Marek, Bauer and Macuks Secure EMX Gold Medals in Loket.
The MXGP of Czech Republic hosted the finals of the EMX65, EMX85 and the one-round EMX2T series that saw the fastest riders in Europe go head-to-head for gold, silver and bronze medals!
The old-school venue of Loket provided the perfect surface for some intense racing which ended with home hero Vitezslav Marek (EMX85) defending his title from 2021 along with Ricardo Bauer (EMX65) and Toms Macuks (EMX2T) claiming gold in their respective categories.
EMX85
In the opening EMX85 race of the weekend, the holeshot went to Filippo Mantovani as he led Felix Cardineau, Ryan Oppliger and Mano Faure. Though there were a lot of passes made in the opening lap which saw Gyan Doensen go from seventh and into the lead by the official first lap of the race. Cardineau remained second while Mantovani dropped to third.
Meanwhile local hero and defending champion, Vitezslav Marek started down in ninth, before making his way up to fifth by the end of the first lap.
By the third lap, Marek was already up in third and just over a lap later was second after passing Cardineau and Mantovani.
By that point, Doensen was 11.858 seconds ahead, though Marek was looking fast and was taking time out of the leader.
In the final few laps, we saw a close battle between first and second as Marek worked hard to pass the Dutchman. In the end, Doensen was able to manage under pressure to secure his first EMX win of the season. Marek was second ahead of Mantovani, Cardineau and Faure.
In the second race, Faure was the early leader ahead of Mantovani, Cardineau, Douwe Van Mechgelen and Marek, while race one winner Doensen started in 11th.
By the end of the first official lap, Mantovani was the leading rider, as Marek moved into third. It took the Czech rider another lap to go from third to first, which sent the local crowd wild. He then opened up a decent four second gap over Mantovani, as Doensen worked his way into fourth. Several laps later, the Dutchman climbed into third and then got by Mantovani with just four laps to go and despite his best efforts to catch the leader, was forced to settle for second.
Marek won the race ahead of Doensen, Mantovani, Freddie Bartlett who fought from eighth into fourth and Niccolo Mannini who rounded out the top five.
A 2-1 result meant that Marek was the winner for the second year in a row as he secured the gold medal and gold plate, while Doensen finished second ahead of Mantovani who took home the bronze medal.
Vitezslav Marek: “In the first race, I took a bad start but managed to pass some riders, but Gyan had a big gap. In the second race I got a better start and then controlled the race. Thanks to all my sponsors that you can see on my jersey and thank you to everybody who was there”.
EMX85 – Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Gyan Doensen (NED, Husqvarna), 24:54.068; 2. Vitezslav Marek (CZE, KTM), +0:02.472; 3. Filippo Mantovani (ITA, GASGAS), +0:36.572; 4. Felix Cardineau (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:38.315; 5. Mano Faure (FRA, KTM), +0:38.750; 6. Amaury Maindru (FRA, KTM), +0:44.671; 7. Freddie Bartlett (SWE, KTM), +0:52.332; 8. Áron Katona (HUN, KTM), +0:55.742; 9. Miha Vrh (SLO, Husqvarna), +1:00.945; 10. Tristen Mardo (EST, Husqvarna), +1:05.500.
EMX85 – Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Vitezslav Marek (CZE, KTM), 25:04.066; 2. Gyan Doensen (NED, Husqvarna), +0:04.167; 3. Filippo Mantovani (ITA, GASGAS), +0:18.737; 4. Freddie Bartlett (SWE, KTM), +0:21.910; 5. Niccolo Mannini (ITA, KTM), +0:37.473; 6. Douwe Van Mechgelen (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:38.805; 7. Ian Ampoorter (BEL, KTM), +0:39.595; 8. Amaury Maindru (FRA, KTM), +0:41.172; 9. Mano Faure (FRA, KTM), +0:44.929; 10. Dex Kooiker (NED, Husqvarna), +0:51.688.
EMX85 – Overall Top 10 Classification: 1. Vitezslav Marek (CZE, KTM), 47 points; 2. Gyan Doensen (NED, HUS), 47 p.; 3. Filippo Mantovani (ITA, GAS), 40 p.; 4. Freddie Bartlett (SWE, KTM), 32 p.; 5. Amaury Maindru (FRA, KTM), 28 p.; 6. Mano Faure (FRA, KTM), 28 p.; 7. Ian Ampoorter (BEL, KTM), 22 p.; 8. Jarne Bervoets (BEL, KTM), 19 p.; 9. Felix Cardineau (FRA, HUS), 18 p.; 10. Niccolo Mannini (ITA, KTM), 16 p.
EMX85 – Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Vitezslav Marek (CZE, KTM), 47 points; 2. Gyan Doensen (NED, HUS), 47 p.; 3. Filippo Mantovani (ITA, GAS), 40 p.; 4. Freddie Bartlett (SWE, KTM), 32 p.; 5. Amaury Maindru (FRA, KTM), 28 p.; 6. Mano Faure (FRA, KTM), 28 p.; 7. Ian Ampoorter (BEL, KTM), 22 p.; 8. Jarne Bervoets (BEL, KTM), 19 p.; 9. Felix Cardineau (FRA, HUS), 18 p.; 10. Niccolo Mannini (ITA, KTM), 16 p.
EMX85 – Manufacturers Classification: 1. KTM, 47 points; 2. Husqvarna, 47 p.; 3. GASGAS, 40 p.;
EMX65
In EMX65 race one, it was Harry Dale who led Francesco Assini, Louis Morette, Jekabs Hudolejs and Jorge Salvador out of the gate. Meanwhile last year’s champion Lucas Leok started down on 17th.
There was a change in the lead quite quickly, as Alex Novak moved into first ahead of Assini who remained second with Hudolejs also moving up to third.
Leok was making good progress in the first few laps, as he managed to get himself up to 11th, then eighth and sixth, before dropping back down to 10th by the end of the race.
Assini then dropped out of second to sixth, meanwhile Ricardo Bauer was making his way up the order and was in second by the fourth lap. Bauer battled closely with Novak in the closing stages of the race, before making the pass with just two laps to go.
Bauer was the race winner ahead of Novak and Salvador who got himself up to third, followed by Pau Ruiz Caudet and Hudolejs.
In the second race, the holeshot went to Dale once again, as Rafael Mennillo followed in second ahead of Enri Lustus, Morette, Bauer and Leok. But the first lap saw a change for the lead as Bauer went from fourth to first.
The Austrian then led Leok, Caudet Ruiz, Mennillo and Salvador, as Leok set the fastest lap of the race and looked to keep close to the leader. Dale dropped to sixth.
Assini then got around Hudolejs for ninth before dropping back to 13th by the end of the race.
Back in the lead, Bauer was fully in control as Leok followed behind. Bertram Thorius managed to make a good pass with two laps to go on Salvador to take his position.
In the end, Bauer was the race winner and with it secure the gold medal in the EMX65 category, while Caudet Ruiz was given the silver medal and Salvador the bronze.
Ricardo Bauer: “The first race was really good, but not a good start. And in the second race I had a better start and then on lap one or two, I think, I was first which was very nice! Thanks to my mum, my dad and my sponsors”.
EMX65 – Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Ricardo Bauer (AUT, KTM), 18:13.323; 2. Alex Novak (SLO, KTM), +0:02.680; 3. Jorge Salvador (ESP, GASGAS), +0:04.612; 4. Pau Caudet Ruiz (ESP, KTM), +0:06.938; 5. Jekabs Hudolejs (LAT, Yamaha), +0:08.656; 6. Louis Morette (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:39.993; 7. Francesco Assini (ITA, GASGAS), +0:40.407; 8. Bertram Thorius (DEN, Yamaha), +0:40.439; 9. Carlos Martín Jimenez (ESP, KTM), +0:41.497; 10. Lucas Leok (EST, Husqvarna), +0:43.239.
EMX65 – Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Ricardo Bauer (AUT, KTM), 17:44.956; 2. Lucas Leok (EST, Husqvarna), +0:03.381; 3. Pau Caudet Ruiz (ESP, KTM), +0:12.497; 4. Bertram Thorius (DEN, Yamaha), +0:22.981; 5. Jorge Salvador (ESP, GASGAS), +0:23.680; 6. Rafael Mennillo (FRA, KTM), +0:36.076; 7. Jekabs Hudolejs (LAT, Yamaha), +0:36.921; 8. Louis Morette (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:39.125; 9. Carlos Martín Jimenez (ESP, KTM), +0:39.702; 10. Alonso Parejo (ESP, KTM), +0:46.715.
EMX65 – Overall Top 10 Classification: 1. Ricardo Bauer (AUT, KTM), 50 points; 2. Pau Caudet Ruiz (ESP, KTM), 38 p.; 3. Jorge Salvador (ESP, GAS), 36 p.; 4. Lucas Leok (EST, HUS), 33 p.; 5. Alex Novak (SLO, KTM), 32 p.; 6. Bertram Thorius (DEN, YAM), 31 p.; 7. Jekabs Hudolejs (LAT, YAM), 30 p.; 8. Louis Morette (FRA, HUS), 28 p.; 9. Carlos Martín Jimenez (ESP, KTM), 24 p.; 10. Francesco Assini (ITA, GAS), 22 p.
EMX65 – Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Ricardo Bauer (AUT, KTM), 50 points; 2. Pau Caudet Ruiz (ESP, KTM), 38 p.; 3. Jorge Salvador (ESP, GAS), 36 p.; 4. Lucas Leok (EST, HUS), 33 p.; 5. Alex Novak (SLO, KTM), 32 p.; 6. Bertram Thorius (DEN, YAM), 31 p.; 7. Jekabs Hudolejs (LAT, YAM), 30 p.; 8. Louis Morette (FRA, HUS), 28 p.; 9. Carlos Martín Jimenez (ESP, KTM), 24 p.; 10. Francesco Assini (ITA, GAS), 22 p.
EMX65 – Manufacturers Classification: 1. KTM, 50 points; 2. Husqvarna, 37 p.; 3. GASGAS, 36 p.; 4. Yamaha, 34 p.;
EMX2T
In the opening race, it was Haakon Osterhagen of Fantic Factory Team Maddii who took the holeshot and led the way ahead of Alessio Bonetta, Meico Vettik, Robin Lang of JWR Honda Racing and Toms Macuks.
Bonetta then dropped down to fourth as Vettik and Macuks got around the Italian while Osterhagen was already looking to open up a gap.
Macuks then clocked the fastest lap of the race, as he looked to challenge Vettik for second.
The race leader, Osterhagen, then dropped out of first place as a result of a bike problem, that saw him fall to outside the top 20.
Vettik then led the way with Macuks, Johannes Klein of Sturm STC Racing Team, Mathias Joergensen and JK Yamaha Racing’s Manuel Iacopi behind. At that point Macuks saw his opportunity to pounce as he closed the gap to Vettik and got onto his rear wheel.
The pair battled before the Latvian took over the lead on lap eight and then got comfortable as Vettik began to fade. Though in the final laps the Estonian was looking to fight back, as Macuks started to struggle himself. Though the Latvian managed to keep Vettik at bay and claim the win in race one.
In the second heat, the holeshot went to Osterhagen once again, as he led Florain Hellrigl, Jiri Matejec, Kai Haase and Macuks. Meanwhile Vettik started down in 19th, which left him with a lot of work to do.
Macuks then made a move into fourth, as Osterhagen set the fastest lap of the race as he got comfortable in the driving seat. Vettik also had a couple of good laps and before he knew it was inside the top 10.
At the halfway stage of the race, Macuks upped his pace as he began to take time out of Hellrigl for second and by the 12th lap he was able to make the pass stick.
While Vettik continued his fight up the order, he crashed with just a few laps to go. While he managed to get up quickly, an altercation with the rider that he crashed with meant that he was disqualified for un-sportsmanship like behaviour and lost his chance to secure a medal.
In the end, Osterhagen won with an 8.325 second advantage over Macuks and Hellrigl. A win and a second gave Macuks the overall victory, which also mean that he was the 2022 winner and gold medallist. Osterhagen was second ahead of Klein who occupied the third step of the podium.
Toms Macuks: “I’m super happy about this. My wife asked me at home, what is the goal for the weekend and I said, I come for the gold and I did it!”.
EMX2T – Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Toms Macuks (LAT, KTM), 30:00.844; 2. Meico Vettik (EST, KTM), +0:01.172; 3. Johannes Klein (AUT, KTM), +0:55.422; 4. Mathias Joergensen (DEN, Yamaha), +1:14.836; 5. Manuel Iacopi (ITA, Yamaha), +1:19.680; 6. Haakon Osterhagen (NOR, Fantic), +1:21.790; 7. Jiri Matejec (CZE, KTM), +1:28.498; 8. Paolo Ermini (ITA, Husqvarna), +1:32.935; 9. Florian Hellrigl (AUT, KTM), +1:39.659; 10. Alexandre Marques (POR, Husqvarna), +1:41.566.
EMX2T – Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Haakon Osterhagen (NOR, Fantic), 30:47.796; 2. Toms Macuks (LAT, KTM), +0:08.325; 3. Florian Hellrigl (AUT, KTM), +0:12.293; 4. Jiri Matejec (CZE, KTM), +0:17.469; 5. Johannes Klein (AUT, KTM), +0:25.426; 6. Mathias Joergensen (DEN, Yamaha), +0:38.227; 7. Morgan Bennati (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:47.621; 8. Paolo Ermini (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:53.556; 9. Manuel Iacopi (ITA, Yamaha), +1:02.524; 10. Nikolaj Skovgaard Christensen (DEN, KTM), +1:04.763.
EMX2T – Overall Top 10 Classification: 1. Toms Macuks (LAT, KTM), 47 points; 2. Haakon Osterhagen (NOR, FAN), 40 p.; 3. Johannes Klein (AUT, KTM), 36 p.; 4. Mathias Joergensen (DEN, YAM), 33 p.; 5. Florian Hellrigl (AUT, KTM), 32 p.; 6. Jiri Matejec (CZE, KTM), 32 p.; 7. Manuel Iacopi (ITA, YAM), 28 p.; 8. Paolo Ermini (ITA, HUS), 26 p.; 9. Morgan Bennati (ITA, HUS), 24 p.; 10. Meico Vettik (EST, KTM), 22 p.
EMX2T – Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Toms Macuks (LAT, KTM), 47 points; 2. Haakon Osterhagen (NOR, FAN), 40 p.; 3. Johannes Klein (AUT, KTM), 36 p.; 4. Mathias Joergensen (DEN, YAM), 33 p.; 5. Florian Hellrigl (AUT, KTM), 32 p.; 6. Jiri Matejec (CZE, KTM), 32 p.; 7. Manuel Iacopi (ITA, YAM), 28 p.; 8. Paolo Ermini (ITA, HUS), 26 p.; 9. Morgan Bennati (ITA, HUS), 24 p.; 10. Meico Vettik (EST, KTM), 22 p.
EMX2T – Manufacturers Classification: 1. KTM, 47 points; 2. Fantic, 40 p.; 3. Yamaha, 33 p.; 4. Husqvarna, 27 p.; 5. Suzuki, 14 p.; 6. GASGAS, 9 p.; 7. TM, 7 p.;
Bild/Text: Infront Moto Racing