Kemea Yamaha Official MX Team rider Benoit Paturel rode to his first MX2 podium of the 2016 season on Sunday, punching up the Cerro Negro race track in Talavera de la Reina on a bright and sunny day at the MXGP of Spain.

Wilvo Standing Construct Yamaha Official MX Team rider Aleksandr Tonkov held a fast pace in both motos in perfect motocross conditions to finish top five overall, while teammate Alvin Östlund showed renewed physical strength to endure the old-school course of tabletop jumps, squarish bumps and changable lines.

Paturel’s teammate Brent Van doninck withdrew from competition on Sunday, and the Belgian rider will turn to specialists at home this week to find solutions for a complicated thumb injury that has remained with him since winter.

Paturel lined up on Sunday to face a dry and hardpack track with excellent grooming and narrow lanes. On Saturday the MX2 pack qualified during a flash summer thunderstorm that quickly turned the dirt to slick and grippy mud, but changed the rideable lines from lap to lap.

In the space of just a few laps on Sunday, Paturel found himself in head-to-head duels first with Tonkov and later Pauls Jonass of Latvia, trading places on the turns to pass the Russian but settling behind to chase the Latvian down and finish fourth in race one. In race two Paturel was not first to the holeshot, but nevertheless first around the sharp corner just past the holeshot, and then held on to his second position after a 15-minute challenge to Dutch rider Jeffrey Herlings.

Tonkov also started well, but unlike weeks past where the Russian found himself faded and fatigued by race end, in Spain he conserved energy and even began to race protectively in the final minutes. For this change of tactics Tonkov crossed the line sixth in both motos and finished fifth overall at MXGP Spain. His teammate Östlund made good starts both races on Sunday, but suffered near the end of the second moto when a mistake pushed him from 12th to 19th in the final two laps.

Van doninck’s left thumb is inflamed after a training injury from December, but until now was manageable and showed little sign of disturbing his position on the YZ250F. But complications began earlier in the week during preparations for MXGP Spain, and now the Belgian rider will turn to doctors for medical attention before his next race.

In the 2016 FIM Motocross World Championship rankings, Paturel remains fourth overall, but gains points on Jonass and begins to edge away from Tonkov. Meanwhile the Russian holds on to fifth ahead of Petar Petrov of Bulgaria, while Van doninck remains 11th, just one point ahead of Östlund in 12th.

资料提供 [ Yamaha Racing ]