Nederlands
Rick Elzinga of Hutten Metaal Yamaha Racing opened his Dutch Masters of Motocross championship campaign in style during the first round of the series at Arnhem. Elzinga finished second in both heats, yielding him second overall. Dave Kooiker battled in the first heat after a crash and did not score, but atoned in the second heat with a sixth place finish.
Both riders found their rhythm quickly on the well-prepared circuit of Arnhem. Elzinga was second in the qualifying session, just a shade off pole. Kooiker claimed fourth spot during qualifying. Elzinga launched well in the opening heat, slotting into second position. He pounced when the leader made a mistake after a few laps, moving into the lead, which he held in hand for a few laps. He had to yield the lead later on to GP winner Jago Geerts, and crossed the line in second position. Kooiker crashed early on and lost a lot of time. He tried to recover as best he could, but could not get back into the points.
Elzinga again blitzed to a good start in the second race. He immediately fell in with the leading group, and held the race leader in his sights for a long time. Later on in the race he fell back somewhat, but still had enough cushion to finish in a comfortable second place. Kooiker put his first race woes behind him and finished sixth.
With two second place finishes, Elzinga was second overall for the day. Kooiker was 12th overall due to not scoring in the first heat.
The second round of the series will take place at Oldebroek on second Easter day.
Overall Dutch Masters of Motocross 250 Arnhem:
1 Jago Geerts 50 Pnt
2 Rick Elzinga 44 Pnt
3 Lucas Coenen 34 Pnt
4 Glen Meier 32 Pnt
5 Tim Edberg 31 Pnt
12 Dave Kooiker 16 Pnt