Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 Team’s Karlis Reisulis has delivered a strong performance at round 16 of the FIM MX2 Motocross World Championship to secure fifth overall. After placing eighth in Race One, the Latvian delivered a spirited charge in Race Two to secure fifth. Teammate and brother Janis also rode well in The Netherlands to claim seventh overall.
One week on from the hardpack of Uddevalla in Sweden, the teammates were back in action at the sand track of Arnhem. With the soft surface quickly developing sizable bumps, it proved a challenging Grand Prix for every competitor, and the Reisulis brothers both relied upon their fitness and sand-riding skills to secure their strong results.
In the opening race of the day, K. Reisulis emerged from the first turn in ninth and gave chase to the leading riders. With the track offering only one favourable line through a few corners, passing wasn’t easy, and the Yamaha YZ250FM racer advanced one position to eighth at the finish.
In Race Two, K. Reisulis didn’t get the start he needed to challenge at the front and completed the opening lap in eighth. On lap seven he moved up a position to seventh, then made two passes near the end to climb to fifth. The 20-year-old then maintained his pace to secure fifth in the race for fifth overall on the day. Leaving The Netherlands, K. Reisulis remains seventh in the series standings.
At the same time, J. Reisulis also performed well at round 16. As the fastest rider in Free Practice and Time Practice on Saturday, and Warm-up on Sunday, the talented youngster clearly had the speed to compete at the front. In the Grand Prix races, he wasn’t quite able to replicate the same speed and posted a consistent 6-7 result for seventh overall. With three rounds remaining, the MX2 class rookie remains sixth in the championship.
With the MXGP of The Netherlands complete, it marked the final round to take place in Europe. To complete the season, the team will travel to Turkiye for round 17 on September 5-6 followed by Grands Prix in China and Australia.
Click here for all the results from the MXGP of The Netherlands.
Karlis Reisulis
5th MXGP of The Netherlands, 29-points
7th MX2 Championship Standings, 473-points
“It was an okay day. I wasn’t really feeling like myself on the bike and struggled a little bit to find the right feeling. The team did everything they could, but I think it was also a little bit from my side and I found it difficult to put everything together. At least the second moto was great. I was in fifth position and felt strong towards the end, so it was good to finish the weekend on a positive note. Top five overall is good, and now it’s onto Turkiye.”
Janis Reisulis
7th MXGP of The Netherlands, 29-points
6th MX2 Championship Standings, 587-points
“It wasn’t a bad day. I was really happy with Free Practice, Time Practice, and the Warm-up as I was the fastest in each of those sessions, so I knew I had the speed. But this is the kind of track where speed alone isn’t enough. I was struggling a little with tightness in my back and also with my energy towards the end of the second moto. It’s not an injury; it’s more from having to stand up for almost the whole race and deal with every single bump. It’s my first full season in MX2, so it’s understandable that the more experienced guys have an advantage, but I gave it everything. The team did a really great job with the bike, so a big thanks to them, all the fans, and of course my family. Now I’ll work on a few things and look forward to Turkiye.”
Photocredits – Fullspectrum Media
