Taking advantage of a strong moto two performance Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Nagl wrapped up round 11 of the Motocross World Championship with a second place overall result at the GP of Great Britain.
Showing impressive speed around a fast Matterley Basin track the German star started the weekend securing a runner-up spot in MXGP’s qualifying race. With track conditions deteriorating for Sunday’s motos, Nagl was unable to get a good start in the first moto. Struggling to find passing spots he rode a smart moto to cross the line in seventh place.
Nagl lined up for the second MXGP moto knowing he had the speed to battle for the top. He made a strong start, taking a clear holeshot and led the race for the first six laps. With rain coming into play halfway through the race he opted not to take any unnecessary risk and allowed Tim Gajser to pass. Crossing the line as a runner-up he placed himself on the MXGP podium for the fifth time this season.
“It was a pretty good weekend,” said Nagl, “I always enjoy coming to the British GP and especially this track. I got a good start in the qualifying race and finished second so I earned a good gate pick for the final motos. In the opening race I didn’t manage to get a good start. I was seventh or eighth and spent most of the race stuck behind Van Horebeek. I was faster than him but couldn’t find a place to pass, so I settled for seventh.
“We made some changes with my bike between the motos. We changed gearing and it worked to our advantage. I got a massive holeshot in moto two and then put five really intense laps in to make a small gap of almost six seconds. When the rain started coming down I had to slow down a bit and Gajser passed me. I was surprised with getting second overall. But we’ve got so many fourth places this season so I guess we deserved to be on the podium this time.”
For Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s MXGP rider Christophe Charlier the GP of Great Britain ended with the Frenchman earning 17th place in the overall class standings. Getting a good start in the opening moto Christophe rode a sold moto to end 12th. Showing he had the speed to fight for the top ten the Frenchman frustratingly saw his chances of a good moto two result vanish after crashing in the first corner. Battling his way from the back of the pack he finished moto two in 21st.
“It was more like an up and down weekend for us,” Charlier commented. “I got a good start in the opening moto and was pushing hard so I got to finish in 12th position. I was feeling quite good with my riding and the bike so I was hoping for an even better result in moto two. Unfortunately I got a bad start and then crashed in the very first corner. I quickly got back to the race and started passing other riders. I made a few good passes but when the rain started falling I realised my goggles had broken from the crash, so I had to make a quick stop to replace them in the pit area. We’ve had quite a few challenging GPs so far but I’m feeling good with my speed and on the bike. I believe this can only get better for us from now on.”
MX2
Racing in front of his home crowd, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s MX2 rider Max Anstie kicked off the GP of Britain winning the qualifying race on Saturday afternoon. Unable to make good use of his advantageous starting position in moto one the Brit had to battle from 15th at the end of the first lap to an eventual eight place finish.
Getting a much better start in moto two Anstie stayed close to the leading group to finish in fourth position. Earning fifth overall at his home GP he also climbed to seventh in the class’ championship standings.
“It’s always nice to race your home GP so it was a special weekend for me,” Anstie enthused. “It started on a high note with me getting a good start and then riding a perfect qualifying race to get the win.
“Conditions were more difficult on Sunday but I tried not to let that affect me. In the first moto I hit the gate with my front wheel and lost some time. That actually messed up my whole start and I had to start passing riders. I think I was outside the top 20 after the first few corners but battled back to eighth place. I got a much better start in the second moto and kept pushing hard to finish fourth. Overall, I believe it was a positive weekend and I felt strong on my bike. We take our fifth overall from this GP and continue working hard to get better.”
Enjoying the most successful GP of his rookie season in the Motocross World Championship Conrad Mewse secured an impressive seventh overall. Getting a great start in moto one the Brit stayed in the battle for the top three for the first seven laps before settling for a strong fifth place finish. Equally fast in moto two he got another strong start and went on to secure ninth at the chequered flag.
“My weekend started really good,” said Mewse, “I got eighth in the qualifying race and I was really happy with that. It gave me loads of confidence to push for a top 10 result on Sunday. Then in the first moto I got a really good start, which I was very happy with. The bike was working great and everything was perfect. I held on racing with the top three for quite a few laps before settling for fifth. It’s my career best result so far and I’m actually over the moon with that. In the second moto I got another good start inside the top ten but started getting tired halfway through the moto. I came home in ninth for seventh overall. It was a solid weekend at my home GP and now I can hopefully keep the momentum going for the next rounds of the 2016 series.”
With Thomas Covington finishing 10th overall in MX2 it meant all three Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing MX2 riders were placed inside the class’ top 10. In just his second GP back to action Covington rode a solid moto one for sixth and went on to wrap up the GP of Great Britain with 17th in moto two.
Covington commented: “It might have been my second GP back from injury but already I feel I have the speed to battle for the top in MX2. In the first moto I got a good start and battled for the top five for a few laps before settling for sixth. Then in the second moto they held the gate for a bit longer than I thought so I had a bad reaction time. As the rain started falling I had a vision problem and had to take my goggles off. With all the small rocks hitting my helmet it wasn’t easy to keep a good race pace and I finished 17th. Despite this unlucky moment I think my speed was there. I just have to keep on working hard and the results will come.”
The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team will return to action at round 12 of the FIM Motocross World Championship in Mantova, Italy on June 25-26.