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MX2, Garda Trentino (Pietramurata), ITALY, 25 März 2018

Darian Sanayei fourth in Spain

Darian Sanayei of Bike It DRT Kawasaki missed the podium by just one point in the Spanish round of the FIM World MX2 Motocross Championship at the Red Sand MX Track near Valencia.

The American, already fastest in every session during the previous day's qualification, again proved to be the quickest man on track in each of the points-scoring races as he fought his way forward in each moto. He was initially way down around twentieth place in the opening GP moto after being closed down on the entrance to turn one but fought decisively to finish just eleven seconds behind the winner in sixth position. After a much better start in race two he quickly moved forward to fourth place and at the halfway stage of the race took over second place to close down the leader and even pulled alongside on a couple of occasions. The two moto results gave him fourth place overall, just a single point from the podium, and he is now eighth in the championship.
 
Darian Sanayei: “The whole weekend went pretty good for me, I had the fastest lap time in every practice and every race ! My start was not so good in the first race; I was around twentieth and had to work really hard to come back to sixth with good lap times and just kept pushing my hardest. I got a lot better start in the second race and was around sixth at the first corner. I could immediately move forward to fourth position, but then I was a little too patient in following the leaders; when Olsen made a mistake I passed him and Prado to take over second. The gap to Jonass was four seconds, but I pushed to catch him and tried to pass him; in a couple of spots I was really close, but then I made a few mistakes and finished second. It's a little frustrating to miss the podium by just one point.”
 
Jed Beaton of F&H Racing put a second Kawasaki in the first seven overall after two solid races to eighth and sixth; the Australian holds seventh in the championship. His teammates Adam Sterry and Ruben Fernandez also each scored championship points in each moto, the Englishman taking a first race tenth on his way to eleventh overall while the young Spaniard was twelfth in race two to finish fifteenth on the day.
 
Jed Beaton: “The weekend started pretty slow on Saturday but I enjoyed racing the long motos. I didn’t really get great start which didn’t help me but all in all it was a decent weekend. I never gave up and charged hard during the first few laps each time to come back into the leading group; it was pretty easy to pass during the first couple of laps when everyone was close together, but later there was mainly one good line and that make it difficult to make more passes. I’m happy to finish once more in the top ten; that’s my goal and we’ll keep on working to be closer to the top five.”
 
Kawasaki also achieved a further outstanding success when Pierre Goupillon of BUD Racing Monster Energy Kawasaki claimed victory in the opening round of the FIM European EMX250 Championship. The nineteen year old rode strongly from an initial sixteenth place to finish third in the opening moto and clinched the overall victory when he took the chequered flag second in race two after grabbing the holeshot to lead until three laps from the finish.
 
Pierre Goupillon: “Yesterday in the first race I missed a good start but I found some good lines and managed to come back to third. Today was different; I got the holeshot and could lead most of the race. I n the last part of the race I didn’t want to take any risks when Barr pushed me as I knew that even with a second position I won the overall. It’s great to see that the hard work all winter long with Yves Demaria is now paying off!”