Loop-outs
The role of electronics with factory MXGP 450cc machinery cannot be understated in the current day and age but there is little in the way of traction control that could have prevented the bizarre crashes by Ryan Villopoto (Grand Prix of Trentino, Italy, round four) and Gautier Paulin (Grand Prix of Mexico, round seventeen). The American cited mechanical gremlins for his underwhelming start to life as a Grand Prix rider with a stall out of the gate at Qatar and the launch of the first moto of a season that so many thousands of fans and followers had been waiting for. Villopoto performed better on the jumpy hard-pack and sweltering heat of Thailand (1-3) and was still a protagonist and main star in Argentina. Tackling European soil for the first time and the rippled Arco di Trento was the last that MXGP – and the sport – would see of the multi-champion. Villopoto later described the incident while fighting Clement Desalle for third position in the second moto as a “rookie mistake” and the bump led to a multiple fracture of the coccyx. What followed was a strange period of silence while the American convalesced in the States but also kept firmly under the radar; so much so that even his own team were unsure of his status and possibilities to race. Villopoto crashed on April 19th. On the 24th he was sitting in the Monster Energy Kawasaki race team HQ dealing with questions about a possible u-turn to the AMA Nationals, 2016 and his expected return to action (mooted for the following event in Spain, and then Great Britain and then finally not at all). He announced his retirement on July 9th. As a side note the drama between Villopoto and Desalle in Trentino allowed a certain Romain Febvre to push through and claim just his second top three moto finish on the factory Yamaha…
Honda’ Paulin escaped without injury in his dice with team-mate Evgeny Bobryshev for a podium spot across the varying grip of rain-hit Leon. The Frenchman had been struggling with a knee injury since a tumble at the Grand Prix of Czech Republic three rounds previously. ‘21’ poked fun at himself by claiming on his social media channels that he was providing an example of his admiration to RV through the ‘off’.
Gajser opens the scoring
At Alpinestars’ 2016 off-road collection presentation some bench racing took place on the potential winners for the Grand Prix of Trentino – only an hour up the road from the prolific motorcycle safety and fashion brand in Asolo. Around a table of eight people predictions were made for the MX2 class and by the end of the judging Tim Gajser’s name had not been mentioned. Perhaps the eighteen year old Slovenian’s – boisterously cheered by a section of his fan club camped into one section of the Arco di Trento circuit all weekend – ears burned with the lack of a rating. The fourth round of 2015 was eye-catching not only for the HRC Gariboldi rider’s excellent speed to defeat Jeffrey Herlings in the second moto (the riders splitting 1-2 scores each) but for the show of solidarity and camaraderie across the finish line. Both Herlings and reigning world champion Jordi Tixier dropped their bikes to help raise the arms of the first-time winner. With hindsight it was like the passing of a mantle. Herlings and Tixier had played their own thrilling game in 2014 but Gajser was now of the speed and maturity to join the party. It was the first of eight podiums including five victories for ‘243’ who would go on to take the title and make history for his country. First however he’d have to go through a few more bumps…
To see and read about six more episodes check out the full story in the latest OTOR HERE
