The second and opening rounds of the EMX250 and EMX Open European Championships respectively have been wrapped up at Kegums, in Latvia.
Following a long five-month break, the European Championships made their return with the EMX250 and EMX Open races that saw the first international gate-drop this weekend.
This was the first action on the track at this Latvian GP, the event also marking the resumption of the MXGP and MX2 championships, with their races still to come this weekend.
In the opening EMX250 race it was Tom Guyon who got a flying jump of out the gate and reached the first corner in pole position. He then led the rest of the European 250 riders until lap five when Koen Gouwenberg briefly moved into first place for one lap.
By the following lap Thibault Benistant was comfortably in the lead as he opened up a nice gap between himself and the rider in second Tim Edberg. Benistant clearly took to the hard sand of Kegums as he led the rest of the race until the chequered flag dropped on lap 15.
Isak Gifting also had a strong race finishing 13.020 seconds behind the race winner as he fought his way from 4th to 2nd during the race. The top five consisted of Jorgen-Matthias Talviku and Mattia Guadagnini (pictured here) who was 5th in the first race.
In race two, it was Vettik Meico, Bastian Boegh Damm, Guyon and Guadagnini who were flying out of the gate and were the top 4 riders in the very beginning of the race. Though Damm didn’t waste any time and was the official race leader by the first official lap.
Guadagnini was also making his way to the front as he fought his way up to second and then set his sights on Damm. The Danish rider did well to fend off the former 125cc Junior World Champion until lap 5 when Guadagnini became the new race leader.
As Guadagnini moved into the lead, Benistant was also making moves as he made a pass on Talviku and then Damm. While in second, Benistant then focused his energy on the leader as he chased his second race win and the overall.
In the last three laps the heat was on, as Benistant applied the pressure on Guadagnini who did his best to make his way around the back markers while holding onto 1st place. Benistant gave it his all, pushing the limits in the hope of passing the Italian rider, though on the last lap, a small mistake cost him the potential of a 1-1 result, as Guadagnini crossed the line in P1, just 0.582 seconds ahead of the Frenchman.
Talviku reached the chequered flag in 3rd, ahead of Gifting and Kay de Wolf who were 4th and 5th.
Overall it was Benistant who took the round victory with a 1-2 result, with Guadagnini in 2nd and Gifting rounding out the EMX250 podium for round two of the series. With Damm not picking up any points this weekend, Benistant also became the new EMX250 Championship leader.
A 13-14 result gave local rider Tomass Sileika P10 overall, while other Latvian riders including the likes of Mairis Pumpurs and Rainers Zuks finished P23 and P26.
RESULTS:
EMX250 – Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), 30:37.600; 2. Isak Gifting (SWE, KTM), +0:13.020; 3. Tim Edberg (SWE, Yamaha), +0:18.921; 4. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, Husqvarna), +0:26.499; 5. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:31.619; 6. Meico Vettik (EST, KTM), +0:41.318; 7. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:44.264; 8. Hakon Fredriksen (NOR, Yamaha), +0:46.918; 9. Filip Olsson (SWE, Husqvarna), +0:47.579; 10. Lion Florian (GER, KTM), +0:59.190.
EMX250 – Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, Husqvarna), 30:47.304; 2. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), +0:00.582; 3. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, Husqvarna), +0:26.037; 4. Isak Gifting (SWE, KTM), +0:32.021; 5. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:37.570; 6. Tom Guyon (FRA, KTM), +0:49.366; 7. Gianluca Facchetti (ITA, Yamaha), +0:59.367; 8. Tim Edberg (SWE, Yamaha), +1:00.528; 9. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), +1:03.251; 10. Maximilian Spies (GER, Husqvarna), +1:07.194.
EMX250 – Top 10 Overall Classification: 1. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 47 points; 2. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, HUS), 41 p.; 3. Isak Gifting (SWE, KTM), 40 p.; 4. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, HUS), 38 p.; 5. Tim Edberg (SWE, YAM), 33 p.; 6. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 30 p.; 7. Tom Guyon (FRA, KTM), 25 p.; 8. Lorenzo Locurcio (VEN, KAW), 19 p.; 9. Gianluca Facchetti (ITA, YAM), 16 p.; 10. Tomass Sileika (LAT, KTM), 15 p.
EMX250 Championship – Top 10 Classification: 1. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 79 points; 2. Isak Gifting (SWE, KTM), 74 p.; 3. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, HUS), 68 p.; 4. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, HUS), 61 p.; 5. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 58 p.; 6. Bastian Boegh Damm (DEN, KTM), 50 p.; 7. Lion Florian (GER, KTM), 41 p.; 8. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 39 p.; 9. Tom Guyon (FRA, KTM), 36 p.; 10. Tim Edberg (SWE, YAM), 33 p.
EMX Open – Race 1 – Classification top 10: 1. Toms Macuks (LAT, KTM), 30:11.878; 2. Karel Kutsar (EST, KTM), +0:03.181; 3. Stefan Ekerold (GER, Suzuki), +0:47.813; 4. Andero Lusbo (EST, Husqvarna), +0:57.500; 5. Juuso Matikainen (FIN, Husqvarna), +1:09.514; 6. Domantas Jazdauskas (LTU, Husqvarna), +1:11.103; 7. Kim Savaste (FIN, KTM), +1:18.972; 8. Mads Sjoholm (DEN, KTM), +1:26.471; 9. Karlis Kalejs (LAT, Husqvarna), +1:29.802; 10. Miro Sihvonen (FIN, Husqvarna), +1:06.878.
EMX Open – Race 2 – Classification top 10: 1. Toms Macuks (LAT, KTM), 30:49.867; 2. Karel Kutsar (EST, KTM), +0:09.040; 3. Miro Sihvonen (FIN, Husqvarna), +0:20.095; 4. Andero Lusbo (EST, Husqvarna), +0:21.352; 5. Kim Savaste (FIN, KTM), +0:21.764; 6. Stefan Ekerold (GER, Suzuki), +0:30.247; 7. Domantas Jazdauskas (LTU, Husqvarna), +0:47.737; 8. Karlis Kalejs (LAT, Husqvarna), +0:57.401; 9. Juuso Matikainen (FIN, Husqvarna), +1:07.554; 10. Greg Smets (BEL, KTM), +1:12.756.
EMX Open – Overall Classification top 10: 1. Toms Macuks (LAT, KTM), 50 points; 2. Karel Kutsar (EST, KTM), 44 p.; 3. Andero Lusbo (EST, HUS), 36 p.; 4. Stefan Ekerold (GER, SUZ), 35 p.; 5. Miro Sihvonen (FIN, HUS), 31 p.; 6. Kim Savaste (FIN, KTM), 30 p.; 7. Domantas Jazdauskas (LTU, HUS), 29 p.; 8. Juuso Matikainen (FIN, HUS), 28 p.; 9. Karlis Kalejs (LAT, HUS), 25 p.; 10. Greg Smets (BEL, KTM), 21 p.
EMX Open – Championship – Top 10 Classification: 1. Toms Macuks (LAT, KTM), 50 points; 2. Karel Kutsar (EST, KTM), 44 p.; 3. Andero Lusbo (EST, HUS), 36 p.; 4. Stefan Ekerold (GER, SUZ), 35 p.; 5. Miro Sihvonen (FIN, HUS), 31 p.; 6. Kim Savaste (FIN, KTM), 30 p.; 7. Domantas Jazdauskas (LTU, HUS), 29 p.; 8. Juuso Matikainen (FIN, HUS), 28 p.; 9. Karlis Kalejs (LAT, HUS), 25 p.; 10. Greg Smets (BEL, KTM), 21 p.
© Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ
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