Round 13 of the FIM Motocross World Championship headed to a brand-new venue this past weekend: the KymiRing circuit in the Päijänne Tavastia region of Finland. It is a fair way from the UK, which meant there were only a handful of Brits who made the trip to take on the sandy race track. However, this weekend was a massive step in the right direction for them in many ways. With that being said, let’s take a look at how they got on in the sand!
Words by Edward Heather – Images courtesy of Cult Moto
Where do we start in the MXGP class? Chambers Racing’s Adam Sterry showed immense pace from the get-go, finishing P11 in both the free and timed practice sessions. This speed was then on full display in the qualifying race; Sterry pulled an amazing start inside the top five and settled into fifth after the opening laps. A race-long battle with Monster Energy Yamaha Factory’s Jago Geerts probably wasn’t on anyone’s bingo card heading into the weekend, but Sterry looked comfortable running at the pace of the top-five pack. In the closing stages of the race, he lost two positions—first to Geerts, and then to MXGP points leader Romain Febvre, who made his way through late on—securing the #811 an impressive 7th place by the time the chequered flag was waved! Ben Watson also secured a top-10 finish in the qualifying race. The MRT Racing Team Beta pilot steadily made his way into his finishing position of 9th and posted competitive lap times with the top-five group. Two Brits in the top 10 of an MXGP race has been a long time coming, and they both flew the flag high on Saturday.
Sunday wasn’t as kind to the pair, but nonetheless, it was another strong display considering the circumstances. Watson undoubtedly had the pace in both races. His 12–11 finishes were certainly not a true reflection of the potential he showed. Post-race, Watson confirmed to me that rear brake issues derailed his chances of two solid results—more frustratingly, the issue occurred within the opening three laps of both races, leaving him with a serious challenge to navigate the KymiRing circuit. It was a gutting way for his weekend to end, and he was visibly frustrated with the issues (as he should be!). The results certainly don’t reflect the true speed and potential shown by the #919.
Sterry picked up 14 – 16 finishes on the weekend, much like Watson, there was certainly better results on the table for the Chambers Racing pilot. Another strong start in Race 2 saw Sterry come around the first turns inside the top-5, however, a couple of mistakes on the opening laps saw him drop from 9th to 17th – requiring him to regroup and pass his way back into his finishing position of 16th. All in all, this was a step in the right direction for the pair in various ways and will no doubt fill them with confidence heading into the final stretch of the season.
The only other Brit to compete in Finland was Chambers Racing’s Ollie Colmer, racing in the EMX250 class. Colmer was slightly off the pace during the practice sessions but pieced together a strong Race 1. He started outside of the points and worked his way up to 18th by the halfway mark. The young Brit then progressed a further three positions to finish in 15th place. Race 2 looked like it would be another step in the right direction, as he started inside the top 15. Unfortunately for Colmer, he exited the race on lap 10 and was unable to see the chequered flag. It may feel like a broken record when discussing all the Brits, but Colmer’s weekend was yet another example of results not fully reflecting the riding and pace he showed during the races.
