"Qualifying was good. I put in a fast lap then De Dycker passed me and I felt like I could give a little bit more so I went out again and I did the perfect lap. I knew from how good the time was that it would be good enough for pole and I was right.

"In the first heat I built up my pace through the race like I did in Lommel. I waited for the front guys to tire a little bit because they went wide open in the first few laps. I didn't have such a good rhythm in the beginning but it got better as the race progressed and I was able to work my way through all those guys and win quite easily.

"In the second heat I wanted to get a good start so I didn't get stuck in all the traffic. I actually did get a really good start and I was running second until Barragan passed me quite aggressively. I just let him go because I was confident that I could control the race anyway but then he crashed quite hard in front of me and I ran into him and I crashed also.

"I thought to myself 'this is not possible and I must win' so I did three or four very fast laps and then I rested for a little bit and then I pushed again to take the lead. Then I made a stupid mistake and I slid out right in front of the pit lane. When I got going again I was tired and all I could do was follow home the front guys to finish third. I'm very happy to win here in front of my home crowd - it's been an unbelievable day for me."

The venue for the Benelux GP is considered to be one of the most demanding on the world championship calendar despite the layout of the 1.8km Lierop circuit looking quite simple with few jumps and only 15 turns.

Pole position went to de Reuver as he powered his factory CRF450 around the circuit to a time of 1:57.145 to set the fastest lap of the session - almost one and a half seconds faster than anyone - to ensure his third pole position of the year was taken.

Marc started fifth in moto one and sat back as the leading four set an unrealistically fast pace around the whooped out circuit. After biding his time for the first 15 minutes Marc increased his pace and easily passed Max Nagl and David Philippaerts before stalking Ken de Dycker for a while.

On lap 11 Marc made a move for the lead then immediately broke De Dycker with some lightening fast laps to take the win by eight seconds.

De Reuver got off the line much better in moto two as he powered his factory bike from the start gate to take second place in the early running.

After allowing Barragan to pass, De Reuver settled into a safe third until the Spaniard took a trip over the handlebars right in front of the Martin Honda rider and collected Marc in the crash.

After picking up and then restarting his bike Marc was in ninth place but by making four incredibly fast laps in succession (Marc's fastest laps were a full four seconds faster than anything anyone else posted during the second race) De Reuver was able to take the lead.

However the Dutchman would only hold first place for one lap as he spun out before the pit lane on lap seven of 16. After picking up the Honda for the second time that race Marc was left feeling physically drained so he concentrated on ensuring the overall win was his rather than make any risky moves.

Safely sitting in third place until the finish ensured the Martin Honda rider took his second overall victory of the season and re-entered the top 10 of the championship standings.

MacKenzie's non-start didn't affect his ranking in the championship although it did allow De Reuver to closer considerably and the pair now sit in ninth and 10th with just one round remaining.

Roger Harvey - Honda Off-Road coordinator

"We all know Marc de Reuver is very capable of getting around Lierop and we were all hoping for good results for him. He was fastest in timed training and it was nice to see him gain some credibility by being on pole. He was unbelievable in moto one - I thought he'd let them get a little bit too far away but then he was able to cut back the time and pull through the pack. The way he rides the sand is very special and it's a real pleasure to watch him around a circuit like this.

"In the second race Barragan - who always looks wild - went down right in front of Marc and he couldn't avoid the bike, he hit it and went over the handlebars. He then went after the leaders and incredibly took seven seconds off the leader two laps in a row and came through to take the lead before he spun out in front of the pit box just to make it even harder work for himself. He worked his way back up to third again which is where he finished and that was enough for him to take the overall win. I'm really happy for him and the Martin team and full credit must go to Marc for the way he rode today.