Husqvarna Motorcycles have ended their participation in the three-round Internazionale d’Italia Series on a high with Australian Todd Waters claiming third overall in both the MX1 and Elite championship standings despite a mixed day at the final round at Montevarchi, Italy. In Belgium, Romain Febvre and Aleksandr Tonkov dominated the MX2 category in the International MX “Dash for Cash” in Lommel.
Continuing his impressive pre Grand Prix form, Red Bull Ice One Husqvarna Factory Racing rider Todd Waters capped off his participation in the Internazionale d’Italia Series with sixth and seventh place result, ensuring an impressive third overall in both the MX1 and Elite final championship classifications. Building on his strong run of form at the previous round in Noto, Waters placed a solid sixth in the opening MX1 race.
Looking to better his result in the combined MX1/MX2 Elite class, Waters suffered a poor start and was forced to fight his way through the pack at Montevarchi. Battling back to seventh at the chequered flag – while setting lap times that matched the race leaders – the Husqvarna rider claimed the final step of the podium.
For team-mate Tyla Rattray it was a day of mixed fortunes. Ninth fastest in qualification the South African was hit by a flying rock in the MX1 race, cutting his little finger as he raced through the pack. Soldiering on despite some discomfort Rattray placed seventh to end the MX1 championship in fourth overall. With a fourth placed result also secured in the Elite classification Rattray opted not to compete in the mixed capacity Elite race.
In the International MX “Dash For Cash” in Lommel, Belgium, the Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing pairing of Romain Febvre and Aleksandr Tonkov enjoyed winning results in the MX2 class.
Incredibly comfortable in the deep and testing sands of the Grand Prix circuit, the duo shared a race win each. In the opening moto, Febvre took control of the race lead on lap one and was never headed. Setting a pace few could match, the Frenchman recorded an incredible 40-second margin of victory. In the second moto Febvre was dealt a blow when he crashed on the opening lap. Remounting in last, the Husqvarna rider was forced to race to the front of the field. Pushing hard to limit the damage, Febvre recovered to finish second and with it take the overall victory.
On course to place second in race one, Tonkov caught some track markers in his rear wheel when overtaking a backmarker. Losing over 30 seconds having been forced to stop and remove the trapped stick, the Russian finished sixth. Determined to make amends for his misfortune, he grabbed the all-important holeshot in race two. Untroubled out front the Husqvarna rider claimed a healthy 23-second win over his teammate to end his day as overall MX2 runner-up to Febvre.
Antti Pyrhönen (Team Manager) Red Bull Ice One Husqvarna Factory Racing: “I’m so pleased to see Todd finish third overall in both the MX1 and Elite championships. He’s worked hard throughout this short series so to come away with a double podium result is incredibly rewarding. In the final round he had a little bit of bad luck but he never gave up fighting and that was important to see. Unfortunately Tyla got hit with a rock during the MX1 race. Despite some obvious discomfort he rode on to finish the race and secure fourth overall in the series. Opting not to race the final moto was the right decision as it’s important to stay healthy for the first round of the FIM World Motocross Championship in Qatar in a couple of weeks time.”
Jacky Martens (Team Manager) Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing: “It’s been a brilliant result for the team. Finishing first and second in the MX2 class – we couldn’t ask for better than that. Febvre rode a fantastic opening moto and set some impressive times in the deep, sandy conditions. Unfortunately, he crashed in race two and had to work hard to recover. But he rode determinedly and fought his way back to second to secure the overall win. Aside from Tonkov’s bad luck in race one he never made a mistake all day. His starts were excellent and that really helped him a lot. Overall I’m pleased with how both riders performed in the sand. Our pre-season races have gone well and the focus is now on finalising our hard terrain testing before for the first round of the GPs.”
Results – Internazionale d’Italia Motocross, Round 3
MX1
1. Gautier Paulin (Kawasaki) 18 laps, 29:52.953; 2. Jeremy Van Horebeek (Yamaha) 18 laps, 29:54.433; 3. Steven Frossard (Kawasaki) 18 laps, 29:56.375; 4. Max Nagl (Honda) 18 laps, 30:31.293; 5. Tommy Searle (Kawasaki) 18 laps, 30:35.622; 6. Todd Waters (Husqvarna) 18 laps, 30:37.085; 7. Tyla Rattray (Husqvarna) 18 laps, 31:16.929…
Elite
1. Gautier Paulin (Kawasaki) 17 laps, 28:26.588; 2. Steven Frossard (Kawasaki) 17 laps, 28:29.964; 3. Jeremy Van Horebeek (Yamaha) 17 laps, 28:31.857; 4. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 17 laps, 29:12.250; 5. David Philippaerts (Honda) 17 laps, 29:17.090… 7. Todd Waters (Husqvarna) 17 laps, 29:22.364…
Final Championship Standings – Internazionale d’Italia Motocross
MX1
1. Jeremy Van Horebeek (Yamaha) 280pts; 2. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 240pts; 3. Todd Waters (Husqvarna) 190pts; 4. Tyla Rattray (Husqvarna) 175pts…
Elite
1. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 240pts; 2. Jeremy Van Horebeek (Yamaha) 200pts; 3. Todd Waters (Husqvarna) 130pts; 4. Tyla Rattray (Husqvarna) 125pts…
Results – International MX “Dash For Cash” Lommel, Belgium
MX2 Race 1
1. Romain Febvre (Husqvarna) 11 laps, 24:29.012; 2. Michael Hool 11 laps, 25:09.563; 3. Yentel Martens 11 laps, 25:26.548… 6. Aleksandr Tonkov (Husqvarna) 11 laps, 26:26.943…
MX2 Race 2
1. Aleksandr Tonkov (Husqvarna) 10 laps, 23:11.018; 2. Romain Febvre (Husqvarna) 10 laps, 23:34.668; 3. Brent Van Doninck 10 laps, 24:04.911…
Overall Classification
1. Romain Febvre (Husqvarna) 47pts; 2. Aleksandr Tonkov (Husqvarna) 40pts; 3. Michael Hool 40pts…