Thomas Kjer-Olsen secures third in the world championship MX2
With the curtains on the 2018 FIM Motocross World Championship falling at the Imola track, Thomas Kjer-Olsen and Thomas Covington have ended their seasons by securing second and third place overall results in the MX2 category at the GP of Italy. Earning further hard-earned championship points ensures the two Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing riders placed third and fifth respectively in the 2018 MX2 World Championship.
The man-made track built inside the historic Imola circuit allowed young Dane Thomas Kjer-Olsen to demonstrate his skills at yet another GP. Runner-up in the opening race and fourth in moto two, Thomas ended the season in a strong second overall in the MX2 class at Imola.
Following Kjer-Olsen in third overall was his Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team partner Thomas Covington. Running third for most of the opening moto, the American made a few mistakes in the closing stages of the race and had to settle for seventh at the line. Returning stronger in moto two, he claimed the holeshot and went on to cross the line in third position.
Thomas Kjer-Olsen: “It feels great to end this season with third in the MX2 championship. Throughout the year I got on the podium ten times and I also got one overall win. It’s been a long and demanding year of racing and this third place in the championship is the best reward for all the hard work. From the start of the series until the very last GP here at Imola I really did all I could. I am lucky to have this great team and I can’t thank them enough for standing by my side in every step I take.”
Thomas Covington: “With this being my last GP it’s been a stressful weekend here in Italy and I am glad I wrapped it up with a spot on the podium. The track was slippery and quite technical, but I kept pushing for the best possible result in each and every session. In the opening moto I made a few mistakes in the last few laps and missed the chance for a top-three result. Then in moto two I got off to a good start and kept a good pace from start to finish. I’m really happy to end this season on the podium.”
Schotman pakt 4e plaats in zijn eerste race na zijn revalidatie. Scott Deroue is nummer één met nog steeds kans op de titel!
Deroue pakt dominante WorldSSP300 overwinning op Portimão
Portimão a stiff test for Triple M Honda World Superbike Team
The Triple M Honda World Superbike Team got its season back underway under the warm sunshine of a Portuguese autumn after the long summer break since the previous round at Misano in early July.
The first year WorldSBK team and rookie WorldSBK rider PJ Jacobsen took on the challenges of the heavily undulating and endlessly complex Portimão circuit over three free practice sessions on Friday 14th September, looking for an ideal set-up.
Optimum settings proved elusive and PJ entered Superpole 1 on Saturday in 17th position. He eventually qualified 18th on the grid for the first 20-lap WorldSBK race.
Flagged off at 13.00 local time in Portugal, the race saw PJ go from 17th on lap one to 14th and a points scoring position on lap nine. PJ dropped down the order and eventually retired when he felt a problem developing on his machine.
In race two on Sunday, which was started at the later time of 15.15, Jacobsen could not make early progress and finish 17th, not adding to his points score as a result. He is ranked 19th in the points table after ten rounds and 20 individual races.
The next WorldSBK meeting will be held at Magny Cours in France, between the 28 and 30 September.
PJ Jacobsen:
Yesterday’s race pace was not so bad and we could challenge for maybe 12th place, but then I had a small problem. Today we had a really good rhythm in the warm-up session but the race was totally different. We did not have the grip that we had over the rest of the weekend. No changes or anything but maybe we just did not have the grip.
Manuel Cappelletti - Team Manager:
Yesterday PJ retired because near the end of the race as he felt a vibration with his bike. The mechanical and electronic checks showed that that everything was OK, but we could see on the data that the bike was shaking. It may be related to the tyres or something else, so we are investigating. Today the grip level was less than yesterday, but we expected something good because in the warm-up PJ had a good rhythm but in the race it was difficult. We all must do something to show that the championship is not finished so we are looking for better results in the next rounds.