JAGO GEERTS TAKES HIS FIRST GP VICTORY!
Jago Geerts captured his first ever GP victory in the first round of the FIM MX2 World Championship, in Matterley Basin. The Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 rider will head to Valkenswaard next weekend as World Championship leader. Teammate Ben Watson had a difficult weekend and finished 15th.
Geerts, who had set the third fastest time on Saturday, was unable to capitalize on that good starting position after a slow reaction at the starting gate. However, the Balenian recovered well in the first corner and immediately gained a few spots. After one lap, Jago finished fifth, two positions ahead of teammate Ben Watson. The Brit rode a solid series. He lost a spot after four laps, but fought back at the end and finished seventh.
Geerts was now on a mission. Mewse was the first victim of his 'hit list', quickly followed by Boisrame and Hofer. One rider remained: leader Vialle. Geerts kept a steady pace and quietly moved closer. When the Frenchman started making mistakes and braking his bike silently, Geerts didn't hesitate for a second. He took over the lead and drove authoritatively to his second series victory ever, after Saint-Jean d'Angély in 2019.
Heavy crash
Geerts made a much better start in the second series and entered the first corner just behind Hofer. When Jago tried to attack the Austrian's leading position on lap three, things went wrong. The Belgian teenager had a heavy crash, landed hard on his shoulder and dropped to ninth place. However, Geerts did not panic and immediately started a catch-up race, well aware that he had to finish at least fifth to be able to claim the GP victory. Not an easy task, but Geerts went crazy on his YZ250FM and successively defeated Forato, Boisrame, Beaton, Renaux and even Olsen. Good for fourth place in the second series and a GP win. The first for Jago and the second for the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 Team, after Benoit Paturel in Switzerland in 2017.
Meanwhile, Ben Watson had only bad luck. Already in the first lap his rear brake failed, making it impossible to achieve a decent result on this track. The Briton did not get further than 22nd place.
#193 Jago Geerts
“This is a great way to start my 2020 campaign. Many people complained about the heavy rain, except me. I like such circumstances. The track was more difficult and technical. Something I like. In the first series I received a present from Vialle when he crashed. I in turn did the same in the second series. It was quite a bad crash, my shoulder still hurts. But I continued purely on adrenaline. Towards first GP victory, fantastic. It's a good start to the World Cup, but nothing more than that. There are still 19 GPs on the programme. I still have a very long and very hard road to go. Next assignment: Valkenswaard, one of my favorite jobs. I'm really looking forward to that.”
#919 Ben Watson
“This was not a very good weekend…. Due to my hand injury I have missed a lot of motorcycle training in recent weeks. So I wanted to ride as much as possible this weekend. Unfortunately, the program was shortened on Saturday due to bad weather, which again gave me little time on the bike. In the first series I moved well to the front after a bad start, but at the end I rode too hard. I made a much better start in the second heat, but unfortunately I had engine problems on the first lap. My rear brake no longer worked, which made it a real struggle. I kept driving and pushing in the hope of getting some points. Unfortunately. Well, it's only the first game, we still have a long season ahead of us.”
Marnicq Bervoets
“We knew that with Prado moving to MXGP, Geerts is one of the fastest guys in MX2. And he immediately showed that here in the first series. At the beginning of the second moto he made some small mistakes, which resulted in a serious crash. But Jago showed a lot of resilience and fought his way back to the front to take his first GP victory. Cheers. This is of course a great way to start the World Cup, but it is still a long way. Above all, we must now be humble and continue to work hard. Watson, for his part, had a difficult weekend. His first series was quite good, but in series two he suffered a lot of setbacks. Without a rear brake it is impossible to achieve a good result on this track.”
Posted: Steven van Kempen/KEMCO
Photo: #Yamaha
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