Belgian MXON team: choosing heads!
Now the time is approaching Joel Smets the three names of the riders who will represent Belgium at the MXON, the tension is also increasing. Sunday afternoon, just before the start of the first series of the BK Inters Open on the Boulder Hill, Joël Smets will pass by the microphone of speakers Leon Van Gestel en Fred Decock announce the names of the three selected riders. However, it remains unclear what the final composition of the Belgian team will look like. Because, unlike some of our neighboring countries, Belgium has the luxury problem that double occupancy is possible in almost all places. Something true George Leekens perhaps only dream of with the Red Devils. Based on the results of our poll, we have already put together the Belgian MX of Nations team.
MX1
No surprises when it comes to the choice of an MX1 rider because the vast majority of voters agree wholeheartedly that Clément Desalle is the ideal man for this assignment. Only 6% chose Steve Ramon as an MX1 rider. Desalle's role as an MX1 rider was already confirmed by Joël Smets. Logical, because how could you ignore someone who won 2 GPs and was on the podium 10 times out of 12 GPs?
Open
Two names emerged as potential riders for the Open class. On the one hand, Steve Ramon, who is having a regular GP season and is the leader in the BC standings. The other is Ken Dycker. De Dycker is perhaps in his most difficult season ever as an official rider, but he did win both series of the German GP in Teutschenthal. However, that feat could not convince enough people to include Keeno on the team. Not even a third of the votes (28% to be precise) went to De Dycker here. And it certainly seems that way the Rockstar Teka Suzuki driver is on his way to his eighth consecutive selection. With a better preliminary record (WK+BK) than that of De Dycker, Ramon seems to be the favorite. Yet the Monster EnergyYamaha rider has not yet given up all hope. This quote from Ken bears witness to this The Latest News from Tuesday: “I cannot read the thoughts of national coach Joël Smets,” says De Dycker, who hopes to be selected despite the injuries in recent weeks. “Last year, Steve Ramon had not ridden for almost a whole year and was still included in the national team. If my injury is used as an excuse to leave me at home, we are back to square one.”
MX2
The most exciting battle for selection in the Belgian MXON team is the one between Joel Roelants en Jeremy Van Horebeek MX2 spot. Both riders are evenly matched in the World Championship standings. The difference between the 7e instead of Van Horebeek and the 8e van Roelants is barely 4 points. In our poll the separation between the two MX2 riders is slightly greater. There, Roelants wins with 55%, ten percent more than Van Horebeek. And perhaps that is because Roelant's World Cup record is a bit better than that of Van Horebeek.
After all, Roelants can boast two podium places in a GP. In Bellpuig and Saint-Jean d'Angély he came 2nd each timee. Van Horebeek cannot provide podium finishes in a GP. The Monster Energy Kawasaki rider rode into the top 3 of a GP round twice. That was the case in Teutschenthal and Uddevalla. But he does not do better than Roelants, because the Negaan JM Racing KTM rider took two top-3 finishes in a GP round. If we look at the average points score per GP, Van Horebeek narrowly wins with 25,16 points, ahead of Roelants with 24,83 points.
In any case, team manager Joël Smets faces a difficult decision. There are few arguments that weigh in one direction or the other. In terms of logistics, Van Horebeek may have an advantage through the collaboration with For Circuit Kawasaki. It is impossible to estimate to what extent this knowledge will influence Smets' choice. Such a choice would probably be hard for Roelants. His greatest sporting rival would therefore once again outdo him after he (perhaps) managed to secure a seat at the Red Bull KTM factory team for next season. On the other hand, that transfer is also no reason not to choose Van Horebeek. More than likely, Smets will consult a few other Belgian former top crossers to make this decision. We don't doubt for a second that both fighters have the same ambitions for an MXON in the United States. But it seems unlikely to us that Smets will now join a team that includes both Van Horebeek (on an MX1 bike) and Roelants. Although such a team will probably become inevitable in the future. In any case, for the near future, we fear that one young star will be very disappointed at the annual high mass on Keiheuvel on Sunday afternoon.
If Smets follows the logic of our poll to some extent, the following team will emerge: Desalle, Ramon, Roelants. But in the end, only one person has the final say, and that is the BMB national coach himself.
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