Strijbos puts in best qualification performance so far
By Team TMX on 1st May 16
Kevin Strijbos posted his best qualification performance of the 2016 FIM MXGP Motocross World Championship today at a fast and dry Kegums circuit for the Grand Prix of Latvia as the Belgian rode to fourth position on his works RM-Z450.
It was a decent first day to the sixth round of 18 in the series for Team Suzuki World MXGP as team-mate Ben Townley showed impressive speed on his comeback to GP action and would have classified behind Strijbos if a racing collision with Shaun Simpson had not forced the Kiwi to lose time and ground, but the 31 year old did manage to recover to seventh by the flag.
Pleasant conditions graced the opening day of the 2016 MXGP visit to Kegums, a former Motocross of Nations host, and the same flat, speedy and bumpy mix of hard-pack and sandy/ loamy soil lay in store for the Grand Prix athletes.
Strijbos came to the Grand Prix with an air of uncertainty. A decent win in the first round of the Dutch Championship the previous weekend was followed by some lower back pain that limited his riding and training during the week and build-up to Kegums, so the 30 year old took some painkillers to get through the initial practice sessions. Strijbos didn't make the best start in the Heat race but some excellent speed drew him up to fourth and then third place where he spent most of the moto.
A dip in rhythm towards the end saw the Belgian overtaken by countryman Jeremy Van Horebeek. "Kevin's charge back through was really fast and if he shows that speed tomorrow then our chances are good," evaluated General Manager Stefan Everts. "He has been struggling during the week and I think he just lost some momentum. The way he was riding I think he could even have won the race."
Townley was also lively and out-performed his team-mate in Timed Practice (fifth position) in his first appearance since round three in Holland. The former World Champion was held up at the beginning of the Qualification sprint but rallied back to the fringe of the top -five before clashing with Simpson and needing to pick up his #‘8' machine, but Townley nursed a painful finger and bashed knee to regain places up to seventh.
In MX2 Jeremy Seewer secured third position in the gate for tomorrow's 30-minute and two-lap motos. The Swiss pursued local favourite Pauls Jonass and was close to a second behind the Latvian at the finish line. Jeffrey Herlings continued his Pole Position lockout as the #‘91' Suzuki RM-Z250 rider was comfortably circulating almost 10 seconds ahead of Max Anstie.
In the first race of the EMX250 European Championship, Bas Vaessen took his RM-Z250 to a decent second place after a tough chase and through withstanding pressure from a gaggle of pursuers. The result sets the Dutchman up for a maiden podium in the category tomorrow.
Kevin Strijbos:
"I'm pretty happy with my riding because my back is still jammed and I needed painkillers to get through the day. I didn't ride much in practice and knew it would be tricky in the race. I had some wheelspin on the gate and that messed up the start. I turned tight at the first turn and was in the top-10 and then somehow got up to third by the finish line! I followed Tony [Cairoli] and [Tim] Gajser but couldn't make a move and then tightened-up in the last laps with some mistakes so ‘Jerre' passed me. Still, fourth is pretty good. I hope my back will not be too painful for tomorrow and we have a good race day."
Ben Townley:
"Rubbish start and then I had to stop behind Tanel Leok who had crashed and lost some time. I charged right up to Shaun in fifth and was trying to pass him on the inside but he squared the corner and we came together. It was a big collision and I must have got my finger caught in there somewhere. I was down in 12th and fought back to seventh. I feel great on the track and I reckon I have a podium ‘chance' in me but I need to sort out the start."
