17th, June 2024.

Mark McLernon took a second and a win at the fourth round of the EMX Quadcross Championship in Gandsk, Poland on Sunday to claim his first EMX overall victory. Harry Walker went fourth and second to take second overall and stretch his championship lead by 49 points going into the final round in Italy in September needing just one point to claim the championship title. Norwegian Marcus Thomsen was third.


[l-r]Harry Walker, Mark McLernon, Marcus Thomsen

Overnight rain on the super-fast Gdansk circuit saw the track become slightly more difficult for overtaing, however, with the potential of the title being decided, it was set to be a weekend of drama and high-stake racecraft as the competitors lined up on the gate to contest the opening race.

Race 1
Patrick Turrini stormed into an early race lead, claiming the holeshot, ahead of McLernon and Thomsen. Championship leader Walker was close behind. A fighting Walker was looking to prize open any gap to allow him to move further up the race order.

A disastrous start for the Norwegian Tarald Hellebust saw his Yamaha upside down in the opening couple of laps which forced to retire from the race. At the opposite end of the pack, Turrini set about extending his leading margin over the hard-charging McLernon who has been knocking at the door of the top five positions all season. Walker, using the talent and skill that saw him take the British Quad Championship win last year, looked to take the position occupied by Thomsen, however, the Norwegian was doing everything to defend his position.


#7 Walker and #919 McLernon on the inside line as #15 Patrick Turrini charges out front

McLernon was still only a couple of seconds behind Turrini, the reigning European champion, in the latter half of the moto. However, the last push required was difficult to find as Turrini hit all his markers and made no mistakes out front.

When the 2 laps to go board was put out, Turrini knew that he had done everything he needed to do in his hopes of retaining the crown in 2024, as McLernon simply appeared to have no answer for the performance of the young Italian from San Remo. Thomsen used defensive skills to hold onto the final podium position ahead of the odds-on favourite for this year’s championship, Walker. It was clear in the post-race interview that Thomsen was ready for the fight, as he intends to contest the final round of the season and, more importantly, the 2025 campaign.


#Mark McLernon

Race 2
It was elbows out for the start of the second race. When the gate dropped McLernon shot off the line and blasted his Yamaha into the first corner to grab the holeshot.

Manfred Zienecker’s championship hopes were damaged when he did not see the end of the opening lap. Brit Oli Sansom, who did not take part in the opening race, was well into the top ten in the first half of the race – a great position for the oldest rider in the field, who has not had the easiest time recently both on and off the circuit.

McLernon, determined to win a race this season, looked confident and was making no mistakes at the head of the pack. However, it soon became a 12-wheeler out front as the laps ticked by, with both Turrini and Walker eating into McLernon’s advantage. The single-track nature of the Gdansk circuit, especially in the conditions, saw Turrini considering unconventional moves in his efforts to take the race lead.

It looked like Turrni was sizing up McLernon for a late-moto challenge, but the challenge wasn’t to be as he ran off the course with, what appeared to be, a mechanical issue.


Respect! Walker_McLernon after a hard-fought second moto

The 2-lap board signalled the closing stages of the race with McLernon leading Walker across the finish line by 0.7 seconds, meaning Walker must wait until the final round of the season in La Colla to hopefully wrap up the Championship. With a lead of 49 points for the British rider and 50 left on the table, the last round at La Colla in September is set to go to the wire!

Results

Race 1
1. Patrick Turrini
2. Mark McLernon
3. Marcus Thomsen
4. Harry Walker
5. Manfred Zienecker

Race 2
1. Mark McLernon
2. Harry Walker
3. Marcus Thomsen
4. Roman Gwiazda
5. Joakim Granli


Harry Walker

Overall
1. Mark McLernon
2. Harry Walker
3. Marcus Thomsen
4. Patrick Turrni
5. Roman Gwiazda

2024 EMX Quadcross Championship, after 4 rounds

1. Harry Walker, 174
2. Patrick Turrini, 125
4. Manfred Zienecker, 116
3. Mark McLernon, 116
5. Joakim Granli, 100

10. Murray Graham 65
12. Oli Sansom 53

The final round of the 2024 EMX Quadcross Championship will take place over the weekend of the 21st & 22nd of September at La Colla, Italy.


Oli Sansom


Murray Graham

Report: Bradley Hix/EMXQuad.com

Images: Stijn Vanoverbeke/EMXQuad.com