Date: 15 March 2009

The first round of the Dutch national championship blasted off in the deep sand of Gemert this past Sunday in front of a large crowd anxious to see who would take early control of the championship. Gareth Swanepoel headed into this weekend knowing it would be tough but was determined to add the vital MX1 experience to his GP preparation.

The first 35 min heat of the day got underway with a terrible start for Gareth as he emerged from the first corner outside of the top 20. A frustrated Swanie knew he had the ability to get his way through the pack and had no choice but to initiate his assault on the treacherous circuit. Within a handful of laps Gareth had clawed his way up to 13th position, however from there it got difficult and Gareth’s extreme fitness was tested to the max. With 20 hard minutes of racing left, Swanepoel picked off the riders lap by lap. By the end of the grueling first moto Gareth powered his Kawasaki across the finish line in 7th position.

Heat 2 saw a better jump out the gate for Gareth, determined not to have to fight from the back this time Swanepoel railed his way through turn one to put himself in 6th position at the beginning of the long race. Within a field of ‘sand specialists’ Gareth was able to hold his own on the KX450F-SR, and maintained track position throughout the duration. ‘Swanie’ crossed the chequered flag in 6th position.

After a long day Gareth had this to say: “I knew before the gate dropped today that this would be a tough race. I am positive though because I am learning loads on the 450 at the moment and I feel better and better on the bike every weekend. I need to make sure I get better starts though, to keep fighting through the pack every weekend is not allowing me to get the overall results I am aiming for. Next weekend I am racing round 2 of the British champs which will give me some more vital experience before Faenza GP the week after.”

Image: CDS

MX1 1st moto:
1 Patrick Roos NL KTM
2 Erik Eggens NL Suzuki
3 Maxi Nagle D KTM
4 Rob van Vijfeijken NL Yamaha
5 Dennis Schroter D KTM
6 Yentel Martens B KTM
7 Gareth Swanepoel Z-A Kawasaki
8 William Saris NL Yamaha
9 Kristof Salaets B Honda
10 Jurgen Vannooten B KTM

2nd moto:

1 Maxi Nagle D KTM
2 Patrick Roos NL KTM
3 Erik Eggens NL Suzuki
4 Kristof Salaets B Honda
5 Sven Breugelmans B KTM
6 Gareth Swanepoel Z-A Kawasaki
7 Rob van Vijfeijken NL Yamaha
8 William Saris NL Yamaha
9 Kim Lindstrom S KTM
10 Yentel Martens B KTM

Championship Standings:

1 Patrick Roos NL KTM 95
2 Maxi Nagle D KTM 91
3 Erik Eggens NL Suzuki 86
4 Rob van Vijfeijken NL Yamaha 72
5 Kristof Salaets B Honda 70
6 Gareth Swanepoel ZA Kawasaki 69