— FIM MX1/MX2 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, ROUND 10, SUNDAY JUNE 30, UDDEVALLA, SWEDEN
— Double victory for KTM in Uddevalla
Finally the sun was out to host the main races of the Swedish Grand Prix and Antonio Cairoli obtained his 60th Grand Prix victory and Jeffrey Herlings won for the first time in Uddevalla. In MX1 Ken De Dycker and Clement Desalle completed the top three while in MX2 Christophe Charlier was on the second step of the rostrum and Jordi Tixier was third.
Uddevalla also hosted the third round of the EMX250 European Championship and Valentin Guillod dominated once again the Final race and obtained his third victory in a row. Second was Damon Graulus and Jeremy Seewer made an incredible recovery from tenth to third.
— MX1
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli won both races today and admitted that it was a special victory because he managed to obtain his 60th GP win in the track where he experienced his worst Grand Prix of his career last year with two DNF’s. The Italian explained that he did not have any problem with the knee he twisted in Maggiora and he is looking forward to training hard for Latvia, as he could not do much before travelling to Sweden.
The second overall position was for his teammate Ken De Dycker thanks to his 4-2 result. The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider did not have a good start in the first race but he managed to move from an initial tenth position to an eventual fourth place overtaking Jeremy Van Horebeek with two laps to go. In the second moto De Dycker started behind Cairoli and he succeeded to follow his teammate rhythm; by the middle of the race the Italian took a wrong line and De Dycker took the opportunity to pass him. The Belgian admitted that he was not feeling really comfortable riding in front of his teammate and he actually lost the lead when there were only three laps to go.
Rockstar Energy Suzuki World’s Clement Desalle was a little bit disappointed with his third overall position, as he was expecting to obtain a better result in Sweden. In the first race the Belgian struggled to find a good rhythm and when he was able to push harder, the front group had already opened a big gap with him and he was only able to finish third. In the second race Desalle made a mistake in the first corner but he managed to come back fourth and rode behind Tommy Searle during the whole race. In the end Desalle obtained the third position because Searle was penalized for not respecting a waved yellow flag but his overall result did not change, as he was tight in 40 points with De Dycker.
Honda World Motocross’ Max Nagl had a bittersweet feeling at the end of the day because he was extremely happy to finish second in the first race, but he was very disappointed for being only able to finish tenth in the final heat. Nagl had a fantastic start in race one and he rode a consistent moto in second, but he touched with Jeremy Van Horebeek in the start of the second moto and it made him reach the first corner down in the thirteenth place. The German did his best to recover but several mistakes during the race made him finish tenth and he obtained an overall fourth place.
Kawasaki Racing Team’s Gautier Paulin missed the podium this weekend and he admitted that he made a lot of mistakes in both races which stopped him to fight for the top three places. The French rider was happy with his starts taking into account his gate position, but even if he pushed as much as possible to catch the front group, he was only able to cross the finish line seventh and fourth to finish fifth of the Grand Prix.
His teammate Jeremy Van Horebeek had an excellent start in the first race and he rode fourth almost until the end of the heat, but the Belgian was overtaken by De Dycker by the end of the race and he ended fifth. In the second race Nagl touched him at the start and he was down in the tenth position; Van Horebeek gave it all and he moved up to the fifth place which gave him the overall sixth position in the Grand Prix.
Kevin Strijbos struggled once again with his starts but he managed to finish ninth and sixth and he obtained an overall seventh place ahead of Xavier Boog and Davide Guarneri.
Tommy Searle finished sixth in the first race and he crossed the finish line third in the second one, but he was penalized with ten positions as he did not respect a waved yellow flag. The British rider was down in the thirteenth place, so he obtained an overall tenth position.
Steven Frossard, who won the qualifying race yesterday, finished eighth in the first race and he was forced to retire in the second one because he cut his left arm in a crash while he was riding seventh. All in all the French rider is satisfied with his performance this weekend and he is already looking forward to racing in Latvia next weekend in order to try to finish among the top five riders.
Evgeny Bobryshev was really confident for this weekend but in the first race he was also forced to enter the pit lane as he twisted his injured ankle and he could not stand the pain. The exams on his ankle showed that there was nothing broken, so the Russian decided to take part in the second race, but he felt that there was a problem on the bike and he decided to stop.
MX1 Race 1 top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 39:17.944; 2. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), +0:06.363; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:12.605; 4. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:14.381; 5. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:16.738; 6. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:26.765; 7. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:28.030; 8. Steven Frossard (FRA, Yamaha), +0:34.768; 9. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:48.040; 10. Davide Guarneri (ITA, KTM), +0:57.531;
MX1 Race 2 top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 39:42.231; 2. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:01.399; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:03.749; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:19.796; 5. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:26.109; 6. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:35.125; 7. Xavier Boog (FRA, KTM), +0:38.596; 8. Davide Guarneri (ITA, KTM), +0:41.299; 9. David Philippaerts (ITA, Honda), +0:54.992; 10. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), +1:00.509;
MX1 Overall top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 50 points; 2. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 40 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 40 p.; 4. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), 33 p.; 5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 32 p.; 6. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), 32 p.; 7. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), 27 p.; 8. Xavier Boog (FRA, KTM), 24 p.; 9. Davide Guarneri (ITA, KTM), 24 p.; 10. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 23 p.;
MX1 Championship top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 467 points; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 398 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 374 p.; 4. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 359 p.; 5. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), 298 p.; 6. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 289 p.; 7. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), 253 p.; 8. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), 237 p.; 9. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), 180 p.; 10. Davide Guarneri (ITA, KTM), 169 p.;
MX1 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 476 points; 2. Kawasaki, 402 p.; 3. Suzuki, 400 p.; 4. Honda, 316 p.; 5. Yamaha, 174 p.; 6. TM, 146 p.;
— MX2
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings did not have an easy weekend in Uddevalla, but he achieved his goal once again and he obtained another overall win, the first one in Sweden. The red plate holder crashed in the first corner of race one and he had to push all the way through the last position to finish third. In the second moto Herlings took the lead from José Butrón after two laps and he dominated the race until the chequered flag, but his overall victory depended on his teammate result. In the end Jordi Tixier finished second ahead of Christophe Charlier, who had won the first race, and Herlings was once again on the first step of the podium.
Monster Energy Yamaha’s Christophe Charlier was about to win the Swedish Grand Prix after dominating the first moto and finishing third in the second one. The French rider obtained the Get Athena Holeshot in the first race and he crossed the finish line almost eight seconds ahead of Jake Nicholls, who finished second. In the second moto Charlier started sixth but in the first lap he managed to move up two positions and by lap seven he was already third behind Jordi Tixier. However, the Monster Energy Yamaha rider found it really difficult to overtake his compatriot and he had to settle down with the third position which gave him the final second place in the Grand Prix. At the end of the day Charlier was very satisfied with his result, especially because today he obtained his first ever victory in the FIM MX2 World Championship.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jordi Tixier was back on the podium this weekend thanks to his 4-2 result. In the first race his KTM stopped in the first corner but he managed to restart it very quickly and he was fifth in the first lap. The French rider succeeded to move up to the third position but in the last lap Herlings overtook him. In the second moto he knew that he had to finish second to help his teammate finish on the top of the podium and it was actually such motivation which helped him give his best and he crossed the finish line behind Herlings and Tixier obtained an overall third place.
Wilvo Nestaan JM Racing KTM’s Jake Nicholls finished fourth overall this weekend and he was only two points away to finish on the podium. In the first race he started third behind José Butrón but after four laps he managed to pass him and he cross the finish line second. In the final race he was sixth after the start and he managed to move up to fourth, but Alessandro Lupino was coming really fast from behind and Nicholls had to settle down with the fifth place.
CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy Pro Circuit’s Alessandro Lupino was fifth overall today and he was not really satisfied with his result as he was expecting to finish on the podium because his speed was one of the best ones in the MX2 class. The Italian did not have good starts today and whereas in the first moto he was down in the fourteenth place, in the second one he was ninth. Lupino made two incredible recoveries and he crossed the finish line sixth and fourth to finish fifth overall.
Dean Ferris had a really good start in the first heat and he managed to ride third by the middle of the race, but the Australian could not keep the rhythm and he crossed the finish line fifth. In the second race Ferris was tenth after the start but thanks to his good speed he was able to move up to sixth which gave him also the sixth overall place in the Grand Prix.
Alexander Tonkov was not able to start at the front in today’s races and he finished seventh overall with a 7-8 result. José Butrón, who rode second during the first four laps of race one and led the first two laps of the second race, did not feel comfortable in the Swedish track and he was only able to cross the finish line ninth and seventh. The Spanish rider ended eighth overall ahead of Glenn Coldenhoff and Mel Pocock.
MX2 Race 1 top ten: 1. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), 39:24.898; 2. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +0:07.546; 3. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:10.583; 4. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +0:11.189; 5. Dean Ferris (AUS, Yamaha), +0:27.543; 6. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), +0:32.873; 7. Alexander Tonkov (RUS, Honda), +0:35.005; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:40.106; 9. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +0:49.967; 10. Mel Pocock (GBR, Yamaha), +0:58.803;
MX2 Race 2 top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 39:28.573; 2. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +0:12.981; 3. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), +0:16.220; 4. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), +0:19.437; 5. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +0:31.339; 6. Dean Ferris (AUS, Yamaha), +0:36.060; 7. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +0:37.260; 8. Alexander Tonkov (RUS, Honda), +0:37.853; 9. Romain Febvre (FRA, KTM), +0:47.572; 10. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:48.908;
MX2 Overall top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 45 points; 2. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), 45 p.; 3. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 40 p.; 4. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 38 p.; 5. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), 33 p.; 6. Dean Ferris (AUS, Yamaha), 31 p.; 7. Alexander Tonkov (RUS, Honda), 27 p.; 8. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 26 p.; 9. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 22 p.; 10. Mel Pocock (GBR, Yamaha), 21 p.;
MX2 Championship top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 492 points; 2. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 363 p.; 3. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 311 p.; 4. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), 306 p.; 5. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 282 p.; 6. Dean Ferris (AUS, Yamaha), 256 p.; 7. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 252 p.; 8. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), 232 p.; 9. Max Anstie (GBR, Suzuki), 215 p.; 10. Mel Pocock (GBR, Yamaha), 179 p.;
MX2 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 497 points; 2. Yamaha, 355 p.; 3. Kawasaki, 301 p.; 4. Suzuki, 239 p.; 5. Honda, 214 p.; 6. TM, 37 p.; 7. Husqvarna, 1 p.;
MXGP SWEDEN – QUICK FACTS
Circuit length: 1557m
Type of ground: hard pack
Temperature: 24° C
Weather conditions: Sunny
Crowd attendance: 22000
NEXT GP
There is no break in the FIM Motocross World Championship and the eleventh Grand Prix will take place next weekend in Kegums, Latvia. During the same weekend the EMX250 riders will take part in the fourth round of the European series and the EMX125 class will also be present in Latvia for their third round of the series.
— Yamaha Report
Fantastic moto win and podium for Charlier
Christophe Charlier marked a small milestone in his career in front of 22,000 spectators at Uddevalla for the Grand Prix of Sweden by winning the first moto and collecting his second podium finish of the 2013 FIM Motocross World Championship. The Corsican guided his works YZ250FM to second place overall under blue skies at the tenth round of seventeen and the circuit 80km north of Gothenburg.
Charlier became just the second rider this season to defeat world champion Jeffrey Herlings and grabbed the chequered flag in confident style by defending a gap ahead of Jake Nicholls in the first MX2 race of the day across a dry, bumpy and slippery Swedish soil. In the second outing ‘23’ again started well and slotted into third place. For long phases of the 35 minute and 2 lap distance Charlier tried to narrow the gap to Jordi Tixier and overtaking the Frenchman would have given the Yamaha man his maiden overall GP win but Charlier couldn’t get close and wisely elected not to take any risks. The former European Champion’s speed has been catching the eye for several rounds but he has been missing a spark away from the start gate. Some tests and engine modifications by the team before the Grand Prix paid dividends and Charlier could now be a force to be reckoned with for the second half of the
campaign.
Admirable supporting cast roles were filled by Dean Ferris and Mel Pocock, sixth and tenth positions overall respectively. Ferris was sprightly out of the gate and forced himself into the top five in both motos. The Australian was unable to keep consistent with his lap-times which saw him distanced from the chase for the podium but he sealed 5th in the first moto. He had to judge the gap to Jose Butron and Alex Tonkov in the closing stages of the second race but a powerful attack in the last two laps allowed the Qatari podiumee to rise to 6th.
Pocock was 10th at the first time of asking but a superb start elevated him to the top four and he held his ground for the first third of the moto before settling into a comfortable pace and scoring 11th. Maxime Desprey was two ranks behind in the same race. The French rookie was happier with his performance compared to an earlier finish of 14th where he struggled to effectively set his pace across the forty minutes.
In the World Championship standings Charlier has closed ground on Butron and his goal of breaching the top three. He is fourth by just five points behind the Spaniard. Ferris is sixth and 26 points from the top five. Pocock holds tenth and Desprey fifteenth.
Christophe Charlier
“I am very happy with this Grand Prix. A good start meant I could get in the lead and it was fantastic to win my first moto. I started fifth in the second race and came back to third. The track was very difficult today but I’m really satisfied. My concentration suffered a little bit when I was behind Jordi but the position was enough. This result is good for my confidence. The team have been working a lot on the bike and I’ve been working on my physical condition. I’m happy and want to thank everybody who has believed in me.”
Dean Ferris – “I had good speed but I struggled to do it all the time. I got a decent start in the first one but dropped back to fifth with Tixier and then suffered a bit with inconsistency, then my start was terrible in moto two. I came through OK but everybody was running such a fast pace because the track was flat. I ran out of roll-off and with about fifteen minutes to go I somehow had to work out how to get around Butron and Tonkov. I sat back for a while and got stuck in a rhythm but when I saw the two lap board I pinned it past both of them, so that was good. I felt good physically the bike was working well after a bit of testing during the week. It is not the best result but was kinda solid. I felt I was riding OK so I’m pretty happy.”
Mel Pocock – “In the first race we had a bit of a misfire on the bike and it was a bit sketchy on the jumps. I settled back to tenth but I feel that is pretty much my position at the moment. I had a good start in the next race and I gave it 110% to stay with the boys. I think I peaked too early! I did the best I could and rode to eleventh and it good experience to run at that speed. I can build on these two solid races.”
Maxime Desprey – “My starts were not too bad. I lost my momentum in the middle of the first moto and that was not good. I wasn’t so happy and it meant I was fourteenth. I was pleased with the second moto because I was fighting with faster guys higher up the leaderboard and I improved my pace. I need to work on my mid-race speed.”
Monster Energy Yamaha were able to leave the Grand Prix of Sweden at the Uddevalla circuit pleased to see Steven Frossard making his first steps back to form and race fitness. The Frenchman scored an impressive pole position on Saturday and then took 8th position in the first moto across a slick and bumpy terrain for the tenth round of seventeen in the FIM Motocross World Championship.
The former MX1-GP championship runner-up returned to the premier class in emphatic style around a very technical course on Saturday. Frossard – a previous winner at Uddevalla in 2010 and 2011 – led the world to pole position around a wet and slick soil on the YZ450FM. Sunday dawned sunny and dry and the track was duly transformed into a hard-pack and rutty surface.
Frossard wasn’t able to count on the holeshot for the first 35 minute and 2 lap moto and felt his way into the race by running in the mid top ten. Some arm-pump and one or two mistakes were natural consequences of missing seven rounds of GP action. After taking 8th place he was again searching for another solid finish in the second moto but a small crash led to an elbow scrape and he withdrew from proceedings.
Joel Roelants was a non-starter on Sunday. The Belgian had to throw away his goggles during the wet qualification race on Saturday and was smacked in the right eye by a rock and the injury required medical attention and a hospital visit. The impact caused internal bruising and left ‘34’ with blurry vision and clearly in no condition to compete, although doctors expect the situation to clear up in several days.
The Grand Prix of Latvia will take place at the Kegums circuit for the fifth year in a row this coming weekend for round eleven.
Steven Frossard – “I had a good day yesterday with the holeshot and it was easy to stay in front for the pole position. Today it didn’t really work out like that. In the first moto the start was bad and I didn’t have a great feeling. Physically I was fine but I had some arm-pump and concentrated on keeping my position. It was difficult on this track and I made some mistakes. Anyway I was happy to finish and come out with some decent points. I was in second at the start of the second moto but on the first lap somebody block-passed me off the track. Later I had a small crash while I was seventh. Again I didn’t feel great out there but I’m happy with my speed and step-by-step I will be better. My confidence is there.”
Joel Roelants – “I had to take off the goggles and a rock hit me in the eye like a cannonball. We had to go to hospital and there was damage to the eye and bruising behind the pupil. My vision is really blurry so I was not cleared to race. The doctors say that the eye is a quick-healing part of the body and it already feels better than it did yesterday. They said it should be alright in five days and I hope I will be in the paddock in Latvia.”
— Rockstar Energy Suzuki MX1 Report
Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1 departed reasonably content from a 22,000-packed Uddevalla circuit after Clement Desalle took his factory RM-Z450 to third position overall for his seventh podium of the season.
The 10th round of 17 in the FIM Motocross World Championship finally took place in good weather conditions after a cold and wet climate on the first day of the meeting threatened to create a heavy mud race. The Grand Prix of Sweden provided a bumpy and slick course for the two 35 minute and two-lap motos and was a tricky stage for Desalle to spray champagne for the fifth time in the last six events.
After taking a steady second position in the qualification heat on Saturday the Belgian was again a constant figure at the starts on Sunday. He struggled to find his speed initially in the first sprint and across a terrain that rarely yielded more than a single line. Desalle tried to close the gap to Max Nagl for second position but eventually ran into some trouble with backmarkers and accepted his 14th top-three finish from 19 motos. He was initially submerged in the pack around the first corner of the second race but some decent attacks in the first two laps brought him up to fourth and behind Tommy Searle. A duel erupted for the duration with Desalle continually probing for a way into third place. He would be frustrated by the finish line but a penalisation for Searle through jumping while yellow flags were waved dropped the Briton down the ranking and the Suzuki man ended the day 3-3 for third on the box.
Across the awning Kevin Strijbos continued to enjoy contrasting fortunes in the motos. The Belgian struggled through the first dash as he tried to find the most effective lines after a poor start. He was disappointed with ninth, but was then more prominent in the second race after getting out of the start gate with more momentum. With Searle’s penalty, the 28 year old took sixth in the classification for seventh overall on the day.
The picture in the MX1 standings sees Desalle in third position and 24 points behind Gautier Paulin. Strijbos is fifth and nine ahead of Searle. Rockstar Energy Suzuki WMX1 has completed the first of three back-to-back events and now travels east to the Kegums circuit near the city of Riga for the Grand Prix of Latvia next weekend.
Clement Desalle: “I’m not so happy with the result. In the first moto I struggled to find my lines and it was a difficult time. I made some mistakes and it was only in the last 15 minutes that I could really step-it-up. Unfortunately I lost a lot of time in one corner because of lapped riders, so it was not the best moto for me. Second one…my start was not great but I came back to fourth quickly and spent the whole race behind Searle. It was a little bit frustrating and I don’t have the best feeling about this GP. All my work didn’t really pay off in terms of the results. It is good to be on the podium but I expected more and want to do better in the next GP.”
Kevin Strijbos: “A little bit up and down again. The first race was bad; a bad start. I came through the pack quite well, just like yesterday, but got stuck behind Davide Guarneri halfway and then had some arm-pump! I had to slow a bit and that was it. I wasn’t happy at all. I made a better start in the second race but ran a bit wide on the first corner. It was difficult at the beginning and I couldn’t find my lines or speed. Once Max [Nagl] passed me I was finally able to get a good rhythm. I crashed when the front washed away but finished seventh. So overall not great, but I have to take it. I don’t know what is wrong with the first motos but the second races are giving me a better feeling. I need to try and put two good performances together. The speed is there but the starts and little crashes are obviously not helping.”
— KTM Report
The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team riders were in winning form on Sunday for the MXGP of Sweden picking up wins in both MX1 and MX2, with all four KTM factory riders on the podium and with Antonio Cairoli and Jeffrey Herlings picking up two more red plates as championship leaders.
It was a particularly special occasion for Tony Cairoli who raced two near perfect motos to claim his sixtieth career GP victory but even better, to dispel the memory of 2012 where here in Uddevalla he picked up a very rare double DNF. He was blameless on both counts but left Sweden on that occasion without adding to his points. Not so this year, when the Italian added another 50 to his already impressive lead in the championship.
Rain had churned up the track into a near swamp on Saturday for qualifying but on Sunday the sun came out both on the track and on the KTM factory team. The result could hardly have been better. Cairoli and teammate Ken de Dycker were 1-2 in MX1 and Herlings and teammate Jordi Tixier finished 1-3 in MX2.
Tony Cairoli: “Last year was one of the worst GPs of my career and this year one of the best, with winning my sixtieth GP. Everything was perfect. I didn’t risk too much in qualifying because of my knee injury in the last GP but today I was riding well, I got the holeshots and I could control the race.”
Ken de Dycker: “Things are getting better for me. I have been doing a lot of training with the bike during the week and I am feeling very good and very relaxed. Now we want to focus on these three GPs (Sweden, Latvia and Finland) in a row and we want to win a lot of points.”
But while Cairoli was the master of the deeply rutted track in both MX1 motos, Herlings kept his clean score card of winning every GP so far this season to a large degree thanks to a great effort in the second moto by his teammate Jordi Tixier, a fact fully acknowledged by the Dutch teenager after the race.
Herlings crashed in to opening lap of his first moto when he ran into the bank at the side of the track amid multiple riders jockeying for position. He scrambled back on the bike but was stranded back at twenty-first position with everything to do to make it to the front. Undeterred, Herlings put down the hammer on his KTM 250 SX-F and six laps into the race he was up to eighth place. He then concentrated on salvaging his best possible result and finally finished third behind Christophe Charlier and KTM rider Jake Nichols. Teammate Tixier was fourth.
This put Jeffrey in a tricky position for the second moto. He had to win and he had to count on Tixier holding off Charlier to finish no better than third. The result was perfect teamwork from the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing duo. Jeffrey did the business and comfortably won race two, but it was perhaps Tixier who was the KTM hero of the day after he delivered on holding off Charlier. The podium: Herlings took the top step, Charlier was second and Tixier a very well deserved third.
Jeffrey Herlings: “I managed to fight back after I crashed in the first moto but I needs a little luck in the second moto from my teammate. But I was riding good and I had fast lap times. I’m happy because this is my first win in Sweden.”
Jordi Tixier: “It was a good weekend for me. I got two good starts but in the opening moto I didn’t feel so good for the first 15 minutes and I had a gap to Charlier and Nichols. Then Jeffrey passed me in the last lap. In the second moto I almost got the holeshot but I braked a bit too early. I had a good flight with Burton and it was good to be third today.
To round off a great day for KTM in Uddevalla, Swiss rider Valentin Guillod and Damon Graulus of Belgium also took 1-2 in round 3 of the EMX250. “It was good to win again but here it was not easy. It was difficult to pass because there was only one line and it was very slippery.” EMX250 races again next week in Kegums Latvia.
— HRC Report
A twenty-two thousand crowd packed the rocky hillside next to the slippery Uddevalla circuit to see Antonio Cairoli win the Grand Prix of Sweden – his sixtieth career success – and the tenth round of seventeen in the FIM Motocross World Championship today. Honda World Motocross team’s Max Nagl equalled his best moto finish yet on the factory CRF450R with second position in the first outing but the German could not avoid two crashes in the next race and completed the day with fourth place overall.
Heavy rain on Saturday meant a slimy and slippery surface for practice and qualification but a strong breeze and sunshine dried the terrain significantly for Sunday’s race programme. As is the norm with the old and traditional course at Uddevalla, overtaking was tricky with many braking bumps, some deep ruts and one fast line in the majority of the corners, it was a track that varied in grip and the degree of its technical difficulty.
Nagl said that he enjoyed the conditions and it was easy to see why in the first thirty-five minute and two lap dash. A great start and solid race-rhythm allowed ‘12’ to circulate behind Cairoli in a processional affair and equal the runner-up slot he forged in Brazil. With expectation raised for a first podium of 2013 and on the factory machine Nagl was unlucky to tangle with Jeremy Van Horebeek out of the gate and then had to battle back from two small crashes to try and reach the top ten. A cautious approach finally led to a classification of tenth after Tommy Searle was penalised for jumping through yellow flags and the silverware and champagne remains on ice; even if it does come closer with every passing Grand Prix.
The former world championship runner-up’s team mate, Evgeny Bobryshev, showed some fast speed in practice on Saturday but his day was ruined after twisting his right ankle in the formative stages of the first moto. It was the same area of the leg where the Russian had suffered a bone break earlier in the season and he had to withdraw immediately, whereupon x-rays revealed that no major damage had been done. Digesting some medicine, Bobryshev attempted the second sprint but couldn’t force his way through the right hard corners. In the wake of an engine stall through braking and not having the necessary strength to kickstart the bike ‘Bobby’ sustained his second DNF of the day.
David Philippaerts finished ninth overall with a twelve-nine scorecard at the venue where he crashed and picked-up a double wrist break last summer. The Gariboldi Honda rider admitted he was off the pace but saw the solid, if unspectacular, results, as part of the building process back to his full potential. The former world champion showed flashes of his GP winning speed back in Maggiora two weeks ago and is now focused on his goal of managing this more consistently.
Nagl remains seventh in the MX1 standings and is thirty-six points behind Tommy Searle. Philippaerts is eleventh while Bobryshev has dropped two slots to fourteenth. Round eleven of the 2013 FIM Motocross World Championship will take place next weekend at the loamy circuit of Kegums for the fifth running of the Grand Prix of Latvia.
Max Nagl Race Result: 2nd/10th Championship position: 7th
“I was feeling good before the second moto. My gate jump was OK but Jerry [Van Horebeek] was next to me and he had a load of wheelspin and slammed into me. We almost crashed together. The start was ‘done’ so I had to turn hard inside and lost a lot of places. I fought hard to come back to eighth and I had a little crash, nothing too bad, just losing the front wheel. The bike restarted really quickly, just one kick and it was running. I re-passed all the guys that I had done before and then crashed again. I have to admit that I was a bit destroyed after the first fall. The pressure was too much. Everybody – including me – was expecting the podium and maybe I pushed too hard and was too aggressive. A few times I was really close to a big crash and I had to close the throttle and finish the race. The track was really slippery; there were some dark spots that had some traction and white spots that were really slick. It was not easy but I enjoyed riding it. I will try to remember the first heat where I got into second behind Tony and made a good rhythm. We pulled out some time on Desalle and the others behind and I was really happy about it. I was so pumped to go for that podium this weekend but in the end I couldn’t make it happen.”
Evgeny Bobryshev: Race Result: DNF/DNF Championship position: 14th
“It was a bit of a disaster really. The day started well because warm-up was good and the track was fine. In the first race I had a good start and was top five and fought with Frossard in the beginning. I then stepped on the ground in a corner and my foot was slightly up. I hit it hard and twisted it. It is the same one I broke and I felt a crack. It is not 100% and I had a lot of pain in that moment. I really thought I had broken it and was almost weeping in agony. After fifteen minutes I was able to take a few breaths and then an x-ray showed it was OK. I was given some pain-killers and tried to go out for the second race. My start wasn’t good and I was battling in the pack. I couldn’t really ride and in the right corners I was suffering. I was like a novice and struggled to turn. Fortunately it is nothing serious but then the bike stopped and I couldn’t restart; it is another weekend to forget. I just want to really thank all of the team because they are really behind me and tell me to keep my head up. I don’t know what more I can say.”
David Philippaerts: Race Result: 12th/9th Championship position: 11th
“I’m not happy with today…or my speed. I didn’t like the track and was always two seconds off the pace both today and yesterday. I was too slow. We worked anyway to make a good race. Physically I am OK but I need to work and train more because two years with injury takes some time to forget and to get back to a peak. We can also work a bit more on the bike; so there is more to come from us. We have two more races in a row now, so I hope for better.”
— Qualifying – Impressive pole for Frossard in Uddevalla
Day one of the Swedish Grand Prix started with some dark clouds and right after the first free practices it started to rain heavily. The track conditions changed significantly and even if it stopped raining by the middle of the MX2 qualifying race, the riders found the track really demanding. Jeffrey Herlings obtained his fourth pole today, but the big surprise of the day was the strong comeback of Steven Frossard who dominated the whole MX1 qualifying race.
The EMX250 riders took part in the Semi Final heats this morning and whereas the red plate holder Valentin Guillod dominated Group A race, Jeremy Seewer obtained a comfortable victory in Group B heat.
— MX1
Monster Energy Yamaha’s Steven Frossard was finally back today in the FIM Motocross World Championship after having missed most of the season due to knee and a foot injury, but he could not have a better comeback, as he dominated the qualifying race since the very beginning. The French rider has been training really hard to do well this weekend and even if he felt some pain during the sighting lap, once the gate dropped he gave it all and nobody could stopped him to win the race. Frossard admitted that it might be very difficult for him to keep a good rhythm during both heats tomorrow, but his goal is to finish among the top three best riders.
The second position of the MX1 qualifying race was for Rockstar Energy Suzuki World’s Clement Desalle, who had obtained the best lap time in the pre-qualifying practice. The Belgian rider really likes the Swedish track but he found it hard to overtake Frossard even if he was riding faster than the French rider in the beginning of the heat. Desalle admitted that he was happy with his riding but after the race he made some more changes in the settings of his engine in order to make sure he obtains a good result tomorrow, as he did last year in Uddevalla.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Ken De Dycker started the heat fourth behind Shaun Simpson, but after four laps the Belgian rider managed to move up to the third position. Once De Dycker overtook the British rider, both Frossard and Desalle had already opened a big gap, so the KTM rider decided to ride safe and ensure a good gate pick for tomorrow.
The fourth position was for Shaun Simpson who is racing with JK SKS Gebben Yamaha this weekend – the British rider and TM Ricci Racing agreed on working separately from now until the end of the season. Simpson has proved today that he has adapted really fast to his new Yamaha because he has obtained the best result of the season.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli was one of the first ones to reach the first corner after the start of the qualifying race, but after a couple of corners he was down in the fifth position. As the track conditions were really demanding the Italian decided to ride safe and not to risk too much and he rode a consistent moto in the fifth place. Cairoli admitted that he has no pain on the knee anymore and he is really confident for tomorrow’s races as it is expected to be sunny.
Jeremy Van Horebeek did also a solid race in fifth, as well as Max Nagl and Evgeny Bobryshev who crossed the finish line sixth and seventh respectively. Tommy Searle rode ninth during the whole qualifying race whereas Kevin Strijbos starred in an incredible recovery from almost the last position up to the final tenth place.
Gautier Paulin started down in the tenth position and he was not able to overtake any rider. On top of that, by the end of the race a lapped rider took his line and the French rider crashed and Paulin crossed the finish line thirteenth. However, he is confident about tomorrow as the track conditions will be completely different if it stays dry.
Tanel Leok, who was back from a shoulder injury this weekend, struggled a little bit on the Swedish track. The Estonian crashed several times and he finished sixteenth, but he is really happy to be back racing with TM and he expects to obtain good results with his new team in this second half of the season.
MX1 Qualifying Race top ten: 1. Steven Frossard (FRA, Yamaha), 25:52.034; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:03.920; 3. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:26.789; 4. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:28.746; 5. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:30.587; 6. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:31.863; 7. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), +0:33.421; 8. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:35.722; 9. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:38.585; 10. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:48.326;
— MX2
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings succeeded to have a good start in today’s qualifying race and he dominated the heat until the chequered flag. The Dutch rider admitted that even if he won with twelve seconds difference with the second classified he found the track really demanding due to the heavy rain at the beginning of the race. Herlings hopes to have a dry race tomorrow and try to obtain his maiden Grand Prix victory in Uddevalla.
CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy Pro Circuit’s Alessandro Lupino found himself really comfortable today in Uddevalla and after obtaining the second fastest lap time in the pre-qualifying practice he managed to ride second during the whole qualifying heat. The Italian rode close to Herlings in the beginning of the race and he even clinched the fastest lap of the race in his fifth lap, but Lupino could not follow Herlings’ rhythm and crossed the finish line twelve second behind the Dutch rider.
Third in today’s qualifying race was Monster Energy Yamaha’s Christophe Charlier; the French rider started right behind Lupino and he pushed really hard to overtake him, but a problem with his goggles in the early stages of the race forced him to ride safe in the third place.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jordi Tixier started fourth behind Lupino and Charlier and even if he tried to follow their lines and keep together with the front group, he lost some ground and had to settle down with the fourth place. The French rider is looking forward to tomorrow’s races because if it is sunny as it has been forecasted, he is confident he can ride for a podium finish.
Monster Energy Yamaha’s Dean Ferris had a good start in fifth and after three laps he made a mistake and dropped down two positions. However, he managed to get back quickly to his Yamaha and he recuperated his speed and overtook his teammate Mel Pocok and José Butrón to cross the finish line fifth.
José Butrón did not feel really comfortable today at the Swedish track and he crossed the finish line sixth, but he is also positive for tomorrow and he will give it all to defend his third position in the championship. Romain Febvre did not have a good start, but he managed to move from tenth to seventh and Glenn Coldenhoff also succeeded to improve his initial eleventh position to finish eighth.
Norwegian Even Heibye obtained his best race result of the season by crossing the finish line ninth ahead of British Mel Pocock. After a good start in eighth Jake Nicholls had some difficulties to keep his rhythm and he could only finish eleventh, and the same happened to Alexander Tonkov who obtained an eventual twelfth place.
MX2 Qualifying Race top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 24:20.940; 2. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), +0:12.729; 3. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), +0:22.673; 4. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +0:35.227; 5. Dean Ferris (AUS, Yamaha), +0:49.049; 6. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +0:58.165; 7. Romain Febvre (FRA, KTM), +1:01.897; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +1:03.176; 9. Even Heibye (NOR, KTM), +1:06.297; 10. Mel Pocock (GBR, Yamaha), +1:12.901;
MXGP SWEDEN – QUICK FACTS
Circuit length: 1557m
Type of ground: hard pack
— FIM MX1/MX2 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, ROUND 09, SUNDAY JUNE 16 MAGGIORA, ITALY
— Circuit length: 1520m – Type of ground: hard pack – Temperature: 28° C
— Weather conditions: Sunny – Crowd attendance: 38000
— Paulin clinches sensational victory in Maggiora
The main races of the Grand Prix of Italy took place today at the emblematic track of Maggiora, which was packed with 38000 spectators. The crowd was outstanding and they supported their home riders until the very last lap. However, Antonio Cairoli finished third overall as Gautier Paulin conquered the podium and his teammate Ken De Dycker finished second. In the MX2 class Jeffrey Herlings was first and José Butrón second, but it was Alessandro Lupino’s third place that made the crowd go crazy.
Before the MX1 and MX2 races started, the MX3 and WMX took part in their final races, and while Klemen Gercar obtained the overall victory after his 2-2 result, Chiara Fontanesi dominated both heats with great authority.
— MX1
Kawasaki Racing Team’s Gautier Paulin obtained his third GP victory this weekend after finishing second in the first race behind Clement Desalle and winning the second heat from the likes of Antonio Cairoli. It was not an easy win for the French rider, but he managed to keep the lead until the finish line even having the home rider racing right behind his rear wheel during the last three laps. Paulin was visibly emotional on the podium and he admitted that such victory was the perfect reward for all the effort he puts for improving every Grand Prix.
The second overall position was for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Ken De Dycker whose last podium had been in the Italian track of Arco di Trento in April. The Belgian rider felt really well on the track today and he managed to take two good starts and ride two consistent motos. De Dycker obtained a comfortable second position in the first race and in the second one he rode second during the first half of the heat, but he could not stop Cairoli to pass him.
Home rider Antonio Cairoli could not finish on the top of the podium this weekend but he was very proud of the crowd that packed Maggiora and cheered for him until the very last moment. The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider started leading the first race but he made a mistake, crashed and twisted the knee he had injured in 2008. Suddenly Cairoli felt some pain, but after some laps he managed to recover the rhythm and moved up to third. However, he made another mistake and dropped two positions to finally finish fourth. Cairoli had to tape his knee to start the second race and he needed around fifteen minutes to warm up his knee and be able to push. The Italian overtook his teammate De Dycker and he quickly gave charge to Paulin, but despite being really close to pass him, he had to settle down with the second position, which gave him the final third overall result.
Kawasaki Racing Team’s Jeremy Van Horebeek gave another step forward today in Maggiora obtaining his best result of the season in fourth. The Belgian rider started fifth in both heats and he was able to ride two consistent motos until the finish line.
Honda World Motocross’ Max Nagl did not have a good jump off the gate in the first race but he managed to find a good rhythm and he moved from tenth to sixth. In the second race the German succeeded to start with the front group, but after a couple of laps he had a problem with his front wheel and he started dropping positions. In the end the Honda rider was able to finish sixth again which gave him the fifth overall position in the Grand Prix.
Kevin Strijbos was fourth after the start of the first race and he moved up to third when Cairoli crashed in the second lap. However, the Belgian could not keep the rhythm and he finished seventh. In the second race Strijbos started down in fifteenth but he made a great recovery and crossed the finish line seventh to finish sixth in the Grand Prix.
Tommy Searle was expecting to finish among the top five today but two poor starts made him finish seventh overall, ahead of home rider Davide Guarneri and Xavier Boog.
Clement Desalle started behind Cairoli in the first race and when the Italian crashed, the Suzuki rider took the lead and he kept it until the chequered flag. In the second race Desalle had a mechanical problem on his bike and he could not finish the race, so in the end he obtained a final tenth place.
Russian Evgeny Bobryshev was a bit disappointed with his twelfth overall position, as he had really good feelings yesterday in the qualifying race. Bobryshev crashed a couple of times in the first race and he made a small mistake in the second one when he was riding close to the front group. In the end he crossed the finish line eleventh.
Billy Mackenzie achieved his goal today by finishing fifteenth after obtaining a 16-14 result.
Home rider Philippaerts, who hit heavily his eye yesterday in a crash during the qualifying race, decided to try to race the first moto, but an early crash made him decide to retire. Philippaerts was very disappointed for not having been able to obtain a good result in front of his crowd, especially after having raced second in yesterday’s qualifying race.
MX1 Race 1 top ten: 1. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 39:15.768; 2. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:07.677; 3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:12.885; 4. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:18.838; 5. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:24.491; 6. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), +0:27.572; 7. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:54.258; 8. Xavier Boog (FRA, KTM), +0:55.629; 9. Davide Guarneri (ITA, KTM), +1:03.755; 10. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +1:05.871;
MX1 Race 2 top ten: 1. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 40:06.399; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:10.337; 3. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:30.330; 4. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:38.201; 5. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:41.906; 6. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), +0:54.265; 7. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:57.269; 8. Davide Guarneri (ITA, KTM), +1:30.183; 9. Xavier Boog (FRA, KTM), +1:31.308; 10. Milko Potisek (FRA, Yamaha), +1:33.087;
MX1 Overall top ten: 1. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 45 points; 2. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 42 p.; 3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 40 p.; 4. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), 34 p.; 5. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), 30 p.; 6. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), 28 p.; 7. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 27 p.; 8. Davide Guarneri (ITA, KTM), 25 p.; 9. Xavier Boog (FRA, KTM), 25 p.; 10. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 25 p.;
MX1 Championship top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 417 points; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 366 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 334 p.; 4. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 319 p.; 5. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), 271 p.; 6. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 266 p.; 7. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), 220 p.; 8. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), 205 p.; 9. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), 180 p.; 10. David Philippaerts (ITA, Honda), 145 p.;
MX1 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 426 points; 2. Kawasaki, 368 p.; 3. Suzuki, 360 p.; 4. Honda, 282 p.; 5. Yamaha, 151 p.; 6. TM, 130 p.;
— MX2
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings started fourth in the first race and it was not until half way through the heat that the Dutch rider overtook Tonkov and gave charge to José Butrón who was leading the race at that point. After one lap Herlings took the lead and kept it until the end of the race. In the second moto Herlings started behind Tonkov, but this time the red plate holder overtook him quickly and kept a good rhythm until the end.
KTM Silver Action’s José Butrón felt really comfortable today in the Italian track, especially because he is used to high temperatures and hard pack tracks like the one in Maggiora. The Spanish rider missed the holeshot of the first race, but Alexander Tonkov made a mistake when he was leading and the Spanish rider took the lead. However, Herlings was coming really fast from behind and Butrón dropped down to second; Tonkov passed the Spaniard back, but with two laps to go Butrón passed him back and crossed the finish line second. In the second race his start was not that good but he managed to obtain a consistent fifth place which gave him the overall second position.
Home rider Lupino was one of the protagonists of the Italian Grand Prix making the crowd go crazy in the second race. The Italian had finished sixth in the first race after a poor start, but in the second one he started third. The CLS MX2 Kawasaki Monster Energy Pro Circuit rider rode third most of the race, but with two laps to go he gave it all, managed to overtake Tonkov and he finished on the third step of the podium.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jordi Tixier was really close today to be back on the podium, but in the end he had to settle down with the fourth place just one point behind Lupino. In the first race Tixier started seventh and he struggled to find a good rhythm, but by the middle of the race he moved up to fifth and with two laps to go he overtook Charlier. In the second race he had a similar start, but after six laps he was already fourth; the French rider gave it all to overtake Lupino and Tonkov, but in the end he crossed the finish line fourth.
Wilvo Neestan JM Racing KTM’s Jake Nicholls obtained an overall fifth position thanks to his 3-8 result. In the first race he had a good start and he rode a consistent moto in fourth until the chequered flag. In the end the British rider was third because Tonkov was disqualified. In the second race Nicholls was ninth at the start and he was only able to finish eighth, but he was fifth of the Grand Prix.
Christophe Charlier started around the ninth position in both motos and his 5-6 result gave him the overall sixth place. Dean Ferris was seventh and Petar Petrov and Glenn Coldenhoff were eighth and ninth respectively.
Alexander Tonkov, who won yesterday’s qualifying race, obtained the GET Athena Holeshot Award in the first heat and he also took the holeshot in the second race. However, he was a bit disappointed because he was only able to finish tenth overall even if he finished third in the second heat. The Russian was unclassified in the first race because he crashed in the final corner before the finish line.
MX2 Race 1 top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 39:45.247; 2. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +0:06.950; 3. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +0:10.783; 4. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +0:14.889; 5. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), +0:17.447; 6. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), +0:30.400; 7. Dean Ferris (AUS, Yamaha), +0:35.588; 8. Mel Pocock (GBR, Yamaha), +0:39.139; 9. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:42.273; 10. Petar Petrov (BUL, Yamaha), +0:43.331;
MX2 Race 2 top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 39:21.192; 2. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), +0:04.411; 3. Alexander Tonkov (RUS, Honda), +0:05.591; 4. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +0:05.835; 5. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +0:11.703; 6. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), +0:14.386; 7. Dean Ferris (AUS, Yamaha), +0:34.128; 8. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +0:39.106; 9. Petar Petrov (BUL, Yamaha), +0:44.669; 10. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:48.224;
MX2 Overall top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 50 points; 2. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 38 p.; 3. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), 37 p.; 4. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 36 p.; 5. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 33 p.; 6. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), 31 p.; 7. Dean Ferris (AUS, Yamaha), 28 p.; 8. Petar Petrov (BUL, Yamaha), 23 p.; 9. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 23 p.; 10. Alexander Tonkov (RUS, Honda), 20 p.;
MX2 Championship top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 447 points; 2. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 323 p.; 3. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 285 p.; 4. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), 261 p.; 5. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 260 p.; 6. Dean Ferris (AUS, Yamaha), 225 p.; 7. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 214 p.; 8. Max Anstie (GBR, Suzuki), 201 p.; 9. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), 199 p.; 10. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), 159 p.;
MX2 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 450 points; 2. Yamaha, 310 p.; 3. Kawasaki, 268 p.; 4. Suzuki, 225 p.; 5. Honda, 187 p.; 6. TM, 37 p.; 7. Husqvarna, 1 p.;
— MX3 – Gercar makes magic in Maggiora
After a great day’s racing yesterday the riders of the FIM Motocross MX3 World Championship lined up again this morning for race two. With the sun burning bright and temperatures averaging around 28 degrees Celsius the MX3 world championship heated up in more ways than one with Klemen Gercar scoring a consistent two times second place finish to take the overall victory here in magnificent Maggiora.
Fired up for race two was none other than the current MX3 world champion Matthias Walkner, after his fifth place result in race one Walkner responded with a massive holeshot in race two and then went on to lead the race unchallenged. Following Walkner around turn one was Martin Michek, Petr Smitka and Klemen Gercar.
Whilst in second Michek made a costly mistake on the opening lap which saw him drop outside the top ten handing the top positions over to Smitka and Gercar. Around lap three Klemen Gercar started charging for the second place, after two laps of nail biting action the red plate of Gercar eventually found a way around Smitka to finish second and take the MX3 round of Italy victory.
Meanwhile Frantisek Smola rode a comfortable race in fourth oblivious of the action that went on behind him as Gert Krestinov, Christian Brokel and a recovering Martin Michek engaged in a huge three way battle for fifth. While the racing remained close all the way to the flag, it was Gert Krestinov who held on for fifth followed by race one winner Martin Michek leaving Christian Brockel to finish seventh.
Taking his second consecutive overall victory Klemen Gercar stood top of the podium here at round five in Italy followed by Matthias Walkner in second and Martin Michek in third. Klemen Gercar will hold onto the red plate, eight points ahead of the defending champion Matthias Walkner in second.
MX3 Race 1 top ten: 1. Martin Michek (CZE, KTM), 34:50.576; 2. Klemen Gercar (SLO, Honda), +0:05.574; 3. Petr Smitka (CZE, Kawasaki), +0:08.783; 4. Christian Brockel (GER, KTM), +0:16.816; 5. Matthias Walkner (AUT, KTM), +0:21.903; 6. Frantisek Smola (CZE, KTM), +0:26.163; 7. Gert Krestinov (EST, Kawasaki), +0:33.915; 8. Ludvig Söderberg (FIN, Honda), +0:54.465; 9. Petr Bartos (CZE, KTM), +0:58.812; 10. Alain Schafer (SUI, Kawasaki), +1:00.484
MX3 Race 2 top ten: 1. Matthias Walkner (AUT, KTM), 34:13.488; 2. Klemen Gercar (SLO, Honda), +0:12.648; 3. Petr Smitka (CZE, Kawasaki), +0:17.212; 4. Frantisek Smola (CZE, KTM), +0:21.204; 5. Martin Michek (CZE, KTM), +0:24.707; 6. Gert Krestinov (EST, Kawasaki), +0:29.288; 7. Christian Brockel (GER, KTM), +0:45.174; 8. Petr Bartos (CZE, KTM), +0:56.311; 9. Alessandro Albertoni (ITA, Kawasaki), +1:01.195; 10. Alain Schafer (SUI, Kawasaki), +1:06.392
MX3 Overall top ten: 1. Klemen Gercar (SLO, Honda), 44 points; 2. Matthias Walkner (AUT, KTM), 41 p.; 3. Martin Michek (CZE, KTM), 41 p.; 4. Petr Smitka (CZE, Kawasaki), 40 p.; 5. Frantisek Smola (CZE, KTM), 33 p.; 6. Christian Brockel (GER, KTM), 32 p.; 7. Gert Krestinov (EST, Kawasaki), 29 p.; 8. Petr Bartos (CZE, KTM), 25 p.; 9. Ludvig Söderberg (FIN, Honda), 23 p.; 10. Alain Schafer (SUI, Kawasaki), 22 p
MX3 Championship top ten: 1. Klemen Gercar (SLO, Honda), 199 points; 2. Matthias Walkner (AUT, KTM), 191 p.; 3. Martin Michek (CZE, KTM), 182 p.; 4. Gert Krestinov (EST, Kawasaki), 172 p.; 5. Christian Brockel (GER, KTM), 118 p.; 6. Frantisek Smola (CZE, KTM), 107 p.; 7. Ludvig Söderberg (FIN, Honda), 100 p.; 8. Timur Muratov (RUS, KTM), 95 p.; 9. Pier Filippo Bertuzzo (ITA, Yamaha), 94 p.; 10. Petr Michalec (CZE, Honda), 77 p
— Womens MX
Sunlit clouds filled the blue skies of Maggiora for round three of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship. Despite the line up of strong contenders such as Australian women’s motocross champion Meghan Rutledge, British Ladies class champion Natalie Kane and ex WMX world champion Stephanie Laier there was no stopping Monster Energy Yamaha’s Chiara Fontanesi as she continues to take this season by storm, adding yet another double victory to her so far perfect season.
As the WMX lined up for race two it was safe to say the expectation was for Monster Energy Yamaha’s Chiara Fontanesi to take yet another victory here at her home round of Italy. While Fontanesi did win, it looked as though holeshot receiver Bud Racing Kawasaki’s Meghan Rutledge was in the prime position to show what she’s made of. Unfortunately for the young Australian Rutledge she couldn’t keep the bike on two wheels, crashing on the opening lap of the race and handing over the lead to the defending champion Chiara Fontanesi.
Meanwhile behind Fontanesi the race was heating up as HM Plant KTM UK’s Natalie Kane and Rabbit Racing Kawasaki’s Stephanie Laier engaged in a fierce battle for second. While the ex world champion Laier kept Kane honest she never ceased the opportunity to pass.
After leading every lap this weekend local hero Monster Energy Yamaha’s Chiara Fontanesi took the victory with a perfect 1-1 score. Standing on the second step of the podium was HM Plant KTM UK’s Natalie Kane with her 2-3 finishes followed by Rabbit Racing Kawasaki’s Stephanie Laier with her 3-4 score for third. After a fall in race two Bud Racing Kawasaki’s Meghan Rutledge managed to fight her way from outside the top twenty back to an outstanding ninth place allowing her to finish fourth overall with her 2-9 finishes. Francy Racing Team’s Francesca Norcera kept the Italian fans happy being the second Italian to finish inside the top five with her 8-4 results for fifth.
WMX Race 1 top ten: 1. Chiara Fontanesi (ITA, Yamaha), 25:24.646; 2. Meghan Kat Rutledge (AUS, Kawasaki), +0:04.428; 3. Stephanie Laier (GER, Kawasaki), +1:01.122; 4. Anne Borchers (GER, Suzuki), +1:22.857; 5. Justine Charroux (FRA, Yamaha), +1:24.415; 6. Natalie Kane (IRL, KTM), +1:29.019; 7. Gabriela Seisdedos (ESP, Kawasaki), +1:29.714; 8. Francesca Nocera (ITA, Suzuki), +1:31.193; 9. Marianne Veenstra (NED, KTM), +1:40.645; 10. Britt van der Wekken (NED, Honda), +1:42.796
WMX Race 2 top ten: 1. Chiara Fontanesi (ITA, Yamaha), 25:14.794; 2. Natalie Kane (IRL, KTM), +0:04.580; 3. Stephanie Laier (GER, Kawasaki), +0:05.043; 4. Francesca Nocera (ITA, Suzuki), +0:50.797; 5. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, Yamaha), +1:11.072; 6. Nina Klink (NED, KTM), +1:11.905; 7. Britt van der Wekken (NED, Honda), +1:12.249; 8. Marianne Veenstra (NED, KTM), +1:13.836; 9. Meghan Kat Rutledge (AUS, Kawasaki), +1:19.462; 10. Joanna Miller (POL, KTM), +1:21.843; 11. Anne Borchers (GER, Suzuki), +1:33.754
WMX Overall top ten: 1. Chiara Fontanesi (ITA, Yamaha), 50 points; 2. Stephanie Laier (GER, Kawasaki), 40 p.; 3. Natalie Kane (IRL, KTM), 37 p.; 4. Meghan Kat Rutledge (AUS, Kawasaki), 34 p.; 5. Francesca Nocera (ITA, Suzuki), 31 p.; 6. Anne Borchers (GER, Suzuki), 28 p.; 7. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, Yamaha), 26 p.; 8. Britt van der Wekken (NED, Honda), 25 p.; 9. Marianne Veenstra (NED, KTM), 25 p.; 10. Nina Klink (NED, KTM), 21 p
WMX Championship top ten: 1. Chiara Fontanesi (ITA, Yamaha), 150 points; 2. Meghan Kat Rutledge (AUS, Kawasaki), 118 p.; 3. Natalie Kane (IRL, KTM), 117 p.; 4. Stephanie Laier (GER, Kawasaki), 116 p.; 5. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, Yamaha), 82 p.; 6. Anne Borchers (GER, Suzuki), 76 p.; 7. Britt van der Wekken (NED, Honda), 73 p.; 8. Francesca Nocera (ITA, Suzuki), 63 p.; 9. Nina Klink (NED, KTM), 57 p.; 10. Justine Charroux (FRA, Yamaha), 53p
— Yamaha Report
Hot sunshine baked a massive crowd at Maggiora for the Grand Prix of Italy and Monster Energy Yamaha’s Christophe Charlier moved up to fourth position in the MX2-GP points table after a solid sixth position overall for what was a well-received ninth round of seventeen in the FIM Motocross World Championship. The majority of the 38,000 spectators (weekend figure) had reason to shout for FIM Women’s World Champion Kiara Fontanesi as the Italian comprehensively rode to her third double from three rounds in 2013 and a 100% perfect record so far on her YZ250F.
The Italian circuit enjoyed a Grand Prix reawakening as it welcomed the FIM series for the first time this century. The steep hills housed a typically hard-pack terrain but the corner ruts were still long, deep and hard and the bumps ensured a degree of technical challenge under high temperatures.
Charlier set the fastest lap in the second moto as he rode similar races; recovering ground from top ten starts to make some effective overtaking moves and registering 5th and 6th positions. The Corsican needs a little more aggression in the vital formative phases of the motos to vie for his second podium of the season but his consistency has become a strength and he now hold fourth in the championship; 24 points from his goal of reaching a top three slot.
Dean Ferris was less than two seconds from a second consecutive pole position on Saturday but was still able to enjoy the second pick in the gate for the 35 minute and 2 lap motos. The Australian had a problem with his front suspension in the first race that prevented him forcing a top five result; ending the distance in 7th. ‘111’ pushed in customary fashion in the next sprint and again breached the top seven with the same ranking. He is sixth in the MX2 table.
Mel Pocock was limping around the paddock with a sore right heel as a consequence of his accident at the French GP last week. The Briton lodged a decent top ten finish with 8th place at the first time of asking but suffered a big ‘one’ in the second moto descending one of the downhills and managed to arrive to the chequered flag in sixteenth and holds eleventh in the MX2 standings. Maxime Desprey was unlucky to suffer a mechanical glitch in the first race and then struggled to cope with the track after a mediocre start and registered just one point for 20th. The French youngster is fifteenth in his rookie GP term.
Maggiora also entertained round three of seven for the women and Kiara Fontanesi faced little opposition in her quest for a perfect first half of her FIM title defence. Maggiora went crazy for their local star and ‘Fonta’ responded in kind with a confident and error-free run to a memorable victory. She leads the standings by 32 points.
The Uddevalla circuit north of Gothenburg will once more host the Grand Prix of Sweden and round ten of the series on July 1st.
Christophe Charlier
“I’m pretty happy. Although I didn’t make the podium again my speed was fast here and I picked up good points to move up a place in the championship. I just need to work on the first parts of the motos and I know the really good results will come.”
Kiara Fontanesi
“When you win a GP it is always emotional. The emotion can be different each time but here in Italy it is special. I was doing the sighting lap and to see all the people cheering for me made me really happy. I’ve won again and that’s great because I want to push to win all of the rounds this year. I took two good starts and was riding safely and smoothly. All this motivates me and being here at Maggiora was important. It was so special to win here, in front of friends and all these people is even better.”
Dean Ferris
“In the first moto I had a few issues with the bike and was fighting the whole time. I finished seventh in that one. I had a terrible start in the second and then had my best first fifteen or twenty minutes of the year; I passed loads of guys coming through. I don’t know what happened then. The other boys might have stepped it up and I couldn’t really move with the rhythm I had. Everyone pulled away. Physically I feel fine and there aren’t any problems there. I think it was one of the better tracks we’ve had from the last few rounds and the times were close in qualifying. It was a bit disappointing to drop off the pace like that. I got more points than last week, so that’s a positive but my goal is to get a final podium position in the championship and I can’t keep riding like this in order to do that.”
Mel Pocock
“In the first race I managed to push through a little bit and reached eighth. I dropped off because of the heat at the end though. I was comfortably inside the top ten during the next race but I landed awkwardly on one of the downhills and the rear end skidded out. I came down pretty hard and I then struggled to get back into a rhythm. My heel is still sore and I really hope I can get it sorted out; I’m tired of riding injured.”
Maxime Desprey
“A hard weekend for me. We had an engine problem in the first moto and I didn’t finish. My start was not so bad in the second moto but my riding was not very fast or effective, so I feel a bit disappointed right now. The track wasn’t so easy, with many sharp bumps, but I guess this is part of racing.”
Mackenzie scores points at Maggiora
Monster Energy Yamaha battled through hot and challenging conditions for the MX1 Grand Prix of Italy at Maggiora today and Billy Mackenzie managed 15th position overall on his wild-card appearance at the venue surrounded by 38,000 fans.
With all of its history and character Maggiora was the perfect setting to unveil the 2014 YZ range alongside the 1999 500cc World Championship winning YZ400F ridden by Andrea Bartolini. The Monster Energy Yamaha squad drew the covers off the YZ450F for its first European showing only hours after tackling the bumpy and difficult racetrack alongside.
Billy Mackenzie flew in from Australia –where the Aussie series is currently going through a summer break – to substitute for Steven Frossard in a one race appearance. The Scot has Grand Prix winning experience in both MX1 and MX2 and although he had precious little time to adapt to the YZ450FM and also had to re-familiarise with the Grand Prix format was nevertheless a relevant force on the MX1 stage. He made decent starts in the two motos and was hovering around the top five. The demands of the class he last graced in 2009 caught up with him and he rode to 16th in the first race. Later in the day two falls on the opening lap ruined any chance of a top ten finish and he was 14th.
Joel Roelants weathered a difficult day where he struggled to find his rhythm and confidence around the tricky curves and ruts. The Belgian was 16th in the second moto after withdrawing from the first. The FIM Motocross World Championship now pauses for a week before starting a three weekend trek across northeast Europe with the Grand Prix of Sweden at Uddevalla preceding trips to Latvia and Finland.
Billy Mackenzie
“Basically all I want to say is that I did not treat this race as a comeback or an appearance with something to prove. I was just really happy to be offered the chance to ride the factory Yamaha, which is something I looked up to my whole career watching Stefan [Everts] win titles. It was cool to ride Maggiora and the fans were crazy. The team were really great and did everything I asked of them. I changed way too many parts and got a bit confused trying to find a set-up that I wanted but that was entirely my fault. It is amazing to see how quickly and efficiently the Rinaldi crew work from the inside and it is obvious to see why the Dack and Rinaldi teams work so closely in a tight knit unit. I’m really happy to have experienced today and I’ll carry on racing in Australia as long as I’m competitive. I’m really enjoying it over there. I feel that my speed at that level is faster than what I showed today and I’m a bit embarrassed with the first moto. I tried my hardest in the second and did my best to put it up there but I crashed twice on the first lap and there was no coming back from that.”
Joel Roelants
“Nothing much to say about today. We tried to many things to help me feel better on the track. It is hard to put my finger on what is happening because if I push too much out there I don’t stay on two wheels. We are going to do a whole lot of testing now and I hope we will be better in Sweden.”
— Rockstar Energy Suzuki
Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe’s Max Anstie and Jeremy Seewer both grabbed hard-earned points but endured some bad luck at the Grand Prix of Italy and the Maggiora circuit for the ninth round of 17 in the FIM Motocross World Championship today.
Maggiora was back as a Grand Prix host for the first time since 1999 and after renovations and redevelopment to the site – that has gained mythical status for the crowds and atmosphere at past events – the circuit north of Milan again shook to the sounds of a busy 38,000 crowd.
Anstie showed flashes of promising lap-times and ran inside the top six in both free practice sessions. The Brit was unfortunate to be held-up at the start of the first GP moto and pushed from the bottom half of the pack to reach 13th place. His poor luck with starts continued in Moto2 as a second corner pile-up affected both ‘#14’ and his team-mate. Anstie recovered his factory RM-Z250 but then couldn’t avoid another rider in front of him and suffered a heavy fall that left him battered and the Suzuki worse for wear. At that point Anstie was forced to retire.
Seewer used the Grand Prix for further practice and training on the RM-Z250: The young Swiss will be in action in Germany next weekend and then prepping for the third round of eight in the European EMX250 campaign in Sweden where he is second in the championship with two podium results. The teenager had to withdraw from Moto1 after a tumble and then rear brake failure while the same melee that held-up Anstie in the second moto also caused Seewer to hit the ground. But he saw out the moto to at least claim two points for 19th
The team now heads back to Germany to prepare for the third meeting in the ADAC MX Masters series at Aichwald before embarking on a three-week, three-race trek taking in Grands Prix at Sweden (Uddevalla), Latvia (Kegums) and Finland (Hyvinkaa).
Max Anstie: “Not a very good day. I got out of the gate pretty good but something happened in the first corners and I went up the hill with what felt like most of the pack in front of me again. I was trying so hard but on this kind of track sometimes you just need to calm down a bit. I had a different approach to the second race but I bogged a bit on the start and then on the second corner loads of us crashed. I got back up and thought ‘let’s go and dance’ because my speed was good out there. I followed a guy up the hill and he went completely sideways and I just smashed into him. The bike hit me and I was upside-down on the hill. I smashed my leg and winded myself. The bars were damaged and the bike was bent. I went to the pits but I was two laps down by then. The tide has to turn at some point because we have done so much work. We are flat-out and I just need to bring it together and stop struggling.”
Jeremy Seewer: “Hard day and not my weekend! I didn’t have the speed on Saturday. My start was not perfect for the first moto because the track had been watered and it was really slippery. I crashed and then had to stop after about 15 minutes because my rear brake broke. In the second moto my jump from the gate was much better, but because I was in 21st position I was pushed wide. Then in the second corner Romain Febvre crashed just a metre in front of me and I went down also. A few people rode over me and the front brake was locked when I picked up the bike…no luck.”
— Honda Report
Stifling conditions baked a thirty-eight thousand attendance for the Italian Grand Prix at Maggiora where Frenchman Gautier Paulin celebrated his third MX1 victory of the season, at the ninth round of seventeen. Honda World Motocross team’s Max Nagl was again the top Honda runner on his factory CRF450R and rode to sixth position overall. The event was also notable for the emergence of Honda Gariboldi’s Alex Tonkov with the Russian seizing three holeshots on the CRF250R in the MX2 category and a career-best third position in the second moto.
For the first time this century Grand Prix racing headed back to one of the most iconic circuits in Europe. Maggiora had benefitted from investment and renovation and with an exceptional crowd on Sunday provided a memorable and atmospheric stage for the third race in succession – after stellar meetings in Brazil and France.
The steep hills and bumpy hard-pack was fast and daunting. Riders fought for grip and to gain superior speed through the deepening corner ruts.
Nagl had to use some guile on the opening lap of the first race after a mediocre start saw him mid-pack. The German was eventually able to forge a path through to sixth position and was pleased with the way he was able to attack the course and gain places. Some refinements to his set-up assisted a better getaway later in the afternoon but a suspected buckled front wheel led to a small crash and another hard push to again reach the top six. The former championship runner-up remains consistent but just missing the final edge to be able to contend for the podium.
Team-mate Evgeny Bobryshev rode like a man possessed after a mistake on the second corner of the qualification heat meant that he needed to recover his works CRF450R and restart from last. He managed to reach eighth spot for the gate on Sunday. ‘Bobby’s speed was not in question but the errors remained across both thirty-five minute and two lap motos. At least two falls in the first outing put him far behind the top ten and he limped home in fifteenth. In the second moto a better start was ruined by a slip that required another trawl through the field and he reached eleventh. The Russian is still recovering form and fitness after his right leg break almost two months ago but among the disappointing moments at Maggiora were bright signs that he is on the right path back to being a lead-runner.
Honda Gariboldi’s David Philippaerts made a great start to the Grand Prix by starting second and pushing Tommy Searle for pole position on Saturday. The powerful Italian then suffered a crash that left him needing stitches to a facial injury and a short period of convalescence before deciding to attempt the motos on Sunday. The first ever Italian MX1 World Champion, who lives only 10km from Maggiora, tried to race but struggled through the ruts and after another slow speed spill painfully elected to retire and avoid further risks of injury.
The Italian’s MX2 team-mate Alex Tonkov was a protagonist on the CRF250R thanks to his electric starts. The Russian secured the first ever MX2 pole position for his country on Saturday and then battled with Jose Butron for third place all the way to the final metres of the first moto. Tonkov fell in his last-gasp attack and while his flying Honda broke the timing beam the fact that it did so without its rider meant he was classified down in twenty-second. No such rashness in the second affair where a fine third after chasing world champion Jeffrey Herlings for most of the moto was a eye-catching display of rapid form.
With the Grand Prix calendar now into the second phase, the MX1 points standings hold Nagl in seventh spot and needing a haul of forty-six points to rise further. Philippaerts is tenth despite his double zero today and Bobryshev continues to regain ground with twelfth.
The FIM Motocross World Championship will reconvene at Uddevalla in Sweden on July 1st for the first of three events back-to-back; the following two meetings occurring in Latvia and Finland.
Max Nagl – Race Result: 6th/6th Championship position: 7th
“In the first heat I was almost last off the start but I had a really good line on the outside of the second turn and I think I passed almost ten people in one go. They had all moved towards the inside slower line and I just went full-speed around. Each lap I passed some guys until I found myself in sixth place; I was really happy with my riding and my lap-times were really good. We altered the bike for the second start and we had an improvement. I was fifth and doing well but after the second lap my front wheel started to jam in the air. I thought ‘what could be wrong now?!’ and believed it was a stone stuck in there. I started to jump a big longer hoping that the heavier landings might shake it out but it didn’t work. Around the back the front wheel stopped completely in the air so that when I landed I slipped away and crashed. I picked up the bike to keep riding but it was not a good feeling. If the front wheel keeps grabbing then you have no control of the bike and it wants to keep diving. It was sketchy and hard to concentrate. We are still checking the bike but we’re not sure about the wheel problem. It must have been buckled somehow. So, close but not close enough to the podium. It was really nice racing here. The fans were unbelievable. Really crazy. Sometimes when you went past they were louder than your bike; unbelievable. It was a lot of fun. This was an old-school track and that’s what all the riders like.”
Evgeny Bobryshev: Race Result: 15th/11th Championship position: 12th
“I was happy Saturday night because I had good speed and was feeling comfortable and that was the same Sunday morning where I had a good look at the lines and sections. The races came around and then suddenly I was fighting all day. I had so many crashes in the first moto and felt like I was always going to lose the front. I had to come back from the rear of the pack again. It is tough to push so much from back in these conditions. I had a good start in the second race and we were all together fighting for positions around the top five when I made another mistake. I lost the bike in a rut and it finished me; it was so difficult after that to find the rhythm and lines. It is ridiculous for me to be fighting at the back. At least my foot is improving and I want to thank my team and all the sponsors; this was our home GP and I tried my best but we couldn’t do well. I’m really disappointed because I was looking forward to this track. Anyway, I want to try and train normally now because I have done it only once since the injury and I had a lot of pain after Ernee. I will just look forward now.”
David Philippaerts: Race Result: DNF/DNS Championship position: 10th
“A disaster, nothing more. I was so looking forward to this event, my home GP. The crash yesterday put me in a bad place but I had to try today. I couldn’t ride like I wanted in the first moto and after a small crash I could not give any more. It hurts my heart and emotions as much as my pride not to start the second moto but I decided not to take any risks and to heal well for Sweden.”
— KTM Report
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing came away from the MX GP of Italy with Jeffrey Herlings grabbing the MX2 GP and Ken de Dycker and Tony Cairoli finishing 2-3 in MX 1. Both Cairoli and Herlings leave the historic Maggiora circuit retaining the red plates as their respective championship leaders.
Herlings retained his perfect scorecard for the season while Cairoli’s third place finish blemished his record slightly. So far he has not finished lower than second all season. The six-times World Champion did make a valiant charge in the final two laps of his second moto to close in on the leader Gautier Paulin. But despite being urged on by a hugely vocal Italian crowd, he wasn’t able to make it stick. After a fourth place in the opening moto following two small offs, Cairoli would have finished overall second to Paulin if he had taken the second moto victory. He eventually settled for a 4-2 result for overall third, leaving second overall to his KTM factory teammate and friend de Dycker of Belgium.
Cairoli said he probably “threw away” the GP in the opening moto. “It was my mistake. They watered the track and I lost the front end and slipped over. I twisted my knee and I had some pain so I was riding a little stiff for the rest of the race.” He said he went all out to win the second moto but after some treatment on his knee he didn’t feel so good for the first ten minutes. “ I got a good start but I wasn’t riding with confidence but then I warmed up and could push more.”
For de Dycker the race was a confidence booster and he said it was great to be back on the podium after a period where he had been having problems with back pain. “I needed that to be mentally strong again,” he said and added that he had enjoyed riding on the circuit with the support of the big crowd of Italian fans.
Meanwhile in MX2, Herlings did the business on the slick, steep and very technical Italian track. He won both motos to take his ninth GP win for the 2013 season and the twenty-fifth of his young career. The Dutch teenager continues to heading for a firm place in the sport’s history books and has dropped only three points in the 2013 season. Yet another double moto win came as no particular surprise to his growing number of fans.
But Herlings had to work slightly harder for his wins this weekend, largely due to a pair of dogged rides by Russia’s Alex Tonkov who was first out of the gate in the opening moto and who held the lead for the first 18 minutes. The Russian’s efforts eventually went unrewarded when he crashed just before the finish and while is bike slid across the line, he was deemed not to be on it at the time. Race officials subsequently took away his points. Tonkov challenged the dominance of Herlings again in the second moto but this time Jeffrey took the lead in the first phase of the race. He eventually won the motos by margins of seven seconds and 4.4 seconds respectively on the remodeled northern Italian circuit. Herlings now has a massive points lead of 124 going into the second half of the season.
“Tonkov was tough for me this weekend. He made three good starts but in the end I managed to pass him and made a pretty big gap,” Herlings said after the race. He now returns to race next weekend in the Dutch Championship and to prepare for the next GP in Sweden. “I’ve never won there but I hope to do so this time.”
MX2 Factory teammate Jordi Tixier picked up a couple of fourth places in the two motos over the track that is marked by impressive hills and deep ruts and was totally unforgiving for any rider who made a mistake. In the end he was narrowly deprived of third overall in the last lap when a late move by Italy’s Lupino spoiled his party. Tixier, who is still second in the championship points, said he was disappointed.
“I pushed hard and I had the best lap time of the race, but I had problems with the start. Now next week I will train in Belgium and we will try to get the start problems sorted out before the next GP in Sweden. Hopefully I will make a better start and maybe I can win there,” he said
KTM’s Head of Motorsports Pit Beirer said it had been a great GP if a little difficult for his factory team. “I think this is one of the nicest GPs we’ve had in recent years and maybe we need to think about coming back more often to these traditional tracks where we have such a lot of fans,” he said. “For us this was a difficult weekend but we had some good fights and that’s good for the fans. Jeffrey managed to win again today but of course the crowd wanted to see Tony win. But if you can make the best out of difficult days, that’s how you win championships. We’re still in very good shape regarding the overall points”
— Kawasaki Report
Gautier Paulin of the Kawasaki Racing Team raced to his third GP victory of the year in the Italian round of the FIM MX1 Motocross World Championship at Maggiora.
The Frenchman already proved his liking for the classic hillside track with an impressive victory in the Qualification race, and he showed his maturity and skill as he converted a sixth-placed start into a third-placed finish in the opening moto on a track made slippery by heavy watering to counteract the threat of dust on a gloriously warm sunny day. Taking full advantage of a clearcut holeshot in race two Gautier sprinted clear and dug into his reserves in the closing stages to withstand a fierce attack from the defending champion. The Kawasaki Racing Team leader has now won four motos in the last five GPs to consolidate yet further his second place in the championship standings as the series enters the second half of the season.
KRT team colleague Jeremy Van Horebeek continues the learning curve in his rookie season of MX1 GP racing. The Belgian set the fastest lap times in the practice sessions and missed the podium by just one place after two strong top five finishes. He is now eighth in the championship standings and, his speed improving even more each week, is proving to be a wise selection as partner to Paulin.
Tommy Searle of Team CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy Pro Circuit had an unfortunate crash during the practice sessions which left him in some discomfort throughout racing, but the Englishman dug deep into his reserves to finish the weekend seventh in the GP despite being knocked off by a rival rider in the early stages of the opening moto. After a strong ride back into the top ten from the back of the field, he once again showed his potential n the second race as he advanced from tenth to fifth. He retains sixth place in the championship standings.
Gautier Paulin: “This was an emotional win for me; I had been dreaming to beat Antonio again and it was the perfect scene to do it with so many fans at the track. In the second race I knew that he was coming back at me as I could hear the crowd but I was able to keep the lead. He came close when I made one small mistake which a couple of two seconds but I was able to pull away again. Winning a race is one thing, winning several is another one. Now I have won four in the last five GPs and for sure it’s a great feeling to win ahead of Antonio in front of his home crowd. We’re all working so hard in the team and it’s a great reward for all of us; I think that the fans will be happy too and the goal is to do more races like this one.”
Jeremy Van Horebeek: “It was a very good weekend for me, even if I don’t really enjoy it when it’s so hot! I’m improving step by step and I posted very fast lap times in the practice sessions but my starts were not so good. But it was better today than yesterday and I found some places to gain positions after the start and then I had some nice racing with Gautier (Paulin) and Antonio (Cairoli). I don’t have enough experience to stay with them for thirty five minutes yet, but I’m happy with my riding today and I know that the podium is close.”
Tommy Searle: “I had a big crash during the pre qualifying session; I hurt a finger but don’t know yet if anything is broken. It wasn’t too bad for the race, just a little sore. Today was OK; in the first race they watered the track and it was slippery; I was in sixth and I don’t know what Guarneri wanted, he made a stupid move and took me down. I was outside the top twenty when I got back in the race and recovered to tenth; it wasn’t my best race of the year but I recovered well. Then in the second race my start was not so great; I was outside the top ten but got through to fifth at the finish. We need to work on the bike to improve my starts if we want to win some races.”
Alessandro Lupino of Team CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy Pro Circuit scored a dramatic podium finish in his home round of the FIM MX2 Motocross World Championship at Maggiora in northern Italy.
The Italian showed good speed all weekend and soon became the crowd favourite as he battled relentlessly throughout both motos. Overtaking proved difficult for all riders on a surface made slippery by heavy watering to combat the danger of dust on a warm, sunny day but particularly in the closing stages of each race Alessandro was able to show his strength as he advanced three places in the final five laps of the opening race to finish sixth, and followed this up with a stunning ride to second, just four seconds from the win, in race two. The final pass secured his second podium finish of the season and has taken him significantly closer to the top eight in the series standings.
Rockstar Bud Racing Kawasaki’s mid-season signing Jason Clermont continues to improve dramatically since being given the opportunity to work in such a professional environment and recorded a double-figure scoreline for the second consecutive weekend. His relative inexperience at GP level cost the youngster several places after he lost his rhythm later in the moto, but he regrouped well during the interval to charge from fifteenth to eleventh in race two to claim twelfth place overall on the day.
Teammate Dylan Ferrandis had an unfortunate weekend after the success of his home GP one week earlier. His bike was damaged in a collision during the early stages of the Qualification race and the resultant poor grid position seriously hampered his chances during both GP motos. Another collision in the opening GP moto left him at the back of the field but the teenager showed great speed to fight back to eleventh place at the finish. Quickly advancing into the top fifteen of race two he suffered et more bad luck when a rock struck him in the face and forced his retirement, but he retains his top ten world ranking despite the misfortune.
American CLS hopeful Jimmy Decotis once again failed to come to terms with the GP track and finished out of the points; he will now resume his career in his homeland after discovering the intensity of the competition at world GP level.
Alessandro Lupino: “This podium is like a dream; the public was amazing and that’s a great feeling to get my second podium of the season in my home country. I lost so much time with my broken ribs earlier in the year; I couldn’t train as I usually would and it took time to recover physically. I also missed some good starts in the previous races; we have worked a lot on that point with the team and here it was better. The public pushed me in the last ten minutes of the second race, and when I passed Tonkov I secured this podium. The organisers made a great job to prepare the return of GP racing here in Maggiora, and this podium will remain as a great memory for me.”
Jason Clermont: “I had a very good start in the first race but I went wide in the first corner and I was eleventh after one lap. I couldn’t find a solution to pass the riders in front of me and eventually I lost my rhythm and dropped back to finish fifteenth. The track was faster for the second race and I found some good lines to finish eleventh. The track was nice but very fast, and I’m not used to these conditions but I learned a lot this weekend.”
Dylan Ferrandis: “It was not a good weekend, totally different from Ernée. In the qualifying race I was involved in a crash, and my gearbox lever was broken; I lost two laps to repair it and so I only qualified twenty-ninth. From the outside it was nearly impossible to have a good start, and in the first race I was in the pack when another rider hit me; that left me last but I got back to eleventh with good lap times. The second start was similar, and I was in fifteenth place when I got a stone in my face and had to go back to the paddock.”
Jimmy Decotis: “My last GP in Europe was not more successful than the previous ones. I definitively struggled with the track and twice I had a very bad start. I didn’t finish the second race; I crashed and had chance of points when I got back on the bike.”