In only his second event back racing following injury Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Nagl rounded out the GP of The Netherlands with a highly positive sixth overall MXGP class result.
Around the short, challenging and sandy track built inside the historical circuit of Assen, Nagl delivered two strong performances on his FC 450. With the circuit’s grandstands packed with spectators the German stormed out of the gate in the first MXGP moto to claim the holeshot and lead the race during the opening laps.
With the soft, sandy conditions favouring those in the very best physical condition, Nagl rode a smart moto to cross the finish line sixth. The Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna Factory Racing rider had an even harder job in moto two as a poor start put him in eighth place. Making good use of his experience he fought his way to sixth and collected sixth overall.
Round 16 started on a high note for Husqvarna Motorcycles’ MX2 class rider Harri Kullas who won Saturday’s qualifying race for the first time in his career. In moto one the Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing rider rounded out lap one in tenth. It was to be a tough moto for the Finn who eventually crossed the finish line fifth. A disappointing start in moto two forced Harri to fight from way outside the top ten, battling back to eighth at the chequered flag. Kullas earned seventh overall in MX2.
The GP of The Netherlands saw Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Todd Waters fight through a challenging day of racing in the MXGP class. Ending the first moto inside the top ten with a respectable ninth, the Aussie had to dig deeper in moto two. Starting in 15th Todd made a number of small mistakes yet still ended up battling for eighth. Two laps before the end he dropped one position and had to settle for ninth.
Once again powering his FC 350 to two incredible starts Dean Ferris ended up being the third Husqvarna Motorcycles rider inside the top ten of the MXGP class with ninth overall. Eight in moto one, the Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing rider was second at the start of moto two but a mistake and a crash dropped him to 11th.
Still nursing an injured shoulder Nathan Watson battle hard in Assen, ending up 12th in both motos. The Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna Factory Racing rider concluded his participation in the European races of the 2015 MXGP season with an 11th overall.
The FIM Motocross World Championship will now cross the Atlantic for the penultimate round of the season in Leon, Mexico on September 12/13.
Max Nagl: “It’s been a tough weekend for me and the team. My motivation and confidence was really down on Saturday. It’s hard racing when you’re not at 100 per cent, and even harder when it’s a championship you were leading and no longer in the running for the title. The track was really unlike anything we’ve raced before. It was more like a short beach race style course – a very special type of track. I’m happy with my sixth place finishes considering my fitness.”
Harri Kullas: “Winning the qualifying race was great. But I didn't get good starts today. In both motos I felt like my speed was good, but I was too far back at the start. I went from fifth to tenth in the first couple of corners in the opening moto and had to fight to get back to fifth. In moto two I got stuck between two riders going into the first turn and was around 20th. I was riding good, and got back to eighth at half distance. Much of the track was graded for the second moto – it was one-lined and not so technical. With better starts I believe a podium would’ve been possible.”
Todd Waters: “Today was fun, but really different. The sand was so deep and parts of the track pretty tight – it was really hard to keep momentum up. I rode a little tight in the first moto and struggled as a result. Being able to get a good rhythm going in these conditions is so important, but I just couldn't make it happen like I wanted. Things were coming together for the second moto but then I made a silly mistake. It was tough after that. I made a few more mistakes and although I felt like I was riding ok I’d lost a lot of time.”
Nathan Watson: “This isn’t the way I wanted to bring my MXGP season to an end but it was a tough week for me after I got landed on at the last GP. I rested my shoulder as much as I could and didn’t ride, so by the second moto I was feeling pretty sore. I got too bad starts, and that made things hard. In the second moto I was pushing on pretty well but then I crashed. I want to thanks all Antti and all the IceOne team for everything they’ve done for me this year.”
Results – FIM Motocross World Championship, Round 16
MXGP Overall
1. Shaun Simpson (KTM) 45pts; 2. Romain Febvre (Yamaha) 41pts; 3. Glenn Colndenhoff (Suzuki) 40pts… 6. Max Nagl (Husqvarna) 30pts… 8. Todd Waters (Husqvarna) 24pts; 9. Dean Ferris (Husqvarna) 23pts… 11. Nathan Watson (Husqvarna) 18pts… 19. Rui Goncalves (Husqvarna) 6pts… 22. Nikolaj Larsen (Husqvarna) 2pts
MXGP Race 1
1. Shaun Simpson (KTM) 20 laps, 34:06.986; 2. Gautier Paulin (Honda) 34:14.806 ; 3. Evgeny Bobryshev (Honda) 34:24.394… 6. Max Nagl (Husqvarna) 34:40.027… 8. Dean Ferris (Husqvarna) 35:03.803; 9. Todd Waters (Husqvarna) 35:11.668… 12. Nathan Watson (Husqvarna) 35:39.605… 18. Rui Goncalves (Husqvarna) 18 laps, 34:13.739; 19. Nikolaj Larsen (Husqvarna) 34:21.308… 21. Klemen Gercar (Husqvarna) 35:09.070
MXGP Race 2
1. Romain Febvre (Yamaha) 20 laps, 33:54.650; 2. Glen Coldenhoff (Suzuki) 34:03.334; 3. Shaun Simpson (KTM) 34:10.423… 6. Max Nagl (Husqvarna) 34:21.424… 9. Todd Waters (Husqvarna) 35:20.466… 11. Dean Ferris (Husqvarna) 35:30.508; 12. Nathan Watson (Husqvarna) 35:39.074… 18. Rui Goncalves (Husqvarna) 19 laps, 34:59.217… 21. Nikolaj Larsen (Husqvarna) 18 laps, 34:46.765; 22. Klemen Gercar (Husqvarna) 35:04.434
MX2 Overall
1. Tim Gasjer (Honda) 47pts; Max Anstie (Kawasaki) 37pts; Brent Van doninck (Yamaha) 36pts… 7. Harri Kullas (Husqvarna) 29pts… 18. Anton Lundgren (Husqvarna) 9pts
MX2 Race 1
1. Tim Gasjer (Honda) 20 laps, 34:39.248; 2. Pauls Jonass (KTM) 34:43.693; 3. Julien Lieber (Yamaha) 34:46.629… 5. Harri Kullas (Husqvarna) 34:58.025… 17. Anton Lundgren (Husqvarna) 19 laps, 36:09.396… 21. Maykal Grisha Ivanov (Husqvarna) 19 laps, 34:44.921… 24. Rick Folkers (Husqvarna) 14 laps, 35:08.200… 26. Davide Bonini (Husqvarna) 12 laps, 16:36.308
MX2 Race 2
1. Max Anstie (Kawasaki) 20 laps, 33:49.752; 2. Tim Gasjer (Honda) 34:01.877; 3. Jeremy Sewer (Suzuki) 34:08.725… 8. Harri Kullas (Husqvarna) 34:24.863… 16. Anton Lundgren (Husqvarna) 19 laps, 34:42.221
Championship Standings (After Round 16)
MXGP
1. Romain Febvre (Yamaha) 638pts; 2. Gautier Paulin (Honda) 536pts; 3. Evgeny Bobryshev (Honda) 499pts… 6. Max Nagl (Husqvarna) 414pts… 10. Todd Waters (Husqvarna) 324pts; 12. Dean Ferris (Husqvarna) 258pts… 23. Nathan Watson (Husqvarna) 95pts… 27. Rui Goncalves (Husqvarna) 39pts… 32. Klemen Gercar (Husqvarna) 23pts
MX2
1. Tim Gajser (Honda) 518pts; 2. Pauls Jonass (KTM) 505pts; 3. Max Anstie (Kawasaki) 474pts… 12. Aleksandr Tonkov (Husqvarna) 256pts… 21. Harri Kullas (Husqvarna) 125pts… 27. Anton Lundgren (Husqvarna) 51pts… 35. Grisha Maykal Ivanov (Husqvarna) 13pts… 40. Davide Bonini (Husqvarna) 7pts
8/30/2015 1:51pm
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