World champion Tim Gajser put on a show of total dominance in both motos in the heat of Leon, Mexico. He romped to two easy MXGP wins and was never headed for more than a few corners in each race.
Second time out he got cross-rutted on the opening lap but still stayed in the lead, such was his dominance. Repeating his double win from the last round in Argentina, the Slovenian is now 20 points clear of Tony Cairoli at the top of the table.
Gajser said: “It was an amazing weekend. The track and bike were great. And when you enjoy riding so much, it’s easy to go fast.”
Cairoli, winner of both motos in the opener in Qatar, took second overall but knew he was no match for the HRC man. “Tim was fast here last year so it’s no surprise he was so good,” said the KTM 450 ace.
In the opening moto, Cairoli was part of a huge scrap for second place, led by Evgeny Bobruyshev and Gautier Paulin. Cairoli said the high altitude of the track, and dusty, hot conditions, made him suffer from asthma and he was out of breath and unable to get by as he took fourth.
In the second moto he quickly got past Paulin for second then set off after Gajser. Occasionally he would gain some time on the Honda man but Gajser would immediately retaliate and pull away again to take a controlled, easy win.
Paulin was the third man on the podium, after challenging for runner-up place in both motos. First time out he couldn’t pass fast-starting Bobryshev who took second. Second time he was no match for Cairoli but a pair of third places was his best result of the year an elevated him to fifth in the championship.
Fourth overall was Arnaud Tonus, thanks to fifth then fourth place rides. In both motos, he battled with fellow Yamaha rider Jeremy Van Horebeek and each time it went down to a last-lap thriller. Van Horebeek beat him by a fraction of a second in race one but Tonus did the deed in race two, leaving the Belgian fifth overall. Bobryshev was sixth overall after a poor start meant he only took 14th in moto two after finishing second in the opener.
The podium challenge of Max Anstie never really materialised, after he ended up on the podium in the qualifying race on Saturday. He took 11th overall, with a best ride of a ninth in the first heat. He still ended up one place better than MX2 world champ Jeffrey Herlings who again looked uncomfortable on the hard pack terrain.
Shaun Simpson ended up 14th overall, a disappointment on the track where he has had a second overall place in the past. Fellow Brit Jake Nicholls scored 18th in moto one and was credited with 21st in the second outing. “Just rode around after a few minutes of that second race, took some skin off my palm and was impossible to ride that track like it,” said Nicholls.
