Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s Calvin Vlaanderen has placed an impressive fourth overall at the MXGP of Czech Republic. A hard charge through the pack in Race One secured fifth before a strong start in Race Two led to a fine third-place finish. For Andrea Bonacorsi, it was a tough day at the office, with the likeable Italian securing 13th overall on his first time racing at the venue.
Hot weather followed the MXGP World Championship from Indonesia to the Czech Republic, with high temperatures creating challenging riding conditions and a fast, rough race track.
With his confidence high following his success at the last two rounds of MXGP, Vlaanderen brought his podium pace from Lombok to Loket and narrowly missed out on a third consecutive trip to the rostrum with fourth overall.
The opening race saw the South African just inside the top 10 early on, but after battling through the field aboard his Yamaha YZ450FM, he ultimately crossed the line in fifth. Vlaanderen then executed a perfect start in Race Two and emerged from the first turn behind Tim Gajser and Jorge Prado. Able to keep the duo in sight for the duration of the race, the number 10 crossed the line in third for fourth overall. As a result, Vlaanderen remains fourth in the Championship Standings and is beginning to break away from the riders behind him.
Bonacorsi’s first trip to Loket proved a challenging one for the 132. Unable to find his flow in Race One on his way to placing 17th, Bona bounced back in Race Two for a hard fought 11th. Rewarded with 13th overall for the day, the 20-year-old now moves up to 13th in the Championship Standings with seven rounds remaining.
From the hard, rough, and testing Loket circuit in the Czech Republic, the team now heads to the legendary sand track of Lommel in Belgium for round 14 on July 27-28.
Click here for all the results from the MXGP of Czech Republic.
Calvin Vlaanderen
4th MXGP of Czech Republic, 36-points
4th MXGP Championship Standings, 471-points
“It’s been a physically tough weekend. Unfortunately, I picked up a sickness bug after Indonesia but I still came here with high expectations. I knew today would be challenging, and I didn’t have a great start in Race One, but I battled through for fifth. In the second one, I had a much better start and tried latching onto the front guys. I was able to stay third all race, and near the end, I could see Jeffrey Herlings closing in, so I dug deep, gave it everything I had, and pushed to the end to stay in third. Overall, I’m satisfied with today and happy to keep this momentum going.”
Andrea Bonacorsi
13th MXGP of Czech Republic, 14-points
13th MXGP Championship Standings, 181-points
“I struggled out there this weekend. In the first race I didn’t find my flow at all, and then in Race Two I fought hard for 11th, but it wasn’t easy. The track was really tricky in Race Two and much more difficult than what we usually see, so it was a bit of a learning experience. It was also my first time racing here, so everything was new. For next weekend we head to Lommel, and I love the sand, so I can’t wait to head there and I’m really looking forward to it.”
