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MXGP R6 Report

Monster Energy DRT Kawasaki endured an inconsistent weekend at the Grand Prix of Latvia and around the bumpy corners of the Kegums layout as Tommy Searle recorded a best finish of ninth position in the second moto.

Round six of eighteen in the FIM Motocross World Championship brought MXGP back to European soil and the holes and rippled terrain of Kegums was again a tricky surface to negotiate due to the combination of the rough, sandy ground and the speed the layout invited.

Searle came to Latvia struggling slightly with his right leg; a consequence of his spectacular first moto crash at Canada Heights last week. The former world championship runner-up was also buoyed by his victory in the second race in Kent and for what was the second outing of eight in the national campaign.

A bright Saturday started well for ‘100’ with the second fastest lap-times in free and timed practice. Sadly Tommy’s potential was blunted when he was taken down on the first corner by Evgeny Bobryshev and was stricken with 24th pick of positions for the motos on Sunday. Still needing to refine his start technique with the KX450F Searle was battling the odds at Kegums. He moved into a top ten slot in the first outing before a burnt-out clutch halted his progress and forced a DNF. In the second race the Brit rode well to record a ninth place to end the weekend on a creditable note, even if the team and rider are looking for significantly better results.

Two weeks after earning his first MX2 Grand Prix podium in spectacular fashion Vsevolod Brylyakov came to Kegums feeling the weight of expectation at the highest level for the first time as well as the added pressure of competing at the site closest to his native Russia. ‘Seva’ posted the fourth fastest lap in Timed Practice but Sunday was a turbulent day. A crash early in the first moto cast him to last place in the MX2 pack and he spent the thirty minutes and two laps fighting back to twenty-fifth and out of the points. Determined to make amends he still tasted Latvian soil in the second moto but was fast enough to place tenth and having gained valuable experience of managing his environment at Grand Prix. Brylyakov is eighth in the MX2 Championship standings.

MXGP charges onto Teutschenthal this week for the Grand Prix of Germany and the second of three consecutive events. Searle won the MX2 category around the slopes of the layout near Halle in 2012 and will again be charging towards the top five in the premier class.