Superb Fernandez finishes second in Lombok qualification

Team HRC’s Ruben Fernandez put in an excellent performance at the all-new Selaparang circuit, in Mataram, Lombok to finish second and move himself to within just a few points of third place in the 2023 World Motocross Championship.

After scorching heat all week long, the morning started off with some light rain, which eventually gave way to dark clouds that stayed throughout the day and made the temperatures somewhat bearable for all the riders. The rain also made the track a bit softer and looser and for a brand new circuit it gave teams a lot of work to setup the bike correctly.

Thankfully, the excellent Team HRC mechanics didn’t take long to get things right and a fourth place in the timed practice session gave the #70 a great opportunity to have a good start in the qualification race. And that’s exactly what the Honda CRF450R rider managed to do, coming through the second turn in third place before having a short, intense battle that saw him move into second place by the end of the first lap.

From there on, it was a bit of a tug-of-war between Fernandez and the riders in front and behind him, with the gap tightening and widening every lap. Eventually though, despite his best efforts, the #70 couldn’t make any move on the leader and he crossed the line just 1.7 seconds behind, giving him nine valuable points from the day and moving him to within three points of third place in the championship.

With the forecast looking similar tomorrow, Fernandez has an excellent opportunity to go even better in the GP-scoring races and not only challenge for his fourth podium of the season but aim for his second MXGP victory in 2023.