Strong second moto performances from Max Anstie and Max Nagl in Suphan Buri
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Anstie and Max Nagl
have ended the second round of the 2016 Motocross World Championship
with respective runner-up and third place second moto results at the GP
of Thailand, bringing the Asian leg of the MXGP series to a positive
close for Husqvarna.
Surviving the near 40-degree heat and stifling humidity Max Nagl
kicked off the weekend with a promising seventh position in the MXGP
Qualifying Race. Nagl then made a good start in the opening MXGP race.
Racing in seventh position for most of the moto the German had a small
crash that caused damage to his radiator and forced him to retire. Nagl
returned stronger in moto two, coming close to securing the holeshot and
racing in second place for the majority of lap one. Nagl rode a fast
and steady moto to earn a well-deserved third place result.
Getting his weekend off to a highly positive start Rockstar Energy
Husqvarna Factory Racing’s MX2 rider Max Anstie was third in Saturday’s
Qualifying Race. Anstie made a promising start to MX2 race one but a
mistake pushed him off the track before the end of lap one. The Brit
quickly regrouped and started working his way forward but a technical
issue forced him to retire. Anstie finally got the chance to demonstrate
his true potential in moto two. Starting outside the top 10 the Brit
made numerous passes to earn a strong runner-up position and collect
precious championship points.
Continuing to build on his speed Christophe Charlier had a very
positive weekend of MXGP racing in Thailand. Powering his FC 450 to a
strong start in the opening moto the Frenchman found himself battling
inside the top five. Fighting it out with the MXGP elite for the first
time this year, Charlier crossed the line in 10th position. Making
another top 10 start in moto two Charlier struggled with fatigue and
placed 16th.
Battling with sickness throughout the weekend Thomas Covington
showed impressive speed. Getting off to a brilliant start in the opening
MX2 race the American found himself racing with the top MX2 riders,
eventually placing fifth. The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
rider had another good jump out of the gate in race two but a crash
early in lap one resulted in him not finishing the moto.
The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team will return to
action at round three of the FIM Motocross World Championship in The
Netherlands on March 27/28.
Max Nagl: “Getting third in moto two in
Thailand is a good reward for the hard work we’ve been putting in. It
was a difficult GP for everybody due to the extreme heat and humidity. I
had a good start in the first race and was racing in seventh position
for a very long time but I had a crash. It was nothing too serious but
caused damage to the bike with the radiator loosing all of its coolant.
It was impossible to continue. I almost got the holeshot in race two and
was second after a few turns. I got passed by two riders but managed to
fight back for third. My speed was good and I just rode consistently to
the finish. We may have lost some points in moto one but overall I’m
feeling really good on the bike. I’m glad this difficult GP is over and
we’re now heading back to Europe.”
Christophe Charlier: “We continued to make
progress in Thailand despite harsh conditions. It was a very difficult
GP and not having spent so much time on my FC 450 after the injury I
struggled with my physical condition. I had very good starts in both
motos, which is highly positive. But with the heat taking its toll on
me, I started feeling tired soon and decided to ride smart. At the
closing stages of moto two I felt pain in my injured knee too. My goal
now is to get checked by my doctor in Belgium and continue to work hard
in order to be 100% ready for the following round of the series in The
Netherlands.”
Max Anstie: “We learned a few things here in
Thailand and made some more steps in the right direction. Unfortunately,
the first race didn’t go as planned due to a mechanical. But we came
back stronger in the second race. We went to work and made the best of
the situation. I didn’t get a great start, but I was working with the
bike and managed to get second. It’s nice we now have two weeks off.
We’ll be able to continue building on what we learned. I hope I can get a
little bit stronger too. It was the first weekend that my body felt
good and that was a very positive thing ahead of the long season.”
Thomas Covington: “It was a difficult weekend
for me but I’m happy I got a good finish in moto one. I’ve been
struggling with food poisoning since Saturday so haven’t been eating
much and couldn’t sleep a lot either. The first moto was really good. I
didn’t feel great from the sickness but I got a decent start and managed
to keep a steady pace. It felt good to battle with the top guys and
earn fifth. I gave it all in the first moto so had nothing left for the
second race. My body just shut down after a few corners. Overall I’m
feeling good going back to Europe. I just need some time to get my
strength back and then I’ll be ready for round three in Valkenswaard.”
Results – FIM Motocross World Championship, Round 2
MXGP Overall
1. Romain Febvre (Yamaha) 50pts; 2. Tim Gasjer (Honda) 36pts; 3. Jeremy Van Horebeek (Yamaha) 34pts… 13. Max Nagl (Husqvarna) 20pts; 14. Christophe Charlier (Husqvarna) 16pts
MXGP Race 1
1. Romain Febvre (Yamaha) 19 laps, 34:04.313; 2. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 34:07.088; 3. Tim Gasjer (Honda) 34:10.184… 10. Christophe Charlier (Husqvarna) 35:03.504
MXGP Race 2
1. Romain Febvre (Yamaha) 19 laps, 34:41.154; 2. Ben Townley (Suzuki) 34:47.192; 3. Max Nagl (Husqvarna) 34:49.030… 16. Christophe Charlier (Husqvarna) 35:53.348
MX2 Overall
1. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 50pts; 2. Jeremy Seewer (Suzuki) 40pts; 3. Aleksandr Tonkov (Yamaha) 40pts… 9. Max Anstie (Husqvarna) 22pts… 13. Thomas Covington (Husqvarna) 16pts… 19. Ben Watson (Husqvarna) 7pts
MX2 Race 1
1. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 19 laps, 34:33.241; 2. Aleksandr Tonkov (Yamaha) 35:05.474; 3. Jeremy Seewer (Suzuki) 35:10.524… 5. Thomas Covington (Husqvarna) 35:32.950… 22. Ben Watson (Husqvarna) 17 laps, 35:04.621
MX2 Race 2
1. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 19 laps, 34:48.194; 2. Max Anstie (Husqvarna) 35:13.148; 3. Jeremy Seewer (Suzuki) 35:15.048… 14. Ben Watson (Husqvarna) 18 laps, 34:55.463
Championship Standings (After Round 2)
MXGP
1. Romain Febvre (Yamaha) 92pts; 2. Tim Gasjer (Honda) 86pts; 3. Evgeny Bobryshev (Honda) 74pts… 9. Max Nagl (Husqvarna) 44pts… 16. Christophe Charlier (Husqvarna) 24pts
MX2
1. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 100pts; 2. Jeremy Seewer (Suzuki) 74pts; 3. Aleksandr Tonkov (Yamaha) 70pts… 12. Max Anstie (Husqvarna) 33pts; 13. Thomas Covington (Husqvarna) 32pts… 17. Ben Watson (Husqvarna) 21pts
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.