The former World Champion fell at the start of Moto2 in difficult conditions and fought his way back to 15th but felt the damage to his scorecard. “I am not going to say that the Championship is lost but it was a big blow last Sunday, ” he said. “It is not part of our plan to have results like that. After the first moto things were looking pretty good, ” he said of his third position “but the second race destroyed what we had worked for.
“We go to Portugal now and we have had rain there in the past which is not too bad for the track because otherwise it gets very hard. I like the layout but I made a big crash last year. I need to forget that and take a strong result because I need the points. “
Meanwhile Kevin Strijbos is optimistic of further spoils on his factory RM-Z450 after seizing his first podium of the season in Spain. The Belgian is approaching full race fitness, drawing him near to the speed and form that he showed in pre-season events and prior to the minor knee surgery he underwent in March.
Agueda hosts the Portuguese round for the fourth time in successive years. The various elevation changes of the distinctive red dirt provide a scenic and interesting viewing prospect while also seeming to suit the preferences of the rider fraternity in terms of the technical challenges.
Last year Ramon crashed heavily and suffered a concussion after taking seventh place in the first moto. Strijbos fared better and gained third place overall.
After the torrential rain that marred Saturday at Bellpuig last week the paddock hopes for better weather on the west coast of the Iberian Peninsula. Sadly the outlook is not so positive with cloudy conditions and showers predicted over both days.
MX1 World Championship Standings (after 2 of 15 rounds): 1 Joshua COPPINS (NZL) 97, 2 Kevin STRIJBOS (BEL) 78, 3 Jonathan BARRAGAN (ESP) 74, 4 Maximilian NAGL (GER) 63, 5 Steve RAMON (BEL) 63.
| 
|