RV Talks Atlas Brace!

Atlas Brace Presents “What If?”

Hindsight is always 20/20. When the risk factor is high, it’s much easier to be prepared for the worse.

We talk with Multi-Time SX and MX Champion Ryan Villopoto about why an Atlas Brace is a must have for anyone in the business of taking risks.

About: Atlas Brace Technologies is based in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, and Valencia, California. Founded in 2011, Atlas is the home of the first racer designed and racer tested next generation neck braces and body protection. The entire product line is uniquely designed and of the highest level of safety, comfort, and mobility. For more information on Atlas Brace Technologies, please visit www.atlasbrace.com

MXGP...What a Mess!

Indonesia – Race Report

Due to the extreme weather conditions at the MXGP of Indonesia the Event Management came to a decision to end the MX2 race 2 prematurely and cancel the MXGP race 2.

For the overall of MX2 – counting both Race 1 and Race 2 results – Suzuki World MX2 Team’s Jeremy Seewer came out victorious followed by TM Racing’s Samuele Bernardini and LRT KTM’s Julien Lieber. In MXGP race 1 results were used for overall classification, this secured the win for Wilvo Yamaha MXGP’s Shaun Simpson, second for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Glenn Coldenhoff, while Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Clement Desalle rounded out the podium.

MXGP racing was demanding in Indonesia but Wilvo Yamaha MXGP’s Shaun Simpson handled it better than anyone and supplied an impressive win. He said, “It was good, I was able to make some good moves the first few laps and I was in the lead about halfway through the race!”

Simpson finished just over 7 seconds ahead of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Glenn Coldenhoff. The Dutch rider rode a consistent race and maintained his speed lap after lap for his first podium of the year.

In third was Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Clement Desalle, who looked aggressive for the full race and in the end he was closing in finishing less than 5 seconds behind Coldenhoff.

Last week’s winner and red plate holder, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli, didn’t see the results of before but he managed to finish 4th overall and will continue to hold the red plate.

Finishing strong in the final spot of the top five was Husqvarna 8Biano Racing’s Rui Gonçalves.

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Romain Febvre had a blistering start and came away with the Fox Holeshot, though later in the race he had issues and would place 15th overall.  Expect the former champ to show up at the MXGP of Patagonia Argentina determined to win along with the reigning champion and the last winner of the MXGP of Patagonia Argentina Team HRC’s Tim Gajser who finished a respectable 6^th place in Indonesia.

MXGP Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), 36:06.712; 2. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:07.725; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:12.501; 4. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:39.427; 5. Rui Goncalves (POR, Husqvarna), +0:43.580; 6. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:46.099; 7. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:56.972; 8. Tanel Leok (EST, Husqvarna), +1:06.817; 9. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +1:14.269; 10. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +1:16.505

MXGP Overall Top 10: 1. Shaun Simpson (GBR, YAM), 25 points; 2. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 22 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 20 p.; 4. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 18 p.; 5. Rui Goncalves (POR, HUS), 16 p.; 6. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 15 p.; 7. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 14 p.; 8. Tanel Leok (EST, HUS), 13 p.; 9. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 12 p.; 10. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 11 p.

MXGP Championship Top 10: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 68 points; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 60 p.; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 56 p.; 4. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 44 p.; 5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 42 p.; 6. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 41 p.; 7. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HUS), 39 p.; 8. Shaun Simpson (GBR, YAM), 36 p.; 9. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 34 p.; 10. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 34 p.

MX2 Moto1

Seewer wins in mud

Possibly taking some advice from his team-owner (Stefan Everts), Jeremy Seewer had ridden a brilliant race, in muddy conditions to win the opening MX2 moto of the day.

The Suzuki factory rider, who had earlier in the moto also been caught in a massive mud hole that caught out several riders, passed everyone to win by seven seconds over early leader Davy Pootjes and Julien Lieber, who had started in last place after a poor gate pick (having not ridden yesterday determining timed qualification).

Pootjes took the holeshot and lead in the opening MX2 moto. Then came Jonass, Bernardini, Bogers, Sterry, Lawrence, Seewer, Cervellin, Vlaanderen, Watson, Paturel, Monticelli, Van Doninck, Olsen, Webster and Notsuki in 20^th. Lieber back in last place.

Bernardini made a pass on Jonass to move into second place, and Pootjes began to move away from the field. Jonass quickly got back around Bernardini, with Seewer passing Lawrence and both passing Sterry.

Bogers went down and handed Seewer fourth place and Lawrence moved into fifth. Lieber was well back after his poor gate pick, but had moved into ninth place on lap two. Olsen was also on the charge, moving into fourth place after passing both Seewer and Lawrence.

The top ten after three laps was Pootjes, with a two second lead, then Jonass, Bernardini, Olsen, Seewer, Lawrence, Sterry, Van Doninck, Lieber, and Ostlund. Bernardini began his slow drop in places, now in seventh as he begins to fade badly again.

Lawrence is riding amazing as he moves past both Olsen and Seewer to move into third place and Olsen drops back to fifth place. Lieber moves into 8^th place, and Watson is now 10^th.

Jonass passes Pootjes, and its Lawrences turn to make a mistake as he drops to 8^th place. Top ten after five laps is Jonass, Pootjes, Seewer, Sterry, Lieber, Van Doninck, Bernardini, Lawrence, Paturel, and Vaessen.

Lieber moves into fourth spot as he passes Sterry, who drops right out of the top 20.

After six laps its Jonass, Pootjes, Seewer, Lieber, Van Doninck, Lawrence, Paturel, Bernardini, Ostlund and Vaesson.

Seewer gets caught in a mud hole, that had claimed a lot of riders and Lawrence, is continues to impress moves into fourth place, after already passing Van Doninck. Lieber also impressing as he moves into third place.

Lawrence goes down in the same mud hole that caught out his team-mate Seewer, and Jonass also has trouble, dropping back to fifth. Seewer takes the lead ahead of Lieber and Pootjes. This race is just crazy.

Six or seven riders caught in the big mud hole, Jonass and Lawrence included as they drop out of the top 10. Lawrence way, way back and Jonass in 16^th place. Stefan Everts would have loved the mud hole, but a lot of riders having trouble with it.

Top ten after 13 laps is Seewer, Pootjes, Lieber, Van Doninck, Paturel, Olsen, Vlaanderen, Ward, Bernardini, and Watson.

Seewer wins it from Pootjes and Lieber.

Ray Archer image

Indonesian GP – Update

Indonesian GP

Track conditions have improved for the riders here on Sunday morning, with hardly any rain in the last 24 hours. A little this morning, but the track has held up and its looking like we will have racing today.

Big problems at the Grand Prix of Indonesia on Saturday as the track had become impossible to ride. Saturday had been cancelled for the MXGP and MX2 riders. Grid positions for today will be from the practice yesterday morning. Good news for Herlings who will start second, bad news for Julien Lieber who didn’t ride yesterday mornings MX2 practice.

There are a lot of local fans here that have come to watch so hopefully they will be able to see some good racing today.

Bottomless ruts, a lot of mud and in many rider’s opinions impossible to do two motos, even tomorrow. We talked to a few riders about the track and what they expect. More rider comments later.

Tim Gajser: The track here is very muddy but with all the rain they are having, I am not surprised. It is difficult riding conditions and the jumps are very soft so you sink into the take-off. They also have very deep ruts all over the track which are hard to ride in. It is a shame I couldn’t race this afternoon in qualifying as I just started to feel better on the track towards the end of free practise. Hopefully we will have no more rain and this will help with the race tomorrow.

Evgeny Bobryshev: The track is tough; the mud is soft and very sticky. I didn’t feel I was riding completely at my best out there as I was getting a feel for the track. We are heading into the race with times from practise, so this is not the best time for me as I didn’t put a fast lap in as I would have done in qualifying. If they do some work on the track overnight and we have no more heavy rain then it will be a lot better to race in tomorrow.

Max Anstie: “It is a bit of a mess. We come half way around the world, and it’s a bit unlucky with the weather, although it is the rainy season. I think it rains every day for six months. It’s really muddy and really sticky and the track is already destroyed and we have only done one practice. It’s a bit like a beach race to be honest, people going everywhere. It will be interesting to see what happens tomorrow. It’s going to rain tomorrow, so not too many people are going to make it around. I don’t think we will be able to finish 30 minutes. In practice my bike was so heavy. Maybe we do a two lap race and see who can survive.”

Hunter Lawrence: “I was just getting used to the track, warming up, finding my rhythm and then I was told that they could take my lap time. It’s unfortunate but with the racing I’ll just go out and try to circulate without crashing, that’s the big key. It’ll be interesting for sure.”

Michele Cervellin: I am disappointed we are not racing qualifying this afternoon but hopefully we will have no more rain and the track will be ok tomorrow. It is a lot wetter here then I thought it would be. I managed to put in a ok time for free practise so I will go out there tomorrow and work on improving this for my team.

Chihiro Notsuka: The track is a lot muddier here then I thought it would be, it is not quite what I expected Indonesia to be like but I don’t mind riding in the mud so this is ok for me. I am focusing on improving my result from last week as I wasn’t so happy with that so I am just going to go out there and ride by best tomorrow.

Jeffrey Herlings: “The track was pretty bad, so much rain here. Hopefully they will take the time from times this morning, but if they take it from the championship points, then I am not looking that good. It’s going to be difficult with a bad gate pick. The track was really bad, soft, many lines, nearly impossible to ride. I think two 35 minute motos many guys will crash or blow up their bikes. The track is just brutal.”

Bas Vaessen: “I’m just going to try and stay on two wheels, that’s the main point. If you can stay on two wheels and finish you will get a high position near the end so that’s the main goal.”

Pauls Jonass: It was really bad, every lap was getting worse and worse. To do two motos on a track like this. I think it’s impossible. I think if we go out now, we can’t do it, because the ruts get so deep and the mud is so sticky and they say more rain this afternoon. We will see what happens.

Arminas Jasikonis: “I didn’t crash and I made the most laps out of everyone. It was quite deep but it was fun to ride. I’ve missed my race bike a little bit so was happy to do the laps. Last lap I tried to do a fast lap at the end and got sixth place for tomorrow so my mood is good and I’m looking forward for tomorrow.”

Jake Nicholls: It’s pretty deep. You know it could be really good, but it’s a new track and bottomless. I think they tried to rip it and obviously when you rip it, the ground is light and it goes straight into it. The mud isn’t a problem. Obviously it keeps going down, it if was like quicksand you could just ride over the top, but it’s very sticky and a lot of mud on the bikes. It just grabs the bikes and the bikes are so heavy and we are going so slow. We could blow the bikes up, but we need to get these bikes to the next round.

Kevin Strijbos: I was fifth, I rode easy and tried not make mistakes and came up fifth. We shall see what they decide about tomorrow and if they do both motos or just one moto. Hopefully the rain can stay away and if it does, they can fix the track and I think it can be pretty decent.

Ray Archer image

Can Gomez topple Haaker at SuperEnduro in Spain?

 SuperEnduro in Spain

 

Photo Credit: Robert Lynn/Future7Media

 

Husqvarna's Colton HAAKER (USA) leads the FIM Maxxis SuperEnduro World Championship as the hotly contested series heads to Bilbao in Spain for the penultimate round.

After a six week break, the stars of the SuperEnduro are back on track this Saturday March 4th at the Grand Prix AMV Seguros of Euskadi, which will take place inside the Bizkaia Arena of the Bilbao Exhibition Centre.

Ultra dominant in Germany in early January, it's extremely clear that Colton HAAKER (USA - Husqvarna) means business in his quest for a second consecutive world title. Aside from Taddy BLAZUSIAK (PL - KTM) at his home in Krakow (Poland), no one else has troubled the American. 

However, KTM's Alfredo Gomez (E) has proved himself a serious threat on numerous occasions and is knocking on the door of a race win and overall victory. Riding on home turf and urged on by a euphoric Bizkaia Arena, the penultimate round of the series will prove pivotal for GOMEZ.

 

Photo Credit: Robert Lynn/Future7Media

 

Consistent but still slightly lacking outright speed, Jonny WALKER (GB—KTM) will have to attack hard if he wants to retain a title chance in Albi on March 18th for the Final. Training hard between rounds, he's ready to move closer to the front of the pack.

Mario ROMAN (E - Sherco) will be keen to give everything in order to keep his fourth place in the provisional standing and move closer to the top three places. But he will have to face 2016 Junior World Champion Manuel LETTENBICHLER (D - KTM) and the show-stopping rookie Pascal RAUCHENECKER (AUT - Husqvarna).

On the home front, Eloi SALSENCH (Beta) will certainly be looking to shine a little more and keep his place among the top 10 but he will have to manage the fast outsiders like Estonian Rannar UUSNA (KTM), Aurélien ADDESSO (F - Beta), Russia's David LEONOV (Husqvarna) and Sweden 's John NYSTRÖM (KTM).

A debut winner in Germany and now championship leader, Blake GUTZEIT (RSA - Yamaha) holds the reigns of the Junior class. With his confidence high, the South African knows another winning result in Bilbao will move him one step closer to the title in Albi, France on March 18th.

 

Photo Credit: Robert Lynn/Future7Media

 

But he will have to be careful as we have seen so many times this season that anything goes in the Junior category. Benjamin HERRERA (CL – TM), Kyle FLANAGAN (RSA - Sherco), Gethin HUMPHREYS (GB - Husqvarna), David CYPRIAN (CZ - KTM), Max VIAL (F - Husqvarna) and Lee SEALEY (GB - Yamaha) are sure to keep the crowd on their feet and will give everything possible to stop the South African stealing focus. Expect fireworks.

After two first rounds of wild action packed racing, we'll see if HAAKER remains on the stop step of the podium or if national favourite GOMEZ can steal the gold. Likewise, GUTZEIT has momentum on his side for victory but in a class as unpredictable as the Juniors then a new winner is certainly possible.

Adding in an additional two races for the national category ensures sparks will fly inside the Bizkaia Arena of the Bilbao Exhibition Centre on Saturday March 4th.

MXGP Indonesia..Gonna Be A Mudder!

New Sierra OT Website

The Sierra Old Timers have a new and very good looking website. Go there for club info and OT race info. They have even added our own 21J for his unique perspectives.

www.sierraoldtimersmx.net

Steward Baylor - 2017 Echeconnee MX Full Gas Sprint Enduro Test

Ride along with SRT Off-road's Stew Baylor as he rips through an enduro test on day 2 of the Echeconnee MX Full Gas Sprint Enduro.

Pit Beirer interview

Pit Beirer was a very happy man on Saturday night in Qatar. Having watched his boys Antonio Cairoli and Pauls Jonass win everything, and head to round two of the MXGP and MX2 championships with the red-plates, its little wonder he was smiling.

Always one of the most popular figures in the GP paddock, the former GP winner, and now Motorsports Director of KTM spoke to MXlarge about his rider’s performances, and also gave us a little information on the fact the US beef lobby is pushing the government to put an outrageously heavy tax on European-built motorcycles sold in America, to the tune of 100 percent of a bike’s sale price.

MXlarge: Pit, obviously it isn’t great how Jeffrey feels, with his injury, but Antonio and Pauls won, which is good, how do you feel about the weekend?

Beirer: I feel very good. I know the work in the background, from the team at home and the riders in the winter and it’s nice to get the payback from the very first grand prix like this. I know that everybody was well prepared for this weekend, only Jeffrey who got the set-back two weeks ago, but we were confident that our package was good and the bike has made a step forward from last year, but you are never sure until you get to the first GP, but we were happy and confidence. We go away with four heat wins; how can I not be happy.

MXLarge: Did you ever have a little bit of question on if Antonio was finished?

Beirer: I think I had an interview on mxlarge, I told you I didn’t believe it was the end of the road. I knew he has two bad injuries and they were holding him back. Sport is brutal, you are either there, or you are not there. There is no credit if you are not fit. If you are not 100% then the other guys catch you, you can’t have the smallest disadvantage. I mean of course there is a risk with a rider around 30 that they can go downhill, but I knew if Tony was fit, he would come back strong. That is also why we made a new contact with him, after already one year of struggling with injuries, because I still trusted him, and today he gave us the pay-back.

MXlarge: Changing the subject, the whole thing with high taxing of the European motorcycles in America. What is your opinion on that?

Beirer: I mean, it’s a difficult situation, because we have to pay a high price when meat import goes against bike import, effecting definitely KTM against all motorcycle manufactures, but I know there have been very positive meetings and we are hoping there is a good solution. It was the highest level of politics and they work day and night with good arguments. I hope it works out, because racing and business, it isn’t fair that one global player is effected and the others are not.

MXLarge: If they taxed you like they say, is it worth while KTM being in America?

Beirer: You should know, from knowing me for so many years, that I always see the positive, so we don’t see the negative now and we just look at the positives and I believe KTM should be in America, there is no reason why we shouldn’t be.

Ray Archer images

Qatar GP...What Do The Riders Think?

Qatar GP – Rider Comments

Check out what many of the riders thought about their weekends in Qatar. From the podium guys until the riders who struggled. Tomorrow exclusive interviews with MX2 winner Pauls Jonass and his Red Bull KTM team-mate Jeffrey Herlings. Also a special look at this opening GP of the season.

Antonio Cairoli: “It was a great weekend and I’m really happy. It is my fourteenth season here in the world championship and I’m really happy; not many riders have reached this before and to be here for so many years. I have won at least one GP each year, which is amazing. The start of the season we had some good races and no injuries during the winter so I could train a bit better than the years before. We also had the bike set-up much better. So I was looking forward to this first GP. I was a bit sick with some intestinal flu coming here and was still taking medicine up until Thursday so I was unsure how my reaction would be for the race but it was pretty good and I really enjoyed the racing, and the track was pretty technical so I could make some good lines in places. I could push until the end in both motos. We are really happy with the result and will be ready for the next GP.”

Tim Gajser: Yeah I am actually really happy overall with the weekend. It didn’t start the best as I have been really sick all weekend but I was able to achieve two good races despite this. The first race I didn’t have the best start and I had to battle with Bobryshev and Desalle all race. It was tough to pass because there was only actually one fast line and the other lines were not the same speed. In the second race, I had a better start, I was leading and I pulled a gap between myself and Cairoli. Then, in the last two laps I was destroyed and I couldn’t give anymore but I am happy to start the season with second overall this weekend.

Clement Desalle: “It is really good to start the year on the podium. I was not happy with how things were going on Friday. It was hard to pass, it was not easy riding out there and I wasn’t pleased! It was much better today. I had a good feeling on the bike and that is very important for me and I had some good starts. I changed my mentality a little bit but so much depends how and where you are after the second corner! Today I could make a difference. The first race is done now and we can look ahead.”

Pauls Jonass: “I didn’t expect that I would get two moto wins this weekend as well as qualifying. I had a good gate pick, two good starts, two consistent motos without any big mistakes – which was also a goal coming to this race – and to go home with two wins and my first overall makes me so happy. We still have eighteen GPs to go; it is such a long season. It will be difficult to continue like we were today but I will do my best! Today I really enjoyed my riding. I think I still have a lot of room for improvement but I am so happy with the bike and the team have done so much.”

Romain Febvre:  “I think third was my place today. Tony and Gajser were really fast and I couldn’t fight with them yesterday. It was a shame in the first moto because I made two mistakes and lost the chance for third place on the podium. I was not feeling so sharp on the track or the bike…so I’m happy to take that third in the second race.”

Evgeny  Bobryshev: Today was positive for my overall result in the championship but looking at the races I didn’t feel I did as well as I could have. In the first race, I made a mistake and dropped the bike in the corner before the start as I didn’t feel comfortable with my riding. In the second race, I had a really bad start and I struggled with the track but I know I had good speed as we changed a little bit on the bike for the second race. The changes were much better for my riding style in these conditions and I knew I was faster in the second section of the track. The track was really tough to pass; I feel that last year it was much better prepared. I was trying to change my line and I just couldn’t gain anything by doing this.

Kevin Strijbos: “First race I got a good start but ran wide and Anstie also ran wide and went off the track. I just about saved it but lost a lot of positions. My riding though, I just couldn’t push, I didn’t have any energy or anything. I don’t know what was wrong. It was better in the second moto as again I got a good jump off the metal mesh but then they moved past me when we got on the soil and I couldn’t make it up. It’s something we have to work on but overall I felt way better than the first moto, I felt strong, I felt good, but it’s so difficult to pass, I think I spent the whole race behind Jeffrey Herlings. He’s a smart rider and knows how to protect his lines but I tried and the team could see I tried. The result is not great but we are going to stay positive and keep the positive things in mind for next week and we shall see what happens in Indonesia.”

Jorge Prado: “I didn’t feel so good on the bike. I rode pretty tight and I think we can expect better in the next races: I know I can do much better. I feel pretty bad…but sometimes you have bad days. I didn’t get arm-pump but couldn’t ride like I normally do. The track was really rough and I had trouble with the deep ruts and the bumps inside them.”

Glenn Coldenhoff: “The day started off not so good. I had a bad start but worked my way up to tenth on the first lap before I wanted to push too fast and ended up making a mistake. So I had to restart dead-last and wanted to get back with the guys as quick as possible and made another mistake: I was not focussed enough. I told myself to keep calm, do my thing and get a rhythm. I had some hard fights and finishing in fifteenth is not the result we are working for. My riding was quite good in the second moto. Van Horebeek and Bobryshev passed me and those guys were just a little bit quicker. That race was quite solid though. I’m ninth in the championship right now and it could be worse.”

Jeffrey Herlings: “What can I say? It was terrible but what can we expect? I broke my hand less than two weeks ago, we got it plated the day after (the crash) and then I was supposed to race ten days later. Plus before that I had an injury with my wrist so I missed another four weeks. I didn’t really have the feeling I needed on the bike and I had a lot of pain: it was pretty bad. In Motocross you need your entire body and I wasn’t 100%. We made some improvements on the bike anyway and I’m grateful to have such a strong team behind me and such a strong 450.”Gautier Paulin: “I’m really satisfied with my performance in Qatar. To start the season with two consistent moto results for sixth overall is hugely important. It just shows there’s a great base for us to continue working during the season. The weekend started with a good third place result during qualifying. It was a good confidence booster for the rest of the GP. My bike has been working great throughout the weekend as well. In moto one I made a small mistake after the start and had to fight from the back of the pack to finish sixth. If I hadn’t lost time at the start, I believe a top three result was well within our reach. Then in moto two I didn’t get a great start but made some quick passes and found myself in fifth. Getting some consistent lap times I managed to finish fifth.”

Max Anstie: “It was a good start to the season. We proved in Qatar that we’ve done our work. I felt fast throughout the weekend and overall I’m happy with my performance. I got a good start in moto one but a few laps later I got off track and lost some time to finish 13th. Then in moto two I got an even better start and battled my way to 10th at the chequered flag. It was my first GP on a 450cc bike and I believe I showed I’m in a good place with my speed. We can continue working hard with the goal to improve from here. I’m expecting the GP in Indonesia to be a good one and I’m looking forward to it.”

Jeremy Seewer: “It’s not what we wanted to do today of course, but I’m happy to be in one piece. It’s a long season so all is not lost but I’m really disappointed. First moto I had a bad start and I crashed in a slippery spot on the first lap, my fault, and then I just couldn’t make it happen to make it through the pack. I have to say, it is very difficult here to come back from a mistake, it’s mainly one line. The second moto I lost the distance to the top few guys with my bad start but once I was through, I could go their same speed. I think the speed is there, we just have to improve a few things to get up there.”

Max Nagl: “My riding kept getting better as the racing went on. To be honest, I wasn’t feeling so comfortable on the track during the qualifying moto, but worked hard and managed to get a good pace during the final races. I got a great jump out of the gate in the opening moto, but lost a bit of time entering the first corner. Getting an eighth place result I think is good for the start of this championship. Then in moto two I had a better start but as I was battling with Coldenhoff I hit a kicker on a jump and went over the bars. It was a big crash but luckily I got away unhurt and managed to finish the race. I’m going back to Europe now to continue my training schedule for a few days, before boarding the plane to Indonesia, where the goal is to improve on my results.”

Thomas Kjer-Olsen: “I couldn’t have thought of a better way to start the season. I might have done two GPs in MX2 last year, but this feels like a whole new experience. I can’t thank the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing MX2 squad enough for all their great support. The work we’ve done during the off season has paid off and we were capable to battle for the top in Qatar. I got two great starts and kept battling for the top three throughout both motos. We had some great battles with the riders in front and I kept pushing until the end of each race. The speed is there and we shall now focus on remaining consistent. This season is going to be really long and we are hoping for the best.”

Hunter Lawrence: “First moto I was feeling good. I didn’t get the best start, top 15-20 something like that and I was coming through the pack pretty good and I was happy with how I was going. Then I made a mistake on my part with another rider, a rookie mistake. Got back up, finished 18th which isn’t the best but this is the world championship and it’s not going to be easy. I came back in, put it behind myself and looked forward to going out there and doing it again. Second race I got a better start, around 12-13, made some passes and found myself inside the top 10, coming through to finishing sixth behind Jeremy. It felt like we had a good rhythm going as a Suzuki train, so that was pretty cool. Really though, I’m just happy to have got it out of the way, the first round can have a lot of carnage so I’m happy to be walking away with no injuries and to have made good progress.”

Thomas Covington: “It’s been an up and down weekend for us. In moto one I believe I showed the speed is there. I got a decent start and was racing within the first six riders, but a small fall dropped me to 13th. Then I started pushing hard again and managed to cross the line in eighth place. My holeshot in moto two was a good confidence booster. Midway through the moto and as I was running in fifth I had a crash and then couldn’t start the bike. I know I can do a lot better and I’m really looking forward to the coming races. Next week we’re racing for the first time in Indonesia and the goal will be to battle for the top in MX2.”