Nederlands
Rick Elzinga of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing MX2 finished sixth overall in the Grand Prix of Latvia. Elzinga finished in eighth and fifth place in the motos and stays in seventh position in the world championship standings.
The sandy Kegums race track was in perfect condition for the opening MX2 race of the day before heavy rain fell during the closing stages and in the lead-up to MXGP Race One. This created seriously challenging conditions for all riders and made the rough and sandy circuit much more demanding.
In MX2, Elzinga was once again the only rider competing for the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 team. After not getting off to the best of starts in Race One, the Dutchman charged through the field and moved into seventh by mid-race but lost a spot in the closing laps to Mikkel Haarup. Eager to make amends in Race Two, the number 44 did exactly that.
Despite not starting up front, the 21-year-old delivered one of his best rides of the season and worked his way from 10th on lap one to finish the race just under two seconds from third in fifth. Following nine rounds, Elzinga remains ninth in the MX2 World Championship Standings.
Next weekend, the FIM Motocross World Championship travels south from Latvia to the MXGP of Italy on June 15-16. The event will mark the halfway point of the series and also complete the third of three back-to-back events on the calendar.
Rick Elzinga: ”“Overall, it’s been a decent weekend and my speed was there for the top five. I didn’t have a great start in Race One. My jump was good but I got pushed outside, so I was around 12th early in the race. I made some good passes and moved into seventh, but then when I was riding by myself, I lost my rhythm a little bit. For the second race, I started around 12th again and made passes quickly. I fought hard to the end, held off Mikkel Haarup and caught up to third and fourth. It was close but not enough. I showed my fitness though and my speed, so I’m happy about how that race ended.”
Photocredits – Fullspectrum Media