Desalle and Roczen rule World MX Rnd 3 at Glen Helen

World MX Rnd 3 – Glen Helen, USA

Desalle and Roczen rule World MX Rnd 3 at Glen Helen

Clement Desalle got the red plate back thanks to his overall victory, while Max Nagl and Evgeny Bobryshev completed the podium respectively. In the MX2 class Ken Roczen got his second GP victory, Jeffrey Herlings was second and Tommy Searle got an eventual third place.

Clement Desalle had an excellent weekend in Glen Helen, obtaining the Lovemytime pole position award on Saturday and winning both races on Sunday. Max Nagl showed his great fitness and succeeded being second overall and Evgeny Bobryshev got an eventual overall third place and he obtained his maiden Grand Prix podium of his professional career.

Ken Roczen kept the red plate with a double win and his teammate Jeffrey Herlings got the overall second position. Tommy Searle was eventually on the third step of the podium tight in points with his teammate Max Anstie.

In the FIM Veterans World Cup, Matts Nilsson succeeded in getting the overall win ahead of Doug Dubach and Darryl King.

MX1

Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1’s Clement Desalle got the perfect weekend in Glen Helen. After winning the qualifying race yesterday, Clement took the lead of both heats right at the very beginning and kept it until the end. The Belgian rider is very pleased to get the red plate back and he is now six points ahead of Max Nagl.

Red Bull Teka KTM Factory Racing MX1’s Max Nagl succeeded in being on the podium, but it was not an easy weekend for the German. Nagl did not make very good starts this weekend and had to fight really hard from the back.

Third was Honda World Motocross’ Evgeny Bobryshev thanks to his sixth and third result. It was the maiden podium for the Russian and it is definitely a good boost for his self-confidence. Bobryshev was not that good on the first race, but his good start in the second one and his consistency made him be at the top three.

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Kevin Strijbos from Delta Suzuki team got a solid fourth position after his 4-5 result. The Belgian took the holeshot of the second heat and he missed the podium for only one point.

Red Bull Teka KTM Factory racing MX1’s Antonio Cairoli completed the top five in Glen Helen. The Italian was second in the first race, but he was not that fortunate in the second one, as he was involved in a crash with Steven Frossard at the very beginning of the race. The Italian is now third in the Championship, 24 points behind the leader Clement Desalle.

Monster Energy Yamaha’s David Philippaerts did not have very good starts in both heats, especially in the second one where he had to start from the 15th position. Philippaerts was finally sixth and he is now fifth in the point standings.

Rui Gonçalves suffered some stomach problems this weekend and he could not give his 100%. However, after his 12th position in race two, Gonçalves achieved a solid fourth place behind his teammate Evgeny Bobryshev.

Eighth was Jonathan Barragán, who was also not feeling very good this weekend due to some asthma problems. Ninth was Anthony Boissiere, who did an excellent first race taking the holeshot and finishing seventh. However, Boissiere did not have a good start in the second heat and he could only be 12th.

Home rider Christian Craig was the best US rider in the MX1 class after finishing tenth overall.

Steven Frossard was not fortunate at all this weekend; firstly he crashed during the last lap of race one when he was seventh and he then crashed with Antonio Cairoli at the opening lap of race two and he could only be 23rd. Frossard lost the leadership of the Championship and he is now fourth 32 points away from current leader Desalle.

Steve Ramon and Ken De Dycker could not finish race one and they finished 13th and 22nd respectively. Ramon was seventh in the second race, but De Dycker round out of fuel just some metres before the finish line and he was just 20th.

MX2

Red Bull Teka KTM Factory Racing MX2’s Ken Roczen obtained his second overall victory of the season and he is now leading the Championship with 14 points advantage over his teammate Jeffrey Herlings. Roczen injured two fingers of his left hand during yesterday’s qualifying race, but that was not a problem for the German to dominate the Grand Prix.

His teammate Jeffrey Herlings rode very close to Ken Roczen in both heats, but he is still missing some speed. The winner of the Dutch GP confessed that he needs to train harder on his starts and his speed to be able to beat his teammate Ken Roczen.

The third overall position was for CLS Monster Energy Kawasaki Pro Circuit’s Tommy Searle, who finished tight in points with his teammate Max Anstie. Searle crashed on the first lap of race one and he then made a mistake with the tear off and he struggled the whole heat as he had to take off his goggles. He was very disappointed with his fifth position in race one, but he then succeeded in being third in the second one and finished on the podium.

His teammate Max Anstie ended third in the first race, after starting from the 20th position, but a mistake during the last laps of race two while he was fourth made him lose the third overall position and he finished fourth overall.

However, Anstie proved that he can be racing for the top three places and he is determined to race for his maiden GP podium next weekend in Brazil.

Home rider Zach Osborne from Bike-it Cosworth Wild Wolf Yamaha team completed the top five of the MX2 class. It was a very tough weekend for the American; on Saturday he crashed during the qualifying race and he injured his wrist and today he got stuck on Marvin Musquin, who had crashed at the second corner of race one. In spite of being fifth,

Zach Osborne was the best American classified rider, so he won the Moates Cup for second year in a row.
The Finnish rider Harri Kullas did an excellent first race and he managed to finish fourth. However, he did not have a very good start at the second race and he had to catch up from an initial 21st position. Kullas finished eleventh and he got a solid sixth overall position.

His teammate Christophe Charlier finished seventh overall, followed by his compatriot Nicolas Aubin from KTM HDI MX Team. Ninth was Belgian Joel Roelants and his teammate Jordi Tixier completed the top ten.

Marvin Musquin was expecting to race again against his teammate Ken Roczen, but unfortunately he crashed in the second corner of the first race and he could only finish 19th. In the second race, Musquin started from the seventh position and he was able to end sixth. Marvin Musquin left the Monster Energy GP of the USA with an overall eleventh position.

Gautier Paulin had some problems with his Yamaha machine and he was only 13th overall. 14th was Arnaud Tonus, who finished seventh in the first heat but he was out of the second one after a big crash right after the start.

VETERANS

On Saturday, home rider Doug Dubach went out with the victory, followed by Darryll King and Matts Nilsson. However, on Sunday the day started with very heavy rain and all the riders struggled a lot more than the day before. Matts Nilsson, current leader of the championship, obtained the second race victory and became the overall winner, followed by Doug Dubach and Darryll King.

NEXT GP
The FIM Motocross World Championship travels to Brazil next week, where it will be celebrated the fourth Grand Prix of the season.

– Suzuki

Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1 was able to toast its second victory from just three rounds of the FIM Motocross World Championship as Clement Desalle notched a perfect weekend at Glen Helen for the U.S. Grand Prix.

The Belgian sealed pole position and then won both motos on his works RM-Z450 in front of an attendance of 22,000 under varying weather conditions in California. Desalle regained the red plate as MX1 standings-leader after grasping his second champagne bottle of the season and was masterful across a difficult circuit.

Rain throughout Sunday morning meant that the long, fast and big jumps of the historic layout in San Bernardino became slippery and very muddy. Thankfully, strong winds cleared the grey clouds by midday and also started to dry the soil so that a very damp first moto gave way to demanding bumps and ruts by the time of the second gate-drop.

Desalle proved that he had found an unmatchable rhythm across the course during a dry Saturday when he sped to an undisputed pole position. Two excellent starts meant that the 21 year old could forge his pace at the front of the field. Antonio Cairoli and later Max Nagl gave chase to the rear Pirelli of the RM-Z450 deep into the 35 minute and 2 lap distance but neither could dislodge ’25’ from his position of control.

Team mate Steve Ramon was 13th overall but his result was determined by a fall on one of the steep hills in the first moto that damaged his motorcycle and forced a DNF. The former World Champion rode to seventh place in the second race.

Former World Championship runner-up Kevin Strijbos only just missed out on a podium finish with his RM-Z450 but the Belgian was a welcome sight back at the front of the GP field and collected fourth overall.

After three rounds of the World Championship, Desalle has regained the top spot of the standings and the red plate for the second time. He leads Nagl by six points and Cairoli by a hefty 24. Ramon is 11th.

The team will now refill the crates and pack in preparation for round four and the Grand Prix of Brazil at Indaiatuba next weekend.

Clement Desalle: “It was a great weekend for me and I have never taken pole position and won both motos before. I also stayed on two wheels and came away without any problems, which is important because the track was dangerous and you had to make quick decisions. I kept in my comfort zone and really enjoyed it.”

Steve Ramon: “My riding wasn’t bad but I couldn’t find a good rhythm in the first moto and five minutes before the end I made a mistake going down the hill. It was a pretty big crash. The handlebar was bent and the clutch lever had folded down so I had to stop. No points, no good. I was top-five at the start of the second moto but lost two positions on the second lap; however my speed was good. Near the end I had a problem with a lapped rider and I twisted my foot trying to pass him. I had to slow down in the last half-a-lap. What can I say? I cannot be too disappointed because the last few weeks were terrible for me but I had the energy to complete the moto at least. I am looking forward to Brazil now.”

– Yamaha Racing

Monster Energy Yamaha saw two of their riders classify in the top ten of the MX1-GP standings at a windy and changeable Glen Helen for the Monster Energy U.S.GP and the third round of fifteen in the FIM Motocross World Championship. David Philippaerts was able to score 6th position overall on the factory YZ450FM while Anthony Boissiere marked a career-best MX1 finish with 9th. Series leader coming across the Atlantic, Steven Frossard, suffered crashes in both races and was 18th.

The Californian circuit had undergone some changes for 2011 and the second edition of the American event this century. New corners and an attempt to slow the average speed of the longest layout on the calendar mattered little with the heavy rainfall of Sunday morning. The mud was thick and slippery. Strong winds however managed to change the climate by the afternoon and the terrain was soon dry and bumpy.

The team had been testing the week before coming to the USA and were able to make some small modifications to the suspension. The extra work helped as the Glen Helen bumps were physically difficult and required the riders to take risks to maintain a fierce pace.

Former world champion Philippaerts was restricted by two poor getaways from the gate. The Italian enacted one of his usual hard-charges to reach 5th in the first moto but faced a harder task across the ripples of the track in the second and crossed the line in 9th.

Boissiere ripped along the start-straight in Moto1 to seize the holeshot and then fought among the top ten to earn a well-placed 7th. In the second race the Frenchman was 12th and ended the day content with his best effort yet since climbing on the YZ450FM.

Steven Frossard was not able to keep the red plate he earned at round two in Holland. The French rookie was set for 7th in the first affair after a lacklustre start until a mistake on the last lap dropped him three more positions to 10th. A collision with Antonio Cairoli on the first lap of Moto2 meant another trawl through the pack and Frossard was looking towards a top fifteen slot until another slip and a damaged motorcycle ended his race in the closing stages.

Frossard and Philippaerts are now fourth and fifth in the standings and split by five points. Frossard trails Clement Desalle by 32. Boissiere is thirteenth.

Monster Energy Yamaha will now remain outside Europe and travel south to Indaiatuba, north of Sao Paolo, for the Grand Prix of Brazil and round four of the FIM World Championship next week.

David Philippaerts: This was a better race for me here than last year but we had some trouble with the starts today. I pushed really hard in both motos and I had a bit more luck in the first race but was really far behind at the beginning of the second. The results I took today are not the ones I want but this was the best I could do here. The track was difficult with many jumps and bumps, even dangerous in some places. I hope for better next week.

Steven Frossard: It wasnt my weekend. In the first heat I had a bad start and I didnt have a good feeling. I tried to come back and reached seventh but then made a mistake on the last lap and crashed. In the second heat I couldnt improve the start and when Cairoli made a mistake I landed on him and we both fell. I pushed really hard to recover, perhaps too much because I crashed again and the handlebar was destroyed. I then looked to take some points but it was not possible.

Anthony Boissiere: I am very happy today with my first overall top ten finish. In the first race I made the holeshot, which was perfect and then took seventh which is my best MX1 result so far. The second moto start was not great but I came back to twelfth and that was OK. The bike was awesome and to feel that power on the start straight was crazy! We are all motivated for good results.

Osborne 5th and three Yamahas fill U.S.GP top ten
Three YZ250F riders ended the United States Grand Prix the third round of fifteen in the FIM Motocross World Championship in the top ten of the MX2-GP standings at the Glen Helen circuit in California. Bike it Cosworth Wild Wolf Yamahas Zach Osborne placed 5th against adversity at his home event while Monster Energy Yamahas Harri Kullas was 6th and Christophe Charlier was 7th.

Sunshine through practice and qualification on Saturday let the riders discover an altered Glen Helen layout that was still heavy on the throttle and provided one of the longest laps of the series (a time of almost three minutes). Persistent rainfall through the first half of Sunday created two distinct motos as the southern Californian sunshine belatedly arrived with strong winds in the afternoon.

Osborne was the best Yamaha runner on the day but his race programme did not start well after he crashed into the slimy mud avoiding fallen world champion Marvin Musquin on the second corner. The British Champion was nursing a sore wrist from a blame-less accident on Saturday but was still able to work his way back from almost last to 9th spot. In the second moto a better start saw him tussling for positions in the top five and he gained ground to pass Max Anstie and secure 4th. The 21 year old also recaptured the Marty Moates Cup award as best American rider from both classes on the day.

The first Yamaha rider across the line in the first moto was Harri Kullas. The Finn made an excellent start and ran as high as third before being overtaken by Anstie. His 4th place was still a personal best result in only his second GP season. In Moto2 Kullas fell in the same spot where Osborne had hit the dirt earlier in the day and begun a path back to 11th for his overall ranking. Team-mate Christophe Charlier was not among the leaders out of the gate and was frustrated not to find an effective rhythm. The Frenchman was 8th on both occasions.

Gautier Paulin came to America having not ridden for several weeks due to a ruptured intercostal muscle in his back. The Frenchman was impressively fast and could take 6th in the first moto but his participation was halted with a mechanical problem early in the second. Osbornes team-mate, Arnaud Tonus, was lucky to walk away from a crash on one of the biggest and fastest jumps on the track on Saturday. The Swiss was holding third in the first moto until another fall pushed him down to 7th. After tangling with another rider exiting the first corner of the second race Tonus then had to retire after a broken front disc brake had damaged his wheel.

In the world championship Osborne is fourth and 30 points from further promotion. Tonus is sixth with Paulin seventh and Kullas eighth.

The MX2 competitors will now remain outside Europe and travel south to Indaiatuba, north of Sao Paolo for the Grand Prix of Brazil and round four of the FIM World Championship next week.

Gautier Paulin: This was tough for me. I had bad luck in Valkenswaard when I hurt one of my intercostal muscles. I was not training for two weeks and was a bit worried and afraid how I would feel physically on Sunday morning. Thankfully I was able to ride without any medication. I had a good start in the first moto but someone pushed me wide in the first corner. I was in eleventh and came back to sixth and had some fun racing hard with Searle. I was at the front of the second moto and hitting the ruts smoothly but then we had the problem with the bike. We havent had any good fortune but we will keep working and keep our heads high.

Zach Osborne: I had a tough day today. I crashed yesterday and my wrist is painful. I had a scan and nothing is broken but it was still sore. It was actually a late decision about whether I would ride or not. In the first race Marvin went down in the second turn and I tried to go around him but I fell down when I turned. I came back to ninth from almost last and did a lot of risky passes that perhaps I shouldnt have made to get up there. In the second race I had a decent start and worked forward the whole race. I felt a lot better on the bike. I didnt have anything for the front three today but my fitness is good and I just need to pick up my starts a little bit because you cant win a GP if you getaway in eighth. I wanted to win my home GP but in the circumstances Im happy. Im also really happy with winning the Moates Cup as best American for the second year.

Harri Kullas: I was third at the beginning of the first race and tried to look at the lines of the others and meet the speed of the first two. Things were going well and I couldnt catch Anstie but I kept Searle behind me. I was really happy with fourth. In the second moto I was in the pack and couldnt complete the first jump and hit someone. I picked up the bike but then a guy hit me and we both went down. I then charged as hard as I could even though my leg was hurting a bit. I was not so happy with the second race but will remember the first from here.

– Honda

Clement Desalle won his second race of the 2011 FIM Motocross World Championship, but Honda World Motocross Team’s Evgeny Bobryshev captured plenty of attention for taking the factory CRF450R to third position overall for his first career podium at a tough and changeable Glen Helen in California for the U.S. Grand Prix – round three of fifteen in the series, watched by 22,000 spectators.

The new sections and corners of the long Glen Helen circuit were partially eradicated in their significance by poor weather on Sunday morning. While the first moto was wet and swampy strong winds soon drove across blue skies and the terrain dried to create a bumpy and technical surface.

Bobryshev scored his first career podium – and the first noteworthy result by a Russian in the FIM Motocross World Championship since Vladimir Kavinov won the 1980 Russian 250cc GP – thanks to results of sixth and third in two physical motos. The 23 year old fought with team-mate Rui Goncalves in the second race and defeated the Portuguese to the flag by just over a second. Goncalves was riding with a stomach bug and could do no better than twelfth in the opening sprint. His fourth in the second outing helped towards a final ranking of seventh.

Another rider enjoying a positive second moto was LS Honda Racing’s Shaun Simpson. A crash at the start of Moto1 meant that the Scot had to climb from almost last to sixteenth, but a better launch and faster rhythm later in the afternoon drew the former British champion up to sixth – his best MX1 moto classification to-date and enough for eleventh overall on the day.

Team-mate Ken De Dycker was unlucky in California. The Belgian scored just one point after a fuel pump problem in the first moto and then ran out of gas within sight of the finish line in the second race.

Swian Zanoni competed in the MX2 class on his CRF250R, but was battling against an injured thumb sustained in a practice crash the week before the grand prix. The Brazilian was initially doubtful of risking the ailment further ahead of his home event next week, but felt able to contest both motos and scored twenty-eighth and twenty-third positions.

In the MX1 world championship standings Rui Goncalves leads the way for the ‘red’ crew and lies sixth, sixteen points away from the top three. Bobryshev is seventh and just two points behind. Shaun Simpson is fifteenth and Ken De Dycker sixteenth.

Round four of the FIM Motocross World Championship will take place at Indaiatuba for the Grand Prix of Brazil next weekend.

Evgeny Bobryshev (Honda World Motocross) Race Result: 6th/3rd Championship position: 7th “I think all the riders who have been to the podium for the first time can understand how excited I feel. I need someone to pinch me because it is like I’m dreaming. I struggled in the corners in the first race and thought a lot about my riding in the break. The second went really well. In past races I have been at the front and then slowly fading back, but this time I was able to keep my position with the leaders. I didn’t know I was third and was so happy to find out when I crossed the line. It was something like 4am for all the people in Russia who were watching, so they did not stay up all night for that second moto for nothing. We have a really strong group in the team and everyone is really behind me. I have to thank them all a lot.”

Rui Goncalves (Honda World Motocross)
Race Result: 12th/4th Championship position: 6th “I had some stomach problems in the first moto and was having cramps. I couldn’t stand-up or ride properly. I was tense and didn’t have much energy. In between motos I went to the medical centre and they gave me some pills that helped a lot, but I still felt like I wanted to throw-up. I was happy with the second moto and could push more from the first lap until the last. We have a week now to get better for Brazil.”

Shaun Simpson (LS Honda Racing)
Race Result: 16th/6th Championship position: 15th “This morning started off good in the warm-up as I was fastest and I think that bit of rain helped me out. It slowed the track down and gave it a few more lines. I was hopeful of a good day. In the first start I was looking to get away in the top ten and made a mesh of it. I hit Frossard’s rear wheel and went down. The track was very one line and I fought back to sixteenth which I was reasonably pleased about. The track was better for the second moto and I managed to find my rhythm. I felt good out there. I made a mistake, but clawed back distance on Steve Ramon and when he made an error up Yamaha hill I got him. I pushed in the last four or five laps. This is the sort of form I felt like I had in me and it is nice to show people that I can do it. There are a few smiles on faces and Brazil would have been a long trip without that second race.”

Ken De Dycker (LS Honda Racing)
Race Result: 29th/20th Championship position: 16th “It was a really bad day with two DNFs. There is nothing we can do and we must just keep working. We are already quite far behind in the points and have to hope for some better results in the next races. For a positive…my riding was good and better than the first two GPs, my back also feels stronger. If we can improve a bit more then I hope we can be on the podium soon.”

Swian Zanoni, (Honda Brazil)
Race Result: 28th/23rd Championship position: NA “I injured my hand coming here and I knew it would be hard. The practice yesterday was tough and I had to think about whether I wanted to make the injury worse, but decided that I wanted to try the first moto at least. The conditions were not easy, but I was happy to finish this GP in the USA and next week will be something special.”

Roger Harvey, Off-road Manager, Honda Motor Europe: “A great achievement for Evgeny and one we were hoping for together with the team. He did really well to put in that strong second moto and we’re really happy with our first trophy of the season. The same could be said for Rui, who was not 100% but put-in a gutsy performance and it was nice to see both factory bikes having a battle at the end there. The second moto was the pick of the bunch for us as Shaun Simpson put in the kind of ride we know he is capable of. The LS boys didn’t have the best of luck, but we can go to Brazil looking to do better.”