Impressive fifth-overall for Jed Beaton at MXGP of Afyon

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Jed Beaton continues to deliver impressive results in the MX2 World Championship, this time securing a strong fifth-place overall result at the MXGP of Afyon. A third-place finish in moto two came after two crashes in race one, which frustratingly prevented the Australian from reaching the overall podium in Turkey. Beaton’s teammate Kay de Wolf again delivered solid results, battling at the sharp end of the field in both motos on his way to securing ninth overall. Competing in the MXGP division, Thomas Kjer Olsen claimed a hard-fought ninth overall result with Arminas Jasikonis placing 21st.

Round nine of the FIM Motocross World Championship saw Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing line up for the second of two Grand Prix to be held at the Afyonkarahisar circuit in Turkey. With no notable changes to the race track, the riders were quickly familiar with the hardpack Turkish soil.

Following his impressive third-overall result just three days ago, Jed Beaton brought his podium speed to round nine of the MX2 World Championship. Enjoying a great start in race one, the Australian quickly joined a four-rider battle for the lead with the quartet breaking away from the rest of the field. Frustratingly, two crashes halfway through the moto demoted the FC 250 racer down the running order, with Jed ultimately crossing the line in 12th place

Regrouping for moto two, Beaton again started up front and initially battled with teammate Kay de Wolf during the early stages of the race for fifth position. After making a pass stick on lap nine, the 23-year-old began charging forwards, moving into third position with five laps remaining. With the leaders just out of reach, Jed secured an excellent third in the moto for fifth overall.

For Kay de Wolf, the MXGP of Afyon was another positive day of racing for the Dutchman. Forming part of an intense battle for fifth place early on in moto one, the 16-year-old reached as high as sixth before slipping back just one position to claim a solid seventh-place result in the opening race of the day.

Another strong start in race two saw de Wolf again running up front where he quickly engaged in a fight for fifth place with Jed Beaton. Frustratingly, Kay would fall from his FC 250 and remount down in eighth position. Despite losing touch with the leaders, the youngster never dropped his pace to complete the moto in eighth, for ninth overall.

Thomas Kjer Olsen put together a confidence-boosting pair of race results to claim ninth-overall in the MXGP class. Following a 12th-place finish in moto one, the Dane made full use of a great start in race two to secure ninth. The strong showing from the FC 450 mounted racer moves him up to 11th in the series standings, just four points adrift of the top-10

For Arminas Jasikonis, the Lithuanian didn’t quite start either moto as well as his teammate, battling his way to eventual 19-18 results for 21st overall.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing will next be in FIM Motocross World Championship action at the MXGP of Sardegna, round 10 of the series on September 19.

Jed Beaton: “It was good to end the trip to Turkey with a solid result but crashing twice in the first moto was really frustrating. The first one wasn’t my fault but the second one was, I just tucked the front in a turn. After that I wanted to get out the gate and battle up front in race two, which I did, and I ended up third in the moto. That gave me fifth-overall and some decent points. My starts have been really good recently and my bike’s working really well, so now I can just focus on the races and doing my best in each moto.”

Kay de Wolf: “Another good and consistent day on the hardpack for me. I felt really good on the bike in qualifying and it was the same in the races. I had good starts in both motos although I ran a little wide in the first turn in race one, which cost me some positions. Then in race two it was a shame that I slipped off as I was having a good battle for fifth. It was a little frustrating, but I was able to get back up quick and finish eighth which wasn’t so bad. Two top-10 finishes, just like last weekend, so I’m leaving Turkey happy and looking forward to the sand in Sardinia.”

Thomas Kjer Olsen: “It was a good day for me with a top-10 overall result. I’m getting back to where I should be and I felt good today. My starts were good and when you’re up front, you can ride your own lines and that makes the races so much easier as you’re not trying to make passes while riding defensively. It’s nice to be heading back to base following a good result here in Turkey and I’m looking forward to the next one, to keep this momentum going.”

Arminas Jasikonis: “A difficult day I would say. I wasn’t totally recovered from the last GP on Sunday and I’m still using each GP to build up my race fitness. It’s frustrating to be battling down the field and I need to be qualifying better, really. I was starting on the outside where the dirt is deeper and softer whereas on the inside it was firmer, so you could get the power down better. So that’s something I’ll be working on before the next GP, my qualifying speed. I’ve shown that I can be inside the top-10 earlier this season so now it’s just a case of bringing it all together again on race day.”

Results – 2021 FIM Motocross World Championship, Round 9

MXGP - Overall

1. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 47pts; 2. Tim Gajser (Honda) 45; 3. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 42… 9. Thomas Kjer Olsen (Husqvarna) 21; 21. Arminas Jasikonis (Husqvarna) 5

MXGP - Race 1

1. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 34:31:387, 19 laps; 2. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 34:31:881; 3. Tim Gajser (Honda) 34:34:356… 12. Thomas Kjer Olsen (Husqvarna) 35:32:745; 19. Arminas Jasikonis (Husqvarna) 35:46:209

MXGP - Race 2

1. Tim Gajser (Honda) 34:44:781, 19 laps; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 34:50:728; 3. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 34:53:759… 9. Thomas Kjer Olsen (Husqvarna) 35:45:257; 18. Arminas Jasikonis (Husqvarna) 36:07:468

MX2 - Overall

1. Tom Vialle (KTM) 47pts; 2. Maxime Renaux (Yamaha) 47; 3. Mattia Guadagnini (KTM) 35… 5. Jed Beaton (Husqvarna) 29; 9. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 27

MX2 - Race 1

1. Maxime Renaux (Yamaha) 34:59:757, 19 laps; 2. Tom Vialle (KTM) 35:17:045; 3. Mattia Guadagnini (KTM) 35:25:905… 7. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 35:35:892; 12. Jed Beaton (Husqvarna) 35:48:382

MX2 - Race 2

1. Tom Vialle (KTM) 35:15:694, 19 laps; 2. Maxime Renaux (Yamaha) 35:21:228; 3. Jed Beaton (Husqvarna) 35:42:676… 8. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 36:01:695

Championship Standings – After Round 9

MXGP

1. Tim Gajser (Honda) 355pts; 2. Romain Febvre (Kawasaki) 327; 3. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 326… 11. Thomas Kjer Olsen (Husqvarna) 139; 21. Arminas Jasikonis (Husqvarna) 57

MX2

1. Maxime Renaux (Yamaha) 361pts; 2. Mattia Guadagnini (KTM) 312; 3. Jago Geerts (Yamaha) 290; 4. Jed Beaton (Husqvarna) 266… 8. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 237