Yentel Martens: The comeback
Yentel Martens has had to deal with more than his share of bad luck in recent years, and this year too he was forced to miss out on a large part of the season. After a few weeks of silence, we thought the time was ripe for a chat with this sympathetic Lommel resident and asked about his plans and ambitions for the future.
Can you take us back to the day of the accident?
Yentel Martens: It all happened when I was driving towards a spring mountain during the GP in Germany. Since I was trying to make up time on my competitors, I came towards the mountain a little faster than normal. The moment I tried to brake, I immediately felt that I no longer had any brakes due to a stone that had gotten between my rear brake pedal, causing me to be catapulted into the air at far too high a speed. I immediately knew it wasn't good, and as I was in the air I tried to protect my wrists as best I could, thinking they might take a beating. But when I landed, it turned out that it was not my wrists, but my leg that took the brunt of the impact. Immediately I knew something was broken.
So you already knew it was serious?
Yentel Martens: Yes, I knew immediately that my season, which I had trained hard for all winter, was over. At first I actually thought I had broken my ankle, but after taking the necessary photos it turned out to be my shin bone. We immediately drove to Herentals, where I had surgery on Sunday morning.
What went through your mind when you heard the verdict?
Yentel Martens: That is of course a terrible feeling, because at that moment I was going all out for the title in the EMX300, but I was also in a nice fourth place in the Dutch masters championship, and in BK I even had the lead. And suddenly you lose it all in a split second. But motocross is also a risky sport, so things like that can happen. The thing that bothers me the most at the moment is that it is already the third year in a row that I have been injured. At first I wondered why I still do all this, but I managed to turn that switch again quite quickly.
How did your rehabilitation go?
Yentel Martens: Immediately after the operation I decided not to give up and actually started working again straight away to be ready for the beach races at the end of the season. Even though I had to walk with crutches for 7 weeks after my operation, I had already asked my trainer (Joel Roelants) after two weeks to make me training plans again. After two weeks in plaster, I even started cycling again, and for the rest I mainly spent time with the physiotherapist to ensure that my ankle and the like remained flexible. I was and am very motivated to be top fit again for the beach races at the end of the season.
Are there things you do now that you can't drive that you wouldn't be able to do otherwise?
Yentel Martens: No, I actually just continued to do what I always did before, cycling, training at the gym and going to the physiotherapist. What was unfortunate, for example, was that when the men on the team went jet skiing, I went along, but of course I couldn't jet ski myself. So I was mainly unable to do things, which is of course normal when you are injured.
The EMX300 championship has been on the rise in recent years, do you have an explanation why this championship is so popular?
Yentel Martens: It has certainly become a nice class with pilots like Mike Kras, Brad Anderson,… and I think everyone just likes to see two-strokes at work. It is also less expensive in terms of registration and the like, and it may also be slightly easier for some pilots to qualify in this class than in other classes.
Will we see you take another shot at the title next season?
Yentel Martens: No, not at all! That is a decision that has already been made. I tried for three years, and unfortunately I was unable to become champion due to injuries. I also don't want to get stuck in the EMX and I want to try to move up again. That's why I'm going to try to ride a number of GPs again next season, and who knows, maybe one day a full GP season again.
Do you actually have any plans for the current season?
Yentel Martens: Normally I ride my first race again at the Keiheuvel. I have actually missed that race for 3 years, so this year I want to be at the start no matter what. For the rest, there are only BK and possibly ONK competitions on the program, so that we can still work towards the beach races with the necessary competition rhythm. Perhaps, if I can get my level up again in time, I will appear at the start of the MXGP in Assen, with the hope of being able to compete in the points again.
Finally, if we could wish you one more thing for this season, what would it be?
Yentel Martens: Win in Le Touquet! And by extension, win as many beach races as possible. I tried that for the first time two years ago, and it actually went very well straight away. I also participated in Le Touquet that year, and I thought it was fantastic! It's not really cross, and that makes it completely different from, for example, coming to a GP here in Lommel. For me, Le Touquet is one of the most beautiful events of the year, and I know that when all is said and done, I should definitely be able to win there.
Text and photos: Dieter Jans
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