Cookie Consent by Free Privacy Policy website Strijbos & Suzuki 5th in Trentino mxgp qualifier
may 16, 2016 - Suzuki Racing

Strijbos & Suzuki 5th in Trentino mxgp qualifier

Team #suzuki World MXGP’s Kevin Strijbos completed a solid outing in qualification for the Grand Prix of Trentino on wet and slippery Pietramurata soil and earned fifth choice in the start-gate tomorrow in Italy for the eighth round of 18 in the 2016 FIM Motocross World Championship; as team-mate Ben Townley had to come through an early slip in the 20-minute and two-lap sprint to take 22nd place. 

The third #mxgp fixture in as many weeks got off to a sunny start but rolling clouds soon looked ominous and the circuit was promptly coated with heavy showers that turned the stony hard-pack into a slippery and largely one-line layout, so the factory riders had to adjust to two different types of conditions. 

Strijbos clocked the fourth-fastest lap on his RM-Z450 in Timed Practice around the hilly curves where he gained a strong podium finish in 2014. With the onslaught of the rain, the Belgian knew he needed a decent start and was briefly in contention for the holeshot, finally rounding the first and second turns in the top-seven. Strijbos settled into fifth and crowded the rear wheel of Evgeny Bobryshev for most of the race but couldn't force a pass on the Russian and accepted the same slot. 

Townley, on his first visit to Arco di Trento, entered a rut in the formative stages of the race and was struck by the pursuing Shaun Simpson causing both to fall. Townley picked-up and recovered to 22nd spot but was again lamenting poor luck through the Saturday schedule. 

In MX2, Jeremy Seewer qualified with second position on the RM-Z250 some distance behind Dylan Ferrandis and less-than two seconds in front of Jeffrey Herlings. “It rained a lot just before our race so it was pretty slippery. My feeling was alright but it could be better,” the Swiss said. 

In the first EMX250 European Championship #moto run on Saturday afternoon Bas Vaessen had to recover from a mistake on the first lap that left him in last place, but he rallied all the way back to 16th on his RM-Z250. 

Further cloudy conditions and possible showers are forecast for the Grand Prix motos tomorrow. 

Kevin Strijbos: 

“I had a great jump but wheelied a bit out of the gate and messed it up. I was fifth after the first lap and then tried to find a way past Bobby but could not do it. So I settled for a bit and then tried again later in the race but with no success. Anyway, fifth is OK and I’m happy with that for tomorrow. The track was hard and muddy…I really hope it stops raining soon!” 

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