The French MXGP lived a day on saturday without his main swords in the qualifying race. The heavy rains fell on Ernee caused that the main favorites decided not to go out on the track and avoid risks in a heat that does not distribute points and only serves to organize the riders at the starting gates. The mud and the pronounced ruts without clear lines were sufficient reasons for Tim Gajser, Jorge Prado, Jeremy Seewer, Glenn Coldenhoff, Rubén Fernández, Pauls Jonass, Mitchell Evans, Calvin Vlaanderen and Alberto Forato they will leave the grill orphaned and the race will be awarded Henry Jacoby, whose best result this year had been a 10th place finish in Latvian heat 1. “Today we have made a difficult decision because the track was impassable after the storm and it was very dangerous for just one qualifying round. Sometimes you have to take complicated measures, but I think they are right. I feel very bad for the public. Everything is for the good of motocross,” Prado said of the riders’ absences.
Otherwise, the day was marked by the announcement of the temporary withdrawal of Arminas Jasikonis, who after his strong accident in the second MXGP race at the 2020 Lombardy GP, became unconscious and was taken to hospital and put into a coma. A few days later he woke up, fully mobile and knowing the people close to him. “It has been a difficult decision to make, but together with my team I feel that it is important for my career to take a break from the highest level of racing. My head injury along with the little setbacks I’ve experienced in the past few months need time to be evaluated. I am still young and only when I am 100% sure of my health will I make a decision. I just want to thank all of our Gebben Van Venrooy team partners, and also Klaas, Emile, Ruud and the rest of my team for supporting me in these difficult times.”