6th place for Petar Petrov in home game
In Sevlievo, Bulgaria, Petar Petrov broke his series of setbacks with a sixth place in the final standings. Petar rode two strong series in front of his own audience and gave the KEMEA Yamaha racing team their best GP result so far in 2014. Luke finished 19th in the final standings and Cyril finished in 21st place.
The otherwise super-fast circuit of Sevlievo was transformed into a technically difficult circuit with deep ruts due to heavy rainfall earlier this week. However, the bad weather of the past week could not stop Bulgarian fans from coming out to support Petar over the weekend.
The youngest member of the team Cyril Genot had his second race for the European Championship 125cc in Sevlievo. Cyril had some difficulty on Saturday morning finding the right lines on the circuit and, with 29th, did not have a very good starting position for the races. In the first moto Cyril got off to a good start, but on the first lap he fell back to 26th place. From there he returned lap after lap to eventually finish 18th. On Sunday, 14-year-old Genot felt much more comfortable on the track. However, he was pushed out at the start and finished 1th after 24 lap. Just like the day before, Cyril was able to make up a lot of places and eventually finished 15th, good for 21st place in the final standings and a provisional 19th place in the European Championship standings.
Petar and Luke had a solid qualifying heat on Saturday. With Petar in 9th and Luke in 12th, both KEMEA riders had a good starting position for the races on Sunday.
Petar made a good start in the first heat, but in the fourth corner he was hit by the rear wheel of another rider and crashed. He was only able to start well behind the penultimate rider, but started an impressive catch-up race. The Bulgarian spectators shouted loudly for their compatriot and Petar eventually returned to eighth place. Luke finished in 15th place after the first round and fought for 14th place throughout the race. Only on the penultimate lap did the Australian fall back to 15th place.
In the second heat we got a good start from Petar this time. He started in 10th place and was able to climb to seventh place quite quickly. There he dueled with Glenn Coldenhoff for laps. Only in the final phase did Petar manage to outwit the Dutchman to cross the finish line in sixth place. Petar is sixth in the final standings and achieved his best result this season. In the World Cup standings, Petar climbs to 13th place.
Luke also had a good start in this second heat with a 13th position after 1 lap. Because he injured his wrist during a jump, Luke did not take any risks and fell back a few places. He crossed the line in 16th place, good for 17th place in the final standings. Styke is now 19th in the World Cup standings.
You can find the full results here.
The Kemea Yamaha racing team now returns to Belgium to prepare for the ONK competition in Axel next Saturday and the GP of Valkenswaard on April 26 and 27. Next Sunday Petar Petrov will also participate in the international competition in Wuustwezel.
Petar Petrov: Finally a boost! And the fact that this is happening in Bulgaria is great! Normally I always drive poorly here, but this year it was completely different. The otherwise fast course was now much more technical and difficult due to the rain, so you could make a difference. In the first moto I fell and had to start all the way back. I really gave it my all and enjoyed the match. I could hear the crowd screaming and that was a thrill, it gave me an extra boost. In the second series the course was treacherous due to the rain. I didn't want to take too many risks, but after a nice duel with Coldenhoff I finished sixth. These are the riders I have to compete with and I am especially happy that I was able to achieve two good results after those disappointing weekends. Now to Valkenswaard!
Luke Styke: Saturday went pretty well for me. I rode a good qualifying round and finished twelfth. On Sunday it was more difficult, I couldn't find the right lines and I also sprained my wrist during a jump. Afterwards I drove around tensely and a little too carefully so as not to put extra strain on my wrist. We are now going back to Belgium where we will work hard again and I will prepare as best as possible for the next GP.
Cyril Genot: I had another difficult weekend. I clearly still lack some experience on circuits like this. Just like last week, Sunday went much better than Saturday. I had a bad training time and therefore had to start far from the outside in the races. My start in the first heat was quite good, but everything went against me in the first lap. I was held up by other people's falls, made some mistakes myself and lost many places. I finished 18th, but after such a start it must have been better and I was not satisfied. In the second moto I had a bad start, but my riding went much better. I arrived 15th but I am satisfied with that series. It's a bit of a shame that it takes a while before I can find my way on the circuit, but that's part of the learning process I think... The next race is in Valkenswaard and I hope things will go better there!
Marnicq Bervoets: I'm really happy that we can bring home a good result. After many setbacks, it was a good boost for the entire team. Everyone continues to work hard and it is always nice when this is rewarded with good results. Petar rode a very strong first heat. He was one of the fastest on the track but unfortunately crashed on the first lap. In the second series I think he shot too many arrows in the first game, otherwise there would have been more. He finished a handful of seconds behind in third place, but it is good for confidence that he was able to achieve two good results. Luke rode well on Saturday but struggled on Sunday. He also hurt his wrist and tried to spare it some. Cyril also rode well. He just needs to be a little more aggressive in the first laps. In the second half of the race he gains steam and rides very well. If he can do that from the start, I think he can make it into the top 10. But we must not forget that he is only 14 and is discovering everything for the first time. The most important thing for him now is to gain as much experience as possible and learn from mistakes.
Photos Bavo Swijgers
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