Australian team third overall in Nations classification.
Yamaha Yamalube’s Maxime Renaux and HSF Logistics Motorsport Team’s Raivo Dankers overcame the heat and the hard-pack terrain of El Molar to be crowned the respective 2015 FIM Junior 125cc and 85cc Motocross World Champions.
Taking home the most prestigious youth title of the year was Renaux, who did so with a hard-fought double race victory. KTM Factory Junior’s Conrad Mewse came so close, but had to settle for second, while Australia’s Hunter Lawrence rounded off the podium.
Yamaha Junior Racing rider Lawrence, 15, was typically strong throughout both motos with 5-4 results on board his YZ125. He came from the mid-pack in moto one and outside the top 10 in the second moto, displaying his strengths in tricky conditions.
“My goal coming here was to finish in the top five, but after the first race I knew I could do better than that,” Lawrence said. “At the end of that first race I was quicker than the riders in front of me and making time every lap so with a better start, I thought I could go for the race win.
“My start in race two was better, but the time I lost passing the guys around the top 10 is what allows the leaders to get away. I charged through to fourth, but I would love to have a few more laps and see how things would have ended up.
“I’m really happy to finish third against the best riders in the world. My goal is to race here in Europe in the future, so hopefully this result can open some doors for me.”
Alongside Lawrence in the 125cc field was Cooper Pozniak, the KTM rider going 17-28 for 25th overall in a stacked line-up of international talent.
Dankers added the 2015 FIM Junior 85cc World Championship to his achievements on Sunday, leading home top qualifier Bud Racing Kawasaki Monster Energy’s Brian Moreau and Stabilo Kawasaki MX Team’s Bastian Boegh Damm.
Of the Australians in the field, Rhys Budd (KTM) was a solid eighth overall with 12-7 finishes, while after racing to seventh in the opening moto John Bova (KTM) was 15th, Bailey Malkiewicz (Husqvarna) 24th and Regan Duffy (KTM) 34th.
The Nations classification was won by France ahead of Great Britain, with Lawrence and Budd’s performances – the top two placings of each nation are included – boosting Australia into third place on the overall podium.
Young Dutch sensation Kay Karrsemakers was crowned European Open 65cc winner, beating home Adam Kovacs and Radek Vetrovski. No Australians were in the non-world championship 65cc category.
2015 Junior Motocross World Championship
El Molar, Spain
Junior 125cc overall results:
1. Maxime Renaux 50
2. Conrad Mewse 44
3. Hunter Lawrence (AUS) 34
4. Ruben Fernandez Garcia 33
5. Mathys Boisrame 30
6. Richard Sikyna 26
7. Miro Sihvonen 26
8. Jorge Prado Garcia 25
9. Davide Cislaghi24
10. Nathan Renkens 21
25. Cooper Pozniak (AUS) 2
85cc Junior overall results:
1. Raivo Dankers 45
2. Brian Strubhart Moreau 43
3. Bastian Boegh Damm 40
4. Petr Polak 32
5. Rick Elzinga 29
6. Rene Hofer 28
7. Christopher Mills 24
8. Rhys Budd (AUS) 23
9. Marcel Stauffer 22
10. Emilio Scuteri 21
15. John Bova (AUS) 14
24. Bailey Malkiewicz (AUS) 2
34. Regan Duffy (AUS)