Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing MX2 travelled to Loket, in the Czech Republic, with momentum on their side. The old-school circuit hosted round five of the 2021 FIM Motocross World Championship this past weekend and, despite the threat of thunderstorms, racing was run in pleasant conditions. Jed Beaton and Kay de Wolf immediately felt at home on the Czech hillside.
A strong start and quick passes in the first moto, after qualifying in fifth, put Beaton into third at the end of lap one. That was the spot that he held for the whole of the moto – he shadowed the leaders throughout and crossed the finish just four seconds down on the eventual winner. A poor start in the second moto left him facing an uphill climb on a track that was hard to pass on, but he fought through to eighth. A 4-8 scorecard gave him fourth overall on the day. Sixth is the position that he occupies in the championship standings.
Kay de Wolf continued to grow in his rookie term as a professional, using the confidence that was gained after his maiden podium finish a week ago. De Wolf entered the top five early in the first moto and looked comfortable in fifth for a lot of the stint. A late-race tussle with the current championship leader left him in sixth when the chequered flag fell. Like his teammate, he struggled with a mediocre start in moto two. De Wolf was resilient en route to ninth in the moto though, which put him in eighth overall. Tenth is still the spot that he holds in the standings.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing MX2 will now return to their base ahead of the Grand Prix of Flanders-Belgium at Lommel this coming weekend. The race, recognised as the hardest on the schedule, will be another opportunity for the Husqvarna duo to show their sand skills.
Jed Beaton: “Today was pretty difficult. It got off to a pretty good start in the first moto; I felt like I got into a flow. I had a terrible start in the second moto though and struggled, so I did not take the opportunity that I could have had. I still got some solid points and moved up in the championship, so that is a positive to take from the round.”
Kay de Wolf: “I had a good first moto, with a really good start. I made a few small mistakes but had good pace in the middle of the moto. I spun out of the gate in moto two – I was around P15 and got to tenth. I made a massive mistake, saved it, and got back to ninth. Two top ten finishes again and it was a great learning day.”
