Delivering strong performances at the fast and slippery Orlyonok track, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Kjer-Olsen has claimed two top five MX2 class results at the GP of Russia. Earning fifth in the class’ overall standings, the young Dane remains third in the 2018 MX2 World Championship’s provisional standings.
Battling through a crash in his qualifying race, Kjer-Olsen put his head down and pushed hard for good results during the final motos. Fourth in the opening MX2 race, the FC 250 powered rider collected a fifth-place result in the second and final moto.
Back to racing action following his knee injury two weeks ago at the Portuguese GP, American Thomas Covington was unable to show his true potential at the Russian track. Securing 17/14 results, the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider wrapped up the sixth round of the series in 16th position in the MX2 class.
In the MXGP category, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Gautier Paulin once again found himself battling for a provisional top three in the overall classifications. Fourth in the opening race, the Frenchman didn’t get the best of starts in moto two and had to settle for sixth. Earning sixth overall at the Russian GP, Gautier remains fifth in the 2018 MXGP World Championship standings.
Missing the last three GPs as he recovers from a concussion, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Anstie struggled with the slippery and fast track in Orlyonok. Earning 15/17 results, Max was 16th overall at the GP of Russia.
The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team will return to action at the seventh round of the 2018 FIM Motocross World Championship in Latvia on May 12/13.
Thomas Kjer-Olsen: “I did my best to secure another podium result and at the end of the day there was just one point separating me from the top three in the overall. The track in Russia didn’t give us lots of options for passing and there were just a few lines in most parts of the track. Overall, I’m happy I managed to collect some good points for the championship. I’m still third in the points standings and there is still a long way to go. I’m now looking forward to the GP in Latvia in two weeks.”
Thomas Covington: “I worked hard after Portugal, but my knee is not yet giving me the confidence to ride the way I want to. I’ve done a lot of physio these last two weeks and started riding my bike a few days ago. The feeling was good while training, but things were different during the motos here in Russia. Getting two mediocre starts didn’t help either and the nerves were high during the motos. It is what it is and I now have to look ahead. I will continue doing my best to fully recover and be 100% fit for the coming GP in Latvia in two weeks time.”
Gautier Paulin: “The feeling was good in the final motos and if my starts were better I could have easily battled for the top three. The track was slippery and quite fast but my bike was working great despite challenging track conditions. I made a few mistakes in the qualifying race and had two crashes so my 10th position at the starting gate for the final motos made things harder. My starts were not the best in any of the two motos, but I did my best to be consistent. We’ll keep testing and working hard with the goal to get back on top.”
Max Anstie: “I did my best but things did not go our way here in Russia. With the track being one-lined it was difficult to make passes and getting bad starts in both motos did not help. There’s not really much to say, other than that I’ll keep working hard hoping for some better results in the coming GPs. There’s still a long way to go in this series and the goal now is to get some good race results.”
Results – 2018 FIM Motocross World Championship, Round 6
MXGP – Overall
1. Clement Desalle (Kawasaki) 47pts; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 45; 3. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 38… 6. Gautier Paulin (Husqvarna) 33… 16. Max Anstie (Husqvarna) 10
MXGP – Race 1
1. Clement Desalle (Kawasaki) 20 laps, 33:30.843; 2. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 33:32.355; 3. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 33:34.332; 4. Gautier Paulin (Husqvarna) 33:56.787… 15. Max Anstie (Husqvarna) 34:46.886… 23. Tanel Leok (Husqvarna) 19 laps, 34:46.165
MXGP – Race 2
1. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 20 laps, 33:53.627; 2. Clement Desalle (Kawasaki) 33:58.693; 3. Romain Febvre (Yamaha) 34:08.725… 6. Gautier Paulin (Husqvarna) 34:14.539… 17. Max Anstie (Husqvarna) 35:19.280… 21. Tanel Leok (Husqvarna) 19 laps, 34:23.171
MX2 – Overall
1. Pauls Jonass (KTM) 50pts; 2. Jorge Prado (KTM) 44; 3. Ben Watson (Yamaha) 35… 5. Thomas Kjer-Olsen (Husqvarna) 34… 10. Iker Larranaga (Husqvarna) 21; 11. Brent Van doninck (Husqvarna) 19… 16. Thomas Covington (Husqvarna) 11; 17. Henry Jacobi (Husqvarna) 8
MX2 – Race 1
1. Pauls Jonass (KTM) 20 laps, 34:54.861; 2. Jorge Prado (KTM) 35:06.422; 3. Ben Watson (Yamaha) 35:26.722; 4. Thomas Kjer-Olsen (Husqvarna) 35:31.720… 10. Iker Larranaga (Husqvarna) 36:04.932… 13. Brent Van doninck (Husqvarna) 36:16.218… 17. Thomas Covington (Husqvarna) 19 laps, 34:56.749
MX2 – Race 2
1. Pauls Jonass (KTM) 20 laps, 34:38.909; 2. Jorge Prado (KTM) 34:40.539; 3. Michele Cervellin (Honda) 35:18.620… 5. Thomas Kjer-Olsen (Husqvarna) 35:20.490… 10. Brent Van Doninck (Husqvarna) 35:59.785; 11. Iker Larranaga (Husqvarna) 36:01.813… 13. Henry Jacobi (Husqvarna) 36:05.561; 14. Thomas Covington (Husqvarna) 36:13.864
Championship Standings – After Round 6
MXGP
1. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 286pts; 2. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 263; 3. Clement Desalle (Kawasaki) 212… 5. Gautier Paulin (Husqvarna) 180… 18. Max Anstie (Husqvarna) 55; 19. Tanel Leok (Husqvarna) 41… 26. Harri Kullas (Husqvarna) 14… 29. Ander Valentin (Husqvarna) 5
MX2
1. Pauls Jonass (KTM) 266pts; 2. Jorge Prado (KTM) 246; 3. Thomas Kjer-Olsen (Husqvarna) 219… 9. Henry Jacobi (Husqvarna) 104; 10. Thomas Covington (Husqvarna) 102… 16. Iker Larranaga (Husqvarna) 87… 21. Brent Van Doninck (Husqvarna) 49
