Team Suzuki World MXGP’s Kevin Strijbos gave his legion of supporters at Lommel for the Grand Prix of Belgium and his home round of the 2016 FIM Motocross World Championship cause for optimism with a determined charge to third position in Qualification for the 14th round of 18 in MXGP, while in the MX2 class, Jeremy Seewer scored a career-first pole position.

The Lommel sand had become bumpy and treacherous by the time of the afternoon qualifying races and under some largely grey but warm Belgian skies. Strijbos took it easy in the Free and Timed Practice sessions and actually notched lap-times slightly slower than young team-mate Arminas Jasikonis; the tall Lithuanian placing fifth and eighth on the RM-Z450.

Strijbos fired into life during the 20-minute and two-lap sprint. The veteran’s start wasn't enough to place him among the leaders through the first turn but he quickly found a rhythm and speed around the terrain to push all the way from seventh to third position. Jasiknois was an encouraging eighth in just his second Qualification Heat outing in MXGP.