Dutchman Kay Karssemakers is making big inroads as he battled all the factory riders in the MX2 class. Racing for the Steve Dixon Kawasaki outfit, you always know that the bikes are good enough, but still, when you find yourself positioned between HRC and KTM factory riders, you know your riding talent is up there.

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Karssemakers finished with 7-8-7 for the weekend in Sardinia and seventh overall. In the championship picture he is 10th in the World, on 60 points, and ahead of him are only factory machines from Yamaha, HRC, Triumph, Kawasaki, Husqvarna and KTM. No surprised that the rider from The Netherlands was happy with his Riola performance.

"It was a good weekend for P7; I was consistently fast to the finish in both motos. I made a good start in the first moto and was sixth for twenty minutes before I lost my rhythm for a couple of laps, but I found it again at the end to make eighth place secure. I rode a really good first turn in the second moto to come out fifth, but Farres pushed me off the track at turn two and I had it all to do again from outside the top ten. I fought to the end and found my flow mid-race to finish seventh. We are building every week; it was our first goal to be always top ten and we are already there; the next step is to push for top five, and I hope I can be on the podium before the end of the season."

Legendary member of the MXGP paddock, Steve Dixon has always enjoyed bringing young talent up and to watch his rider putting the Kawasaki in amongst the factory boys gives him a lot of pleasure and he is looking forward to seeing more from the youngster.

“It was another weekend of positivity and improvement for us; Kay rode great across both motos. He showed good speed throughout and, importantly, was consistent right to the finish in both races. In the first moto, he put himself in a strong position early on and spent a good portion of the race inside the top six, which is encouraging to see.

"He then managed the race well to secure a solid result. In the second moto he got another good start but was unfortunately pushed wide early on, which made things more difficult, but the way he fought back through the field and found his rhythm again mid-race shows the progress he’s making. To be consistently finishing inside the top ten now is an important step for us and something we set out to achieve, so it’s good to see that coming together.

"From here, the focus is on continuing to build and closing the gap further towards the top five. It was a great weekend, and the Kawasaki didn't miss a beat through all three races, so a big thank you to the team, sponsors and product sponsors for their continued support. We’re moving in the right direction and it’s exciting to see where we can go as the season develops.”

Now onto Trentino, where Karssemakers will get to test his skills on one of the trickiest little tracks on the schedule and in the shadows of the Dolomites in Italy. Always an entertaining event and hopefully, the Dutchman can put himself back into the mix with the big boys of the class.