Ruben Fernandez charged through the MXGP field, from last place all the way up to seventh, but it wasn’t quite enough as he finished fourth overall at the MXGP of the Czech Republic – the debut round for the new prototype Honda CRF450R.

"Definitely a tough pill to swallow," Fernandez said. "Finishing fourth and coming so close to the podium once again. After the second place in race one, I really felt good and was excited for race two, unfortunately, before I reached the first corner my chances of victory were over. I remounted almost last and tried as hard as I could to pass as many riders as possible and got all the way up to seventh, just two points short of the podium. Still, I think we showed that the prototype bike is excellent and can handle world championship racing, so now we’ll keep working and try again in Lommel next weekend."

The Spaniard rode excellently in race one, waiting patiently in fourth place for the majority of the race, before pouncing as the riders in front struggled to keep their momentum. He crossed the line in second place, following on from the third in yesterday’s qualification moto and showing evidence that the new bike can handle a dry Loket circuit, as well as wet one.

Hopes were high he could continue this string of results in moto two, but just as he looked to round the first bend, he got caught up with a bunch of other riders and had nowhere to go.

He managed to just about stay upright, but by the time he got pointing in the right direction, he was right at the back of the field and facing an uphill battle to even score points, let alone think about overall standings. However, despite the hard-pack Loket being as difficult to pass on as ever, the #70 scythed through the field and was amazingly in 13th by the time they completed the first full lap.

After six more laps he was inside the top 10 and he kept pushing until the last lap, moving into seventh by the time he received the chequered flag. It was a valiant effort, and definitely one he can be proud of despite missing out on the podium by two points. Now, he has the deep sand of Lommel to prepare for, which will provide another tough testing ground for the prototype to negotiate.

On the Saturday Fernandez finished third in the MXGP qualification race, showing that the muddy conditions were no match for their Honda machinery.

"We had some really good training sessions on the prototype these past couple of weeks and I think we showed today that it is immediately up to speed in the MXGP championship. I didn’t get the best jump but quickly made some passes in the first couple of corners and came out in fourth place. My speed was good and I felt like I was faster, but I couldn’t get the pass done. Then, the last lap I took advantage of a lapper to make the move and put the prototype in the top three. We are all very happy with the progress, but the work doesn’t stop and we keep working for the races tomorrow and beyond."

For Fernandez, this was on-board a prototype Honda CRF450R, that he’d only tested for a couple of weeks since the MXGP of Finland. Straight away in the first session, it was apparent that the bike belonged in the world championships and with Fernandez improving throughout the day – despite the rain falling – the bike looked better and better.

After ninth in free practice, the track got wetter and wetter, but the #70 upped his game to get fourth gate-pick after timed practice. Then he made some good moves in the first half of the lap to come out in fourth in the qualifying race.

He tried everything to get into third but the one-lined nature of the muddy Loket terrain seemed to stop any pass attempts, however as the last lap board came out, he forced his way past and got himself a third place in a very impressive debut race for the prototype.

David Bulmer story and image by Bavo Swijgers