MAGGIORA (Italy), 15 June 2014 – The moisture from the over night rain and morning drizzle threw a spanner in the works today for the European Championships EMX250 and EMX300’s second races. With the depth of talent in the EMX250 deeper than ever, it was yet another mixed bag of results withHonda J-Tech’s Thomas Kjer Olsen taking two thirds this weekend for his first overall win of the season.
Meanwhile the EMX300 fired the crowd up immediately with the Italian national anthem being played forTM Racing Team’s Samuele Bernardini who completely dominated for his second perfect score of the season.
EMX250
Just as expected the racing in the EMX250 was fierce. While race o
ne yesterday, in considerably dryer conditions than today, saw Bud Racing Kawasaki’s Suvillan Jaulin ride super smooth for the win ahead of Hitachi Construction Machinery UK KTM’s Ben Watson and Honda J-Tech’s Thomas Kjer Olsen, race two this morning wrote a different story.
Before the gates had even dropped race one’s winner Bud Racing Kawasaki’s Suvillan Jaulin jumped too early and almost hit the gate dropping him way back right off the start. The red plate holder CNC Doors KTM’s Steven Clarke was out to redeem himself after his crash in race one, taking the holeshot ahead of Creymert Racing’s Brent Van Doninck.
Race one’s runner up Hitachi Construction Machinery UK KTM’s Ben Watson was having troubles of his own, getting tangled with another rider on turn two and then crashing yet another time before the end of lap one. Meanwhile the battle for third was as wild as ever with last years EMX125 vice champion Nicolas Dercourt onboard his Tip Top Racing Team Yamaha going head to head with Honda J-Techs Thomas Kjer Olsen and the fastest Italian in the class Martin Racing Technology Team’s Michele Cervellin.
Dercourt, Olsen and Cervellin got the better of early race challengers HSF Logistics Motorsport Team’s Frederik Van Der Vlist, Ceriel Klein Kromhoff and KTM Sarholz Henry Jacobi before being left with only three to duke it out for third. Approaching half way Olsen made the move on Dercourt to take over third, while up front Van Doninck was starting to reel Clarke in.
Coming into the closing stages of the race, choosing the battle to follow became difficult. Van Doninck was closing in on Clarke, who each and every time turned it up again in response while Dercourt was using everything in his repertoire to push pass Olsen.
In a nail biting end to the race, the lad from England, no stranger to wet conditions, Steven Clarke took the win just over a second clear of Brent Van Doninck. Thomas Kjer Olsen managed to just hold on for a hard fought third ahead of Nicolas Dercourt. Getting the job done for the Italian fans Michele Cervellin rounded out the top five just ahead of yesterday’s race winner 
Suvillan Jaulin who salvaged a respectable sixth.
After the mix of points from the dryness of race one and wetness of race two it was J-Tech Honda’s Thomas Kjer Olsen’s time to shine with his first overall victory of the season. Yesterday’s race one winner Bud Racing Kawsaki’s Sullivan Jaulin still came away with second overall with the red plate holder and race two winner CNC doors KTM’s Steven Clarke rounding out the top three for the weekend.
EMX250 Race 1: 1. Sullivan Jaulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 30:32.243; 2. Ben Watson (GBR, KTM), +0:06.188; 3. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Honda), +0:07.542; 4. Nicolas Dercourt (FRA, Yamaha), +0:09.410; 5. Adam Sterry (GBR, KTM), +0:14.176; 6. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, KTM), +0:16.764; 7. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), +0:22.033; 8. Ander Valentin (ESP, Yamaha), +0:39.770; 9. Steven Clarke (GBR, KTM), +0:40.480; 10. Davide Bonini (ITA, KTM), +0:42.951
EMX250 Race 2: 1. Steven Clarke (GBR, KTM), 29:30.070; 2. Brent Van doninck (BEL, KTM), +0:01.529; 3. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Honda), +0:20.320; 4. Nicolas Dercourt (FRA, Yamaha), +0:20.958; 5. Michele Cervellin (ITA, Honda), +0:24.962; 6. Sullivan Jaulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:46.704; 7. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), +0:47.809; 8. Adam Sterry (GBR, KTM), +0:57.603; 9. Henry Jacobi (GER, KTM), +0:59.760; 10. Ben Watson (GBR, KTM), +1:00.278
EMX250 Overall: 1. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HON), 40 points; 2. Sullivan Jaulin (FRA, KAW), 40 p.; 3. Steven Clarke (GBR, KTM), 37 p.; 4. Nicolas Dercourt (FRA, YAM), 36 p.; 5. Ben Watson (GBR, KTM), 33 p.; 6. Adam Sterry (GBR, KTM), 29 p.; 7. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), 28 p.; 8. Brent Van doninck (BEL, KTM), 25 p.; 9. Michele Cervellin (ITA, HON), 23 p.; 10. Ander Valentin (ESP, YAM), 23 p.
EMX250 Championship Standings: 1. Steven Clarke (GBR, KTM), 153 points; 2. Ben Watson (GBR, KTM), 121 p.; 3. Brent Van doninck (BEL, KTM), 115 p.; 4. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HON), 115 p.; 5. Sullivan Jaulin (FRA, KAW), 113 p.; 6. Adam Sterry (GBR, KTM), 109 p.; 7. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), 106 p.; 8. Jorge Zaragoza (ESP, KAW), 95 p.; 9. Michele Cervellin (ITA, HON), 89 p.; 10. Nicolas Dercourt (FRA, YAM), 85 p.
EMX300
The riders of the European Championship EMX300 were the first class out on the greasy Maggiora circuit this morning. Yesterday’s race one winner Italian TM Racing Team rider Samuele Bernardinihad the crowd going wild once again today as he used their energy to ste
al yet another holeshot and went on to dominate and win by a healthy twenty-six seconds.
Meanwhile GL12 Racing’s Lewis Gregory got off to a great start chasing the Italian fan favorite Bernardini around turn one followed by yesterday’s runner up Team Maddii Racing’s Marco Maddii,Team HTS KTM’s Bence Szvoboda and Action Shop Performance’s Felice Compagnone.
Although Gregory is quick to admit he prefers wetter and more technical conditions, it didn’t pay off for the Brit today as he hit a slick spot a couple of laps in and hit the deck. After dropping all the way back to ninth, the likeable Brit went back to the drawing board and started working his way forward.
With conditions proving very tricky thanks to the constant drizzle, the boys seemed to settle into their position with the only rider opting to go off of the race line being Lewis Gregory as he fought his way forward.
Twenty-five minutes in, the two-lap board was up for Bernardini who was looking flawless this weekend in front of his home crowd. Fellow countryman Maddii was also keeping it all smiles on the fence line as he fended off a challenge from the Hungarian Bence Svoboda while Gregory started tearing into Wilvo Forkrent KTM’s Kenny Vandueren for fifth.
In what resulted in the best battle of the race, Gregory did everything he could to get around the Belgian Vandueren, with the door constantly being slammed. With the waving of the checkered flag, horns, bells and whistles went off for Bernardini as he threw a huge whip over the finish line, with fellow Italian’s Maddii and Compagnone also in the top four. Hungarian Szvoboda broke the Italian theme taking third with Capagnone in fourth. Hats off to Vandueren who held off the heavy pressure of Gregory for fifth.
In the overall result for the weekend, it was the Italians TM Racing Team’s Samuele Bernardini andTeam Maddii Racing’s Marco Maddii to go one, two with Team HTS KTM’s Bence Szvoboda rounding out the podium.
EMX300 Race 1: 1. Samuele Bernardini (ITA, TM), 29:00.684; 2. Marco Maddii (ITA, KTM), +0:14.964; 3. Bence Szvoboda (HUN, KTM), +0:20.823; 4. Lewis Gregory (GBR, Yamaha), +0:27.236; 5. Felice Compagnone (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:29.296; 6. Luca Derosa (ITA, Husqvarna), +1:14.091; 7. Kenny Vandueren (BEL, KTM), +1:14.644; 8. Michele Cencioni (ITA, KTM), +1:26.745; 9. Riccardo Cencioni (ITA, KTM), +1:28.088; 10. Danilo Musso (ITA, Suzuki), +1:36.229
EMX300 Race 2: 1. Samuele Bernardini (ITA, TM), 30:05.600; 2. Marco Maddii (ITA, KTM), +0:26.074; 3. Bence Szvoboda (HUN, KTM), +0:33.820; 4. Felice Compagnone (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:45.601; 5. Kenny Vandueren (BEL, KTM), +0:49.689; 6. Lewis Gregory (GBR, Yamaha), +0:51.688; 7. Luca Derosa (ITA, Husqvarna), -1 lap; 8. Txomin Arana (ESP, Yamaha), -1 lap; 9. Stephane Watel (FRA, KTM), -1 lap; 10. Michele Cencioni (ITA, KTM), -1 lap
EMX300 Overall: 1. Samuele Bernardini (ITA, TM), 50 points; 2. Marco Maddii (ITA, KTM), 44 p.; 3. Bence Szvoboda (HUN, KTM), 40 p.; 4. Felice Compagnone (ITA, HUS), 34 p.; 5. Lewis Gregory (GBR, YAM), 33 p.; 6. Kenny Vandueren (BEL, KTM), 30 p.; 7. Luca Derosa (ITA, HUS), 29 p.; 8. Michele Cencioni (ITA, KTM), 24 p.; 9. Txomin Arana (ESP, YAM), 22 p.; 10. Riccardo Cencioni (ITA, KTM), 22 p.
EMX300 Championship Standings: 1. Samuele Bernardini (ITA, TM), 185 points; 2. Marco Maddii (ITA, KTM), 169 p.; 3. Lewis Gregory (GBR, YAM), 152 p.; 4. Bence Szvoboda (HUN, KTM), 101 p.; 5. Stephane Watel (FRA, KTM), 99 p.; 6. Michele Cencioni (ITA, KTM), 98 p.; 7. Txomin Arana (ESP, YAM), 96 p.; 8. Toms Macuks (LAT, KTM), 94 p.; 9. Jean Loup Lepan (FRA, YAM), 68 p.; 10. Kenny Vandueren (BEL, KTM), 66 p.
Click here to obtain the complete results.
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MXGP ITALY – QUICK FACTS
Circuit length: 1650
Type of ground: Hard Pack
Temperature: 17°
Weather conditions: cloudy with some shower
TIMETABLE
SUNDAY: EMX300 Warm-up 08:40; EMX250 Warm-up 08:55; MX2 Warm-up 09:15; MXGP Warm-up 09:40; EMX300 Race 2 10:10; EMX250 Race 2 11:00; MX2 Race 1 13:15; MXGP Race 1 14:15; MX2 Race 2 16:10; MXGP Race 2 17:10.
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