First series victory for Jago Geerts!
Jago Geerts has taken his first series victory ever in MX2. The Balenian achieved this in the seventh round of the FIM world championship in Saint-Jean d'Angély. The Belgian teenager finished second (1+2) in the Grand Prix and is now third in the World Championship standings. His Monster Energy Kemea Yamaha teammate Ben Watson finished sixth (12+3) in France.
Jago Geerts felt good all weekend on the hilly track of Saint Jean d'Angély. The Belgian teenager already showed his talent and speed on Saturday in the qualifying race, where he finished second. Geerts was the only rider who could challenge world champion Prado.
Masterpiece
Saturday's two protagonists continue their fight on Sunday in the first series. Although Geerts did not have the best start (he was locked in seventh place), he immediately went very aggressive, resulting in him being in third place after the first lap. Geerts then needed three laps to catch Cervellin. When Geerts came in second place, Prado had already opened a nice gap of five seconds. But Geerts did not hesitate and immediately chased the reigning world champion by setting the fastest lap of the race. Lap by lap the Belgian came closer. Three laps from the end, the gap was reduced to one second. Geerts continued to put Prado under immense pressure, causing the Spaniard to make mistakes. Iago's first attack – he went around the outside – was an immediate hit. Geerts took his first ever series victory in MX2 after a real masterpiece.
At the same time, Murphy's law (anything that can go wrong, will go wrong) continued to haunt Ben Watson. The Briton took a mediocre start (15th), but crashed on the first lap when he could not avoid a falling rider in front of him. Ben had to start all over again from 32nd position. Watson – who always continues to fight – pulled off a tough catch-up race, which eventually brought him to 12th place.
Strong Watson
The second heat was almost a copy of the first, with Prado taking the holeshot again and Geerts in fourth place after the first lap. One big difference: Ben Watson was also at the front, in second place.
Geerts quickly moved up to third place after a nice passing maneuver on Sterry. The two Monster Energy Kemea Yamaha riders started chasing the leader together. After seven laps the two Kemeas switched places, after which Geerts – just like in the first series – started to close the gap on Prado. Lap by lap he crept closer… until he made a small slide in the final phase. Fortunately, he was able to hold on to second place, which also gave him second place in the final standings. At the same time, Watson had come under a lot of pressure from Evans, but the Briton kept a cool head and finished a good third. Good for sixth place in the GP final standings.
Both Monster Energy Kemea Yamaha riders did well in the World Championship standings. Geerts moved up from fourth to third place, Watson also gained a place, from seven to six.
#193 Jago Geerts
“My first series victory in MX2, a great feeling. I am the first to beat Prado this year. I didn't really expect that. That makes it extra special. I was able to close the gap on Jorge and put pressure on him. I saw that he started to make mistakes. My first attack was immediately successful. The second series seemed to be a copy. I came back again, but unfortunately made a mistake. I immediately realized that I could forget about the GP victory. That was a bit of a disappointment. On the other hand: I am second with the same number of points as the world champion. You can hardly call that bad.”
#919 Ben Watson
“12th in the first series: that is not a good result. I was blown away in the first round, there was nothing I could do about it. My footrest got stuck in someone else's wheel, which caused me to lose a lot of time. My catch-up race was good. I was quite happy with my speed. In the second series I finally had a good start. Very important because the circuits nowadays are too easy, too flat, too fast. It was nice to ride with the top riders again. Not easy, because I missed that intensity a bit. I'm really happy with that third place after some difficult weeks. I can now finally go home with a good feeling.”
Marnicq Bervoets
“It was a great weekend for the Monster Energy Kemea Yamaha Team. Geerts was impressive. He's the first damn person who can beat Prado this year. Not nothing. And that on a circuit that is not one of his favorites. Strong. Iago must now try to maintain this level. If he succeeds, I see him winning another GP this year. Where and when? I can't predict that. I am also very satisfied with Watson. Unfortunately, he was once again defeated by bad luck in the first series. But he fought like a lion and came back nicely to 12th place. We know that he can compete with the top players. He showed that in the second series. Hopefully that third place will now give him a boost.”
Posted Steven van Kempen/KEMCO
Photo: Yamaha
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