MX1 Championship leader Antonio Cairoli marked his comeback to victory in Sweden courtesy of two moto wins right before the start of the FIM Motocross World Championship’s summer break. In the MX2 class instead the event marked Steven Frossard’s maiden victory after a battle with Ken Roczen in both heats.
Clement Desalle took two second places for second overall ahead of team mate Steve Ramon, putting together two solid moto’s and finishing ahead of Evgeny Bobryshev.
In the MX2 class Jeffrey Herlings took second on the podium while Gautier Paulin completed the top three at his first podium appearance of 2010. Roczen instead won the final heat but a technical problem ruled him out of heat one when he was chasing Frossard for first.
In the EMX 125 class Jordi Tixier came back to victory and reinforced his Championship lead. The Swedish podium was completed by Stefan Olsen and Samuele Bernardini.
MX1
Taking victory number four of 2010, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing MX1’s Cairoli walked away from Sweden with an extended Championship lead. The Italian, who won both heats, is now 67 points ahead of Desalle whom he passed for the lead of moto two after having dominated the opening moto.
The Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1 Team completed the overall podium and now looks forward to their home Grand Prix in Lommel, Belgium, coming up next on the August 1 weekend.
Desalle was second overall and collected his fifth consecutive podium. The winner of the last GP in Latvia recovered to second in the opening moto and was again second in the final moto, which he was leading until a hard charging Cairoli moved past him and pulled away.
Ramon mounted on the third step of the podium after a solid final moto. The Belgian, who missed this GP last year due to a neck injury, was close to Desalle towards the end of the heat but decided to settle for an eventual safe third. In moto one instead Ramon was fourth.
Once again CAS Honda’s Bobryshev missed his first podium by a bunch of points. The Russian already came close to the podium in Latvia and today took another fourth overall after he made a mistake in the final moto, when he tried to move past Desalle for second. He was an eventual fourth in the second moto and fifth in the first one.
Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross’ Philippaerts completed the top five. After a good third place in the opening moto, the Italian had a bad start to moto two and struggled to recover.
Nagl was sixth ahead of Boog while Söderström was the best placed home rider with 14th overall. Boissiere was 15th in the standings but a head concussion following a second moto crash ruled him out of the final heat.
17th was Guarneri who crashed in both moto’s after taking good starts.
MX2
Kawasaki CLS’s Frossard interrupted KTM’s winning streak in the MX2 class as he took his first ever Grand Prix victory at Uddevalla. The French made up for a disappointing qualifying heat yesterday –he tangled with Roczen at the opening lap and crashed- with two solid performances today. Frossard moved past Simpson and Herlings in heat one to lead until the chequered flag while he let Roczen by in the second moto and took second. The German troubled Frossard also in the opening heat, making mistakes but always coming back to the Frenchman’s tail; eventually a mechanical problem ruled him out with just two laps to go. Now the French has equalled runner up Roczen in the Championship standings with a total of 355 points.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing MX2’s Herlings was a positive second on the podium in Uddevalla, where he had never raced a Grand Prix before. The Dutch, who won in Kegums last weekend, was handed second by Roczen in the opening moto and rounded off the day with a fourth place in the final moto.
With Roczen having pulled away from runner up Frossard, the second moto was added drama by Paulin’s recovery in the final laps. The French worked his way to the first 2010 podium by passing both Musquin and Herlings in the final six laps. Combining a third place in moto two and a fifth in moto one, the French earned the overall podium.
After taking third in the opening moto, Kawasaki CLS’ Van Horebeek was troubled by pain to his neck due to last weekend’s injury. The Belgian could do no better than sixth in the second moto and dropped down to fourth overall.
Championship leader Musquin of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing MX2 was a bitter fifth overall, combining a fourth and a fifth place in the heats. Musquin struggled with bad starts but his main rival in the Championship Roczen still scored lass points than him due to his dnf in moto one.
American Leib took his best result of the season with ninth overall right ahead of Simpson. The British was leading race one when he was passed by Frossard and crashed.
Kullas took 11th leading a Yamaha trio completed by Lupino and Charlier, with the latter being disappointed with his riding after he almost won yesterday’s qualifying.
A broken rear wheel hampered Teillet’s ambitions of winning race two, which he started in the top three but ended with a dnf.
A crash at the opening lap and a broken exhaust also spelled an early end to Tonus’ last moto.
MX1 Race 1 | MX1 Race 2 | MX1 Championship |
1 / Cairoli, Antonio / ITA / KTM / 39:45.425 2 / Desalle, Clement / BEL / Suzuki / 39:49.465 3 / Philippaerts, David / ITA / Yamaha / 39:51.476 4 / Ramon, Steve / BEL / Suzuki / 39:53.341 5 / Bobryshev, Evgeny / RUS / Honda / 40:15.967 6 / Nagl, Maximilian / GER / KTM / 40:18.233 7 / Swanepoel, Gareth / RSA / Honda / 40:46.001 8 / Strijbos, Kevin / BEL / Suzuki / 40:47.216 9 / Boog, Xavier / FRA / Kawasaki / 40:48.440 10 / Boissiere, Anthony / FRA / TM / 41:03.058 11 / Coppins, Joshua / NZL / Aprilia / 41:14.512 12 / Goncalves, Rui / POR / KTM / 41:19.286 13 / Söderström, Tom / SWE / Yamaha / 41:23.614 14 / Priem, Manuel / BEL / Aprilia / 41:26.249 15 / Schmidinger, Günter / AUT / Suzuki / 41:28.464 | 1 / Cairoli, Antonio / ITA / KTM / 39:13.172 2 / Desalle, Clement / BEL / Suzuki / 39:15.715 3 / Ramon, Steve / BEL / Suzuki / 39:17.632 4 / Bobryshev, Evgeny / RUS / Honda / 39:25.869 5 / Boog, Xavier / FRA / Kawasaki / 39:26.761 6 / Nagl, Maximilian / GER / KTM / 39:36.195 7 / Strijbos, Kevin / BEL / Suzuki / 39:45.414 8 / Philippaerts, David / ITA / Yamaha / 40:04.167 9 / Leok, Tanel / EST / Honda / 40:06.207 10 / Goncalves, Rui / POR / KTM / 40:15.137 11 / Coppins, Joshua / NZL / Aprilia / 40:22.808 12 / Swanepoel, Gareth / RSA / Honda / 40:24.355 13 / Aubin, Nicolas / FRA / Kawasaki / 40:43.689 14 / Guarneri, Davide / ITA / Honda / 40:54.961 15 / Schmidinger, Günter / AUT / Suzuki / 41:02.532 | 1 Cairoli, A. 434 2 Desalle, C. 367 3 Philippaerts, D. 331 4 Ramon, Steve 315 5 Nagl, M. 306 6 Boog, Xavier 276 7 de Dycker, Ken 269 8 Bobryshev, E. 223 9 Leok, Tanel 219 10 Guarneri, D. 196 11 Strijbos, K. 161 12 Swanepoel, G. 149 13 Boissiere, A. 145 14 Coppins, J. 140 15 Goncalves, Rui 124 |
MX2 Race 1 | MX2 Race 2 | MX2 Championship |
1 / Frossard, Steven / FRA / Kawasaki / 40:30.167 2 / Herlings, Jeffrey / NED / KTM / 40:45.226 3 / van Horebeek, Jeremy / BEL / Kawasaki / 40:49.423 4 / Musquin, Marvin / FRA / KTM / 40:54.847 5 / Paulin, Gautier / FRA / Yamaha / 40:57.161 6 / Kullas, Harri / FIN / Yamaha / 41:08.420 7 / Osborne, Zach / USA / Yamaha / 41:17.329 8 / Roelants, Joel / BEL / KTM / 41:26.352 9 / Simpson, Shaun / GBR / KTM / 41:28.064 10 / Charlier, Christophe / FRA / Yamaha / 41:32.804 11 / Lupino, Alessandro / ITA / Yamaha / 41:34.502 12 / Teillet, Valentin / FRA / KTM / 41:43.373 13 / Leib, Michael / USA / Kawasaki / 41:58.634 14 / Tonus, Arnaud / SUI / Suzuki / 42:11.832 15 / Delince, Jeremy / BEL / KTM / 42:13.789 | 1 / Roczen, Ken / GER / Suzuki / 39:28.824 2 / Frossard, Steven / FRA / Kawasaki / 39:33.248 3 / Paulin, Gautier / FRA / Yamaha / 39:41.101 4 / Herlings, Jeffrey / NED / KTM / 39:45.334 5 / Musquin, Marvin / FRA / KTM / 39:47.037 6 / van Horebeek, Jeremy / BEL / Kawasaki / 40:18.338 7 / Leib, Michael / USA / Kawasaki / 40:25.763 8 / Roelants, Joel / BEL / KTM / 40:31.096 9 / Osborne, Zach / USA / Yamaha / 40:42.829 10 / Karro, Matiss / LAT / Suzuki / 40:45.369 11 / Simpson, Shaun / GBR / KTM / 40:46.538 12 / Nicholls, Jake / GBR / KTM / 40:47.295 13 / Lupino, Alessandro / ITA / Yamaha / 40:48.762 14 / Charlier, Christophe / FRA / Yamaha / 40:50.580 15 / Kullas, Harri / FIN / Yamaha / 41:01.013 | 1 Cairoli, A. 434 2 Desalle, C. 367 3 Philippaerts, D. 331 4 Ramon, Steve 315 5 Nagl, M. 306 6 Boog, Xavier 276 7 de Dycker, Ken 269 8 Bobryshev, E. 223 9 Leok, Tanel 219 10 Guarneri, D. 196 11 Strijbos, K. 161 12 Swanepoel, G. 149 13 Boissiere, A. 145 14 Coppins, J. 140 15 Goncalves, Rui 124 |
— KTM Report
Red Bull KTM’s Tony Cairoli takes MX1 GP of Sweden in style
Red Bull KTM factory rider Tony Cairoli on Sunday took victory in style in the MX1 GP of Sweden at Uddevalla, winning both motos to secure his fourth outright MX1 GP win for the season on the new generation KTM 350 SX-F machine.
Cairoli retains the red plate as championship leader with 434 points, a handsome 67 points ahead of second placed Belgian rider Clement Desalle and can now enjoy his mid season break before racing resumes on August 1.
Tony on the charge
Cairoli rode like a man possessed in the opening MX1 moto. He charged out of the gates, snatched the holeshot and was never threatened right up until he raised his fist in triumph going across the finish line. He was challenged in the first half of the second moto and rival Clement Desalle took the lead for some laps mid race. Tony said after he had some arm pump discomfort before he was able to go on the attack again but once he hit the front on the second moto he looked secure and was able to control the race. He went through the checkered flag 2.6 seconds ahead of the tight battle for second between the two Suzuki riders Desalle and Steve Ramon.
Tony Cairoli: “This is not really my favorite track but I’ve had some good races in all my years here so I wanted to win because now we’ll have a long break. It was good for me to take victory in the GP and that’s what I wanted to do. I was a bit nervous because I had some problems with my knee during the week and I felt something was wrong. But it felt better yesterday and today it was perfect.”
Stefan Everts Red Bull KTM team boss: “I am very satisfied. Tony made the double today. He controlled the race and he made two good starts so he did what he had to do for the championship.
Max Nagl, who won here last year but who is still riding with a cracked left collarbone finished sixth and Rui Goncalves, the third member of the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team and MX2 winner here in Sweden last year was tenth overall.
Max Nagl: Yesterday was going quite well with my lap times in the qualifying race but today I was a second too slow every lap and I couldn’t keep up with the top five. It was not what I expected but the last five weeks have been very tough for me and I’m happy to have a longer break so I can build it up again for the next GP.”
Rui Goncalves finished tenth and fifteenth and said after the race he had struggled with consistency. “I can’t say it was a bad GP but it could have better. Now we have a break and I will work hard to try to take the next step for the races left in the season,” he said.
Red Bull KTM’s Herlings second in MX2 GP of Sweden
Jeffrey Herlings, the power pack 15-year-old Dutchman enjoying his first season as a full factory rider with the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team was on the podium in second place in the MX2 GP of Sweden in Uddevalla on Sunday after 2-4 finish in the two motos.
Reigning world champion, KTM’s Marvin Musquin got caught in traffic at the starts of both motos but still picked up 34 championship points for overall fifth and moves ahead in the standings by a margin of 73 points going into the summer break. The KTM factory riders have won nine of the 10 GPs in the first half of the season with seven going to Musquin and two to Herlings.
Herlings “back on track”
Herlings, who won his second career GP in Latvia last weekend registered his intentions clearly in the first MX2 moto. He came out of the gates second only to factory teammate Shaun Simpson, who not only grabbed the holeshot but led the race for the opening laps before being nudged off by Steven Frossard. But it was Herlings that hung on to the front runners, first in second and then in third place before rival Ken Roczen was forced to pull over on his Suzuki in the closing stages to bump Jeffrey up to second behind Frossard. He tried hard to stay with the lead group in the second moto but only finished fourth.
Jeffrey Herlings: “I’ve had my ups and downs this season, but now I seem to be getting back on track with the win last weekend and second today so I’m feeling good on the bike and I hope it keeps going like this. The track here is like half way between the tracks in Holland and those in France. It’s a bit sandy on top but hard underneath. But I can say I like it.”
Unusual off day for Marvin
Musquin, who was denied a ride here in Sweden last season while issues concerning his transfer to the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team were sorted out, was a victim of a first corner close encounter in the first moto which left him some work to do to get back in the race. But the championship leader fought his way back with his well known determination to be fourth at the checkered flag. Nevertheless the factory team’s French rider did admit that he didn’t feel entirely comfortable on the track surface made slippery after heavy overnight rain.
Marvin Musquin: I had problems at the starts and if you make a bad start it’s hard to come back into the lead. The track was very difficult and I didn’t feel that comfortable. I was fast but I was riding tight and I made some mistakes. I’m disappointed with this weekend but I still made some good points and that’s good for the championship.”
Stefan Everts Red Bull KTM Factory team boss: “Jeffrey rode a smart race and that’s great for him. He needs to learn how to be consistent. If he can do podiums every weekend, that’s the way he will be champion next year. Marvin had a tough day. He was not riding 100% but he should not expect to win every race. He was smart enough to take a 4 and a 5 today and that’s how we will win the title.”
The factory team’s Scottish rider Shaun Simpson finished with a 10-6 result and added 22 points onto his championship tally. With Musquin in the lead and Herlings in fourth place, Simpson is in a creditable sixth place.
Shaun Simpson: I had a good start in the first heat and got the holeshot …but after the contact with Steve (Frossard) I lost a lot of time. I had to spin the bike around to rejoin the race at around eighth and I finished ninth. I didn’t have such a good start in the second heat and I missed the gate drop and I felt really tired during the race.”
KTM rider Jordi Tixier continues to dominate EMX 125
French KTM junior rider Jordi Tixier put in another excellent day’s racing winning both motos in the new EMX 125 class and take the GP victory in this category that offers young riders with 250 aspirations a perfect bridge to step up to the senior races. Tixier has now won 9 out of 10 motos in the five rounds so far held this season, the first time this class has been contested.
Riders were faced with tricky conditions following heavy overnight rain on the circuit and high humidity on race day that hung over the track in the form of mist. Visibility was an issue and a number of riders opted to discard their goggles during the races.
— Yamaha Report
Philippaerts scores another top five result in Sweden
Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Team’s David Philippaerts guided his works YZ450FM machine to 5th place overall at a dark and damp Uddevalla circuit for the Grand Prix of Sweden and the tenth round of fifteen in the FIM MX-GP World Championship. The determined Italian holds 3rd in the MX1-GP standings after the first two-thirds of the 2010 campaign came to a close across the swinging undulations of the Swedish venue.
The dry hard-pack of Saturday – under a loose top soil – had changed significantly for Sunday after a sustained period of rainfall created a softer and rougher track. The 2008 world champion made one decent start and another mediocre launch in the two motos played out in front of 22,000 spectators. The first good getaway came in the opening race where he gave chase to Clement Desalle and vied for second position. Finally without goggles due to the slightly muddy conditions, the 25 year old fought off Steve Ramon to take third spot and his ninth top three finish from the twenty motos held thus far.
Deep in the pack around the first turns of the second moto, Philippaerts could not set the same pace after his earlier exertions and struggled to make an effective rhythm. It was a performance that provided 8th by the flag and forged the final classification.
Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team’s Ken De Dycker, winner two weeks ago at Teutschenthal, was unlucky to crash at one of the fastest points on the track during the first free practice session on Saturday. The Belgian needed a visit to hospital for stitches to a gaping wound on his right elbow and missed out on affecting the leader-board at Uddevalla.
Philippaerts needs 36 points to close down Clement Desalle in the standings. De Dycker has dropped to 7th and is 7 points behind Xavier Boog.
The world championship will now pause for three weeks before the Grand Prix of Limburg (Belgium) in the sand of Lommel on the first weekend in August.
David Philippaerts, Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Team: “Not an easy day. I pushed hard in the first moto and was happy with third, especially because Ramon was close at the end. I think I paid for that race in the next moto because I felt a bit tired and could not get a good feeling on the bike. I made an awful start and then it was just a long time of trying to make as many positions as possible. A shame we could not think about the podium again but the points were not bad.”
Ken De Dycker, Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci Motocross Team: “Coming up to the jump by the pits the bike started to dip and I jumped off at the final moment because for a second I thought I would land OK. I think I hit my elbow with my helmet peak and it made a big hole. I wasn’t able to ride because my arm felt very weak after the stitches. Luckily no bones were broken and I hope my muscles will be OK in the next week or two.”
Fantastic first podium for Paulin in Sweden
Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Team’s Gautier Paulin rode superbly in the second moto of the Grand Prix of Sweden at a cloudy and cool Uddevalla circuit to take his first podium result with the team and on the agile 2010 YZ250FM. The Frenchman’s 3rd position overall also represents the Italian crew’s first trophy in the MX2-GP category since Cedric Melotte captured the same rank at Namur for the 2005 Grand Prix of Wallonie.
After a hot and humid day on Saturday, Uddevalla changed somewhat for Sunday with heavy rainfall in the morning creating a softer and more slippery terrain. The old-fashioned course, with many tight turns, did not permit an abundance of overtaking opportunities.
Paulin rode to a solid 5th position in the first outing of 35 minute and 2 laps but it was his charge past world champion and countryman Marvin Musquin and double GP winner Jeffrey Herlings in the closing stages of the second race that proved the talented and likeable youngster is coming back to top form after his early season leg-break. Number ’21’ took 3rd behind Ken Roczen and Steven Frossard for his first view from the podium in black and green colours.
Bike it Cosworth Yamaha’s Zach Osborne was again one of the quickest riders throughout the weekend but an unfortunate incident on Saturday when he was landed upon by controversial Russian Aleksandr Tonkov meant the American went into the start gate in last position for Sunday. Rides to 7th and 9th against the odds (and even a brief slip meaning that he was virtually last in the second race) signified 7th overall.
Yamaha Monster Energy Gariboldi’s Harri Kullas collected 11th in the final ranking and once more equalled his season-best moto finish with 6th in the initial sprint, in spite of stomach cramps. The abdominal problem affected his second moto in which he made the line in 15th. Team-mate Christophe Charlier had problems finding a decent rhythm on the track and was 13th overall, one place behind Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team’s Alessandro Lupino. Loic Larrieu is likely to miss the rest of the season after breaking his right tibia last week at the Grand Prix of Latvia.
Osborne is Yamaha’s leading rider in the championship standings with 5th place but is 51 points from 4th. Kullas is 10th, Charlier 12th and Paulin is now up to 13th.
After three consecutive races the world championship will now pause for a summer break for the majority of July. The Grand Prix Limburg at Lommel in Belgium will constitute round eleven and take place on August 1st.
Gautier Paulin, Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Team: “I feel that I have had the speed for a little while now for a result like this and I have been working hard to get back to my best race level. This is my first podium and now I have set myself a standard. I guess I have been missing a bit of confidence because of the injury. I know physically I am strong but needed a GP like this for things to come together and the way I rode in the final few laps of the second moto gives me a lot of energy. I will go to Belgium now to get ready for Lommel. I want more good results like this.”
Zach Osborne, Bike it Yamaha Cosworth: “What happened on Saturday was not my fault. Tonkov landed on top of me and I have the tyre marks on my back to prove it. Today was hard from the outside and it was maybe an extra 60 or 70 extra feet to the inside of the first turn. The first race was OK but I would say the second one was my better ride; the fact that I came from so far behind to ninth on a track that was not simple for passing was pretty good. In a way I am disappointed with a 7th and a 9th because my speed here meant I should have been better than that. It can’t all be rainbows and butterflies though.”
Harri Kullas, Yamaha Monster Energy Gariboldi: “I almost had the holeshot in the first race but made third and then a few riders passed me but I found my speed and rhythm. When Musquin overtook me I was able to keep the same pace and did not lose too much time to him. Paulin came close and it was at that stage in the race that I started to have bad stomach cramps so I had to relax a little bit and thought about defending my position. I got lucky when Roczen stopped so I was back to sixth. In the second race Tonus crashed right in front of me and I was almost last. My stomach was still bad when I tried to push in the beginning but after a while I felt better and picked up the speed. I passed a few people but it was a bit too late. Overall 11th but I want to have more than one good moto!”
— Team Suzuki
Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1 again filled two spaces on an FIM MX1 Motocross World Championship podium as Clement Desalle and Steve Ramon sprayed celebratory champagne for the second race in a row and for the second time in a week.
The two factory RM-Z450WS machines sat on either side of the Grand Prix of Sweden rostrum as Desalle went 2-2 in the two motos for second overall and Ramon scored 4-3 to take the bottom step at Uddevalla.
On a sunny and hot Saturday Desalle captured his third consecutive pole position and therefore had first pick in the gate for Sunday. Ramon was also quick during the qualification heat and secured third spot. Some 22,000 spectators looked on from the rocky hillside in markedly different weather conditions on Sunday as heavy morning rain created a spongier Swedish soil and overcast skies remained in place until early evening.
Desalle picked up his eighth set of silverware of the campaign and was one of the main protagonists of the meeting. A wet first race saw the Belgian jostling briefly with Antonio Cairoli and then pulling away from the threat of David Philippaerts once he had thrown away his goggles. Ramon closed up after an unsteady first lap and gave the Italian heavy pressure in the final stages.
Early leader Desalle – again thanks to the prowess of the RM-Z away from the start gate – was eventually powerless to Cairoli’s speed in the second moto and then had to deal with an eager Evgeny Bobryshev. Ramon was in the thick of the action and the two Suzukis flew in the final two laps as the former World Champion pushed the Belgian champion to the flag. Ramon stretched his run of podiums at Uddevalla to four (2006, ’07, ’08 previously, having missed 2009 through injury).
The Belgian team have now accrued 10 podiums in total. Desalle is a strong second in the World Championship standings, 77 points behind Cairoli but 36 in front of Philippaerts. Ramon is fourth and 16 points from the top three.
Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1’s international commitments now lessen with their home Grand Prix (Limburg) at Lommel not appearing on the horizon until the end of July. Two rounds of the German ADAC Masters series and one Belgian Championship meeting (at Tongeren, round three) will undoubtedly keep Ramon and Desalle occupied through the break.
Clement Desalle: “For sure it is not a bad weekend but I want to win! I rode quite well and did not crash so I am pretty happy. In the first moto I had a problem with my goggles and I thought I had water between the tear-offs but when they were all gone I still couldn’t see properly and lost concentration for a while. Once I threw away the goggles it was better but then I had some small stones in the eyes and had to slow down and think about second. I had a good fight with Antonio in the second moto but he was faster, so we will think ahead to try and beat him in the next GP.”
Steve Ramon: “It was a positive weekend. In the first moto my start was good but on the first lap I made a mistake and one or two riders past me. It was not easy, the track was slippery and I spent a long time behind Philippaerts trying to overtake. In the second moto it was a similar at the beginning but later on I saw Clement and Bobryshev and I knew I had to pass Bobryshev to make the podium. I really pushed for that. I almost got Clement and had two or three chances but I did not want to make a block-pass and take both of us down. I was looking forward to this GP and this track; that’s four podiums here now and maybe next year another one!”
Ken Roczen grasped his second moto victory in the space of three grands prix in the second race at a gloomy and damp Uddevalla for the Swedish round of the FIM Motocross World Championship. The German should have been in contention for the overall victory at the 10th meeting of 15 in the 2010 campaign but a mysterious mechanical problem while he was on the rear wheel of leader Steven Frossard in the first moto forced his second DNF of the term.
The Uddevalla track conditions varied over the weekend as the dry and dusty terrain on Saturday was replaced by a softer and rougher surface on Sunday due to copious rainfall during the morning. Team mate Arnaud Tonus went to the gate fourth after a decent run in the qualification heat while Roczen was down in 13th after an unlucky crash exiting the first corner and needed to work his way back from the rear of the field.
For the first moto of 35 minutes and 2 laps, Roczen was superlative in his chase of Frossard and was set for a grandstand finish entering the final circulation until his ‘#94′ machine rolled to a halt due to an unexplainable glitch just before the pit-lane. Tonus – who would only place 17th overall – fared little better with a crash and then goggle-less run to 14th by the finish.
Roczen rallied against his misfortune in the second race on drying dirt as he closed a five second gap to Frossard and took control to win his third moto of the year effortlessly and the 16 year old German took eighth overall for the GP. Tonus’ second outing was a short one after a first corner crash led to a crumpled exhaust and broken rear brake.
The MX2 World Championship sees Roczen now tied on points in second place with Steven Frossard; 83 points behind Marvin Musquin. Tonus is eighth.
The Teka Suzuki Europe World MX2 team can enjoy a small break from grand prix racing after a long trek that began with their home event three weeks ago. Their competitive duties will not slacken however in the three weeks before round 11 of the FIM series at Lommel in Belgium as rounds four and five of the German ADAC Master series at Prisannewitz and Tensfeld will keep Roczen and Tonus sharp.
Ken Roczen: “It should have been another overall victory. My start was good and the race was good but two laps from the end, well, it wasn’t to be. The second race was really good! The track was very rough and I enjoyed it. I finally won the moto and it is good for my confidence. We now have two races in Germany and will start to think about the sand and Lommel.”
Arnaud Tonus: “It wasn’t a good day for me; I think that is easy to say. I had a crash and had to throw away the goggles in the first moto and then went down early in the second, which caused a lot of damage and ended the race. I will do the second of the two German events this month but will have a free weekend now after a lot of racing recently. Lommel will be tough but I’ll be getting ready in the next few weeks with plenty of sand riding!”
— HRC Report
An overcast Grand Prix of Sweden, the tenth round of fifteen in the FIM Motocross World Championship, was claimed by Tony Cairoli in the
MX1 class while Steven Frossard claimed overall honours in the MX2 category. Honda’s stand-out rider was once more Evgeny Bobryshev as the Russian MX1 rookie guided his CAS Honda CRF450R to fourth position overall for the second race in succession.
Saturday’s hot, stuffy and dry conditions were replaced by rain on Sunday morning which added a slippery edge to the loose and stony soil and also forged a bumpier surface. Despite the climate switch a hefty 22,000 attendance scaled the adjacent rocky hillsides to support this staple and popular event on the MX GP calendar.
Bobryshev rode a lonely race to fifth at the flag in the first moto but was part of an exciting three-man chase for second place in the next sprint. The 22 year old crossed swords with Clement Desalle and Steve Ramon and when the trio began to trade track space ‘777’ suddenly found himself closed-off by the two Belgians and almost crashed. He lost valuable seconds at a late stage of the moto and crossed the line fourth for his second-best point haul of the season.
In ninth place overall with results of 7th and 12th Boby’s team-mate, Gareth Swanepoel, enjoyed one of his better meetings and was Honda’s second highest runner on a day when misfortune befell the trio of Tanel Leok, Davide Guarneri and Jimmy Albertson.
LS Motors Honda rider Leok – winner of round five at Bellpuig in May – had a technical problem that caused him to stop four times on the first lap of Moto1 and eventually retire. At a slight disadvantage with regards to track acclimatisation in the second outing the Estonian nevertheless built-up his speed to take ninth (12th overall). Team-mate Guarneri had two very positive starts and was circulating in second place in Moto1 until a mistake led to a broken clutch lever and necessitated his withdrawal. Staking a claim to fifth in the next race the Italian again hit the dirt and damaged the same bike component, although he was able to continue and passed the flag in 14th. Martin Honda’s Jimmy Albertson stopped with a bike problem in the first moto and then had a crash in the second that led to a badly cut middle finger on his right hand.
Bobryshev has now moved up to eighth place in the MX1 world championship standings with a 46 point gap to Ken De Dycker in seventh. He holds a slender four point margin over Leok with Guarneri 10th and Swanepoel moving up to 12th in the table.
A summer break for the better part of July will now split the calendar with round eleven taking place on August 1st in the sand of Lommel for the Grand Prix of Limburg (Belgium).
Evgeny Bobryshev, CAS Honda: “I had a bad start in the first moto because my gate seemed to drop slower than the others and I was also boxed-in on the second turn. I came from pretty far back to reach fifth but then I was on my own and just had to worry about Nagl who was ahead. We had the same lines but he was a bit quicker and I was making mistakes to stay with him. Anyway he crashed and I could take fifth.
The second race was awesome. I was behind Cairoli and riding comfortably. He had great lines so I was just watching and learning. He made a few mistakes and I came close but then he disappeared and I had Desalle to focus on. I tried to pass at one point but Ramon was just behind me and I ended up being the sausage in the bread! Desalle slowed in a corner and looked across at me and I didn’t think his tactics were so nice, so Ramon was on the outside and I was squashed. My right leg went under the bike and I had to almost stop to get back on! If I had passed Desalle then perhaps I would have made the podium. Maybe next time, I am getting closer! Now some sand training before Lommel.”
Gareth Swanepoel, CAS Honda: “I was really happy with the first race. I got a good start and fought on as hard as I could. I struggled a bit with the track all weekend but kept the pace up and hung with the guys for seventh, so I was pumped with that. In the second the start wasn’t quite as good and then there was a bit more to do in the pack. I did not ride as well but salvaged 12th. I have moved up a place in the championship and Lommel is next which should be pretty good for me. Both my parents will be there for that one and my mum has been a lucky charm in the past so I hope she can be again.”
Tanel Leok, LS Motors Honda: “More crazy luck for me. The Heat race did not go well on Saturday and it meant that it was again difficult to get good starts. Anyway I must have been around seventh at the start of the first race, which wasn’t bad, but I crashed in a high berm of one of the first corners because the bike stopped. It was hard to come back from a worse start in the second moto and the track had changed quite a bit. The lines were different and it took me time at racing speed to find the best way. At the end I felt good.”
Davide Guarneri, LS Motors Honda: “This should have been a race in which I made a lot of points on the others but I ended up losing them. I was really fast in the first moto and ran second for six or seven laps and then was fighting for a bit with Philippaerts. I made the fastest lap but then had a small crash that bent the clutch lever the other way. It was hard to restart the bike and I had to retire. In the second moto the start wasn’t as good as the first but also not so bad. I was fourth for many laps until I made another mistake and broke the clutch lever again but this time it was easier to get the bike into gear. For sure I was slower after that because riding without a clutch on that track was difficult.”
Jimmy Albertson, Martin Honda: “In the first moto the bike lost power and finally quit but things went better in the second moto. I started in 18th and worked my way up to 12th and had a whole group of guys in front of me. I slid around coming out of one corner and I threw myself over a fence. I cut my finger up pretty good but I’m OK and the doctor cleaned it up; I should be ready to ride in about a week.”
Roger Harvey, Off-road Manager, Honda Motor Europe: “A hard weekend all -round although Bobryshev again showed how much he has developed and it was a pleasure to see him attacking for second position in that second race. We have a bit of a break now at GPs but Boby should be able to take this confidence to the next round of the British Championships in three weeks where he has been really strong. Swanie did a good job and can take heart from better speed while Guarneri really should have been looking at a podium but his mistakes were costly. Tanel left himself with a lot to do but also had some misfortune and the same can be said for Jimmy. A tough Grand Prix is next at Lommel but the guys have a few weeks to prepare for it.”
— MX3
Maiden win for Milko Potisek, Campano still leads the MX3 Championship
Another exciting FIM MX3 World Championship round was going on this weekend. La Baneza hosted eighth event of the 2010 season and the happiest rider was Milko Potisek (Honda) who took his first ever MX3 win.
The whole weekend in Spain was very hot and high temperatures made conditions more difficult. Spanish rider Carlos Campano (Team Yamaha Andalucia) came to his home round with the red plate and his expectations in front of Spanish fans were high. He started the day with the win in the first heat. Gregory Wicht (DB MX Team) from Switzerland took the holeshot in front of Alex Salvini (Husqvarna Cross 2 R) while Carlos Campano got stuck in the first corner. Campano made a great race. Spanish was unstoppable, he passed all riders and took a win. Wicht was leading till the moment when Campano passed him, then he lost positions and finished seventh. First heat was one of the worst this season for Salvini. After his successful start he started ride slower because he had problems with the bike and finished only twelfth. Second was Milko Potisek and third was Frantisek Smola (Motoman Team).
After the first heat Campano took a big advantage in front of Salvini in the Championship classification. He knew that Campano will be strong also in the second heat. Spanish fans were supporting Campano all around the track. But a big turnabout happened in the second part. First holeshot of Gregory Wicht looked like a surprise but Swiss rider took it also in the second heat. Wicht finished third. Alex Salvini and Carlos Campano passed Wicht, as many times this season they were fighting for the win again. A real drama started when a smoke was coming out from Yamaha of Campano in the middle of the race. Salvini finished a lap first and Campano did not come around, so it was clear that Campano finished the race somewhere on the track. Salvini took a big advantage in front of Milko Potisek. French rider was fast in both races and took two second places.
That was enough for the overall win and Potisek finished on the top for the first time. Second place was surprisingly taken by Frantisek Smola. Czech rider has not had top five result yet but this weekend he finished second only behind Potisek. Salvini was third. Top two riders Campano and Salvini both had problems with bikes so in the Championship Classification they are still very close. Campano is now leading only for a point. Zerava is third and Matevz Irt (Husqvarna Tecno B) fourth. Next weekend riders will compete in Orehova vas, Slovenia where Salvini already won in 2008.
1st – MILKO POTISEK (France): “Today was a fantastic day for me. I won the MX3 World Championship round for the first time. In first heat I tried to follow Campano and Wicht and I finished second. Second heat was great again. When my sister wrote on the board that I am the overall winner if I will finish second it was so excited moment and I was pushing even more. I like this track, only the weather conditions were difficult. I ride a standard Honda bike and it was even more difficult.”
2nd – FRANTISEK SMOLA (Czech Republic): “I am happy for my first MX3 podium. Track was well prepared, I like this kind of tracks. Also hot weather did not make big problems to me. Mechanics made good job on the bike and everything was really perfect today. Past rounds in Czech Republic and Slovakia were like my home rounds and it was easier to prepare myself for the rest season.”
3rd – ALEX SALVINI (Italy): “This weekend was very strange. Yesterday I took the pole position, today I made two completely different heats. In first heat I had big problems with the bike which almost stopped and I had to ride slow because bike was not working well. In second heat I took a bad start, we had again some battles with Campano but then he had problems with the bike and did not finished. We will see what will happen in the future, I think it will still be exciting.”
RESULTS
First race top ten: 1. Carlos Campano Jiminez (ESP, Yamaha), 34:09.442; ; 2. Milko Potisek (FRA, Honda), +0:05.440; 3. Frantisek Smola (CZE, Suzuki), +0:13.542; 4. Matevz Irt (SLO, Husqvarna), +0:15.795; 5. Victor Dario Arco (ARG, Yamaha), +0:16.133; 6. Martin Zerava (CZE, Honda), +0:18.658; 7. Gregory Wicht (SUI, Honda), +0:23.990; 8. Petr Michalec (CZE, Honda), +0:29.955; 9. Raul Alvarez (ESP, Kawasaki), +0:49.345; 10. Javier Corrochano (ESP, Yamaha), +1:20.600
Second race top ten: 1. Alex Salvini (ITA, Husqvarna), 34:03.197; ; 2. Milko Potisek (FRA, Honda), +0:07.532; 3. Gregory Wicht (SUI, Honda), +0:12.939; 4. Martin Zerava (CZE, Honda), +0:16.990; 5. Victor Dario Arco (ARG, Yamaha), +0:26.594; 6. Frantisek Smola (CZE, Suzuki), +0:38.799; 7. Petr Michalec (CZE, Honda), +0:49.125; 8. Matevz Irt (SLO, Husqvarna), +1:00.001; 9. Raul Alvarez (ESP, Kawasaki), +1:18.486; 10. Javier Corrochano (ESP, Yamaha), +1:31.074
Overall results: 1. Milko Potisek (FRA, Honda), 44 points; 2. Frantisek Smola (CZE, Suzuki), 35 p.; 3. Alex Salvini (ITA, Husqvarna), 34 p.; 4. Gregory Wicht (SUI, Honda), 34 p.; 5. Martin Zerava (CZE, Honda), 33 p.; 6. Victor Dario Arco (ARG, Yamaha), 32 p.; 7. Matevz Irt (SLO, Husqvarna), 31 p.; 8. Carlos Campano Jiminez (ESP, Yamaha), 28 p.; 9. Petr Michalec (CZE, Honda), 27 p.; 10. Raul Alvarez (ESP, Kawasaki), 24 p
Championship classification: 1. Carlos Campano Jiminez (ESP, Yamaha), 346 points; 2. Alex Salvini (ITA, Husqvarna), 345 p.; 3. Martin Zerava (CZE, Honda), 258 p.; 4. Matevz Irt (SLO, Husqvarna), 249 p.; 5. Milko Potisek (FRA, Honda), 227 p.; 6. Victor Dario Arco (ARG, Yamaha), 197 p.; 7. Frantisek Smola (CZE, Suzuki), 153 p.; 8. Petr Michalec (CZE, Honda), 150 p.; 9. Gregory Wicht (SUI, Honda), 145 p.; 10. Christophe Martin (FRA, Husqvarna), 69 p