Gathering pace with each weekend that passes, Hitachi KTM fuelled by Milwaukee entered the Grand Prix of Latvia with a packed awning. Kay Karssemakers joined Isak Gifting in the MX2 division – Kegums was his first Grand Prix since his wrist injury in March – and Cole McCullough had another attempt at breaking into the EMX125 motos.
Isak Gifting continues to gain momentum, proven by the fact that he qualified in second on day one of the Latvian Grand Prix. Finishing tenth in moto one reflected just how competitive he was in the gruelling sand; a crash on lap one meant that he had to charge from outside of the top thirty to claim that position. There was an additional fall along the way too; he made twenty-one passes in the sixteen-lap moto! A small error in moto two cost him a top-five result, but he still reached the finish in seventh to take eighth overall. Gifting is now ninth in the standings.
Making his return to the Grand Prix series, Kay Karssemakers showed flashes of potential and belonged in the points. A small crash dropped him out of the points in moto one – he was on the cusp of the top fifteen when he fell and eventually reached the end in twenty-third. The second moto followed a fairly similar pattern, as ’33’ was running inside of the top twenty before a lack of seat time caused him to drop to twenty-third again. A 23-23 scorecard left him in twenty-seventh overall at the end of the weekend.
After narrowly missing out on a qualifying position at the previous round, Cole McCullough transferred into the EMX125 motos quite comfortably. Qualifying twelfth in his group was a true indication of his potential. Crashes stopped him from clinching points in the two motos, unfortunately, but more valuable experience was gained, as he continues to get to grips with racing on an international level.
The Hitachi KTM fuelled by Milwaukee team will regroup and take advantage of a small gap in the schedule now, before hitting the seventh round of the 2022 FIM Motocross World Championship and continuing to chase a podium at the highest level.
Isak Gifting: “I didn’t deliver near to what was expected after that qualifying heat yesterday. 10-7 for eighth overall after crashing early in both motos, but I still managed to move up to ninth in the championship. It is time to get back to work before Maggiora. Thanks to the team, who were on top form all weekend!”
Kay Karssemakers: “I am not too happy with my weekend. I was feeling a little looser on Sunday, which was better, but I had a small crash in the first moto that dropped me back to twenty-third and outside of the points. I didn’t have a great start in the second moto, but I got to P17 before a lack of seat time caused me to make some mistakes. We will get back to work to make sure that we get better and better every week.”
Roger Magee (Hitachi KTM fuelled by Milwaukee Team Owner): “Saturday proved to be very encouraging for Hitachi KTM fuelled by Milwaukee with Isak Gifting scoring the team’s best ever MX2 qualification in P2, Kay Karssemakers returning to the class after his scaphoid injury and 13-year-old Cole McCullough qualifying for his first EMX125 round at just the second attempt. Even though he had crashes in both EMX125 motos, the experience gained this weekend will stand him in good stead for the future.
“Isak started in the top eight in both motos on Sunday, but his overall placing of P8 could have been much better but for a number of simple crashes in both motos that cost him vital places – something that he needs to improve on over the coming weeks. He did, however, elevate his overall world championship ranking to P9. Kay had two steady motos to bring it home just outside the points, but he now needs to work on his fitness due to the layoff caused by his injury sustained at Mantova.”
