Jago Geerts more firmly in the lead in the World Cup
After the Spanish Grand Prix - in which he finished second - Jago Geerts is more firmly in the lead in the FIM world championship. The Belgian increased his lead over Adamo from 36 to 48 points. Thibault Benistant finished fifth in Arroyomolinos, Rick Elzinga tenth.
Sun, lots of sun in Arroymolinos. The mercury rose smoothly towards 30 degrees this weekend. So it was a blast for the drivers. Although Jago Geerts did not seem to be bothered by this during the qualifying race on Saturday. The Belgian took the holeshot, quickly created a nice gap and then controlled until the finish. Thibault Benistant struggled initially, but gained steam in the second half of the race and finished sixth. Rick Elzinga fought for a place in the top 10 for a long time, but then suffered stomach cramps, which caused him to drop to P19.
Holeshot Benistant
Benistant – who clearly wanted to put something right after his off day in Portugal last weekend – shot out of the starting gate like a comet in the first heat and took the holeshot. The Frenchman was followed by Längenfelder and teammate Elzinga.
No matter how good Geerts' start was on Saturday, he got away badly in the first series. Jago reacted too late at the starting gate, became completely boxed in and dived deep into the peloton - around P17 - into the first corner. The vice world champion reacted as if stung by a wasp. Geerts barely needed a few corners to enter the top 10 and after three laps he was already in fifth place. But Geerts wanted more. In lap six he slipped nicely behind teammate Benistant, only to literally and figuratively jump over De Wolf into second place a little later on the triple. Leader Längenfelder had already opened a gap of almost 10 seconds. Geerts soon realized that this was impossible, saved energy and secured second place.
Benistant – who had to give the lead to Längenfelder after a lap and a half – was in a battle with De Wolf for third place for almost the entire series. The Dutchman tried everything, but Titi didn't budge. Elzinga started very well, but then - logically, because she was sick - gradually faded away and eventually finished in P13.
Too fast pace
The Monster Energy Yamaha Factory riders were in a good position at the start of the second series: Geerts in second, Benistant in four and Elzinga in eight.
Geerts – who was suffering from a sore throat – tried to catch up with Längenfelder, but soon realized that the German's pace was a little too high. The World Cup leader quickly decided not to take too many risks and hold on to second place. Something he managed very well.
Benistant had a déjà vu, because he had to duel with De Wolf again. This time fourth place was the bet. Thibault fought hard, but ultimately had to bow to the Dutchman. Elzinga felt a little better in the second series and was just able to break into the top 10.
Geerts consolidated his leading position in the World Cup and is now 48 points ahead of Adamo. Benistant drops from fourth to fifth place, Elzinga remains eleventh.
#93 Jago Geerts
“A solid weekend, with another podium finish. In the first heat I missed my start completely. I was able to come back to second place, but the gap to Längenfelder was already too big. In the second series I was right in his wheel, but he was just too fast. I had to take risks to follow him. I also made mistakes. That's why I decided again to secure second place.”
#198 Thibault Benistant
“Fifth place. That is already a clear improvement compared to last weekend in Portugal. Yet I am not satisfied. On such hard tracks I simply have to finish higher. But we're missing something. And that is what we are looking for within the team. Of course that is frustrating and mentally difficult. But we keep working hard. And I will be there again. Hopefully in two weeks, in front of our own people in Villars sous Ecot.”
#44 Rick Elzinga
“Given the circumstances, I am quite satisfied with this tenth place. I've been having stomach cramps all weekend. Did I eat something wrong? Is it the heat? No idea. In the beginning of the series it always went quite well, my starts were always fine. But after fifteen or twenty minutes those stomach cramps set in. That sucked all the energy out of my body. Things have really not been going well for me lately.”
By: Steven van Kempen/KEMCO
Photos: @fullspectrummedia
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