Dixon Racing Team MXGP 2016 Round 2

Crossing the time zones will be an easier prospect for Monster Energy DRT Kawasaki this week after another positive showing through the MXGP and MX2 classes at a scorching Suphan Buri for the Grand Prix of Thailand and round two of eighteen in the 2016 FIM Motocross World Championship. Tommy Searle finished tenth in the premier category with his KX450F after weathering a small technical hitch in the second moto while Seve Brylyakov defied a second race crash in MX2 to capture sixth overall.

Suphan Buri was a new and difficult test for the Grand Prix paddock. The hard-pack terrain had been ripped and prepared for its inauguration but the high temperatures forced a constant battle against dust and long, deep hard ruts. The layout carried line choices for the racers but was also tricky physically and technically as the grip of the terrain varied.
 
Maxxis rider Searle had something to prove in Thailand. In the previous two editions of the event the former world championship runner-up had not completed the motos and saw out Sunday evenings in a hospital. At Suphan Buri he had a fresh challenge. In the first moto he started reasonably well and soon found a way from the depths of the top ten to pass Max Nagl and then hunt the rear wheel of Jeremy Van Horebeek to eventually seal sixth spot and his highest race classification yet of the season.
 
The second moto was more complicated. Running ninth by the mid-stage of the race he experienced a problem with his fuel overflow pipe that was flicking gasoline over the rider. Afraid of running out of fuel ‘100’ nursed his bike to the finish but had to drop to fourteenth in doing so.
 
Over in MX2 and with the KX250F, Vsevolod Brylyakov grabbed his best result for the team so far with sixth overall. The Russian filled a 7-9 scorecard. His mature approach to the motos in terms of setting a regular pace and managing his fitness and speed in the temperatures paid dividends. The second race was affected by a moment when he lost control and briefly crashed on the first lap but then he pushed hard – even defying a damaged front wheel – to recover from the fringe of the top twenty to earn ninth by the chequered flag.

Vsevolod Brylyakov took 6th overall in the MX2 during Round 2 of the 2016 MXGP series
 
After a promising start to the season Searle now sits eighth in the MXGP standings. The Brit has notched 47 points and three top three eight positions in the first four outings of the year and is beginning to find his feet again in the premier class. Brylyakov is tenth in the world championship and less than ten points from sixth.
 
Monster Energy Dixon Racing Team Kawasaki now start the long journey back to Europe and their base in southern England in preparation for the short ‘blip’ on their home continent. Easter Weekend (Bank Holiday Monday for the motos) will host the Grand Prix of Europe and round three before the team again jet-off; this time west towards Argentina and Mexico in April. First up though is the first outing of eight in the Maxxis British Championship at Lyng, Norfolk on March 20th.