Rejuvenated after a break in the schedule, the Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing team travelled across to the thirteenth round of the 2022 FIM Motocross World Championship with a full truck. Maxime Grau made his MX2 debut in a pressure-free environment, after such a strong showing at the previous EMX250 round, and joined Kay de Wolf on track at the Grand Prix of Czech Republic.
It was a case of what could have been for de Wolf today. ’74’ showed brilliant speed from the moment that the Grand Prix commenced; he was competitive in Saturday’s qualifier and hoped for more of the same on race day. Unfortunately, a bobble on the opening lap of the first moto relegated him to the cusp of the top ten and left him with work to do. Advancing to sixth on the difficult circuit was a sign of his potential though. De Wolf did well to salvage a seventh in moto two, despite some problems, and that put him in sixth overall.
The Grand Prix of Czech Republic was all about gaining experience for Maxime Grau – he certainly did that! Showing top-ten speed at different points throughout the weekend, Grau was very impressive as he battled with established stars. Fifteenth was his ranking in the first stint, after sitting as high as twelfth at one point, and he backed that up with a sixteenth in moto two. Sixteenth overall was a great wildcard showing for the young Frenchman!
Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing will return to their base now – the next stop of the 2022 FIM Motocross World Championship will be run a stone’s throw from the headquarters in Lommel, Belgium. More exciting news to come from the team in the coming days!
Kay de Wolf: “There were a lot of positives to take from today. The first moto was quite good, as I did not have the best start and hit the back wheel of someone else. That cost me four places! I had to fight my way back and did that well. I felt really good on this track. The second moto was tougher, but I am happy with today.”
Maxime Grau: “It was a good weekend. It was just amazing to ride in the MX2 class! I finished fifteenth in the first moto, after making some mistakes. The start was not very good in the second moto, but I made some passes. I stalled the bike at one point and had to settle for sixteenth. Thanks to the team for this opportunity.”
