Team Venum Bud Racing Kawasaki’s Francisco Garcia swept to his fifth victory in the last seven motos of the European EMX250 Motocross Championship in the penultimate round of the series at Arnhem in The Netherlands.
Narrowly edged out of pole by less than a fifth of a second in Timed Practice the Spaniard already exerted pressure on the championship pace-setter for the lead on the opening lap of the first moto of the weekend, even nosing in front with an aggressive move halfway round the lap before he was stood up by rugged bumps on the exit from the turn. He quickly shrugged off the incident to renew the pressure but a small tip-over on lap three cost him five seconds even though he did not relinquish second place. The leaderboard riders then each settled into a solid pace around the rapid bumpy track before Garcia remounted his attack as fitness played a role during the closing stages of the half-hour race. Lapping three seconds a lap faster than anybody else he dived decisively inside for the lead two-and-a-half laps from the finish and swept relentlessly clear to win easing up by three seconds. It was his fifth victory from the last seven motos to further confirm his third place in the standings and retain his chanc
Francisco Garcia: “That was a really good race ! I had a good start and was pushing for the lead early; I made a small mistake and crashed after a few laps but I stayed calm and came back strong for the win. The track is really technical but I like that and I could play with the track; I know I have the fitness and I had the speed to push at the end. Now on to tomorrow and hopefully a double-win.”
Bud teammate Jake Cannon had only sixteenth choice of gate after missing a time at the first attempt but rode a smart first turn in the moto to emerge tenth. After a long successful battle for ninth the super-fit Australian teenager went into attack mode during the second half of the moto, making two passes in a single lap for seventh on lap ten before closing the gap to pass for sixth two laps later. He kept pushing to almost snatch fifth at the chequered flag.
Jake Cannon: “I didn’t get a good jump out of the gate but I went inside at turn one to come out top-ten and just kept chugging along, ticking off the laps during the first half of the race. The track was really choppy and my legs are feeling it now but I was fast and strong at the end; I caught and passed several guys but I need more intensity at the beginning.”
