News
Balige, Lake Toba - Sunday, August 17: The mood in Lake Toba was even more electric than usual, for this is a very important day for the Indonesian nation, which today is celebrating 80 years of independence. As part of the country-wide celebrations, usual proceedings were halted at 10.17 local time, whereupon the Indonesian national anthem was played and sung by the crowds of Balige.
The anthem was accompanied by an array of festivities, including local dances, helicopter flyovers, and the riders of the Ski Ladies GP1 replacing their usual national flags with a fluttering display of Indonesian flags for their parade lap. Usual racing action commenced soon after.
Another dominant display from Drange in Ski Ladies GP1
Benedicte Drange once again dominated as she cruised to another victory in Moto 2.
She lined up first at the start following her win in Moto 1, ahead of Jasmiin Ypraus, Estelle Poret, Naomi Benini, Jesicca Chavanne, River Varner, Virgine Morlaes, Sofie Borgstrom, Janina Johansson, and Joana Graca.
Drange’s rapid take off saw her take the hole shot, but attention at the start turned to Varner and Borgstrom. Varner had cut in front of Borgstrom – a move for which she incurred a yellow card for dangerous driving – causing both riders to fall off their bikes and receive an escort off the water by marshals, forcing an early end to the race for both riders.
At the front of the pack following the first lap was the indomitable Drange, followed by Poret, fellow French rider Chavanne, and Ypraus in fourth. Reigning World Champion Ypraus was restless from the start, overtaking Chavanne in the second lap to move up to third. The young Estonian immediately turned her sights onto second place Poret, aggressively pursuing the French rider from the moment she passed into third.
Ypraus’ chances seemed dented in the fifth lap when she spun out, but she showed her skill in immediately recovering, somehow managing to edge past Poret in the following lap as the two riders converged from the different splits.
Although now second, the challenge for Ypraus was huge, as Drange had a 21.25 second over second place Ypraus going into Lap 8.
Ypraus was able to eat into Drange’s lead by a few seconds, but the faultless Norwegian’s lead proved insurmountable, coming in 18.12 seconds ahead of second place Ypraus. Once passed, Poret proved unable to retake her position, finishing the race in third.
“I had the speed, took the hole shot; I was tactical with when I was going to the other split … it was a good race. I kept the lead, which was bigger and bigger during the Moto, so I’m really happy” declared the victorious Drange.
Behind her came Chavanne in fourth, Benini in fifth, Graca in sixth, Morlaes in seventh, and Johansson closing out the pack in eighth.
Varner and Borgstrom had to retire early following their fall, meaning they finished Moto 2 pointless.
Oliver Koch Hansen takes advantage of engine problems for Bossche to win Ski GP1 Moto 2
Current World Champion Quinten Bossche came into Moto 2 the firm favourite after he cruised to victory in yesterday’s Moto 1. Starting the race in pole position, he took the hole shot and started to establish a dominant lead from the very beginning of Moto 2.
Going into Lap 3, the top 5 running order was exactly the same as the starting positions, with Bossche leading by 10.62 seconds, followed by Jeremy Poret, Oliver Kock Hansen, Toshi Ohara, and Mickael Poret.
Meanwhile, the young Yoni Hamelin managed to move up the pack into sixth, putting pressure on fifth place Mickael Poret by coming within just 2.74 seconds of the experienced Frenchman by Lap 5.
The running order at the front of the race was shaken up in Lap 6, when Ohara made effective use of the splits to overtake Jeremy Poret and move into third.
Soon after, disaster struck for Belgian Bossche in an event that blew the Championship standings wide open following his early dominance. Engine issues forced Bossche to call over marshals in Lap 6, by which point he had been cruising ahead with a lead of over 20 seconds for several laps.
Bossche’s enforced retirement allowed Oliver Kock Hansen to take the lead, with Ohara pushed up to second, and Jeremy Poret just 2.62 seconds behind him in third.
Bossche’s fate was soon emulated by Mickael Poret, who had been in fourth, but was in need of a tow from marshalls following engine issues of his own, meaning the veteran French rider only able to complete 8 laps.
Ohara was able to slightly dent Oliver Kock Hansen’s 12.61 second lead, but time was against the Japanese rider, who ended up finishing 11.35 seconds behind the Dane in second place.
Jeremy Poret completed the podium, coming in third. Hameline benefited from the early retirements of others to claim fourth, with Alex Barret, Valentin Dardillat, Benjamin Scharff, Felix Helgesson, and Soshi Sato making up the rest of the top 10.
In eleventh came Axel Courtois, followed by Maxence Russel, Mads Kock Hansen, and Thomas Bento. Owing to a 1 lap penalty for ignoring signals, Mickael Poret finished above the penalised Anthony Beernaut, coming in fifteenth and sixteenth respectively.
Bossche’s early retirement saw him finish Moto 2 pointless, whilst Martin Drange and Alec Enderli did not start.