Bonacorsi and Reisulis Extend Their EMX250 and EMX125 Championship Leads with Stellar Victories in Portugal
Hutten Metaal Yamaha Official EMX250’s Andrea Bonacorsi and MJC Yamaha Official EMX125’s Janis Reisulis both extended their European Championship leads with remarkable round victories at the third rounds of the EMX250 and EMX125 Championships in Agueda, Portugal.
Bonacorsi continued his impressive 2023 EMX250 title charge with a series of spectacular passes as he charged from fifth to win the opening race of the weekend by 7 seconds. At the same time, teammates Karlis Reisulis and Ivano Van Erp encountered mistakes that hindered their results; K.Reisulis fought back to 13th, while Van Erp finished 21st.
In the second and final EMX250 race in Portugal, Bonacorsi displayed his champion spirit with a heroic ride to third, despite not having a clutch lever after another rider collided with him on lap-2.
The Italian powerhouse has yet to finish outside the top-three this season, and now enjoys a comfortable 35-point lead in the series.
At the same time, rookie sensation K. Reisulis impressed with an incredible holeshot and a solid ride up front, finishing fourth among some of the most experienced EMX250 riders in the world, while Van Erp raced to ninth.
After three solid rounds, Reisulis and Van Erp now rank eighth and ninth in the championship standings.
The Hutten Metaal Yamaha Official EMX250 team will now travel 500 kilometers east to Madrid, Spain, where the next round of the EMX250 Championship will take place in less than a week’s time – May 6th and 7th.
In the EMX125 class, Janis Reisulis quickly set the tone for the weekend with a dominant performance in Race One on Saturday afternoon. After securing the lead on the second lap, he continued to outpace his rivals and ultimately secured his fourth race win of the season.
Sunday morning’s race presented more challenging conditions, as the track was heavily watered to control dust for the premier class races later in the day. J. Reisulis started strong but faced a setback when he crashed out of the lead on lap four. Nevertheless, the talented Yamaha ace demonstrated remarkable resilience as he quickly remounted his GYTR kitted YZ125 and fought back to second position. As a result, the ‘772’ secured his second consecutive round win and extended his championship lead to 21 points.
At the same time, YZ125 bLU cRU FIM Europe Cup star Sergio Perez, who is temporarily stepping in for the injured Julius Mikula, experienced varying outcomes in his two races. The young Spaniard delivered a remarkable performance in Race One, securing an impressive fifth-place finish. However, Race Two proved more challenging, as a series of minor errors resulted in a 22nd place finish. Despite these mixed results, he was classified 11th overall and now ranks 13th in the championship chase as he leaves Agueda.
The next round of the EMX125 Championship will take place in Villars Sous Ecot, France, on the weekend of May 21st.
