Covington and Olsen about their podium finish in Saint Jean.
Thomas Covington and Thomas Kjer Olsen of Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing finished second and third in the tenth round of the MX2 World Championship in St. Jean d'Angely, France. Covington also managed to win the first moto and showed that he is back in shape after his knee injury.
On Saturday it was already clear that Covington was in good shape. In the qualifying heat he competed against Jorge Prado and Pauls Jonass and managed to decide the fight in his favor. He won the heat and took pole position. Olsen was involved in a crash in the first corner and had to start a catch-up race from last place. The fast Dane fought back to thirteenth place but wanted to do a few strokes better in the heats on Sunday.
Heavy thunderstorms on Saturday evening left the track wet and muddy on Sunday morning. Fortunately, it was dry, which meant that conditions continued to improve, but also caused deep ruts to appear. A good start was therefore very important and both Rockstar Energy Husqvarna riders understood this well. Both riders were well at the front with the start where it was Covington who immediately took the lead with Olsen not far behind. Both riders drove in a controlled manner through the deep ruts and kept the competition at bay. During the match, Covington opened a small gap on Olsen and controlled the match. Olsen came in a close second, losing important points to the fourth man in the standings.
In the second moto both riders were in a worse position after the start and had to get back to the front from outside the top five. Olsen worked his way back up from sixth place to third place, but was visited by Covington in the closing stages and was unable to keep his teammate behind. Covington came back to third place and secured second place in the overall standings. Olsen crossed the finish line in fourth place, finishing third in the overall standings.
In the world championship standings, Olsen has consolidated his third place in the standings and Covington has climbed to eighth place. Next weekend the eleventh race of the world championship will be held at the Ottobiano circuit.
Commentary Thomas Covington: “I am very satisfied with my riding this weekend. Everything went perfectly in the first heat. I took the holeshot and was able to ride my own race. In the second moto I made a small mistake right after the start, so I gave everything during the entire moto to get back to the front as far as possible. It feels good to be back on the podium. It's a shame I didn't win but I'm happy with my results here in France. I'm really looking forward to the next Grand Prix in Italy, hopefully I can take victory there."
Commentary Thomas Kjer Olsen: “It was a very difficult track and that is why I am happy that I was able to ride two good heats. We had a lot of rain on Saturday, which made the track completely different on Sunday. In the qualifying heat I had a hard time setting a good pace, but due to a number of changes my speed was a lot better today. It is very positive to complete two good heats under these conditions. This gives me extra confidence for the coming matches. Words cannot describe how grateful I am to all team members for the hard work they do for us. We are now going to Italy and I hope I can do even better there."
Posted: Steven van Kempen/KEMCO
Photo: @SotbyBavo
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