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Quentin Marc Prugnières Fifth in the Dutch Sand and F&H Kawasaki Racing Team's Kevin Horgmo Claims Sixth
BUD Racing Kawasaki's Quentin Marc Prugnières just missed the podium in the Dutch round of the FIM European EMX250 Championship at Arnhem.
The French youngster put in two strong rides against the local sand experts after rounding turn one just outside the top-six in each moto. His persistence paid off in race one on Saturday afternoon as he eventually forced his way forward to third, and the overall podium looked a very realistic possibility as he took another solid start in race two on Sunday morning to push into fifth after a few turns. But an incident further round the lap dropped him to thirteenth with a mountain to climb on a rapid racing surface after overnight track-work. The never-say-die Frenchman broke into the top-ten within four laps and maintained his charge to reach seventh by half-distance but the gap to the first-six was already just too far to advance further. The 3-7 scoreline earnt fifth overall, just two points shy of the podium, but more significantly has seen him advance to fifth in the series standings with two rounds remaining next month.
Fellow BUD team colleague Benjamin Garib showed once again that he has soon found his feet in the white-hot world of EMX racing, even if his points-tally from the weekend did not reflect his competitive spirit. The Chilean, an impressive tenth in Timed Practice, battled his way back to eleventh in the Saturday afternoon moto after a second lap fall had cost him his top-ten ranking at the start, and on Sunday he again showed good speed to hold fifth for four laps before the rugged track claimed him. Rejoining the race thirty-first after a pit-stop to straighten the levers he pushed to the checkered flag to finish twenty-first, missing the final championship point of the day by a fraction of a second in a photo-finish.
F&H Kawasaki Racing Team's Kevin Horgmo claimed sixth in tough conditions at the Dutch round of the FIM World MX2 Motocross Championship at Arnhem.
He posted top-three starts in both GP motos to establish a solid base to work on against the local sand experts. Rugged track and climatic conditions made it essential for riders to pace themselves throughout the thirty-minute-plus-two-laps race distance of each moto and the Norwegian acquitted himself well to claim fifth and fourth positions in the two energy-sapping motos. Fourth through the opening turns of race one he had to surrender one position on lap three but maintained a consistent rhythm to stay fifth for ten laps and was rewarded for his patient approach as he regained the position three laps from the finish as many riders paid the penalty for their over-exuberance in claustrophobic conditions. Another lightning getaway in race two saw him run third throughout the first half of the moto and he even advanced to second at one stage before eventually coming home fourth. His thirty-four point haul was just four shy of the podium and eight less than the winner after two dramatic races. He remains ninth in the series standings but is only two points away from seventh and, with three GPs remaining, he even has a realistic chance of sixth.
It was a frustrating day for David Braceras; the Spaniard deserved more reward after showing good pace in both motos. He was stuck in traffic on the edge of the top-ten throughout the first moto to finish twelfth but was able to find a good rhythm in race two after a top-three start to run a solid seventh until the bike lost power five laps from the end. He is now seventeenth in the series standings.