Jorge Prado earned a full bag of points and his second MXGP victory of 2020 with his KTM 450 SX-F by triumphing at his home Grand Prix in Spain. In MX2 Tom Vialle used the KTM 250 SX-F to win for the fifth time this season and extend his championship lead to 52 points.
Red Bull KTM news from the Grand Prix of Spain:
-Jorge Prado takes first 1-1 in MXGP to celebrate maiden win on home turf
-Tony Cairoli scores 6th & remains 2nd in the MXGP standings
-Tom Vialle claims overall win in MX2 and now has 10 podiums from 12 rounds
MXGP moved away from Italy for the first time in six fixtures and visited the brand new Xanadú - Arroyomolinos circuit south of Madrid. The impressive facility featured some rough and rutty hard-pack terrain and some large jumps, using the slight elevation of the natural land to create a one minute and fifty lap-time. Red Bull KTM were not able to count on the presence of Jeffrey Herlings; the Dutchman has missed a month of racing due to his crash at the Grand Prix Citta di Faenza and elected to have a small operation on his foot with a view towards full fitness for 2021.
MXGP
Jorge Prado – A perfect day for the 19-year old MXGP rookie. Prado captured both holeshots and both motos to register his first 1-1 in the premier class, his sixth podium and his very first GP success on Spanish soil. Prado ran free from Romain Febvre in the first race and then had to resist some pressure from Tim Gajser in the second. Prado eventually pulled away from the world champion to reach the checkered flag with a five-second advantage. Prado’s fifth appearance on the rostrum from the last six Grands Prix means he is now up to 4th in the championship standings and is just 5 points from the top three.
Tony Cairoli – The nine-times world champion took 16th place in Timed Practice. His gate position meant a poor start in the first moto and Cairoli recovered to 7th. The Sicilian had a better launch in the second race but caught his troublesome knee on the ground and could not attack the riders ahead of him on track. Tony eventually settled for 6th and took the same ranking in the final classification. #222 is 2nd in the points table, 24 behind Gajser.
Jorge Prado: “Exactly what I wanted to do today. This was my goal here in Spain. My first 1-1 in MXGP! I felt I was the best out there and I was really excited when I crossed the finish line. The second race was really good. The first laps were intense with Tim and the track was very technical and a lot of ruts. You had to be very precise and smooth, no mistakes. It was an amazing day.”
Tony Cairoli: “A bad start in the first moto and I managed to make it back to 7th place. It wasn’t so easy to pass here but I didn’t want to lose many points so I had to make it happen. I wasn’t too happy, but the second moto start was better. I tried to do the second corner aggressively but caught my knee and it felt painful for a while. I pushed again. I lost some positions and won some but finished 6th. Not really a good weekend but we can re-group to make a push in the last six races. There are still plenty more points on the plate. We go to Lommel now and a lot can happen in the sand.”
MX2
Tom Vialle – Vialle set the 7th fastest lap in a chilly but sunny morning Timed Practice. The Frenchman was able to leap from the gate to his fourteenth holeshot of the season in the first moto (11 more than the next nearest rider). He faced some pressure from the Husqvarna duo of Jed Beaton and Thomas Kjer Olsen but was finally able to keep the Dane on his rear wheel and won his eleventh race of 2020 In the second outing Vialle was again at the front from the outset of the 30 minute and 2 lap distance. He fought with title rival Jago Geerts and built a comfortable margin over the Belgian. On the last circulation he made a mistake in the turn before the pitlane and stalled his bike. The pause allowed Geerts to pass but Vialle restarted to take 2nd and still post the overall win. Vialle is the first French winner of the Spanish GP for ten years. He defends a 52-point cushion (a full Grand Prix with six left on the calendar) over Geerts.
Tom Vialle: “I was riding well all day. Just in that second moto the back wheel came up and I stalled the bike under braking. I was a little bit angry because it was on the last lap but we still took the overall and made some more points in the championship. I’ve been riding a lot in the sand and I really like it so I hope we can do well at Lommel.”
MXGP moves north and to Belgium this week where the Grand Prix of Flanders in the sand of Lommel will start another triple header on October 18th, 21st and 25th.
Results MXGP Grand Prix of Spain 2020
1. Jorge Prado (ESP) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (1-1)
2. Tim Gajser (SLO) Honda (3-2)
3. Romain Febvre (FRA) Kawasaki (2-3)
4. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED) GasGas (5-4)
5. Clement Desalle (BEL) Kawasaki (4-7)
6. Tony Cairoli (ITA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (7-6)
Standings MXGP 2020 after round 12
1. Tim Gajser 441
2. Tony Cairoli 417
3. Jeremy Seewer 396
4. Jorge Prado 391
5. Glenn Coldenhoff 375
9. Jeffrey Herlings 263
Results MX2 Grand Prix of Spain 2020
1. Tom Vialle (FRA), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (1-2)
2. Jago Geerts (BEL) Yamaha (5-1)
3. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN) Husqvarna (2-7)
4. Roan van de Moosdijk (NED) Kawasaki (8-3)
5. Maxime Renaux (FRA) Yamaha (6-5)
Standings MX2 2020 after round 12
1. Tom Vialle 525
2. Jago Geerts 473
3. Jed Beaton 379
4. Maxime Renaux 372
5. Thomas Olsen 347
21. Rene Hofer 73