Honda World Motocross racer Max Nagl demonstrated a perfect start-to-finish performance today to take the qualifying race win for round seven of the MX1 World Championship in Beto Carrero, Brazil at his first attempt.
Following a change in his training programme, Nagl has slowly been coming back to form after the injury and sickness that has thwarted the early part of the season for the Honda racer. With this being an important event for Honda with heavy sponsorship from Honda Brazil, Nagl was keen to put on a strong performance for the many cheering fans in the stands, and he did not disappoint.
With a superb start from the gate, where he tussled for the lead into the first turn, Nagl grabbed first position for the opening lap of the 20-minute plus two-lap moto around the slippery Brazilian track. The Honda racer did find it a little uncomfortable in the opening stages, as he got to grips with leading a race again, but once he found a good speed and rhythm, he was able to control his advantage over Clement Desalle to take the race win and pole position for tomorrow’s Grand Prix, which will follow the Super Final format.
The Beto Carrero event welcomes Evgeny Bobryshev back to World Championship racing after missing three races due to a fractured fibula sustained in training just over one month ago. The 25-year-old Russian is still quite tentative and was struggling with arm-pump midway through the qualifying moto, although it was obvious he had begun to relax and found some confidence again aboard his Dunlop-shod factory CRF450R race machine to take 12th position. Bobryshev’s goal is to finish both motos tomorrow without incident and begin to build his speed to be able to fight for the front positions as seen earlier in the season.
The weather has certainly been the main subject on everyone’s minds at this race, but so far only a light shower in the second half of the MX1 qualifying race has materialised, and although the forecast is for heavy rain tomorrow, the locals believe it should stay reasonably dry throughout the day.
Max Nagl #12: 1st position
“It’s the first time here for me, but I really liked the look of it when I came here on Friday, as it’s like a stadium cross with a lot of jumping. It’s a bit tight, but I’ve really enjoyed it. I also feel comfortable here in Brazil; we have good food, I have had no problem with anything, the hotel is comfortable and it’s a really nice place to be. I had a good start in the race, and I could control the race from the front. It was difficult in the beginning, as it is a long time since I led a race and I was feeling quite alone, but I kept focused on the lap time on the pit board from Roger (Shenton), so I didn’t go too slow and I was feeling really good in the race. I’m happy I could win it, as it’s good for the team, myself and Honda after the long time we’ve had since a result. I know it’s just qualifying, but it’s still a win and I have a really good gate pick for tomorrow, where I hope we can do something similar, although a podium would be really nice. If it’s raining it will be tough, as the track is really slippery, because it’s quite hard underneath, but if it rains a lot then maybe it will become a bit softer and there will be more lines or ruts, which wouldn’t be so bad. I had a big mud race last weekend, so I’m also prepared if it’s like that.”
Evgeny Bobryshev #777: 12th position
“I’m really happy to be at this race, as I like the event and the track is good, although unfortunately it’s a lot tighter than last year. It is narrow and really difficult to pass or find the rhythm. In the opening two sessions we were testing different ways of taping my leg to find something comfortable, and with some pain relief the feeling wasn’t so bad. I only feel pain on the landings and in some of the corners, but in the right turns subconsciously my head is telling me to slow down and guarding the leg, so this is frustrating. I started to relax a little bit, but I had arm-pump from the lack of riding, so it’s difficult. I gained some confidence today, and tomorrow is another day, so we will see what happens.”
Marcus Freitas: Honda World Motocross Chief Mechanic
“It’s my home race, so it’s amazing to be in Brazil and have a good result on the first day; I have to say a big thanks to all of the team. It’s a Honda GP so our goal is to be on the box both today and tomorrow. Max had a good start, and although he got a bit pushed out down the straight, he was first into the first turn. He rode at a good pace and maintained the gap from Desalle, so we’re happy with that. Bobryshev is still suffering a little bit and he needs more time to get him completely fit and race ready. For him this weekend is about getting back to pace and hopefully for France we’ll see what he is capable of. I think the weather tomorrow will be similar to today, with a little bit of rain at the end of the day, but you never know here in Brazil, as it can change at any moment.”
| 1 | Maximilian Nagl | 25:55.421 | GER | HONDA | Honda World Motocross |
| 2 | Clement Desalle | +0:03.614 | BEL | SUZUKI | Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1 |
| 3 | Gautier Paulin | +0:22.509 | FRA | KAWASAKI | Kawasaki Racing Team |
| 4 | David Philippaerts | +0:26.875 | ITA | HONDA | Honda Gariboldi |
| 5 | Tommy Searle | +0:28.718 | GBR | KAWASAKI | CLS Monster Energy Kawasaki Pro Circuit |
| 6 | Jeremy Van Horebeek | +0:30.238 | BEL | KAWASAKI | Kawasaki Racing Team |
| 7 | Antonio Cairoli | +0:30.523 | ITA | KTM | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing |
| 8 | Shaun Simpson | +0:32.656 | GBR | TM | TM Ricci Racing |
| 9 | Davide Guarneri | +0:34.642 | ITA | KTM | Marchetti Racing |
| 10 | Kevin Strijbos | +0:35.564 | BEL | SUZUKI | Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1 |
| 11 | Rui Gonçalves | +0:38.749 | POR | KTM | ICE1 Racing |
| 12 | Evgeny Bobryshev | +0:50.346 | RUS | HONDA | Honda World Motocross |
| 13 | Joel Roelants | +0:53.174 | BEL | YAMAHA | Monster Energy Yamaha |
| 14 | Ken De Dycker | +0:56.723 | BEL | KTM | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing |
| 15 | Jean Carlo Ramos | +1:00.901 | BRA | KAWASAKI | Kawasaki Wildcard |
| 16 | Tanel Leok | +1:03.695 | EST | HONDA | Route 77 Energy Honda |
| 17 | Jonathan Barragan | +1:15.881 | ESP | KTM | Team STR KTM |
| 18 | Adam Chatfield | +1:18.287 | GBR | HONDA | Honda Wildcard |
| 20 | Wellington Garcia | +1:23.050 | BRA | HONDA | Honda Wildcard |
| 21 | Joaqium Rodrigues | +1:26.182 | POR | HONDA | Honda Wildcard |
| 22 | Daniel Pessanha | +1 lap | BRA | HONDA | Honda Wildcard |
| 23 | Mateus Basso | +2 laps | BRA | KAWASAKI | Kawasaki Wildcard |
| 24 | Kasper Lynggaard | +4 laps | DEN | YAMAHA | Yamaha Wildcard |