KTM, Honda, Suzuki and Kawasaki share the wins at World MX Rnd 13

The FIM Motocross World Championship is rapidly approaching its conclusion and the thirteenth round of fifteen was played out across the quick inclines of Loket for the Grand Prix of Czech Republic as LS Honda’s Clement Desalle earned victory for the very first time in the premier
MX1 category, giving the CRF450R its maiden winner’s trophy of the 2009 campaign. The Belgian visited the podium for the fifth time this season but on this occasion claimed the top step with results of 2nd and 1st in the two motos.

The hard-pack terrain of the steep climbs and drops of the Loket layout offered its normal fast and slippery test causing riders to carefully consider their set-up during practice and for the qualification heat on Saturday. Hot weather blessed proceedings on both days.

Desalle, who started from Pole Position for the third time this term and the second week in succession, was the most proactive participant in the qualification Heat on Saturday as a number of leading riders struggled to find valid overtaking opportunities. The Belgian flew up from sixth place at the start after narrowly missing the holeshot and earned first pick in the gate for Sunday. His early prowess was a warning sign for his rivals and although he was a little disappointed with a disjointed and lonely ride to 2nd place in the first race he was able to circulate alone again and without peer in the second moto for the second chequered flag of his career and therefore the overall triumph.

Honda’s MX1 presence was reduced with the Martin team not travelling to Loket. Marc de Reuver was still not ready for a return from back and hip injuries while Kevin Strijbos was still in pain from his shoulder. Both riders are expected to be set for round fourteen in three weeks.

Bryan Mackenzie was CAS Honda’s best
representative with 20th position and four points for 17th in the second moto. The Scot suffered several crashes and retired in the first outing.
With a sore knee he managed to break into the top twenty later in the afternoon. Team-mate Cedric Melotte, competing in just his third GP for the team this season in the wake of recovering from a back problem, was off the pace throughout the day and picked up only two points for 19th in Moto1.

Desalle is Honda’s highest placed rider in the current standings. He is 4th and just two points away from the top three. He also has a gap of 17 point over Ken De Dycker in 5th. Billy Mackenzie and Kevin Strijbos also occupy slots in the top twenty.

The penultimate round of the world championship will take place at the end of the month upon the flat sandy track of Lierop for the Grand Prix of the Netherlands.

Clement Desalle, LS Honda:
“This feels really good; my first win and I hope it is the first of many! My physical condition was good today although I felt a bit angry after the first moto. I made a mistake and lost distance to Max and then I struggled to concentrate and make a good rhythm. In the second moto I focussed more and after I passed David on the first lap I was able to control the race. We have two more races now and we will see where we can finish in the championship.”

Bryan Mackenzie, CAS Honda:
“I was hoping for a good day today but it never went my way. The track was not bad and I did not mind it so much. My starts were not good today and for some reason the bike bogged a little off the line in the first moto. I got held up in the pile-up on the first turn but then after a while got near the top twenty with some of the best first laps I have done this year before the first of two big crashes. In the second one I think I might have dislocated my knee because I have a lot of pain now. I went out in the second moto to get some points and came through to 13th from the back before going into a turn that inexplicably had a wet patch and the front wheel washed out because I had already committed to the corner. I got back up and did what I could before the end of the race.”

Roger Harvey, Off-road racing co-ordinator, Honda Motor Europe:
“A great day for us and full credit to Clement Desalle and his LS Motors Honda team who are having an impressive season. We know the capability of the bike and on a track that was not as easy as it looked Clement was able to produce the goods. With the injuries we’ve had this season a result like this sometimes seemed far away but we are thrilled for the Belgian team and hope Clement can finish as high as he deserves to be in the championship.”

—  Suzuki Report

Teka Suzuki World MX1’s Ken De Dycker was not able to follow his excellent home victory last week in Lommel with more success at the13th round of 15 in the FIM Motocross World Championship.

The Belgian could only manage seventh place overall after suffering stomach pain at Loket for the Grand Prix of Czech Republic.

The fast and relatively-simple course became rougher throughout the day but the close lap-times of the pack meant a decent getaway from the gate was essential for podium contention. Sunshine and warm temperatures created a sweaty pair of motos and the fine dirt, while rough in a few areas, was largely difficult in terms of traction and providing valid overtaking spots.

Both riders placed among the top-five of both practice sessions on Saturday but were limited by average starts; this set the tone for an unlucky series of events on Sunday. Watched by 21,000 spectators De Dycker held second place in the formative stages of the first moto until he started to struggle to find his pace; had problems physically and, after a problem with his goggles, dropped back to eighth by the flag. He also had reason to lament the second race as he again found himself drawing closer to the leaders before losing two places in the final laps and was again eighth.

Steve Ramon was on the fringes of the top six in the first moto before he experienced a rare engine problem and was forced to stop. The 2007 World Champion made his way from ninth to sixth in the second outing to classify 13th overall.

In the World Championship standings, De Dycker is now fifth and 17 points from the top four. Ramon picked up 15 points in Loket and rests 12th in the table.

The Teka Suzuki Europe World MX2 team had cause to celebrate once more – for the fourth time this season – as Xavier Boog embarked on a fine first Grand Prix since recovering from his appendix removal and recent shoulder complaint by taking third place overall; the second podium of his career and of the year so far. The Frenchman enjoyed decent starts on his RM-Z250 to finish fifth and second for his silverware. Ken Roczen was just behind, in fourth and rode brilliantly to win the first moto for the second chequered flag of his fledging career. The 15 year old was denied a rostrum slot after a frantic first corner and retaliation from a lowly placing to ninth spot in the second sprint.

Teka Suzuki WMX1 now motor back to Lommel and have a three-week break leading up to the penultimate meeting on the calendar – another event relatively close to their base – at Lierop for the Grand Prix of the Netherlands.

Ken De Dycker: “Things did not go well all day. Physically I did not feel good, already from the morning, and I found myself pushing so hard on the track but nothing was working out. In the first moto, as I came through the step-down, a stone hit my goggles and the lens popped out so I quickly had to pit for another pair and lost positions for that. The track was OK for me but it was a tough day overall.”

Steve Ramon: “It was a hard day. In the first moto the bike stopped running while I was coming up the hill and the race was over. The second one was tough: The track was the same for everybody but I found it difficult to make ground. My start was not good but the speed was not so bad however if you made any small mistake then you had to push really hard again to get anywhere. Making a clean pass was tricky!”

Xavier Boog: “It is a good feeling to be on the podium. I worked a lot in the last ten days to be fit for this GP and this result is very welcome! My start was very good in the second moto and for sure it is easier when you are at the front in the beginning. I tried to push a lot and stay close to Gautier but he was a little bit too fast for me. Overall though I can have no complaints from this GP.”

Ken Roczen: “The first race was great. I started well and came from fourth to first and had a relatively comfortable lead. The GP was ruined a bit at the beginning of the second moto because I got out of the gate OK but someone hit me in the first corner and I was lucky not to crash. I was outside of the top 20 and felt far away from the front; it was difficult to get into a rhythm quickly because there was so much going on. I made it back to ninth and I felt quite down after the race but seeing that I have risen to fourth in the championship with a little gap over fifth is some consolation. The GP win was close today but we still have two more to go so I will keep my head up and concentrate on the job ahead.”

—  Yamaha Report

The Grand Prix of Czech Republic at the hard and fast Loket circuit deep in the western region of the country saw Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team’s David Philippaerts take 3rd position on his works YZ450FM as three Yamaha riders classified in the top five at the thirteenth round of fifteen in the FIM MX1-GP Motocross World Championship, attended by 21,000 people.

Light cloud and hot sunshine were the conditions for race-day but the quick, simple and slippery course close to the resort town of Karlovy Vary was still challenging by virtue of its tendency to punish mistakes. Lap-times were close and start positions important; it was tough for riders to gain time so the 35 minute and 2 lap motos became relentless sprints.

Philippaerts, competing at the venue where he was victorious in 2008, gained his second consecutive Czech trophy in his fifth podium ceremony of the season after intense skirmishes with team-mate Josh Coppins in the first moto and countryman Tony Cairoli in the second. The reigning world champion went 3-3 for his first rostrum appearance since the GP of France.

In 4th was Yamaha Red Bull De Carli’s Cairoli. The Sicilian was struggling with a cold over the weekend and had to recover from a chaotic first corner in Moto1 when he was pushed wide and up onto the narrow banking next to the crowd. Slipping down to rejoin the pack he was submerged into the second half of the pack and had to use all his guile to rise to 6th, with team-mate Tanel Leok graciously moving over to allow the MX1-GP series leader to gain another position on the last lap. Cairoli was able to negotiate the opening turn in stronger fashion in Moto2 and after a substantial part of the race looking for a way to make a concrete move on Philippaerts -which he managed in the final ten minutes – was ultimately too far from leader Clement Desalle. Cairoli missed the podium for only the fourth time this year.

Josh Coppins was the last Yamaha representative in the first five and the New Zealander’s 5th spot was earned with results of 4th and 5th positions. His tussle with Philippaerts for 3rd in Moto1 was entertaining and a goggle fault and near-miss on the first corner meant that he had to recover from mid-pack for his second race ranking.

Tanel Leok had an unlucky day and despite effective speed and courteous riding to finish 7th in the first race he suffered two crashes and a small problem with his rear brake to only make 15th later in the day for 12th overall.

Cairoli has a 45 point margin in the MX1 Rider’s table. This means that the former double MX2 world champion can lift the premier class crown in his maiden season in a matter of weeks if he gains 6 points more than Max Nagl in Holland. Just 100 points remain up for grabs in the series and Cairoli has held the red plate since round three at Turkey. Philippaerts is 3rd and 30 points from Nagl but just 2 in front of Desalle. Coppins is 6th and Leok 7th.

Yamaha maintain their streak of a YZ machine on every Grand Prix rostrum to-date. A 53 point lead is currently held in the Manufacturer’s standings with the possibility of the title being confirmed at the following race.

A small break now precedes the penultimate round of the FIM World Championship. Round fourteen will take place within the wide sandy straights of the Lierop circuit for the Grand Prix of the Netherlands in three weeks time. The final meeting will be at Canelinha in Brazil on the second weekend of September.

David Philippaerts, Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team, 3rd: “I am happy with today. I like the track here at Loket and enjoyed the win last year. Since my last podium in France I have had some physical problems that took me one month to get rid of but now things are much better. It is hard to pass and I had good fight with Josh in the first moto, perhaps it went on longer than it should because I made a mistake. I had the same experience with Cairoli in the second race; any battle with Cairoli is always hard! He had some good lines and lap-times and looks as though he will be champion this year. This season has not been easy for me but we have two more GPs now and I want to get a top three position at least.”

Tony Cairoli, Yamaha Red Bull De Carli, 4th: “Today I had two really good starts but I did not expect Max to come so close to my wheel. I ran off the track and it was pretty dangerous because I was on a narrow ridge right next to the public. I jumped back down into the group and was back in 25th so I was passing as many riders as quick as I could, which was not easy at all. I finished 6th and have to thank Tanel because he moved over on the last lap and that was a nice gesture. In the second moto the same thing almost happened at the start and I just avoided the green fence. I had to brake and could not believe it when I was again in the middle of the group. Fortunately I had a good line in the second corner and came up the hill inside the top ten. I started to push and made ground but lost some time when I reached David. He was a bit slower than me but we had a good fight and it was enjoyable to race like that with him. When I was in second with just ten minutes to go Desalle was so far and it would have been risky to catch him. I have not lost too many points to Nagl and I hope in Lierop – with my good condition – I can push hard and try to have a decent race there. I had a cold at the start of the weekend but today was not so bad. I was struggling to cleanly breathe sometimes but it was not a major problem.”

Josh Coppins, Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team, 5th: “A tough day at the office. I rode pretty well and it got off to a good start. I had a decent battle with David there for a while, he passed me, made a mistake and I could get him back and finished fourth by the line. I was away really well in the second moto but Nagl hit me hard on the first corner. I got roosted and my tear-offs were rubbish from that point. I did the best I could to fight back but the goggle lens popped out and I was getting dirt and dust in my vision all the time. Overall I felt I performed OK here but just missed a break to get a better overall result.”

Tanel Leok, Yamaha Red Bull De Carli, 9th: “My speed and my feeling was good on this track but I had really bad luck today. My start could have been better in the first heat and it was difficult to pass. I started better in the second moto but around the second corner Aranda was on the inside of me and pushing wide and I slid out. I ended up with a lot of people and bikes on top of me. I tried to get going but nudged the back wheel of Priem and went down again. When I restarted I was coming through but had to stop to take out a stone from the rear brake! It was a nightmare race.”

The thirteenth round of fifteen in the 2009 FIM MX2-GP World Championship saw Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team’s Nico Aubin come close to possibly his best result of the season at a hot, fast and slippery Loket circuit for the Grand Prix of Czech Republic. An audience of 21,000 witnessed the second GP in a week for the paddock as the series winds towards it finale. Aubin was running as high as second place in the first moto before a mechanical problem halted his progress. The Frenchman scored 5th in the next moto to place 13th overall. Yamaha’s highest finisher was 3C Racing’s Manuel Monni with 8th place in the ranking.

Aubin, competing at the track where he took first and to-date only Grand Prix victory in 2007, was a strong candidate for the podium as he confidently moved into second place during the first half of Moto1, sadly he would be unable to finish. An off-track excursion on the first lap of Moto2 left him adrift of the top three but he rode solidly for 5th spot and his second highest finish from the last seven GPs.

MX2 Italian champion Monni battled to his 8th overall thanks to 7th and 12th positions. He was ahead of countryman and second Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team rider Davide Guarneri. The Italian had two crashes on Saturday that left him virtually last in the gate and at a significant disadvantage for the starts, which were vital across a layout that was hard for overtaking. Guarneri persisted to 12th and 14th places.

Utag Yamaha.com’s Zach Osborne was another individual cursed with misfortune. The American was hit in the early stages of both motos and left stranded down the field. He was 25th overall. Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team Loic Larrieu was twenty metres from 10th place in Moto1 until a freak fall in sight of the line caused him to drop seven positions and subsequently retire in discomfort from the second race.

Guarneri is the highest-ranked YZ250FM rider in the competition and with 373 points inhabits 4th place in the table. Aubin is 8th and level on points with Monni.

Round fourteen of the series and the penultimate meeting on the calendar will occur in three weekend’s time in the sand of Lierop for the Grand Prix of the Netherlands.

Manuel Monni, Yamaha 3C Racing, 8th: “This is a not a bad result but I would normally expect better on a fast track like this. I found the circuit different to previous years; the ground was more slippery and it was tough. My starts were not great and I struggled to find a rhythm. I really want to end the year well with a good position in the championship.”

Nico Aubin, Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team, 13th: “I was up to second place in the first moto before we had an engine problem; there is not much you can do about it! For sure I was disappointed. I had a better start in the second moto but the small group of riders in front of me made some mistakes in the rhythm section on the first lap and I ended up running off the track. I then had to chase Teillet but it was hard to pass and I didn’t want to take too much of a risk, so I finished fifth. Lierop is next and I like this track, so I have big hopes for this GP.”

Davide Guarneri, Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team, 14th: “I had two bad crashes on Saturday and was last in the gate. It was tough to get good positions at the starts. I did not want to stop so I kept on pushing but did not feel so comfortable. It would have been great to keep ground with Paulin today but he was like another rider compared to Saturday!”

Zach Osborne, Utag Yamaha .com, 25th: “In the first race I had a decent start but was T-boned by Schiffer on the first lap. Everyone was going the same pace out there so it was hard to come through. In the second race I managed a whole lap and a couple of corners before I was taken out again. When I got up I did not have a front brake lever so it was pretty gnarly doing the rest of the race like that. I want to apologise to the team for the results but I got some more time on the bike to try and come back to the pace and fitness that I know I can run.”

—  KTM Report

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Max Nagl was again on the podium at Loket on Sunday after stealing a decisive victory in the first moto and following it up with a fourth place in the second race on the twisting, undulating motocross track in the Czech Republic.

Max garnered 43 additional championship points for his efforts and moved a little closer to standings leader and next year’s teammate onboard KTM, the Italian Toni Cairoli.

Nagl successfully controls first moto
Nagl qualified second and shot out of the starting gates in his gates in his customary lightning fashion take an early control of race one. He had amassed an 8-second lead by the eighth lap and had no trouble crossing the finish line a decisive 10 seconds in front of Clement Desalle and David Philippaerts. But things did not go quite so smoothly in the second race for the German rider who said that he had been troubled by stomach cramps between the two motos, a problem that may be a virus as other riders also complained of similar symptoms. Max again won the start but some difficulties in the first corner saw him in sixth place for the first two laps. In the fourth lap he fought his way up two positions at the same time registering a 1:47.906 lap time, his fastest for the race. He then sat in fourth for the rest of the race, fending off a challenge by New Zealander Josh Coppins in the closing stages.

Max Nagl: “The first moto was very good because I took the holeshot then I managed to control the race and put in good lap times. Then I felt sick between the two motos and it was no fun to go out and race again. I did have a good start again but then I made a mistake at the first corner and I had to fight to get back into the race. Overall I am happy with the weekend because I managed to pick up some more points on Cairoli and put a bigger distance between me and David Philippaerts in third place. Looking forward to the next round in Lierop, I feel quite confident because I rode well there last year and I think I can get some more points so then I’ll be ready for a big battle for the title in Brazil.”

Still open race for the title
Nagl now trails Cairoli by 45 points in the chase for the 2009 MX1 title with 100 points still up for grabs in the final two rounds – on the sandy circuit of Lierop, in the Netherlands on August 30 and in the final round in Brazil in September. He is currently the only KTM factory rider contesting the championship after Jonathan Barragan of Team Silver Action has been out for the past six rounds recuperating from surgery. Despite having missed so much of the season, Barragan is still in ninth place with 215 points from the first seven rounds.