Heeft Joel smets toch leuk gedaan.
Five-times World MX Champion and BMW rider Joel Smets raced through the Australian Four-Day Enduro field last weekend to finish 6th overall on his showroom ready G 450 X.
The machine, flown into Australia specifically for Joel's tilt at the gruelling A4DE, was a stock pre-production machine fitted only with an aftermarket muffler. The result, against a top field riding factory prepared race bikes, was a stunning endorsement of Joel's talents and that of the new BMW G 450 X.
Over four full-on days Joel eased himself into the action, his first competitive event in 18 months, with only two demonstration events in the past five months to get his body ready for the 1,000 km of competition.
Thanks to more than 20 years of competition at the highest level and innate talent, Joel was able to pace himself, and came good right at the end with a blistering attack on the final day's Moto-X event, where he finished in second position, less than one second behind the winner.
A delighted Joel was thronged by the sizeable and appreciative crowd, after pulling a serious wheelie on completion of the final stage.
For each of the four days, riders cover around 1,000km in 30 hours, battling dusty conditions, fatigue and rivals.
The 2008 event was the 30th A4DE, and the response for the thousands of spectators who lined the track was electric. Many had travelled from around Australia specially to see Joel Smets in action.
BMW Motorrad Australia Marketing Manager, Miles Davis, was delighted by Joel's performance: "We are stoked Joel had so much fun and finished so strongly.
"He was riding a standard specification bike against Australia's best riders on factory prepared race bikes, so for him to finish in the top ten, and 6th overall, is a major achievement. Many bikes pulled out in days 1, 2 and 3 due to dust related mechanical failures.
"The air-box placement and design on the BMW means that very little dust enters the air-box, we were only changing one filter per day while some riders were changing three.
"Joel's efforts show the new BMW G 450 X is the real deal in the most demanding of competitive situations. The bike did not miss a beat all through the event, and was completely undamaged after four days of competitive stages, a tribute to its engineering, and of course, Joel's professional riding.
"The Final Moto was incredible, although the conditions were very dusty he adapted brilliantly, taking some different lines through corners to stay out of the dust so he could see where he was going and try to make a pass," Miles said.
Joel was no less excited by the competition and the performance of his bike.
"There were some special tests that really highlighted the advantages of the BMW's unique rear suspension design. On faster sweeping bumpy tracks the bike is so stable, it scared me how fast I was going, and how easy it was.
"I was tempted to push harder but my job was to finish the race and I haven't raced a production bike before, so I kept the lid on my enthusiasm.
"We are already planning to come back for next year," he said.
The 2009 A4DE will take place in Orange, rural New South Wales.
Bron:
http://www.paddocktalk.com.