There is always an air of expectation hanging about when the first round of a major racing championship series approaches. The Dutch motocross championship series is no exception. Although to the uninitiated, a Dutch series may not sound like much, those in the know are fully aware of the fact that this is one of the specialist motocross championship series in the world. The Dutch riders (and those foreigners that regularly come to play on their domain, are true experts in the deep sands that typically mark these events.
Jens Poppe opted for the premier MX1 class in the Dutch Championships as one of his anchor series, and this is no small matter. The class is usually spattered with world class talent like a war zone with spent shell cases, and this is definitely no walk in the park. It was with a fair bit of excitement, tinged with just a smidgen of apprehension, then, that he headed for Halle to roll out for an MX1 Dutch Championship event for the first time in his career.
Halle is an enigma as far as Dutch motocross tracks are concerned. It still features the deep sand which is as typical of a Dutch track as smelly feet are of a career deep sea fisherman, but it also has lots of large jumps, more reminiscent of a supercross track. Some riders love it, others absolutely loathe it. The jumps, after developing some ruts in the approaches that one could hide a submarine in, become tricky to traverse, to say the very least.
Anyhow, love or loathe, it was down to business for Jens as he got stuck into qualifying. A couple of fast laps were hindered by fallen riders, and in the end he had to be content with 20th position, still fending off some classy riders. A goo launch in race 1 was spoiled by some riders seeking closer contact with the ground right in front of him. Relegated to a position just inside the top 20, he struggled to find a rhythm, but stuck to his guns, finally crossing the line in 18th, good enough to put his first championship points in the bag and zip it up.
Piqued by his problems at the start of the first race, Jens stayed out of trouble in race two and charged into the first corner in seventh position. He was concentrating like a jet pilot flying through a mountain range, willing himself not to crash. He lost some positions as the more experienced riders came knocking, all the while picking up experience by the bucket load himself. Despite a tiring race, he pushed through, and was rewarded with 15th position at the flag, maintaining a clean record of points in every race of the series so far.
Jens’ outing was difficult and educational in equal measure, and he gained a lot of confidence from knowing that, with just a tad more application, a top ten position is beckoning just around the corner. He is 16th in the championship standings right off the bat, and expectations are that things can only get better as his confidence and skills develop.