Stefan Everts leads the way at E-MX premiere race!
From BMX to E-MX
But the highly anticipated first ever race for electric motocross bikes will be remembered for much more than just the results or even the racing action itself. After hosting several high calibre MX events from GP’s to the FIM MX of Nations and embracing sustainable mobility with the annual Clean Week the Zolder Circuit was always the perfect venue for motocross’ electric premiere. With a mixed line-up of Grand Prix stars, experienced and younger riders racing became more intense as the day progressed. However getting to grips quickly with the user-friendly KTM electric motocross bikes never seemed an issue. Even BMX Olympian Arnaud Dubois and his coach Chris Jacobs made a name for themselves with the motocross crowd. Dubois made headway each time he went out. Just like his motocross colleagues it was obvious the factory GT bicycles rider was having a blast. “To race with the new E-MX bike together will all those big MX names exactly on my birthday was awesome. I really liked it, it’s one of my best birthday gifts ever!” said Arnaud.
As riders grew more comfortable with their bikes jumps became bigger and lap times dropped. Admittedly acceleration out of the corners has always been a key feature to electric motorcycles. More of a surprise to both the crowd and the attending media was the airtime the most gutsy riders managed to get. Semi-final winner Jake Nicholls definitely went big. “I got the holeshot in the final and led the race before I slipped, but I had so much fun in Zolder! The E-MX demo race was cool to relax just before the motocross GP of Portugal this weekend.”
Once a legend…
Many motorcycle journalists attending the E-motorbike & E-scooter of the Year 2013 election dropped by to check the state of technology in the field of electric motocross. With the possibility to test ride Quantya and Zero motorcycles and further proof during the E-MX demo race it became clear that the green revolution in motocross is no longer a far-away dream. Dirk Gossye, chief editor of Motoren & Toerisme, Belgium’s leading motorcycle magazine left Circuit Zolder hugely impressed. “Year after year we see how electric motorcycles are improving by leaps and bounds. E-MX is just another example of this evolution. You don’t need special experience to race with electric motocross bikes, it’s very quiet and you don’t need a lot of space either.”
Whether electric motocross will replace its traditional counterpart or not seems irrelevant for now. Just like skiing and snowboarding are influencing each other and the latter has developed into an important discipline in its own right. Even more than motocross E-MX has the potential to attract a new crowd. “I had tested the KTM Freeride E before but I didn’t know what to expect from a race. And because I have quit GP racing seven years ago I certainly didn’t expect to win here against all these young guys,” said Stefan Everts after the podium ceremony. “For sure this bike is different than a motocross bike but you can have great time on these motorcycles anyway. And that’s exactly what we did!” Stefan’s eight-year old son Liam, who made his first American KTM Jr. SX appearance in March, didn’t see so much exceptional about the affair. Business as usual for daddy to win and attending the first ever E-MX bike race on his electric trials bike right after his weekly BMX training at the circuit Zolder venue seemed to make perfect sense. We couldn’t agree more!
E-MX demo race Final
1. Stefan Everts
2. Ken De Dycker
3. Yentel Martens
4. Jake Nicholls
5. Damon Graulus
6. Dietger Damiaens
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