Disappointing Kegums 2 for JM Honda Racing
The second consecutive Latvian MXGP round was one to forget for JM Honda Racing riders Benoit Paturel and Artem Guryev. Paturel collected just 4 points while Guryev's day was marred by two crashes.
Kegums 2 took place in much cooler weather, but those changed conditions did not translate into results for JM Honda Racing. Due to painful arms, Paturel did not perform well in the qualifications. The 26-year-old Frenchman and his teammate started 30th and 34th respectively.
However, Paturel made a lot of good ground at the start of the first heat. After finishing the first lap in 8th place, he sent his CRF450R to sixth place. A top-10 score was certainly a possibility, but after ten minutes Benoit's rear brake was damaged. Ultimately, he only crossed the finish line in 17th place.
The second heat turned out to be a real test for “Benito”. Once again he produced a solid start in the top 10. Whatever Paturel tried, he never found a good rhythm and finished in a very disappointing 21st place.
Due to a recent knee injury and little riding time prior to Kegums 1, Artem Guryev always knew that the Latvian opener would be particularly tough. However, the determined Russian was keen to make progress in his second GP of the season. Unfortunately Artem's day was complicated by a crash at the start of the first heat and a big tumble in race two.
Jacky Martens' team is now preparing for the last match in Kegums to end the Latvian triptych strongly.
Benoit Paturel: “This was just a very big disappointment. The first heat started quite well, especially considering my really bad qualifying. It looked good initially, but we were just unlucky that after about ten minutes I had to continue without the rear brake. Unfortunately, in the second heat I couldn't find the right flow and speed. Definitely not what me and the team are working so hard for, but we will keep going for it and will do everything we can to finish well here on Sunday.”
Artem Guryev: “At the start of the first race I crashed together with Alessandro Lupino, damaging the front brake and the front wheel. After that I couldn't do much more than gain experience and learn more about the circuit for the second round. In the last match I came into contact with Tanel Leok in the air in the opening round and went off hard when I landed across two tracks. I hurt my head, knee and hand, but still managed to finish the race in 28th.”
Photos: Honda Pro Racing / shotbyBavo
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