Jed Beaton battles to strong fourth overall at MXGP of France

Round 12 of the 2021 FIM Motocross World Championship has ended positively for Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing with Jed Beaton securing a strong fourth place overall result in the MX2 class. For his teammate Kay de Wolf, the youngster overcame a sizable crash in race one to bounce back for an 11th place finish in moto two for 13th overall. In the MXGP class, Thomas Kjer Olsen impressed with a well-deserved seventh overall result while Arminas Jasikonis put together two point-scoring rides for 12th overall.

With round 12 taking place at the classic French circuit of Lacapelle-Marival, good starts were essential at the tight and twisty track. Starting race one in the best way possible, Jed Beaton rounded the first turn up front and quickly moved into fourth place during the opening lap. With his sights set on the podium, the Australian then worked his way around Jago Geerts on lap five before enjoying a largely untroubled moto to secure a deserved third-place finish.

In race two, Beaton didn’t quite secure the start needed for a repeat podium finish. Able to make several passes through the early laps and move into sixth, he went on to finish right behind the battle for the top-five, placing sixth in the moto for fourth overall.

Kay de Wolf enjoyed a great jump from the metal start grid in race one. Reaching the first turn together with the leaders, his front wheel then lost grip momentarily, resulting in a sizable crash for the Dutchman. Fortunate to escape injury or damage to his FC 250, de Wolf put together a spirited ride to reach the points and claimed a 19th place finish.

For race two, Kay demonstrated impressive speed on the slick, hardpack circuit to secure 11th in the moto and 13th overall. In doing so he maintains his eighth-place ranking in the MX2 World Championship.

Competing in the MXGP class, Thomas Kjer Olsen secured an impressive seventh overall in France. In moto one, the 24-year-old quickly progressed from 11th on the opening lap and moved into eighth just a few laps later. Going on to battle inside the top 10 for the rest of the race, Thomas brought his FC 450 home in a rewarding eighth place.

In race two, Kjer Olsen again started up front and after another race-long battle for position inside the top-10, would ultimately claim 10th in the moto for seventh overall. The Dane’s strong showing in France now moves him up to 10th in the MXGP World Championship standings.

One rider making positive steps forward at MXGP round 12 was Arminas Jasikonis. After narrowly missing out on a top-10 finish in race one with his 11th-place result, the Lithuanian backed it up with a 16th in race two for 12th overall.

Racing in the hotly contested EMX250 class, Maxime Grau secured a ninth-place finish in race two aboard his FC 250 for 15th overall.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing will next be in FIM Motocross World Championship action at the MXGP of Spain in one week’s time for round 13 of the series on October 17.

Jed Beaton: “I guess overall It was a good day but on this track you really needed two good starts. I got a great one in race one and brought it home for third so that was pretty decent, and I was happy with my riding. I didn’t quite execute the same start in race two but I was able to make a few passes early on and ended up sixth. Not too bad but with a better start I know I could have been much closer to the front. It’s a little frustrating but now it’s onto Spain next weekend.”

Kay de Wolf: “Today was another good learning weekend for me so despite my crash in race one, there are still positives to take away from here. The track was hard to make passes, which was the same for everyone, so starts were really important. But crashing in race one in the first turn made things really difficult. Fortunately, I was ok and then in race two I finished 11th so that was not too bad. Not the best but I’m healthy and excited to be racing next weekend.”

Thomas Kjer Olsen: “I’m really happy with my results today and I’m also a little bit relieved as well. It’s been a little bit up and down this season but today showed that I can do it. I’ve been making steps forward in recent weeks and it all came together today. I qualified well, which gave me a good gate pick, and that meant I could start up front and overall it was just a great day all round.”

Arminas Jasikonis: “It was a solid day for me today and scoring points in both motos is a positive step. I felt really strong in race one and was in the battle to the end so that was positive. I still struggle with my vision and in race two it was difficult with such a tight track, riders were really close and the low sun created a lot of shadows. So, it wasn’t an easy race but I fought to the end and I’m happy to have had two races where I could push to the end and score points in both races.”

Results – 2021 FIM Motocross World Championship, Round 12

MXGP – Overall
1. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 47pts; 2. Romain Febvre (Kawasaki) 47; 3. Tim Gajser (Honda) 35… 7. Thomas Kjer Olsen (Husqvarna) 24; 12. Arminas Jasikonis (Husqvarna) 15

MXGP - Race 1
1. Romain Febvre (Kawasaki) 34:21:708, 19 laps; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 34:22:463; 3. Jeremy Seewer (Yamaha) 34:59:317… 8. Thomas Kjer Olsen (Husqvarna) 35:30:081; 11. Arminas Jasikonis (Husqvarna) 35:57:369

MXGP - Race 2
1. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 34:32:068, 19 laps; 2. Romain Febvre (Kawasaki) 34:37:373; 3. Tim Gajser (Honda) 34:53:233… 10. Thomas Kjer Olsen (Husqvarna) 35:53:239; 16. Arminas Jasikonis (Husqvarna) 36:11:324

MX2 - Overall
1. Tom Vialle (KTM) 50pts; 2. Mattia Guadagnini (KTM) 42; 3. Maxime Renaux (Yamaha) 40; 4. Jed Beaton (Husqvarna) 34; 13. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 12

MX2 - Race 1
1. Tom Vialle (KTM) 34:55:130, 19 laps; 2. Mattia Guadagnini (KTM) 35:00:015; 3. Jed Beaton (Husqvarna) 35:02:499… 19. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 35:29:357

MX2 - Race 2
1. Tom Vialle (KTM) 35:06:498, 19 laps; 2. Maxime Renaux (Yamaha) 35:08:518; 3. Mattia Guadagnini (KTM) 35:10:423… 6. Jed Beaton (Husqvarna) 35:13:464; 11. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 35:43:132

Championship Standings – After Round 12

MXGP
1. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 460pts; 2. Romain Febvre (Kawasaki) 454;3. Tim Gajser (Honda) 450; 10. Thomas Kjer Olsen (Husqvarna) 201; 20. Arminas Jasikonis (Husqvarna) 87

MX2
1. Maxime Renaux (Yamaha) 488pts; 2. Jago Geerts (Yamaha) 397; 3. Mattia Guadagnini (KTM) 393; 5. Jed Beaton (Husqvarna) 359; 8. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna)