Clement Desalle won MXGP of Russia, sixth of the 20 rounds of 2018 MXGP World Championship. The Kawasaki rider became the third GP winner of the season after that Jeffrey Herlings and Antonio Cairoli got respectively 7 and 3 victories in the first ten races. This time it’s Desalle who was the best: after winning Race 1, he finished Race 2 in second place just behind Jeffrey Herlings (who had ranked 3rd in Race 1) and this made him win the GP with 47 points, two more than the 45 scored by Herlings. The MXGP of Russia podium was completed by Antonio Cairoli, who scored 38 points thanks to a second and a fifth place.
CAIROLI IN TROUBLE – Herlings won Race 2 and this represents his 8th win in 12 races. In the meantime, his rival Antonio Cairoli had a bad start and then he had a small crash while he was trying to join Tim Gajser and stay in front of Romain Febvre (Yamaha). This made Cairoli lose nine points and now the gap between him and Herlings amounts to 23. The next 2018 MXGP will take place on 13th May at Kegums (Latvia).
RACE 1 RESULTS: 1. Desalle (Bel-Kawasaki); 2. Cairoli (Ita-KTM); 3. Herlings (Ola-KTM); 4. Paulin (Fra-Husqvarna); 5. Gajser (Slo-Honda); 6. Van Horeebeek (Bel-Yamaha); 7. Febvre (Fra-Yamaha); 8. Lieber (Bel-Kawasaki); 9. Seewer (Svi-Yamaha); 10. Jasikonis (Lit-Honda) +55″876.
RACE 2 RESULTS: 1. Herlings (Ola-KMT); 2, Desalle (Bel-Kawasaki; 3. Febvre (Fra-Yamaha); 4. Gajser (Slo-Honda); 5. Cairoli (Ita-KTM); 6. Paulin (Fra-Husqvarna); 7. Lieber (Bel-Kawasaki); 8. Seewer (Svi-Yamaha); 9. Coldenhoff (Ola-KTM); 10. Nagl (Ger-TM).
MXGP OF RUSSIA CLASSIFICATION: 1. Desalle 47; 2. Herlings 45; 3. Cairoli 38; 4. Febvre 34; 5. Gajser 34.
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (after 6 out of 20 GPs): 1. Herlings 286 points; 2. Cairoli 263; 3. Desalle 212; 4. Febvre 203; 5. Paulin 180.
MX2 – Pauls Jonass won the sixth 2018 MX2 Round by triumphing in both races. Like in Race 1, also in the afternoon KTM scored a 1-2 finish, as Jorge Prado ranked once again 2nd behind the Latvian. Moreover, in Race 2 the young Italian Michele Cervellin (Honda) scored his first podium finish ever in World Championship and this result led him to 4th place in GP standings behind Jonass, Prado and Ben Watson (Yamaha).