One week after a busy home event the Teka Suzuki Europe World MX2 team will now face a contrasting set of riding conditions at Kegums for the Grand Prix of Latvia and the ninth round of 15 in the FIM MX2 Motocross World Championship this weekend.
Ken Roczen must plough a path across the loose and sandy terrain of the highly-rated circuit to cut-back Marvin Musquin’s 77 point advantage in the standings.
The German team, with Roczen and the impressive Arnaud Tonus, will travel east this week confident after their recent showing at Teutschenthal in which recent upgrades to the RM-Z250 machinery added an extra competitive edge, and Roczen grabbed his second moto victory of the season on the way to the runner-up spot while Tonus was a gratifying sixth.
Kegums prepares to welcome the FIM series for just the second time and after its inauguration last year as a capable and challenging Grand Prix venue. Although relatively flat, the track is sculpted from a fine, loamy soil that ripples and churns, offering a test similar to sand and a contrast to the fast and hard-pack surfaces found in the two previous meetings. “Latvia is a pretty crazy track,” said Roczen. “It will get really rough but I enjoyed it a lot last year and had two strong motos so I am looking forward to going back.” The sixteen year old picked up results of third and fifth 12 months ago.
For Tonus, who has pleased the team immensely with his speed and progression building on his debut season in 2009, Kegums will represent another chance to demonstrate the development of his riding in soft ground. “I think I will head to Kenny’s place to do some riding and maybe find a sandy track to get ready for Kegums,” the Swiss commented directly after the German GP. “It will be a tough race but I am happy to go there because we did a lot of work in the winter on the sand and I know I am capable of doing well.”
Latvia will represent the second part of a three week stint of races with the powdery and stony dirt of Uddevalla in Sweden directly following the championship’s furthest trek east.
After cool and cloudy conditions in 2009 the weather forecast predicts sunshine on this occasion for the upcoming weekend.
MX2 World Championship standings (after 8 of 15 rounds): 1. Marvin Musquin (FRA, KTM), 365 points; 2. Ken Roczen (GER, Teka Suzuki Europe World MX2), 288 p.; 3. Steven Frossard (FRA, Kawasaki), 268 p.; 4. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 241 p.; 5. Zach Osborne (USA, Yamaha), 233 p.; 6. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 225 p.; 7. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Teka Suzuki Europe World MX2), 214 p.; 8. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), 209 p.; 9. Joel Roelants (BEL, KTM), 183 p.; 10. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 158 p.
