01.10.2018
A tough season finale for Irwin and Mewse on the challenging soil of Italy
The purpose built circuit at the famous Autodromo Enzo and Dino Ferrari in Imola made for a unique setting for the last race of the season and the world championship arrived with two crowned champions and one final opportunity for Graeme Irwin and Conrad Mewse to add to their points tally in MXGP and MX2, respectively.
The battlefield proved hard and slippery and the first rival was the lack of traction, making for a challenging weekend for the team. The two riders brought home a handful of points but for Irwin it was a painful end to a season he will be pleased to see behind him.
MX2
Having suffered in qualifying to cross the line 23rd, Mewse was a victim of the chaotic start of race one and had a battle on his hands straight away to recover from the very last position. The #426 quickly made up a handful of places on lap one and broke inside the top 30 one lap later, determinedly picking up rivals despite the gaps ahead getting more significant. Mewse made good progress to 24th spot by the final two laps and maintained that position to the chequered flag.
The second moto had a more positive start, with Mewse up to ninth out the gate but the Hitachi ASA rider got tangled in midfield battles and was pushed back to 19th by the end of lap one. The KTM 250 SX-F man managed to regroup and attacked the Brit pack engaged in battle for 15th position, progressing up to 17th at the finish line and grabbing four points to consolidate 12th place in the championship.
MXGP
After a tough qualifying in 22nd position, Irwin lost ground at the start of the first moto and had to fight back from 29th place after lap one. The #55 managed to recover up to 23rd position and held station until the final ten minutes of the race, fighting to bring down the nine-second gap to points positions. The KTM rider’s mission was aided by a few incidents ahead but Irwin kept it going and eventually snatched the final point on offer on the last couple of laps.
The second moto saw Irwin slot into 19th at the start but, as often has been the case this season, his run of terrible luck continued when he crashed out of lap 1 and dislocated his wrist and broke his scaphoid.
Graeme will be operated on by renowned hand specialist Dr. Eames, but is unlikely he will line up for the final round of the Maxxis British Motocross championship and the Weston Beach Race, both happening later this month. A really bad end to Graeme’s season where he was hoping to finish strong. The sole point gained in Imola was added to the British rider’s tally and ensured 26th position in the World championship ranking.
Jeffrey Herlings and Jorge Prado came to Imola with their names on the gold medal and sealed their world championship winning campaigns with doubles in the season finale.
MXGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS – ROUND 20 of 20
MX2 Race 1
1. Jorge Prado KTM
2. Thomas Kjer Olsen HUSQVARNA
3. Henry Jacobi HUSQVARNA
24. Conrad Mewse KTM
MX2 Race 2
1. Jorge Prado KTM
2. Hunter Lawrence HONDA
3. Thomas Covington HUSQVARNA
17. Conrad Mewse KTM
MX2 Overall
1. Jorge Prado KTM (50 points) KTM
2. Thomas Kjer Olsen (40 points) HUSQVARNA
3. Thomas Covington (34 points) HUSQVARNA
21. Conrad Mewse (4 points) KTM
MX2 World Championship Standings
1. Jorge Prado (873 points) KTM
2. Pauls Jonass (777 points) KTM
3. Thomas Kjer Olsen (673 points) HUSQVARNA
12. Conrad Mewse (221 points) KTM
MXGP Race 1
1. Jeffrey Herlings KTM
2. Tim Gajser HONDA
3. Clement Desalle KAWASAKI
20. Graeme Irwin KTM
MXGP Race 2
1. Jeffrey Herlings KTM
2. Tim Gajser HONDA
3. Clement Desalle KAWASAKI
DNF Graeme Irwin KTM
MXGP Overall
1. Jeffrey Herlings (50 points) KTM
2. Tim Gajser (44 points) HONDA
3. Clement Desalle (40 points) KAWASAKI
23. Graeme Irwin (1 point) KTM
MXGP World Championship Standings
1. Jeffrey Herlings (933 points) KTM
2. Antonio Cairoli (782 points) KTM
3. Clement Desalle (685 points) KAWASAKI
26. Graeme Irwin (47 points) KTM