The tenth edition of the Monster Energy FIM Junior Motocross World Championship took place this weekend in the Czech track of Jinín and once again it was a big success. The best forty riders in each class were racing to become the 65cc, 85cc and 125cc World Champions at the same time that they were representing the colours of their Nation.
Conrad Mewse was one of the favourites to fight for the 85cc Junior World Title and he actually proved his talent and was on the top of the podium after finishing second in both races. The British rider did not have a good start in the first race, but by the end of the first lap he was already fourth and ready to catch the first two riders. However, by the time Mewse overtook home rider Jakub Teresak, American Sean Cantrell had already opened a big gap at the front. Mewse was satisfied with his second position, but he knew it was going to be a difficult second race. The British rider had a good start and this time he took the lead at the early stages of the race, but in the very last lap Hunter Lawrence from Australia overtook him and Mewse ended second. Such result was good enough to be proclaimed the 85cc Junior World Champion because Cantrell had a mechanical problem in the first race and he was forced to retire.
Second overall was Hunter Lawrence from Australia thanks to his 4-1 result. Lawrence did not have a good start in any of the races, but his speed was really good and he moved up with the front group at the early stages of the heats. Whereas in the first one he was only to finish fourth, in the second one he made an incredible recovery and in the very last lap he overtook Mewse and finished first.
Another Czech rider made it to the podium in the 85cc class and this time all the cheering went for Jakub Teresak. The home rider had a really good start in the first race and he battled for the second position with Brazilian Enzo Lopes in the beginning of the heat. Teresak managed to overtake the Brazilian, but he could not stop Mewse to overtake him by the middle of the race and the Czech rider crossed the finish line third. In the second heat Teresak did not make a good start but he gave it all to finish fourth, which gave him the overall third position in the 85cc class.
Chase Sexton from the USA did not have a good start in the first race and he was only able to finish eighth, but he was determined to give it all in the second one and after a good start he moved up to second behind Mewse. However, Lawrence was coming really fast from behind and Sexton could not hold the second position and he crossed the finish line third and ended fourth overall.
Danish Glen Meier did two consistent races and he finished fifth overall after obtaining a 7-6 result. In the first race Meier had a good start and he was riding together with Mewse and Lopes fighting for the third position, but he could not keep the rhythm and he ended seventh. In the second race he could not start with the front group, but he did a good recovery to finish sixth.
Spanish Jorge Prado, who is still recovering from a broken collarbone, managed to finish sixth overall. In the first heat the Spanish young rider struggled a lot to find a good rhythm and he was only able to finish tenth. However, in the second race he was determined to give it all and he actually took the holeshot and led the first lap. Prado was not able to keep the lead but his fifth place tasted like a victory for him because he is just back from an injury that forced him to be one month off his bike.
Gianluca Facchetti from Italy ended seventh overall, ahead of Sean Cantrell. The American proved to be one of the strongest 85cc riders after dominating the first race with great authority, but the chain of his Kawasaki broke in the end of the first lap of race two and his fight for the Title was over.
Tomás Kohut from Slovakia finished ninth overall and Filippo Grigoletto from Italy completed the top ten. Brazilian Enzo Lopes finished fifth in the first race, but his 17th position in the second one made him finish eleventh overall.
Michael Mosiman, the fastest 85cc rider in yesterday’s qualifying practice, was not able to finish among the best riders today and he finished 15th overall. In the first race the American rider had a bad start and while he was catching the second and third rider, he made a mistake and dropped several positions. Mosiman ended sixth and a mechanical problem in the second heat forced him to enter the pitlane and he finished 36th.
85cc Race 1 top ten: 1. Sean Cantrell (USA, Kawasaki), 24:33.170; 2. Conrad Mewse (GBR, KTM), +0:03.340; 3. Jakub Teresak (CZE, KTM), +0:12.270; 4. Hunter Lawrence (AUS, KTM), +0:15.250; 5. Enzo Lopes (BRA, KTM), +0:17.520; 6. Michael Mosiman (USA, Suzuki), +0:20.500; 7. Glen Meier (DEN, KTM), +0:27.950; 8. Chase Sexton (USA, Yamaha), +0:39.840; 9. Gianluca Facchetti (ITA, Suzuki), +0:53.070; 10. Jorge Prado Garcia (ESP, KTM), +0:55.970.
85cc Race 2 top ten: 1. Hunter Lawrence (AUS, KTM), 24:40.591; 2. Conrad Mewse (GBR, KTM), +0:04.874; 3. Chase Sexton (USA, Yamaha), +0:33.486; 4. Jakub Teresak (CZE, KTM), +0:45.715; 5. Jorge Prado Garcia (ESP, KTM), +0:50.273; 6. Glen Meier (DEN, KTM), +0:50.736; 7. Gianluca Facchetti (ITA, Suzuki), +1:00.072; 8. Gabriel Chetnicki (POL, KTM), +1:02.551; 9. Tomás Kohut (SVK, KTM), +1:03.082; 10. Filippo Grigoletto (ITA, KTM), +1:09.966.
85cc Overall/Championship top ten: 1. Conrad Mewse (GBR, KTM), 44 points; 2. Hunter Lawrence (AUS, KTM), 43 p.; 3. Jakub Teresak (CZE, KTM), 38 p.; 4. Chase Sexton (USA, Yamaha), 33 p.; 5. Glen Meier (DEN, KTM), 29 p.; 6. Jorge Prado Garcia (ESP, KTM), 27 p.; 7. Gianluca Facchetti (ITA, Suzuki), 26 p.; 8. Sean Cantrell (USA, Kawasaki), 25 p.; 9. Tomás Kohut (SVK, KTM), 21 p.; 10. Filippo Grigoletto (ITA, KTM), 21 p.