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aprile 11, 2016 - Suzuki Racing

Strijbos holds eighth in MXGP after Argentina

Comunicato Stampa disponibile solo in lingua originale. 

Suzuki World #mxgp rider #kevinstrijbos scored ninth place overall at a packed Neuquen circuit today for the Grand Prix of Patagonia in #argentina and the fourth round of 18 in the 2016 FIM #mxgp Motocross World Championship. 

Steering his #rmz450 to 11th and seventh positions in the two motos run across the fast and undulating layout – and in front of a 29,000 attendance close to Villa de Angostura - the Belgian now holds eighth place in the premier class standings with the trip to Mexico and round five now imminent. 

Neuquen hosted #mxgp for the second year in succession and the surrounding area was packed with fans and visitors to the Grand Prix to create one of the busiest and vibrant race atmospheres on the schedule. The loose and shifting terrain was akin to a sandy surface but was also fast and hard-packed; meaning that riders had to tackle the bumps but exercised caution with inconsistent grip. 

Strijbos qualified in 10th position on Saturday and was looking for an improvement in his pace and start-potential for the motos. The 30 year old was left searching for better after his first #moto start, leaving him almost mid-pack around the initial stages of the opening lap. He managed to find enough of a rhythm to cling onto the back of the top-10 and was comfortably ahead of Christophe Charlier by the chequered flag, but could do little to demote Tommy Searle in 10th. 

In the second #moto, Strijbos slowly found his speed and feeling around the curves that became increasingly rougher and lined with holes. From 13th on the first lap # ‘22’ was steady and climbed into the top seven by the end of the 30-minute and two-lap distance. 

“Kevin had a difficult start in the first race and it was a pretty so-so #moto,” said General Manager Stefan Everts. “In the second he struggled until about half way through when he started to get a rhythm and then passed many guys. We got lucky with the mistakes by Simpson and Bobryshev, but Kevin gave his best and did all he could do today.” 

Team-mate Ben Townley sat-out the Grand Prix having not made a full recovery from the virus he contracted a week before the previous round at Valkenswaard in Holland. 

Team #suzuki World #mxgp continues its globetrotting this week with several flights north and to Leon for the Grand Prix of Mexico and round five on April 17th. 

Kevin Strijbos: 

“We made some changes to the set-up for today but they didn't really work. The track was really sketchy and with that hard base it was easy to make mistakes…and I think a lot of people did make them! We tried to keep positive and gave our best out there. It is a bit frustrating for me and the team at the moment but we’ll go to Mexico now and then have some more tests when we get back home. I really want to thank the team because there is a lot of hard work going on behind-the-scenes and it is not paying-off at the moment; but I’m sure it soon will.” 

MXGP Moto1: 1. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), 34:29.721; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:05.185; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:07.776; 4. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:11.472; 5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:12.973; 6. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:24.641; 7. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:34.253; 8. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +0:40.168; 9. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:46.162; 10. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:52.900; 11. #kevinstrijbos (BEL, #suzuki World MXGP), +0:56.014. 

MXGP Moto2: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 34:47.423; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:03.936; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:07.794; 4. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:11.910; 5. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), +0:19.640; 6. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:40.886; 7. #kevinstrijbos (BEL, #suzuki World MXGP), +0:47.977; 8. Valentin Guillod (SUI, Yamaha), +0:51.197; 9. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +0:53.609; 10. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:54.351 

MXGP Overall result: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 45 points; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 44 p.; 3. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 41 p.; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 35 p.; 5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 34 p.; 6. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 27 p.; 7. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 27 p.; 8. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 25 p.; 9. #kevinstrijbos (BEL, #suzuki World MXGP), 24 p.; 10. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 24 p. 

MXGP World Championship Standings (after 4 of 18 rounds): 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 172 points; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 169 p.; 3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 144 p.; 4. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 138 p.; 5. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 134 p.; 6. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 125 p.; 7. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 105 p.; 8. #kevinstrijbos (BEL, #suzuki World MXGP), 103 p.; 9. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 82 p.; 10. Tommy Searle (GBR, KAW), 74 p.; 11. Valentin Guillod (SUI, YAM), 72 p.; 12. Christophe Charlier (FRA, HUS), 55 p.; 13. Ben Townley (NZL, #suzuki World MXGP), 49 p.