Gabriel SS24 KTM headed to Johannesburg South Africa, for Round 11 of the MXGP World Championship. The event marked MXGP's return to South Africa after an 18-year absence at Terra Topia MX Track. The fast and technical circuit featured a hard-packed dirt surface with big jumps and flowing sections. With the championship now reaching its halfway point Gabriel SS24 KTM were determined to make the most of the weekend and Oriol Oliver was focused on securing a strong result.

In free practice Oriol used the session to settle in and build a good feeling and he completed the session in 10th place. Moving into time practice Oliver continued to show solid pace throughout the session. With consistent lap times he secured 12th place putting himself in a strong position heading into the qualifying race.

In the MXGP Qualifying Race Oliver lined up on the outside of the gate and got a good jump carrying good drive down the start straight, however the opening corner he was forced wide in the first turn and emerged in 14th place. Oliver remained focused and settled into a consistent rhythm as he looked to work his way through the field and by the end of lap 1 he was 12th.

For the opening 10 minutes of the race Oliver continued to build his rhythm while battling just outside the top ten with Renaux, he consistently kept the gap between 1.5 and 2 seconds looking for an opportunity to make a pass and move into the top ten.

Unfortunately with just three laps remaining Oliver made a costly mistake that dropped him down the order to 17th place then couldn't continue as he wanted due to slight bent front wheel, dropping his further down to 21st which is where he finished the race. It wasn't the qualifying result the team had hoped for heading into Sunday's races, but Oliver was determined to bounce back when it mattered most.

Oliver lined up for the opening moto of the day and much like the qualifying race he started from the outside gate. He got another solid jump but was pushed wide through the opening turn and as a result he completed the opening lap in around 15th place before immediately setting about working his way through the field.

By the end of lap two Oliver had made several important passes to move into 11th place, he quickly closed within one second of Adamo matching his pace as the pair pushed hard. Around the halfway mark Oliver moved up into 10th place and although the gap to Adamo began to increase slightly as the lap times dropped, he soon came under pressure from Horgmo behind. Remaining calm and consistent Oliver controlled the race holding off the challenge to take the chequered flag in a strong 10th-place finish.

For the final MXGP race of the day the team made a few changes to the bike between motos, and Oliver headed to the line determined to end the weekend on a high. Once again Oliver executed an excellent start from the outside gate and tried to sweep across towards the inside for the first corner, although he couldn't quite make it across he emerged in a strong 11th place.

Oliver quickly settled into the moto feeling comfortable with both the bike and track running just behind Fernandez, he consistently kept the gap between one and two seconds, while also managing the pressure from Renaux who was around ten seconds behind. Riding a smart and controlled race Oliver maintained a strong pace throughout the moto without putting a wheel wrong. As the race entered its closing stages Oliver moved into ninth place and held the position all the way to the chequered flag capping off an impressive ride and securing another strong top-ten finish.

Oriol Oliver: “I am happy to finish on a good note on Sunday especially after my crash in the Quail race, I felt on Saturday I had the speed to battle more up front but couldn’t put myself in a good position from the beginning. For the motos was hard to make a good start from gate 21 but we made some moves on first laps and finished 10th and 9th which was a solid ride. There are always some things improve but I am happy with how the weekend went, now time to recover for a couple of days and get ready for a home country British championship this weekend and Foxhills the weekend after which I am excited for.”

Shaun Simpson - Team Manager: “Another very positive showing from Oriol in South Africa. Saturday didn’t quite go to plan with a mistake in the Quali race costing a good gate pick for Sunday. Two average starts in the main races but great race craft and laptimes ended the GP with two results in the top ten and tenth overall. It’s a strong field in MXGP but I’d like to think this is our average now, looking ahead to the next MXGP races the goal would be to push in to the top 7. Canada heights this weekend and I’ll be looking for a strong showing from both Oriol and Gyan.”

The team left South Africa pleased with Oriol's performance, as he once again demonstrated that he has the pace and consistency to challenge for top-ten finishes on a regular basis. In the overall Grand Prix classification Oriol secured 10th overall with 23 points, thanks to a 10th-place finish in Moto 1 and an impressive 9th-place result in Moto 2. He remains 14th in the MXGP world championship standings on 173 points but has closed the gap to 13th-placed Horgmo to just five points. Oriol also strengthened his advantage over 15th-placed Jan Pancar extending the gap to 16 points as the championship heads into its second half of the season.

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 in both the MXGP and EMX250 Championships. With a one-week break in the MXGP calendar the team's focus now switches back to the British Championship. Their next outing will be Round 6 at Canada Heights in Swanley, Kent on Sunday 12th July.

Photos: Jpacevedophoto