KEMEA Yamaha Yamalube Race Report GP15: Mantova, Lombardy
After a disappointing home match in Lommel, the summer break was an ideal time to recharge the batteries. At the Lombardy GP in Mantova it quickly became apparent that the KEMEA Yamaha Yamalube riders had made very useful use of the break. With a fourth, sixth and ninth place in the final standings, there were three KEMEA drivers in the top 10 this weekend!
Things went quite well during the qualifications on Saturday. Damon and Benoit finished in sixth and seventh place respectively. Brent followed a little further in 14th place after having to return from well outside the top 20.
In the first series on Sunday, both Damon and Benoit got off to a good start. After the first lap, Damon was in fifth place, followed by Benoit in eighth and Brent in 11th. Damon quickly moved up to fourth place and only had to let Guillod go in the second part of the race. He arrived fifth, immediately scoring his best MX2GP result. Paturel finished sixth and Brent finished in 11th place.
At the start of the second heat, Damon was involved in a massive crash a few meters behind the starting gate. He started again far behind the rest and kept pushing until the end to finish 17th. As a result, Damon was classified ninth in the final standings. Brent had a mediocre start and was in contention for eighth place throughout the race, where he also finished. Due to the two regular results, he still finished sixth in the daily results. Benoit, for his part, had a super start and was in second place after a few corners. In the first lap, Benoit had to let World Cup leader Jonass go ahead, but the Frenchman bit into the Latvian's rear wheel. At the end of the race, Gasjer passed both riders and Benoit ultimately finished fourth in the wheel of Jonass. As a result, Paturel again achieved fourth place in the final standings.
In the World Championship standings, Benoit climbs to ninth place. Brent also moves up two places and is now 13th. Damon is in 29th place but already only 5 GPs in this class.
Next weekend the team will be at the start of the last GP on European soil this year in Assen on the legendary circuit.
Benoit Paturel: “ I'm really happy with my weekend and how things are going at the moment. I already had a good feeling on Saturday. I wasn't happy with my start and riding in the first moto, but I still finished sixth, which wasn't bad. In the second heat I had a good start and was able to follow the World Cup leader for the entire heat. Everything has been going really well in recent weeks and I have the feeling that a podium is getting close. The goal is to try to achieve another podium this year, but the most important thing is to keep working and improving as we are doing now.”
Brent Vandoninck: “ The end result is good, but I'm not satisfied with the way I rode. I felt exhausted quickly and couldn't push as I wanted. I had problems passing riders and was stuck behind Sterry in the first moto and Jacobi in the second moto. I cut my teeth on them and lost too much energy in those duels. Anyway, in the end I was able to achieve two decent results and ended up sixth in the final standings, so it wasn't that bad. On to the next match!”
Damon Graulus: “ Overall it was a positive weekend for me. In qualifying we tried some adjustments and I was happy with the result. I rode a good race on Saturday and felt comfortable on the track. The first series was very good and I was satisfied with the speed. Although Guillod still passed me, I could follow him quite well and the lap times were comparable. It was a bit of a relief to have such a match with a good result. I know what I can do but this was confirmation of that. A lot of things have happened this year and it has been very difficult at times, but I know I have to keep moving forward. In the second heat I came into contact with Benoit and Seewer at the start and a few of us crashed hard. Initially I had some pain in my head and neck, but in the end it wasn't too bad. Even though the bike was completely bent, I still tried to get the most out of it. On to Assen now for the last EMX2 race. The goal is to end the season on a high note. I would like to thank my mechanic Gino, also my family, my father for all the help this weekend and the entire KEMEA team.”
Photos: Bavo
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