ADVANTAGE ITALY, WITH FRANCE AND SPAIN CLOSE, ON QUALIFYING DAY AT THE MOTOCROSS OF EUROPEAN NATIONS!
The Motocross of European Nations got underway at the TCS Racing Park today, with the qualifying races to establish the gate pick in tomorrow’s main races for the 85cc & 125/250cc classes, while the Women’s Motocross of Nations also held their qualifying race in the afternoon sun of Romania.
The qualifying heats were crucial for the teams aiming to secure the best possible position on the grid for tomorrow’s races, where points will be counted, and the winners will be crowned in the MXoEN and WMXoEN classes.
The 2024 Motocross of European Nations in Bucharest, Romania, was officially launched yesterday during the Opening Ceremony at Promenáda Mall. The event saw the participation of all the European riders and their teams, marking the beginning of an exciting competition.
The ceremony commenced with the gathering of teams in a great and joyful atmosphere and followed by speeches from key figures including Organizers Cristian Popescu and Adrian Raduta, Romanian Motorcycling Federation President Cristian Mureșan, Motocross of European Manager Patricia Maskarova, and Chairman of FIM Europe Motocross Commission Andrea Barbieri.
In the 125 & 250 race it was Alexis Fueri, wearing the number one plate as a late replacement for Quentin Prugnieres, who stood in dutifully for Team France, but it was a close-run thing against arch rivals Italy, as Fueri battled with his EMX250 rival Francesco Bellei for the duration of the race!
Bellei actually led until the very last lap of the race, but Fueri made the move into the lead with just a few corners remaining! Bellei tried to retaliate but hit Fueri’s rear wheel to crash just a few metres before the finish line jump!
With a 50-second gap back to Spain’s Salvador Perez, Bellei managed to remount for second, with Fueri’s teammate Tom Brunet coming home in fourth to make France the best scorers in the race. Nicolo Alvisi took fifth to put the Italians close, while Elias Escandell came home in sixth to make it look like a three-nation battle for the MXoEN title tomorrow!
The same three nations battled in the 85cc qualifier as well, as Spain’s Jorge Salvador claimed the holeshot, but was passed by the Italian Andrea Uccellini after a few laps, and although Salvador stayed close to the flag it would finish in that order.
France’s Leo Diss-Fenard took third, as each team’s second rider also packed positions four to six, with David Cracco fourth for Italy, ahead of France’s Kenzo Ferez and Spain’s Pau Caudet. Italy earned the top gate picks for tomorrow by just a single point from France, with Spain a further three points back.
France was the top team in the Women’s Motocross of Nations qualifying heat, as their riders April Franzoni and Jesse Joineau took third and fourth place, although the win went to pre-race favourite Daniela Guillen, who overtook German Larissa Papenmeier in the early laps to claim the win by just under three seconds at the flag!
Papenmeier was helped by Alessandra Massury to put them joint second with Spain, as Guillen’s teammate Jana Sanchez finished in seventh. It could be a very close race between these three Nations for the Women’s title tomorrow afternoon!
With the qualifying action concluded, it is time to look forward to tomorrow’s races as we gear up to crown the 2024 Motocross of European Nations and Women’s Motocross of European Nations Champions!
Bild/Text: Infront Moto Racing