After the British Championship in Lyng last weekend, Jeffrey Herlings (Red Bull KTM) went to France with a view to the opening GP in Russia today. Although Maxime Desprey offered good resistance – he won the first moto – there was, as expected, no measure on Herlings. Jeffrey therefore dominated the second and third heat.
In Montgueux, to the north-east of Paris, Herlings found a very typical French circuit. Concrete hard and very slippery, making this an interesting training run for Orlyonok in fourteen days. French MX1 vice champion Maxime Desprey already showed in the morning that he would be the right man. Since Herlings did not lose the power of his engine properly, Desprey was able to take advantage. He turned it into a GSM Dafy Michelin Yamaha team party as Xavier Boog and Thomas Ramette finished 4th and 5th respectively.
The following motos did not involve many because four-time world champion Herlings clearly showed who is the boss. “It was (at first) quite difficult because we are not used to this kind of circuits. So hard and with a lack of grip. These are conditions in which the French drivers excel. It was certainly good preparation for Orloyonok. After the first heat we adjusted a lot because the engine was a bit too powerful for these conditions,” said Jeffrey, who was assisted on the podium by his assistant mechanic Ruben Tureluren who translated.
It was also a successful day for Desprey. He dropped to the grounds of UM Aube Montgueux as a dress rehearsal for the opener of the 24MX Tour next weekend in Ernée. If you want to watch the live stream again, you can go here. In addition to Herlings, Daymond Martens (Bud Racing Kawasaki) and Joel Van Mechelen also competed in France. Martens finished fifth each time and also finished fifth in the final standings. Van Mechelen recorded P7 and P8 in the two closing heats.
MX Open Race 1
1. Maxime Desprey
2. Jeffrey Herlings
3. Xavier Boog
4. Thomas Ramette
5. Daymond Martens
6. Ludovic Macler
7. Scotty Verhaeghe
8. Axel Fernandes
9. Cyril Serisier
10. Lucas Vielhomme
MX Open Race 2
1.Jeffrey Herlings
2. Maxime Desprey
3. Xavier Boog
4. Ludovic Macler
5. Daymond Martens
6. Scotty Verhaeghe
7. Maxence Outhier
8. Joel Van Mechelen
9. Theo Martin
10. Alexis Lolli
MX Open Race 3
1. Jeffrey Herlings
2. Maxime Desprey
3. Xavier Boog
4. Ludovic Macler
5. Daymond Martens
6. Scotty Verhaeghe
7. Joel Van Mechelen
8. Maxence Outhier
9. Cyril Serisier
10. Lucas Vielhomme
Overall Standings:
1. Jeffrey Herlings 72 pts
2. Maxime Desprey 69 pts
3. Xavier Boog 60 pts
4. Ludovic Macler 51 pts
5. Daymond Martens 48 pts
6. Scotty Verhaeghe 44 pts
Report: MX Mag
Pic: Kévin Frelaud/DailyMotocross.fr
