MX2: Vialle dominates in Russian season opener

The MXGP of Russia in Orlyonok played host to the first round of the delayed 2021 Motocross World Championship. It had been seven months since the 2020 season finished in Trentino, and in the MX2 class Russia would be the beginning of Tom Vialle’s first world title defence. 

The first moto was dominated by the reigning champion, who took the holeshot and led from start-to-finish with no major dramas. It would not be totally outlandish to suggest that the first race of his championship defence was more dominant than any of those Vialle put in on route to the title he is now defending. 

Behind Vialle was an impressive Ruben Fernandez in second, who evidenced a strong adaptation to Honda in his first race aboard the 2021 CRF250R. Completing the top three was Roan van de Moosdijk, ahead of his F&H Kawasaki teammate, Mathys Boisrame. Rene Hofer completed the top five of the first moto despite suffering with arm pump from about the 20-minute mark. Hofer was ahead of Maxime Renaux, who had passed the Austrian with a few minutes left on the clock, but then dropped back behind the #711. Jed Beaton was seventh, ahead of Jan Pancar, who had perhaps his most impressive ride in the World Championship, holding off Beaton and Renaux in sixth place for much of the 30 minutes.

The top rookie in the first moto of the year was Mattia Guadagnini in ninth, ahead of Kay de Wolf who completed the top 10, while 2020 EMX250 champion Thibault Benistant was 15th. 

It was more domination from Tom Vialle in the second moto. The Frenchman got to the first turn first, but was beaten to the holeshot by his teammate, Rene Hofer, and Ruben Fernandez. Hofer went wide, though, in turn three, and Fernandez bobbled in the rut on the inside. That allowed Vialle to power to the front, and from there he did not look back.

Fernandez looked set for completing a 2-2 scorecard, but a crash dropped him to fourth. In the end, the Spaniard was able to put a particularly tough move on Hofer for third, and that secured the #70 second overall. Mathys Boisrame finished second in race two, which brought him up to third on the overall, and he therefore completed the podium. 

Rene Hofer was fourth in race two, ahead of Roan van de Moosdijk, who completed the top five, while Jago Geerts was impressive on his way to sixth despite his ligament damage. Thibault Benistant had a better second race, finishing seventh and top rookie, ahead of Simon Laengenfelder, Maxime Renaux and Mattia Guadagnini who completed the top 10. 

Both Isak Gifting and Stephen Rubini retired from the second moto after crashes. In particular, Gifting’s was nasty, losing the front on the take-off of the finish jump, and taking Jed Beaton down in the process. When Gifting stood up, he was hit in the back of the head, and although he was able to ride back to the pits he and the team made the – probably sensible – decision to not continue.

Overall, then, in the first grand prix of 2021, for the MX2 class, it was somewhat according to expectations: Vialle dominated, and the rest were very close behind him. There are some worrying signs for the opposition regarding Vialle. It is arguable that the #28 looked better today than he did in the whole of 2020; more secure, more solid; and it is not as though this is a first for this team. Only two years ago Jorge Prado went into the 2019 MX2 World Championship as the reigning champion, the Spaniard on that occasion going on to have a season in which second place in a moto was a major shock and disappointment. It might be early to anoint Vialle as a rider of the level of Prado, whose performance was and is particular, but it is also possible to say that he made winning the MX2 class of the 2021 MXGP of Russia look quite straightforward. 

It was certainly not straightforward for Ruben Fernandez to secure second place overall. In fact, it was not straightforward even for the organisers, who announced the Spaniard on the podium as third overall, and Mathys Boisrame as second. They quickly realised their mistake – the flags behind the podium giving it away – and corrected it, just as Fernandez had corrected his race two mistake of crashing mid-way through and dropping to fourth. Rene Hofer could feel fairly aggrieved by Fernandez’ move in the closing stages, but the Spaniard took ownership of the line away from the #711 in the corner at the bottom of the hill, and quite simply there was nothing the Austrian could do about it. 

As for Boisrame, it was a promising start to the season, and a smoother one than last year, when he had a broken thumb in Matterley Basin. 4-2 for third overall is certainly a positive result for the Frenchman, who seems to have taken a step up in both pace and consistency over the long off-season. 

For those behind Vialle, everything was very close in Russia. Eight points separated Vialle from Fernandez in the overall, and the same amount covered second-placed Fernandez to sixth-placed Renaux. There are a number of riders who can challenge in 2021, but it looks like they all have a job on to close the gap that currently appears to exist between them and Vialle.