The penultimate round of this year’s Motocross World Championship took Osička MX Team all the way to Shanghai, China. The MXGP of China was held at the modern Oriental Beauty Valley venue, which offered not only a fast and technically demanding track, but also modern facilities for tens of thousands of fans. The race weekend was held in temperatures around 30°C, with high humidity and a six-hour time difference compared to Central Europe.
Fast start to Race 1
Julius Mikula arrived in China on Thursday, leaving almost no time to acclimatise. Sunday’s programme also started at unusual hours for European viewers, with the Warm-up getting underway at 3:55 a.m. CEST and the first MX2 race following at 6:15 a.m.
Starting eighth after the Qualifying Race, Mikula got off the gate brilliantly and immediately placed himself among the front-runners. After his rocket start, he held third position for almost the entire opening lap, giving Czech fans plenty to cheer about as Julius found himself inside the top three once again.
Towards the end of the opening lap, however, he crashed on the landing of one of the jumps. Mikula was thrown over the handlebars, and by the time he managed to get back on the bike, most of the field had gone past him. Fortunately, none of the riders landed on Mikula or his motorcycle. The Czech rider then tried to find his rhythm again, but another crash later in the race left him to cross the finish line in 12th place.
Big crash ends Race 2
The start of Race 2 did not put Mikula in an ideal position. After the opening-lap battle, he settled into ninth and remained there for a long time. He gradually closed in on Australian rider Dennis, and the two riders subsequently moved up the order past reigning world champion Simon Längenfelder.
With four laps to go, however, another crash – this time a very heavy one – brought Mikula’s race to an end. Fortunately, he was able to walk away from the scene under his own power, but he then headed to the Medical Centre for examination and his race was over.
Mikula still scored six points from Race 2, which counted towards his overall result. Combined with the nine points from Race 1, he finished 14th overall at the MXGP of China.
Instead of Australia, Mikula heads home for now
On the recommendation of the doctors at the Medical Centre, Julius Mikula underwent further examinations at a hospital in Shanghai. Fortunately, more serious injuries were ruled out, although he is dealing with bruising and soreness following the heavy crash.
A difficult decision then had to be made. Julius was originally due to travel with the team to Australia on Sunday evening, where the final round of this year’s Motocross World Championship will take place this weekend. It was ultimately decided that the motorcycles and equipment would continue to Australia as planned, while Julius would return to the Czech Republic. Once home, he will undergo further examinations by his doctors, and the results will determine whether he will travel to Australia for the final round of the season.
“The decision whether to continue straight on to Australia or return home was not an easy one at all. The Australian round was very demanding from both a logistical and organisational perspective, and everything had been prepared for the team to travel directly from China to the final event of the season. However, Julius’ health is obviously the top priority. That is why we ultimately decided that he should return home, where our doctors can examine him and we can be 100% certain that he is okay. We will make a decision about Australia based on the results of these examinations. Julius also has the Motocross of Nations in Ernée, France, coming up, so we do not want to rush anything,” said Osička MX Team owner Martin Osička.
The team will therefore decide on Julius Mikula’s potential start in Australia only after he returns to the Czech Republic and undergoes further medical examinations.
Photocredit: Daniele Barreca
