The Van Venrooy Racing KTM Team can look back on a positive weekend during the tenth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship in Águeda, Portugal. Aron Katona delivered an outstanding performance in the EMX250 class by finishing second in the final moto, while Rick Elzinga once again added valuable World Championship points in MXGP. Noel Zanocz, meanwhile, endured a difficult weekend in the MX2 category.
Katona showed competitive speed from the very start of the weekend. The Hungarian qualified 11th before producing a strong charge through the field in the opening moto. After completing the first lap in 16th position, he fought his way back to an impressive 12th-place finish.
Sunday brought the reward for his efforts. Katona got an excellent start and immediately settled into second place. Despite constant pressure from behind throughout the race, he held his position all the way to the chequered flag to secure a superb runner-up finish. His strong second moto earned him fifth overall in the EMX250 classification.
Aron Katona:
“It was an amazing and emotional race weekend. In both motos I kept fighting and never gave up. There were difficult moments, but I stayed focused and managed to put together two strong races. I’m incredibly happy with this result. It means a lot to me because it proves that hard work pays off. It gives me even more motivation to keep improving and to fight for the top step of the podium in the future. A huge thank you to my team, my mechanics for all their hard work, and to my sponsors for supporting me every single weekend.”
In the MXGP class, Rick Elzinga started the weekend strongly by setting the 16th-fastest time in qualifying. He was also enjoying a solid Qualifying Race until a crash on the final lap while running 15th left him with a stiff neck and sore body, meaning he was not at full fitness for Sunday’s races.
Despite the discomfort, Elzinga battled through both motos. In Race 1 he was taken down by another rider after losing control, but still recovered to finish 20th. In the second moto he delivered a consistent ride to cross the line in 17th place, adding more valuable World Championship points to his tally.
Rick Elzinga:
“The weekend started well. It’s still a little frustrating because everything doesn’t feel completely natural yet, but it’s easy to forget where I’ve come from. On Saturday I felt like I was starting to close the gap to the riders ahead, so there is definitely progress. The Qualifying Race was going well until I crashed on the final lap while running 15th. It wasn’t a heavy crash, but I landed awkwardly. That left me with a stiff neck and sore head on Sunday, which made it difficult to stay fully focused. In the first moto I crashed again after another rider lost control and took me down. Apart from that, the riding felt reasonably good. The second moto was also solid, although I’m still just missing that final bit to stay with the group of riders I normally battle against. That’s frustrating, but overall it was an okay weekend and we don’t have too much to complain about.”
For Noel Zanocz, the Portuguese Grand Prix proved far more challenging. The Hungarian qualified 17th fastest before finishing 13th in the Qualifying Race.
In the opening moto, Zanocz worked his way forward from 17th to a respectable 14th-place finish. Another solid result looked possible in Race 2 after he settled into 13th position during the opening laps. Unfortunately, he crashed on the third lap and was forced to retire from the race.
