Torrential rain an hour before the start of the twenty-minute-plus-two-lap race turned parts of the hillside track into a quagmire but the Norwegian displayed tenacity in the difficult conditions. Quick reactions saw him avoid fallen riders at the first turn and at the completion of the opening lap he had already pulled through to sixth. Showing admirable concentration he maintained a solid pace, avoiding whenever possible the roost off the rear wheel of direct rivals and also a host of lapped riders. Lap-times extended by more than thirty seconds compared to the dry morning practice but Horgmo doggedly maintained his pace to advance two positions to fourth at the finish despite having to discard his goggles for the final ten minutes.
Kevin Horgmo: “I already had a good feeling for the track in training. I couldn’t put a complete mistake-free lap lap together, but my riding was good so I wasn’t concerned for the race. It was really tricky after the rain but I made the best of it, made no mistakes and finished fourth. Tomorrow is a new day and probably a completely different race. It was tricky in the mud but it’s a really nice track and the fans are amazing; so many at the track already on Saturday and a great atmosphere. “
Big Van World MTX Kawasaki’s Mikkel Haarup had a more frustrating race after posting sixth-fastest time in practice. The Dane had the misfortune to be trapped behind the fallen riders at turn one in the Qualifying race and resumed almost last but a clever first lap saw him advance to tenth before settling into a solid no-risk rhythm until the final three laps when two falls in the slippery conditions relegated him to twentieth at the chequered flag.
Mikkel Haarup: “There was a lot of rain after practice so the conditions were tough, but it was exciting and there’s no points today; the main thing was to stay safe and enjoy it. “
Track conditions remained difficult in Qualifying for the FIM World MXGP Motocross Championship. F&H Kawasaki Racing Team’s Jed Beaton recovered well to finish ninth despite being delayed by fallen riders at turn one, while Ben Watson of Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP will have twentieth choice of gate in the GP motos after falling whilst running tenth.
Quentin Marc Prugnières of 9MM Energy Drink BUD Racing Kawasaki, racing in front of his home crowd, surged to his best-ever result in the FIM European EMX250 Championship moto which was run in dry conditions before the mid-afternoon storm. Already impressive during practice as he earnt third-choice of start-gate, the teenager found himself closed down off the start to complete the opening lap twelfth but was soon on the move, breaking into the top ten on lap three and continuing to push for an eventual fourth place, just six seconds behind the winner. An early fall left teammate Eddie Jay Wade down in twenty-fifth but the English youngster persevered to advance to seventeenth at the close.