The sandy loam track of Agueda was even more demanding than usual, because drought and intensive irrigation created many slippery ruts. Opening the program on Sunday morning, the riders of the European Championships were faced to a partially muddy track after intensive watering by the organizers. Due to a change in the regulations a week before the race, the riders would now compete in one longer race instead of the traditional two rounds.
After his French Championship podium last week, Benoit Paturel (TC250R)was confident for this first race in the European Championship. Getting two times the pole positions and two second places in qualifying in the French Championship, the 18-year-old Frenchman knows how to be fast. Benoit had an average start in the qualifying race and was positioned in the top ten, but he didn't find his rhythm and after his eighth place finish he was not able to hide his disappointment. In the race Benoit's start was not really one of his best so he fell back into the midfield into 11th position. During the following laps he was able to gain some positions back until overtaking his last opponent in the penultimate lap and finishing in seventh.
David Herbreteau (CR125) had his comeback in the EMX125 after his back injury from Italy was healed. David set the ninth fastest lap of the timed session and put himself in a good position of the starting grid for the qualification race. But a crash shortly after the start, in which David lost a lot of time being stuck under his motorcycle, dropped him back into last place. In the end he made it up to the twenty-eighth position, which forced him to start from the outside of the starting gate in Sunday's race. In the race on a muddy and slippery track a crash of the riders in front of him in the first corner forced David to break hard and he was dropped back into nineteenth position. Like Benoit the 15-year-old David did not give up and managed to overtake several riders. At the finish-line David scored with his 15th place his first championship points.
Benoit Paturel - TC250R: "I never felt comfortable on the track, even if I did the fourth fastest time in my group. I had a bad start in the qualifying race, but I tried to push hard but I only could finish eighth, which put me in the middle of the grid. I had to start between position 15 and 20, but I could not find my rhythm and stay in touch with the guys in front of me. As at the Italian GP or the MX of European Nations, I think I wanted to do too much and this blocked my mind, I have to work on this mental aspect. The championship level is as high as expected, but I think I'm able to ride at the same pace as the leaders."
David Herbreteau - CR125: "It was a tough weekend, in a very competitive championship. In the qualifying race I crashed twice, I was stuck a long time under my bike and this caused a bad starting position. On Sunday my start was not too bad, but I got stuck behind a crash at the first corner. Then during the race I had a very good rhythm and I was happy with my pace. Starting so far behind it was hard to do better than fifteenth."
- Husqvarna Racing News
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