Sidecarcross of European Nations and Quadcross of European Nations
On 05th-06th October the MC Schwedt circuit in Germany hosted the Sidecarcross of European Nations and Quadcross of European Nations.
Quad MX Race 1 (Group A + B)
Going into the first race of the day, the question everybody had on their mind was whether or not anybody could stop Team USA, as they were by far the quickest riders out on circuit throughout the duration of Saturday’s qualifying events. That question was soon to be answered because as the gate dropped for the first race of the day, it was Team Netherlands’ rider #7 Joe Maessen who got the best launch. Maessen made an excellent getaway but it wasn’t long before Team USA’s #2 rider Thomas Brown got the better of Maessen and led the race coming across the line for the first time. Italy’s #19 Andrea Cesari Jr made an excellent start and held onto 3rd place going onto lap 2 ahead of an injured #41 Edgars Mengelis. #1 Chad Wienen was bogged down in the pack in the opening stages of the race, however he managed to recover strongly and came home in a solid position to aid Team USA in their efforts to become 2019 QXoN champions.
Norwegian rider #11 Christophe Tveraen didn’t get the best of starts, however throughout the 25 minute + 2 lap event, he kept plucking away and managed to place highly in the final results. Multiple European Quad champion #22 Kevin Saar was outside of the top 10 in the opening stages of this first race, however consistent lap times saw him up inside the top 6 when his Husqvarna cried enough, and all the hard work that Saar had put in was to no avail.
There were battles all down the field, and the biggest one to watch was the battle for 4th place involving #4 Mark Mclernon, #34 Davy de Cuyper, #8 Marc de Vries and France’s #58 Antoine Cheurlin. Team France were here and aimed to score highly, especially after the events that unfolded last year, and ultimately in the end lead to Team France having numbers that are not favourable to say the least.
The battles raged all around the MC Schwedt circuit, but in the end nobody had an answer to Team USA as #2 Thomas Brown took victory by just 1.714 seconds ahead of #1 Chad Wienen, with Dutchman #7 Joe Maessen rounding out the podium finishers.
Results:
#2 Thomas Brown (USA)
#1 Chad Wienen (USA)
#7 Joe Maessen (NED)
Quad MX Race 2 (Group B + C)
With Team USA asserting their dominance in the first race, they were looking to repeat the earlier antics and bring home another 1-2 finish, but they weren’t going to have it easy.
The revs rised once more as the gates slammed down and this time it was #3 Joel Hentrick for Team USA who took the whole shot, but teammate #2 Thomas Brown was to overtake almost immediately on the run up to turn 3. The 3rd place on the opening lap consisted of Estonia’s #24 Priit Járvloo, #11 Christophe Tvaraen and the Argentine, #17 Nicolas Fricia. At the end of lap 1 it was Hentrick who led Brown in a USA 1-2, with Tveraen slotting into 3rd ahead of Járvloo and Fricia. #9 Mike van Grinsven was mired down in the opening stages, as was Edgars Mengelis, however with DNF’s from some of the front riders they managed to capitalise on this and put themselves in strong positions for the rest of the race. One of the most notable DNF’s was that of Nicolas Fricia; he was forced to submit on the second lap and that hampered Argentina’s for the rest of the days racing.
Heartbreak for Ireland’s #6 Justin Reid as he was running strong deep inside the top 10, however a mechanical issue meant that he had to pull off momentarily, much to his dismay. UK’s #15 Harry Walker was running strongly but he had to deal with immense pressure as he had #5 Dean Dillon bearing down on him. Back at the front, it was still Hetrick leading Brown, with Hetrick taking Race 2 honours ahead of his #2 teammate. Strong finish as well the Dutchman #9 Mike van Grinsven and that mean that the Netherlands were in a strong position going into the third and final race. Local hero #27 Manfred Zienecker had a brilliant ride after qualifying 2nd fastest on Saturday, and he managed to round out the top 5, but unfortunately for him, didn’t have enough up his sleeve to get the better of Mengelis.
Results:
#3 Joel Hentrick (USA)
#2 Thomas Brown (USA)
#9 Mike van Grinsven (NED)
Quad MX Race 3 (Group A +C)
The scene was set for what would be a brilliant climax to round off the final quads race of SQMXoN 2019 in Schwedt, and the atmosphere certainly cemented that.
The gates dropped for the final time and immediately there was drama as #1 Chad Wienen came out of the first turn at the very back of the field, it was safe to say that this race would certainly live up to expectations. At the front of the field it was the Dutch pairing of #7 Joe Maessen and #9 Mike van Grinsven who led the way, and it would stay this way for the opening stages of the race, however drama was on the horizon.
#3 Joel Hetrick made a good start and started to take time away from the Dutch pairing, ultimately ending with Hetrick forcing his way into 2nd place despite amazing defending from van Grinsven. While Hetrick was battling at the front, Wienen was carving his way through the pack with menace and determination, overtaking the likes of UK’s #15 Harry Walker, #4 Mark Mclernon and #58 Antoine Cheurlin. Harry Walker was having a storming ride and managed to place himself inside the coveted top 5 during the mid-point of the race, despite being overcome by Chad Wienen and his quest to catch the leaders.
It was only a handful of laps before Wienen managed to put himself up into 3rd place after a smooth move on #19 Jose Guerra, which relegated the Argentine down into 4th and more importantly, into the clutches of Harry Walker who manahed to get the better of him in the closing stages. However more drama was to occur as Chad Wienen was disqualified for crosscutting, so this meant a podium finish for Harry Walker.
Results:
1. #3 Joel Hetrick (USA)
2. #9 Mike van Grinsven (NED)
3. #15 Harry Walker (ENG)
Sidecarcross Race 1 (Group A + B)
The first sidecar race got onto the grid and it was drama for Team Belgium as #32 Arne Dierckens and Robbie Bax had a mechanical issue before the gates had even dropped, this meant the #31 Marvin Vanluchene and Ben van den Bogaart swapped gate position with Dierckens which ultimately lead to them being disqualified, and this put an end to Belgium’s hopes before they had chance to fight.
The sound of 2-stroke and 4-stroke filled the air as the gates dropped for the first time and it was the holeshot for #11 Stuart Brown and Josh Chamberlain, they started off brilliantly and did excellently throughout the entirety of the race to fend off challenges from #1 Etienne Bax and Kaspars Stupelis, #37 Kurt Varik and Lauris Daiders and #10 Jake Brown and Joe Millard. #31 Marvin Vanluchene managed to get the better of Stuart Brown but with that disqualification, that meant that they were discounted in the results. This meant that Stuart Brown could afford to relax ever so slightly, but so many times in this sport have we seen unexpected issues appear due to lack of concentration so Stuart knew he had to keep Etienne behind him for a chance to put the United Kingdom on top.
Jake Brown didn’t have an easy time of it during Race 1 as they were involved in a monumental battle including #20 Christophe and Maxime Cuche and #4 Bastien Thomas and Nicolas Musset, however it was Brown who was successful in that particular battle.
It was a good solid result for the Dutch team as both Bax and #2 Gert van Werven and Kenny van Gaalen were inside the top 5 as the cheqeuered flag dropped, but they were no match for Stuart and Jake Brown as their strong performance put the UK on top after Race 1.
Results:
1. #11 Brown – Chamberlain (ENG)
2. #1 Bax – Stupelis (NED)
3. #37 Varik – Daiders (EST)
Sidecars Race 2 (Group B + C)
The second race got underway and already there was drama as a huge pile up occurred at turn one, however the front pack were safely through and it was the holeshot kings Dierckens and Bax who got the best launch from their position on the gate. Right behind them was #3 Koen Hermans and Lari Kunnas, and they were all over the rear of the Team Belgium riders in the opening section of the race. #17 Eddie Janecke and Gordon Bothur made a brilliant start in front of their home fans and were looking to impress on home soil.
At the midpoint of the race it was Stuart Brown who put himself up into 3rd place after relegating Van Werven down to 4th in what was an amazing battle, albeit for a couple of laps, but with clear track in front of Brown, he pulled the pin and tried to make up as much ground as he could. In the end he caught up to and overtook the #3 pairing and put himself up into 2nd place.
In the end however it was #3 Koen Hermas who proved to be the quickest out of the bunch as he came home victorious ahead of Dierckens, Van Werven and Brown.
Results:
1. #3 Hermans – Kunnas (NED)
2. #32 Dierckens – Bax (BEL)
3. #2 Van Werven – Van Gaalen (NED)
Sidecarcross Race 3 (Group A + C)
For the final time at the SQMXoN 2019 races the gate dropped and right from the get go in was Bax and Stupelis who made the holeshot, and nobody else had an answer to their pace. Marvin Vanluchene tried his best to stay on the rear of the Dutch team but it was not to be as they battled hard with Hermans, Varik and Cerny. This battle raged on throughout the entirety of the race, with #24 Gary Moulds and Brian Anthony also coming strong as the race went on.
The superior pace of Bax could not be matched, however Vanluchene dropped all the way to the back of the field and had a lot of work ahead of him to make up as many positions as he could. Throughout the remainder of the race he made incredible moves, slicing his way through the field with relative ease and ultimately came home in a very strong podium position.
Bastien Thomas started to slip down the order as the race came into its closing stages, but the Frenchman still managed to cling onto a good 6th place result which helped France in their final push for championship standings honours.
In the end however, nobody could match the sheer pace of Etienne Bax and Kaspars Stupelis as they came across the line 1st, and this meant that the Netherlands won the Sidecarcross of Nations 2019!
Results:
1. #1 Bax – Stupelis (NED)
2. #31 Vanluchene – van den Bogaart (BEL)
3. #3 Hermans – Kunnas (NED)
