Karlis Reisulis of the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 team secured a strong fifth place in the overall classification during the sixteenth round of the World Championship in Arnhem. Karlis combined an eighth-place finish in the opening race with an impressive fifth place in race two. His brother and teammate Janis Reisulis finished the Grand Prix seventh overall.
One week after the hard-packed surface of Uddevalla, the riders in Arnhem faced a completely different challenge. The deep Dutch sand became increasingly demanding throughout the weekend, developing large bumps and deep ruts. Both Karlis and Janis were able to rely on their good physical condition and experience in sand.
Karlis started the opening race around ninth position. Overtaking proved difficult on several sections of the track, but the Latvian managed to gain one position during the race and brought his Yamaha YZ250FM home in eighth.
In the second race, Reisulis again came through the opening lap in eighth. From the seventh lap onwards, he began his charge forward. He first moved up to seventh before overtaking two more riders in the closing stages. With a strong fifth-place finish, the 20-year-old also secured fifth overall. He remains seventh in the World Championship standings.
Janis Reisulis also showed plenty of speed in Arnhem. On Saturday, the young Latvian was fastest in both free practice and qualifying, and he also set the fastest time during Sunday morning’s warm-up.
In the races, Janis was unable to fully convert that speed into the results he was looking for. With sixth- and seventh-place finishes, he ended the Grand Prix seventh overall. With three Grands Prix remaining, the MX2 rookie sits sixth in the World Championship standings.
With Arnhem now behind them, the European part of the MX2 season has come to an end. The championship resumes in Turkey on September 5 and 6, followed by the final two Grands Prix in China and Australia.
Karlis Reisulis:
“It was a decent day. I didn’t feel completely like myself on the bike and had some difficulty finding the right feeling. The team did everything they could, but it was also partly down to me and I found it difficult to put everything together. Fortunately, the second race was really good. I rode to fifth and felt strong towards the end, so it was nice to finish the weekend on a positive note. A top-five overall is good, and now we move on to Turkey.”
Janis Reisulis:
“It wasn’t a bad day. I was very happy with free practice, qualifying and the warm-up, because I was fastest in all three sessions. So I knew the speed was there. But this is the kind of track where speed alone isn’t enough. I had some tension in my back and, towards the end of the second race, I was also running low on energy. It’s not an injury; it’s more because you have to stand for almost the entire race and absorb every bump. It’s my first full season in MX2, so it’s understandable that the more experienced riders have an advantage in that area. I gave everything I had. The team did a great job with the bike, so a big thank you to them, all the fans and, of course, my family. Now I’m going to work on a few things and I’m looking forward to Turkey.”
Photocredits – Full Spectrum Media
