KTM Diga Junior Racing’s young guns went to work on two very different tracks this weekend. Kay Karssemakers lined up at home for the second round of the Dutch Masters of Motocross in sandy Axel. TJ O’Hare headed to the east of France where round two of the EMX Women’s series took place in Vesoul.

KTM Diga Junior Racing’s young guns went to work on two very different tracks this weekend. Kay Karssemakers lined up at home for the second round of the Dutch Masters of Motocross in sandy Axel. TJ O’Hare headed to the east of France where round two of the EMX Women’s series took place in Vesoul.

While both riders put in their best efforts the outcomes were worlds apart.Gaining momentum after his Lommel and Lelystad podium visits Karssemakers was keen to do it all over again in Axel. His encouraging fourth in time practice hinted at Kay’s speed and possibilities to fight for another finish on the box indeed.

Unfortunately two tumbles, each time early on, produced a much more complicated day than the multiple Dutch champion had wished for. In the first Karssemakers remounted to ninth after a stellar performance that saw him bounce back from 40th. Given the circumstances the KTM Diga Junior Racing rider had to settle for 15th in the final sprint. The 14-year old from Boxtel rounded out the day in 11th. In provisional standings Kay currently sits in ninth, trailing fifth-placed Kjell Verbruggen by only nine points.

Keen to improve TJ travelled to Vesoul in France, about xxx kilometers from the team’s base in Belgium. The driven Aussie put in two consistent performance which rewarded her with ninth overall. Probably she could have scored even better if it was not for a slight technical issue her bike had developed after a crash. In the second moto she had eighth within her grasp but had to succumb to Germany’s Janina Lehmann in the end.

Kay Karssemakers: “It was not exactly my day in Axel! In terms of results I’m obviously pretty bummed because I had to come back from way behind after I had crashed. Still, the riding was good. I had quite a good start in the first moto and I found a good rhythm once I got up again. In the second moto 15th was all I could get… On a more positive note, I do feel my speed keeps on improving. That’s giving me confidence for the next EMX125 round in Mantova, next weekend.”

TJ O’Hare: “The race in France was once again good learning.Even when I had a bad start in both motos. It's a pity I made a mistake in the first moto just when I was coming through the pack. The second moto went quite well after I recovered from the slow start. I had a good battle for a couple of laps, switching positions a few times in the last lap. Unfortunately I made an error so I got passed in the second last corner.”

Race 1 Dutch Masters 125cc Axel
1. Kjell Verruggen, 2. Liam Everts, 3. Kay De Wolf, 4. Nikita Kucherov, 5. Kjeld Stuurman, 6. Twan Wagenaar, 7. Adam Kovacs, 8. Dave Kooiker, 9. Kay Karssemakers (KTM Diga Junior Racing), 10. Matias Vesterinen

Race 2 Dutch Masters 125cc Axel
1. Nikit Kucherov, 2. Liam Evets, 3. Kjell Verbruggen, 4. Adam Kovacs, 5. Dave Kooiker, 6. Kay De Wolf, 7. Matias Vesterinen, 8. Wannes Van de Voorde, 9. Kjeld Stuurman, 10. Twan Wagenaar, 15. Kay Karssemakers (KTM Diga Junior Racing)

Classification 125cc Axel
1. Kjell Verbruggen 45, 2. Liam Everts 44, 3. Nikita Kucherov 43, 4.Kay De Wolf 35, 5. Adam Kovacs 32, 6. Dave Kooiker 29, 7. Kjeld Stuurman 28, 8. Twan Wagenaar 26, 9. Matias Vesterinen 25, 10. Rov van de Veerdonk 20, 11. Kay Karssemakers (KTM Diga Junior Racing) 18

Dutch Masters of Motocross standings after 2 rounds
1. Kay De Wolf 60, 2. Nikita Kucherov 54, 3. Adam Kovacs 52, 4. Dave Kooiker 51, 5. Kjell Verbruggen 45,6. Liam Everts 44, 7. Matias Vesterinen 40, 8. Kjeld Stuurman 40, 9. Kay Karssemakers (KTM Diga Junior Racing) 36, 10. Twan Wagenaar 34

EMX Women Vesoul Race 1
1. Shana Van der Vlist, 2. Stephanie Laier, 3. Anne Borchers, 4. Lynn Valk, 5. Line Dame, 6. Janina Lehmann, 7. Sandra Karlsson, 8. Mathea Selebo, 9. TJ O’Hare (KTM Diga Junior Racing), 10. Martine Hughes

EMX Women Vesoul Race 2
1. Shana Van der Vlist, 2. Stephanie Laier, 3. Anne Borchers, 4. Lynn Valk, 5. Line Dame, 6. Mathea Selebo, 7. Sandra Karlsson, 8. Janina Lehmann , 9. TJ O’Hare (KTM Diga Junior Racing), 10. Martine Hughes

Classification EMX Women Rd2 – Vesoul, France
1. Shana Van der Vlist 50, 2. Stephanie Laier 44, 3. Anne Borchers 40, 4. Lynn Valk 36, 5. Line Dame 32, 6. Mathea Selebo 28, 7. Sandra Karlsson 28, 8. Janina Lehmann 28, 9. TJ O’Hare (KTM Diga Junior Racing)  24, 10. Martine Hughes 22

 EMX Women Rd2 standings – after two rounds

1. Shana Van der Vlist 97, 2. Stephanie Laier 91, 3. Lynn Valk 76, 4. Anne Borchers 71,  5. Line Dame 68, 6. Janina Lehmann 57, 7. Sandra Karlsson56, 8. Mathea Selebo 48, 9. TJ O’Hare (KTM Diga Junior Racing)  47, 10. Martine Hughes 39

Fotos:Eric Laurijssen