| MXGP duo launch 2015 with solid result | Top six finishes for Yamaha Factory Racing Yamalube pair Jeremy Van Horebeek and Romain Febvre signified a steady and promising start to the 2015 FIM MXGP Motocross World Championship at the Grand Prix of Qatar Saturday evening. Riding their YZ450FMs 'JVH' negotiated a tricky racing surface to repeat his 2014 results and score fifth overall while new team-mate Romain Febvre was a very creditable sixth on his team/class debut.
For the third year in a row the Losail circuit switched on their powerful and permanent lighting system (420 units) to illuminate the sole night event on the Grand Prix trail. What the meeting lacked in spectator numbers it made up for with a spectacular and fast layout for what has become a traditional season-opener.
A wet terrain – to contain dust in breezy conditions – greeted the riders on Friday but the track dried and became a challenging array of bumps and ruts for the crucial motos on Saturday night. The wind also eased in the desert setting and conditions were ideal for the first races of the year.
Jeremy Van Horebeek had rapid speed but a little insecurity over his rhythm and pace on Friday. The Belgian – who grabbed a top five overall at Qatar in 2014 for what was his Yamaha debut – could not make the best of starts in each race and exercised caution by circulating largely by himself and aiming for consistency with his lap-times. His performance out of the gate was better in the second sprint and enabled a comfortable repeat of his fifth place.
MXGP rookie and new star Yamaha athlete Romain Febvre was in attacking and aggressive form from the first laps in Qatar. The Frenchman took a positive sixth position in Friday's qualification moto for what was his first MXGP sprint on the YZ450FM. On Saturday, and at the moment of truth, he was effective, impressive and largely fault-free. He reached seventh place quite early in Moto1 but then struggled to pass Shaun Simpson and followed the Scot for a long stretch of the race. Eventually he profited from his rival's mistake and reached sixth place. In the second sprint Febvre was again hovering the mid top-ten places and had the opportunity to follow and then pass AMA Champion Ryan Villopoto to win seventh position.
DP19 Yamaha Racing's David Philippaerts was fifteenth overall after scoring tenth place in the first race but having to retire through a problem with his wheel in the second. The Italian had a crash on Friday and also needed to fine tune a new WP suspension setting but was happy with his speed and potential for the Saturday evening motos. The former world champion pushed his way into the top ten and was content with his work at the first time of asking but was then disappointed to have to cut his participation short at the end of the night.
The overall ranking in Qatar formed the initial positions in the MXGP standings with the first of three overseas events now chalked off the schedule. Yamaha's MXGP elite will now box up the equipment, spares and dismantled factory machinery for the trip further east and the third Grand Prix of Thailand.  | "It was the first GP and I was not really relaxed and I struggled to find a good setting because the track was really sketchy. I don't like it at all. The design is very nice but there are many deep, square bumps. I struggled also with the starts and they were the key this weekend. I think I have the speed; it is not like the guys are pulling away from me. I was better in the second moto and the gap to the others stayed the same from the first lap. I could see the others ahead. I think I changed what could have been a bad weekend into a good one because I wasn't comfortable out there. So, the same as last year and I will be ready to pull the trigger next week." |
| | | "It was a pretty good first GP except that my starts were not that great. I was tenth on the first corner of the first race but I made some moves to seventh. I was stuck behind Shaun Simpson and it was really difficult to pass him. He made a mistake with three or four laps to go and I could get by. The result was good because the track was difficult with many sharp bumps. The grip varied and it was difficult to get a feeling with the bike. My start was worse in the second moto and I made a mistake by coming short on a double jump and almost crashed. I was really lucky. I was behind Villopoto for many laps and passed him. I think I used too much energy with Villopoto, which meant that I had nothing left to chase Strijbos. Anyway sixth overall with the new team, new bike, new class is positive and I'm happy." | |  | | "We had one good moto after a bad start. In the second I had a good lap-time – a 1min 51 – which was one of the best for me today. I passed three riders in one lap but half way through the moto we broke the rear wheel on a jump landing. I had to stop because it was the second wheel we broke this weekend. I'm happy to get into the top ten because I think the level this year is very difficult. My speed was good and I'm faster than last year here…but the wheel was a shame. I think many other riders had the same problem. We have to focus for Thailand and Argentina now and keep that top ten position." |
| race I | | 1 | Maximilian Nagl | Husqvarna | GER | 34'52.985 | | 2 | Clement Desalle | Suzuki | BEL | 0'01.221 | | 3 | Antonio Cairoli | KTM | ITA | 0'18.550 | | 4 | Gautier Paulin | Honda | FRA | 0'24.809 | | 5 | Jeremy Van Horebeek | Yamaha | BEL | 0'34.810 | | 6 | Romain Febvre | Yamaha | FRA | 0'42.395 | | 7 | Shaun Simpson | KTM | GBR | 0'47.295 | | 8 | Evgeny Bobryshev | Honda | RUS | 0'56.052 | | 8 | Evgeny Bobryshev | Honda | RUS | 0'56.052 | | 9 | Ryan Villopoto | Kawasaki | USA | 0'59.609 | | 10 | David Philippaerts | Yamaha | ITA | 1'03.179 | | 11 | Steven Frossard | KTM | FRA | 1'07.347 | | 12 | Kevin Strijbos | Suzuki | BEL | 1'09.114 | | 13 | Davide Guarneri | TM | ITA | 1'10.638 | | 14 | Jose Antonio Butron | KTM | ESP | 1'11.962 | | race II | | 1 | Maximilian Nagl | Husqvarna | GER | 35'00.295 | | 2 | Clement Desalle | Suzuki | BEL | 0'06.023 | | 3 | Gautier Paulin | Honda | FRA | 0'08.752 | | 4 | Antonio Cairoli | KTM | ITA | 0'12.787 | | 5 | Jeremy Van Horebeek | Yamaha | BEL | 0'17.740 | | 6 | Kevin Strijbos | Suzuki | BEL | 0'24.676 | | 7 | Romain Febvre | Yamaha | FRA | 0'36.357 | | 8 | Ryan Villopoto | Kawasaki | USA | 0'40.816 | | 9 | Evgeny Bobryshev | Honda | RUS | 1'03.294 | | 10 | Glenn Coldenhoff | Suzuki | NED | 1'07.182 | | 11 | Jose Antonio Butron | KTM | ESP | 1'11.081 | | 12 | Davide Guarneri | TM | ITA | 1'18.154 | | 13 | Todd Waters | Husqvarna | AUS | 1'19.054 | | 14 | Shaun Simpson | KTM | GBR | 1'24.312 | | 15 | Ken De Dycker | KTM | BEL | 1'31.028 |
| | | | Rider Standings | After Race 1 of 19 | | | 1. | Maximilian Nagl | Husqvarna | GER | 50 | | 2. | Clement Desalle | Suzuki | BEL | 44 | | 3. | Gautier Paulin | Honda | FRA | 38 | | 4. | Antonio Cairoli | KTM | ITA | 38 | | 5. | Jeremy Van Horebeek | Yamaha | BEL | 32 | | 6. | Romain Febvre | Yamaha | FRA | 29 | | 7. | Ryan Villopoto | Kawasaki | USA | 25 | | 8. | Evgeny Bobryshev | Honda | RUS | 25 | | 9. | Kevin Strijbos | Suzuki | BEL | 24 | | 10. | Shaun Simpson | KTM | GBR | 21 | | 11. | Jose Antonio Butron | KTM | ESP | 17 | | 12. | Davide Guarneri | TM | ITA | 17 | | 13. | Glenn Coldenhoff | Suzuki | NED | 14 | | 14. | Todd Waters | Husqvarna | AUS | 14 | | 15. | David Philippaerts | Yamaha | ITA | 11 | | 16. | Steven Frossard | KTM | FRA | 10 |
| |  | | | Circuit Length:
1700 Weather:
Dry Last Years Winner:
Gautier Paulin | | 1 | Husqvarna | 50 | | 2 | Suzuki | 44 | | 3 | Honda | 38 | | 4 | KTM | 38 | | 5 | Yamaha | 32 | | 6 | Kawasaki | 25 | | 7 | TM | 17 | | |  | | | Fantastic first career podium for Lieber | The Grand Prix of Qatar opened the 2015 FIM Motocross World Championship and was the opening foray in the MX2 category for the Standing Construct Yamaha Yamalube and Kemea Yamaha teams with their fresh YZ250F technology. Across the hard, rough and fast Losail soil the standout performer in the first round of eighteen and the first two motos of thirty-six this season was Julien Lieber who scored a brilliant second position overall. It was not only the Belgian's first podium result for the team he joined late last summer but also the first rostrum for the 20 year old in his career.
Losail kicked off 'MXGP' for the third time since 2013 and the sensational nocturnal meeting housed the same wide, flowing and inviting layout as in previous years. The course mixed fast turns, rollers and long jumps with tighter sections and some off-camber challenges; the high speed meant similar lap-times and some close-running groups.
Lieber was embarking on his first Grand Prix appearance in 'blue' and took advantage of two starts that slotted him into top five positions and an ideal platform to push towards the overall podium. Consistent speed coupled with the strength of the YZ250F from the gate were the building blocks to his success; something that even the rider admitted was a surprise after he struggled through practice and barely broke into the top ten. Third place in the first moto was already a personal best in MX2 but he took profit of a crash by Dylan Ferrandis in the second moto to follow leader and winner Jeffrey Herlings to go one better and claim the runner-up slot; posting a 3-2 scorecard.
Lieber's achievement was a memorable opening chapter for Standing Construct with Yamaha and represented the manufacturer's first appearance on the MX2 'box' since the Grand Prix of Belgium last August. Team-mate Valentin Guillod suffered a technical problem on Saturday that meant he entered the gate in twentieth place. The Swiss was battling against the handicap in the starts and registered a result of eighth overall. He was eighth in the first race and improved to sixth in the second moto.
Kemea Yamaha were encouraged by the speed and potential of Damon Graulus as the Belgian rode well to take ninth position in the Qualification Heat on Friday. The youngster was luckless in the motos however. He crashed on the fourth corner of the first race and had to retire and then suffered a light concussion through a nasty-looking fall in the second outing. Benoit Paturel took a best result of sixteenth in the first moto for his first Grand Prix points but in the second was adjudged to have cut the track and was disqualified.
Qatar was also the scene of the first round of six in the FIM Women's Motocross World Championship (WMX). Reigning number one Kiara Fontanesi earned Pole Position by over a second in Timed Practice but would have to leave Losail content with second place overall with finishes of 2-2 to Livia Lancelot. 'Fonta' was following exciting new Dutch talent Nancy Van De Ven in the first race but the Yamaha rider made a mistake and was lucky to walk away from a big crash that almost gathered the world champion. Fontanesi ran off the track and allowed Lancelot to pounce for the lead. In the second moto the number '8' machine played a safe game and the Italian was pleased to open the season with more confidence and more points that her troubled appearance in Qatar last year.
The Grand Prix of Thailand at the new Nakhonchaisri circuit takes place next weekend for round two of both championships where the heat and humidity is likely to pose a different set of circumstances for some of the world's fastest racers. |
| | | "The beginning of the weekend was difficult for me. Really bad. I was low down in the practice sessions and managed to recover to seventh for the qualification race but my start was bad! My speed was good in the race; I could come back from some bad starts quite well and gained some important positions. I'm really happy and I want to thank the Standing Construct Yamaha team because they did a really good job in the winter. We didn't have much time because the race engine and suspension came late and the testing period was short. I'm really surprised with the result today. It would be great to try and do the same next week." | |  | "Not a great set of races but for sure much better than 2014 here. I was more confident in the bike, myself and my potential. I am fitter and faster and I know I made a mistake last season and lost some points. Livia was quick today and I was thinking of the best position I could take without any stupid risks." |
| race I | | 1 | Jeffrey Herlings | KTM | NED | 33'51.825 | | 2 | Dylan Ferrandis | Kawasaki | FRA | 0'02.674 | | 3 | Julien Lieber | Yamaha | BEL | 0'04.052 | | 4 | Tim Gajser | Honda | SVN | 0'11.387 | | 5 | Jeremy Seewer | Suzuki | CHE | 0'12.575 | | 6 | Jordi Tixier | Kawasaki | FRA | 0'14.559 | | 7 | Max Anstie | Kawasaki | GBR | 0'28.803 | | 8 | Valentin Guillod | Yamaha | CHE | 0'29.400 | | 9 | Pauls Jonass | KTM | LVA | 0'36.823 | | 10 | Aleksandr Tonkov | Husqvarna | RUS | 0'40.860 | | 11 | Thomas Covington | Kawasaki | USA | 0'45.606 | | 12 | Mel Pocock | Kawasaki | GBR | 0'56.654 | | 13 | Petar Petrov | KTM | BGR | 0'58.421 | | 14 | Ivo Monticelli | KTM | ITA | 1'01.119 | | 15 | Jens Getteman | Honda | BEL | 1'03.623 | | 16 | Benoit Paturel | Yamaha | FRA | 1'05.328 | | race II | | 1 | Jeffrey Herlings | KTM | NED | 33'56.613 | | 2 | Julien Lieber | Yamaha | BEL | 0'02.731 | | 3 | Aleksandr Tonkov | Husqvarna | RUS | 0'05.065 | | 4 | Pauls Jonass | KTM | LVA | 0'10.885 | | 5 | Dylan Ferrandis | Kawasaki | FRA | 0'11.093 | | 6 | Valentin Guillod | Yamaha | CHE | 0'18.511 | | 7 | Tim Gajser | Honda | SVN | 0'20.689 | | 8 | Jeremy Seewer | Suzuki | CHE | 0'26.731 | | 9 | Jordi Tixier | Kawasaki | FRA | 0'30.798 | | 10 | Thomas Covington | Kawasaki | USA | 0'54.200 | | 11 | Petar Petrov | KTM | BGR | 1'00.062 | | 12 | Vsevolod Brylyakov | Honda | RUS | 1'02.697 | | 13 | Jens Getteman | Honda | BEL | 1'10.646 | | 14 | Ivo Monticelli | KTM | ITA | 1'16.746 | | 15 | Roberts Justs | KTM | LVA | 1'16.887 | | 19 | Damon Graulus | Yamaha | BEL | -6Laps |
| | | | Rider Standings | After Race 1 of 19 | | | 1. | Jeffrey Herlings | KTM | NED | 50 | | 2. | Julien Lieber | Yamaha | BEL | 42 | | 3. | Dylan Ferrandis | Kawasaki | FRA | 38 | | 4. | Tim Gajser | Honda | SVN | 32 | | 5. | Aleksandr Tonkov | Husqvarna | RUS | 31 | | 6. | Pauls Jonass | KTM | LVA | 30 | | 7. | Jeremy Seewer | Suzuki | CHE | 29 | | 8. | Valentin Guillod | Yamaha | CHE | 28 | | 9. | Jordi Tixier | Kawasaki | FRA | 27 | | 10. | Thomas Covington | Kawasaki | USA | 21 | | 11. | Petar Petrov | KTM | BGR | 18 | | 12. | Max Anstie | Kawasaki | GBR | 15 | | 13. | Jens Getteman | Honda | BEL | 14 | | 14. | Ivo Monticelli | KTM | ITA | 14 | | 15. | Vsevolod Brylyakov | Honda | RUS | 13 | | 16. | Mel Pocock | Kawasaki | GBR | 9 | | 18. | Benoit Paturel | Yamaha | FRA | 5 | | 23. | Damon Graulus | Yamaha | BEL | 2 |
| | | | | Circuit Length:
1700 Weather:
Dry Last Years Winner:
Jeffrey Herlings | | 1 | KTM | 50 | | 2 | Yamaha | 42 | | 3 | Kawasaki | 38 | | 4 | Honda | 32 | | 5 | Husqvarna | 31 | | 6 | Suzuki | 29 | | | | | | 
