Mettet (Belgium) 11 October – The circuit of Mettet hosted the first race of the SM Junior, which was full of emotions. Standings leader Yevsevii Kovalov (Husqvarna) crashed and qualified eighth. Andrea Benvenuti (MTR Ktm Racing) crashed twice and threw away a probable victory, while Mark Luca Iovita (Husqvarna) was the protagonist of a solid challenge and clinched his very first race victory.
SM Junior Time Practices
After a one-year absence from the Supermoto, Andrea Benvenuti (MTR KTM Racing) made an amazing comeback with style and took pole position. The Italian rider prevailed over Yevsevii Kovalov (Husqvarna), who was second in the qualifying and must focus on the Championship victory rather than worrying about wild card Benvenuti. The Ukrainian rider achieved a solid position also thanks to the weak performance of his main rival David Zsolt Bereczki (Husqvarna), who ended up in fourth place followed by Mark Luca Iovita (Husqvarna) who rounded off the front row.
SM Junior Time Practice Top Ten:
BENVENUTI Andrea (ITA, KTM) 1:44.277; 2. KOVALOV Yevsevii (UKR, Husqvarna) 1:44.627; 3. IOVITA Mark Luca (ROU, Husqvarna) 1:45.049; 4. BERECZKI David Zsolt (HUN, Husqvarna) 1:47.366; 5. PRÄHAUSER Diego (AUT, GasGas) 1:49.999; 6. SUIKKANEN Iina (FIN, Husqvarna) 1:50.739; 7. BANG Lorenz (GER, KTM) 1:51.163; 8. IRZYK Klemens (POL, KTM) 1:52.537; 9. IRZYK Liliana (POL, KTM) 1:53.499; 10. ENGSTROM Eli (USA, Honda) 1:57.543
SM Junior Race 1
The first moto of the SM Junior was full of twists. As the red lights blinked off Andrea Benvenuti moved to the front and took the lead. Championship leader Yevsevii Kovalov crashed in the second corner and had to start from the back. It seemed like Benvenuti could handle the race but he slipped as well, eventually handing the leadership to Mark Luca Iovita and David Zsolt Bereczki. Benvenuti tried to make up ground but crashed one more time and had to feel happy with third place. Iovita was the leader of a perfect race and came home with the very first victory of his career. Despite the eighth place, Kovalov is still holding the leadership in the standings with a 24-point advantage over his chaser. Yevsevii only needs to attend the second race to be crowned European Champion.
SM Junior Race 1 Top Ten:
IOVITA Mark Luca (ROU, Husqvarna) 8 laps in 14:34.022; 2. BERECZKI David Zsolt (HUN, Husqvarna) +05.233; 3. BENVENUTI Andrea (ITA, KTM) +11.428; 4. BANG Lorenz (GER, KTM) +30.862; 5. SUIKKANEN Iina (FIN, Husqvarna) +31.389; 6. IRZYK Liliana (POL, KTM) +1:00.939; 7. IRZYK Klemens (POL, KTM) +1:03.705; 8. KOVALOV Yevsevii (UKR, Husqvarna) +1 Lap; 9. ENGSTROM Eli (USA, Honda) +1 Lap; 10. GOROL Julian (GER, GasGas) +1 Lap
Time Table:
SUNDAY: 08.30 Warm Up – 11.10 Race 2
Circuit length: 2.043 Mt. (Tarmac 1.358,5 Mt. – Off Road 684,5 Mt.)
Complete results available HERE.
In the photo: Mark Luca Iovita (Husqvarna)
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