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MXGP Germany: Herlings set for another devastating double?

Just seven days after his devastating come-from-behind double win at Kegums, Jeffery Herlings (Red Bull KTM) is back in action again this weekend and looking to stretch his FIM Motocross World Championship lead at round eight at Teutschenthal in Germany.

It’s a brutal, hard-pack circuit and although the 23-year-old Dutchman’s most at home in the sand he excels on all surfaces and is a good bet to add to his 29-point lead at the top of the MXGP standings.

As always, his main opposition will come from his team-mate and defending champion Tony Cairoli. The pair tied on points here last year with the Italian getting the win on a tie-break after running 2-1 to Herlings’ 1-2 but as the series heads towards the halfway mark that won’t be good enough for Cairoli – he needs to start clawing back some points if he’s to take a record-equalling 10th world title this season.

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The best of the rest is a pretty impressive bunch but only Belgium’s Clement Desalle (Monster Energy Kawasaki) has so far managed to break the top two’s stranglehold on the class with his win in Russia but that was a shock result as Herlings and Cairoli tripped each other up.

Desalle’s victory at Orlyonok places him third in the championship but after a DNF in the opening race at Portugal he’s already 92 points behind Herlings who is starting to dominate in just his second season in the premier 450cc class.

Currently fourth in the standings, France’s Romain Febvre (Monster Energy Yamaha) won here in 2015 on his way to the world title and Desalle did the business in 2014 but both years Cairoli was carrying injuries and not at his best.

A podium finisher last time out at Latvia, Febvre’s compatriot Gautier Paulin (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) will be aiming to build on his Baltic performance. He won a moto at Teutschenthal in 2015 but, realistically, it’s hard to see anyone troubling Herlings who showed at Kegums that he doesn’t need to get holeshots to win races and if he exits the first turn in the top handful he should prove to be unbeatable.

If you’re looking for a long-shot then Tim Gajser (Team HRC) is overdue a race win at the very least. A broken jaw in March put the Slovenian on the back foot and forced him to miss the season opener in Argentina but he’s now back up to full race pace and the 2016 champion has threatened the podium at the last two rounds.

Germany should see the return from injury of Brits Tommy Searle (Bike It DRT Kawasaki) and Shaun Simpson (Wilvo Yamaha). Searle has been sidelined since breaking a collarbone at Valkenswaard in March and Simpson sat out Latvia after beating himself up in Russia where he chipped his pelvis and broke three ribs.

With Graeme Irwin (Hitachi ASA KTM UK) not expected to be back in world championship action until the MXGP of Great Britain at Matterley Basin at the start of June, Max Anstie (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) will complete the UK line-up. Anstie’s also had his fair share of problems this season with a concussion sustained in warm-up in Spain putting him out of three successive GPs but on his day he has the speed to win.

Red Bull KTM is also dominating the MX2 class with defending champion Pauls Jonass from Latvia leading his teenaged Spanish team-mate Jorge Prado but Thomas Kjer Olsen (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) gate-crashed their party at round seven with the overall win.

The tall Dane must again be considered a contender and fourth-placed Brit Ben Watson (Kemea Yamaha) will be looking for another podium finish as he bids to break free from Australian Jed Beaton (F&H Kawasaki) in fifth and close down the leading trio.

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Currently 10th in the points table, Britain’s Conrad Mewse (Hitachi ASA KTM UK) has blown hot and cold this year. If he comes into Germany feeling confident then a debut podium could be on the cards but, as we saw in Portugal, if his head isn’t in the game he could go home pointless.

As well as a round of the WMX championship, Teutschenthal will also host round four of the EMX125cc series which is headed by runaway leader Rene Hofer (KTM) from Austria. Britain’s best hope in this class is Eddie Jay Wade (KTM) – the world 85cc champion is in his rookie year on a 125 but if he can dial in his qualification speed he could run near the front.

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