It was a memorable weekend for British talent Ben Mustoe as he secured his first ever overall MX2 victory in the British Championship at the demanding Landrake circuit. The technical nature of the track clearly suited Mustoe, who impressed throughout the day with his speed and consistency in the deep ruts and tricky conditions.
But the good news isn’t stopping there for the young rider. It has now been confirmed that Mustoe will head to Germany next weekend to make his MX2 World Championship debut at the iconic Teutschenthal circuit.
Interestingly, Mustoe and the ASA United GasGas team have opted to enter the MX2 World Championship class rather than contest the EMX250 category. The decision has been made largely due to the amount of track time and experience available at Grand Prix level, with the British rider keen to maximise every opportunity to learn.
“We made the decision to race the MX2 World Championship because of the schedule compared to the EMX250 series. In MX2 I will get much more track time and experience, which I think is important if we are going to make the effort and travel all that way”, Mustoe told GateDrop.com.
For Mustoe, the German GP is all about learning and gaining valuable experience against the very best riders in the world. While expectations remain realistic, the opportunity to score his first world championship points would certainly be a special moment.
“I really have no expectations for my first MX2 GP. I just want to go there to get the experience and take it all in. However, World Championship points to my name would be cool”.
The British rider also revealed that Germany is unlikely to be his only GP appearance this season, with plans already being discussed for additional rounds later in the year – including his home GP.
“We plan to do a couple more GP’s and Foxhill will be one of those, but we are just taking things one race at a time at the moment”
Mustoe’s confidence will certainly be boosted after his breakthrough performance at Landrake, a venue that has always suited his riding style. The technical layout and deep rutty conditions are similar to the type of circuits he grew up racing on, which also played a role in selecting Teutschenthal for his GP debut.
“Winning the British Championship at Landrake was really cool. I’ve always loved the track and it’s where I’ve won a race previously. It’s the type of track I’ve grown up riding and I enjoy a track that is technical and has lots of ruts. That is part of the reason that we picked Teutschenthal, as well as it being one of the more local rounds”, Mustoe concluded.
With momentum on his side and valuable confidence gained from Landrake, the upcoming MX2 GP debut represents another exciting step in Mustoe’s career. Racing at World Championship level will provide a huge learning opportunity, and it will be fascinating to see how the British youngster adapts to the intensity and pace of Grand Prix competition at Teutschenthal.
