It was to the deep sand of Lommel for round 15 of the world championship, one of the toughest tracks in the world. Gyan and Max both wildcarding MX2 with Oriol still sidelined with illness.
Saturday saw heavy showers making for heavy conditions on the track, Gyan qualified 18th in timed practice and Max not far behind in 22nd. Following the 20min + 2 lap qualifying race Gyan would have 25th gate pick for Sundays races and Max 33rd following a small issue.
Race one both boys didn’t get the best of starts having to come from the back, Gyan made quick progress at the start of the race getting to around the top 20 in the first 4 laps. Max, who is still building bike time also made his way through the field. By the end of the race Gyan made it into the points crossing the line in 18th and Max in 25th.
Race two Gyan had a better start compared to race one as he started just outside the top 20 but Max was less fortunate as he had to start around 30th, both boys got to work in the rough conditions. The boys again put all their effort into the moto with Gyan having another point scoring ride with 19th and Max just shy in 22nd.
Overall it was a good weekend for the team with the boys pushing hard on a challenging track, knowing a good gauge of where to work on and great preparation for the upcoming British and European rounds remaining.
Gyan: “What an experience — a dream come true to line up for my very first GP! I tried to enjoy every moment, even though I struggled quite a bit. Some laps I felt like a grandpa , and others like half of myself — but that’s racing, and it’s all part of the learning curve. Finished P18 and P19 in the motos, which gave me P20 overall. Not where I want to be, but it gives me clear things to work on. Time to focus on the weak spots and come back stronger for the rest of the EMX season. Huge thanks to my team and everyone around me who made this possible.”
Max: “Not much to say about my weekend in Lommel. I struggled all weekend— a bit with myself, some with the bike set-up. I couldn’t really put it together. I had some nice laps, but that was it. A weekend to forget really, and move on. Waiting for the click to get on the good side again.”
Team Manager Shaun Simpson: “Going back to Lommel for the GP will always be special for me. It was 10 years ago that I won the GP there and it didn’t disappoint. Track was rough and the atmosphere was brilliant, we even got the obligatory 2025 rain on Saturday but come Sunday the track was perfect for racing.
It was Gyans first ever MX2 wildcard and he was soaking it all in. He had some great moments and strong laps to score 5 world championship points in the main races on Sunday. We needed less mistakes and better starts and I think we could have been inside the top 15 in both motos.
Max had a difficult weekend and was ultimately underprepared for Lommel having had minimal bike time since returning from Injury but he didn’t give up and finished the motos. He will be stronger today than he was before the weekend and our main goal was to use this as good training and preparation to have Max fully fit for his EMX250 return in Sweden in 2 weeks time.
We will be at round 5 of the British championship this weekend in Landrake where we will have a three rider lineup for the first time in 2025. Looking forward to have Oriol back with us and fight for the podium positions with all 3 riders.”
Next Event: 10th August | MXGB | Landrake, UK
📸 Juan Pablo Acevedo
