Pauls Jonass gets on the gas at MXGP round eight
It all started so well for GASGAS Factory Racing at MXGP round eight! With Pauls Jonass well and truly on the pace in Turkey, our MXGP star charged to an awesome third-place finish in moto one, chasing home the leading duo and clearly enjoying himself on his MC 450F. Fired up for a repeat result, or better, in moto two, the Latvian was again up front before a wild crash ruled him out of the running. Pauls’ moto one top three result ultimately netted him ninth-overall while his teammate, Brian Bogers, secured 10th after two consistent race results.
Pauls Jonass: “It was a frustrating end to the day after such a good first moto. During the break in the calendar I improved my fitness even more as well as my speed on the bike and I really felt like that showed in race one. Fortunately, I’m ok after my big crash in race two. It was a wild one and I landed on asphalt, which is never good. Luckily, I just have some really bad bruising, so I’ll be back for more on Wednesday. I’ve no doubts about what I can do and I’m excited to be racing again in a few days.”
Looking to bounce back from a frustrating home GP in Latvia a few weeks ago, Pauls arrived in Turkey with a solid game plan. A strong start in moto one led to one of the 24-year-old’s best races of the season. Battling with the best in the business, Jonass was on the gas all moto, moving into third place with a few laps to go and chasing Jorge Prado across the finish line for a well-deserved top-three result.
Eager to back up his moto one finish with another strong performance, Pauls crashed out of fourth place in spectacular style on lap four of race two. After clipping a braking bump awkwardly, the Latvian was sent off track, landing heavily on his ankle and upper leg, fortunate to escape serious injury. Jonass is as tough as they come and will be back to business at round nine in three days’ time.
Smooth and consistent riding from Pauls’ teammate Brian Bogers netted the Dutchman 10th overall at round eight of the MXGP World Championship. Despite the hardpack conditions being quite the opposite of the 24-year-old’s preferred riding surface of sand, Brian rolled his sleeves up and went on to secure a solid 11-12 result and advances up the championship standings to 13th.
Brian Bogers: “I have mixed feelings about today. I felt good on the bike and I had a good start in race one in seventh, but I was riding too stiff and making mistakes, so I dropped back to 11th. I had another good start in the second moto but in the first few corners I lost a lot of positions. After that though, my riding was much better and I moved up from 18th to 12th, so I was happy with that one. I think for Wednesday, if I can put the good starts and smooth riding together then I can be much higher in the results.”
Standing Construct GASGAS Factory Racing will continue his FIM Motocross World Championship campaign in just three days’ time as they return to the Afyonkarahisar circuit on September 8 for round nine of the series.
Results – 2021 FIM Motocross World Championship, Round 8
MXGP – Overall
1. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 47pts
2. Jorge Prado (KTM) 42
3. Tim Gajser (Honda) 40
9. Pauls Jonass (GASGAS) 20
10. Brian Bogers (GASGAS) 19
MXGP – Race 1
1. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM)
2. Jorge Prado (KTM)
3. Pauls Jonass (GASGAS)
11. Brian Bogers (GASGAS)
MXGP – Race 2
1. Tim Gajser (Honda)
2. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM)
3. Jorge Prado (KTM)
12. Brian Bogers (GASGAS)
Championship Standings – After Round 8
MXGP
1. Tim Gajser (Honda) 310pts
2. Jorge Prado (KTM) 297
3. Romain Febvre (Kawasaki) 293
7. Pauls Jonass (GASGAS) 200
13. Brian Bogers (GASGAS) 109
