Date: 21 August 2005

Gareth Swanepoel has powered his Molson Kawasaki through a weekend of mud and rain at the 14th round of the MX2 world championship held in Gaildorf, Germany. The South African opened eyes in the Saturday last chance qualification session when he posted the fastest time for a place on the start line for Sunday's race.

The MX2 riders were faced with a tough job ahead, as overnight downpours had turned the hilly Gaildorf circuit into a quagmire. Swanepoel managed to stay out of trouble for the first few corners as the first race of the day got under weigh. His luck would not last longer than the first lap when Marc de Reuver crashed, leaving Swanepoel no room but to plough straight into the back of the Dutchman. Swanepoel lost his front break in the pile up, but still managed to get going and race to a commendable 17th spot under the extreme circumstances.

In somewhat drier, but still extremely difficult conditions, Swanepoel tried to make the most of his wide starting position but was bang in the middle of the mayhem as the thirty riders jostled for positions. 'Swanie' emerged on the first lap in seventeenth spot and was making good progress as he pushed his KX250F through the field.

A great race ensued when 'Swanie' moved into eleventh spot, making his way past fellow Kawasaki rider Chritophe Pourcel with Stephen Sword just ahead. Swanepoel looked well on his way when a lapped rider forced the Molson Kawasaki rider into a deep rut, losing two positions and his race rhythm in the process. 'Swanie' tried as best he could to win back his lost ground but had to settle for 14th place.

"I'm quite happy with my result this weekend. The track conditions were really tough, but I proved that my speed was quite good. I'm looking forward to the Isle of Wight. A lot of our team sponsors will be there and it would be great to put in a good result for them.

"We have been working on some bike settings, and have made some great progress" said Swanepoel.

The GP circus is back at the Isle of Wight next weekend for the 15th round to be held in Arreton.

RACE RESULTS