Fernandez fourth in Finnish qualification
Litti-KymiRingHonda HRC’s Ruben Fernandez capped off a solid day of action at the sandy KymiRing near Kouvola, Finland to finish fourth in qualification and give himself a good gate-pick for tomorrow’s GP-scoring motos.
A seventh in free practice showed that he wasn’t too far off the top guys, which then improved to sixth in timed practice. A great start on his Honda CRF450R then put him in the battle for the podium spots as he rounded the first couple of laps inside the top three. Unfortunately, a small mistake on lap three cost him a position, and although he was able to close back up to the rider in third, he couldn’t make the pass and instead had to settle for fourth. Those seven points have meant that the gap to third in the MXGP championship standings is now just 21 points, so he has good momentum and more riding like that could really make it close for the final third of the season.
While the number #70 got to grips with the sandy terrain of this brand-new circuit, MX2 rider Valerio Lata struggled all day to find the speed necessary to challenge with the best 250cc riders in the world. The young Italian is coming off an injury at the previous round in Great Britain but would still have hoped to be much nearer to the top 10 positions in all three of today’s sessions. Instead, a finishing position of 15th leaves the #18 with a lot of work to do if he wants to score some good points and head into another weekend off with a bit more confidence.
Although there is potential for rain to hit the circuit tonight. The sandy terrain should be able to cope with anything that drops on the facility, so the riders should expect similar conditions for the two longer motos, where a maximum of 50 points are at stake.
—–
MX2 Qualification Race
1. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), 23:51.073; 2. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:06.407; 3. Guillem Farres (ESP, Triumph), +0:12.197; 4. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), +0:13.841; 5. Mathis Valin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:16.337; 6. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:28.847; 7. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:29.626; 8. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), +0:53.339; 9. Cas Valk (NED, KTM), +0:54.748; 10. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:56.883; … 15. Valerio Lata (ITA, Honda), +1:33.103;
It was a good day, on what is a fast but tricky track. Any mistakes can be costly here because the track is so fast, but I feel like my speed is good and if I can minimise any errors, a podium is within my grasp. It was also nice to be riding in sunshine so hopefully we get more of that tomorrow.
It was a good day, on what is a fast but tricky track. Any mistakes can be costly here because the track is so fast, but I feel like my speed is good and if I can minimise any errors, a podium is within my grasp. It was also nice to be riding in sunshine so hopefully we get more of that tomorrow.
I’m definitely not happy with how things went today. I wasn’t comfortable with the track and just couldn’t find any rhythm or flow out there. It was nice to get a good start in the qualification race, but I need to ride better tomorrow and challenge inside the top 10 because right now that wasn’t good enough.
I’m definitely not happy with how things went today. I wasn’t comfortable with the track and just couldn’t find any rhythm or flow out there. It was nice to get a good start in the qualification race, but I need to ride better tomorrow and challenge inside the top 10 because right now that wasn’t good enough.
It is a new experience for everyone here at the KymiRing and overall it has been positive. It is a nice setup, with the paddock on the tarmac, similar to tracks like Qatar and Assen, which has been helped by the weather, which has been good today. Ruben has shown good speed in all three sessions, and we are hopeful he can keep that going tomorrow and close the points gap to third place in the championship even more. Valerio hasn’t been on the pace though, so we need to try and help him as much as possible and get him inside the top 10 because he isn’t looking himself right now.
It is a new experience for everyone here at the KymiRing and overall it has been positive. It is a nice setup, with the paddock on the tarmac, similar to tracks like Qatar and Assen, which has been helped by the weather, which has been good today. Ruben has shown good speed in all three sessions, and we are hopeful he can keep that going tomorrow and close the points gap to third place in the championship even more. Valerio hasn’t been on the pace though, so we need to try and help him as much as possible and get him inside the top 10 because he isn’t looking himself right now.
