Kemea reytec vd Laar race report Arco
Freek van der Vlist narrowly misses the podium in Arco di Trento
The Italian Arco di Trento was the beautiful setting for the fourth GP of this season. Pleasant spring weather turned the beautiful surroundings into a beautiful landscape that you could immediately find in a painting.
Despite the hard surface, the circuit was very technical and required constant engine work for the pilots.
Petar Petrov did not have a very good qualifying session on Saturday... Petar crashed at the start and left from the back. During his overtaking race, another rider crashed in front of him and Petar could no longer avoid him. He also fell and bent the gear lever. He continued to drive but did not get further than 29th place, which was not the ideal starting position for the races.
In the first heat on Sunday, Petar finished 1th after a bad start after 19 lap. He immediately found a good rhythm and started a phenomenal catch-up race. Petar gradually made his way into the top ten and in the end he managed to take ninth place in the last lap.
Another bad start for the Bulgarian in the second moto. This time, however, he could not find the right rhythm and had difficulty moving forward. Halfway through the race, Petar was in 15th place when he made a mistake and fell back outside the points. Ultimately, Petrov came in 21st, good for 17th place in the final standings. In the World Cup standings, Petar remains in 13th place.
The first test for the 125cc European Championship was also held in Arco. With Ludovic Brevers and Freek van der Vlist, the Kemea Reytec van de Laar Yamaha team has two potential top 5 riders on the 2-stroke motorcycle.
However, Ludovic, who had hoped for a podium in advance, never got into the right rhythm and suffered a heavy crash during qualifying on Saturday. He managed to qualify for the competitions through the last chance with the fastest time, but in the second round of the first heat things went wrong again. Ludovic fell hard and tore the cruciate ligaments in his knee. The weekend was immediately over for the young Waal and he did not start in the second heat.
Freek van der Vlist showed in Italy that he is not only super fast on sand tracks. With a nice fifth place in the qualifications, he could start the competitions with confidence. In the first heat he had a bad start and was only registered 35th on the first crossing of the finish line. He immediately found his feet and flew forward like an express train. In no time he was in the top 10 and eventually Freek managed to cross the line in fifth place.
In the second moto Freek had a much better start in sixth place. He immediately attacked again and just before halfway he ended up in third place, which he would not relinquish. With this third place, Freek finished fourth in the final standings and narrowly missed the podium.
Marnicq Bervoets: ' I look back on the weekend with mixed feelings. Freek really surprised me, he set a pace to fight for the win and I honestly didn't expect that on a hard track like this. Ludovic, who actually had to fight for the victory, did not get into his rhythm and made many mistakes, resulting in the injury. Petar rode a great first moto, but was again unable to confirm in the second moto. He has the speed to compete around fifth/sixth place, but his starts kill him every time. I would like to see him at the front for two motos. He is super motivated for his home GP, so hopefully he can achieve a good result there.'
Freek van der Vlist: ' I traveled to Italy without great expectations. I had a great time on the beautiful circuit and the riding went really well, beyond expectations actually. In the first moto I came back from the back to fifth place, and in the second moto I was closing in on the leaders at one point but I started to make some mistakes and decided to secure third place. I am very happy with this result and am looking forward to riding in Portugal. I've never been there but the course seems to be very nice too. The podium is my next goal!'
The next GP will be held next weekend in Sevlievo, Bulgaria, Petar's home town.
Photo Credit: 'Bavo Swijgers'
Your reactions