Team STR KTM Make Continued Progress in Finnish GP

16-07-2013

Hyvinkaa, Finland, 13-14 July 2013. The World Championship visited Finland for the first time since 2000. The sandy track at Hyvinkaa was extremely demanding and proved a real challenge for all concerned.

Qualifying - EMX250

Sterry made a good start in his semi-final race, rounding the first turn in 7th. He soon moved up to 6th but after holding off the fast charging Olsen for much of the race, he eventually succumbed to the pressure. He had however, built up a sizeable lead on the chasing group  and was able to cruise home for an impressive 7th.
 

EMX250 Final

Sterry spun on the start but still managed to finish the first lap in 16th. He looked aggressive and had good lines and was soon battling with fellow Brit, Nathan Watson for 13th. He made a superb pass at the end of the pit straight but on the very next corner his bike locked up and he was left to spend the rest of the race watching rather than racing. The unlucky youngster had picked up a small stone in his front sprocket, which proved impossible to dislodge, ruining what could have been a great race.

Qualifying - MX1

Karro was away in 13th but lost a number of places on the second lap, dropping him back to 17th, just ahead of his teammate, Barragan who had been hampered off the start. The two of them spent the whole race together with Leok in their wheel tracks. Karro eventually finished in 14th and after exchanging places five times on the last lap, Barragan just lost out on the final corner to Leok and had to settle for 16th.
 

MX1 - Race 1

Barragan was buried in the pack off the start and went down with Leok and Searle on the second corner but after remounting he set about rebuilding his race by sitting on the back wheel of Searle, tailing him through the field. The pair were setting fast lap times and by mid-race were both in the points but after a small mistake Barragan seemed to lose focus and suddenly dropped off the pace, leaving him to struggle home in 19th. Karro was away in 13th and after briefly moving into 21st, he lost out to Philippearts and was back in 13th. He held on to his position until a few laps before the end, when hard charging Searle breezed past and he had to be content with 14th at the flag.
 

MX1 - Race 2

Karro made a blistering start in 5th but with so many big guns behind, it was no surprise to see him lose places early on. He fought for every position but by lap five, he was down to twelfth and after holding off sand specialist, Roelants for five laps he finally lost the fight, leaving him in 13th. He was holding his form and still setting good lap times, closing in on Simpson and on lap 15 he made the pass to move into 12th which he held to the finish, giving 13th overall. Barragan finished the first lap in 17th but was riding well and setting a good pace. After making his way up to 15th he found himself chasing Philippearts and Simpson but he had a great outside line on the sweeping right hander and was able to launch past the two of them to move into 13th. He set about trying to catch Karro but ran out of laps and had to settle for 13th, for 15th overall.

Jonathan Barragan said: "I had bad luck with the crash in the first race but rode well in the second. I was happy with my bike and have been working well with my mechanic. Thanks to the team for giving me an engine which I really like."
 
Matiss Karro said: "Saturday was not so good again but Sunday was much better, especially the second Moto with an amazing start. Just need to keep working hard and the results will come."
 
Adam Sterry said: "After a good race in Latvia, I was looking to bring the confidence to Finland. Qualifying went well with 7th place in my semi giving me 14th gate pick in the final. I made an average start in about 16th but was riding well and making passes until I got a stone stuck in my front sprocket, leaving me with a DNF. I was happy with my riding and just need a bit of luck and hopefully will get a good result in Czech."
 
Steve Turner concluded: "A pretty good weekend, apart from Adam's bad luck, but he showed he has good speed and good line choice and made some great passes. Matiss was strong again and his second race performance was really good. Jonathan was much better, apart from the second half of the first race when he switched off. The rest of the time he was fast and had some good lines in the second race which helped him to progress to a strong 13th place finish."