BRIAN BOGERS GETS ON THE GAS AT MXGP OF LATVIA

Diggin’ deep ahead of the MXGP summer break, GASGAS Factory Racing’s Brian Bogers has claimed a highly impressive sixth place overall result at the MXGP of Latvia, securing a stand-out fifth place finish in moto two. Unfortunately, for the rest of our MX2 and MXGP class racers, round seven of the 2021 MXGP series proved to be a tough one, forcing Pauls Jonass, Simon Langenfelder and Isak Gifting to all dig deep and battle hard for valuable championship points. Pauls Jonass’ home GP didn’t quite go to plan with the Latvian placing ninth overall while in MX2, Langenfelder and Gifting respectively placed 10th and 12th overall.

• Brian Bogers in fine form in Latvia with sixth overall in MXGP
• Crashes hinder Pauls Jonass, Simon Langenfelder, and Isak Gifting
• MXGP racing set to resume in September at MXP of Turkey

Brian Bogers: ’'It's been a really positive day for me in Latvia. I didn’t get a great start in the first race, but I was able to work my way up from 20th to 10th and I felt great out there on my bike. I could ride my own lines and really enjoyed myself as I battled my way forwards. In the second race I had a much better start in eighth and finished fifth for sixth overall, which is a great result for me. With the break that we have now, I have some time to improve my starts so that I can be up front consistently in every race. I know that will make my job a lot easier, and allow me to get the results I know I can!”

Round seven of the FIM Motocross World Championship took GASGAS Factory Racing to Kegums in Latvia and a sandy circuit well-suited all our riders. With Pauls Jonass set on putting on a show for his home crowd, the former MX2 World Champion arrived confident of securing another MXGP podium result. Unfortunately for Pauls, it just wasn’t meant to be.

One rider that did enjoy a successful day of racing in Latvia was Pauls’ Standing Construct teammate Brian Bogers. No stranger to getting on the gas around sandy tracks, the Dutchman demonstrated just what he could do on his MC 450F with an impressive ride from outside the top-20 to secure an eventual 10th in moto one.

Undeterred by the rain that started to fall as the gate dropped for race two, Brian emerged from the first turn well placed inside the top-10. The 24-year-old then began working his way forwards, moving into fifth on lap 11 after getting ahead of nine-time world champion Antonio Cairoli. With the leaders out of reach, Bogers claimed a solid fifth-place finish, earning a well-deserved sixth overall.

After landing on the podium last weekend in Belgium, Pauls Jonass lined up for his home GP with the aim of collecting more silverware. A strong ride to place sixth in race one set him up for a positive day but frustratingly the Latvian crashed in turn one of moto two. Despite his best efforts he could only recover to a 15th-place finish. Certainly a challenging day for Pauls, the points he collected nevertheless lift him to seventh in the series standings.

For our MX2 class racers, it was Simon Langenfelder who fared best, despite getting caught up in the start gate in race one. The young German then put together an awesome charge to battle his way through the pack, eventually claiming a solid 10th-place finish. Going on to back it up with an 11th-place result in the second moto, Langenfelder’s consistent results placed him 10th overall and he now lies 10th in the MX2 World Championship.

Isak Gifting’s day in Latvia didn’t quite go to plan. Another victim of the start gate not falling properly in race one, the Swede was forced to charge his way from the back of the pack to an eventual 14th-place finish. In the second moto he improved to claim 10th following a crash on the opening lap.

Pauls Jonass: “After last weekend, I was expecting more of the same at my home GP but it just wasn’t to be. It’s unfortunate but this is how racing goes sometimes. My speed was good all day so that’s positive and I think race one could have been better, but it just took a little too long to find my flow. Then three crashes in race two isn’t really going to get the job done. We have a lot of racing to go so despite today being difficult, I think after the break we can come out swinging and be back on the box in Turkey.”

Simon Langenfelder: “It was ok today, but my results should have been better. If it wasn’t for a start gate issue in race one and then getting caught up behind a fallen rider in race two then I’m sure that I would have been closer to the front. A 10th and an 11th are not too bad considering what happened, but I know my speed is good, I felt great on the bike, and if I can start up front and avoid the mid-pack chaos then I should be closer to the front guys again.”

Isak Gifting: “Today was another good step in the right direction despite the results not really showing it. My speed is really good, so it was really frustrating to be taken out in both races as well as the issue I had with the gate in moto one. I had to fight for every position in each moto and I moved up really well. But overall, it should have been better. Onto the next one in Turkey.”

Standing Construct GASGAS Factory Racing and DIGA Procross GASGAS Factory Racing return to FIM Motocross World Championship action in early September for back-to-back rounds at the Afyonkarahisar circuit in Turkey, rounds eight and nine of the series.

Results – 2021 FIM Motocross World Championship, Round 7

MXGP – Overall
1. Tim Gajser (Honda) 44pts
2. Jorge Prado (KTM) 43
3. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 43
6. Brian Bogers (GASGAS) 27
9. Pauls Jonass (GASGAS) 21

MXGP - Race 1
1. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM)
2. Tim Gajser (Honda)
3. Antonio Cairoli (KTM)
6. Pauls Jonass (GASGAS)
10. Brian Bogers (GASGAS)

MXGP - Race 2
1. Jorge Prado (KTM)
2. Tim Gajser (Honda)
3. Romain Febvre (Kawasaki)
5. Brian Bogers (GASGAS)
15. Pauls Jonass (GASGAS)

MX2 - Overall
1. Maxime Renaux (Yamaha) 50pts
2. Jago Geerts (Yamaha) 42
3. Mattia Guadagnini (KTM) 42
10. Simon Langenfelder (GASGAS) 21
12. Isak Gifting (GASGAS) 18

MX2 - Race 1
1. Maxime Renaux (Yamaha)
2. Mattia Guadagnini (KTM)
3. Jago Geerts (Yamaha)
10. Simon Langenfelder (GASGAS)
14. Isak Gifting (GASGAS)

MX2 - Race 2
1. Maxime Renaux (Yamaha)
2. Jago Geerts (Yamaha)
3. Mattia Guadagnini (KTM)
10. Isak Gifting (GASGAS)
11. Simon Langenfelder (GASGAS)

Championship Standings – After Round 7

MXGP
1. Tim Gajser (Honda) 270pts
2. Romain Febvre (Kawasaki) 257
3. Jorge Prado (KTM) 255
7. Pauls Jonass (GASGAS) 180
14. Brian Bogers (GASGAS) 90

MX2
1. Maxime Renaux (Yamaha) 271pts
2. Mattia Guadagnini (KTM) 237
3. Jago Geerts (Yamaha) 235
10. Simon Langenfelder (GASGAS) 137
16. Isak Gifting (GASGAS) 82