MOTOCROSS MXGP OF MEXICO 2015

GP14: MEXICO

First GP win for Covington in Mexico

American teenager, Thomas Covington won his first ever GP win in León (Mexico) home of the second last round of the season. Two weeks after his GP win in Assen, Shaun Simpson claimed another strong result with a second place in the MXGP class.

In his second year of GP racing, Thomas Covington has raced his best ever GP on a muddy track after the overnight rain in Leon. Fourth in the opening race, the American took the lead in the second heat after lap one eventually leading to his first ever moto win. This combination was enough for him to win the Grand Prix.

“It’s so good to finally get a win. I’ve always been pushing hard and it’s been a tough two years with a lot of bad races, a few good ones and coming here to get this win is unbelievable. I hope to keep this going. The first race, the track was really muddy and I just tried to survive and not crash; I won the holeshot but went too far to the outside and a few guys passed me. I tried to keep on two wheels and it was pretty tough. The track was completely different for the second moto; it was pretty dry in some places. I was second at the first corner and finally made the move to first place. I tried to put down some fast laps to make a gap; I knew that Gajser was coming back at the end of the race but I held on to win this moto. I had no idea that I had won the GP until I arrived at the podium! Next weekend it will be good to race at Glen Helen; I will go to my home race full of confidence,” explained Thomas who beat World Championship leader Tim Gajser and Frenchman Benoit Paturel.

Julien Lieber also posted an impressive finish in the second race, but had a tough opening moto and only finished ninth overall. Petar Petrov crashed at the start of race one and was unable to continue.

In the MXGP class the new World Champion was unbeatable, as Romain Febvre dominated the practice session and races this weekend. Twice second on Sunday, Shaun Simpson finished runner up, followed by Evgeny Bobryshev.

"I already had a good feeling on the track yesterday and my qualifying race wasn't bad. I finished third and that was good for the start today. I was able to get into position early in the first race, but I had a small crash and bent my handlebars. It was difficult to make up time on Febvre so I settled for second. Then they worked on the track for the second race and there were a lot of line choices. It was very technical and I was able to pass in many places, so I wasn't stressed when I had a bad start. I knew I could make some moves. It was a fun race and I could come back from eighth to finish second. It was also good to show I can run with Febvre and other top riders in other conditions and on a surface other than sand. I showed my speed and talent on the bike that's really working well for me," said the British rider who currently holding the fourth position overall in the main class.

The series will now move to California, with the last round organised in Glen Helen next weekend.