KEMEA Yamaha Yamalube Race Report: GP14 Lommel
While the Lommel GP should initially have been a highlight of the season for the KEMEA Yamaha Yamalube team, this past weekend turned out completely differently on a sporting level. The disaster started earlier this week when Maxime Renaux fell during training and suffered a fracture to his collarbone. The leader in the European Championship 125cc tried to ride on Saturday morning, but it soon became clear that this was impossible and he had to give up his title chances. After the weekend, Renaux is now 26 points behind the leader and can therefore theoretically still win the title. It now remains to be seen how the injury will develop and whether Maxime will be able to ride in Assen.
Things didn't go well for Damon Graulus this weekend in the EMX2 class. Damon started the races with confidence after setting the fastest qualifying time. However, things went wrong for him twice in the competitions, meaning he did not get further than 18th and 23rd place. Damon finished 23rd in the final standings and is now third in the championship, 41 points behind the leader.
Brent Vandoninck also went to Lommel with high expectations. He showed on Saturday that these were justified and finished fourth in the qualifying series. A crash in the first series knocked Brent back out of the top 10, but in the end he fought his way back to 9th place. In the second heat, Vandoninck was in contention for seventh place when he came up short on a jump in the second lap. Brent was hurt and the engine was also badly damaged that it was no longer possible to continue. Brent finished 14th in the final standings and is now 15th in the championship.
Until this year, Benoit Paturel had little experience running on sand. He was therefore aware that this would be a tough GP. After finishing 16th on Saturday, he quickly took 10th place in the first series. He was fighting for this position throughout the entire race and eventually finished in 10th place. In the second moto the Frenchman had a slightly poorer start, but he quickly rose to ninth place. He managed to keep the rhythm and finished ninth in this tough race. Benoit finished 8th in the final standings and is now tenth in the World Championship standings.
Damon Graulus: ' There's not much to say about this weekend... I came here to get back some points but I'm leaving with barely a few points. In the first series I rode very tensely, I put too much pressure on myself and made a lot of mistakes. I hit the ground hard on the sixth lap and fell back to 25th place. I had lost a lot of time and didn't get further than 18th place. In the second series I rode much better and felt good, until I crashed again. It is a hard confrontation with reality now... Before this I still firmly believed in my chances, but now it seems to be over. It's already been a strange season... and it certainly hasn't gone the way I wanted. I expected to win this championship but I made too many mistakes. The only thing I can do is resolutely aim for victory in Assen and end the season well.'
Benoit Paturel: 'I am really satisfied with my result. This was by far the toughest circuit I have ever ridden. If they had told me in advance that I would come 8th in Lommel, I would have signed for it immediately. I have the feeling that the hard work is paying off and that I have learned a lot after the many hours in the sand. That was also the goal this year, and the plan is to take a big step forward next year.'
Brent Vandoninck : ' I am very disappointed... I expected so much from this match but the results did not come. Saturday was good, I drove around smoothly, found the right lines and was able to start the races with a good feeling. The first series didn't go that bad. I had held back a bit in the beginning so that I could push until the end, but just when I was pushing forward I fell. I was out of rhythm and didn't get further than 9th place. In the second heat I had a decent start, but in the second lap I fell short on a jump and flew over the bike. I had a lot of pain in my larynx and my ankle. That was the end of a day to quickly forget.'
Photos: CDS
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