De Dycker: “Objective for Lommel achieved”
The Limburg GP in the heavy Lommel sand was circled in red on Ken De Dycker's calendar. De Dycker already showed his speed in front of his own audience, although he suffered from technical problems. Due to an unfortunate fall in the first moto, Damon Graulus was unable to score any points in Lommel.
The Lommel circuit is famous and infamous far beyond the country's borders. For the Limburg GP, however, the riders received a completely new version of 'Het Stedelijk Motocrosscentrum' for the wheels. The circuit was redesigned to drive in the other direction. Add to that the heavy rain on Saturday, five different classes and the warm weather on Sunday and you immediately understand that the 'toughest race in the world' lived up to its title. The demanding conditions took their toll on both the riders and the motorcycles.
De Dycker had a frustrating first day as he struggled with clutch problems. To make matters worse, his tuned engine also gave up the ghost. As a result, 'Keeno' had to switch to a standard power source for the heats on Sunday. Moreover, due to his retirement in the qualifying race, Ken had to go to the starting gate in 34th and penultimate position. Graulus completed a regular qualifying race but had to deal with a flat tire. Ultimately, the former Dutch MX2 champion qualified 19th.
On Sunday a huge crowd came to Lommel to cheer on their favorite riders under a clear blue sky. In the first moto De Dycker started excellently in 11th. The 24MX Honda rider with number 9 held up well to remain in the top 15 until halfway through the race. Although he still had to let Max Anstie pass, 16th place was within reach. Unfortunately, Ken came to a stop on the last lap without gas.
The initial phase was also positive for Graulus. Damon had established a good rhythm and was involved in a duel with evenly matched riders between 16 and 20. When he landed on a table jump on the right side of the jump, the final was when he wanted to get back onto the track. Graulus hit a concrete block of the fence with his rear wheel. He then fell down and hit the concrete block with his right holder. Despite the massive bruising, Damon tried to fight through the pain and finish the second heat. Unfortunately, due to the lack of strength in his arm, he had to throw in the towel.
The first start was so good, the second was so bad for Ken De Dycker. The popular veteran barely kept his footing when a rider fell in front of him and another hit his leg. He moved from 24th position to 30th after 16 minutes plus two laps. A great performance considering the very strong field of participants and his poor start. This also made De Dycker the fifth private driver. In the MXGP World Championship standings, Keeno is now 22nd, Graulus is 23rd.
Ken Dycker: “Okay, we had some mechanical problems on Saturday but all in all I'm happy with how the weekend went. In the second moto I finished 16th which is an accurate representation of where I belong. With a better rhythm and a better start in the beginning, we were maybe two or three positions higher. In any case, I gave it my all. The first series was also good. I could almost follow the pace of Strijbos and Anstie. Too bad I ran out of gas, but that sometimes happens in a tough sand race. Of course it would have been a bit easier if I had been able to ride with the prepared engine, especially considering my weight and on such a tough track. But to be fair, even with the standard block we still did well. A 'big thank you' to the team who had to do mountains of work this weekend. They did an excellent job.”
Damon Graulus: "When I look back on the weekend I can only be disappointed. I just started feeling better and better and I had worked hard to prepare for Lommel. On Saturday and Sunday morning I had some problems with the bike, but in the first heat it went well until I crashed. Fortunately, during the first examinations, there was no damage to my shoulder. I will go to my specialist Dr. for a second opinion. Claes so I can be sure everything is okay for Switzerland. It's a shame how the weekend went, both for the entire team that worked so hard and for my supporters. Unfortunately, this is also part of it. I would have liked to end such a great match in a different way!”
The 24MX Honda team travels to Frauenfeld, Switzerland this weekend for the 15th round of the FIM MXGP World Championship.
MXGP Race 1: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 35:34.225; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:27.342; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:39.296; 4. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:53.580; 5. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), +0:56.056; 6. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +1:00.579; 7. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Husqvarna), +1:02.065; 8. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +1:06.221; 9. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +1:08.869; 10. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +1:22.939; 11. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, Suzuki), +1:32.183; 12. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +1:37.361; 13. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +1:41.428; 14. Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), +1:50.403; 15. Tanel Leok (EST, Husqvarna), +2:04.118; 16. Harri Kullas (EST, Husqvarna), +2:14.937; 17. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Honda), -1 lap(s); 18. Rui Goncalves (POR, Husqvarna), -1 lap(s); 19. Sven Van der Mierden (NED, Husqvarna), -1 lap(s); 20. Filip Bengtsson (SWE, KTM), -1 lap(s); 21. Gert Krestinov (EST, Honda), -1 lap(s); 22. Jens Getteman (BEL, Kawasaki), -1 lap(s); 23. Dietger Damiaens (BEL, KTM), -1 lap(s); 24. Ken de Dycker (BEL, 24MX Honda), -2 lap(s); 25. Ryan Houghton (GBR, Yamaha), -2 lap(s); 26. Eddie Hjortmarker (SWE, Suzuki), -2 lap(s); 27. Bryan Boulard (BEL, Yamaha), -2 lap(s); 28. Priit Ratsep (EST, Honda), -4 lap(s); 29. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), -8 lap(s); 30. Jeffrey Dewulf (BEL, KTM), -9 lap(s); 31. Damon Graulus (BEL, 24MX Honda), -10 lap(s); 32. Cyril Genot (BEL, KTM), -10 lap(s); 33. Stefan Ekerold (GER, Suzuki), -16 lap(s);
MXGP Race 2: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 35:44.270; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:23.346; 3. Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:41.147; 4. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:53.174; 5. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:55.569; 6. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:57.337; 7. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +1:00.060; 8. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +1:17.957; 9. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), +1:32.207; 10. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +1:43.308; 11. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +1:46.629; 12. Harri Kullas (EST, Husqvarna), +1:52.539; 13. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +1:59.169; 14. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Honda), +2:00.016; 15. Tanel Leok (EST, Husqvarna), +2:02.927; 16. Ken de Dycker (BEL, 24MX Honda), -1 lap(s); 17. Rui Goncalves (POR, Husqvarna), -1 lap(s); 18. Filip Bengtsson (SWE, KTM), -1 lap(s); 19. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), -1 lap(s); 20. Gert Krestinov (EST, Honda), -1 lap(s); 21. Sven Van der Mierden (NED, Husqvarna), -1 lap(s); 22. Cyril Genot (BEL, KTM), -1 lap(s); 23. Dietger Damiaens (BEL, KTM), -1 lap(s); 24. Eddie Hjortmarker (SWE, Suzuki), -2 lap(s); 25. Bryan Boulard (BEL, Yamaha), -2 lap(s); 26. Jens Getteman (BEL, Kawasaki), -3 lap(s); 27. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), -5 lap(s); 28. Priit Ratsep (EST, Honda), -10 lap(s); 29. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, Suzuki), -11 lap(s); 30. Ryan Houghton (GBR, Yamaha), -14 lap(s); 31. Damon Graulus (BEL, 24MX Honda), -16 lap(s);
MXGP Lommel final score: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 50 points; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 44 p.; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 38 p.; 4. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 31 p.; 5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HUS), 29 p.; 6. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 28 p.; 7. Max Anstie (GBR, HUS), 27 p.; 8. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 27 p.; 9. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 26 p.; 10. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 24 p.; 11. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 23 p.; 12. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 18 p.; 13. Harri Kullas (EST, HUS), 14 p.; 14. Tanel Leok (EST, HUS), 12 p.; 15. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, HON), 11 p.; 16. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, SUZ), 10 p.; 17. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 9 p.; 18. Rui Goncalves (POR, HUS), 7 p.; 19. Ken de Dycker (BEL, HON), 5 p.; 20. Filip Bengtsson (SWE, KTM), 4 p.; 21. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 2 p.; 22. Sven Van der Mierden (NED, HUS), 2 p.; 23. Gert Krestinov (EST, HON), 1 p.; 24. Cyril Genot (BEL, KTM), 0 p.; 25. Dietger Damiaens (BEL, KTM), 0 p.; 26. Eddie Hjortmarker (SWE, SUZ), 0 p.; 27. Bryan Boulard (BEL, YAM), 0 p.; 28. Jens Getteman (BEL, KAW), 0 p.; 29. Priit Ratsep (EST, HON), 0 p.; 30. Ryan Houghton (GBR, YAM), 0 p.; 31. Damon Graulus (BEL, HON), 0 p.; 32. Jeffrey Dewulf (BEL, KTM), 0 p.; 33. Stefan Ekerold (GER, SUZ), 0 p.;
FIM MXGP World Championship standings after 14 rounds: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 567 points; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 468 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 462 p.; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HUS), 446 p.; 5. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 376 p.; 6. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 365 p.; 7. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 336 p.; 8. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 320 p.; 9. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 303 p.; 10. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 302 p.; 11. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 295 p.; 12. Max Anstie (GBR, HUS), 276 p.; 13. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, SUZ), 251 p.; 14. Tanel Leok (EST, HUS), 165 p.; 15. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, HON), 134 p.; 16. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 126 p.; 17. Shaun Simpson (GBR, YAM), 123 p.; 18. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 122 p.; 19. Rui Goncalves (POR, HUS), 95 p.; 20. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KAW), 79 p.; 21. Valentin Guillod (SUI, HON), 61 p.; 22. Ken de Dycker (BEL, 24MX HONDA), 51 p.; 23. Damon Graulus (BEL, 24MX HONDA), 36 p.; 24. Harri Kullas (EST, HUS), 35 p.; 25. Maxime Desprey (FRA, KAW), 28 p.; 26. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 15 p.; 27. Jaromir Romancik (CZE, KTM), 14 p.; 28. Jeffrey Dewulf (BEL, KTM), 14 p.; 29. Priit Ratsep (EST, HON), 13 p.; 30. Milko Potisek (FRA, YAM), 12 p.; 31. Filip Bengtsson (SWE, KTM), 12 p.; 32. Evgeny Mikhaylov (RUS, HUS), 10 p.; 33. Xavier Boog (FRA, HON), 8 p.; 34. Yentel Martens (BEL, HUS), 6 p.; 35. Viacheslav Golovkin (RUS, KTM), 6 p.; 36. Gert Krestinov (EST, HON), 4 p.; 37. Jetro Salazar (ECU, HON), 4 p.; 38. Jens Getteman (BEL, KAW), 4 p.; 39. Vladislav Leonov (RUS, KTM), 4 p.; 40. Dennis Ullrich (GER, KTM), 3 p.; 41. Steven Lenoir (FRA, KAW), 3 p.; 42. Lukas Neurauter (AUT, KTM), 3 p.; 43. Ander Valentin (ESP, HON), 2 p.; 44. Sven Van der Mierden (NED, HUS), 2 p.; 45. Peter Irt (SLO, YAM), 2 p.; 46. Joaquin Poli (ARG, HON), 1 p.; 47. Matteo Bonini (ITA, KAW), 1 p.; 48. Sandro Peixe (POR, HON), 1 p.; 49. Farhan Hendro Fahrodjie (INA, KAW), 1 p.
Photos: CDS
Also to read
PHOTO: Day two in Mons
Today was the second day of acceleration on the Bois Brûlé circuit in Mons. Our photographer was there to capture everything. He…Leferink wins the ONK Sidecars St.Isidorushoeve!
Brothers Tim and Sem Leferink managed to win their very first ONK Sidecar Cross in St.Isidorushoeve. They both won the chaotic and exciting heats that were held. Hermans/Van den…FOTO: Endurance BEX in Mons
The fourth BEX 5-hour International Endurance (Belgian Endurance-cross Championship), also known as the 'Endurance du Doudou', took place yesterday at the illustrious Circuit du Bois Brûlé in Mons-Ghlin! It was …VIDEO: Highlights Supercross Philadelphia 2024
The fifteenth round of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship was held in Philadelphia. In the 250SX final, Max Anstie was able to capture his second supercross victory. Jett Lawrence who knew…
Your reactions