Yamaha’s Daymond Martens Finishes Runner–Up At 2019 Enduropale Du Touquet Beach Race

03-02-2019

Yamaha’s Daymond Martens Finishes Runner–Up At 2019 Enduropale Du Touquet Beach Race

Enjoying solid performances at the 44th edition of the Enduropale Du Touquet Beach Race, Yamaha mounted Daymond Martens and Adrien Van Beveren finished second and fourth respectively at France's iconic annual beach race. Further strengthening Yamaha's presence this year, Maxime Sot and Victor Brossier earned seventh and eighth respectively aboard their YZ450F machines.

Yamaha riders entered the 2019 Enduropale Du Touquet looking to deliver the brand's eighth consecutive victory, at what is one of the world's toughest and most popular one-day off-road competitions. With the start of the three-hour long event getting the racing underway at 14:00pm local time, Yamaha's Adrien Van Beveren and Milko Potisek both got off to good starts. Both were among the first riders to reach the first corner at the end of the long, high-speed start straight.

Enjoying a consistent pace from start to finish, 2017 Enduropale Du Touquet winner Daymond Martens made sure he always remained within striking distance to the leading group of riders. Inside the top 10 throughout the race, the rider from Belgium started moving up the provisional standings as the race entered its third and most crucial hour.

Crossing the finish line less than five minutes behind the eventual winner, YZ450F powered Martens wrapped up the 2019 Enduropale Du Touquet with a highly positive second place result.

Less than a month after his strong ride at the 2019 Dakar Rally, three-time Enduropale Du Touquet winner Adrien Van Beveren returned to the French beach aboard his YZ450F machine. Improving his pace as the race progressed, Adrien made good use of his vast beach racing experience to cross the finish line in an impressive fourth position.

Finishing seventh and eighth respectively, Maxime Sot and Victor Brossier were the third and fourth Yamaha mounted riders who earned results inside the top eighth at this year's Enduropale Du Touquet. Enjoying a great race, defending champion Milko Potisek took the provisional lead with one-hour to go. Involved in a great battle for the win with Nathan Watson, Milko suffered a small technical issue during the last lap and was unable to finish the race.

With YFZ450R mounted Matthieu Ternynck winning the Quaduro class, Yamaha enjoyed strong representation across all categories at the 2019 Enduropale Du Touquet.

Daymond Martens - Yamaha YZ450F

2nd Overall

I've stepped up my game, with my preparations, the months leading up to Le Touquet and I'm over the moon with getting second this year. Together with my trainer we worked hard day in and day out and the result makes me happy. I tried to do a clever race and remain within striking distance to the leading pack of riders. My goal was to remain consistent throughout the race and I'm happy I made it happen. This result might be a surprise to some, but to me it's all down to the hard work and the hours spent preparing for this event during the last few months. It always feels great to be on the Le Touquet podium and I just want to enjoy this special moment."

Adrien Van Beveren - Yamaha YZ450F

4th Overall

For the last few months I have been focusing all my efforts on my preparation for this year's Dakar so this fourth place at Le Touquet is a great result for me. I had a great start but it took me some time to find a decent pace. As the race went on and the track became even harder I put in some good laps and was able to move higher in the rankings. The track was narrow and sketchy at some points, but I was able to use my experience to my advantage. Considering I had limited time on my YZ450F before the event, it feels good to mix it up with those guys and get away with such a strong result.

Milko Potisek - Yamaha YZ450F

DNF

"When you're fighting for the win at the biggest race of the year, it's always disappointing not to be able to finish. I got a good start and put my head down trying to be as smart as I could. Line choice was crucial and during the first few laps there were a lot of slower rider scattered around the track. My team did a great job and we followed a well calculated strategy with our refuelling stops. Everything was working well and right after our last pit stop I was determined to give my all for the win. DNFs are an inevitable part of racing, we just have to stay positive and move on."

"When you're fighting for the win at the biggest race of the year, it's always disappointing not to be able to finish. I got a good start and put my head down trying to be as smart as I could. Line choice was crucial and during the first few laps there were a lot of slower rider scattered around the track. My team did a great job and we followed a well calculated strategy with our refuelling stops. Everything was working well and right after our last pit stop I was determined to give my all for the win. DNFs are an inevitable part of racing, we just have to stay positive and move on."

Alexandre Kowalski – Yamaha Motor Europe Rally & Enduro Racing Manager

Le Touquet has always been a very successful race for Yamaha and we are more than happy with our results this year. This year we enjoyed a solid representation with three Yamaha riders battling for the victory. Daymond enjoyed a very consistent race and he was the highest placed Yamaha rider finishing second overall. Few weeks after the Dakar, Adrien once again showed his speed in the sand. It took him some time to find his pace as the race went on he was able to show what he's capable of. As for Milko, he took the battle for the win to the last lap but was unable to finish due to a small technical issue. Together with our official team riders, we were also happy to see many of Yamaha's supported riders do well this weekend. Young Brit Todd Kellet was battling for the top six but suffered a technical issue two laps before the end. I personally want to thank our team manager Jean-Claude Moussé as well as our technical manager Guillaume Davion for their excellent work throughout this edition of the iconic event.

2019 Enduropale Du Touquet

Final Classification

1. Nathan Watson (GBR), KTM, 15laps, 03:03:20
2. Daymond Martens (BEL), Yamaha, 15 laps, 03:08:16, +4:55
3. Richard Fura (FRA), Honda, 15 laps, 03:10:14, +6:53
4. Adrien Van Beveren (FRA), Yamaha, 15 laps, 03:11:17, +7:56
5. Stephane Watel (FRA), Honda, 15 laps, 03:14:05, +10:44
6. Petar Petrov (BLG), KTM, 15 laps, 03:17:14, +13:53
7. Maxime Sot (FRA), Yamaha, 15 laps, 03:17:17, +13:56
8. Victor Brossier (FRA), Yamaha, 15 laps, 03:18:44, +15:23
…
11. Marshall Meplon (FRA), Yamaha, 13 laps, 03:03:49