Robin Bakens continues to make progress!
It is not easy what Robin Bakens does, returning from injury in two Belgian championships with top players at the start such as Clement Desalle, Gautier Paulin, Ken de Dycker and so on. But as the Kawasaki pilot himself points out, the racing rhythm and the motorcycle feeling must return.
This weekend the Belgian Championships in Orp-Le-Grand were on the program. Even before Robin had arrived in Orp, he had already suffered a setback: comrade Ryan Bonnewijn, who has also been a customer and pilot of Bakens Motoren for years, had a serious fall and suffered a serious injury. Robin would like to wish him a speedy recovery in this way!
Fortunately, things went better for the Acerbis-clad pilot on Sunday. During the timed training sessions where the circuit was still a bit greasy in some places, Bakens immediately managed to get into a good rhythm, resulting in a 13th fastest time.
Even before the first heat started it was clear that it was going to be a tough race. All the times of the timed training were very close to each other. After a fairly good start, Robin was soon in 10th place and was able to mix well with the GP men who set the pace. When some GP riders who started poorly came along towards the end, Robin tried to catch up and increase his own pace. Technically that seemed to be fine, but on a physical level the Waaslander received a blow from the figuratively infamous man with the hammer. He lost a few more places and crossed the finish line in 12th.
In the second moto it was a fight. After a very bad start, it was a matter of collecting sand and dust on the now dried out circuit. Halfway through the race, Bakens was given the opportunity to develop his own pace and drive towards a group in front of him. Unfortunately for Robin, that group also rode a tight pace and he was unable to reach 100%. Ultimately, pressure came from behind towards the end of the series. But fighting for every meter, Bakens came in 15th.
In the last heat of the day there was another bad start for the Arai Helmets sponsored rider. Fortunately, he was able to make up some places on the outside in the first few corners. What followed was pure hectic, everyone fought for their position with the knife between their teeth and no one backed away from some physical contact. Despite the brutal violence, Robin was able to move up a few places and halfway through the race he was around 20th place. At a certain point, with a few laps to go, it started to rain, the wetness in combination with the very hard surface in Orp-Le-Grand made for a very slippery track, something the Kawasaki rider is familiar with. He was able to roll up a few more men towards the end, including Thomas Covington, and came in 16th. In the day's rankings, Robin Bakens ultimately finished in 14th place overall.
Robin Bakens: “Due to Ryan Bonnewijn's injury, I did not come here to the small citadel with full courage. But after the timed training on Sunday morning I already noticed that it was going to be a fun day in terms of sport. I found a good rhythm and was able to set a good time straight away in the timed training. Also in that first heat it was a relief that I was in a good position at the start and was able to achieve a good result. In the next two heats I had to fight for every meter, I am satisfied with my pace and feeling on the bike. The results are not quite there yet, but the progress I want to make is there!”
This press release was made possible by: Arai Helmets, Gaerne Boots, Putoline motorcycle oils, Twin Air, No Limit Graphics, Acerbis, Spirit suspension, REV Training, Het Ploegske, Prodeals, Bakens Motoren, Scott goggles, Gebben Motoren, Van Venrooy, Van Hasselt Exhausts, De Witte-De Cauwer fresh fruit wholesaler.
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