American racer Thomas Covington has slowly been building on his 2017 season. While the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider had a mixed beginning to the MX2 championship, he is now really putting together consistent finishes. Claiming podium finishes in both Italy and Portugal.
From the last two Grand Prix’s in Portugal and Italy, he has gone 4-3-3-3 and also claimed a podium finish last weekend in the final round of the Dutch MX2 championship. In Portugal two weeks ago, Covington picked up a solid podium finish and showed his true speed. At times he was the fastest MX2 rider on the track, and looked really fast.
“It was another positive GP, and I’m pleased with my results in Portugal. Once again I showed the speed is there to battle for victory and that’s really important for the rest of the championship. To be honest I felt quite comfortable in this track. I started off the weekend with a win in the qualifying moto and that was a good psychological booster for the final motos. Despite the heat I had two good motos. In moto one I got the lead early and managed to stay up front for a few laps before settling for third. Then in moto two I got the holeshot and was able to lead for the first part of the race. Being in the lead felt quite good to be honest. By the end of the second moto I felt a bit tired. I guess all the travelling and the heat in Portugal took a toll on me so I had to settle for third again. I’m looking forward to coming back even stronger in Loket.”
In Ottobiano, Italy a month ago, the American went 4-3 for third overall, a good result and sending him in the right direction as he climbed the points table.
“Overall, it was been a great GP for me. Despite the warm conditions, this is something I’m used to from back in the days when I was racing in the US. The weekend started with me getting a start to finish win in qualifying. Feeling strong I was looking forward to the final motos. In the opening race I didn’t get a perfect start and was racing in 12th for a little while. I put my head down and managed to make a few passes for fourth at the chequered flag. Then in moto two my start was a lot better and I got a good race pace for third at the end. It felt good to get on the podium again. The goal is to continue pushing hard for more podium results.”
In the mud of Russia the Husky rider could only manage 17 points as he found the conditions unbearable, making pit stops for new goggles and having other problems.
“I started the weekend on a good note with third in the qualifying race. Unfortunately, conditions were far from ideal during the final motos and it all ended up being a big struggle to reach the finish. In moto one my start wasn’t great but I made up a few spots to cross the line in ninth place. Moto two was a huge challenge for everybody. I had a few crashes during the race and even came into the pits to change goggles. After hitting the ground a few times my bike had picked up so much mud it was almost impossible to ride. Despite all that struggle it was good to collect 11 points for the championship and we’re already looking forward to the following GPs.”
The American mentioned how much he enjoyed last weekends final round of the Dutch championship, despite getting a beer shower on one occasion.
“I’ve never seen a moto race quite like this one with so many crazy fans. I had a blast even though I got a few beers thrown on me when I crashed in moto two.”
Photos by: Juan Pablo Acevedo
