Five minutes with Bengt Laeremans (Beta)
For many of us, Bengt Laeremans (42) needs little introduction. Bengt won motocross titles at VLM and IMBA, and in 2010 he made a great return to BMB Inters. After his active MX career, the Herentals resident trained with Joël Roelants, among others, and professionally he worked in various positions in the motorcycle sector. Bengt is now writing a new chapter as an agent for Beta!
As a rider, Laeremans was always gifted with excellent technique. As an active rider, he found a new challenge in enduro and improving the riding skills of enduro riders of all levels. Last year he took overall victory in the Antwerp Endurocross for the second time.
Anyone who knows Bengt a little knows that he is not only easy to talk to, but also knows what he is talking about. So it's high time for a new #fiveminutemet!
Bengt, how are you doing?
Bengt Laeremans: ”In general, well, thank you, but I had knee surgery on November 20th. The anterior cruciate ligament was torn. At the moment (after 5 weeks) the rehabilitation is going very well. The sleepless nights are almost behind us. I can already start supporting myself again, cycling, etc. That is very motivating, but of course I still have a very long way to go.”
We recently saw your name in a press release from Mathias Van Hoof as Beta's new agent. Can you tell us something more about this?
Leremans: “Indeed that's right! I have been in discussions with Beta since 2017. I started as an agent for Belgium on July 1, 2018. I am a sales agent, so to speak, the intermediary in the relationship between the factory in Italy and the Belgian and Luxembourg dealers. I also take care of the test models and test days… Always in collaboration with the dealers.”
After your active motocross career, we saw you working at Jitsie and Technical Touch and now at Betamotor. Was it always your intention to continue working in the off-road industry?
Leremans: “After leaving school, I worked in the cycling world for 16 years, while I was a cross rider myself... However, the passion has always been cross and off-road and you always return to that!”
After motocross competition you switched to enduro. Do you have any goals yourself? Leremans: “For the time being, the goals are on hold for 2019. When I have fully recovered, I will try again and see what is still possible... I will probably try to participate in some hard enduro competitions such as Erzberg or Romaniacs. Due to this serious injury, this will not be until 2020 at the earliest.”
You have of course already been extensively acquainted with the various Beta models. What makes Beta different?
Leremans:Beta enduros are essentially “unknown-unloved”. They are very agile and the power is very pleasant. Never peaky but very constructive and with lots of torque. The steering behavior is phenomenal and that is something that is difficult to change! Many pilots have an engine that they cannot “put” where they want and that is actually hopeless… It is also not a large engine and therefore ideal for shorter pilots.”
When you say Beta, you immediately think of trial.
Leremans:Certainly, it is no coincidence that the Beta trial motorcycles have been a fixture in trials for a long time. First and foremost, the Betas attacked very playfully, and they are also more stable than the competition. Which of course can make a difference in that discipline! There are also three Belgian Beta pilots for 2019 among the Experts in the BMB (= Inters): Dieter Pletinckx, Toon Van Baelen and Nicolas Defourny.”
In the Enduro World Championship, Beta is at the top with three consecutive world titles ahead of Steve Holcombe. What is the key to Beta's success?
Leremans: “Beta has a lot of experience in the enduro world. They have a very agile chassis and they also have a superior two-stroke engine. When you see that they are Junior World Champions this year in both E1 and EnduroGP, you know that the foundation is super strong!”
We also saw Andy Truyts sign a contract with Betamotor. What is his plan or which path does he want to take with Betamotor?
Leremans: “Andy is someone who is always looking for innovation and evolution and currently those arrows are more focused on hard enduro. There is the WESS series that Andy will get a taste of in 2019, combined with the Belgian enduro competitions and a motocross competition on the left or right. Mathias Van Hoof, on the other hand, is a real enduro rider through and through. I don't see him moving to another discipline within motorsport anytime soon. He has taken a big step in the last year and 2019 will almost be the year of truth for him.”
Will Andy and Mathias become teammates next year?
Leremans: “Andy and Mathias will partly be competitors, but certainly also Beta teammates! They can still learn a lot from each other. During some competitions they will be able to compete together for a podium place or victory, such as in the BOXC competitions and La Chinelle.”
Thank you for your time. Good luck with the new Betamotor story and wish you a successful rehabilitation!
Leremans:Great, thanks and thanks for the interview. Happy holidays to all MXMag readers!”
Photos: Beta, Bengt Laeremans, Andrea Belluschi/Future7Media
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