After the Charity Race X in Switzerland last weekend, both Benoit Paturel and Julien Lieber lined up for the so-called 'KNMV international training race' in Arnhem. For Lieber it was his first race after more than five months without competition. Paturel, who won in Switzerland, confirmed his speed but had little luck.
There was no crowd at Motorsportpark Gelderland Midden but plenty of fast riders were in attendance in both classes. Due to a small knee injury he picked up in practice last week Artem Guryev chose to to compete in Holland.
Time practice went reasonably well for Lieber and Paturel. The JM Honda Racing riders respectively posted the 10th and 11th times on the sandy track. Benoit had an excellent start in the first moto. Following leaders Romain Febvre and Glenn Coldenhoff he circulated in third position for six laps.
Unfortunately Paturel had to slow down because he suffered painful arms. In the closing stages of the race he made a small mistake and finished 10th. However the start of the second moto saw another rapid getaway for the popular Frenchman. In the early stages Benoit ran in sixth but due to a heavy crash his moto ended prematurely.
When he touched another rider Julien damaged his gas handle in his first moto. Because of this he had to abandon the race but in race two Lieber showed he hasn't forgot how to ride a dirtbike. After a crash at the start the fast Belgian remounted from way down the field to P14. Not a dop result but all in all a solid start. Especially considering Lieber's long inactivity last year and his limited preseason with only one and a half race in 2020 (Hawkstone Park and one manche in Lacapelle Marival) under his belt before Arnhem.
This weekend the JM Honda Racing riders will finish their pre-season campaign 2.0 with the second KNMV International training race at Axel.
Julien Lieber: “It was a good feeling to finally be back at the start after such a long time! Unfortunately the first race was soon over. In the second moto I got some trouble with my arms but that's not unusual. All in all it was certainly a positive day. We still have a lot of work to do and every time you are lining up for a race you learn new things. In terms of results Arnhem wasn't all that special but for sure I still need a lot of race rhythm. Anyway I'm looking forward to the next race in Axel".”
Benoit Paturel: “In the end it ended up being a difficult race for me. I had two good starts and the first part of the first moto was definitely positive. For fifteen minutes I was third in a very strong field. So to come home 10th was of course a pity. When I crashed in the second moto I hurt my leg a bit. Luckily it was nothing serious. We take way what was good and what needs to be improved. I can't wait to go at it again this weekend in Axel."
RESULTS KNMV TRAININGSRACE ARNHEM
Race 1 500cc
1. Roman Febvre, 2. Glenn Coldenhoff, 3. Jeremy Seewer, 4. Gautier Paulin, 5. Arminas Jasikonis, 6. Jeremy Van Horebeek, 7. Brian Bogers, 8. Calvin Vlaanderen, 9. Valentin Guillod, 10. Benoit Paturel (FRA-JM Honda Racing), 11. Evgeny Bobryshev, 12. Henry Jacobi, 13. Greg Smets, 14. Rene De Jong, 15. Micha Boy De Waal, 16. Tallon Verhelst, 17. Freek van der Vlist, 18. Kevin Van Geldorp, 19. Mitchell van den Essenburg, 20. Lars Griekspoor DNF Julien Lieber (BEL-JM Honda Racing),
Race 2 500cc
1. Glenn Coldenhoff, 2. Gautier Paulin + 1.582, 3. Romain Febvre + 2.074, 4. Arminas Jasikonis + 2.604, 5. Jeremy Van Horebeek + 19.006, 6. Calvin Vlaanderen + 20.518, 7. Ivo Monticelli + 21.994, 8. Brian Bogers + 1:03.570, 9. Valentin Guillod + 1:18.858, 10. Micha Boy de Waal + 1:38.088, 11. Freek van der Vlist + 1:40.240, 12. Petar Petrov + 1:47.301, 13. Henry Jacobi + 1:49.410, 14. Julien Lieber (BEL-JM Honda Racing) + 1 lap, 15. Thomas Covington + 1 lap, 16. Greg Smets + 1 lap, 17. Lars Griekspoor + 1 lap, 18. Gianluca Ecca + 1 lap, 19. Corneluis Tondel + 1 lap, 20. Kevin van Geldorp + 1 lap DNF Benoit Paturel (FRA-JM Honda Racing
Classification 500cc Arnhem
1. Glenn Coldenhoff 47, 2.Romain Febvre 47, 3. Gautier Paulin 38, 4. Arminas Jasikonis 34, 5. Jeremy Van Horebeek 31, 6. Calvin Vlaanderen 28, 7. Brian Bogers 27, 8. Valentin Guillod 24, 10. Jeremy Seewer 20, 11. Henry Jacobi 17, 12. Greg Smets 15, 13. Ivo Monticelli 14, 14. Freek van der Vlist 14, 15. Benoit Patruel 11 (FRA-JM Honda Racing), 16. Evgeny Bobryshev 10, 17. Petar Petrov 18. Julien Lieber (FRA-JM Honda Racing) 7, 19. Rene De Jong 7, 20. Thomas Covington 7
Fotos: Bavo |
