STRONG RESULTS FOR ROCKSTAR ENERGY HUSQVARNA’S MX2 DUO IN GERMANY.
JED BEATON SECURES FIFTH OVERALL WITH KAY DE WOLF CLOSE BEHIND IN SIXTH AT MXGP ROUND 11.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s MX2 World Championship competitors Jed Beaton and Kay de Wolf have placed fifth and sixth overall respectively at the MXGP of Germany. In both races at the Teutschenthal circuit the duo turned great starts into solid moto finishes, securing highly positive overall results for the team at round 11 of the series. Competing in the MXGP class, Thomas Kjer Olsen claimed 12th overall with Arminas Jasikonis 22nd.
The demanding, hardpack circuit of Teutschenthal in Germany played host to round 11 of the FIM Motocross World Championship. Set in a shallow valley with a layout that winds up and down the hillsides, the circuit develops plenty of deep ruts along with hard and slick sections, making it a truly challenging race track.
Continuing to deliver impressive and consistent results in the MX2 World Championship, Jed Beaton raced to a hard-earned fifth overall in Germany. Capitalising on a strong start in race one, the Australian ran up front with the leading riders and moved into fourth position with five laps to go. With the top three just out of reach, Beaton brought his FC 250 home in a well-deserved fourth place.
Lining up for race two with a strong chance of an overall podium result, Jed once again enjoyed a great start. Completing the opening lap in fifth place, the 23-year-old advanced to fourth on lap four where he would remain until the closing stages of the moto. Losing just one spot to Rene Hofer, Beaton secured fifth in the moto for fifth-overall.
Following on from his overall podium result at the previous round of the series, Kay de Wolf again impressed in Germany with a strong sixth-place overall result. Proving to be a very capable rider on all surfaces, the young Dutchman battled for position well inside the top 10 in moto one to ultimately secure an eighth-place finish.
In moto two the recently turned 17-year-old emerged from the first turn in third place and quickly engaged in a race-long battle for a top-five finish. Demonstrating his hardpack riding ability on the heavily-rutted race track, Kay would lose just a few spots to his more senior competitors as the race continued. Securing sixth in the moto, Kay was rewarded with his ninth top-10 overall result this season.
After his confidence-boosting moto win at last weekend’s FIM Motocross of Nations, Thomas Kjer Olsen brought impressive speed to Germany, placing 12th overall in the MXGP class. An opening moto 12th-place finish was followed up with a 13th second time out after a frustrating crash knocked the Dane out of ninth and a potential overall top-10 finish.
For Arminas Jasikonis, the Lithuanian put points on the board in race two with an 18th place finish, to end the MXGP of Germany in 22nd overall.
The EMX250 championship resumed in Germany for round five of the series with Maxime Grau securing a consistent 10-11 result for 11th overall.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing return to FIM Motocross World Championship action next weekend at the MXGP of France, round 11 of the series on October 10.
Jed Beaton:“It wasn’t a bad weekend overall. My starts have been really good recently, which has really helped. Starting up front makes things a lot easier as you can stay out of trouble for the most part and ride your own race. It was a difficult track today. Some parts were really fast and a little sketchy and then in other parts the ruts were really deep. Everyone seemed to be on a similar pace so my good starts really made a difference today and I was able to put two solid races together.”
Kay de Wolf:“I’m really happy with today. I qualified second, which was a little bit of a surprise but certainly good to know I that have the speed on hardpack. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the best of starts in race one, but I put it together in race two and I felt really good in that one. The track was challenging and you had to go slow to go fast as it was pretty technical with the deep ruts and lines everywhere. Overall, some more great learnings for me today and we’ll take them to France next weekend.”
Thomas Kjer Olsen:“After last weekend I was feeling really good and despite the results not showing it, there are a lot of positives from today. In the second moto I felt strong and I was attacking the track. I was in ninth and setting up a pass for eighth before I crashed. Crashing obviously isn’t positive but I felt like I was going to move further forwards in the race and it’s a shame that I went down. I feel like everything is going in the right direction and with so many races coming up, I think we can enjoy a good end to the season.”
Arminas Jasikonis:“Today was difficult and it’s been a difficult season so far. There have been a few positives but I’m just searching now for a breakout result. In race two the gate bounced a little so I dropped the clutch but I hit the gate as it didn’t drop completely. It was frustrating, but I was able to get back into the points and make passes on a track that a lot of riders struggled with. So that’s a small positive. Onto next weekend in France.”
Results – 2021 FIM Motocross World Championship, Round 11
MXGP – Overall
1. Tim Gajser (Honda) 45pts; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 42; 3. Romain Febvre (Kawasaki) 40… 12. Thomas Kjer Olsen (Husqvarna) 17; 22. Arminas Jasikonis (Husqvarna) 3
MXGP – Race 1
1. Jorge Prado (KTM) 34:52:361, 18 laps; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 34:52:504; 3. Tim Gajser (Honda) 34:56:589… 12. Thomas Kjer Olsen (Husqvarna) 35:38:998; 21. Arminas Jasikonis (Husqvarna) 36:27:295
MXGP – Race 2
1. Tim Gajser (Honda) 35:04:460, 18 laps; 2. Romain Febvre (Kawasaki) 35:16:923; 3. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 35:41:205… 13. Thomas Kjer Olsen (Husqvarna) 36:28:636; 18. Arminas Jasikonis (Husqvarna) 36:53:282
MX2 – Overall
1. Maxime Renaux (Yamaha) 42pts; 2. Tom Vialle (KTM) 45; 3. Rene Hofer (KTM) 40… 5. Jed Beaton (Husqvarna) 34; 6. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 28
MX2 – Race 1
1. Tom Vialle (KTM) 34:53:096, 18 laps; 2. Rene Hofer (KTM) 34:54:578; 3. Maxime Renaux (Yamaha) 34:55:510; 4. Jed Beaton (Husqvarna) 35:05:137… 8. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 35:29:357
MX2 – Race 2
1. Maxime Renaux (Yamaha) 35:17:306, 18 laps: 2. Jago Geerts (Yamaha) 35:33:749; 3. Tom Vialle (KTM) 35:12:306… 5. Jed Beaton (Husqvarna) 35:41:401; 6. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 35:54:020
Championship Standings – After Round 11
MXGP
1. Tim Gajser (Honda) 415pts; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 413; 3. Romain Febvre (Kawasaki) 407; 12. Thomas Kjer Olsen (Husqvarna) 177; 21. Arminas Jasikonis (Husqvarna) 72
MX2
1. Maxime Renaux (Yamaha) 448pts; 2. Jago Geerts (Yamaha) 363; 3. Mattia Guadagnini (KTM) 351; 5. Jed Beaton (Husqvarna) 324; 8. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 301
Text/Bild: Husqvarna