Watson and Geerts talk about the British GP
Monster Energy Kemea Yamaha rider Ben Watson finished fifth in front of his own nation in the British Grand Prix, the second round of the FIM MX2 world championship. Teammate Jago Geerts finished ninth on the spectacular Matterley Basin circuit.
Watson – supported by many British fans – and Geerts started the weekend strongly with a third and seventh place in the qualifying race on Saturday. But the two Kemea Yamaha riders were unable to take advantage of those good starting positions. Ben entered the field eighth in the first series, Geerts only thirteenth. The Briton moved up to fifth place after a strong first round, but fell when he attacked Jacobi. Watson dropped back to ninth place and then struggled to get back into the right rhythm. The Briton only regained momentum at the end, meaning he finished fourth in the end. Geerts made too many mistakes and they were punished severely on the hard and treacherous track. The Belgian teenager was therefore stuck in 16th place.
The starts in the second series were not great either. Geerts finished eighth, Watson only twelfth. The two Kemea Yamaha riders soon came together and rode wheel to wheel to fifth and sixth place. However, Geerts' advance was stopped by a small mistake, including a fall. Jago dropped a few places, but quickly recovered and was able to take sixth place, just behind teammate Watson.
After two Grand Prix, Watson is fifth in the World Championship, Geerts is in ninth place. The third Grand Prix is scheduled for next weekend in Valkenswaard.
#193 Jago Geerts
“I rode two completely different series. My first one just wasn't good. I crashed twice: the first time when I didn't see a track properly, accelerated and sped away. A little later I was tapped, causing me to fall back to the ground. My second series was a lot better. I felt much more comfortable and was able to quickly move up to fifth place. Unfortunately I made a mistake, which caused me to fall and lose some places. Fortunately, I was able to quickly recover and finish sixth. Ninth in the final standings is of course not great, but I remain calm about it. The driving itself is good, I just need a bit of luck.”
#919 Ben Watson
“Fifth place is not bad in itself, but I expected more. So I'm quite disappointed. In the first series I had a mediocre start and made up a lot of places in the first lap. But then I hit the ground for a moment, after which I completely lost the rhythm. In the second series I had a bad start and it took a long time before I got into the right rhythm. Still frustrating, because I know I am capable of riding for the podium. Well, I shouldn't dramatize it either. The season is still very long and next week there will be a new opportunity.”
Marnicq Bervoets Team Manager
“The starts, unlike on Saturday in the qualifying race, were not good. That of course makes the job a lot more difficult. How does that happen? Wow, hard to say. Maybe that's a mental issue. They need to go to the start with a little more confidence. Of course we shouldn't be too negative. This was not a good game from our boys, but certainly not a bad one either. Just mediocre. Both Ben and Jago showed beautiful things at times. I thought Watson rode quite strong in the first heat, Geerts was the better one in the second heat. Next week we are going to the sand in Valkenswaard. A surface that suits both boys.”
Posted: Steven van Kempen/KEMCO
Photo: Yamaha
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