This weekend, Gabriel SS24 KTM returned to the MXGP paddock on French soil at Lacapelle-Marival. The track is well known for it’s pre-season races and its fast-flowing sections mixed with technical corners on hard-pack terrain.

With Oriol Oliver coming into the weekend off the back of his best-ever MX1 result in Italy five weeks earlier, he was looking to continue building momentum and confidence. For Gyan the team decided to race in the MX2 class this weekend as there was no EMX250 round.

The experience would provide valuable track time against top-level competition, helping him gain confidence and further knowledge heading into the remainder of the EMX250 championship.

Gyan Doensen was out on track first for free practice which gave him valuable time to learn the circuit, settle into the lines, and loosen up. During the session Gyan looked comfortable and confident setting a time of 1:43, which placed him thirteenth overall.

The times were incredibly close with Gyan sitting just two seconds off the top five. Later in the day it was time for the timed practice session, which would determine his gate position for the qualifying race. Once again looking comfortable and able to ride the track well, Gyan secured himself twelfth gate pick for the qualifying race finishing just one second behind Ferruccio Zanchi who was tenth.

Oriol struggled during the morning session and couldn’t quite find his flow or gel with the track. However in free practice he gradually settled in and improved with each lap, on lap eight he posted his fastest time of the session with a 1:42 placing seventeenth. Once again the times were incredibly tight with only two seconds separating him from the top ten.

After making a few changes to the bike Oriol headed back out for timed practice. Despite his efforts he couldn’t quite put together a lap good enough to improve beyond twenty-first place. This would make the qualifying race more difficult, especially with the start straight being short and narrow making a strong start even more important.

It was time for the MX2 qualifying race and Gyan headed to the gate feeling relaxed and confident. As the gate dropped he got a solid start and came out of the first corner around fifteenth place. However on the opening lap Gyan lost a few positions while riding a little tight, dropping him just outside the top twenty.

Five minutes into the race Gyan began to show good race craft making smart passes to work his way back up to sixteenth place, looking strong and with his lap times continuing to improve he steadily moved forward through the field. Gyan eventually found himself behind Noel Zanocz and was riding laps around one to two seconds faster, clearly looking for an opportunity to make a pass. Unfortunately he wasn’t able to find a way through before the finish but he still secured an impressive sixteenth place, a strong race result and a decent gate pick heading into Sunday.

The MXGP qualifying race marked the final gate drop of the day, Oriol was reset and ready for the 20 minute plus two-lap race. Starting from the outside of the grid even with a well-executed jump out of the gate he found himself around twentieth place on the opening lap, knowing he had work to do. In the early stages of the race Oriol found it difficult to fully attack the track and make moves on the riders ahead.

As the race progressed however he began chipping away at the field, battling hard and closing to within two seconds of Forato while running in fifteenth place. Towards the end of the race Oriol’s lap times began to drop and he no longer looked fully comfortable. This was due to dirt becoming stuck in his goggles affecting his vision and making it difficult to continue pushing forward. Despite this he never gave up and fought through to the finish. Overall Oriol showed improvement throughout the day and secured a better gate pick heading into Sunday’s races.

On Sunday the temperatures continued to rise and conditions were even hotter than Saturday. With Gyan’s first MX2 gate drop of the year approaching he remained calm and ready to enjoy the experience. Thanks to his strong gate pick Gyan lined up well on the inside of the gate and got an excellent jump out of the start, however heading into the first corner he hesitated slightly which dropped him back to around twenty-fourth place.

With the track being narrower than most GP circuits passing proved difficult but Gyan was in attack mode from the beginning. He fought his way up to nineteenth place posting impressive lap times while working through traffic, consistently running two to three seconds quicker and matching the pace of Grau in 11th and Zanchi in 12th.

In the closing stages of the race Gyan moved into fifteenth place behind Honda HRC rider Valerio Lata, continuing to ride strongly while learning from the riders around him. With two laps remaining Gyan had built a comfortable 22-second gap behind him while sitting around eight seconds behind Karlis Reisulis. From there he settled into his rhythm and rode strongly all the way to the chequered flag in fifteenth.

MXGP Race One saw Oriol head to the line with a few changes made to the bike and feeling confident. As the gate dropped Oriol got another solid start coming through around eleventh place and slotting in behind fellow Spanish rider Ruben Fernandez, determined to run his pace and stay with him.

Oriol quickly moved up to tenth after Febvre made a mistake on the opening lap. He then settled in one to two seconds behind Fernandez matching his lap times and looking for an opportunity to make a move. However with Febvre applying pressure from behind Oriol wasn’t able to defend the position and dropped back to eleventh.

With only a two-second gap in front and a five-second gap behind Oriol settled into a smooth rhythm and looked comfortable and in control. But as the intense heat took its toll during the final ten minutes plus two laps, Oriol’s pace began to drop and he lost a few positions. After regrouping Oriol found himself behind Pauls Jonass and pushed hard to find a way past. With two laps to go he managed to make the move stick, but unfortunately a mistake on the final lap allowed Jonass to reclaim the position. Oriol eventually crossed the line in thirteenth place.

After the hour break it was time for the final MX2 gate drop of the day, with plenty of time to recover Gyan reset mentally and was ready to give it his all. Although he didn’t get the initial jump out of the gate he made up valuable ground heading into the first turn, pulling off a great move with an undercut that saw him emerge in tenth place on the opening lap, the first non-factory rider in the field.

On lap two Gyan attempted to make a move on Lata but unfortunately crashed, it was a costly mistake dropping him back outside the top twenty. Despite the frustration Gyan stayed calm regrouped quickly, and began working his way back through the field lap by lap with smart riding and excellent race lines.

Throughout the race Gyan’s lap times remained strong and once again matched the pace of Garcia and Reisulis who were running just outside the top ten. With two minutes plus two laps remaining Gyan had fought his way back to fourteenth place. However factory rider Zanchi was charging hard and lapping around two seconds quicker eventually making the pass on the final lap. It was another strong ride from Gyan and he secured another impressive fifteenth-place finish.

The final MXGP moto of the day didn’t go to plan for Oriol as he was caught up in a first-turn crash and, by the time he picked himself up he was nearly at the back of the field. However during the opening lap the race was red-flagged giving everyone a reset and another trip back to the gate, offering Oriol a second chance at a strong start.

On the restart Oriol made the most of the opportunity and got away much better coming through in tenth place. By lap two he had moved up another position and latched onto the back of Kevin Horgmo, matching his lap times and keeping the gap at around two seconds while patiently looking for an opportunity to make a pass.

Oriol looked smooth throughout riding with very few mistakes and maintaining strong consistency. Just past the halfway mark Bonacorsi managed to get by dropping Oriol back to eleventh, however Oriol continued to apply pressure and a few laps later Bonacorsi made a mistake, allowing Oriol to move back up into ninth place.

In the closing stages of the race the demanding conditions began to take their toll and Oriol’s lap times dropped slightly as fatigue set in. He was eventually passed again by Bonacorsi and then by Jonass a lap later crossing the line in twelfth place. Despite the late-race battle Oriol continued pushing all the way to the finish and once again delivered a consistent performance.

Gyan Doensen: “MX2 Lacapelle - Marival. It’s good to be back enjoying racing again, and this weekend reminded me why I love this sport so much. The season hasn’t been easy so far, but I’m taking this weekend as a positive step forward and a turning point. 15-15 finishes gave me 16th overall. In the second moto I was running in P10 and closing in on P9, but after hitting a stone with my front wheel I went down and got stuck. Not the way I wanted to end it, but when you’re pushing at the limit these things can happen. Proud of the fight and effort I showed all weekend.”

Oriol Oliver: “Round 6 of the MXGP in Lacaeplle and I had an off day on Saturday I wasn’t really feeling good on the bike. I was able to turn things around a little bit on Sunday but not fully, we made some changes and I was feeling a bit more comfortable. I had some good battles inside the top ten and for the majority of the race, I felt like I couldn’t push to the end not because of fitness but because of the not so good feeling on the bike. To be able to finish 12th overall is a positive especially on a day I where I didn’t have a good feeling and how stacked MXGP is this year. My starts were good but not as good as some other races and that’s because of my gate pick from the qualifying race. Overall I am happy and happy with my team and all their hard work during the week, we will continue working and get ready for Germany. I also want to say my thought are with Thibault Benistant and I hope he is doing well.”

Shaun Simpson - Team Manager: “Strong weekend in Lacapelle. It was good to see Gyan riding more like himself this weekend in MX2. He looked relaxed and free on the bike while pushing forward in both motos. Two top 15 results was great along with his speed in timed practice it was a great step forward for Gyan and we hope he can transfer this back into EMX250 next week. Oriol struggled on Saturday in the timed sessions but we weren’t too worried as when the gate drops Oriol shows up. It was a steady day with 13-12 and more good points on the board. Looking forward to Teutschenthal next week.”

The team survived the intense heat and are leaving satisfied but still wanting more, knowing their strengths and weaknesses as they move forward. For Gyan there were no expectations this weekend the aim was simply to have fun, build confidence, and learn and that is exactly what he did. By scoring a total of 12 points across both motos he secured an impressive sixteenth overall tied on points with Jake Cannon in fifteenth, with only five points separating Gyan in 16th from Karlis Reisulis in 11th. Oriol finished twelfth overall with 17 points just two points shy of the top ten. In the all-important championship standings Oriol remains thirteenth, 25 points behind Alberto Forato in twelfth. However the gap behind Oriol is beginning to close with Kevin Horgmo now only four points behind.

Gabriel SS24 KTM would like to extend a sincere thank you to KTM and all of our valued sponsors for their continued support throughout the season. Their backing plays a vital role in making our racing programme possible and enables the team to compete at the highest level.

The team now heads into a busy stretch of the season with thirteen consecutive weekends of racing ahead. The next race takes place on Sunday 31st May in Teutschenthal, Germany for round seven of the FIM Motocross World Championship, held on the narrow and technical hard-pack circuit. Gyan will also return to EMX250 competition as the championship continues with round five.

Photos: Jpacevedophoto