Yamaha van Beers Racing Team
Marc de Reuver second in Dutch Open MX1 in Varsseveld

Marc de Reuver of the Yamaha van Beers Racing Team finished second overall at the third round of the Dutch Open Championship Series at Varsseveld. De Reuver started his day with a second time in time practice. In the first moto he took a poor start and went into the first corner around tenth place. In the opening laps he worked his way back up to second but at that moment the leader was already gone. Marc kept pushing but had to settle for second position in the first moto. In the second moto he took a better start and at the end of the first lap he came by start/finish in second position. In the second lap he made a small crash and dropped back to fourth position. In the following laps he worked his way back up to second again but at that moment the leader was already gone again. Marc stayed calm and crossed the finish line in second position. Overall he finished in second position and in the championship he sits in fourth position after three rounds.

Herjan Brakke set the third fastest time in time practice. In the first moto he crashed at the start and had to come back trough the field without a front brake lever. With consistent lap times he passed one rider after another and with still several laps to go he moved into sixth position. Disaster struck the young Dutchman when he crashed with still two laps to go. Just when he jumped on his bike another rider hit him and because of this he crashed again. Herjan lost a lot of positions and crossed the finish line in 10th position. In the second moto he started the race in fourth position. In the beginning of the race he worked himself up to second position and held on to this position for a long time. In the second part of the race his team mate Marc de Reuver passed him. Herjan followed Marc in the rest of the moto but couldn’t pass him back and had to be satisfied with third position. Herjan finished fifth overall and sits in second position in the Dutch Open Championship Series.

Petar Petrov set the fifth fastest time in time practice MX2. In the first moto he took a poor start and came out of the first turn in the back of the field. At the end of the first lap he came by start/finish in 17th position. In the following laps he made some beautiful passes and worked himself back up to sixth position. In the second moto he took a bad start as well. This time he came by start/finish in 24th position at the end of the first lap. With consistent lap times he charged back trough the field and passed one rider after another. Petrov finally finished the race in sixth position. Overall he finished in sixth position and after three rounds he sits in sixth position in the standings as well.

Next Sunday round 4 of the Dutch Open Championship Series will be held at Heerde.


SHANNON TERREBLANCHE
TERREBLANCHE HITS DUTCH TOP 10 ON HIS RETURN TO THE MX2 CLASS

The start of the 2011 season has been a blur of uncertainty and struggle for Shannon Terreblanche. With a 2010 season heavily compromised by injuries and setbacks, the popular South African had but a few options on the table to return to Europe and continue his racing in 2011. He found a berth in Mart de Jongh's Young-Force racing, but despite Mart's best efforts, a number of crucial sponsorship opportunities did not materialise, and the project just did not seem to gain momentum.

Opportunities beckon at the strangest times, though, and just when the clouds of uncertainty and doubt seemed darkest, a red light shone through. Dutch Honda dealer Coen Van Haut was on the trawl for a replacement rider for his MX2 berth that was vacant due to injury, and Shannon got the call to go for a test ride. The two men have known each other for a while, since way back in the days when they were both protagonists in the European Championship series, so there was no need for introductions. The test went well, and without further ado, a deal was agreed upon.

So it came to pass then, that at the third round of the 2011 Dutch Motocross championships, Shannon Terreblanche lined up on an MX2 class bike again for the first time in a number of years. It was also his first re-acquaintance with Honda since the early part of his 85cc days, many moons ago, and the move was sure do make dad Donald's moustache twitch with happiness way down in South Africa. Donald is a lifelong Honda fan, and has always looked forward to the day that he would see his offspring on a Red Rocket again.

Such thoughts were far from Shanter's mind as he got to know the lay of the land at Varsseveld. He had had precious little riding time in the first part of the season, and a bit of rustiness was inevitable. The lack of bike time started haunting him early on in the form of arm pump that set in from the very first training session. He nevertheless pushed through and posted the 12th fastest time against a strong field of specialised sand rabbits.

Shanter got a good getaway in the first race, but was forced wide, and had to recover from a mid-pack position. Despite receiving a visit from the evil arm pump genie again, he gritted it out, and found a smooth rhythm as the race unwound. In the last laps he reeled in Eric Leijtens, who had produced a strong performance at the European Championship event at Valkenswaard just a week before, but the pass was just not on, and he crossed the line in 12th position.

A lightning start in race 2 slotted the South African well into the top 10, and he rode for all he's worth to maintain the best possible position. Again his lack of training time created a haunting spectre, but he was determined to drag the best possible coals out of the fire, and kept all thoughts of discomfort and pain confined to that section of the brain also used for outstanding income tax returns. His smoothness and style stood him in good stead, and when the flag fell, he was in 10th position.

Shannon narrowly missed out on a top 10 overall result, in fact finishing on equal points with 10th place. By virtue of the second heat result, he was classified as 11th, and flushed with happiness after a hard race outing. Despite only joining the series at the third round, he has slotted into 20th position in the championship standings right away, and it was a very pleased and determined rider who reflected on the day and his plans to climb higher up the ladder.

"It was a tough day, because I haven't ridden as much as I would have liked to," he said. "It actually got better as the day progressed, and I'm sure it will keep getting better as the season progresses. I am just so grateful to everyone that has helped me to make this possible, and I am determined to produce good results to reward my sponsors and supporters for their faith."