Today’s round of Lombardia in Mantova saw the penultimate and final rounds of the EMX250 and the EMX2t Presented by FMF Racing series, as a new European Champion was crowned.
Fantic Factory Team Maddii had plenty to celebrate as Maximilian Spies secured his first European title in the EMX2t Presented by FMF Racing after a 1-3 result, as well as an overall victory from their second two-stroke rider Federico Tuani who went on to win the second race. Meanwhile in EMX250 their rider Nicholas Lapucci had the perfect day as he extended his championship lead with two race wins for his fourth overall win of the season.
The EMX2t Presented by FMF Racing Championship chase came down to the wire once again this season. In the opening race, Spies got a strong start as he led his closest rival at the time, Brad Anderson of Verde Substance KTM, while his teammate Tuani was down in third. Spies looked relaxed as he was able to focus on his own race, while Anderson and Tuani battled closely for second position, and ultimately second in the championship too.
After several attempts and some hard work, Tuani was able to make a pass stick on the Brit which gave him the advantage in terms of the championship standings as just two points previously separated the pair. Tuani then was able to close the gap down to his teammate, Spies, but could not get around the German for first, as Spies went on to win the race.
By the second race, Tuani and Anderson were tied on points as Spies looked more in control of the title. And as the gate dropped for heat two, it was Anderson who got the advantage out of the gate as he exited turn one as the race leader. Just behind him was Tuani and Spies.
Tuani was on a charge as it took him less than two laps to get around Anderson who slipped to second. Spies was there in third, but as the race progressed, he decided to avoid any risks and settle for third. Meanwhile Tuani was in total control as he went on to win the race by an impressive 15.630 seconds over Anderson. It was a big moment for the Italian who not only celebrated his first race win, his first overall victory but also a silver medal in the championship.
In terms of the season, Spies had a near perfect series as he won five out of the possible six races and maintained a 100% podium record. Initially entering the series as a wildcard, he soon found himself at the forefront of the title battle and therefore made the decision to continue in order to stay within contention of his first European Championship.
Spies was the overall round winner in Czech Republic and Lommel, with the perfect 1-1 score at both events, while the final round here in Mantova saw him go 1-3 for second overall. At the beginning of the season, Anderson was his closest rival as he finished second on the podium at the first two rounds, only to slip to third at the final event as Tuani went on to win and pick up those extra points that he needed to move up in the championship standings.
All three title contenders were on the podium at every round of this short three-round series, which as usual delivered some close racing and we once again witnessed the title battle go down to the final chequered flag.
Maximilian Spies: “Today I won the first race, then for the second I was like “I can win if I want, but if I crash it’s also not good”. The most important thing for me is that I took the championship. I can’t realize right now that I got the title… Maybe I will tomorrow then I can cry about it. But yeah, I am super happy”.
Federico Tuani: “Finally today I got a win after what did in Lommel. Today was also a great day, I finished second in the championship. I did a lot of mistakes in Loket and Lommel. However, I also want to congratulate Max who did a great job. It was a good championship with good battles. We enjoyed it a lot. I want to thank my family, my team and everyone who supported me during this season”.
Brad Anderson: “Yeah I’m a bit disappointed obviously. I’d rather have won or come second but these boys have been outstanding throughout the season and I had nothing for them today. I was a bit unlucky in the race obviously. But I had a good second race and gave my one hundred percent. That’s all I could do really. I came away with third overall, third overall in the championship and I am pleased with that. I would just like to thank all the sponsors and everyone who supported me. Thank you”.
In the first race of the EMX250 category, it was Lapucci who took the holeshot from Yago Martinez of Team VRT Nordpesca Holland as well as Mike Gwerder and Oriol Oliver of WZ Racing Team. Kevin Horgmo of SM Action Racing Team YUASA Battery and Hutten Metaal Yamaha Racing’s Andrea Bonacorsi just inside the top 10.
Martinez then started to apply the pressure onto Lapucci, as the gap stayed under two second, while Gwerder had his teammate Oliver pushing to get by for third. Horgmo and Bonacorsi were able to make some nice passes in the opening few laps as they caught onto Oliver and joined the battle for third.
Oliver then found his way past Gwerder for third, as Bonacorsi and Horgmo were looking to do the same. Bonacorsi was able to get by the Swiss, while Horgmo could not do the same.
Cornelius Toendel of Riley Yamaha Racing was having a strong ride in eight before crashing and dropping down the order. He was however able to come back to seventh by the end of the race.
Meanwhile his teammate Hakon Fredriksen was having a strong comeback after a mid-pack start as he caught onto the back of Horgmo. He got alongside his fellow Norwegian and was able to make a quick pass on him and then Gwerder in less than a lap. After getting himself into fifth, he then went after Bonacorsi for fourth, but the Italian was able to defend his position from the Norwegian.
Martinez remained close to Lapucci for the entire race as he kept a nice distance to the leader. But in the end, despite several attempts, he could not get close enough to the Italian who went on to win the race. Third was Oliver, while Horgmo eventually passed Gwerder for seventh in the final stages of the race.
In race two, it was again Lapucci with the flying start as Oliver and Horgmo followed behind. Toendel and Fredriksen also good off to a good start.
After getting a much stronger start in the second race, Horgmo made a mistake and lost a position or two on the opening lap, as Fredriksen moved into third.
Lapucci then got his head down as he looked to open up a gap to Oliver and Fredriksen. Oliver then fell on lap five which allowed Fredriksen through and luckily the Spaniard didn’t lose any more positions after that.
Pole man, Jeremy Sydow of Hutten Metaal Yamaha Racing Team had a much better start to the second race but would later fall not long after Rick Elzinga of TBS Conversions Racing Team passed him for seventh and would not continue with the heat.
As the race went on, Horgmo caught onto Toendel as he searched for a way into fourth. Unfortunately for Horgmo, Toendel was able to defend his position and keep hold until the end.
Lapucci went on to win the race from Fredriksen, as Oliver maintained third despite pressure from Toendel and Horgmo in the final few laps. A 1-1 result handed Lapucci another overall victory as he extended his championship lead to 45 points over Horgmo. Oliver took to the second spot of the podium with a 3-3 in the races, while Fredriksen climbed the podium for the second consecutive round as he finished third.
Just one round remains of the EMX250 Championship as Lapucci has one hand on the title, with Horgmo now falling 45 points behind the Italian as Elzinga remains third. Bonacorsi now moves up to fourth in the standings as Liam Everts of KTM Liamski did not line-up for today’s races due to a crash in practice.
Nicholas Lapucci: “Today was just a perfect day. I am really happy how the things went. I wanted it so much, because my family came to Pietramurata, but it did not go as planned. So, I am happy to go 1-1 today and to put an important stamp for the championship. So, let’s focus on Tuesday and bring it home”.
Oriol Oliver: “It’s amazing. It’s my first podium, after struggling the whole season and searching for my speed. Today I took two good starts and from the first lap I felt so good on this track. Two third place finishes for third overall is amazing. Thank you to my family and my team”.
Hakon Fredriksen: “I think it was the best I could do after the first race. I had two bad starts. I couldn’t find my flow in the beginning of the first race, so I struggled a little bit. But second race I could make a lot of passes in the first lap. So, I am happy to finish second in the second race and take it to the podium. Of course, my goal is to win the last race. I think it’s possible, I just need two good starts”.
Photo Credit – MXGP
