Frustrating day for Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing in Latvia

It was a frustrating day of racing at round seven of the MXGP World Championship for Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing. With crashes effecting the results of all riders in Latvia, it was Jed Beaton in MX2 who fared best, securing eighth-overall with teammate Kay de Wolf close behind in ninth. Competing in the MXGP class, Thomas Kjer Olsen showed impressive speed all day to claim a solid eighth-place finish in moto two.

Round seven of the FIM Motocross World Championship marked the fourth event of the series in as many weeks, taking Rockstar Energy Husqvarna to Kegums in Latvia. The circuit, which combined a hard base with a demanding, sandy riding surface, once again proved challenging for all competitors.

Following three consecutive top-five overall results in the MX2 class, Jed Beaton arrived in Latvia aiming to maintain his excellent form. After qualifying fastest in Time Practice, the 23-year-old lined up for moto one on the very inside gate and enjoyed a great start, slotting into second position as the field emerged from the first turn. From there, the FC 250 racer remained up front for the whole moto, going on to end his race less than one second behind Jago Geerts and in a solid fourth place.

For race two, Jed was rightly confident of another strong result as well as a potential spot on the GP podium. Frustratingly, the Australian clipped a stricken bike on the opening lap, which sent him to the ground. Following another crash later in the race Beaton eventually worked his way up to 13th by the end of the moto. Despite his misfortune, Jed placed eighth-overall yet advances to sixth in the MX2 World Championship.

Kay de Wolf continues to deliver strong results in his rookie season in the MX2 class. After getting caught in the start gate along with several of his rivals in race one, the young Dutchman clawed his way through the field to place ninth in the opening moto of the day.

With a much better start in race two, Kay moved into sixth place on lap four and gave chase to the leading riders. Maintaining his position for the whole moto, the 16-year-old frustratingly made a few costly mistakes on the final lap, which allowed two riders to pass him. Nevertheless, it was a strong ninth overall for de Wolf as he added another solid points haul to his championship tally.

In the MXGP class, Thomas Kjer Olsen was looking forward to racing at one of his favourite circuits on the calendar. Following a great start and running up front in race one, a small mistake resulted in a rival landing on his bike, damaging it so much that he was unable to continue.

Regrouping for moto two, the Dane enjoyed another great start and slotted into eighth at the halfway stage of the race. Thomas then gave chase to Jeremy Seewer but came up just short of making a pass stick. The 24-year-old ultimately claimed 13th overall on the day.

For Thomas’ teammate Arminas Jasikonis, his day in Latvia was brought to a premature end following a heavy fall in Time Practice that ruled the Lithuanian out of lining up for MXGP round seven.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing return to FIM Motocross World Championship action on September 5 for the first of two rounds to take place in Turkey.

Jed Beaton: “I was certainly hoping for more today, especially after race one. In the second one someone had crashed in front of me and I had nowhere to go so I hit their bike and went down. I was coming through pretty good and then I crashed again. It’s frustrating as I’ve been building momentum during the last few weeks so it’s a little disappointing. I’m looking forward to Turkey and two rounds there on the hardpack, so that should be a good trip.”

Kay de Wolf: “It’s not been too bad here in Latvia. The day didn’t start good with the issue with the gate in race one, but I managed to come through pretty well for ninth in that one, passing a lot of good riders. I’m a little annoyed about race two, I made three big mistakes on the last lap and lost sixth place, which is frustrating. But on the other hand, I didn’t crash and I’m healthy, and I scored some solid points, so I can’t be too unhappy.”

Thomas Kjer Olsen: “Unfortunately this weekend was a little bit like last weekend – one good moto and one bad one. The bad one, that was just bad luck really, I made a mistake and then someone landed on the back of my bike and it was too damaged to continue. What makes it worse is that I was up front and I felt like I could start picking riders off. Eighth in race two though, I’ll take that. I felt great on my bike, so I really enjoyed that one. I know I have the speed so it’s just about putting it all together.”

Results – 2021 FIM Motocross World Championship, Round 7

MXGP - Overall

1. Tim Gajser (Honda) 44pts; 2. Jorge Prado (KTM) 43; 3. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 43… 13. Thomas Kjer Olsen (Husqvarna) 13

MXGP - Race 1

1. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 35:16:523, 17 laps; 2. Tim Gajser (Honda) 35:24:226; 3. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 35:28:306

MXGP - Race 2

1. Jorge Prado (KTM) 36:22:889, 17 laps; 2. Tim Gajser (Honda) 36:29:981; 3. Romain Febvre (Kawasaki) 36:38:452… 8. Thomas Kjer Olsen (Husqvarna) 37:23:375

MX2 - Overall

1. Maxime Renaux (Yamaha) 50pts; 2. Jago Geerts (Yamaha) 42; 3. Mattia Guadagnini (KTM) 42… 8. Jed Beaton (Husqvarna) 26; 9. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 25

MX2 - Race 1

1. Maxime Renaux (Yamaha) 35:49:854, 17 laps; 2. Mattia Guadagnini (KTM) 35:55:843; 3. Jago Geerts (Yamaha) 35:59:711; 4. Jed Beaton (Husqvarna) 36:00:555; 9. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 36:22:973

MX2 - Race 2

1. Maxime Renaux (Yamaha) 35:36:088, 17 laps; 2. Jago Geerts (Yamaha) 35:40:079; 3. Mattia Guadagnini (KTM) 35:46:734; 8. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 36:15:383; 13. Jed Beaton (Husqvarna) 36:39:608

Championship Standings – After Round 7

MXGP

1. Tim Gajser (Honda) 270pts; 2. Romain Febvre (Kawasaki) 257; 3. Jorge Prado (KTM) 255… 12. Thomas Kjer Olsen (Husqvarna) 101; 20. Arminas Jasikonis (Husqvarna) 48

MX2

1. Maxime Renaux (Yamaha) 271pts; 2. Mattia Guadagnini (KTM) 237; 3. Jago Geerts (Yamaha) 235… 6. Jed Beaton (Husqvarna) 197; 8. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 184