Daniël Willemsen/Robbie Bax win 'thriller' GP of the Netherlands!
Team Willemsen/Bax started the World Cup sidecar cross cycle well yesterday. With two second places in the heats, they became the victors of the day and were the first leaders in the World Cup standings. Secondly we saw Koen Hermans and Nicolas Musset on the podium, which was completed in third place with Vanluchene/Van den Boogaart. The two other absolute title favorites failed. Bax/Stupelis crashed hard in the first heat and Etienne Bax suffered a broken collarbone and logically they did not participate in the second heat. Giraud/Mucenieks were well on their way, but they dropped out in the second heat, meaning Willemsen/Bax not only won the GP in Oss but also took a first big step in the 2018 World Championship sidecar cross title race.
The qualifying races on Saturday were already busy! In group A we saw a nice battle between team Bax and team Willemsen, which the latter won. However, after the heats, a penalty of ten places was awarded to both teams because they had not slowed down enough at a jumping hill where Britt Hodges had very unfortunately ended up behind the fences. As a result, the well-riding Weiss/Schneider from Austria, who finished in 3rd place in the A group, suddenly became the winner of Saturday. A huge sensation where one could have made a lot of money at the bookmakers because no one really expected this!
Sunday provided beautiful spring sunshine and around a quarter past one the tension increased on the Witte Ruysheuvel in Oss, which was well occupied by the public. It was almost certain that a catch-up race would have to be driven by both Bax and Willemsen. After all, both sidecars had to leave the second row after their punishment on Saturday.
The other title favorites, Giraud/Mucenieks, wasted no time and immediately took the lead in the first heat. They took off like a rocket after the start and accelerated hard during the first few laps. So much so that they had enough margin to ultimately win a head-to-tail victory in the first heat!
Behind this came Daniël Willemsen, who could never really threaten Giraud again when he and Robbie Bax ended up in second place after ten minutes of the match. Bax/Stupelis had a poorer start but were clearly the fastest and one combination after another had to give in to team Bax's urge to act until disaster struck while lying in fourth place. On top of the Witte Ruysheuvel on the fast part at the back, Bax's sidecar overturned heavily, causing Etienne Bax to break his collarbone and, in addition to the real pain, he also had to watch carefully that he would take 0 points with him from Oss for the World Cup Sidecar Cross. A serious dampener for team Bax's title aspirations!
At that moment, that was grist to the mill for Vanluchene, who felt Bax's hot breath on his neck during that first heat, but now with the loss of the same Bax, he was quick to claim third place. Just fifteen seconds later, Hermans came in at four with Veldman/Van der Putten at five. After this we had to wait more than a minute for the Belgian Arne Dierckens, who finished sixth with his sick driver Luc Rostingt from France, with the pole position sidecar of Weiss/Schneider just behind. Behind this we saw a nice fight between 'good-old' Jarno van den Boomen, the Kunnas brothers from Finland and the British Wilkinson/Chamberlain who was only 28e had left the starting field but had now suddenly entered the top ten. Wilkinson did not get further than a nice tenth place. He still had to tolerate Kunnas on eight and Van den Boomen on nine.
Closhe came in at eleven with the Dutchman Han van Hal, the Belgian Sanders disappointingly did not get further than fifteen and Bjorn Roes took home two World Cup points in 19th place. Team Van Werven, the Janssens brothers after a big start crash, both cousins Keuben and Nick Maas, baking player of the German Blank, unfortunately did not score in the first heat.
The holeshot in the second heat was once again for Giraud/Mucenieks, who with their AMS-tuned Husqvarna already had a sidecar length lead over the rest of the field before the first corner. Just behind this, Vanluchene immediately increased the pressure on the French leader. Here and there things got tough in that first round and we saw a bizarre blow when Mike Keuben/Lars de Laat came across a huge rock in their tracks and this resulted in Keuben/De Laat flying sideways off the bump. gave such a carom effect in that first round that three more sidecars crashed, so we suddenly saw Van Werven/Mans dive into the grass on the other side of the same bump!
Team Van Werven eventually finished last and, through their willpower, managed to take one World Cup point at the finish in 20th place. Unfortunately the race was over for Keuben/De Laat.
After ten minutes of play, Willemsen/Bax had reached three and they increased the pressure on second man VanLuchene, with Hermans four just behind and Veldman five. These five combinations traveled around the circuit almost as if on a string...but once again all hell broke loose in Oss!
First we saw Willemsen who came to second in the bend near the party tent, where third man VanLuchene then lost time and suddenly felt Hermans and Veldman breathing down their necks. Then suddenly Willemsen appeared first because leaders Giraud/Mucenieks were gone! Probably a large stone had caused the front sprocket of the chain to break and they were forced to give up. Very sad for Giraud and his Latvian baking player Mucenieks, who had already broken his wrist on Saturday, it was later announced! Unfortunately, his perseverance and enduring pain were not rewarded in the second heat on Sunday.
Team Willemsen did not enjoy the lead for long because now Hermans/Musset were suddenly the leader!
Willemsen had dived onto a stuck straggler and Hermans was able to squeak past him quickly. When Willemsen was able to get back on the road, Hermans/Musset had flown so well that they won the race ahead of Willemsen/Bax who, after their delay, drove home second place in a controlled manner and thus managed to win the GP of Oss. At three it was Vanluchene, but suddenly that crazy frog from Kampen, Julian Veldman, put a stop to it and took over the place from Vanluchene/Van den Boogaart. However, a place only counts at the finish... Veldman's racing driver, Siebe van der Putten, was so overtired that the pace had to be slowed down and in the very last lap Vanluchene/Van den Boogaart passed by again for the third place and Veldman came through. finished fourth with his racing driver Van der Putten, who literally fell out of the box from fatigue after the finish.
One minute behind, the British Brown/Millard entered, who undoubtedly rode their most boring race ever in Oss, but with their good score of P5 after a retirement in heat 1, they could at least take home a large number of World Cup points.
Half a minute behind Brown we saw a nice brawl between the Estonian Varik, Van den Boomen and Dierckens. Things were not always smooth in this fierce battle! Ultimately, Varik/Daiders managed to come out on top in the romp with a sixth finish ahead of Dierckens on seventh and Van den Boomen on eighth. On nine we saw the British Wilkinson/Chamberlain who again had to come from the back and were the overtaking kings of Oss today! Nestor Kristof Santermans came in at ten and, despite not being very fit, left two thirds of the field behind with this beautiful spot. The Janssens brothers now finished twelfth and Keuben/Rietman finished 13the crossed the line and took a truckload of points to the back corner. Sanders turned 14e and at eighteen we saw Roes/Sabbe.
Unfortunately, the rest of the participants from the Benelux did not score any points, except for Van Werven in 20th place with one World Cup point.
Willemsen/Bax ultimately won the GP in Oss, knowing that their closest title competitors, Bax/Stupelis and Giraud/Mucenieks, lost many points in the World Cup battle. Moreover, the question is whether the injuries of Bax and Mucenieks have healed properly to start during the 2nd GP sidecar cross of 2018.
The next GP Sidecars will be in Castelnau in two weeks' time on April 8, where you will be presented with a typical concrete-hard French track.
For the full day results and also the World Cup standings
You can HERE click
Text: Emil Bilars
Photo: Orangehat
Also to read
The final of the MXGP Championship will be held in Spain
Infront Moto Racing today announced that the Spanish venue Cózar will host the exciting final round of the 2024 MXGP Championship. It is the third Spanish GP…Team HRC Honda to Portugal with Tim Gajser as the only rider
The 2024 MXGP World Championship kicks off the first of three straight races this weekend in Agueda, Portugal for the fifth round in this exciting battle. The next weekend it will…VIDEO: Roger De Coster about communication with the riders
In a video interview with Roger De Coster, the difficult start of the KTM boys in the US is discussed. It's about the set-up of the engines and how everyone...An update on Tyla van de Poel's injury
Tyla van de Poel crashed during the EMX125 in Arco di Trento and broke his tibia and fibula. Another pilot hit his front wheel on a ski jump, causing him to...
Your reactions