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. “

F&H Kawasaki Racing Team’s Kevin Horgmo consolidated fourth place in the FIM World MX2 Motocross Championship standings after narrowly missing the podium at Loket in the Czech Republic.

The Norwegian momentarily lost drive in soft dirt halfway down the start straight in race one but clever line-choice on the inside of turn one and the outside of turn two already pulled him back into the top-six and another decisive move on the opening lap saw him advance to fifth as he joined the front-four in out-distancing the field. He maintained the pressure on the riders ahead and that pressure paid off on the penultimate lap as he forced the rider ahead into a mistake to take a comfortable fourth at the finish. A clean run through the opening turns saw Horgmo quickly into fifth in race two and he made a further smart pass on the opening lap to advance to fourth. He had third in his sights for most of the race but a loss of momentum three laps from the end saw him surrender one position in the moto to take the chequered flag fifth. This did not affect his overall placing and fourth on the day further consolidated the same position in the championship points chase going into the final third of the series.

Kevin Horgmo: “Neither start worked out as I would have wished but we managed to get up there with some good work through the first few turns. The first race was really solid in fourth and I was fourth again almost all of the second moto but I was starting to make mistakes near the end after two tough races. But overall it was a big advance from the difficulties we had yesterday and the podium was close. I just need to work for that; two holeshots next weekend in Lommel would be nice. “

F&H Kawasaki Racing Team’s Jed Beaton looked strong in the first ten minutes of the opening moto as he moved forward decisively from outside the points-scoring positions to sixteenth before broken spokes, the result of contact with another bike, in the front wheel forced him out of the race. Determined to erase the disappointment he made several spectacular passes to advance from tenth to seventh within two laps and maintained that position, within sight of the top-six, for half the moto before succumbing to chasers in the closing stages to finish tenth. He remains seventeenth in the championship standings.

Jed Beaton: “The first race was just a problem when the wheel was broken; I’d been making passes and was battling for fifteenth-sixteenth so the feeling was already good and the second moto was the best I’ve had for some time. I know I can do it; I just needed that one race for the confidence. It could have been even better if the race fitness had been there but it’s been a tough year coming back from the injury and the last three laps I was pretty done from the heat. But it’s a step in the right direction and I’m looking forward to keeping it up. Lommel’s always tough but it’s the same for everyone, I’ve done a lot of riding in the sand and I’m starting to come back to fitness. “

F&H Kawasaki Racing Team’s Kevin Horgmo defied no-fault collisions in both motos of the twelfth-round of the FIM World MX2 Motocross Championship at Samota-Sumbawa in Indonesia to claim sixth overall.

The Norwegian was not the only rider to be caught out by the unpredictable surface of loose volcanic ash on top of sharp-edged ruts during the early laps of race one as a couple of “moments” saw him pushed back from fourth to sixth but he soon regrouped strongly. He was significantly faster than the riders around him as he advanced back up the leaderboard until a collision as he went for an outside-pass on the rider in third cost fifteen seconds and saw him relegated once more to seventh. Relentlessly reeling the leaderboard riders back in he was back to fifth within four laps but the front-four had escaped and he sensibly saved energy for race two through the final laps in the hot and humid conditions. A fifth-placed start was soon negated in race two as he was shunted from behind in a sharp turn. Rejoining the race last, and with the front brake lever damaged in the incident, the Scandinavian showed his resilience as he pushed despite the handicap to salvage seventh place by the close. His determination earnt sixth overall on the day and confirms his fourth place in the series points standings.


Kevin Horgmo: “The first two or three corners off the start were really difficult and slippery for everyone; there were people all over the place but my riding was good and I was back to fourth until I crashed with another rider. Without that for sure I could have been third. At the start of the second race I made a small mistake in the waves and couldn’t double into the following turn so I decided to cut into the inside; the rider behind me didn’t realise, jumped into my rear wheel and we crashed. The front brake lever snapped off in the crash, so I had to ride the entire race with no brake. Now we have the long trip home but I hope my recovery will go fast and I can get some good bike training ready for Loket. “

Jed Beaton showed good pace during the first half of race one as he advanced from eighth to sixth but the Australian ran out of energy in the heat during the final fifteen minutes to be pushed back to tenth at the chequered flag. The second moto was difficult from the word go but he persevered to finish fourteenth for twelfth overall. He remains seventeenth in the championship standings.

Jed Beaton: “The layout of the track looked really nice when we arrived even though it’s rocky underneath. I ran up front for twenty minutes in the first moto – that was really positive – but then the heat got to me so I went into the second race on the back foot as I’m still not back to 100%. “

Kevin Horgmo of F&H Racing finished in a strong position at the Grand Prix of Germany. Horgmo had to go wide at the start of both motos but charged back to sixth and fifth position in the motos, which gave him fourth position overal. Jed Beaton finished in fourteenth position in both MXGP races!

Pushed wide at turn one F&H Kawasaki Racing Team’s Kevin Horgmo held eighth place for more than half of the first moto in the wake of the leaderboard train which formed on the predominantly one-line track. As the track developed more lines became available and the Norwegian built two clever passes on consecutive laps to finish sixth. The riders off the inside gates again pushed him wide at turn one but within ten minutes he was moving forward from his initial seventh to secure fifth; a relentless chase after the rider directly ahead of him in the points chase came up just one second short, but fourth overall on the day has confirmed fourth in the championship standings and sees him close to within twenty-seven points of third in the series.

Kevin Horgmo: “Yesterday I made a silly mistake in Qualifying and hit the gate, but I felt good on the bike as I came from last to eighth and the set-up was good all weekend. I got pushed wide at turn one from that gate position today but I came from mid-pack both motos to sixth and fifth for fourth overall; I felt my riding was better than the result but that mistake at the gate yesterday cost me. Now to Indonesia; it will be a new experience for me and for sure it will be even hotter than here.“

F&H Kawasaki Racing Team’s Jed Beaton emerged seventeenth from the opening lap of the first moto but was able to push for the entire thirty-five minutes to gain three positions on his way to fourteenth. The Australian was quickly fourteenth in race two and also finished in that position after a race-long battle with the runner-up from race one. He is now seventeenth in the series standings despite missing three rounds through injury.

F&H Kawasaki Racing Team’s Kevin Horgmo had never previously raced at the Intu Xanadu facility on the outskirts of Madrid but quickly showed his liking for the heavily-rutted track. Already extremely impressive during Qualifying as he earns fourth choice of start-gate the Norwegian muscled his way quickly from a fifth-placed start to move third on the second lap of the first GP moto and made a further dramatic pass one lap later for second. He soon moved clear of all chasers and appeared secure in that position but a momentary loss of concentration on lap eight of eighteen saw him slide out in a turn, the twelve-second delay dropping him momentarily to fifth; he quickly surged back to fourth but was not quite able to regain his top-three ranking at the finish. A GP podium looked possible after another top-six start in race two but a collision on the opening lap left him last and two falls after he was on the verge of breaking back into the top-ten restricted him to thirteenth at the finish. Ninth overall on the day, he has retained his fifth-placed world ranking and has extended his advantage over the chasers.

Kevin Horgmo: “I had a good start in the first race and was riding in second for a long time; it cost me a couple of places when I lost the front end but I was riding well so I was happy was that and felt good going into moto two. I was keen to move quickly from sixth but I collided with another rider near the end of the first lap and had to restart at the back. I crashed twice more; I didn’t have the flow after that and just tried to collect as many points as possible. I’m looking forward to Ernée next weekend. I have good memories as I won the 125 class last time I raced there in 2017. “

Jed Beaton, F&H’s rider in the MXGP class, showed good speed on his return to racing after an injury lay-off but was unfortunate in both moto. The Australian finished fourteenth in the first moto after a first-lap mid-pack collision had caused him to ride through the pack; in race two he held a strong fourteenth position until an incident mid-race cost him three positions.

Jed Beaton of the F&H Kawasaki Racing Team will sit out this weekend’s Latvian round of the FIM World MXGP Motocross Championship to accelerate recovery from a shoulder injury sustained last month.

The Australian damaged his left shoulder in a crash during the second round of the series at Mantova in Italy after a stunning entry to the premier world series with sixth place at the opening round; he has displayed grit and determination despite discomfort and lack of strength in the shoulder through the intervening rounds of the series to maintain a top-twelve world ranking but, with no significant improvement in sight whilst he continues to burden the shoulder, rider and team have taken the mutual decision to sit out this weekend’s GP at Kegums, also further rounds of the series if necessary, to ensure a full recovery before Jed resumes racing in the rightful place close to the head of the pack. A decision on a resumption of a full training programme and a return to racing will be taken in collaboration with the best medical advice.

Nathalie Fase (F&H team manager): “Unfortunately Jed has still too much trouble with his shoulder after the crash in Mantova on the sixth of March. Soon we will receive the results of the hospital check-up from last week and can take it from there. We want to rule out any complications, not take unnecessary risks and wait until everything is clear before Jed starts riding again; the aim is to come back strong as soon as possible. “

 

Jed Beaton: “It’s frustrating that I’m sitting out this weekend but the team and myself have made the mutual decision to get things checked further and come back when we can achieve the results we are looking for; it’s obviously a tough pill to swallow but I’m looking forward to coming back as strong as at the opening GP when I do return! “

Round five of the world championship was held at the legendary track of Pietramurata.

Kevin Horgmo got a good jump out of the inside gate in race one but was closed down entering the first turn to charge down the pit-straight to turn two twelfth. He had already advanced into the top ten by the end of the lap but a collision halfway round the next lap demoted him to twenty-ninth. Undeterred by the momentary setback the Norwegian stormed back into the points-scoring positions by half-distance and continued to push, making his final pass for twelfth on the very last lap. Another difficult start in race two saw him eleventh on the opening lap but he immediately set to work on hauling in the riders ahead to advance to eighth after a quarter-of-an-hour; he was fifth at twenty-five minutes and closed down the gap to the leaders in the final ten minutes to finish just three seconds away from third place. He remains seventh in the series points standings.

Kevin Horgmo: “It’s just a little unfortunate that I crashed with another guy on the second lap of the first race and had to come back from twenty-ninth to twelfth. It’s always been difficult to pass here so that was quite an achievement. I got another bad start in the second race but I came through from outside the top-ten to fifth. I felt my riding was really good; I just need to improve my starts. “

Jed Beaton once again showed his track craft to advance to seventh on the opening lap of race one with clever line-choice and he maintained that position with top-six lap times for half the race before the on-going effects of the shoulder injury he sustained at round two of the series forced him to slacken his pace to finish fifteenth. The second moto followed a similar pattern to finish fourteenth; he remains tenth in the championship standings.

Jed Beaton: “It’s the same as last week; I’m still struggling with the shoulder. I don’t have any pain but there’s just no strength after a bit of riding. When I’m racing the first ten-fifteen minutes I’m up the front battling, but then it drops off. It’s a little difficult for me to accept at the moment but it is how it is; now we have two weeks to try to get it sorted as best we can before the next GP.

Overall Grand Prix MX2 Arco di Trento:
1 Tom Vialle 50 Pnt
2 Kay de Wolf 37 Pnt
3 Mikkel Haarup 37 Pnt
4 Thibault Benistant 36 Pnt
5 Mattia Guadagnini 32 Pnt
6 Kevin Horgmo 25 Pnt

World Championship Standings MX2:
1 Tom Vialle 208 Pnt
2 Jago Geerts 194 Pnt
3 Mikkel Haarup 169 Pnt
4 Simon Laengenfelder 154 Put
5 Kay de Wolf 150 Pnt
7 Kevin Horgmo 136 Pnt

Overall MXGP Arco di Trento:
1 Tim Gajser 50 Pnt
2 Maxime Renaux 40 Pnt
3 Jorge Prado 38 Pnt
4 Jeremy Seewer 36 Pnt
5 Glenn Coldenhoff 32 Pnt
15 Jed Beaton 13 Pnt

World Championship Standings MXGP:
1 Tim Gajser 236 Pnt
2 Jorge Prado 203 Pnt
3 Maxime Renaux 184 Pnt
4 Jeremy Seewer 160 Pnt
5 Glenn Coldemhoff 141 Pnt
10 Jed Beaton 82 Pnt