Demonstrating his sand racing prowess, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Anstie wrapped up the penultimate round of the 2017 FIM Motocross World Championship in style, claiming third overall at the MXGP of The Netherlands. Collecting 38 valuable points the MXGP class rookie has moved inside the top 10 in the provisional MXGP World Championship standings.
Taking place at the man-made Assen circuit, the MXGP of The Netherlands proved to be physically demanding for all competitors. Showing his fighting spirit Anstie battled his way forward from two mediocre starts and kept charging until the finish of each moto. Making a last lap pass on Romain Febvre for third in the opening moto, Anstie collected a fourth-place result in moto two for third overall at the GP. The young Brit is now 10th in the MXGP World Championship standings.
One of the fastest riders circulating the sandy Assen track in both motos, Max Nagl placed fifth overall at the Dutch GP. Battling through a first lap crash to get 10th in moto one, the German got an impressive holeshot to secure the runner-up spot in the final moto. Moving up a spot in the championship standings, Nagl is now placed seventh with one round to go.
Securing a pair of eighth place results, Gautier Paulin wrapped up the penultimate round of the series with seventh overall at the Dutch GP. Remaining third in the class’ provisional points standings, the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider is looking forward to his home GP next weekend in France.
In the MX2 category, Thomas Kjer-Olsen was the highest placed Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider claiming fifth overall in the 250cc class. Getting eighth in the opening moto, the FC 250 powered rider put in a solid moto two performance to cross the line third. Collecting 33 points the young Dane has mathematically secured a strong third place in the 2017 MX2 World Championship.
Enjoying a strong moto one performance that saw the American cross the finish line in third place, Thomas Covington was faced with a mountain to climb after an early crash in moto two. Battling back to reach the finish line in 13th place, Covington secured seventh overall at the GP of The Netherlands.
Demonstrating he had the speed to battle for the top three in both motos, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Conrad Mewse eventually claimed 10th overall at the Dutch GP. Suffering a late moto crash while racing in third, the Brit had to settle for sixth in the opening moto. Getting the holeshot in moto two, Conrad quickly found himself leading the race. Holding on to the lead for the first ten minutes, he run low on energy eventually settling for 12th at the finish.
The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team will return to action at the last round of the 2017 FIM Motocross World Championship in Villars sous Ecot, France on September 15/16.
Max Anstie: “I felt strong all weekend. The track was rough and the final motos felt more like we were at a beach race. With all that rain on Saturday, organisers had to work really hard to prepare the track for Sunday’s motos. I had some good battles in both motos and I’m happy the speed was there and I could make some good passes. In the first moto I came from eighth in the first turn to cross the line in third. Then in the second race I started inside the top 10 again and gradually found my way up to fourth. I feel that we’ve been making some good progress during the last few GPs and it’s nice to be on the box for the second time this season. We’ve all been working really hard so this podium result is good for me and for the whole Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team.”
Max Nagl: “I’m really happy with my performance this weekend. The track was rough and the rain on Saturday made it even tougher. My speed was good in both motos and I felt that I could have earned a spot on the podium. In the opening moto my start was good and I was racing inside the top six but I crashed in the opening lap. I got up and started pushing to finally cross the line in 10th position. Then in moto two we decided with my team to select the far outside gate and that proved to be a very good idea. I got the holeshot and found myself leading for the first couple of laps. When Herlings passed me I tried to stay behind him looking for some better lines. Then I pushed hard until the end and managed to get a strong runner-up in moto two. My bike was running great in these tough conditions. We now have on GP to end this season and I can’t wait for it.”
Gautier Paulin: “It was a tough GP for me. I felt that my speed was good with the rain on Saturday, but as the track dried out I couldn’t get a good race pace in Sunday’s final motos. I got a good start in the first moto but struggled a lot to feel comfortable. Then as I was trying to take out a tear-off in a corner I lost some time and allowed some riders to get through. We worked a lot with my team during the motos and managed to make some big improvement with our set-up for the second race. My bike was running great in moto two and I managed to get my second eighth place result for the weekend.”
Thomas Kjer-Olsen: “Overall, I’m happy with fifth overall here in The Netherlands. The track was challenging and it was really easy to make a mistake. In the opening moto I didn’t manage to get the best of starts so found myself battling for the top six. I pushed hard and managed to put myself in sixth, but a small mistake dropped me back to eight at the chequered flag. In moto two I started inside the top 10 but started making some good passes quite early in the moto. My speed was good so I managed to cross the line in third. I’m looking forward to the final round in France next week. No matter what happens in France we’ve secured third in the series and that is very positive for the future.”
Thomas Covington: “I felt comfortable on my bike throughout the weekend. My start was good in the opening moto and soon I found myself racing in third. I made an attack for the runner-up spot but Prado was just too far away, so I kept my head down and stayed third until the chequered flag. I couldn’t get a good start in moto two and that made things harder for me. I took my time to find the right lines and started pushing to get closer to the top six. A few laps before the finish I was eighth but a small crash forced me to settle for 13th at the finish line. We are now heading to France for the final round and I will do my best for a good overall result there.”
Conrad Mewse: “The speed was there this weekend and I had some great moments in both motos. In moto one I got off to a good start. Making some passes I found myself racing in third but a fall in the rhythm section dropped me back again. When I got back on my bike I tried to push again and crossed the line in sixth place. Getting the holeshot in moto two felt good. We had a good battle with Jorge Prado but I managed to make a small gap up front. I gave my all and managed to retain the lead for the first ten minutes of the race, but with the track being so demanding I started feeling tired and was unable to keep the same lap times. I had to settle for 12th in moto two. We still have one round to go and I really want to wrap up this season on a high.”
