Honda World Motocross racer Evgeny Bobryshev finished today’s qualifying in Hyvinkää, Finland in fifth position with teammate Max Nagl battling illness to take ninth for tomorrow’s gate at round 12 of the MX1 World Championship.
It’s a long time since a Grand Prix has been held at this sandy track, which roughened up considerably throughout the day, as Bobryshev took fourth in pre-qualifying with Nagl, who is suffering from a suspected virus, taking 11th place.
In the 20-minute plus two-lap qualifying race this afternoon Bobryshev had a decent jump from the gate and powered down the straight to emerge out of the first turn in second place. With good lap times and smooth riding behind Kevin Strijbos, Bobryshev was looking strong, although a small slip off in the first section on lap three resulted in him re-mounting in fifth aboard his Dunlop-shod factory CRF450R.
As he found his rhythm again Bobryshev lost a position, but the Russian got back into his stride and held off a gaggle of riders, while also benefiting from Ken de Dycker’s technical issue to take fifth at the chequered flag.
Nagl was outside the top ten after lap one, but managed to make a good pass after a number of laps in battle with fellow Honda racer David Philippaerts, while also benefiting from de Dycker’s departure, to finish in ninth position. Unfortunately though it is a tough weekend for the German star, as he is suffering with flu symptoms and chronic fatigue, which resulted in him heading straight to the medical centre after the race. The Honda pilot will receive further medical checks tomorrow, but it is expected that it will be an incredibly tough two motos for him.
The race was won by Clement Desalle.
Evgeny Bobryshev #777: 5th position
“I felt good with the track. It’s sandy and quite fast, which suits my style, but it’s very short, so we’ll do a lot of laps in the race. But anyway, I did a few fast laps in pre-qualifying, but everyone is so close in the times with many people together within one second. It means a small mistake, or a steady corner in the sand could cost an awful lot of places. I was fifth for most of the session but took fourth in the end. In the race I had a good jump off the start, which I was happy with, as I spent a lot of time preparing the gate. I was second, following Strijbos, as it’s difficult to pass at this track. The front end washed out in a corner on lap three, and I went down, but thankfully I didn’t stall, so I was fifth. I lost my rhythm, and lost a place to Ken, but I got back to fifth and was catching fourth in the end. The track wasn’t so easy, and it was difficult to pass, but I’m really happy with the bike set-up. I had a good week training, so I feel a bit less stiff on the bike now, but we just need to get as many races under our belts as possible.”
Max Nagl #12: 9th position
“It’s my first time in Finland; it’s a really nice place and the track is sandy, fast, and bumpy, but tricky in some places. In the pre-qualifying I was trying to conserve energy, so I just did two fast laps and ended up 11th, which wasn’t too bad for the gate. The start wasn’t bad, and I was fighting quite hard with some guys to finish ninth. I have been unwell since Latvia, so unfortunately after 10 minutes I had this strange feeling of tiredness, a headache and burning muscles. I went to see the doctor and they suspect a virus, but unfortunately there’s nothing that can be done to make that better right here. I will have a scan for the stomach and lungs tonight, just to check everything, as I have a lot of stomach pain, then tomorrow we will see how I feel.”
Paolo Martin: Honda World Motocross Team Owner
“Today has been much better, as Bobby was closer to the front. His lap times were good, but there is still room to improve, and we know exactly which corners he must try some different lines. The bike is working well, and we think it’s possible for him to finish top five. His physical condition isn’t 100%, but it’s possible to be in that area. I’m happy to see Bobby back with good speed and close to the front. We are just losing the time in two corners, which like I’ve said, we will work on. Max is still sick and it’s difficult to say where the problem is. He was riding good, but not at his level, as he has pain in the stomach and no energy. It is a difficult weekend for him, but I hope he can finish in the top 10.”