News 5 Sep 2022

Consistent Gajser claims victory at MXGP of Turkiye

Vialle crowned champion in nail-biting MX2 conclusion.

Image: Supplied.

A consistent Tim Gajser (Team HRC) secured victory at the 2022 MXGP World Championship finals in Turkey, as Tom Vialle (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) emerged on top of the intense MX2 title battle to claim the crown for a second time.

Monster Energy Yamaha MXGP rookie Maxime Renaux won race one, ahead of teammate Jeremy Seewer with Gajser completing the top three.

Race two saw Romain Febvre (Kawasaki Racing Team) score his first victory since returning from injury, with Gajser and Seewer second and third respectively. Notably, Renaux ended the second bout in Turkey P8.

Gajser notched the overall on 42 points, overcoming Seewer on countback with Febrve third courtesy of 8-1 moto scores. P4 was Renaux, as Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Mattia Guadagnini (4-5) completed the top five.

Mitch Evans (Team Honda HRC) lead a number of laps in race one, ultimately finishing 12th. The Australian was battling for the lead in the second race when he crashed and retired from the outing.

Crowned champion in Finland, Gajser concluded the 2022 MXGP World Championship standings on 763 points, ahead of Seewer in second on 657 and Jorge Prado (Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing) P3 with 589.

Image: Supplied.

Vialle was victorious in the opening MX2 bout at round 18, taking the points lead by a single point ahead of Jago Geerts entering the final race of the season. The Monster Energy Yamaha MX2 rider was second in the first outing at Afyonkarahisar.

Geerts grabbed the early lead in moto two before a battle ensued between himself and Vialle. In what was ultimately a decisive moment in the race, Vialle lost the front as Geerts could not avoid him, crashing also.

The number 28 was able to remount first, as Geerts fell again while trying to close down the Spaniard. Vialle won the race and with that the round 18 overall and a second-career MX2 World Championship.

Second on the day, and in the final points standings was Geerts, as Roan Van De Moosdijk (Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing) completed the top three overall in Turkey with 4-3 moto scores ahead of teammate Kay de Wolf (Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing).

Third in the 2022 MX2 standings and fifth in Turkey was Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Simon Laengenfelder.

The final round of the 2022 Women’s Motocross World Championship took place at Afyonkarahisar, with Courtney Duncan (Kawasaki) landing the overall victory with a perfect 1-1 scorecard.

Yamaha-mounted Larissa Papenmeier was second in Turkey courtesy of 2-4 results, as Sara Andersen completed the top three with 4-3 finishes.

Making her world championship debut in the category, Australia’s Charli Cannon (JK Racing Yamaha) crossed the line P8 in moto one. The second race saw Cannon move from sixth to third before she fell and remounted in P10. Continuing her charge the number 17 fell again, breaking her collarbone which ruled her out of the race.

Tahlia Jade O’Hare (Team Honda 114 Motorsports ) finished the final round 10th overall, courtesy of 13-10 results.

Eighth overall in Turkey was enough for Nancy Van de Ven (Yamaha) to capture the 2022 title in the category, 18 points ahead of Lynn Valk with Papenmeier completing the top three a further nine adrift.

Detailed results

Recent