HRC rider Brian Bogers might not be running up front at the moment, however the Dutchman, who missed the complete 2018 season due to injury, is working hard to get back to where he feels he should be.
Holding down 19th place in the MXGP point standings Bogers knows he needs to improve and quickly if he wants to continue as a factory rider.
The last round in Italy a little over a week ago a 10th place finish in the second moto should give him confidence going into Mantova in a months’ time.
“The first race (in Trentino) I didn’t have the best start and I also crashed, taking too long to get back going because I got stuck under the bike. This left me a long way behind, but I got to work and despite this being a difficult track to pass on, I worked my way back inside the top 20, ending up 19th. Obviously, I knew that I needed to improve my start and that’s exactly what happened in the second moto. I rounded the first few turns inside the top 10 and that’s where I was able to finish. You could see that if I can fight with those riders, I can finish in these good positions, so that was another step in the right direction. I improved my season best result with this ninth place, but I know I need to keep working and that’s what we are going to do in this break.
Even racing at home, around the Eurocircuit in Valkenswaard was a tough weekend for Bogers. A good start in the opening moto and a 12th place finish proved he was capable of running inside the top 15, but then a crash in moto two and his weekend again ended badly.
“The first race went pretty well. I had an okay start, around 11th and I saw that on the pit board, so I really tried to push to get inside the top 10. Maybe I pushed too hard to make that happen, and I ended up riding too tight and I couldn’t push anymore. I finished 12th and I was very happy with that, and it was a nice to see my work paying off. In the second race, my start wasn’t so good, and I got hit by another rider, but I still managed to get up to 14th place. Unfortunately, though, the impact with the other rider caused some damage to the bike and I wasn’t able to finish the race. It’s a shame but this is motocross and I must put it behind me and move on.”
Matterley Basin and Bogers struggled in England when he 21-22 results and no points. Making mistakes is something the Dutchman knows he has to correct, or his season will remain a major drama.
“My first race was not good; it was one to forget. I didn’t have a good start but in the beginning, I could push for quite a few places and I was around 16th. Then I got arm-pump and I couldn’t push anymore, and I finished 21st. The second race, it was a little bit a better. In the beginning I was around 12-13 and I felt quite good, but then I had a small crash and I dropped back to 22nd and I just couldn’t find my rhythm again and that’s where I finished. Overall, it’s definitely one to forget, but I need to learn from my mistakes.”
Despite his low place on the series points, moving into Mantova in Italy the HRC rider knows that he will feel comfortable on the sand and can hopefully put together two solid starts and score a bunch of points.Author: Geoff Meyer
