The Grand Prix of Trentino, in the shadow of the Dolomites, was kind of a rebirth for Vsevolod Brylyakov. The Russian finished fourth (9+3 in motos) in Pietramurata, his best result after the severe shoulder injury he sustained last season. With Ben Watson on the ninth spot (11+7) and Jago Geerts on tenth place (7+13) Kemea Yamaha had all three riders inside the top ten.
April 23, 2017. Vsevolod Brylyakov sustained a nasty shoulder injury in Valkenswaard, which left him sidelined for the rest of the season. Almost one year and a tough rehabilitation later the Russian is back where he belongs: at the frontline of the MX2. Seva felt good on the first real hardpack track of the season. Hard work in the first moto (he fought back from 17th to 9th place after a bad start) and great speed in the second moto (third place after nice passes on Vlaanderen and Jacobi) gave him a fourth place overall.
Ben Watson was one of the fastest guys on the track, but had to work very hard to get inside the top 10. In the first moto the Briton got stuck behind the start gate and had to fight back from last to 11th position. Same story in the second moto: bad start and a good recovery till 7th place. In the world championship Watson moved up from sixth to fourth place.
Jago Geerts finished tenth overall. Not bad at all, because the Belgian teenager didn’t almost ride on hard pack because of school obligations. His first moto was very steady: 7th in the start, 7th at the finish. In the second moto he made his job much more difficult after a poor start. Nevertheless Geerts managed to gain a lot of positions, finishing 13th.
#18 Vsevolod Brylyakov
4th overall
“I’m very happy with this result. I even burst into tears after the second moto. So much it means for me, after that injury. I had two completely different heats. In the first moto I had to work my way through the pack after a poor start. I kept pushing till the end. My start was a lot better in the second moto. After a few passes I took the third place and kept a good speed. I want to thank the team for believing in me. This was a great day, but it’s only one good result. I need to keep working hard.
#193 Jago Geerts
10th overall
“I’m quite satisfied with my results this weekend, because this is a track where I struggled a lot in the past. My first moto was very solid. I started seventh and finished seventh. I tried to push in the beginning of the race, but all the riders had the same speed. So, passing was very difficult. I got closed in at the start of the second moto and had to fight back from 30th position. I managed to come back to 13th position, which is not bad at all at this difficult track.”
#919 Ben Watson
9th overall
“I had a good speed all weekend long. From the first session on Saturday till the final race. The feeling was good, unfortunately the results not. My starts let me down on Sunday. Very frustrating, because it used to be a big weapon. But I have to stay positive. The riding itself was good, that gives me confidence. I need to be patient and I have to keep on working hard. I am now fourth in the championship. Nice, but it’s still early in the season.”
Marnicq Bervoets
Team manager
“Brylyakov did a great job. He loves racing on this track. That gave him extra confidence. His second moto was really impressive. It’s a bit of a pity that he missed the podium on one point, but I’m happy that he finally gets a reward for all the hard work. Ben Watson was also very strong. He was one of the fastest guys all weekend, but he didn’t get the results he deserved. His starts messed things up. Ben must be patient, his time will come. Geerts surprised me. He’s still going to school, he almost didn’t practice on hard pack. In that view, his tenth place is a strong performance.”
Results MX2
First moto
1. Jorge Prado (Esp/KTM)
2. Henry Jacobi (Ger/Hus) +0:007.613
3. Thomas Kjer Olsen (Dan/Hus) +0:10.550
4. Pauls Jonass (Lat/KTM) +0:11.771
5. Thomas Covington (USA/Hus) +0:12.890
7. JAGO GEERTS (Bel/Yam) +0:30.941
9. VSEVOLOD BRYLYAKOV (Rus/Yam) +0:39.870
11. BEN WATSON (GBr/Yam) +0:45.363
Second moto
1. Thomas Covington (USA/Hus)
2. Jorge Prado (Esp/KTM) +0:02.170
3. VSEVOLOD BRYLYAKOV (Rus/Yam) +0:24.692
4. Conrad Mewse (GBr/KTM) +0:30.510
5. Calvin Vlaanderen (RSA/Hon) +0:32.592
7. BEN WATSON (GBr/Yam) +0:38.459
13. JAGO GEERTS (Bel/Yam) +1:04.381
Overall
1. Jorge Prado (Esp/KTM) 47
2. Thomas Covington (USA/Hus) 41
3. Henry Jacobi (Ger/Hus) 33
4. VSEVOLOD BRYLYAKOV (Rus/Yam) 32
5. Pauls Jonass (Lat/KTM) 30
9. BEN WATSON (GBr/Yam) 24
10. JAGO GEERTS (Bel/Yam) 22
Championship classification
1. Pauls Jonass (Lat/KTM) 180
2. Jorge Prado (Esp/KTM) 152
3. Thomas Kjer Olsen (Dan/Hus) 145
4. BEN WATSON (GBr/Yam) 105
5. Conrad Mewse (GBr/KTM) 100
9. VSEVOLOD BRYLYAKOV (Rus/Yam) 86
12. JAGO GEERTS (Bel/Yam) 72
Next race: April 15, GP5: Agueda, Portugal
Images by Bavo