The MXGP of The Netherlands in the sand of Arnhem marked an exciting round 16 of the FIM Motocross World Championship. Following up his impressive qualifying race win, Glenn Coldenhoff clinched both holeshots on his Fantic XXF 450 and went 3-4 for fourth overall. In EMX125, Simone Mancini and Noel Zanocz both stepped onto the podium, with the Hungarian rider still holding the championship leader’s red plate.
The MXGP of The Netherlands got off to a phenomenal start for Fantic with Glenn Coldenhoff winning Saturday’s MXGP qualifying race in front of his home fans. Leading from start to finish, he made history for the Italian brand by securing the first-ever victory for the Fantic XXF 450 in the World Championship.
Lining up from pole on Sunday, “The Hoff” continued his impressive form. He delivered yet another rocket start in race 1 to briefly take the lead before settling into second for most of the moto. In the final laps, Coldenhoff had to give up a spot to a hard-charging Jeffrey Herlings. The Fantic Factory rider attempted to regain second place from Jorge Prado but couldn’t get close enough to make a pass, eventually finishing in third.
Coldenhoff kept his holeshot streak alive in race 2, leading the way for the first three laps before slipping to fourth. As Tim Gajser made a mistake with four laps remaining, the fight for the podium was on. Despite his best efforts, Coldenhoff came up just short, crossing the finish line in a close fourth place. In the GP classification, Coldenhoff’s 3-4 score put him fourth overall, tight on points with third place.
For Brian Bogers, it was a challenging home GP. The 27-year-old Dutchman had to deal with the aftermath of his heavy get off at the MXGP of Sweden in the previous week and couldn’t fully showcase his usual sand riding skills. In the qualifying heat, Bogers battled it out in the middle of the pack to finish 13th. Despite struggling with muscle pain and stiff riding, he fought hard in Sunday’s races to score solid points with a pair of twelfth-place finishes for 12th overall.
Glenn Coldenhoff: “It was a really nice weekend, and I really enjoyed this one. Looking back at Saturday with the qualifying race win at home, the crowd was so behind me. The biggest positive this weekend was definitely my starts, with three holeshots. That was amazing. When I took the holeshot in the second moto, I gave it my all, trying to open a gap, but the guys were pushing hard and were a bit faster at that moment. Even though I tried to follow them, they were slowly pulling away. In the end, I found a better rhythm – and especially after Gajser’s mistake, I knew I needed to pass him for the podium. I gave it my all. It is such a shame to miss out on the podium. I think we deserved it, and it would have been amazing in front of the home crowd, but still, it was a really positive weekend. Even though I am a bit disappointed with fourth overall, I think it was great for the fans and the whole team. We took a big step forward, and we will keep building. I can’t wait for next week, we will have another go.”
Brian Bogers: “It was a tough weekend. I think I underestimated the aftermath of the crash in Sweden. I felt it all week, but it actually got a bit worse over the weekend. I was sore, but I think I made the best of it. This is definitely not where I want to be, especially since we were in the sand and at my home GP. But I did my best. We will try to heal up this week and aim for better results next weekend.”
The Fantic XX 125 riders quickly adapted to the sand of Arnhem, with Noel Zanocz and Simone Mancini securing second and third in their qualifying group, and Douwe Van Mechgelen also posting a solid lap time for seventh place.
At the start of race 1, both Simone Mancini and Noel Zanocz were in the top 5 right away. Mancini moved into second place in the opening stages of the moto, while Zanocz closely followed and then passed his teammate for second three laps later. Mancini tried to follow the red plate holder but struggled to find the right feeling on a challenging track and had to settle for sixth. Van Mechgelen finished eleventh after a solid race.
Race 2 saw Simone Mancini take the lead after another strong start and hold on to it for eight laps before relinquishing the top spot. While the Italian comfortably settled into second, Noel Zanocz was on a hard charge through the field, as a first-lap crash had left him outside the top 30. He put his head down and made an impressive recovery to finish sixth. Thanks to his strong comeback ride, Zanocz held on to the championship lead and joined his teammate Mancini on the podium, respectively in third and second place. To cap off a solid team performance, Van Mechgelen secured a third top-10 overall for Fantic Factory Racing EMX125 by finishing ninth in race 2.
Simone Mancini: “Sunday was a pretty good day! I got off to a strong start and quickly took the lead. I held onto it for a good part of the race, but Doensen was a bit faster and managed to overtake me. I focused on riding smoothly and secured second place. I do feel a bit disappointed about Saturday, it could have gone better, but I struggled with the feeling in race 1. However, we bounced back in race 2! I would like to thank my entire team and everyone at Fantic for the great work they are doing.”
Noel Zanocz: “The first moto was okay. I didn’t ride at my best but still finished second. In race 2, I had a good start around P6, but something happened in the first waves section. I am not exactly sure what, but I think I got hit, and the next moment, I was searching for my bike on the ground. The handlebar, the wheel and everything else were pretty bent up. Despite that, I feel I was riding well and finished sixth for third overall. I am still leading the championship by five points, but I definitely hoped for a better weekend.”
Right in time for his home round in Arnhem, Kay Karssemakers made his return to action after the thumb injury he sustained in Loket. In his first race back, the Dutchman put in a solid performance to finish 14th in Saturday’s qualifying moto. His teammate David Braceras was involved in a start incident that dropped him down the order but he came back to 17th.
David Braceras experienced another complicated start in race 1 on Sunday, as he crashed hard in the second lap, losing a lot of ground. The Spaniard managed to regroup and recover to finish in 17th. Karssemakers crossed the finish line in 16th but was handed a post-race penalty that left him without points.
Race 2 started off in a promising way but proved to be another challenge. Karssemakers was fast out of the gate on his XXF 250 and was battling in the top 8 in the opening stages of the moto. Unfortunately, a crash put an early end to his home GP. David Braceras had to deal with a tough start and finished once again in P17.
David Braceras: “It was a tough one, but I felt better with each session. In Saturday’s qualifying race, I got stuck at the start and came back to 17th. We made some changes to the bike for Sunday, and my feeling improved, I finished the warm-up in P8. Unfortunately, I had a big crash in the first moto. I recovered from the back of the field to finish 17th again, which was a good comeback. In race 2, I started further back, caught up to the group, and made some passes, finishing 17th once more. It was a challenging race, but we were also missing a bit of sand training this year. Now we are heading to tracks I prefer, and I hope for a strong end to the season.”
Kay Karssemakers: “In the first moto, my start was not the best but I was able to recover. At one point I came together with another rider, I went off track and lost quite some time, eventually finishing in 16th but the 5-place penalty dropped me down to P21. Finally, in the second moto I had a good start and was in the top 7 but, unfortunately, I crashed, I hit my back a bit and couldn’t finish the moto. That was unfortunate. When I get a good start, I can fight with the guys. Considering it was my return from injury, it wasn’t too bad. I know we can do it, so I hope for a good weekend in Switzerland.”
Photocredits Fantic
