Weather conditions were slightly cooler than yesterday’s qualifying day, however, it would not stop our European Quadcross riders from giving it their all in the first race day of the 2025 calendar.
Warm Up –
Out of the 32 riders entered in this weekend’s event, 5 would not take part in the warm-up session to open the Sunday programme, including Manfred Zienecker who sited the track conditions as being too muddy after watering, and did not want to add any further risk, especially when he felt strong after the qualifying race yesterday. Marcus Thomsen would be quickest, with Turrini and Walker in hot pursuit.
Race 1 –
Clutches in, revs up, gates down, and the 2025 racing season commenced with 18-year-old Estonian, Karl Robin Rillo, taking the holeshot once again ahead of Patrick Turrini, with Harry Walker making a poor start, seeing him drop down to 7th position in the first handful of turns. Mike van Grinsven made an impressive start to promote himself into 3rd position by the time the pack charged down the steep decline, however, back at the front, a move from former champion Turrini saw him take over the lead of the race ahead of Rillo, with Zienecker ready and poised to mount a potential challenge on van Grinsven.
At the close of the first lap, Walker had found his way into the top-five placings, which quickly developed into a top-four position after relegating Zienecker. Outside the top-five, but within the top-ten, another battle was beginning to develop between Neija, Thomsen, Veldman, Mclernon and Kaspar however, the tall Dutchman of Julian Veldman would be forced to retire from the race due to his wheel becoming unattached and bouncing into the trees beyond the circuit – thankfully, Veldman was able to park his Yamaha safely on the inside of the circuit.
Turrini, with clear track, continued his relentless consistency and increased his leading margin throughout the course of the event, with Walker carving his way through the field, but it became more evident as the laps ticked by that there was not enough time within this opening race for Walker to make a challenge on Turrini. Van Grinsven seemed secure in the third-place position, but the same could not be said for Rillo and Zienecker as they scrapped and fought for 4th position. Incredible defensive riding from the young Estonian would see him hold onto the 18-points scoring position ahead of the German, Zienecker.
Ulsterman, Mark Mclernon, had a difficult day yesterday with a broken axle putting him out of the qualifying race, and his bad luck would continue in the opening race as, despite his heroic efforts from 18th gate-pick, and fighting his way into 7th position, a puncture would put him out of this race, too. Certainly, a turn in fortune would be welcomed with open arms for the man who finished 3rd in the 2024 campaign.
The chequered flag beckoned Patrick Turrini, whose delight was clear to see as he punched the air in celebration, ahead of Walker and van Grinsven.
Results
- Patrick Turrini
- Harry Walker
- Mike van Grinsven
- Karl Robin Rillo
- Manfred Zienecker
Race 2 –
The second and final race of the weekend for the European Quadcross championship commenced, with the pack hurtling towards the first turn and, once again, Karl Robin Rillo took the advantage and led the charge into the first turn, and the opening 2 laps. Harry Walker made a much better start than in the first encounter, likewise Patrick Turrini who had Mark Mclernon behind him, on the second row. Zienecker, similarly to the earlier race, would find himself in fourth position and chasing after Rillo, Walker and Turrini, but would not progress until later in the race.
Despite it taking a couple of laps, Turrini would soon find his way through on Rillo, and increase his advantage over the following laps. This move would spark Walker’s interest as both he, and van Grinsven would move ahead of Rillo throughout the mid-point of the race. Kristof Karai and Mark Mclernon were vying for sixth position, but Karai would be forced to retire from the race as his Yamaha ground to a halt in the second half of the event, which left Mclernon in a strong and secure sixth place – a quick turnaround in fortune it would seem, however, more bad luck was to come his way.
At the front, throughout the remainder of the race, the top 3 held their positions with Rillo, with no reason being immediately obvious, losing approximately 4 seconds a lap, and would succumb to the pressure from Zienecker, which would put them both level on points as we leave round number one.
For the final time, the chequered flag beckoned the arrival of double race winner, Patrick Turrini, for him to claim a 1-1 finish for the first time in his career! Harry Walker would take the chequered flag in second position ahead of Mike van Grinsven, to duplicate the podium from race one.
Results
- Patrick Turrini
- Harry Walker
- Mike van Grinsven
- Manfred Zienecker
- Karl Robin Rillo
Standings
- Patrick Turrini – 50
- Harry Walker – 44
- Mike van Grinsven – 40
- Manfred Zienecker – 34
- Karl Robin Rillo – 34
A brilliant weekend of racing throughout the entirety of the programme, with all eyes now solely focussed on the next round of the championship in only a fortnights time, at Fox Hills. Stay tuned for updates and news bulletins in the meantime, by following our various social media platforms, as well as the website.
www.emxquad.com
By Bradley Hix
