Source: Supplied.

A firmer and choppier Mantova in Italy was a curious beast today as it inaugurated the 12th round of the FIM Motocross World Championship.

The strange combination of rolling bumps and rugged choppy sections, on a track that used to be a lot sandier, was the challenge, as Team HRC’s Evgeny Bobryshev and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings scored the poles.

Bobryshev and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Nagl got this one going as they went bar-to-bar into turn one ahead of the red plate holder Honda Gariboldi’s Tim Gajser.

Bobryshev nailed it around the outside, while Nagl backed off, went tight, and somehow slung shot out of the turn with enough pace to rail around the outside of Bobby at turn two.

Bobryshev, who had the first gate pick after he set the fastest lap in timed training, knew he couldn’t let Nagl get away and instantly started a brawl with the Husky rider.

After throwing a wheel in on Nagl at every opportunity, at least for the first three laps, the German finally succumb to the pressure of the Russian and let him go.

As Bobryshev inched away, Gajser got the itch and started giving Nagl grief before passing him with a signature scrub. Nagl isn’t a rider who is too fussed about winning qualifying races, just sat back and let them go.

Meanwhile, Team HRC’s Gautier Paulin spent the best part of the first few laps bashing bars with Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Van Horebeek before fading back to sixth.

Van Horebeek rode strong to finish fourth ahead of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Glenn Coldenhoff, who is more than worthy of a mention today with fifth place being his best qualifying race result of the season.

Team Suzuki World MXGP’s Ben Townley was involved in a slip on the opening corner but stormed back through the field to cross the line 12th in qualifying.

Australian Chad Reed endured a difficult start to his second weekend in MXGP, exiting the qualifying heat during the moto with reported pain to his hand.

Every rider’s worst nightmare is going down at turn one, which is exactly what Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Anstie did when he folded the front-end in the loam at turn two, causing a massive pile-up.

Both of Anstie’s teammates Conrad Mewse and Thomas Covington were caught in the wreck, as were two riders battling for the spot of vice-world champion, Team Suzuki World MX2’s Jeremy Seewer and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass.

Runaway title leader Herlings managed to avoid it but was still affected by the mess, which left him well outside of the top ten.

Escaping the carnage, Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Dylan Ferrandis led the way, at least for a couple of corners, before fellow Frenchman Kemea Yamaha MX Official team’s Benoit Paturel snuck up the inside of him.

That wasn’t something that Ferrandis was too happy about, it bought the ‘honey badger’ out in him and he ruthlessly put the squeeze on the Yamaha rider to take back the lead one lap later.

Thanks to the little ‘Bonjour’ from Ferrandis, Paturel went wide and fell back to second before stacking it all on his own right after the finish line jump on lap three.

Herlings and Seewer continued to turn up the heat on their charge, while Wilvo Standing Construct Yamaha Official MX2 Team’s Aleksandr Tonkov rode in second ahead TM’s Samuele Bernardini and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rookie Davy Pootjes.

It wasn’t surprising to see Herlings knocking on the door of the top five before the end of lap three. He made light work of his young teammate Pootjes before doing the same thing to Bernardini and Tonkov in the laps that followed.

With two minutes plus two laps to go, Ferrandis had a comfortable 10-second lead and looked to be on his way to defeating Herlings in the sand, which is something that has not been done in a very, long time.

But soon Ferrandis robbed himself of the win with a silly mistake. Herlings inherited the lead and ran away for his ninth qualifying heat victory of the season. Ferrandis regrouped for second ahead of Tonkov, Seewer and Pootjes.