FIM MX1/MX2/MX3 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, ROUND 16, AUG 25, MATTERLEY BASIN, GB
— Cairoli crowned World Champion; Ferris notches up another win
For second year in a row the British track of Matterley Basin hosted the MXGP Festival with up to 319 riders who took part in a colourful parade lap early in the morning. Unfortunately, the rain came and the track became very demanding for the young European riders, but once the MX1 and MX2 riders went out for their main races the sun started to shine. Antonio Cairoli dominated the first race and was crowned MX1 World Champion, but it was Clement Desalle who took the overall victory.
Antonio Cairoli could not finish the second race due to a mechanical problem, so Clement Desalle was on the first of the podium thanks to his 2-1 result. His teammate Kevin Strijbos was second and Evgeny Bobryshev finished third.
In MX2 Glenn Coldenhoff obtained the overall victory after two difficult races and Jake Nicholls and José Butrón were second and third. Dean Ferris won the first race but he was forced to retire due to a mechanical problem.
— MX1
Rockstar Energy Suzuki World’s Clement Desalle finished on the first step of the podium for the third time in a row and he admitted that he was very satisfied for such achievement. The Belgian rider finished second in the first race and he explained that he felt very stiff during the whole moto and he did not ride as comfortable as usual. In the second race he was second behind Cairoli, but when the Italian crashed, Desalle took the lead and he dominated the race until the chequered flag.
His teammate Kevin Strijbos felt really good today and he proved it with two strong races and the second overall position of the Grand Prix. In the first race he started third and he managed to keep such position until the end, but in the final race he had to make a huge effort to move from his initial eleventh position to the final third place, overtaking Bobryshev in the big triple with three laps to go. The Belgian is still fifth in the standings, but just four points behind Gautier Paulin.
Honda World Motocross’ Evgeny Bobryshev did not start the weekend really well with the DNF in the qualifying race, but today he did it again and he finished on the third step of the podium. The Russian had a very consistent first race in fourth, but he admitted that he struggled a little bit with arm-pump and he could not go faster enough to move up to third. In the second race he rode in third during most of the heat and when he saw Strijbos coming faster from behind, he decided to let him pass in order not to risk the third overall position.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Ken De Dycker had another tough weekend, but he managed to finish fourth overall. The Belgian rider struggled once again with his starts, but he was able to cross the finish line fifth and fourth even if he is still struggling with his injured ankle.
Home rider Tommy Searle was not able to achieve his main goal for the weekend which was finishing on the podium; in the first race he was eighth after the start and the British rider gave it all to move up to the front group, but he had to settle down with a sixth place. In the second race the CLS Kawasaki Monster Energy Pro Circuit rider got stuck in a tangle in the first lap and it took him some time to go back to the race. The British rider was almost in the back of the pack but he was able to cross the finish line seventh, which gave him the fifth overall position.
Gautier Paulin started down in the fourteenth position in the first race, but he managed to put some good laps to finish ninth. In the second race his start was much better, but he was only able to finish fifth in the race and sixth in the Grand Prix.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli obtained his seventh FIM Motocross World Title today, but he was not able to win the Grand Prix. The Italian had two great starts, but whereas he dominated the first heat with superb authority, in the second one he crashed in the opening lap and his KTM started to fail. In the end, the Italian decided to retire as his bike was stopping constantly. Cairoli finished seventh overall but he went home with his fifth MX1 World Title.
Shaun Simpson had one of his best performances of the season today in front of his home crowd, obtaining the eighth overall place thanks to his eighth position in both heats. Tanel Leok was ninth and Jeremy Van Horebeek was tenth. The Belgian rider was very disappointed today, because he obtained a very strong second place in the final heat, but a problem in the front brake of his Kawasaki forced him to retire from the first race
MX1 Race 1 top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 40:12.219; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:13.729; 3. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:19.596; 4. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:37.345; 5. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:44.925; 6. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:52.268; 7. David Philippaerts (ITA, Honda), +0:57.437; 8. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), +1:00.898; 9. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:31.427; 10. Tanel Leok (EST, TM), +1:42.077;
MX1 Race 2 top ten: 1. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 39:39.867; 2. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:09.276; 3. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:16.160; 4. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:28.647; 5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:39.680; 6. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:50.764; 7. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +1:03.211; 8. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), +1:08.104; 9. Tanel Leok (EST, TM), +1:38.004; 10. Matiss Karro (LAT, KTM), +1:48.876;
MX1 Overall top ten: 1. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 47 points; 2. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), 40 p.; 3. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), 36 p.; 4. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 31 p.; 5. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 29 p.; 6. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 28 p.; 7. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 28 p.; 8. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), 26 p.; 9. Tanel Leok (EST, TM), 23 p.; 10. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), 22 p.;
MX1 Championship top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 718 points; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 647 p.; 3. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 573 p.; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 513 p.; 5. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), 509 p.; 6. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 460 p.; 7. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), 405 p.; 8. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), 314 p.; 9. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), 312 p.; 10. David Philippaerts (ITA, Honda), 282 p.;
MX1 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 745 points; 2. Suzuki, 675 p.; 3. Kawasaki, 620 p.; 4. Honda, 502 p.; 5. Yamaha, 322 p.; 6. TM, 241 p.;
— MX2
It was an incredible day for Standing Construct KTM’s Glenn Coldenhoff as he obtained his maiden Grand Prix victory in the FIM MX2 World Championship. The Dutch rider was not feeling really well before the races and he was really tired after the first race when he crossed the finish line third. Coldenhoff started down in the tenth position in the second heat and even if he struggled with the rough and demanding track, he managed to move up to fourth and win the Grand Prix. The Dutch rider was not aware that he was riding for the win as he could hardly read the pit board of his mechanics and it was only when he saw the team waiting for him by the skybox that he realized that he was the overall winner of the British Grand Prix.
Home rider Jake Nicholls was also really close to win the Grand Prix and he actually finished just one point behind Coldenhoff. The Wilvo Nestaan JM Racing KTM rider rode a very strong first moto in second, but he had a bad start in the second race and he thought that all his possibilities to finish on the podium were gone. However, after riding safe the first few laps of the race, he managed to find a good rhythm and he rode behind Coldenhoff most of the race moving from twelfth to sixth. The British rider also admitted that he could not read the indications from his mechanics and during the whole moto he thought he was riding for the podium and not for the victory.
KTM Silver Action’s José Butrón was a bit disappointed today even if he finished on the third step of the podium. The Spanish rider had two excellent starts but in none of the races could keep the rhythm of the front group. In the second race he finished fifth and in the second one he lost the second position with Romain Febvre in the second half of the race and he lost the opportunity to win the Grand Prix.
Wilvo Nestaan JM Racing KTM’s Romain Febvre did an excellent performance in the second race crossing the finish line second ahead of Butrón, Coldenhoff and Tixier. However, the French young rider missed the podium because he had a bad start in the first race and he was only able to finish ninth. Febvre was fourth overall in the Grand Prix.
Monster Energy Yamaha’s Christophe Charlier did not have a good first race, crashing a couple of times and crossing the finish line down in the eighteenth place. However, things went much better for the French rider in the second race and after taking the lead in the second lap from Butrón, he managed to open a comfortable gap at the front and he won the race with nine seconds advantage over the second. Charlier ended fifth overall and he is now thirty-nine points behind Butrón.
Mel Pocock obtained an overall sixth position at his home Grand Prix with a 6-9 result, and Dylan Ferrandis was seventh. The French rider rode a solid first moto in fourth, but a crash in the early stages of the second race made him finish in the fourteenth position.
Dean Ferris was another unlucky rider today because after dominating the first race, he crashed in the second moto when he was riding third and he was forced to retire because the fuel tank of his bike was damaged.
Home riders Elliott Banks-Browne and Max Anstie completed the top ten of the British Grand Prix.
Jordi Tixier had a bad start in the first race and when he was trying to move up some positions, he crashed in front of the pit lane and he had to pull out from the race because he hit his chest and he was not feeling really well. The French rider did not have any major injury and he took part in the second race where he finished fifth. Tixier obtained an overall eleventh position.
MX2 Race 1 top ten: 1. Dean Ferris (AUS, Yamaha), 39:38.386; 2. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +0:04.749; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:10.070; 4. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:12.303; 5. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +0:41.303; 6. Mel Pocock (GBR, Yamaha), +0:45.536; 7. Tim Gajser (SLO, KTM), +0:48.624; 8. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), +0:57.100; 9. Romain Febvre (FRA, KTM), +0:57.767; 10. Elliott Banks-Browne (GBR, KTM), +1:29.337;
MX2 Race 2 top ten: 1. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), 40:55.169; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, KTM), +0:08.949; 3. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +0:09.694; 4. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:10.405; 5. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +0:12.238; 6. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +0:14.166; 7. Max Anstie (GBR, Suzuki), +0:46.988; 8. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Kawasaki), +0:59.031; 9. Mel Pocock (GBR, Yamaha), +1:00.702; 10. Elliott Banks-Browne (GBR, KTM), +1:01.435;
MX2 Overall top ten: 1. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 38 points; 2. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 37 p.; 3. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 36 p.; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, KTM), 34 p.; 5. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), 28 p.; 6. Mel Pocock (GBR, Yamaha), 27 p.; 7. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), 25 p.; 8. Dean Ferris (AUS, Yamaha), 25 p.; 9. Elliott Banks-Browne (GBR, KTM), 22 p.; 10. Max Anstie (GBR, Suzuki), 18 p.;
MX2 Championship top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 692 points; 2. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), 569 p.; 3. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), 506 p.; 4. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), 467 p.; 5. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 450 p.; 6. Dean Ferris (AUS, Yamaha), 434 p.; 7. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 407 p.; 8. Max Anstie (GBR, Suzuki), 320 p.; 9. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), 319 p.; 10. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), 287 p.;
MX2 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 785 points; 2. Yamaha, 606 p.; 3. Kawasaki, 456 p.; 4. Suzuki, 346 p.; 5. Honda, 328 p.; 6. TM, 62 p.; 7. Husqvarna, 1 p.;
MXGP GREAT BRITAIN – QUICK FACTS
Circuit length: 1750 m
Type of ground: hard pack
Temperature: 24° C
Weather conditions: changeable, rainy in the morning and sunny in the afternoon
Crowd attendance: 25000
NEXT GP
The FIM Motocross World Championship will have a weekend off before travelling to Lierop to celebrate the last Grand Prix of the season. The sandy Dutch track will also host the last rounds of the EMX125c and EMX250cc European Championships.
— KTM Report
Red Bull KTM Factory rider Tony Cairoli of Italy on Sunday underlined why he is one of the finest Motocross riders in the world when he took his fifth consecutive MX1 World title and his seventh career world title at the MX GP Festival in the UK.
Cairoli already sealed the championship in the opening moto. He took the holeshot on the Matterley Basin circuit, a track that he names as one of his favorites, and shared the lead with his biggest rival Clement Desalle. But the Italian champion rode his usual tactical race, carefully analyzing where would be the best place to make the pass on the Belgian. He closed him down and took the lead in the tenth lap then hit the gas and went on to score a comfortable win. Cairoli pumped the air as he went through the finish line to acknowledge he had won the title and was greeted by wild celebrations from the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team in the finish area.
Cairoli took off like a rocket in the second moto, grabbing the holeshot but then crashed in the opening lap ahead of a multi bike pileup that shook up the race order and allowed leader Desalle to take the lead. Cairoli settled down to pick off six or seven riders ahead of him and was in fourth place by lap three. But two-thirds through the race he started to experience technical problems and with just two laps to go had to exit into the pits. Cairoli’s teammate Ken de Dycker of Belgium wrapped up his day with a 5-6 result for overall fourth, riding with an injured ankle.
Coldenhoff takes first career MX2 victory topping all-KTM podium
With the world title already decided for KTM factory rider Jeffrey Herlings at the GP of Czech Republic in Loket and the Dutch teenager out injured for the rest of the season, there were no holds barred among the other riders in the MX2 GP of Britain.
It was Australian Dean Ferris who took a comfortable victory in the opening MX2 moto ahead of Jake Nichols and Glenn Coldenhoff in a race that saw Red Bull KTM’s Jordi Tixier crash hard. But in the second moto, which saw a whole string of riders, Ferris included, exit through crashes, the race went right down to the wire with no less than four riders possible GP winners going into the final laps. But it was Coldenhoff who took the glory and when he crossed the line he was not even aware that he was on the podium. Nichols was second and Jose Burtron took third to give KTM yet another three-way podium. Considering his first race crash, Tixier did well to get back into the action in the second race to finish in fifth for more points to consolidate his second place in the championship standings.
Successful EMX Championships for KTM
Titles in EMX 65cc, 85cc and 125 cc were all also decided at Matterley Basin, yielding three more honors to KTM. Raivo Dankers of the Netherlands won the 65cc class, with the youngest riders fighting their way through thick mud after rain at the British circuit. Conrad Mewes of the UK was 85cc European champion and Pauls Jonas of Latvia settled the 125 cc European title with one round still in hand.
Cairoli’s 2013 journey to his seventh career world title:
Finished 2 in GP of Qatar
Finished 1 in GP of Thailand
Finished 1 in GP of Netherlands
Finished 1 in GP of Italy
Finished 2 in GP of Bulgaria
Finished 2 in GP of Portugal
Finished 1 in GP of Brazil
Finished 1 in GP of France
Finished 3 in GP of Italy Maggiora
Finished 1 in GP of Sweden (60th career GP victory)
Finished 1 in GP of Latvia
Finished 1 in GP of Finland
Finished 1 in GP of Germany
Finished 5 in GP of Czech Republic
Finished 2 in GP of Belgium
— Yamaha Report
Dean Ferris and Christophe Charlier both steered their YZ250F technology to chequered flags at Matterley Basin for the British Grand Prix and the sixteenth round of seventeen in the FIM Motocross World Championship. 25,000 spectators in southern England watched the Australian and Corsican dominate both 35 minute and 2 lap motos but moments of misfortune kept both Monster Energy Yamaha protagonists away from the final top three.
The vast and scenic circuit was lashed by English rain through the morning of raceday before the skies cleared and the slick mud became drier and rougher. The layout was still flowing and bruising with several big jumps testing the mettle of the GP stars.
Ferris attacked the course with relish in the opening chase. He profited from a determined holeshot and defended a lead of several seconds for the entire duration from Jake Nicholls. In the second sprint Ferris was looking comfortable for his second Grand Prix overall victory in a row until one small mistake led to a crash and a damaged fuel tank frustratingly ended his day.
Charlier was also at the extremes of race fortunes. The YZ250FM pilot slipped off his bike twice in the first outing and even tweaked his left hand. Ignoring the pain ‘23’ was an unparalleled force in the second affair and sprinted free to celebrate his second triumph of the year. Charlier’s 18-3 would mean 5th overall and classify him as top Yamaha man for the day.
Ferris in Great Britain
It was a great home Grand Prix for Mel Pocock. The 2012 European Champion was nursing damage to the ligament in his right knee as a consequence of his poor luck in the Belgian round one week earlier. Mel made his customary good starts however and immediately got to grips with the track. He worked to 6th and 9th and his ranking of 6th in MX2 represented a personal and career best. Maxime Desprey was nursing a sore back and struggling to cope with the many big bumps and heavy landings from the hefty Matterley jumps. The MX2 rookie – who celebrated a European Championship race victory at the same venue one year earlier – was 12th and 20th for 20th overall.
Matterley was also the scene of the penultimate round of the European EMX125 contest where Nicolas Dercourt was again one of the main pace-setters on his YZ125. The teenager fought through to second place overall, a comfortable distance ahead of German Henry Jacobi. The youngster is now in-line for the number two plate in 2013 and has a ten point lead over Calvin Vlaanderen with one race and just 25 points left to win.
As part of the same hectic meeting Kiara Fontanesi took a step closer to her second FIM Women’s World Championship on the YRRD-kitted YZ250F by winning one moto and eventually finishing second overall. The rapid Italian has aced seven out of eight races so far this season and has two rounds – in Czech Republic and Slovakia – left to wrap up the series and reconfirm her position as the fastest female on the mud.
Matterley had plenty going on and Sunday afternoon also saw a press conference given by the Dixon-led Monster Energy Yamaha crew in which they presented exciting Brit Max Anstie as their rider for the next two seasons. The 20 year old will line-up on the 2014 YZ250F for the ’14 series provisionally set to start again next March in Qatar.
The current motocross racing campaign is winding down to a close. The Grand Prix of Benelux in the rough sand of Lierop will take place on September 8th and draw the curtain on the FIM Motocross World Championship before Ferris and Charlier then start to think about their roles in the 67th Motocross of Nations at the end of the same month.
Kiara Fontanesi in Great Britain
Dean Ferris – “The first moto was good. I got my first holeshot and just controlled the race and rode smart. The track really suited me because it was so technical and rutty. In moto two Butron was just a roadblock; I’ve got nothing more to say. I was trying everything to pass and getting off the line a lot. I crashed because I had my head-down from getting filled-in and the next thing I knew I was cartwheeling. I broke the tank, the bike wouldn’t fire and there was fuel everywhere. That was that and at the moment I am very disappointed that the DNF cost me fourth in the championship also. I am so happy in one respect in that the bike is working so sweetly now and it is a shame we are close to the end of the season because I could have had more points on the table…but you live and learn.”
Christophe Charlier – “In the first race I started in eighth but was making my way back until I crashed with Ferrandis. I picked up the bike but fell again and after that it was hard to pass the riders because I had pain in my hand. I was eighteenth and kept going because I wanted whatever points I could get. In the second moto my start was good and the bike was so strong. I’m happy with the race but it is a bit of a shame about the Grand Prix overall.”
Mel Pocock – “I’m really happy with that. I think it was my two best rides all year. I have been waiting for a deep, rutty, technical track like this one for a long time. I had one really good start and one not so great but I made the best of it. I had to strap my knee because I’ve damaged the medial ligament so I’m happy with sixth overall and my best result this year. At one point yesterday I wasn’t sure if I’d race. Also a big thanks to the team because I think at the eleventh hour they found something suspect with the engine and had to quickly change everything before the second race. We only just made it.”
Maxime Desprey – “Hard weekend for me. During the week I had a contraction in my back so when I was on the bike I didn’t feel so good here. I took 12th in the first moto but had no strength or power in the second. I just tried to finish where I could and now I want to train in the sand for the last GP.”
Kiara Fontanesi – “It was not a bad meeting for the championship but I’m disappointed. I could not ride how I wanted in the second moto at all and was very frustrated. Natalie Kane was strong today but I know I could have done much better. My hands were almost locked into a position after that second race because of the arm-pump and I needed help to get my gloves off. I don’t think I have ever had a moto like that. Anyway, two more to go and I hope we can win the title in style.”
Finished 7 in GP of Britain
— Honda Report
Honda World Motocross team’s Evgeny Bobryshev sprayed MX1 podium champagne for the third meeting in a row as the strong Russian guided his factory CRF450R to third place at a busy, challenging and popullar Matterley Basin for the British Grand Prix. Clement Desalle won the sixteenth round of seventeen in the FIM Motocross World Championship while Antonio Cairoli was crowned as champion of the premier class for fifth season in a row.
After two successive years of pleasant sunshine Matterley Basin, the host of the UK round, finally encountered some rain this weekend. While the showers helped soften the ground making the dirt more slippery and thus more technical the climate also cast a chilly, autumn feel to the event until blue skies arrived late in the afternoon.
Bobryshev set a decent pace during practice on Saturday to be among the leaders in both sessions and clearly enjoyed a positive feeling with the track. The qualification heat didn’t go so smoothly and damage to his front brake after almost falling on the first corner forced a DNF and a lowly pick in the start gate for Sunday’s motos.
777 rallied and against the odds made two pretty decent getaways from his slots. In the first moto he had a lonely ride in fourth position and was unable to get close to the rear wheel of 3rd placed Kevin Strijbos. In the second outing Bobryshev again shifted into the top five and although he lost a battle for third spot to the Belgian, his four-four scorecard was enough for a fourth trophy of 2013 and his third on the bounce since recovering fully from the fallout of his broken leg earlier this season.
Gariboldi Honda’s David Philippaerts was a satisfactory seventh in the opening moto but a crash in the second left the former world champion with a painful right femur and he needed a check-up in the medical centre once he found his way back to the paddock.
Max Nagl remains on the sidelines due to a bout of the Epstein-Barr virus and there is some doubt whether the German will reach a sufficient level of fitness to be able to close out the 2013 campaign in Holland in two weeks. In the MX1 championship standings the three key Honda runners still maintain slots in the top ten. Nagl is eighth, just two points ahead of Bobryshev who has been steadily climbing the ranks and missed three of the sixteen rounds held so far, Philippaerts is tenth.
The new Honda European 150 Championship finished at Matterley Basin and Italian teenager Filippo Grigoletto was the inaugural number one in the single-make series with three podium results from the three rounds, including one victory.
After six months, travel to four continents and sixteen stops, the seventeenth and final appointment on the 2013 schedule will take plaace in the sand of Lierop in Holland, close to the German border in two weeks time. Bobryshev, Philippaerts and perhaps Nagl are then expected to wheel their CRF450Rs into the paddock at Talkessel in Germany to represent their countries at the 67th Motocross of Nations on September 29th.
Evgeny Bobryshev: Race Result: 4th/4th Championship position: 9th
“I’m happy because it has been a long time – 2011 – since I’ve been on the podium three times in a row. I’m pumped. This is really down to the team and the support of all the sponsors. In the second moto I lost a bit of the good feeling with the ground and also some concentration and I couldn’t go faster. Kevin passed me on the triple and I have to say I was impressed by that! Anyway, a consistent race and another podium so everything is good.”
— Pirelli Report
It was an exciting day for Antonio Cairoli and Pirelli who were crowned World Champions again after the first moto of the British Grand Prix. Thanks to his margin of 90 points in the standings accumulated over the previous fifteen rounds, the 27 year old Sicilian – steering the factory KTM 350SX-F with Pirelli Scorpion MX MidSoft 32F front and Scorpion MX MidSoft 32 rear – wrapped up his fifth crown in a row by defeating closest rival Clement Desalle.
Cairoli wasn’t able to repeat the victory at Matterley Basin in the second moto due to some technical troubles after ‘abusing’ his KTM machine in the championship celebrations a few hours earlier. Nevertheless Cairoli was able to sign-off a consistently excellent season and with his seventh career title became the second most successful rider in the history of the sport behind Belgian Stefan Everts. The Grand Prix was won by works Suzuki star Desalle; following up his second position in the first moto with the chequered flag in the second and scaled the podium ahead of team-mate Kevin Strijbos. A title victory for Pirelli was also celebrated in MX2. Jeffrey Herlings had already claimed the championship in the Czech Republic two meetings ago but the injured Dutchman saw his country’s flag still on top after Glenn Coldenhoff toasted his maiden GP triumph in the UK. Valentin Guillod finished third in the European EMX250 Championship and maintains a 12 point lead in the competition with one round remaining. The seventeenth and last event of the season will take place on the 8th of September at Lierop (Holland).
— Suzuki Europe report
Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe were buoyed by some decent results at the British Grand Prix and a four day meeting in which a comprehensive line-up of Suzuki technology and some of their most promising youngsters gathered together for what was also the second ever MXGP Festival.
Matterley Basin housed 25,000 spectators and provided a fast, bumpy and spectacular stage for 11 racing categories to do battle at what was the 16th round of 17 in the FIM Motocross World Championship, the European 85cc Championship event, and the seventh meeting of eight in both European EMX250 and EMX125 competitions – part of the feeder route to the top Grand Prix level.
At the peak of the results tree for the crew was EMX250 winner Jeremy Seewer. The Swiss made an attacking start in the Final and was able to get into the lead in the formative stages of the moto. He came under pressure from American wild-card Thomas Covington but when the latter made a mistake, Seewer was able to bring his RM-Z250 home for a second win of the campaign. He is now just 12 points away from red plate holder Valentin Guillod with one fixture and 25 points up for grabs.
Gianluca Fachetti signed off a decent 2013 on the RM85 by taking a solid third position in the European EMX85 outing. The Italian posted a scorecard of fourth and third for his overall ranking.
In EMX250 Jorge Zaragoza was 10th in the classification, after recovering from a crash, while back in EMX125 and with the RM125, Brian Hsu – supported by ADAC – tried to recover from a bad start to cross the finish line in 11th.
Max Anstie took the factory-backed RM-Z250 to 10th overall from the two MX2 Grand Prix motos. At his home round the 20 year old had a torrid opening race where a bad start and limited possibilities around the wet and slippy terrain meant he could do no better than 17th. In drier conditions Anstie showed his skill and was one of the very few in the 250cc field to consistently land the big step-down triple opposite the pit lane. In the second moto he was excellent and fought back from a first lap slot of 21st to reach seventh by the chequered flag. The Brit is eighth in the MX2 standings with still some work to do as Alex Lupino lies just one point adrift.
The end of the international racing calendar is within sight for the German crew. The Grand Prix of Benelux at Lierop will take the MX2/ EMX250 and EMX125 riders into the sand in two weeks time.
Jeremy Seewer: “I really liked the track and after the rain it felt completely different compared to our qualification Heat. I was able to find some good lines and make a good speed. When I was out front I was looking at the gap I had and just controlled it. There is still a 12-point gap in the championship and that is a lot to make in one race but the season is not over yet. We will see in Lierop!”
Max Anstie: “I struggled a bit out of the gate and made hard work for myself but I pushed and battled. The first race was difficult because it was so wet and went into one line and there was nowhere to pass; it was a tough one. They did a good job of prepping the track for the second one and it got a lot more technical and it was bumpy. That really helped me out. One more race to go and it is sand and at Lierop. I’ll be alright there and we’ll try to go out with a bang.”
European EMX125 Overall result: 1. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 29:41.723; 2. Nicolas Dercourt (FRA, Yamaha), +0:22.588; 3. Henry Jacobi (GER, KTM), +0:40.647; 4. Alvin Ostlund (SWE, Yamaha), +0:48.649; 5. Michael Eccles (GBR, KTM), +0:58.283; 6. Anton Lundgren (SWE, KTM), +0:58.539; 7. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, KTM), +1:10.518; 8. Davy Pootjes (NED, KTM), +1:25.867; 9. Kade Tinkler (CAN, Suzuki), +1:27.057; 10. David Herbreteau (FRA, Husqvarna), +1:29.318; 11. Brian Hsu (GER, Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe),), +1:34.769.
European EMX125 Championship Standings (after 7 of 8 rounds): 1. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 193 points; 2. Nicolas Dercourt (FRA, Yamaha), 153 p.; 3. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, KTM), 143 p.; 4. Anton Lundgren (SWE, KTM), 134 p.; 5. Henry Jacobi (GER, KTM), 128 p.; 6. Frederik Van Der Vlist (NED, Yamaha), 112 p.; 7. Davy Pootjes (NED, KTM), 72 p.; 8. Kade Tinkler (CAN, Suzuki), 72 p.; 9. Alvin Ostlund (SWE, Yamaha), 63 p.; 10. Riccardo Righi (ITA, KTM), 62 p.; 11. Brian Hsu (GER, Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe), 60 p.
European EMX250 overall result: 1. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe), 25 points; 2. Steven Clarke (GBR, KTM), 22 p.; 3. Valentin Guillod (SUI, KTM), 20 p.; 4. Thomas Covington (USA, Kawasaki), 18 p.; 5. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Honda), 16 p.; 6. Damon Graulus (BEL, KTM), 15 p.; 7. Davide Bonini (ITA, KTM), 14 p.; 8. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), 13 p.; 9. Ander Valentin Lasheras (ESP, Yamaha), 12 p.; 10. Jorge Zaragoza (ESP, Suzuki), 11 p.
European EMX250 Championship Standings (after 7 of 8 rounds):
1. Valentin Guillod (SUI, KTM), 164 points;
2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe),), 152 p.;
3. Damon Graulus (BEL, KTM), 116 p.;
4. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), 89 p.;
5. Ceriel Klein Kromhof (NED, KTM), 68 p.;
6. Mike Kras (NED, Suzuki), 59 p.;
7. Brent Van Doninck (BEL, KTM), 59 p.;
8. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Honda), 56 p.;
9. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Husqvarna), 56 p.;
10. Micha-Boy De Waal (NED, KTM), 53 p.;
11. Jordan Booker (GBR, Kawasaki), 41 p.;
12. Nathan Watson (GBR, KTM), 40 p.;
13. Steven Clarke (GBR, KTM), 35 p.;
14. Jorge Zaragoza (ESP, Suzuki), 34 p.;
