Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 Team’s Janis Reisulis has finished as runner-up at the MXGP of Portugal to claim a career-first overall podium result in the MX2 class. Racing at round 10 of the MX2 World Championship in Portugal, the Latvian capitalised on two excellent starts in both races to place second in Race 1 and fourth in Race 2.
In the opening race, J. Reisulis executed the start he needed to challenge for the podium and rounded the first turn in fourth. Through the first couple of laps, the reigning EMX250 Champion – who won in Agueda last year with a perfect 1-1 result – worked his way into second behind Guillem Farres. With a relatively clear track ahead of him, the Yamaha YZ250FM rider kept Farres in sight to cross the finish line just under five seconds adrift of victory to capture a career-best race result in MX2.
J. Reisulis executed an even better start in Race Two to run second until the midway stage. As the laps wound down, he slipped to third, then fourth, as the race neared its conclusion. Nevertheless, placing fourth was more than enough to secure his place on the overall podium for the first time in his young career. The solid points haul in Portugal moves the MX2 class rookie up to sixth in the championship standings.
«It was a really good day and I’m incredibly happy with my result. To claim my first Grand Prix podium in the MX2 class is a really special moment. I really enjoyed riding today. The pace was good, I felt comfortable on the bike, and being able to battle with the front-runners throughout the races gave me a lot of confidence. A huge thank you to the whole team, all of our sponsors, and everyone who has supported me. This is an important milestone, and now the goal is to keep working hard and build on this result.»
