13.05.2018
Conrad flies the flag alone for Hitachi ASA KTM UK for MXGP Round 7 in Latvia
The HITACHI ASA KTM UK motocross team headed to Kegums with mixed emotions as the Latvian track was a happy playground for Conrad Mewse in 2017 but the team was not joined by Graeme Irwin, who is still recovering from serious burns following an incident in the last round of the Maxxis British Motocross Championship.
With Irwin out of MXGP action for Round 7 of the World Championship, Mewse carried the flag for the HITACHI ASA KTM team in the MX2 class on the new configuration of the circuit. The sandy and technical track was run in opposite direction due to safety considerations but remained a happy hunting ground for Mewse and his
KTM 250 SX-F.
MX2
Expectations were high for the #426 who in addition to his third place at the last visit around the track, put together an excellent qualifying race to grab fourth choice of start gate position.
Race 1 started with Mewse in tenth position and fighting to keep Alvin Östlund and Jed Beaton at bay. After several mistakes from podium contenders, Mewse progressed to eighth position and was coming under fire from Calvin Vlaanderen. The British rider resisted a spirited attack from the South African and was in touch with seventh position in the closing stages of the race but ran out of time and settled for eighth place. Thomas Kjer Olsen won the first moto unchallenged after poleman Jorge Prado made a mistake at the start and had to fight through the field to snatch some points.
The second moto proved to be a harder challenge as Mewse got pushed back to 17th position after the start. The KTM rider managed to recover a position in the final 10 minutes after Thomas Covington abandoned his damaged bike following an earlier collision and spent a lonely rest of the race behind David Herbreteau and significantly ahead of Morgan Lesiardo.
Meanwhile, Red Bull KTM’s Jorge Prado ran away with the win ahead of Thomas Kjer Olsen and it was homeboy Paul Jonass’ turn to make a recovery fight through the field up to fifth position. The Latvian rider maintained his championship lead over teammate Prado, while Olsen repeated last year’s performance and got the overall win after impeccable runs in both motos. Mewse leaves Round 7 with a combined tally of 18 points and 10th in the world championship.
Conrad Mewse #426:
“Well, it was an improvement this weekend to be back in the top 10. It was a hard GP; the track was gnarly and the weather was hot. The first moto went pretty well, and I got a great start in the second one. The only problem being the holeshot device jammed on for the first half of the lap, so I had to get that sorted and just lost my rhythm and by then I was pretty drained.
“I’ve found myself in a bit of a dip in form since the start of the year. I’m fit, focussed and I’ve got the speed – I just need to get back to having fun and take the pressure off. It’s a long year with a lot of races and I want to get back at the sharp end and demonstrate my talent.”
In the MXGP class, the factory Red Bull KTMs showed the way once again, Jeffrey Herlings getting the best of teammate Antonio Cairoli in both races. The Dutch rider extended his lead to 29 points while Irwin’s absence sees him down in 25th position. The Northern Irishman will be hoping to recover some ground but is unlikely to be fit enough to ride in Teutschenthal, Germany, for Round 8 of the World Championship which arrives in less than a week.
MXGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS – ROUND 7 of 19
MX2 Race 1
1. Thomas Kjer Olsen HUSQVARNA
2. Pauls Jonass KTM
3. Thomas Covington HUSQVARNA
8. Conrad Mewse KTM
MX2 Race 2
1. Jorge Prado KTM
2. Thomas Kjer Olsen HUSQVARNA
3. Jago Geerts YAMAHA
16. Conrad Mewse KTM
MX2 Overall
1. Thomas Kjer Olsen (47 points) HUSQVARNA
2. Jago Geerts (38 points) YAMAHA
3. Pauls Jonass (38 points) KTM
15. Conrad Mewse (18 points) KTM
MX2 Championship Standings
1. Pauls Jonass (304 points) KTM
2. Jorge Prado (282 points) KTM
3. Thomas Kjer Olsen (266 points) HUSQVARNA
10. Conrad Mewse (126 points) KTM
MXGP Race 1
1. Jeffrey Herlings KTM
2. Antonio Cairoli KTM
3. Romain Febvre YAMAHA
MXGP Race 2
1. Jeffrey Herlings KTM
2. Antonio Cairoli KTM
3. Gautier Paulin HUSQVARNA
MXGP Overall
1. Jeffrey Herlings (50 points) KTM
2. Antonio Cairoli (44 points) KTM
3. Gautier Paulin (38 points) HUSQVARNA
MXGP Championship Standings
1. Jeffrey Herlings (336 points) KTM
2. Antonio Cairoli (307 points) KTM
3. Clement Desalle (244 points) KAWASAKI
25. Graeme Irwin (17 points) KTM