KEMEA Yamaha Official MX Team Press release: GP3 Valkenswaard
Brent Vandoninck and Benoit Paturel fully lived up to expectations in Valkenswaard, Netherlands, with a 4th and 5th place in the final standings of the GP. Valentin Guillod held his own in the MXGP class and finished 13th, while Maxime Renaux showed in his European Championship MX2 debut that he has the speed of the top 5, but due to setbacks this was not reflected in the results.
Things already went wrong for Maxime in the first heat on Sunday. After finishing second in his group, Maxime got off to a good start. He was in fifth place with the leaders when he suffered technical problems on the third lap and had to leave the race.
Maxime was also at the front from the start in the second series on Sunday. In the battle for the lead, the Frenchman had an unfortunate fall. It took a while before he got the engine running again. Once back in the race he crashed again and lost a lot of time again. He started back at a great distance from the rest, but no longer played a significant role in the race.
Valentin crossed the finish line in 12th place in the first heat after a regular race. The conditions were very tough due to the rain and it was important not to make any mistakes. In the final heat, the Swiss crashed in the first corner and had to start from the very back. He did not give up and managed to return to 16th place. He finished 13th in the final standings and is now 11th in the World Cup standings.
Brent encountered technical problems during qualifying on Sunday and had to start completely on the outside of the fence, which was a major disadvantage compared to Benoit, among others, who qualified sixth. This was proven in the start, where Benoit got off to a good start and Brent found himself outside the top 10. Benoit finished the first moto in seventh while Brent fought well to cross the line in fifth.
Same story in the second heat with Paturel third and Brent 14th after the first lap. Once again Brent quickly fought his way to the front and a battle ensued with 5 riders for third place. In the duel Brent could no longer avoid the fallen Petrov and he also lost a handful of seconds. He eventually regained his character and made up 2 more places in the very last lap to finish fourth. Benoit followed close behind in sixth place. The KEMEA drivers finished fourth and fifth in the final standings. Brent is now in fifth place in the World Championship standings. Benoit follows two points further in seventh place.
Brent Vandoninck: “I rode two strong races, but there could have been more. Due to the poor starting position, the chance of a good start was very small. In the first moto I quickly had to throw away my glasses and it was really difficult to pass, but fifth was a good result. In the second heat it went really well and unfortunately I lost time due to Petrov's fall. I finished fourth but I have the feeling that there was more to it. A podium was possible with better starts, but in the end I am satisfied. The season is still long and I am now fifth in the final standings. That plus the fact that I was really physically fine means that all in all I leave for the next GP with a positive feeling.”
Benoit Paturel: “Last week I wanted to sign for this result. I was really sick and still didn't feel fully recovered for this tough race. Because of the good starts I was always at the front, but I had to physically drop out towards the end of the race. However, the speed was good and it is good to see that I have also made good progress on this surface.”
Valentin Guillod: “ It was a tough weekend here in Valkenswaard. The results were a bit disappointing, but I still have a good feeling about this match. The first heat was real survival and felt more like an enduro race. The main thing was not to fall and to finish the race. In the second moto things immediately went wrong in the first corner. I was far behind but the riding went really well and I had a good feeling. I came back in the points but I learned a lot.”
Maxime Renaux: “Of course I am disappointed and this is not what I had imagined from this match. I was very happy with the speed and had hoped to be able to join the battle at the front. In the first moto the bike suddenly stopped, and in the second moto I crashed. I lost a lot of time getting the bike started again and in my haste I crashed again. I hurt my wrist but that won't be too bad. I still tried to finish, but it was difficult with such a big gap.
Images: Bavo/CDS
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