EMX250

MANTOVA (Italy) 3 October 2020 – The European championship races have concluded here in Mantova, as Mattia Guadagnini of Husqvarna Junior Racing Maddi took his second consecutive overall victory in the EMX250 class, with a perfect double race win score on home soil.

Meanwhile, fellow Italian, Valerio Lata from Marchetti Racing Team KTM, got his own taste of success, as a second and a race win was enough to put the young Italian on the top step of the EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing podium.

In the opening EMX250 race, it was Marcel Conijn who led the way, with Guadagnini second and Tom Guyon of Team VRT Nordpesca Holland in third.

Guadagnini wasted no time to get around Conijn, as he passed him on the second lap of the race. It then didn’t take long for Guadagnini to get ahead and lead the race by 5.642 seconds. Meanwhile Hakon Fredriksen of Yamaha SM Action MC Migliori J1 Racing was looking to pass Guyon for fourth in the race.

Championship leader Thibault Benistant of the Hutten Metaal Yamaha Racing squad had a tough start to the race as he was forced to make his way back up from the back of the pack. He managed to get up to 14^th and still had plenty of time to keep climbing up the field.

On lap 5 of the race, Pierre Goupillon of BUD Racing Kawasaki caught and passed Emil Weckman, the rider of Honda Racing Assomotor for 6^th in the race.

Meanwhile Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Kay De Wolf crashed out twice in the first half of the race, eventually dropping down to 15^th.

On lap 6, after several attempts, Fredriksen was finally able to pass Guyon and get up into 4^th. While Talviku was battling with Conijn for 2^nd place.

With 5 minutes and 2 laps to go the top 10 was comfortably led by Guadagnini, who was followed by Conijn, Talviku, Fredriksen, Guyon, Goupillon, Weckman, Tomass Sileika, Lorenzo Corti and Tim Edberg.

Talviku then moved into P2 past Conijn, though not long after crashed which allowed Conijn and Fredriksen back through. Fredriksen than crashed himself, though only losing one position to Talviku.

In the end it was Mattia Guadagnini who won the race by an impressive 17.882 margin, with Marcel Conijn and Hakon Fredriksen behind in P2 and P3.

In EMX250 race two, it was Talviku and BUD Racing Kawasaki’s Lorenzo Locurcio who led the way, meanwhile Guadagnini and Benistant were down in 4^th and 5^th.

Talviku was then getting caught by Locurcio, while Gianluca Facchetti of Hutten Metaal Yamaha Racing was sitting in 3^rd place.

Guadagnini then made a mistake, which allowed Benistant through. Benistant was then the fastest rider on track as he went after his teammate to move into the top 3. Locurcio and Facchetti then crashed out of 2^nd and 3^rd, as Guadagnini forced his way past the championship leader, Benistant, to move into 2^nd.

Keen to get another win, Guadagnini then went on to set the fastest lap of the race – a 1:59.301, which was immediately bettered by Benistant as he clocked a 1:58.597 as he put the hammer down to catch the Italian and go for the lead.

Guadagnini then became the new race leader, pushing Talviku to 2^nd, with Benistant pushing the Estonian another position as he went through as well.

As the race progressed Guadagnini continued to lead the way with Benistant 2^nd. Though the rider in P3, Talviku, started to come under pressure from Locurcio, with the BUD Racing Kawasaki rider eventually passing him for 3^rd.

In the end it was Mattia Guadagnini who won the race, with Thibault Benistant in P2 and Locurcio in P3. On the podium it was Guadagnini who occupied the top step of the podium for the second time in a row, with Talviku 2^nd overall and Fredriksen 3^rd.

With three rounds left, Thibault Benistant leads the championship with 286 points, with Guadagnini 28 points down in second and De Wolf third.

Mattia Guadagnini: “I’m so happy. I took a good start in the first race, then made my way to the first and then took control and took no risk. The second time was a bit more difficult. I started in like fourth and then made a mistake, so I was fifth and then made my way to the lead again. So, I’m super happy”.

“I just want to give one hundred percent all the time and we will see. I took some good championship points and some wins today, but I just want to do my best” he added.

Jorgen-Matthias Talviku: “It’s so amazing. The first race was also good, I just made a little mistake and crashed. Then in the second race I took a good start and enjoyed my riding, lap by lap. All the riders are strong here, but I came to Italy to get better step by step and I did so I’m really happy about that”.

Hakon Fredriksen: “The riding was ok today. I had some ok starts and in the first race I gave away my second place on the last lap. In the second race, I just focused really bad to get the overall results and get on the podium”.

Thibault Benistant: “It was another difficult day. I had a really bad start in the first race, I gave my best to finish eighth, I think. In the second race, the start was really bad, but I was able to go on the inside, so me and Mattia could come back together. He won and I finished second. And now we look forward to Spain”.

EMX250 - Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, Husqvarna), 31:18.374; 2. Marcel Conijn (NED, KTM), +0:17.882; 3. Hakon Fredriksen (NOR, Yamaha), +0:19.212; 4. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, Husqvarna), +0:22.668; 5. Tom Guyon (FRA, KTM), +0:25.422; 6. Pierre Goupillon (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:29.091; 7. Emil Weckman (FIN, Honda), +0:40.652; 8. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), +0:41.122; 9. Tim Edberg (SWE, Yamaha), +0:45.944; 10. Lorenzo Corti (ITA, KTM), +0:49.744.

EMX250 - Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, Husqvarna), 30:19.951; 2. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), +0:04.667; 3. Lorenzo Locurcio (VEN, Kawasaki), +0:31.658; 4. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, Husqvarna), +0:38.804; 5. Hakon Fredriksen (NOR, Yamaha), +0:51.121; 6. Tom Guyon (FRA, KTM), +0:53.208; 7. Gianluca Facchetti (ITA, Yamaha), +0:53.662; 8. Bastian Boegh Damm (DEN, KTM), +1:09.387; 9. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +1:13.804; 10. Marcel Conijn (NED, KTM), +1:14.362;

EMX250 - Overall Top 10 Classification: 1. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, HUS), 50 points; 2. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, HUS), 36 p.; 3. Hakon Fredriksen (NOR, YAM), 36 p.; 4. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 35 p.; 5. Marcel Conijn (NED, KTM), 33 p.; 6. Tom Guyon (FRA, KTM), 31 p.; 7. Lorenzo Locurcio (VEN, KAW), 27 p.; 8. Tim Edberg (SWE, YAM), 22 p.; 9. Lorenzo Corti (ITA, KTM), 20 p.; 10. Bastian Boegh Damm (DEN, KTM), 19 p.;

EMX250 - Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 286 points; 2. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, HUS), 258 p.; 3. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 198 p.; 4. Hakon Fredriksen (NOR, YAM), 188 p.; 5. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, HUS), 180 p.; 6. Tim Edberg (SWE, YAM), 174 p.; 7. Lorenzo Locurcio (VEN, KAW), 141 p.; 8. Tom Guyon (FRA, KTM), 137 p.; 9. Meico Vettik (EST, KTM), 137 p.; 10. Isak Gifting (SWE, KTM), 128 p.;

EMX250 - Manufacturers Classification: 1. Yamaha, 315 points; 2. Husqvarna, 308 p.; 3. KTM, 275 p.; 4. Kawasaki, 150 p.; 5. Honda, 14 p.;

Main Photo: EMX250 Start

Bottom Photos: 1. Mattia Guadagnini; 2. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku

The first race of the EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing class, saw Raul Sanchez of Team Yamaha Ausio, who grabbed the holeshot. Meanwhile series leader, Andrea Bonacorsi of Fantic Racing was caught out in the first corner and have to fight through from the very back of the field.

Early on in the race, Pietro Razzini passed Karlis Alberts Reisulis for second, with Valerio Lata from Marchetti Racing Team KTM and ASA United Husqvarna Team’s Bobby Bruce, closely behind in fourth and fifth.

Razzini then got caught out by Reisulis, who fought back to move back into second, while also going after the race leader, Sanchez, straight away.

Bonacorsi then charged through from the back of the field as he got into the top 20. With 15 minutes plus 2 laps on the clock, Bonacorsi was up in 15^th, though still with a long way to go.

There was drama at the front of the field, which Sanchez and Reisulis down, which allowed Bruce into the lead, as he was followed by Lata, Meico Vettik, Razzini and Cas Valk of TBS Conversions Racing Team.

Bruce then extended his lead to 4.576 seconds, as Vettik passed Lata for second. At the same time, Reisulis set the fastest lap of the race and was down in 7^th.

It looked like Vettik stepped it up a gear, as the gap between him and the race leader, Bruce, came down to 2.7 seconds. Vettik then continued to charge after Bruce for the race win as less than a second separated the two.

Bruce then managed to pull the gap back to 1.777 seconds. Though that didn’t stop Vettik, who with 2 laps to go moved into the lead. Bruce then crashed out of P2, to eventually finish the race in 6^th.

Meico Vettik was the race 1 winner, with Valerio Lata second and Max Palsson of WZ Racing having a strong ride to finish third.

In the second EMX125 race it was Valk with the holeshot, while Bonacorsi had another unlucky start to the race and was down in 35^th.

Valk then led Lata, Palsson and Andrea Roncoli, though Lata was able to find a way through into the lead, and Palsson followed the Marchetti Racing KTM rider too, pushing Valk down to 3^rd within a few corners.

Valk then lost another spot to Palsson and was down in P4. At the same time, Bonacorsi was making his way through the field to move into 25^th, as Bruce fell out of 10^th.

With 10 minutes plus 2 laps on the clock, Lata continued to lead, though Roncoli was the rider in 2^nd place, 5.621 seconds down. Meanwhile Vettik was pushing to pass David Braceras of RFME GasGas MX Junior Team for 6^th in the race.

Valk then rode into the pits with a bike issue, which forced the Dutch rider out of race two.

Further down the field Bonacorsi got himself back into points in 19^th and he picked up a few more positions towards the end of the race to eventually finish in 10^th.

With just a few laps to go, Palsson and Roncoli were locked in a battle for 2^nd, with Roncoli going through into P2 towards the end.

Valerio Lata went on to take his first race win of the season, with Roncoli crossing the line 2^nd and Palsson 3^rd.

In terms of the overall, Lata took to the top step of the podium, with Vettik finishing 2^nd and Palsson occupying the 3^rd step of the podium. As it stands, Bonacrosi leads the championship by 33 points, with Razzini second and Vettik third. There are still four rounds of the championship left to go.

Valerio Lata: “I’m really happy with my win. The feeling with the bike is very good. This is my first podium with the 125 European championship, and I want to thank my team, my family and everyone for the support”.

Meico Vettik: “First race was very good for me. The second one, the start was a little bit bad and I made a lot of mistakes. But I think fourth is good and I’m looking forward to the next race.

Max Palsson: “Of course I’m really happy. In the second race I was a little bit bummed to not get the race win but just hope for more at the next round in Spain”.

Andrea Bonacorsi: “Yeah it was a hard day. The two races I didn’t get the results I wanted but it was not so bad, I had two good comebacks and I finished twelfth and tenth positions and now I’m ready to fight for the win in Spain”.

EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing - Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Meico Vettik (EST, KTM), 30:26.795; 2. Valerio Lata (ITA, KTM), +0:02.975; 3. Max Palsson (SWE, KTM), +0:04.716; 4. Cas Valk (NED, KTM), +0:09.968; 5. Pietro Razzini (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:12.837; 6. Bobby Bruce (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:20.598; 7. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, KTM), +0:21.417; 8. David Braceras (ESP, GASGAS), +0:30.827; 9. Andrea Roncoli (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:31.191; 10. Quentin Marc Prugnieres (FRA, KTM), +0:34.576.

EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing - Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Valerio Lata (ITA, KTM), 31:17.186; 2. Andrea Roncoli (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:04.500; 3. Max Palsson (SWE, KTM), +0:07.330; 4. Meico Vettik (EST, KTM), +0:43.011; 5. Saad Soulimani (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:49.117; 6. David Braceras (ESP, GASGAS), +0:56.302; 7. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, KTM), +0:59.193; 8. Pietro Razzini (ITA, Husqvarna), +1:04.482; 9. Quentin Marc Prugnieres (FRA, KTM), +1:12.112; 10. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, Fantic), +1:21.309.

EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing - Overall Top 10 Classification: 1. Valerio Lata (ITA, KTM), 47 points; 2. Meico Vettik (EST, KTM), 43 p.; 3. Max Palsson (SWE, KTM), 40 p.; 4. Andrea Roncoli (ITA, HUS), 34 p.; 5. Pietro Razzini (ITA, HUS), 29 p.; 6. David Braceras (ESP, GAS), 28 p.; 7. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, KTM), 28 p.; 8. Quentin Marc Prugnieres (FRA, KTM), 23 p.; 9. Bobby Bruce (GBR, HUS), 23 p.; 10. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, FAN), 20 p.

EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing - Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, FAN), 186 points; 2. Pietro Razzini (ITA, HUS), 153 p.; 3. Meico Vettik (EST, KTM), 147 p.; 4. David Braceras (ESP, GAS), 137 p.; 5. Guillem Farres (ESP, GAS), 132 p.; 6. Valerio Lata (ITA, KTM), 120 p.; 7. Kevin Brumann (SUI, YAM), 117 p.; 8. Max Palsson (SWE, KTM), 116 p.; 9. Andrea Roncoli (ITA, HUS), 109 p.; 10. Quentin Marc Prugnieres (FRA, KTM), 95 p.

EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing - Manufacturers Classification: 1. KTM, 212 points; 2. Fantic, 186 p.; 3. Husqvarna, 175 p.; 4. GASGAS, 162 p.; 5. Yamaha, 119 p.

Main Photo: EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Podium

Bottom Photos: 1. EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Start; 2. Valerio Lata 

Click here to obtain the complete results

All the photos from the MXGP of Europe will be available HERE

MXGP of Europe – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1660m

Type of ground: Hard Sand

Temperature: 21°

Weather conditions: partly cloudy with some showers

TIMETABLE (Local Timing CET/GMT+2)

SUNDAY: 09:15 MX2 Free/Time Practice, 10:15 MXGP Free/Time Practice, 12:05 MX2 Race 1, 13:05 MXGP Race 1, 15:00 MX2 Race 2, 16:00 MXGP Race 2

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM Europe

MXGP of Europe

MANTOVA (Italy) 29 September 2020 – The sixth round of the EMX250 Championship has concluded here in Mantova, for the round of Città di Mantova, that saw Husqvarna Junior Racing Maddii’s Mattia Guadagnini make the perfect comeback to take the overall win on home soil.

In the opening race of the day, it was Thibault Benistant of Hutten Metaal Yamaha Racing, Tom Guyon from Team VRT Nordpesca Holland and Guadagnini who got a good start and were running out in front.

Guadagnini wasted no time to past Guyon and get himself into second, before passing Benistant for the lead on the opening lap. He then went on to set the fastest lap time of the race putting himself 1.6 seconds ahead of the championship leader.

Further down the field, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Kay De Wolf was having a tough start to the race and was down outside the top 20 in the opening few laps.

Yamaha SM Action M.C Migliori J1 Racing’s Hakon Fredriksen was looking to move through the field as he went after Guyon for third, while the pair were 10 seconds down on Benistant and Guadagnini.

Meanwhile De Wolf was making progress to get into 15^th place on lap 3 of the race, as Guadagnini stepped it up a gear as he extended the lead over Benistant to 3.130 seconds.

Fredriksen then got Guyon for third, as Benistant made a mistake, losing a tone of time, with the gap between him and the lead going from 3 to 10 seconds in a single lap.

On lap 6 of the race Guadagnini continued to lead Benistant, Fredriksen, Guyon and Oriol Oliver who rounded out the top 5. While PAR Homes RFX Husqvarna rider Joel Rizzi, didn’t have the best opening race, as he retired from the race following a crash a few laps earlier.

De Wolf continued to make up positions as he challenged Bastian Boegh Damm of W-Z Racing to move into 12^th. Things then didn’t get better for the Dane, who lost a further 4 positions and was down in 17^th.

With 3 laps to go, Thomas Sileika of Diga WMX Racing dropped out of 10^th, which allowed De Wolf to inherit his position. The Latvian eventually crossed the line in 15^th.

In the end, Guadagnini clinched the race one victory, with Benistant second and Fredriksen third.

In race two, it was Guyon who led the way after getting another great start. Though he didn’t hold onto it for long, as Guadagnini moved past Jorgen-Matthias Talviku and Meico Vettik to move into second and started to charge for the race leader.

Meanwhile Benistant was having a much tougher start to the second race and was down in 18^th on the opening laps, which meant he’d have to work hard in order to pick up as many points as possible and go after the podium.

As Fredriksen got Guyon for second, Guyon crashed out of third. Meanwhile Benistant crashed out too and picked himself up in 19^th, making the race even harder for himself. Though he wasted no time, and was already up in 15^th a couple of laps later, and he continued to climb positions throughout the race.

Boegh Damm then lost 6^th to Pierre Goupillon of BUD Racing Kawasaki, while De Wolf passed Gianluca Facchetti of Hutten Mataal Yamaha Racing for P9.

As Benistant got up to 12^th in the race, Vettik lost 4^th to BUD Racing Kawasaki’s Lorenzo Locurcio who was having a great ride in the top 5.

De Wolf then had a big crash, though managed to pick himself up pretty quickly to re-join the race in 11^th position.

With 2 minutes plus 2 laps on the clock, Benistant then moved himself up into 8^th as he pushed for a spot on the podium, though he could only get back up to 7^th which was not enough to put him on the box today.

As Guadagnini continued to lead Fredriksen by 9 seconds, Locurcio then went after Talviku and passed him for 3^rd place with just 2 laps to go, which confirmed his spot on the podium.

In the end, Mattia Guadagnini confirmed his epic comeback with a race win, as Fredriksen finished second and Locurcio crossing the line in third.

With two race wins, Mattia Guadagnini occupied the top step of the podium during his home round, while Hakon Fredriksen made a back-to-back podium appearance for second overall and Locurcio finishing third.

In terms of the championship, Thibault Benistant continues to lead Mattia Guadagnini with Kay De Wolf third.

Mattia Guadagnini: “I’m so happy to be back on top and to win in Italy. Last weekend I made a lot of mistakes and I knew that today I really wanted to win so bad. I took two good starts and two race wins and I’m so happy to win here, I want to thank everybody that helps me”.

Hakon Fredriksen: “I feel really good about it. The riding today was strong, I had two okay starts and just worked my way through the races to take another podium so I’m happy for how it turned out”

Lorenzo Locurcio: “I rode really good and I’ve been working really hard, I have the speed for sure, I just don’t have the starts, so I’ve been coming through the pack a lot, today I got two really bad starts and I’ve been coming through from outside the top twenty so for me to end up on the podium was a bit of a surprise. I know this class is strong and the riders are all getting starts so I just never give up and rode my hardest and it finally paid off”.

Thibault Benistant: “Of course I’m a little bit disappointed about the second race because I lost the podium by one point but it’s not really bad because I fought really hard, I made two mistakes and fought to come back to sixth. The first race was not so bad, I got the holeshot but Mattia’s was better on the first two laps, I tried to take the win but I felt a little bit of pain in my stomach, so I wanted to finished second and I stayed second”.

“I know I have the speed and the feeling so I just need to take two good starts and after I think we will be alright for the next round” he added.

EMX250 - Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, Husqvarna), 29:44.017; 2. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), +0:09.759; 3. Hakon Fredriksen (NOR, Yamaha), +0:21.120; 4. Tom Guyon (FRA, KTM), +0:27.539; 5. Lorenzo Locurcio (VEN, Kawasaki), +0:28.245; 6. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), +0:34.270; 7. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, Husqvarna), +0:43.761; 8. Tim Edberg (SWE, Yamaha), +0:47.210; 9. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:52.801; 10. Maximilian Spies (GER, Husqvarna), +1:01.368.

EMX250 - Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, Husqvarna), 30:06.450; 2. Hakon Fredriksen (NOR, Yamaha), +0:08.667; 3. Lorenzo Locurcio (VEN, Kawasaki), +0:16.490; 4. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, Husqvarna), +0:19.498; 5. Meico Vettik (EST, KTM), +0:33.842; 6. Pierre Goupillon (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:37.091; 7. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), +0:37.700; 8. Tim Edberg (SWE, Yamaha), +0:41.211; 9. Tom Guyon (FRA, KTM), +0:54.453; 10. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:59.614.

EMX250 - Overall Top 10 Classification: 1. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, HUS), 50 points; 2. Hakon Fredriksen (NOR, YAM), 42 p.; 3. Lorenzo Locurcio (VEN, KAW), 36 p.; 4. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 36 p.; 5. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, HUS), 32 p.; 6. Tom Guyon (FRA, KTM), 30 p.; 7. Tim Edberg (SWE, YAM), 26 p.; 8. Meico Vettik (EST, KTM), 23 p.; 9. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 23 p.; 10. Pierre Goupillon (FRA, KAW), 20 p.

EMX250 - Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 251 points; 2. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, HUS), 208 p.; 3. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 181 p.; 4. Hakon Fredriksen (NOR, YAM), 152 p.; 5. Tim Edberg (SWE, YAM), 152 p.; 6. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, HUS), 144 p.; 7. Meico Vettik (EST, KTM), 137 p.; 8. Isak Gifting (SWE, KTM), 128 p.; 9. Lorenzo Locurcio (VEN, KAW), 114 p.; 10. Tom Guyon (FRA, KTM), 106 p.

EMX250 - Manufacturers Classification: 1. Yamaha, 273 points; 2. Husqvarna, 258 p.; 3. KTM, 238 p.; 4. Kawasaki, 115 p.

Main Photo: EMX250 Podium

Bottom Photos: 1. Mattia Guadagnini; 2. Lorenzo Locurcio

Click here to obtain the complete results

All the photos from the MXGP of Città di Mantova will be available HERE

MXGP of Città di Mantova – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1660m

Type of ground: Hard Sand

Temperature: 23°

Weather conditions: sunny

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM Europe

MXGP of Città di Mantova

MANTOVA (Lombardia) 26 September 2020 – The first races of the weekend have concluded in Mantova for the round of Lombardia, with action from the EMX250 riders, that saw Hutten Metaal Yamaha Racing’s Thibault Benistant have a successful end to his day as he took a fourth consecutive overall victory in the category.

This morning’s practice and qualifying sessions set the stage for the perfect day of racing, as home GP rider, Mattia Guadagnini of Husqvarna Junior Racing Maddii lined-up on the start gate first after posting the fastest lap time in the group timed session.

As the gate dropped for the opening EMX250 race of the day, it was Meico Vettik who got off to a flying start and was the early race leader. He was followed by Emilio Scuteri of Celestini Racing and Tom Guyon of Team VRT Nordpesca Holland.

Bastian Boegh-Damm of W-Z Racing didn’t have such a good start to the race as he crashed out and seemed to be in discomfort as he hopped towards his bike. He did re-join for a couple of laps though eventually retired from the race.

Meanwhile Husqvarna Junior Racing Maddii’s Mattia Guadagnini and Hutten Metaal Yamaha Racing rider Thibault Benistant didn’t get off to the best start in the race, as both were down the field, with Guadagnini 10^th and Benistant 14^th. Another rider struggling in the beginning of the race was Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Kay De Wolf who was further down the order in P17.

Back with the leaders it was Vettik who had already pulled a 5.654 second gap over Guyon, as Scuteri, Oriol Oliver and Hakon Fredriksen of Yamaha SM Action M.C Migliori – J1 Racing, were locked in a battle for third position. The second Hutten Metaal Yamaha Racing rider Gianluca Facchetti was having a great ride in 4^th place.

Meanwhile Vettik could not afford to relax as his 5 second gap was being cut short rapidly as the group caught up. And things then went downhill for the Estonian who crashed out of the lead, though was able to pick himself up pretty quickly and re-join in 4^th position. Guyon then moved into the lead, though this didn’t last long as the KTM rider crashed out and was dropping down the race order fast.

This then allowed Fredriksen to inherit the lead, all while Guadagnini was making good progress and was already up into 5^th on lap 5 of the race. Fredriksen then continued to lead the race as he opened up a 7 second gap over Facchetti and Vettik, while Guadagnini was catching the pair as he searched for higher positions. The Italian eventually was able to find a way through into third pushing Vettik to fourth in the race.

As the race progressed, Guadagnini then started to go after Facchetti and after several attempts was able to jump into second. At the same time the Husqvarna rider also set the fastest lap time of the race with a 1:56.878 with just 3 laps to go.

Facchetti then was being caught by Vettik for P3, though was able to retain his position as Fredriksen crossed the line to win race 1. Guadagnini finished second.

In the second EMX250 race, it was Guadagnini and Guyon who led the way, though things changed quickly as Guadagnini went down. Guyon then came under fire from Benistant who was eager to get into the lead and finish the day with a solid result.

As Guyon tried to hold off Benistant, this allowed Tim Edberg to get closer.

Meanwhile further down the order, Vettik was not having the best start to the race as he was down in 18^th on the opening few laps of the race.

Guadagnini then continued to cruise around the circuit, passing pitlane and giving the crew a signal at the bike, which must’ve taken an impact from his crash a lap earlier. He continued to ride around for a few more laps before going out of the race.

By lap 3, Benistant was the new race leader as he led Guyon, Edberg and De Wolf. Though Guyon looks to have made a mistake as he lost 2 positions and dropped to 4^th in the race. Benistant then went on to set a fast lap of the race, with 12 minutes plus 2 laps on the clock.

Just 5 seconds separated the top 3 riders, as De Wolf was searching for a way into 2^nd place and after several attempts was able to do just that as he moved up a position past Edberg.

As the race progressed, Benistant continued to edge away from the rest of the field as he pulled a 10.441 second gap over De Wolf and Edberg who remained 2^nd and 3^rd. In the end not much changed in the top 10, as Benistant claimed his first race win of the day, with De Wolf and Edberg crossing the line to finish in the top 3.

A 5^th and a win was enough to give Thibault Benistant the overall as Hakon Fredriksen claimed his first podium of the season to finish 2^nd and Tim Edberg also getting the 3^rd spot on the box.

As it stands Benistant now leads the EMX250 Championship by 57 points, with Guadagnini and De Wolf tied on points in second and third.

Thibault Benistant: “The day started not so easy as I finished a little bit far on the lap time. In the first race I tried to start a little bit far from the outside and I needed to push hard for a comeback, but I did quite a good race and finished fifth. In the second race I started better, I was third and there was a crash at the front. I waited for a mistake from Tom [Guyon] and then I was leading. I kept the gap and win the race”.

“I feel good, I like the track when it becomes a little bit bumpy, so I hope to do the same” he added.

Hakon Fredriksen: “It’s my first podium so I’m happy about it, the second race was not so easy as I had an incident on the first lap but I made it happen. It will be great to get the Norwegian flag on the top and that’s my motivation for the next race”.

Tim Edberg: “The last race was really good. I gave it my all race and I finished third and third overall. I’m really happy and we have worked really hard to get here so it’s paying off, I’m really happy”.

EMX250 - Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Hakon Fredriksen (NOR, Yamaha), 29:47.089; 2. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:12.463; 3. Gianluca Facchetti (ITA, Yamaha), +0:15.855; 4. Meico Vettik (EST, KTM), +0:17.032; 5. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), +0:28.999; 6. Tim Edberg (SWE, Yamaha), +0:32.315; 7. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), +0:33.759; 8. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, Husqvarna), +0:42.538; 9. Lorenzo Locurcio (VEN, Kawasaki), +0:42.770; 10. Emilio Scuteri (ITA, KTM), +0:45.622.

EMX250 - Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), 29:53.245; 2. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:10.129; 3. Tim Edberg (SWE, Yamaha), +0:12.670; 4. Tom Guyon (FRA, KTM), +0:15.289; 5. Lorenzo Locurcio (VEN, Kawasaki), +0:20.515; 6. Maximilian Spies (GER, Husqvarna), +0:38.570; 7. Gianluca Facchetti (ITA, Yamaha), +0:42.550; 8. Hakon Fredriksen (NOR, Yamaha), +0:42.942; 9. Meico Vettik (EST, KTM), +0:45.182; 10. Gianmarco Cenerelli (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:47.318.

EMX250 - Race 2 – Top 10 Overall: 1. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 41 points; 2. Hakon Fredriksen (NOR, YAM), 38 p.; 3. Tim Edberg (SWE, YAM), 35 p.; 4. Gianluca Facchetti (ITA, YAM), 34 p.; 5. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 31 p.; 6. Meico Vettik (EST, KTM), 30 p.; 7. Lorenzo Locurcio (VEN, KAW), 28 p.; 8. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, HUS), 23 p.; 9. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, HUS), 22 p.; 10. Maximilian Spies (GER, HUS), 19 p.

EMX250 - Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 215 points; 2. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, HUS), 158 p.; 3. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 158 p.; 4. Isak Gifting (SWE, KTM), 128 p.; 5. Tim Edberg (SWE, YAM), 126 p.; 6. Meico Vettik (EST, KTM), 114 p.; 7. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, HUS), 112 p.; 8. Hakon Fredriksen (NOR, YAM), 110 p.; 9. Lion Florian (GER, KTM), 87 p.; 10. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 87 p.

EMX250 - Manufacturers Classification: 1. Yamaha, 229 points; 2. Husqvarna, 208 p.; 3. KTM, 204 p.; 4. Kawasaki, 79 p.

Main Photo: EMX250 Start

Bottom Photos: 1. Thibault Benistant; 2. Hakon Fredriksen

Click here to obtain the complete results

All the photos from the MXGP of Lombardia will be available HERE

MXGP of Lombardia – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1660m

Type of ground: Hard Sand

Temperature: 23°

Weather conditions: sunny

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM Europe

MXGP of Lombardia