Image: Ray Archer.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing riders Antonio Cairoli and Jeffrey Herlings won their respective qualifying heats at the German round of the Motocross World Championship on Saturday.

Cairoli claimed the MXGP class pole position after edging out world champion Romain Febvre (Monster Energy Yamaha) and rookie revelation Tim Gajser (Honda Gariboldi) at Teutschenthal.

New Zealand’s Ben Townley (Team Suzuki World MXGP) qualified down in 17th. He was faring better and was holding fifth spot until lap eight when an error and subsequent problem with the front-end of his bike relegated him down the order.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Herlings battled the flu on the way to his seventh consecutive qualifying race win, leading home Jeremy Seewer (Team Suzuki World MXGP) and teammate Pauls Jonass.

There was a massive turn of events in the WMX world championship with the red plate holder Altherm JCR Yamaha’s Courtney Duncan crashing out of the lead, eventually circulating to 12th.

Team One One Four’s Livia Lancelot capitalised on Duncan’s misfortune and took her first race win of the season and now has a six-point lead in the standings. Australian Madison Brown (Yamaha) was seventh.

It was a terrific day for Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Australian rookie Hunter Lawrence, who claimed a triumphant first-career EMX250 championship racing victory in the opening moto of the weekend. He topped title leader Thomas Kjer Olsen (Husqvarna).