Positive Bulgarian GP for Kemea Yamaha
No Jago Geerts in action on the fast and hilly circuit in Bulgaria. The Belgian is still recovering from a broken collarbone and hopes to make his comeback in the GP in Assen in three weeks. Still, Bulgaria was a positive GP for Kemea Yamaha. Ben Watson finished fifth on the old school circuit in Sevlievo, while Anthony Rodriguez finished eighth.
Ben Watson made a decent start (sixth) in the first heat, but lost two places after a small fall on the third lap. The Brit needed some time to find the right rhythm again. Once found, he was able to move up two more spots, past Van Doninck and Weltin, to sixth place. His teammate Anthony Rodriguez started just outside the top 10, but crashed on the first lap and had to restart last. The Venezuelan had to fight hard to collect seven more World Cup points in fourteenth place.
Watson also made a good start in the second moto on his YZ250F (fifth) and quickly moved up to fourth after overtaking Weltin. After a slight fall by Pauls Jonass, the Briton moved up to third place. A place he seemed to hold, until Jonass came back strongly at the end of the race and sent Watson back to fourth place. Rodriguez again had bad luck at the start. He got stuck behind a fallen rider and had to come back again (18th). A Rod wasted no time and quickly raced through the pack to eventually finish sixth. Good for eighth place in the GP final standings.
Watson finished fifth in the Grand Prix and remains fourth in the World Championship standings. He even went a little further ahead of Covington and Flanders.
Ben Watson: “This was a positive weekend, certainly a step in the right direction after some more difficult weeks. This is a result we can continue to build on. We still need to improve some points. I want to keep making progress every match. Both on the motorcycle and myself. That's why I don't focus on the World Cup standings. My initial goal is to compete for a GP podium again as soon as possible.”
Anthony Rodriguez: “I had a big crash on the first lap of the first heat because another rider went from one side to the other on a jump. It took a while before I could move on. Still, I managed to finish 14th. In the second series someone fell right in front of me, so I had to start a comeback again. This time I got away quickly, I was able to make some good overtakes and move up to sixth place. A result that I am quite satisfied with.”
Marnicq Bervoets: “It was quite a good GP for us. Watson seemed to be in good shape again this weekend. However, in the first series he had problems with his rear brake. That took him some time and money. He responded strongly in the second series, in which he again competed with the top players. Also important: he was further ahead of Covington and Flanders in the World Cup standings. Rodriguez had to come back from far in both series. He surprised me again with his speed and perseverance.”
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