After two weekends off, the MXGP paddock returned to action at a brand-new venue in Finland for round thirteen of the MX2 World Championship. The Van Venrooy KTM team made the trip to the KymiRing, which presented riders with a physically demanding and rough sand track.
Cas Valk got off to a promising start to the weekend by setting the fourth-fastest time in the timed practice session — less than a second off the pace. He backed that up with a solid ninth-place finish in the qualifying race, securing two championship points and a decent gate pick for Sunday’s motos.
Race day, however, brought more challenges. A poor start in the opening moto forced Valk to work his way through the pack, but he put on a strong charge to salvage an eleventh-place finish.
The second moto started even worse as the young Dutch rider was caught up in a first-turn crash, leaving him dead last. Undeterred, Valk once again showed great determination and speed to fight his way back up to eleventh.
While the results may not reflect his outright pace, Valk showed encouraging speed and resilience across both motos. With another break in the calendar, the Van Venrooy KTM team will now regroup before heading to Loket in the Czech Republic for round fourteen.
Cas Valk (11th overall): The speed was good this weekend, but I couldn’t figure it out in the motos after a start crash and a bad start. Now I will take some rest and reset for the rest of the season.
Photocredits – Juan Pablo Acevedo
