Sensational season finale for Kjell Verbruggen
In their first season, F4E Racing ended their European campaign as it started, with a podium. Kjell Verbruggen not only took his first podium in Assen, he also rode with flying colors to his first EMX 125 series victory! Mario Lucas finished in a shared sixth place, the Spanish 125cc champion finished just outside the top 125 in the final standings of the European 10cc Championship.
The eighth race of the EMX125 cycle was in any case circled in red on the calendar Kjell Verbruggen. What the 125cc rookie performed in front of his own audience at the TT Circuit last weekend certainly commanded respect, even among the insiders in the GP paddock. During the timed training, Verbruggen immediately made his intentions clear. After all, Kjell qualified second after Raivo Dankers. It shot out like a devil from a box F4E Racing to the holeshot in the first moto. To everyone's surprise, courageous Verbruggen not only took the pack in tow - despite heavy pressure from Filip Olsson - he actually finished the job! Both Verbruggen's victory and the manner in which it was won did not go unnoticed. Mario Lucas who had started second after his teammate came in fifth.
A double stunt was not an option for Kjell Verbruggen. In the second heat on Sunday morning, the Boxtel native had a less good start. It took a while for him to get into his rhythm. Once the ban was broken, Kjell made up a lot of time. In the end, he narrowly missed fifth place. As is often the case, Mario Lucas had to give chase after a lousy start. However, the Spaniard confirmed his qualities as a sand rider and remounted from the 24th to the 13de place.
After a fall during training Wannes van de Voorde with inflammation in the foot. Although this was tempered by a cortisone injection, as an unwanted side effect of that injection, the young Belgian suffered from sore arms all weekend. Maintaining a constant rhythm was not an option, which meant Wannes always finished outside the points. Vande Voorde's fellow countryman Luke Adam fought back the pain after a crash in qualifying. In the first series he had to settle for a 26th place. In the restart, Lucas was able to claim two well-deserved points.
The driving forces behind F4E Racing, Jimmy Verburgh en Mika Detout, had set a top 10 in the final standings for their very first season. Although Mario Lucas missed his target, the young formation from Zelzate had a very successful first European campaign, with the series victory and podium place of Kjell Verbruggen in Assen and the Spanish title and podium place of Lucas in Valkenswaard as highlights. In total, the F4E Racing riders achieved no fewer than eight top-5 finishes in one round.
Kjell Verbruggen: “I hurt my shoulder due to a fall during time training, but once I started in the lead, it didn't bother me anymore in the first heat! I had to fight for the win until the last lap, but I'm happy to do that. For most of the race I was able to ride at my own pace. Because I made some mistakes at the end, there was still a lot of pressure, but I was determined not to give up the victory. In the series I was only 12th at the start, but all in all I was able to come back reasonably well. Too bad I couldn't stay ahead of the fifth, it didn't make any difference. And of course you always want more! Still, I am satisfied with my weekend. This certainly gives a good feeling for next season. »
Mario Lucas: « Although the time training was really not good, I came out perfect at the start! I was second away after Kjell. The bike wasn't running well, which bothered me a bit, but I was still able to finish fifth. On Sunday the start was uneventful, but the driving was better. The results weren't bad this weekend, but I'm looking forward to starting riding the KTM 250 SX-F this week!”
Luke Adam: “The surface in Asssen is very special, you cannot compare it with anything else. I fell quite hard during the time training, causing a serious bruise in my thigh. This made the first heat very difficult. Once I found a way to deal with the pain and stiffness in my leg in the second series, things got better and better. I started in the top 10 and finished 19th despite some mistakes early in the race. Overall, I am quite satisfied with my season. In terms of driving, I got into better shape in the second half of the championship and I was still able to show myself a few times. Thank you to the F4E Racing Team, my parents and sponsors.”
Wannes van de Voorde: “I was happy that I could still qualify. Unfortunately, I was never able to really pursue my opportunities because I suffered so much from pumped up arms. Before the cortisone injection I didn't have any sore arms at all, but now I was actually powerless. It's a shame to have to end the year like this because it was my last match this season. Yet it was a year in which I learned a lot and I would like to show that next year”
Photos: Niek Photography
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