Strong comeback Geerts. Elzinga very unlucky
Jago Geerts made a comeback in style in the Dutch GP. The Balenian settled in fourth place, just 21 days after his serious broken collarbone. Teammate Rick Elzinga (13th) only had to deal with bad luck.
The FIM World Championship stopped for the very first time at Motorsportpark Gelderland – a typical Dutch sand track – in Arnhem. Home rider Rick Elzinga was again joined by Jago Geerts, who made his comeback faster than expected three weeks after his broken collarbone in Finland. We still have to wait a while for Thibault Benistant's comeback. With a fourth (Rick) and fifth (Jago) place in the qualifying race, the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 riders secured a good starting position on Sunday.
A blow
All the good work from Saturday was undone at the start of the first heat: Rick was held up a bit and entered the first corner in eighth place, Jago - who got boxed in - was only 16th. Both drivers made up a lot of places in a strong first lap: Elzinga moved up to P5, Geerts followed nicely in P6. Rick jumped over Horgmo into fourth place two laps later. The Dutchman approached Everts, but was knocked down one and a half laps from the end by… a doubled rider. Not fourth, but ninth place. The first blow of the day for the Dutchman. Geerts was involved in a duel with Horgmo for a long time in that first series. In the 13th round, Jago finally managed to outwit the Norwegian. Due to the fall of teammate Elzinga, the Balenian moved up an extra spot (fourth) in the last round.
Tough duel
Bad luck continued to haunt Elzinga. At the start of the second series he was involved in a massive crash, injuring his left shoulder. A second blow for the reigning European EMX250 champion, who, however, gritted his teeth. Rick moved up from the last position to P10, but felt his shoulder kept dislocating and therefore had no choice but to stop the fight. A third blow. Geerts, who had entered the first corner in sixth place, organized his sequence very well and made his way to the front. After six laps he was already in third position and started chasing Liam Everts. What followed was an exciting duel between the two Belgians. The stakes for Geerts: a GP podium. Jago continued to apply pressure and passed Everts in the last lap - just before the waves. Job done? Nope. A doubled rider decided differently. Geerts was held up briefly in the last corner, allowing Everts to take second place in the end. No GP podium, but a fourth place for Geerts, who can nevertheless look back on a great comeback.
#44 Rick Elzinga
“It really wasn't going well for me this weekend. And that for our own people. Frustrating. In the first series I was on my way to a certain fourth place, until a doubled rider simply grabbed me in the side. From four to nine. A serious disappointment. And it got even worse. There was a lot of chaos at the start of the second series, which also caused me to crash. Right on my left shoulder. I was able to resume and even drive to P10, but my shoulder kept popping out of its socket. It just became too dangerous and I had to give up. I'll have a scan done on Monday to see how extensive the damage really is. Although I suspect it will not be too bad.”
#93 Jago Geerts
“Fourth place and even fighting for the podium until the end: that is much more than I could have dreamed of, after that serious broken collarbone. My shoulder actually bothered me a lot less than I expected. So I can only be satisfied with this result. My second series in particular was very good. There was a tough duel with Everts. I was able to pass him on the last lap, but was then held up by a doubled rider, allowing Everts to catch up with me again. So I miss the GP podium by a hair, which is a bit of a shame. Now I have two weeks to work towards the next GP. The plan is to help Turkey win again.”
Posted: Steven van Kempen/KEMCO
Gallery: #ShotbyBavo
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