Making the most of a tough round two of the 2018 Motocross World Championship at the iconic sandy track of Valkenswaard, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Gautier Paulin secured third overall in the MXGP class. Following his runner-up result in the MX2 class at round one, Thomas Kjer-Olsen claimed third overall in The Netherlands.
Returning to the track where less than 12 months ago he secured his first overall victory aboard FC 450 machinery, Gautier Paulin was confident of a good overall result in The Netherlands. Bouncing back from a mistake-filled first moto, which saw him cross the line in seventh place, the Frenchman then put in a solid second moto performance to finish third. Landing his first top three overall result for the season, Gautier climbed to fifth in the provisional MXGP class championship standings.
Putting in two strong performances, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Anstie earned a well-deserved sixth place overall MXGP class result. Battling hard following a mediocre start in the opening moto, the young Brit made a series of passes to claim a strong fourth place result. Climbing as high as fifth in race two, Max had a last lap crash that eventually saw him cross the line in ninth position.
In the MX2 category, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Kjer-Olsen secured two third place moto finishes to earn his second consecutive podium result for this season. Collecting 40 points in The Netherlands, Kjer-Olsen remains second in the MX2 class’ provisional points standings.
Making a great start to the weekend by securing the win in the MX2 Qualifying Race, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Covington continued to make progress in The Netherlands. Getting seventh in moto one and improving to fifth in moto two, the American wrapped up the second round of the championship fifth overall in the 250cc class.
The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team will return to action at the third round of the 2018 FIM Motocross World Championship in Spain on March 24/25.
Gautier Paulin: “It’s been a good weekend of racing and I’m happy for our first podium result of the season. I had a good start in the opening moto and after a good first lap I found myself close to the leading group of riders. There were many ruts in the track and it was difficult to pass. Just before the end I had a small crash in a frozen rut but I got back quickly and finished seventh. My performance in moto two was better and I got third at the line for third overall. I’m quite happy I managed to turn things around and this is really positive for the races to come. My bike has been working awesome throughout the weekend and I feel really confident on it. We now need to keep the hard work going and hope for the best in the next GPs.”
Max Anstie: “I had a good feeling overall this weekend and if it wasn’t for a few small mistakes I could have gotten even higher in the overall. In the opening moto my start was ok, but I managed to come through. Making a lot of passes I crossed the line in fourth and this made me want to do even better in moto two. I had a better start in the second race but a mistake on the opening lap dropped me outside the top 10. I put my head down and managed to get inside the top six, but a small crash in the final lap meant I had to settle for ninth. We had our ups and downs this weekend but the speed was good and I’m looking forward to racing in Spain next weekend.”
Thomas Kjer-Olsen: “It was a good weekend despite tough conditions. Weather conditions were extreme for all and the low temperatures during the whole weekend didn’t help at all. To be honest I struggled to get a good pace in the soft sand and wasn’t feeling great going into Sunday’s racing. Ending up with a pair of third place results in these conditions is super positive. I want to pick up my pace now going into Red Sand in Spain. I am confident with the progress made so far and I think we can keep improving in every moto and every GP.”
Thomas Covington: “It’s been a positive weekend. To be honest I struggled to get a decent pace two weeks ago in Argentina so my overall performance here in The Netherlands is a good confidence booster. Following my win in Qualifying I got two solid motos and ended up getting fifth overall in the class. I am happy with the progress made during the last couple of weeks. The plan is to keep working and keep putting the same amount of effort, hoping for improved results in the races to come.”
Results – 2018 FIM Motocross World Championship, Round 2
MXGP – Overall
1. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 50pts; 2. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 44; 3. Gautier Paulin (Husqvarna) 34… 6. Max Anstie (Husqvarna) 30… 16. Tanel Leok (Husqvarna) 11; 17. Harri Kullas (Husqvarna) 10
MXGP – Race 1
1. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 17 laps, 35:25.408; 2. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 35:42.944; 3. Jeremy Van Horebeek (Yamaha) 35:55.120; 4. Max Anstie (Husqvarna) 36:01.250… 7. Gautier Paulin (Husqvarna) 36:07.186… 15. Harri Kullas (Husqvarna) 36:59.826; 16. Tanel Leok (Husqvarna) 37:17.070… 25. Lars van Berkel (Husqvarna) 16 laps, 36:15.813… 31. Klemen Gercar (Husqvarna) 15 laps, 36:03.922… 34. Ander Valentin (Husqvarna) 12 laps, 29:23.225
MXGP – Race 2
1. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 17 laps, 34:46.875; 2. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 34:50.757; 3. Gautier Paulin (Husqvarna) 35:53.574… 9. Max Anstie (Husqvarna) 36:43.182… 15. Tanel Leok (Husqvarna) 16 laps, 35:34.409… 17. Harri Kullas (Husqvarna) 35:10.477… 23. Ander Valentin (Husqvarna) 36:09.595… 26. Lars van Berkel (Husqvarna) 15 laps, 34:58.817… 28. Klemen Gercar (Husqvarna) 35:29.242
MX2 – Overall
1. Pauls Jonass (KTM) 50pts; 2. Jorge Prado (KTM) 44; 3. Thomas Kjer-Olsen (Husqvarna) 40… 5. Thomas Covington (Husqvarna) 30… 16. Iker Larranaga (Husqvarna) 10… 18. Brent Van doninck (Husqvarna) 10; 19. Henry Jacobi (Husqvarna) 8
MX2 – Race 1
1. Pauls Jonass (KTM) 17 laps, 35:38.265; 2. Jorge Prado (KTM) 35:47.607; 3. Thomas Kjer-Olsen (Husqvarna) 35:54.773… 7. Thomas Covington (Husqvarna) 36:27.555… 11. Brent Van Doninck (Husqvarna) 36:39.831… 13. Henry Jacobi (Husqvarna) 36:47.039… 18. Iker Larranaga (Husqvarna) 37:24.795… 30. Enzo Toriani (Husqvarna) 16 laps, 37:30.856
MX2 – Race 2
1. Pauls Jonass (KTM) 17 laps, 35:35.397; 2. Jorge Prado (KTM) 35:35.778; 3. Thomas Kjer-Olsen (Husqvarna) 36:12.874… 5. Thomas Covington (Husqvarna) 36:21.757… 14. Iker Larranaga (Husqvarna) 37:26.295… 29. Enzo Toriani (Husqvarna) 15 laps, 35:50.200
Championship Standings – After Round 2
MXGP
1. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 97pts; 2. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 91; 3. Clement Desalle (Kawasaki) 67… 5. Gautier Paulin (Husqvarna) 64… 8. Max Anstie (Husqvarna) 45… 20. Tanel Leok (Husqvarna) 13; 21. Harri Kullas (Husqvarna) 10
MX2
1. Pauls Jonass (KTM) 100pts; 2. Thomas Kjer-Olsen (Husqvarna) 82; 3. Hunter Lawrence (Honda) 67… 8. Thomas Covington (Husqvarna) 44… 14. Henry Jacobi (Husqvarna) 29; 15. Iker Larranaga (Husqvarna) 29… 22. Brent Van Doninck (Husqvarna) 11
