HOLESHOT AND THIRD PLACE FINISH FOR JASIKONIS IN LATVIA
Suzuki World MXGP rider Arminas Jasikonis ripped off a holeshot onboard his RM-Z450WS, which propelled the Lithuanian rider to a career best moto finish of third place at the MXGP of Latvia. Held at the sandy track in Kegums, Jasikonis led for around 10 minutes of the second moto, in front of some of the best motocross riders on the planet. Cheered on by a large contingent of fans who had made the short journey across the border, the Lithuanian rode flawlessly on a track that caught out many other riders, even posting the fastest lap of the race to go along with his Fox Holeshot award for rounding the first corner in first place.
He was also running in a solid seventh place in the first moto before an unfortunate bike problem ended his race, but overall it was an extremely positive day for a rider that continues to improve under the tutelage of General Manager Stefan Everts.
Breaking Jasikonis away from the swarm of celebrating fans, he had this to say about the day: “Today was a wonderful feeling. In the first moto I had a good start but someone pushed me from behind in the first corner so I went a bit wide and lost some places. I came from around 10th to seventh and I felt I could have gone higher, but then the bike had some issues so I had to pull out, which was obviously disappointing.
“Then in the second moto, I just had this feeling I could pull a holeshot on my RM-Z450WS and although some people say it’s down to luck, I really felt I could do it in this moto. So after the holeshot I led for about 10 minutes and that was amazing with all the Lithuanians in the crowd. It was just so nice to be upfront and leading a race. I got a bit tired but still ended up top three. It was crazy. I have to give a big thanks to Stefan, and just the whole Suzuki World team. It’s been a tough winter but we’ve made huge steps and this top three is reward for everyone who’s worked so hard for it. Thank you again to everyone that helped and all my fans for supporting me.”