Lommel, Race 1: Jeffrey Herlings (Honda) was in a league of his own

First race of the MXGP class, Grand Prix of Flanders in Lommel: Pole-sitter and World Championship leader Jeffrey Herlings (HRC) took the holeshot ahead of Tim Gajser (Yamaha) and Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna). De Wolf managed to close the gap on the Slovenian early on and moved into second place.

Herlings dominated with ease

‘The Bullet’ controlled the race single-handedly from the front and outclassed the rest of the field. Although the Dutchman eased off the pace in the final laps, he ultimately won with a 45-second lead over de Wolf and Tim Gajser. Herlings thus extended his lead in the World Championship standings to 84 points over Lucas Coenen, who remains in second place ahead of the second race.

Romain Febvre went on the attack

Defending champion Romain Febvre (Kawasaki) had to fight his way up from outside the top 10 after a poor start. In the second half of the race, he closed the gap on Tim Gajser in third place, but the Slovenian was able to fend off all his attempts to overtake. Andrea Adamo (KTM) got off to a good start but dropped back from fourth to sixth over the course of the race after being overtaken by Tom Vialle (Honda) and Romain Febvre (Kawasaki).

Max Spies retires

German Becker Racing KTM rider Maximilian Spies also had a poor start, but fought his way up from the back of the field to 15th place. On lap 12, he retired due to an overheated engine. KMP Honda rider Cato Nickel secured a World Championship point in 20th place.

Kevin Brumann and Jeremy Seewer in the points

Swiss Husqvarna rider Kevin Brumann finished the first race in 14th place, setting a personal best for the year. Jeremy Seewer (KTM) crossed the line in 17th place.

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MXGP Race 1, Lommel

1. Jeffrey Herlings (NL), Honda, 34:33.732

2. Kay de Wolf (NL), Husqvarna, +45.474

3. Tim Gajser (SLO), Yamaha, +46.826

4. Romain Febvre (F), Kawasaki, +58.311

5. Tom Vialle (F), Honda, +1:25.908

6. Andrea Adamo (I), KTM, +1:32.593

7. Ruben Fernandez (E), Honda, +1:37.688

8. Isak Gifting (S), Yamaha, +1:42.078

9. Ben Watson (GB), Triumph, +1:51.325

10. Kevin Horgmo (N), Honda, +1:58.772

11. Maxime Renaux (F), Yamaha, +2:06.188

12. Jago Geerts (B), Beta, +2:07.869

13. Roan van de Moosdijk (NL), KTM, 1 lap down

14. Kevin Brumann (CH), Husqvarna, 1 lap down

15. Brent van Doninck (B), Fantic, 1 lap down

16. Andrea Bonacorsi (I), Ducati, 1 lap down

17. Jeremy Seewer (CH), KTM, 1 lap down

18. Jan Pancar (SLO), KTM, 1 lap down

19. Jörgen-Matthias Talviku (EST), Fantic, 1 lap down

World Championship Standings

1. Jeffrey Herlings (NL), Honda, 650 points

2. Lucas Coenen (B), KTM, 566 points, (-84)

3. Romain Febvre (F), Kawasaki, 563 points, (-87)

4. Tim Gajser (SLO), Yamaha, 516 points, (-134)

5. Andrea Adamo (I), KTM, 434 points, (-216)

6. Ruben Fernandez (E), Honda, 431 points, (-219)