Image: Ray Archer.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli pressed on for his ninth MXGP World Championship round victory of the year at Lommel in Belgium on Sunday, as BikeIT Yamaha Cosworth’s MX2 star Max Anstie as he claimed his first ever MX2 race and GP victory.

Recognised for his unique technique and mastered sandcraft, all bets were on Cairoli today, which turned out to be as safe as expected. Although the Italian said the track was a lot choppier and less rollier than normal, it didn’t slow him down any as he eased his way to his sixth double victory of the season.

“I want to say it’s nice to win my 72nd Grand Prix in the land of the best rider, number 72 Stefan Everts,” Cairoli beamed.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Ken De Dycker’s 4-2 result for second overall came despite an injury that will make him sit out the last two rounds of the championship.

“I didn’t expect this, I expected maybe a top five or like six or something so this is amazing,” he said. “I have had a problem with my wrist the whole year but I kept fighting and kept training and it finally paid off.”

Meanwhile it was expected to see Hitachi Construction Machinery UK KTM’s Shaun Simpson on the box as he’s proven to be quite the sand specialist over the years. Simpson threw together a 3–3 result for third overall, but also made himself one of the most talked about as he was one of only a few riders to consistently jump the quad into the rhythm section.

The first rider to impressively bust out the quad card during the race was Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Gautier Paulin. No one would have guessed the extremely fluid and flamboyant Frenchman has missed seven of the last nine rounds of the MXGP championship as he chased down and caught the seven-time world champion in race one relatively easily, given his circumstances.

While time ran out for Paulin to make a move on Cairoli for the lead, he managed to take second in race one which he backed up with a fourth in race two leaving himself, Simpson and De Dycker all tied on 40 points. Due to the overall result being decided based on the best finish in the final race, Paulin was forced to settle for fourth.

Rounding out the top five, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World’s Kevin Strijbos couldn’t find his flow today. While he tried to push the issue and charge forward, things weren’t working out for the Belgian which saw him back off and take home some solid championship points.

Australian Dean Ferris was a superb seventh overall for Red Bull IceOne Racing Husqvarna, finishing ninth in moto one after battling with teammate Tyla Rattray, before charging to seventh in moto two after dispensing of his goggles mid-moto. It was Ferris’ last scheduled MXGP appearance of 2014.

Everything that could go wrong in one season has for Anstie as he has been up against the eight ball all season long as his team continues to develop his bike. Heading into every race the question that surrounds Max is never over his ability, but rather his bike and will it last entire duration of a race.

While it was a little touch’n’go in both motos with the Brit not going out for either sighting laps due to problems with the bike, it miraculously fired up at the last minute on both occasions and withstood the demands of what is known as the toughest track in the world, rewarding him with his first ever MX2 race and grand prix win.

“Before the second race I was thinking this is what I live for right here, I was nervous but we got it done,” Anstie said. “It was a very difficult race; this track is obviously the most difficult, for the bike and physically. But we did it and I am over the moon!”

Again plaudits to Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jordi Tixier who once again stepped up to the plate. Despite not being one of the favorites to win in the sand, Tixier silenced his critics for the second round in a row with a convincing victory in race two which he added to his third from race one for second overall.

CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy’s Dylan Ferrandis raised the second French flag on the podium with his second place in race one and third in race two for third overall.

Three out of four is not bad for the French with Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Romain Febvre being the third Frenchman to finish inside the top four. Despite chucking in a couple of hard charges in both motos, Febvre didn’t have any answers for the top three today meaning he would have to leave Lommel today content with fourth.

It’s one for the ‘experience bank’ for Honda Gariboldi’s Tim Gajser as he put in a pretty respectable ride given he’s a rookie and gnarlieness Lommel takes motocross racing to the extreme, the youngster did a pretty good job logging his fifth top five finish of the season.

As for Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe’s Glenn Coldenhoff, the Dutchman admitted he wasn’t quite ready to come back this weekend. Nevertheless he managed to come away with seventh overall.

2014 MXGP World Championship
Round 15 – Lommel, Belgium

MXGP overall results:
1. Antonio Cairoli 50
2. Ken de Dycker 40
3. Shaun Simpson 40
4. Gautier Paulin 40
5. Kevin Strijbos 29
6. Marc de Reuver 27
7. Dean Ferris (AUS) 26
8. Jeremy Van Horebeek 26
9. Tyla Rattray 24
10. Steven Frossard 23

Championship standings:
1. Antonio Cairoli 669
2. Jeremy Van Horebeek 588
3. Kevin Strijbos 498
4. Clement Desalle 484
5. Shaun Simpson 365
6. Steven Frossard 356
7. Maximilian Nagl 307
8. Gautier Paulin 275
9. Davide Guarneri 245
10. David Philippaerts 234
22. Todd Waters (AUS) 107
24. Dean Ferris (AUS) 82

MX2 overall results:
1. Max Anstie 47
2. Jordi Tixier 45
3. Dylan Ferrandis 42
4. Romain Febvre 36
5. Tim Gajser 28
6. Aleksandr Tonkov 28
7. Glenn Coldenhoff 26
8. Valentin Guillod 25
9. Pauls Jonass 25
10. Petar Petrov 22

Championship standings:
1. Jeffrey Herlings 594
2. Jordi Tixier 537
3. Romain Febvre 489
4. Dylan Ferrandis 467
5. Tim Gajser 448
6. Arnaud Tonus 389
7. Valentin Guillod 379
8. Aleksandr Tonkov 363
9. Jose Butron 337
10. Jeremy Seewer 301
22. Luke Styke (AUS) 80

Click here for detailed results