The Hitachi KTM fuelled by Milwaukee team travelled from Italy to Madrid, in Spain, this weekend, as the all-new circuit of Intu Xanadu Arroyomolinos played host to round 12 of the 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship. The team awning was bursting at the seams with Conrad Mewse, Bas Vaessen, Adam Sterry and Ethan Lane (a point scorer in EMX125) prepared for action.
Mewse hit another career milestone on Sunday morning, as he romped to pole position in the MX2 division by a significant margin. The gap to second place was significant, over a second, which certainly set a positive tone for the rest of the day. A mediocre start in the first moto gave him some work to do, but he still pushed forward and set times that were quicker than the race leader. Mewse secured fourth at the chequered flag and set the second-fastest lap of the moto, once again proving just how capable he is aboard the KTM 250 SX-F.
The second moto did not get off to as positive a start for Mewse – a first-lap crash left him in dead last and with a ton of work to do. A quick visit into pit lane to straighten out his bike made that deficit even bigger to overcome, yet he still charged up to claim a very creditable 12th at the chequered flag. That left him ranked in eighth overall on the day, which is the same position that he occupies in the series standings with six rounds left to run.
Bas Vaessen was luckless yet again, but persevered and made some good progress in the races. A crash on lap one of the first MX2 encounter left him way down the order. Although most in that position would have turned attention to moto two, he charged on and got to 15th at the chequered flag. Although Vaessen had another mediocre start in the final moto, he moved up from 18th to 13th by the end. That left him in 14th in the overall classification and helped him jump to 19th in the standings.
Adam Sterry continued to put points on the board in the premier category, as he battled arm pump to take 18th in the opening moto and then put in a stronger ride for 15th in moto two. That was a hard-fought 15th too, as he battled up from 20th on lap one. That left him 16th overall on the day and also marked the eighth moto in a row that he has scored points. 25th is the spot that he now occupies in the championship standings.
There is now no time to rest for the Hitachi KTM fuelled by Milwaukee team, as another triple header is looming on the horizon. Three races will be run in the bottomless sand of Lommel, Belgium, in the last week of October. The triple header will begin with the Grand Prix of Flanders on October 18.
Conrad Mewse:“Overall, it was a really good weekend. I felt really good on the track! I got pole by quite a margin, then I came from around tenth to fourth in the first moto. I was happy with that. It was frustrating, with the position I was in, but I was happy with it. I did not get such a good start in the second moto, but I was confident. A rider crashed in front of me and I had nowhere to go. Everything was bent up, so I went into pit lane to get it all straightened out. I put on a charge and managed to get back to 12th. The riding was really good all weekend and the overall result could have been completely different, had I had more luck.”
Bas Vaessen:“My speed today was actually really quite good. I just need to get my one-lap speed faster, as well as the first couple of laps in the races, and then we will be where we should be. Now it is time to get back in the sand to prepare for Lommel. Looking forward to that one!”
Adam Sterry:“I have been struggling with arm pump in the first motos, which I need to figure out, and then I was terrible on the first two laps of the second moto. I sorted it out though and went from 20th to 15th. I just need to get out with the front boys, as I feel like I am faster than the group that I am in. That is where I need to improve and that is what I will try to do at Lommel. That is one of my favourite rounds, so I am looking forward to it.”