MX2: Opening Citta di Faenza Race Win Goes to Vialle

The MXGP of Citta di Faenza got underway or the second Wednesday GP of 2020 with the first MX2 moto taking place in similarly warm conditions to Sunday’s Italian round. After taking his first moto win and overall Grand Prix victory in that MXGP of Italy, Maxime Renaux was looking to go back-to-back. 

The holeshot went to Tom Vialle, his eight of the season as he took the advantage from Mattia Guadagnini. However, the Italian took to the front before they reached the finish jump for the first time, and the Italian’s move on Vialle put the Frenchman directly in the sights of his championship rival, Jago Geerts, although the Belgian soon lost out to Renaux.

Over the course of the first 15 minutes the front four both stretched away from those behind and also distanced themselves from each other. However, at half-distance, Geerts started setting fastest laps and closed in on Renaux. Meanwhile, at the front, Guadagnini’s pace was fading and Vialle had closed in, although his inability to pass the Italian initially allowed Renaux and Geerts to close in. 

Vialle was eventually able to make his way through, though, with just over 15 minutes left on the clock, and the advantage turned to the #28 as the Yamahas of Renaux and Geerts struggled to pass Guadagnini.

But, with 10 minutes to go, both Renaux and Geerts were able to pass the #101 wildcard, and in good time as Mathys Boisrame was beginning to close in from behind. The Yamaha riders had a tough challenge to catch Vialle, though, as the championship leader was already four seconds clear as they entered the final third of the race. 

It proved an advantage that Vialle would not give up, as he managed the gap to his rivals successfully to win his first moto since the World Championship arrived in Faenza, and as Geerts was unable to overcome Renaux, Vialle’s points advantage would stretch out to eight points ahead of the second race. 

In fact, Renaux’s second place in this first moto of the MXGP of Citta di Faenza was achieved in a similar way to that in which he achieved his first race win in last Sunday’s second moto, by repelling pressure for over half the race coming from one of the main championship contenders. The Frenchman has proven himself one of the stars of the field in Faenza, and is in the frame for a second successive overall looking to the second moto. 

For Geerts, consistency was his downfall. The Belgian had a turn of speed on the Yamaha, but he could not do it lap-on-lap without making a mistake. Additionally, starting behind at Faenza has proven to be problematic in both the MX2 and MXGP classes in the races we have seen so far, as it is difficult to pass – even starting fourth can make the race considerably harder. If Geerts is to challenge for the race two win he needs to start inside the top two or three.

Behind Geerts in the end was Thomas Kjer Olsen, fourth place being his best moto finish of the season, such have been the injury issues for the Dane. Olsen overcame Mathys Boisrame and Mattia Guadagnini in the final five minutes to take that fourth place, and dropped the pair of them by six seconds by the finish. Guadagnini was able to fight back at Boisrame in the closing stages, but unable to fashion a move on the #172, meaning the top six was rounded out by Boisrame and then the #101 of Guadagnini. 

Stephen Rubini had a fairly anonymous ride to seventh, eight seconds behind Guadagnini and a second clear of Ruben Fernandez. The #70 had been fighting with Conrad Mewse in the final laps of the race, and the pairs battle allowed Ben Watson to close in. Fernandez was able to hold onto eighth, but Mewse conceded ninth to his compatriot – Watson equalling his second race result from last Sunday after a difficult start – and the #426 completed the top 10. 

Morgan Lesiardo took 11th place, ahead of Jed Beaton who went down on the first lap in a nasty crash involving Roan van de Moosdijk and Mikkel Haarup as well. Behind the Australian was Gianmarco Cenerelli in 13th, ahead of Alvin Ostlund and Bailey Malkiewicz who rounded out the top 15 having started inside the top six. Jan Pancar spent the early part of the race around the fringes of the top 10, but finished 16th in the end, ahead of Nathan Crawford, Richard Sikyna, Josh Gilbert and Kevin Horgmo who completed the top 20. 

Simon Laengenfelder was also involved in the crash with van de Moosdijk, Haarup and Beaton and was out on the spot, as was Haarup. Hopefully both of them will be back out for race two. Van de Moosdijk, on the other hand, completed three laps before retiring himself, a similar outcome to his first moto of the MXGP of Italy last Sunday.