Jeffrey Herlings ends sensational MXGP season as World Champion

MXGP of Città di Mantova: this Wednesday took the eighteenth and final Grand Prix of the 2021 Motocross World Championship in Mantova.

MXGP

Herlings goes 1-1 for his 9th win (99 of his career) and 14th podium of 2021 and locks the title after the closest campaign in MXGP championship history while Tony Cairoli was enjoying his last Grand Prix of a magnificent full-time racing career with 15th at Mantova and 6th in the championship.

Jeffrey Herlings: “I’m super-happy but at the same time I feel bad for the other two guys. I want to thank both of them for a great championship. My riding was terrible today! In the first moto I was just so scared to crash that I was riding very tight and got arm-pump. It was really bad but I still managed to bring it in. After four-five laps in the second Romain crashed and that gave me some seconds but at the same time I did not want to go full gas and make a mistake. I stayed in my comfort zone and was thinking and thinking. Tim came a bit closer but I just carried on doing my thing and didn’t look back. I went into training mode. I’m very happy to have made it happen and to go 1-1 today – even though my riding sucked – is really good. This wasn’t an easy championship. All three of us kept charging until the last moto.”

Tony Cairoli: “It’s amazing how my career has been. It’s still hard to believe I was nine times world champion. After so many years I still love to ride and I get so disappointed when I cannot make it, like today and the bad luck out there, I couldn’t make the podium today like I wanted but, overall, it’s been a good season. I was in the fight for the title up until halfway through the year and I think it was one of the nicest championships ever. I was sad I could not join the battle. Congratulations to all of them for making an amazing series. Thanks to all the people who have been involved in my ‘trip’ and all the fans.”

Jorge Prado: “I didn’t feel too bad today but still had to deal with my injury: it’s hard when you can start at the front and know you have to push but then deal with a lot of pain, especially through the corner exits. The other guys catch you quick, they pass and it’s tough to follow. I’m happy the season is over and I have some time to heal-up completely before starting to prepare for next year.”

MX2

Vialle, Guadagnini and Hofer ranked 3rd, 4th and 6th for 2021. All three aced Grands Prix (9 in total) and gathered 18 podiums.

Mattia Guadagnini: “I’m happy with the season. The goal was to be in the top five and we made it but I didn’t expect to win GPs and have the red plate! Today was a good way to finish the after a tough couple of rounds. I finally took another holeshot and missed the podium by just one point. I had a good feeling and was happy with my riding. Finishing 4th in the championship was not so bad!”

Rene Hofer: “It’s nice to have made it through the whole season and it’s my first full year in the championship and in the factory team. Now I know what it is like to be a Pro motocross athlete at this level! It’s quite a nice feeling to be together with the team the whole year. We got off to a bit of a slow start and in the middle of the season I was still struggling from the lack of racing in 2020. The last few GPs were great. I had a few Pole Positions, a few podiums and a GP win. For sure it brought me a bit closer to the goal and was a confidence booster for the winter preparation. I think a lot is possible next year. I have shown what I can do and if I can be there consistently then I can fight for moto wins again. It’s been a long season! We’ll take a bit of time off and focus on 2022 in a month or so. I just missed out on P4 in the championship but we know our goals for next time.”

Tom Vialle: “It has been a season of injury and comeback. After Russia, and then my broken hand, I returned very strong and won a lot of races and took a lot of holeshots. I had good stats, except the one – the points - to take the title! At one moment I thought I could push pressure on Maxime [Renaux] for the championship but that meant winning almost every moto and that’s a different kind of season. In Arco I pushed too much and I hurt my foot. I went all-out and it didn’t work. I came here only 80% and the track is difficult. It wasn’t enough to fight with Jago [Geerts] and in the first moto I had quite a big impact from a jump so I decided to stop. We were quite comfortable in the championship and there is not a big difference between 2nd and 3rd. Overall I think I made another ‘step’ this season. I won a lot and we did well.”

Motocross World Championship 2021, Round 18 – Mantova 2 (ITA)

MXGP
1. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM)

5. Jorge Prado (KTM)

15. Tony Cairoli (KTM)

MX2
4. Mattia Guadagnini (KTM)

8. Rene Hofer (KTM)

10. Simon Längenfelder (GasGas)

15. Isak Gifting (GasGas)

19. Filippo Zonta (Honda)

DNF. Tom Vialle (KTM)

Final World Championship Standings 2021

MXGP

1. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM)

5. Jorge Prado (KTM)

6. Tony Cairoli (KTM)

MX2

3. Tom Vialle (KTM)

4. Mattia Guadagnini (KTM)

6. Rene Hofer (KTM)

10. Simon Längenfelder (GasGas)

13. Isak Gifting (GasGas)

18. Stephen Rubini (Honda)

22. Gianluca Facchetti (KTM)

credits: press.ktm.com and gasgas press center

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