It was another week on Italian soil for Cas Valk and Gabriel SS24 KTM as he and the team headed to Trentino for round two of the EMX250 series, resulting in a podium!
With 52 riders in total spread over 2 groups the EMX250 class was stacked for qualification on Saturday morning, all with the aim of trying to secure a spot on the start line.
Cas made sure to put some clean and fast laps together and set the second fastest time just behind current series leader Valerio Lata in both free and timed practice.
A good start in Moto one saw Cas get into second place on lap two and was chasing down the leader – Lata. With consistent lap times throughout the race it was a game of cat and mouse with Cas unfortunately unable to make the pass, finishing 2nd.
Starting race two in 5th Cas put some solid laps together and had made his way up to third by lap 3. Gaining momentum throughout he got himself into second on lap 11 and was chasing down the leader. Cas managed to get right on the back of Lata but ran out of time and had to settle for another respectful second place finish.
With a 2-2 scorecard Cas secured second overall on the podium!
Cas Said: “This weekend I had Arco Di Trento, with P2 in free and time practice I had a good feeling with the track. In race one I had a decent start and made my way up to P2 quickly and stayed there following the leader. In race two I had another ok start and after a few laps I got into P3. I then managed to get into P2 and close the gap on the leader but ran out of time! I’m happy with how the weekend went especially after the issue I’ve had with my ribs since the Dutch Masters.”
Team Manager Shaun Simpson: “It was a a great weekend for the team in Arco and our first EMX250 podium.
Cas showed he had good speed on the hard pack conditions in the qualifying sessions on Saturday. It was nice to see Cas up on the podium but it will be back to work this week ahead of the final Dutch Championship this weekend. The ball is rolling, we have to keep it up. Josh is back on the bike and feeling good so we are looking forward to see him back at the races in the next week or two.”
Words by Gabriel SS24 KTM – Images by Ray Archer
