Mixed Fortunes For CAS Honda at Glen Helen

CAS
Honda’s Evgeny Bobryshev was unlucky to crash out of the second moto of
today’s Grand Prix of the USA at Glen Helen Raceway, California
following a strong 12th place in the first moto for round six of the
FIM World MX1 Championship. Gareth Swanepoel also suffered with bad
luck as he also retired from the second heat after finishing 15th in
race one.

Yesterday's first practice was cancelled due to strong
winds at the Glen Helen track, which meant the riders were only given a
short practice and timed session in the afternoon to learn the long and
challenging Californian circuit. In the qualifying heat Swanepoel got a
good start into 13th place, while Bobryshev was edged off the track at
the second turn and remounted into last place, some distance from the
rest of the field.

Swanepoel
maintained good speed and rhythm throughout the 20-minute plus two-lap
moto to finish in 11th on the gate, while Bobryshev fought hard
throughout to come back through to 23rd place.

In the opening
race of today Bobryshev gated well for the long uphill Glen Helen start
straight into 10th place, with Swanepoel in 19th at the end of the
first lap. In the blistering Bobryshev fought hard, although the
Russian racer lost a place to Xavier Boog on lap four of the 35-minute
plus two-lap moto.

Bobryshev soon retaliated and three laps
later the 22-year-old passed Davide Philippaerts and Davide Guarneri
for ninth position. Having maybe used up his energy resources too
quickly in the tough conditions, Bobryshev lost a few places in the
final stages, although the CAS Honda pilot stayed strong to the end of
the incredibly fast and competitive moto to finish in 12th place aboard
his CRF450R. Meanwhile Swanepoel rode consistently and fought his way
to 14th position.

In
race two Swanepoel gated into 13th position, while Bobryshev was in
20th place at the end of the first lap. Swanepoel moved up a place on
lap two and Bobryshev soon got to work by attacking the field.

Bobryshev
had impressively fought his way through to 13th place by lap four, when
the Russian racer took a heavy tumble down one of the notoriously steep
Glen Helen hills. The gritty CAS Honda pilot attempted to continue, but
having taken a hard battering and suffering with a swollen thumb, was
given no choice but to retire from the race. Swanepoel also retired
from 14th position after the 25-year-old South African caught his foot
in a rut and twisted his ankle.

Despite neither rider scoring
in the second moto, Bobryshev remains in ninth in the overall
standings, while Swanepoel is in 15th position and it is expected that
both riders will be fit enough to race in France next weekend.

Evgeny Bobryshev #777: 19th Overall
“Wow,
this was a tough GP. I crashed too many times and after going down
twice in the second moto I had pain in my neck and also my hand so I
could not continue. It was hard to come here and learn the place,
especially with less practice yesterday. Qualifying didn’t go so well,
as I got pushed off the track at the second turn and had to fight back
for 23rd. Today I also had to fight very hard and the heat was tough to
deal with. Thankfully we don’t have any big injuries, and we are still
are ninth in the championship. I just want to concentrate on getting
fit and being ready for France now.”

Gareth Swanepoel #8: 20th Overall
“The
first moto was okay; I did not get the best of starts but once I got my
rhythm I worked my way up and thirteenth, which was alright, but
nothing special. I was hoping for more from the second race, and got a
reasonable start but the track had gotten quite rough and there were a
few deep ruts out there. I just caught my foot in one after making a
small mistake and tweaked my ankle. At the time I could not put any
weight on my foot and had to stop. I went to see the medical team and
they said it was okay so I should hopefully just need a couple of days
rest.”

Neil Prince: CAS Honda Team Manager
“Today
has brought us some mixed fortunes. This track is very fast with some
steep hills, and we had less time practicing than we would have liked
due to the wind yesterday. Bobryshev once again showed his good speed,
although he struggled a little with the hot conditions. He rode a solid
first moto and was looking set to repeat the performance after fighting
through the field in the second moto. He crashed very heavily down one
of the big hills, and was lucky to have walked away from it. He did try
to continue, but has swelling in his thumb, a bruised neck and body.
I’m sure he’ll be sore for a few days but it’s nothing serious, so he
should be fit for France. Gareth rode a fairly consistent race in the
opening heat, but pulled in during the second moto with a tweaked ankle
after catching it in a rut. It wasn’t really a great day for him
overall, but we’ll review things when we know the situation with his
ankle.”

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