The start of EMX 250 @Youthstream
The second rounds of the European Championship EMX300 presented by FMF Racing and EMX250 were joined by the opening round of the EMX125 presented by FMF Racing this weekend in Kegums, Latvia, where Bodo Schmidt Motorsports Thomas Kjer Olsen took his first overall victory of the season in the 250 class, while Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Yentel Martens took his second consecutive overall win in the EMX300 presented by FMF Racing and Sahkar Racing KTM’s Jago Geerts dominated the opening round of the EMX125 presented by FMF Racing.
EMX 250
The circuit of Kegums has a deceiving nature. It looks soft and loamy but underneath its hard and choppy with massive braking bumps and sharp acceleration bumps. In race one KTM Factory Juniors Jorge Prado got off to a fantastic start and led last years FIM Junior 125cc World Champion, riding for Kemea Yamaha, Maxime Renaux around turn one.
Two of the young guns that hung out at the pointy end of the field at round one, Even Heibye and Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Hunter Lawerence, were also inside the top five before Lawrence spun out, crashed and re-joined outside of the top twenty. Bodo Schmidt Motorsports Thomas Kjer Olsen got off to an average start but was on another level and passed everyone like they were standing still on his way to the front of the pack. Team Suzuki World MX2’s Bas Vaessen has always been fast and managed to keep it on two wheels for second place ahead of Heibye and astonishingly Hunter Lawrence, who set the fastest lap amongst traffic on his way from outside the top twenty to fourth. Renaux rounded out the top five.
Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Hunter Lawrence can’t buy luck this year. The young Australian who is undoubtedly a title contender has crashed in three of the four races this year, and in Race 2 had to start from dead last after getting caught in a pile-up at turn one.
In Race 2, Kemea Yamaha Racing’s Maxime Renaux emerged as the leader in front of Belgian Kevin Wouts and the kid sitting second in the championship standings, Even Heibye. Race one winner Bodo Schmidt’s Thomas Kjer Olsen (in the photo) also got off to a good start ahead of Bud Racing Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Darian Sanyei.
Wouts wasted no time in passing Renaux for the lead followed by Heibye. Heibye is running a hot pace this year was all over Wouts for the top spot but a race win wasn’t on the cards for the Norwegian this weekend after he crashed spectacularly on lap three. Meanwhile, Kjer Olsen was hanging right off the back of his Husqvarna in effort to keep the front end light through the soft stuff and over some of the massive holes. The Dane, Kjer Olsen, chomped down the gap Wouts and with two laps to go he hammered the throttle and got the job done for another race win and a perfect score here in Latvia.
Sanyei was also hauling and charged his way to third while Renaux was hounded by Team Suzuki World MX2’s Bas Vaessen who did take fourth briefly but was passed back on the last lap and finished fifth. The defending EMX250 champion, J-Tech Honda’s Nick Kouwenberg was sixth ahead of Hunter Lawrence who put in yet another jaw-dropping performance from dead last to seventh.
It was an incredible weekend for Bodo Scmidt Motorsports Thomas Kjer Olsen who went 1 – 1 for his first double victory of his career, and the overall as well as the championship red plate! Team Suzuki World MX2’s Bas Vaessen and Bud Racing Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Darian Sanyei rounded off the podium in that order.
EMX 300
When the gates dropped for the first race yesterday it was Matt Moffat who took the holeshot ahead of GL12 Yamaha’s Lewis Gregory, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Yentel Martens and Mike Kras.
Kras was in his element, he got to the front of the field relatively quickly and set sail to take an easy win over the red plate holder Martens. Meanwhile it was drama for Gregory whose bike died on the second lap while challenging for the lead, but his GL12 Yamaha teammate Brad Anderson happily took the torch and finished the race in third. Moffat battled a bit of arm-pump but held on for fourth while Thomas Marini rounded out the top five.
The first corner in Kegums is a nasty right-handed 180-degree turn. It always causes carnage and did so in Race 2 collecting yesterdays fourth place finisher Matt Moffat and a couple of others. In the meantime, GL12 Yamaha Racing’s Brad Anderson, who actually rides a 450 four-stroke most of the time, led yesterdays top two Mike Kras and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Yentel Martens.
In one of the best races the EMX300 has ever had, Anderson, Kras and Martens were bashing bars left, right and center. Kras was the first to make a move and took the lead when Anderson sunk into an inside rut and Kras railed around the outside. A few turns later, Anderson pinned it up the inside and put a textbook pass on the Dutchman to reclaim it. In the meantime, Martens had a decision to make, put a bag of popcorn in the microwave and sit back and watch the show or change the channel. The Belgian, who has the red plate opted to change the channel and in the space of two turns blitzed past both riders to take the lead.
Martens set the fastest lap time on the lap that followed and distanced himself from the field while Ando buried himself in a berm and crashed. Kras had to pull something out of the bag if he was to catch Martens, which was too much to ask in the end.
Anderson managed to hold onto third but had his work cut out for him as Francisco Utrilla Antonio pushed him till the end. Mike Vanderstraeten rounded out the top five.
He was sick all weekend and fought to second in the first race but felt better and took the win in Race2 for the overall as well; Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Yentel Martens topped the box and retains the red plate as the series heads for Talavera, Spain on the weekend of May 29. Yesterday’s race one winner Mike Kras went 1 – 2 for second overall while Brad Anderson bagged a pair of thirds for third.
EMX125
Yamaha MJC’s Zachary Pichon, son of the former multi-time world champion Mickael Pichon, got off to a blistering start yesyerday ahead of Bud Racing Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Kim Savaste and Szymon Staszkiewicz. Pichon looked red hot up front but soon came under pressure from Sahkar Racing KTM’s Jago Geerts (in the photo) who came from around fifth to push Pichon into a mistake.
Geerts took the lead and ran away for a comfortable win celebrated with a sweet whip over the finish. Pichon recovered to beat Savaste by three seconds while DP19 Racing Yamaha’s Roan Van De Moosdijk battled from an average start for fourth ahead of Szymon Staszkiewicz.
In Race 2 the world’s fastest youngsters went one, two and three around turn one with Sahkar KTM’s Jago Geerts leading Bud Racing Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Kim Savaste and MJC Yamaha’s Zachary Pichon. Pichon passed Savaste before the end of lap one and went after Geerts but didn’t have anything for him.
Geerts has an incredible style on the bike and with a lap time that was more than 1.5 seconds faster than anyone, inched away. Pichon pulled a gap on Savaste, who was third, while the young Fin, Savaste, had to deal with the attack of KTM Silver Action’s Stephen Rubini. Rubini eventually made a pass stick and took over third, leaving Savaste to deal with DP19 Racing Yamaha’s Roan Van de Moosdijk who had miraculously appeared after starting outside of the top ten. Van de Moosdijk worked on Savaste for a couple of laps before he found a section where he could rail around the outside.
Meanwhile, Rubini had a hooked a couple of gears and caught and passed Pichon who started to fade. Savaste crashed with only a handful of laps to go, while Van de Moosedijk dropped Pichon back to fourth when he took over third. Pierre Goupillon rounded out the top five.
It was an outstanding start to the season for Sahkar Racing KTM’s Jago Geerts who dominated both races for the overall win and the red plate. MJC Yamaha’s Zachary Pichon put in two solid rides for second while DP19 Racing Yamaha’s Roan Van de Moosdijk battled from two less than average starts to impressively stand on the third step of the podium.
Full results on FIM Europe website: http://www.fim-europe.eu/events/179
