Everts and Friends 2010: a real family day!
The fifth edition of Everts and Friends was an absolute hit. More than 7.000 spectators were present at the Horenbergsdam in Genk to see 'The Legend' in action again with his friends. The announced thunderstorms became a few cooling drops that sprayed the most dust and it must be said, those who were absent were wrong!
For the fifth time in a row, Everts could count on the support of his (former) colleagues to raise money for charity. The children present, including some sick ones, had a great day full of spectacle with the competitions, but could also go to the paddock for a bouncy castle, entertainment from the clowns or to have their faces painted into their favorite animal.
Everything was also relaxed on the circuit. This time no stress or obligations, the motto was to have fun and create a spectacle. This year Clement Desalle came up with an old-school 2-stroke 250cc and was also able to provide the necessary spectacle for the public with this engine. Kevin Wouts and Shaun Simpson showed off their best goon moves and the non-regular MX riders such as Sven Nys, Bert Longin and Freddy Loix received respect from the audience by their participation alone. Older riders Johan Boonen and Joel Smets also jumped once on the motorcycle and the biggest eye-catcher was undoubtedly Sebastien Tortelli. The Frenchman happily accepted his invitation and came to Europe for a few days especially to participate here in Genk.
The absolute world top women were present and the Golden Heroes brought out the nostalgia among the fans when they flew over the Hoorenbergsdam with their roaring vintage cars. Eric Geboers showed that he has not lost his talent yet, but still had to give up against Jo Martens.
No regular races this day, so there was something special to experience at every start. This time, the 85cc riders were not only allowed to compete against each other, but they could also attack their heroes in a match. Jeffrey Herlings actually competed against peers and showed that he can also handle the 85cc. He won the first race, but in the second round 'the bullet' finished second in the wheel of Brent van Doninck, who, not coincidentally, also has the number 72 on his bike. Van Doninck immediately became Jack Kelly's successor and was allowed to take the beautiful engine home with him for a year.
In the American race, only Xavier Boog could disrupt the KTM party. In this competition, held over 1 lap each time, the last two riders are eliminated. The final two-lap final was between the boss and two of his best riders. Holeshot king Nagl took the best start, but a few corners further Herlings shot past the German to win the race a little later ahead of Nagl and Everts.
In the Ladies chase the women got 1 lap ahead of the GP stars, but no matter how hard Steffi Laier, Livia Lancelot and Maria Franke rode, they could not stop the Red Bull KTM train. Here too, Herlings won with a 20 second lead over Steffi Laier, who was the first woman to finish in seventh place. Nagl came second again, followed by Everts in third place and Desalle in fourth place.
There was a sensation when a number 72 suddenly drove around on the circuit. Liam Everts made his first public debut on the MX bike and quickly rode a few laps on the circuit together with some peers. Here too, position and speed were of no importance and after a joint warm-up by Peter Iven, they too could enjoy themselves on the big circuit.
To end the day, just like last year, a wrong way race with a pit stop was planned. The women were not allowed to stop and that caused a confused situation on the circuit. Fastest driver of the day Jeffrey Herlings struggled at his pit stop, while this went quite smoothly for Simpson and Smets. Everts kept it exciting until the last moment by only coming in for his stop on the very last lap. However, it was to no avail as Shaun Simpson turned out to be the fastest in this final race.
The trophies were presented on stage by the sick children. They beamed when they presented their heroes with the trophy. The organization can look back on a super successful day and plans for next year are already in the making. The name Ricky Carmichael has already been mentioned several times with some prematureness. We will be there again!
For those interested, you can view the results here find.
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