Karro misses out at Valkenswaard

MVR-D Suzuki rider, Mattis Karro, narrowly missed out on his best World Championship finish of the year at the weekend, as he and teammate James Noble contested the Grand Prix of Benelux at Valkenswarrd, near Eindhoven in Holland.

Qualifying in 14th, Karro quickly upped his pace in the first race of the day, gating well and moving up to sixth early on. Tiring towards the end of the race, the RM-Z250 rider slipped back down the order, but still managed to bring it home in a respectable ninth place.

Determined to repeat his top-ten feat in race two, Karro made an improved start and was fighting as high up the order as fourth place. A battle at mid-race distance with Paulin and Aubin, saw the young Latvian tire and drop back to sixth place, holding position well until misfortune hit just a lap and a half from the finish, crashing out and ending his chance of an impressive overall result.

In MX1, Noble would end the weekend disappointed, after a hold up in race one left the RM-Z450 rider to battle back from a lowly 31st place. Riding hard, Noble would ride a strong pace, moving through the field to 14th position at the flag. His luck in race two wasn't to improve, after the euphoria of gating inside the top ten, was crushed with two crashes which slowed progress, eventually crossing the line in 16th, taking 15th overall on the day.

Team manager, Mark Chamberlain commented, "There are positives to take away from this weekend, despite the disappointment for the guys. Mattis rode extremely well, and it's frustrating to know that just a lap and a half separated us from a fantastic overall result. James just had one of those weekends, which happen from time to time. The encouraging thing was his pace, showing that he can run with the big guns, if he can avoid the hold-ups."

The team now return to base to prepare for this weekend's round of the British Motocross Championship at Brampton in Cumbria.