Mixed feelings at KEMEA Yamaha
The home match in Lommel was eagerly awaited. Numerous well-known faces were present and a fantastic atmosphere on the tough circuit made for a highlight in the World Cup so far. Despite a strong performance by Benoit in the qualifying race, the results of the KEMEA riders on Sunday were somewhat disappointing, causing the entire team to look back on the Belgian GP with mixed feelings.
The weekend started off great for KEMEA. On Saturday morning it was announced that the young Belgian talent Jago Geerts will join the team next year. Jago, who made his GP debut this weekend, will contest the MX2 World Championship next year. This will also allow the next Belgian talent to develop his qualities under the wings of Marnicq Bervoets and Jacky Vimond.
On the circuit, Benoit Paturel showed that he had not just come for a top 5. With the fastest times in training and a strong second place in the qualifying competition, he confirmed that he can also compete with the top players in the sand. After a poor start, Brent moved up to 13th place and Alvin soon had to leave with technical problems. He had to be the last to go to the starting gate on Sunday.
Benoit closed the first series on Sunday with a fourth place. Initially he did not get into a good rhythm, but after a few strong final laps he moved up from sixth to fourth place. Brent came through in 11th after the first lap and finished 10th. Alvin had to come back from the back due to his poor starting position and came back from 23rd to 13th place.
In the second moto, Benoit crashed in the first corner and had to start from the back. He rode a strong race but did not get further than eighth place, good for sixth place in the day's results. He remains in fourth place in the World Cup standings. Brent made a mistake early in the race and dropped to 20th place. From there he gave chase and finished in 12th place, just ahead of Alvin who once again returned from outside the top 20 to 13th. Brent and Alvin also finished 12th and 13th in the daily results. Brent falls to 10th place in the World Championship standings, Alvin is currently in 14th place.
Benoit Paturel: “The positive thing about this weekend was that there was enough speed on this tough sand circuit to finish on the podium. This shows that the hard work pays off. There could have been more, but I made a mistake at the start of the second series. Let us remember the positive and keep working!”
Brent Vandoninck: “ I am disappointed with this result and certainly expected more in Lommel. I couldn't find my way all weekend. I twisted my foot on Saturday and had some problems with my knee in the matches on Sunday, but it just didn't go well. I didn't find the right flow and I certainly can't be satisfied after this weekend. I'm going to have the knee checked by Dr Claes this week and hope there isn't too much damage.”
Alvin Ostlund: “The riding itself went quite well on Sunday. It's a pity that after the bad luck on Saturday I had to go all the way from the outside at the start and had to always chase. The result is not what I had hoped for, but I was always able to return from outside the top 20.
Photos @shotbybavo
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