Top Ten for Bobryshev in Mantova

CAS Honda’s Evgeny
Bobryshev put in a sterling performance during today’s Grand Prix of
Lomardia in Mantova, Italy for the second round of the MX1 World
Championship to finish in 10th position overall.

Bobryshev
started the weekend with consistency in the 20-minute plus two-lap
qualifying race, which earned him eleventh on the gate at the technical
sand track. Teammate Gareth Swanepoel suffered a crash in the first lap,
and was only able to recover to 24th place on the startline for today’s
races.

In the opening race of today Bobryshev, who hails from
Kondrovo, Russia, recovered from a tumble in the opening stages of the
35-minute plus two-lap moto to work his way through to a valuable 14th
position aboard his CRF450R. Swanepoel found it tough going, and
struggled to find his rhythm, finishing in 15th place.

In the
second moto 22-year-old Bobryshev made a strong start and was lying in
fifth position at the end of lap one. The Russian racer was battling at
the front of the field in only his second Grand Prix aboard the MX1
bike, and despite an off-track excursion that saw his gear lever bent
and unusable in the final ten minutes of the race, the CAS Honda pilot
came home in an impressive ninth place earning him a career-best 10th
position overall.

Swanepoel found the second race equally as
tough as the first, not helped by his low gate pick, and the 25-year-old
South African came through to 14th to finish the day in 15th position
overall.

CAS Honda’s next outing is for round three of the FIM
World Championship will take place on April 25th at Valkenswaard for the Grand
Prix of the Netherlands.

Evgeny Bobryshev #777: 10th Overall
“I
feel great, as that’s my best performance yet. I did not get tired out
there, despite the tough, bumpy conditions and overall both motos went
pretty well. I crashed together with (Sebastien) Pourcel in the first
race, so I had to work my way back through, but 14th wasn’t so bad. I
felt happy and afterwards I was ready for the next moto. My next start
was much better and while it was the first time I have been riding with
the guys at the front, it was good to be able to watch and see how they
were riding the track. Bulgaria was a bit easier than this place but in
Sevlievo I felt dead after twenty minutes. I was looking at the lines
and being smarter with my riding today, and felt good the whole way
through the races, so we have made a big step forward since last week. I
hope we can continue with this progress.”

Gareth
Swanepoel #8: 15th Overall
“It was a tough weekend and a tough
track. It was demanding out there and crashing in qualifying really
left us on the back foot. Starting from 24th place was very hard and I
struggled to find my rhythm the whole of the first race. I ended up a
dismal 15th, which was very disappointing. In the second moto I got away
better off the start, but was block-passed really hard by another rider
and almost went down. I lost a few positions, although I managed to get
going after that and found a decent pace. It was only 14th but I was
happier with my riding. We are definitely not where we want to be but we
will keep working to get the results we know we are capable of.”

Neil
Prince: CAS Honda Team Manager
“For CAS Honda Evgeny put in
some solid rides today, and he has made a huge leap forwards in just a
week. I would say in Bulgaria he lacked a little bit towards the end of
the races, but all weekend he has been riding good here. An unfortunate
crash in the first moto left him with a fair bit of work, and Mantova is
not a forgiving track, but he lapped consistently through to 14th. In
the second race he gated well and was running with some of the top
riders. This will have been a big learning curve at only his second MX1
Grand Prix, but he looked comfortable and earned valuable experience. He
rode the last 10 minutes of the race pretty much in third gear, as he
managed to get it jammed up after slipping off the track, so we are
happy with his performance today. With Gareth, he really needs to work
out where he is struggling. He has the pace and ability, but today he
just didn’t ride how we know he is capable of. We now have a couple of
weeks to regroup and look at what we can improve in relation to the
competition ready for Valkenswaard.”