Results
- Qualifying Race: 18th
- Race 1: 12th
- Race 2: 9th
- Overall: 9th
Round 8 of the MXGP World Championship took place in Kegums, Latvia. Kegums is a sand track, but with a hard base that makes the circuit develop in a very unique way throughout the weekend. The bumps, ruts, and sand banks become extremely technical, requiring complete focus and a lot of confidence on the bike to be fast.
Saturday was simply a very difficult day for me. Once again, I hadn’t had much time riding in the sand since the MXGP in Sardinia earlier this season, and I could feel that immediately. Already in practice I felt like I was pushing hard, but the lap times just weren’t there. Even though I was taking risks and riding on the limit, I was still four to five seconds off the fastest riders. It was frustrating, and I struggled with my rhythm, my confidence, and my overall feeling on the bike.
The qualifying race didn’t go much better. I had a poor start and never managed to find my flow. I struggled with both the track and myself throughout the race and eventually finished 18th, leaving me with a poor gate pick for Sunday’s races.
For Sunday we made a few small changes to the bike. On paper they weren’t major adjustments, but for me they made a huge difference. We changed the bike’s balance and adjusted the gearing, giving me a much more stable feeling and restoring some of my confidence. Already in warm-up I felt more comfortable, and heading into Race 1 I believed I was ready to fight.
I got a good start in the opening moto. I lost a few positions in the first corners but quickly fought my way back. I spent much of the race battling around 13th and 14th before working my way up to 11th. I was passed after making a small mistake but fought back again. Unfortunately, I chose a few poor lines near the end of the race and lost one final position, finishing 12th. Even though I still wasn’t back to feeling 100% like myself, I was happy with the way I fought from start to finish.
Race 2 started with another poor gate, but I was much more aggressive on the opening lap and quickly worked my way through the field. I was riding well and battling around 11th and 12th when I jumped off the track and collided with a marshal. Thankfully I stayed on the bike, but the impact ripped loose the GPS tracker mounted around my handlebars. It started swinging around the steering head and occasionally jammed the steering.
It made the bike difficult to control, but I tried not to let it affect my riding too much. Despite the problem, I charged my way up to 8th place. Then, with only a few laps remaining, the steering locked again in a corner, causing me to lose balance and crash. I was back on the bike quickly and only lost a few seconds, but it cost me one position, and I eventually finished 9th.
That was frustrating because 8th place looked secure, and both 6th and 7th were within reach. I’m convinced I could have fought for those positions without the steering issue. Unfortunately, that’s part of motocross—sometimes mechanical problems are simply out of your control.
In the end, I finished 9th overall for the weekend. I’m still not completely satisfied with my riding because I know my potential is much higher. However, considering how difficult Saturday was, I’m pleased with the way we managed to turn the weekend around and make a big step forward on Sunday.
The last three MXGP rounds have been back-to-back weekends, and I feel like I’ve shown strong speed in the races. Now I’ll head home to Norway for some training before the next part of the season. I haven’t trained at home in Norway for several years, so I’m looking forward to riding different tracks again and hopefully gaining another boost before the next MXGP rounds.
First up is the French Championship next weekend, before another run of three consecutive MXGP rounds.
📸 Photo: Eva Szabadfi