The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing MX2 trio ventured across into the United Kingdom this past weekend, as the second round of the 2021 FIM Motocross World Championship was run at the picturesque circuit of Matterley Basin. The Grand Prix of Great Britain acted as the opening round for the EMX250 riders as well – Maxime Grau joined Jed Beaton and Kay de Wolf beneath the awning.
Jed Beaton felt at one with the British circuit as soon as he rolled onto it for the first time – it was clear just how comfortable he was in the early stages of moto one. Beaton ended the opening lap in fourth and was closing on the three riders ahead when an uncharacteristic mistake ended his moto prematurely. Battered and bruised, he returned for moto two and crossed the line in eighth to salvage solid points on a tricky day. Twelfth was his overall ranking – he now runs tenth in the championship standings.
Kay de Wolf showed more potential in his second MX2 appearance, but a crash on lap one of the first moto limited his progress. De Wolf had to charge from the very back of the field to fifteenth at the finish, to put six points on the board. A mediocre start in the second moto meant that he had to charge up from the back again – he made it to fifteenth again to secure another solid haul of points. Thirteenth was where he ended up in the overall classification.
Maxime Grau, making his FC 250 debut, impressed with his speed in the two EMX250 motos. Grau qualified in sixth and then ripped a phenomenal start in the first moto, before engaging in a fiery fight for second in the moto. Fourth was where he crossed the line – a lot of knowledge was gained. Unfortunately, a crash in the second moto derailed his day. No points were scored in that stint, after the brutal hit, so he was left in twelfth overall on the day.
The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing MX2 squad will now turn their attention to round three of the current campaign, the Grand Prix of Italy, which will be run this coming weekend. The EMX250 class is not going to feature at that round, so Jed Beaton and Kay de Wolf will represent the team at the hard-pack venue.
Jed Beaton: “This is not how I wanted the day to go. I felt quite good on the track from the first lap that I did on it – I was expecting a good day. I went down hard in that first moto, so it obviously did not go to plan. I was hurting a bit and the second moto was a question mark, but I felt like I was good enough to ride. I did a bit of damage control. I am going to keep working away. I am sure the results will come!”
Kay de Wolf: “It was a difficult day for me. I got a good start in the first moto, around tenth, but made a little mistake before the finish line and that cost me a lot of time. I went back out in last and managed to get quite a good flow – the riding was good in that first moto. I got a bad start in the second moto and was completely at the back. It was hard to find a good rhythm and pass. I was stuck behind some riders, so got stuck in their flow. It was a good weekend for me to learn a lot. I am really looking forward to the next race!”
