THOMAS KJER-OLSEN WINS GP OF LATVIA

Courtesy of Husqvarna Motorcycles

THOMAS KJER-OLSEN WINS GP OF LATVIA ROCKSTAR ENERGY HUSQVARNA FACTORY RACING SECURES FIRST OVERALL MX2 CLASS VICTORY FOR THE SEASON AT KEGUMS Returning to the track where he won the first GP of his career last year, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Kjer-Olsen has claimed the overall MX2 class victory at the MXGP of Latvia. Putting in two strong moto performances at the Kegums track, Gautier Paulin secured his second podium result for 2018 by finishing third overall in the MXGP category. Taking place at the sandy track of Kegums, round seven of the 2018 FIM Motocross World Championship was a highly successful one for the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team. Spearheading the team’s efforts in the 250cc category was young Dane Thomas Kjer-Olsen. Leading the way from start to finish in the opening MX2 moto, Kjer-Olsen secured his first moto victory of the season. Well-placed inside the top five after the start of moto two, the FC 250 powered rider wrapped up the weekend with a strong runner-up result. Remaining third in the MX2 World Championship standings, Kjer-Olsen is now 16 points behind the provisional runner-up. Going from strength to strength following his recent knee injury, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Covington showed good speed at the demanding Latvian track. Securing a solid third place result in the opening MX2 moto, the American was unfortunately unable to finish moto two following a crash. The GP of Latvia saw Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Gautier Paulin secure a spot on the elite MXGP class podium. Finishing fourth in the opening MXGP moto, the Frenchman improved to third in the second moto. Claiming third overall in the class at Kegums, Gautier is now just five points behind the fourth placed rider in the provisional MXGP World Championship standings. Enjoying a steady performance at the Kegums track, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Anstie claimed eighth overall in the MXGP category. Securing a set of 7/9 moto results in Latvia, the Brit is looking forward to the following GP in Germany. The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team will return to action at the eighth round of the 2018 FIM Motocross World Championship in Germany on May 19/20. Thomas Kjer-Olsen: “I’m really happy with the way things turned out here in Latvia. Coming back to Kegums after my victory last year, I immediately got a great feeling aboard my Husqvarna. I couldn’t have wished for a better performance in moto one. Getting the holeshot I put my head down and managed to remain in the lead until the flag drop. In moto two I didn’t get such a good start but did my best to put myself in a good position. Running in second behind Prado I launched an attack for the moto win, but a small mistake made things harder. Overall, it’s been a great weekend for me and I can’t thank all the members of our team enough for all their hard work during the season.” Thomas Covington: “It’s been a positive weekend. I felt good coming back from my knee injury and the speed was there to battle with the top guys. I had a good start in the opening moto and gradually worked my way up to third. Then in the second moto my start wasn’t that good, but I did my best to get as close as possible to the leading pack. My bike was working great so I kept improving my speed. Unfortunately following a crash I had a small issue that did not allow me to finish the race. Overall, I’m happy with the progress made and I’m now looking forward to the next GP in Germany.” Gautier Paulin: “It was good weekend for us. I’ve been working a lot with my team to improve all the little details, so to get on the podium was a good reward for all the hard work. I’m happy because in both motos I could ride the way I wanted to and improve myself as each race went on. In the opening moto I made a late attack for third at the final lap but it didn’t go as planned so I had to settle for fourth. My bike was working great and I was happy to get a good start in moto two. I was riding really good and managed to defend my third position until the end of the moto. Overall, my riding was good here in Latvia and the goal now is to keep this momentum and get even better in the races to come.” Max Anstie: “It took me some time to be 100% following the concussion I suffered in Spain, but I’m happy I managed to battle for two good results here in Latvia. The new track layout made Kegums completely different. It was a warm weekend and the track was quite bumpy and rough. Overall, I feel that I’m making some progress with my speed and it’s also important that I managed to remain consistent in both motos. It’s nice to be up there racing with the top guys in MXGP. I’m enjoying being back racing and each day we’re building on the small details.” Download high-res images from the GP of Latvia here.  Results – 2018 FIM Motocross World Championship, Round 7  MXGP - Overall  1. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 50pts; 2. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 44; 3. Gautier Paulin (Husqvarna) 38… 8. Max Anstie (Husqvarna) 26… 17. Tanel Leok (Husqvarna) 7… 21. Ander Valentin (Husqvarna) 3… 23. Harri Kullas (Husqvarna) 1 MXGP - Race 1  1. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 18 laps, 35:17.750; 2. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 35:20.845; 3. Romain Febvre (Yamaha) 35:48.495; 4. Gautier Paulin (Husqvarna) 35:49.003… 7. Max Anstie (Husqvarna) 36:18.892… 20. Tanel Leok (Husqvrna) 17 laps, 35:33.438… 22. Harri Kullas (Husqvarna) 35:50.831… 24. Ander Valentin (Husqvarna) 35:54.583 MXGP - Race 2  1. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 18 laps, 35:20.083; 2. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 35:26.236; 3. Gautier Paulin (Husqvarna) 36:16.165… 9. Max Anstie (Husqvarna) 36:59.470… 15. Tanel Leok (Husqvarna) 17 laps, 35:29.719… 18. Ander Valentin (Husqvarna) 35:50.380… 20. Harri Kullas (Husqvarna) 36:18.090… 26. Klemen Gercar (Husqvarna) 35:25.365 MX2 - Overall  1. Thomas Kjer-Olsen (Husqvarna) 47pts; 2. Jago Geerts (Yamaha) 38; 3. Pauls Jonass (KTM) 38… 7. Henry Jacobi (Husqvarna) 24… 10. Iker Larranaga (Husqvarna) 21… 12. Thomas Covington (Husqvarna) 20 MX2 - Race 1  1. Thomas Kjer-Olsen (Husqvarna) 17 laps, 34:09.629; 2. Pauls Jonass (KTM) 34:20.684; 3. Thomas Covington (Husqvarna) 34:29.374… 6. Henri Jacobi (Husqvarna) 35:00.836… 12. Iker Larranaga (Husqvarna) 35:23.125 MX2 - Race 2  1. Jorge Prado (KTM) 17 laps, 34:24.759; 2. Thomas Kjer-Olsen (Husqvarna) 34:27.440; 3. Jago Geerts (Yamaha) 34:29.270… 9. Iker Larranaga (Husqvarna) 35:23.347… 12. Henry Jacobi (Husqvarna) 35:45.826 Championship Standings – After Round 7  MXGP 1. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 336pts; 2. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 307; 3. Clement Desalle (Kawasaki) 244… 5. Gautier Paulin (Husqvarna) 218… 15. Max Anstie (Husqvarna) 81; 19. Tanel Leok (Husqvarna) 48… 26. Harri Kullas (Husqvarna) 15… 27. Ander Valentin (Husqvarna) 8 MX2 1. Pauls Jonass (KTM) 304pts; 2. Jorge Prado (KTM) 282; 3. Thomas Kjer-Olsen (Husqvarna) 266… 8. Henry Jacobi (Husqvarna) 128… 11. Thomas Covington (Husqvarna) 122… 14. Iker Larranaga (Husqvarna) 108… 22. Brent Van Doninck (Husqvarna) 49

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