Pirelli a commanding presence also at the 2018 Motocross Grand Prix of Turkey hosted by the track of Afyonkarahisar
Jeffrey Herlings wins again and is close to celebrating his first MXGP title; Thomas Covington takes MX2 overall victory while Jorge Prado still leads the Championship
The Grand Prix of Turkey staged the eighteenth round of the 2018 FIM Motocross World Championship and was hosted by the beautiful new track of Afyonkarahisar, located about 300km from the capital Ankara. Pirelli-equipped riders relied on the SCORPION™ MX32™ Mid Soft front and rear tyres across the medium-hard terrain. The Italian brand's products continued to excel in the wake of confirmation of their 70th FIM world title and dominated once more with excellent results in both categories and with motorcycles from various manufacturers.
Jeffrey Herlings obtained his fifteenth GP win this season and shattered another record of the MXGP class. Thanks to the double moto haul in Turkey, the strong Dutch rider now has a 95 point lead in the standings and in two weeks he could wrap up the title with one round still remaining. Tim Gajser rode well to classify in second place and repeat his result from the previous weekend in Sevlievo. Gautier Paulin and Jeremy Van Horebeek affirmed Pirelli’s great presence in the premier class by taking fourth and fifth positions overall. After second place in first race, Antonio Cairolifinished eighth overall due to a fall in the second moto that forced him to make a difficult comeback.
Thomas Covington toasted his first seasonal MX2 class victory. The American won the opening moto and finished third in the second outing. Pauls Jonass, thanks to the second place overall grabbed in Afyonkarahisar, has reduced the gap to red plate holder Jorge Prado, who was sixth overall in Turkey. The two KTM factory riders are leading the standings and are separated by just 24 points in what is sure to be an exciting season finale. Thomas Olsen finished on the third step of the podium ahead of Hunter Lawrence, who has been a regular front-runner in recent races.
In two weeks time the spectacular track built inside the permanent Assen motorsport facility will host the Grand Prix of the Netherlands for penultimate round of FIM 2018 Motocross World Championship.
Race results (Pirelli riders in bold):
MXGP race 1
1. HERLINGS Jeffrey (NED)
2. CAIROLI Antonio (ITA)
3. GAJSER Tim (SLO)
4.DESALLE Clement (BEL)
5. VAN HOREBEEK Jeremy (BEL)
MXGP race 2
1. HERLINGS Jeffrey (NED)
2. GAJSER Tim (SLO)
3. DESALLE Clement (BEL)
4. PAULIN Gautier (FRA)
5. SEEWER Jeremy (SUI)
MX2 race 1
1. COVINGTON Thomas (USA)
2. LAWRENCE Hunter (AUS)
3. PRADO GARCIA Jorge (SPA)
4. WATSON Ben (GBR)
5. KJER OLSEN Thomas (DEN)
MX2 race 2
1. JONASS Pauls (LAT)
2. KJER OLSEN Thomas (DEN)
3. COVINGTON Thomas (USA)
4. WATSON Ben (GBR)
5. LAWRENCE Hunter (AUS)
GP Overall:
MXGP
1. HERLINGS Jeffrey (NED)
2. GAJSER Tim (SLO)
3. DESALLE Clement (BEL)
4. PAULIN Gautier (FRA)
5. VAN HOREBEEK Jeremy (BEL)
MX2
1. COVINGTON Thomas (USA)
2. JONASS Pauls (LAT)
3. KJER OLSEN Thomas (DEN)
4. LAWRENCE Hunter (AUS)
5. WATSON Ben (GBR)
Championship overall:
MXGP
1. HERLINGS Jeffrey (NED) p.833
2. CAIROLI Antonio (ITA) p.738
3. DESALLE Clement (BEL) p.619
4. GAJSER Tim (SLO) p.591
5. FEBVRE Romain (FRA) p.544
6. PAULIN Gautier (FRA) p.514
MX2
1. PRADO GARCIA Jorge (SPA) p.773
2. JONASS Pauls (LAT) p.749
3. KJER OLSEN Thomas (DEN) p.593
4.WATSON Ben (GBR) p.551
5. COVINGTON Thomas (USA) p.525
6. VLAANDEREN Calvin (RSA) p.483