finishes. Herlings was second overall (1-2), and reigning MX2 World Champion Jordi Tixier was third overall. It was a rough day for American rider Thomas Covington, who finished 19th overall, well off his usual pace.
FIM Motocross World Championship
GP of Trentino
Pietramurata Circuit
Arco di Trento, Italy
Results: April 19, 2015 (Round 4 of 18)
MXGP Overall
1. Max Nagl (GER)-Hus
2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA)-KTM
3. Clement Desalle (BEL)-Suz
4. Romain Febvre (FRA)-Yam
5. Gautier Paulin (FRA)-Hon
6. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS)-Hon
7. Ken de Dycker (BEL)-KTM
8. Davide Guarneri (ITA)-TM
9. David Philippaerts (ITA)-Yam
10. Shan Simpson (GBR)-KTM
11. Ryan Villopoto (USA)-Kaw
FIM Motocross World Championship MXGP Standings (After 4 of 18 rounds)
1. Clement Desalle (Bel)-171
2. Max Nagl (Ger)-170
3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA)-170
4. Romain Febvre (FRA)-129
5. Gautier Paulin (FRA)-128
6. Ryan Villopoto (USA)-124
7. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS)-100
8. Todd Waters (AUS)-78
9. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL)-Yam
10. Davide Guarneri (ITA)-TM
MX2 Overall
1. Tim Gasjer (SLO)-Hon
2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED)-KTM
3. Jordi Tixier (FRA)-Kaw
4. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA)-Kaw
5. Max Anstie (GBR)-Kaw
6. Jeremy Seewer (SUI)-Suz
7. Valentin Guillod (SUI)-Yam
8. Benoit Paturel (FRA)-Yam
9. Brent Van Doninck (Bel)-Yam
10. Julien Lieber (BEL)-Yam
19. Thomas Covington (USA)-Kaw
FIM Motocross World Championship MX2 Standings (After 4 of 8 rounds)
1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED)-172
2. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA)-159
3. Pauls Jonass (LAT)-133
4. Tim Gasjer (SLO)-126
5. Julien Lieber (BEL)-126
6. Valentin Guillod (SUI)-101
7. Jeremy Seewer (SUI)-99
8. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS)-95
9. Thomas Covington (USA)-86
10. Jordi Tixier (FRA)-75
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