The defeat is great at Performance Racing Achterhoek. Motorcycle racer Joey den Besten from Borculo died on Sunday in a crash in Imatra, Finland. That same evening, a lap of honor was held on the circuit, which Joey’s girlfriend and mother could follow via a live stream. “Lots of tears and goosebumps,” says team owner and Joey’s former supervisor Tonny Wassink.
Den Besten crashed on Sunday during a race in Imatra, Finland, in the IRRC (International Road Racing Championship) racing class. The Achterhoeker was only 30 years old. From 2014 to 2018 he raced for Performance Racing Achterhoek of Hengeloër Tonny Wassink. He and his team were also in Imatra for the races and witnessed the horrible events.
“We are really devastated, words actually fall short,” says garage owner Wassink on Monday on the return journey from Imatra to Helsinki, followed by a thirty-hour boat trip. “From the age of 21 to 26, Joey drove for us. We still had regular contact”, says Wassink, whose drivers made a lap of honor on Sunday evening together with the riders of the German team Motorradtechnik Geenen, for whom Joey drove in recent years.
‘Very intense’
“Joey’s girlfriend and mother watched live. It was very intense, but it felt good for us at the time,” says a deeply shaken Wassink. “Joey has had a lot of bad luck. On a straight, he crashed into a lamppost during the warm-up lap, with a rear wheel spinning as a result of the heavy rain. And that at a speed of 200 kilometers per hour. It also happened to one of my own drivers on Sunday, but he was lucky that only the engine was damaged.”
After the emotional lap of honor on the soaking wet circuit, the drivers, helpers and further guidance from Performance Racing Achterhoek and Motorradtechnik Geenen lit candles on Sunday evening at the scene of the accident. “Whether we will organize something in the Achterhoek, I don’t know yet,” says Wassink. “It is still too fresh for that and we will also have to discuss this with the family.”
‘Driven’
Motorcycle racer Ilja Caljouw, a member of Wassink’s team, knew Joey den Besten well. “A very driven driver. A perfectionist who gave a lot to his sport”, says Caljouw on Monday just before he goes through customs control. “But also someone with whom you could have a nice party afterwards. Terrible what happened, sometimes that happens in this sport. We have to live with that, but it is absolutely not easy.”
Den Besten became a driver in the minibikes at a young age, where he managed to conquer the Dutch title. After being active as a driver in the ONK Supersport for some time, Den Besten switched to racing on street circuits in 2014. He stopped in 2018, but a few years ago the blood was crawling where it couldn’t go and the Achterhoeker decided to ride again, this time at Motorradtechnik Geenen.
Condolences
The organization of the race in Imatra reports via Twitter that Den Besten died after he lost control of his bike in the formation lap of the Superbike race. “Our deepest condolences go out to his family and fellow riders. He will be missed,” the race organization reports.