Over the weekend the Afyonkarahisar track hosted the Grand Prix of Turkey, the 17th and final round of the 2023 edition of the FIM Motocross World Championship. The strong wind and rain that hit the track on Saturday afternoon did not allow the MXGP qualifying heats to take place, and the line-up at the gate was decided by the ranking of the timed practice sessions.
Words & Images: Beta Factory Press Release
Alessandro Lupino (Beta RX450) was 16th in free practice and set the 13th fastest time in the time trials. In the first heat he got off to a good start and was in the top ten, but unfortunately was not then able to get into the right rhythm and lost a few positions, finishing in 17th place. During the second heat Alessandro’s rhythm improved, leading him to finish 15th. Lupino finished 17th overall on the day and is 19th in the Championship.
Ben Watson (Beta RX450) kicked off the race weekend by setting the 18th fastest time in both free practice and time trials. In the first heat the British rider was able to hold on to the 16th position, gained immediately after the start, until the end. Same scenario also for the second heat. Thanks to these ten points collected in Turkey Watson finished 18th overall on the day and is 14th in the Championship.
| ALESSANDRO LUPINO |
“It was a rather painful weekend and I struggled to find the feeling with the track. In the two heats I was never able to express myself at my best and, especially in race one, I could have finished a couple of positions ahead. In the coming weeks we will work hard with the team in order to do our best in Maggiora.”
| BEN WATSON: |
“I didn’t have a good feeling on Saturday. I lacked the speed to make the most of the smooth and fast track. My lap times were too high and I only set the 18th fastest time in the time trials. Unfortunately, because of the bad weather, the qualifying session did not take place as I am convinced that with a more marked and technical track, I could have done much better. On Sunday morning in the warm-up my feeling was better, but the track quickly became very hard and slippery. In both heats I did not feel comfortable and the best I could do was to finish 18th overall. We and the team will work hard to be better in Maggiora.”
In a fortnight’s time the historic Mottaccio del Balmone track in Maggiora will host the Grand Prix of Italy, the 18th and second-to-last round of the FIM Motocross World Championship 2023.
