The penultimate weekend of May featured another round of the Motocross World Championship, the MXGP of France, held on the demanding clay track at Circuit Georges Filhol near the French town of Lacapelle-Marival. The race weekend was marked by unusually high temperatures for May. French fans are traditionally among the most passionate in the series, and France itself is one of motocross’s powerhouses.
Janout back in MX2, crash slows Mikula in qualifying
Racing for the Osička MX Team, talented Julius Mikula arrived in France after the previous round in Italy with the bar set very high. He was also targeting a move into the provisional top ten in the MX2 world championship standings. However, he came to the event with an injured left wrist. In the MX2 class, he was joined this time by teammate Václav Janout.
Saturday’s qualifying race, which determines the starting gate pick for Sunday’s motos, was heavily affected for Mikula by a crash shortly after the start. The Czech rider dropped outside the top twenty and had to mount a strong charge through the field. He eventually finished 17th. Václav Janout also handled the demanding track well, finishing qualifying in 26th position.
Sunday’s motos brought a top-10 finish and hard crashes
The first moto brought Julius Mikula an excellent result. After a good start, he stayed in contact with the top ten, maintained a strong pace, and avoided mistakes. His reward was a brilliant 7th place at the finish. The valuable points also meant a significant move up in the provisional MX2 world championship standings.
Like in qualifying, Václav Janout also had a promising race going, but on lap eight he suffered a heavy crash and ended up in the care of the medical staff.
“In the 20th minute of the first moto, while overtaking the rider in front of me, I landed awkwardly after a jump, coming into a rut at an angle, which then kicked me off the bike, and I ended up in the care of doctors. Fortunately, no serious injury was confirmed, but I had to miss the second moto,” a disappointed Janout explained.
PHOTO: Daniele Barreca
Only Julius Mikula then lined up for the Osička MX Team in the second moto. Even this time, however, the race was not without complications. Right at the start, a crash cost him more than 20 seconds, yet he was still able to work his way forward quickly. Another crash then cost him valuable positions again, and the following battles took a lot out of the Czech rider. He eventually finished 18th.
Mikula closes in on MX2 World Championship top 10
Julius Mikula leaves France with 14th overall and 17 championship points. Three other riders ahead of him also scored the same number of points, and just one better result could have meant an even closer approach to the elite top ten at the French round. The positive news is that, despite all the setbacks, Mikula has already broken into the provisional top ten after the sixth round of the championship, where he currently sits at the bottom of that group.
“Luck wasn’t really on my side this time. The speed was good, but after the crash at the start of the race, the bike got stuck and I lost over twenty seconds. I tried to get back to the front, but then another crash came. After that I was running out of strength, and the rest of the race turned out the way it did. Next weekend will be better,” Mikula said of his performance in France.
Next stop: MXGP of Germany
The riders won’t get much rest now. The World and European Championships continue already next weekend with another round in Teutschenthal, Germany
PHOTO: Daniele Barreca
