In chilly conditions, Geerts set the pace went Pole for the third time this season with a 2:02.264 lap-time in Timed Practice. Watson finished on the same second as the polesitter with a 2:02.715 for fourth.
Firing out of the gate, both YZ250FM riders were well placed inside the top-three. Watson had the initial advantage which was increased when Geerts crashed out of third while trying to find new lines.
As Geerts fought back from eighth, Watson applied pressure to the early race leader Tom Vialle and made a vital pass with 14-minutes left on the clock. The 23-year-old Brit, who is contesting his final year in MX2, never looked back and was able to celebrate an long awaited race victory.
The rough and demanding Lommel circuit favoured the smooth and consistent. In contrast to Watson’s flawless ride, Geerts fell twice and made too many mistakes. The young Belgian had to dig deep to finish in fourth position.
The roles were reversed at the start of the second and final race. This time, Geerts chased Vialle around turn-one with his teammate hot on his heels. Desperate to redeem himself on home soil, the ‘193’ hooked a gear on his YZ250FM and made a pass for the lead on Lap-6.
Controlling the race for the last 15-minutes of the 36-minute race duration, Geerts got the job done and was able to celebrate his 11th race win of the season – 12th of his career.
Watson lost one spot to SM Action M.C. Migliori’s Maxime Renaux on Lap-3 before going over the ‘bars and crashing out of fourth position. The tall Brit remounted his YZ250FM put in an exhilarating charge back from eighth to finish fifth.
After celebrating an emotional race win, Watson has moved within 2-points of sixth position in the championship while Geerts remains in second.
The Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 Team will remain in Lommel until October 25th with the next two rounds of the FIM MX2 World Championship set to take place at the venue on Wednesday 21st and Sunday 25th.
