Tough day for HRC MX2
With the rain holding off overnight in Pangkal Pinang, HRC MX2 riders Michele Cervellin and Chihiro Notuska prepared for what they knew would be a challenging day aboard their CRF250RWs in the deep mud at the Indonesian MXGP.
With a promising qualifying race under his belt yesterday, Cervellin was optimistic heading into today’s race. As the gate dropped for the first race his optimism was short lived as he went down in the third corner which immediately set him to the back of the pack. Digging himself out of the mud Cervellin spent the rest of his race working his way back from last position to 19th as he crossed the line. It was a stunning ride in such challenging conditions. Cervellin’s luck was out as his glory of this achievement was short lived after he was disqualified for cutting the track. He had slid off the side of a jump and had rejoined a little later than was permitted.
As Cervellin got ready to line up for the second MX2 race, it rained torrentially which immediately soddened the already suffering track. It was clear it was going to be a challenge to get round but not to be deterred by this Cervellin rode a strategic race and as red flagged was issued he crossed the line in ninth.
Notsuka had a difficult day in all aspects. In the first race he had a solid start and he seemed to be fairly at home in the mud, battling for points positions. After putting in a strong first half of the race he became wedged within one of the deepest ruts of the track and the soft mud swallowed the bike. By the time Notsuka had been hoisted out of the pit, it was too late to gain any positions and he crossed the line in 30th. As the second race got underway Notsuka was keen to ride consistently to gain some much wanted championship points. The treacherous conditions within the first ten minutes of the race caused Notsuka to retire early.
The series takes a break now for a week and the next MX2 race will be in Argentina on the 19th March.
Michele Cervellin 747
This weekend in Indonesia was difficult. The track was really muddy and it was a strange race as it wasn’t really a motocross race, it felt more like an Enduro. In one part of the track it was so bad that you have to stop every lap to get through it. One The first Moto I didn’t have a bad start but I crashed in the first lap on the third corner and had to work my way through the pack from last. Then, I slipped off the side of the jump and re-joined the race just after the jump but they disqualified me for joining on a different part which I was a bit unhappy about.
Before the second Moto it rained really heavily and I just told myself to ride steady in order to finish the race and as a result I got third which I am really happy about as it is so tough out there.
Chihiro Notsuka 28
This weekend was so not good for me. In the first Moto I crashed and in the second Moto there was a technical fault which made the bike come to a complete stop. I was pushing all race and although I like riding in the mud today was very hard, even harder than yesterday. It rained heavily just before we went out and it made it so slippery. Every lap the track was different and I had to take different lines which means I was focusing more on the track then on racing. I just want to say thanks to everyone at HRC though as they worked so hard this weekend in the wet conditions and it is a shame it didn’t go the way I wanted it too.
Roger Harvey
Dire conditions throughout the whole day although the first race the track conditions were more manageable. Results were certainly not what we were looking for. Michele crashing on the 3rd corner, then playing catchup, then finally being disqualified for going off the side of a jump. With Chihiro, he professes to like the muddy conditions and feels like the day has been a lost opportunity for him. We saw early on he can get round in these conditions but it's the length of race and consistency he lacks at this point. Atleast they managed a 2nd race as the track was deteriorating badly. Michele kept slogging throughout the race and achieved 9th place, again could have been better but now we are looking forward to Argentina.
Results Session 1
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Results Session 2
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Rider standings
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Location Information
Pangkal Pinang, Pangkal Pinang City, Bangka Belitung Islands, Indonesia - View in Google Maps
