Conrad Mewse takes second in the FIM World Junior Motocross Championship
By TMX Archives on 19th Jul 15
KTM Factory Junior Teams Conrad Mewse came away from the FIM World Junior Motocross Championship in El Molar, Spain as number two after a hard weekend at the Spanish venue.
Mewse of Britain put in two solid motos to finish the championship with a 2-2 moto result behind the class winner Maxine Renaux of France. "Conrad was fighting hard in the first race right to the last turn and was also second in his second moto. Naturally he was disappointed that he didn't win the championship but he still put in two great rides,” said KTM Factory Junior Team manager Stefan Everts. Australian KTM rider Hunter Lawrence finished with a 5-4 moto results for third place in the 125 cc class.
KTM was also able to add another world title to the brand's impressive collection with the 85cc class title going to young Dutch rider Raivo Dankers. The 65cc European Class title was also safe in KTM hands thanks to Dutch rider Kay Karssemakers who topped the podium ahead of Adam Zsolt Kovacs of Hungary and Czech rider Radek Vetrovski to make it an all KTM podium.
It was a difficult weekend for KTM Factory Junior Jorge Prado, shouldering the burden of home country expectations on his young shoulders. Everts said Prado never really came to terms with the track and the conditions. "Jorge struggled yesterday in qualifying and his races today were not good. He was very tired and also suffered from arm pump,” he said. Prado wrapped up his day at overall eighth in the 125cc class. The weekend was also not as Prado's KTM Factory Junior teammate Josiah Natzke (AUS) would have wished. He finished thirteenth overall in the 125 cc class on a day that Everts said was a steep learning curve for his riders.
Also at the championship was the KINI KTM Junior Pro Team, under the guidance of KTM Motocross legend Heinz Kinigadner. His two young Austrian charges Rene Hofer and Marcel Stauffer contested the 85 cc World title and finished a creditable 6 and 9 in the competition. Kinigadner, KTM Motorsport Consultant said his young riders had competed in very difficult temperatures of around 39 deg. Celsius and he was positively surprised at how well they performed.
Helped by the efforts of KTM riders, The Netherlands took the prize as the leading nation at the competition, with Great Britain in second place and Australia in third.
