Lielbārži win first heat at home stage, but technical glitch denies podium

The Latvian motocross team of Daniels and Bruno Lielbārži competed in the ninth round of the world championship on Sunday at the „Smeceres sila” track in Madona. In the first heat, the brothers rode fast and made successful overtakes, finishing first.

In the second heat, the pair made a mistake at the start and began from the last positions. They gradually climbed to fifth place, but then hit a stone that broke the rear sprocket and caused the chain to fall off, forcing them to retire.

„We are very disappointed, but that’s technical sports. It’s a shame we couldn’t give the fans the result they deserved and step onto the podium at the home round,” the riders said in a statement.

The round was won by Belgian Marvin Vanluchene and Dutchman Ben van den Bogaart with 47 points, followed by German Tim Prummer and Austrian Patrick Schneider (42 points), and British duo Brett Wilkinson and Joe Millard (36 points). The Lielbārži finished eighth with 25 points.

In the overall standings after nine rounds, Vanluchene/van den Bogaart lead with 427 points, ahead of Frenchmen Kilian and Evan Prungier (384) and Prummer/Schneider (369). The Lielbārži moved up to sixth place with 208 points.