Honda HRC PETRONAS’ Jeffrey Herlings went one-one at the MXGP of Great Britain, to close up to within 11 points of the championship lead, in what was an impressive display of riding from the #84. Two holeshots made his life easier, but he still had to hold off a charging field to win his sixth GP of the year, and with seven more rounds to go, the momentum is firmly with the Dutchman.
After yesterday’s come-from-behind performance to finish fourth in qualification, two rocket starts on his Honda CRF450RW meant he led every lap of the day, enabling him to control the races and pick the fast lines around this historic Foxhills circuit, which provided an excellent racetrack for the riders and fans alike. Despite pressure from behind, the #84 kept his cool and took the maximum 50 points on offer, and while Loket isn’t necessarily his favourite venue, he’ll be heading to the Czech Republic next weekend with even more determination to battle for the championship-leading red-plate.
While he was unlucky to finish fourth overall, Ruben Fernandez had his best weekend of the year, scoring 46 points and winning the qualifying race yesterday. His four-four results showed that he was easily the next best guy on the track, but his starts didn’t allow him to battle for the podium spots. Still, it was great to see the #70 up there and he has had a big boost of confidence as we head into these last seven rounds.
Tom Vialle also can also consider his British GP a success, although his finishing positions don’t tell the whole story. The Frenchman was looking at a podium spot in race one, racing in third place until four laps from the end, when a mistake cost him that opportunity. He rebounded with a sixth in race two, showing good resilience, but he now knows he can run with the leaders and with his starting prowess also on display, Loket could see him return to the podium.
It was another tough weekend for Valerio Lata as his seven-nine results saw him finish ninth overall. He never really got to grips with the steep hills and hard-pack terrain, but will hope that Loket goes better despite their similarities.
