Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing has signed a three-year agreement with Aleksandr Tonkov. The 19-year-old Russian took his first ever Grand Prix podium in the Czech Republic by finishing third overall. Due to a difficult start of the season he sits in thirteenth position in the FIM MX2 World Championship standings so far.
The riding skills of Aleksandr were noticed by Jacky and his team during the season and on Saturday evening at the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic the contract was signed. It is a three-years contract in order to maximize the co-operation between both parties. The team has a tradition of helping riders in the crucial beginning stages of their careers, only to lose the rider to another team as soon as the successes start to emerge. The team aims to prevent such an eventuality from occurring with this three-year agreement.
Jacky Martens: ‘With Aleksandr Tonkov and Romain Febvre we have two talented riders who are able to fight for podium positions. Both riders have shown great things this season but due injuries they have lost a lot of points. The team will give both riders a better structure so they are able to grow in the right way. We are looking forward to working with both riders next year and we hope to see a lot of nice things from them next year. Being the factory Husqvarna Team I am confident that we will obtain good results next year and in the years to come’’.