The Gabriel SS24 KTM headed to Round 13 of the world championship at Loket in the Czech Republic. With hot temperatures throughout the duration of the weekend, the hilly circuit would test the riders.
As Josh Gilbert returns from injury, he tried to make his comeback this weekend, but with the mandatory rest needed for his shoulder recovery, Loket highlighted the missed bike time.
He put in some solid laps in timed qualification for P26 with a stacked field of 40 riders. In the RAM qualifying race he didn’t get the best of starts and after being pushed wide he was outside the top 30, but he got stuck in and started working his way through the field and quickly got up to 25th soon to make the pass for 24th. However the hard ground caused his rear wheel to break and he had to withdraw from the race meaning he would have to line up in 36th.
With lining up on the outside gates Josh knew the start would be more difficult. For the first half of the first race Josh was putting in consistent lap times but as the race progressed he struggled with the heat and reduced strength in his shoulder, he would finish the race in 26th.
With another 30min + 2 lap race to go he hydrated and recovered as best he could, and in race two he managed to get a better start and was nearing the points but just short of halfway through he had a tip off which killed his rhythm. Despite giving the races his all he regrettably withdrew.
Josh: “A tough weekend for me. I know where I can be and where I should be so to not be running there for the whole moto is a tough pill to swallow. I’ve done everything I can to be back this quickly following the unfortunate dislocation but missing valuable bike time at this point in the season catches up with you. I just need to continue to get solid bike time in and get back to where I was and finish the second half of the season strong. I want to thank the whole team and our sponsors for their patience as we navigate this comeback together. I’m determined to get the results we have been all working so hard for!”
Team Manager Shaun Simpson: “Understandably a disappointing weekend for the team. With Josh missing another chunk of bike time Loket was a big ask for bike fitness and the shoulder. You can never underestimate the level at MXGP so all we can do is keep moving forward daily until we are back to where we know Josh can be.”
Words by Gabriel SS24 KTM – Images by Ray Archer
