World MX – Round Eight – Grand Prix of Germany, Teutschental
An action packed weekend of Motocross racing ended today at Teutschenthal in front of 34000 spectators.
Kiwi Joshua Coppins came back to victory by finishing first in both heats and is now second in the Championship from Yamaha team mate David Philippaerts. Tyla Rattray wrapped up the overall and the red plate in the MX2 class.
Home rider Steffi Laier won this penultimate round of the Women’s World Championship from series leader Livia Lancelot and Maria Franke.
MX1
With his latest GP win dating back at Bulgaria 2007, Yamaha Monster Motocross’ Joshua Coppins came back to the top step of the podium by winning both heats at a hot Teutschenthal. Poleman Teka Suzuki WMX1’s Ken de Dycker took the second step of the podium ahead of Kawasaki Racing’s Tanel Leok. It was a podium comeback also for the Estonian, who took his latest rostrum finish in Namur 2007. David Philippaerts rode to fourth despite a damaged rib from the crash at the French GP; Philippaerts retained the red plate while Sebastien Pourcel rounded off the top five.
MX1 RACE 1
Nagl took the holeshot but stopped three laps later because of a technical problem; an injured Mackenzie battled it out with Coppins for the lead and eventually dropped down to 15th while Coppins stormed to victory. Boniface crashed into Pourcel who had fallen moments before his French countryman passed by; Ramon was handed the third spot and worked his way up to an eventual second from Philippaerts. De Dycker and Bill rounded off the top five as Tanel Leok settled into sixth after trying to find a way past the Swiss.
MX1 RACE 2
Coppins led the pack into turn one but let Mackenzie and Pourcel by to see them both crash throughout the following five laps; once the Kiwi was handed the lead he rode strong to secure the overall win while Ramon crashed to finish only 18th. Team mate De Dycker moved past a solid Nagl to secure the second place but he felt the pressure of an incredible Leok towards the final laps. After moving past Nagl for third, Leok chased De Dycker but eventually finished third in front of German Nagl. Pourcel took the fifth place from Philippaerts, who felt more pain in this final heat. Mackenzie was tenth.
MX2
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tyla Rattray was back to victory at Teutschenthal as he topped the podium from archrival Antonio Cairoli of Yamaha Red Bull De Carli. The latter finished level in points with the South African as Tony took victory in moto one while Rattray won moto two. CLS’ Steven Frossard was a surprising third overall at his maiden podium appearance while Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s team mates Rui Goncalves, holeshotting both heats, and Tommy Searle rounded off the top five.
MX2 RACE 1
Goncalves led the pack into turn one but Cairoli eventually moved past to pull away and win. Once he got rid of Goncalves, Rattray followed Cairoli to take the second place ahead of a very quick Searle. Starting from 25th on the grid after yesterday’s extremely hard qualifying, Searle worked his way up to third courtesy of incredible overtaking manoeuvres. Frossard was fourth after Searle moved past him and Simpson rounded off the top five ahead of Goncalves.
MX2 RACE 2
Once again Goncalves took the best start to storm first into the opening corner. Leuret was a positive second after the start but eventually finished 17th as this was only his second GP of 2008 because of a shoulder injury after Valkenswaard. Rattray moved up to first and pulled away to win and take the top step of the podium while Cairoli was second. Searle was third when he crashed and handed the position to Goncalves, who finished ahead of Frossard. After an early crash, the Frenchman battled tooth and nail with Simpson to take both the fourth place and the podium. The Brit was passed also by Musquin to finish sixth while Searle was ninth.
IN THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS STANDINGS
Being first and second in the Championship, Yamaha team mates David Philippaerts and Joshua Coppins are leading the standings from the Suzuki factory duo made of Steve Ramon and Ken de Dycker. Seb Pourcel rounds off the top five from Jonathan Barragan and Tanel Leok.
In the MX2 class the red plate goes back to Tyla Rattray, now leading from team mate Tommy Searle and Antonio Cairoli. Shaun Simpson and Ruin Goncalves round off the top five with Nicolas Aubin dropping down to sixth.
As the demanding course and the hot and dry weather made it one of the toughest events so far in the season, the 34000 spectators attending the German round of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship watched a rock solid home rider Steffi Laier take her third consecutive win.
KTM Germany’s Laier won from current series leader Livia Lancelot of GPKR and other German Maria Franke of Kawasaki Elf Pfeil. Leading after France, Yamaha Van Beers’ Katherine Prumm announced she will head back home to New Zealand after the left collarbone injury which prevented her from racing in Germany.
Elin Mann and Larissa Papenmeier, winner last year at Teutschenthal, rounded off today’s top five.
MOTO 1
Mann took the holeshot but Lancelot stormed up to first before the end of the opening lap. The French took a dominant victory from Franke, who could not close the two second gap. The latter played defense in the final laps as Laier, who crashed at lap one, came back to her tail and eventually finished third. Mann and Veenstra rounded off the top five ahead of De Winter and Papenmeier, who crashed with five laps to go.
Top five: 1. Livia Lancelot (FRA, Kawasaki), 26:44.402; ; 2. Maria Franke (GER, Kawasaki), +0:01.915; 3. Stephanie Laier (GER, KTM), +0:02.386; 4. Elin Mann (SWE, KTM), +0:48.774; 5. Marianne Veenstra (NED, Suzuki), +0:53.164
MOTO 2
Papenmeier took the holeshot with Lancelot moving past to try another escape as she did in the opening moto; Lancelot had to face the attacks of Laier, who moved past to leave the French in second place. In this case Lancelot had still the overall win in her hands but Franke’s successful move made her drop to third and lose the victory from Laier. Franke ended moto two in second place with compatriot Papenmeier taking an eventual fourth. Mann rounded off the top five.
Top five: 1. Stephanie Laier (GER, KTM), 27:09.779; ; 2. Maria Franke (GER, Kawasaki), +0:18.278; 3. Livia Lancelot (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:28.390; 4. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Suzuki), +0:51.249; 5. Elin Mann (SWE, KTM), +0:57.474
IN THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS STANDINGS
With Prumm out, Lancelot is back to the top of the standings but Laier is working her way up to the top. Only 20 points separate Lancelot from runner up Laier as Franke completes the top three, being as far from Lancelot as Laier. Missing this round, Fiolek dropped down to ninth.
Top ten: 1. Livia Lancelot (FRA, Kawasaki), 165 points; 2. Stephanie Laier (GER, KTM), 145 p.; 3. Maria Franke (GER, Kawasaki), 145 p.; 4. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Suzuki), 124 p.; 5. Katherine Prumm (NZL, Yamaha), 122 p.; 6. Elin Mann (SWE, KTM), 116 p.; 7. Elien De Winter (BEL, KTM), 110 p.; 8. Marianne Veenstra (NED, Suzuki), 108 p.; 9. Ashley Fiolek (USA, Honda), 102 p.; 10. Marielle De Mol (NED, Yamaha), 67 p.
WHAT’S NEXT
The Women’s World Championship will be back to action at Lierop, The Netherlands, on September 7, for the fifth and final round. The MX1 and MX2 series will continue next weekend at Uddevalla, Sweden, with round nine of fifteen.
MX1 Race 1 1, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 39’32.337 2, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 0’3.070 3, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 0’6.896 4, Ken De Dycker, Suzuki, BEL, 0’11.101 5, Julien Bill, Honda, CHE, 0’14.773 6, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 0’25.707 7, Sébastien Pourcel, Kawasaki, FRA, 0’41.215 8, Manuel Priem, Kawasaki, BEL, 0’43.714 9, Aigar Leok, Yamaha, EST, 0’47.859 10, Clement Desalle, Suzuki, BEL, 0’53.196 11, Kornel Nemeth, KTM, HUN, 0’55.972 12, Alex Salvini, Suzuki, ITA, 0’59.697 13, Luis Correira, Yamaha, POR, 1’1.435 14, Jonathan Barragan, KTM, ESP, 1’10.148 15, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 1’11.334 16, Carlos Campano, Yamaha, ESP, 1’18.406 17, Cedric Melotte, Aprilia, BEL, 1’22.257 18, Bradley Anderson, Suzuki, GBR, 1’24.362 19, Loic Leonce, Yamaha, FRA, 1’38.600 20, Tom Church, Kawasaki, GBR, 1’52.977 |
MX1 Race 2 1, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 40’27.188 2, Ken De Dycker, Suzuki, BEL, 0’7.806 3, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 0’10.916 4, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, 0’18.247 5, Sébastien Pourcel, Kawasaki, FRA, 0’28.423 6, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 0’31.971 7, Julien Bill, Honda, CHE, 0’37.039 8, Aigar Leok, Yamaha, EST, 0’44.990 9, Manuel Priem, Kawasaki, BEL, 0’51.781 10, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 1’1.592 11, Carlos Campano, Yamaha, ESP, 1’10.237 12, Alex Salvini, Suzuki, ITA, 1’16.744 13, Clement Desalle, Suzuki, BEL, 1’21.679 14, Bradley Anderson, Suzuki, GBR, 1’26.075 15, Marcus Schiffer, KTM, GER, 1’35.770 16, Scott Columb, Suzuki, NZL, 1’39.564 17, Lauris Freibergs, Yamaha, LVA, 1’42.011 18, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 1’46.550 19, Tom Church, Kawasaki, GBR, 1’56.662 20, Kornel Nemeth, KTM, HUN, 1’59.599 |
MX2 Race 1 1, Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha, ITA, 41’35.030 2, Tyla Rattray, KTM, RSA, 0’6.618 3, Tommy Searle, KTM, GBR, 0’28.061 4, Steven Frossard, Kawasaki, FRA, 0’32.506 5, Shaun Simpson, KTM, GBR, 0’40.131 6, Rui Goncalves, KTM, POR, 0’42.339 7, Jeremy Van Horebeek, KTM, BEL, 0’51.463 8, Manuel Monni, Yamaha, ITA, 0’59.353 9, Wyatt Avis, Honda, RSA, 1’7.135 10, Marvin Musquin, Honda, FRA, 1’8.823 11, Joel Roelants, KTM, BEL, 1’9.320 12, Xavier Boog, Suzuki, FRA, 1’16.561 13, Anthony Boissière, KTM, FRA, 1’19.762 14, Pascal Leuret, Suzuki, FRA, 1’22.335 15, Jeremy Tarroux, KTM, FRA, 1’26.042 16, Evgeny Bobryshev, Yamaha, RUS, 1’31.146 17, Carl Nunn, Suzuki, GBR, 1’33.854 18, Dennis Verbruggen, Yamaha, BEL, 1’39.830 19, Davide Guarneri, Yamaha, ITA, 1’41.996 20, Nikolaj Larsen, Suzuki, DNK, 1’42.724 |
MX2 Race 2 1, Tyla Rattray, KTM, RSA, 40’17.024 2, Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha, ITA, 0’16.362 3, Rui Goncalves, KTM, POR, 0’21.554 4, Steven Frossard, Kawasaki, FRA, 0’26.046 5, Marvin Musquin, Honda, FRA, 0’31.408 6, Shaun Simpson, KTM, GBR, 0’32.562 7, Jeremy Van Horebeek, KTM, BEL, 0’41.856 8, Xavier Boog, Suzuki, FRA, 0’46.653 9, Tommy Searle, KTM, GBR, 0’55.759 10, Manuel Monni, Yamaha, ITA, 0’58.704 11, Joel Roelants, KTM, BEL, 1’0.063 12, Matti Seistola, Honda, FIN, 1’7.513 13, Jeremy Tarroux, KTM, FRA, 1’10.506 14, Carl Nunn, Suzuki, GBR, 1’11.585 15, Evgeny Bobryshev, Yamaha, RUS, 1’13.246 16, Dennis Verbruggen, Yamaha, BEL, 1’15.379 17, Pascal Leuret, Suzuki, FRA, 1’20.441 18, Nicolas Aubin, Yamaha, FRA, 1’30.940 19, Alessandro Lupino, Yamaha, ITA, 1’35.960 20, Cedric Soubeyras, Yamaha, FRA, 1’46.760 |
MX1 World Motocross Championship Standings 1, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 266 2, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 262 3, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 250 4, Ken De Dycker, Suzuki, BEL, 240 5, Sébastien Pourcel, Kawasaki, FRA, 231 6, Jonathan Barragan, KTM, ESP, 192 7, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 186 8, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, 179 9, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 176 10, Marc De Reuver, Honda, NED, 156 11, Clement Desalle, Suzuki, BEL, 134 12, Manuel Priem, Kawasaki, BEL, 129 13, Mike Brown, Honda, USA, 107 14, Julien Bill, Honda, CHE, 106 15, Kornel Nemeth, KTM, HUN, 106 16, Aigar Leok, Yamaha, EST, 85 17, Marcus Schiffer, KTM, GER, 77 18, James Noble, KTM, GBR, 65 19, Tom Church, Kawasaki, GBR, 43 20, Alex Salvini, Suzuki, ITA, 37 |
MX2 World Motocross Championship Standings 1, Tyla Rattray, KTM, RSA, 326 2, Tommy Searle, KTM, GBR, 315 3, Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha, ITA, 310 4, Shaun Simpson, KTM, GBR, 209 5, Rui Goncalves, KTM, POR, 198 6, Nicolas Aubin, Yamaha, FRA, 188 7, Xavier Boog, Suzuki, FRA, 173 8, Manuel Monni, Yamaha, ITA, 157 9, Stephen Sword, Kawasaki, GBR, 151 10, Jeremy Van Horebeek, KTM, BEL, 148 11, Anthony Boissière, KTM, FRA, 134 12, Steven Frossard, Kawasaki, FRA, 128 13, Marvin Musquin, Honda, FRA, 126 14, Jeremy Tarroux, KTM, FRA, 103 15, Davide Guarneri, Yamaha, ITA, 99 16, Gautier Paulin, Kawasaki, FRA, 95 17, Joel Roelants, KTM, BEL, 93 18, Gregory Aranda, Kawasaki, FRA, 83 19, Carl Nunn, Suzuki, GBR, 65 20, Erik Eggens, Suzuki, NED, 51 |
Women’s Moto Results 1. Steffi Laier, Germany, KTM, 3-1 2. Livia Lancelot, France, Kawasaki, 3. Maria Franke, Germany, Kawasaki, 4. Elin Mann, Sweden, KTM 5. Larissa Papenmeier, Germany, Suzuki |
Women’s Championship Standings 1. Livia Lancelot, France, Kawasaki, 165 2. Steffi Laier, Germany, KTM, 145 3. Maria Franke, Germany, Kawasaki, 145 4. Larissa Papenmeier, Germany, Suzuki, 124 5. Kathryn Prumm, New Zealand, Yamaha, 122 |
– Yamaha Report –
Fantastic Coppins win sees Yamaha 1-2 in MX1-GP series
Yamaha Monster Motocross Team’s Josh Coppins emphatically aced his first victory of the 2008 MX1-GP World Championship with a double moto sweep at a sun-drenched and packed Talkessel circuit in Teutschenthal for the Grand Prix of Germany. The eighth round of fifteen in the series saw the Kiwi take his first spoils since Bulgaria 2007 and his first double since Mantova 14 months ago; rising to second position in the standings as a consequence. David Philippaerts was fourth and keeps the championship lead, meaning both YZ450FM riders are now ‘one and two’ and Yamaha head the manufacturer’s table by 19 points.
The old Talkessel layout provided its usual mix of elevation changes and cambered turns. The majority of the soil of the fast course had been ripped and prepared and grew rougher in places but the grey hard-pack dirt remained slippery and stony in others. 34,000 spectators enjoyed some excellent weather.
Philippaerts and Coppins were both on the pace throughout practice. The championship leader even posting the quickest time in the second Free session. For Timed Practice the two YZ450FMs were constantly among the leading group with Coppins eventually sealing fourth place and Philippaerts in seventh, just over half a second away from the pole position time.
Coppins started well in both motos and ran in the top three in the formative stages both times. The 31 year old pursued Billy Mackenzie as the Scot broke free twice but the leader tired with after recently recovering from a shoulder injury. Coppins, who finished as runner-up at the previous round in France, bided his time to seize control in Moto1 and Moto2 and comfortably maintained his advantage once ahead. Local favourite Max Nagl was close to within two seconds in the second sprint but the former world championship runner-up was peerless; a new exhaust pipe proving a useful assistance on the speedy curves.
Philippaerts had a complicated set of races. The first moto saw an average start that meant he had to work hard to overtake riders in the bottom half of the top ten. Thanks to the mistakes of several others and his improving lap-times he arrived to third place and was pressurising Steve Ramon for second in the last two circulations. A slow start once again in Moto2 was a small handicap but the Italian also had another problem in that a damaged rib from his fall in France two weeks ago worsened and left him struggling for breath. Sixth position meant that he just missed the top three but scaled the podium for the sixth time this season to collect his red-plate. A crash and 18th place finish by Steve Ramon was also positive for the title chase.
Yamaha Van Beers’ Aigar Leok scored his best result of the year with 7th position overall courtesy of 9th and 8th slots in the races.
UTag Yamaha’s Kenneth Gundersen has begun cycling and light training after recovering from an operation on the knee injury sustained in practice for the opening round in April. The Norwegian could possibly return to action before the end of the season.
With Philippaerts leading the championship by 4 points from Coppins, and Ramon 16 points behind in third, the series now moves to Uddevalla for the Grand Prix of Sweden and round nine next week.
Josh Coppins, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team, 1st:
“There is a lot of emotion for me with this win and I am very happy today. I would like to thank all the people who have supported me. The results were not what we all expected and there have been some hard times. We knuckled down to work and I knew the results would come; I promised them to the team in fact. My last double was at Mantova in 2007 but to be honest even my last victory feels like a long time ago. It is nice to get that feeling back again and it makes the training tomorrow a lot easier. The championship now looks a lot different. I think only two races ago I was 54 points behind.
The important step I made was in my training and approach; working closely with my mechanic, doing the right training at the right tracks. About today, they watered the track a lot and it was really slippery, even dangerous in fact. Billy Mackenzie went into the lead but I knew he did not have the condition after his injury to run that pace the whole time. Sebastien was there also but I thought I could deal with him. My main concern was Max, because he had not done the first moto and it was pretty hot out there; the crowd were obviously with him also. I was thinking about my own race and things went well. We had a new pipe this weekend with a bit more power, which I was happy about.”
David Philippaerts, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team, 4th:
“The track was difficult, certainly for passing, and it was also very hot so I am quite pleased with the result. I started the first moto too slowly but got a lot better and was riding well. I pushed hard to get Ramon but it was too tricky to overtake. I had a similar start in the second moto but after two or three laps I had a lot of pain in my rib. I think it might be a fracture or something from the crash in France. I had some discomfort before this GP but I think I made it worse in the race and need to see if I can get some treatment. Pourcel was a little too fast and I settled for the points because I knew I could not increase my speed. Josh is now up to second in the championship and feeling 100%. He will be very competitive now but we still have a lot of races and points to go. It is great for Yamaha and the team that we are both up there. I really like the bike and for sure it is one of the best out there because it is so easy to ride it fast. Yamaha have helped me so much and I feel very happy where I am right now.”
Mino Raspanti, Racing Manager:
“A great win for Josh this weekend and of course to be first and second in the championship is fantastic for the team, we don’t mind which order for either Josh or David but we are happy to be there! Josh continued his improvement from France and I am really happy for him because he has continued to work really hard. David struggled in the beginning to pass other riders because it was not easy but then he made the best lap-time and to finish third was very good. In the second moto he had another start that was not the best and he felt a little tired and had some pain in his rib. The result was not bad and he still leads the championship. We tried a new pipe this weekend to give more power and the response from the riders was positive.”
Cairoli runner-up at German Grand Prix
With a moto victory and second position in front of 34,000 spectators and under hot sunshine at Teutschenthal, Antonio Cairoli took the same points as the winner of the MX2-GP Grand Prix of Germany but walked away from round eight of fifteen in the world championship as runner-up due to the second moto ranking.
The fast and hard Talkessel circuit benefitted from bright conditions and warm temperatures as the biggest crowd for more than ten years at the venue close to the city of Halle filled the grassy banks.
Cairoli earned his sixth pole position of the season on Saturday after chasing and then easing past Rui Goncalves for victory in the first qualification heat. The Red Bull De Carli rider looked back to his dominant best in the first GP moto as he hunted down early leader Goncalves and proceeded to establish a comfortable distance over Tyla Rattray; it was his sixth chequered flag of the year.
The Sicilian entered the gate for the second outing hoping to repeat his double moto victory of 2007 but a mediocre start and some curious lethargy in the first three laps meant that Rattray had long-gone at the front of the field by the time the 22 year old arrived to second place. The South African clinched his second success of 2008 while Cairoli gained some precious points on his other title rival Tommy Searle who finished fifth overall.
Still third in the championship standings the world champion is now just 16 points from Rattray at the peak of the table and 5 behind Searle.
One week after winning the Italian MX2 Championship Manuel Monni posted good results of 8th and 10th to finish 9th overall and was the second best YZ250F pilot on the day. Yamaha Van Beers’ Evgeny Bobryshev was 15th overall, and with 11 points registered his second highest haul of the season so far.
Yamaha Ricci Racing’s Nico Aubin had a forgettable weekend. The Frenchman had to qualify through the Last Chance session on Saturday after two crashes in the Heat race. Down in 26th position he could not find a good rhythm across the dry and hard German mud and was only able to score points in one moto, finishing 20th overall. He has now slipped to sixth in the championship and is 21 points from his former standing of fourth.
Team-mate Davide Guarneri made his Grand Prix comeback after falling and injuring his right knee in practice for the Italian Grand Prix in May. The winner of the Spanish round was lacking confidence on the turns and took only two points in the first moto.
Matteo Bonini tried to compete after coming through qualification yesterday but had too much pain in the left hand he injured in France. Although an x-ray confirmed that there was no break, the Italian could not properly hold the bike and pulled out of the first moto. He will now go for a scan to check for possible ligament damage.
Round ten takes place next weekend at the Uddevalla circuit for the Grand Prix of Sweden.
Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha Red Bull De Carli, 2nd:
“After three or four laps in the first moto I got the lead and found a good rhythm. I made a gap over Tyla and the rest was quite easy. In the second moto my start was not the best and after a mistake on the first lap and taking too long to pass Shaun and Steven I had lost too much time to Tyla; he was uncatchable. Tommy is a very fast rider and a good one but Tyla has more experience and I think he is the bigger threat for the title; he makes less mistakes. I lost a lot of points in France so it was important to take a good result here. It will be hard to get the red-plate back because the three of us are so close each week but we still have plenty of races to go.”
Nico Aubin, Yamaha Ricci Racing, 20th:
“Today is a real low point for me. I lost fourth place in the championship and a lot of ground. I wish I could explain why. The weekend began badly with two stupid mistakes in the qualifying heat and I was then right on the outside of the gate. I tried as hard as I could to find a good level of speed but it would not come. It has been a terrible GP and I hope I can ride better in Sweden.”
Davide Guarneri, Yamaha Ricci Racing, 22nd:
“I knew it would be hard this weekend. I crashed in the qualification heat which made things even more difficult. To be honest I struggled in the right-hand corners because I don’t have the confidence with my knee, even if I have been building up the muscles around the joint. I want to try again in Sweden and then make a decision about the rest of the season. If I can do well with my condition then I will continue, if not then maybe surgery is the best option.”
– HRC Report –
Grand Prix of Germany, Teutschental
Crowd: 34,000 (weekend figure)
Saturday – Sunny with patchy cloud 24 deg C Sunday – Bright sunshine 26 deg C
Julien Bill sixth overall at Teutschental
Julien Bill’s streak of good form continued at the eighth round of the FIM MX1 World Motocross Championship at Teutschental in Germany as the Swiss rider steered his Honda Martin CRF450 to sixth place overall with an impressive 5-7 scorecard to finish as Honda’s highest placed rider on the day.
The well-prepared Teutschental track offered a very fast, partly tacky, partly hardpack surface with plenty of bumps and ruts to test the MX1 riders. Working against the strong sunshine and a drying wind the organizing club worked extra hard to keep the dust at a minimum. The track’s rough and rutted surface would do CAS Honda’s Billy MacKenzie no good at all as the Scotsman was racing in Germany just two weeks after cracking his left shoulder blade at the French GP.
But in Saturday’s qualifying session it was MacKenzie who was the fastest of the Honda riders despite feeling a huge amount of pain. The Scotsman finished the session in third place after posting a super quick lap in the middle of the session that was just 0.152 seconds slower than Ken De Dycker who ended the timed period in pole position. Julien Bill finished the session in fifth, Marc De Reuver was eighth while stand-in CAS rider Steve Boniface took 13th position.
When the gate dropped for moto one on Sunday it was MacKenzie who headed the pack alongside local hero Max Nagl who took the lead briefly before the Scotsman charged past. Boniface was fourth at the end of lap one with Bill seventh and De Reuver fighting through from 14th. When the motor on Nagl’s KTM let go at the end of lap two, Boniface moved into third where he stayed until he crashed into Sebastien Pourcel’s fallen bike on a badly marshaled blind section of track hurting his foot. Unable to continue Steve was forced to return to the pits along with De Reuver who suffered technical problems.
Mackenzie lost the lead on lap six when he was passed by Josh Coppins and that’s when he started to feel the pain from his shoulder, which slowed his pace and he slipped back to 15th at the finish. Bill meanwhile had moved into fourth where he was running a very strong pace. After battling hard with Ken De Dycker and Tanel Leok for the remainder of the moto Julien eventually finished fifth – his best result of the year so far.
Using the power of the factory CRF450 to perfection MacKenzie jumped out of the start and into the lead of moto two where he stayed for four laps until making a small error and crashing on to his already injured shoulder. Remounting in fourth place the Scotsman toughed it out for the rest of the race but lost several places before the end and finally finished in 10th place for 13th overall on the day.
Bill fought bravely again also and after starting fifth the Swiss rider scrapped it out with series leader Philippaerts and Estonian Aigar Leok to finish seventh at the flag. Julien finished the day level on points with Sebastien Pourcel but lost out on fifth overall due to the better second moto tiebreaker rule. Boniface and De Reuver were both forced to retire once more and scored zero points on the day.
In the championship standings MacKenzie and De Reuver are now ninth and 10th while Bill elevates himself to 14th place with seven rounds remaining.
The next round of the FIM MX1 Motocross World Championship – round nine – will be held at the excellent Uddevalla circuit in Sweden on July 6.
Roger Harvey – Honda Off-Road coordinator “Julien Bill had an excellent day, he had good starts and strong rides in both races. It was good to see him fighting the way he did and it was pleasing to see him do so well today.
“I’ve got to take my hat off to Billy MacKenzie today. He took a lot of pain and you could see that after about 20 minutes it started to bite him real hard. It was great to see him leading today for the first few laps in each race and it proved that he’s still got the speed to win – when he’s back to full fitness.
“Steve Boniface had a good first ride with the CAS team with it being his first time on the bike. He was very unfortunate to come together with Pourcel in the first race and hurt his foot and did a fair bit of damage to the bike. They got it all back together for moto two but unfortunately he crashed and damaged the throttle tube.
“Marc De Reuver unfortunately had an electrical problem and he wasn’t able to finish. In the second race the team prepped his second bike, which he raced on. He didn’t feel comfortable and I understand he pulled out. You’re not going to end up where you want to end up in a world championship if you start doing that.
“I’ve got to mention Marvin Musquin again – what a hero. I think he suffered a bit in race one and he looked like he tired a bit but in race two he did amazing to come in in fifth place. It was an unbelievable ride because he just kept on pushing and pushing. I went to see him after the race to congratulate him and when he took his helmet off it just looked like he’d been for a walk around on a warm day – he was hardly sweating at all. Congratulations to him and the NGS team and also the Martin team who have been helping them with the engines.”
Julien Bill – Martin Honda
“I’m really happy. Today was really hot and it was hard physically to keep the same speed until the end. I had two great starts – the bike is just so fast out of the gate – and I was racing with the best guys today and I was almost running their speed. I had a good overall result and that’s good for the team, the championship and of course my confidence. At every race now I’m getting nearer to the podium but it’s still not happened for me yet. I’m working hard for it though and it can’t be very far away. The CRF450 is working perfectly for me and the team are doing an awesome job too.”
Marc De Reuver – Martin Honda
“I was riding well in the first race and I was ready to attack Philippaerts and Leok then I came over a jump and the bike stopped and that was it. In the second heat I went out on my spare bike, I got an okay start and then two riders collided before turn two and one of them hit me and then I hit somebody else – it was a big crash. My handlebars were bent and my bike had been upside-down for a while so it took some time to start it again. After that I just didn’t have a good feeling with the bike and I didn’t feel confident riding – it’s been a disastrous weekend for me.”
Billy MacKenzie – CAS Honda
“The bike has been working awesome all weekend and the power is just so good and that gave me a lot of confidence on the starts. In race one I got a great start and I was alongside Nagl then I made a good pass on him around the outside. With my shoulder being the way it is I thought being out front is the best place for me because I’d be able to pick my lines well and concentrate on my breathing. Things were going well until about the 20-minute mark and then the freeze spray began to wear off and so my shoulder was more painful and I started to pump up. From there it was just a horrible race for me, I couldn’t turn properly, I couldn’t turn the throttle, I couldn’t pull the clutch, I was in a lot of pain and I had arm pump – I just brought the bike home for 15th place which wasn’t bad considering I couldn’t even ride in the week.
“In the second race I got another awesome start and I made a pass for the lead in the second corner. I was on it and I felt good, the track had just been watered so I was picking my lines and I was riding well, nice and relaxed. I lost my front end in a corner that had been watered and I landed pretty hard on my shoulder. After that my handlebars were covered in mud and I got a little bit tense and I got a little bit of arm pump. I dropped off the pace a bit and finished 10th. Everyone in the team seems quite happy with that considering my injury so it’s not been too bad.”
Steve Boniface – CAS Honda
“The weekend was very bad for me. Yesterday I was riding well but in the timed qualification session the times were very tight and even though I was only one and a half seconds behind the fastest guy I ended up 13th.
“Today I got a good start in the first moto and I was running fourth and then Pourcel crashed in a rut in front of me and the marshal was a little slow in getting the flag out, I didn’t see him and by the time I did I was already wide open and even though I tried my hardest to go around him I hit him pretty hard. I hit my foot on his footpeg or something and I hurt my foot – it was too painful for me to continue that race.
“In the second moto I had a little fall in a corner and I broke the end of the throttle tube. After that the throttle was sticking a little bit and I had another big crash near the mechanic’s area and the bike was all tweaked up after that and that was it. Overall it was a bad weekend for me but I enjoyed riding the CAS Honda – it’s a really good bike.”
– KTM Report –
Tyla Rattray the Red Bull KTM hero of MX2 at Teutschenthal, Germany
Red Bull KTM’s South African rider Tyla Rattray came, saw and conquered the rough track at Teutschenthal, Germany on Sunday with a 2-1 result for overall victory.
Rattray’s second race left no-one in doubt that he is hot property and determined to go to his home GP in South Africa as the holder of the red number placte as the championship leader.
Rattray came in second in the first race behind title holder and arch rival Antonio Carioli but was supreme in the second, amassing a lead of some 30 seconds in the closing stages, enough to coast home and enjoy the adoration of the crowd on the way back to the chequered flag.”I went out hard and I feel so good on the bike that I just feel I can hit the level I want at any time,” he said. I had two good starts and I had some good lines. I put in some good laps and it would be great to take the red plate back to South Africa. I love to race and I love to win.” Rattray must first compete in Sweden, a circuit he says he enjoys and then he heads south for the races in his own country.
Team-mate Rui Goncalves also showed renewed confidence for two homeshots and a 6-4 result and overall fourth place. Goncalves shot out of the start gates in race two and led for the opening laps and only after riders had settled into the race was he overcome by Rattray and eventually had to settle for fourth place, still a confidence building result for the rider in his first year in the factory team. “I had two good starts and two holeshots. I was fast in the first laps of race two but then things got tight and Tyla passed me. Still it was a great weekend for me and I am very happy,” Rui said after the race.
It was not the day for the other Red Bull KTM factory rider, Tommy Searle of Britain. But he did managed to scrape the points together to finish overall fifth, despite a nasty crash with just five minutes to go in race two that threw him over the handlebars and knocked him from third to ninth position. Searle brushed it off as a “silly mistake” but said it had been a hard weekend. “I had a bad start in the first race but I was riding well. Then it was better in the second race until I had that crash. It was hard because the track was very rough and I was having some trouble with my shock absorber. Still I’m looking forward to the next race in Sweden. It’s where I had my first win and I like the track there.” For his day’s work, Tommy did pick up 32 additional championship points and is still second in the standings behind Rattray. Goncalves is consolidating and is now fifth.
Red Bull KTM rider Max Nagl got off to a great start in the MX1 GP of Germany in Teutschenthal on Sunday but technical difficulties denied him the chance of a probable podium
The German factory rider took a confident holeshot in the first moto and was having no problems sticking with the front riders when technical difficulties foiled his chances of raking in points.
He was back and in good form in the second moto and was again up with the front runners. “I was in front of Josh (Coppins) and it looked like I might make the podium but then I started to get tired and in the end finished fourth,” Nagl said, The track, which had been softened with sand took a beating during the weekend due to the heavy program of races and by the time the second MX1 moto was run, at the end of the day, it was clear that riders were struggling on the badly cut up surface.
Nagl is now concentrating on the next race in Sweden where he hopes to do well. “I have been there once before and although there have been some changes since then, I like the track,” he said.
Jonathan Barragan of the KTM-supported Team Silver Action had a luckless day and got caught up in one of a number of spills in the second moto and failed to finish, salvaging only seven points for his efforts in the first race.
KTM-supported rider Steffi Laier was a real crowd pleaser in her home race in Teutschenthal, Germany, rocketing to a 3-1 result in the two races of Round Four of the women’s MX2 World Championship.
The first race was closely fought with just two second between first and third place, but she was outstanding in race two, finishing 18 seconds ahead of second placed Maria Franke, also of Germany.
It was Laier’s third outright victory from four rounds and some compensation for having missed the opening round in Bulgaria. She is now second in the championship with one round to go and has closed the gap to leader Livia Lancelot to just 20 points.
Laier still has to stay ahead of countrywoman Franke, who is on equal points but with another fifty points up for grabs in the final round and having showed she is in peak form, she can definitely make a bid for the title.
– Suzuki Report –
Hot weather and a rough, technical track at Teutschental in Germany made for an exciting weekend of racing action for the Team Teka Suzuki WMX1 squad at the eighth round of the FIM MX1 World Motocross Championship.
Despite the difficult conditions that both team riders always relish, Ken De Dycker ended the day in second place overall on his factory RM-Z450 with a hard-fought-for 4-2 scorecard. Battling back through the pack from poor starts in both races he was one of the few riders able to move forward through the pack on the narrow Teutschental circuit.
“I didn’t get the best starts this weekend but I rode well in both races,” said De Dycker. “The heat made things tough today and the track was rough also but that made it fun to ride for me. I finished second overall today which is good for the championship as only Josh Coppins scored more points than me so I’m really happy.
“The team and I are always working and I think we’re getting better every weekend. I was happy with my riding, I think I’m the only rider today who could come through the pack and then stay there. I didn’t want to push too hard today because it was very easy to make a mistake on this track and also it was hot which made things very tough.”
Reigning MX1 World Champion Steve Ramon was also in fine form at today’s Grand Prix but didn’t get the end result he perhaps deserved. Battling through the pack from eighth to second in moto one, Ramon was only beaten by an on-form Josh Coppins who’d enjoyed a much better start. Closing to within four points of the championship leader David Philippaerts, Ramon was more than ready to take control of the series in moto two.
However things didn’t quite turn out as Ramon planned. After gating fifth, Ramon slipped off on a foolishly freshly watered jump face and crashed midway around lap one. Several riders hit the fallen factory Suzuki damaging it badly enough to ensure Steve had to make a trip to the pits to get the damage quickly fixed.
Unable to straighten the bike sufficiently for Ramon to ride it at full race speed, the champ was forced to return to the track in an attempt to score some points. Starting over one minute behind his closest competitor, Steve rode like the champion he is, battered bike and all, to finish 18th and score three precious championship points.
“The first race was okay,” he said. “I got a bad start but the track was slippery and I was able to pass some riders in the beginning, I had a good pace going and I could see Josh just ahead of me but I was happy with second and I’d already pushed hard early in the race and I was getting a little bit tired.
“In the second moto I got a much better start in around fifth place I think but on the first lap I crashed on one of the jumps. It was wet and slippery and I took the wrong rut and went sideways over the jump and I crashed. It wasn’t really a big crash but some riders were coming behind me and they jumped on my bike and it was completely damaged. I had to stop in the pits to try and straighten it out.
“From that point my riding was not so good because everything was bent. I tried to take as many points as possible but they just weren’t enough. It’s always important to score points and those three points at the end of the year might just make al the difference. Today hasn’t been good for the championship but there are still plenty of rounds to go so I’ll just keep on working hard like always and see where I end.”
The MX1 World Championship series continues next weekend – July 6 – with the Grand Prix of Sweden held at the excellent Uddevalla circuit.