• Calvin Vlaanderen’s strong momentum continues with the top ten at the MXGP of Portugal
• Simone Mancini runs to 7th place overall at Agueda in EMX250
The FIM Motocross World Championship has reached its halfway point in Portugal, with the tenth of 19 rounds scheduled for the season. The second of three consecutive Grands Prix that will take the MXGP circus from Montevarchi to South Africa, the Portuguese GP took place on the fast and technical Agueda track, a 1,575-meter long circuit with a soft, clay-based surface, with a hard and slippery bottom.
It was a positive weekend for Calvin Vlaanderen, who continued his good form in Portugal, once again finishing in the top 10 of the Grand Prix, scoring points in all three races of the Portuguese weekend. After a promising start to race one, in seventh place, the Dutchman struggled to find a good rhythm and dropped back, falling out of the top 10 but recovering in the final laps to cross the finish line in 10th place. Tenth after two laps of the second race, the Red Bull Ducati MXGP Factory Team rider managed to find a better flow this time, climbing up to eighth place, where he took the checkered flag aboard his Desmo450 MX, finishing the Portuguese Grand Prix in ninth place overall, moving up one position in the championship.
Calvin Vlaanderen: “This weekend I struggled to find a good feeling with the track and the bike, and we made several changes to try and find it. Overall, however, I’m pleased to have finished in the top ten again, maintaining consistency in my results. Now I can’t wait to jump on that plane and go to South Africa for my home race, where I’ll be reunited with my friends and family.”
A mixed weekend for Ferruccio Zanchi. Finishing 11th in Saturday’s qualifying race, the Beddini Racing Ducati MX2 Factory Team rider struggled to get off to a good start in race one, finishing 13th on the opening lap. However, the Italian found a strong pace that allowed him to climb to ninth at the checkered flag. The start of the second heat was similar, with Ferruccio dropped back to fifteenth. Zanchi attempted to repeat the first heat’s sequence and, after one lap, was 12th. He quickly moved into the top ten, but after a collision with a rider while attempting to pass him, he crashed, restarting in 15th. After gaining two positions “Ferro” collided with another rival and crashed again. Without giving up, Zanchi got back on his bike and restarted in 18th but managed to bring his Desmo250 MX bike to the finish line in 14th place, taking 11th place of the day and continuing his climb up the championship standings.
Ferruccio Zanchi: “We saw positive things in Portugal, even if the final result wasn’t what we were aiming for. Unfortunately, in race 2, two contacts compromised my final position, but next week in South Africa we’ll try to put everything together to do better. A big thanks to the team for all their work.”
In EMX250, Simone Mancini had another solid weekend, continuing his strong momentum, finishing the eighth round of the season in 7th place overall, moving up just two points outside the top ten in the championship. Fifth at the end of Saturday’s first heat, the Beddini Racing Ducati MX2 Factory Team rider also approached fifth place in Sunday’s second heat, but was unable to get the better of his rivals, losing pace and finishing ninth after 15 laps. The EMX250 European Championship faces now a long break and will return to Lommel in early August.
Simone Mancini: “It was a pretty solid weekend, with a good fifth place yesterday and a ninth today, for a seventh overall finish, which I consider decent. The track was very difficult to ride, and I’m quite satisfied with my riding. Now we’ll continue working hard for the next races.”
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