THOMAS KJER OLSEN SHOWS OUTSTANDING FORM TO MXGP ROUND 15.
DANISH RACER BATTLES HARD FOR SIXTH OVERALL AT MXGP OF PIETRAMURATA.
Delivering his breakout ride in the 2021 MXGP World Championship, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Kjer Olsen has placed sixth overall at the MXGP of Pietramurata following two inspiring rides. Eighth in moto one before going one better for seventh in moto two, the Dane continued his strong run of consistent results in the best possible way. In the MX2 class, crashes for both Jed Beaton and Kay de Wolf proved costly, with Beaton eventually faring best to secure seventh overall while de Wolf placed 11th.
Since his impressive performances just one month ago at the FIM Motocross of Nations, Thomas Kjer Olsen has continually delivered strong overall finishes in the MXGP World Championship, delivering his best yet at round 15 of the 2021 MXGP series.
In the opening moto, Kjer Olsen was fortunate to stay upright after riding over a fallen rider’s machine in turn one and completed the opening lap down in 15th place. Despite the Pietramurata track offering limited passing opportunities, the FC 450 racer was able to work his way forwards throughout the moto and following an impressive charge through the field he secured an eighth-place finish.
Shortly after the start of race two, the Dane once again found himself just outside the top 10. But after using many of the same lines that he used to make passes in race one, he moved into seventh place on lap eight. With a sizable gap to the top six, Thomas maintained his impressive pace to secure seventh in the moto for sixth overall and is now tied for ninth in the series standings.
In the MX2 class, Jed Beaton is another Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider that has delivered solid round-by-round results in recent weeks. Frustratingly, a crash that was outside of his control early in moto one contributed to a disappointing 16th-place finish. Regrouping for race two, and following another great start, Beaton charged hard to place third in the moto, crossing the finish line just seven seconds behind the eventual race winner, Rene Hofer.
Unfortunate crashes in both races saw Kay de Wolf narrowly miss out on another top-10 finish with the Dutchman claiming 11th overall after two challenging motos. With the determined youngster collecting more vital points, Kay maintains his eighth-place ranking in the MX2 World Championship with just four rounds to go.
Competing in the EMX250 class, Maxime Grau secured his best overall result of the season with a strong seventh-place result. Now, with three rounds to go, the young Frenchman lies 10th in the series standings.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing return to the Pietramurata circuit for the third and final time on October 31, for round 16 of the FIM Motocross World Championship, the MXGP of Garda.
Thomas Kjer Olsen:“Today was just awesome. From the moment I headed out onto the track in qualifying I felt great on the bike and that really showed in my performances. It’s a hard track to pass on but I came through in both motos from outside the top-10 and I was able to battle to the end, which is something I’ve really worked on improving recently. It’s been a great day and if I can improve my starts I’m excited to see if I can battle with the guys a bit further up the field.”
Jed Beaton:“Another tough one today and it was just down to being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I was coming through the pack with Mattia Guadagnini and he slid out in a corner just a little bit, which clipped my front tyre and then a few of us went down in a heap. All my focus was then on moto two and I made it happen with a third-place finish, which made up for race one. But overall, today should have been better.”
Kay de Wolf: “Not my best day today and certainly a learning one. My starts were not the best in either race which didn’t help and crashing in both motos made for a difficult day. I had a good second moto going but then I crashed out of ninth and ended up 12th for 11th overall. It’s now onto the next one here on Sunday and the goal is to put together two good rides and leave this track with a strong result.”
Results – 2021 FIM Motocross World Championship, Round 15
MXGP – Overall
1. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 45pts; 2. Tim Gajser (Honda) 42; 3. Romain Febvre (Kawasaki) 41… 6. Thomas Kjer Olsen (Husqvarna) 27
MXGP – Race 1
1. Romain Febvre (Kawasaki) 34:48:910, 20 laps; 2. Tim Gajser (Honda) 34:49:918; 3. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 35:14:398… 8. Thomas Kjer Olsen (Husqvarna) 35:45:571
MXGP – Race 2
1. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 35:08:916, 20 laps; 2. Jeremy Seewer (Yamaha) 35:11:517; 3. Tim Gajser (Honda) 35:13:831… 7. Thomas Kjer Olsen (Husqvarna) 35:55:003
MX2 – Overall
1. Rene Hofer (KTM) 43pts; 2. Jago Geerts (Yamaha) 37; 3. Ruben Fernandez (Honda) 36… 7. Jed Beaton (Husqvarna) 25; 11. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 22
MX2 – Race 1
1. Tom Vialle (KTM) 34:41:767, 20 laps; 2. Jago Geerts (Yamaha) 34:44:897; 3. Ruben Fernandez (Honda) 35:06:070… 8. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 35:51:063; 16. Jed Beaton (Husqvarna) 36:17:569
MX2 – Race 2
1. Rene Hofer (KTM) 34:01:864, 19 laps; 2. Mattia Guadagnini (KTM) 34:05:658; 3. Jed Beaton (Husqvarna) 34:08:823… 12. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 34:59:287
Championship Standings – After Round 15
MXGP
1. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 573pts; 2. Romain Febvre (Kawasaki) 572; 3. Tim Gajser (Honda) 570… 10. Thomas Kjer Olsen (Husqvarna) 266; 22. Arminas Jasikonis (Husqvarna) 87
MX2
1. Maxime Renaux (Yamaha) 595pts; 2. Jago Geerts (Yamaha) 508; 3. Tom Vialle (KTM) 492; 5. Jed Beaton (Husqvarna) 454; 8. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 384
Text/Bild: Husqvarna