Team Venum Bud Racing Kawasaki’s Francisco Garcia dug deep to secure his fifth podium of the year in the European EMX250 Motocross Championship with a win in race one and a stunning ride through the field in race two at the Litti-KymiRing in Finland.
After posting the fourth-fastest time in Qualifying Francisco was unbeatable in the first race on Saturday. He moved into the top-three within the first half-lap, advanced into second on lap two and swept into the lead next time round to immediately open up a five-second lead by the end of lap three and later took the chequered flag nearly seventeen seconds ahead of his rivals. On Sunday he had a dramatic opening lap in the second moto as he crashed soon after the start and was then delayed again further round the lap as he stopped in a deep rut. Undeterred by the setbacks he rebounded with ferocious spirit to haul back into a points-scoring position by lap four and, lapping even faster than the leaders through the second half of the moto, he made an exhilarating pass for tenth on the penultimate lap to amazingly secure the overall podium. His efforts have further consolidated his third place in the series points-standings as he extended his advantage over fourth to sixty-eight points with three rounds remaining.
Jake Cannon held a solid eighth for several laps in the first race before exploding into action during the second half of the moto as he felt ever more at home on the loose-surfaced track to sweep into his final fourth three laps from the end of the race. On Sunday he took another good start to run eighth on the opening lap before going over the bars entering pit straight when soft sand grabbed his front wheel. A long delay saw him lose nearly a complete lap before he could rejoin the race but he rebounded magnificently to move into twentieth for the final point of the weekend four laps from the finish. The effort secured tenth overall over the weekend and he is now eleventh in the series standings, just six points from the top-ten.
Francisco Garcia: “That first race was a really solid moto; I found a good flow and was really happy with my feeling for the track. We practiced a lot in sand this week and it paid off.. The track was fast but with a lot of small bumps and I could soon make passes for the lead. Second race was not an easy one but the speed was there. I crashed on the first lap and stalled the engine, then I stopped again in a rut further round the lap, but I pushed hard after that to come from last to tenth. It was not my best result but I gave my maximum and earnt another podium.”
Jake Cannon: “I made a good start in the first moto but my first few laps have been terrible recently and I got shuffled back quickly to eighth before I settled. The track was very choppy and there’s no break anywhere, and it was surprisingly hot too. But I never gave up and finished strong for a solid fourth. Sunday was another story with that crash who cost me so much time, it was another experience.”