Jago Geerts takes GP victory and red plate
Round 13 of the FIM World Championship, in Loket, Czech Republic, turned out to be a major triumph for the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 Team. Jago Geerts won the Grand Prix and regained the World Championship lead. Thibault Benistant – who won the first series – finished second.
After a three-week break, the FIM World Championship resumed in Loket, a picturesque town in the Czech Republic that suddenly became famous in 2006 thanks to the James Bond film Casino Royal. No 007 in Loket this weekend, but the 25th edition of the MXGP of the Czech Republic.
The two Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 riders felt good on the hilly, hard course on Saturday. Thibault Benistant took his second pole position of the season, while Jago Geerts finished third.
Holeshot
Benistant made a devastating start in the first series on his YZ250FM. The Frenchman took the holeshot in front of Längenfelder and Rubini. Geerts entered the first corner in eighth place, but after some good moves quickly moved up to fourth place.
Benistant was unstoppable at the front. Längenfelder tried to keep up, but had to admit his superiority to a very strong Benistant halfway through the series. The former European champion kept everything under perfect control until the checkered flag. Geerts bit his teeth at Rubini for a long time. The Balenian needed eight laps to displace the Frenchman from third place.
Another holeshot for the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 Team in race 2, this time for Geerts. Although Jago soon had to hand over the lead to Vialle, who slipped in on the first lap. The Balenian did not panic and immediately settled into the wheel of his French rival. Benistant, only eighth in the first corner, had a lot of work to do to move forward. After two laps he was already in fifth position.
Icy calm
At the front, Geerts continued to put Vialle under enormous pressure. And that resulted in an error by the Frenchman. Jago was quick to take over the lead and immediately created a gap. However, Vialle refused to throw in the towel and was breathing down Geerts' neck again in the last round. However, the Balenian remained icy calm and took the series and GP victory. Benistant also managed to jump over Horgmo into fourth place in the final phase. And that meant a first and second place in the Grand Prix for the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 Team. Only the second time this season that this succeeded, after Teutschenthal a few weeks ago. Another nice bonus: Geerts can start with the red plate in his home race in Lommel next weekend. The Balenaar now has an eight-point lead over Vialle in the World Cup.
#93 Jago Geerts
“Finally another victory. It's been a while. From Maggiora to be precise. Man, this feels good. However, the first series was difficult. I was driving too carefully and couldn't get into the right rhythm. I also hung behind Rubini for far too long, even adjusting my speed to him. Fortunately, I was able to steal third place from him at the end. For the second series we made some minor adjustments to the engine. A hit. I actually got the holeshot, my first of the season. Vialle immediately passed me, but I immediately caught up. When he made a mistake, I immediately struck. It's nice to have that red plate again. Especially with the GP in Lommel in prospect.”
#198 Thibault Benistant
“Two very different days in Loket. On Saturday I felt comfortable on this track and on my bike. And that resulted in a win in the qualifying race. I then also won the first heat on Sunday, but I have to admit that I didn't really feel good. I had trouble finding a good rhythm. Luckily I had a great start, which helped me a lot. Unfortunately, that good start did not materialize in the second series. I had to fight back and push. Not easy on this track if you don't feel good. Yet I was still able to finish fourth. Even though I didn't feel great, I still finished second on the podium. All in all, not a bad result.”
Posted: Steven van Kempen/KEMCO
Gallery: CDS
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