Guarding a lead of 24-points going into the EMX250 round of Limburg, Benistant only had to beat his closest rival, Mattia Guadagnini, at the final round to be crowned champion.
After setting the pace in qualifying for the second time this season, the ‘198’ took full advantage of Pole Position and rocketed to an impressive holeshot. Drama soon unfolded with Guadagnini determined to take the championship fight to the last race. Benistant opted out of playing a risky game with his main competitor and settled for second position in Race 1.
Going down to the wire, Benistant had to finish within 21-points of Guadagnini in the final race. With race intelligence beyond his years, the 18-year-old Frenchman rode a smooth and steady race for his eighth race win and sixth overall victory to be crowned European Champion for the second time in his career – his first was back in 2018 when he won the EMX125 Championship onboard a GYTR kitted YZ125.
This season was Hutten Metaal Yamaha Official EMX250’s first term as Yamaha Motor Europe’s Official EMX250 team. Although Benistant has been a long-time Yamaha rider, it was his first year on the Dutch-based team. A solid combination of team and rider effort saw Benistant take his GYTR kitted YZ250F to eight race wins, six round wins and seven podium finishes in 2020.
In celebration of his 2020 European Championship success, Benistant will make his MX2 debut at the MXGP of Lommel on Sunday 25th October.
For full results from the EMX250 round of Limburg, click here.
