FIM MX1/MX2 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, ROUND 10, SUNDAY JUNE 23, UDDEVALLA, SWEDEN
— World MX moves to Sweden
This weekend the FIM Motocross World Championship travels to Sweden to celebrate the tenth Grand Prix of the season on the beautiful and natural track of Uddevalla. Antonio Cairoli and Jeffrey Herlings will race the Swedish Grand Prix as the leaders of the MX1 and MX2 series, but the red plate holder of the EMX250 European Championship Valentin Guillod will also be present in Uddevalla because this weekend the Swedish track will also host the third round of the series.
— MX1
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli is travelling to Sweden after having missed the overall victory on his home turf but he is still leading the MX1 standings with 51 points advantage over Gautier Paulin. The Italian does not really have very good memories from Uddevalla, as it was in the Swedish track where Cairoli got two DNF’s last year and lost the red plate from the likes of Desalle. However, the red plate holder is determined to leave the past aside and go back home with another Grand Prix victory.
Kawasaki Racing Team’s Gautier Paulin finished seventh last year in Uddevalla, but he will be one of the clear favourites to fight for the overall victory this weekend especially after having beaten Cairoli in Italy two weeks ago. Gautier Paulin is the youngest in the MX1 class, but he has been the most consistent rider together with Cairoli and he keeps on making significant improvements every weekend.
Rockstar Energy Suzuki World’s Clement Desalle left Maggiora with a bittersweet feeling, as he won the first race of the Italian Grand Prix, but he got a DNF in the second heat due to a mechanic problem. The Belgian rider has had some time to have the good feelings back and this weekend he is determined to give it all to repeat his 2012 overall victory in the Swedish track.
Fifteen points behind the Belgian there is his compatriot Ken De Dycker, who was back on the podium in Maggiora and obtained some valuable points to get closer to the top three riders of the MX1 class. After the Italian round, the Red Bull KTM Racing rider had some days off before he started training really hard again to be back on the podium this weekend in Uddevalla.
Rockstar Energy Suzuki World’s Kevin Strijbos finished on the third step of the podium last year in Uddevalla, so he might be riding for the top five positions again this weekend or even for a podium finish. The Belgian rider is currently fifth in the MX1 point standings but Tommy Searle is just five points behind him.
Looking at Tommy Searle’s progress in his rookie season in the MX1 class, there is a significant improvement in this second half of the season and his maiden MX1 podium finish seems to be closer than ever. Another rider that is looking forward to finishing on the podium this year is Max Nagl; the German had some difficulties in the beginning of the season, but in the last
Grand Prix he has proved that he has the speed to be riding among the top five riders of the MX1 class.
Jeremy Van Horebeek started the second half of the season riding with the top five riders of the MX1 class, so he is another contender for a podium finish either this weekend or in the Grand Prix to come. Currently, the Belgian rider is eighth in the point standings and Rui Gonçalves and David Philippaerts are completing the top ten.
Steven Frossard will be back riding his Monster Energy Yamaha machine this weekend, as his knee injury was not as serious as it was thought in the beginning. The French rider has only taken part in the first two Grand Prix of the season, so he is looking forward to racing again even if he knows that his adaptation period will not be easy.
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.;
2012 MX1 Podium
1. Clement Desalle
2. Christophe Pourcel
3. Kevin Strijbos
2012 MX1 POLEMAN: Antonio Cairoli
— MX2
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings has won all the Grand Prix so far this season, but if he wins this weekend in Uddevalla, it will be the first time for the Dutch rider to win in the Swedish track. The red plate holder keeps on being fully confident with himself, but in Maggiora he was surprised by Alexander Tonkov who was able to led some laps of the Italian Grand Prix.
The second place of the Championship is still for Jordi Tixier but he has not been on the podium since the Grand Prix of Brazil. The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider has not been really consistent in the last Grand Prix, but he is still 38 points ahead of Jose Butrón who is holding the third position in the MX2 standings.
KTM Silver Action’s José Butrón was second overall in Maggiora and he has cemented his third position in the Championship, as he is now 24 points ahead of Christophe Charlier. The Spanish rider did not have a good weekend last year in Uddevalla and he finished down in the tenth position, but he is determined to ride for another podium finish this weekend and get closer to the current runner-up of the series Jordi Tixier.
Monster Energy Yamaha’s Christophe Charlier obtained his first podium of the season in France and his sixth overall position in Italy made him move up to the fourth position of the Championship. Charlier’s main goal for this second half of the season is trying to be more consistent in order to enter the top three by the end of the year.
Standing Construct KTM’s Glenn Coldenhoff did not have a really good weekend in Italy and he dropped down one position in the point standings. The Dutch rider is just one point away from Charlier, so he will give his best in Sweden to claim back the fourth position of the championship.
Dean Ferris keeps on holding the sixth position of the MX2 standings but in the last Grand Prix he has proved that he can easily be riding among the top five or even top three riders of the MX2 class. The Australian rider had to miss some races in the beginning of the season due to several injuries, so he really needs to be fully focused in this second half of the championship if he wants to climb up some positions in the championship standings.
Jake Nicholls obtained his maiden podium in Valkenswaard, but since then he has been lacking some consistency and he is seventh in the championship. The British rider has finished among the top three in several occasions after the Dutch Grand Prix, but for one reason or another he has always had problems in the second races. This weekend Nicholls will give it all to obtain to consistent results and finish on the podium once again.
Max Anstie is currently eighth in the MX2 championship, but Alessandro Lupino is just three points behind the British rider. Dylan Ferrandis, who obtained his maiden MX2 podium last year in Uddevalla, is rounding the top ten.
Alexander Tonkov is down in the thirteenth position, but he will be a rider to follow this weekend, as he will give it all to finish on the podium and race again for the top three positions as he did in Italy.
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.;
2012 MX2 Podium
1. Tommy Searle
2. Jeffrey Herlings
3. Dylan Ferrandis
2012 MX2 POLEMAN: Jeffrey Herlings
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.”