Jordi Tixier scored a third place finish for the Monster Energy Kawasaki MX2 Racing Team in the Swedish round of the FIM World MX2 Motocross Championship at Uddevalla. But it was mixed fortunes for Kawasaki in Sweden.
The Frenchman had been top three throughout practice and qualification on the day prior to the GP but was content to race in fifth position in treacherously slippery conditions during the first half of the opening moto as the organisers tried to combat the threat of dust with heavy track watering.
Sadly his bike was damaged as he started to mount a challenge and he was forced to retire. Jordi took an excellent start in the second race, disputing the early lead before settling into a solid third place. Finding his rhythm through the final laps he caught the leaders to finish just three seconds behind the winner. He now holds sixth place in the championship standings.
Max Anstie confirmed the speed of his Monster Energy DRT Kawasaki with fourth fastest time in practice and a strong ride through the pack to sixth from a poor start in qualification.
He again found himself downfield on the opening lap of both GP motos and retired from the opening moto after losing much time in a pit stop to replace his goggles after getting filled in on the opening lap when another rider ran though a deep puddle of water.
Max again showed his speed as he advanced from an initial 14th to finish seventh in race two and he has now advanced to seventh in the series points standings.
Thomas Covington of the Monster Energy Kawasaki MX2 Racing Team started the weekend brightly with seventh in free practice, but the unfamiliar track conditions caught out the American teenager as he tried to push for honours and a series of falls affected his results.
He eventually finished the GP 16th from 13th and 17th moto finishes and is now 14th in the series standings.
French teenager David Herbreteau was racing for the first time since he was injured at the French GP in May and sensibly adopted a cautious approach in the tricky conditions. After scoring a solid 16th placed finish in the opening moto he was eliminated from 12th midway through race two when a rival took his line and forced the youngster to crash. Fortunately he was not injured and will again contest the GP in Latvia next weekend.
David Herbreteau crash MXGP of Sweden
“It was frustrating to have a technical issue and retire in the first race as I was in the top five; we all know that it’s part of racing and we have to deal with that,” said Jordi Tixier. “My second start was much better but it took me a few laps to find a good rhythm and I finished third. I was close to second but it was impossible to find another line to pass. It’s the third GP in a row that I have missed the podium, so I want to turn that around next week and finish my MX2 career with a string of podium finishes before moving to MXGP with the Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team next year.”
Max Anstie: “I was pretty happy with how I was riding all weekend and that’s good; I felt I made some improvements on this slippery track. I’m sure we could have fought for the podium here with some better starts, but they watered the track a lot and that made it difficult; I was just riding really safe on this track but we’re working and learning this season and hopefully we can get some better results next week in Latvia.”
Thomas Covington: “It was a tough weekend, I struggled with the track which was so slippery; my speed was there but every time I pushed I crashed. I need more practice on this kind of track in the off-season; I need to spend more time in Europe. I will keep working to do my best and achieve some good results again. I never raced in Latvia, I know that it’s sandy and I think it will be good for me.”
David Herbreteau: “It was my comeback race after my crash in France, and I only rode my bike for the first time this week and I never really enjoyed my weekend. The track was really strange here and I was unlucky; in the first race I made a mistake, in the second one Van Doninck did a stupid move on a jump and I had a big crash in front of the pit lane. I was lucky not to get hurt again, but now I think that a top ten result is possible and I will work hard this week to prepare for Latvia. I want to thank Monster Energy and the Kawasaki MX2 Racing Team for this opportunity to ride a couple of GPs.”
