MX2 World Championship leader Guillem Farres (Triumph) got off lightly

Following his heavy crash on Saturday, it was by no means certain that Guillem Farres would be able to compete in Sunday’s races. The lacerations on the Spaniard’s head were stitched up and he had to pass the critical concussion test. Such a diagnosis would have been devastating, as it would have ruled him out not only of Uddevalla but also of the race in Arnhem.

Farres – bearing the marks of his injuries

His appearance alone on Sunday gave a glimpse of the night Guillem had been through. His right eye was bloodshot, and he bore several wounds to his face, forehead and neck. On top of that, because he had failed to finish the qualifying race, he had to start the race from the very back of the grid. After a relatively minor crash on the first climb, he found himself trailing the field in the qualifying race. A rider crashed right in front of him after a long jump. Guillem landed right on top of the crashed rider’s bike and was thrown violently into the air. Given the severity of the crash, the Spaniard literally got off lightly.

Fastest time despite the setback

Despite his setbacks, Farres put in two solid performances on Sunday, finishing 6th and 4th. In the second race, he even set the fastest lap time of 1:50.168 on lap 4, overtaking defending champion Simon Längenfelder despite his condition. “It was actually a good Sunday for me,” said Guillem after the race. “I knew today would be a challenge after yesterday’s crash, but I’m really pleased with how the day went. We made it happen and, especially in the second race, I really enjoyed fighting my way through the field to the front. Physically, I’m not too bad and I’m sure I’ll be fit again by next weekend.”

Statement from Team Manager Vincent Bereni

“There were a lot of unknowns at the start of Sunday,” said Team Manager Vincent Bereni, “but in the end there were plenty of positives. A 6-4 result and fourth place overall is really positive. We’ve lost a bit of ground in the championship, but the reality is that on Saturday evening we didn’t even know whether Guillem would be racing on Sunday. That’s why I’d call it a positive weekend. Now we need to get through the coming week well. A huge thank you goes to everyone who worked so hard to ensure Guillem could race again today, especially the physio and the doctor who looked after him yesterday. Now we’re looking ahead.”

World Championship lead defended

World Championship leader Farres travelled to Sweden with a 47-point lead. By the end of the day, his lead had been reduced to just 24 points. His closest rival, Sacha Coenen (KTM), had already made up 6 points in the qualifying race, followed by 10 points in the first race and 7 points in the second.