European Youth Championship win in Denmark for Spaniard Jorge Prado Garcia!
The 65 and 85cc pilots these days do not get a weekend of rest. After the German mud bath less than two weeks ago, this weekend it was time for a dry heat in Slagelse, Denmark. Belgians at the start were Wesly Smolders, Tallon Verhelst and Jago Geerts. Unfortunately, we have to miss Jarni Kooij due to a serious elbow injury and Emilio Vannieuwenhuyze is also not there this time.
85 tsp
We start with the class with our Belgians in. Both Jago Geerts and Tallon Verhelst are chasing a good result, while Wesly Smolders mainly wants to gain experience in his only second European Championship. In the qualifying series, Jago Geerts was the best Belgian, with a third place he nestled among names such as Facchetti, Prado Garcia, Savaste and van de Moosdijk. Tallon Verhelst still suffered from bruised and swollen buttocks during a crash in Harfsen and achieved a 29th place. Wesly Smolders had a great start, but halfway through the race he suddenly fell back, meaning he was 34th to choose his starting gate on Sunday.
During the first series on Sunday there was a close fight between Jorge Prado Garcia and Kim Savaste, the Spaniard and the Finn crossed the finish line first and second with a difference of only 0,9 seconds! We found Jago Geerts in third place, who had driven the fastest lap of the race. Tallon Verhelst finished 15th after a good start. Wesly Smolders unfortunately had to leave the race after 7 laps after he got his handlebar in the ribs.
In the second series, our compatriot Geerts recovered and pulled himself away from the duo Prado Garcia and Savaste by 5 seconds. Verhelst had some bad luck with riders who fell at the start and had to come back from far away. Unfortunately for the East Flemish rider, he fell one spot short of points and finished 1st. Wesly Smolders could not appear at the start of the second series.
In the daily rankings Jorge Prado Garcia wins with 47 points, 2 Jago Geerts 45 points, 3 Kim Savaste 42 points, 4 Mikkel Haarup 34 points, 5 Roan van de Moosdijk 33 points, 20 Tallon Verhelst 6 points, Wesly Smolders unfortunately could not finish either series and we wish him a speedy recovery!
In the total standings for the North-West region, we currently have 1 qualified Belgian with Jago Geerts in second place, ten points behind Jorge Prado Garcia.
65 tsp
In the 65cc class it was who else than Rasmus Pedersen. The Dane managed to win both heats again and thus take away the day's ranking. Noel Nilsson and Dutchman Ryan de Beer shared the spoils and came second and third with 40 points each. Nikita Kucherov came fourth and Magnus Smith fifth.
Reactions Belgians:
Tallon Verhelst: “What a bad weekend, my buttocks were still blue and swollen and it wasn't turning properly. In addition, I fell twice more and hit my butt again with my handlebars. The worst series was the qualifying series, I was doing quite well but then fell. While straightening the motorcycle, someone hit the motorcycle so I could pick it up again. The result was a 29th qualifying place. The first heat on Sunday went smoothly and there was nothing special, I started well and was able to keep my position, so I finished 15th. In the second heat I had a bad start, some guys fell in front of me and I had to let a lot of guys pass. I then crossed the finish line in 21st place. I wish Welsy the best of luck. Congratulations also to Jago, provided he had a good start in the first series he could have achieved a double.”
Wesly Smolders: “I'm certainly gaining experience! You simply cannot train on such a circuit in Belgium and you could see that in my riding. For example, I made a mistake in the first heat that caused me to go off hard. My nose now looks completely blue, I have a bump and my abdominal muscles are affected. Hopefully it will go a little smoother next time, but I believe in it. With all the tips we get from the Dankers family, this will be fine ;-).”
Jago Geerts: “I just had a good weekend, no real outliers or major setbacks. Although I did fall in the first moto when I was close to the leaders, so I ended up third. In the second series it went smoother and I didn't make any mistakes. The circuit was also nice, it was a fun surface to race on and with lots of fun jumps. Now hop to Varsseveld, which I see as a home game and where I will do everything I can to win!”
MAY 31 & JUNE 1 European Championships in Varsseveld for only €5 +children up to 14 years old. FREE!!!
No, we're not lying, for just €5 entry you can enjoy the best 65 and 85cc motocross riders in the world for two days! If you are worried that the program is not well filled, you can also count on a kids & sidecars race (youth sidecars) and the MX2 Cup! Let's all go to Varsseveld, at least we will be there on Sunday!
Text & photo: Frederik 'VePix' Van Eeckhoven
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