Tough match for Dean Gregoire
After the two races of the FMI Junior Motocross Championship Zona-Nord, the semi-finals were held last weekend. This happened on the beautiful circuit of Savignano sul Panaro. Just west of Bologna, the Team Youth Pro MX quartet took action with the aim of qualifying for the final. Dean Gregoire was assured of a place in the final by winning the title. Yuel Karnebeek, Chento van Zoest and Noam Mezzavilla managed to pass this tough test and can also prepare for the three finals.
65cc Debutants:
Yuel's first moto did not go well and the KTM rider did not get further than 22nd place after a slide. Later in the afternoon, the rider from Enschede managed to improve well. Thanks to a neat eighth place, the Alpinestars-clad crosser finished tenth in the daily rankings on this beautiful but difficult circuit.
65cc Cadets:
Chento van Zoest finished 19th while Noam Mezzavilla finished 31st. Both riders have also qualified for the final competitions to be held later this season. The title will then be forgiven.
85cc Junior:
On Saturday, despite the short track time, Dean was the fastest in his group. The competitive play started straight away and in the early stages of qualifying they let Dean set the pace. Then the KTM rider decides to take it easy for two laps. The 10-year-old rider leaves a gap and then makes up for it during a flying lap. The plan works and that results in the best time in this group.
After a third fastest time in the warm-up, the student is clearly looking forward to it. The tension is palpable and the first start does not go smoothly. From midfield, Dean wants to try to push himself into the leading group, but he gets into trouble and falls. From last place, the No Fear Energy-supported rider works his way back to the front. Although it is all one line, Dean knows how to put himself forward very well. He chooses new lines that will help him work his way back into the top ten. In the final phase, the group fighting for seventh place comes into view. With the Vos Oss-KTM the student is the fastest man on the circuit and he knows how to connect. Ninth place is taken over in the final round.
Just before the second heat there is a cloudburst, making the circuit extremely slippery. The start of the second heat is better than the first, but a place in the leading group is not possible. The DT1-supported rider starts the race narrowly in the top ten. Dean is driven and wants a little too much, which causes him to fall. Not much later things went wrong again, it was an unfortunate but hard crash after which his father intervened. Dean has to leave the competition because the first final is already on the calendar in two weeks.
“Dean showed great things this weekend. Especially on Saturday he rode very strongly and managed to take advantage of his opponents. The fastest time was very good and especially fun because to be honest, I didn't expect that. This is a very difficult and specific circuit on which we have much less experience. The first heat was very strong, after the fall he came back beautifully! I am very proud of his riding. The second moto the riding wasn't good, he wanted too much and I saw that he was having a hard time. That's why I decided to take him out of the competition. This is for his own safety, that is also part of it. Safety is very important to me.” said a satisfied father Michel Gregoire
Next time:
The first of three finals will be held on June 19-20. This will take place on the former GP circuit of Cingoli, just west of the port city of Ancona.
Door: Steven van Kempen/KEMCO
Photos: #YouthProMX
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