EMX250: Candidate successors to Kjer Thomas Olsen!
Motocross fans can say what they want, but there is one thing they cannot ignore. The system of European championships set up by Youthstream is paying off. In recent years, the EMX250 has provided us with many strong pilots. In 2011, none other than Romain Febvre became EMX250 champion ahead of Dylan Ferrandis. Familiar names, aren't they? In short, a good performance in the EMX250 is noted by the people who can and may make the decisions.
We now have to look forward to what the “class of 2017” has in store for us. We already discussed the Belgians and the Dutch with you, but what about all those talents from sometimes far beyond our region?
With champion Kjer Thomas Olsen who has been promoted to the WKMX2 and is competing for podiums and even possibly the title. With Darian Sanayei, Bas Vaesen and Anton Gole also promoted to the MX2 World Championship. Plus the fact that Kevin Wouts, who finished fifth last year, is leaving the EMX250 for what it is this year. Ensures that room is made for new names in the firmament.
Miro Sihvonen – KTM DIGA Junior Racing
The first conclusion we make is that Miro Sihvonen is the highest seed of 2016 who will participate again this year. The Diga KTM pilot will find everything he needs to fight for the title with the Belgian team. Last season, the Finnish talent finished in sixth place by completing a very regular season. We also saw a progression in the results of Miro Sihvonen, who managed to achieve his first overall podium at the end of the season in the Grand Prix of Lommel. His season started strongly with the overall victory in the first ADAC Youngsters match of the season last weekend.
Zach Pichon – Team Suzuki World MX2
In the same ADAC Youngsters match, Miro Sihvonen had to beat Zachery or Zach Pichon for the win. The Frenchman ran away with second place in the overall ranking by claiming a fourth and third place. A more than solid result for Mickael's son. Especially if we keep in mind that the young man who is also under the wings of Stefan Everts is in his 250cc debut year.
Josiah Natzke – Hitachi KTM UK
Josiah Natzke is already starting his second season on the 250cc machine. The New Zealander, who will compete for the Hitachi KTM UK team this season, largely missed out on last season due to injuries. Still, he managed to end the championship with a podium finish in Switzerland. In the preparatory matches that he completed in the United Kingdom, he sometimes showed that speed. For example, he managed to finish third in the first round of the British Championship in Culham, only to fail to finish the second round. However, the Norwich race was more dramatic for Natzke, with only nine points in the first leg and another zero score in the second leg. There are therefore big question marks behind Josiah Natzke's name.
Stephen Rubini – Monster Energy Kawasaki MX2
Frenchman Stephen Rubini had a great time last season in the EMX125 together with our compatriot Jago Geerts. However, his title chances were curtailed by a wrist injury. But everyone had seen the talent of the 18-year-old Frenchman. The official Kawasaki team signed the young Stephen Rubini and immediately threw him to the lions in the WKMX2. A strange move by the team that they now seem to be backtracking on. Stephen Rubini scored only 11 points. Of which 9 points in Leon. So there is clear progress in Stephen Rubini who, due to a very short preparation, had a very short time to get used to the 250cc due to the persistent wrist injury. Now that he is slowly getting used to it and he has decided to take a step back, he is immediately a dangerous candidate to achieve great results in the EMX250 championship. He already has 4 World Championship MX2 Grand Prix experience under his belt.
Kim Savaste – BUD Racing Monster Energy Kawasaki
This Finn broke his back during the “Motocross des Nations”. Fortunately, the break was not too bad, but it was feared that he would miss the entire 2017 season. But that was beyond his willpower. The Junior World Champion 85cc from Liernieux has been back on the bike for a while and that is a victory in itself, what the results will be remains to be seen. But it is clear to followers of the sport that the Kawasaki pilot has the necessary dose of talent and fighting spirit.
Karlis Sabulis – ASTES4-TESAR YAMAHA
Due to both the injuries of title candidates Roan van de Moosdijk and Maxime Renaux, Karlis Sabulis is the only survivor of the original line-up from the official EMX250 Yamaha team. However, we can expect something from Karlis Sabulis, who replaced the injured Brent Van Doninck in the WKMX2 last season, and this was not bad with 34 points from three games. As you know, Roan van de Moosdijk will be replaced by Nick Kouwenberg, Maxime Renaux will be replaced by Jan Pancar. This Slovenian finished twentieth in the EMX125 championship last year.
The invasion of non-Europeans.
We already talked about the fact that the system works. We also see this in the registrations, where we see more and more boys following the example of Josiah Natzke and Darian Sanayei. This year there are seven pilots on the starting list who come from either America, Australia or New Zealand. Well-known but also less well-known names.
Tristan Charboneau – BUD Racing Monster Energy Kawasaki
Tristan Charboneau is one of the well-known names. The American was a top amateur in his home country and managed to win two prestigious Loretta Lynn titles. The man from Washington State made his professional debut in 2016 for the well-known Geico Honda. That season was marked by injuries, but he still managed to reach the top ten twice. This in Hangtown in his debut National and in Unadilla. Tristan Charboneau was supposed to complete the West Coast Supercross championship together with BUD Kawasaki, but this went smoothly and everything quickly turned to the EMX250 championship. In the competitions already held on European soil, we see that the surface determines the result.
Caleb Grotheus – TEAM DIGA-Procross
This name will sound unfamiliar to many, but this Australian is Junior Motocross World Champion 65cc (2012) and Vice-Junior Motocross World Champion 85cc (2014). In short, Caleb Grotheus knows how to push the throttle, which he also showed in the first ADAC Youngster Cup race by finishing the second round behind Miro Sihvonen. In the ONK, however, the results were not always of the same strength. If sand tracks seem to be a weakness, the Husqvarna pilot is in trouble with 3 sand tracks on the calendar.
Dylan Walsh – Carglass Honda Racing
Uh Who do you say? Dylan Walsh (article photo) is a Brit who grew up in New Zealand. However, he quickly outgrew this country as a motocross rider, so he moved to the Millsaps Training Facility (MTF) in America to train and live there. The Briton achieved some sensational results there. In the Monster Energy Cup he managed to finish fourth in the Amateur Allstar race. In addition, he scored some nice results in 2016 at Loretta Lynn, James Stewart Freestone National and the RC4 Daytona Supercross. All Amateur (youth) competitions. This Briton therefore has the necessary potential, but the question is whether the adjustment to European jobs will be successful. Getting to know the Dutch sand was difficult last weekend.
Jed Beaton – Carglass Honda Racing
Jed Beaton is the current MX2 Champion of Australia. The Honda pilot had a tight preparation with results that were more than OK. For example, he managed to achieve a fifth and third place at the ONK in Axel. However, this third place was canceled due to a one minute penalty due to too much noise. In the last Dutch Masters of Motocross in Harfsen he finished fifth in the daily results.
Also take into account…
Because the EMX250 really seems to have a qualitatively even field this year, it is not bad to take into account pilots such as the Dane Nichlas Bjerregaard, the Frenchman Pierre Goupillon (third in EMX125 in 2016) or the second American at BUD Kawasaki Marshal Weltin. And what about the Italians like Davide Cislaghi, Simone Zecchina, Morgan Lesiardo and other Filipo Zontas.
Text: Matthias Van Eeckhoven
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