Talking point: Crunch time for Roan van de Moosdijk’s MX2 career
Ever since the 85cc days, Roan van de Moosdijk has been a big talent and so far he’s had a nice career. In 2019, the Dutch talent secured the EMX250 title which saw him make the jump up to the MX2 World Championship in 2020.
The 2021 season was cut short due to injury but van de Moosdijk has been racing the MX2 World Championship for two years now and is still chasing his first overall win. He has got one race win to his name as well as six podiums but going into the 2022 season, there is no doubt he will be wanting more.
After three years with the F&H Kawasaki racing team, things are changing for the former EMX250 champion as he has signed a deal with the Factory Husqvarna MX2 team. At the F&H team, van de Moosdijk was working with Marc de Reuver who did a good job as he does with the majority of riders he coaches.
Whilst the F&H Kawasaki team is very good and van de Moosdijk was known for his very fast sprint laps as he has a number of pole positions to his name, his Achilles heel seemed to be his starts (despite usually have good gate selections), was that the bike or is it down to rider weakness? We will find out in 2022 as the Factory Husqvarna is certainly a good bike out of the gate.
The bike was something he has already alluded too, “I’ll have the best bike and the best support next year, so I just want to keep working and improving through the winter and get back to where I was and then give 2022 everything I have”.
If we look back at the start of the 2021 season, van de Moosdijk was in impressive and consistent form as he was within ten points of the red plate at one stage before a couple of DNF’s and injury proved costly but there’s no doubting the talent is most definitely there.
With two years left in the MX2 World Championship the deal with the Factory Husqvarna team is coming at the perfect time for the Dutchman’s career. Will he be able to go from a consistent rider to a race winner to challenge for the MX2 title over the next two years? That will be the aim for both Husqvarna and rider.
It’s not going to be easy with the likes of Tom Vialle and Jago Geerts setting an incredibly high pace at the front as well as a lot of young blood coming through the ranks including his younger team mate Kay de Wolf. Van de Moosdijk is now one of the more mature riders in the class but it’s vital for him to put in the hard work over the winter and come out swinging as soon as the gate drops for the 2022 season.
At the Factory Husqvarna team, he’ll also work with Rasmus Jorgensen who will be looking to try and take van de Moosdijk’s riding to the next level and he certainly believes in his the ability required.
“We’re thrilled to have Roan in our team and can’t wait to get him settled in, and then start working in preparation for 2022. Overall, this year was a very positive season for our team – we want to keep that momentum rolling into 2022 and with Roan racing alongside Kay we believe we have a very strong line-up. At the start of this year Roan was riding so well, he put in some really impressive motos, and really showed what he is capable of. We really believe he’ll be a great fit for our team and at 21 has the right mix of age and experience to excel in MX2. On our bike, with the full technical support we can offer him, he’ll have all that he needs to develop further as a racer”, Jorgensen stated.
While he might be one of the underdogs going into the 2022 season, don’t underestimate #39 or he might just surprise you.
Article: Andy McKinstry
Pics: Husqvarna Racing
