Three Aussies in Matterley Basin

Three Australian riders put their best foot forward last weekend at the opening round of the MXGP and MX2 championships for 2020. Mitch Evans in MXGP, and Jed Beaton and Nathan Crawford in MX2 worked hard all weekend, with both Evans and Beaton close to making the top three in their classes and Crawford fought against the best MX2 riders in the World to finish top 15 overall.

Mitch Evans racing for the HRC factory put on a solid performance with 3-7 results for fifth overall in the 450 class. Having chased Jeffrey Herlings in the opening race, Evans had to deal with a last place start in the second race, making a charge through the field and finally putting together two solid results.

“It was a good weekend,” Evans said. “Excluding the start of that second race. Everything else went really well. In the first race I had a good start, avoiding some of the early race carnage and made my way into second. Unfortunately, I struggled with my breathing a bit because of my chest infection and finished third. I felt a lot better in the second race although I had to push throughout the race because of the bad start. I used a lot of energy to get around guys as fast as I could, and I hit a bit of a wall with eight minutes to go. Overall, it was a good weekend though, I’m happy with my MXGP debut and now I get ready for Valkenswaard next weekend.”

In the MX2 class, it was a similar story for fellow Aussie Jed Beaton went 2-6 for fourth overall. The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider looked brilliant as he finished second to Jago Geerts in the opening race and after a bad start in the second race worked hard to finish with his sixth-place result.

“It was a good weekend for me,” Beaton said. “Fourth overall is a great result for the first Grand Prix, although I’m a little disappointed to miss the podium because of a small crash in the second race. In the first race I had a good start, found some nice lines and came from eighth to second, which was great. I felt good and, yeah, it was good to get that result in the books. Second race, it took a while to settle into a rhythm and then I just washed the front wheel out in a corner, losing a few places and I finished the race in sixth. For the upcoming rounds I just need to be a little more patient. Overall, it’s been a great day and there are plenty of positives to take into round two next weekend.”

Nathan Crawford scored 18-10 results for 14^th overall, and while that 18^th place in the first race ruined any chance of a great MX2 debut, his 10^th place in the second race really showed his potential.

“Qualifying was a really challenge,” Crawford said. “Especially for me coming from Australia. I’ve never raced in condition that cold. It was definitely something that I hadn’t been through before. We tried to prepare for it and did our best in the tough conditions. In race one I got a mid-pack start but made some good passes on lap one. I was hovering around 10th position and then had a big crash and after that I was just surviving and trying to get through the race. In race two it was an OK start, but not great - so I set about battling my way through and ended the race in 10th place. The second trace was definitely better for me and that gives me something to build on.”

The three Aussies will now head to Valkenswaard, where they can expect some deep sand and another tough introduction into the 2020 season.

Author:

Geoff Meyer