— World Motocross 2013 – Round Two – Double pole for KTM at Si Racha
Si Racha woke up this morning with heavy rain which made the organization stopped the MX2 free practice and cancel the MX1 session. However, after the thirty minutes of heavy rain, the bright sun and the 32° C helped to dry the track quickly and the rest of the sessions were disputed as usual. Antonio Cairoli and Jeffrey Herlings dominated their respective pre-qualifying practice and the qualifying race.
MX1
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli said that the track was in perfect conditions for the qualifying races and said that it was partly thank to the good drainage system and the quality of the soil. The Italian had a good start but in the first corner he bumped into a mad spot and lost the lead. However, Cairoli quickly made the move on Steven Frossard and he led the race until the chequered flag.
His teammate Ken De Dycker rode a solid race in second from the beginning of the race until the end. At some points of the race the Belgian rider was faster than Cairoli in some sections of the track, but De Dycker decided to ride safe and assured a good gate pick for tomorrow’s main races.
Monster Energy Yamaha’s Steven Frossard had a fantastic start and led the first corners of the qualifying heat. The French rider admitted that he suffered a little bit of arm pump, which made him dropped to third place, but he managed to keep the position until the end of the race.
Honda World Motocross’ Evgeny Bobryshev did not have a good start and he made several mistakes in the first corners, but the Russian found quickly a good rhythm and overtook Tanel Leok and Xavier Boog. By the middle of the heat Bobryshev was already fourth and he finished the race with really good feelings for tomorrow’s races.
ICE1RACING’s Xavier Boog started the qualifying race with the leading group and he rode very well during the first laps of the heat. However, the French rider started feeling some pain on his ankle and had to slow down and dropped down one position. Boog received some treatment after the race in order to be as good as possible for tomorrow’s races, but he is still a question mark.
Clement Desalle did not have a good start but he succeeded in overtaking several riders and he ended sixth, ahead of Tanel Leok and Rui Gonçalves. Tommy Searle started twelfth right behind Desalle, but the British could only move up until the ninth position. Gautier Paulin had also a difficult start, but he managed to move from his initial fourteenth position to his final tenth place.
MX1 Qualifying Race top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 24:16.731; 2. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:10.579; 3. Steven Frossard (FRA, Yamaha), +0:22.971; 4. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:30.426; 5. Xavier Boog (FRA, KTM), +0:36.875; 6. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:38.971; 7. Tanel Leok (EST, Honda), +0:39.699; 8. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), +0:40.277; 9. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:43.698; 10. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:46.011;
MX2
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings dominated once again the qualifying heat with superb authority and he crossed the finish line thirty-five seconds ahead of the second classified, Romain Febvre. The MX2 leader admitted that he was very happy with his riding today and he is looking forward to tomorrow’s races, especially the Super Final, where he hopes to finish among the top five of the race.
Wilvo Nestaan JM Racing KTM’s Romain Febvre started once again at the front and after taking the holeshot he led the first corners of the race. The French rider could not keep the lead as Herlings was much faster than him, but Febvre finished second which gives him many chances to be again on the podium this weekend.
His teammate Jake Nicholls did not have such good start, but he was fourth position in lap one. The Wilvo Nestaan JM Racing KTM rider kept a consistent rhythm in fourth and by the end of the heat the British rider succeeded in overtaking José Butrón and Nicholls ended third.
Standing Construct KTM’s Glenn Coldenhoff was riding sixth behind Jordi Tixier during the first half of the race and when the French rider crashed, Coldenhoff moved up one position and he gave chase to the leading group. In the end, the Dutch rider overtook Butrón in the last lap and he crossed the finish line fourth.
KTM Silver Action’s José Butrón had an excellent start and he rode a consistent moto in third. The Spanish rider explained that he felt really good on the Thai track and he hopes to finish among the top five MX2 riders.
Mel Pocock started down in eighth, but he managed to cross the finish line sixth ahead of Christophe Charlier. Jordi Tixier, who crashed while he was riding fifth, ended eighth but he was taken to the hospital after the race as he had a deep cut in his chin and the doctors will determine if the French rider can take part in tomorrow’s races. Julien Lieber finished ninth and Dean Ferris rounded the top ten.
MX2 Qualifying Race top ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 24:08.946; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, KTM), +0:35.143; 3. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +0:52.007; 4. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:54.261; 5. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +0:56.349; 6. Mel Pocock (GBR, Yamaha), +0:59.213; 7. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Yamaha), +1:08.116; 8. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KTM), +1:11.914; 9. Julien Lieber (BEL, Suzuki), +1:17.307; 10. Dean Ferris (AUS, Yamaha), +1:25.351;
MXGP THAILAND – QUICK FACTS
Circuit length: 1550
Type of ground: Intermediate to soft
Temperature: 32° C
Weather conditions: heavy rain in the morning, sunny and cloudy during the rest of the day
— Suzuki Report
Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1’s Clement Desalle fought back from a mediocre start in the MX1 Qualification Heat of the first ever Thai Motocross Grand Prix today for the second round of the FIM Motocross World Championship to earn sixth place in the gate for tomorrow’s motos.
The Grand Prix practice and qualification programme was delayed due to the heavy showers that forced the organisers to swiftly react and prepare the new terrain. The effect on the mud meant a rough and boggy surface that varied in grip levels, but the high temperatures north east of Pattaya sped up the drying process.
Desalle made a decent jump from the line on his works RM-Z450 but suffered drag through the sodden earth on the uphill start straight and from that point began a race-long process of working his way through the top 10. The Belgian did not take many risks but made progress to eventually reach sixth.
Team-mate Kevin Strijbos also encountered problems with the mud and had his vision impaired through the first section of corners. The Belgian slipped off the bike after failing to spot a stone in a rut and then used the rest of the 20 minutes and two laps distance trying to catch up, eventually finishing 16th.
More rainfall is predicted for race day tomorrow.
Clement Desalle: “I didn’t have a good start in the heat race and gave myself a hard job. I hit a big mud patch on the straight and lost drive. I was then deep in traffic at the beginning. I came back to sixth and that wasn’t too bad. The track is nothing special and I think it suffers from being brand new, but there is not much anybody can do about that! The bike feels unsettled and is moving a lot. Like I always say, I want to enjoy being on the bike and today is a bit difficult to explain, but it wasn’t easy.”
Kevin Strijbos: “I thought the track was in good shape but the rain didn’t help and turned it into something else. I was a bit shocked in timed practice! My start in the heat was pretty good but when we hit the first corner it had been ripped too deep and my goggles became covered. I couldn’t sort out my tear-offs and it meant I struggled to see. I went down on the first lap when I touched a rock in a rut and the front washed out. I tried to push to come back but every time I went for it, something would happen, like the back end would pop out of a rut or I’d make a mistake. It was not one of my best days actually. I hope to get better tomorrow and also the track gets fixed for tomorrow.”
-=- Honda Report
Honda World Motocross rider Evgeny Bobryshev, who is the sole flag flier for the team this weekend with Max Nagl suffering with illness, put on a strong throughout today’s shortened proceedings to take fourth in qualifying at round two of the World MX1 Championship in Si Racha, Thailand.
With temperatures in excess of 35°C yesterday, the team was expecting a tough day in the heat, but extremely heavy rainfall during the MX2 class’s free practice session meant that the schedule was put on hold while the track was assessed and repaired where possible. For the MX1 class free practice was cancelled and a 10-minute practice session followed directly by a 20-minute pre-qualifying session confirmed the gate pick for the qualifying race, which went ahead as normal.
In the 20-minute plus two-lap qualifying race Bobryshev didn’t get the best jump from his fifth position on the gate, and with the deep conditions in some parts of the track it was difficult to make passes. The 25-year-old Russian-ace made good progress after settling into the race, as he passed Tanel Leok and Xavier Boog within a few laps of each other to take up fourth position with a solid ride to the chequered flag aboard his Dunlop-shod factory CRF450R. Bobryshev is looking for another strong result tomorrow, although with the hot and humid temperatures it will be tough racing for the Honda star, who doesn’t particularly find it easy in the heat.
Teammate Max Nagl, who is sitting out of proceedings this weekend with illness, left hospital this afternoon following an overnight stay with a stomach infection that developed in Qatar last week. With the intravenous fluids and antibiotics that the Honda racer has received it is expected he will be well enough to return to Europe tomorrow or Monday.
In the top ten was also Route 77 Energy MVR-D Honda’s Tanel Leok, who finished seventh ahead of tomorrow’s Grand Prix.
Evgeny Bobryshev #777: 4th place
“The rain came hard this morning, so the first session was cancelled, and we had to adapt to the track quickly with no free practice. We basically went straight into getting a good time, and I finished fifth, which I was happy with, as I didn’t have the best feeling on the track with losing that first session. In the qualifying race I didn’t get the jump from the gate, so I was in sixth, but I was struggling to pass Leok and Boog with the lines. I made some moves in the middle of the race to get to fourth, and that was enough for me, because I want to keep my energy for tomorrow, with it being so hot. It was really muddy on the track but it coped with the rain okay, and I have to say I like it with the big jumps, big triples and high speed. The ground is quite tricky so you have to be careful with the throttle, but I’ve enjoyed it and tomorrow my goal is just to build on what we have. I hope it’s a little bit cooler tomorrow, as although it’s the same for everyone, I find it tough when it is hot, but we’ll make a plan tonight and do the best we can. It’s sad I’m not here with my teammate Max, so I’d like to say hello to him and I hope that he is feeling better soon.”
Lorenzo Resta: Honda World Motocross Team Manager
“It’s a mixed feeling for us here at the track today, as we are disappointed that we cannot be at full strength with Max not being here, but I am pleased to say his condition is improving. We were incredibly worried for him yesterday with him being in so much pain, and it’s disappointing that the diagnosis was incorrect last weekend in Qatar, as we would have been able to treat him properly to get him ready for today. He will be returning home as soon as he is well enough, but he has left hospital this afternoon. For the racing, despite the really heavy rainfall, the track was in a usable condition this afternoon, and Bobby has been going consistently well. We made some adjustments in set-up, that we weren’t able to do in the earlier session with losing the free practice, and he rode a good, solid race. We will be doing everything possible to keep Bobby cool tomorrow, as the heat will be tough for him, but it’s nice to see him enjoying his riding so much, and we hope he can use this to help him achieve the results we are aiming for.”
