Preview Opening Cross Lommel
On Sunday, the riders of the Belgian Motorcyclists' Association will kick off the national motocross season at the GP circuit of Lommel. Organizing club BeTeMo from Arendonk signs for its first match with the BMB. Frans De Proost and Vic Hendrickx, the strong men behind BeTeMo, did not waste any time and immediately presented a strong field of participants at the Inters. Two of our MXM columnists are among the favorites to win the opening cross in their class.
In the MX1 class, Steve Ramon and Marc De Reuver will certainly be eye-catchers, but perhaps also potential winners. The participation of MXM columnist Ken De Dycker was briefly in jeopardy when he had to go to Italy for testing with the Monster Energy Yamaha Ricci team. Yesterday the redeeming news came from Ken's manager that “Keeno” will definitely be at the start in Lommel. However, there was less good news from Kevin Strijbos, who suffers more from his foot and leg in cold weather and decided not to participate for safety reasons.
In addition to these World Cup top players, Kevin Wouts, Marvin Van Daele and Bas Verhoeven will also be present in Lommel. Under the motto “The first blow….” We can expect interesting matches. Another interesting detail, Sven Breugelmans makes his debut in Lommel in the colors of BeTeMo.
We can also report the necessary tension on the Inters MX2. The young German superstar Ken Roczen takes up the challenge against 'our' Joël Roelants. A unique opportunity for the Belgian public to see the crown prince of the Teka Suzuki team at work together with teammate Arnaud Tonus. The KTM UK team of Jake Nicholls and Graeme Irwin even comes all the way from Northern Ireland to start the season in the sand of Lommel.
Circuit in good conditiont
The winter weather of the past few days may have caused many riders and spectators to doubt the feasibility of the opening cross. We also asked questions at MXM. And who better to answer that than BeTeMo press employee Leon Van Gestel.
Leon did not share our concerns, on the contrary, the eloquent BMB speaker was confident. “The same amount of snow did not fall in Lommel on Wednesday as in the rest of Flanders. Anyone who followed the weather forecast closely at the time knows that Limburg was largely spared. Moreover, the people at Betemo will tackle the hard surface with a cutter. In this way, there is no longer a circuit that is as hard and slippery as a company floor. On the contrary, milling gives the track more grip and we could have some very nice competitions,” says Van Gestel.
“The spectators have also been taken into account because there will be sufficient accommodation available so that they do not suffer from cold. But with temperatures slightly above freezing and a radiant sun, Sunday could well be an ideal winter cross day.”
You can find more information about the opening cross here.
Photos credit: Ray Archer, CDS
Also to read
Gallery: MXGP Portugal 2024 XXL from NiekFotografie
The riders and mechanics had a hard time in Agueda. This also applies to the photographers because the weather conditions were harsh! Yet our #NiekFotografie made this XXL gallery...Jorge Prado in Simon Laengenfelder over Agueda
The Grand Prix of Portugal will be remembered for a long time and may be one for the history books. The heavy rain that descended on Agueda made this 2024 edition a rush…Danee Gelissen on stage in Italy
During the second match of the Italian Women's Championship, Danee Gelissen was allowed to climb onto the podium. The Limburg rider finished second behind Kiara Fontanesi in both heats in Lovolo. The Ceres71 driver starts…VIDEO: Highlights MXGP Portugal 2024
After a two-week break, the FIM MXGP-MX2 World Championship continued in Portugal. The normally sunny south was treated to lots of water this weekend! Liam Everts made very…
Your reactions