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Mikkel Haarup sixth and Kevin Horgmo eighth in MX2 opener
Big Van World MTX Kawasaki’s Mikkel Haarup finished sixth and F&H Kawasaki’s Kevin Horgmo eighth in the opening round of the FIM World MX2 Motocross Championship at Matterley Basin in southern England.
Haarup made a lightening start from his outside gate in race one to immediately move into the top ten and by the second lap he was involved in a titanic duel for seventh, a position he made secure until his rear wheel jumped out of a run in a long right-hander. Despite losing two positions in the incident he determinedly recovered to eighth at the finish. Again gating well in race two the Dane was quickly on the move from an initial eleventh with a series of impressive moves to take over seventh by lap five. Relentlessly closing down the leaders he missed the top six in the moto by less than a second but his efforts over both races were enough to clinch sixth overall on the day.
Mikkel Haarup: “We made a few mistakes yesterday but we made some good changes to the set-up from Saturday to Sunday and even though I had to start from the complete outside Steve’s bike got me to the first turn in the top ten. I had two good races; I had some good battles and really went for it. I like the track here: it’s really technical with nice ruts. I moved my base back home to Denmark this year; I feel I can train and prepare best there and I can relax better on my free days, while Steve can focus on the bike without me irritating him. I’m really happy with the partnership and it’s working well. Sixth is a good start to the season and I feel that was just the beginning; I have more in me. “
Horgmo made a superb start in the opening moto to round turn one fourth and within two laps he had moved forward to third, where he looked comfortable for ten minutes before a missed shift cost him two positions. A further mistake as he spun out exiting a right-hander put him down to seventh, a position he then held to the chequered flag. Again hugging an immaculate tight line through turn one in race two the Norwegian cleverly defended third place through the first four laps before two slight errors in the space of half a lap; first he lost traction through an over-optimistic line-choice and then he was thrown over the bars when he cross-threaded in deep ruts. Remounting eleventh he quickly regained his composure to pull back two places before the finish and ended the day eighth overall.
Kevin Horgmo: “I got two great starts, rode a really good first turn both motos and had a solid fifteen minutes each time but then I made too many mistakes. First I stalled the bike and then I crashed in race one for seventh. I was third for a long time in the second race but then I crashed again. Working with Marc has been good for me mentally, and we have been making big steps with the entire team. I feel really comfortable on the Kawasaki and both the bike and the team have helped me to improve my riding so much this year; for sure we can build even further step-by-step from here. I feel so confident on the bike that I can push more than ever before. Maybe I pushed a little too much at times today, and I’m a little angry with myself about that, but we will learn from it.“