Solid second overall for Arminas Jasikonis at MXGP of Kegums.
Outstanding performance from Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s MXGP ace as he claims career-best runner-up result at MXGP round five.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Arminas Jasikonis has continued his impressive run of form by claiming second overall at the MXGP of Kegums, a career-best result for the Lithuanian. A pair of strong starts and two calculated rides resulted in him claiming 2-3 finishes and with it moves up to third place in the MXGP championship standings. In the MX2 division, Jed Beaton placed seventh overall after a challenging opening moto, before rebounding for a sixth-place finish in race two.
Lining up at the MXGP of Kegums following his confidence boosting race win at the previous round of the MXGP World Championship, Arminas Jasikonis made a great start to the fifth round of the series, earning a strong second-place result in the opening moto. A great start saw the FC 450 rider carve a tight inside line around the first turn to emerge in fourth place, before moving into third on lap two. The 22-year-old then made the pass for second place on lap 11 of 17, eventually collecting a well-deserved runner-up finish.
Race two saw another strong start for Jasikonis as he again held a tight line around the opening corner. Allowing the race to unfold while maintaining sixth position for the first half of the 30-minute-plus-two-lap moto, the Lithuanian then set his sights on the leading riders. Disposing of Tim Gajser and Jorge Prado on his way to a strong third-place finish, Arminas claimed second overall and moves up to third position in the MXGP World Championship.
It was another frustrating opening MX2 race for Jed Beaton in Latvia. A strong top-10 start put the Australian in a good place for a strong result until a small fall on the opening lap relegated him to 17th position. Beaton remounted his FC 250 quickly and embarked on a race-long battle through the field. Coming up just short of the top 10 with an 11th-place finish, Jed was looking for a better result in moto two.
A strong start in race two set Beaton up well. Completing the first lap in fourth place, the 22-year-old briefly moved into third position before losing a few spots in the latter stages of the race. Going on to claim sixth position, Jed was rewarded with seventh overall and now sits in a strong fifth place in the MX2 World Championship.
After riding only a handful of laps during the morning’s free practice session, Thomas Kjer Olsen made the difficult decision to withdraw from racing in Kegums. Suffering from the continuing effects of his recently fractured shoulder blade, the Danish racer elected to avoid worsening the injury. Thomas will now work on a full recovery ahead of round six of the MX2 World Championship.
Continuing to impress in his debut season of EMX250 competition, Kay de Wolf recorded a pair of strong runner-up finishes in the two motos to earn second place overall. Narrowly missing out on the overall win, de Wolf maintains his fourth-place ranking in the championship standings and closes in on the leading riders.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing will next be in action at round six of the FIM Motocross World Championship on September 6.
Arminas Jasikonis:“It was a really great day and a great way to end the week in Latvia, with second overall. The progress that the team and I made this week has been fantastic and I leave Latvia with my best ever results, so I’m really happy. As a team we are always learning and improving and we are really going in the right direction as I’m now third in the championship standings, just four points down on second place. Today was my second podium of the MXGP season and I felt strong in both races so I’m really happy with my riding at the moment. My FC 450 is set up perfectly for me so now it’s just a case of continuing the progress we are making ahead of the next GP. Finally, thank you to my team and thanks to all my fans as well who support me, it’s been a great GP for me.”
Jed Beaton:“Today was another tough one. At the end of qualifying I had a pretty decent crash, but I was ok. It just set me back a bit as I’d just qualified in second place. I was ready for the races though and I had a decent start and then just washed the front end out on the opening lap, which set me back. I managed to get up to 11th but I was a little bit spent after that one due to the heat and having to ride as hard as I could all race. The second moto was a little bit better, but it was a struggle after being a little tired from putting all my effort into race one. We’ll put this week behind us and regroup ahead of the next GP and come out swinging at that one.”
Results – 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship, Round 5
MXGP – Overall
1. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 43pts; 2. Arminas Jasikonis (Husqvarna) 42; 3. Jorge Prado (KTM) 38… 22. Tanel Leok (Husqvarna) 2
MXGP – Race 1
1. Tim Gajser (Honda) 17 laps, 35:20:589; 2. Arminas Jasikonis (Husqvarna) 35:29:368; 3. Jorge Prado (KTM) 35:41:679… 22. Tanel Leok (Husqvarna) 16 laps, 35:21:489; 25. Matiss Karro (Husqvarna) 36:08:278
MXGP – Race 2
1. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 17 laps, 35:26:803; 2. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 35:34:701; 3. Arminas Jasikonis (Husqvarna) 35:38:863… 19. Tanel Leok (Husqvarna) 37:22:582; 21. Matiss Karro (Husqvarna) 16 laps, 35:31:142
MX2 – Overall
1. Jago Geerts (Yamaha) 47pts; 2. Tom Vialle (KTM) 47; 3. Roan Van De Moosdijk (Kawasaki) 38… 7. Jed Beaton (Husqvarna) 25; 11. Josh Gilbert (Husqvarna) 17; 13. Alberto Forato (Husqvarna) 14; 22. Johannes Nermann (Husqvarna) 3; 23. Enzo Toriani (Husqvarna) 2
MX2 – Race 1
1. Tom Vialle (KTM) 17 laps, 35:38:327; 2. Jago Geerts (Yamaha) 36:02:327; 3. Ben Watson (Yamaha) 36:04:934… 7. Alberto Forato (Husqvarna) 36:48:105; 11. Jed Beaton (Husqvarna) 37:02:145; 14. Josh Gilbert (Husqvarna) 37:27:325
MX2 – Race 2
1. Jago Geerts (Yamaha) 17 laps, 35:50:720; 2. Tom Vialle (KTM) 36:08:353; 3. Roan Van De Moosdijk (Kawasaki) 36:18:893… 6. Jed Beaton (Husqvarna) 36:32:567; 11. Josh Gilbert (Husqvarna) 37:34:704; 18. Johannes Nermann (Husqvarna) 16 laps, 36:23:221; 19. Enzo Toriani (Husqvarna) 36:27:631
Championship Standings – After Round 5
MXGP
1. Jeffery Herlings (KTM) 213pts; 2. Tim Gajser (Honda) 167; 3. Arminas Jasikonis (Husqvarna) 163… 22. Pauls Jonass (Husqvarna) 26; 23. Evgeny Bobryshev (Husqvarna) 17; 29. Lars van Berkel (Husqvarna) 9; 31. Tanel Leok (Husqvarna) 6; 32. Brent Van doninck (Husqvarna) 5
MX2
1. Tom Vialle (KTM) 217pts; 2. Jago Geerts (Yamaha) 209; 3. Roan Van De Moosdijk (Kawasaki) 153… 5. Jed Beaton (Husqvarna) 148; 11. Thomas Kjer Olsen (Husqvarna) 89; 14. Alberto Forato (Husqvarna) 66; 17. Josh Gilbert (Husqvarna) 43; 26. Mattia Guadagnini (Husqvarna) 15; 33. Roland Edelbacher (Husqvarna) 5; 34. Enzo Toriani (Husqvarna) 4; 35. Johannes Nermann (Husqvarna) 3
Text/Bild: Husqvarna