The old-school circuit of Faenza in Italy was the setting for yet another 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship round on Sunday – the first Italian triple header came to a close underneath the scorching September sun. Conrad Mewse and Hitachi KTM fuelled by Milwaukee were eager to continue things trending in a positive direction, after such a strong week on Italian soil, and round eight certainly did not disappoint.
Mewse was again impressive in the timed qualifying session on Sunday, as he logged the fifth fastest time in the competitive MX2 class. A sixteenth place start in moto one would have stopped most from even getting close to the top ten, yet Mewse put on another incredible charge that has been the signature of his races in Italy thus far. It took just five laps for Mewse to move from sixteenth to seventh and from there he clawed his way into fifth at the finish. The fastest lap of the race was even recorded by the Hitachi KTM fuelled by Milwaukee star.
An even worse start in the second race made things tricky, but Mewse put his head down and continued to move towards the top ten throughout the moto. Sixteenth was his final ranking in the moto, meaning that he salvaged five valuable points. That put him tenth in the overall classification at the Grand Prix of Emilia Romagna and also helped him stay ninth in the championship standings, following the eighth stop on the eighteen-round calendar. Twenty points is the difference between him and the rider in eighth.
Hitachi KTM fuelled by Milwaukee will now turn their attention to the next Italian triple header on the schedule, which will run at Mantova at the end of this month. Bas Vaessen and Adam Sterry will join Conrad Mewse under the awning at the Grand Prix of Lombardia.
Conrad Mewse: “Overall, I am happy. I put so much into the first race. I was twentieth on lap one and was just feeling it. I had good lines, was fighting all the way through and passed some really good guys. It was nice to get to the front from where I started. The first race was very good for me. I just did not have it in me in the second moto though – I just struggled with the track. They put a lot of water down and the heat took it out of me. It was a difficult one. We have a little two week break now, so we will get some work done and come back in Mantova. I cannot thank the team enough, as well as all the sponsors. It has been a good weekend, overall, and I am happy.”
Photo Credit – Ray Archer
