Pauls Jonass (Red Bull KTM) extended his MX2 championship lead over team-mate Jorge Prado to 28 points with his fifth double win of the season at the MXGP of GB, round nine of the 2018 FIM Motocross World Championship, at Matterley Basin.

The Latvian has now won 11 out of a possible 18 races compared to his teenaged team-mate’s five moto wins as he continues the mid-season push which he hopes will carry him to back-to-back titles.

“I’m really happy with going one-one again,” said Jonass. “I’m looking forward to the next few weeks and feeling good. Thanks to everyone who supports me – I’ll see you in France.”

It was hardly a walk in the part for him though as Prado put up fierce opposition on the spectacular, jump-filled Hampshire circuit and at times the defending champion appeared to be racing on the edge on the fast, hardpack track.

With the start featuring a BMX track-style drop-in, Jonass holeshot the opening 30-minute plus two lap moto and then Prado briefly took the lead before his team-mate ran him wide to regain the advantage with Spain’s Ruben Fernandez (F&H Kawasaki) an initial third from US import Thomas Covington (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna).

After the opening lap the Brit pack was experiencing mixed fortunes with Adam Sterry (F&H Kawasaki) ninth, wild card Josh Gilbert (Buildbase Honda) 15th and Ben Watson (Kemea Yamaha) 18th after getting stuck in the gate while Conrad Mewse (Hitachi ASA KTM UK) was all the way back in 22nd.

The leading pair have dominated this season and today was no exception but while Jonass couldn’t break clear from Prado, the pair wasted little time in gapping the chasing pack led by Fernandez, Covington and Thomas Kjer Olsen (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) which quickly developed into a fierce three-way battle for third.

By half-distance Jonass was two-and-a-half seconds up on Prado who in turn was almost 20 seconds ahead of Covington while Watson had advanced to 13th – but the Brit had much more in the tank, picking up a place almost every lap in the second half of the moto as he pulled through.

His position in the race – and the championship – was helped when Olsen, who was one position ahead of him in third in the standings going into the opening moto, DNFed on the last lap with a technical problem following a race-long battle with his team-mate Covington.

At the flag it was Jonass by less than a second from Prado with Covington 49 seconds behind in third ahead of Calvin Vlaanderen (Team HRC) who’d started in the top ten and gradually moved up the order. American Marshal Weltin (Vamo Honda), who’s so far struggled to make an impact this season, was fifth from Watson.

Sterry, who’s still carrying an ankle injury, finished 12th with Mewse making good race-long progress for 14th and Gilbert in 17th.

Race two saw Prado take his 11th holeshot of the season from Jonass and Germany’s Henry Jacobi (STC Husqvarna) with Watson 13th, Gilbert 18th and Mewse 28th as Sterry elected not to come out for the second moto.

While Prado was slowly opening up an advantage over Jonass, Watson was again making progress and after moving ahead of his 15-year-old team-mate Jago Geerts he made a series of passes that by half-distance had carried him up to seventh.

Ahead of him there was a battle raging for third between Jacobi and Olsen and when the pair held each other up Vlaanderen took advantage to pass them both while at the front the gap between Prado and Jonass remained pretty constant.

Then, with eight minutes plus two laps to go, the Latvian began to turn the screw and he went around the outside of the Spanish teenager into a lead he never relinquished.

Olsen suffered another mechanical DNF in the closing stages and then Watson caught and passed Jacobi with three to go but couldn’t get close enough to Vlaanderen before the flag and ended the day fourth overall behind the South African. While he was clearly disappointed to miss the podium at his home GP, he has closed to within nine points of Olsen in the championship.

Mewse failed to add to his points tally in 22nd but Gilbert marked a promising GP debut with 19th to make it two scoring rides.