Nederlands
Hutten Metaal Yamaha Official EMX250’s Rick Elzinga locked up the 2022 EMX250 Championship title in the penultimate race of the season at the 10th and final round of the series in Saint Jean d’Angely, France.
An incredible six podiums, four overall victories and five race wins are some highlights of Elzinga’s stunning EMX250 title campaign. The 20-year-old Dutchman secured the title by beating his only remaining championship rival, Cornelius Toendel, in the opening race of the EMX250 round of Charente Maritime today. Going into the final round, the ‘44’ guarded a 40-point advantage over Toendel, which meant he only had to beat the ‘302’ or score 10 points this weekend to secure the crown. Feeling relaxed, calm and collected with a comfortable lead in the series, Elzinga powered his GYTR kitted YZ250F to a top-10 start in Race 1, and put in a mature ride for seventh, which was enough to secure a maiden European title with one race remaining. This season marks Hutten Metaal Yamaha Official EMX250’s third term as Yamaha Motor Europe’s Official EMX250 team, and in those three years, the team has already secured two EMX250 titles. The first was with Thibault Benistant in 2020 and now with Elzinga in 2022.
Rick Elzinga:“It’s an incredible feeling to finally make it happen. I’ve had a tough couple of years, and I feel very privileged to have had the opportunity from Yamaha to join their Official EMX250 team. I just put my head down and worked as hard as I could, which was not always easy with some health issues along the way. But luckily, I had a strong start to the season, so on the tough days, I just had to be smart and collect as many points as I could. I did what I did when I needed to, and honestly, I can’t be any happier than I am right now. I owe a huge thanks to Yamaha, the Hutten Metaal Yamaha Official EMX250 team and everyone around me. Now, all eyes on next year!”
Dave Kooiker managed to score six points in France and finally finished in twelfth position in the final standings of the championship. Andrea Bonacorsi crashed in both motos and only finished in 22nd position overall. Bonacorsi finished the season in sixth position in the championship standings.