Race 4: Staphorst, De Tippe, 6 June 2022

Race 4: Staphorst, De Tippe, 6 june

Puchshop Racing Cup 2022 | Race 4 | Staphorst, De Tippe, 6 June by NK JMR

Bart Dijkhof back on top step, Pascal Mussche wins home race

The tradition of racing on Whit Monday in Staphorst was broken for the past two years, but this year the racing calendar is back to normal, with racing on Whit Monday at De Tippe. Pascal Mussche has bad luck on his home track but this time he managed to take victory in the Standard class, while reigning Expi champion Bart Dijkhof returned to the top step of the podium.

It is not a permanent but a semi-permanent circuit, which is located on event terrain De Tippe in Staphorst. The track itself is often used by minibikes for training on Tuesday evenings and was also the venue for the prologue of the Puchshop Racing Cup 2022. For the big wheel classes of the Junior Moto Racing Championship, the track is extended with a section of public road, where the descending straight towards the start-finish hairpin is a particular challenge. There, the race has been decided more than once with the ultimate braking action. Where usually the races were held under sunny conditions, this year Whitsun was a bit of a disappointment. The showers did not materialise in the morning, but it seemed a fact that it was going to rain. The first training session was held on a dry track. Bart Dijkhof was the fastest in the Expi. He managed to keep Rienk van der Weide and Henk Minnen behind him. Home rider Sander Mulder qualified in fourth place. There was no resistance from Kenny Buchser: only Silvan Hofmann made the trip from Switzerland to Staphorst and qualified in fifth place. Fastest Standard driver was Jannick Vos, who has been on the podium for the last few races. Reigning champion and home rider Pascal Mussche started the qualification with his newly built Puch but had some problems with it, which earned him a third time. Luck was often not on his side on his home track, but he would opt for his old, familiar and proven reliable machine for the rest of the day. The second time was surprisingly recorded by Mark Dijkhof. 

Surprising, because he started the season in the Expi class. He showed in Staphorst that the switch was a good choice, even though he made a sudden dive in the first qualification after he overshot while turning onto the outside track and ended up in a ditch. Fortunately, neither rider nor machine was seriously damaged in the process. Just before the second qualification, there was a big shower, so the asphalt was wet and the times were not improved. 

Race 1 

Threatening clouds, the occasional drop, but the first race was to be held on dry asphalt. Bart Dijkhof and Henk Minnen battled it out immediately after the lights went out, while Van der Weide had to give up ground quickly due to an unwilling clutch. It was a great battle between Dijkhof and Minnen, with the two sides regularly changing positions. Would it come down to that last hairpin again? That the battle could be decided later would become clear a little later. Dijkhof led the last lap but Minnen put on the brakes and took over the lead in the hairpin. Dijkhof had more traction in the last straight to the finish line, and it would come down to the last few centimetres. There the handlebars clashed and Minnen crashed. He quickly picked up his bike and finished second. Only Mulder managed to finish in the same lap and became third. In the Standard class it was Mark Dijkhof who managed to keep Pascal Mussche behind him and claimed victory. Mussche had a lot of trouble at the start but managed to pass Vos during the race and moved up to second place. Behind Vos, Paul Hendriks became fourth and Jordi Minnen was fifth.

Race 2 

The heavens were fully open at the start of the second race. Henk Minnen would have been able to use his speciality as a rain racer on the wet track, but a loose sprocket threw a spanner in the works. Initially he seemed to be able to fix it by hand, but not much later sprocket and chain came loose, forcing him to abandon the race. Bart Dijkhof made the most of it and drove in a close race to the win, with a safe lead on Van der Weide. Mulder drove a strong race and set the fastest lap in the closing stages of the race, but fell just short of Van der Weide. Behind him, Jesse van Zante finished fourth before Hofmann. Sixth overall and first in his class was Mussche, and the drivers behind him were all Standard-class drivers: Jannick Vos, Mark Dijkhof, Paul Hendriks and Luco Fidder. Luco made his debut on his brother Robert's Puch and did not fail to impress.

In the Expiklasse it was Bart Dijkhof who with two victories also wrote the day classification on his name for Sander Mulder and Silvan Hofmann. Not only in Staphorst Bart Dijkhof climbed to the top step, he also takes over the lead in the championship from Henk Minnen. Pascal Mussche already had, and strengthens his leading position in the standings. The bad luck devil stayed at home this time and he could take place on the highest step of the podium of his home race, before new competitor Mark Dijkhof and Jannick Vos. 

Results Staphorst 6 June

Expi class

1. Bart Dijkhof
2. Sander Mulder
3. Silvan Hoffman

Standard class

1. Pascal Mussche
2. Mark Dijkhof
3. Jannick Vos

Championship ranking

Expi class

1. Bart Dijkhof – 136pt
2. Henk Minnen – 131pt
3. Kenny Buchser – 103pt

Standard class

1. Pascal Mussche – 195pt
2. Jordi Minnen – 132 pt
3. Jannick Vos – 125pt

Pictures and text by Mariska Grob from Motografie.nl