KEMEA Yamaha Official MX2 Race Report, GP7 Kegums, Latvia
After Brent's podium two weeks ago in Valkenswaard, expectations were high for the GP of Latvia, where the circuit is quite similar to that in the Netherlands. Ultimately, the weekend turned out completely differently than expected, but both Benoit and Brent showed fighting spirit while Alvin again showed good progress after his injury.
In the qualifying series on Saturday, Brent finished as the first KEMEA rider in 9th position. Benoit followed in 12th place and Alvin did not get further than 19th place after not finding his way in the race.
On Sunday morning in the warm-up, Brent had just started a fast lap when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his ribs. The pain was barely bearable in his rib/back and he could barely breathe. After the first physiotherapy treatment, it still looked like Brent would not start. But after a bit of exercise it got better and better and Vandoninck decided to start anyway.
In the first series, the KEMEA drivers all rode in succession in the first lap in 12th, 13th and 14th position. Despite the pain, Brent was having a strong moto and was in 9th place when he crashed hard at the end of the 8th lap. He left the match but fortunately suffered no further injuries from the fall. Benoit struggled to advance and crossed the finish line in 11th. Alvin, for his part, lost a few places in the beginning, but got into a better rhythm towards the end of the race to cross the line in 13th.
Brent also started the second series with some extra painkillers and tried to dull the pain to limit the damage as much as possible. After a poor start, he eventually came from outside the top 20 back to 14th place and scored seven important points for the championship. Alvin had a solid start and managed to finish tenth after a solid race. He also finished 10th in the day's results and is now in 18th place in the championship. Benoit started outside the top 10 but was better in the race this time. He came back to sixth place and finished 8th in the final standings. In the World Championship standings he remains in fifth place, just ahead of Brent in sixth place.
The riders will now have a weekend without a race and then travel to Teutschenthal.
Benoit Paturel: “ I'm not happy with the results this weekend. The first moto I never got into the race and I rode poorly. The second series was okay, but nothing more than that. I felt better but the result is not what I would like. I keep struggling with the starts and know that everyone is doing everything they can to improve this, so I have to keep doing that too. I am already looking forward to the GP in Teutschenthal, where I enjoy riding.”
Alvin Ostlund: “I'm actually quite satisfied with the Latvian GP. Many riders said that the course was very tough and difficult to ride, but I actually enjoyed myself during the races on Sunday. On Saturday I still rode very poorly, but every time I came to the circuit it got better and better. I still need to regain some strength after my injury, but I feel like things are going in the right direction, and we need that. During the weekend off I will train on the harder circuits so that I can continue the upward trend in Germany.”
Brent Vandoninck: “It's pretty clear that I had something else in mind for the weekend… I felt good on Sunday morning but suddenly had to deal with this terrible pain. I then boosted myself up and, partly due to the adrenaline, it didn't go that bad in the first series. I had no power, and therefore I could not keep the bike during the crash. I crashed hard, but luckily I didn't have too much extra pain. I took extra painkillers before the start of the second heat and was therefore not too sharp for the race. In the end I was able to get a few more points, so that's good. Getting up this morning was quite painful and I still have the feeling that something is still not right. I have an appointment with the doctor on Tuesday to look for the cause and fortunately we have a weekend without a GP to recover.”
Images @shotbybavo
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