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MXGP, MXGP OF CZECH REPUBLIC - Loket, CZECH REPUBLIC, 16 Julho 2022

Best Qualifying of the season for Ben Watson at Loket

Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP’s Ben Watson raced to his best Qualifying result of the season in the Czech round of the FIM World MXGP Motocross Championship at Loket.

Practice times are traditionally tight around the serpentine track which twists its way around the hillsides above the picturesque town in the north-western corner of the Czech Republic and KX450-SR power saw the Englishman surge across from seventeenth choice-of-gate to round turn one in the top-ten; he maintained leaderboard pace throughout the race to secure ninth at the chequered flag with a smart move on a 2022 GP winner on the penultimate lap.
 
Ben Watson: “I felt good this morning and was happy with my riding and the track. I only posted seventeenth-fastest time in practice but the times were insanely close and the start is really even here so I knew I could take a good start. I lost a couple of places in the first few laps through being too cautious getting into my race but I gained a position back at the end and am confident for tomorrow. “
 
KRT team leader Romain Febvre rode conservatively to finish thirteenth in Qualifying after posting eighth-fastest time during practice; the Frenchman got a good jump out of the gate but was closed down in the always hectic first turn and avoided taking risks in traffic to finish thirteenth. F&H Kawasaki Racing Team’s Jed Beaton earnt twenty-fourth choice-of-gate for tomorrow’s GP motos.
 
F&H’s Kevin Horgmo and Big Van World MTX Kawasaki’s Mikkel Haarup each suffered from incidents on the opening lap of Qualifying for the thirteenth round of the FIM World MX2 Motocross Championship. F&H’s Norwegian was already buried in the pack after a rival had tagged his rear wheel entering the first turn and was then cannoned to the ground halfway round the lap in another incident to complete the opening lap in thirty-third position. Pushing strongly for the entire twenty-minute-plus-two-lap race he recovered to fifteenth at the finish. Haarup was even more unfortunate; looking to move into the top-ten the Dane was involved in a first-lap collision which resulted in damage to his handlebar levers which necessitated a pit-stop for repairs. He will go the gate thirty-fifth for each of tomorrow’s points-scoring motos.
 
Kevin Horgmo: “I was quite good from the start in Qualifying but something happened in turn one and I was hit from behind. I was already back around fifteenth halfway round the lap when I got hit from behind again and went down. I’m feeling good with the track, the bike’s working perfectly and we have a good suspension set-up; the track’s slippery but there are quite a lot of places to find different lines to pass. Now it’s up to me to get good starts, put two solid motos together tomorrow and turn it around. “