The sand of Lommel, in Belgium, hosted the ninth round of the EMX250 European Championship for the Grand Prix of Flanders. A high-stakes weekend for the standings: championship leader Francisco Garcia (Kawasaki) was sidelined after a training crash, an opportunity Nicolai Skovbjerg (Husqvarna) didn’t let slip.
Heat 1 – Skovbjerg leads from start to finish
Fastest in qualifying, Nicolai Skovbjerg backed it up in the race to take Heat 1, ahead of fellow Dane Mads Fredsoe – a fine one-two for Denmark on the podium. Francesco Bellei (KTM) completed the podium, ahead of Dani Heitink (Husqvarna), the top Dutch rider on the day, and Gyan Doensen (KTM).
Heat 2 – Askew nails the perfect ride
A different story in Heat 2: William Askew (Triumph) claimed the first moto win of his EMX250 career, just over 4 seconds clear of a fast-recovering Skovbjerg after an average start. Tom Brunet (Yamaha) completed the podium, ahead of home rider Jarne Bervoets in fourth.
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Bike | Time/Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nicolai Skovbjerg | DEN | Husqvarna | Winner |
| 2 | Mads Fredsoe | DEN | KTM | +0:13.596 |
| 3 | Francesco Bellei | ITA | KTM | +0:14.826 |
| 4 | Dani Heitink | NED | Husqvarna | +0:17.793 |
| 5 | Gyan Doensen | NED | KTM | +0:25.369 |
| 6 | William Askew | GBR | Triumph | +0:26.950 |
| 7 | Saku Mansikkamäki | FIN | KTM | +0:27.914 |
| 8 | Jarne Bervoets | BEL | Yamaha | +0:29.565 |
| 9 | Jekabs Kubulins | LAT | Yamaha | +0:32.810 |
| 10 | Tom Brunet | FRA | Yamaha | +0:42.017 |
| 11 | Sebastian Leok | EST | Husqvarna | +0:43.169 |
| 12 | Kasimir Hindersson | FIN | GASGAS | +1:05.115 |
| 13 | Joe Brookes | GBR | Honda | +1:06.887 |
| 14 | Richard Paat | EST | KTM | +1:09.426 |
| 15 | Douwe Van Mechgelen | BEL | KTM | +1:18.649 |
| 16 | Marius Adomaitis | LTU | Husqvarna | +1:24.137 |
| 17 | Nicolò Alvisi | ITA | Honda | +1:25.174 |
| 18 | Brando Rispoli | ITA | Beta | +1:30.558 |
| 19 | Ian Ampoorter | BEL | KTM | +1:37.263 |
| 20 | Trey Cox | RSA | KTM | +1:38.341 |
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Bike | Time/Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | William Askew | GBR | Triumph | Winner |
| 2 | Nicolai Skovbjerg | DEN | Husqvarna | +0:04.329 |
| 3 | Tom Brunet | FRA | Yamaha | +0:09.477 |
| 4 | Jarne Bervoets | BEL | Yamaha | +0:11.354 |
| 5 | Dani Heitink | NED | Husqvarna | +0:25.994 |
| 6 | Francesco Bellei | ITA | KTM | +0:32.170 |
| 7 | Gyan Doensen | NED | KTM | +0:44.028 |
| 8 | Douwe Van Mechgelen | BEL | KTM | +0:48.592 |
| 9 | Nicolò Alvisi | ITA | Honda | +0:52.864 |
| 10 | Jekabs Kubulins | LAT | Yamaha | +0:59.092 |
| 11 | Jake Cannon | AUS | Kawasaki | +1:02.353 |
| 12 | Kasimir Hindersson | FIN | GASGAS | +1:05.640 |
| 13 | Joe Brookes | GBR | Honda | +1:18.431 |
| 14 | Elias Escandell | ESP | Honda | +1:37.247 |
| 15 | Simone Mancini | ITA | Ducati | +1:48.633 |
| 16 | Roberts Lusis | LAT | GASGAS | +1:51.042 |
| 17 | Trey Cox | RSA | KTM | +1:55.429 |
| 18 | Filippo Mantovani | ITA | KTM | +1:57.032 |
| 19 | Cesar Paine Diaz | CHI | GASGAS | +1:58.422 |
| 20 | Ian Ampoorter | BEL | KTM | +2:02.465 |
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Bike | Time/Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nicolai Skovbjerg | DEN | Husqvarna | 47 pts |
| 2 | William Askew | GBR | Triumph | 40 pts |
| 3 | Francesco Bellei | ITA | KTM | 35 pts |
| 4 | Dani Heitink | NED | Husqvarna | 34 pts |
| 5 | Tom Brunet | FRA | Yamaha | 31 pts |
| 6 | Jarne Bervoets | BEL | Yamaha | 31 pts |
| 7 | Gyan Doensen | NED | KTM | 30 pts |
| 8 | Jekabs Kubulins | LAT | Yamaha | 23 pts |
| 9 | Mads Fredsoe | DEN | KTM | 22 pts |
| 10 | Douwe Van Mechgelen | BEL | KTM | 19 pts |
| 11 | Kasimir Hindersson | FIN | GASGAS | 18 pts |
| 12 | Nicolò Alvisi | ITA | Honda | 16 pts |
| 13 | Joe Brookes | GBR | Honda | 16 pts |
| 14 | Saku Mansikkamäki | FIN | KTM | 14 pts |
| 15 | Jake Cannon | AUS | Kawasaki | 10 pts |
| 16 | Sebastian Leok | EST | Husqvarna | 10 pts |
| 17 | Elias Escandell | ESP | Honda | 7 pts |
| 18 | Richard Paat | EST | KTM | 7 pts |
| 19 | Simone Mancini | ITA | Ducati | 6 pts |
| 20 | Roberts Lusis | LAT | GASGAS | 5 pts |
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Bike | Time/Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Francisco Garcia | ESP | Kawasaki | 352 pts |
| 2 | Nicolai Skovbjerg | DEN | Husqvarna | 278 pts |
| 3 | Jake Cannon | AUS | Kawasaki | 258 pts |
| 4 | Gyan Doensen | NED | KTM | 233 pts |
| 5 | Mads Fredsoe | DEN | KTM | 205 pts |
| 6 | Nicolò Alvisi | ITA | Honda | 179 pts |
| 7 | Liam Owens | AUS | KTM | 152 pts |
| 8 | Tom Brunet | FRA | Yamaha | 151 pts |
| 9 | Bernardo Tiburcio | BRA | Yamaha | 142 pts |
| 10 | Jekabs Kubulins | LAT | Yamaha | 140 pts |
| 11 | Francesco Bellei | ITA | KTM | 122 pts |
| 12 | Simone Mancini | ITA | Ducati | 121 pts |
| 13 | Adria Monne | ESP | GASGAS | 116 pts |
| 14 | William Askew | GBR | Triumph | 115 pts |
| 15 | Áron Katona | HUN | KTM | 109 pts |
| 16 | Dean Gregoire | NED | Husqvarna | 104 pts |
| 17 | Sebastian Leok | EST | Husqvarna | 104 pts |
| 18 | Dani Heitink | NED | Husqvarna | 98 pts |
| 19 | Alexis Fueri | FRA | Beta | 91 pts |
| 20 | Lyonel Reichl | LIE | KTM | 90 pts |
This home Grand Prix was also a chance for LRT to be on the ground at Lommel, meeting several riders from the EMX250 field and catching up with some of the partners already on board with the project.
The EMX250 championship now heads to Sweden, for the Uddevalla round, before the Dutch leg and the Turkish finale in Afyonkarahisar. See you at the next Grand Prix!