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EMX, MXGP OF SWEDEN - Uddevalla, SWEDEN, 13 Sierpień 2023

Quentin Marc Prugnières narrowly misses the EMX podium

BUD Racing Kawasaki's Quentin Marc Prugnières missed the podium in the Swedish round of the FIM European EMX250 Championship on the tie-break after a dramatic chase through the pack in race two.

The French youngster had posted an impressive third place in the dry first moto on Saturday afternoon as only lapped riders spoilt his challenge for victory. He was the fastest rider on track during the first fifteen minutes as he advanced from fourth to second and he continued his charge to pull back the five-second gap to the leader entering the final two laps. However lapped riders were becoming an ever-greater problem and the Kawasaki rider was hampered so badly that they cost him second during a frustrating final lap. Persistent rain showers overnight and throughout the morning made the Uddevalla track extremely slippery for the second moto on Sunday and collisions were frequent during the hectic opening lap. Prugnières could not escape the drama to complete the opening lap nineteenth but he pushed all moto to eventually finish eighth. The combination of the two motos saw him classified fourth overall over the weekend, on the same scoreline as third, but he missed the podium on the second moto tie-break. His thirty-three point championship haul sees him advance to seventh in the series standings.
 
Quentin Marc Prugnières: « It’s great to be back racing after such a long break since the last round; it's especially nice to resume here as I like this track. My start was good yesterday and I could make some quick passes to come second; then I reduced the gap to the leader until we caught the lappers. It was so difficult to pass them that in the end Bonacorsi caught and passed me so I finished third. Anyway it was a good moto even if it's a little frustrating as I know that I could have been first or second. I crashed at the start of the second race this morning when two riders hit me, and then I had to come back from dead-last to eighth. It’s not the result I was expecting, but my riding was good and I’m happy with that. Now we must continue to work to secure some podiums in the next few rounds of the series; I was so close here in Sweden."
 
Benjamin Garib made a return to action from injury for the French team. The Chilean raced to an impressive ninth in Saturday's first moto and was looking at a top-six finish overall as he held eighth in the muddy second moto until he was forced out in the closing stages.
 
Benjamin Garib: "My shoulder's feeling good again and I've been back riding for about a month. I flew back into Europe last week and I was excited to race my first EMX. I didn't really know what to expect but I was happy with my speed; I got ninth yesterday and was running ninth again today. The conditions were tough today but I could stay on two wheels and focus on myself. Now I'm hungry for more and I'm looking forward to Holland next week."