Saturday’s race action in Oss is done and dusted with Dutch riders Rick Elzinga from TBS Conversions KTM Racing Team and Micha-Boy De Waal of No Fear/Jumbo BT Racing Team victorious in the EMX250 and EMX Open categories.
Both riders were met by an eager Dutch crowd who urged them on from start to finish as they craved their way through the sand on their way to victory.
In the opening EMX250 race it was SM Action Racing Team YUASA Battery’s Kevin Horgmo who was the early race leader before crashing, which allowed Fantic Factory Team Maddii’s Nicholas Lapucci, Jorgen-Mathias Talviku of No Fear/Jumbo BT Racing Team, Yago Martinez from Team VRT Nordpesca Holland, Elzinga and Dave Kooiker of Hutten Metaal Yamaha Racing through, among others, as the Norwegian dropped to 8th.
Talviku and Elzinga then had a close battle for second, as the Dutchman went through on the Estonian and then the Husqvarna rider came under more pressure this time from Martinez who was also able to pass him. Talviku later crashed in the race a couple of times to finish the race ninth.
Everts was having a good ride as he made his way into the top five, though after an unlucky crash dropped down the order but was eventually to pick himself back up and finish the race inside the top five.
On lap 7 Elzinga was able to get around Lapucci for the lead as Kooiker lost quite a few positions and dropped down to sixth, allowing the likes of Horgmo, Martinez, Hutten Metaal Yamaha Racing’s Andrea Bonacorsi and Liam Everts of KTM Liamski through.
While it looked like Elzinga was on track to take a race win, Lapucci caught him out on the final lap to take back first position and go on to win the race ahead of the Dutchman, with Horgmo finishing third.
In race two, it was Lapucci who took the holeshot as Talviku quickly took the lead away from the Italian. The Estonian then crashed out of first place, with Lapucci forced off track due to the incident, and as a result lost valuable positions as he re-joined in 7th.
Team VRT Nordpesca Holland’s Davide Braceras then assumed first place, as Everts sensed the perfect opportunity to go after his first EMX250 race win. By lap three Everts was the new race leader, as Elzinga and Lapucci made their way back up to the leaders.
Elzinga then passed Lapucci, Bonacorsi and Braceras in one lap as Everts extended his lead to 4 seconds over Kooiker and Elzinga. Elzinga then got himself into second, as Lapucci worked his way up to third and then it was game on as Elzinga and Lapucci battled it out.
In the final laps of the race the pair caught onto the back of Everts who started to make mistakes under pressure and on the final lap, Elzinga was able to take the lead, as Everts successfully defended second place from Lapucci.
Elzinga was the race winner, with Everts second and Lapucci third. The same three riders took to the podium, with Elzinga taking the victory on home soil, with Lapucci second overall and Everts making his first EMX250 podium appearance in third.
Lapucci now leads the championship with a 17-point advantage over Horgmo, as Bonacorsi sits third.
Rick Elzinga: “To win at your home round is amazing and with the home crowd finally back at the races. I was sick for a long time so 25-minute race was not an easy thing to do and then my starts I was around tenth or fifteenth, so coming back from the mid-pack was really hard, I’m just really happy about the win”
“Lommel will be the team’s home GP, so I hope to get another podium. I train there a lot, I am familiar with the track, and I think I can do some good things there”.
Nicholas Lapucci: “In the end it was not a bad day. A part of me is happy but also a part of me is a little bit upset but this is part of the races. The second race I had a problem when Talviku crashed and I went off the track, so I needed to work a lot to come back and take second overall. The important thing is to save the points position and go to Lommel pumped to maybe take the overall in the sand”.
“We work pretty hard in the sand, and I have enjoyed riding and today I showed good things and I will take away the positives. I got the race win in race one and showed good speed in race two, I did everything I could to try to take the guys in front, but they were fast too, and this is a part of racing”.
Liam Everts: “In the first race it was quite tough for me as I had a little crash, I was going too fast and made another mistake going in the uphill but still managed to get fifth. In the second race I got a good start and I was fourth, I almost had a crash myself but then I saw Nicholas and Kevin off, so I took advantage of this and made the most of it to get around leader and then go one more lap, and leave them behind. Then two laps from the end I made a little mistake which I think cost me the win, it was quite close in the end which is a shame but nonetheless I am very happy”.
“Home GP next where I grew up and learned to ride. I’m really looking forward to that, but this is already one goal achieved this year, the podium and to have the fans back is great. I saw and heard many fans cheering. I’m really looking forward to Lommel”.
EMX250 – Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Nicholas Lapucci (ITA, Fantic), 31:20.758; 2. Rick Elzinga (NED, KTM), +0:05.815; 3. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, GASGAS), +0:06.554; 4. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, Yamaha), +0:25.519; 5. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), +0:34.587; 6. Dave Kooiker (NED, Yamaha), +0:39.933; 7. Cornelius Toendel (NOR, Yamaha), +0:40.681; 8. Yago Martinez (ESP, KTM), +0:56.757; 9. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, Husqvarna), +0:59.457; 10. Mike Gwerder (SUI, KTM), +1:02.492;
EMX250 – Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Rick Elzinga (NED, KTM), 31:28.568; 2. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), +0:00.275; 3. Nicholas Lapucci (ITA, Fantic), +0:02.132; 4. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, Yamaha), +0:11.816; 5. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, GASGAS), +0:18.982; 6. Dave Kooiker (NED, Yamaha), +0:49.215; 7. David Braceras (ESP, KTM), +0:58.052; 8. Yago Martinez (ESP, KTM), +1:01.247; 9. Rasmus Hakansson (SWE, Husqvarna), +1:06.904; 10. Kjell Verbruggen (NED, KTM), +1:06.960;
EMX250 – Overall Top 10 Classification: 1. Rick Elzinga (NED, KTM), 47 points; 2. Nicholas Lapucci (ITA, FAN), 45 p.; 3. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 38 p.; 4. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, YAM), 36 p.; 5. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, GAS), 36 p.; 6. Dave Kooiker (NED, YAM), 30 p.; 7. Yago Martinez (ESP, KTM), 26 p.; 8. Rasmus Hakansson (SWE, HUS), 22 p.; 9. Cornelius Toendel (NOR, YAM), 19 p.; 10. Kjell Verbruggen (NED, KTM), 18 p.;
EMX250 – Top 10 Championship Classification: 1. Nicholas Lapucci (ITA, FAN), 95 points; 2. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, GAS), 78 p.; 3. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, YAM), 62 p.; 4. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 58 p.; 5. Rick Elzinga (NED, KTM), 57 p.; 6. Cornelius Toendel (NOR, YAM), 57 p.; 7. Yago Martinez (ESP, KTM), 55 p.; 8. Hakon Fredriksen (NOR, KAW), 39 p.; 9. Emil Weckman (FIN, HON), 34 p.; 10. Dave Kooiker (NED, YAM), 30 p.;
EMX250 – Manufacturers Classification: 1. Fantic, 95 points; 2. GASGAS, 78 p.; 3. KTM, 76 p.; 4. Yamaha, 74 p.; 5. Husqvarna, 54 p.; 6. Kawasaki, 39 p.; 7. Honda, 34 p.; 8. TM, 3 p.;
As the gate dropped for the first EMX Open race, it was De Waal who took the lead from the get-go, as Nicholas Dercourt of Honda ST Motoblouz followed behind.
Former MXGP rider, Ken De Dycker got a good start and was inside the top five, before getting himself into second behind De Waal. The race leader, De Waal, then continued to stretch out his lead lap-by-lap, setting consistent lap times throughout the entire race.
Dercourt then pushed De Dycker to third, as De Waal extended his lead to 9.484 seconds and remained the fastest rider on track by almost 2 seconds compared to the riders behind him.
Davide De Bortoli was fighting his way through the field as he got around Joel Van Mechelen for fourth place. In the end De Waal was the race winner with Dercourt second and De Dycker finishing third.
In race two it was once again De Waal who took the holeshot after the race was re-started due to a false start. De Waal led the way with De Bortoli, Dercourt, Simeo Ubach of 137 KTM Motorsport and Simone Croci rounding out the top five on the opening lap.
De Dycker was down in 10th and had to work hard to make his way through the field, but eventually fell down to 12th where he finished the second heat.
Much like the first race, De Waal led from start to finish, while De Bortoli worked hard to keep Dercourt behind him, as the pair finished the race second and third. In the end it was De Waal who was the overall round winner in front of his home crowd, securing his team their first overall win, as Dercourt placed second overall and De Bortoli was third on the podium.
De Court now takes the championship lead, with De Bortoli four points behind him in second and De Waal sitting in third.
Micha-Boy De Waal: “Today was really good. My goal was to find a way to stay on the bike and today I managed to do that. I liked the track, it’s sand of course and I managed to take two race wins and two holeshots, so it was a good day definitely. For me it’s the first time I win two races and the overall and at the home round so it’s really special, for the team as well as it’s their first win also, but we are far away from the lead so we need to think of some way to get close”
Nicholas Dercourt: “I’m super happy with my weekend. I did not think it would unfold like that. It was tough and technical, especially since I was not familiar with the track. But I had a lot of fun with the team. We are building the foundations and we are trying to evolve little by little and not miss any steps. So, it is really great. I am happy to have had two good races and get the red plate. Thank you to everyone, sponsors and my team, Joss and Seb”.
Davide De Bortoli: “For me it’s a surprise to be on the podium today because this type of track is not my favourite. I don’t feel so confident in the sand but today I felt good to finish in third position and now the championship is interesting. I am happy to be second in the championship and I hope to do better in Loket on a track terrain that is my favourite”.
EMXOpen – Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Micha-Boy De Waal (NED, Husqvarna), 31:16.549; 2. Nicolas Dercourt (FRA, Honda), +0:22.356; 3. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:30.731; 4. Davide De Bortoli (ITA, Honda), +0:34.044; 5. Kay Ebben (NED, KTM), +0:39.041; 6. Jilani Cambré (BEL, Yamaha), +0:42.292; 7. Joel Van Mechelen (NED, KTM), +0:45.963; 8. Simeo Ubach (ESP, Husqvarna), +0:47.926; 9. Emil Berggren (SWE, Husqvarna), +0:51.697; 10. Lars Griekspoor (NED, KTM), +1:11.062;
EMXOpen – Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Micha-Boy De Waal (NED, Husqvarna), 31:39.961; 2. Davide De Bortoli (ITA, Honda), +0:12.007; 3. Nicolas Dercourt (FRA, Honda), +0:17.504; 4. Simeo Ubach (ESP, Husqvarna), +0:45.771; 5. Simone Croci (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:52.898; 6. Kay Ebben (NED, KTM), +1:03.021; 7. Andero Lusbo (EST, Husqvarna), +1:09.058; 8. James Dunn (GBR, Kawasaki), +1:14.585; 9. Joel Van Mechelen (NED, KTM), +1:20.290; 10. Mike Bolink (NED, KTM), +1:26.385;
EMXOpen – Overall Top 10 Classification: 1. Micha-Boy De Waal (NED, HUS), 50 points; 2. Nicolas Dercourt (FRA, HON), 42 p.; 3. Davide De Bortoli (ITA, HON), 40 p.; 4. Simeo Ubach (ESP, HUS), 31 p.; 5. Kay Ebben (NED, KTM), 31 p.; 6. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KAW), 29 p.; 7. Simone Croci (ITA, HUS), 26 p.; 8. Joel Van Mechelen (NED, KTM), 26 p.; 9. James Dunn (GBR, KAW), 21 p.; 10. Mike Bolink (NED, KTM), 20 p.;
EMXOpen – Top 10 Championship Classification: 1. Nicolas Dercourt (FRA, HON), 84 points; 2. Davide De Bortoli (ITA, HON), 80 p.; 3. Micha-Boy De Waal (NED, HUS), 63 p.; 4. Simone Croci (ITA, HUS), 62 p.; 5. Filippo Zonta (ITA, HON), 50 p.; 6. Simeo Ubach (ESP, HUS), 44 p.; 7. Jilani Cambré (BEL, YAM), 44 p.; 8. Andero Lusbo (EST, HUS), 37 p.; 9. Kay Ebben (NED, KTM), 35 p.; 10. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KAW), 29 p.;
EMXOpen – Manufacturers Classification: 1. Honda, 94 points; 2. Husqvarna, 86 p.; 3. KTM, 53 p.; 4. Kawasaki, 45 p.; 5. Yamaha, 45 p.; 6. GASGAS, 12 p.;