Simpson and Anstie dominate the dunes of Lommel
The track in Lommel for the fourteenth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship was extremely gnarly. Quite possibly the gnarliest it has ever been in the last twenty-five years since it first hosted a round of the FIM Motocross World Championship back in 1990. While every rider struggled at one point or another, Hitachi Construction Machinery Revo KTM’s Shaun Simpson and Monster Energy DRT Kawasaki’s Max Anstie made it look a lot easier than it was with their double moto victories for the MXGP and MX2 overalls here at the MXGP of Belgium.
MXGP
Everybody loves an underdog, which is why there was not one soul who watched MXGP this weekend who wasn’t happy for Hitachi Construction Machinery Revo KTM’s Shaun Simpson, who didn’t only dominate the most demanding race ever, but he did so as a privateer. “I maybe wasn’t the fastest guy, but I planned it and I knew I could do it. What wasn’t on the script was my crash, I just landed in some soft sand and high-sided, I don’t think I’ve ever got up and on the bike so quickly,” he said, “this is probably the roughest I’ve seen Lommel, but I would call this real motocross, plenty of bumps, a lot of places to pass and a great contrast to what we are used to. It was totally enjoyable,” he concluded.
Taking points on fellow Frenchman Romain Febvre was essential for Team HRC’s Gautier Paulin this weekend in order to remain in the MXGP title hunt, and although it wasn’t as easy as most would have predicted, since GP21 is one of the most proven sand riders in the class, he managed to do so with two second place finishes for second overall and a four point gain on the number 461.
Romain Febvre – 3rd Overall – “I’m happy with the day overall. In the first moto I felt really good and I was very close to Shaun at one moment but I crashed and I lost the ‘feeling’. It came back after a couple of laps but then I crashed again in the waves section. I think I used a lot of energy to get back on the bike and charge again. I wanted to catch Gautier but I pushed myself for nothing because I couldn’t pass him. I got another holeshot in the second moto but I could feel my legs [getting tired] and it was very difficult. To be third twice is a positive weekend for the team and myself.”
Paulin said after race two, “the track was like nothing I have ever seen before, it was so rough,” which was a statement Yamaha Factory Racing Yamalube’s championship leading rookie Romain Febvre could identify with since he binned it in both races. Despite his wee setbacks, the red plate holder bounced back for third on both occasions, third overall and his ninth consecutive bottle of bubbles.
Gautier Paulin – 2nd Overall – “I gave 100 per cent today, not one little bit less. With the situation with the knee, this feels as good as the win in Valkenswaard and I’m really happy. We’re always training here, but the track was pretty tough. I hurt my right knee in the first moto in Loket, so yesterday the qualifying was tough. I woke this morning more tired than if I made two GPs. I like to push my body to the limit, and this morning I said: ‘ok, now you have to get the job done so just push’. I want to thank HRC Honda because they have been working hard to make a big step with the engine which helped me a lot also today. I was really enjoying the track and feeling good on it with my riding. I needed to push 100 per cent today right to the end, and I did it but I had to dig deep in my mind to overcome the pain. I’m really happy with this second, and now we’ll go and rest a bit and be back at full fitness for the next race.”
Like most riders, Team HRC’s Evgeny Bobryshev had a tough day fighting the track but still finished both races inside the top five for fourth overall while the Belgians Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MXGP’s Kevin Strijbos and Yamaha Factory Racing Yamalube’s Jeremy Van Horebeek tied on points for fifth.
Evgeny Bobryshev – 4th Overall – “I’m really pleased with the weekend. It was so tough here that actually I’m glad we’ve finished it. It’s like I’ve never seen Lommel before – so rough and bumpy. It was a good consistent weekend with just one or two little mistakes, so we have to be happy. It’s also a great feeling to see my name third in the World Championship. I know there are still four races left and anything can happen, but it’s great to be there at the top, and that’s where we want to stay this season.”
Kevin Strijbos – 5th Overall – “In the first race I had to come back from last until seventh and it is not that bad but I was riding bad and just rolling the corners instead of ‘taking’ them. The same for the bumps and the same happened in the second race. I was scared to run out of steam and when I had to pass guys; then I got so tired and I had to slow down again. We did everything we could. We rode here and tested here many times. It is not the bike…it just didn’t happen on the day and it seems to be the same every year. I don’t understand why I cannot make that step in the race.”
Jeremy van Horebeek – 5th overall – “It was so tough. I gave it my all but it was already tough for me in the first moto. In the last few laps I had a lot of pain in my back, which is still from a crash I had at Kester [Belgian Championship]. After five minutes in the second moto I could not stand up anymore. I was empty. I don’t have much to say. It has been a difficult year and we will keep working.”
Glenn Coldenhoff – 8th Overall – “I’m a bit disappointed. My start was not good in the second moto and when I crashed I could not get my rhythm back. I was completely ‘done.’ I couldn’t do the laps like I was before. The first moto was not so bad, I think, and my riding was OK. Today was not really what we were looking for. I think this perhaps is the roughest we have seen Lommel. The speed is still high but when it gets so bumpy you have to hold the bike so well. For me this one was especially tough and I’m happy it’s done.”
Husqvarna Motorcycles’ best performing MXGP rider at Lommel was Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Todd Waters. Putting his hard fall at last weekend’s GP of Czech Republic behind him, Waters went for it in the opening moto and was rewarded with a strong eighth for his efforts.
With the sandy Lommel track massively physically demanding, Todd knew the second moto would be a case of survival of the fittest. Doing all he could to find the best lines, Todd ended lap one in sixth – the exact position he would end the moto. Once again battling hard Todd rounded out the 14th GP of the 2015 season in seventh overall.
Todd Waters: “I guess conditions don’t get much rougher and tougher than they did today – it was brutal. I was happy with the way my qualifying race went, so I went for it at the start of the first moto. I was battling hard and put up a big fight, right to the end of the moto. I got onto the back of Van Horebeek and gave everything. It was obvious the second moto would be tough, so I tried to be smart. I dropped it once, but was pleased with my fitness. I pushed hard to fifth, then dropped one spot to Strijbos.”
Competing alongside Waters in MXGP Dean Ferris and Nathan Watson experienced mixed results at Lommel. Ferris overcame a 15th place result in moto one to secure a strong eighth in the second moto. For Nathan an 11th place result in the first race was disappointingly followed by a disqualification in moto two following an off-track excursion at the start of the race.
Nathan Watson: “It was a tough, tough GP for me. I felt good early on when the track wasn’t as rough as it was on Sunday. I gave everything I could during the first 20 minutes of the opening moto, and then I was really feeling it. I just did what I could to get to the finish. In the end 11th wasn’t too bad. I knew I’d have to fight from the start in the second moto. I really struggled to finish – it was unbelievably hard. In the end I got disqualified for running off track early in the race, which was so disappointing for a lot of reasons.”
MXGP Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 34:36.275; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Honda), +0:04.580; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:30.238; 4. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:46.372; 5. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:53.607; 6. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Suzuki), +0:59.721; 7. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +1:15.111; 8. Todd Waters (AUS, Husqvarna), +1:26.047; 9. Gert Krestinov (EST, Honda), +1:36.244; 10. Filip Bengtsson (SWE, Honda), +1:39.797.
MXGP Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 35:02.032; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Honda), +0:06.005; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:24.685; 4. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:54.696; 5. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +1:22.952; 6. Todd Waters (AUS, Husqvarna), +1:27.898; 7. Tyla Rattray (RSA, Kawasaki), +1:53.573; 8. Dean Ferris (AUS, Husqvarna), +1:58.778; 9. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +2:01.731; 10. Gert Krestinov (EST, Honda), +2:03.900.
MXGP Overall Top Ten: 1. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 50 points; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HON), 44 p.; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 40 p.; 4. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 34 p.; 5. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 30 p.; 6. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 30 p.; 7. Todd Waters (AUS, HUS), 28 p.; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, SUZ), 24 p.; 9. Tyla Rattray (RSA, KAW), 23 p.; 10. Gert Krestinov (EST, HON), 23 p.
MXGP Championship Top Ten: 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 547 points; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HON), 463 p.; 3. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 423 p.; 4. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 416 p.; 5. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 360 p.; 6. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 356 p.; 7. Clement Desalle (BEL, SUZ), 331 p.; 8. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 324 p.; 9. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, SUZ), 290 p.; 10. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 287 p.
MXGP Manufacturer: 1. Yamaha, 555 points; 2. KTM, 547 p.; 3. Suzuki, 545 p.; 4. Honda, 529 p.; 5. Husqvarna, 517 p.; 6. Kawasaki, 334 p.; 7. TM, 93 p.
MX2
As predicted, it was a barnburner of a weekend for Monster Energy DRT Kawasaki’s Max Anstie who was absolutely unstoppable on his way to his second perfect grand prix of the season.
Max Anstie: “It’s awesome to win again here in Lommel; it was a great day for British motocross with this win and Shaun’s win in the MXGP! The fans were great today. The track was demanding physically but I think that the way they prepared the track made it even more difficult. Last week I wasn’t very happy with my crash, so I just made sure that it wouldn’t happen again and, even if I never rode here since the GP last year, I showed this weekend what I can do in the sand. We’ll continue to give our best, and we’ll see at the end of the series where we’ll be in the standings!”
The red plate will remain inside the family at Red Bull KTM Factory Racing since their young Latvian ace Pauls Jonass rode beyond his years today for two unchallenged second place finishes, second overall and the championship lead. “I never expected to be holding the red plate in my hands this soon,” Jonass said, “I thought maybe in three years, but not now, so it is amazing.”
Another rider to hit a career milestone was Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Petar Petrov who finally managed to raise the Bulgarian flag at an FIM Motocross World Championship grand prix with his solid and consistent performances for third overall.
Petar Petrov: “It was a great feeling to be on the podium, my first ever and the first one of a Bulgarian rider for almost thirty years! It’s a great feeling and I hope that it’s just the first one of many. The track was really tough and rough, but that makes the difference between the riders and I really like these conditions even if I’m very tired now. I think that they did a good job on the track, there were many different lines, it was possible to pass and we could make some good races.”
Meanwhile Standing Construct Yamaha Yamalube’s Julien Lieber made a quick recovery after high-siding through the waves to finish race two in third, which saw him wrap up fourth overall here at his home grand prix while Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s wildcard Harri Kullas put in another commendable performance for fifth.
Harri Kullas: “It’s been a great weekend for me and the team. Getting so close to third overall yet finishing fifth, it’s a little disappointing. Saturday went well but we had a small technical issue during my qualifying race, so I had last pick of the gate for Sunday’s races. When you consider that it makes my results even better – I’m pleased with them. I got an ok start in the first moto and moved forward from about 11th pretty quickly. I just kept pushing and got fourth on the final lap and wasn’t too far from third. I didn’t get away well in the second moto. I got to about seventh after four or five laps and knew I just needed to keep pushing. I gave that race everything. It was a tough but positive GP for me.”
In terms of the red plate contenders, Honda Gariboldi’s Tim Gajser finished sixth in total while Standing Construct Yamaha Yamalube’s Valentin Guillod lost a bunch of points with his DNF in race two after landing on Kemea Yamaha Yamalube’s Belgian Brent Van Doninck who had crashed on the blindside of a jump.
Suzuki’s Jeremy Seewetr took seventh overall at Lommel – Jeremy Seewer – “I knew it would be tough even though I’ve done plenty of sand practice but the problem with practice is that it’s never like that! We find Lommel like this once a year. It was unbelievable; and you can never find anything like that on a practice track. I started really well in the first race – and also in the second – but the guys went pretty fast on the first laps and I thought ‘I’m not ‘gonna do that, I’m going to keep my rhythm and save some energy.’ I came back to the group a little bit but not enough. I almost had the holeshot in the second moto and was better in the first laps. I was safe in fifth place but then I started to get a bit tired and I made a mistake and then lost the rhythm and energy. I pulled the bike back up but then crashed again a bit later; luckily it was not a big one. I’m happy with my riding in the second race because in these conditions I think it is the best I have ever done.’
MX2 Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Max Anstie (GBR, Kawasaki), 34:55.901; 2. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:24.619; 3. Petar Petrov (BUL, Kawasaki), +0:35.480; 4. Harri Kullas (FIN, Husqvarna), +0:38.503; 5. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:41.961; 6. Julien Lieber (BEL, Yamaha), +0:51.635; 7. Jordi Tixier (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:57.168; 8. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +1:08.248; 9. Brent Van doninck (BEL, Yamaha), +1:20.572; 10. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +1:30.448.
MX2 Race 2 Top Ten: Max Anstie (GBR, Kawasaki), 35:42.426; 2. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:25.396; 3. Julien Lieber (BEL, Yamaha), +0:51.575; 4. Petar Petrov (BUL, Kawasaki), +1:01.671; 5. Harri Kullas (FIN, Husqvarna), +1:04.599; 6. Davy Pootjes (NED, KTM), +1:10.159; 7. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +1:16.493; 8. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +1:29.739; 9. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +1:40.929; 10. Thomas Covington (USA, Kawasaki), +1:49.133
MX2 Overall Top Ten: 1. Max Anstie (GBR, KAW), 50 points; 2. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 44 p.; 3. Petar Petrov (BUL, KAW), 38 p.; 4. Julien Lieber (BEL, YAM), 35 p.; 5. Harri Kullas (FIN, HUS), 34 p.; 6. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 30 p.; 7. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 26 p.; 8. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 23 p.; 9. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KAW), 23 p.; 10. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), 18 p.
MX2 Championship Top Ten: 1. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 433 points; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 429 p.; 3. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 423 p.; 4. Valentin Guillod (SUI, YAM), 408 p.; 5. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 395 p.; 6. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KAW), 393 p.; 7. Max Anstie (GBR, KAW), 387 p.; 8. Julien Lieber (BEL, YAM), 340 p.; 9. Petar Petrov (BUL, KAW), 262 p.; 10. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 259 p.
MX2 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 613 points; 2. Kawasaki, 583 p.; 3. Yamaha, 495 p.; 4. Honda, 470 p.; 5. Suzuki, 395 p.; 6. Husqvarna, 348 p.; 7. TM, 67 p.;
EMX250 – EMX125 – EMX300
Van Berkel, Genot and Anderson King of the Castles in Lommel
When the going gets tough, the tough gets going! And that was the theme of the weekend for the European Championships EMX250, EMX125 and EMX300.
Proving to be the strongest sand rider in the EMX250 class this year HF Kawasaki’s Lars Van Berkel went 2 – 1 to stand top of the box here at the eighth round of the championship. Meanwhile Cyril Genot took claim of the seventh EMX125 round while GL12 Yamaha Racing’s Brad Anderson took his fourth consecutive race win and the overall once again in the EMX300.
Conditions for race one were already fierce and challenging which ended up working in favor of Bodo Schmidt Motorsport’s Thomas Kjer Olsen in the opening moto as he blitzed past the early season red plate holder Wilvo Forkrent KTM’s Adam Sterry and sand specialist HF Racing’s Lars Van Berkel for his first race win of the season.
Meanwhile Van Berkel was right in his element today and managed to finish a comfortable second ahead of the holeshot claimer Sterry. Mafi Yamaha MX Team’s Alvin Ostlund put in a smooth and solid performance for fourth while the red plate didn’t quite deliver the performance we expected of him but managed to come home in fifth.
After being hammered by the opening MXGP and MX2 races, the track for the second moto was super rough, which made for all sorts of chaos. Luck is not something Adam Sterry has a lot of, and once again he didn’t line up with any, which was evident when he got tangled with another rider and threw away his chance of a podium. The next in line was the red plate challenger Kemea Yamaha Yamalube’s Damon Graulus, who was cutting a good pace before he cartwheeled spectacularly through the waves, which was followed by a mistake by Bud Racing Kawasaki Monster Energy’s Maxime Desprey on the same lap.
The head turner in the final race was Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe’s Bas Vaessen who stormed past a bunch of riders to take over the lead but with three laps to go threw it all away on the sweeper before pitlane with a huge crash.
Race one runner-up Lars Van Berkel capitalized on the error of his fellow countryman, Vaessen, and took over the lead, which wasn’t kept easily as Ostlund made him fight all the way to the finish. Van Berkel took the checkers by less than 1 second over Ostlund while the race one winner Thomas Kjer Olsen rode smooth for third. Desprey managed to recover for fourth, which was an outstanding performance from the hard pack specialist, while another Dutch rider in the form of Freddy van der Vlist rounded out the top five.
After a tough day in the office, Lars van Berkel hit a couple of milestones with his first race win and his first ever EMX250 round victory while Denkmark’s Thomas Kjer Olsen went one better than his best for second overall. Alvin Ostlund rounded out the top three.
EMX250 Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, KTM), 29:48.767; 2. Lars van Berkel (NED, Kawasaki), +0:03.682; 3. Adam Sterry (GBR, KTM), +0:12.503; 4. Alvin Östlund (SWE, Yamaha), +0:16.077; 5. Nick Kouwenberg (NED, Honda), +0:45.669; 6. Bas Vaessen (NED, Suzuki), +0:46.788; 7. Michele Cervellin (ITA, Honda), +0:49.617; 8. Kevin Wouts (BEL, KTM), +0:59.604; 9. Ander Valentin (ESP, Yamaha), +1:03.129; 10. Michael Hool (NED, KTM), +1:16.021
EMX250 Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Lars van Berkel (NED, Kawasaki), 30:57.797; 2. Alvin Östlund (SWE, Yamaha), +0:00.079; 3. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, KTM), +0:07.357; 4. Maxime Desprey (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:07.876; 5. Frederik van der Vlist (NED, Kawasaki), +0:22.399; 6. Kevin Wouts (BEL, KTM), +0:33.633; 7. Michele Cervellin (ITA, Honda), +0:38.572; 8. Nick Kouwenberg (NED, Honda), +0:43.104; 9. Brian Hsu (GER, Suzuki), +0:45.840; 10. Nicholas Adams (RSA, Kawasaki), +0:46.219;
EMX250 Overall Top Ten: 1. Lars van Berkel (NED, KAW), 47 points; 2. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, KTM), 45 p.; 3. Alvin Östlund (SWE, YAM), 40 p.; 4. Nick Kouwenberg (NED, HON), 29 p.; 5. Adam Sterry (GBR, KTM), 29 p.; 6. Kevin Wouts (BEL, KTM), 28 p.; 7. Michele Cervellin (ITA, HON), 28 p.; 8. Frederik van der Vlist (NED, KAW), 26 p.; 9. Brian Hsu (GER, SUZ), 21 p.; 10. Nicholas Adams (RSA, KAW), 19 p.
EMX250 Championship Top Ten: 1. Nick Kouwenberg (NED, HON), 284 points; 2. Adam Sterry (GBR, KTM), 251 p.; 3. Damon Graulus (BEL, YAM), 243 p.; 4. Maxime Desprey (FRA, KAW), 235 p.; 5. Brian Hsu (GER, SUZ), 190 p.; 6. Alvin Östlund (SWE, YAM), 186 p.; 7. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, KTM), 177 p.; 8. Ander Valentin (ESP, YAM), 166 p.; 9. Steven Clarke (GBR, HUS), 118 p.; 10. Simone Zecchina (ITA, KAW), 114 p.;
EMX250 Manufacturers: 1. Kawasaki, 337 points; 2. KTM, 327 p.; 3. Yamaha, 321 p.; 4. Honda, 285 p.; 5. Suzuki, 207 p.; 6. Husqvarna, 182 p.
Lommel gets so rough, the holes are bigger than most of the kids that race in the European EMX125 Championship. Nevertheless, these kids are awesome and the racing they provided the fans today was epic.
After dominating race one yesterday, KTM Factory Junior’s Jorge Prado was put to the test in race two when he collided with KTM Kosak Racing’s Glen Meier and had to start from dead last. Despite the difficulty with the track being as brutal as it was and the heat, the young Spaniard put in a remarkable ride to finish sixth, which was enough to stand on the third step of the podium.
While Prado’s efforts were incredible, the stars of Lommel were Belgium’s own Cyril Genot and Jago Geerts. Both kids are no strangers to the bottomless sand and it was more than obvious today as they both had the ‘hang off the back’ style down pat on their way to first and second place. Sahkar KTM Racing’s Geerts was the early leader but by time the checkers were waving it was Genot, a kid famous for his tapped out GoPro lap around another boundless sand track, Lierop, who took the win and the overall. Geerts came home in an unchallenged second while KTM Factory Junior’s Josiah Natzke used his freshly honed sand skills to finish third.
A further twenty seconds back, the Junior 125cc vice world champion Conrad Mewse took his KTM Factory Junior’s bike to fourth as Diga Racing’s Miro Sihvonen rounded out the top five.
At the end of the weekend Cyril Genot wrapped up his first ever EMX125 race win and overall victory here in front of his home crowd while Jago Geerts made for two Belgian’s on the podium with second. Jorge Prado ended up doing enough for third and has taken the championship lead by one point over KTM Factory Junior’s teammate Josiah Natzke.
EMX125 Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Jorge Prado Garcia (ESP, KTM), 29:29.057; 2. Nathan Renkens (BEL, KTM), +0:22.991; 3. Cyril Genot (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:34.316; 4. Jago Geerts (BEL, KTM), +0:39.284; 5. Conrad Mewse (GBR, KTM), +0:54.063; 6. Josiah Natzke (NZL, KTM), +0:55.479; 7. Glen Meier (DEN, KTM), +1:05.972; 8. Noud van Kraaij (NED, KTM), +1:16.859; 9. Miro Sihvonen (FIN, KTM), +1:17.023; 10. Marcel Conijn (NED, KTM), +1:24.473.
EMX125 Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Cyril Genot (BEL, Husqvarna), 30:59.766; 2. Jago Geerts (BEL, KTM), +0:06.626; 3. Josiah Natzke (NZL, KTM), +0:14.986; 4. Conrad Mewse (GBR, KTM), +0:35.154; 5. Miro Sihvonen (FIN, KTM), +0:50.051; 6. Jorge Prado Garcia (ESP, KTM), +0:53.813; 7. Ruben Fernandez Garcia (ESP, KTM), +1:14.285; 8. Nathan Renkens (BEL, KTM), +1:18.012; 9. Hardi Roosiorg (EST, KTM), +1:24.314; 10. Glen Meier (DEN, KTM), +1:32.027.
EMX125 Overall Top Ten: 1. Cyril Genot (BEL, HUS), 45 points; 2. Jago Geerts (BEL, KTM), 40 p.; 3. Jorge Prado Garcia (ESP, KTM), 40 p.; 4. Josiah Natzke (NZL, KTM), 35 p.; 5. Nathan Renkens (BEL, KTM), 35 p.; 6. Conrad Mewse (GBR, KTM), 34 p.; 7. Miro Sihvonen (FIN, KTM), 28 p.; 8. Glen Meier (DEN, KTM), 25 p.; 9. Hardi Roosiorg (EST, KTM), 19 p.; 10. Sander Agard-Michelsen (NOR, TM), 16 p.
EMX125 Championship Top Ten: 1. Jorge Prado Garcia (ESP, KTM), 271 points; 2. Josiah Natzke (NZL, KTM), 270 p.; 3. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 245 p.; 4. Conrad Mewse (GBR, KTM), 178 p.; 5. Miro Sihvonen (FIN, KTM), 172 p.; 6. Stephen Rubini (FRA, KTM), 147 p.; 7. Davide Cislaghi (ITA, TM), 144 p.; 8. Mathys Boisrame (FRA, YAM), 139 p.; 9. Glen Meier (DEN, KTM), 134 p.; 10. Nathan Renkens (BEL, KTM), 128 p.
EMX125 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 341 points; 2. Yamaha, 263 p.; 3. Husqvarna, 184 p.; 4. TM, 182 p.
With the last round of the EMX300 being on a circuit that was rock hard and hilly and this weekend being at the opposite end of the spectrum, hill-less and sandy, GL12 Yamaha Racing’s Brad Anderson’s domination is about the only thing the two things have in common. In both races the wild card rider came from miles behind to take the lead on the last laps to win both races convincingly.
Meanwhile, former MX2 rider from The Netherlands Mike Kras was the early leader in both races and led the majority of the laps here in Lommel for a pair of seconds and second overall. Meanwhile local lad from just up the road, Andy Truyts went 3 – 4 for third overall. Proving that the Dutch know a thing or two about riding sand, Davy Janssens put in a mega ride for fourth overall while fellow countryman Tom Meier rounded out the top five.
This weekend was the sixth and final round of the European Championship EMX300 series which was wrapped up by last years runner-up Marco Maddi yesterday. Great Britain’s Matt Moffat had a great season and took the silver medal while Belgium’s own Dietger Damiens rounded out this year as the bronze medalist.
EMX300 Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Brad Anderson (GBR, Yamaha), 29:08.373; 2. Mike Kras (NED, KTM), +0:10.739; 3. Davey Janssen (NED, Husqvarna), +0:13.466; 4. Andy Truyts (BEL, KTM), +0:14.136; 5. Matthew Moffat (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:27.959; 6. Tom Meijer (NED, Yamaha), +0:42.616; 7. Mikael Kaipanen (FIN, KTM), +0:50.733; 8. Marco Maddii (ITA, KTM), +1:01.062; 9. Dietger Damiaens (BEL, KTM), +1:08.467; 10. Kai Haase (GER, Suzuki), +1:08.491
EMX300 Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Brad Anderson (GBR, Yamaha), 30:35.340; 2. Mike Kras (NED, KTM), +0:20.716; 3. Andy Truyts (BEL, KTM), +0:27.764; 4. Dietger Damiaens (BEL, KTM), +0:37.940; 5. Tom Meijer (NED, Yamaha), +0:53.279; 6. Davey Janssen (NED, Husqvarna), +0:59.347; 7. Mikael Kaipanen (FIN, KTM), +1:04.140; 8. Patrick Vos (NED, KTM), +1:20.170; 9. Kai Haase (GER, Suzuki), +1:27.777; 10. Damon Strydom (GBR, KTM), +1:41.807
EMX300 Overall Top Ten: 1. Brad Anderson (GBR, YAM), 50 points; 2. Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 44 p.; 3. Andy Truyts (BEL, KTM), 38 p.; 4. Davey Janssen (NED, HUS), 35 p.; 5. Tom Meijer (NED, YAM), 31 p.; 6. Dietger Damiaens (BEL, KTM), 30 p.; 7. Mikael Kaipanen (FIN, KTM), 28 p.; 8. Kai Haase (GER, SUZ), 23 p.; 9. Marco Maddii (ITA, KTM), 22 p.; 10. Patrick Vos (NED, KTM), 18 p.
EMX300 Championship Top Ten: 1. Marco Maddii (ITA, KTM), 223 points; 2. Matthew Moffat (GBR, HUS), 178 p.; 3. Dietger Damiaens (BEL, KTM), 178 p.; 4. Yentel Martens (BEL, HUS), 164 p.; 5. Damon Strydom (GBR, KTM), 162 p.; 6. Mikael Kaipanen (FIN, KTM), 104 p.; 7. Brad Anderson (GBR, YAM), 100 p.; 8. Joey Smet (BEL, KTM), 98 p.; 9. Patrick Vos (NED, KTM), 94 p.; 10. Nicolas Bender (SUI, YAM), 93 p.
EMX300 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 258 points; 2. Husqvarna, 257 p.; 3. Yamaha, 257 p.; 4. TM, 56 p.; 5. Kawasaki, 37 p.; 6. Honda, 37 p.; 7. Suzuki, 35 p.; 8. Aprilia, 24 p.; 9. Beta, 18 p.
