World Motocross Championship 2008

World MX - Round Three - Agueda (Portugal)

The Portuguese Grand Prix got underway today in front of 18000 fans who saw two Italians David Philippaerts (MX1) and Antonio Cairoli (MX2) clinch the World Championship lead at the end of an eventful weekend.

The MX1 Grand Prix was won by Sebastien Pourcel, to close a perfect weekend as he clocked also the pole yesterday. Philippaerts was second overall while countryman Cairoli won the MX2 Grand Prix from KTM fellow riders Tyla Rattray and Tommy Searle.
Tony Cairoli collected his first win of the season today in Portugal

MX1
A superb GPKR’s Sebastien Pourcel won an eventful Portuguese Grand Prix, dominating from day one as the Frenchman took yesterday’s pole and free practice sessions. Yamaha Monster Motocross’ David Philippaerts took his second consecutive podium to move up to the series lead; collecting his first career red plate, Philippaerts saw team mate Josh Coppins rounding off the rostrum.

This was the Kiwi’s first podium and it came after the unexpected overtaking of Teka Suzuki WMX1’s Steve Ramon. After Coppins moved past him, the reigning Champion dropped down to fifth overall behind AXO KTM Silver Action’s Jonathan Barragan. CAS Honda’s Billy Mackenzie ended sixth overall, after leading in both moto’s but eventually crashing. Teka Suzuki WMX1’s De Dycker ended 19th as he rode with a throttle hand injury and crashed in several occasions.

Top five overall:
1. Sebastien Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), 47 points
2. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 47 p
3. Joshua Coppins (NZL, Yamaha), 36 p
4. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, KTM), 34 p
5. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), 33 p

MX1 moto one: here we go

MX1 RACE 1
Philippaerts won a hard fought opening moto which started with Barragan on the lead; the Spaniard progressively dropped down to see first Mackenzie then Philippaerts take the lead. The latter eventually moved up to first with a strong overtaking manoeuvre over Mackenzie, dropping down to fourth while the Italian flew to the chequered flag. Though Pourcel tried to disturb the eventual winner with a late charge, resulting in a mistake and paying the Frenchman off with a second place. Barragan moved past Mackenzie for third, with the Scot ending fourth ahead of Coppins. The Kiwi cruised in fifth for the entire race, struggling to get into the front runners’ rhythm.

Top five:
1. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 38:56.063
2. Sebastien Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:04.287
3. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, KTM), +0:12.368
4. Billy Mackenzie (GBR, Honda), +0:16.139
5. Joshua Coppins (NZL, Yamaha), +0:17.169

David Philippaerts ended level in points with Pourcel but he is now holding the red plate

MX1 RACE 2
Ramon stormed out of the gate, taking the lead of the group in front of a hungry Mackenzie, who moved past in the following lap. Though Ramon did not let Billy go on his own and kept chasing him together with Pourcel, following the leading duo from third. Pourcel made his move on Ramon to clinch the runner up position and eventually found himself at the head of the pack when Mackenzie made a mistake and crashed. Ramon was also overtaken by a fast Philippaerts, who could not reach Pourcel and got away with the second position. Ramon made a mistake in the last lap, giving Coppins a chance to move past. Coppins was quick in finding an open door in the Belgian’s defence to bring home the third place and step on his first podium of 2008. With Ramon finishing fourth, Mike Brown ended the top five ahead of Mackenzie and Barragan, with the latter crashing when he was third.

Top five:
1. Sebastien Pourcel (FRA, Kawasaki), 39:42.975
2. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), +0:08.473
3. Joshua Coppins (NZL, Yamaha), +0:11.360
4. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), +0:11.774
5. Mike Brown (USA, Honda), +0:16.237

Seb Pourcel was unstoppable this weekend and eventually won

MX2
Yamaha Red Bull De Carli’s Tony Cairoli moved back up to where he was at the end of 2007 courtesy of two stunning moto victories at this Portuguese Grand Prix. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team mates rounded off the podium with Tyla Rattray second and Tommy Searle third. The latter came back to the podium at the venue of his first 2007 podium but was snatched the second place overall by Rattray’s overtaking in the final heat. A solid Stephen Sword from Molson Kawasaki Racing ended fourth overall ahead of Ricci Racing Yamaha’s Nicolas Aubin rounding off the top five. Home rider Rui Goncalves ended a positive sixth.

Top five overall: .
1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, Yamaha), 50 points
2. Tyla Rattray (RSA, KTM), 42 p
3. Tommy Searle (GBR, KTM), 42 p
4. Stephen Sword (GBR, Kawasaki), 34 p
5. Nicolas Aubin (FRA, Yamaha), 31 p

Tony Cairoli celebrated the victory with his usual Nac Nac

MX2 RACE 1
Searle was the quickest to get out of the gate and enter the first corner but Cairoli followed him from very close, attacking the British in several different spots of the circuit. Cairoli eventually passed at the sixth lap when Searle went a little wide. Once Tony was in first he pulled away with the lead while his KTM rival took some time to rest; once he was back to his pace Searle could not close the gap from Cairoli but just thought of keeping team mate Rattray distant. The South African ended in third but he did not feel comfortable throughout the 22 lap moto. Sword was fifth after Aubin passed him but ended an eventual fourth as the Frenchman crashed. Davide Guarneri rounded off the top five ahead of Goncalves.

Top five:
1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, Yamaha), 40:22.503
2. Tommy Searle (GBR, KTM), +0:06.909
3. Tyla Rattray (RSA, KTM), +0:10.391
4. Stephen Sword (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:43.783
5. Davide Guarneri (ITA, Yamaha), +0:46.371

MX2 RACE 2
Cairoli battled it out for the holeshot against an incredible Carl Nunn, who lapped with the front runners in the early stages of the final moto to end a solid seventh. Cairoli raced on his own for another dominating victory despite Searle’s effort to catch up. The Brit was eventually passed by team mate Rattray, who recovered after a difficult start to finish second. Searle dropped down to third, the same place where team mate and home rider Goncalves had the pleasure to sit until he ran off the track, finishing sixth. Aubin worked his way up from the bottom of the top ten to fourth, moving past Sword who ended at the bottom of the top five.

Top five:
1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, Yamaha), 39:45.757
2. Tyla Rattray (RSA, KTM), +0:12.867
3. Tommy Searle (GBR, KTM), +0:17.992
4. Nicolas Aubin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:33.529
5. Stephen Sword (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:44.135

IN THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS STANDINGS
David Philippaerts has now moved up to first in the MX1 points standings, being the first Italian to ever lead the category. Ramon keeps the runner up spot with Coppins coming up in third. Mackenzie moved up one position to sit on the fourth spot ahead of De Dycker, fifth. Nagl is sixth with Barragan moving from 12th to seventh and Pourcel from 26th to eighth.

Top five:
1. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 102 points
2. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), 96 p
3. Joshua Coppins (NZL, Yamaha), 83 p
4. Billy Mackenzie (GBR, Honda), 79 p
5. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Suzuki), 77 p

Tony Cairoli leads the MX2 point standings with a five point advantage over former leader and current runner up Rattray. Searle moved up to third with Guarneri slipping in fourth ahead of fifth placed Goncalves. Sword moved from ninth to sixth courtesy of another positive result.

Top five:
1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, Yamaha), 126 points
2. Tyla Rattray (RSA, KTM), 121 p
3. Tommy Searle (GBR, KTM), 102 p
4. Davide Guarneri (ITA, Yamaha), 86
5. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), 81 p.

WHAT’S NEXT
The FIM Motocross World series will take a weekend off before the Bulgarian Grand Prix in Sevlievo on May 11th. Bulgaria will also play host to the opening round of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship with Yamaha mounted Kiwi Katherine Prumm entering round one as the defending Champion.

- Suzuki Report -

The Team Teka Suzuki WMX1 win streak in the 2008 FIM MX1 Motocross World Championship was finally broken at Agueda in Portugal as neither reigning MX1 World Champion Steve Ramon or series leader Ken De Dycker could finish on the podium on what proved to be a very tough day for the Teka team.

In hot and sunny conditions - completely different to those experienced in Spain just one week earlier - Ramon was able keep a hold of his second place in the series with 6-4 finishes while De Dycker turned a six point lead into a 25-point deficit after suffering all weekend long with blistered hands which caused him to struggle to get to grips with the Agueda circuit.

Moto one saw both riders get average starts with Ramon in ninth at the end of lap one and De Dycker 11th but while Ramon was able to charge to sixth place by lap six Ken hit trouble on lap three. "The first race I had a crash," explained De Dycker. "The front slipped away and I crashed into a marshal and then got stuck in the green fence. By the time I'd got out of that and got going again I was over half a lap behind and then it was really hard to come back - it was very hot and I wasn't riding so well."

Ramon meanwhile was charging hard to catch Josh Coppins. "I really had to push hard in the beginning to close the gap to Josh but it was not possible to pass him," said Ramon. "Then I had to back off because I was getting a little bit tired in my legs and in the end I finished in sixth."

De Dycker was only able to claw back to 14th position by the finish and surrendered his series lead to Italian rider David Philippaerts. And things got worse for De Dycker during the second race. "I didn't get such a good start in the second moto either but I felt I was riding better. I was in a lot of pain from my blisters as early as the first lap and I crashed a couple of times because I couldn't hold onto the bike very well. After that it wasn't worth me carrying on.

"I'm disappointed to lose the championship lead and also about having a bad day. It was my own fault and maybe I wasn't well enough prepared and I maybe I needed to do more riding on hard tracks - it's been more or less impossible this year because the weather has been so bad - because even in Spain things weren't so good for me and I didn't have such good times."

Ramon's second moto started much better than his team mate's, taking a monster holeshot on his electronically fuel injected RM-Z450. "The second moto I holeshot easily and I was riding well. Billy MacKenzie passed me but I was able to follow him comfortably. Pourcel came by and then Billy crashed so I was still second but then I made some small mistakes and started getting some cramp in my legs. From there it was difficult for me to ride well and it was possible for Josh to pass me in the last corner - I planned to go inside but I jumped in a little bit too fast and I went too far outside and he came by.

"I'm not so happy, my goal was to be on the podium and I did not make that goal. Being second in the series is still good but I wanted to do better today so now I must look toward the next race and I try again."

The FIM MX1 Motocross World Championship now takes a one-week break and continues on May 11 with round four at Sevlievo in Bulgaria.

- HRC Report -

CAS Hondas Billy MacKenzie retains fourth in MX1 Championship with solid performance at Agueda

After an abundance of rain and mud in Spain, the sunny skies and baking hot temperatures at Agueda made the Portuguese Grand Prix a much more pleasurable experience for everyone involved at round three of the FIM MX1 World Motocross Championship. As well as the conditions improving so did the performances of the CAS Honda and Honda Martin team riders with Billy MacKenzie, Mike Brown and Marc De Reuver all able to pack themselves into the top 10 of the overall results while Julien Bill suffered and struggled all day with an injured finger.

Sebastien Pourcel was the overall winner in the MX1 class this weekend with a 2-1 scorecard, the Frenchman also set the fastest lap during Saturday’s timed practice session. Pourcel didn’t have it all his own way during qualifying though as both De Reuver and MacKenzie sat in pole position for a while before Pourcel set an even faster lap in the dying seconds of the 30-minute session. MacKenzie finally finished second, De Reuver fifth, Brown 18th and Bill 20th.

Under sunny skies on Sunday, it was Spaniard Jonathan Barragan who took the holeshot in moto one but a charging MacKenzie soon took over the lead before a dose of arm pump ruined the Scotsman’s concentration and caused him to make a string of small mistakes. Billy slipped to fourth at the finish while De Reuver came home in seventh after setting consistently fast lap times throughout the 35-minute plus two lap moto. Brown was ninth with Bill 11th - by far their best results of the season so far.

Moto two saw De Reuver and Brown head the pack into the first but it was the reigning MX1 World Champion Steve Ramon who came out of it with the lead. MacKenzie was near the front of the pack and soon fought through to second where he tailed the Belgian for one lap before making a move for the lead then trying to forge a gap. Stretching his lead to as much as five seconds at one point MacKenzie unfortunately made an unforced error on lap 14 when he looked in full control. He crashed and remounted in fourth place.

Meanwhile MacKenzie’s CAS Honda teammate Mike Brown was charging hard and had moved from eighth place to sixth before passing MacKenzie – who had also lost a position to Josh Coppins - for fifth with three laps to go. De Reuver had been as high as sixth place in the middle section of the moto but slipped to eighth after losing out in a battle with Barragan. Bill DNFed when the pain from his finger became too much.

MacKenzie who is Honda’s highest points scorer in the MX1 championship now holds fourth place in the series standings with 79 points to the 102 of championship leader David Philippaerts. Brown holds 12th place on 42. De Reuver is 14th for the Martin Honda team while Bill who has a torrid season so far is 25th.

The world championship takes a one-week break continuing in Sevlievo for the Grand Prix of Bulgaria on May 11.

Roger Harvey – Honda Off-Road coordinator: “Starting with the CAS team first and Billy MacKenzie. He’s shown that he’s got the speed but he’s still making little mistakes and we can’t accept that because he’s now able to win GPs anywhere but keeps making silly mistakes like the one he made in the second race today. His speed is really good – I’m very pleased with that – and the bike seems to be working well and he’s happy with the bike, we’ve just got to iron out those little slips.

“Mike had a good day today. He struggled coming into the weekend, starting in free training then got it together. He made some changes to the bike between qualifying yesterday and this morning’s warm-up session and they worked very well, he got more and more comfortable and was charging, charging, charging right through the race – typical Mike really.”

“Moving over to the Martin team and Marc De Reuver was not so bad. He showed he’s got the speed but his conditioning isn’t there probably because he missed some time at the beginning of the season but there’s no point making excuses – he’s got to get fitter.”

“Julien Bill had a thorn in his hand and he said couldn’t hold on but that’s no excuse – he should have just got on with it.”

”The performance of the CRF450s – both the CAS and Martin bikes – is something I’m really pleased with and all the riders were up there off the starts so that’s a good sign.”

Billy MacKenzie – CAS Honda: “All day yesterday was really good for me. The weather was really hot and it was important to stay hydrated because I knew race day was going to be tough. My times were good in all the sessions, I’d put a really fast lap in and be fasted then Pourcel would put an even quicker one in at the end of the session, I wasn’t really too bothered. The same happened in qualifying and I thought I had it in the bag but he came and did it again. Second was good enough and I was pleased with the way I was riding and I was riding a lot smoother than the other guys – I could see they were really hanging it out to get a good time – but I was conserving my energy for the races.”

“In the first race I didn’t get off to a great start – I had my finger on the clutch all the way up the start straight because there was so much grip and I was trying to keep the front end down. I went wide in the first corner then made a load of passes on the first lap and kept going from there and eventually did Philippaerts – I did everyone. I got into the lead and was pulling away from them all but lost a little bit of concentration and got a little bit of arm pump mid-race and started overshooting corners and making small mistakes. I ended up finishing fourth, it was okay but my second races are always a lot better so I was looking forward to that.”

“I got a much better start and followed Ramon for a lap then passed him for the lead. He followed me for about 10 minutes but then I had a pit signal to ‘push hard’ so I put one hard lap in and I managed to break him – I went from two seconds to five seconds ahead. I thought I had it under control and I was just trying to pick my lines, take my time and get into a flow really because I though it would be a good idea to save some energy for the last 10 minutes. I made a little mistake and lost my balance then the front wheel washed out and I crashed. I tried not to panic because it’s so easy to break your rhythm with a crash like that. When I got going again I had Coppins behind me and I knew that if I beat him I’d finish on the podium so I was a little bit worried about that then he made a real hard pass on me and I almost went down. The red mist came down a little bit and I went after him but made a couple more mistakes and had to basically just bring it home from there.”

Mike Brown – CAS Honda: “This is where things started getting better for me last year and this year I think I had the same results as then but I know I rode a lot better – I was catching the other guys at the end of the race so it gives me a lot of confidence going into the next few rounds.”

“The second moto start was awesome and I went into the first corner in the lead but went a little bit wide and got out into the soft stuff and came out of it in third. A few guys got me in the beginning of the race and so I know I have to work on my speed in the early part of the moto but the longer the race went on the faster I got and I started finding better lines. My fitness is as good as anybody else’s – they may be a little bit faster but I’m stronger – so I’m gonna work on my speed in the next couple of weeks and see how things pan out from there.”

Marc De Reuver – Martin Honda: “I was really surprised on Saturday because I was fastest for a while and sitting on pole but a few guys went quicker and I couldn’t so I ended up fifth which was really good for me. In the first heat I screwed up the start but made up a lot of places in the first few turns and I just rode my own race because it was so hot and I wanted to have consistent lap times. I finished seventh and was happy about that.”

“In the second heat I got a really good start – I got the holeshot – but I slipped a little in the first turn and MacKenzie hit me and I lost a little balance and a few places. So I did the same as in the first race – outside on the second turn, inside on the third – and from there I rode a really good race until four laps from the end where I was physically drained. I know I have to work on my fitness but I’ve got to remember that this is the first grand prix this year where I’ve done two full races and the heat is so intense here. I know I’m capable of finishing better than seventh and eighth but it’s not too bad either.”

Julien Bill – Martin Honda: “Today was difficult with the hot weather. In the first moto I got a good start and rode a lot better than I had in the previous GPs and finished 11th. In the second race I got a bad start and I had a lot of pain in my finger because I have a splinter in there. I was running outside of the points and the pain was so bad and I couldn’t hold onto the handlebars properly so I had to retire from the race. It was not such a good day for me.”

- Yamaha Report -

Philippaerts new series leader after double podium in Portugal

A sun-blessed and roasting Grand Prix of Portugal at the stunning Agueda circuit was the perfect remedy for the FIM Motocross World Championship after the sea of rain and mud that washed out the Spanish visit last weekend. The splendid stage for round three of fifteen, south of the city of Porto, witnessed the Yamaha Monster Motocross Team score a double podium result with David Philippaerts finishing second and Josh Coppins third on the works YZ450FMs.

Philippaerts won a moto and was second in the other race, while Coppins seized his first silverware of the season after a thrilling move past champion Steve Ramon for third spot on the final corner of the last lap. On the podium Philippaerts picked up the red-plate to signify his new status as MX1-GP championship leader for the first time. He is also the first Italian to sit at the top of the points table since the inception of the MX1-GP class in 2004.

The dry circuit provided a technical test for the riders with the combinations of jumps and alternate line options meaning that the 'perfect' lap was tough to find and mistakes were heavily punished by the high pace.

Philippaerts suffered a fast crash on Saturday that left the Italian with a sore back and lack of sensation in his arms during the qualification practice. He was still a bit stiff Sunday morning but put aside any discomfort to remain one of the protagonists in the first moto. After hunting down Billy Mackenzie and taking the lead on the seventh lap of twenty-one the 24 year old kept a good rhythm to retain control of the race until the chequered flag. It was his first moto success for the team and his first set of '25' points since the Grand Prix of Belgium last August.

In Moto2 the Italian did not have the best first lap and had to work hard from fifth position to take advantage of another error by Mackenzie and also a crash by Jonathan Barragan to rise to second place. Although he tied on points with overall winner Sebastien Pourcel, the second moto ranking determined the final standing. It was the second consecutive runner-up position for Philippaerts.

Josh Coppins tried a new rear suspension set-up on Saturday as well as some experimentation with different Pirelli tyres. The New Zealander was unable to match the pace of his peers at the start of both motos (even though he exited the gate in the top five both times) but was easily one of the strongest riders at the end of the races. In the first he pushed Mackenzie hard to take fifth but it was his determination and dogged pursuit of the lagging Ramon in the final two laps of the second sprint that really gave an indication of the Kiwi's 'steel'.

Closing down some four seconds to the back of the Belgian, Coppins took the fight for third right to the last corner where he cut tighter and snatched the position - and the last podium spot - by four tenths of a second. The result was a message but the manner in which he delivered it was equally devastating, that Coppins - who missed five weeks of riding through two broken twos on his right foot prior to the start of the campaign - is hungry for the title.

The championship standings now make good reading for the team. Philippaerts holds a 6 point gap over Ramon while Coppins is third and just 19 behind. Yamaha are second in the manufacturer's standings by 6 points.

The Yamaha Monster Motocross Team now travel back to their Italian base near Parma for several days and a free weekend before packing up and heading east across to Europe to the impressive Sevlievo circuit and the Grand Prix of Bulgaria. The meeting will precede the squad's home round at Mantova seven days later.

David Philippaerts, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team: 2nd "I am really happy to have the red plate because this is the first time for me. The first moto was unbelievable. My start was pretty average but I passed Mackenzie and Barragan and found some effective lines. When Sebastien came near in the last moments I looked to pull another second on him and controlled it until the end. I started well in the second moto but on the second corner my line meant that I had to be careful and lost some time, which let Sebastien and Mackenzie escape. It was a long race so I did not want to go crazy at the beginning and also the track was not easy. I knew the others would slow their pace by the end so I wanted to be strong the whole distance. My aim now is to try and stay in the top five each GP and this will be good for the championship."

Josh Coppins, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team: 3rd "It was an exciting end to the Grand Prix and one that even I did not expect. I could see that Steve was fading and, of course, after last year I always like to pass Steve, so I put in that extra effort. He went wide in the last corner and I could not believe that. My eyes lit-up and I made the pass.

We tried a new rear shock during Saturday which was a bit softer and suited me better. We also tested some tyres with a different compound moose and also sliced some of the nobs on the rubber. I think we had a pretty good set-up so I was happy with the bike. The extra options the team provided made things even better, which I was surprised about.

It was finally nice to have a real race; a race where the best rider wins instead of the terrain being good for some or just being a lottery. Today it was Pourcel but it was a GP where the degree of racing fitness and skill comes into it and that was really positive.

It has been a tough season for me so far with a few 'downs'. I don't quite have the speed at the moment, especially at the start of the race; all I have is the consistency in the laps I make. I have to be patient, which is hard because I am not a patient person! With sixth, fourth and third things have gone well but you always want better. Everyone around me has been really supportive and I am sure I will get up to a higher level very soon. I was one of the strongest out there at the end, and this makes me proud."

Mino Raspanti, Racing Manager, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team:
"I really great Grand Prix for us; to have both riders on the podium is really good. They continue to work hard and perform well. David's win was deserved I am very happy for Josh also. These are some difficult moments for him but he is trying so hard. David and Josh are both happy with the bikes and Josh more so after we made a small change with the shock. We will work now and look ahead to Bulgaria, and Mantova the week after."

Sensational Cairoli sweeps Portuguese GP

MX2-GP World Champion Antonio Cairoli stormed the Grand Prix of Portugal at a sun-soaked Agueda circuit in front of 18,000 spectators to win both motos and claim his first victory of the season and also take the lead in the 2008 standings after three rounds of fifteen.

Despite still suffering from the last affects of a throat infection - he only stopped taking antibiotics on Friday - Cairoli was back to his stylish and ruthless best; the sort of form and spectacular flamboyance that won 13 from 14 Grand Prix in 2007. The Sicilian of the Yamaha Red Bull De Carli team defeated main title rivals Tyla Rattray and Tommy Searle with two dominant displays on his YZ250F.

Across the dry, stony and technical terrain the reigning number one shone as brightly as the blue sky overhead. A fantastic duel with Searle in the first laps of Moto1 was decided when Cairoli attempted and succeeded with an audacious overtaking move that saw him gain the lead and brake away from the Briton. The second moto was over from the second corner, when number '222' was in no mood for further games.

Yamaha Ricci Racing's Nico Aubin, who celebrated his 20th birthday yesterday with a pit-board salutation from his team in the first session Saturday morning and also received a pie in the face from his French peers in the evening, was 5th overall with results of 8th and 4th. The Frenchman suffered from a crash in the first moto that caused him to lose positions but was more consistent in the second after sprinting away from Stephen Sword.

Team-mate and Grand Prix of Spain victor Davide Guarneri admitted that the heat of the scorching Saturday timetable left him fighting for breath during the qualification race in which he captured third. The Italian rode to a decent 5th after vying for fourth during one stage of the moto but had to pull up to avoid his fallen team-mate which kept him outside the top four. In the second race a poor start meant a lot of work but he came through the pack before being hit to the ground by local hope Rui Goncalves. From that point 12th was all he could salvage to take 7th.

Cairoli's triumph means that he now holds an advantage of 5 points from Rattray. Guarneri is fourth and Aubin in seventh.

Alessandro Lupino qualified for his second Grand Prix of the season and just the third of his career. The teenager scored two points with 19th position in Moto1.

Some good news for the De Carli crew is that Matteo Bonini has recovered from his dislocated shoulder and subsequent operation and will begin to ride this week. The Italian could be in action as early as the Grand Prix of Bulgaria in a fortnight but will almost certainly bring the team back to full strength for their home round at Mantova on May 18th.

The fourth round of the FIM World Championship will take place at the Sevlievo circuit in two weeks time. The Grand Prix will also witness the start of the inaugural Women's World Championship.

Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha Red Bull De Carli: 1st "I am starting to get a much better feeling with my bike because in the winter we tested and practiced a lot with the 450. It was nice to have a 'normal' race because with the sand and then the mud last week I did not get a chance to have a look at my condition. I am really happy with the race today though.

We had some fun in that first moto and Tommy had some good lines. His style is similar to mine; we both play a lot with the bikes on the jumps. We fought for three or four laps but then I had some more speed through one section and decided to make the break once the move worked.
I only stopped taking antibiotics for my throat infection on Friday, so physically it was a hard day and now I can look after my body with the free weekend we have. Taking the lead in the championship is important but there is a long journey ahead still."

Nicolas Aubin, Yamaha Ricci Racing: 5th "The result is not so good and I could not take two top four positions, which I was capable of. I need better starts in the next GP. I'm pleased with my speed and physical condition I just need to get nearer the front right at the beginning. The level in MX2-GP this year is very close so getting those good starts is more important than ever."

Davide Guarneri, Yamaha Ricci Racing: 7th "It was so hot and hard today. In the first moto I made a good start, around the top seven. When I was in sixth I tried to pass Sword but in one corner I found Aubin had crashed and was right there in the middle of the line and I lost some time there, fifth was OK though. In the next moto I was quite far back at the start and after two laps I pushed hard and passed many riders. I was in the top seven and tried Goncalves for sixth but in one corner he went straight on and took me out. I was a bit tired when I restarted and took twelfth."

- KTM Report -

Second and third MX2 places in Portugal for Rattray and Searle

Red Bull KTM riders Tyla Rattray and Tommy Searle took the minor podium places on Sunday in the MX2 Grand Prix of Portugal, conceding defeat only to title holder Antonio Cairoli of Italy.

Tommy and Tyla came in second and third in race one and then reversed the order for race two, a sure fire indication that both are in good form after the mud bath race last weekend in Bellpuig, Spain. Rui Goncalves the team's third factory rider came in sixth in front of his home crowd in Agueda, Portugal to wind up a solid weekend's racing for the team.

No Red Number Plate
Tyla was very disappointed to relinquish the coveted red number plate for the first time this season but promised that he an Tommy planned to mount a real challenge for the championship title this year. "Still I was happy with my starts and with my riding style. I lost some time in the first heat and it took me some time to catch up with Tommy and Toni (Cairoli) but I finished in third and I did not crash. In the second heat I was squeezed a bit by Tommy and Toni in the first part of the race but I came back from eighth to third then Tommy had a small crash and I finished second." Team boss Stefan Everts said he expected the weekend's result would in fact be positive for Tyla as it would strengthen him mentally and make him determined to take on the challenge of beating the title holder.

Tommy is back in contention
Searle, who will race in the USA from 2009 is clearly back in form after two difficult races in the first two GPs of the season in the heavy wet sand of Valkenswaard, Holland and in the severe mud of Bellpuig. "Today was good but it could be even better," Tommy said. " I got the holeshot in the first heat and I was out in front for quite a long time so I was able to show Cairoli that I have the speed. Then I had a small crash in the second heat but if that had not happened I would have been able to catch him. I am very happy because this was a proper race for me. It was tough but I had no problems like I had here last year and that's a sign that I am much fitter." Everts too was happy with Tommy's racing. "It was a very nice battle with Antonio. He was right up there with his speed and his lap times and I only think it is a matter of time before he beats Cairoli."

Rui enjoys racing in front of home crowd
Rui Goncalves rose to the occasion in front of his home crowd and said the level of support he got from the fans was a real energy booster. "I was very satisfied with my riding. I rode well, I got some good lap times, I pushed hard and got some good points," he said. He too drew praise from Everts who said he showed his real aggressive riding style. "Today he showed us that he just doesn't ride well and aggressively during the week but also at the weekend as well. That was the real Rui," Everts said.

Also putting in a solid weekend's racing under extremely hot and tiring conditions was the young Belgian rider Jeremy van Horebeek of the KTM supported team GP Juniors Team Champ who was twice tenth to finish at eighth place in the GP ranking order.

Tyla now has to relinquish the lead in the championship by five points after Cairoli's double victory on the hard and bumpy surface of the Portuguese track. Tommy Searle is in third place and Rui Goncalves is in fifth.

Barragan the leading KTM in Portuguese MX1 GP
Jonathan Barragan of Spain was the leading KTM factory rider in Agueda Portugal on Sunday riding in the MX1 Grand Prix for Team Siver Action just narrowly missing third podium place.

Red Bull KTM factory rider Max Nagl was still feeling the effects of sunstroke and was only able to finish in eleventh place.

Barragan looking ahead and feeling fit
"I am very happy with the results today. Things are going in the right direction for me and we were able to pick up quite a few points/ Now I am seventh in the championships and there is a long way to go so we can still fight for the title," Jonathan said. " I am now feeling very good about Bulgaria. I like the track there and I am going to fight for a podium." Barragan is also now completely fit and no longer had problems with soreness in the tendons in his arms that gave him some concern in the pre-season races."

A learning experience for Nagl, Everts says
Team boss Stefan Everts said it was possible that Nagl had a tough weekend because it was here at Agueda that he broke his collarbone last year and he had to get over that. "Max was definitely not feeling the best this weekend and I think the accident from last year might have been on his mind. Overall he did well this weekend. He finished the races and had no crashes and no big mistakes. This is all part of the learning process and we know that this year is an important year for him to gain experience and learn a lot."

No crashes and no mistakes for Nagl in Portugal

Mixed weekend for KTM's Sven Breugelmans of JM Racing

Belgian MX3 rider Sven Breugelmans onboard his KTM machine had a mixed weekend in the third round of the world championship series to finish overall seventh in Round Three at San Severino Marche in Italy.

Breugelmans, racing in the JM Racing team colours, got away well in the first moto to settle in behind Beggi, a position that he held onto until the finish line. But on a day that was very hot, exhausting racing on a rough and stony track Breulgelmans came unstuck in the first lap of the second moto. He managed to work his way back from absolute last to sixteenth place for overall seventh on the day, picking up another 27 championship points. "It was a very hard day's racing," said team boss Jacky Martens. "Sven did well to work his way back after the crash and fortunately he was not hurt."

Good weekend for Lozano
Teammate Alvaro Lozano of Spain on the second KTM for JM Racing made a mistake in the first race but also advanced in the pack from twelfth to fifth place at the finish. He then made amends by racing to third in the second moto for an excellent third place podium finish. After Sunday's round three Breugelmans is in third in the standings, trailing championship leader Beggi by 12 points. Lozano is in fifth place with 83 points.

Teillet races his KTM onto European Championship podium

Meanwhile, Jacky Martens of JM Racing reported that his junior MX2 rider Valentin Teillet, competing on his KTM in the European Championship race topped the podium for the first time in his young career. The French rider raced to a second and first place in the two heats and now leads the standings by 17 points.