One rider in the TOP 5, two in the TOP 10, that’s not a bad result for the names that lined the starting grids of the EMX 2T race in Loket, Czech Republic. Although the conditions and chances were there, they failed to convert and the JG Moto Action Motoprox Team riders had more bad luck than luck.
A total of 42 riders took the start, so the qualification was not divided into 2 groups. All of the team’s riders qualified without much difficulty. However, neither had it easy during the race weekend, each faced something that affected their final result. Crashes, rider mistakes, injuries, bike failure, bad starts, all played a role.
“As terrible and negative as it sounds, in the end we are happy that the guys made it back to the depot safe and sound. Although we regret the boys’ placement, we really wanted the podium, after all, so did they, but we have no choice but to learn and maybe try again next time,” said Josef Gažúr, team manager.
Florian Hellrigl (4th place overall)
Two months before the race, he broke his vertebra, but entered the race in great shape. The aim was to be on the podium this year – after finishing 4th and 5th overall the last two years.
It started well – 4th place in qualifying and 4th place in the first heat. On Sunday, after the start of the second heat, he was in 6th place, unfortunately he pushed the saw and fell in the 1st lap. This dropped him to 13th place and he had to fight his way back the entire race. In the end, he finished in 7th place.
Jan Wagenknecht (6th place overall)
Honza, as he himself said, was such a team magnet.
He placed 17th in the qualification. However, in the first heat, he had contact with Jirka Hendrych after the start and had to pull from 27th place, reaching the finish line in 11th place. In the second heat, he got off to a good start and stayed 3rd-5th. place. He finished the race in 4th place.
Andrea Rossi (9th place overall)
Two weeks before the race, Andrea arrived in the Czech Republic and was preparing for the race (testing the bike, getting to know the team, riding on our tracks).
The free practice started off great and it was clear that Andrea is another candidate for the podium in the team. He was in 5th place. In the qualification, he pushed too hard on the saw and fell, placing 9th. He hit himself hard on the head, leg, shoulder and wrist. Had he finished the lap, he would have been in 4th/3rd place. Unfortunately, from that moment he could not race at 100% and his participation in the first heat was uncertain. There were long discussions in the team about whether Andrea should enter the race. He entered, he was already so disappointed in himself that he couldn’t imagine not entering the race and at least not trying. He finished in a respectable 9th place, which he was not satisfied with. The next day, before the second heat, new injuries appeared. He visited the “medical center” before the race, was warned of possible risks, and nevertheless entered the race again and fought. He placed 8th.
Jára Romančík (13th place overall)
He surprised Jára, but in the end, not really. It makes sense? We were surprised how the two-stroke suited him, he even tried some races on it, not only as part of the Czech championship, and he practiced a lot. But what did not surprise us are his riding qualities.
He placed 8th in qualifying and also finished the first heat in 8th place. He entered the second heat with determination to achieve the best possible result again. His start was not entirely successful, he was around 27th place, but he gradually made his way to 17th place. In the middle of the race, he went into a groove, left his knee there and twisted his leg, causing an old injury (cruciate ligament in the knee) to come out and he was forced to go to the pit lane and retire from the race.
Jirka Hendrych (22nd place overall)
After qualifying, he started in 20th place. In the first race, he finished in 16th place, which we were all satisfied with, Jirka finally got his hands on the points! In the second heat, he unfortunately retired after the 4th lap because his chain broke. He watched the entire race slowly, leaning on his broken motorcycle and cheering on his colleagues.