Cairoli and Herlings lead KTM to ValkenswaardThere is something about Valkenswaard that the Factory KTM riders just love. KTM have won 9 of the last 10 MX2 GPs in Valkenswaard, and KTM riders Antonio Cairoli and Jeffrey Herlings have won seven of the last eight overall victories in Valkenswaard in the MX1 and MX2 class.
Records are set to be broken in 2013 and those two men (Cairoli and Herlings) stand at the top of the list for being the record breakers.
The greatest Grand Prix rider of all time Stefan Everts (KTM MX2 team manger) has the most amount of GP wins at the Valkenswaard circuit with five GP victories. Everts won in 1992, 94, 95, 96 and also in 2004, before the circuit went on a two year departure from the FIM World Motocross Championships.
The "New Everts" Antonio Cairoli has four victories at Valkenswaard, with wins in 2007, 2010, 2011 and 2012. Cairoli will try and equal the effort by the Belgian sand master this coming weekend.
No rider has ever won four Grand Prixs in a row at Valkenswaard; Jeffrey Herlings will go for his fourth GP victory in a row at the sand track on the outskirts of Eindhoven. For Cairoli it is the same story, five wins at Valkenswaard, and four in a row are in his sights.
Both Cairoli and Herlings will try and achieve what many riders would see as impossible as they lead the Red Bull KTM Factory team into the third round of the 2013 MX1 and MX2 Championships.
Amazingly the MX2 class has been dominated by KTM riders since it was South African Grant Langston winning in 2000 on a Factory KTM, followed by KTM CHAMP rider Erik Eggens winning in 2001. Steve Ramon also a member of the CHAMP KTM team would win in 2002 and 2003, while Ben Townley would win in 2004.
Only Cairoli who won the 2007 MX2 class on a Yamaha (after Valkenswaard missed 2005 and 2006 on the calendar) has broken a complete KTM stranglehold on this track. Tyla Rattray won on the KTM in 2008, followed by Rui Goncalves winning (again on KTM) in 2009, before Jeffrey Herlings would take victories aboard his factory KTM in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
The big question mark is will it be Cairoli or Herlings who makes history in Valkenswaard, and will both stand on top of the podium at the end of the Easter Monday and once again show why KTM are considered the owners of this beautiful sand circuit in Holland.
GP winners in Valkenswaard
1974 250cc Sylvain Geboers (B), Suzuki
1980 500cc Andr Vromans (B), Yamaha
1981 125cc Marc Velkeneers (B), Yamaha
1985 500cc Dave Thorpe (GB), Honda
1987 125cc Dave Strijbos (NL), Cagiva
1989 500cc Dirk Geukens (B), Honda
1990 500cc Billy Liles (USA), Kawasaki
1992 250cc Stefan Everts (B), Suzuki
1992 500cc Billy Liles (USA), Honda
1993 250cc Greg Albertyn (SA), Honda
1994 250cc Stefan Everts (B), Kawasaki
1995 250cc Stefan Everts (B), Kawasaki
1996 250cc Stefan Everts (B), Honda
1997 250cc Marnicq Bervoets (B), Suzuki
1998 250cc Sbastien Tortelli (F), Kawasaki
1999 250cc Marnicq Bervoets (B), Kawasaki
2000 125cc Grant Langston (SA), KTM
2000 250cc Frdric Bolley (F), Honda
2000 500cc Marnicq Bervoets (B), Yamaha
2001 125cc Erik Eggens (NL), KTM
2001 250cc Mickal Pichon (F), Suzuki
2001 500cc Jol Smets (B), KTM
2002 125cc Steve Ramon (B), KTM
2002 250cc Mickal Pichon (F), Suzuki
2002 500cc Jol Smets (B), KTM
2003 125cc Steve Ramon (B), KTM
2003 MX GP Mickal Pichon (F), Suzuki
2003 650cc Jol Smets (B), KTM
2004 MX2 Ben Townley (NZ), KTM
2004 MX1 Stefan Everts (B), Yamaha
2007 MX2 Antonio Cairoli (I), Yamaha
2007 MX1 Joshua Coppins (NZ), Yamaha
2008 MX1 Ken de Dycker (B), Suzuki
2008 MX2 Tyla Rattray (SA), KTM
2009 MX1 Jonathan Barragan (E), KTM
2009 MX2 Rui Gonalves (P), KTM
2010 MX1 Antonio Cairoli (KTM)
2010 MX2 Jeffrey Herlings (KTM)
2011 MX1 Antonio Cairoli (KTM)
2011 MX2 Jeffrey Herlings (KTM)
2012 MX1 Antonio Cairoli (KTM)
2012 MX2 Jeffrey Herlings (KTM)
http://www.mxlarge.com/ne(...)-ktm-to-valkenswaard