Trying Lommel MX2 race day for Hunter Lawrence and Jed Beaton
MXGP 2017 – Round 14 – Lommel – MX2
For Hunter Lawrence, a lack of bike time, combined with it being his first time racing the trying Lommel terrain meant that expectations weren’t too high heading into the race, although the Aussie teenager had made a strong start to the weekend in Qualifying (Link). As always though, he just put his head and went to work and came away with two respectable finishes.
Hunter Lawrence
“In the first moto I didn’t get the best start and came around the first corner in around 20th. I soon got to work though and worked my way up to 11th. That wasn’t too bad, but obviously I wanted to do a bit better in the second race. I got a top-15 start in the second race but in the third lap I got a bit too impatient and cased a jump and that sent me off the track. I didn’t crash but I stalled it and it took a while to get it fired up again. Everyone had passed me by that stage so I was almost last but I charged through the field once again to get up to 10th place. It was my first Lommel GP done and it went ok, so I know what to expect now and believe that I can come back next year and do much better.”
Jed Beaton’s overall result doesn’t give a true reflection of how he was riding today. A bad start in the first race meant Jed had to fight hard through the pack, making his way from 38th to 18th within a few laps.
As the Aussie started to reel in the next few riders, he crashed meaning all his hard work was undone. Jed’s start in the second race was much better but he was unable to avoid a pile up in the first corner. Picking himself up, despite making it back into the top 20 through the race, the Aussie crashed numerous times pushing him to the back of the group and out of the points.
Jed Beaton
“I haven’t exactly had the best day in Lommel today. The first start wasn’t so good and I don’t know what happened I think I just struggled a little bit and after making really good headway through the race I had a small crash which took all the energy out of me and then I ended up crashing again and by then I was just done! I wasn’t feeling it, I came in and regrouped for the second race. I got off to a good start in the second race but Jonass went down and a huge pile up happened and I ended up in it. The first couple of laps after that was good, I made progress through the pack and I was just trying to flow. Probably about six laps in I went down again which just took all my energy out of me again, then I ended up crashing another three times. So basically, this whole weekend has been a series of crashes. The track was so gnarly, it is the roughest track I have ever ridden. So, all in all, a lot of negative and positive things to take away from this weekend.”
Lommel was the conclusion of Jed Beaton’s stand-in role with the Factory Honda team in MX2 as the Aussie teenager returns to Cargalss Honda to compete in the EMX250 championship next weekend in Switzerland.
MXGP 2017 – Round 14 – Lommel – MX2 Report
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MXGP 2017 – Round 14 – Lommel – MX2 Highlights Video
To start race 1 it was Team Suzuki World MX2’s Jeremy Seewer taking the FOX Holeshot but the young Spaniard, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Jorge Prado Garcia, took the lead immediately.
The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider and points leader Pauls Jonass was around 5th off the start but by the end of the first lap had already passed LRT KTM’s Julien Lieber and Hitachi KTM UK’s Ben Watson.
Jonass took only 3 laps to catch Seewer in 2nd, passing the #91 on lap 4. Jonass put his head down and caught Prado who remained determined putting up a fight to hold his position even against his points leading teammate. Jonass eventually broke away from Prado and took the win while Seewer took third ahead of Kemea Yamaha Official MX Team’s Benoit Paturel and the #33 of Lieber.
Race 2’s FOX Holeshot went to Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Covington with Seewer again towards the front. A mistake in the first turn swallowed up a handful of riders including race 1 winner Jonass and third 4th place finisher Paturel. Jonass was among the last to get going again and on the opening lap was in 32nd position.
In the meantime Prado led with Covington and Lieber battling for 2nd and as Lieber passed Covington, Seewer fell out of 4th. The golden opportunity to gain points on Jonass started to slip away as Seewer remounted in 9th.
Jonass was instead moving forward through the pack at an amazing pace gaining 12 positions by lap 2 and he didn’t stop there and by the end he would pass 27 competitors to place 5th.
Jonass in the press conference: “I had that crash in the second race and I came from dead last to 5th place so it was not so bad. They say you win the championship on your bad days and think this was one of the days.”
Seewer too moved forward but only back to where he had started in 4th.
Covington fell out second and he would not rejoin the race which gave Lieber second behind race 2 and overall winner Prado.
Prado in the press conference said: “I’m feeling pretty happy, you know it is pretty difficult to win a GP, everybody is riding really fast so it is hard work. This weekend the track was pretty tough and you really have to give it your all which I did.”
In the overall Jonass took second behind Prado but ahead of Lieber, Seewer, and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Kjer Olsen.
Lieber in the press conference: “I’m really happy to be back on the podium after a long time, I have struggled a lot the last races but this weekend was good.”
MX2 Race 1 Top Ten
- Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 36:03.639
- Jorge Prado Garcia (ESP, KTM), +0:04.963
- Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:27.982
- Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +0:32.972
- Julien Lieber (BEL, KTM), +0:33.010
- Ben Watson (GBR, KTM), +0:42.319
- Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:43.909
- Conrad Mewse (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:47.263
- Thomas Covington (USA, Husqvarna), +0:47.324
- Brent Van doninck (BEL, Yamaha), +1:15.566.
MX2 Race 2 Top Ten
- Jorge Prado Garcia (ESP, KTM), 36:39.880
- Julien Lieber (BEL, KTM), +0:11.832
- Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:13.661
- Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:20.345
- Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:33.847
- Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, KTM), +0:36.833
- Conrad Mewse (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:51.589
- Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +1:01.363
- Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), +1:01.803
- Hunter Lawrence (AUS, Suzuki), +1:03.628.
MX2 Overall Top Ten
- Jorge Prado Garcia (ESP, KTM), 47 points
- Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 41 p.
- Julien Lieber (BEL, KTM), 38 p.
- Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 38 p.
- Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 34 p.
- Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 31 p.
- Conrad Mewse (GBR, HUS), 27 p.
- Ben Watson (GBR, KTM), 25 p.
- Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, KTM), 22 p.
- Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), 21 p.
Jorge Prado Garcia (ESP, KTM), 47 points
Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 41 p.
Julien Lieber (BEL, KTM), 38 p.
MX2 Championship Top Ten
- Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 589 points
- Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 539 p.
- Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 437 p.
- enoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 429 p.
- Julien Lieber (BEL, KTM), 412 p.
- Thomas Covington (USA, HUS), 351 p.
- Jorge Prado Garcia (ESP, KTM), 315 p.
- Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), 294 p.
- Hunter Lawrence (AUS, SUZ), 246 p.
- Brent Van doninck (BEL, YAM), 246 p.
MX2 Manufacturers
- KTM, 647 points
- Suzuki, 554 p.
- Husqvarna, 521 p.
- Yamaha, 476 p.
- Kawasaki, 316 p.
- Honda, 226 p.
- TM, 124 p.
