— FIM MX1/MX2 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, ROUND 12, SUNDAY JULY 14, HYVINKÄÄ, FINLAND
— Cairoli and Herlings double-up for eighth time in 2013 with Finnish GP victories
The sun was out to host the main races of the Finish Grand Prix at the historical and emblematic track of Hyvinkää, but even if the rain came by the end of the final race, it did not stop the MX1 riders to give a great show to the Finnish fans. Former Finnish World Champions Heikki Mikkola and Pekka Venkonen did not want to miss the comeback of Hyvikää to the FIM Motocross World Championship and they could witness how Antonio Cairoli and Jeffrey Herlings dominated the MX1 and MX2 classes.
Clement Desalle and Kevin Strijbos completed the MX1 podium, while Dean Ferris and Jordi Tixier were second and third in MX2. Before the MX1 and MX2 main races, the EMX250 European riders took part in their Final race and Mike Kras obteined his maiden victory in the European Championship. Valentin Guillod, who keeps on leading the series, was second and Brent Van Doninck was third.
— MX1
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli obtained his 62nd overall victory today after winning both races of the Finnish Grand Prix. In the first race the Italian started fourth behind Clement Desalle, Rui Gonçalves and Kevin Strijbos, but he quickly moved up to second and tried to catch the Belgian rider. Cairoli admitted that it took him a while to find the good lines and reach the good speed, but in the end he passed him and crossed the finish line six seconds ahead of the Belgian rider. In the second race things were much easier for Cairoli, as he was able to take the lead in the first lap and he dominated the race with great authority until the chequered flag.
Rockstar Energy Suzuki World Clement Desalle was very satisfied with his riding today, as well as with his starts. The Belgian rider obtained his maiden Get Athena holeshot in the first heat and he dominated it until Cairoli overtook him. Desalle was determined to win the second race, but his third position in the second moto made him finish on the second step of the podium.
Third overall was his teammate Kevin Strijbos who had one of the best weekends of the season. The Belgian rider had a good qualifying race yesterday and today he managed to take two good starts and kept the rhythm of the front group. Strijbos admitted that by the middle of the first race he had a little bit of arm pump and he moved from third to fifth, but in the second race the Belgian was fully motivated and his second position made him obtain the second podium of the season.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Ken De Dycker missed the podium this weekend, but he was able to finish fourth overall even if he did not have a really good gate pick due to his twelfth position in yesterday’s qualifying race. The Belgian had two poor starts in both races, but he was able to make two strong recoveries; in the first race he moved from 13th to an incredible third place, whereas in the second heat he had to settle down with the sixth place after starting also around the 13th position.
Kawasaki Racing Team’s Jeremy Van Horebeek was really close again to finish on the podium, but in the end he finished fifth overall just one point behind De Dycker. In the first race he started sixth but after two laps he was already riding third behind Strijbos. The Kawasaki Racing Team rider was trying to overtake his compatriot when De Dycker came from behind and passed him. By the end of the race Van Horebeek was able to overtake Strijbos and he crossed the finish line in fourth. In the second race he had a poor start, but once again he moved up really quickly and after five laps he was riding fifth. Van Horebeek moved up one position when Tommy Searle had to enter the pit lane to change his goggles, but with two laps to go Gautier Paulin overtook him, so the Belgian finished fifth.
It was not a good weekend for Gautier Paulin who obtained an overall sixth place in Finland after finishing 6-4 in today’s races. The French rider did not have good starts and he admitted that he struggled to find the good lines to move up to the front positions. Instead, Rui Gonçalves started with the front riders in both heats, but he could not keep the rhythm of his rivals and his eighth and seventh places made him finish seventh overall in the Grand Prix.
Evgeny Bobryshev and Max Nagl were eighth and ninth, and Joel Roelants completed the top ten.
Tommy Searle crashed in the second corner of the first race with Jonathan Barragán and he had to work really hard to move from almost the last position until his final twelfth place. In the second race the British rider started around the tenth place and after four laps he was already riding in fourth. After such an incredible recovery, Searle gave chase to Desalle and both riders exchanged positions a couple of times. In the end Desalle attempted a hard move that resulted in the Briton hitting the floor and the intense duel was over. Searle had to enter the pitlane to change his goggles and he crossed the finish line eleventh.
The best Finnish rider was Ludvig Söderberg in the twenty-first position.
MX1 Race 1 top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 39:23.418; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:06.700; 3. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:11.075; 4. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:13.381; 5. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:17.518; 6. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:29.507; 7. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:31.544; 8. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), +0:34.243; 9. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), +0:40.742; 10. Joel Roelants (BEL, Yamaha), +0:49.945;
MX1 Race 2 top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 39:10.609; 2. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:05.638; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:07.258; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:11.691; 5. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:17.361; 6. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:40.436; 7. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), +0:41.064; 8. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:52.288; 9. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), +0:55.723; 10. Joel Roelants (BEL, Yamaha), +1:00.203;
MX1 Overall top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 50 points; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 42 p.; 3. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), 38 p.; 4. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 35 p.; 5. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), 34 p.; 6. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 33 p.; 7. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), 27 p.; 8. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), 27 p.; 9. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), 24 p.; 10. Joel Roelants (BEL, Yamaha), 22 p.;
MX1 Championship top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 564 points; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 465 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 456 p.; 4. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 441 p.; 5. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), 365 p.; 6. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 337 p.; 7. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), 305 p.; 8. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), 296 p.; 9. Rui Goncalves
(POR, KTM), 230 p.; 10. Davide Guarneri (ITA, KTM), 195 p.;
MX1 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 576 points; 2. Suzuki, 484 p.; 3. Kawasaki, 474 p.; 4. Honda, 364 p.; 5. Yamaha, 216 p.; 6. TM, 161 p.;
— MX2
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings had no rival today and once he managed to take the lead in the early stages of both heats, he pulled away and crossed the finish line with more than fifty seconds advantage over the second rider. The Dutch rider was very satisfied with his riding but he was even happier for having obtained his twelfth Grand Prix victory, as he is now on par with Stefan Evert’s record.
The second overall position was for Monster Energy Yamaha’s Dean Ferris, whose last podium was in Portugal during the sixth Grand Prix of the season. The Australian rider explained that he felt really well in the track this weekend and this is why he was able to take two good starts and ride two consistent motos. Ferris finished third in both races.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jordi Tixier crashed in the first lap of the first race and he had to push really hard to move from almost the last position until the fifth place. The French rider had made such a big effort that he hardly had energies to take part in the second race, but once again Tixier did an excellent performance and he rode a solid race in second. Tixier was happy with his third overall position, but he will now do his best to focus on his first races and try to finish on the second or even first step of the podium in the Grand Prix to come.
Silver Action KTM’s José Butrón was only fourth this weekend but he was very satisfied with his result, as he is aware that he is not a sand specialist. In the first race Butrón started ninth and after a few laps he ran out of tear-off and he did not feel very comfortable from then onwards. Butrón decided to keep on racing without taking many risks and he crossed the finish line in the ninth position. In the second race he started third and he obtained a strong fourth place which made him finish fourth overall.
JTECH ESTA Motorsports Racing Honda’s Alexandr Tonkov finished fifth overall thanks to his 10-6 result. In the first race the Russian started around the seventh place, but he struggled to find the good lines and Ferrandis and Kullas overtook him by the middle of the race. Tonkov kept on having some problems and dropped down two positions more with Butrón and Tixier. In the second race the Russian had another good start and this time he rode a consistent race in sixth.
Home rider Harri Kullas managed to fulfil his goal for the weekend by finishing sixth overall in front of his home crowd. The Finnish rider had a really good start in the first race and he battled with Tonkov, Ferrandis and Butrón for the sixth position during several laps. In the end he crossed the finish line in seventh and in the second race obtained a consistent tenth position after starting down in eleventh.
Petar Petrov was riding again among the best MX2 riders and this weekend he finished seventh overall thanks to his 6-11 result. Max Anstie obtained a solid seventh position in the second race, but his eleventh result in the first heat made him finish eighth overall. However, this result gives some extra motivation to the British rider to do well in the races to come.
Glenn Coldenhoff was once again very unlucky this weekend; yesterday he won the qualifying race and today he obtained the Get Athena Holeshot in the first race and he managed to finish second. However, the Dutch rider crashed in the start of the second race and some laps afterwards his KTM stopped. Coldenhoff was very disappointed, as he was very motivated to finish on the podium this weekend and he was only able to finish ninth overall.
Christophe Charlier and Jake Nicholls were also involved in the crash at the start of the second race and they were only able to finish thirteenth and nineteenth respectively. In the first race, Charlier had finished eighth and Nicholls had obtained a strong fourth position, so the French and the British rider ended tenth and eleventh in the Grand Prix.
Romain Febvre, who had finished third in yesterday’s qualifying race, had a really good start in the first race, but he was forced to retire while he was riding fourth due to a problem in the gearbox of his KTM. In the second race the French rider obtained a strong fifth place, which gave him the final thirteenth position.
Alessandro Lupino crashed in the first race and was only able to finish eighteenth, and in the second heat he ended ninth to finish fourteenth in the Grand Prix, ahead of Dylan Ferrandis. The French rider also crashed in the first race while he was fifth, but Kullas landed on his bike and Ferrandis was forced to retire because his Kawasaki was too damaged. In the second race he obtained a strong eighth position.
MX2 Race 1 top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 39:10.242; 2. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:55.951; 3. Dean Ferris (AUS, Yamaha), +1:06.978; 4. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +1:08.956; 5. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +1:09.288; 6. Petar Petrov (BUL, Yamaha), +1:19.595; 7. Harri Kullas (FIN, KTM), +1:22.445; 8. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), +1:25.400; 9. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +1:28.936; 10. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, Honda), +1:30.326;
MX2 Race 2 top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 38:52.389; 2. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +0:51.963; 3. Dean Ferris (AUS, Yamaha), +1:07.402; 4. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +1:12.693; 5. Romain Febvre (FRA, KTM), +1:24.516; 6. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, Honda), +1:25.710; 7. Max Anstie (GBR, Suzuki), +1:26.426; 8. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:27.144; 9. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), +1:28.444; 10. Harri Kullas (FIN, KTM), +1:30.968;
MX2 Overall top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 50 points; 2. Dean Ferris (AUS, Yamaha), 40 p.; 3. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 38 p.; 4. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 30 p.; 5. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, Honda), 26 p.; 6. Harri Kullas (FIN, KTM), 25 p.; 7. Petar Petrov (BUL, Yamaha), 25 p.; 8. Max Anstie (GBR, Suzuki), 24 p.; 9. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 22 p.; 10. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), 21 p.;
MX2 Championship top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 592 points; 2. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 441 p.; 3. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 383 p.; 4. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), 343 p.; 5. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 326 p.; 6. Dean Ferris (AUS, Yamaha), 313 p.; 7. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 292 p.; 8. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), 259 p.; 9. Max Anstie (GBR, Suzuki), 252 p.; 10. Petar Petrov (BUL, Yamaha), 221 p.;
MX2 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 597 points; 2. Yamaha, 428 p.; 3. Kawasaki, 344 p.; 4. Suzuki, 276 p.; 5. Honda, 256 p.; 6. TM, 57 p.; 7. Husqvarna, 1 p.;
MXGP FINLAND – QUICK FACTS
Circuit length: 1550m
Type of ground: sand
Temperature: 26° C
Weather conditions: Changeable, sunny, cloudy and rainy at the end of the MX1 Race 2
Crowd attendance: 23000
— EMX 250
The historical sand based track of Hyvinkää in Finland was revived today for round five of the EMX250 championship. Taking his first win of the season was Beursfoon Suzuki’s Mike Kras ahead of the red plate holder Guillod Motorsports’ Valentin Guillod and KTM Scott Racing’s Brent Van Doninck.
When the gates dropped for the EMX250 Final it was Racing Bike Finland’s Henric Stigell who came out of the gate with full force to take the holeshot. Following the local talent Stigell was a dynamic duo in the form of Brent Van Doninck and Mike Kras, who after growing up on world renowned sand tracks such as Lierop and Lommel were sure to be tough contenders here in Hyvinkää. Tough contenders were exactly what they were with yesterday’s Semi Final heat winner Belgian Brent Van Doninck taking the early lead ahead of the determined Dutchman Mike Kras. Making a small gap on the third place of Valentin Guillod, Van Doninck and Kras left nothing on the line as they brawled for the first place. Around mid race Van Doninck and Kras came into lapped traffic which saw Van Doninck crash while taking a new line handing the lead to Kras.
With a cushiony gap on the second place, Beursfoon Suzuki’s Mike Kras rode smooth and fast out front to take home his first win of the season. Coming home in second was the red plate holder super Swiss Valentin Guillod who was quick to take advantage of a recovering Brent Van Doninck. Despite struggling to find his rhythm after the crash, KTM Scott Racing’s Brent Van Doninck managed to come home in third.
Meanwhile last weekend’s Final winner Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe’s Jeremy Seewer battled his way from a bad start back to an exceptional fourth ahead of Vamo Suzuki’s Jesper Jonssen in fifth. Local Finnish hero and holeshot receiver Racing Bike Finland’s Henric Stigell made his nation proud finishing an outstanding sixth.
EMX250 Final: 1. Mike Kras (NED, Suzuki), 29:37.902; 2. Valentin Guillod (SUI, KTM), +0:03.315; 3. Brent Van Doninck (BEL, KTM), +0:14.135; 4. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:26.817; 5. Jesper Jonssen (SWE, Suzuki), +0:51.037; 6. Henric Stigell (FIN, KTM), +0:53.446; 7. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), +1:00.704; 8. Damon Graulus (BEL, KTM), +1:05.931; 9. Viktor Björklund (SWE, KTM), +1:07.260; 10. Jordan Lacan (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:10.339.
EMX250 Championship top 10: 1. Valentin Guillod (SUI, KTM), 119 points; 2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), 105 p.; 3. Damon Graulus (BEL, KTM), 83 p.; 4. Ceriel Klein Kromhof (NED, KTM), 68 p.; 5. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), 65 p.; 6. Brent Van Doninck (BEL, KTM), 47 p.; 7. Micha-Boy De Waal (NED, KTM), 44 p.; 8. Mike Kras (NED, Suzuki), 39 p.; 9. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Husqvarna), 39 p.; 10. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Honda), 35 p.;
— KTM Report
Red Bull KTM Factory Racings Jeffrey Herlings on Sunday took yet another impressive MX2 GP victory in the sands of the Hyvinkää circuit in Finland on Sunday to equal his team manager Stefan Everts’ 12 victories in a single season. And while Herlings was taking care of that, factory teammate Tony Cairoli picked up an impressive 1-1 in MX1 to make it a perfect day for the KTM factory team.
Herlings teammate Jordi Tixier of France finished with a podium third in MX2 and MX1 factory rider Ken de Dycker was fourth in MX1.
After a crash in MX2 qualifying the day before, Herlings tweeted that Saturdays didn’t seem to suit him. But it was clear from opening moto that he has no problems with Sundays. He started at ninth on he grid and while fellow Dutch rider Glenn Coldenhoff grabbed the holeshot, Herlings was way out in front before the end of the opening lap. He was seven seconds in front at the close of the second lap, half way through the race he had extended his lead to 24 seconds and by the time he cross the finish line he had amassed a terrifying winning margin of 59 seconds. He then repeated the performance in the second moto, winning by 52 seconds. Herlings perfect scorecard shows he has dropped only eight points in 24 races, of which he has won 22. He has a lead of 151 points over teammate Tixier in second place and there are 250 more up for grabs in the remaining races.
Herlings said he was able to put Saturday behind him and he came out strong on the Sunday. “I was in front after a few corners in the first moto and I managed to win by a big gap. Then I got a top five start in the second moto, I was in front after about one and a half laps and I could control the race. The track was bumpy like it is in Holland and it was a fun race.”
It was also a strong race for Tixier who showed courage, stamina and determination to put a first lap crash behind him and doggedly fight his way back to overall fifth. Tixier went out very determined in the second moto, was the only rider to go anywhere near Herlings and finished second to pick up a podium third.
Tixier said later he had had a bad start in the opener and ran off the track and when he came back, another rider hit the wheel of his bike and he crashed. “I was completely last and I had a big fight to come back to fifth. The first moto was pretty tough and I used a lot of my energy. But then I got a good start in the second moto, I had a good feeling with the bike and I pushed hard to make a gap. It was nice to be on the podium and I made some good points.”
Meanwhile in MX1 Cairoli showed little sign of being troubled by his niggling knee injury as he raced his way to a 1-1 and 50 more championship points. It was his eighth GP win of the season as he too lays down the groundwork to defend his MX1 World Championship title.
Cairoli is not only a great rider but also a great tactician and in the first moto he again rode a careful race and chose his overtaking maneuvers with attention to the fine details. He managed to work his way carefully to the front to finish 6.7 seconds ahead of Clement Desalle while his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammate de Dycker was third. But in the second moto Cairoli followed Kevin Strijbos into the first corner and immediately took over the lead. He then settled in to control the race for the remaining laps. De Dycker was down at around nine in the opening phase but moved up to sixth at the finish for his overall fourth.
Cairoli said he was pleased to pick up the double moto because he has been doing very little training on his injured knee. “Now its much better and that’s good for my confidence and motivation. I can push a bit more and you can survive on a tough track like this. It was a nice weekend for me with two good motos and the top spot on the podium, even if my starts were not so good.”
Ken de Dycker said he had some difficulty in the second moto and had to keep focusing so he didn’t make any mistakes. “Twice I didn’t make a very good start and here it is hard to pass and that costs a lot of energy. But I’ve had three podiums in the last races and today I was (at fourth overall) close. My riding was okay and I still have the speed so I just have to be ready for the next race.”
Hyvinkää also hosted Round 5 of the EMX250 championship, which saw KTM’s Valentin Guillod of Switzerland pick up a pair of second places for second on the podium. Valentin holds the red plate as championship leader but said he wanted to work on his starts before the next round. “I’m not a sand specialist. Today I made two bad starts but I was able to finish second twice and that’s good for the championship. I have the red plate so there’s no pressure for me. My goal is always to be on the podium and I managed that.”
Cairoli now has a 99-point lead over Gautier Paulin in the championship, which if he wins will be his career eighth. He has had a 3-race winning streak during the championship’s visit to the European north, winning in Sweden, Latvia and now Finland.
Everts said he was happy with his riders and payed tribute to all the factory team, which he said had done a great job. “I love to come to Scandinavia, including Finland, where we haven’t been for a long time. I think it was a successful GP.”
The competition now has a one-week break before resuming in Germany’s Teutschenthal. All four Red Bull KTM Factory Racing riders will attend the Stefan Everts and Friends Charity Race in between. It is the eighth edition of this charity fund-raiser organized by Everts and will be on July 21, 2013.
“This is the only time the race fans can see me on the bike,” Everts said. “there will be a lot of GP riders there and I am thankful for their support. this year the big star will be F1 driver Kimi Raikkonen.”
— Yamaha Report
Dean Ferris raced his factory backed Monster Energy Yamaha YZ250F to a superb second position overall at Hyvinkää today for the Grand Prix of Finland and the twelfth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship attended by 23,000 spectators (weekend figure). The first visit of the MX series to Finland in thirteen years took place on a carved and bump-laden sandy track with a decent technical level.
Hyvinkää was a physical test for the riders and an ample challenge for the set-up of the MX2 motorcycles with the flat and relatively short layout heavy on the engines and pounding on the suspension systems. Sunshine and warm temperatures added a pleasant sheen to the event that entered the calendar at a late stage to replace the cancelled fixture in Russia.
Ferris returned to the winner’s circle after two punchy starts on the YZ and a mean pace that cast him as one of the main protagonists on the day. The Australian was able to spray champagne for the third time this season and on the first occasion since capturing second in Portugal for round six. ‘111’ started third and held his speed and nerve to cross the line in the same position in the first moto. Later in the day he needed to recover from outside the top five to catch and pass Jose Butron for the same rank and confirm his silverware.
In tenth position overall was Christophe Charlier. The Corsican, who recently inked another deal to stay a Yamaha factory rider for 2014, was unlucky with his starts. In the first he was buried mid-pack and needed to work for the whole of the first 35 and 2 minute duration to rise from 15th to 8th. Charlier was in the wrong place at the wrong time in the second moto when he couldn’t avoid a fallen rider in the first corner and was also sent tumbling to the dirt. ‘23’ was unhurt but after again fighting his way through the hoards was ‘spent’ after reaching 13th.
Charlier in Finland
Maxime Desprey was twelfth across the board with two race finishes in that slot delivering the same overall result. The French youngster made an impressive getaway in Moto1 and nestled into a race rhythm that saw him circulating on the fringes of the top ten. Some fatigue in the later stages of Moto2 saw him drop from tenth another two ranks but the points-haul equalled his highest of 2013 so far. It was a hard day for Mel Pocock who struggled with the rough nature of the track. The Briton registered a best finish of 14th in the second outing.
Ferris was able to gain some good ground on Glen Coldenhoff in the MX2 World Championship standings and is now just 13 points behind the Dutchman and 5th place. Charlier is 4th and needs to find 40 points over Jose Butron to reach his season goal of a top three championship finish. Pocock holds twelfth while Desprey is 16th. Monster Energy Yamaha are next in action in two weeks time with the new Lausitzring circuit hosting the Grand Prix of Germany.
Dean Ferris – “I feel good. It has been a few tough races recently and I think it was the track that helped me out today because it was quite technical. I got some good starts and my bike was fast all weekend; I was able to put it on the podium again so it’s all-good. We’ve done some testing during the week and found a better set-up. The engine has been really strong and overall we’ve been sticking to the programme; I was just able to keep moving forward today and brought it home in the second moto after Tixier was too far ahead.”
Christophe Charlier – “The track was very difficult today with many bump and big lines. I crashed in the second race and tried to come back but it was tough physically and I have to take what I can. I was in fourth or fifth at the start but somebody slid out in front of me. It happened so suddenly that I couldn’t move left or right and just smashed into the bike. I then lost time to restart but afterwards followed Coldenhoff through. For this race I have to accept these results and try to push a lot for the next GP.”
Maxime Desprey – “It was pretty good today. In the first moto I started in second place but I couldn’t ‘go’ at the beginning and lost some places. Afterwards I picked up my rhythm and finished in twelfth; which wasn’t too bad. In the second moto my start was not the same. It was worse. I pushed to pass many guys on the second lap and it was going pretty well but I think I paid for that at the end of the race. Physically it was hard but to finish twelfth again feels like an improvement over the last couple of GPs.”
Mel Pocock
“I’m not enjoying it at the moment and I can’t work out why. I’m struggling and it is not through a lack of training or effort. We will have to talk about this and go back to the drawing board for some solutions. We have two weeks to get back on the good path now.”
Monster Energy Yamaha’s Joel Roelants defied sickness and stomach pain to collect tenth position overall at the tough Hyvinkää circuit for the Grand Prix of Finland and the twelfth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship. The sandy and short course was a punishing test for bike set-up and the riders’ physical condition as the bumps and berms constantly unsettled the machinery. The Belgian courageously raced to two tenth places in the long motos under sunny skies and 23,000 spectators (weekend figure).
While Roelants used the power and handling of his works YZ450FM to jump and drift to his placing against the odds, Steven Frossard was forced to the sidelines. The misfortune-battered Frenchman smashed his foot on Saturday during the qualification heat and stabbing pain was later revealed to be two more metatarsal bones in his left foot. The fractures should not require surgery and now the former MX1 world championship runner-up needs further advice as to how long the setback will be in terms of recovery and when he can return to the Grand Prix paddock.
As the FIM series takes a break for a week after three meetings in a row across northeast Europe Roelants will have time to reflect on his championship position of 15th and his attack of the remaining five rounds starting in Germany at the Lausitzring on July 28th.
Frossard in Finland
Joel Roelants – “Last week I had some stomach pains and then also this week while training. I am taking some pills but still this weekend I had cramps. So I could not push to the maximum and was riding at 50%. In the last laps I tried to charge but then I was completely dead. I think this was the most I could do this GP. I need to try and get healthy again now and then make some good training for the next race. It was a physical track and our set-up was quite good. I just felt ‘broken’ and have been eating rice and water all day. I hope it will clear quickly.”
Steven Frossard – “Unbelievable. I made the double jump, landed and kept inside going into the waves but I hit my foot against something. It was still on the peg so I don’t really know what happened. I had a lot of pain and had to pull into the pits. I knew something was not right because it hurt a lot to walk and put weight on the foot and then the X-ray confirmed it. There is not much more to say, it is disappointing for everyone and we will see now what plan we can make from here.”
— Rockstar Energy Suzuki
Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1’s Clement Desalle and Kevin Strijbos battled to second and third positions overall on their works RM-Z450s for their second double Grand Prix podium appearance of the season at Hyvinkää and also seized both holeshots.
The Finnish event was watched by 23,000 spectators for the first GP in the country this century where the bumps and holes of the Hyvinkää sand was a testing surface at the 12th round of 17 in the 2013 FIM Motocross World Championship.
The lap-times were relatively short due to the compact layout. Desalle set up the weekend on a positive note with a controlled and smooth ride to his second pole position of the year on Saturday. First choice in the gate helped with a tricky opening corner where a narrow exit pushed the pack closer together.
The Belgian swept into the turn ahead of the pack and proceeded to set the pace for the majority of the initial 35 minute and two-lap moto. Antonio Cairoli closed to the rear wheel of the Suzuki and took the lead with a close block pass. Desalle was unable to respond after backmarkers impeded his progress in the final seven circulations. The #’25’ was lively out of the gate again in the second race and this time had to play third fiddle to the escaping Cairoli and Strijbos in second. An electric duel with Tommy Searle ended when the pair collided and Searle hit the ground. Desalle launched a late attack on Strijbos but the other Belgian held firm and with a 2-3 scorecard he was able to seal the runner-up spot and lift his ninth trophy of the campaign.
Strijbos was a major protagonist this weekend. He flew out of the gate on Saturday to lead the qualification heat until a slow speed crash cast him back to a final slot of third position. The Belgian veteran was struggling with arm-pump in the first race but was steady to fifth place and then roared again from the start line in the second to match Desalle’s earlier achievement and notch the holeshot. He was briefly able to resist Cairoli but completed almost most of the duration in a lonely second.
In the MX1 standings Desalle is now just nine points behind Gautier Paulin and second position while Strijbos remains in fifth and almost 30 points ahead of Searle. The FIM Motocross World Championship will gather again in two weeks time with a new course inside the Lausitzring motorsport complex set to host round 13 and the Grand Prix of Germany.
Clement Desalle: “It was good to have pole position and to be able to choose where I wanted to go on the gate. My starts were really good today and I made one holeshot so I am very happy about that. I am improving with my starts and you need a good one to be able to fight in the top three. There was a lot of fighting with Tommy in the second moto but this is racing. He showed that he wasn’t going to let me pass. He came close and I wanted to show that I am also there and if he wanted to do ‘that’ then I would also. They made the track like it is only one line so if you want to pass then you have to take more risks to overtake the guy in front and you can lose a lot of time. I did my best today and I am happy to be on the podium again. I am in second place which is one better than the last few GPs. I hope the next one will again be one more step and there will be some good riding coming.”
Kevin Strijbos: “I got a good start in the first race but then the arm-pump came and I had to slow the pace. I wasn’t quite happy with that but I had the holeshot in the second moto. Tony was just too fast for me and was riding really well. I had to push hard to stay close to him but he made the gap and then I was by myself. It was not so easy. Anyway I’m happy with my second podium of the year and this has been a good weekend. When I can take a good start – in the top three or five – then I can stay there but when you are mid-pack it is very hard to come through.”
— HRC
Sunshine and good temperatures graced the FIM Motocross World Championship for the fourth event in a row as Hyvinkää hosted the first Grand Prix of Finland since the turn of the century. The twelfth round of seventeen in the series saw Antonio Cairoli win the premier class across the bumpy and sandy surface while the top CRF450R runner was Evgeny Bobryshev as he guided his works Honda World Motocross team machine to eighth in the overall classification.
After back-to-back meetings in Sweden and Latvia, Finland provided the vast majority of the paddock with their first view of Hyvinkää and the motorsports venue offered a compact and largely flat layout with loose terrain. After the hard-pack of Uddevalla and the rippling bumps of Kegums this was another technical test for the MX1 and MX2 stars, although most complained of the relatively short lap-times as the riders posted one minute thirty-forty second circulations.
Dealing with the heat was Bobryshev who counted on the Finnish fixture as the closest he would come to a home Grand Prix this season. The Russian made two average starts in the thirty-five minute and two lap motos but slotted into mid top ten positions each time and then tried to establish a consistent rhythm. For the most part ‘Bobby’ succeeded and only ran into strife when confronted by backmarkers; a consequence of the condensed layout. ‘777’ secured seventh place in the first moto after a last lap attempt to pass Gautier Paulin was foiled and then led his team-mate, Max Nagl, to eighth in the second moto as a brief heavy rain shower coated Hyvinkää.
Nagl was not in the best shape for Finland after travelling to Hyvinkää suffering with the Flu. The German was initially a doubt for raceday but fared well in physically demanding conditions. He lasted the distance to record ninth in the opening sprint and then used his experience and guile to gain positions at the start of the second outing and trailed Bobryshev to the finish line for another ninth place and damage limitation. Nagl rested ninth in the MX1 list to give the team two riders in the final top ten.
Gariboldi Honda’s David Philippaerts suffered a mechanical problem in the last phases of the qualification heat on Saturday that meant a lowly nineteenth place in the gate for the motos. The Italian pushed forward to grasp thirteenth in the first affair but his Grand Prix ended prematurely with another technical glitch in the second race and he completed just twelve of the twenty-two laps. ‘DP19’ ranked eighteenth in MX1 for the day.
Credit is also due to Esta Honda’s Alex Tonkov who brushed aside discomfort from a sore elbow after two heavy crashes at the Latvian Grand Prix last week to post fifth place overall on the CRF250R in the MX2 division.
The points table of the premier class shows Nagl still in eighth spot while Bobryshev accumulated twenty-seven points today and remains twelfth. Philippaerts holds steady in eleventh.
After a three week consecutive streak across northeast Europe the FIM Motocross World Championship now pauses until July 28th when Lausitzring will entertain the Grand Prix of Germany.
Evgeny Bobryshev: Race Result: 7th/8th Championship position: 12th
“I was happy with the day really. It was cooler and my foot was fine. I didn’t make many mistakes and no crashes! My starts were not that great and I had a lot of wheelspin on the straight. It was hard to come through on this track and I had to be a bit more on the limit. The backmarkers were also hard work. They are shown the blue flag and when we pass they then want to race us! I almost passed Paulin on the last lap of the first moto but a slower rider got in the way. The second moto was a little bit of a similar story. Max and I went together and I was pushing so hard inside and outside. I got a bit dizzy at the end and lost the tow. There were a few sketchy moments. Anyway I have some more time to improve now for Germany and I want to thank the team because the results have not been great but we have stayed positive and like a family and we keep trying together.”
Max Nagl Race Result: 9th/9th Championship position: 8th
“I’m quite satisfied and I’m quite surprised; not by the results because they were not great but my riding. Yesterday I was feeling so bad that I thought I might not race today, or I would start but not finish the motos. I also talked with the team and we agreed I might have to stop. Anyway my riding was OK. I turned tight at the start of the first moto and made a lot of positions. Ninth was alright…considering. In the second moto I had a good strategy again at the start and rode pretty much the whole race behind Bobby. I felt tired but he helped me because he pulled me along. On the last two laps there were two backmarkers there and they were making a lot of mistakes and almost caused Bobby to crash; me too! We finished behind each other at the end and it was a nice race. I was happy with how today went but obviously not the result. My plan now is to go straight to the doctors when I get home to check everything and see if this thing is a virus. I will take a small break and then get healthy for Lausitzring because I want to be in the best shape possible for my home GP.”
David Philippaerts: Race Result: 13th/DNF Championship position: 11th
“Not a great day today. The track was hard work and I had a bad start in the first moto. I pushed as hard as I could to come back and win some positions but I wasn’t so happy. The start was better in the second moto but I felt a problem with the engine and had to use the clutch more. After a while it stopped, and what can you do?”
— Kawasaki Report
It was a frustrating day for the Kawasaki riders in the twelfth round of the FIM MX1 Motocross World Championship at Hyvinkää in Finland, but Gautier Paulin retained his second place in the series.
The prospects looked promising as Jeremy Van Horebeek, Paulin’s colleague in the Kawasaki Racing Team, set fastest lap in training but the young Belgian failed to get his usual good starts all weekend during the racing and went to the grid fourth on race day after finishing in that position in the qualification race. The tricky first turn again left Jeremy chasing from the opening lap in both motos, but he battled resolutely to the end each time, snatching fourth place three laps from the end of race one and only surrendering an identical finish to teammate Paulin two laps from the end of race two. His fourth consecutive brace of top five finishes has lifted the Belgian to seventh place in the standings.
Paulin was another rider to suffer in the unpredictable first turn and the Frenchman had to battle from ninth and eighth places to eventually cross the finishing line sixth and fourth despite setting lap times identical to those of the riders who completed the podium each time. He derived compensation for his vivid efforts on a difficult weekend as he retained his second place in the series standings after 12 GPs of the 17 round series.
Tommy Searle of Team CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy Pro Circuit was denied the just rewards for two tremendous rides by the actions of others. The English rider was knocked off at the first turn of the opening moto and restarted in last place before charging forcefully to finish twelfth at the chequered flag. In the second moto he again had no luck at turn one but quickly advanced up the leaderboard from an initial 15th place to challenge forcefully for second place before twice being torpedoed off the track by the rider behind him. Tommy eventually crossed the finish line in eleventh position, whilst the rider who had cost him his podium placing was credited with third place even though he later received an official warning about his conduct. Searle retains sixth place in the series standings.
Jeremy Van Horebeek: “Once again I missed the podium by just a few points; that’s frustrating! I missed some better starts this weekend. In the first race I had a good rhythm and passed Strijbos in the last ten minutes to finish fourth. My second start was not so good but I came back from twelfth to fifth. Here in Finland you had to fight with the track and also with the bike to go fast and I have to admit I was pretty tired by the end of the day”
Gautier Paulin: “Two bad starts ruined my weekend as it was difficult to pass on this track, especially when you were in the pack. There were many ruts before the jumps and you didn’t know where the other riders would go, so you couldn’t keep your rhythm and I lost too much time to pass the slower riders. My speed was good but the results didn’t reflect that; it’s frustrating and I can’t wait to be at the next GP, as I want podium results. I know that I can get better results in sand, and it’s difficult to accept a fifth overall.”
Tommy Searle: “Someone hit me at the first start and put me down, then I had to come back from dead last with mud everywhere on me. I was half a minute behind the leaders at the start, so I did what I could to get back to twelfth at the finish. The second start wasn’t so good and I left turn one around fifteenth, but I fought back to third and was already attacking Strijbos for second when Desalle hit me a couple of times and put me down. I’m disappointed with the result but also happy because my speed was good, even if it was a sandy track.”
Kawasaki riders from southern Europe faced a difficult weekend at the 12th round of the FIM MX2 Motocross World Championship in the Finnish sand of Hyvinkää.
Alessandro Lupino of Team CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy Pro Circuit went into the GP suffering pain from a leg injury sustained the previous weekend on Latvia and was prevented from showing his usual form. An early crash in the opening moto left him at the back of the field, but he resolutely battled back into the points positions to finish eighteenth and again showed great spirit to finish ninth in race two and retain his eighth place in the series standings.
Dylan Ferrandis of Rockstar Bud Racing Kawasaki showed great form to post fifth fastest time in practice, but an incident at the first corner of the qualifying race when another rider fell in his path forced the French teenager to chase through the pack to salvage sixteenth choice of gate for the GP motos. Dylan got two superb starts on race day; he held fifth position in the opening moto until his bike was damaged when he was hit by another rider, and holeshot the second moto to hold a top three placing for several laps before the effort of racing the sand experts took its toll and he had to ease his pace to finish eighth. He now holds eleventh place in the series standings.
Young teammate Jason Clermont, inexperienced on such sandy tracks, once again proved his resolve to learn quickly as he held a points-scoring position early in race one until his front wheel hit a buried rock and he was thrown over the handlebars. He crashed again after moving forward to eighteenth place in race two and unfortunately lost too much time to retain a chance of scoring points, eventually crossing the line twenty-first.
Alessandro Lupino: “I’ve been unable to train this week because of the leg injury I suffered in Latvia, and I felt some pain on this rough track; I didn’t have a good feeling and it was difficult to push to the limit. In the first moto I crashed on the second lap and stalled the engine but I salvaged a few points, then in the second race I got a top ten result but that’s not what we expect. I will change my plan for the coming weeks; instead of going back home to Italy I will travel to Holland to work and train with the team before the GP of Germany.”
Dylan Ferrandis: “I posted some fast lap times on Saturday during the practice sessions, but a collision at the start ruined my qualifying race. Today I got two good starts in the races; in the first moto I was fifth when I crashed in a corner, and another rider hit me and damaged my bike. In the second race I got the holeshot, my first one for some weeks; I pushed hard in the first few laps to maintain a top position but I used too much energy and then lost some positions later in the race.”
Jason Clermont: “It was a tough weekend, as I’m not really used to race in the sand. On Saturday I posted a good lap time in the pre qualifying session, but crashed in the qualifying race. In the first moto I was in the top twenty when I hit a rock buried in a rut and went over the bars so my race was finished. I crashed and stalled the engine in the second race; that cost me any chance to score some points but I learnt a lot racing on such a rough track.”
— FIM MX1/MX2 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, ROUND 12, SUNDAY JULY 14, HYVINKÄÄ, FINLAND
— Qualifying – Desalle and Coldenhoff take pole in Finland
Day one of the Finnish Grand Prix took place today with the MX1 and MX2 qualifying races and the two Semi Finals of the EMX250 European Championship. Clement Desalle and Glenn Coldenhoff dominated their qualifying races while Jeremy Seewer and Brent Van Doninck won their Semi Final heats.
In MX1 Kevin Strijbos took the holeshot and led the first laps of the qualifying race, but a mistake made him drop to the second position. The Belgian crossed the finish line third behind Antonio Cairoli who did an incredible recovery after a poor start. In MX2 Jordi Tixier finished second and Romain Febvre third, whereas Jeffrey Herlings could only finish ninth as he crashed in the first corner and had to push from the very last position. In the crash the pipe of his KTM was smashed, so this is why Herlings could not fight for the lead as he normally does especially on sand tracks as the one here in Hyvinkää.
MX1
Rockstar Energy Suzuki World’s Clement Desalle obtained the second pole position of the season after winning today’s qualifying race with six seconds advantage over Antonio Cairoli. The Belgian rider started down in the third position and he took advantage of Kevin Strijbos’ and Evgeny Bobryshev’s mistakes and he moved up to the lead after the first four laps of the race. Desalle admitted that he trained really hard before travelling to Finland because he is really looking forward to winning the Grand Prix this weekend.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli was down into the eleventh position after the first corner but his rhythm and speed were really good and he quickly moved up to the fifth place. The Italian managed to catch Ken De Dycker, Evgeny Bobryshev and Gautier Paulin who were all battling for the fourth position, and after a couple of laps Cairoli overtook them all and gave chase to Jeremy Van Horebeek who was riding third. The KTM rider also managed to pass the Belgian and four laps before the end of the race Cairoli succeeded to overtake Kevin Strijbos and the Italian finished second of the qualifying heat.
Rockstar Energy Suzuki World’s Kevin Strijbos took the holeshot of the qualifying race and he managed to lead the first laps with a comfortable gap with the rest of the riders. However, the Belgian made a mistake and his teammate Desalle passed him. Strijbos was able to recuperate himself really quickly from the crash and he managed to ride second until Cairoli caught him. The Belgian was a little bit disappointed but at the same time really happy for having been able to ride once again with the front riders and he hopes to do it again tomorrow.
Kawasaki Racing Team’s Jeremy Van Horebeek was the fastest in the pre-qualifying practice and he was feeling really comfortable for today’s qualifying race. In fact, he took a really good start in fourth and after a couple of laps the Belgian was already riding in the third place. From then onwards Van Horebeek managed to keep a good rhythm and he raced a consistent moto, but he could not stop Cairoli to overtake him and he crossed the finish line fourth. The Kawasaki rider admitted that he will give it all tomorrow to finish among the top three riders of the MX1 class.
Honda World Motocross’ Evgeny Bobryshev had a really good start today, but he made a mistake when he was riding second behind Strijbos and dropped down to the fifth place. The Russian lost one position when Cairoli overtook him, but with two laps to go he moved back to fifth because Ken De Dycker had some problems with his KTM while he was fourth. De Dycker was able to finish the race but he crossed the finish line in the twelfth position.
Tommy Searle was sixth after the start, but De Dycker overtook him in the early stages of the race, so the British was down to seventh. Once again Searle had speed of the front riders and he actually exchanged his position with Cairoli at a certain moment of the qualifying race, but the Kawasaki rider finally ended sixth ahead of Gautier Paulin. The French rider decided to take the first gate in the inside, and once he reached the first corner he was almost at the back of the pack. Gautier moved up to the tenth place during the first lap, but he was only able to finish seventh.
Rui Gonçalves had once again a really good start, but he could not keep his initial fifth position because he crashed in the same place that his teammate Xavier Boog would crash one lap afterwards. However, while Gonçalves managed to finish the race in eighth, Boog decided to retire as he felt a lot of pain on his knee.
Max Nagl finished ninth and Shaun Simpson completed the top ten.
Steven Frossard was once again unlucky today, as he broke two bones from his foot after hitting the ground too hard while he was riding eleventh.
MX1 Qualifying Race top ten: 1. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 24:56.992; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:06.330; 3. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:10.050; 4. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:15.229; 5. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:20.060; 6. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:27.943; 7. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:32.456; 8. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), +0:36.096; 9. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), +0:38.480; 10. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:49.907;
MX2
Standing Construct KTM’s Glenn Coldenhoff obtained his third pole position today in Hyvinkää after dominating the qualifying race from beginning to end. The Dutch rider admitted that he felt very comfortable on the track, especially because it is very sandy and he normally has very good starts on this type of soil. Coldenhoff took advantage of Herling’s crash at the start of the heat and he managed to keep focused in the lead until the end of the race. Tomorrow Coldenhoff will do his best to obtain what it would be his maiden podium in the FIM MX2 World Championship.
Instead, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jordi Tixier did not have a really good start and he was in the ninth position after the first corner. However, the French rider had the speed not only to clinch the fastest lap, but also to move up to the second place. Tixier was the second best rider in the pre-qualifying session, so he is very positive for tomorrow’s races.
Wilvo Nestaan JM Racing KTM’s Romain Febvre did one of his best races since he is back from his injury and he was able to finish third. The French rider had a really good start and after four laps he managed to overtake Christophe Charlier. However, he could not stop Tixier to pass him, so he had to settle down with the third place. Febvre is looking forward to tomorrow’s races, as he is looking forward to being back on the podium as he used to do in the beginning of the season before he injured his leg.
Monster Energy Yamaha’s Christophe Charlier started really well and he rode second during the first laps of the qualifying race. However, the French rider found the track quite demanding and by the middle of the race he dropped down to the fourth place. Charlier, who has recently extended his contract with Monster Energy Yamaha for one more year, is positive for tomorrow and he hopes to be fighting for a top three result.
Wilvo Nestaan JM Racing KTM’s was fourth after the start but Tixier was coming really fast from behind and passed him after the first two laps of the race. However, the British rider was able to keep a good rhythm and he rode a consistent qualifying race in fifth until the chequered flag.
José Butrón did not have a good start today, but he was able to move from his initial ninth place to a final sixth position. Such result proves that the Spanish rider can do really well even if he is not a sand specialist if he manages to start at the front as he usually does. Mel Pocock finished seventh ahead of home rider Harri Kullas, and Jeffrey Herlings and Ivo Monticelli completed the top ten.
MX2 Qualifying Race top ten: 1. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 23:41.301; 2. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +0:05.700; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, KTM), +0:07.555; 4. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), +0:19.562; 5. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +0:21.789; 6. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +0:26.859; 7. Mel Pocock (GBR, Yamaha), +0:29.461; 8. Harri Kullas (FIN, KTM), +0:29.834; 9. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:30.583; 10. Ivo Monticelli (ITA, TM), +0:40.844;
MXGP FINLAND – QUICK FACTS
Circuit length: 1550m
Type of ground: sand