Welcome to our new-brand GP Reel session coming to you from the ancient track of Pietramuata, home of round four of the MXGP World Championship. From warm-up session reports to the final qualifying race reports of the day, you’ll find it all right here. Updates are posted in chronological order, so be sure to scroll down for the latest info. For more updates follow us on Twitter: @mx1onboard
MORNING REPORT:
Good morning race fans! Just four days passed from the last round in Switzerland and we´re back racing again, but this time under the incredible view of the stunning Dolomites Mountains at the track of Pietramurata, which means riders will face another hard-pack track.
Like we said yesterday in our Preview, the GP of Trentino will be the first back-to-back round of the calendar. And for the action, well, it has been great so far with three different overall winners in MXGP class, and four different race winners in the MX2 class with Monster Energy Yamaha riders Jago Geerts and Thibault Benistant topping the podium. The man to beat in the MXGP class is Red Plate holder Jorge Prado who has been unbeatable at the RAM Qualifying races making 3 out of 3. Prado now leads with 21 points over Jeffrey Herlings, who is tied with Tim Gajser as the winningest rider in Trentino with 5 wins each other. As for the MX2 class, things are quite open right now. Kay de Wolf and Roan Van de Moosdijk had won motos, meanwhile, hometown hero Andrea Adamo expects to join them at the winner’s circle.
Some others storylines from today are the new signing from JM Honda taking Britain Joel Rizzi as a fill-in rider in the MX2 class making his team debut today. Another rider to join the paddock is Sweden Isak Gifting who is making his return with VHR GasGas after eight months of hiatus. On the other hand, Frenchman Pierre Goupillon is set to make his MXGP class debut.
Free practice will begin at 10:30 with the MX2 riders being the first to hit the track.
FREE PRACTICE
Last weekend’s winner Thibault Benistant start the day on top putting in the best lap time (1:48.309) over a second from Simon Langenfelder and Andrea Adamo. All the contrary for Championship leader and teammate Jago Geerts, who rode outside the top ten finish on a quiet eleven.
Next went the MXGP riders. Local hero Mattia Guadagnini drops his best lap time in lap 9 to top the board over Jeffrey Herlings+309 and Jeremy Seewer +1.303. Rounded the top five were last-round winner Maxime Renaux with Brian Bogers in P5.
Last year the best times rounded 1:43-44 approx, so Guadagnini really put the hammer down in this Free Practice, but riders like Febvre, Prado, or Fernandez rode calmly as they ended sixth, seventh and eighth respectively. Time practice will start at 13:45.
TIME PRACTICE
In the MX2 class, we had the fourth poleman in four races. This time it was Simon Langenfelder who put the best lap. The GasGas Factory rider went 1:48.271 in lap 8 in order to top the board for his first Time Practice pole of the season. Behind him, the Monster Energy Yamaha duo of Thibault Benistant and Jago Geerts were second and third as they marked his best times in laps 10 and 6 respectively.
Andrea Adamo and Kevin Horgmo rounded the top five with more than a second of deficit compared to Langenfelder`s best lap. Teammates Kay de Wolf and Roan Van de Moosdijk were sixth and seventh respectively while privateer Jan Pancar was once again into the mix coming on eight, top 10 was completed by Rick Elzinga and Liam Everts.
In the MXGP class, last-round winner Maxime Renaux wasted no time as he went on top on lap 5 with a 1:46.248 beating Jeremy Seewer+788 and Romain Febvre+1.194 in the process. On the hand, Jorge Prado waits until the ninth lap to wide open and earn a fourth place, being 1.248 slower than Renaux. Alberto Forato rounded the top 5, while Glenn Coldenhoff, Mattia Guadagnini and Ruben Fernandez were behind him.
As for the Wildcard group, it was Tom Koch who set the fastest lap (1:49.606) followed closely by Arminas Jasikonis+068. Meanwhile, Jimmy Clochet went third over Nicholas Lapucci and GP debutant Pierre Goupillon in fifth. Behind the top 5 came Adam Sterry, Maximilian Spies, Michael Ivanov, Michael Sander, and Filippo Zonta completed the top 10.
QUALIFYING RACES
In the MX2 RAM Qualifying Race, Simon Langenfelder took the holeshot and kept the lead from the start to finish en route to his first Qualifying Race win of the season. Behind him started Jago Geerts in second place. The Belgian remained second until the final lap, when a small crash cost him two positions from teammate Thibault Benistant and Andrea Adamo, finishing fourth.
The top 5 five was completed by a solid Liam Everts who caught Roan Van de Moosdijk. Roan`s teammates Lucas Coenen and Kay de Wolf followed him in seventh and eighth places, while Kevin Horgmo and Rick Elzinga finished inside the top ten collecting the final points zone.
Jan Pancar and Jack Chambers crashed in the first lap. Both remounted a couple of positions finishing 18 and 19.
MXGP: Prado`s streak comes to an end in the form of Romain Febvre. The Kawasaki rider grabbed the holeshot and never look back, leading every lap to the checkered flag. His countryman Maxime Renaux put a solid ride for second place, meanwhile, Spaniard Ruben Fernandez caught Jeremy Seewer to take third place.
Valentin Guillod was a man on a mission in the final stages, as he start to make some passes grabbing an impressive fifth place over Bren Van Doninck, who also rode well holding Jorge Prado early in the race and then Jeffrey Herlings in the final laps. Herlings went from 16th to 6th after finding rhythm close to the end.
Different story for Prado, who started around the sixth place, but then had a crash that put him back in tenth place.
