Philippaerts hungry to be back on the podium
The Bonver GP of the Czech Republic to be held in Loket this weekend is the venue chosen to celebrate the 12th round of the FIM Motocross World Championship. After the deep sandy ruts of last weekend’s Gran Prix of Limburg, riders will have to adapt themselves quickly to the hard pack of Loket. Italian Tony Cairoli continues leading the MX1 Championship after winning in the sand in Lommel and has increased his advantage from second classified Belgian Clement Desalle up to 79 points. In MX2 Marvin Musquin is at the top of the points standings followed by the winner of the GP of Limburg Ken Roczen.
Italian David Philippaerts, who was third last year in Loket, has missed the podium in the last four Gran Prix‘s and arrives in the Czech Republic willing to improve his third place in the standings of the MX1 Championship. However, last year’s winner in Loket Clement Desalle and German Max Nagl, who was second in 2009 as well as in Lommel last weekend, will not leave things easy for the Italian.
Current MX2 leader Marvin Musquin will fight to obtain his first ever victory in Loket, track which has always brought misfortune to the French. For Gautier Paulin, who is 11th in the MX2 classification, coming back to Loket might help him to move up in the standings of the championship as he went out with the overall victory in the Czech track last year.
The UEM EMX 125 Motocross European Championship will join the MX1 and MX2 series and it can be a crucial weekend for the current French leader Jordi Tixier as he can be proclaimed the new European Champion one round before the ending of the Championship.
MX1
After obtaining his fifth Gran Prix victory in his “second home track” in Lommel, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing MX1’s Cairoli wants to conquer for the first time in his professional career in MX1 the Czech Republic soil and increase the distance with Desalle, who is now 79 points behind the Italian. At his first season in the class last year, Cairoli missed the podium for just three points.
Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1’s Desalle was not 100% satisfied with his third placed obtained in his home track in Lommel last weekend. However, Loket is a special track for the Belgian rider as it was there where he obtained his maiden MX1 overall victory in 2009 and he hopes to repeat such performance this weekend.
Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross’ Philippaerts continues third in the standings of the MX1 class 41 points behind second classified Desalle. His last podium was the third overall position obtained in Teutschenthal, but his third place obtained last year in Loket will give extra motivation to the Italian to place him back onto the rostrum and cut the points difference with second and first classified in the Championship.
Fourth in the MX1 standings is Red Bull KTM Factory Racing MX1’s Nagl, whose second overall result in Lommel made him move up one place in the classification of the Championship. The German rider is still not at his top physical condition from his collarbone injury during the French GP, but he is determined to equal or even improve his second overall result in Loket from last year.
Completing the top five is Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1’s Ramon, who had a disappointing weekend in his home track in Lommel obtaining an overall eighth position. The Belgian has not good memories of last year’s race in Loket as he could only finish 13th after a DNF in the first race and a sixth place in the second moto.
His Belgian compatriot De Dycker is now sixth in the Championship after his sixth overall result in his home GP in Lommel. Seventh is Boog, who could not take part in last weekend’s races due to an injury suffered on his left knee during Saturday’s qualifying race and he is still doubtful for this weekend.
Tanel Leok is still eighth in the Championship but he is now followed by the Russian Bobryshev, who is five points behind the Estonian.
Japanese Yu Hirata will take part in the Bonver GP of the Czech Republic in Loket after his first appearance in the Championship last weekend in Lommel where he finished 31st.
Julien Bill comes back on stage after missing the four last Grand Prix of the Championship on a new machine. KTM Sarholz Racing squad will be the new team for the Swiss rider and he will try to improve his performance and his current 37th position in the standings.
Bad luck struck the TM Factory Racing Team with none of their MX1 riders making it to Loket. Boissiere still suffers from his crash in Sweden while Aigar Leok recovers from an off season injury damaging his spleen. Though the duo will be in Loket to support their team mate and home rider Michek in the MX2 class.
MX2
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing MX2’s Musquin is still leading the MX2 series, but in the last three Grand Prix’s the French young rider has not been able to conquer the top of the rostrum, being third in the last GP of Limburg and being off the podium in Latvia and Sweden. Besides, the Czech Republic track has never brought him good results, as he has always had to pull out from one of the two races of the Czech GP: in 2008 he broke his foot while in 2009 a technical failure dropped him off the podium. This weekend Musquin is willing to break with such an unfortunate chain of results and widen the difference with his pursuers.
Teka Suzuki Europe World MX2’s Roczen arrives in Loket after winning his maiden Grand Prix of 2010 in Lommel and having reduced up to 78 points the difference from the current MX2 leader Musquin. The German does not want to think of the Title, even being four races from the end of the Championship. Instead, he wants to keep the focus on his riding trying to improve in every race adding as many points as possible. In last year’s GP in Loket, Roczen managed to be fourth overall with only one point difference from third classified Boog, so it is a good opportunity for the German to grasp some valuable points to be closer to Musquin in the point standings.
Kawasaki CLS’ Frossard could not repeat his maiden GP victory of Sweden in Belgium and he could only be eight in what it has always been a nightmare track for the French young man. Frossard is still third in the MX2 Championship 23 points behind Roczen but only 8 points ahead Herlings, who is pushing really hard from the back of the classification.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing MX2’s Herlings had a bittersweet ending in Lommel after finishing second overall in a track where he felt really confident. The young Dutch rider was third in the first moto and won the second one being only two points away from the GP winner Roczen. Herlings is going to ride in Loket for the first time in his career but he is positive and feels able to come out with a good result and enter the top three of the MX2 Classification.
Completing the top five is Red Bull KTM Factory Racing MX2’s Simpson who was seventh in Lommel and climbed up one position in the points standings. The Brit is closely followed by Bike-It Cosworth Yamaha UK’s Osborne, who is only eight points behind Simpson and hopes to be back to the podium and enter the top five again.
Belgian rider Roelants was fourth overall in his home GP and is now seventh in the Championship followed by his compatriot Van Horebeek, who could only be ninth in Lommel. Tonus and Kullas complete the top ten and they are followed by Gautier Paulin, who won the Bonver GP of the Czech Republic last year and wishes to defend his victory in Loket this weekend.
Home rider Michek of TM Racing Factory will hope in a strong result in front of his home fans, waiting for their favourite to break into the top ten while racing along Loket’s serpentine.
MX1 Championship | MX2 Championship |
1 Cairoli, A. 484, 2 Desalle, C. 405, 3 Philippaerts, D. 364, 4 Nagl, M. 348, 5 Ramon, Steve 341, 6 de Dycker, Ken 299, 7 Boog, Xavier 276, 8 Leok, Tanel 249, 9 Bobryshev, E. 244, 10 Guarneri, D. 213, 11 Strijbos, K. 181, 12 Swanepoel, G. 173, 13 Coppins, J. 165, 14 Goncalves, Rui 153, 15 Boissiere, A. 145. |
1 Musquin, M. 480, 2 Roczen, Ken 402, 3 Frossard, S. 379, 4 Herlings, J. 371, 5 Simpson, Shaun 298, 6 Osborne, Zach 290, 7 Roelants, Joel 274, 8 van Horebeek, J. 268, 9 Tonus, Arnaud 266, 10 Kullas, Harri 233, 11 Paulin, G. 200, 12 Nicholls, Jake 198, 13 Charlier, C. 179, 14 Verbruggen, D. 135, 15 Lupino, A. 129. |