18th Rd MXGP 2022 Afyonkarahisar (TUR)

Kevin Horgmo fourth in the World Championship MX2 2022

F&H Kawasaki Racing Team’s Kevin Horgmo secured fourth place in the FIM World MX2 Motocross Championship in the final round of the series at Afyonkarahisar in Turkey.

The Norwegian immediately found a better rhythm than the previous day to advance into the top-ten from a thirteenth-placed start in race one before a small error on lap four pushed him back to thirteenth again. Regrouping quickly he was back to tenth within two laps and advanced to his eventual ninth five laps from the finish. He again showed good race pace in the second moto to quickly move into eighth before a slip pushed him back to fifteenth. Quickly regaining his composure he again captured ninth four laps from the end to be classified ninth overall. More significantly his efforts ensured fourth place in the final series standings in his first full season of GP racing with Kawasaki.

Kevin Horgmo: “It was a tough day and I’m a little disappointed about my results but let’s look at the positives; we can be happy with our fourth place in the championship and I had some good speed in the motos, just bad starts and a couple of falls so I couldn’t make it happen. Now I’m looking forward to the Nations; it will be my first time in America so for sure it will be a good experience and I hope Team Norway can do well.”

Kevin Horgmo consolidates fourth in the MX2 standings

F&H Kawasaki Racing Team’s Kevin Horgmo moved closer to clinching fourth in his first full-season of FIM World MX2 Motocross Championship racing with two spirited rides at St-Jean D’Angely in France.

The Norwegian gave himself space at the gate with an outside pick in race one and looked good heading into the first turn but he was dramatically stood up by the riders inside and flew through the fence on the outside of the track. Rejoining the race absolutely last he relentlessly pushed to make a strong pass into the top ten with ten minutes remaining, only to fall immediately as the rider he had just passed clipped his footrest. Undaunted he responded with his personal fastest laps to secure a top-ten ranking for good four laps from the end but with no chance remaining to advance even further as the gap to ninth was now too great. A switch of gate-choice for race two did not bring dividends as he was outside the top-ten at the start but he had battled to seventh within just six minutes and kept charging, making a dramatic pass for fifth two laps from the end and almost catching fourth. His speed deserved more than seventh overall on the day but more importantly he has consolidated his fourth place in the series standings and is twenty-two point clear of fifth headed to the final round in Turkey on 3rd/4th September.

Kevin Horgmo: “It was just me that was off yesterday but we made some changes to the settings this morning and I turned it around today. I was just unfortunate in race one when I collided with another rider at turn one and went straight into the fence. A start crash can always happen and was out of my control. I had good rhythm after a few laps and was strong at the end so I was confident for race two but my start was not so good and I had to work my way through the field again. I was riding some solid laps and even got close to van de Moosdijk for fourth until I made a small crash on the last lap. “

F&H Kawasaki Racing Team’s Jed Beaton was also buried in the pack at the start each time but was able to convert seventeenth on the opening lap of race one into fifteenth at the finish. The Australian raced just outside the top-ten throughout race two to claim thirteenth at the chequered flag for fourteenth overall on the day. He is now eighteenth in the series standings.

Jed Beaton: “I’m slowly making progress back towards my pre-injury form but it’s taking time. On Saturday we made some good steps but Qualifying still didn’t go as well as I had hoped and I had to make the most of it from my gate-pick today. I tried to compensate through the first two turns in both races but after that it was difficult. It seems like there was not much passing here once everyone settled; the only changes of position were either really aggressive or mistakes. Hopefully we can end the season on a high; we’ll get some rest this week after three-in-a-row and then go for it in Turkey. “

Lotte van Drunen joins F&H Kawasaki

For the first time in its young history the F&H Kawasaki Racing Team will include a girl in the team line-up next season as talented Lotte van Drunen joins the Dutch squad for the next three years.

The first girl to have ever been on the final podium of the 85cc European Motocross Championship last year, Lotte Van Drunen just turned fifteen years of age this week so she will be able to contest the final round of the FIM WMX Women’s World Motocross Championship in Turkey. Few girls have been so successful in open competition, and Lotte qualified amongst the boys at several rounds of the 125cc European Championship this season with a top-ten result at Lommel as the highlight of her season. Lotte, who has already been working alongside F&H trainer Marc de Reuver in recent weeks, will join the F&H Kawasaki squad later this year to prepare for her first full season in the Women World Championship in 2023.

Nathalie Fasé (F&H team manager): “We are very happy and excited to add a girl to our team and to compete with such a great talent in the Women’s World Championship in the upcoming three years. We are looking forward to a successful collaboration and many successes together! “

Lotte van Drunen: “I am very proud to sign a three-year contract with F&H. This is an amazing offer for a girl of my age and I’m really grateful for the opportunities that they will give me! I’m already looking forward to starting with the team and training on my Kawasaki during the winter.”

Kevin Horgmo fourth in the Grand Prix MX2 in Sweden

F&H Kawasaki Racing Team’s Kevin Horgmo finished fourth in the Swedish round of the FIM World MX2 Motocross Championship at Uddevalla.

For the Scandinavian rider the Swedish round was effectively his „home“ GP as many fans made the relatively short journey south from Norway to support their national hero. The Kawasaki rider responded admirably. He secured the holeshot – his third of the season – in race one before being pushed back to third during the first two laps by the two leading riders in the series. He quickly regained his composure to resist all further challengers before a nerve-wracking final three laps as a side-plate worked loose and hampered movement of his right leg. Another lightening start in race two saw him run top-three again on the opening lap; position changes were frequent on the leaderboard for several laps but the Kawasaki settled into a solid fourth mid-moto before a single error cost him a position. Settling back into his rhythm through the final four laps he charged back into the wheeltracks of the riders immediately ahead of him to finish in sight of third. Fourth on the day, he has strengthened his grip on that position in the series rankings with three GPs remaining to the end of the season.

Kevin Horgmo: “It took me some time to find my rhythm in practice yesterday but I turned it around in Qualifying so I had a good feeling coming into today and got the holeshot in race one. I tried to follow Vialle and Geerts when they came past but they were just a little too fast for me and I ended up third. Still, that was a good race for me. I stood a little more to the inside on the gate for race two and got squeezed going into the first corner. I also rode a little tense during the first few laps and then had a small crash so I ended up fifth. It would have been nice to be the podium in front of my family and friends but it was not to be. Perhaps I can make it for them next week. I saw a lot of familiar faces this weekend and I want to thank them all for their support; some Norwegian fans told me on Saturday they were enjoying it so much they had already booked tickets for Finland. “

F&H Kawasaki Racing Team’s Jed Beaton was moving forward from midfield starts in each moto until incidents cost him dearly and he had to be content with nineteenth and eighteenth placings at the chequered flag. The Australian remains seventeenth in the points standings.

A stunning third position for Kevin Horgmo in the Grand Prix MX2 in Lommel

F&H Kawasaki Racing Team’s Kevin Horgmo raced to a magnificent second-moto third place as the FIM World MX2 Motocross Championship faced the rugged deep Belgian sand of Lommel in stifling heat.

The enthusiastic young Norwegian had asked too much of the clutch as he held seventh in the first moto in the claustrophobic climatic conditions and unrelenting bottomless sand of the most demanding track in the world, but an interval pep-talk with experienced F&H team coach Marc de Reuver set the scene perfectly for the magnificent race two showing. He quickly moved into the top-six after leaving turn one eighth and paced himself perfectly through the exhausting thirty-five minute race. By mid-moto he was involved in an intense three-way tussle for fourth, a position he made his own with four laps remaining to set off after the front-three. Lapping several seconds per lap faster than the riders ahead of him he stormed into third halfway round the penultimate lap and almost caught second at the chequered flag. He remains fourth in the series points standings with four GPs remaining.

Kevin Horgmo: “It was nice to finish the day so strong. I lost quite a lot of time in the early laps of race one as I searched for my rhythm; once I got going I was catching up again but unfortunately I had to pull out so that made me even more determined to bounce back in race two. I took it quite easy through the first few laps but once I found the rhythm I felt strong and fresh. I could ride my lines, kept it going to the end and got up to third. Now I hope to finish the season strong; the next GP in Sweden is almost a home GP for me, just two-and-a-half hours from where my parents live, and I’m sure there will be a lot of Norwegian fans there to support me.“

F&H Kawasaki Racing Team’s Jed Beaton was classified sixteenth overall to retain his seventeenth series ranking. A mistake on lap four of the first race cost the Australian ten seconds and five positions but he regrouped quickly to confirm that he is gradually regaining his fitness, posting solid lap times to the close to pull back tht lost ground and take the chequered flag seventeenth. He held a smooth eleventh place for six laps of race two until the track and climatic conditions started to take its toll and he eventually crossed the finishing-line fifteenth.