The Lommel, Belgium, circuit hosted FIM Europe’s classes of EMX125 presented by FMF Racing and EMX250 for this weekend’s round of Belgium alongside the FIM Motocross World Championship classes of MXGP and MX2. Maddi Racing Husqvarna’s Mattia Guadagnini and REVO Husqvarna UK’s Mel Pocock took full advantage of the opportunity to win this weekend and took their respective overall victories.
The world class event was a massive and challenging stage for the nearly 200 riders entered into the EMX classes yesterday and today. Lommel is known as one of the most testing sand tracks in the world even for seasoned World champions.
Coming into the weekend 100 riders were entered into the 125cc class alone with another 91 in EMX250. By the start of Saturday’s points paying race a series of timed sessions combined with a last chance race narrowed the fields to 40 riders each.
EMX250’s Saturday race was the final event of the day on a rough Lommel circuit. The conditions challenged the riders to stay focused and eliminate mistakes but several fell throughout the 13 lap race including early leader and red plate holder Mathys Boisrame from the Honda Redmoto Assomotor team.
Yamaha SM Action MC Migliori’s Maxime Renaux took his 6th place start to the front of the field and by lap 9 was into the lead. Creymert Racing’s Kevin Horgmo fought for 2nd from start to finish while REVO Husqvarna UK’s Mel Pocock took 3rd.
EMX250 Race 2 was just as brutal as Saturday with only slightly cooler temperatures to aid the riders. Horgmo led nearly every lap of the race but the most important final laps when he crashed out of the race and handed the top spot to Pocock.
The gift was great fully accepted by the Brit who took the race win and overall victory as a result for the first time this season. ASTES4-TESAR Yamaha’s Roan Van de Mosdijk took second in the race with Renaux 3rd. The overall result was mirrored however with Renaux second and Van de Moosdijk 3rd.
EMX125 presented by FMF Racing was full of epic racing as the riders fought for power in the deep Belgian sand. Saturday’s race 1 was lead early by Maddi Racing Husqvarna’s Mattia Guadagnini but he was eventually passed for the lead and race win by Yamaha Europe EMX125’s Thibault Benistant. Guadagnini held on to take second over Arvid Lüning while early contender Adam Zsolt Kovacs from iFly JK Racing Yamaha crashed and was ran over ending his weekend.
Today’s racing was even more challenging with much of the track left untouched since yesterday’s final race. EMX125 presented by FMF Racing again battled on the track first with Lüning leading the first official lap. 2nd on the first lap but quickly taking over the lead was Guadagnini. Just as impressive was Filip Olsson who came from 8th on the first lap to finish second after passing RD10 racing’s Raivo Dankers.
Guadagnini’s 2-1 gave him the overall with Olsson in 2nd, KTM Silver Action’s Andrea Bonacorsi 3rd with a 4-4, Lüning 4th, and Benistant 5th. The weekend also gives Benistant the championship leader’s red plate after previous points leader Rene Hofer from KTM Junior Racing suffered a season ending injury a week ago.
