Suzuki’s MX1 World Championship spearhead Steve Ramon sidelined with fractured vertebrae
Teka Suzuki World MX1’s Steve Ramon is likely to miss up to three months of world championship action after the Belgian was yesterday diagnosed with a fractured C7 vertebrae; an injury sustained through his heavy crash in the final moments of the first moto of the Grand Prix of Benelux at Valkenswaard last weekend.
The 29 year old gingerly managed to complete the second race in Holland in some discomfort and with swelling around his right eye. He went for a medical examination on Monday and scans revealed the break of the facet joint, although the extent of the damage is not placing any pressure on his spine. Another scan next week will determine the exact length and manner of treatment.
Doctors have advised the 2007 World Champion that he now faces a recovery period of three months and a possible return date – if the rehabilitation goes well and according to plan – could be the team’s home event, the GP Limburg at Lommel on August 2nd. The accident certainly rules out Ramon’s title ambitions for 2009.
“Of course this is a big blow for us and because of the nature of the injury we must be careful that Steve heals correctly and in a good way,” said Team Principal Sylvain Geboers. “Sadly this is one of the things that can happen in our sport and we must deal with it. For the moment Ken De Dycker will be our sole rider in Portugal and Spain in the coming weeks, and unless we can find someone that will be able to get close to Steve’s level, then it will be hard to temporarily replace him. I would just like to offer my sincere best wishes to Steve during his recovery; he has been fantastic for us since he joined the team and these next few events will be the first that he misses in four years as a Suzuki rider.”
— Round Four Report
The chase for the MX1 and MX2 World titles becomes more and more interesting with the fourth meeting in Benelux establishing new GP winners in the likes of Jonathan Barragan (MX1) and Rui Goncalves (MX2). Though Championship leaders Cairoli (MX1) and Paulin (MX2) are still on top of the respective categories.
The second round of the FIM Veterans’ World Cup was won by Nilsson as Iven continues to top the points standings.
MX1
The Benelux Grand Prix ended with Barragan and Cairoli level in points but the eventual winner was the KTM Silver Action Spaniard sealing the overall success through the second heat win. Barragan, who is now second in the Championship, recovered from last to third in an impressive heat one.
The opening moto was the one where Yamaha Red Bull De Carli’s Cairoli gave his best as the current MX1 Championship leader made it to the chequered flag in first despite a damaged front wheel-the damage was caused in a first corner tangle with Ramon. In the final heat the two time MX2 World Champion struggled at the start but took third behind team mate Tanel Leok.
The latter was back on the podium after his first appearance in Faenza. The Estonian made a few mistakes in heat one where he settled for fifth but he took revenge in heat two finishing a solid second.
Martin Honda MX’s Strijbos took another fourth overall ahead of current MX1 World Champion Philippaerts who struggled on the sandy course.
De Reuver took a great second in heat one which he was leading-he eventually lost the top spot because of a crash. Another crash saw the Dutchman dnf in the final moto.
Honda fellow rider Mackenzie was spotted on the lead for nine laps for the first time this season though his overall result was eleventh.
Yesterday’s pole sitter Nagl struggled to finish 14th.
MX2
Red Bull KTM factory Racing’s Goncalves took his maiden Grand Prix win today at the Eurocircuit as team mate Simpson was second on the podium.
The factory KTM duo dominated both motos with heat one going to Simpson and heat two to Goncalves. The Scottish rider, who hurt his shoulder in the week of the Turkish GP, felt the lack of bike time in heat two finishing in third as Goncalves pulled away with the lead.
All three men on today’s podium entered the top three overall for the first time this season with Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci Motocross’ Aubin completing the rostrum. The Frenchman, who started from pole, crashed in heat one, finishing fifth, but fought for the win in heat two before settling for second.
Aubin’s team mate Guarneri was a positive fourth overall, a much better result compared to last year’s eleventh, while Championship leader Paulin was fifth overall ahead of Osborne and Musquin.
Despite two great starts home rider Klein Kromhof dropped down to 28th overall.
Round five of 15 will take the FIM Motocross World Championship to Agueda, Portugal, on the May 10 weekend when the FIM Women’s World Championship will get underway with round two. After the season opener in Bulgaria defending Champion Livia Lancelot is leading the series. The FIM Veterans’ Motocross World Cup is due to continue at Mallory Park on the May 31 weekend.
MX2 – Race One 1. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 39:30.097 2. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), +0:19.692 3. Davide Guarneri (ITA, Yamaha), +0:36.610 4. Zach Osborne (USA, Yamaha), +0:40.292 5. Nicolas Aubin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:43.298 6. Xavier Boog (FRA, Suzuki), +0:45.718 7. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:48.671 8. Marvin Musquin (FRA, Honda), +0:53.618 9. Matiss Karro (LAT, Suzuki), +0:54.654 10. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, KTM), +0:54.854; | MX2 – Race Two 1. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), 40:09.337 2. Nicolas Aubin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:19.978 3. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +0:24.363 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:32.063 5. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, KTM), +0:34.490 6. Joel Roelants (BEL, KTM), +0:38.323 7. Zach Osborne (USA, Yamaha), +0:55.543 8. Davide Guarneri (ITA, Yamaha), +0:58.023 9. Loic Larrieu (FRA, Yamaha), +0:58.428 10. Marcus Schiffer (GER, KTM), +1:02.131; |
MX1 – Race One 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, Yamaha), 39:47.158 2. Marc de Reuver (NED, Honda), +0:04.286 3. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, KTM), +0:07.183 4. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Suzuki), +0:08.550 5. Tanel Leok (EST, Yamaha), +0:09.808 6. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), +0:09.939 7. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Honda), +0:17.209 8. Billy Mackenzie (GBR, Honda), +0:23.940 9. Clement Desalle (BEL, Honda), +0:39.108 10. Joshua Coppins (NZL, Yamaha), +0:50.965; | MX1 – Race Two 1. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, KTM), 40:18.300 2. Tanel Leok (EST, Yamaha), +0:06.449 3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, Yamaha), +0:21.339 4. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Honda), +0:27.157 5. Joshua Coppins (NZL, Yamaha), +0:37.250 6. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), +0:43.042 7. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), +0:46.374 8. Clement Desalle (BEL, Honda), +1:18.127 9. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Suzuki), +1:31.576 10. Aigar Leok (EST, TM), +1:34.994; |
MX1 – Championship Standings 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, Yamaha), 143 points 2. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, KTM), 128 p 3. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Suzuki), 124 p 4. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 118 p 5. Joshua Coppins (NZL, Yamaha), 112 p 6. Tanel Leok (EST, Yamaha), 111 p 7. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), 100 p 8. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), 87 p 9. Clement Desalle (BEL, Honda), 86 p 10. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Honda), 82 p.; | MX2 – Championship Standings 1. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 140 points 2. Marvin Musquin (FRA, Honda), 125 p 3. Davide Guarneri (ITA, Yamaha), 111 p 4. Zach Osborne (USA, Yamaha), 100 p 5. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 97 p 6. Xavier Boog (FRA, Suzuki), 94 p 7. Nicolas Aubin (FRA, Yamaha), 85 p 8. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), 78 p 9. Steven Frossard (FRA, Kawasaki), 63 p 10. Marcus Schiffer (GER, KTM), 55 p.; |
— HRC Report Crowd: 20,000 (weekend figure) Strijbos battles through Dutch sand to take fourth The Grand Prix of Benelux at the sandy and difficult Eurocircuit in Valkenswaard, a short distance from the city of Eindhoven, saw Jonathan Barragan win the fourth round of fifteen in the FIM MX1 World Championship. For the first time this season a CRF450R was seen setting the pace at the front of the field thanks to CAS Honda’s Billy Mackenzie and Martin Honda’s Marc de Reuver but it would be De Reuver’s Martin Honda teammate Kevin Strijbos who would notch the best overall result with fourth place and his highest finish of the year so far. The warm sunny conditions enjoyed by the riders in qualifying on Saturday gave way to dull overcast conditions on Sunday as 20,000 spectators flocked to the first of three MX Grand Prix events that will take place in the region this season. Those in attendance witnessed some of the most exciting races seen to date this season in which any one of seven riders could have taken podium positions. The finales to both MX1 motos produced chaotic and unpredictable sprints. Mackenzie, fresh from testing after the GP of Turkey two weeks ago and now pleased with the base set-up of his motorcycle, led the first half of the opening race from Marc de Reuver until warfare erupted within the group of five riders chasing the leaders across the rough and rutted sand. The Scotsman –still lacking full fitness – was swamped by his pursuers and De Reuver, who was fronting the pack by this stage, had his own moment of drama when he crashed, remounted and fought back from fifth to second at the flag. Mackenzie was the victim of a first corner fall in Moto2 and a collision with Ken De Dyker later in the outing. His 14th place, together with his eighth in the first moto saw him classified eleventh. De Reuver was holding a steady position with the leaders until a surprising fall left the Dutchman concussed and unable to continue. Strijbos rallied from a first lap incident in which he was put off the track by a rider falling just in front of him blocking his line but he displayed skill and courage that pulled him through to a decent fourth spot by the finish line. The second CAS Honda representative, Cedric Melotte, making his return to GP racing, scored twelfth place in Moto1 but he had pushed himself too hard and the Belgian did not make it the line for Moto2, the pain in his back unbearable; he will undergo a scan on his injuries this week. LS Honda’s Clement Desalle was eighth overall with ninth and eighth place respectively. The MX2 class was won by Rui Goncalves, with Shaun Simpson second and Nicolas Aubin third. LS Honda’s Marvin Musquin claimed seventh overall through the sand and is now second in the world championship standings 15 points adrift of series leader Gautier Paulin. In the MX1 table Honda’s highest runner is Desalle who is ninth and trails leader Antonio Cairoli by 57 points. Strijbos is tenth, De Reuver thirteenth and Mackenzie fifteenth. Round five of fifteen will take place next week at Agueda for the Grand Prix of Portugal. Kevin Strijbos, Martin Honda, 4th: “The first race was really difficult and I had some arm-pump. The first twenty minutes were OK but then I had a pretty big dip and could only pull it together in the last minutes. Nagl crashed on the first lap of the second race and I could not avoid him. I pushed hard to come back to wherever I could and even though I was tired in the final laps I just kept going and made some good positions. Things went quite well but did not really turn out the way I wanted. I am missing race time and I know I will keep progressing.” Marc de Reuver, Martin Honda, 10th: “I don’t remember much to be honest. This was a good weekend anyway because I am not so confident at the moment and to be going for the podium was already a big lift. In the first race I was riding smooth and nice and just made one small mistake when the front end slipped out. I saw five riders pass me all going for first position and there was no way I was going to cool off from that! I went full gas and as hard as I could to get up near the front. The double over the back section was pretty dangerous Philippaerts didn’t jump it, Ramon had a big crash and I took second place when I decided to ‘go for it’ there. In the second moto I was hanging around the leaders and waiting to see what would happen when I went for a rut over the crest of the hill. The rest is pretty blank for me. Overall though I am quite happy.” Billy Mackenzie, CAS Honda, 11th: “This was an improvement and I feel much happier. We worked on the bike before this race and I realised I was going in the wrong direction with the suspension and I was losing confidence in myself and also the equipment. Anyway, we made some changes that have really turned things around and it felt good to lead a Grand Prix again. Now I just need to get some motos under my belt and we should be back up there.” Roger Harvey, Off-Road co-ordinator, Honda Motor Europe: “I think we made some significant steps forward today, especially with Kevin and his push in the second moto. The result for him is not as important as the way in which he rode and the promise he showed. Billy Mackenzie proved in the first moto that he can be up there and doing the business; the hard work he did after Turkey has paid off a little. Marc de Reuver turned things around and was unlucky to have a big step-off. Cedric has unfortunately hurt his back again and as a collective we will make a decision on what to do and when he should ride depending on the results of the scan this week. The bikes are improving and everybody is getting used to working with them; another positive.” — Yamaha Report Yamaha Red Bull De Carli’s Antonio Cairoli scaled a world championship podium for the second time in succession with the runner-up position at the Eurocircuit in Valkenswaard and the Grand Prix of Benelux for the fourth round of fifteen in the 2009 FIM series. The Sicilian keeps his position as leader of the standings and with a chequered flag in the first outing in Holland has secured three moto victories from the last four. He was joined on the rostrum by team-mate Tanel Leok who took third spot on the YZ450F, and with Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team’s David Philippaerts in fifth and Josh Coppins in seventh, four Yamahas filled the top seven. Several new jumps and sections had been added to the dark and rutted sand at the all-weather circuit near Eindhoven. The surface churned up and became rougher throughout the meeting, increasing the physical and technical demands of the two motos. The qualification heat on Saturday saw Coppins take third position but Cairoli and Philippaerts were victims of a first corner tumble and pile-up. Cairoli emphatically attacked the terrain from almost last to finish 7th while Philippaerts – restarting even further back – was 14th. Tanel Leok was 5th. Race-day dawned overcast and damp thanks to rainfall during the night. Thankfully the conditions became brighter later on for the 20,000 spectators, and some fantastic racing lay ahead with up to six riders disputing podium positions at the end of an unforgettable and almost indescribable first moto. Cairoli took his third chequered flag in succession when he emerged victorious from a frantic scrap in the final five minutes of the opening race that saw crashes for protagonists Steve Ramon and Marc de Reuver. Positions changed seemingly with every corner as the clock ticked down on the moto. Cairoli’s achievement was all the more remarkable for the fact that he had broken three spokes on his front wheel on the third lap. Philippaerts -who led at one point – tired in the closing stages and was just beaten to 5th by Leok. A bad start for Cairoli kept him away from the front-running twosome of Jonathan Barragan and Leok, who flew from the mid-top ten to circulate in second place during what was a calmer Moto2. The Estonian would earn 3rd overall for his second podium of the season and his first since victory in Faenza. Cairoli made his way to 3rd while Philippaerts – who again was leading in the formative stages – was 6th. It was not a happy day for Bulgarian GP winner Coppins who felt the harsh physical effects of a blood disorder and did not have the energy to be in contention negotiating the sand. The New Zealander had to be satisfied with 27 points and 7th place overall. Cairoli continues to control the world championship and now has an advantage of 15 points over Barragan. With Philippaerts, Coppins and Leok filling slots 4th, 5th and 6th, YZ450F and YZ450FM machinery occupy four places in the first six. Yamaha also front the manufacturer’s standings with a 31 point gap over their nearest rivals. A trip across the Iberian Peninsula represents the next phase of the world championship. Round five takes place at Agueda for the Grand Prix of Portugal while the sixth race occurs one week later on the opposite coast at Bellpuig for the GP of Catalunya. Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha Red Bull De Carli, 2nd: “I was third in the first lap of the first moto and I tried to pass Steve Ramon but he almost crashed and stopped so I caught my front wheel with his footpeg. I could see the wheel was broken and I was pretty scared. I dropped back to 12th place because I wanted to see if I could keep on racing. I was not doing many jumps and nursing the bike but it was OK, and I increased the speed and pushed. I could pass Steve and then he had a big crash, and also Philippaerts. There have been a lot of things happening that I didn’t expect this year in MX1. It was a surprise to win here but I am having a lot of fun on the bike and I want to keep it this way until the end of the championship. I was really happy to win that race. My second start was really bad and I had some contact with other guys in the first corner. I was riding well after that and passed a lot of people but I had some trouble overtaking Desalle for a few laps and that held me up. I wanted to reach Tanel but in the last minutes I was quite tired and just stayed steady to the flag.” Tanel Leok, Yamaha Red Bull De Carli, 3rd: “I lost a lot of points in Turkey so this helps towards getting some back. I made some silly mistakes in the first moto but really that was the only negative part of the day. I am feeling good and fit and it showed in that second race. It has been really good to be riding and training with Antonio and I am happy with how things are going for me.” David Philippaerts, Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Team, 5th: “I had some good times and felt fast at the beginning of the races but I felt tired towards the end as the track was pretty hard and the conditions were warm for the Benelux! Things are still going well and although this was a physically tough race, more than the others so far, I could take some good points and keep consistent. After twenty minutes of each moto here I had to ride conservatively because crashing would have been worse than losing another position.” Josh Coppins, Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Team, 7th: “I’m done, it was a tough weekend and I knew it would be like that before I arrived here. I have been suffering with a blood problem. We have been working on it and I had some injections but it hasn’t helped. I want to get healthy and be able to actually battle with the guys instead of just surviving out there; that is the hardest thing, not the result but knowing that I can’t affect the race. It is not fun to take a good start and then just hang on. There is still so far to go in the championship and the result is not as disappointing as the fact that I could do nothing at this GP. I will go for some tests tomorrow and will try to improve for Portugal.” Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team’s Nicolas Aubin gave himself a pleasant 21st birthday by taking pole position and third place overall at Valkenswaard for the Grand Prix of Benelux and the fourth round of fifteen in the 2009 FIM MX2 World Championship. The Frenchman buried the memory of a lacklustre appearance in Turkey two weeks ago to show good speed in the sand and his finishes of 5th and 2nd were rewarded with his first silverware of the season. The rough and demanding terrain punished the slightest mistake and saw riders struggling to maintain the same race rhythm for the duration of the two 35 minute and 2 lap motos. Aubin, starting from the first slot in the gate, suffered two small falls in Moto1, the first while holding second position, but was nevertheless content with his pace to rise from mid-pack to the top five. In Moto2 he was more decisive and reached the runner-up position by the last third of the race. In fourth spot overall was team-mate Davide Guarneri; the Italian enjoying one of his best performances on the sand. He pushed hard in Moto1 to rise from outside the top ten to third and was missing some energy for Moto2 in which he could only manage ninth. A crash in the qualification heat on Saturday left Utag Yamaha.com’s Zach Osborne with an uphill task in the Netherlands, but the Turkish GP winner rode well on his first visit to Valkenswaard and despite a problem with his rear brake he was 4th and 7th for 6th overall. In the world championship standings Guarneri is third, 29 points from the peak of the table. Osborne is fourth and just 11 points from being the first Yamaha rider. Aubin has moved up to seventh. The Grand Prix of Portugal at the Agueda circuit will represent the fifth round of the series in two weeks time. Nico Aubin, Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team, 3rd: “I felt a bit nervous in the first moto and that led to some mistakes. I came back from sixteenth and was fast but made another error when I reached Musquin and we crashed together. It was a pretty good race regardless. In the second one I tried to catch Rui but everyone knows he is fast in the sand. My priority today was not to take big risks but to get some points and I am happy I did that. It is nice to get a podium on my birthday, but I would have preferred a win!” Davide Guarneri, Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team, 4th: “It was a good day and I felt good in the sand; I was quite surprised to be the fastest in practice yesterday. The heat race was unlucky and with three crashes I was down in 21st, which was not a good position in this gate. I was quick in the first moto and it was no problem to pull through from 14th to 3rd but I felt the effects in the second moto and when I reached 5th place I had nothing left to give. The result was not bad at all.” Zach Osborne, Utag Yamaha.com, 6th: “I fell at the start in the heat race which did not give me the best pick in the gate today. I was a bit nervous about being that far down but got a good start and worked my way up to fourth, which I was happy about. In the second race I did my best to pass through the pack. I lost the back brake about five minutes into both races and that made it tougher. I enjoyed the track. It was hard on Saturday but once I got the rhythm and worked out the flow, things went well. I have put together some consistent finishes now and rising up to fourth in the championship. I wanted to be in the top five today and I feel with that first race I did OK to get up to that position.” — KTM Report The MX2 Grand Prix of Benelux in Valkenswaard, Netherlands was firmly in orange hands on Sunday with the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team taking first with Rui Goncalves and second place with Shaun Simpson. His first career GP win was a fitting reward for Goncalves who has had a string of mixed fortunes in the three earlier rounds. On Sunday he put the misfortunes of Saturday’s qualifying behind him and rode with grit, determination and courage for his victory. He said it was “awesome” to be standing on top of the podium. Goncalves was second behind Simpson in the first moto and waited for his opportunity to take control of the second moto in the latter stages of the race, slipping past Simpson and Frenchman Nicolas Aubin and winning by an impressive margin. “This is the first time I have won a GP since joining the factory team,” the euphoric Portuguese rider said. “Last year I was close but I didn’t manage it. This is a big reward for all of our work. I made some mistakes in the middle of race one, but I finished second and that gave me confidence for the second moto. I managed to win the second race by a good margin and you can’t ask better than that,” he said. “Now we go to Portugal where I will have the support of all my friends and family. It will be awesome if I can get the same result there.” It was also a red letter day for Shaun Simpson who is riding in his first season with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing. The Scottish rider dominated the first moto and never looked challenged from the first corner to the chequered flag, coming home ahead of Goncalves and Italian Davide Guameri. “I had a good start behind Kromhof in the first race. I managed to pass him, I had the situation under control and I made no mistakes,” he said of his first ever world championship moto victory. “This is a great track and it is a lot like those we have been doing a lot of training on. Shaun is finally free of pain from a shoulder injury that has been aggravated by the hard pack track of the earlier rounds. “I could feel on Tuesday and Wednesday that my shoulder was feeling much better,” he said. “Now I miss some training so that is probably why I got tired in the second moto. Now it’s important to go for more podiums, train hard and get good results. If I can be consistent we can make it and we can fight with the leaders.” Pit Beirer, the KTM Offroad Director and factory team boss Stefan Everts both expressed their satisfaction with the result for the weekend, saying with three of four factory team riders on the MX1 and MX2 podiums, it had sent a strong signal to other teams that they were back in action. “Now we are back where we should be,” Everts said. “It was like this was the first GP of the season.” One rider from the KTM Factory Junior Racing team had to sit out the races at Valkenswaard. Valentin Teillet, the reigning European champion is recovering from a skin graft operation after he suffered third degree burns on his leg when he tangled with a hot exhaust pipe in a crash during a race in Britain’s Hawkstone Park in March. Doctors have expressed surprise that the wound is healing so quickly, but nevertheless Valentin will still be out of action for some four more weeks. KTM’s Barragan dominates MX1 in Benelux GP KTM factory rider Jonathan Barragan of Team Silver Action rounded up a near perfect weekend for the Austrian manufacturer at the Benelux GP on Sunday when he took overall victory in the MX1 class following a double KTM victory in MX2. The Spanish rider, who has been hampered by a deficit in training in the early part of the season due to a pre-season injury that is now no longer a problem. “I am strong and fit again and I can feel the difference,” he said. So could his opponents on Sunday. Barragan made an amazing recovery in race one to come from the back of the pack to snatch third place then followed it up with a convincing win in the second moto. “I had a difficult crash in the first race but I managed to get back in the race. I had a good speed and good lines and because I stayed focused I was able to fight back from the back of the pack,” Jonathan said. “Race two was much easier. I had a better start and was able to fight with (Steve) Ramon and (David) Philippaerts. I was able to stay focused and concentrated right up to the end. This is my first GP win of the season and I hope it will be the first of many.” Barragan said he is now looking forward to the hard pack track in Portugal and Spain and especially his home circuit at Bellpuig in Spain. “That is home for me. I know the circuit and I feel very confident. I’ll have a lot of supporters and lots of motivation!” “I was really pumped, I had a good bike and I was very motivated,” the German rider said. Nagl failed to get his characteristic blitz start in the first race and was battling with Barragan and Josh Coppins in the first corner when he was hit by a third rider and dropped back a lot of places. “After that I just wasn’t riding well and I also felt very tired. Then I was fourth at the start of race two but I had a bad crash when I slipped the bike into neutral instead of into gear just before a big bump and it spat me off. Then I was dead last. First I pushed hard from the back to try to get back in the race and I was putting in some good lap times but suddenly I was completely tired and I don’t know why,” he said. — Suzuki Report Teka Suzuki WMX1’s Ken De Dycker survived a tough meeting for the team with sixth position overall at a bright but cloudy Valkenswaard in Holland and watched by 20,000 spectators. The Grand Prix of Benelux, round four of 15 in the FIM MX1 Motocross World Championship, was the first of three events in the 2009 schedule to take place within an hour’s drive of the team’s workshop in Lommel Belgium. The shallow but rough sand still provided a thorough test of skill, fitness and concentration. The MX1 motos saw some fantastic entertainment with a group of six riders all squabbling for victory entering the final stages of the first race. De Dycker and Steve Ramon were among the pack. Ramon had been running inside the top four for most of the distance, but entering the crucial moments, he hit a kicker off the large and tricky double jump around the back of the circuit and was thrown head-first into the ground. Somewhat dazed, he managed to remount and finish the race in 13th but the impact to his head was evident with a swollen right eye as well as other pain to his left arm. De Dycker meanwhile was able to force his way to fourth. The second moto was just as dramatic: De Dycker collided with Billy Mackenzie in the first corner and then flew past almost 20 riders in two laps to make up ground. His impressive speed on the RM-Z450 did not result in further promotion up the rankings once he reached the top 10 and ninth spot was the best he could hope for. Less than half an hour before the start of Moto 2 Ramon opted to compete. To the former World Champion’s credit he even managed to lead the sprint for four laps until the pain from his accident earlier in the day meant he had lower his speed in the final quarter of the race and was seventh by the end of play. In the World Championship standings De Dycker is third and 19 points from Antonio Cairoli at the top of the table. Ramon is seventh with 100 points and 43 away from first place. The team now have another break from World Championship action before making the journey south through Europe to Portugal and Agueda for round five of 15 at Agueda. The Grand Prix of Catalunya at Bellpuig in Spain takes place one week later. Ken De Dycker – 6th: Steve Ramon – 9th: |
Veterans
The second round of the FIM Veterans’ World Cup ended with heat two which was held this morning. Again it was Nilsson taking the win and the overall as well with a full score of 50 valuable points for the standings where the Swedish sits in second. Iven took second overall after a second place finish in heat two while Puzar, third in the final moto, was third overall. Van Grinsven and Hendrickx completed the top five overall. Iven still sits on top of the points standings.
VETERANS Race 1 top ten: 1. Mats Nilsson (SWE, Yamaha), 25:18.023; ; 2. Peter Iven (BEL, Honda), +0:03.406; 3. Alessandro Puzar (ITA, Honda), +0:32.281; 4. Ton van Grinsven (NED, KTM), +1:13.185; 5. Jan Blancquaert (BEL, Suzuki), +1:18.675; 6. Erwin Hendrickx (NED, Honda), +1:26.582; 7. Koos Dijkstra (NED, Honda), +1:28.503; 8. Pascal Bal (BEL, KTM), +1:38.631; 9. Christophe LherIteau (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:40.673; 10. Thierry Fors (BEL, Kawasaki), +2:09.881;
VETERANS Race 2 top ten: 1. Mats Nilsson (SWE, Yamaha), 24:20.765; ; 2. Peter Iven (BEL, Honda), +0:00.866; 3. Alessandro Puzar (ITA, Honda), +0:18.065; 4. Erwin Hendrickx (NED, Honda), +1:09.874; 5. Ton van Grinsven (NED, KTM), +1:26.620; 6. Pascal Bal (BEL, KTM), +1:30.795; 7. Freddy Verherstraeten (BEL, Kawasaki), +1:43.669; 8. Koos Dijkstra (NED, Honda), +1:55.151; 9. Thierry Fors (BEL, Kawasaki), +2:06.400; 10. Christophe LherIteau (FRA, Kawasaki), +2:14.009
VETERANS Overall top ten: 1. Mats Nilsson (SWE, Yamaha), 50 points; 2. Peter Iven (BEL, Honda), 44 p.; 3. Alessandro Puzar (ITA, Honda), 40 p.; 4. Ton van Grinsven (NED, KTM), 34 p.; 5. Erwin Hendrickx (NED, Honda), 33 p.; 6. Pascal Bal (BEL, KTM), 28 p.; 7. Koos Dijkstra (NED, Honda), 27 p.; 8. Jan Blancquaert (BEL, Suzuki), 26 p.; 9. Thierry Fors (BEL, Kawasaki), 23 p.; 10. Christophe LherIteau (FRA, Kawasaki), 23 p.
VETERANS Cup top ten: 1. Peter Iven (BEL, Honda), 94 points; 2. Mats Nilsson (SWE, Yamaha), 88 p.; 3. Alessandro Puzar (ITA, Honda), 72 p.; 4. Jan Blancquaert (BEL, Suzuki), 62 p.; 5. Christophe LherIteau (FRA, Kawasaki), 58 p.; 6. Erwin Hendrickx (NED, Honda), 56 p.; 7. Pascal Bal (BEL, KTM), 49 p.; 8. Koos Dijkstra (NED, Honda), 43 p.; 9. Thierry Fors (BEL, Kawasaki), 40 p.; 10. Ton van Grinsven (NED, KTM), 34 p.;