The Bulgarian, who lives locally and practices almost every week in the deep sand, immediately showed his intentions when he posted third fastest time in both practice sessions and raced to an impressive second place in the qualifying race. After gating fifth he needed just five laps to force his way to the front and looked in command but the pressure of leading a GP moto for the first time took its toll and he had to eventually settle for second place. Unfortunately Petar hurt his shoulder early in race two as the brutal track conditions claimed many victims but he gritted his teeth to finish sixth, sufficient to ensure a third place podium finish in the overall GP result. Petar is now eighth in the championship, just one point behind seventh.
Teammate Dylan Ferrandis was also prominent all weekend but two crashes restricted him to sixth in the qualifying race. In the opening GP moto he took an immediate lead but rode sensibly to avoid exhaustion in the tiring conditions and led for a total of five laps in three stints before the clutch cried enough. Dylan's second start was not so good, but he persevered to make advances nearly every lap until he had reached third place on lap seven; unfortunately the two leaders were out of sight so he had to settle for this position to the finish, but the first moto difficulties meant that he was only ninth overall in the GP classification. Nevertheless he retains fifth in the championship standings and is now only twenty-five points away from third.
Petar Petrov: “We finally got this podium, but it was a tough day. I felt good all weekend. In the first race I had a good start, pushed really hard and got the lead for two laps; it was great to lead the race but that was also a new experience for me. In the second moto my start was not quite as good, and then I hurt my shoulder; the track was really brutal. In the last few laps I pushed again as Paturel was not far behind me; I knew that if he passed me the podium was gone so I had to push and we manage to get it ! Now I’m focused on the Swiss GP next weekend.”
Dylan Ferrandis: “I raced here in Lommel a couple of times, but it has never been so hard ! We struggled as with so many classes the track was already rough before our first practice session but I did my best on both days. During the qualifying race I crashed twice but got a sixth which was OK for the races; I got the holeshot in the first race and led the race but I never used too much energy as I knew that it would be a long day. I was leading the race but after fifteen minutes I started to have some troubles with the clutch and had to retire. My second start was not so good; I came back to third but Seewer and Anstie were gone.”