Fernandez sixth in qualifying at tough Teutschenthal
TeutschenthalThe Teutschenthal track in Germany was at its rough, rutted worst by the time the MXGP riders took to the gate for their qualification race, where Team HRC’s Ruben Fernandez acquitted himself admirably to get round in sixth place.
The Teutschenthal track in Germany was at it’s rough, rutted worst by the time the MXGP riders took to the gate for their qualification race, where Team HRC’s Ruben Fernandez acquitted himself admirably to get round in sixth place.
All the riders knew that it would be a tough weekend with ruts already forming in the support class practice sessions at the beginning of the day. So, when it was the turn of the MXGP guys, Fernandez was under no illusions that this would be a difficult session and that he’d need to get his Honda CRF450R setup just right. A fifth in free practice, preceded a ninth in timed practice and with the gate-positions generally going from inside to outside, the #70 would have eight riders to his left with slightly more advantageous picks for the qualifying race.
However, as he has proved on numerous occasions this year, he got a good start and was immediately around the top five riders over the first jump. He kept pushing for the duration of the opening lap but couldn’t make any further headway and instead had to settle for sixth. As the race progressed, the top five began to pull clear, and the Spaniard himself was able to pull clear of seventh place, leaving him all alone and able to fully concentrate on the treacherous terrain.
The rest of the race was uneventful, which meant that he was able to add five more points to his championship tally and set himself up in a much better position for tomorrow’s GP-scoring races than he had for today’s qualification race. The laps logged today will help him get things setup for the two motos on Sunday afternoon where he’ll be aiming to challenge for the podium spots once again in what are sure to be extremely challenging conditions.
It was a bit of a difficult day, trying to get used to the conditions. I wasn’t really able to do what I needed to do in free practice, which put me a bit behind in timed practice, and so I was only able to come ninth. This meant I was a bit wider than I would have liked on the gate, but I got a good jump and was battling with the top five through the first few bends. As it settled down, I was in sixth place and there was a gap to the riders in front and behind me, so I just found a steady pace and brought it home safely. I hope I can do a bit more tomorrow as I have a better gate-pick and that should allow me the chance to get nearer the podium positions from the beginning of the race.
Teutschenthal is always a tough, tricky track and it looks the same again this time around. Ruben tried hard to fight it out with the top five today but he didn’t push over the limit, which was important as it was so easy to make a mistake. Instead, he gave himself a good chance for a strong result tomorrow and that is what the whole of Team HRC will be trying to help him achieve.
