Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 team’s Rick Elzinga has placed seventh overall at his home Grand Prix in the Netherlands. The Dutchman delivered two strong and consistent rides at round 17 of the MX2 World Championship, with seventh-place finishes in both races securing his top-10 result. Thibault Benistant claimed 13th on the day, with a crash in Race One affecting his overall result.
The sand circuit of Arnhem hosted the MXGP of the Netherlands, and a sizable crowd was on hand to witness the action. All weekend long, the Dutch crowd spurred on their racing heroes, and Elzinga rose to the occasion to match his season-best overall result.
A strong start in Race One saw Elzinga running fourth. As the race continued, the Yamaha YZ250FM racer was shuffled downfield, but after finding a good rhythm by mid-race, he worked his way back up to seventh place at the finish.
Elzinga’s second race performance mirrored Race One. Once the intensity of the opening laps had settled down, he regrouped and began moving back up the running order. The 22-year-old reached as high as sixth before dropping a place by the finish. In finishing seventh, Elzinga secured seventh overall on the day and remains 14th in the MX2 World Championship.
Following his impressive performance in Sweden last weekend, Benistant was eager to deliver a similar result in Arnhem. While running 12th in Race One, however, he crashed heavily and was fortunate to escape injury. By race end, the Frenchman had worked his way back up to 16th.
In Race Two, Benistant was held up in the first turn when several of his rivals fell in front of him. From almost last, the 23-year-old delivered a tremendous charge through the field to cross the finish line in ninth. With three rounds to go, Benistant remains fifth in the championship standings.
Karlis Reisulis was ruled out of the Grand Prix as a result of the heavy impact he sustained yesterday. While initial medical checks showed no injuries, a joint decision between Reisulis, Yamaha, and the team prompted a precautionary withdrawal to ensure a quick and full recovery.
With a tumultuous Grand Prix complete, the next race on the calendar is the MXGP of Turkey. Taking place over the weekend of September 6-7, the event marks round 18 of the series.
Rick Elzinga
“I’ve had a pretty good day here at my home GP. The fans were great and I could hear them all the way around the track. The intensity was high at the start of both races, but after around 10 minutes I felt strong on the bike and free, and I could ride how I know I can ride. I’m happy to be going home with two sevenths for seventh overall, and I’m looking forward to the final three rounds.”
Thibault Benistant
“Not an easy day today. In the first race I started around 10th and after a few laps I found a good rhythm. But then I came into one corner and the berm had gone, so I crashed pretty hard. My knee hurt a lot, although after a couple of laps the pain went away and I was able to finish. Not great, but I was happy to finish. In the second race I got held up behind some riders who crashed in the first turn, and I was quite far back. However, I got back to ninth at the end so that was not too bad.”
Karlis Reisulis
12th MX2 Championship Standings, 285-points
Photocredits Full Spectrum Media
