THOMAS COVINGTON CLAIMS MX2 MOTO WIN AT CHALLENGING GP OF THE NETHERLANDS

Courtesy of Husqvarna Motorcycles

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Covington has secured his debut race victory of the 2016 FIM Motocross World Championship, winning moto one at the GP of The Netherlands.

Completing a confident and well-calculated race the American took the lead before the halfway point of the moto before going on to dominate the field and finish 21 seconds clear of second-placed Jeffrey Herlings. Frustratingly, a series of mistakes resulted in the FC 250-powered Covington having to settle for 16th in moto two.

Fast and consistent despite challenging and changing track conditions, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s MXGP star Max Nagl wrapped up round 16 of the 2016 FIM Motocross World Championship with fourth overall in Assen. With his FC 450 powering him to a good start in moto one, Nagl remained mistake-free and managed to cross the finish line in sixth place.

As the deep sand dried out during moto two, Nagl rode another smart race to finish a strong fourth. Remaining third in the MXGP championship standings, the German rider further increased the gap to fourth-placed Romain Febvre to 20 points.

GP of The Netherlands was also highly positive for Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Anstie, who like Nagl secured fourth overall. Following his winning results during the previous two GPs Anstie suffered from a number of small mistakes in both MX2 motos, which reduced his chances of a third consecutive podium result.

Going down after the first corner in moto one the young Brit was left with a mountain to climb. He came from the back of the pack to cross the line in eighth place. Luck wasn’t on Anstie’s side in moto two either. Battling for the runner-up spot he went down on the very last lap and had to settle for fourth.

Struggling with an ankle injury he picked up during the qualifying race, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Conrad Mewse was unable to continue his strong run of form in Assen. Earning two top 20 results he rounded out the GP of The Netherlands in 23rd position.

The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team will now journey to the US to contest round 17 of the FIM Motocross World Championship in Charlotte Motor Speedway on September 2/3. The final round of the series will take place a week later at the historic Glen Helen track.

Thomas Covington: “It’s been a great GP and I’m happy the off-season training has finally paid off. The conditions were really hard in moto one. I got a great start behind Prado. I knew it was going to be a long race so I just tried to relax and remain focused. A couple of guys crashed and when I got the lead I tried to be fast without making mistakes. Everything went perfect and we managed to secure the win. In moto two I got a bad start and crashed in the opening lap. I had two more crashes during the race so it was difficult to stay close to the leaders. The speed is there and I’m really looking forward to the next two GPs back home in the US. The goal is to battle for the overall podium in MX2.”

Max Nagl: “It was a challenging GP and I’m pleased with fourth overall. The track was really demanding. Especially the opening moto, which felt like an extreme enduro race. There was water everywhere and in some parts of the track you had to struggle to stay on two wheels. I got a decent start and battled my way to sixth place. Conditions were drier in moto two. I had a good start and had some good battles to cross the line in fourth. I think I made the best out of a difficult GP and I’m really happy. All my team did a great job this weekend and we managed to make a few more improvements in our suspension set-up. We’re flying out to the US on Tuesday to adapt to the conditions there. The plan is to battle for the podium in each of these two last GPs on US soil.”

Max Anstie: “Overall, we had a good GP. In the first race I put myself in a good position after the gate dropped and almost got the holeshot. Unfortunately, I hit a soft spot on the track after the first turn and did a front flip. I had to work my way through the rankings, but rode strong and ended up finishing eighth. I got a good start again in moto two and found myself in second after the first turn. The track was really different in moto two. They’d flattened everything and everyone was flat out. Just before the end I made my move to Prado for second but ended up going down with two turns to go. I ended up fourth losing a spot on the overall podium. That’s just how it was and we now need to focus on the remaining two GPs. My goal is to be up front and end the season on a high note.”

Conrad Mewse: “To be fair I found this GP quite difficult. I crashed during the warm-up session on Saturday and hurt my ankle, so I was forced to battle through pain throughout both motos on Sunday. I just tried to do my best and ended up finishing inside the top 20 on both motos. This was my last GP for 2016. It’s been a great season and I’ve really learnt a lot. I can’t thank the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna team enough for giving me the opportunity to race in MX2. My plan is to get back to work so hopefully next year we can consistently fight for the top five in MX2.”

Results – FIM Motocross World Championship, Round 16

MXGP Overall
1. Clement Desalle (Kawasaki) 44 points; 2. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 43; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (KTM) 40; 4. Max Nagl (Husqvarna) 33… 14. Rui Goncalves (Husqvarna) 16… 17. Jake Nicholls (Husqvarna) 9

MXGP Race 1
1. Shaun Simpson (KTM) 17 laps, 34:23.278; 2. Clement Desalle (Kawasaki) 34:31.789; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (KTM) 34:38.927… 6. Max Nagl (Husqvarna) 34:58.995; 7. Rui Goncalves (Husqvarna) 35:06.162… 20. Jake Nicholls (Husqvarna) 16 laps, 34:41.857… 25. Rick Satinik (Husqvarna) 15 laps, 35:49.298

MXGP Race 2
1. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 19 laps, 34:18.739; 2. Clement Desalle (Kawasaki) 34:20.845; 3. Glen Coldenhoff (KTM) 34:22.006; 4. Max Nagl (Husqvarna) 34:24.109… 13. Jake Nicholls (Husqvarna) 35:42.286… 19. Rui Goncalves (Husqvarna) 36:06.930… 23. Rick Satinik (Husqvarna) 18 laps, 36:15.935

MX2 Overall
1. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 47pts; 2. Brian Bogers (KTM) 40; 3. Jorge Prado (KTM) 31; 4. Max Anstie (Husqvarna) 31; 5. Thomas Kjer Olsen (Husqvarna) 30; 6. Thomas Covington (Husqvarna) 30… 9. Lars van Berkel (Husqvarna) 25… 20. Sven Van der Mierden (Husqvarna) 6… 23. Conrad Mewse (Husqvarna) 3

MX2 Race 1
1. Thomas Covington (Husqvarna) 17 laps, 36:09.602; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 36:31.382; 3. Brian Bogers (KTM) 36:31.823; 4. Lars van Berkel (Husqvarna) 36:51.731… 7. Thomas Kjer Olsen (Husqvarna) 37:11.030; 8. Max Anstie (Husqvarna) 37:12.856… 18. Sven Van der Mierden (Husqvarna) 16 laps, 36:15.500… 20. Conrad Mewse (Husqvarna) 36:29.026

MX2 Race 2
1. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 19 laps, 34:07.512; 2. Jorge Prado (KTM) 34:42.247; 3. Brian Bogers (KTM) 34:44.887; 4. Max Anstie (Husqvarna) 34:52.585; 5. Thomas Kjer Olsen (Husqvarna) 35:06.455… 14. Lars van Berkel (Husqvarna) 18 laps, 34:17.959… 16. Thomas Covington (Husqvarna) 34:30.710… 18. Conrad Mewse (Husqvarna) 35:05.391… 25. Sven Van der Mierden (Husqvarna) 16 laps, 34:50.360

Championship Standings (After Round 16)

MXGP
1. Tim Gajser (Honda) 653 points; 2. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 588; 3. Max Nagl (Husqvarna) 542… 14. Christophe Charlier (Husqvarna) 198... 21. Jake Nicholls (Husqvarna) 103... 23. Rui Goncalves (Husqvarna) 49… 42. Rick Satink (Husqvarna) 4

MX2
1. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 644 points; 2. Jeremy Seewer (Suzuki) 568; 3. Benoit Paturel (Yamaha) 460; 4. Max Anstie (Husqvarna) 447… 11. Thomas Covington (Husqvarna) 225… 18. Conrad Mewse (Husqvarna) 126… 26. Lars van Berkel (Husqvarna) 56; 27. Thomas Kjer Olsen (Husqvarna) 54… 32. Ben Watson (Husqvarna) 39… 38. Pascal Rauchenecker (Husqvarna) 24… 40. Davide Bonini (Husqvarna) 21… 43. Nicholas Lapucci (Husqvarna) 16; 44. James Dunn (Husqvarna) 15… 51. Sven Van der Mierden (Husqvarna) 6



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