NAfter the race in Finland, the World Championship circuit moved to the technical and hard-packed Loket circuit. The qualifying race was held in rainy conditions on Saturday. On Sunday, the track lent itself to perfect racing conditions.
Thibault Benistant got off to a good start in the first moto. He rode in fifth place for a long time. A small mistake cost him one position. Shortly after, a minor collision with a rival dropped him back to seventh. In the second moto, the Frenchman had to come from a distance. Nevertheless, he found himself in a thrilling battle for fourth place. A crash in the closing stages cost him time. Thibault was able to recover and finished seventh again. This was also his position in the day's standings. Nevertheless, he moved up to fifth in the WX standings.
Karlis Reisulis built on his eighth-place finish from the previous round in Finland. Karlis also rode strongly in Loket, finishing ninth in the first moto. The Latvian repeated that result in the second moto. With this solid performance, Reisulis remains twelfth in the World Championship standings.
Rick Elzinga was absent from the Czech Republic due to a finger injury during training.
Thibault Benistant: "It wasn't an easy weekend for me. Fifth in the qualifying race was pretty good. I carried that pace into the first moto. Unfortunately, I made a mistake first. Then I hit another rider later. In the second moto, my start wasn't as good. I was able to gain a few positions before making another mistake."
Karlis Reisulis: "All in all, it was a good day. I felt good on the bike during warm-up, so I started the races feeling confident. In the first moto, I had a mediocre start. I managed to fight my way from twelfth to ninth. In the second moto, my start was better, but I struggled to find my rhythm."
