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Thursday, May 24, 2018
Conrad Mewse, riding for the Hitachi ASA KTM UK motocross team, had a battle on his hands as he aimed to reclaim a space amongst the top 10 during the 7th round of the MXGP World Championship in Latvia.
The young MX2 rider excelled on the Latvian track, which was a sandy technical route that had to be run in reverse due to safety concerns. The conditions proved no threat to Mewse, who put in impressive performances in in both races of the MX2 round to reclaim his spot in the top 10. Unfortunately, Conrad was not joined by fellow Hitachi rider Graeme Irwin, who is recovering from an injury sustained during the previous round of the championship.
Conrad’s took on the first race of the day with expectations high, as he had previously taken third place on the Latvian track in a previous outing. This time around, he started the race in 10th position and had to fight to stay ahead of challengers Alvin Östlund and Jed Beaton. Mewse then managed to take eighth position after fending off an attack from South African Calvin Vlaanderen.
The second moto of the day saw Mewse pushed back to 17th position after a tough start. Undeterred, Mewse progressed back into the race and recovered a position to ultimately finish the second race in 16th place. The combined 10th and 16th positions mean Mewse leaves Round 7 with 18 total points and an overall 10th place in the championship.
Hitachi are very proud of Conrad, who expressed his mixed emotions following the races: “It was a hard GP; the track was gnarly and the weather was hot. The first moto went pretty well, and I got a great start in the second one. The only problem being the holeshot device jammed on for the first half of the lap, so I had to get that sorted and just lost my rhythm and by then I was pretty drained.”
“I’ve found myself in a bit of a dip in form since the start of the year. I’m fit, focussed and I’ve got the speed – I just need to get back to having fun and take the pressure off. It’s a long year with a lot of races and I want to get back at the sharp end and demonstrate my talent.”
Dave Roberts, CEO of Hitachi Construction Machinery, was enthusiastic about Conrad’s gritty determination: “Conrad showed real heart and did Hitachi proud in Latvia. He never gave up and pushed through to recover his position in the top 10. He’s a young rider and has a very bright future and we are very happy to have him representing the Hitachi Construction Machinery brand.”
Now back in the top 10 in a very competitive position, Mewse will have to tackle another 12 rounds of racing before the MXGP World Championship is complete. Everyone at Hitachi Construction Machinery wishes him luck and we encourage everyone to get behind the talented young rider!
