Team HRC’s Ruben Fernandez finished within a few points of his second podium of the season, coming fourth overall at the MXGP of Trentino after two excellent performances that were just marred by slight errors in each of the races.
Words: Press release
In race one, the Honda CRF450R rider got a good start, rounding the first bend in around fifth or sixth, but he quickly moved forward and by the end of lap one was in second position. Despite putting on pressure throughout the race, he was unable to make any pass on the leader and instead he looked like he would cruise to second place. Unfortunately, a mistake on the penultimate lap saw him drop to third and that’s where he crossed the line. It was a disappointing end to what was a great ride, but he still had a great chance at a podium if he put in a similar ride for race two.
And that’s how it was looking after once again working his way forward on lap one. He crossed the line for the first time in fourth place, riding a decent pace, and matching those around him. However, around the midpoint of the race, another small crash cost him a few positions, and with it went his chance of an overall podium. Instead, he had to settle for fourth overall, just three points off the podium, but with a points tally from the weekend which secured fifth place in the world championship standings.
Fernandez now has a weekend off in order to prepare for two ‘home’ GPs, in Portugal and Spain. The Agueda track in Portugal is very close to where the #70 grew up riding, so he has a lot of fans across the border, while Spain is his home country and the grandstands will be packed at the circuit, and if he continues riding in this manner, they’ll be cheering him onto the podium positions.
