The historical Erneé circuit in France hosted the 76th edition of the Motocross of Nations. The MRT Racing Team Beta Factory took part in the race with Ben Watson who was selected by the British Federation in the MXGP class.
Words & Images: MRT Racing Team Beta Factory
The draw for the starting places in the qualifying heat was unfortunately not the luckiest and the British team had to start from 36th position out of 37 teams, but despite this Ben Watson (Beta RX450) finished the qualifying heat in 10th position. In the first of Sunday’s main races, for the MXGP and MX2 classes, Watson finished in 17th position. In the second heat, with MXGP and Open classes lined up, he was involved in a group crash at the first corner, but thanks to a good comeback he still finished 13th. In the day’s overall individual standings Ben finished 11th in the MXGP class and 10th in the Nations classification.
BEN WATSON:
“So the Motocross of Nations is over and the race weekend went quite well. I felt really confident on the track and had fun during the heats. On Saturday in free practice I had a good feeling and was ready for qualifying, but when the British team was drawn in 36th place for the gate I knew immediately that I would have to make a comeback. Although it was not easy to get a good start, I finished in 10th position. In the first heat I lined up on the inside and got a good start. In the second race I got caught up in the group crash at the first bend and had to come back up. In the end I finished 13th, but I was riding well and I am convinced that with a better start I could have done even better. I finish this 2023 with a positive feeling and my focus is already on the training for next season.”
