Douwe van Mechgelen made a strong impression during the Coup de L’avenir in Baisieux, Belgium. Despite also having to deal with some setbacks, Van Mechgelen regained the confidence he had before his injury and put together strong sixth-place finishes in the second and third motos. Together with Team Belgium, he finished fourth in the nations classification.
In the qualifying heat, Douwe got a good start, but unfortunately made contact with another rider in the second corner and dropped back to tenth place. Despite struggling to find a good rhythm, Douwe fought his way back to seventh by the end of the race.
On Sunday morning, things immediately felt much better during the warm-up. This gave Douwe confidence heading into the first moto. Unfortunately, he suffered some bad luck as he crashed at the start and then encountered a mechanical problem on the second lap, forcing him to retire from the race.
In the second moto, it had been around five hours since Douwe had last ridden the track, which had changed considerably in the meantime. As a result, he needed some time to find the right lines and rhythm. He also suffered from arm pump, but despite this, things continued to improve as the race progressed. This allowed him to make up several positions in the closing stages and cross the finish line in sixth place.
The third moto was the most positive moment of the weekend for Douwe. After a poor start, he had a lot of work to do, but eventually fought his way all the way back to sixth place. His lap times also remained strong right through to the finish. From Douwe’s perspective, it was the first time since his injury that he felt 100 percent comfortable on the bike again.
In the nations classification, Douwe and Team Belgium finished in fourth place.
“I want to thank everyone who helped me this weekend and around the races. The trainers, the catering staff and everyone behind the scenes who makes sure everything runs smoothly. Thank you for all the help and commitment! I don’t know exactly what the rest of the year will look like at this point. We’ll take it step by step and see what comes our way,” Douwe said.
