It was a day in Agueda when the contenders fought back with GP wins but the championship leaders still showed they are the guys to beat in 2022.
Ruben Fernandez and Tim Gajser’s crash in the qualifier opened the door for Jorge Prado to win race one with a holeshot as Gajser started just inside the top ten but Tim still nearly got back into the battle for the win!
He limited the damage by passing Prado to win race two but for Prado this was still a big win with the Spaniard closing the gap by two points but more crucially taking his first GP win of the year year and somewhat surprisingly, admitting he ahs felt the pressure this year as he leads the De Carli team in the absence of Cairoli. Prado also admitted he hasn’t been at his best and still wasn’t totally happy in Portugal but this win looks like a weight off his shoulders – will we see Prado at 100% level from now on? He knows Tim still has the speed advantage but this win might just release the pressure on Jorge and boost his confidence to go with Gajser on raw speed.
It was a similar story in MX2. After a terrible qualifying race it was Tom Vialle who produced a strong win with a strong pass on Jago Geerts in race one before Geerts washed out the front wheel with a spectacular fall costing him valuable points despite a strong ride through the field for ninth.
But in race two, just like Gajser, Geerts showed who the fastest rider in MX2 was as he caught and passed Vialle for the win. Geerts ability to overcome problems this year and not let one issue spiral into more mistakes is impressive and a big change from previous seasons. Right now he is the fastest 250 rider in the world but Vialle as we saw in moto one is ruthless and desperate to win. He won’t be going away without a fight.
The stars of Agueda however for me were Brian Bogers, Mikkel Haarup and Kevin Horgmo.
Let’s start with Bogers who just two weeks after a dislocated shoulder had the best MXGP ride of his career. he almost won race one running down Prado but not quite making the pass before a strong ride in race two for fourth. His form this season has been fantastic and he went to the next level in Portugal – it’s such a shame the no points score has thwarted his championship position, but after all the injuries and disappointment, it’s great to see Bogers at the sharp end and show what he can really do. Standing Construct boss, Tim Mathys, has done it again in getting rider to their potential.
Kawasaki duo Mikkel Haarup and Kevin Horgmo are also making good on their potential. Haarup took his second podium in a row, led laps and almost won race one after cathcing back up to Tom Vialle. He’s third in points and really harnessing that raw speed with consistency. What a season so far for Haarup and what a signing for Steve Dixon.
Kevin Horgmo has also went to the next level. Fastest in most timed sessions the old, losing the front wheel in a corner like James Stewart came out twice in race on but he make amends in trace tow take the holeshot led laps and stay calm to take a brilliant third and make good on the speed he has shown all year long. This was a huge step for Horgmo and the Scandinavian’s are coming out to play in 2022 at the sharp end of MX2.
Conrad Mewse’ GP career was encapsulated in one day in Portugal. A good start and the Brit showed his speed to take fourth but a bad start in race two meant 14th.
Maxime Renaux had a frustrating day, never looking comfortable on the track similar to Prado in Argentina but unlike Prado who still got a podium, Renaux ended the weekend with two 11th place results after a crash in each moto. Next weekend is big for the Frenchman if he wants to stay in title contention – and you can’t afford bad starts at Arco. Glenn Coldenhoff had his best GP of the year and finally looked devoid of arm pump. A qualifying race win and fourth overall is a big step in the right direction for Glenn.
Finally, a big round of applause is deserved for Isak Gifting who rode just ten days after surgery on his broken collarbone and ran the speed of the top five until a crash ended his hopes in race two – but the Swede is tough!
Article: Jonathan McCready
Image: InFront Moto Racing
