JEFFREY HERLINGS AND PIRELLI FIM MOTOCROSS MX2 WORLD CHAMPIONS

The Dutch KTM star defends his championship with three rounds to spare providing Pirelli with their 59th Motocross Championship while the Scorpion MX again ‘owns’ MX1 

Loket (Czech Republic), 5 August 2013 ­– Pirelli won its 59th FIM Motocross World Championship thanks to the performance of eighteen year old Dutchman Jeffrey Herlings who closed out the MX2 category with three rounds to run.

The KTM rider guided his factory 250SX-F with Pirelli Scorpion MX MidSoft 32F front and Scorpion MX MidSoft 32 rear to victory and confirmed his second title after winning all fourteen of seventeen rounds in the series so far. In the Czech Republic Herlings was again unstoppable and logged his twelfth double of the year ahead of other Pirelli riders Christophe Charlier, Aleksandr Tonkov, Alex Lupino and team-mate Jordi Tixier; the latter maintaining second spot in the MX2 standings.

While the MX2 class followed the formbook, MX1 was a little different as works Suzuki and Pirelli rider Clement Desalle celebrated his second triumph of the campaign with a resolute double run. The Belgian classified ahead of team-mate Kevin Strijbos; his countryman posting second and fourth positions. Like other Pirelli representatives in the category he used Scorpion MX MidSoft 32F front and Scorpion MX MidSoft 32 rear with dimensions of 120/90-19 to offer the best chance of traction on the stony terrain that hardly any grip.

MX1 points leader Antonio Cairoli could only finish fifth overall, just beaten by team-mate Ken De Dycker and unable to find a decent feeling on the track across the weekend. In the first race he stalled his bike and lost ground, recovering to take fourth, while in the second moto he crashed in the opening phases trying to pass Jeremy Van Horebeek and again had to fight for positions to take seventh. Despite the events of the Grand Prix of Czech Republic, Cairoli can still count on an advantage of ninety points over Desalle and can toast a seventh title come the next round of the series at Bastogne for the Grand Prix of Belgium on August 18th.

At Loket the Scorpion MX also shone in the sixth fixture in the European EMX250 Championship where a fifth victory was obtained by series leader Valentin Guillod.

Grand Prix of Czech Republic, Loket Circuit: Temperature 30, Humidity 67%

MX1 Overall Classification:

1. Clement Desalle Suzuki Team Rockstar Energy

2. Kevin Strijbos Suzuki Team Rockstar Energy

3. Evgeny Bobryshev Honda Team World Motocross

4. Ken De Dycker KTM Team Red Bull Factory

5. Antonio Cairoli KTM Team Red Bull Factory

MX1 Championship standings after 14 rounds:

1. Antonio Cairoli KTM p. 643

2. Clement Desalle Suzuki p. 553

3. Ken De Dycker KTM p. 514

4. Gautier Paulin Kawasaki p. 465

5. Kevin Strijbos Suzuki p. 437

MX2 Overall Classification:

1. Jeffrey Herlings KTM Team Red Bull Factory

2. Christophe Charlier Yamaha Team Monster Energy

3. Aleksandr Tonkov Honda Team ESTA

4. Alex Lupino Kawasaki Team CLS

5. Jordi Tixier KTM Team Red Bull Factory

MX2 Championship standings after 14 rounds:

1. Jeffrey Herlings KTM p. 692

2. Jordi Tixier KTM p. 515

3. José Butron KTM p. 438

4. Christophe Charlier Yamaha p. 405

5. Glenn Coldenhoff KTM p. 377

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