Honda HRC PETRONAS’ Jeffrey Herlings went one-one at the MXGP of Great Britain, to close up to within 11 points of the championship lead, in what was an impressive display of riding from the #84. Two holeshots made his life easier, but he still had to hold off a charging field to win his sixth GP of the year, and with seven more rounds to go, the momentum is firmly with the Dutchman.

After yesterday’s come-from-behind performance to finish fourth in qualification, two rocket starts on his Honda CRF450RW meant he led every lap of the day, enabling him to control the races and pick the fast lines around this historic Foxhills circuit, which provided an excellent racetrack for the riders and fans alike. Despite pressure from behind, the #84 kept his cool and took the maximum 50 points on offer, and while Loket isn’t necessarily his favourite venue, he’ll be heading to the Czech Republic next weekend with even more determination to battle for the championship-leading red-plate.

While he was unlucky to finish fourth overall, Ruben Fernandez had his best weekend of the year, scoring 46 points and winning the qualifying race yesterday. His four-four results showed that he was easily the next best guy on the track, but his starts didn’t allow him to battle for the podium spots. Still, it was great to see the #70 up there and he has had a big boost of confidence as we head into these last seven rounds.

Tom Vialle also can also consider his British GP a success, although his finishing positions don’t tell the whole story. The Frenchman was looking at a podium spot in race one, racing in third place until four laps from the end, when a mistake cost him that opportunity. He rebounded with a sixth in race two, showing good resilience, but he now knows he can run with the leaders and with his starting prowess also on display, Loket could see him return to the podium.

It was another tough weekend for Valerio Lata as his seven-nine results saw him finish ninth overall. He never really got to grips with the steep hills and hard-pack terrain, but will hope that Loket goes better despite their similarities.

Rubén Fernández 70

Honda HRC PETRONAS

Overall, I am happy with the weekend because won the qualification race and that is always a massive boost. Then in the two motos, I wasn’t able to stick with the top three, but I was comfortably the next best, so I have to be happy with that, even if I would have liked to have stood on the podium. It was actually my best weekend points tally of the year, which is very encouraging and I’m healthy and motivated to keep this going in Loket next weekend.

Tom Vialle 16

Honda HRC PETRONAS

Good and bad day today, with a lot that I can be happy with, but also one moment that I’d like to have back. My starts were really good all weekend, so that gave me a great platform to attack what was a difficult track. My speed was also good because I was matching the leaders and sticking with them for the majority of the race, but just that mistake at the end of race one meant I dropped down the field, and made race two harder. Still, I think I can head into Loket knowing that I’m getting closer and closer to where I need to be.

Jeffrey Herlings 84

Honda HRC PETRONAS

It was a perfect day, winning both races and leading both races from the start. Getting the holeshots in both races made my life a lot easier, because even though I was able to pass a lot of guys in the qualification race, I think today it was harder, so I was able to choose the right lines and control the race. The championship is now a lot closer, but obviously I hope that Lucas recovers from his injury, because I know what it feels like to be leading a series and suffer an injury. I hope he can get better and we can battle like we have at some of the previous rounds and provide some good racing for the fans.

Valerio Lata 18

Honda HRC PETRONAS

Pretty similar story to the rest of the recent rounds. I haven’t been with the front guys from the start and it’s been difficult to make the passes I need to make in order to reach them. Loket is up next so I feel that can be a good track for me, and I’ll try my best to challenge those top five spots.

Marcus Pereira de Freitas –

Honda HRC PETRONAS

Jeffrey just keeps proving what an incredible rider he is, and I believe he said it was the first time he’d ever got two holeshots in a day, so he’s still getting better! He’s just so motivated to perform every time he goes out on track and now with the championship back in sight, he will be even more determined.

Ruben actually had his best weekend of the year, with 46pts from the three races and a qualification victory included. He always gives his best and now he is getting over some small niggles, he will be looking to keep the ball rolling. Tom is also showing really good signs, and if it wasn’t for the one mistake in race one, he could easily be near the podium along with Ruben.  For Valerio, his riding seems to be good for the majority of the race, but he doesn’t put himself in a good position after the start, so that’s what we’ll be working with him on for these next rounds.

Photocredits –  Juan Pablo Acevedo