| Febvre so close to first MXGP podium finish | A suffocating Grand Prix of Thailand provided one of the hottest and toughest rounds of the FIM Motocross World Championship in recent memory and Yamaha Factory Racing Yamalube's Romain Febvre rode superbly in the draining conditions to finish fourth overall and almost snare his first silverware on the works YZ450FM. The Frenchman, in just his second appearance in blue for what was the second fixture of eighteen in the 2015 series, scored a top three result in the first moto with third place and then followed up with a fourth in the second race to classify fourth overall and just three points from the rostrum. Jeremy Van Horebeek did not tally any points in either outing after a first moto crash left him with affected vision.
Thailand Circuit was a new track created by overlaying a tight, compact and jumpy course across the asphalt of a flat road racing facility less than an hour west of Bangkok. The imported dirt and material excavated from site meant a terrain that was rutty in corners, hard-pack in others and inconsistent with traction and feel. Febvre was reasonably content with the challenge but Van Horebeek made some chassis and engine set-up changes in search of an optimum configuration to try and figure out the surface.
Another important factor at this race was the stifling temperatures. On Saturday the thermometer reached thirty-seven degrees in the afternoon sun and was at a similar level on Sunday for the Grand Prix motos; the second race on the programme for MXGP and MX2 was actually shortened by five minutes in the interests of safety.
In the first race (thirty minutes and two laps duration) Febvre started well out of the gate and rode hard to pull through from a first lap position of sixth to arrive to third. The 23 year old attacked the jumps and lumps of the course with gusto and his result was hard fought and well earned. Van Horebeek meanwhile struggled from sixteenth on the start line and a first lap accident had ramifications for the rest of the day as the Belgian circulated for two-thirds of the race and eventually pulled out with blurred vision seven laps before the flag.
Later in the afternoon JVH was lively away in moto two and ran inside the top five until he again had problems with his sight. Febvre pulled past him into fourth and the 2014 championship runner-up had to retire three laps later. Febvre meanwhile could not make up more ground on Ryan Villopoto and ended a draining meeting with 3-4.
Thailand was a satisfactory experience for DP19 Racing Yamaha's David Philippaerts. The Italian rode strongly on Saturday to post a bright seventh position in the Qualification Heat. DP found a groove around the hard and dusty Thai curves even if he was not a huge fan of the continual stream of jumps. He made a mistake on the first lap of the first moto by braking too hard in one of the corners to avoid a rider ahead and stalled the bike. By the time he restarted he was near the back, in twenty-third. Philippaerts then gunned the YZ450F to an admirable twelfth spot. In the second moto he squeezed into the top ten – with tenth place – to post the same ranking in the overall Grand Prix classification.
After two rounds the early points table of the premier MXGP class shows Clement Desalle leading with 88 and Febvre is fifth with 67. Van Horebeek is twelfth and one position in front of Philippaerts. The Grand Prix of Argentina – the first visit to the country this century – will represent round three of the 2015 FIM Motocross World Championship and will take place in three weeks time at the new facility of Neuquen.  | "Yesterday I struggled with my starts so we improved the bike for today and I just had to focus. If you don't get that part of the race right then its possible to lose fifteen seconds on the front guys. I was up there in the first heat, passed a few and was third for most of the moto. I was a bit stressed. I had a big gap over Nagl but it was the first time on the 450 being there with the 'big guys' and I put too much pressure on myself. I lost a lot of energy because of that. The team worked so hard to put the bike on the podium and I tried my best also – like every time – and it felt great to get into the top three. At the start of the second moto I was looking for the GP overall podium but I did not get away so well. I made some good moves but I was stuck behind Butron. I lost a lot of seconds to the leaders. I caught Jeremy, who was struggling, but then that was it. I almost had the same points as Cairoli and nearly made it. I'm happy though. It has been a really tough GP, the hardest. We came from minus temperatures to more than thirty degrees!" | "It was a bad weekend. I hit my head in the first moto and could not see clearly. I had to retire twice. The heat also affected me. We have some work to do with the team because we are not where we have to be. We will see. I don't have anything more to say about the weekend." | "Not a 100% day. In the first moto I was on the brakes too much in a corner because I did not want to touch the guy in front of me and stopped the bike. I started in twenty-fourth and finished twelfth and this was good because of the fast lap-times. It was also important to pass many riders. In the second one I started in the top five but made a lot of mistakes and at least ten riders passed me in the first three laps. In the last ten minutes I was stronger and made four positions; it was a decent end and if the race had been full length then I might have got Ferris also. Tenth was OK and continues our good way. The track was hard here. I'm happy and we will focus for the next race. Last year in Thailand we had a 0-0, so this was better." |
| race I | | 1 | Ryan Villopoto | Kawasaki | USA | 34'09.149 | | 2 | Clement Desalle | Suzuki | BEL | 0'10.536 | | 3 | Romain Febvre | Yamaha | FRA | 0'23.931 | | 4 | Maximilian Nagl | Husqvarna | GER | 0'28.213 | | 5 | Antonio Cairoli | KTM | ITA | 0'34.893 | | 6 | Kevin Strijbos | Suzuki | BEL | 0'40.874 | | 7 | Gautier Paulin | Honda | FRA | 0'49.471 | | 8 | Tyla Rattray | Kawasaki | RSA | 1'08.958 | | 9 | Todd Waters | Husqvarna | AUS | 1'20.819 | | 10 | Evgeny Bobryshev | Honda | RUS | 1'40.905 | | 11 | Shaun Simpson | KTM | GBR | 1'47.533 | | 12 | David Philippaerts | Yamaha | ITA | -1Laps | | 13 | Jose Antonio Butron | KTM | ESP | -1Laps | | 14 | Rui Gonçalves | Husqvarna | POR | -1Laps | | 15 | Davide Guarneri | TM | ITA | -1Laps | | 17 | Paul Coates | Yamaha | GBR | -1Laps | | 24 | Jeremy Van Horebeek | Yamaha | BEL | -7Laps | | race II | | 1 | Antonio Cairoli | KTM | ITA | 29'10.216 | | 2 | Clement Desalle | Suzuki | BEL | 0'09.756 | | 3 | Ryan Villopoto | Kawasaki | USA | 0'22.788 | | 4 | Romain Febvre | Yamaha | FRA | 0'51.327 | | 5 | Kevin Strijbos | Suzuki | BEL | 0'59.278 | | 6 | Gautier Paulin | Honda | FRA | 1'03.006 | | 7 | Todd Waters | Husqvarna | AUS | 1'05.485 | | 8 | Tyla Rattray | Kawasaki | RSA | 1'16.036 | | 9 | Dean Ferris | Husqvarna | AUS | 1'18.208 | | 10 | David Philippaerts | Yamaha | ITA | 1'19.321 | | 11 | Maximilian Nagl | Husqvarna | GER | 1'22.915 | | 12 | Evgeny Bobryshev | Honda | RUS | 1'28.771 | | 13 | Glenn Coldenhoff | Suzuki | NED | 1'44.164 | | 14 | Shaun Simpson | KTM | GBR | -1Laps | | 15 | Steven Frossard | KTM | FRA | -1Laps | | 18 | Paul Coates | Yamaha | GBR | -1Laps | | 24 | Jeremy Van Horebeek | Yamaha | BEL | -5Laps |
| | | | Rider Standings | After Race 2 of 19 | | | 1. | Clement Desalle | Suzuki | BEL | 88 | | 2. | Antonio Cairoli | KTM | ITA | 79 | | 3. | Maximilian Nagl | Husqvarna | GER | 78 | | 4. | Ryan Villopoto | Kawasaki | USA | 70 | | 5. | Gautier Paulin | Honda | FRA | 67 | | 6. | Romain Febvre | Yamaha | FRA | 67 | | 7. | Kevin Strijbos | Suzuki | BEL | 55 | | 8. | Evgeny Bobryshev | Honda | RUS | 45 | | 9. | Todd Waters | Husqvarna | AUS | 40 | | 10. | Shaun Simpson | KTM | GBR | 38 | | 11. | Tyla Rattray | Kawasaki | RSA | 35 | | 12. | Jeremy Van Horebeek | Yamaha | BEL | 32 | | 13. | David Philippaerts | Yamaha | ITA | 31 | | 14. | Davide Guarneri | TM | ITA | 28 | | 15. | Glenn Coldenhoff | Suzuki | NED | 27 | | 16. | Jose Antonio Butron | KTM | ESP | 25 | | 21. | Paul Coates | Yamaha | GBR | 7 |
| |  | | | Circuit Length:
1700 Weather:
Very Hot | | 1 | Suzuki | 88 | | 2 | Husqvarna | 82 | | 3 | KTM | 79 | | 4 | Yamaha | 70 | | 5 | Kawasaki | 70 | | 6 | Honda | 67 | | 7 | TM | 28 | | |  | | | Lieber recovers to enter MX2 top three once more as Fontanesi wins WMX | The 2015 Grand Prix of Thailand was the third visit in a row by the FIM Motocross World Championship to the bike-mad country and even if the GP paddock found a tricky, flat and jumpy new track at Thailand Circuit the same hot and demanding conditions as experienced in previous years remained in place. Round two of eighteen in the MX2 class saw Jeffrey Herlings run out victorious and from Yamaha's exciting young wing of YZ250F riders Julien Lieber recovered from a massive first moto crash to capture third place in the second (ranking ninth overall). In the second outing of six for the FIM Women's World Championship Kiara Fontanesi was an undisputed winner, owning both motos with superior speed and lap-times. It was the reigning number one's first 'double' of the campaign.
Temperatures hovered in the high thirties for a draining and humid weekend at Nakhonchaisri. After the night race at Losail, Qatar the previous week Thailand was a different prospect altogether and the Thailand Circuit course offered inconsistent grip and various options for lines and approaches to the numerous jumps. The second race was actually reduced in duration (five minutes) by officials after many riders were hit by heat exhaustion.
Julien Lieber was again the standout Yamaha rider for desirable and undesirable reasons. The twenty year old Belgian's 'get-off' while running fourth in the first moto was spectacular and shocking. He was lucky not to suffer more than just compressed vertebrae. While some of his peers could not deal with the heat and at least five riders could not take to the line for the second moto, Lieber put aside some aches and pains to ride comfortably in the top three once he had passed Thomas Covington. Lieber was disappointed not to be in a position to aim for a second trophy in a row but his recovery and twenty points was at least some consolation.
Team-mate Valentin Guillod has been sick during the week and was therefore not in the best state to be able to handle the demands of Thailand Circuit this weekend. He got a little too close to the dirt on Saturday but pushed through for two decent sixth positions for fifth place overall.
Also going for an encouraging top seven was Kemea Yamaha Racing's Benoit Paturel. The French rookie was seventh in the first moto and optimistic of a similar result in the second. An early race 'moment' with Covington led to a damaged front brake and the youngster had to retire as the front wheel kept 'grabbing' over the jumps. Team-mate Damon Graulus was still feeling the effects of his crash in Qatar last week where he hurt his head and neck and he pulled out of the first moto before the mid-race stage. He also tweaked his sore left ankle and the combination of factors led to a team decision that the Belgian would sit out the second sprint.
Kiara Fontanesi seized control of the FIM Women's World Championship with a dominant double victory at Nakhonchaisri. The Italian bounced back from second position at Losail to grab two chequered flags in Thailand. She caught and passed main championship rivals Meghan Rutledge and Livia Lancelot in the first race on Saturday and then led fellow Yamaha rider Nancy Van De Ven in the second one on Sunday. The Dutch woman would cross the line in fourth but Fontanesi was adrift and almost effortless to make a convincing statement regarding her intentions for a fourth consecutive world title. Round three of six takes place at the British Grand Prix in May.
In the MX2 standings Lieber is the highest placed rider in fourth position with Guillod right behind in fifth. Just four points separate the team-mates.
Standing Construct Yamaha and Kemea Yamaha can now return back to Europe and replenish resources with round three of the FIM series not set to take place until March 29th. The paddock will this time jet west instead of east and will find another new circuit with the location of Neuquen to entertain the Grand Prix of Argentina. |
| | | "I was riding really good in the first moto and came from mid-pack until third when I then crashed on the triple. I never thought I would be able to ride the second moto but we got my back checked and did some stretching. I had a go at the second moto and started in fifth. I passed a few people and finished third. It was really good. I'm tired but know I will be in shape for the next GP. I'm fourth in the championship, which is good but I also know that I lost a lot of points in that first moto. Anyway I would like to thank the mechanics for their help. The bike was pretty bent and damaged after the first race and the guys did such a good job getting it ready for me to go again." | |  | | "Considering I was sick all week with a cold I'm happy with the weekend. To finish sixth twice, fifth overall and get into the top five in the championship is positive. The raced were really difficult with the weather and luckily the second moto was cut short. Overall I still want to find the feeling with the bike that I had in training this winter and I know it will come." "I felt a lot better this weekend than in Qatar. There I was riding tight but I felt comfortable all weekend long here in Thailand. My starts were good and I'm happy I was able to follow the pace of the top five riders. I think I could have battled for a top five overall without the problems in the second race. I don't know what happened there. Maybe a stone hit the brake or I hit Covington, but my front wheel locked up and it was impossible to ride. That's racing I guess… I want to thank the team and everyone around though for supporting and believing in me. I'm looking forward to the next GP!" "Hot work out there today and I tried to ride but it was still too much for me after the crash in Qatar. I wanted to see if I could make some results or points but just didn't get the feeling. I hope to be better for Argentina." |
| race I | | 1 | Jeffrey Herlings | KTM | NED | 34'58.798 | | 2 | Dylan Ferrandis | Kawasaki | FRA | 0'07.602 | | 3 | Tim Gajser | Honda | SVN | 0'20.513 | | 4 | Pauls Jonass | KTM | LVA | 0'26.923 | | 5 | Thomas Covington | Kawasaki | USA | 0'30.333 | | 6 | Valentin Guillod | Yamaha | CHE | 0'46.653 | | 7 | Benoit Paturel | Yamaha | FRA | 0'52.247 | | 8 | Mel Pocock | Kawasaki | GBR | 1'06.255 | | 9 | Aleksandr Tonkov | Husqvarna | RUS | 1'22.264 | | 10 | Petar Petrov | KTM | BGR | 1'31.510 | | 11 | Brian Bogers | KTM | NED | 1'40.991 | | 12 | Jeremy Seewer | Suzuki | CHE | -1Laps | | 13 | Jordi Tixier | Kawasaki | FRA | -1Laps | | 14 | Roberts Justs | KTM | LVA | -1Laps | | 15 | Ivo Monticelli | KTM | ITA | -1Laps | | race II | | 1 | Jeffrey Herlings | KTM | NED | 30'06.023 | | 2 | Pauls Jonass | KTM | LVA | 0'10.312 | | 3 | Julien Lieber | Yamaha | BEL | 0'16.508 | | 4 | Dylan Ferrandis | Kawasaki | FRA | 0'37.006 | | 5 | Thomas Covington | Kawasaki | USA | 0'40.267 | | 6 | Valentin Guillod | Yamaha | CHE | 0'49.406 | | 7 | Mel Pocock | Kawasaki | GBR | 0'51.874 | | 8 | Aleksandr Tonkov | Husqvarna | RUS | 1'00.529 | | 9 | Petar Petrov | KTM | BGR | 1'07.961 | | 10 | Roberts Justs | KTM | LVA | 1'17.173 | | 11 | Brian Bogers | KTM | NED | -1Laps | | 12 | Jens Getteman | Honda | BEL | -1Laps | | 13 | Anton Lundgren | Husqvarna | SWE | -1Laps | | 14 | Viacheslav Golovkin | KTM | RUS | -1Laps | | 15 | Vsevolod Brylyakov | Honda | RUS | -1Laps |
| | | | Rider Standings | After Race 2 of 19 | | | 1. | Jeffrey Herlings | KTM | NED | 100 | | 2. | Dylan Ferrandis | Kawasaki | FRA | 78 | | 3. | Pauls Jonass | KTM | LVA | 70 | | 4. | Julien Lieber | Yamaha | BEL | 62 | | 5. | Valentin Guillod | Yamaha | CHE | 58 | | 6. | Aleksandr Tonkov | Husqvarna | RUS | 56 | | 7. | Thomas Covington | Kawasaki | USA | 53 | | 8. | Tim Gajser | Honda | SVN | 52 | | 9. | Petar Petrov | KTM | BGR | 41 | | 10. | Jeremy Seewer | Suzuki | CHE | 38 | | 11. | Mel Pocock | Kawasaki | GBR | 36 | | 12. | Jordi Tixier | Kawasaki | FRA | 35 | | 13. | Roberts Justs | KTM | LVA | 25 | | 14. | Jens Getteman | Honda | BEL | 25 | | 15. | Brian Bogers | KTM | NED | 23 | | 16. | Ivo Monticelli | KTM | ITA | 20 | | 18. | Benoit Paturel | Yamaha | FRA | 19 | | 27. | Damon Graulus | Yamaha | BEL | 2 |
| | | | | Circuit Length:
1700 Weather:
Very Hot | | 1 | KTM | 100 | | 2 | Kawasaki | 78 | | 3 | Yamaha | 77 | | 4 | Honda | 61 | | 5 | Husqvarna | 56 | | 6 | Suzuki | 38 | | | | | | 
