MXGP Qualifying Race in Lommel: Jeffrey Herlings (Honda) wins despite a crash

MXGP Qualifying Race for the Grand Prix of Flanders in Lommel: Alongside title contender and local hero Lucas Coenen (KTM), several other riders were unable to compete in Lommel due to injury: Ducati factory rider Calvin Vlaanderen is still struggling with the after-effects of his crash in the warm-up at Loket. Kawasaki works rider Pauls Jonass is also still not fit following the concussion he sustained at Foxhills and must continue to sit out.

Herlings in a class of his own on the sand

HRC factory rider Jeffrey Herlings starts in Lommel with the red plate of the World Championship leader, and the ‘King of the Sand’ certainly lived up to that role in both free practice and qualifying. On his fastest lap, he was 0.8 seconds quicker than Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) in second place.

Qualifying, Lommel

1. Jeffrey Herlings (NL), Honda, 1:53.072

2. Kay de Wolf (NL), Husqvarna, +0.867

3. Romain Febvre (F), Kawasaki, +1.114

4. Tim Gajser (SLO), Yamaha, +2.183

5. Tom Vialle (F), Honda, +2.463

6. Roan van de Moosdijk (NL), KTM, +2.530

Herlings: Victory despite a crash

JK Yamaha rider Isak Gifting took the holeshot in the qualifying race ahead of Jeffrey Herlings and Kay de Wolf, but the Swede made a mistake on the very first lap, allowing Herlings to take the lead. Once in the lead, ‘The Bullet’ gradually extended his lead to 18 seconds. On the final lap, he made a mistake in a left-hand bend and went down over the front wheel. However, his massive lead was enough to see him home in first place. Kay de Wolf followed in second place, 14 seconds behind.

Romain Febvre’s comeback

Romain Febvre stalled his Kawasaki in the early stages of the race and dropped from 7th to 9th place, but the defending champion made up a lot of ground as the race progressed and finished in 3rd place. Red Bull KTM factory rider Andrea Adamo started in the top five and worked his way up to third place with clever riding and a calculated approach to risk-taking. Tim Gajser (Yamaha) capitalised on a mistake by Tom Vialle (Honda) in the closing stages to finish fourth. Isak Gifting crossed the line in sixth place after a crash.

Max Spies in 13th place

The German Becker Racing KTM rider Maximilian Spies showed his usual tremendous fighting spirit and finished the race in 13th place. Although this meant he remained outside the top 10 points-scoring positions, he secured a good starting position for Sunday’s races and can hope for a good points haul. KMP Honda rider Cato Nickel crossed the line in 21st place, one lap down. Swiss van Venrooy KTM rider Jeremy Seewer, who is more at home on hard-packed ground than in the sand, finished in 16th place.

Standings at the top of the World Championship

World Championship leader Jeffrey Herlings picked up the maximum haul of 10 points, whilst Lucas Coenen once again came away empty-handed. Herlings has therefore extended his lead in the World Championship standings from 49 to 59 points. The gap between Coenen and Febvre in third place narrowed to 21 points. Lucas Coenen is very likely to fall further behind in the World Championship standings on Sunday.

MXGP Qualifying Race, Lommel

1. Jeffrey Herlings (NL), Honda, 24:25.951

2. Kay de Wolf (NL), Husqvarna, +14.080

3. Andrea Adamo (I), KTM, +36.879

4. Tim Gajser (SLO), Yamaha, +39.911

5. Tom Vialle (F), Honda, +41.219

6. Isak Gifting (S), Yamaha, +56.865

7. Romain Febvre (F), Kawasaki, +1:07.257

8. Ruben Fernandez (E), Honda, +1:10.487

9. Andrea Bonacorsi (I), Ducati, +1:14.031

10. Jago Geerts (B), Beta, +1:14.777

11. Ben Watson (GB), Triumph, +1:16.234

12. Roan van de Moosdijk (NL), KTM, +1:18.498

13. Maximilian Spies (D), KTM, +1:31.108

14. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST), Fantic, +1:40.697

15. Maxime Renaux (F), Yamaha, +1:50.956

16. Jeremy Seewer (CH), KTM, +1:52.891

17. Adam Sterry (GB), KTM, +2:01.367

18. Kevin Brumann (CH), Husqvarna, +2:04.907

19. Kevin Horgmo (N), Honda, +2:05.168

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

World Championship standings

1. Jeffrey Herlings (NL), Honda, 625 points

2. Lucas Coenen (B), KTM, 566 points, (-59)

3. Romain Febvre (F), Kawasaki, 545 points, (-80)

4. Tim Gajser (SLO), Yamaha, 496 points, (-129)

5. Andrea Adamo (I), KTM, 419 points, (-206)

6. Ruben Fernandez (E), Honda, 417 points, (-208)