Elzinga Celebrates Career-Best Finish in Sweden
Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2’s Rick Elzinga put in a phenomenal performance at the 15th round of the FIM MX2 World Championship in Uddevalla, Sweden. The young Dutchman tied on points for third overall after powering his YZ250FM to a career-best third-place finish in Race One and securing a hard-fought fifth in Race Two.
Heavy overnight rain made the Uddevalla circuit extremely rough and treacherous. Despite the unpredictable nature of a muddy track, Elzinga was sensational. The ‘44’ had a brilliant start and showed his true potential as he remained calm and in control while navigating the tough conditions to secure his first-ever top-three finish.
However, in contrast to Race One, he did not have a favourable start in Race Two and had to fight forward from the back of the pack. Despite facing an uphill battle, made harder by some visibility issues, the Dutchman put in a mind-blowing charge to finish fifth.
A 3-5 scorecard placed him fourth overall, and despite the frustration of finishing fourth but on the same points as the rider in third, Elzinga leaves Sweden satisfied with the progress he is making in his rookie season.
After missing four rounds of the championship through injury, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2’s Jago Geerts and Thibault Benistant still maintain third and sixth, respectively, in the MX2 Championship Standings. At the same time, Elzinga has moved up to 10th.
The next round of the championship will take place on Elzinga’s home soil in Arnhem, The Netherlands, next weekend, 19th and 20th August.
Click here to view the results from the MX2 Grand Prix of Sweden.
Rick Elzinga
4th MX2 Grand Prix of Sweden, 36-points
10th MX2 World Championship Standings, 306-points
“I had a good weekend. In the first race, I just missed out on getting the holeshot. I was third around turn one and stayed there for the whole moto. I think I could have ridden a little bit better if I was more relaxed rather than thinking about saving P.3, but it’s still a personal best, so I am happy with that. In the second race, I don’t know what I did. I think it was the worst start of my life. I pushed hard to come back, even though I had problems with my goggles, pretty much straight away. The track was really one-lined, so it was very difficult to make passes. I finished on the same points as third, so I was really close to the podium, but there are still plenty of chances left to get there, and I am really happy with the progress I am making.”
