Monster Energy Kemea Yamaha riders Ben Watson and Jago Geerts both stood on the box at the Flanders Masters in Balen today. Watson finished third in the 250cc, while Geerts took the third spot in the Superfinal.
The Flanders Masters was a real home race for Jago Geerts, as the teenager lives only three kilometers from the track in Balen. He wanted to do well in front of his home crowd, but struggled in both heats of the 250cc class and crashed twice. A third and fifth place wasn’t sufficient to get on the overall podium. Geerts finished fourth, just behind teammate Ben Watson (4+3). The Brit was suffering from arm pump, but rode two smart races an kept a good pace all the time.
Both Monster Energy Kemea Yamaha riders took a good start in the Superfinal, in which they had to compete against the 500cc-riders. Geerts managed to get on the podium after passing Nathan Watson and Harri Kullas. Ben Watson was caught up in a battle for fifth place with his brother Nathan almost the entire race. A battle he finally won.
#193 Jago Geerts
4th overall, 3rd in Superfinal
“I can’t be happy with my results in the 250cc motos. I didn’t feel comfortable on the bike and crashed twice. A pitty in front of my home crowd. We changed the suspension for the Superfinal. A good decision. I immediately felt a lot better on my bike. I’m happy with my third place and can travel to Imola with a good feeling.”
#919 Ben Watson
3rd overall, 5th in Superfinal
“I was struggling with arm pump the entire day. Maybe because I’ve been training on a hard pack track last week. But I rode smart and kept a decent pace. I didn’t want to take too many risks with the Grand Prix in Imola coming up next weekend. It was fun to compete against my brother in the Superfinal. That doesn’t happen too often.”
RESULTS
Race 1
1. Kevin Horgmo (Nor/KTM)
2. Calvin Vlaanderen (Ned/Hon) +0:01.943
3. JAGO GEERTS (Bel/Yam) +0:05.819
4. BEN WATSON (GBR/YAM) +0:25.675
5. Brent Van Doninck (Bel/Hon) +0:49.725
Race 2
1. Calvin Vlaanderen (Ned/Hon)
2. Kevin Horgmo (Nor/KTM) 0:10.642
3. BEN WATSON (GBR/YAM) +0:12.481
4. Cyril Genot (Bel/Hus) +0:19.315
5. JAGO GEERTS (Bel/Yam) +0:48.550
Overall
1. Calvin Vlaanderen (Ned/Hon) 47
2. Kevin Horgmo (Nor/KTM) 47
3. BEN WATSON (GBR/YAM) 38
4. JAGO GEERTS (Bel/Yam) 36
5. Cyril Genot (Bel/Hus) 32
Superfinal
1. Glenn Coldenhoff (Ned/KTM)
2. Shaun Simpson (GBr/KTM) 0:23.849
3. JAGO GEERTS (Bel/Yam) +0:44.127
4. Harri Kullas (Est/Hon) +0:51.494
5. BEN WATSON (GBr/Yam) +0:53.474
Next race: August 18, GP15 Imola (Ita)
Images by Photographic Art
