Robin Bakens dominates the beach cross of Loon Plage
Now that the European Championships are over and the Belgian Championship is taking a break, it's over Robin Bakens time for something different. The Saint-Gilles resident went to Dunkirk to participate in the Loon Plage beach cross. In this competition for MX1, MX2 and quad riders, Robin had registered with the MX2 class.
Saturday Even though Bakens was allowed to take action, a kind of press day was planned where some drivers were allowed to train for two hours on the circuit. “A press day like that is something nice. Not only do you as a driver get to know the circuit, the atmosphere around it was also something unique, something fun. That evening there was a kind of press conference for the local media and a driver presentation.” According to Robin Bakens.
Sundays it became a lot more serious. The day started with the free and qualifying training in one session, 10 minutes were free and 10 minutes timed. The fact that it was possible to drive the day before was a huge advantage. With lap times of 3:47 there had not been much time to get to know the track. On a flat circuit, Robin was immediately able to set the first time ahead of his eternal competitor Nicolas Dercourt, whom he has known since his 85cc period.
At the start of the first series it took some getting used to, the starting gate consisted of one gigantic long bar that fell forward. Bakens had put himself well forward and did what every rider does, from the moment he sees the gate moving he opens the throttle fully. With this fence it was a bit disappointing, because it was in one piece the fence fell rather slowly, causing Robin to drive against the fence with full force and therefore hesitate for a moment. A seventh place after the first few corners was the result. After overtaking one lap, Robin then came onto the rear wheel of his rival and leader Nicolas Dercourt, who was also a 4e managed to secure a place during the European Championship250cc in Maggiora. Going into the second lap Nicolas made a mistake and without too much effort the #94 Yamaha was at the front. Thanks to clear instructions from the pits from mechanic Lesley, it was clear to Bakens that his pace was good and the first series victory was a fact.
In second heat was a kind of similar scenario. This time, Bakens had positioned himself in the middle of the gate and quite far back, so he could see when the gate operator was going to drop the starting gate. However, the timing was still a bit wrong and once again Bakens drove straight into the starting gate. After a tough duel with Dercourt, Robin was able to take the lead in the first lap and he never relinquished it, despite the small mistakes in the quad tracks.
In third heat Bakens had the timing absolutely perfect at the starting gate, when switching to second gear it was immediately clear that Robin had the holeshot. However, this series did not go smoothly, as things almost went wrong in the third corner. Due to the suddenly deep ruts, Bakens choked on the sand for a moment, but luckily he was able to stay in the lead. Just before the start of the second round, something had to go wrong. During a typical crash in the sand, the front wheel skidding, Robin went over the handlebars. Fortunately he still had the reflex to keep the clutch pressed and so the engine kept running, when he left he suddenly found himself with both Daymond Martens and Nicolas Dercourt next to him. The crowd already started to cheer that these three riders were sitting 3 abreast on a straight, but when Bakens, Martens and Dercourt flew into the corner shoulder to shoulder, the roof went off. Fortunately, Bakens came out on top and was able to maintain his rhythm for the rest of the race and gradually increase the lead. With a 1-1-1 score, things couldn't have gone better for Bakens and he was of course super satisfied with his result!
“This was really good, not only that I won all the heats and was the fastest in training, but also that I had a weekend without any bad luck. Last week in Orp I had a serious fall on my knee, which had already been operated on, and as a result I had to undergo therapy with Frederik Adriaensens from REV training in Beveren. Thanks to him I was able to ride this weekend without pain and I was completely ready! I would also like to thank all my other sponsors for supporting me 365 days throughout the year; Steven Braems drilling and concrete works, Arai Helmets, Leatt protectives, Gaerne Boots, BEST products, Putoline motorcycle oils, Yamaha Belgium, Van Hasselt exhausts, TMV, Twin Air, No Limit Graphics, Fietswereld Bijvank, Renthal, Muc-Off, Acerbis, Beacons Yamaha, Pirelli, Spirit suspension, REV Training.” Thus Robin Bakens
Photos Jee-Wee
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