From the left Dr Wolfgang Srb, FIM Europe President, the podium of the EMX 300, and David Luongo, Youthstream Director – Photos courtesy @Youthstream
LOMMEL (Belgium) – Using the European Championship to dip your toes into racing the FIM Motocross World Championship just got voided.
Not really, it still is the best way to test MXGP’s waters, but the word ‘dip’ isn’t at all accurate with the ninth round of the premier Amateur series, the EMX250, and the sixth and seventh rounds of European Championships EMX300 and EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing, taking place in Lommel, the gnarliest track in the world. It is more like diving in the deep end.
At the conclusion of what was an epic weekend, champions have been crowned in all three classes. Sahkar KTM’s Jago Geerts won the EMX125 Championship Presented by FMF Racing after winning both races this weekend, while Bodo Schmidt Motorsports Thomas Kjer Olsen wrapped up the EMX250 title in Race 1 with five races left to go in the series, although the EMX250 round of Belgium was won by Team Suzuki World MX2’s Bas Vaessen who, like Jago, won both races.
As for the European Championship EMX 300 Presented by FMF Racing, it went down to the wire with Mike Kras taking the title by 7-points over the round winner, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Yentel Martens.
EMX 300
Lommel favors the sand specialist and no class made it more obvious than the EMX300 Presented by FMF Racing with nine riders out of the top ten being Belgian and Dutch. Yesterday, in Race 1, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Racing’s Yentel Martens obliterated everyone for his third race win of the season. Wild card entry, Michael Hool was second ahead of the championship leader, Mike Kras, who was third.
It was an early start to the day for the beasty sounding 300cc two-strokes with the gates dropping for their second race of the weekend at 08:30am this morning. When they did, it was Kras who made his intentions clear with a holeshot ahead of Kevin Van Geldorp, Dietger Damiaens and Kay Ebben. The Race 1 winnner, and local star, Yentel Martens was also right there and didn’t waste any time in moving to the front of the pack.
Martens knows the sand of Lommel like the back of his hand, and in all honesty, the way he was riding this weekend he could have won it with one arm tied behind his back. The tall and lanky Belgian totally dominated both races for his first double moto victory of the season.
This weekend was never going to be about winning the battle for the Red Plate holder, Mike Kras; it was all about winning the war, which is what he did. The Dutchman was crowned champion, with two consistent performances for second overall.
Holland’s Michael Hool gave everyone but Martens and Kras a riding lesson today. He tied with fellow Dutchman, Kras, on 42 points but had to settle for third overall since Kras had the better result in the final race. Dietger Damiaens wrapped up his season with his first ever top five finish despite his bike blowing more smoke than a steam train as a result of an issue with the radiator. The Belgian finished fourth in Race 2 ahead of fellow Belgian Mike Vanderstraeten.
It was a less than ideal finish to the championship for GL12 Yamaha’s Brad Anderson who was a massive title contender only two rounds to go. The stocky Brit ended up facedown in the sand a couple of times this weekend, which was reflected in his result. He finished sixth in the race and in the overall for the round of Belgium.
EMX 250
When the gates dropped it was the Monster Energy Bud Racing Kawasaki’s Darian Sanayei took the holeshot ahead of Wilvo Standing Construct Yamaha’s Karlis Sabulis, Bodo Schmidt Motorsports Thomas Kjer Olsen & Team Suzuki World MX2’s Bas Vaessen.
Coming from America he would have had to put in some hard yards to learn to ride sand this deep, as everyone who watched the 2012 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations which took place right here, would know. Within a couple of laps, Sabulis, Kjer Olsen & Vaessen broke away. It was a bit of a brawl in the first two laps until Vaessen got to the front and cut loose.
As we learned at Mantova, Vaessen, who is training under the watchful eye of Stefan Everts, knows a thing or two about riding sand. He won in the shallow sand of Lombardia, and looked to be in his element today as he cruised his way to a massive victory.
Kjer Olsen’s Husqvarna looked like a 65cc in the deep sand as the tall Dane used his long legs to muscle his bike over the deep holes on his way to second place.
Sanayei got back to third after Sabulis ran out of steam. Speaking of steam Miro Sihvonen put in an epic ride and challenged Sanayei for third before his bike started puffing. Sihvonen nursed his bike to fourth ahead of Belgium’s own Kevin Wouts.
In the second moto, the Kiwi kid who finished second place in the EMX 125 championship last year, KTM Factory Junior’s Josiah Natzke, got off to a ripper of a start ahead of the usual front runners, Kjer Olsen and Sanayei. Kjer Olsen launched into the lead before the end of lap two and ran away with it.
In the sand, mistakes are costly because of the amount of momentum that is lost. Natzke learned that pretty quickly when a little swapper slowed him down enough for Sanayei, Vaessen and Sihvonen to pass him on the same straight. Speaking of Vaessen, he was outside of the top ten around turn one, but the Dutch youngster has got some serious skills in the sand, and he didn’t waste any time in showing them off on his way to second place.
Vaessen’s win it or bin it riding style saw him bite the dust at the half way mark when he folded the front end on a sweeping turn. The Suzuki star lost a spot but bounced back immediately and within two laps he passed Sihvonen to take back second place.
Sihvonen was no match for Vaessen, so he didn’t have much to worry about with Wouts and Sanayei making up the top five, a further 13 seconds back. Fast forward the race, and with 2 minutes plus two laps to go, Vaessen was right on the new champ. A small mistake by Kjer Olsen and Vaessen pounced.
The Dutchman carried that flow all the way home for his first double moto victory of his career. Kjer Olsen came home in second ahead of Sihvonen, Sanayei and Wouts in that order.
Team Suzuki World MX2’s Bas Vaessen was the clear-cut winner this weekend. Bodo Schmidt Motorsports Thomas Kjer Olsen is yet to finish off of the podium and maintained his streak with second, ahead of KTM Diga Junior Racing’s Miro Sihvonen who landed on the box for the first time this year, in third.
EMX 125
Sahkar KTM’s Jago Geerts got off to a blistering hot start to the weekend yesterday afternoon with a massive win in the opening race ahead of IceOne Husqvarna Racing’s Mikkel Haarup and HSF Logistics Motorsports Raivo Dankers.
In Race 2 this morning, KTM De Carli Racing’s Gianluca Facchetti took the holeshot ahead of two of Holland’s hottest young riders Raivo Dankers and DP19 Yamaha’s Roan Van de Moosedijk. Yamaha MJC’s Zachary Pichon was also in the mix and was the first to make a charge when found a nice line and took fourth away from Van de Moosedijk.
The Frenchman hooked a few gears and upped his pace, maybe a little too much as he went hot up the inside of Dankers, who was all over Fachetti and ended up nailing the little Italian. Fachetti stayed up but at the cost of two places, while Pichon hit the deck hard. Dankers and Van de Moosdijk took over second and third while Fachetti struggled to regroup and eventually dropped back to tenth.
The Dutch sensations went bar to bar for second place in the laps that followed while the likes of IceOne Husqvarna’s Mikkel Haarup and Monster Energy Bud Racing’s duo of Brian Moreau and Kim Savaste were on the move from outside the top ten.
Moreau and Savaste soon found themselves scrapping over fourth while Haarup had come from miles back to challenge Dankers for third before throwing it all away with a highside.
With only 2 minutes to go, Van de Moosedijk hit the wall. Dankers, Moreau, Savaste and Haarup all capitalized on it, and with two laps to go the real race was on. It was a nail biting end to the day as Moreau and Savaste ganged up on Dankers who ended up being knocked back to fourth.
On the final lap, Savaste dropped the hammer and passed his teammate for second. Moreau tried to respond, but didn’t come up with the goods. Haarup finished a close fourth while Dankers put in another superb result with fifth.
After a grueling day in the sand Sahkar KTM’s Jago Geerts was in a league of his own and won both races by massive margins for the win here at his home round. Monster Energy Bud Racing Kawasaki’s Kim Savaste and IceOne Husqvarna’s Mikkel Haarup both made the box for the first time in their 125cc racing careers.
Full results on FIM Europe website: http://www.fim-europe.eu/events/245
