Darian Sanayei consolidated second place in the FIM European EMX250 Motocross Championship for Bud Racing Monster Energy Kawasaki after finishing joint top points scorer at Matterley Basin in England.
The American teenager twice outpaced the series leader as he swept to a five second victory in the opening moto before finishing a close second to a local wild card rider in race two; their duel had taken them nearly half a minute clear of the remaining riders in the race. Having contested the British round of the series last year Darian already knew the track and finished top of his qualification group before two close battles with the English wild card rider, a former champion; they finished the weekend tight on points. With three rounds remaining Darian remains 56 points behind the series leader, but he has increased his advantage over the third-placed rider to 69 points.
The European 125 was also at the program of the British GP, and in the timed practice session Brian Moreau shows again his potential at 14 years old when he posted the fastest lap time of his group. On Saturday afternoon Brian got a good start in the first race, coming fourth but he lost time in a crash; ninth after three laps, he came back sixth. The second race on Sunday was not a good one for him, as he didn’t score any point after an early crash in the 1st lap. He remains tenth in the standings, before the GP of Lombardy this weekend. Teammate Kim Savaste had a consistent weekend, scoring points in both races for the first time since Arco; the young Finish rider scored a Seventh of the GP, he is now eleventh of the series, just a few points behind Brian.
Our 85KX rider Thibault Benistant was in Portugal, and entered the last qualifying race of the 85 European series. It was his third appearance since his elbow injury begin of march, and Thibault had a very good weekend with two podium results and a strong second overall at Fernao Joanes.
The EMX250 and Euro125 series will continue next week in Mantova (Italy), while Xavier Boog will enter the French SX Tour with the first round of the series in Estillac.
Darian Sanayei: “In the first moto I had a pretty good start and passed Clarke and then Prado to get the lead. I made a small gap and won this race; it was cool to win again. Then in the second moto I got a good jump of the gate but started wheeling; Prado was at my inside and I just came wide open in the first corners to get the lead again. That was pretty cool and my speed was good but Clarke, who was just doing this race, hit me a couple of times. We had a really nice battle for a couple of laps and I just missed out on this win, but I won the qualifying and the first moto. Second overall is not so bad for the championship. The track was awesome; I enjoyed it last year and again this time.”
