26 mar 2023

Kay de Wolf races to second overall at Grand Prix of Sardegna

Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing just concluded a thrilling weekend of on-track action in the power-sapping sand of Riola Sardo in Sardinia. The historic sand track hosted the second round of the 2023 FIM Motocross World Championship, an event that left the Husqvarna trio in good spirits. Kay de Wolf, Lucas Coenen and Roan van de Moosdijk performed well at the gruelling Grand Prix.

Kay de Wolf made his intentions quite clear in the first moto of the day, as he made some quick moves in the early stages to put himself in a commanding position. '74' tore to his first moto win of the term and had a comfortable advantage to boot, so could save some energy for the pivotal second stint. It was needed, as a thrilling battle for the win ensued on lap one. De Wolf came up just short when the chequered flag was waved, as less than two seconds separated him from the eventual race winner. 1-2 scores meant that he was ranked in second overall at the Grand Prix of Sardegna and rocketed into the same position in the championship standings.

The Grand Prix of Sardegna was a significant step forward for Lucas Coenen, who made it rather clear just how competitive he is aboard that FC 250. A mediocre start threatened to hinder him in the first moto, but he sliced past those in the lower half of the top ten to finish sixth. The second moto was a thrilling race for those in the Coenen camp – he was locked into a duel for third place for the duration. Ultimately, he came up just short and crossed the line in fourth. 6-4 scores meant that he was classified in fifth overall and climbed to ninth in the championship standings.

Roan van de Moosdijk made further progress today, after a difficult off-season, as he recorded a fairly consistent eighth in moto one and was even better when the circuit was at its roughest. Moosdijk was methodical in the second stint and progressed to fifth place with some impressive speed. '39' has his sights set on the podium, of course, but has stacked a good number of points via his consistent start to the season. 8-5 scores placed him in seventh overall at the round and caused him to fall to the same ranking in the championship standings.

Kay de Wolf: "There were a few mistakes at the end, which did not make it easy. It is difficult to be so close to the winner and finish second, especially after winning the first moto. We came here for a podium and that is good. We will fight every single weekend now. I am ready to go to the hard-pack races, because I have improved over the winter."

Lucas Coenen: "I did not get good starts all weekend. I battled a lot in the first moto and came back to sixth. I almost passed two guys, but I was not aggressive enough. I had a better start in moto two, but it still was not good. I got to fourth quite quickly. I tried to pass for third, but I was just stuck there. We are improving every weekend, so we will get back to training now."

Roan van de Moosdijk: "I have been ill all week and I could feel that. I did not get the best start in the first moto and could not make passes for sixth or seventh, so I finished eighth. I fought through in the second moto and ended up fifth – I used all of my energy. It was a positive end to the Grand Prix and we will keep building."

Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing will recover from the gruelling Grand Prix of Sardegna now, before turning attention to the third round of the 2023 FIM Motocross World Championship that will be run in Switzerland on April 10.

Download high-res images from the Grand Prix of Sardegna here.

Results – 2023 FIM Motocross World Championship, Round Two

MX2 – Overall

1. Jago Geerts (Yamaha) 47pts; 2. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 47pts; 3. Thibault Benistant (Yamaha) 38pts… 5. Lucas Coenen (Husqvarna) 33pts; 7. Roan van de Moosdijk (Husqvarna) 29pts

MX2 – Moto One

1. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 34:13.404; 2. Jago Geerts (Yamaha) 34:15.877; 3. Simon Langenfelder (GASGAS) 34:28.983…6. Lucas Coenen (Husqvarna) 35:07.574; 8. Roan van de Moosdijk (Husqvarna) 35:11.686

MX2 – Moto Two

1. Jago Geerts (Yamaha) 33:46.970; 2. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 33:48.284; 3. Thibault Benistant (Yamaha) 34:28.443; 4. Lucas Coenen (Husqvarna) 34:30.751; 5. Roan van de Moosdijk (Husqvarna) 34:46.723

MX2 – Championship Standings

1. Jago Geerts (Yamaha) 117pts; 2. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 87pts; 3. Thibault Benistant (Yamaha) 86pts… 7. Roan van de Moosdijk (Husqvarna) 67pts; 9. Lucas Coenen (Husqvarna) 52pts