Marvin Musquin retained his MX2 championship red plate with a sixth place and a win in Bellpuig, Catalunya.
The Frenchman’s first race was compromised by a crash, but an assured ride in the second moto cupled with misfortune for rival Ken Roczen saw Musquin take the win, and with it a comfortable championship lead, to the next round in the USA on May 30.
“I had a bad start in the first moto and I crashed with [Zach] Osborne. I came back to seventh and then I was behind Shaun [Simpson] and it was difficult to pass,” Musquin explained. “I was very focused on my start for the second moto. I took the holeshot and then it was like it was in Portugal with me in front of Ken [Roczen] – until he had his DNF.
“The track was really slippery, but it got better and better, and my win is good for me and good for the championship.”
Roczen retains second in the championship after winning the first moto but suffering the mechanical failure 10 laps from the finsiuh that denied him a better result, but at least saw him ending the weekend safely in second place.
I rode well and was fast,” Roczen commented. “Both of my starts were pretty good… I had a really good feeling and I knew I could pass Marvin, but then we had some problems with the bike.
'Nothing is over yet' – Ken Roczen
“I was really happy to have closed up to within one point of Marvin in the championship, but then we ended up losing some ground. Still, nothing is over yet.”
Shaun Simpson was pleased with his weekend, despite the tricky surface making his second-moto fourth spot hard work.
"I got a good start in the second race. I got behind Marvin and Ken and I felt good,” said the Brit. “I was riding smooth and relaxed, but they had put a lot of water on the track for the second heat. I slipped with the front wheel and went down and dropped back to 10th or 12th. But I was able to fight back to fourth. I felt strong and powerful and I was pleased with the second heat.
“It was a good feeling, there’s nothing better than being on the podium!”
Jeffrey Herlings had a mixed weekend, with a third in the first moto followed by a crash-affected second that saw him finish 12th but still keep third overall in the MX2 standings.
“I hope to fight back hard in the next GP,” the 15-year-old commented.
More on the events in Bellpuig here
Grand Prix of Catalunya Race One – result
1) Ken Roczen (Germany) Suzuki 38m 57.864s
2) Steven Frossard (France) Kawasaki +2.124s
3) Jeffrey Herlings (Netherlands) KTM +34.476s
4) Gautier Paulin (France) Yamaha +49.908s
5) Joel Roelants (Belgium) KTM +51.333s
6) Shaun Simpson (Great Britain) KTM +53.492s
7) Marvin Musquin (France) KTM +53.624s
Grand Prix of Catalunya Race Two – result
1) Marvin Musquin (France) KTM 40m 54.002s
2) Joel Roelants (Belgium) KTM +18.932
3) Alessandro Lupino (Italy) Yamaha +23.692
4) Shaun Simpson (Great Britain) KTM +31.630
5) Jake Nicholls (Great Britain) KTM +33.720s
6) Harri Kullas (Finland) Yamaha +35.570s
7) Jeremy van Horebeek (Belgium) Kawasaki +38.942
Standings
1) Musquin – 218 points
2) Roczen – 192
3) Herlings – 184
4) Frossard – 165
5) Simpson – 138
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