Nederlands
Thibault Benistant of Hutten Metaal Yamaha Racing had a top three heat finish during the penultimate MX2 GP at Arco di Trento in Italy. Two crashes put paid to a potential good result in the first heat, with the French rider finishing seventh. In the second heat he set matters straight by finishing third.
Benistant qualified in sixth spot, within a second off pole. This gave him confidence that he had the kind of speed to be in the mix up front. He started well in the opening race, slotting into sixth early on. He moved to fifth a lap later, and then advanced to fourth. He was involved in a pitched battle in a small group, but a crash ruined his chances of a potential top three finish. Another small error dropped him to seventh, where he finished.
Benistant was keen to show his true worth in race two. He had an even better start, moving into third spot early on. He held the leaders in sight throughout the race, and despite having to fend off some challenges near the end of the race, he finished third for the race.
With seventh and third in the races respectively, Benistant was fifth overall. The season is over now for the team and they will not participate in the final GP. The season can be marked as very successful, though, with the EMX250 European title, and a spectacular entry into GP racing during the past three world championship events.
The team’s line-up for 2021 will be announced soon.
Overall Grand Prix MX2 Arco di Trento:
1 Jago Geerts 41 Pnt
2 Ben Watson 40 Pnt
3 Jed Beaton 40 Pnt
4 Maxime Renaux 36 Pnt
5 Thibault Benistant 34 Pnt