F&H Kawasaki Racing Team’s Kevin Horgmo raced two solid motos for fifth overall in the Latvian round of the FIM World MX2 Motocross Championship at Kegums.

From his disadvantageous start-pick after a difficult Qualifying the Norwegian rode a furious opening lap in race one to advance to eighth in company with the pre-race series leader. A clever line-switch saw him make an inside pass for sixth on the tenth of seventeen laps but further advances were not possible as the leaderboard was stretched out by then. He raced into the top six already off the start of race two and on lap two he executed a tidy pass for fifth, immediately pulling clear for a lonely ride to secure fifth overall on the day and maintain eighth in the series standings.

Kevin Horgmo: “Today was a solid day with sixth and fifth in the two motos; of course I want more but it was a real step in the right direction after the last few weeks. I was sick in Spain but I feel healthy again now. My thanks to all of the team for their hard work; they never stopped believing in me and now we just need to maintain the progress to get back to where we belong. I was standing complete outside on the gate after yesterday so I didn’t even put on the holeshot device and cut inside off the start to come through the first corner in the top ten and that made the races a little easier. It was survival out there in the conditions in race two but my bike ran 100% all moto.”

Big Van World MTX Kawasaki’s Jack Chambers was looking to impress again after his career-best qualifying result on Saturday but the first moto ended early for the Floridian as he went down hard in traffic on the second lap after starting twelfth. Battered and bruised he defiantly persisted through the difficult track conditions of race two to finish fourteenth and was rewarded with seven points which see him advance to eighteenth in the championship standings.

The F&H team decided that David Braceras should sit out the Latvian GP following a midweek practice crash; the Spaniard had been shaken but suffered no broken bones and expects to return to racing next weekend in Germany.

A heavy fall during Saturday practice had restricted BUD Racing Kawasaki’s Quentin Marc Prugnières to seventeenth gate-pick for both motos of the FIM European EMX250 Championship round at a track where the tight 180 degrees first turn heavily favours the inside gates. In each moto the French youngster had to charge from outside the top-fifteen to finish eighth and tenth for ninth overall. He was rewarded for his perseverance as he advanced to eighth in the series points standings.

F&H Kawasaki Racing Team’s Kevin Horgmo had to dig deep in race two to add a ninth to his first moto sixth in the French round of the FIM World MX2 Motocross Championship at Villars-sous-Ecot.

The Norwegian shot out of the gate in race one to claim his second holeshot award of the season but was relegated to sixth within three laps as he sought the optimal lines on a track which was significantly faster than on the previous day after repeated work by the organiser’s track crew. Once he settled into a rhythm he had a lonely ride to sixth at the chequered flag. He put in a remarkable ride from dead-last in race two after being forced to pit for repairs on the opening lap; pushing relentlessly for the full thirty-five minutes, he moved into the top-ten on the penultimate lap and earns twelve valuable championship points for ninth at the finish. The effort earth eighth overall on the day and he retains that ranking in the series points-standings.

Kevin Horgmo: “Race one was nice with the holeshot and I felt good, but I haven’t been up there racing at the front for some time so I was missing the intensity and speed to race with them in the early laps. Once I found my rhythm I was riding better and better; it’s just a pity I couldn’t earn a better result after taking the holeshot. I had to stop at the pit-lane on the first lap of the second moto for repairs but I pushed all moto to come back from dead-last to ninth.”

It was a tortuous GP for F&H rookie David Braceras. The young Spaniard showed tremendous spirit as he rebounded strongly from first-lap incidents in each moto which left him twenty-fifth and twenty-fourth first time past the timekeepers but his only reward were seven points for fourteenth in race one as he was forced out of race two after recovering to sixteenth within just four laps. He remains fifteenth in the series standings.

F&H Kawasaki Racing Team’s Kevin Horgmo claimed seventh place in the Spanish round of the FIM World MX2 Motocross Championship at Arroyomolinos on the outskirts of Madrid.

The Norwegian made life difficult for himself with early errors in each moto. In the first race he shot out of the gate top-five alongside F&H teammate David Braceras but already during the hectic opening lap was pushed down to fifteenth as he fell attempting a pass and faced a long chase through the pack to reach his eventual eighth place four laps from the end. Another good gate in race two was negated on the opening lap as he lost momentum after tagging another rider’s rear wheel; from fourteenth on the first lap he again charged hard to reach seventh three laps from the finish with a series of impressive lap times. Seventh overall on the day retained eighth in the series points standings a third of the way through the championship.

Kevin Horgmo: “The bike was working perfect today and I got two really good starts but I fell trying to make a pass in race one and had to come back from behind; it was pretty difficult to make quick passes but I came to eighth at the finish. In the second moto I got another good start but touched someone’s rear wheel in the corner and dropped many positions. I felt strong at the end as I came back to seventh; now I just need to continue building. The bike is good and the riding is getting better and better; I want to thank the entire team for their great efforts and we can look forward confidently to France.”

David Braceras gave the vociferous Spanish crowd plenty to cheer as he raced top-six for two laps before two rude attacks by opponents, the first of which pushed him off the track and the second to the ground, relegated him to sixteenth. Urged on by the fans he regrouped to finish fourteenth. After a midfield start in race two the rookie persevered to push forward from eighteenth on the opening lap to again take the chequered flag fourteenth. He thus retains his fourteenth-placed ranking in the world championship standings.

David Braceras: “I started really good in the first moto and raced some laps in P6 but then I crashed with another rider and that pushed me down to sixteenth before I came back to fourteenth. I started really bad in the second race but came to fourteenth again; perhaps I could have taken even more but I used a lot of energy to pass one rider. I’m not happy with the results but I got some experience and the Spanish people are the best; they supported me so much. I could hear them all the way round the track when I was top six in the first moto.”

Persbericht: Moordrecht, 08-05-2023

F&H Kawasaki Racing Team’s Kevin Horgmo bounced back with a forceful sixth in race two in the Portuguese round of the FIM World MX2 Motocross Championship at Agueda.
The Norwegian paid the penalty for an unfortunate Qualifying the previous day which had left him with a disadvantageous gate-pick. He found himself seventeenth on the opening lap of race one but persisted throughout the race, making his final pass on the penultimate lap for twelfth. He faced another difficult start from the outside in race two but pounced quickly to move into eleventh after a few corners and by the end of lap two he was already eighth. Two more stunning passes during the first five laps saw him advance even further to his eventual sixth. He heads to Spain next weekend eighth in the series standings.

Kevin Horgmo: “I was fastest in Warm-up this morning but they watered a lot before our first race and without a good Qualifying yesterday it was difficult for the start today. I was making a lot of mistakes trying to pass slower riders but I turned it around the last few laps so I was confident for race two. I still didn’t get the best start but I came from eleventh to sixth, not far from Adamo. Now we fly back to The Netherlands to get ready for Spain.”

Young teammate David Braceras reveled in the Portuguese sunshine as he rocketed through the first turn seventh in race one and even moved forward to sixth after six laps before the pressure of racing at the sharp-end for the first time in his rookie GP season started to show and he periodically surrendered positions during the second half of the race. But the Spanish youngster remained cool to bring it home eleventh, his best result to date. Race two was a different story as he could not avoid a fallen rival on the opening lap; the incident left him twenty-fourth at the first split but he responded admirably to work his way forward to fourteenth at the chequered flag. He heads to his home GP next weekend fourteenth in the championship points chase.

David Braceras: “I took a great start in the first moto and found good rhythm and speed to race several laps in sixth. It was a good experience but I used a lot of energy in those first few laps and had to back off a little in the second half of the race. My start was not quite so good in race two and I was around fifteenth but another rider fell in front of me and I crashed too. But I was happy with my riding to come back to fourteenth. There are still a lot of things for me to improve, but I am progressing every weekend and the next GP is in my home country; the track there is quite special and I will give everything for my own public.”

F&H Kawasaki Racing Team’s Kevin Horgmo finished ninth in the fourth round of the FIM World MX2 Motocross Championship at Pietramurata in the north Italian province of Trentino.

The Norwegian moved forward determinedly from eleventh to ninth during the first two laps of moto one but lost his momentum as the race progressed to eventually take the chequered flag eleventh. A solid ride throughout race two was rewarded with eighth place to earn ninth on the day. He is now eighth in the series standings.

Kevin Horgmo: “It’s been a difficult weekend for me. The team is working really hard to help me and I am so sorry that I couldn’t reward them; eleventh and eighth are not what we’re aiming for. I just need to build my confidence back and feel comfortable again. We go home now and look for good training before Portugal.”

F&H teammate David Braceras rode solidly in fourteenth for most of race one before surrendering three positions in the closing stages. The Spanish GP rookie showed tremendous spirit in race two as he charged back to seventeenth place after cartwheeling down the track at the start in a collision with another rider already before the approach to turn one. He is now fifteenth in the world championship points standings.

David Braceras: “I felt really good this morning in Warm-up with P7, but I just didn’t find my rhythm in race one, then the crash at the start of the second moto. I was dead-last and then on the second lap as I was coming through another rider jumped across me and I crashed again. But I kept pushing to score points again; it was not the result I want but we will work the next two weeks to be ready for Portugal and the results we deserve.”

F&H Kawasaki Racing Team’s Kevin Horgmo dug deep after his Qualifying misfortunes to salvage eighth in the Swiss round of the FIM World MX2 Motocross Championship at Frauenfeld.

He faced two difficult GP motos after his unfortunate Qualifying on Saturday had dealt him a disadvantageous choice of gate in a start-layout which heavily favoured the inside gates. KX power saw him sprint to the first turn just within the top-ten and he quickly pounced to make a significant pass on the opening lap of each moto but further advances proved difficult on a track which offered few opportunities in a fast-moving leaderboard train. Ninth in race one and seventh in race two resulted in eighth overall on the day and see the Norwegian head to Italy next weekend seventh in the series points chase.

Kevin Horgmo: “For sure we didn’t get the results we wanted this weekend but we bounced back as good as we could from our misfortune yesterday. I had a mid-pack start in the first race but made some quick passes and finished ninth. I had more-or-less the same start in moto two; it took me some time to find my rhythm but it came better-and-better during the moto and I was really close to making another pass on the last lap.”

F&H teammate David Braceras battled just outside the top-ten throughout both motos to claim the best points-haul to date in his rookie GP season. Fifteenth in race one and thirteenth in race two gave the Spanish youngster fourteenth overall and see him advance to the same ranking in the world standings.

David Braceras: “It was a positive weekend with P15 and P13 today and my first top ten in the Quali moto. I made small advances, so I’m happy with that. In the first moto I rode a little tense so I didn’t find a good flow but in the second moto I was feeling better and I was happier with my riding. I still have much more and I am ready to put in the work to get there !”

F&H Kawasaki Racing Team’s Kevin Horgmo maintained his top-six ranking in the FIM World MX2 Motocross Championship with eighth overall in round two of the series at Riola Sardo on Sardinia.

The Norwegian gambled on taking a central gate in race one to ensure a clean run to turn one, away from the bar-banging amongst the other favorites, and it seemed to be paying dividends as he approached the turn with his nose in front, but a rival from the inside ran to the outside of the turn, taking the Kawasaki rider with him, to negate the tactic. The F&H teamster was quickly back into the top-eight leaderboard runners but the hot pace offered few opportunities to pass and, despite his persistence, it was only during the final four laps that he was able to advance further to his eventual seventh. Lining up at the gate amongst the other front-runners for race two Horgmo rounded turn one ninth and stayed there all moto as a single fast line developed in the sand. Eighth overall on the day, he retained his top-six ranking in the series heading to the next round at Frauenfeld in Switzerland over the Easter weekend.

Kevin Horgmo: “Not my best day; in fact I’m a little disappointed. My Quali was OK but I just couldn’t replicate it on race day. To be honest I would have prefered it to be rougher. The track was just so fast today; if it had been bumpier I could have ground it out and relied on my physical fitness.”

Horgmo’s Spanish teammate David Braceras continues to establish himself in his rookie GP season and was running a solid twelfth after twenty-five minutes of the first moto until a rude attack by a rival sent them both sprawling on the ground. He remounted to finish eighteenth. An incident on the first lap of race two left the youngster last but he responded bravely to advance to fourteenth after twenty minutes before the exertions of two tough races began to tell and he surrendered two places during the closing laps. Fifteenth overall on the day he is now also fifteenth in the series rankings.

David Braceras: “I earn a good gate from twelfth yesterday in Qualifying and was running tenth-eleventh-twelfth for a long time until another rider blocked me and we crashed. I crashed in the second corner in race two; I came back to fourteenth but then I started to have some trouble with my legs. We will continue to work and I know what I need to work on.”

F&H Kawasaki Racing Team’s Kevin Horgmo stormed to a second-moto runner-up placing in the opening round of the FIM World MX2 Motocross Championship at Villa La Angostura in Argentina.

The first moto started in most unfortunate fashion for F&H teammates Horgmo and David Braceras as, after excellent starts, they each found themselves delayed by a crash immediately ahead of them entering turn two. Within a lap they had each burst back into the top-twenty and continued to push their way up the standings. By half-distance the Norwegian had broken into the top-ten but the gaps between the leaderboard riders had already been established and he had to be satisfied with ninth at the chequered flag while his Spanish teammate finished twelfth.

A superb start in race two saw Horgmo nail the holeshot award and, although he had to surrender the lead at turn two, he established himself immediately in the front-three breakaway and made second his own on lap four to claim a clear runner-up finish in the moto, missing the overall GP podium by just a single point despite the misfortune he suffered in race one. The new ruling which also awards points in Qualifying sees the Norwegian head to round two fifth in the series standings. Teammate Braceras also started top-ten but two slips pushed the Spaniard out of the points; his first-moto scoreline sees him seventeenth in the points after the first round of his GP rookie season.

Kevin Horgmo: “I had a great start, third into the first corner, in race one. I was right behind Coenen and Längenfelder when they collided and I had nowhere to go. I was stuck behind them and got hit from behind; my entire rear brake system was ripped off but I set off after a long delay to score as many points as possible. Making passes was OK and by the time I made it to the top-ten the gaps were hard to make up but I had a good feeling with my riding and that gave me confidence for race two. I took the holeshot and crossed the line second after a consistent moto; overall it was a positive day.”

The F&H Kawasaki MX2 Racing Team has revealed its new line up before the opening race of the season in Argentina. The team has had a good off season and is ready to perform in 2023. Kevin Horgmo finished fourth in the world championship MX2 in 2022 and is eager to improve on this result this year. Alongside him is the talented Spaniard David Braceras who moves up from the EMX250 Championship to the MX2 class.

The Grand Prix of Argentina will be held Villa La Angostura, one of the best tracks on the MXGP calendar. Both riders are eager to compete and, for David, it’s the first time that he will race an overseas Grand Prix so for him it will be a great experience.

Kevin Horgmo commented: ‘’The winter preparation went really well. I have enjoyed my time on the bike and we have improved a lot. The pre-season race didn’t really show that but I think that’s what these races are for and I have learnt a lot. Compared to last year I would like to be more consistent and don’t have any silly crashes. I was in a good position many times and let the result slip away. My mission is to improve and be even faster. All the hard work from the winter will pay off during the season. I’m looking forward to Argentina.’’

 

David Braceras commented: ‘’We did a lot of good training on proper tracks during the winter and I started to feel comfortable on the bike. We have done a lot of work with the bike and the suspension and other aspects are going really well. My goals for the first race in Argentina are see where I am and improve on that in the following races. I’m really enthusiastic to go to Argentina as the people there are also speaking Spanish. The track looks also really nice and I think I will adapt well to the type of sand of the track. It’s really fast and I think it will be a good track for me.’’

 

Nathalie Fase, Team Manager added: ‘’F&H Kawasaki MX2 Racing Team will line up this season with two young, strong talented riders in the FIM Motocross MX2 World Championship. Kevin Horgmo who finished fourth in the world championship with us last season looks stronger than ever after a perfect winter preparation and is ready to go for it. Our new Spanish talented member of the team David Braceras has recovered well from a minor injury earlier this winter period and we are confident that everything will work out with him step by step during the season.

The composition of the team has changed slightly, a lot of familiar faces known for years already in the paddock, but also some new additions have made their entrance within the team which is refreshing! I myself recently became the mother of a sweet little boy, so I will have to coordinate the first races from home, Obviously, that is new to experience, but good preparation is half the work and my partner together with our crew is fortunately taking over many of my tasks on site.

We look back on a good season last year and together with all our sponsors and Kawasaki we are ready to take it even further. The complete F&H Kawasaki MX2 Racing Team is motivated to start the season in a positive way and build from there.
”Let the good times roll!”