Dutch & Belgian 2011 News

[DutchGrasstrack]

Holland

 

Well here we go again, not much news last year because the KNMV and some of the clubs has made quite a farce of the whole speedway thing in Holland. This year it looks better. The KNMV and the Lelystad club have sorted their problems. The track in Vledderveen is still unsuitable for speedway (which I understand). The Veenoord club is still going well, shame they can only put 2 meetings a year on the calendar. The KNMV has put 4 Dutch open meetings on the calendar, 3 in Lelystad and 1 in Veenoord. And ofcourse we got the Golden Helmet race in Veenoord this year again. Plus we got 6 club meetings in Lelystad.

 

Belgium

 

I'm very happy to say that Belgium is developing very very well. They still only got 1 track (Heusden-Zolder), but they got an awesome group of people behind it. Their meetings attract a HUGE crowd every meeting too. Shame they can only run 3 weekends per year because of the noise (I think). But instead of running boring club meetings they got 3 big meetings on the calendar. First of all the Belgian Open Championship which features some good riders from 5 countries. The second meetings their doing will be a four team event (SWC format), with a Belgian team, a Dutch Team, a German team and 'Team Viking'. And the last meeting will be the big Golden Helmet meeting.

 

Calendar of all races

 

24.04.2011 - Lelystad - Club Meeting 1

01.05.2011 - Heusden-Zolder - Belgian Open Championship

15.05.2011 - Lelystad - Dutch Open 1

29.05.2011 - Lelystad - Club Meeting 2

19.06.2011 - Heusden-Zolder - Team Meeting

26.06.2011 - Lelystad - Club Meeting 3

10.07.2011 - Lelystad - Dutch Open 2

16.07.2011 - Veenoord - Dutch Open 3

28.08.2011 - Lelystad - Club Meeting 4

04.09.2011 - Heusden-Zolder - Golden Helmet

11.09.2011 - Lelystad - Club Meeting 5

24.09.2011 - Veenoord - Golden Helmet

02.10.2011 - Lelystad - Dutch Open 4

16.10.2011 - Lelystad - Club Meeting 6

 

The Lelystad track is open every saturday for practice, starting from this week. The Heusden-Zolder track is open for practice on the day before one of their 3 meetings.

Edited September 14, 2011 by DutchGrasstrack

[britmet]

Holland

 

The KNMV has put 4 Dutch open meetings on the calendar, 3 in Lelystad and 1 in Veenoord. And ofcourse we got the Golden Helmet race in Veenoord this year again. Plus we got 6 club meetings in Lelystad.

 

 

Is either (or all) of the 4 Dutch Open mtgs a National Championship ? - Open or otherwise?

 

.

[DutchGrasstrack]

Yes, the rider with the most points after the 4 rounds is the new Dutch champion. And it's also a 'Open' championship, so everyone (from every country) can enter. Last year a Danish rider became Dutch champion.

[manchesterpaul]

Yes, the rider with the most points after the 4 rounds is the new Dutch champion. And it's also a 'Open' championship, so everyone (from every country) can enter. Last year a Danish rider became Dutch champion.

 

Going to pick your brains if it's ok.

 

Great to hear of good crowds in Belguim. How well or poorly attended are the dutch meetings?.

 

Is grasstrack racing popular in both countries, and considerably more so than speedway? If so, is there not any big crossover of fans to speedway meetings? How aware are the grasstrack fans and the general public of speedway itself and of any meetings that are staged?

[Humphrey Appleby]

Bad news is that the Blijham club has started a small anti speedway campain (idiots..)

 

Eh..?

[Humphrey Appleby]

Is grasstrack racing popular in both countries, and considerably more so than speedway? If so, is there not any big crossover of fans to speedway meetings? How aware are the grasstrack fans and the general public of speedway itself and of any meetings that are staged?

 

Don't know about Belgium, but grasstrack used to be the bigger discipline in the Netherlands with speedway being something of an adjunct to it. Pretty much all taking part in the north-east of the country, and the same set of fans from what I could make out.

Edited April 11, 2011 by Humphrey Appleby

[DutchGrasstrack]

Going to pick your brains if it's ok.

 

Great to hear of good crowds in Belguim. How well or poorly attended are the dutch meetings?.

 

Is grasstrack racing popular in both countries, and considerably more so than speedway? If so, is there not any big crossover of fans to speedway meetings? How aware are the grasstrack fans and the general public of speedway itself and of any meetings that are staged?

 

I can sadly say that there is almost no crowd at the meetings in Lelystad. Big crowds in Veenoord though.

 

Grasstrack is very very popular in Holland (no grasstrack in Belgium). Most riders in Holland race grastrack and do some speedway meetings. There are only a few riders who only race speedway, the rest prefers grasstrack.

 

Well the Grasstrack fans don't bother about speedway. The meetings in Lelystad are quite boring, no passing, gate and go stuff all the time so they lost the crowd because of this I think. Plus they just don't do any advertisements and stuff in Lelystad and around. The meetings in Veenoord attract a good crowd because it's more north and a quite unique event in Holland.

Edited April 11, 2011 by DutchGrasstrack

[DutchGrasstrack]

Eh..?

 

Yes it's true. They club put anti speedway messages on their website. They don't give a crap about speedway, they got some car racing on the track too and that's the way the club makes money, with speedway they only loose money. It's a real shame.

 

(edited a bit because I want confirmation first lol)

Edited April 11, 2011 by DutchGrasstrack

[Humphrey Appleby]

Plus they just don't do any advertisements and stuff in Lelystad and around.

 

Something of a missed opportunity I'd have thought. Lelystad and Almere are growing centres of population, and what else is there to do on the Flevopolder...?

Edited April 11, 2011 by Humphrey Appleby

[DutchGrasstrack]

Well they got MX racing, super moto racing, oval racing (I think) and some stupid racing with little remote control cars lol. All on the same area (google maps). Not sure of the crowds of these events though.

 

Anyway we'll see what the new season brings. Hope some foreign riders will enter the Dutch open meetings so we can have a decent amount of riders .

 

First meetings kicks off in 2 weeks with a club meeting in Lelystad.

[DutchGrasstrack]

See below for the Dutch riders for the EC and WC meetings this season:

 

EC Speedway QR1 - 30 April - Stralsund (Germany)

(11) Pascal Swart

 

EC Speedway SF1 - 25 June - Pilsen (Czech Republic)

(8) Henry van der Steen

 

EC Speedway Juniors (U19) SF1 - 7 May - Gustrow (Germany)

(15) Randy Oldenziel

 

WC Speedway QR1 - 7 May - Krsko (Slovenia)

(6) Henry van der Steen

(15) Lars Zandvliet

 

WC Speedway Juniors (U21) QR1 - 17 April - Herxheim (Germany)

no interest

 

WC Speedway 250cc - 10 July - Norrkoping (Sweden)

Roberto Slot

[DutchGrasstrack]

Well I've got some suprising news . The Blijham club is now 'friends' with the KNMV again and they are going to stage the first round of the Dutch speedway championship on the 15th of May .

 

Yesterday was the kickoff from the Dutch season with a clubmeeting in Lelystad. Haven't got any results yet because I was racing in Germany.

[DutchGrasstrack]

Next week will be the first meeting in Belgium, lineup:

 

1) Michell Hoffmann (D)

2) Robert-Jan Bangma (NL)

3) Kevin Teager (GB)

4) Nick Lourens (NL)

5) Mateusz Borowicz (PL)

6) Lars Zandvliet (NL)

7) Wim Kennis (BEL)

8) Jesper Veldhuizen (NL)

9) Jez Pestell (GB)

10) Benoit Lorenzon (F)

11) Andy Braithwaite (GB)

12) Sascha Stumpe (D)

13) Steve Jones (GB)

14) Thomas Sörensen (DK)

15) Randy Oldenziel (NL)

16) Bernd Dinklage (D)

 

National class:

17) Bert Berckmans (BEL)

18) Roberto Slot (NL)

19) Matthias Flick (D)

20) Jack Drenthe (NL)

21) Maik Hoffmann (D)

 

Rookies-classic class:

22) Kristof Ceusters (BEL)

23) Rob Eding (NL)

24) Mike van der Maas (NL)

25) Henk de Jonge (NL)

26) Jarig Bangma (NL)

27) Willy Kennis (BEL)

[Romualds]

Next week will be the first meeting in Belgium, lineup:

 

1) Michell Hoffmann (D)

2) Robert-Jan Bangma (NL)

3) Kevin Teager (GB)

4) Nick Lourens (NL)

5) Mateusz Borowicz (PL)

6) Lars Zandvliet (NL)

7) Wim Kennis (BEL)

8) Jesper Veldhuizen (NL)

9) Jez Pestell (GB)

10) Benoit Lorenzon (F)

11) Andy Braithwaite (GB)

12) Sascha Stumpe (D)

13) Steve Jones (GB)

14) Thomas Sörensen (DK)

15) Randy Oldenziel (NL)

16) Bernd Dinklage (D)

 

National class:

17) Bert Berckmans (BEL)

18) Roberto Slot (NL)

19) Matthias Flick (D)

20) Jack Drenthe (NL)

21) Maik Hoffmann (D)

 

Rookies-classic class:

22) Kristof Ceusters (BEL)

23) Rob Eding (NL)

24) Mike van der Maas (NL)

25) Henk de Jonge (NL)

26) Jarig Bangma (NL)

27) Willy Kennis (BEL)

It will Belgian Individual Championship.

[DutchGrasstrack]

It was pronounced as the Belgian open championship a few months ago but it's now changed to the 'Open Helzold Championship'. So I'm not sure if it's a official Belgian championship or just a open meeting.

[DutchGrasstrack]

The Blijham club is very busy with getting the track 'safe' before the 15th of may. The track is currently boarded by a metal fence, now they are putting a layer of rubber on it and that will do according to the KNMV as airfences are still not compulsory in Holland.

 

Photo's: http://speedway.org/renntermine/2011/blijham/index.html

[britmet]

It was pronounced as the Belgian open championship a few months ago but it's now changed to the 'Open Helzold Championship'. So I'm not sure if it's a official Belgian championship or just a open meeting.

 

The site says

"Sunday the 1st of mai the Open Helzold Championship will take place in the Helzoldstadion at Heusden-Zolder. This is the race for the Belgian championship."

i.e. as the only chmpshp meeting in Belgium it's both.

[DutchGrasstrack]

Hmmm lol. My bad, sorry .

[DutchGrasstrack]

German star Max Dilger is the new 2011 champion, full results later.

[DutchGrasstrack]

Results from the Belgian championship:

 

1. Max Dilger (D) 15

2. Henry van der Steen (NL) 14

3. Michell Hoffmann (D) 12

4. Maik Hoffmann (D) 11

5. Benoit Lorenzon (F) 9

6. Jez Pestell (GB) 8

7. Wim Kennis ( 8

8. Steve Jones (GB) 7

-------------------------

9. Thomas Sörensen (DK) 7

10. Randy Oldenziel (NL) 7

11. Mateusz Borowicz (PL) 7

12. Sascha Stumpe (D) 5

13. Lars Zandvliet (NL) 3

14. Jesper Veldhuizen (NL) 3

15. Jack Drenthe (NL) 2

16. Nick Lourens (NL) dns

 

Semi-final 1:

1. Max Dilger (D)

2. Maik Hoffmann (D)

3. Benoit Lorenzon (F)

4. Steve Jones (GB)

 

Semi-final 2:

1. Henry van der Steen (NL)

2. Michell Hoffmann (D)

3. Wim Kennis (

4. Jez Pestell (GB)

 

Final:

1. Max Dilger (D)

2. Henry van der Steen (NL)

3. Michell Hoffmann (D)

4. Maik Hoffmann (D)

 

Rider of the meeting was ofcourse Max Dilger. He was absolutly flying and nobody had a single chance to his man. This also created some talking that a rider like Max shouldn't be racing in this meeting (too good). The Polish rider, Mateusz Borowicz, also did very well. He did quite impress me, I was told this was only his 3 meeting. Did crash hard in his last, in the wooden fence, but stood up and was okay. Danish rider Thomas Sorensen was the unluckly rider of the day, 2 flat tires.

 

The track wasn't very cool, it was very very hard and slick. If you mess up your gate you are no where. Which was a shame because there wasn't any overtaking. Very good to see that there was a big crowd once again!