Walsh fights his way to P14 in Lommel 3
The Stedelijk Motocross Center in Lommel was once again the venue for the 15th round of the FIM MXGP World Championship. Dylan Walsh equaled his best performance of the year in the last GP on Belgian soil with a 14th place.
The infamous Lommel sand was wet and heavy this time due to the rain. Moreover, this time the riders had to adapt to a completely new layout of the track.
With the returning Benoit Paturel alongside Dylan Walsh and Artem Guryev, JM Honda Racing fielded three riders for the second time this season. Walsh, Paturel and Guryev set the 23rd, 25th and 30th fastest times respectively in the qualifications. Not ideal, but every rider had already proven this year that they can start well on the JM Honda CRF450R.
The first “Lommel III” round was no exception to Dylan Walsh's cannon start habit! The young Kiwi crossed the holeshot line in the top 5, but had to give up some places in the following corners. Although Walsh remained in the top 15 for a long time, he eventually finished 17th.
In its second moto, however, the #53 JM Honda Racing had anything but a dream start. He was only barely able to avoid a fall. However, once the British MX2 champion was up to cruising speed, he continued to go around regularly despite the tough conditions. With 13th within reach, Walsh made a mistake at the end of the race that dropped him to 14th. Due to his 14th position in the daily rankings, 12th on equal points with Brent Van Doninck and Evgeny Bobryshev, Walsh rises from 24th to 23rd place in the World Championship standings.
For Benoit Paturel, the 'home race' in Lommel turned out to come a little too early given the limited number of motorcycle training sessions he has completed so far after his back injury. Artem Guryev put his best foot forward in the first heat when he had to retire in the second part of the race with a broken clutch. At that moment the young Russian was 22nd. The second heat also ended prematurely for Artem. After a heavy fall in which he injured his wrist, he left the competition.
Dylan Walsh: “It was nice to get a taste of a new job today! Overall, Lommel III was an improvement and I was quite happy with the riding. The second heat in particular went quite well until my crash at the end. So I do have the feeling that I am gradually getting better in these kinds of circumstances. But after a week in the sand I'm looking forward to a new environment and the next race in Arco di Trento!”
Artem Guryev: “The track was muddy and very slippery, but I made the best of it. In the first moto I had the feeling that I might be able to grab a point, but with 10 minutes to go, my clutch unfortunately gave up. The second heat was not good. After a small mistake in the beginning I tried to push and get my rhythm back up, but I had a big crash and hurt my wrist. All in all, I am very relieved that Lommel is behind us and that we can now continue to Arco.”
Benoit Paturel: “Driving in Lommel is never easy, but this race just came a little too early. I simply didn't have enough motorcycle training for a race like this. That's why we decided not to take any risks today. With an extra week on the bike I should feel a lot better for the race in Trentino.”
Photos: CDS
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