Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 team’s Thibault Benistant has finished fifth overall at round 11 of the MX2 World Championship in Latvia. After placing seventh in the opening race of the day, the Frenchman impressed in Race Two to take fourth. Karlis Reisulis also performed well at his home Grand Prix, claiming ninth overall.
One week on from the hardpack of Germany, Benistant and Reisulis headed to the sand of Kegums in Latvia for the third of three rounds in as many weeks. The Grand Prix began with brilliant results from both riders in the MX2 Qualifying Race, with Benistant finishing as runner-up and Reisulis close behind in third.
Overnight rain made the sandy circuit very technical for Race One. Knowing a strong start was essential in the tough conditions, Benistant gated well in 10th place, with his sights set on the leading riders. The 22-year-old made steady progress throughout the race to ultimately cross the finish line in seventh aboard his Yamaha YZ250FM.
Benistant took advantage of a much better start in Race Two to run third through the opening laps. After slipping to fourth, he was able to break away from the chasing pack. For the remainder of the race, Benistant maintained his speed to the finish, securing fourth and ending the Grand Prix in fifth overall. Benistant remains sixth in the MX2 World Championship standings after 11 rounds.
Competing at his home round, Reisulis was spurred on all weekend by his passionate Latvian fans in Kegums. One day after delivering his career-best Qualifying Race result, the 19-year-old carried the same speed into Race One to finish sixth. Race Two wasn’t quite as fruitful after a mid-pack start, with Reisulis placing 11th for ninth overall on the day. The points secured move Reisulis up to 13th in the standings.
With three rounds over consecutive weekends now complete, the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 team will take a weekend off before heading to the MXGP of Great Britain on the weekend of June 21-22.
Click here for all the results from the MXGP of Latvia.
Thibault Benistant
5th MXGP of Latvia, 32-points
6th MX2 Championship Standings, 378-points
“I was feeling good in the sand this weekend, although the first race was tough because of the rain. The second race was much better, though. I had a good start and a good pace, but not quite enough to stay with the top three. At the finish, I wasn’t too far back, so despite not thinking it was a good race, it wasn’t actually that bad. We’ll keep working to be better, and we still have a lot of races to go.”
Karlis Reisulis
9th MXGP of Latvia, 25-points
13th MX2 Championship Standings, 203-points
“I felt good on my bike this weekend at my home GP. I had a really good first race today, finishing sixth, but in Race Two, the track was flattened, so it wasn’t technical at all, and it made it really hard to make passes. Sixth in Race One is my best result of the season so far, so it shows I have the speed, and now I have a good result to build from.”
Photocredits Full Spectrum Media
