Kay de Wolf gave the home fans plenty to cheer about at Arnhem as the Dutch star pushed Jeffrey Herlings all the way for victory at the MXGP of the Netherlands.
Racing in front of more than 30,000 fans on home soil, De Wolf showed he had the speed to take the fight to the dominant Herlings, producing a superb weekend to finish second overall with a 2-2 scorecard.
After charging from the back of the field to second in Saturday’s qualifying race, De Wolf carried that pace into Sunday’s opening moto.
The 21-year-old Nestaan Husqvarna rider went head-to-head with Herlings and led much of the race before eventually being overhauled by his fellow Dutchman. Even then he refused to let Herlings escape, crossing the line just 3.773 seconds behind and more than 40 seconds clear of third.
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Race two brought another fascinating battle. De Wolf quickly worked his way into second and began reeling Herlings back in during the closing stages.
With the home crowd behind him, De Wolf closed to little more than a second from the MXGP World Championship leader and looked ready to launch a late attack for victory.
His challenge ultimately ended with a crash in the closing stages, but such was the pair’s advantage that De Wolf was able to remount and comfortably retain second.
The result completed a 2-2 weekend and second overall, but perhaps more significantly showed the progress De Wolf has made in closing the gap to Herlings in the sand.
De Wolf said:
“I gave it everything and a little bit more today. I’m really pleased with the performance and to be able to battle Jeffrey like that. A few weeks ago I was 40 seconds behind, and today I was fighting with him until the second-to-last lap, so that shows how much progress we’ve made. Of course, the crash in the second race was a shame, but overall it was an amazing weekend, especially here at home. The Dutch fans were incredible, and I definitely wanted to put on a show for them. I’ll always give everything for the Dutch fans and for my country. A massive thanks to the whole team as well – we’ll keep working and I’m looking forward to the next few rounds.”
Images courtesy of Husqvarna Motorcycles – Full Spectrum Media
