Top 5 result for Kay Karssemakers in Turkey

In addition to Jeffrey Herlings' world title, Stride athlete Kay Karssemakers also achieved a strong result in Turkey. Shortly after it was announced that he had extended his contract with DRT Kawasaki until 2027, Kay achieved his best ever Grand Prix result in Afyonkarahisar.

After a difficult qualifying session on Saturday, he made a strong comeback on Sunday. In the first MX2 moto, Kay came out of the first corner in eighth place and quickly moved up to fifth. A fall and a detached side panel set him back, but despite these setbacks, he fought his way back to eighth position.

In the second moto, Kay once again had a good start. After the first lap, he was already in sixth place, and one lap later he managed to move up to fifth. Despite suffering from arm pump due to the heat and altitude, he held his position and crossed the finish line in fifth place.

With an eighth and a fifth place, Kay finished fifth in the overall standings for the day. Both his fifth place in the second moto and his fifth position overall were his best ever results in the MX2 World Championship.

The strong weekend earned him 29 World Championship points and eleventh place in the championship. With two races remaining, a place in the top ten of the final standings remains within reach.

"Finally two good motos in one day," Kay said afterwards. "After a few setbacks, it's not easy to stay focused, but I don't give up. I know I have the speed to compete at the front. Two solid motos today and now I'm looking forward to China."

A great result and a nice reward for the hard work of Kay and his team. We are proud that Kay represents Stride and wish him good luck during the last two races of the season. Congratulations, Kay!