Warm Up –
The initial, weather reports coming into the weekend would have suggested that waterproof boots would be more appropriate than flip-flops, however, nothing could be prepared for the downpour throughout the Saturday which would see the entire Grand Prix timetable squeezed into Sunday.
With the qualifying sessions being removed from the amended schedule, the competitors would take to the circuit to commence only one warm-up session, which would lead them into the racing action later in the day. Ironically, the track was in good condition after the issues throughout Saturday, as the riders made their way onto the circuit.
The initial pace-setter in the warm up session this morning was the reigning champion, Patrick Turrini, who is certainly looking to make amends after a difficult time in Heerde whereby he left the second round of the championship, scoring no further points. It was, however, a very closely-fought affair with Manfred Zienecker, the German rider who went from first-reserve to race winner in Holland, only 0.862 seconds behind after 25 minutes on circuit. Mark Mclernon completed the session inside the top three positions, with current-red plate holder Harry Walker being eighth position, ahead of home-hero David Susa.
Race 1 –
The threat of poor weather still loomed overhead, however, it held out for the first race of the weekend as 23 quadcross competitors took to the gate, with Turrini leading the charge from the front which would be a lead which he would not relinquish throughout the 25 minutes + 2 laps opening race. It was great to see Turrini turn his fortunes around after a dismal Heerde, and would put his title bid back on track. Harry Walker, try as he might, could not quite get the better of the reigning champion and would settle for second position. We mentioned in the pre-race build-up that Manfred Zienecker may well be a dark horse this weekend, and this would prove to be the case as he was right in contention throughout much of the race, defending his position from Mark Mclernon, Mike van Grinsven and Joakim Granli. As mentioned at the second round, van Grinsven has not been on the championship for over 4 years, and it is fantastic to see him battling for the high point-scoring positions.
The single-line that had formed around this Kramolin circuit would prove beneficial for the Italian, as he came to complete the race in first position, to put his championship contention back on track, and to make amends for the difficulties he and his team experienced in the deep sand of Holland. Completing the podium was the red-plate holder, Harry Walker, who was joined by the highly impressive Frenchman, Sylvain Petit.
Results –
- Patrick Turrini
- Harry Walker
- Sylvain Petit
- Manfred Zienecker
- Mark Mclernon
Race 2 –
The ruts had certainly dug up as the second race of the weekend for the European Quadcross championship took to the gate for their final time of the weekend, and this would undoubtedly work more favourably for some riders, than others.
In the early stages of the race, it was the German rider, Manfred Zienecker, who led from the Northern Irishmen Mark Mclernon and Patrick Turrini, however, with the deep ruts making overtaking difficult, there were only a handful of opportunities for Turrini to place himself ahead of Mclernon. Zienecker, in the meantime, sought about extending his race lead throughout these early stages and the good news for Turrini was that Harry Walker was languishing down in fifth position. It is worth mentioning that the Norwegian riders of Joakim Granli and Tarald Hellebust were doing themselves no disgrace by both being inside the top seven places.
A rare mistake from the race leader saw Mclernon decimate the gap between himself and the German, and the battle at the sharp end of the race was stoked. Only half a second separated the main contenders in this race at the halfway point, however, Zienecker soon reacted to the error and stretched his advantage once more. Drama just a couple of laps later as Mclernon was seen stopped on the inside of the circuit, and this would promote the chasing pack up a position respectively and, more importantly, this would place Harry Walker inside the top three positions behind his arch-rival. At this time, he could not rest on his laurels as Joakim Granli was breathing heavily down his neck, only a second behind the championship leader.
The chequered flag beckoned the #89 Honda of Manfred Zienecker who would claim victory in the second race of the weekend, by 11 seconds over the overall winner Patrick Turrini, with Harry Walker keeping a hold on the red plate in third position.
Results –
- Manfred Zienecker
- Patrick Turrini
- Harry Walker
- Joakim Granli
- Sylvain Petit
Overall Results –
- Patrick Turrini – 47 points
- Manfred Zienecker – 43 points
- Harry Walker – 42 points
- Sylvain Petit – 36 points
- Joakim Granli – 32 points
To keep up to speed with all the latest news and results, please visit https://www.emxquad.com
By Bradley Hix
