The Van Venrooy KTM Racing Team can look back on a positive weekend during the seventh round of the FIM Motocross World Championship in Teutschenthal, Germany. With Rick Elzinga competing in the MXGP class, Noel Zanocz in MX2, and Aron Katona in the EMX250 Championship, the team was represented in three different categories.
For Rick Elzinga, the MXGP of Germany marked his debut race for Van Venrooy KTM Racing in the premier MXGP class. The Dutch rider started the weekend by setting the nineteenth-fastest time in timed practice before finishing twentieth in the qualifying race.
On Sunday, Elzinga demonstrated strong race pace. In the opening moto, he completed the first lap in nineteenth position before producing an impressive comeback to finish fifteenth. He also delivered a consistent performance in the second moto, holding sixteenth place for much of the race. His results earned him seventeenth overall in the day’s classification.
In the MX2 class, Noel Zanocz once again enjoyed a solid weekend. The Hungarian rider posted the sixteenth-fastest time in timed practice and went on to finish fourteenth in the qualifying race.
On Sunday, he started with a fourteenth-place finish in the opening moto. Conditions were extremely challenging following the rainfall, but Zanocz took a clear step forward in the second moto. After several adjustments to the bike, he felt more comfortable on the track and rode to an impressive tenth-place finish, securing his first top-ten moto result of the season.
Noel Zanocz:
“They had added a layer of fresh soil to the track, which made it much better. They had also changed the layout compared to the last time I raced here. As a result, it was simply a really enjoyable track to ride, much better than before.
On Saturday, I felt good on the bike, even though I wasn’t able to put together a truly fast lap. I had a good start in the first moto, but after that it was a real struggle for me. I rode like an amateur and had absolutely no feeling with the track.
The second moto was a step forward. We made some adjustments to the bike, which helped me feel more comfortable and allowed me to push harder. It worked out well. It was a strong race, and I’m happy to have achieved my first top-ten moto finish with that tenth place.”
In the EMX250 Championship, Aron Katona began the weekend by setting the eighth-fastest time in his practice group. In the first race, he completed the opening lap in twenty-third position before fighting his way back to seventeenth at the finish.
Shortly before the second race, heavy rain began to fall, turning the circuit into a mud-soaked track. Katona struggled in the difficult conditions and was forced to retire before the end of the race.
This week, the team travels to Kegums, Latvia, for the next round of the World Championship.
