Yesterday rain started right after riders ended their sessions on track but it is not the same today. It is ok in the morning but in the first race of MX1 the weather changes and the day gets quite hard.
The show must go on though, and it does go on: many fans on the grandstand keep watching incredible MX battles on a track that takes no prisoners at all.
The first heat of MX2 is the only race with a perfect track. It is Cairoli winning but Aubin’s start is what impresses the most. He gets the holeshot and keeps second place for almost half race, then he slows down and finishes seventh. Cairoli gets the lead quite early and keeps it for the entire race, despite the pressure coming from Christophe Pourcel who makes up ground from fifth to second and loses some time to pass a lapped rider. Third place is for Philippaerts, leaving Sebastien Pourcel behind while fifth and sixth place are for KTM duo Rattray and De Reuver.
Second heat is much more complicated for Cairoli, crashing twice and ending his race at the second crash. He injures left hand and wrist and leaves the track to De Reuver, who makes to get first place and leaves team mate Rattray behind in second. Many riders have a hard time with the rain, especially Christophe Pourcel and David Philippaerts, who have water inside their goggles and can hardly see the track. But David gets third, after he passes Pourcel who leads the race for 12 laps before slowing down. He is thinking of his top spot in the Championship and he makes to keep it even with fourth place.
“I had a problem yesterday so I was starting from behind”, says De Reuver. “In the first heat I touched another rider at the start but in the second one I started much better. I saw Rattray was arriving from behind but I stayed focused and won the race. At the end I was also surprised of being the overall winner!”
On the other hand MX1 heats are both wet, and top three riders do not change. Everts wins both motos, starting the first one in dry conditions and keeping up the good work even when it starts to rain and the track becomes slippery. In the first moto Leok gets the holeshot then crashes and the battle for second is something between Suzuki team mates Ramon and Strijbos. At half race Strijbos passes Ramon and gets second place, while Ramon ends third ahead of Jorgensen and Leuret.
In heat 2 Leok gets another holeshot but Jorgensen and Everts are right behind him and do not wait to pass him. There is a lot of rain but Everts likes it and keeps going faster and faster, securing first place at the end of the first lap. Jorgensen is second then is passed by Strijbos, Leok and Ramon and ends in fifth place. Strijbos keeps second place while his team mate Ramon snatches third place from Leok, who ends fourth.
“In the first race I have done a consistent race”, explains Everts. “I had good speed and I am pretty happy with that. The second one was harder, but I kept up the pace and stayed focused anyways. We will try to keep going like this but every race is different an no one knows what can happen”.