The opening day of the 2024 FIM Junior Motocross World Championships has come to an end with the starting gates being formed for tomorrow’s title-deciding races! The best young riders from across the world gathered in the central Netherlands to show their speed against the clock, with those not qualifying automatically competing in Last Chance races to earn their spots on the gate tomorrow!
Words and Images by Infront Moto Racing
Due to adverse weather on Friday, the Opening Ceremony of the event took place this morning instead, hosted by the Chairman of the MSV NOV Gerrit-Jan Vierhuizen, with welcome speeches also from Infront Moto Racing MX Junior General Manager Patricia Maskarova, FIM CMS Director Antonio Alia Portela and the KNMV Motocross Co-ordinator Rinze Bremner. There was also an invitation from Adrian Raduta the Organiser of the Motocross of European Nations event, scheduled for the 15th of September at Bucharest in Romania!
With the Qualification sessions being held with intermittent showers, which made the sandy circuit a fair bit heavier, the two 125cc groups showed that the EMX125 Championship regulars were looking strong. Finn Kasimir Hindersson put his KTM to the top of Group A with a lap time of 2:12.925, a good margin ahead of Northern Irish Fantic Factory Racing EMX125 racer Cole McCullough, with local ace Dani Heitink taking third. Group B was topped by McCullough’s teammate, and EMX125 series leader, Noel Zanocz from Hungary, with a 2:11.647 just a fraction ahead of his usual rival, rising Dutch star Gyan Doensen! Spaniard Francisco Garcia took third in the group.
The 85cc class was so heavily populated that it had to run with three groups! Austrian Moritz Ernecker claimed the fastest time of 2:22.238 in Group A, over three seconds clear of fellow GASGAS pilot Bodie Court from Australia! Danish Yamaha rider Casey Karstrom claimed third in Group A ahead of EMX85 top qualifier Hayden Statt from the UK.
French GASGAS rider Sleny Goyer topped Group B with a time of 2:25.735, with another Dane Soren Winther in second and Austrian Ricardo Bauer in third. Two famous “sons of” finished first and second in Group C, with Lucas Leok from Estonia fastest with a 2:23.758.Levi Townley from New Zealand took second, and Latvian Jekabs Hudolejs in third.
The youngest riders of them all in the 65cc class had two groups, with AMA rivals Nico Verhoeven from New Zealand with a 2:40.476 and Jaydin Smart from the USA taking first and second in Group A ahead of French flyer Mathys Agullo. Group B was topped by Brit Cohen Jagielski with a 2:53.157 on a wetter circuit, 3.3 seconds faster than second-placed rider Roko Ivandic from Croatia, with Dutch rider Scott van den Boomen in third.
Last Chance races were held towards the end of the day to fill the final positions on all of the full gates for tomorrow, with Spaniard Bruno Miro winning in the 125s, the USA’s Braxtyn Mes taking the 85cc victory, and local ace Kristofer Valk bringing home the 65cc class win.
With the riders now knowing what Dutch sand is really all about, and the mechanical adjustments being prepared for tomorrow, the weather forecast looks good for a drier circuit and great day’s racing to decide who will be named as World Junior Champions through Sunday’s races!
The MXGP-TV crew will be onsite this weekend in The Netherlands to cover the Junior event, with a special feature being aired on www.MXGP-TV.com in the following days after the event. You will also find plenty of video content from the event on MXGP’s YouTube channel.
WEEKEND TIMETABLE (CEST)
SUNDAY: 09:00 Warm-up 65cc, 09:25 Warm-up 85cc, 09:50 Warm-up 125cc, 11:30 Race 1 65cc, 12:15 Race 1 85cc, 13:10 Race 1 125cc, 14:30 Race 2 65cc, 15:15 Race 2 85cc, 16:10 Race 2 125cc
