Hitachi KTM fuelled by Milwaukee show speed at Lommel 3
By Press Release on 26th Oct 20
MXGP Adam Sterry Conrad Mewse Bas Vaessen
The Hitachi KTM fuelled by Milwaukee squad returned to full strength at the 15th stop of the 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship, an event that marked the end of the Belgian tripleheader.
Conrad Mewse was feeling much stronger and ready to tackle the gruelling conditions, made worse by heavy rain, so joined Bas Vaessen and Adam Sterry on track on Sunday.
Mewse returned to the track with a vengeance he recorded some of the quickest times in qualifying and eventually logged the third-fastest time of the session. That strong result left him in a great position at the start of the first moto he settled in sixth early on, followed those guys in the top five and ran an impressive pace. Still not quite at his very best after that illness earlier in the week, he eventually crossed the finish in ninth and scored some solid points to aid him in his fight for eighth in the championship standings.
The second moto followed a similar pattern to the first, just slightly further down the order. Mewse ran as high as ninth at one point, before eventually settling for 13th at the finish. The eight points gained in the moto left him in 11th overall on the day, just a single point from a spot inside of the top 10.
Mewse has now established a comfortable gap over the rider in ninth in the championship standings he is 28 points ahead of his nearest rival.
Bas Vaessen was again impressive, with some serious pace aboard the KTM 250 SX-F, but untimely mistakes cost him dearly. Vaessen clearly had the pace to record another top-10 result in moto one, but a fall early on meant that he could only salvage an eleventh at the chequered flag.
Vaessen had a stronger showing in moto two, even though the result does not show it, as he charged from outside of the top 20 to 12th at the chequered flag. That put him 12th overall on the day, just behind his team-mate.
Bas Vaessen: I have got the speed to be in the top five. I should be in the top five! I have got the fitness too. The speed is good, the confidence is good and so is the bike. I just need to try to minimise the mistakes, then try to get inside of the top five in Italy.
The premier-class rider on the Hitachi KTM fuelled by Milwaukee squad, Adam Sterry, was held back by yet another crash on lap one of the first encounter. Sterry was hit by another rider and forced to retire with a bent machine but returned to secure 19th and two points in moto two. That left him down in 22nd overall at the Grand Prix of Lommel. Sterry is 28th in the points with just three rounds left to run.
Adam Sterry: Another tough day trying to build momentum, which is hard during the races. I again got caught up in first-lap drama and had to come from the back. The second moto was better, but still not where I want to be. I am going to try to finish these last three rounds strong and I cannot wait to get started in the off-season and begin testing.
Those last three rounds on the world championship calendar are going to be held at the picturesque venue of Pietramurata in Italy. That tripleheader will begin with the Grand Prix of Trentino on November 1.
More like this…
Ben Watson joins Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team for 2021
Yamaha Motor Europe has announced that Ben Watson will take an exciting step up the Yamaha Racing pyramid and will join the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP team for the 2021 MXGP season.
Ben Watson wins in Lommel
Ben Watson celebrated his very first Grand Prix win at the 15th round of the MX2 World Championship in Lommel, Belgium.
Jorge Prado tests positive for Covid-19
Jorge Prado has revealed he has tested positive for Covid-19 and subsequently will miss this weekend's MXGP of Lommel.