Unusual tropical conditions, a slick, hard pack surface and two 25 minute plus two lap races made Västerås the perfect try-out ahead of Fillibang’s comeback in MXGP next weekend in Uddevalla, Sweden. The 23-year old from Sankt-Olof had been away from competition for more than a month and a half to regain full fitness after a severe concussion.

Bengtsson was fourth in the start of the opening moto but he quickly steered his 24MX Honda CRF450R into the lead after passing Thuresson. Filip suffered some pain in his arms however he was clearly the fastest man on track and came home first, more than 5 seconds ahead of Thuresson.

After some commotion caused by an electricity problem the start for the final moto had been delayed. Bengtsson emerged undeterred. After a good start he quickly made his way to the front to pull a big gap on the competition. This time Fillibang won by a 9,4 second margin over fellow Honda rider Thuresson.

Although he missed the second round of the series Bengtsson is now 5th in provisional standings. Next weekend Filip and his 24MX Honda team mate Christophe Charlier will line up in the Swedish MXGP, round 11 of the FIM Motocross World Championship.

Filip Bengtsson: “I’m pleased with my victory and how the weekend went in general. If you’ve been away from racing for a while it always takes a little adjustment! In many ways this was the perfect practice before Uddevalla. Today the track was very slippery and fast, quite tricky conditions actually. Then there was the heat which was pretty remarkable for Sweden. It reached 35° C today, but I know my fitness is good so I felt fine. The qualifying moto and time on the bike on Saturday gave me some extra race rhythm as well. It’s been great to get this race under my belt ahead of my home GP!”

Moto 1
1. Filip Bengtsson (SWE-Honda), 2. Filip Thuresson (SWE-Honda), 3. Viktor Björklund (SWE-KTM), 4. Jesper Jönsson (SWE-Husqvarna), 5. Kim Lindström (SWE-KTM), 6. Rickard Sandberg (SWE-Yamaha), 7. Niclas Gustavsson (SWE-Honda), 8. Tom Johnsson (SWE-KTM), 9. Mathias Andersson (SWE-Honda), 10. Jimmie Allen (SWE-Kawasaki)

Moto 2
1. Filip Bengtsson (SWE-Honda), 2. Filip Thuresson (SWE-Honda), 3. Rasmus Sjöberg (SWE-Suzuki), 4. Rickard Sandberg (SWE-Yamaha),  5. Viktor Björklund (SWE-KTM), 6. Kim Lindström (SWE-KTM), 7. Oskar Olsson (SWE-KTM), 8. Jimmie Allen (SWE-Kawasaki), 9. Björn Andersson (SWE-Yamaha), 10. Jesper Jönsson (SWE-Husqvarna)

Overall Västerås
1. Filip Bengtsson (SWE-Honda) 50, 2. Filip Thuresson (SWE-Honda) 44, 3. Viktor Björklund (SWE-KTM) 36, 4. Rickard Sandberg (SWE-Yamaha) 33,  5. Kim Lindström (SWE-KTM) 31, 6. Jesper Jönsson (SWE-Husqvarna) 29,  7. Rasmus Sjöberg (SWE-Suzuki) 26,  8. Jimmie Allen (SWE-Kawasaki) 24, 9. Oskar Olsson (SWE-KTM) 22, 10. Niclas Gustavsson (SWE-Honda) 17

Swedish Championship standings MX1 after 3 rounds
1. Rasmus Sjöberg (SWE-Suzuki) 118 pts, 2. Jesper Jönsson (SWE-Husqvarna) 114, 3. Filip Thuresson (SWE-Honda) 97, 4. Rickard Sandberg (SWE-Yamaha), 5. Filip Bengtsson (SWE-Honda) 40, 6. Kim Lindström (SWE-KTM) 84, 7. Oskar Olsson (SWE-KTM) 83, 8. Tom Johnsson (SWE-KTM) 70, 9. Rikard Hansson (SWE-Suzuki) 57, 10. Mathias Andersson (SWE-Honda) 51