Successful Valence for Kemea Reytec Van de Laar Yamaha!
After the very first test a few weeks ago in Groesbeek, the International competition in Valence was the first major test. The entire team line-up was extremely motivated at the start in Valence to demonstrate their ambitions for 2013. Despite the winter vagaries of recent weeks, the sun was present in Valence and everyone could enjoy a beautiful racing weekend.
For Petar Petrov and Kevin Fors this was the first showdown with other GP riders. Petar, who rode his first race in 10 months, was at the start full of expectations. On Saturday it quickly became apparent that Petar had not yet lost his speed with two 4th times in the training sessions. Kevin finished in 8th and 11th place. On race day, Petrov and Fors qualified 7th and 9th respectively. In the first moto both Yamaha riders had a mediocre start. Petar quickly rose to sixth place and eventually finished fifth. Kevin came from 17th place back to 8th place.
In the second moto Fors got off to a super start. He crossed the finish line in third place after 2 laps. Kevin was able to hold this position for a few laps, but halfway through he had to let the later winner Valentin Teillet go ahead. He eventually crossed the finish line in fourth place. Petar started in 17th place and returned to 10th place. Due to their good results, both were allowed to participate in the super final, together with the best MX1 riders. Petrov was flagged as 14th and 5th MX2 rider. Kevin crossed the finish line in 16th place.
In the overall standings (with super final), Kevin came 6th in the final standings, followed by Petar in 7th place. The European riders also started this weekend. André rode his Yamaha YZ250F to 18th place in the final standings, while Ludovic and Freek rode their 125cc to 19th and 25th place respectively. For Cyril Genot this was the first race on the Kemea Reytec Van de Laar Yamaha. The 85cc rider recorded some fast times in the training. In the first heat Cyril came back from 10th to 5th place. In the second heat, Genot had to abandon the battle after two laps with a defective chain. Genot finished 13th in the final standings.
Marnicq Bervoets: “I am satisfied with this weekend. What I immediately noticed is that the team has become an even closer group, which is motivated to give the best of themselves. That is the basis of the entire season. The first competition on the competition motorcycles with the Rinaldi kits also went very smoothly. The riders feel good on the bike and you could see that in their speed. There is of course still a lot to improve, but we already have a good foundation on which we can continue to build. Kevin showed that he has the speed to run at the front, and Petar also showed great things despite his mediocre starts. The light engines ran very well and the speed was as expected. I hope we can have another great season!”
Final score MX2:
1. Valentin Teilet
2. Jake Nicholls
3. Romain Febvre
4. Benoit Paturel
5. Maxime Desprey
6. Kevin Fors
7. Petar Petrov
8. André Park
9. Ludovic Brevers
10. Freek van der Vlist
Final score 85cc
1. Paul le Gonidec
2. Ludovic Bompar
3. Enzo Toriani
4. Clement Briatte
5. Thomas van Ereum
13. Cyril Enjoyment
Upon returning to Belgium, the Kemea Reytec Van de Laar Yamaha team will prepare everything to send to Qatar, where the first GP will take place on March 1. In the arid desert of Losail, the race will be ridden under artificial light for the first time.
Photos: CDS
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