Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Kjer Olsen has claimed his first MX2 overall podium of the season at the MXGP of Città di Faenza. At a second consecutive fast and furious GP held at the Faenza circuit, solid 4-3 results placed the Dane on the third step of the podium. MX2 teammate Jed Beaton bounced back from a frustrating opening moto to charge to a runner-up finish in the second race. Arminas Jasikonis posted consistent results to claim eighth overall in the MXGP class.
Thomas Kjer Olsen returned to form at round seven of the FIM Motocross World Championship to put injury behind him and demonstrate the kind of performance that took him to runner-up in the 2019 MX2 championship. Showing aggression in his charge to the first turn in race one, Kjer Olsen dived to the inside and made a number of passes in the process. Exiting the first turn in seventh place, the 23-year-old then moved up to sixth on the first lap before shadowing the top five until five minutes to go. Kjer Olsen then made full use of his powerful FC 250 to gain another two places and claim a well-deserved fourth-place finish.
Kjer Olsen’s second moto truly signalled his full recovery from injury. Another impressive start saw the FC 250 mounted rider battle for position on the heavily watered Faenza circuit before breaking free and settling into fourth place. Moving up to third on lap 13, TKO went on to chase home his teammate Beaton and earn third overall. With his strong results, Thomas moves up to eighth in the MX2 World Championship standings.
It was another frustrating opening moto for Jed Beaton in Faenza. After tangling with another rider while landing from a jump just two corners into the race, the 22-year-old was forced off track. Quickly back to racing, but down in last position, the Australian was left with a lot of work to do. Relentless in his quest for a strong result, he charged up the leaderboard to claim an impressive 12th place finish.
A fifth-place start in race two saw Beaton quickly move up to fourth on lap one, before passing last weekend’s GP winner Maxime Renaux for third on lap two. With a clear track ahead of him, the Australian rode a strong race despite his exertions during his opening moto charge. Advancing into second place in the closing stages of the race, it was a solid effort by Beaton who held strong to end the race as runner-up and claim fifth overall.
In the MXGP class, Arminas Jasikonis came together and crashed with a number of rivals in the first turn of the opening race. Remounting last, the Lithuanian found a number of smooth lines on the edges of the hillside circuit to continually set top five lap times while making passes through traffic. Jasikonis’ impressive pace was rewarded with a strong 10th place finish.
The start of race two was thankfully a lot less chaotic for Jasikonis. Starting just outside the top 10, the FC 450 mounted rider progressed to eighth within three laps. In what was to be a largely trouble-free moto, AJ rode a controlled race to claim eighth for eighth overall.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing return to FIM Motocross World Championship action on September 13, for the third of three MXGP events to take place at the Faenza circuit.
Thomas Kjer Olsen: “I’m really happy to be back on the podium. I’m happy for my team too as they’ve supported me through my injuries and it’s great to be able to pay them back with a podium result. I’d been missing a little bit of aggression since we started racing again but I found it again today and I think that’s what helped me get these results. We also made some slight changes to the bike before race one to help me get more comfy on the track and they really paid off. Race two was a little sketchy with the watering but I just bided my time and let the race come to me and I pushed through to third at the finish. Third overall. Yeah, I’ll take that. I was looking to just improve on last weekend so third place overall is awesome.”Jed Beaton: “It was a decent day overall and to get second in the second race was a solid. It’s been a little while since I was on the podium. First moto wasn’t great but considering that I was hit by a bike and taken off track I’m lucky to not be injured. When I got going my arm was really sore and I rode steady for a couple of laps to feel it out. The adrenaline kicked in then I put my head down. Got back to 12th despite another crash so that wasn’t too bad. Race two was way better. The track was watered quite heavily so it was a little icy for a few laps. I pretty much rode my own race. Good start, stayed upright and clicked off laps and second place is awesome. I’m looking forward to carry this momentum in to the next round on Sunday.” Arminas Jasikonis: “A consistent day for me. Qualifying second was great and I was looking forward to the races. I came together with another rider in the first turn so I knew it was going to be hard work but I reached 10th so that wasn’t so bad. Race two was a little better. A good start and then I struggled a little to find my rhythm. I had a decent pace despite that though but overall I’m not happy with the results today. One more race to go in Faenza and I look to improve my results on Sunday.”Download high-res images from round seven of the 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship, the MXGP of Città di Faenza, here. Results – 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship, Round 7 MXGP - Overall 1. Jorge Prado (KTM) 44pts; 2. Tim Gajser (Honda) 41; 3. Jeremy Seewer (Yamaha) 39…
8. Arminas Jasikonis (Husqvarna) 24; 18. Tanel Leok (Husqvarna) 6; 21. Evgeny Bobryshev (Husqvarna) 3
MXGP - Race 1 1. Jeremy Seewer (Yamaha) 17 laps, 35:00:143; 2. Jorge Prado (KTM) 35:15:824; 3. Romain Febvre (Kawasaki) 35:34:594…
10. Arminas Jasikonis (Husqvarna) 36:00:485; 22. Evgeny Bobryshev (Husqvarna) 36:47:830; 25. Tanel Leok (Husqvarna) 37:16:162
MXGP - Race 2 1. Tim Gajser (Honda) 17 laps, 35:30:119; 2. Jorge Prado (KTM) 35:34:408; 3. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 35:35:233…
8. Arminas Jasikonis (Husqvarna) 36:10:118; 15. Tanel Leok (Husqvarna) 37:06:476; 18. Evgeny Bobryshev (Husqvarna) 37:18:299
MX2 – Overall 1. Tom Vialle (KTM) 50pts; 2. Maxime Renaux (Yamaha) 40;
3. Thomas Kjer Olsen (Husqvarna) 38… 5. Jed Beaton (Husqvarna) 31; 7. Mattia Guadagnini (Husqvarna) 28; 14. Gianmarco Cenerelli (Husqvarna) 13; 15. Josh Gilbert (Husqvarna) 11; 23. Enzo Toriani (Husqvarna) 2
MX2 - Race 1 1. Tom Vialle (KTM) 17 laps, 35:25:198; 2. Maxime Renaux (Yamaha) 35:27:525; 3. Jago Geerts (Yamaha) 35:29:768;
4. Thomas Kjer Olsen (Husqvarna) 35:46:857… 6. Mattia Guadagnini (Husqvarna) 35:53:866;
12. Jed Beaton (Husqvarna) 36:26:209; 13. Gianmarco Cenerelli (Husqvarna) 37:27:477; 19. Josh Gilbert (Husqvarna) 37:05:038; 24. Enzo Toriani (Husqvarna) 37:23:559; 26. Maximilian Spies (Husqvarna) 16 laps, 35:49:198; 27. Johannes Nermann (Husqvarna) 36:20:740
MX2 - Race 2 1. Tom Vialle (KTM) 16 laps, 34:23:246;
2. Jed Beaton (Husqvarna) 34:29:716; 3. Thomas Kjer Olsen (Husqvarna) 34:32:666… 8. Mattia Guadagnini (Husqvarna) 35:05:412; 12. Josh Gilbert (Husqvarna) 35:20:818; 16. Gianmarco Cenerelli (Husqvarna) 35:48:290; 19. Enzo Toriani (Husqvarna) 35:54:094; 22. Maximilian Spies (Husqvarna) 36:17:210; 26. Johannes Nermann (Husqvarna) 15 laps, 35:17:748
Championship Standings – After Round 7 MXGP 1. Jeffery Herlings (KTM) 263pts; 2. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 241; 3. Tim Gajser (Honda) 237…
5. Arminas Jasikonis (Husqvarna) 210; 23. Pauls Jonass (Husqvarna) 26; 24. Evgeny Bobryshev (Husqvarna) 20; 29. Tanel Leok (Husqvarna) 12; 32. Lars van Berkel (Husqvarna) 9; 35. Brent Van doninck (Husqvarna) 5
MX2 1. Tom Vialle (KTM) 307pts; 2. Jago Geerts (Yamaha) 286; 3. Maxime Renaux (Yamaha) 236;
4. Jed Beaton (Husqvarna) 209… 8. Thomas Kjer Olsen (Husqvarna) 153; 16. Alberto Forato (Husqvarna) 66; 17. Mattia Guadagnini (Husqvarna) 62; 19. Josh Gilbert (Husqvarna) 54; 29. Gianmarco Cenerelli (Husqvarna) 21; 35. Enzo Toriani (Husqvarna) 6; 36. Roland Edelbacher (Husqvarna) 5; 38. Johannes Nermann (Husqvarna) 3