Qatar- Rookie Gasjer proves his mettle with surprise win
(MENAFN- Gulf Times) And the tradition continues! The Losail circuit has always sprung a surprise when it comes to race winners and the 2016 edition was no different.
This time it was even more dramatic. Tim Gasjer, 2015's MX2 champion, had only moved up to MXGP this season and he produced a dominating performance to win both the races yesterday. The 19-year-old rookie has risen quickly through the motocross ranks and he proved his mettle among the top boys with a comfortable win in both the races.
In the MX2 category it was Jeffrey Herlings who made a great start to his 2016 season by winning both his races. The Dutch rider led from start to finish. The podium was the same after both the races with Dylan Ferrandis in second and Paulis Jonass finishing third.
In the women's category, it was the diminutive Courtney Duncan form New Zealand who claimed a double victory.
She dominated both the races finishing 27 and 28 seconds ahead of Livia Lancelot, who finished second.
In the MXGP first race, it was Bobby Bobryshev, winner of the qualifying race, who got off to a good start and soon built up a one-second lead over Gasjer.
But the Slovenian caught up with the Russian and the Honda teammates were engaged in a keen tussle before Gasjer overtook the senior rider.
After that it was a strong ride to the finish by the MXGP rookie as he went on to take his first win in this class. In third place was 2015 defending champion Romain Febvre.
The second race was a more straightforward one for Gasjer as he overtook Bobryshev in the first lap and never relinquished that lead.
Behind him there was lots of drama as eight-time world champion Antonio Cairoli climbed up to second place at one stage of the race but then dropped back to fourth by the end. Febvre overtook Cairoli and took the second place on the podium. In third place was Bobyrshev who overtook Cairoli right towards the end.
"I am really happy with this result. All weekend, I was feeling really good. I managed to get two solid starts, rode smart and took good lines. I have never got a double victory so I am very happy about that," said Gasjer after the race.
"I was relaxed coming here. I didn't have any pressure. I didn't know what to expect. I had a good preparation during the winter. But it's a new class and I just came here to give my best," added the 19-year-old.
Defending champion Febvre was happy finishing second overall. "I am happy with the places but not the riding. I made mistakes but I came back strongly. Hopefully I will come back even stronger. We have 17 more rounds to go," said the Frenchman.
As for Bobryshev, he was getting ready to shave off his beard because of a bet he had with his mechanic. "I had a bet with my mechanic that if I won, I would shave off his head. And if I made it to the podium, I would shave off my beard. So I have to keep my side of the bet," said Bobryshev.
And what's his plan for the rest of the season? "Keep it on two wheels, be healthy and be consistent," said the jovial Russian.
In the first MX2 race, Herlings had a smaller margin of victory (around two seconds) with Ferrandis pushing him till the end. The gap between them and Jonass, who finished in third place, was 36 seconds. Such was the dominance of the two riders. In the second race, Herlings was even more dominant with a 17-second victory over Ferrandis.
Last season Herlings had missed out on winning his third MX2 title because of an injury despite have a sensational first half of the season. This season he has made a great start and one could expect big things if he manages to stay away from injuries.
In the women's category, it was the diminutive Courtney Duncan from New Zealand who claimed a double victory. She dominated both the races finishing 27 and 28 seconds ahead of Livia Lancelot who finished second.
Great double victories in all the categories and the 2016 Qatar opener has provided another exciting start to the MXGP season.
This time it was even more dramatic. Tim Gasjer, 2015's MX2 champion, had only moved up to MXGP this season and he produced a dominating performance to win both the races yesterday. The 19-year-old rookie has risen quickly through the motocross ranks and he proved his mettle among the top boys with a comfortable win in both the races.
In the MX2 category it was Jeffrey Herlings who made a great start to his 2016 season by winning both his races. The Dutch rider led from start to finish. The podium was the same after both the races with Dylan Ferrandis in second and Paulis Jonass finishing third.
In the women's category, it was the diminutive Courtney Duncan form New Zealand who claimed a double victory.
She dominated both the races finishing 27 and 28 seconds ahead of Livia Lancelot, who finished second.
In the MXGP first race, it was Bobby Bobryshev, winner of the qualifying race, who got off to a good start and soon built up a one-second lead over Gasjer.
But the Slovenian caught up with the Russian and the Honda teammates were engaged in a keen tussle before Gasjer overtook the senior rider.
After that it was a strong ride to the finish by the MXGP rookie as he went on to take his first win in this class. In third place was 2015 defending champion Romain Febvre.
The second race was a more straightforward one for Gasjer as he overtook Bobryshev in the first lap and never relinquished that lead.
Behind him there was lots of drama as eight-time world champion Antonio Cairoli climbed up to second place at one stage of the race but then dropped back to fourth by the end. Febvre overtook Cairoli and took the second place on the podium. In third place was Bobyrshev who overtook Cairoli right towards the end.
"I am really happy with this result. All weekend, I was feeling really good. I managed to get two solid starts, rode smart and took good lines. I have never got a double victory so I am very happy about that," said Gasjer after the race.
"I was relaxed coming here. I didn't have any pressure. I didn't know what to expect. I had a good preparation during the winter. But it's a new class and I just came here to give my best," added the 19-year-old.
Defending champion Febvre was happy finishing second overall. "I am happy with the places but not the riding. I made mistakes but I came back strongly. Hopefully I will come back even stronger. We have 17 more rounds to go," said the Frenchman.
As for Bobryshev, he was getting ready to shave off his beard because of a bet he had with his mechanic. "I had a bet with my mechanic that if I won, I would shave off his head. And if I made it to the podium, I would shave off my beard. So I have to keep my side of the bet," said Bobryshev.
And what's his plan for the rest of the season? "Keep it on two wheels, be healthy and be consistent," said the jovial Russian.
In the first MX2 race, Herlings had a smaller margin of victory (around two seconds) with Ferrandis pushing him till the end. The gap between them and Jonass, who finished in third place, was 36 seconds. Such was the dominance of the two riders. In the second race, Herlings was even more dominant with a 17-second victory over Ferrandis.
Last season Herlings had missed out on winning his third MX2 title because of an injury despite have a sensational first half of the season. This season he has made a great start and one could expect big things if he manages to stay away from injuries.
In the women's category, it was the diminutive Courtney Duncan from New Zealand who claimed a double victory. She dominated both the races finishing 27 and 28 seconds ahead of Livia Lancelot who finished second.
Great double victories in all the categories and the 2016 Qatar opener has provided another exciting start to the MXGP season.
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