A first-ever visit to the KymiRing in Finland meant the fast and sandy track was new terrain for everyone, but the Fantic boys felt right at home. Glenn Coldenhoff and Andrea Bonacorsi both finished inside the top 5 in the premier class, while Francesco Bellei claimed third overall in EMX125, with teammate Douwe Van Mechgelen close behind in fifth.
Coming off a historic MXGP race win at Matterley Basin, Glenn Coldenhoff was eager to continue his strong run of form in Finland – and he set the bar high from the start, with third place in free practice followed by an impressive second in time practice. Andrea Bonacorsi was back to full fitness as well, and he wasted no time in showing it, setting the fifth-fastest time in both practice sessions. Brian Bogers completed a strong start to the weekend by placing a third Fantic XXF 450 inside the top 10 in time practice.
In the qualifying race, it was “Bona” who led the Fantic charge. A fast start put him in second place during the opening laps, and even though he had to concede one position, he still secured his best gate-pick so far with a promising third-place finish.
Coldenhoff was in a good position too, but a crash on the opening lap left him at the very back of the field. His lap times were encouraging, and he managed to fight his way back to 12th – not ideal, but still enough to stay in contention for the all-important Sunday races. Bogers ran in seventh for the first part of the qualifying race, but not feeling at 100%, he had to drop a few positions in the latter stages and eventually finished 15th.
Bonacorsi and Coldenhoff kicked off Sunday with a 1-2 in warm-up, fueling the motivation for race day. “The Hoff” knew he needed two rocket starts – and he and his Fantic XXF 450 delivered. The Dutchman grabbed the holeshot and led the first lap of race 1. He then settled into second and looked strong, with Bonacorsi right behind him in third. Both riders maintained a fast pace in hot and demanding conditions, bringing home a brilliant 2-3 finish for Fantic. Bogers rounded out the strong team performance by holding on to eighth.
Things looked promising once again at the start of the final race of the weekend, with Coldenhoff first over the holeshot line and running second into the second corner – but he came together with another rider shortly after and went down. With Andrea Bonacorsi and Brian Bogers also involved in separate crashes on the opening lap, it turned into a real test of resilience for the Fantic riders.
Coldenhoff remounted in last but never gave up. An impressive comeback saw him charge all the way up to finish fifth – narrowly missing the podium, as he ended the day fourth overall, tied on points with both second and third place. Bonacorsi was also in podium contention, but while running in fifth, a small mistake cost him a few positions. He eventually crossed the line in eighth, just ahead of Bogers, who also produced a strong ride through the field after his early fall.
Overall, the Fantic trio finished fourth, fifth and eighth on the day – underlining a strong all-around performance by the team. In the championship standings, Coldenhoff remains comfortably in third, while Bonacorsi climbs to sixth as the MXGP paddock heads to Loket, Czech Republic, in two weeks’ time.
Glenn Coldenhoff:
“With my gate-pick, I was a little worried for Sunday – but I managed to pull the holeshot in both races, which was very positive. In race 1, Coenen passed me straight away and I couldn’t quite stay with him. I held on to second, Bona was closing in towards the end, but I had it under control. In race 2, I came together with Fernandez early on and crashed. My handlebar was bent, the levers were out of position, but I kept fighting. I really believed I could still reach the podium, but unfortunately, I just missed out. It is a shame – I pushed really hard in that second race. I think my speed was strong all weekend and I truly believe it should have been a podium. I still have to be happy with where things are right now – I am feeling good on the bike, I am strong physically, and I am in a good place mentally. I still believe I can make it to the top, and we will keep working hard to hopefully give Fantic a first GP win.”
Andrea Bonacorsi:
“It was a good weekend and a very good first race – we definitely made big steps forward compared to the last three rounds. I have to be happy, and I also gained some positions in the championship standings. Unfortunately, I crashed on the opening lap of race 2, and then halfway through the race I stalled the bike, and from that point on I started to run out of energy a little. I couldn’t make up ground and ended up losing a few spots. All in all, we have to be pleased with the progress we made this weekend. There are still many races to go, and we will keep pushing.”
Brian Bogers:
“I got sick and was feeling pretty bad on Friday, so I am honestly happy I was able to ride at all this weekend. Even on Sunday morning after warm-up, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to race. We decided to give it a go – and I ended up finishing eighth, which really surprised me. That gave me the confidence to line up for race 2 as well. I didn’t make things easy for myself with a crash on the first lap, but I found my rhythm, rode my own race, and made some good passes to finish ninth – which gave me eighth overall. Considering I wasn’t even sure I would be on the gate, I have to be happy with that.”
FANTIC FACTORY RACING EMX
A third podium visit of the season for Francesco Bellei and a career-first top-three finish in race 1 for Douwe Van Mechgelen aboard the Fantic XX 125 made the trip to the brand-new KymiRing circuit in Finland a worthwhile one for the Fantic Factory Racing EMX team.
A sixth place in time practice had already shown that Van Mechgelen was right in the mix. A solid start around tenth position set the stage for a strong race 1, as the 16-year-old Belgian gained position after position, pushing hard all the way to the finish line to secure a sensational third place – a career-best EMX125 result for the reigning Dutch Masters Champion.
His teammate Francesco Bellei had a tougher start to the weekend, with an unlucky time practice session forcing him to settle for 18th gate-pick. Still, the young Italian found himself just outside the top 10 on the opening lap of race 1. Showcasing his fighting spirit and determination, he worked his way up the field to finish just behind his teammate in fourth place.
Race 2 on Sunday morning followed a similar script, though this time it was Van Mechgelen who found himself slightly further down the order after the start. Bellei, meanwhile, battled hard inside the top 10 throughout the race, securing fourth place with two laps to go – a result that ultimately put him back on the overall podium in third. A huge result for the Italian who grew up racing on hardpack tracks. His Belgian teammate delivered another strong performance, crossing the line in sixth. He narrowly missed out on his maiden podium by just one point, but still wrapped up the weekend with a strong fifth overall.
Francesco Bellei:
“In the end, it was a good weekend, even though it didn’t start too well with 18th in qualifying. So, I honestly didn’t expect to make it onto the podium. But I rode well in both motos, finished fourth twice, and ended up third overall – on sand. I am really happy to be back on the podium and very satisfied with how I rode. Now full focus on the next race – let’s keep it going!”
Douwe Van Mechgelen:
“It was a positive weekend, a step forward. I showed good speed in time practice – it was my best-ever EMX125 qualifying session. I still need to improve a bit on my starts, I had some work to do in both races. In race 1 on Saturday, I managed to move up to third, with strong lap times, and I am very happy with that performance. It was probably the best day of my life, so far. Race 2 was more difficult, my start was worse and it was hard to make the difference. I just missed one pass to finish on the podium, but that’s racing. I will try again in Lommel and hopefully give the Belgian fans something to cheer about.”
