Located in the Lombardy region, the loose and technical Mantova circuit produced a difficult and unpredictable surface throughout the day. This, combined with the low winter sun, proved to be a tough test for all riders.
The MXGP class saw Team HRC’s Tim Gajser battle hard throughout race one – briefly leading the race at turn two, but a close call on the next jump put the Slovenian in second place where he is. remained for the rest of the race.
Rubén Fernández (Team Honda 114 Motorsport) fought hard on the first moto, securing seventh and moving up to fifth on lap five where he finally finished the race. An excellent result for the Spaniard who is still a relative rookie in the MXGP category.
In race two, it was JM Honda Racing’s Henry Jacobi who took the holeshot on his CRF450R, closely followed by Team HRC’s Tim Gajser, eager to break away to secure the overall win.
Gajser quickly took the lead and eventually settled into a fast pace that no one could match, taking the moto victory and overall Grand Prix victory. The new 25-year-old leads the MXGP World Championship by 12 points and the leader’s red plate still adorns his CRF450R after two rounds of the championship.
Henry Jacobi finished the race in 12th position, still recovering from a painful scaphoid injury. Meanwhile, Rubén Fernández (Team Honda 114 Motorsport) fought hard for sixth place, giving the talented rider seventh place overall, just three points from fourth.
Fernández’s teammate, MX2 rider Hakon Fredriksen had a promising start to the day with a ninth-place finish in race one after a moto roller coaster, but a top ten is a good result for the young Norwegian, who is entering his first year in the MX2 class.
At the first corner, bad luck struck Stephen Rubini of the Ship To Cycle Honda SR Motoblouz team. He moved up to last, but bravely fought his way back to 16th at the flag, one place behind JM Honda Racing’s Petr Polak, also driving the CRF250R.
The second MX2 race of the day and Fredriksen had another average start, but again fought hard in the race to eventually finish sixth. A big improvement from the first race as the CRF250R rider begins to make his mark in the MX2 class at the start of the season.
Frenchman Stephen Rubini had a better outing in race two, starting from 10th and moving up to eighth at the halfway mark. Mistakes in the final stages of the bike dropped Rubini down to 10th where he finished the race. 13th overall and 16 points was an average day for Rubini as the first race crash cost him a better overall position.
In the Women’s WMX class, congratulations also to Martine Hughes of the Honda 114 Motorsport team who finished the weekend with a fantastic podium finish in third place overall, also riding the versatile and competitive CRF250R.
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