Aleksandr Tonkov keeps the success of the Austrian brand high in the MX des Nations in Latvia

Aleksandr Tonkov of Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing has ridden a really strong MX des Nations in Kegums, Latvia. Tonkov was riding in the MXGP class aboard a Husqvarna 350F. He was feeling himself at home on this track. In the opening moto he was leading the race in the first half of the moto. In the second part of the race the pace was a little bit too high for him and this cost him a few positions. Despite this he crossed the finish line in a strong fifth position. In the second moto he was doing a great job as well and finished the race in sixth position. Overall he finished in third position in the MXGP class and with this result he was the highest classified rider of the Austrian Factory in Mattighofen.

Aleksandr showed his potential in the free practice session on Saturday. He set the fastest time in the MXGP class and this gave him a great feeling because this was his first ever major race aboard a Husqvarna 350F machine. In the qualifying heat things were going well for Aleksandr as well. He was leading the race for a long time and kept riders like Gautier Paulin, Jeremy van Horebeek and Ryan Dungey behind him. In the middle of the race he got passed by Paulin and dropped back to second position. Soon after he got a lot of pressure from Jeremy van Horebeek. Unfortunately both riders collided with each other in a corner and due to this it was Aleksandr who made a crash. He lost a lot of positions here but he still managed to finish the race in seventh position.

In the opening moto it was Aleksandr who took the holeshot. He found his rhythm straight away and was leading the race for the first half of the moto. In the second part of the race he wasn’t able to keep the pace as high as the leading MXGP riders and due to this he got passed by Gautier Paulin, Ryan Dungey, Max Nagl and Jeremy van Horebeek to finish the race in a strong fifth position.

In the second moto he was riding a strong race as well. In the beginning of the race he was riding in third position but on the heavy circuit it was difficult for him to keep the pace high in the entire moto. This cost him three positions in the second part of the race but nevertheless he did a great job and finished the moto in sixth position.

With a 5-6 in the motos he finished third overall in the MXGP class. Together with his Russian teammates Vsevolod Brylyakov and Evgeny Mikhailov he finished in eight position in the nations classification.

Results MX des Nations MXGP:

First moto MXGP-MX2:

1 Gautier Paulin

2 Ryan Dungey

3 Max Nagl

4 Jeremy van Horebeek

5 Aleksandr Tonkov Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing

Third moto MXGP-Open:

1 Gautier Paulin

2 Jeremy van Horebeek

3 Eli Tomac

4 Steven Frossard

5 Dean Wilson

6 Aleksandr Tonkov Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing

Overall MXGP class:

1 Gautier Paulin

2 Jeremy van Horebeek

3 Aleksandr Tonkov Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing