F&H Kawasaki Racing Team’s Jed Beaton made an impressive start to his career in the FIM World MXGP Motocross Championship as he clinched sixth place in the British GP which opened the series.
The Matterley Basin arena was in prime condition as the Australian rounded the first turn seventh in race one and within ten minutes he had advanced smoothly into the top six. With ten minutes remaining he had bridged the gap to the rider ahead of him to move into fifth, a superb performance on his debut in the premier MXGP class. He was again impressive in race two, quickly making a couple of significant passes to already move into the top six again on the opening lap. Concentrating on riding consistently as the low late-afternoon sun cast dramatic shadows over the deeply-rutted terrain he surrendered one position mid-moto but his sixth place in the overall GP classification was never in danger.
Jed Beaton: “Obviously I’m pretty happy with my day. I didn’t know what to expect coming here so it’s been pretty crazy to finish sixth first-time in MXGP. I think everyone always likes riding this track and I felt relaxed all day, got two good starts, rode my own race each time and tried to stay solid for fifth and seventh. For me I actually feel a lot more comfortable on the 450 and am really enjoying riding it; it’s more to handle but I’m a big guy and the little bit more power is good for me.“
Horgmo made a superb start in the opening moto of the MX2 class to round turn one fourth and within two laps he had moved forward to third, where he looked comfortable for ten minutes before a missed shift cost him two positions. A further mistake as he spun out exiting a right-hander put him down to seventh, a position he then held to the chequered flag. Again hugging an immaculate tight line through turn one in race two the Norwegian cleverly defended third place through the first four laps before two slight errors in the space of half a lap; first he lost traction through an over-optimistic line-choice and then he was thrown over the bars when he cross-threaded in deep ruts. Remounting eleventh he quickly regained his composure to pull back two places before the finish and ended the day eighth overall.
Kevin Horgmo: “I got two great starts, rode a really good first turn both motos and had a solid fifteen minutes each time but then I made too many mistakes. First I stalled the bike and then I crashed in race one for seventh. I was third for a long time in the second race but then I crashed again. Working with Marc has been good for me mentally, and we have been making big steps with the entire team. I feel really comfortable on the Kawasaki and both the bike and the team have helped me to improve my riding so much this year; for sure we can build even further step-by-step from here. I feel so confident on the bike that I can push more than ever before. Maybe I pushed a little too much at times today, and I’m a little angry with myself about that, but we will learn from it. “
Overall MXGP GREAT BRITAIN:
1 Tim Gajser 47 Pnt
2 Jorge Prado 43 Pnt
3 Jeremy Seewer 40 Pnt
4 Maxime Renaux 35 Pnt
5 Glenn Coldenhoff 32 Pnt
6 Jed Beaton 30 Pnt
Overall Grand Prix MX2 Great Britain:
1 Simon Laengenfelder 50 Pnt
2 Tom Vialle 42 Pnt
3 Jago Geerts 40 Pnt
4 Kay de Wolf 36 Pnt
5 Roan van de Moosdijk 33 Pnt
8 Kevin Horgmo 26 Pnt
