Quick thoughts: Lommel MXGP
What a track and what a remarkable GP! This time, they didn’t totally level the circuit overnight and even in qualifying the track was pretty brutal! By the end it was like racing in a warzone with craters everywhere and it was survival out there, one mistimed jump through the bumps could end in disaster – just ask Tim Gajser!
But let’s start with Jeffrey Herlings! It was a performance J K Rowling couldn’t even have written – it was that unlikely! Told by the doctors he would be in too much pain to race and only making the decision to even do the race on Saturday, Herlings was fast in qualifying then won race one after stalking Romain Febvre before making the decisive pass – and he gained big points on Gajser! Race two was as mind-blowing, down on the first lap Herlings put the pain to the side and charged, incredibly, up to fifth before finally, at last, he could do no more. Understandably exhausted, he settled for fifth despite Gajser being fourth but it was a smart move that saw him take second overall and gain nine point on the championship leader. This was a big risk for Herlings, if it went wrong his season was potentially over but it worked better than anyone could have imagined. His fifth world title dream is very much alive – even if he is probably in agony today!
Is he really human? How is it possible to go that fast on that track with a broken shoulder blade? No-one knows except Herlings. Whether he gets close to Everts or Cairoli’s world titles or not, this man has to go down as one of the greatest riders ever. The heart and determination are just incredible before you even get to the mind-blowing raw speed!
Romain Febvre deserved this win. He has been so close all year and finally, even though he still had a couple of those pesky crashes, the Frenchman dug deep as always and took a huge win for a French rider in Lommel. Yes, Febvre has moved to be close to the sand and dedicated a lot of time doing it but this was still special and his speed was really, really, impressive. He is right in this title hunt now and says he feels it’s his year.
Tim Gajser was going for it all day but crashed constantly! Yet he still took sixth overall but he is lucky he didn’t get injured – his speed was there once again in the sand however. Tim isn’t going to back down to anyone this year, not even Herlings in the deep sand!
Tony Cairoli was a bit of a head scratcher and admitted he couldn’t get comfortable but despite the disappointment he gained two points on Gajser and is only nine back – the season is really hotting up now!
MX2 was also fantastic racing. Geerts rode superbly to take a win he needed for the championship and he is the shark in the water for everyone to worry about but Kay De Wolf is the new star of the class! What a ride to hold of a flying Geerts in race two. Pressure? What pressure!? De Wolf held off everything Geerts could throw at him to take his first MX2 moto win at just 16 in only his sixth ever GP, this kid is very, very special. Dealing with pressure is a huge necessity at the elite level and along with that incredible talent, De Wolf just showed he had the mindset to go with with it.
Championship leader Renaux was solid for a podium as the championship looks like it could come down to the Kemea Yamaha teammates with Guadagnini having a bad day in the sand – although you can’t count out the Italian just yet!
That might have been the best GP of the year. Even if the racing isn’t close, it’s still great to watch the best in the world surf the bumps at Lommel and wonder just how they can do it. It’s a unique skill of almost floating serenely above the brutal bumps but this year we had the close racing, dramatic moments, and sensational performances in both classes added to that skillful sand surfing – what a brilliant GP.
Article: Jonathan McCready
Image: Ray Archer
