The GP of Sweden brought a change at the top of the MX1 World Championship standings: with a double victory, Clément Desalle (Suzuki) broke through to top ranking.

The current world champion and leader in the overall standings up to this race, Antonio Cairoli, isn’t happy with the final outcome of the two muddy races in Sweden because he dropped out of both Sunday races, after achieving the best time in the qualifying session. With Cairoli gone, Clément Desalle (Suzuki) delivered the best performance; he rides a KTM equipped with an Akrapovič exhaust system, just like Cairoli. The Belgian won both races and rose to the very top of the overall standings, beating Cairoli by three points.

Desalle: “It’s a good result today and also a good situation with the Championship. I feel confident and could do what I wanted on the bike and this was just as important to me. It was a bad day for Tony Cairoli and a good one for me, and it was a bit strange to get the red plate like that but these things can happen in a mechanical sport and I’ve also had some bad luck this season. Every small detail that helps you feel better on the bike or can win you time is really good and my team is so professional when it comes to this and they have so much experience so I have to say thanks to them.”

In the second MX2 race, the winner of the first race, Jeffrey Herlings (KTM), also had some trouble with the mud. Despite his seventh place in the second race, he was second overall, maintaining his leadership in the overall standings with a solid advantage of 16 points.

Hopefully, the next race taking place on 15 July in Latvia will be less stressful.

Photo: Archer R., Suzuki Racing