Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 team’s Thibault Benistant and Karlis Reisulis have finished seventh and ninth overall, respectively, at round 14 of the 2025 FIM MX2 Motocross World Championship. Racing in the Czech Republic, the duo fought for every position throughout both races to secure their top-10 results.
Following the deep sand of Finland two weeks ago, the season continued at the rugged, hardpack circuit of Loket. While Saturday’s Qualifying Race took place on a rain-lashed race track, warm and sunny weather on Sunday created perfect conditions for the Grand Prix races.
Benistant took advantage of his strong start in the opening race to run in fifth position. A small mistake dropped him to sixth, and then a minor collision with a rival dropped him to seventh at the finish. Race Two was a similar affair for the Frenchman. From ninth on lap one, Benistant was soon part of a four-rider battle for fourth. However, a frustrating fall in the closing stages cost him valuable time, although he was able to rejoin the race and cross the line in seventh. With his consistent 7-7 result, the Yamaha YZ250FM rider claimed seventh on the day and moves up to fifth in the series standings.
Following his eighth-place finish at the previous round in Finland, Reisulis carried the same speed into the Czech Republic. A hard charge through the field in Race One rewarded him with ninth, and the Latvian replicated the result in Race Two for ninth overall. Leaving Loket, Reisulis is building momentum as he maintains 12th in the MX2 World Championship standings.
Rick Elzinga was unfortunately absent from racing in the Czech Republic, as a mid-week training incident resulted in a finger injury.
Up next for the team is a trip to Belgium for the MXGP of Flanders. Taking place at the bottomless sand circuit of Lommel next weekend, the event marks round 15 of the current campaign.
Thibault Benistant
7th MXGP of Czech Republic, 28-points
5th MX2 Championship Standings, 492-points
“It’s not been an easy weekend for me. Fifth in the Qualifying Race was good and I was able to bring this speed into Race One. I had a good start, around fifth, and I was riding well until I made a small mistake. I then clipped another rider’s wheel later in the race and dropped to seventh. My start in Race Two wasn’t as good, but I made a lot of passes early on. It was tough to make more passes as I got closer to the front, and then I had a small crash. I finished the race with a good charge, although it wasn’t enough to move any higher than seventh, unfortunately.”
Karlis Reisulis
9th MXGP of Czech Republic, 24-points
12th MX2 Championship Standings, 259-points
“Today was a good day overall. I felt good on the bike in Warm-up and felt confident for a good result. I didn’t have the best start in Race One, but pushed hard all race to finish ninth. My start was much better in Race Two, however it took a while to find my rhythm and I slipped to ninth at the finish. Overall, two consistent results for ninth, and now it’s onto Lommel next weekend.”
Rick Elzinga
16th MX2 Championship Standings, 193-points
Posted on Sunday, July 27th, 2025 by Michael Le Pard
