Continuing his strong mid-season form, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP team’s Calvin Vlaanderen secured seventh overall at the MXGP of the Czech Republic. After falling twice and placing 11th in Race One, the South African rebounded with a determined ride to fifth in Race Two, earning a top-10 result.
Two weeks on from his overall podium finish in Finland, Vlaanderen was focused on delivering another successful result in the Czech Republic. With victories at the hardpack Loket circuit in the past, in both MXGP and MX2, Vlaanderen was understandably excited for the 14th round of the series.
However, Vlaanderen fell early on in Race One, which ruled out any chance of a podium appearance. After completing the opening lap way down the field in 24th, he relied on his superior fitness and race craft to finish 11th, despite the circuit proving tough to make passes on.
In Race Two, Vlaanderen enjoyed a much stronger start aboard his Yamaha YZ450FM and emerged from the first turn in fifth. By now, the track was much drier than the opening race and passes inside the top 10 were minimal. Calvin crossed the line in fifth for seventh overall. The points secured ensure he remains fifth in the MXGP World Championship standings.
''Tough weekend. I definitely wanted more and I had the speed, but I just couldn’t execute in the races. I crashed on the first lap of Race One, charged through the field, then crashed again. My start in Race Two was good but the track had dried out a lot and it was so hard to make passes. I made one last push near the end but it just wasn’t possible to make any passes. Overall, not the best day, but I'm healthy and I put some good points on the board.''
— Calvin Vlaanderen
From the hardpack of Loket, Calvin now heads to the deep sand of Lommel in Belgium for the next stop of the campaign. Taking place over the weekend of August 2-3, the event marks the 15th round of the series.
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