Leon Heart
By Alex Hodgkinson on 17th Sep 14
Jordi Tixier is the 2014 MX2 world champion after a fantastic titleshoot-out at Leon, Mexico, where defending champion Jeffrey Herlings defied a seven-week-old broken femur to hold the points lead until five laps from the end of the 17-round series.
Gautier Paulin ended an injury-hit campaign by adding victory in the final MXGP to his win at round one, Tommy Searle saw out his ill-fated season with a sixth and Matiss Karro rounded out the top 10.
There was disappointment for Shaun Simpson as crashes in the final moto of the campaign not only cost him his battle for fifth in the series – despite heading Steven Frossard in race one – but also lost him sixth by a whisker to Max Nagl. Max Anstie felt even worse as the sole MX2 Brit was struck down with Montezuma's revenge.
With MXGP wrapped up seven days earlier in Brazil, all eyes were on MX2 as the world series hit high altitude for the first time – 5,000 feet up in Parco Metropolitano on the outskirts of Leon.
Tixier had slashed Herlings' lead to just 23 points through the previous three GPs but the defending champion was back for the first time since July as he sought to defy a busted thigh and muscle damage as well as his French team-mate.
Things looked bleak for the Dutch tearaway on Saturday as he rode just four slow laps while his rival topped every session.
The cold truth soon became evident as Herlings dropped back from an initial 10th to 16th in race one, just managing to tag onto the rear wheel of Anton Lundgren with only first lap faller Thomas Covington of the GP regulars trailed off with the Mexicans.
Tixier, meanwhile, had taken advantage of a couple of slips by Romain Febvre to surge to the front and the two Frenchman streaked clear in a duel which saw them locked together for 30 minutes before the Husky man finally accepted defeat.
Herlings' plight worsened when he caught his foot in a deep rut but then he picked up a couple of positions when Christophe Charlier's Rinaldi Yam locked up solid and Max Anstie was forced to drop his bike at the entrance to the pit lane, leap the fence and head for the nearest porta-pooper.
Despite the gifted points Herlings' lead was down to five and, when Tixier holeshot race two with the Dutchman out of the top 10, it seemed all over. It wasn't...
"I missed a shift just before the take off on the big tabletop and came up short,” explained the Frenchman, "and Tonkov got his hand caught in my wheel.”
With the Russian carted off to hospital for treatment to his shoulder, Tixier remounted immediately in front of Herlings and the defending champion, sniffing his chance, had his spirit reignited.
"I was in crazy pain but, when I saw Jordi right in front of me, I saw a little bit of light and gave it my all.”
The pair surged past four rivals in a lap to run seventh and eighth but Tixier was clearly too fast for his battered team-mate and Herlings committed himself to defending his place.
Quick calculations showed that Tixier needed third for the title but his early headway faltered as he came to fifth. Mistake followed mistake and the ball was firmly in Herlings' court, even though he was under continual pressure from Charlier.
"Time was running out and I knew it was all or nothing,” admitted Tixier – but the drama was still not over.
He charged past Glenn Coldenhoff and onto Julien Lieber's rear wheel but there was almost disaster as they touched in mid-air before the champion-elect made third his own.
With the series lost, Herlings finally surrendered to Charlier and Jeremy Seewer and at the chequered flag the celebrations began.
The major placings in MXGP may already have been confirmed but the action was furious as the 350s and 450s took to the track. Having already added a fourth straight win in quali, Max Nagl made it five with a tough first lap pass on Kevin Strijbos for a narrow but secure win.
Simpson held down an early third before Cairoli and Paulin went past at 10 minutes and for the rest of the moto the Scot repulsed the challenges of series rival Steven Frossard before Jeremy Van Horebeek sneaked past them both near the end.
"He had a better line at turn three and rode around me,” said Simpson.
"At least I saw off Frossard although it would have been better if I could have put a couple of other riders between us.”
Searle came home ninth but was not at home on the jump-infested track. Karro, one place further back, had one of his better rides.
Race two again saw Nagl quickly rush past Strijbos but by mid-moto the German was slowing as he struggled to get the power down on the slick track. He eventually finished fourth as Paulin took the win from Cairoli.
Searle had a solid ride to sixth but crashes ended Simpson's shot at fifth in the world and he pulled in. Karro added another solid 10th and GP motocross was over for another year.
