2017 FIM Motocross World Championship – Round 13 – Loket, Czech Republic
MX2 Report
MX2
Hunter Lawrence goes 8-8 for seventh overall on return from injury
“I got out of the gate quite well in the first moto but lost ground in the first corner and had to work my way up from outside the top 20. I got back to eighth and I was happy with that, I was feeling good, especially considering it was my first race back and my first 30 minutes plus two in the last five weeks. In the second moto I had a similar start which made my life a bit harder but I got to work and passed as many guys as I could and finished eighth again. After that I was completely finished as it’s so hard to come back to racing GPs with such little seat-time under my belt. I almost didn’t ride this weekend as I thought I’d embarrass myself so I’m delighted to have got two top-10 results and it gives me a great platform for the upcoming rounds where I’ll hopefully be much stronger.”
Jed Beaton scores MX2 Top Ten in MXGP debut with HRC
“Today was a good day for me. Like I said I wanted to improve every time I rode and that is exactly what I did this weekend. I know I just need to improve my starts as I didn’t have a good gate today and as a result I had to put in a lot of extra work to get the results. In the first race, I had to lose my goggles 15 minutes into the race but the race was not so bad. The second race the track had dried out and it was so much better and it was a better result. I just tried to ride consistently ride and maintain my speed and positions.”
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Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass came back to Loket track with a vengeance. Jonass who had a season ended crash here last year started the day in the top 5 off the start of race 1.
Ahead of Jonass on the first lap was HSF Motorsport Team’s Brian Bogers, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Covington, and his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Teammate Jorge Prado.
Covington, who struggled to pass Prado during Saturday’s qualifying race, made quick work of the #61 jumping into the lead on 2nd lap. Covington grew his lead to a considerable margin over the field and cruised to the race win.
Meanwhile Jonass first passed Bogers, who dropped to 7th by the finish, and then passed his teammate Prado. The two KTM’s stayed 2nd and 3rd to the checkered flag.
Behind them was another Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing bike belonging to Thomas Kjer Olsen. Team Suzuki World MX2’s Jeremy Seewer took the fifth spot after a frustrating start.
In race 2 another Rockstar Energy Husqvarna took the FOX Holeshot but this time it was that of Conrad Mewse. Mewse however would drop to 12th by the finish while his teammate Covington had a bad start and finished 10th.
Prado led the first lap but was again passed by his teammate Jonass who opened a gap. While Prado was second Jeremy Seewer was right on his back wheel. Seewer tried to pass Prado numerous times but was shut out by the young Spaniard.
Seewer eventually came under pressure from Kemea Yamaha Official MX Team’s Benoit Paturel. The pressure created even more urgency for Seewer who eventually clipped the back of Prado and went down. The crash swallowed up Paturel as well and the two HSF Motorsport’s rider of Calvin Vlaanderen and Brian Bogers inherited the positions.
Both Seewer and Paturel rebounded first passing the HSF bikes back and then Prado as well.
Pauls Jonass was the one who claimed the overall with an unbeatable 2-1 result
“I was feeling good all weekend. I didn’t get the best start in the first moto: the track was a bit muddy and it was difficult to make passes. I was struggling in the first laps and it was difficult to pass my teammate. I ran out of tear-offs so it became even more difficult but I still managed to finish second. The second moto start was much better and I made the pass on Jorge quite quickly and could make a gap and control the race. The track was sketchy; slippy in some parts and with traction in others. I ended my season at this track last year and it was really disappointing. I think since that crash I have changed a lot mentally and with my riding style. I am a different rider now and it is a nice feeling to come back and win the overall.”
Jeremy Seewer went 5-2 for second overall
“In the first moto I got an ok start and was going around the first corner in fifth position but on the outside. That meant that I got squeezed out, as the leaders slid out in the wet conditions, so a decent start turned into a bad start. In the beginning I could make a lot of passes as there was still rain on the track and there were some lines available, but then it started to dry and it turned into one fast dry line which made it so difficult to pass. With all the roost I ended up running out of tear-offs so I had to take the goggles off and that meant I could only finish fifth as passing any riders was so difficult. In the second race, I changed my start strategy a little bit and lined-up on the inside and it worked really well. I almost made the holeshot and then made some quick passes to get into third, but then I got stuck behind Jorge Prado Garcia almost the entire moto. I ended up crashing because of him as he braked in a corner and I ran into the back of him and Benoit Paturel ran into the back of me. I still came back strong though and passed him eventually to get second position but unfortunately Pauls Jonass was gone by then. The championship isn’t over yet though. Today wasn’t a good day, however there are still plenty of races left and we won’t give up.”
After claiming an emphatic victory in the opening MX2 moto Thomas Covington made mistakes in the second moto which saw him salvage tenth place. Still, the result was good enough for third overall for the round, securing his third consecutive MX2 class podium result for the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team.
Thomas Covington – 1-10 / 3rd overall
“I had some ups and downs so it’s quite good I got a spot on the podium. Getting third in the qualifying moto I was confident I could do even better in the final motos. I got a good start in race one and found myself following Garcia in second. I wanted to make a quick pass and I managed to pull it off. Then I kept my head down and tried to avoid mistakes. I pushed hard for the next couple of laps and got myself a clear gap for the win. With all that rain on Sunday morning the track was quite tricky. I had some bad luck in moto two as I got tangled up with some other riders right after the start. I re-joined the race from the back of the pack and slowly brought myself up to 10th. I’m happy with the podium and I’m already looking forward to Lommel.”
Jorge Prado hung on for sixth in the second moto which with his 3rd place finish in the opening moto gave the young Spaniard a top five ranking in the Grand Prix list, his best classification since a decent weekend at the French round, where the rookie claimed sixth.
Jorge Prado – 3/6 – 5th overall
“Quite a good weekend and I felt fast on the bike. In the second moto I tried to pass [Brian] Bogers but crashed and, well, it was a shame not to make the podium. Anyway, it was good to be back at the front again and be battling the leaders. It was the first time I’ve ridden here so I didn’t know what to expect. After the rain the track was really slippery but it dried quickly and when Jonass passed me I was able to find a rhythm. It was bumpy but there were quite a few options.”
Hunter Lawrence impressed on his return to action after missing the last two rounds with a back injury. The Australian rider got two eighth place finishes for seventh overall in what was a really good comeback after such little riding time.
Lawrence’s attendance at Loket was far from guaranteed, despite the doctor’s clearance, as his two training sessions in the build-up for the GP proved a real struggle. However, despite his lack of race fitness, he gritted-out two extremely impressive top 10 finishes, moving through the pack well on the tight track.
Hunter Lawrence – 8-8 / 7th overall
“I got out of the gate quite well in the first moto but lost ground in the first corner and had to work my way up from outside the top 20. I got back to eighth and I was happy with that, I was feeling good, especially considering it was my first race back and my first 30 minutes plus two in the last five weeks. In the second moto I had a similar start which made my life a bit harder but I got to work and passed as many guys as I could and finished eighth again. After that I was completely finished as it’s so hard to come back to racing GPs with such little seat-time under my belt. I almost didn’t ride this weekend as I thought I’d embarrass myself so I’m delighted to have got two top-10 results and it gives me a great platform for the upcoming rounds where I’ll hopefully be much stronger.”
Suzuki MXGP General Manager Stefan Everts
“For Hunter, it was a really impressive comeback after being off the bike so much. Two eighth places after just two days of practice is really good for him and a good sign for the rest of the season.”
Jed Beaton, made an impressive debut this weekend in his first MX2 race with HRC at the MXGP of Czech Republic.
Having not been overly pleased with his qualifying result yesterday and with a better understanding of the MX2 class, Beaton went out today to show HRC what he is capable of. His start in the first race was poor and made more difficult with a sodden track which; mid-pack, left riders caked in mud. Having used all his tear-offs whilst battling for positions, he stripped his goggles off 15 minutes into the race and fought on to take 14th.
Jed performed much better in his second race, having a bad start but managing to quickly cut his way through the pack, Beaton quickly got into 12th place. From there he went from strength to strength, with lap times increasing as the race went on and latching onto other MX2 riders his determination and consistency earnt him a well-deserved ninth place finish.
Jed Beaton – 14-9 / 12th overall
“Today was a good day for me. Like I said I wanted to improve every time I rode and that is exactly what I did this weekend. I know I just need to improve my starts as I didn’t have a good gate today and as a result I had to put in a lot of extra work to get the results. In the first race, I had to lose my goggles 15 minutes into the race but the race was not so bad. The second race the track had dried out and it was so much better and it was a better result. I just tried to ride consistently ride and maintain my speed and positions.”
Roger Harvey – HRC General Manager – MXGP
“Jed’s results were quite impressive today considering he had poor starts in both races. The first start was worse for him but the second race still left him with a lot of work to do on a track that was exceptionally difficult to pass on. I am really pleased with the way he rode today.”
The series now takes a one week break before Jed Beaton remounts the CRF250RW machine to return for his second MX2 race.
MX2 Race 1 Top Ten
- Thomas Covington (USA, Husqvarna), 35:24.193
- Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:10.380
- Jorge Prado Garcia (ESP, KTM), +0:16.628
- Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:20.439
- Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:21.297
- Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +0:22.144
- Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), +0:39.982
- Hunter Lawrence (AUS, Suzuki), +0:41.061
- Brian Hsu (GER, Husqvarna), +0:42.595
- Conrad Mewse (GBR, Husqvarna), +1:02.800.
MX2 Race 2 Top Ten
- Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 35:26.231
- Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:01.763
- Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +0:02.702
- Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), +0:13.398
- Julien Lieber (BEL, KTM), +0:20.078
- Jorge Prado Garcia (ESP, KTM), +0:23.970
- Darian Sanayei (USA, Kawasaki), +0:26.308
- Hunter Lawrence (AUS, Suzuki), +0:27.890
- Jed Beaton (AUS, Honda), +0:34.264
- Thomas Covington (USA, Husqvarna), +0:43.453.
Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 47 points
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 38 p.
Thomas Covington (USA, HUS), 36 p.
MX2 Overall Top Ten
- Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 47 points
- Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 38 p.
- Thomas Covington (USA, HUS), 36 p.
- Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 35 p.
- Jorge Prado Garcia (ESP, KTM), 35 p.
- Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), 32 p.
- Hunter Lawrence (AUS, SUZ), 26 p.
- Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 26 p.
- Marshal Weltin (USA, KAW), 20 p.
- Conrad Mewse (GBR, HUS), 20 p.
- Julien Lieber (BEL, KTM), 19p.
- Jed Beaton (AUS, Honda), 19p.
MX2 Championship Top Ten
- Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 548 points
- Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 501 p.
- Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 403 p.
- Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 398 p.
- Julien Lieber (BEL, KTM), 374 p.
- Thomas Covington (USA, HUS), 339 p.
- Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), 273 p.
- Jorge Prado Garcia (ESP, KTM), 268 p.
- Brent Van doninck (BEL, YAM), 226 p.
- Hunter Lawrence (AUS, SUZ), 225 p.
MX2 Manufacturers
- KTM, 597 points
- Suzuki, 516 p.
- Husqvarna, 487 p.
- Yamaha, 445 p.
- Kawasaki, 306 p.
- Honda, 216 p.;
- TM, 124 p.
