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EMX, Kegums, LATVIA, 15 Czerwiec 2019

Roan van de Moosdijk wins again

Roan van de Moosdijk continued his run of success in the first moto of the Latvian round of the FIM European EMX250 Motocross Championship; it was the Dutch teenager's third victory in fifteen days.

After posting fastest time in Qualifying at the loose-surfaced Kegums track on his F&H Racing Team Kawasaki he used the choice wisely by taking the inside gate to ensure a safe ride through the tight 180 degrees first turn to emerge second, moving impressively into the lead already on the approach to turn three. Quickly establishing a smooth rhythm he was already six seconds clear after ten minutes and, despite one concerned moment mid-moto, he continued to extend his lead to come home nearly fourteen seconds clear of second-place. He remains third in the series standings but the twenty-five-point haul has reduced the deficit on the series leader to just fourteen points prior to the second moto on Sunday morning.
 
Roan van de Moosdijk: "My KX250 got me out of the gate really well; after three corners I could take the lead and could soon move clear. I still wasn't riding my absolute best and I made one big mistake so I just concentrated on settling down and riding it home. That's three wins in the last four motos and I'm ready for race two tomorrow."
 
Henry Jacobi had a solid return to form after a difficult time in recent weeks as he advanced strongly from a seventh-placed start to finish fourth in the Qualifying race for tomorrow's FIM World MX2 Motocross Championship round. F&H teammate Adam Sterry, second-fastest in practice, fell in a loose turn when holding fifth halfway through the race but regained his composure and rhythm to regain eighth place at the finish. Mitchell Harrison of Bud Racing Kawasaki finished sixteenth, maintaining consistent lap times throughout the race in track conditions very different to those he had ever encountered in his native America.
 
Henry Jacobi: “We have done a lot of testing with the starts but there was a deficit from me today; I forgot to do something! But the most important is that I came back through to fourth and have a good gate position to put in two solid races tomorrow. I am looking to get two top five results; I showed in the race and also in the free practice session that I’m fast on this track even if I didn’t get one full good lap in the timed practice session.”
 
Adam Sterry: “It has been much better than last week in Russia but we can’t compare the two tracks as this one is more technical with more lines and different options. Second in timed practice was good; I felt comfortable, got a good start and I passed a couple of guys on the first lap but then when Henry passed me I made a couple of mistakes to drop to ninth but I could come back to eighth. That's still good for tomorrow; hopefully I can get some good starts as this GP will be physical.”
 
Eleventh in timed practice Julien Lieber of the Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team wheelies out of the gate in the Qualifying race to leave himself buried in the pack through the always awkward Kegums opening turn but the Belgian showed both speed and endurance as he maintained rapid and consistent lap times to the finish to advance from nineteenth at the completion of the opening lap to tenth at the chequered flag, passing each of the first three in the series standings on the way. Bos Factory's Tommy Searle had a consistent ride to fourteenth.
 
Julien Lieber: “A pretty good day, but I lost too much time at the start of the Qualifying race as I did a wheelie out of the gate and was in the pack at the first corner. I passed some guys in the first few laps and came back through to tenth; when I got to this position I didn't push more as there was a gap to the guys in front of me and I didn’t want to take risks. The tenth gate will be OK for a good start tomorrow; I will try to avoid any mistakes when the gate drops tomorrow to have better starts.”