Today saw a challenging opening MXGP round for Brit Monster Yamaha rider Ben Watson, who suffered a few crashes through the day at the Orlyonok circuit.
Struggling with timed practice earlier on in the day for the one-day race format, Watson sat down in 21st. Heading into moto one he had a huge off, but managed to continue on even in the thirty degree heat in Russia, bagging himself a championship point in twentieth, and a 21st in moto two.
“I’ve been struggling all day,” said Watson. “Qualifying is never my strongest point, but especially on a track like we had today where you need to take some risk.
“I never felt comfortable doing so, so I rode on safety mode all day and in this class, you’re never going to be fast if you do this. It was just one of those days, I am just happy to come out in one piece. I’ve had a couple of crashes today and one of them was really scary.
“I’m ok and I’m healthy, so I am going to stay positive, I know what I am capable of, and I won’t let this affect me. There are better days to come.”
