Foxhill Qualifying: Guillem Farres and Tim Gajser start from pole

Neither Sacha nor Lucas Coenen turned up for Friday’s qualifying session at Foxhill, which naturally fuelled speculation about just how fit the two World Championship leaders actually are following their crashes in the US. They provided the answers on the track today.

Sacha Coenen given the all-clear

Just five days after his collarbone operation, MX2 World Championship leader Sacha Coenen was cleared by the chief medical officer to compete in the Grand Prix of Great Britain.

Wheelbase extended for Foxhill

The track is new to all riders and teams. The steep inclines, in particular, are unique across the entire World Championship calendar. To improve stability on the steep climbs, the wheelbase of the bikes has been extended for this weekend; this involves using a longer drive chain to move the rear axle as far back as possible. In some cases, extended rear swingarms are also said to have been used.

Sacha Coenen crashed

The World Championship leader, who had recently undergone surgery, had a minor crash but managed to break his fall well without re-injuring himself. The Belgian finished qualifying in 5th place, 2.4 seconds behind the leader.

Simon Längenfelder in 3rd place

The German defending champion was just 3 hundredths of a second slower than Liam Everts (Husqvarna) in second place on his fastest lap, and 1.3 seconds slower than pole-sitter Guillem Farres (Triumph).

MX2 Qualifying, Grand Prix of Great Britain

1. Guillem Farres (E), Triumph, 1:55.843

2. Liam Everts (B), Husqvarna, +1.303

3. Simon Längenfelder (D), KTM, +1.336

4. Camden Mc Lellan (ZA), Triumph, +1.669

5. Sacha Coenen (B), KTM, +2.400

6. Janis Martins Reisulis (LV), Yamaha, +2.621

7. Valerio Lata (I), Honda, +3.066

8. Maxime Grau (F), Honda, +3.759

9. Julius Mikula (CZ), KTM, +4.088

10. Ferruccio Zanchi (I), Ducati, +4.107

MXGP: Tim Gajser on pole

Red Bull KTM factory rider and World Championship leader Lucas Coenen took to the track and immediately set the fastest time. His lap time of 1:55.685 stood as the fastest for a long time, but both Jeffrey Herlings (Honda) and Tim Gajser (Yamaha) managed to improve their times towards the end of qualifying, pushing Coenen down from first to third place. Gajser set his fastest time on the very last lap, thereby securing pole position for the qualifying races.

Jeremy Seewer qualifies in 9th place

The Swiss KTM rider finished qualifying in 9th place, just under 2 seconds behind Tim Gajser’s fastest time, which is a more than respectable result given the short time he has had to get used to the KTM.

Cato Nickel in 25th place

The only German rider in the MXGP field, Cato Nickel (Honda), finished qualifying in 25th place, 7.449 seconds behind the leader.

MXGP Qualifying, Grand Prix of Great Britain

1. Tim Gajser (SLO), Yamaha, 1:55.127

2. Jeffrey Herlings (NL), Honda, +0.152

3. Lucas Coenen (B), KTM, +0.558

4. Romain Febvre (F), Kawasaki, +1.544

5. Tom Vialle (F), Honda, +1.597

6. Alberto Forato (I), Fantic, +1.677

7. Rubén Fernández (E), Honda, +1.753

8. Andrea Adamo (I), KTM, +1.915

9. Jeremy Seewer (CH), KTM, +1.996

10. Pauls Jonass (LV), Kawasaki, +2.393

11. Jan Pancar (SLO), KTM, +2.540