KEMEA Yamaha Official MX2 Race Report, GP2 Indonesia
For the second GP of the season, the MXGP caravan traveled to Pangkal Pinang in Indonesia. Everyone was curious to discover this new location and the new circuit on the calendar. The locals provided a warm welcome and it was quickly clear that everyone was very enthusiastic about this competition. The only spoilsport that remained was the rain, and this ultimately had a major influence on the weekend!
Tropical rain showers turned the course into a mud pit and on Saturday it quickly became clear that the full Saturday program would not be possible in these conditions. Although the course dried quickly after the rain, there were too many deep ruts and boggy spots. It was therefore decided after the first free practice sessions that the result would be the starting position for the races on Sunday and the rest of the day was neutralized.
In this training, Benoit Paturel was the fastest of the KEMEA riders. He rode the sixth fastest time. Brent followed a little further in 11th place, followed by Alvin in 12th place.
The track had already dried up quite a bit before the first heat. There were still some very boggy places, but most of it was passable. Brent had the best start of the three, starting in eighth place. He survived the circuit quite well and climbed to a strong fourth place. Alvin was just behind Brent and moved along well. He was running in seventh place when on lap ten he got stuck in one of the boggy sections, which became increasingly worse as the race progressed. He had to abandon the fight and was classified 23rd. Benoit had a poorer start and was outside the top 15 in the initial phase. He came out strong, eventually finished in 5th place and did a good job in the standings.
Rain between the heats and a first set of MXGP riders resulted in a completely different course in the second heat. A part was taken out of circulation but it was still survival for the riders. The race started dramatically for Benoit when he crashed into the starting gate and was the last to enter the first corner. However, he got through the first laps well and drove to the front at an astonishing pace. In no time he was in second place and seemed on his way to taking the red plate, but after 8 laps his clutch burned out and he could no longer continue. The conditions had now become so bad that the race management decided shortly later to raise the red flag and stop the race. All in all, the damage for Benoit was not too bad and he was classified 11th. Brent and Alvin got off to a mediocre start and together rode just outside the top 10 in the first laps. Both got stuck in the mud puddle and fell far back. Alvin got stuck again a little later and had to abandon the fight again without points. Brent came back strong and finished 13th after being 30th at one point earlier in the race.
Paturel finished 7th in the final standings with 26 points. Brent scored the same number of points and came 8th in the Indonesian mud. In the World Championship standings, Benoit is now third, 8 points behind leader Lieber. Brent moves up to 7th place in the championship. Alvin finished 29th in Pangkal Pinang and drops to 18th place in the championship.
Benoit Paturel: “I'm disappointed with the results... If you look at the circumstances, it's not too bad, but there was so much more to it. In the first series I was not satisfied with my driving style, but I finished fifth after a bad start. In the second series I hit the fence but had good speed. I was doing well in second place but then the clutch failed 2 laps before the red flag. Fortunately, the damage is not too bad and I still take eleventh place. Quickly back home now to train hard for the next competition in Argentina!”
Brent Vandoninck: “What a race… I had a good pace in the first heat. I made some mistakes but was able to keep a cool head. I was happy with fourth place and hoped for a similar result in the second heat, but the conditions were even tougher… I'm happy to leave here in one piece and with seventh place in the standings. Big thanks also to my mechanic for the hard work in these hellish conditions! On to Argentina now!”
Alvin Ostlund: “ There's not really much to say about this weekend. I'm disappointed to leave Indonesia without points... But we won't hang our heads, so I'm already looking forward to Argentina for a better result!”
Images @shotbybavo
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