Round five of the EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing championship has concluded in Arroyomolinos as Ivano Van Erp of Yamaha Europe EMX125 MJC went on to take the overall victory at the Spanish round of the series.
The European 125cc category delivered some interesting races for the huge crowd of Spanish fans that filled the grandstands around the intu-Xanadù Arroyomolinos circuit.
In the first EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing heat, it was Julius Mikula who got into an early lead ahead of Alexis Fueri of Fantic Factory Team Maddii, Scott Smulders of No Fear / Jumbo BT Racing Team and Karlis Alberts Reisulis of Yamaha Europe EMX125 MJC. Meanwhile the series leader Valerio Lata of MRT Racing Team KTM started in around 23rd position.
Nicolas Duhamel of Team VHR KTM Racing started well in fourth ahead of Kay Karssemakers of Husqvarna SKS Racing NL. Smulders was looking to take over the lead as Duhamel got into second.
Mikula then led Duhamle, Smulders and Edgar Canet from RFME GasGas MX Junior Team, as Van Erp got around Bobby Bruce of ASA United GasGas Racing Team for fifth. Lucas Coenen of 9MM Energy Drink Bud Racing Kawasaki also got around Bruce, as the Brit dropped down to sixth.
The action within the top 10 was extremely close, as riders traded positions and battled intensely. Meanwhile further down the field, Lata ran into some troubles just as he was getting back within the top 10 and as a result fell to 32nd.
Duhamel was another rider to crash, which allowed Canet to get all over the back wheel of Mikula and challenge the Czech rider for the lead. As Canet took over first position, Mikula came under more pressure from Van Erp who moved into second and set his sights on the win. It took three laps for Van Erp to make a pass for the lead.
Lucas Coenen picked up his pace as he started to make good passes to move up the order. The Belgian then caught up with Bruce and was able to get around him for third. It took a few laps, but Coenen also caught up with Canet and took second from the Spaniard with four laps remaining.
Van Erp went on to win the race ahead of Coenen and Canet.
In race two, it was Pablo Gutierrez who took the holeshot from Nicolo Turaglio, Lata and Smulders. Lata was keen on making up for the 18th place finish in race one as he was quick to get around Turaglio and move into second.
Bruce and Karssemakers started the race in ninth and 10th, while Sacha Coenen of 9MM Energy Drink Bud Racing Kawasaki also started well in fourth. His brother Lucas Coenen was inside the top 10 too, but later crashed and dropped way down the order.
Gutierrez continued to lead Lata by 5.153 seconds, as Smulders dropped a few positions and then later made a mistake which allowed Bruce to move up to sixth. The GasGas rider then picked up another position as Van Erp went off track. Xavier Cazal from Team VHR KTM Racing was the next right in his sights, and he was able to also pass him and get into fourth place.
As Lata took the lead, further down the order, Lucas Coenen began his comeback as he got himself into 14thplace, while his brother Sacha Coenen was getting in the mix with Lata and Gutierrez, gaining ground on both riders ahead. The Kawasaki rider was on track for his first podium finish, but his day ended in a DNF.
Lata then got ahead by 4.458 seconds over Gutierrez as Bruce picked up his pace and caught up with the Spanish rider. He needed to push hard but ultimately was able to get the job done to finish the race second behind Lata who was the race winner.
With a 1-4 result, Van Erp bagged himself his second overall victory of the season, with Bruce placing second overall and Lucas Coenen securing his third consecutive podium after coming back to eighth place in the second race.
Despite not finishing on the podium, Lata still leads the championship with an 11-point advantage over Bruce. Karssemakers is third just five points behind.
Ivano Van Erp: “It’s unbelievable. Two not-so-good starts. I came from 10th in the first one, I think. I was then able to take the lead after 15 minutes, which was very nice. In the second race, I believe I was 7th or 8th at the start, and I came from behind but also made a small mistake. I had to keep going and I saw on the pit board after 20 minutes that I had the overall, so I kept my focus and won the overall again. I train a lot, so I believe I can do it again. It’s a great feeling. I hope to get three great races in Trentino, we head there, and we’ll see what it brings. Thank you to everyone, my fans, family and sponsors”.
Bobby Bruce: “It was good. I did not have a great start and had a bike issue which has been the same the whole season, but it was good for me to make some chances for the second race, and I felt like I could come alive again. The track was good, it was quite technical, so you had to give it your all in every lap. It was a nice and solid day and looking forward to the next round. My plan is just to keep doing what I’m doing really. I felt like last round we lost a lot of points but came back strong this round. We’ll just keep doing what we do and hopefully it pays off.”
Lucas Coenen: “Today was a difficult day. The start was bad. First one I was behind and could not really make my way up. The second race was also not a good start. I was sixth and had a small crash which took me back to eighth place. I was a little bit disappointed, but we stay focused. It’s getting better now. Three podiums in a row. It feels good to be in that position. I know where I can be and I will keep working towards my goal”.
Valerio Lata: “Yes, it was difficult day. I had a crash in the first race and finished 20th. But then I had a good start in the second race and finished first. Looking forward to the triple header in Trentino. Thank you everyone”.
