THOMAS KJER-OLSEN TAKES MX2 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD WITH BRITISH GP VICTORY.
ROCKSTAR ENERGY HUSQVARNA FACTORY RACING RIDER DOMINATES AT MATTERLEY BASIN WITH COMMANDING WINS IN ALL MX2 CLASS MOTOS.
Enjoying a perfect weekend at the impressive Matterley Basin track, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider Thomas Kjer-Olsen has claimed a deserved overall MX2 class victory following two controlled MX2 class moto wins in the United Kingdom. Collecting 50 points at the British GP, the FC 250 powered rider has also taken over the lead in the provisional MX2 World Championship standings following round two of the 2019 series.
After his strong runner-up result at the season opener in Argentina, Thomas Kjer-Olsen entered the British GP looking to continue his solid 2019 campaign. Winning Saturday’s qualifying moto, the young Dane then continued his winning ways by putting in two solid moto performances in the south of England.
Getting off to a great start in the opening MX2 moto, Kjer-Olsen was second at the close of the first lap. Making a pass for the lead shortly after he never looked back and claimed his first moto victory for the season in race one.
Taking the lead during the second lap of race two, Thomas went on to wrap up his weekend at the British GP with a perfect 1-1 score. In the absence of early FIM MX2 World Championship points leader Jorge Prado, Thomas Kjer-Olsen now enjoys a 16-point championship lead over his closest rival.
Making his World Championship debut aboard FC 250 machinery, Jed Beaton secured a solid 10th overall in the MX2 category. Claiming a strong ninth place result in the opening 250cc class moto, the young Aussie ended the weekend by placing 13th in the second and final race.
Involved in an incident with another rider during the opening laps of the first MX2 moto, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Mikkel Haarup suffered a crash and was forced to sit out the remainder of the GP.
In the MXGP category, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Arminas Jasikonis equalled his top-six overall result from the season opening GP of Argentina, securing sixth overall at Matterley Basin. Making numerous passes to finish ninth in the opening moto, the FC 450 powered rider enjoyed his best moto result to date aboard Husqvarna machinery by earning an impressive fourth place result in the second moto.
In just his second MXGP world championship event, Pauls Jonass earned yet more valuable race time aboard his FC 450. Finishing with 14th and 11th place results the former MX2 World Champion placed 11th overall in the MXGP class.
The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team will return to action at the third round of the 2019 FIM Motocross World Championship in The Netherlands on March 30/31.
Thomas Kjer-Olsen: “It’s just awesome to go 1-1 here in the UK. My weekend was really good – I won the qualifying moto and then went on the claim the overall in MX2 with two more wins. I couldn’t have asked for anything more. It’s been a long time since I got the overall win and I was happy to do it at this cool track. Matterley Basin has always been a track that I enjoy riding and this weekend I did my best to collect as many points as possible for the championship. I felt comfortable all weekend and my best moto was the last one, where the track was at its roughest. I have so much full confidence in my bike, and so much trust in all the members of my team. It was good to pay them back with this win. I also secured the red plate for the first time. Now the goal is to hold onto it and push hard during the upcoming races.”
Jed Beaton: “I had a really good weekend here at Matterley Basin. It was my first GP after many months, and I felt strong on the bike. It was good to get a top-10 in the opening moto. In the second moto I was close to the top-10 again and ended up finishing in 13th place. Getting a top-10 result in the overall is really positive for the rest of the season. There’s still a long way to go in this series. I’m pretty happy with where I am, hopefully I can start building from here.”
Arminas Jasikonis: “I’m happy with how things went here in England. I am making some steps forward and that was easy to see in the second moto. In the opening moto I could not get the best of starts and lost some time making passes. I kept pushing and ended up in ninth place. My start was a lot better in moto two and I quickly found myself in fourth position. I did my best to remain consistent and it paid off. My speed is good at the moment and the goal is to keep improving in each GP and each race.”
Pauls Jonass: “It was a tough weekend and I did my best for a good overall result. This was just my second GP in the MXGP category, and I still feel there is so much more to learn. At the moment, I am taking one race at a time and I need to get more racing experience with the FC 450. I am looking forward to the races to come and to enjoying some more time on my Husky.”
Results – 2019 FIM Motocross World Championship, Round 2
MXGP – Overall
1. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 47pts; 2. Tim Gajser (Honda) 45; 3. Gautier Paulin (Yamaha) 42… 6. Arminas Jasikonis (Husqvarna) 30… 11. Pauls Jonass (Husqvarna) 17… 14. Tanel Leok (Husqvarna) 13
MXGP – Race 1
1. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 14 laps, 36:37.831; 2. Gautier Paulin (Yamaha) 36:39.787; 3. Tim Gajser (Honda) 36:42.304… 9. Arminas Jasikonis (Husqvarna) 37:27.506… 13. Tanel Leok (Husqvarna) 37:47.752; 14. Pauls Jonass (Husqvarna) 37:48.844… 25. Ander Valentin (Husqvarna) 38:51.464; 26. Jake Millward (Husqvarna) 38:54.926… 28. Matiss Karro (Husqvarna) 39:02.374… 34. Artem Guryey (Husqvarna) 13 laps, 37:50.934
MXGP – Race 2
1. Tim Gajser (Honda) 14 laps, 36:01.717; 2. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 36:03.426; 3. Gautier Paulin (Yamaha) 36:55.921; 4. Arminas Jasikonis (Husqvarna) 36:59.354… 11. Pauls Jonass (Husqvarna) 37:30.804… 16. Tanel Leok (Husqvarna) 37:55.779… 30. Artem Guryey (Husqvarna) 13 laps, 37:54.261; 31. Jake Millward (Husqvarna) 38:37.439
MX2 – Overall
1. Thomas Kjer-Olsen (Husqvarna) 50pts; 2. Henry Jacobi (Kawasaki) 42; 3. Tom Vialle (KTM) 38… 6. Davy Pootjes (Husqvarna) 28… 8. Dylan Walsh (Husqvarna) 22… 10. Jed Beaton (Husqvarna) 20… 17. Alvin Ostlund (Husqvarna) 13… 24. Joakin Furbetta (Husqvarna) 1
MX2 – Race 1
1. Thomas Kjer-Olsen (Husqvarna) 13 laps, 35:01.449; 2. Henry Jacobi (Kawasaki) 35:05.727; 3. Tom Vialle (KTM) 35:17.609… 7. Davy Pootjes (Husqvarna) 35:37.467… 9. Jed Beaton (Husqvarna) 35:51.638; 10. Dylan Walsh (Husqvarna) 35:55.459… 15. Alvin Ostlund (Husqvarna) 36:06.231… 21. Joakin Furbetta (Husqvarna) 36:25.148… 32. Enzo Toriani (Husqvarna) 12 laps, 35:07.029; 33. Alex Gamboa Montero (Husqvarna) 35:12.138
MX2 – Race 2
1. Thomas Kjer-Olsen (Husqvarna) 14 laps, 37:10.022; 2. Calvin Vlaanderen (Honda) 37:19.958; 3. Henry Jacobi (Kawasaki) 37:26.057… 7. Davy Pootjes (Husqvarna) 37:53.599… 13. Jed Beaton (Husqvarna) 38:23.320; 14. Alvin Ostlund (Husqvarna) 38:25.363… 22. Enzo Toriani (Husqvarna) 38:56.052… 27. Hampus Kahrle (Husqvarna) 39:15.356… 29. Joakin Furbetta (Husqvarna) 39:20.434
Championship Standings – After Round 2
MXGP
1. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 97pts; 2. Tim Gajser (Honda) 89; 3. Gautier Paulin (Yamaha) 74… 6. Arminas Jasikonis (Husqvarna) 56… 11. Pauls Jonass (Husqvarna) 38… 20. Tanel Leok (Husqvarna) 13
MX2
1. Thomas Kjer-Olsen (Husqvarna) 94; 2. Henry Jacobi (Kawasaki) 78; 3. Calvin Vlaanderen (Honda) 71… 7. Davy Pootjes (Husqvarna) 50… 13. Dylan Walsh (Husqvarna) 33… 15. Alvin Ostlund (Husqvarna) 26; 16. Jed Beaton (Husqvarna) 20… 25. Mikkel Haarup (Husqvarna) 1… 27. Joakin Furbetta (Husqvarna) 1
Text/Bild: Husqvarna