Fantic runs Belgian one-off livery at home MXGP; Van doninck 14th, Talviku debuts
Fantic Factory Racing celebrated its home MXGP of Flanders in Lommel with a one-off Belgian livery, as Brent Van doninck took 14th overall and Jörgen-Matthias Talviku finished 20th on his debut.
- 40,000
- 14th
- 20th
What Happened
Fantic Factory Racing brought a special Belgian-coloured one-off livery to the MXGP of Flanders in Lommel, the team's home Grand Prix. The squad, led by Jacky Martens, is based close to the deep-sand circuit, which is widely regarded as one of the toughest tests in motocross. More than 40,000 fans attended the event in glorious sunshine, and between sessions friends and partners gathered at the team's special hospitality. It also marked the debut of Jörgen-Matthias Talviku alongside Brent Van doninck.
Brent Van doninck arrived with confidence after a season-best race finish at Loket, but a difficult Saturday—including too many crashes and a DNF in the qualifying race—pushed him to the outside gate on Sunday. The Belgian fought to 15th in race 1 and 16th in race 2, securing 14th overall. He described the weekend as difficult and said he had no energy on Sunday, but he is now focused on resting during the week off ahead of round 15 of the FIM Motocross World Championship in Sweden.
Jörgen-Matthias Talviku, called up to replace the injured Alberto Forato, made his debut aboard the factory Fantic XXF 450 with a solid 14th place in Saturday's qualifying race. Despite limited time on the bike, he showed potential, but a crash at the start of race 2 hurt his Sunday. He finished 19th and 18th in the two races, ending the weekend 20th overall and saying he is not yet fully confident in the heavy conditions.
“Lommel is always a special GP. We had the livery in the Belgian colours and a lot of support from friends and family, and of course I really wanted another good result after Loket. Unfortunately, things didn’t go our way. It was a difficult weekend from the start. I had too many crashes on Saturday and, on Sunday, I just felt like I had no energy and couldn’t do any more. We need to put this GP be”
“It’s been a busy few days! On Sunday, I had to battle hard with myself. In these heavy conditions, I am not yet fully confident on a bike that is still pretty new to me. Results-wise, I am definitely not satisfied, but I try not to be too hard on myself either. We did what we could in such a short time, and now I am just looking forward to getting some more time on the bike and becoming more and m”
Previously from Fantic Motor S.p.A.
Before this race, Fantic announced that 23-year-old Estonian Jörgen-Matthias Talviku would fill in for the injured Alberto Forato at the team's home Grand Prix. Forato had fractured his shoulder blade in a crash at the previous round, where Bertram Thorius also scored his third EMX125 podium.
- Fantic Motor Welcomes Jörgen-Matthias Talviku as Fill-In Rider for MXGP of Flanders
- Thorius secures third EMX125 podium; Forato out with broken shoulder blade
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of Fantic Motor S.p.A.'s official releases.
Why this matters
This was Fantic's home Grand Prix, so the weekend carried extra significance for the team and its fans. It also gave fill-in rider Jörgen-Matthias Talviku a first chance to race the factory bike in one of motocross's toughest conditions, standing in for the injured Alberto Forato. The one-off Belgian livery and the 40,000-strong crowd highlighted the event's importance to the team.
Terms in This Story
- MXGP
- The premier class of the FIM Motocross World Championship.
- DNF
- Did Not Finish; a race result meaning the rider did not complete the race.
- Livery
- The paint scheme or graphics on a race vehicle, often used for sponsorship or special occasions.
- Fill-in rider
- A substitute rider who temporarily replaces a regular rider, usually due to injury.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.