Julien Lieber makes a return appearance
After the Charity Race X in Switzerland last weekend, both Benoit Paturel and Julien Lieber were at the start of the International training race in Arnhem. For Lieber it was his first match in more than five months. Paturel, who won in Switzerland, confirmed his speed but had little luck.
There was no public at Motorsportpark Gelderland Midden yesterday, but there were plenty of World Cup toppers. An impressive field of participants took part in both the 250cc and 500c classes. Unfortunately, Artem Guryev had to miss due to a minor knee injury.
Lieber and Paturel performed well in the timed training. The JM Honda Racing riders placed 10 respectivelyde in 11. de time down. Benoit made an excellent start in the first moto. In the wake of leaders Romain Febvre and Glenn Coldenhoff, he then ran in third position for six laps. Because he suffered from painful arms, Paturel had to slow down afterwards. In the final phase he made another mistake and finished 10thde On. The Frenchman's CRF450R also came out strong at the start of the second moto. In the initial phase, Benoit was in sixth position, but his series ended prematurely due to a heavy fall.
Julien damaged his throttle grip in his first moto when he collided with another rider. As a result, he had to stop the fight, but in the revival Lieber showed that he has far from forgotten how to cross! After a crash at the start, the fast Belgian recovered from the back of the field to 14thde place. Not a top ranking, but all in all a solid start. Especially considering Lieber's long inactivity last year and his limited preseason with one and a half races in 2020 (Hawkstone Park and one round in Lacapelle Marival).
This weekend the JM Honda Racing will complete the second training race in Axel, the Netherlands.
Julien Lieber: “It was a good feeling to finally be back at the start after such a long time! Unfortunately the first race was over quickly. In the second moto I had some problems with pumped up arms, but that is not abnormal. All in all it was certainly a positive day. We still have a lot of work to do and every time you are at the start of a race you learn new things. Arnhem didn't offer much in terms of results, but I still need a lot of competition rhythm. In any case, I'm looking forward to the next race in Axel.”
Benoit Paturel: “In the end it became a difficult match for me. I had two good starts and the first part of the first moto was definitely positive. For fifteen minutes I was third in a very strong field of participants. At then 10de It is of course a shame, but I got cramps and had to slow down. I hurt my leg a little when I fell in the second series. Fortunately nothing serious. We remember what is good and what needs to be improved, so we will get back to it next weekend!”
Photos: shotbybavo
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