TEUTSCHENTHAL (Germany) – The track this weekend that hosted the third round of the EMX250 European Championship has been a staple on the calendar of the FIM Motocross World Championship for years.
The European championship runs along side the world’s premier motocross series, MXGP, and joined the big boys for the MXGP of Germany in Teutschenthal.
In race one, Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Hunter Lawrence, the kid that has been struggling to keep it on two wheels at the previous two rounds but still has been setting the fastest lap times, finally kept it rubber side down for his first moto win and did the same again in race two for his first European Championship victory.
When the gates dropped with a thud it was Bud Racing Monster Energy Kawasaki’s American youngster Darian Sanayei who took the holeshot ahead of the race one winner Hunter Lawrence. Karlis Sabulis was also in the hunt on the opening laps but got cross rutted and scrambled off track. He rejoined but lost a position to the red plate holder Bodo Schmidt Motorsports Thomas Kjer Olsen.
Up front, the American Sanayei and the Australian, Lawrence, were hanging it all out. Both riders ooze style and confidence and put on an excellent show for the thousands of rowdy German fans. Filip Neugebauer had charged hard to get to fourth before getting caught by the wind over the finish line jump and crashing hard.
The ruts here in Teutschenthal are renowned for snagging foot pegs. They got Lawrence a couple of times but eventually he got his lines sorted and made a move on Sanayei to take over the lead, and set the fastest lap time of the race on that same lap.
Lawrence just loved life out here and managed to take his second race win of the weekend to stand top of the box for the first time this season. Sanayei charged all the way to the flag for second ahead of Kjer Olsen and the Belgian Kevin Wouts. Sabulis found his rhythm near the end and crossed the line in fifth.
Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Hunter Lawrence uncorked his first bottle of fizz with a perfect score while the championship leader Bodo Schmidt Motorsports Thomas Kjer Olsen posted a 2 – 3 for second place while the American Darian Sanayei riding for Bud Racing Monster Energy Kawasaki finished second place in the final moto, paired with his fifth in race one for third overall.
Kjer Olsen maintains the red plate, leading Lawrence by 12 points.
For those that don’t know the circuit here, it’s an old school style clay track that utilizes the hills here in the small German town. This weekend the track was ripped deeper than ever and saturated with water, which made for mega gnarly ruts that almost swallowed the riders whole.
EMX HONDA 150
Emil Weckman, the 2015 champion, started his season with a dominant win in the first moto at Teutschenthal, Germany.
The first round of the year for these 11-14 year olds has seen them compete as a support race for the MXGP World Championship – the only youth championship to do so.
The young Finn flew out of the starting gate to take the lead on the first lap and stayed there until the chequered flag, apart from a brief instant when James Scott (NZL) held the lead.
The Kiwi rider, who is new to the championship, looked to challenge Weckman in the early stages of the race but an unfortunate crash meant that the #1 rider was able to pull away. Despite riding hard in an effort to catch Weckman again, Scott was unable to provide an answer and crossed the line seventh.
The fight for second place saw five riders, who competed in the championship last year, battle it out for the majority of the race distance with the final results decided on the last lap. Fastest-lap holder Hakon Fredrikson (NOR), Henry Vesilind (EST), Andrea Adamo (ITA), Yago Martinez (ESP) and Luis Outeiro (POR) finished second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth respectively.
The top ten was rounded off with two Swedish riders, Leopold Ambjornson (eighth) and Rasmus Moen (tenth) with Pascal Jungmann ninth at his home track.
After a stunning ride, Norway’s Hakon Fredriksen took the race win in moto 2 at Teutschenthal, Germany and with it the overall GP win, giving him the red plate and the championship lead.
A great start out of the gate saw the Norwegian enter the lead on the first lap, but was unfortunate to be passed by Emil Weckman a few corners later. Weckman looked to be in control of the moto but a crash with two laps to go meant that the Finn was too far behind to battle for the moto win, settling for second place.
Yago Martinez (ESP) also had a very strong race on the CRF150R and looked to be set to join the battle for second place as he set purple sector times. The Spaniard was forced to settle for the final step on the podium though despite his great ride.
Andrea Adamo and James Scott added to their solid performances yesterday proving that they could be riders to keep an eye on this year. The pair finished the second moto fourth and fifth respectively.
An intense battle for sixth and seventh raged between Jorgen-Matthias Talviku and Rasmus Moen for the majority of the race. At the chequered flag it was Talviku who came out on top with Moen crossing the line eighth. Leopold Ambjornson was able to sneak into seventh in the closing stages of the race.
Although Hakon Fredriksen now leads the championship after Germany’s two races, he is on equal points with Emil Weckman going into the second round at Matterley Basin (UK), which will take place on 18-19 June.
