| Gabriel SS24 KTM headed to Teutschenthal this weekend for round seven of the MXGP. |
| Saturday opened with practice for both riders. Gyan, currently fourth in the championship, was placed in Group Two for free practice where he set a time good enough for sixth. In timed practice he improved to fourth in his group, and when results from both groups were combined, he secured seventh gate pick. Oriol finished free practice in twelfth, just half a second outside the top ten, before timed practice placed him thirteenth — one second away from the top ten, with margins tight throughout. EMX250 Race 1 saw Gyan execute a perfect start, claiming his first holeshot of the season. He dropped back to fourth after becoming cross-rutted exiting the third turn but quickly recovered, and by halfway through the opening lap had fought his way into the lead. On lap two he settled into second place behind Fredsøe, maintaining a controlled gap of around 1.5 to 2.5 seconds throughout. In the closing stages Jake Cannon charged through from third and began closing rapidly, lapping around two seconds faster. Gyan remained calm and focused, riding his own race — and on the final lap, Cannon clipped Gyan’s rear wheel while attempting a challenge and went down. Gyan crossed the line in second place, putting himself in a strong position heading into Sunday. The MXGP Qualifying Race closed out the day. Oriol had built a strong connection with the track but didn’t get the start he needed, finding himself buried in the pack early on. A crash exiting turn four dropped him all the way to last. He responded brilliantly and by lap five was riding exceptionally well, using creative lines to move through the field. With 11 minutes remaining his lap times were consistently two to three seconds faster than many riders around him. In the closing stages he had the top 20 in his sights and was reeling in a group including Rick Elzinga and Jago Geerts, eventually crossing the line in 19th after a determined comeback ride. Sunday’s EMX250 Race 2 began with heavy rain, transforming the track into a mudder. Gyan didn’t quite get the holeshot but got away strongly around fifth before slipping back to eighth by the end of the opening lap. Patience was crucial on the increasingly rough and slippery surface. By lap three he had worked his way into fourth and gradually closed the gap to third. An intense battle developed across positions three through five while Gyan was simultaneously fighting for overall victory against Cannon with just two points separating them in the moto standings. With two laps remaining he settled into a rhythm and brought the bike home safely from fifth. After the race Alvisi received a position penalty for cutting the track, promoting Gyan to fourth in the official classification. Combined with his Race 1 result, Gyan’s 2-4 scores secured second overall for the weekend and his first podium of the season. MXGP Race 1 presented Oriol with a tough starting position of 19th gate pick. He didn’t get the launch he needed and on the third turn was caught behind a fallen rider, dropping him to 36th on the opening lap. He delivered an outstanding recovery, breaking into the top twenty within the first 15 minutes by lapping one to two seconds faster than many of the riders ahead. He pushed all the way to the flag battling for 12th, ultimately crossing the line in 13th in another impressive comeback performance. In MXGP Race 2, Oriol’s reaction off the gate was almost perfect, and he headed into the first turn inside the top ten, settling around 14th after the opening corners. He made quick progress and worked his way up to eighth behind Maxime Renaux. Bonacorsi was closing from behind and eventually found a way through. Oriol reset and began closing the gap again, but a small mistake while attempting to regain the position cost him two places. A few minor errors then allowed Pauls Jonass to make a pass, dropping Oriol to 12th. He continued to push in the closing laps but was unable to find an opening, crossing the line in 13th for 12th overall on the day. |
Gyan Doensen: “A solid weekend in Germany. I’m really proud of all the work I have put in. After a tough start to the season it’s rewarding to see the progress we are making. We finally secured a place on the box but we’re not stopping here. We will keep pushing for more because I truly believe there’s still more potential to unlock. A big thank you to my team and everyone who has supported me along the way. Let’s carry this momentum into next weekend, and we will keep on building. See you all in Latvia.”
Oriol Oliver: “Overall I am happy with this weekend not so much the results but definitely with my riding and I feel like every weekend I am improving. I need to start having a better qualifying race so I can have a better gate pick for Sunday so I can be where I want to be, and that’s up front. I had a bit of a difficult weekend with first lap crashes and other crashes I couldn’t avoid which than made my races more difficult. In the qualifying race I am happy with my riding especially to come from 39th to 19th. First moto again had to come through which wasn’t easy as I knew I was riding good. In the second moto I went to make the pass for 9th mid moto and crashed , I wanted a better result in that moto but again I am happy with my riding and speed I will try and carry this momentum into Latvia , I like this track as I’ve had good result there in the past. Big thanks to the team and all their hard work and let’s keep going.”
Shaun Simpson, Team Manager: “First EMX250 podium this weekend in Teutschenthal! Gyan rode well all weekend which was good to see, bringing in his momentum from last weekend in MX2. This could be the turning point for us this season as I know he’s still got more in the tank. Looking forward to Kegums this weekend as we were on the podium there last year. Need to keep this ball rolling. Oriol had another steady weekend with two contrasting motos with the same end result. Gate pick wasn’t good after a crash in the qualifying race on Saturday so starts were difficult. A charge through the pack in the first moto to reach 13th and running in 9th in the second race before a small tip over cost him some time. 12th overall in this class is solid. His race fitness is there now so we’re close to getting top 10 results more consistently in the coming races. Shout out to the whole crew this weekend for doing a great job in the tough conditions.”
Gyan’s 2-4 moto results earned him 40 points and second overall, just two points behind Jake Cannon. In the championship he remains fourth but has significantly closed the gap to Skovbjerg, now just 23 points behind with a 29-point cushion over Alvisi in fifth. Oriol’s two 13th-place finishes secured 12th overall and 16 championship points. He sits 14th in the standings, three points behind Horgmo, with 12 rounds still remaining.
The team now heads to Kegums, Latvia — around 50 km from Riga — for round eight of the MXGP Championship and round six of the EMX250 series. Known for its deep, rough sand and demanding layout, the Grand Prix takes place on Sunday 7th June.
