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STRONG SHOWING FOR CAS HONDA AT HAWKSTONE PARK
Monday, 8 March 2010
STRONG SHOWING FOR CAS HONDA AT HAWKSTONE PARK
CAS Honda enjoyed an excellent outing at the Hawkstone Park International event yesterday, with riders Gareth Swanepoel and Evgeny Bobryshev putting in strong performances to finish in fifth and eighth positions overall against some of their main rivals for this season.
In qualifying both riders took some time to get going, but after getting to grips with the notoriously tough Hawkstone Park sand circuit, the CAS Honda duo earned themselves good gate picks with Bobryshev in eighth and Swanepoel in 11th ahead of the day’s racing.
In the opening moto both riders got a good start with Bobryshev fifth out of the gate and his teammate one place behind in sixth position. However, disaster struck for the Russian racer, as he was taken down by another rider in the opening stages, and completed the first lap at the back of the field in just 36th place.
Swanepoel settled into a good rhythm and held sixth place from flag to flag for a solid finish aboard his CRF 450R, while teammate Bobryshev fought his way through the pack and by lap six of the 25-minute plus two-lap moto was inside the top 15. The 22-year-old CAS Honda pilot dug deep and worked his way up to 13th position, where he remained until the chequered flag.
In race two both riders clinched good starts with Swanepoel in fifth and Bobryshev in sixth place by the end of lap one. Both of the CAS Honda racers lost a position in first few laps, but maintained a good rhythm and were able to push to the flag to finish the race in fourth and fifth positions respectively.
For only the second big race of the season and the first international this year, it’s a credit to the team that both riders finished with such strong results, as Swanepoel completed the day in fifth and Bobryshev in 8th place overall.
CAS Honda is now looking forward to its next official outing at Mallory Park, Leicester for the second round of the British MX1 Championship on the 21st March.
Gareth Swanepoel #8: 5th Overall
“Today has been pretty good. It took me a while to get going in qualifying and we ended up 11th, which was okay but obviously I would have liked it to be better. In the first race I got a pretty decent start into around sixth, although it took a little time to get my rhythm in the first few laps. Desalle crashed and got up in front of me, so I picked my pace up behind him and finished strong. In the second race my start was quite good, and then I rode like a freight train. I dropped off a little towards the end, but managed to hold on for fourth and finished fifth overall. The bike is feeling good and this was the first time on the full race bike; It took a while to get used to it, but every time I ride I like the CRF 450R more and more. I’m now heading back to Belgium where I’ve got lots of training planned and we’ll maybe race somewhere this coming weekend, but so far everything is on target.”
Evgeny Bobryshev #777: 8th Overall
“Qualifying wasn’t too bad, but not as good as we could have gone. I was riding a little stiff to begin with, so I couldn’t find my lines and went down once or twice, but 8th wasn’t so bad. I got a good start in the first race in fifth place, but I was taken out by another rider and went down. I was right near the back and fought my through to 13th, but I just wasn’t happy with my speed and didn’t feel completely comfortable, I was still riding quite stiff. In the second race things were better. I was in sixth behind Gareth and we stayed together for most of the race. It was very consistent, which I was happy with and I finished fifth. I wasn’t so pleased with my result today, it is a very difficult track here, but we are getting there and I am looking forward to the next race.”
CAS Honda Team Manager: Neil Prince
“Today both riders demonstrated good solid performances. Many of the other competitors have already completed other races this season, so to come here for only our second big event and finish with the results we have is very promising. The bikes are working very well and we’re concentrating on getting both riders in race mode. A lot of riders were caught out today, so I’m pleased we have had some good, solid races and we’re looking forward to the next British Championship event in a few weeks’ time.”
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