Arnhem, August 16th, 2023
After just one week, riders got back to track for the GP of Holland, which took place at the sandy track of Arnhem, a new circuit for all of them. The 125cc riders took a break this weekend, but the Women's World Championship action was back, joining the EMX250.
This event was the home GP for Cas Valk. The rider confirmed his excellent physical condition by setting the second-best time in the qualifying. Alexis Fueri was affected by a crash and could not establish a better time than the 17th, one position better than teammate Hakon Osterhagen.
EMX250
Cas Valk was phenomenal at the start of the first moto, taking the holeshot and the leadership. The Dutch rider's rhythm was excellent for most of the race, and he could handle rivals apparently till almost the end of the race. Unfortunately, a few minutes before the end of the moto, Valk had to reduce his race pace because of a technical problem with the rear brake and eventually crossed the finish line in eighth place.
Alexis Fueri was the author of a thrilling performance despite starting from a not-ideal position: the French worked up to reaching the seventh place. Hakon Osterhagen did something astonishingly riding the Fantic XXF 250: his solid start was followed by a mistake costing him some positions, but the Norge recovered utterly thanks to a magnificent race pace and closed fourth.
In Race 2, Cas Valk was even more determined to show his speed and take his revenge. The young Dutch rider took the lead and opened a gap over rivals, winning a solo race riding the Fantic XX 250. Hakon Osterhagen was the author of another excellent performance and stayed with the top riders, ending up sixth. Alexis Fueri was sixth after the first corner and kept that spot for most of the moto, but almost at the end of the heat, the French qualified eighth because of a few mistakes.
Thanks to the results of both motos, Cas Valk reached the podium's second step, recovered several points, and consolidated the third position in the Championship standings.
WMX
In the Women's World Championship, Lynn Valk felt so comfortable riding on the home sandy track that she set an excellent second time.
In Race 1, Lynn amazed her rivals and took the lead in the heat after the first lap. The Fantic Racing rider kept control of the race for seven laps but, in the final part, was overtaken by a rival and finished second.
Tough start of the moto for Lynn in Race 2, where she lost several positions, but in the first lap, she moved to seventh place. Valk set excellent timings with her Fantic XXF 250 and made-up ground until the third spot, thanks to a great race pace. Lynn tried her best to climb the standings but was overtaken by a rival and ended up fourth.
Lynn Valk closed the GP of Netherlands in the third position.
Marco Maddii: "Two podiums for us this weekend. We're pleased about it! Lynn did her best and was amazing. Too bad for Cas, who would have won the GP if it wasn't for that problem in the first moto. Alexis improved a lot riding in the sand and achieved a great result. Hakon started from the final positions and worked his way up thanks to an excellent performance. We're quite happy with the results; we only miss the victory in the EMX250."
