Victory for Jeremy Knuiman at the Dirt Bike Beach Race in Le Touquet

After weeks of preparation —man and material— Jeremy Knuiman managed to win the French title for riders below 21 at the Dirt Bike Beach Race. This enduro race of three hours is one of the most prestigious races in the world.

Faulty material

The start was at 14.00h, sharp. And Jeremy was fast from the get-go. On the straight his KTM machine clocked an impressive 160km/h and he was able to keep up with the leaders. He reached the U-turn in 11th place. An excellent position to start the race. He defended his position successfully and even managed to take 9th place. In the fourth lap the riders came in for their first pitstop. Jeremy’s stop went well and he resumed the race in 13th position. In the following laps, he made his way to 10th place by overtaking opponents. Sadly, in lap 7 a faltering engine loosened the exhaustion nozzle and it came off from the cylinder.

Epic comeback

Jeremy came in for an unplanned pitstop, but an obvious fault couldn’t be detected. Therefore they switched the entire exhaust system. After an 8 minute pitstop he joined the pack in 36th position. But again, the nozzle came off and Jeremy was forced to come in another time. The exhaust system was switched for the last time and the nozzle was secured with a piece of wire. Although the stops took a long time Jeremy kept his cool and resumed the race in high spirits with only an hour to go. This time he got back in the race in 65th position. Jeremy made his way to the front overtaking numerous riders each lap. In the end he finished in 25th position being the best under 21. Overall, in the French Sand Championship he finished 5th. A great achievement.

Unlucky Damien

Damien’s race was scheduled on Sunday 09:00h. The weather conditions were poor. Wet and cold. He started in 12th position and made his way to the front right from the beginning. Each lap he gained positions. A minor fall didn’t discourage him. Only 30 minutes in, Damien was positioned as the best 125cc rider — overall in 4th position. Unfortunately, a fully prepared pit crew waited to no avail. The crew feared that Damien was out of gas. Soon it became clear mechanical problems were the issue. Damien dropped out of the race. Understandably, he was very disappointed.

Euser’s words of wisdom

Afterwards, Cor Euser offered wise words: ‘ups and downs are part of the sport. Never give up. Jeremy and Damien have shown they belong to the best.’ It is what it is for Damien. On to the next challenge.