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2023 AFT Senoia Short Track

Max Whale won the Singles class at the 2023 Senoia Short Track over the weekend, with Jared Mees the SuperTwins victor.

For the full report see:
Max Whale wins Singles at Senoia Short Track

2023 FIM Enduro Vintage Trophy date confirmed

This year’s FIM Enduro Vintage Trophy (EVT) will run from 18-21 October and will be based around the Spanish town of Alp in the Cerdanya region of the Pyrenees.

After debuting at the 2016 FIM International Six Days of Enduro in Spain, the EVT has continued to grow in popularity and was made a stand-alone event in 2021 when it was staged on the Italian island of Elba in the Mediterranean Sea.

The event features three main categories – the Vintage Veterans Trophy for three-rider national teams all with riders over the age of fifty, the Vintage Silver Vase Club for three-rider teams all with riders over the age of forty and the Vintage Women Club Team for three riders aged over twenty-five as on 1 January of this year.
Individual entries are also welcomed, with the machines being split into five period classes ranging from 1975 to 1991.

AORC 2023 kicks off with Rounds 1 & 2 at Mendooran

Round 1

With an early feature of heavy rainfall, Mendooran was primed for the opening two Rounds of the 2023 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship presented by MXstore (AORC).

Round 1 racing was Sprints and victors included Kyron Bacon (Shop Yamaha Offroad Racing Team) in E1, Josh Green (Shop Yamaha Offroad Racing Team) in E2, Sam Pretscherer (Simford Motorsport Group) in E3, Will Dennett in EJ and Taylor Thompson (Excite Motorsports, Yamaha) in EW.

The AORC pits were filled with 370 riders from across Australia. On the Ballards MXstore test was E1, E2, E3, EJ, 2T, Pony Express and J4. Brodie Brainwood (Toosharp Boxing, Husqvarna) took the win in 2T, Team Kilvington (Team Motomoorooka, HousePro Property Group) in Pony Express and Davey Gear (Limestone Coast Motorcycles, Yamaha) in J4.

On the WR450F test was the remaining Juniors, with victory claimed by Danielle McDonald (Yamaha JGR Ballard’s Off Road Team) in JG, Ollie Gear (Limestone Coast Newcastle, Yamaha) in J3, Harry Gilbertson (Brandt John Deere, Sears Electrical) in J2, Darcy Huston (Citycoast Motorcycles, Holeshot graphics) in J1 and Ryder Burchell (McDonald’s Racing Team) in JJ.

Remaining classes including EW tackled the Offroad Advantage test, seeing success from Lee Stephens (True Painting, KTM Newcastle) in EV, Damian Smith (Husqvarna) in EM, Craig Treasure (Husqvarna) in EL and Shaylynne Kuhnke in EWD.

Round 2

Blue skies and warm weather welcomed the riders return for the Sprint tests of Round 2. Coming out victorious for back-to-back class wins was Kyron Bacon (Shop Yamaha Offroad Racing Team) in E1, Josh Green (Shop Yamaha Offroad Racing Team) in E2, Sam Pretscherer (Simford Motorsport Group) in E3, Will Dennett (Yamaha Australia) in EJ and Taylor Thompson (Excite Motorsports, Yamaha) in EW.

The fastest time of the day was clinched by Bacon, setting a blistering speed to clock in 50:41.269.

With no further rainfall overnight, tracks weren’t as primed as Round 1, which presented a new challenge on navigating thoroughly chewed up ruts and loamy, sandy conditions.

Racing on the WR450F test was E1, E2, E3, EJ, J4, 2T and Pony Express, with Davey Gear (Limestone Coast Motorcycles, Yamaha) winning J4, Brodie Brainwood (Toosharp Boxing, Husqvarna) in 2T and Team Kilvington in Pony Express.

Over on the Ballards MXstore test was the remaining Seniors, including EW, with Damian Smith (Husqvarna) winning EM, Nathan Brochtrup (DK Heavy Plant & Services, Peelys) in EV, Gregory Wilson (KTM) in EL and Shaylynne Kuhnke in EWD.

For Juniors on the Offroad Advantage test, it was Danielle McDonald (Yamaha JGR Ballard’s Off Road Team) who won in JG, Ollie Gear (Limestone Coast Newcastle, Yamaha) in J3, Harry Gilbertson (Brandt John Deere, Sears Electrical) in J2, Darcy Huston (Citycoast Motorcycles, Holeshot graphics) in J1 and Ryder Burchell (McDonald’s Racing Team) in JJ.

E1 Standings & Round Results

New Zealand MX 2023 wraps up with Round 3 & 4 double header

In the MX1 class, Maximus Purvis ran 1-2-1 for Round 3 taking the overall, Hamish Harwood runner-up and Brad Groombridge third, Hayden Smith, Cody Cooper completing the top three.

Round 4 saw a similar result, Purvis taking two wins from two races, with Groombridge runner-up, followed by Michael Kratzer, Hamish Harwood and Cody Cooper.

Final standings had Purvis the NZ MX1 Champion, Harwood the runner-up and Cody Cooper third.

Cody Cooper dominated MX2 for Round 3, running 1-3-1 across the three races, Hayden Smith runner-up and James Scott third. Madoc Dixon and Codie Bourke rounding out the top five.

Round 4 by comparison saw Smith and Scott tied on 45-points, Dixon third. Oliver Ayre and Jack Treloar rounded out the top five, both collecting 32-points.

The final standings in the MX2 class saw Cooper claim the title, four-points ahead of Smith, while Scott was third a further seven points in arrears. Dixon and Bourke rounding out the top five.

In the MX3 class, Callum Dudson won after three races for Round 3, ahead of Jamie Bennett and Darren Capill. Preeda Boon was the Round 4 victor, running 3-1, to runner-up Thomas Robinson’s 1-3 result. Callum Dudson was third a single-point behind with 2-2 results.

Preeda Boon won the MX3 championship on 163-points, Robinson second on 151-points, and Capill third with 148.

NZ MX1 Final Standings (Top 15)

NZ MX2 Final Standings (Top 15)

NZ MX3 Final Standings (Top 15)

Repsol Honda dominate X-Trial Round 3 at Pamplona

The Repsol Honda Trial Team took a one-two finish in the first ever X-Trial World Championship round held in Pamplona. Toni Bou achieved his second victory of the season at the third round of the year, consolidating his lead in the overall standings. His teammate, Gabriel Marcelli, was second after a great performance at the Navarra Arena.

The first lap was very tight, and Bou was second, going through the five zones with a total of 3 points. Marcelli picked up 4 penalty points. On the next lap, both Repsol Honda Trial Team riders qualified for the final, placing inside the Top 3. Marcelli led this second round with Bou third.

In the final round, over 6 zones, Bou earned his second victory, remaining leader of the standings. Marcelli finished second and cut points in the championship thanks to an extra point in the second round by taking first place. The Galician rider is third overall, just six points behind the second-placed rider.

The next challenge will be on April 7 in Bordeaux (France), the fourth round of the year and the last before the mid-season break.

Toni Bou – P1

“It was a tough night mentally, as everything was very tight. In the final I performed at my best and I am very happy. The other riders pushed me and it’s a victory that means a lot. I knew that in the final we had to start very strong, pushing from the beginning, and that is what we tried to do; We were aggressive and it worked out very well. I’m also very happy to be racing in a new city, in front of passionate fans, and I am happy to add a new venue to my record with a victory.”

Gabriel Marcelli – P2

“I was very consistent throughout the night and I’m very happy with the job we have done. We have met our objectives and I felt very good throughout the race. We took a second place, which means a good number of points for the championship, and it’s fantastic. Right now we are third overall and closing the gap. The objective for the next race will be to fight for the win.”

Despite progressing to the final in front, a pair of maximum scores proved costly for Busto as the competition went down to the wire. In continuing his run of podium finishes, Busto remains in contention for the championship, sitting just 12 points off the lead in second with four rounds still to run.

Jaime Busto – P3

“I’m happy with how the night has gone. I made really good first and second laps with a great feeling on the bike, which is getting better and better. In the final I made a couple of mistakes that in the end put me back into third but I’m happy because one of my goals at the start of the season was to be consistently on the podium and I’m making it happen. We’ll continue working in this direction for the rest of the rounds.”

Results X-Trial Pamplona 2023

X-Trial 2023 Standings

Husqvarna and Billy Bolt celebrate SuperEnduro title

Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Billy Bolt not only claimed overall victory at all five rounds of this year’s FIM SuperEnduro World Championship, but the FE 350 racer dominated proceedings by winning all but one of the 15 races held. In celebration of Bolt’s dominance, a new final round highlight video is now live.

With the season starting in Poland back in December of 2022, Billy got his title defence off to the perfect start by going fastest in the intense SuperPole qualifier, before taking all three race wins and opening up an early advantage over his rivals.

That clean-sweep performance of pole position and three race wins was repeated in Hungary at round three, Israel for round four, and at the very final round in Poland, where he clinched the title with two races to spare. In fact, if it wasn’t for an incident-packed second race in Germany at round two, Billy would have undoubtedly won them all.

Despite his domination throughout the season, Bolt was never one to rest on his laurels, giving 100 percent at every round and constantly striving to further improve his pace and performance.

Billy Bolt

“It’s amazing to win just one world championship, so to have taken three SuperEnduro titles in a row now feels incredible. The dream continues! I wanted to get the job done in the first race at the final in Poland, so I could go on and enjoy the other two races, which I managed to do. Husqvarna Motorcycles are celebrating their 120th anniversary this year, so to be a part of that history is definitely something special.”

Taddy Blazusiak also battled hard at the final round of the SuperEnduro World Championship to secure third in the final rider’s standings and confirm GASGAS as 2023 FIM SuperEnduro Manufacturer’s World Champion.

Taddy Blazusiak

“I’m super stoked! We came in with a fighting spirit and had to battle hard in the first two motos. Coming into the third race, I knew I had to give it everything – hospital or third, I had to get it done. In the end it worked out awesome, and for GASGAS to take the manufacturer’s title makes the result even sweeter. Thanks to the whole team, they deserve it!”

Riders talk 2023 Seattle AMA Supercross

For full results see:
Blow by blow recap from Seattle AMA Supercross

Stilez Robertson ran a wide line into turn one and managed to emerge with the early race lead ahead of Yoder, Lawrence and McAdoo.

Jett was soon up to second place and looking for a safe way past Robertson.  Meanwhile Hampshire and Kitchen were catching them. Jett hit the lead five-minutes in.

Robertson then clashed with McAdoo in the whoops and went down pretty hard, Robertson took no further part in the race due to what looked like an injured shoulder. Hampshire then took second place from McAdoo and set about trying to chase down Lawrence.

Jett Lawrence went on to take his fourth victory from five Mains contested so far this season, extending his points lead over Hampshire out to 23-points with four rounds still remaining.

Hampshire second on the night. McAdoo third.

Jett Lawrence – P1

“The night didn’t start too well with that crash in the heat race. Thankfully, I was able to walk away from that okay and just have the bike be banged up. In the main, it was a bit of a struggle getting into the lead. In all fairness, it wasn’t my best riding. I couldn’t find my flow the whole race, and I wasn’t hitting my lines; I was making silly mistakes I shouldn’t have been making. Overall, I’m glad to come away with the win, and I’m looking forward to getting back at it in Arizona.”

RJ Hampshire – P2

“The day was pretty solid…well, the main event was solid,” said Hampshire. “I qualified second but was quite a way back. The heat race did not go to plan at all. I got a terrible start and just kind of picked off riders to get the best kind of gate pick I could. In the main event, I got a really good start, and I had an awesome battle going. We went back and forth and closed the gap to the lead a little bit. Then I had two laps that cost me a shot to battle for the lead which was disappointing. But again, I don’t take these second-place finishes for granted.”

Cameron McAdoo – P3

“As a racer you can never be too upset with a podium result but, I know I can be up there fighting for wins and I feel like we were just so close again this weekend. I had a strong Main Event battle with RJ and we kept Jett honest the whole race, but we were a small tick from really getting into the lead position. It’s a game of small gains right now and I’m not settling so the whole team will keep striving this week with the focus on taking the top step of the podium.”

Maximus Vohland – P5

“It was a good night in Seattle! I started off the heat race with a top-five, which I was happy with, but felt I could be better with a few changes ahead of the Main Event. We changed the bike set-up and I felt a lot better, started around 10th and made my way up to fifth in the end. It was a tough track tonight, so I’m happy with a top-five finish and am now looking forward to improving on that at the Triple Crown in Glendale.”

Carson Mumford – P8

“Overall, it was a positive first race for me with the Monster Energy®/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team. I’ve dreamed of riding for this team since I was a kid, so there was a conscious effort for me to manage expectations throughout the day and to not try to go for too much too soon. That said, I was able to qualify fourth out of the B practice session and battled for the win in my heat race. I’m happy with where my speed was and how the bike handled on such a torn-up track. In the Main Event, I ended up riding pretty tight after mid-way, which is not ideal, but is a bit to be expected with all things considered. I focused on continuing to hit my marks and came through the checkered in eighth. The speed I had early was definitely promising and it was good to bring home a steady result inside the top-10 to get the ball rolling.”

250 Main Results

450 Main

Eli Tomac and Chase Sexton were side by side out of turn one but the early leader was Kevin Moranz. Ken Roczen pushed Tomac back to fourth late on the opening lap. Moranz then ran off the circuit which promoted Sexton through to the lead, Roczen up to second, Tomac third, Cianciarulo fourth and Webb fifth.

As the race progressed Tomac got stronger and stronger.  The defending champion picked off Webb, then Cianciarulo and then Roczen to move up to second place with 14-minutes left on the shot clock. At this juncture Sexton had a three-second lead but a few minutes later he made a mistake and went over the bars.

That allowed Tomac to sweep through to the lead, Webb up to second and Roczen up to third, relegating Sexton to fourth where he was immediately challenged by Barcia.

It looked as though Cooper Webb might have the speed to close down Tomac but a few small mistakes prevented him from getting on terms with the Yamaha man.

Tomac the victor ahead of Webb and the two are now tied on 248-points apiece with six battles remaining in this 17 battle war.

Justin Barcia rounded out the podium ahead of Jason Anderson and Chase Sexton.  Ken Roczen sixth, Aaron Plessinger seventh.

Cooper Webb – P2

“I didn’t gel very well with the track in practice at all, struggled to find a flow, and knew that for the night show, it was time to step up. The Heat race gave me a bit of a spark to know that we were in it, which was good to win that, and I knew the track was going to break down – that’s something that I excel at. It was definitely good to bounce back. This morning, if you were to tell me I was going to be on the podium I would have been quite happy, so to be able to fight like that to P2 and stay within the battle was awesome.”

Justin Barcia – P3

“I felt good and qualified fourth. In the heat race, I finished fourth. I didn’t get the greatest start but I rode really well. In the main event, it was the same. I didn’t get off to the best start, then had a lot of battles and charged all the way up to third. I closed in on second but didn’t have quite enough time. The bike was really good. I had a lot of fun and the team crushed it. We are on the gas and going forward, going for that win.”

Jason Anderson – P4

“During the Main Event, the track was really tricky with a ton of deep ruts, but I felt like my KX™450SR still gave me the ability to push the pace. While a better start would have certainly improved my race, it wasn’t a bad night as we made good progress and I kept the fight going all the way to the checkered flag. I definitely want to be finishing on the podium and, ultimately, challenging for wins again so, I’m still focusing forward on making gains in supercross.”

Chase Sexton – P5

“Not a great night. I almost holeshot and got into the lead super quick, but when I fell the bike was just mangled. I had a hard time moving up after that. It’s definitely a night I want to move on from. I just have to go to the next round and prove what I can do.”

Aaron Plessinger – P7

“It was an okay day. Practice was tough, I’ve got a pretty good gash in my leg from last week that was hurting me pretty good, but I tried to push through it. The Heat race was better, I had a good battle with Christian [Craig] in that to end up second. I had a bad start in the Main Event, and ended up moving into seventh about halfway, but after that, it was pretty quiet. I stayed on two wheels though and now we get a week off, so hopefully I can let my body heal and come back swinging for the upcoming Triple Crown!”

Adam Cianciarulo – P8

“I felt comfortable during qualifying and was able to attack the track to put together the second fastest time. It was nice to show that pace again and rival at the top of the board. In the heat race, I was a little back from the start but worked my way into the top-three before the finish. In the Main Event, I started up front and managed to pass my way into the top-three again. The race felt similar to last weekend with all of the top guys contending for those first few positions, so it was encouraging to move my way forward through that group in the early stages. The end result is similar to what I’ve had recently, but there are a lot of positives to take away from the weekend.”

Christian Craig – P9

“Seattle was all-around a pretty good day,” Craig said. “I felt good on the bike in practice and in the heat race I got a holeshot and led from start to finish, so that felt good to get my first heat race win of the season. It also felt good to lead some laps. In the main event I got off to a pretty good start, but I got shuffled back a little bit early, and during the second lap I went for a ride in the whoops and ended up cross-rutting right at the end and ejecting off. I was able to get up quickly but was dead last by then. I put my head down and got into the top ten with a couple of laps to go. Then I passed for ninth in the last corner. I think that shows my riding is improving. I just need to stay off the ground in the main and we’ll be up front.”

450 Main Results

For full results see:
Blow by blow recap from Seattle AMA Supercross

Daniela Guillen wins WMX Opener – Courtney Duncan P3

The first round of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship has concluded in Riola Sardo, and it was RFME GasGas WMX Team’s Daniela Guillen who secured the overall victory of the Grand Prix of Sardegna.

We saw plenty of action with some amazing racing from some of the favourite riders of the 2023 season including DRT Kawasaki’s Courtney Duncan and Daniela Guillen but also exciting performances from the young rider Lotte Van Drunen on her first full WMX season.

In the first WMX Race of the weekend, Nancy Van De Ven of Ceres 71 Racing made a speedy start and was on her way to pass the first turn ahead but crashed and try to get back racing but race 1 was finished before it started for the current World Champion.

This was the moment for young talent Lotte Van Drunen to get the lead to never give it up showing a very confident racing as she finished 30 seconds ahead of Daniela Guillen. The Spanish rider was set on the second place displaying a solid race throughout. Too far to put pressure on Van Drunen she stayed second.

Courtney Duncan did not have the best start based on her standards and found herself 8th on lap 1 but the three-time WMX World Champion showed her experience and speed as she quickly moved up to sixth after lap 2. She would go on to pass both Shana Van Der Vlist and Britt Jans-Beken on lap 4 to get to 3rd and kept this position until the end.

Van Der Vlist and Jans-Beken battled throughout race 1 as the two Dutchwomen were never able to get a clean advantage on each other. After a give and take between lap 3 and 6, things settled for Van Der Vlist to finish 4th in front of Jans-Beken 5th.

Behind them Amandine Verstappen managed to regularly move up the order from 10th on lap 1 to finish 6th in front of Charli Cannon who ended 7th after an even bigger climb from the 14th place on lap 1. Behind them, Fantic Maddii Factory Racing’s Lynn Valk managed to get to 9th after an average start.

In Race 2, while Giorgia Blasigh took the lead briefly after a great start but it was Nancy Van de Ven who took the lead after few turns as she avoided any mishaps on the first turn.

However, Guillen found a rhythm and make her move on Van De Ven on lap 2 to take the lead and never give it up.

Van De Ven did manage to keep her 2nd place and tried to stick with Guillen but the Spanish was too quick. Valk was behind on 3rd place from lap 2 to 5 but was under threat from Van Drunen.

The winner of race 1, did not start the best way as she was 7th after lap 1, although she let her speed talk and moved up the rank quickly. 4th already in lap 2 Van Drunen reduced the gap with Valk to eventually overtake Valk on lap 6. Van Drunen even pushed to be within 1 second of Van De Ven in the last lap but kept her 3rd place.

Valk after getting passed by Van Drunen, had to also give up on the 4th position to Duncan on lap 9 to remain 5th while Duncan had a solid race to end up just outside the podium in 4th.

Martine Hughes put a great effort as she went from 11th on lap 1 to end up in 6th position as she battle with Jans-Beken on lap 8. Jans-Beken settled for 7th in the end. JK Racing Yamaha’s Charli Cannon had a rollercoaster of a race as she went from 5th on lap 1 to 12th on lap 3. However the Australian did manage to pick up the pace and finish8th just in front Fontanesi in 9th.

Finally, Van Der Vlist, after finding herself to 8th place between lap 7 and 9 went down the rank to finish at the 10th place.

In the end, Daniela Guillen was on top of the podium in front of Lotte Van Drunen 2nd who started her season with a bang and 3rd was Courtney Duncan with two solid races over the weekend. The Round of Sardinia was also marked by the return of six-time World Champion Kiara Fontanesi to the competition after more than a year. For her first round she managed to get 8th overall on home soil.

Australian Yamaha star Charli Cannon had a frustrating weekend.

Charli Cannon

“I’m really angry with myself, I made two mistakes and fell in each race and I shouldn’t be doing that. This is a world level and mistakes like that are costly. I loved the track and the JK Racing team were amazing so hopefully we can clean up my riding and aim for a better result at the next round in two weeks’ time. I feel like I can compete with the best girls here, but there is a lot of good riders here and I still have a lot to learn. The team worked super hard and I want to thank Mike and the Yamalube Yamaha Racing Team back in Australia, especially Nash who came over here with me as well as Yamaha Financial Services, my family and so many other people who have given me this opportunity. I won’t let them down.”

WMX – Overall Top 10 Classification

1. Daniela Guillen (ESP, GAS), 47 points; 2. Lotte Van Drunen (NED, KAW), 45 p.; 3. Courtney Duncan (NZL, KAW), 38 p.; 4. Britt Jans-Beken (NED, YAM), 30 p.; 5. Shana van der Vlist (NED, YAM), 29 p.; 6. Lynn Valk (NED, FAN), 28 p.; 7. Charli Cannon (AUS, YAM), 27 p.; 8. Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, GAS), 23 p.; 9. Nancy van de Ven (NED, YAM), 22 p.; 10. Sara Andersen (DEN, KTM), 22 p.

Andrea Bonacorsi wins EMX250 Opener in Sardegna

The first round of the EMX250 Championship of the season took place in Sardegna and has concluded with Andrea Bonacorsi winning for the second year in a row with some strong racing throughout the weekend.

The first race of the EMX250 class saw a great start with three riders detaching themselves with Ivano Van Erp and Andrea Bonacorsi from Hutten Metaal Yamaha Racing Team and Fantic Factory Team Maddii’s Cas Valk taking the lead with Van Erp taking the better of the others over few turns until Valk made a move on the inside to be 1st on lap 1.

It was the turn of Bonacorsi on lap 2 to make a charge on Van Erp who could not resist the attack. Bonacorsi would go on to put pressure on Valk who made a mistake on a turn leaving the path open for Bonacorsi to take the lead on lap 4 and never give it up, increasing even the gap along the way. Bonacorsi won the race while Valk would settle for 2nd in the end.

Another heroic riding was the one from Bud Racing Kawasaki’s Quentin Prugnieres who started in the mid-pack being 9th after lap 1 but methodically showing his speed as he started his charge to the top on lap 3. He would find himself 6th on lap 5 behind BT Racing Team’s Kay Karssemakers. It was a great battle between the two riders during over a lap until Prugnieres finally found the solution and passed Karssemakers for 4th. Prugnieres kept going and passed Van Erp too to get close to Valk in 2nd at the end but settled for 3rd. Van Erp was able to keep his 4th position until the finish line.

Karssemakers who was 5th on lap 1 finished at the same position in the end. Valerio Lata also showed good control during the race as he began 8th on lap 1 to move his way up to 6th in the end.

VRT KTM Factory Juniors’ Ferruccio Zanchi and Fantic Factory Team Maddii’s Alexis Fueri had their paths crossed in different direction. While Fueri made a good start making 6th on lap 1, Zanchi found himself 13th after lap 1. But the riders did cross pass on lap 5 in 9th and 10th position. Zanchi took 2 laps to finally overtake Fueri as the riders follow each other to keep that order until the end, in 7th and 8th.

Then completing the top 10 were SM Action Racing Team Yuasa Battery’s Federico Tuani along with Andrea Rossi in 9th and 10th respectively. Both of them moved up the rank after throughout the race. There was a deception for Hutten Metaal Yamaha Racing Team’s Karlis Reisulis in race 1 as he found himself 4th after lap 1 to go down the order as he could not maintain his speed ending just outside the top 10 in 11th place.

On Race 2, Prugnieres led the way on lap 1 in front of Van Erp and Bonacorsi. But Van Erp made a move on the Frenchman to take his turn at the top. A battle between the three riders would go on until lap 4 when Bonacorsi took the reins of the race to never give it up as he increased its lead throughout to win comfortably.

Van Erp would get back to 2nd between lap 5 and 7 but could not hold Karssemakers attacks on lap 8. Karssemakers coming from 4th on lap 1 showed great speed as he overtook Van Erp. Karssemakers would keep the 2nd place until the end.

The 3rd place was disputed between Van Erp and Prugnieres from lap 8 until the end. Van Erp 3rd at the time was not able to keep up with Prugnieres’s pace and had to give up his advantage on lap 12. Prugnieres would end up 3rd while Van Erp 4th.

Valk is one rider that made his way up from 7th on lap 1 to move to 5th on lap 4 and keep this place until the end. Rossi experienced the same kind of race as he found himself 8th on lap 1 to make a move during lap 4 on Reisulis and Team VHR’s Saad Soulimani 14th and 19th in the end respectively. Rossi got to 6th when he overtook Fueri on lap 5 to get keep this position until the end.

Yamah De Baets’s Bradley Mesters showed a great determination as after an average start, finding himself 14th on lap 1, he made a charge to the top 10 and gradually went up the rank to get to a good 7th place. Similarly, Beddini Racing KTM’s Valerio Lata reversed a poor start when he got to 22nd on lap 1 to deliver a very strong performance to 8th making a lot of overtakes along the way.

Fueri on his part went down the order from 5th during the third three laps to go down to 9th in the end as he could not find his rhythm on this second race to push back up. Finally, behind him Meico Vettik made it up to the top 10 after he made some great moves mid-race on lap 7 and 8 as he was 13th to overtake Tuani, Soulimani and Reisulis to move up to 10th until the end.

In the end, Bonacorsi went 1-1 to get a precious win to kick-start his season while Prugnieres clinched the second place on the podium and Karssemakers third overall.

Andrea Bonacorsi

“Saturday and race 1 went very well and today too. It is always good to start the season like this. I felt good during the two races. Of course, it’s just the first round so let’s see how the other ones go. I’m in good shape and I feel great so this is positive.”

EMX250 – Overall Top 10 Classification

1. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, YAM), 50 points; 2. Quentin Marc Prugnieres (FRA, KAW), 40 p.; 3. Kay Karssemakers (NED, HUS), 38 p.; 4. Cas Valk (NED, FAN), 38 p.; 5. Ivano Van Erp (NED, YAM), 36 p.; 6. Valerio Lata (ITA, KTM), 28 p.; 7. Alexis Fueri (FRA, FAN), 25 p.; 8. Marc-Antoine Rossi (FRA, KTM), 23 p.; 9. Federico Tuani (ITA, KTM), 21 p.; 10. Xavier Cazal (FRA, GAS), 17 p.;