Kay De Wolf: “Positive, educational day”
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing MX2 went to Loket in top form the fifth round of the MX2 world championship. After all, both experienced Jed Beaton and rookie Kay De Wolf were on the podium last weekend in Oss. The MX2 Husqvarnas also felt at home on the hard track in Loket.
With a 5th and 7th time in qualifying, Beaton and De Wolf showed that there was potential. Beaton also starts strongly in the first race. After the first lap he was third and he would not give up that place again. Even more, he crossed the finish line just four seconds after winner Guadagnini. A bad start bothered the Australian in series two. Yet he was still able to fight back to P8 on the hard track. Jed finished 4th in the final standings.
Jed Beaton: “It was a day with mixed feelings in terms of results. In the first moto I started quite well; I felt like I was in the flow. However, in the second moto I had a bad start and struggled. But to finish fourth overall is not bad, I take the poorer second race for granted. In the first moto I was able to make a lot of quick overtaking maneuvers and moved up to third place early on. Unfortunately I wasn't able to pass as smoothly in the second moto. The track was a bit slippery after the rain, so it was hard to push, and it was just one big battle in the top-10. It was frustrating to try to drive defensively, but overall fourth place is quite good and I'll be healthy going into the next race.”
Teammate Kay De Wolf entered the top five early in the first moto and rode in a comfortable fifth place for much of the race. After a battle at the end of the race with World Championship leader Maxime Renaux, he crossed the finish line in sixth place. Just like Beaton, 'the Red Hurricane' struggled with a mediocre start in the second series. However, De Wolf showed resilience and crossed the finish line in ninth place in the restart, placing him eighth overall.
In the MX2 World Championship standings, Jed Beaton and Kay De Wolf are 6th and 10th respectively.
Kay DeWolf: “I really enjoyed my match today. My results weren't as good as last weekend, but on a hard track like we had today, I don't mind. My start in the first moto was great. I almost got the holeshot, but then made a few mistakes and fell back a bit. But in the middle of the race I had a good pace. I stayed fifth until the last lap, when I was held up behind a straggler and Maxime Renaux passed me. That was a shame, but another lesson learned! In the second race I had a bit of wheelspin at the start, which meant I had to come back from 15th place. I made another big mistake, managed to recover and finished ninth. Another two top ten finishes and it was certainly a great educational day. Now the focus goes to Lommel.”
Photos: JP Acevedo
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