WORLD MXGP

DIFFICULT WEEKEND FOR SUZUKI WORLD MXGP DUO


Team Suzuki Press Office – March 20.

Kevin Strijbos – (11-9) for 11th
Arminas Jasikonis – (13-14) for 13th

Despite heading into the weekend with a lot of confidence, both Kevin Strijbos and Arminas Jasikonis will leave the stunning Patagonia area disappointed with how their races panned out after struggling to get to grips with the tricky track conditions here in South America.

Both riders had their moments where they showed good speed, were moving forward and making passes, but unfortunately there were also moments where arm pump, wrong line choices and small mistakes meant any good work was undone immediately. While not happy with the end results, both riders are looking forward to getting back to Europe for a couple of weeks so they can work with their RM-Z450WS machines and making sure that the next round of the World MXGP series in Mexico is a vast improvement on this weekend.

Strijbos had this to say about his performance: “These races were not what I expect, or what the team expects, especially after yesterday where I finished sixth in qualification. The first moto I was just too careful, I couldn’t find any good lines and got arm pump early on because I was riding so tight. After that I couldn’t do anything because I was too tired from riding like that. Second moto I felt better, I got a decent jump out of the gate and was mid-pack but the first few laps weren’t too good, I lost a couple of places as it was a little bit like the first moto really; I was too careful. Then halfway through the moto it started to go well, I put in some good laptimes, I caught some riders but it was just too late to get a result. It’s a shame really because I really thought I felt good. I felt good coming into this race, I felt good yesterday and then something didn’t click during the races. I know what the problem is, I just have to overcome it. So not the results that I wanted but we learned some stuff about the RM-Z450WS which is good. I just need to go back and work on my weak points for Mexico, I feel like I’m ready for it, ready for the top five; for the podium. My speed is there, I just need to show it during races.”

It is much the same sentiment from AJ, who moved through the field well in the first moto before mistakes struck and the end position suffered as a result. This was his assessment of his weekend: “I learned a lot, the track was really strange but my speed was there. For half the first moto I was in the top 10 before crashes took me away from that but its learning and I think for the next race I will fix it because it’s a shame to ride so well and not get the result at the end.”

Suzuki World MXGP General Manager Stefan Everts added: “Yesterday we had quite a good day but then today, it didn’t go so well. AJ came through the field and was at one point in sixth position which was really good, then he started to make mistakes and eventually finished 13th. Second moto, he paced himself much better and was around 10th and was looking good. Then, again he did the same thing and crashed on the 20 minute mark. You can see he is still inexperienced at this level and he still needs to learn, but he has already made huge steps as far as speed goes, so we have to take it race by race; but he will learn and get better quickly. It’s possible for him to get in the top 10, he’s got the speed for that.”

Despite the feeling of disappointment after the racing, there is a belief with the Suzuki World MXGP team that both riders are extremely close to getting the results that their speed deserves. Now there is a weekend off before the series heads to Mexico on April 1st.

MXGP Moto 1: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 35:25.581; 2. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:07.150; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:10.968; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:12.239; 5. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:14.082; 6. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:15.046; 7. Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:18.326; 8. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), +0:19.268; 9. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:20.011; 10. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:31.372; 11. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki World MXGP), +0:33.703; 12. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:39.725; 13. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, Suzuki World MXGP), +0:41.563.

MXGP Moto 2: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 34:07.642; 2. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:05.315; 3. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:06.723; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:08.878; 5. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:17.959; 6. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), +0:22.477; 7. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:23.506; 8. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:26.071; 9. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki World MXGP), +0:29.400; 10. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:35.513; 11. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +0:36.891; 12. Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:40.880; 13. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:44.916; 14. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, Suzuki World MXGP), +0:51.706.

MXGP Overall: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 50 points; 2. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 42 p.; 3. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 38 p.; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HUS), 33 p.; 5. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 31 p.; 6. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 31 p.; 7. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 28 p.; 8. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 28 p.; 9. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 23 p.; 10. Max Anstie (GBR, HUS), 23 p.; 11. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki World MXGP), 22 p.; 12. Shaun Simpson (GBR, YAM), 19 p.; 13. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, Suzuki World MXGP), 15 p.

MXGP Points Standings (after 3 rounds): 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 106 points; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 96 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 91 p.; 4. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 84 p.; 5. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 82 p.; 6. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HUS), 72 p.; 7. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 65 p.; 8. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki World MXGP), 56 p.; 9. Shaun Simpson (GBR, YAM), 55 p.; 10. Max Anstie (GBR, HUS), 49 p.; 11. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 48 p.; 12. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 46 p.; 13. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 40 p.; 14. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KAW), 36 p.; 15. Rui Goncalves (POR, HUS), 32 p.; 16. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 32 p.; 17. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 27 p.; 18. Tanel Leok (EST, HUS), 24 p.; 19. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, SUZ), 20 p.

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For more stories about Kevin Strijbos, Click Here. For photos, Click Here.

For more stories about Arminas Jasikonis, Click Here. For photos, Click Here.

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